A lot can happen in two minutes. The first thing Clement Corominas noticed when he arrived at the campus of University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu was the number of police officers surrounding the school. It was June 5, and a rally was being held in protest of the yet-to-be-signed Anti-Terrorism Bill. Stepping out of…
Category: Menagerie
It was a Saturday when Carmen “Menie” Reyes woke up to a world that had been silenced. The usual chatter of the radio had faded into the night, the television only emitting white noise. It was September 1972, when Martial Law was declared in the Philippines, and she was in her third year of high…
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Writer’s Recap: Sana OL, Present!
Performing theater, online at least, has become a familiar sight during the pandemic. After all, the Virgin LabFest was presented live and free-of-charge this year via their official Facebook page. But if Sana OL, Present! has anything to prove, it’s that there’s still room for new talent in the world of online storytelling. Sana OL,…
For most children, life begins in a delivery room at the hands of an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN), a medical doctor who specializes in female reproductive health. The delicate hands of these doctors tend to the mother with utmost care, ensuring that both the mother and the baby are safe and healthy. Now, amid a pandemic, it…
Transgender people have been featured onscreen for decades now. However, they have been reduced to stereotypes; treated as either a deplorable “other” in exploitation films that have marketed transsexuality as a titillating shame, such as in 1953’s Glen or Glenda, or as a surprise twist as in 1992’s The Crying Game. In fact, examples of…
Making people laugh can be hit or miss; after all, jokes are often made at the spur of a moment.It happens at the dinner table, during a phone call, in the middle of a car ride, and all thosecasual moments when one’s wit and humor spontaneously strike gold. Standing onstage, however, the setting changes; for…
Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has constantly found ways to shape and reshape the environment to suit its ever-evolving needs. Throughout history, humanity has anchored societal and economic progress on modernization projects that were aimed at providing the best solutions to different issues, bringing about widespread change to society as a whole. The need…
The Medical Humanities is an emerging field that focuses on the interdisciplinary—navigating the lines that intersect healing as a science and an art, and the healers who combat disease and decipher the meaning of life and death. “The body is a living story…[A] witness of our mortality, the physician can read with scientific precision and…
Strobing lights and colorful personalities conquer places where the LGBTQ+ community can be most uninhibited by societal norms. Queer spaces offer a carefree atmosphere for anyone who steps inside—enveloping them with love and acceptance. Beyond being a place to escape from society’s prejudiced gazes, much more can be discovered within the halls of these spaces.…
As the country celebrates Buwan ng Wika this August, it feels apt to look back in time to explore what we know of the Philippines’ stories and cultural depth, and move forward toward how we can preserve and continually keep the nation’s vibrant colors alive well into the future. We often try to appreciate our…