Features
Reeling from Covid impact, C. Luzon sees economic rebound in 2021
December 27, 2020, 5:00 pm
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – The year 2020 is no doubt the most challenging in modern times due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic which brought the daily grind to a halt and caused many changes to the lives of most people. Central Luzon was not spared from the devastating… Read More
Rehab recovers 'lost' Boracay, Manila Bay
December 26, 2020, 12:14 pm
MANILA – The government further pursued this year rehabilitation of world-famous tourist destination Boracay Island and historic Manila Bay, recovering the areas lost to encroachment and trash. The anti-encroachment crackdown amid the rehabilitation in Boracay has resulted in the recovery of… Read More
Holidays: Days of rest for people, but why not for all?
December 24, 2020, 7:34 pm
MANILA – As Filipinos begin the final week of this year with the most number of holidays, there are types or kinds of people who have to work on holidays. The Webster's New Dictionary describes briefly the noun holiday as "Day or period of rest from work, or of recreation.” The last week… Read More
Pampanga’s lantern-making tradition thrives amid pandemic
December 23, 2020, 6:58 pm
MANILA – Christmas in the Philippines will never be complete without the iconic ‘parol’ or lantern. Craftsmen from San Fernando City in Pampanga, dubbed as the Christmas capital of the Philippines, have continued the tradition of lantern-making despite the pandemic. “Syempre yung parol… Read More
Ways to do holiday shopping amid pandemic
December 23, 2020, 6:46 pm
MANILA – Days ahead of Christmas Day, Eyah Manansala, a single parent of two teenagers, said she is already busy planning what to cook for Christmas Eve. Manansala said she went to the Blumentritt Wet Market early morning Wednesday with his 18-year-old son to avoid the influx of shoppers who… Read More
Skipping passion for safety: An old lantern maker's tale
December 22, 2020, 6:14 pm
MANILA – While the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic may have caused a negative impact on everyone's lives, it sure taught an old man to make an unselfish gesture of skipping tradition, giving way, hold his passion, and take a back seat. This year, Efren Tiodin resisted and finally… Read More
Celebrating Christmas differently at home
December 22, 2020, 3:35 pm
MANILA – With the pandemic making family gatherings more difficult, a Marikenyo shared how Filipinos can turn to creative ways to celebrate Christmas amid the pandemic. Jheng Margarejo, 29, of Marikina City, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) how the pandemic affected her family's reunion on… Read More
Soldiers redefine courage, hope amid trying time
December 22, 2020, 2:49 pm
MANILA – While most of us find ways to connect and celebrate this Christmas season, soldiers, who are among those on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, continue to provide services for Filipinos. Apart from securing the country and protecting the… Read More
Flood victims still facing survival struggle
December 21, 2020, 7:00 pm
MANILA – From health crisis to calamities, the country has grappled with several adversities this year. While other people were fortunate to maneuver from these situations, others experienced their perils. Gina Tinedero, a resident of Barangay Tumana in Marikina, was a victim of the recent… Read More
Christmas tree fit for bookworms
December 20, 2020, 4:07 pm
MANILA – Filipino bookworms are getting into the holiday season by incorporating their love of reading into their Christmas decor. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites have inspired them to create their own versions of “book trees” or books piled on top of each other to form the… Read More
Life's still good: Overseas Pinoys share Christmas amid pandemic
December 19, 2020, 2:06 pm
MANILA – While the Philippines is still battling with the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-2019) pandemic, Filipinos are slowly but surely bouncing back and showing glimmers of hope to celebrate the Yuletide season. Filipinos working overseas are no exception in spreading the… Read More
Pinoy arrives home after being stuck in Saudi for 6 years
December 18, 2020, 3:46 pm
MANILA – After six long years in Saudi Arabia with no inkling whether he would be able to return to the Philippines, Malik Darimbang, a native of Marawi City, is home at last. In February 2014, Malik figured in an accident after a Pakistani rammed the street sweeper vehicle he was driving,… Read More
8M trees planted in Negros amid the pandemic
December 16, 2020, 10:44 pm
DUMAGUETE CITY – Despite the travel restrictions during the community quarantines, a massive joint government and non-government movement for the forest restoration of Negros Island has already planted eight million trees on its fifth year. The 10 Million Trees in 10 Years (10M in 10) for a… Read More
'Simbang Gabi' brings hope amid a pandemic
December 15, 2020, 7:12 pm
DUMAGUETE CITY – Owena Davis, 75, putters around the house, preparing a table with a white linen cloth for the altar, with fresh flowers, a crucifix and candles, just a day before the start of the nine-day novena masses at dawn or Misa de Gallo beginning Dec. 16, leading up to Christmas. In… Read More
Arts fair brings color amid trying times
December 14, 2020, 7:41 pm
MANILA – The year 2020 may have been devastating for many but organizers and participants of arts fair, ManilArt, proved that there is hope, through a display of inspiring and colorful artworks. ManilArt, the longest-running art exhibit in the country, was held on Dec. 9-13 at the SMX Convention… Read More
Korean Cultural Center honors front-liners thru online concert
December 14, 2020, 6:14 pm
MANILA – Providing Filipino front-liners a treat was not enough for the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC), as it staged a virtual concert to recognize their invaluable contribution to society amid the pandemic. The concert held on Saturday was still part of KCC"s "K-Healing:… Read More
Batanes residents keep the faith through ‘confession on wheels’
December 13, 2020, 7:50 pm
TUGUEGARAO CITY – The parish priest of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Basco, Batanes has been driving around the community, using his tricycle as a mobile confessional box to prepare young parishioners for their first Holy Communion and others for their prayer of concession. Fr.… Read More
From siege to wedding rites: APC serves as 'bridal tank'
December 13, 2020, 4:41 pm
BALOI, Lanao del Norte – Three years after the five-month siege in Marawi City in 2017, the armored personnel carrier (APC) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was back running, not to carry soldiers in full-battle gear, but to carry six white-clad brides to marry soldiers who were part… Read More
'Star of Bethlehem': Miracle or Science?
December 11, 2020, 7:19 pm
MANILA – The Bible says the three wise men followed a star in order to find where Jesus was born. People refer to that star as the "Christmas Star" or the "Star of Bethlehem". Did that star come out of the blue to guide the "Magi"? Or did Jesus' birth coincide with a celestial phenomenon? "This… Read More
Davao City Christmas in the new normal
December 9, 2020, 3:19 pm
By Jed Roland Wong DAVAO CITY – Around this time last year, upland communities of indigenous peoples (IPs) in Davao City host different fun and community-based activities for the members of the tribes, especially the children. At the same time, in downtown Davao, the entire city would sparkle… Read More
