By Dennis Gorecho On March 29, 1984, Proclamation No. 2346 was enacted declaring April 30 as “Woman Suffrage Day” to enable Filipino women to “renew their advocacy and support for clean, honest and free elections and pursue with greater zeal their efforts towards this direction.” It was on April 30, 1937 when Filipino women exercised suffrage …
Kuwentong Peyups
Mary Magdalene, Easter and ‘Noli Me Tangere’
By Dennis Gorecho Easter is closely related to Jose Rizal’s novel “Noli Me Tangere.” The title is lifted from a biblical line on resurrection in the New Testament’s Gospel of St. John (20:17). In English, it is usually translated as “touch me not” as Jesus’ response to Mary Magdalene right after he confronts her just outside his tomb after his resurrection. Mary …
Juan Luna’s crime of passion
By Dennis Gorecho The “Portrait of a Lady” or “Mi Novia” is Juan Luna’s famous painting often mistaken as that of his wife, Paz Pardo de Tavera who became a victim of a crime of passion. The painting depicted a woman in bed, clutching a rosary, with a prayer book and a night stand to …
Mythical Chinese dragons and ‘bakunawa’
By Dennis Gorecho I am usually among those who converge along the streets of Binondo to celebrate the Chinese New Year and for the special performances (dragon/lion dances), cuisine, lucky charms, prosperity fruits, and boxes of tikoy. Year 2024 is the Year of the Wood Dragon, beginning on February 10, 2024 while other dragon years include …
The search for fireflies in Ifugao rice terraces
By Dennis Gorecho The film “Firefly,” which won best film in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival, depicts the sad state of these blinking bugs — they are fast disappearing. Directed by Zig Dulay, the film is set in 1999 as narrated from the perspective of an adult Tonton (Dingdong Dantes) who reminisces about his …