When Do You Know That Enough is Enough?

Thought I'll post this letter from an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW). The writer shares her thoughts as she discovers what's more important in her life and for the family she left behind in the Philippines. God meant families to stay together. But in the Philippines where majority of citizens consider themselves as God-fearing, separated families due to overseas employment are very common. It makes you wonder if the sacrifices of these parents to give up their influence to their children in exchange for affluence are all worth it.  God bless the OFWs and their families. You can read the complete version of the letter here.

Philippines Adobo is Featured in NY Times Magazine

There are as many recipes for adobo as there are Philippine islands, thats how NY Times food columnist Sam Sifton describe our favorite dish in his article The Adobo Experiment. He also writes,

Too Many Filipino words for "Corruption"

Interesting blog post from my friend Tony.  Notice how many words Filipinos use to describe "bribe" or "corruption" in the Philippines? Suhol, lagay, padulas, tongpats, kotong, regalo, Christmas gift, pamasko, delihensya, pangyosi, love gift, pang-almusal, pang-tanghalian, pang-merienda, pang-hapunan, pang-birthday, pakimkim, kickback, porsyento, just to name a few.

Two Top Filipino Botanists Passed Away - Dr. Dan Lagunzad & Dr. Leonard Co

Two of the top and world-renowned botanist and conservationist in the Philippines passed away within a week, Dr. Dan Lagunzad and Dr. Leonard Co. Dr. Co while in the field, died in a crossfire between the Philippine Army and of communist guerrillas. Dr. Lagunzad died a few days later.

Survey says, Family is No. 1 Source of Happiness for Filipinos

According to a recent survey conducted by the NSCB, both Filipino men and women ranked families as their primary source of happiness. Health ranked second and religion ranked third. Income or financial security only ranked 9th and politics, technology, sports, community and cultural activities made it to the bottom five (see embedded video below and survey results here).

RP no more: The Philippines is now PH or PHL

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila today formally announced that it would start using PH or PHL as the official acronyms to refer to the Republic of the Philippines.

The Lecture Every Filipino Must Watch

I'm from UP so I was very inspired and proud to hear this lecture from UP Economic Professor Winnie Monsod. But I'm also living in the US so the speech also made me think (malaki na pala utang ko sa UP kasi full scholar ako).

Reproductive Health (RH) Bill Debate in the Philippines

Many believe that economic and social problems in the Philippines are caused by the country's high population rate. Current census indicates that the country has over 90 million people and estimated to grow exponentially in the coming years. This is why lawmakers formulated the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill that will provide reproductive health care programs aimed to slow down the population rate and distribute proper social services to everyone.

Is the Philippines Hopeless?

Thanks to my friend Vicki, I came across the article below by political analyst Daniel Wagner who finds the Philippines "hopeless." Interesting enough is the mixed reaction the article has generated from Filipinos around the world. See the comment section here and you'll see na mukhang mas madami yatang Pinoy ang napikon o na-offend. The article has some honest analysis of the Philippines, it's harsh and painful and it's up to you to decide whether you'll take it as an insult or a constructive criticism. I think going back to the creator and source of hope is the best solution to this "hopelessness" - considering the Philippines as a Christian nation, Filipinos should easily know who I'm talking about.

Are Filipinos too Critical of Each Other?

An observation I made about the Philippines regarding last weeks events, the hostage drama at the Quirino Grandstand and the 4th place win of Ma. Venus Raj at the Miss Universe Pageant was how critical and borderline unforgiving Filipinos are of each other. The Philippines worse critic are Filipinos.