When I came to the Philippines, I thought that I was a missionary, bringing to the Filipinos the beautiful values of God. But I discovered when I got here, that the beautiful gifts of God had arrived, in the hearts of the people, long before I did. It was a strange fulfillment of the truth […]

Indigenous Pinoys from Sierra Madre First Recipients It has been a couple of months since we, the Overseas Filipinos Care Movement launched the FLIP FLOPS FOR A CAUSE PROJECT. We aim to share our blessings with our less fortunate brothers and sisters particularly in the Philippines. We’ve been collecting footwear, food, school supplies and toys […]

(Editor’s Note: The author of this poem spent Valentine’s Day in hospital with doctors and nurses tending to his broken bones. Read on to find out why.) My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife, marrying you screwed up my life. I see your face when I am dreaming. That’s why I always wake up screaming. […]

There have been many speculations about the authenticity of Yamashita’s Treasure. To this date, many treasure hunters are still looking for it. Are the stories true or plain urban legend? Read on and find out. Treasure burials in the Philippines before and during World War II are very real. These treasures named after General Yamashita […]

Gary Lising, famous for his “green” jokes and comedic wit, was rushed to hospital Tuesday, November 10, 2009. Best known in the defunct TV gag show Champoy in the ’80s and in funny films in the ’90s like Run Barbie Run and Alyas Boy Tigas, Gary was seen as someone who can tickle the funny […]

MANILA, Philippines. Twenty-nine year old Richie Garbino, a patient of Operation Damayan, The Philippine STAR’s socio-humanitarian arm, visited The STAR office to express his gratitude for his successful kidney transplant operation at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute. Richie, a security guard, would like to thank Mr. Manoling Morato, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and […]

My name is Gary Lising. Former Secretary of Health Juan Flavier once said that I have a very nice name – for a disease.   I was voted as the sex symbol of Assumption College because according to them, I am the only entertainer that looks like a sex organ.   I was already a […]

Dino the farmer was in the fertilised egg business. He had several hundred young layers (hens), called ‘pullets’ and eight or ten roosters, to fertilise the pullets’ eggs.   Dino kept records and any rooster that didn’t perform went into the soup pot or frying pan and was replaced. That took an awful lot of […]

At a tender age of 17, Marcial was a war correspondent for The Manila Times. Marcial’s war experience provided him with a treasure chest of stories which inspired him to write a movie screenplay. His screenplay was made into a movie, starring Jaime de la Rosa and a 16 year old actress named Dorothy. Helmed […]

[continued from the July 2009 issue] From riches to rags Colony Blue Bermuda shorts, and polished calfskin Italian loafers with no socks. He looks like a matinee idol gone sour, with a full head of flowing white hair over a face that looks like it’s seen better days—which it has. Glorious days, in fact, filled […]

Looking back, it was exactly 4:26 p.m. on Monday, 16 July 1990, that a killer earthquake unexpectedly hit and extensively devastated the City of Baguio in the Philippines. As reported, the powerful temblor measured 7.7 in the open-ended Richter scale and lasted for 45 seconds. It was said to be the most destructive earthquake on […]