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The House select committee investigating the January 6 attack at the Capitol held its first hearing on Tuesday with harrowing testimony from four officers who shared their stories of being attacked by the rioters.

What did it all mean? The build-up to the year 2021 has been massive, as the year marks 500 years since the Spanish and Christianity arrived on our shores. But even before the year itself, debate began to emerge about the significance and the implications of this half-century---all before the pandemic struck, hampering planned celebrations in particular of three events: Ferdinand Magellan's journey, the Battle of Mactan and the first Catholic Mass in Asia. How did the artists respond to it? They created. In "A History of Struggle: Philippine Art Remembers 1521" at Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal, curator Patrick D. Flores has gathered an extraordinary collection of works across...

Keep on reading: PH art responds to 1521: ‘History itself is a struggle’

Meet Manix Abrera, Elizabeth Chionglo, Pia Maria Coll and Albert G. Rodriguez. They are the four cartoonists of the Inquirer whose inventive and imaginative strips can be seen daily, except Sundays, in the Comic Relief section of the newspaper. Abrera's comic strip is titled "Kikomachine," while Chionglo's is "Love Knots." Coll has her "Tuldok" while Rodriguez his "Crazy Jhenny." (See page C4.) Manix Abrera fils is as different from Jess Abrera pere as night is from day. The elder Abrera had a cheerful, thumbs-up sense of humor, satirizing presidents from Marcos to Duterte. His iconic carabao remains a daily feature on the front page of this newspaper. The younger Abrera, on the...

Keep on reading: Comic relief from the gang of four

A landmark book has recently been released, detailing the history, heritage and artistry of the indigenous bladed weapons of the Philippines. Published by Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubo (MusKKat), "A Warrior's Armament and Ornament" features rare weapons of immense cultural value that our ancestors used in hand-to-hand combat as well as in their daily lives. These weapons, a total of 163 objects, were donated to MusKKat by Edwin R. Bautista, the chief executive officer of UnionBank, who is also the coauthor of the book. Joining him are art critic and historian Patrick Flores, anthropologist/archaeologist Eusebio Dizon, cultural worker Lorenz Castro, weapons collector Narciso Tan, M...

Keep on reading: How our ancestors settled disputes and upheld honor in new book

In January, the Inquirer reported that machine-made replicas of Cordillera-woven blankets and garments coming from China have flooded local markets in Baguio. With local weavers demanding protection, lawmakers initiated an inquiry into the counterfeiting of indigenous weaves---a lingering issue that may have massive effects on the livelihood and heritage of many of our countrymen. The production of textiles, garments and woven products is an industry that rakes in billions for the country. Over the years, designers and suppliers have teamed up with local weavers to create products that have made it into the mainstream market. Some of these designs have even attained international reco...

Keep on reading: Culture under threat: Are we doing enough to protect indigenous weaves?

MANILA, Philippines --- The Marikina River was placed under first alarm on Tuesday night its water level went past 15 meters, according to the Marikina Public Information Office. As of 11:54 p.m., the water level was at 15.1 meters. The first level alarm first breached the 15-meter mark at 11:18 p.m., prompting the alarm in accordance with the city's disaster risk reduction system. Last Saturday, July 24, the city evacuated residents of high-risk areas as the river rose past 16 meters due to continuous rainfall caused by the southwest monsoon, or habagat, that was enhanced by Typhoon Fabian. Earlier, state meteorologists said that Luzon would continue to have rainfall caused ...

Keep on reading: First alarm raised as Marikina River level rises past 15 meters

Do you find yourself dozing off at your desk, even after what you thought was a good night's rest? Then you probably have the same question as so many others: How much do I need to sleep?

A married couple who stormed the US Capitol on January 6 and later downplayed the level of violence pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court, where a judge pledged to use the case to send a message that their behavior was "reprehensible."

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Simone Biles and Suni Lee addressed the media following the conclusion of the women's team gymnastics event.

(First of two parts) If Svetlana Cvetko's visually delectable and thematically provocative mnage trois drama "Show Me What You Got" were conceptualized and shot in the Philippines, it wouldn't be hard to imagine TBA Studios, the maverick indie-churning production company associated with such titles as "Heneral Luna," "I'm Drunk, I Love You," "Lingua Franca" and "Dito at Doon," producing it. For TBA, it's always been as much about artistic taste as storytelling innovation. And that is why we've patiently sat through every single one of its projects---from its groundbreaking innovations in filmmaking to its excusable occasional missteps. Shot in stylish and steamy black-and-w...

