Inquirer Breaking News

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

(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

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

MANILA, Philippines --- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) arrested on Tuesday five suspected drug pushers and seized from them 15 grams of crystal meth, locally known as shabu. A PDEA spot report identified the suspects as Macartos Montanes, 26; Luisito Manuel, 42; Marvin Cayanan, 40; Mandro Doque, 54; and Noime Canaleta, 35 years old. The suspects were arrested at 1:50 a.m. at North Triangle Alliance in Barangay San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal. Authorities also drug paraphernalia, the P1,000 used as buy-bust money, and a pack of cigarettes. RELATED STORIES PDEA destroys P1.295-B worth of illegal drugs in Cavite PDEA seizes P3.4-M worth of 'shabu' in Quiapo drug bust ...

Keep on reading: PDEA arrests 5 suspected drug pushers in Rizal bust

MANILA, Philippines --- The Commission on Audit (COA) has asked the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) to start collecting past dues from businesses in the area --- particularly those that have been delayed from 31 days to 10 years already --- a total of P148.101 million. According to COA's 2020 audit report for CEZA, these payments should be collected immediately especially as there had been a stark increase in uncollected funds --- increasing from just P92.70 in 2019 to P157.0 million as of Dec. 31, 2020. COA said that CEZA could have used these funds to aid its operations. About 95 percent of the uncollected obligations --- or P140.706 million --- are due from First C...

Keep on reading: COA orders CEZA to collect over P148 million of dues from firms

MANILA, Philippines --- The Department of Health (DOH) called on independent experts to be more careful in their statements about the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid causing panic. The DOH did not mention who it was referring to, but earlier in the day, OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye said that Metro Manila is "officially in a surge" of COVID-19 cases after some local government units confirmed cases of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Rye likewise urged the government to immediately impose "circuit-breaking" lockdowns to prevent the further spread of the Delta variant. READ: OCTA: PH needs 'circuit-breaking' lockdowns now amid Delta variant In a statement, the...

Keep on reading: DOH to independent experts: ‘Be more careful in making pronouncements’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFdHnjr6wPk TOKYO---Hidilyn Diaz has seen it all, heard it all. She's watched her name surface in a government matrix that detailed supposed conspiratorial destabilizers. She's seen her performance dip below standards she is accustomed to. A pandemic stranded her in Malaysia, locking her away from her family for 18 months. "People said I was over the hill," Diaz said. "I really went through a lot. Well, everyone is singing praises to her now, a day after she ended the country's quest for an Olympic gold medal by ruling the women's weightlifting 55-kg division at Tokyo International Forum late Monday night. Bashers who fed her reputation and ...

Keep on reading: ‘Worth it’: Hidilyn Diaz sacrificed a lot for Olympic gold

MANILA, Philippines --- Chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo on Tuesday insisted he did not say Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is part of an alleged plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte. This even if it was him who made public in 2019 six matrices of what he described as a network of personalities, which included Diaz, that purportedly wants to overthrow the Duterte administration. In a statement, Panelo again blamed the media for "hastily" concluding that the government tagged Diaz as part of the destabilizers. He offered this same excuse in 2019 when he was pressed by the media to explain the inclusion of Diaz and star volleyball player and TV host Gretch...

Keep on reading: Panelo insists he did not link Hidilyn Diaz to plot to overthrow Duterte

Taiwan's star weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun won gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday, but when she ascended the podium to receive her medal there was no national flag and no national anthem to greet her. Taiwan cannot even call itself "Taiwan" at the Games. Instead, it must use the title "Chinese Taipei," a source of considerable frustration to many Taiwanese. Here's why: What's in a name? Taiwan has been given a host of names at the Olympics over the years because of its peculiar international status. Despite being a self-ruled democracy of 23 million people with its own borders, currency and government, Taiwan's status remains disputed. After the 1949 Chinese civil war...

Keep on reading: Why is Taiwan not called Taiwan at the Olympics?

Russia's women gymnastics team capitalized on the dramatic departure of Simone Biles from the US team to win the Olympic title on Tuesday. The US team withdrew Biles from the final after a disappointing opening vault and Russia went on to beat the champions from the last two Games by more than three points. Britain took a surprise bronze medal. Led by Angelina Melnikova, the Russians emulated their men's team who won gold 24 hours earlier. Competing under a neutral banner due to its country's doping suspension, Russia was ending a sequence of domination by the US women in world and Olympic finals stretching back to 2011. But the main focus of attention at the Ariak...

Keep on reading: Russian women win Olympics gymnastics team final after Biles exit

MANILA, Philippines---Even when he was at the center of controversies, the late President Benigno Aquino III did not attempt to influence people just to take the heat off him. As senators honored Aquino and his legacies on Tuesday, two of them looked back at the time when the late president was caught in the middle of the 2015 Mamasapano massacre and the controversial Reproductive Health measure. She recalled having "clashed" with the Aquino administration on some issues like the botched Mamasapano operation that left 44 elite policemen dead and the "inefficiencies" of the MRT. As then chairperson of the Senate committee on public order, Poe investigated the Mamasapano massa...

Keep on reading: No ‘meddling’ from Noynoy Aquino: Senators remember a ‘good man’