The Santo Niño in a pagan ritual

I was planning on going back to Kalibo for this year’s Ati-atihan festival, but I had to go somewhere else for work. I’m reposting this old blog entry instead.   Kalibo’s ati-atihan festival has got to be the wildest fiesta celebration honoring the Santo Niño. I caught the last three days of the celebration, which…

PNoy’s Porsche and the straight road it will traverse

What timing, Mr. President! I was in Kalibo, Aklan, trying to enjoy my first experience with the Ati-Atihan festivities and the celebration of the Sto. Nino, when the news came out about PNoy’s brand new Porsche. I got sidetracked from enjoying my vacation and got irked by this news. But I did not let PNoy…

BPI’s system is shackling

I would have wanted to start blogging for 2011 with a positive story. But the Bank of the Philippine Islands just ruined it for me. I just got off the phone with a BPI CSR. I was utterly disgusted, to say the least, after the interaction (and it didn’t help that the CSR kept interrupting…

Contrast in tragedies define men

In a span of 48 hours, my beloved Philippines took a one-two punch from two contrasting but equally tragic incidents. One was dreadful — the other one, amusing. Yesterday, August 23, a former police inspector took foreigners hostage inside a tourist bus. For about 10 hours, the drama unfolded right before the world’s shocked eyes….

44, and twice as sure

I just turned 44, and I can’t believe it. I’m ancient! What? What! When I was 22, I considered the age of 40 as the portal to death. When I turned 25, I felt a pinch of panic because being a quarter of a century old seemed overwhelming then. Then I turned 30, and the…