Keep on reading: ‘Show Me What You Got’: Ménage à trois demystified

For its new season, "Pepito Manaloto" returns to the 1980s and explores how everything began for the beloved characters of the long-running GMA 7 sitcom. Titled "Unang Kwento," this prequel shows the first-ever meeting and campus lives of future couple Pepito and Elsa, who were originally played by Michael V. and Manilyn Reynes. Young Pepito, portrayed by Sef Cadayona, is a shy, smart boy from Bulacan who's always ready to give a helping hand to his family and those who are in need. Young Elsa (Mikee Quintos) is a book-smart, competitive transferee from Cebu whose charm easily captivates her classmates' attention, including Pepito's. "I think this is the best direction for t...

Keep on reading: ‘Secret formula’ still at work in ‘Pepito Manaloto’ prequel

Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn recounts how rioters called him and other officers racial slurs as they clashed with police during the January 6 riot.

The first Teatro Europa was held virtually last year at the onset of the pandemic, and the organizers are again holding the festival's 2021 edition online. The full video performances will be available Aug. 1-31 on Teatro Europa's Facebook page (@TeatroEuropaPH), with reruns in September. "Theater is a mirror of all human emotions and helps us to better understand Europe and its culture, from the plays staged in ancient Greece to the current online performances," said European Union Ambassador Luc Vron. "Teatro Europa provides a platform for artistic Filipino youth to share their talents in acting, directing and production design." The recent Teatro Europa Zoom launch was attend...

Keep on reading: Student theater groups collaborate with EU in virtual festival

Bea Antonio, retail operations and training manager for L'Oreal Philippines and indoor cycling instructor for Ride Revolution, has been balancing both jobs while working from home. "I have been trying to get back into some hobbies that I haven't had the time to do, like reading and making some art," she said. "I also recently decided that I want to get certified for scuba diving." Another thing she makes time for? Working out. Antonio, 29, has always led an active life. "At an early age, I was exposed to all sorts of physical activities---swimming, badminton, kickboxing, dance, etc., and I cannot remember a time when I didn't have any form of activity on the side." She admits...

Keep on reading: This Ride Revolution instructor also enjoys doing deadlifts

Last week, we discussed how history seems to be repeating itself with a one-size-fits-all strategy of mass vaccination for COVID-19, just as the scientists and health officials attempted to do during the Spanish flu of 1918, but desisted from it when they observed that it was not working to control the pandemic. Lucia Sto. Tomas of Makati City says that we don't have to go that far in time; just look what happened in the Dengvaxia catastrophe of 2016, when we prematurely rolled out the mass vaccination program to all schoolchildren, only to realize six months later---after having given close to a million doses---that it's not safe to give to children younger than 9 years old without h...

Keep on reading: Why I’m steadfast in my COVID commentaries despite criticism

MANILA, Philippines --- The Delta variant could drive Metro Manila's daily new COVID-19 cases to 11,000 by the end of September if health protocols would not be properly imposed, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday citing projections. "We acknowledge that there is an increase of our case metrics which is why we urge people to continue adhering to the minimum health standards and get vaccinated, and for our local government units to strictly implement our protocols," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a statement. "Otherwise, we might see daily active cases in NCR [National Capital Region] to reach 11,000 by the end of September 2021 based on the projec...

Keep on reading: Delta variant may raise daily COVID-19 cases in NCR to 11,000 by end of September – DOH

In a conservative country like the Philippines, talking about sex is sometimes seen as taboo. However, a youth-led organization called Amarela disregards this belief. Determined to make sexual and reproductive health care accessible in the Philippines, Amarela encourages conversing about sex, abortion, birth control and everything that Filipinos believe should be kept behind closed doors. In this exclusive interview with Lifestyle, the organization's founder Nina Co and chairs Kira Velasco and Arya Cabutihan lend their insights on the importance of youth activism and Filipinos' sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR). Though the organization only started in 2019 with six me...

Keep on reading: Youth-led org’s call to destigmatize sex talk in PH