The moment our plane touched down at Zamboanga International Airport, hunger greeted us like an old friend. I was traveling with our Dean, Sir Pete, and my colleagues from the Division of Professional Education, Sir Dominique, Sir Rene, and Ma’am Let-let. We were on our way to Mindanao State University
October 27, 2025
I was a first-year college student when I first read the works of John Iremil Teodoro, whom we fondly called Sir John and, among friends, Sirena. Even then, he stood out as a writer deeply aware of the importance of writing from one’s own language and place. He taught us
October 25, 2025
Whoever came up with the idea of putting “Mayor Raisa Treñas” on every sports event banner for Dinagyang 2026 should probably reconsider their career path. Either they need to be removed from the team or sent back to school for an intensive course in marketing, advertising, and political branding. Because
October 24, 2025
Cinema is not just entertainment—it is memory, protest, and truth. In the Philippines, where stories have long been shaped by colonial morality and religious dogma, film becomes a battlefield for representation. When the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) slapped an X rating on Dreamboi by Rodina Singh,
October 22, 2025
Everyone has a story. That is the easiest truth to say but the hardest to honor. In the art world, where beauty and intellect often mask deeper power plays, this truth becomes more complicated. Artists, curators, and festival directors love to talk about giving a platform to voices that matter.
October 21, 2025
Let’s admit it. We Filipinos have a complicated relationship with our own words. We celebrate our writers, yes, but mostly when they write in English. We call it “world-class” when a Filipino wins an international award in a foreign tongue, yet we barely glance at those who write in Hiligaynon,
October 20, 2025
I’m boycotting the Frankfurt Book Fair for personal reasons, but that isn’t my focus here. What matters more is the presence of the Sugidanon epics at this global event and whether their display truly deepens our understanding and appreciation of narratives rooted in our own traditions, especially those from Western
October 17, 2025
In cities like Iloilo, many still see art as a pastime, not a profession. People expect it to be free or cheap, dismissing it as “just expression” or “not a necessity.” This shallow view strips artists of dignity and reduces their work to decoration. Art is not a luxury; it
October 16, 2025
Tumandok stands as one of the most significant independent films to emerge from Western Visayas, not only for its direction but for the cultural power it wields. For far too long, Indigenous communities, especially the Ati, have been reduced to subjects of fascination or token representation. Here, they become storytellers,
October 15, 2025
In the heart of Panay Island, across the rugged mountains of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, and Capiz, exists a community whose traditions have endured centuries of colonization, exploitation, and the careless hands of modernization. They are the Panay Bukidnon, the tumandok, the real stewards of the land and culture that outsiders
October 14, 2025
After seeing the lineup of events for the Iloilo Arts Festival 2025, I had to pause for a moment. Is this really the best that the organizers could come up with for an annual festival funded by public money? Honestly, I was not impressed. The programming looks rushed, unimaginative, and
October 13, 2025
Ever since I began writing my column for the Daily Guardian, I knew I was also opening myself to public criticism. At first, I was afraid of being bashed, insulted, or ridiculed by strangers who knew nothing about me except the words I wrote. But that fear was always outweighed
October 11, 2025
