My father, Luis Gaerlan, was about to turn 22 years old when the Japanese Imperial Forces bombed the Philippines on December 8, 1941. It was barely nine hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. My mother, Felicitas Ilano, just turned 18 [at that time].
Category: Philippine History
Pinatubo Eruption: 20 years later
Mt. Pinatubo, June 15, 1991. Filipino photojournalist Alberto Garcia captures on film what would later be considered as one of the greatest images of the 20th century. Twenty years ago, Rhony Laigo, then a reporter-photographer for Times Journal, thought he was going to die. Mount Pinatubo had just erupted. He was one of many reporters […]
Philippine Independence Day celebrations by Bless Salonga
One hundred and thirteen years ago, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence from the colonial rule of Spain in Kawit, Cavite. A lot has happened since including the Spanish-American War—the establishment of a Commonwealth government in 1935, the Japanese invasion, the declaration of the Philippine Republic, Martial Law, Edsa Revolution and […]
Uncivil in civil society by Luis H. Francia
By now we have all had a good laugh over the considered pronouncement of Bongbong Marcos that, had it not been for 1986, his father would have transformed the nation into a Singapore. No doubt the very same loyalists who propelled him to the Senate take his pronouncements seriously. It seems that the country that […]
Battle of Leyte Gulf 1944 Commemoration Dinner
There will be a Naval Mess Dinner on 23 October 2010 at the Kingsgrove RSL in commemoration of the Battle of Leyte Gulf that happened 66 years ago. All Filipinos and American veterans are invited to attend. Activities will commence at 7:00 p.m. and are expected to conclude by 10:30pm. Cost per person is $40. […]
Leaders of the Reform Movement in Spain: Rizal, Del Pilar & Ponce
Mariano Ponce was born in Baliwag, Bulacan where he completed his primary education. He later enrolled at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and took up medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. In 1881, he travelled to Spain to continue his medical studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. There he joined Marcelo […]
Shining sons of Loyola by Tony Joaquin
WHO among the Catholic religious orders in the world have been the most despised and often expelled from countries they serve? The answer: The Order of the Society of Jesus, popularly known as the Jesuits. In almost all the nations where Jesuit missionaries were sent to educate and to win souls, invariably these Jesuits got […]
Facts about Marcos wealth and plunder by Charlie Avila
(Editor’s note: This is a brand new series starting this issue.) Treasure talk in the Philippines dates back to World War II. February 1942 Most countries tried to hide their wealth when they realized that the enemy was about to attack. Spain shipped all of its gold reserves to Russia for safekeeping. (Guess who never […]
24 years ago: Marcos’ departure
February 25, 1986. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos talked to US Senator Paul Laxalt, asking for advice from the White House. Laxalt advised him to “cut and cut cleanly”, to which Marcos expressed his disappointment after a short pause. In the afternoon, Marcos talked to then Defence Secretary Enrile, asking for safe passage for him and […]