Moving to a smaller home has a way of forcing us to confront our possessions more honestly. In my case, it meant looking at the artworks I had collected over the years—pieces by local artists from Iloilo that once filled my walls with meaning and memory. Letting go of some
January 14, 2026
The creative industry in the Philippines is often celebrated as a progressive force, a promise of jobs, visibility, and cultural pride. Yet behind the glowing press releases and curated social media posts lies a more complicated story. This essay is a personal reflection and a critical inquiry into who truly
January 10, 2026
Whether you are a writer, a visual artist, a filmmaker, a dancer, or work in any other creative field, one of the very first things you must understand, especially as a beginning artist, is that art is work. Art is not a vague talent that magically appears; it is a
January 9, 2026
What do I mean when I say we need a nurturing art community? I mean a community that recognizes the dignity of every artist and every form of artistic labor. A community that does not reduce art to decoration, publicity, or entertainment for special occasions. A community that understands art
January 8, 2026
Yesterday, after Karina Bolasco read and commented on one of my film reviews posted on Facebook, she shared a thought that stayed with me. She suggested that, alongside book clubs within and beyond schools, we also urgently need film clubs. I found myself agreeing with her almost instinctively. In a
January 6, 2026
There is something defiant about making a crime thriller rooted in historical reality at a time when film festivals increasingly favor escapism. Manila’s Finest (Cignal and MQuest Ventures, 2025) does not aim to simply entertain. It does not soften itself for mass appeal. Instead, it demands confrontation. By returning to
January 5, 2026
This New Year arrived with a heaviness that celebration could not erase. As fireworks lit the sky and noise filled the streets, there was an undeniable awareness that something was deeply wrong. The turning of the year did not feel like renewal but like a reminder of everything that has
January 3, 2026
I borrowed the title The Taste of Home from an essay by the late Doreen G. Fernandez that was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on December 20, 1988 as part of her column series In Good Taste. In that piece, she asked a question that seemed simple but carried
December 30, 2025
This is not a trashy film, though it is not perfect either, and it certainly cannot be dismissed as just another loud MMFF entry meant only to sell tickets. “Call Me Mother” (Star Cinema, 2025) feels like a conscious attempt to widen the emotional and moral vocabulary of mainstream Filipino
December 29, 2025
This Christmas, I found myself completely absorbed in a book I had personally purchased directly from its author, Emmanuel Lerona. “Graciano’s Dirty Fingers” is a bold confrontation of the falsehoods and misleading narratives long attached to Graciano Lopez Jaena, one of the most important Ilonggo heroes whose legacy has too
December 27, 2025
I tried to play detective with my flu, lining up suspects like a crime scene in my own body. Was it the weather with its mood swings hotter one day, cooler the next. Was it the airplane, packed with fellow passengers coughing like it was a group audition for a
December 24, 2025
For many Filipinos, Christmas is more than a date on the calendar. It is a deeply emotional season. It is a time when families try to come home, when old conflicts are expected to soften, and when generosity is encouraged even in the midst of scarcity. From early September, the
December 23, 2025
