In my almost two decades of being a resident of Metropolitan Manila, I confess I have not yet fully explored the city. One of the places that I have always wanted to explore was Quiapo and the University Belt where the majestic San Sebastian Minor Basilica (or most popularly known as San Sebastian Church) is…
Category: Lakwacha
Pampanga Colonial Churches; Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical (Part 1 of 2)
I am Kapampangan and I am proud of my heritage. Most of the time, many Filipinos associate Kapampangan heritage with food. One of the most articulated cultural stereotype (in a positive sense) of a Kapampangan is her skills in cooking (hmmmm, Atching Lilian embodied!). This is also the reason why Pampanga is commonly associated as…
Manila, Entangled!
This post is an excerpt from my book Buhol-Buhol/Entanglement: Contemporary Theatre in Metropolitan Manila (Bern et al: Peter Lang, 2017). ENTANGLEMENT is persistent in Manila’s historical narrative. Travel writer Pico Iyer has observed many contradictions in the city of Manila. For instance, he describes the gallery going to his hotel room as an extraordinary space since: “on…
Traditional Fiesta in The Archipelagic Province of Batanes: Pistang Chavayan (Part 1 of 2)
The Batanes Group of Islands (or the Archipelagic Province of Batanes) is the northernmost region of the Philippine archipelago. Composed of three major islands: Batan, Sabtang and Itbayat; these islands have been inhabited for 4,000 years and are believed to be homes of the ancestors of the Austronesian-speaking peoples in the Pacific and Indian Oceans….
University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD) as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Why not!
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is a public research university in Central America. Founded in 1910, its main campus was the birthplace of the student movement of 1968, which turned into a nationwide rebellion against autocratic rule and began Mexico’s three-decade journey toward democracy. The main campus is also made vibrant by several…
Perks of Travelling?!
Part of my academic vocation (yeah, I consider my job a “calling”) is traveling: conferences, academic meetings, symposiums, and fellowships. Many times, I want to think of these travels as “perks.” However, they are not really perks. Honestly, if not with my active networking (no – not that kind of networking which starts in a coffee…
Looking for Heritage
As an academic, I find the concept of heritage problematic. Those who are conceived as the authority of heritage (normally, the educated, the State) constantly use history of the glorious past as the primary defining framework for etching something as heritage. This identification equates heritage as something significantly valuable similar to how precious stones such as…
