Through the Spectacles

Today marks the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila, one of the most significant religious events in the Philippines. Millions of devotees are expected to participate in the annual Traslación , the grand procession of the revered image from the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo. This event has long been regarded as a powerful expression of Filipino Catholic faith and devotion, drawing not only local participants but also pilgrims from different provinces and even from abroad. The Traslación is a spectacle unlike any other. Streets are flooded with barefoot devotees, waving towels, shouting prayers, and struggling to get close to the andas —the carriage that bears the image of the Black Nazarene. For many, even the briefest touch of the rope or the image itself is believed to be a profound spiritual encounter. It is a moment of hope, surrender, and intense personal prayer. Devotees believe that their faith in the Black Nazaren...

Manila City, Philippines, 2010. I was with my mother and my father as they accompany me through the process of enrolling at a university in which an acquaintance of mine is also a student - a graduating student at that time. I was so naive, a young boy without a hint of what it's like to be in college or how to deal with Manila traffic and so on. While filling out some pertinent documents t the registrar's office, I was asked, "what course are you going to take?" Then the registrar staff handed over a list of all the available courses that this university offers.   My first choice was Bachelor of Fine Arts major in Advertising, followed by Nutrition and Food Technology, a technical course. As an innate lover of the arts, I was drawn instantly to the name and to the anticipation of what BFA has to offer to an aspiring creative like me.  Fast forward to 2014, I finally graduated with a degree in Fine Arts. The prior anticipation and excitement during my admission days a...

    2020 is almost over and yet we are still in the middle of our uncertain battle with this COVID-19 pandemic. Being in this kind of situation, we are forced to revamp our norms and rethink about the best possible ways to adapt to this extraordinary time. Our company for one has decided to adopt the 'work-from-home' setup for health reasons and we are now in the 7th month of this kind of working scheme. The company also decided to reduce the workdays from 5 to 3, this is to secure the financial stability of the business since there are no tourists yet, hence, our income has also reduced to almost less than half of what we are receiving before this pandemic came to us.      Given the situation, I am still thankful that despite the cut in our salaries, I am still receiving an ample amount to sustain my financial obligations, may it be personal or for the family.     In these times, I would like to point out and argue about a certain concern with regard ...

What is an altar server? How to become one? What is their training? What can we expect from them? So many questions have been asked by some curious people – the churchgoers. What is it that makes an altar server an altar server? He – or sometimes she, is a servant of God and His Holy Church. These questions usually come to our minds whenever we see one wearing their white robes holding a metal shaft with a candle or a cross on the end. Making their way first going to the altar as they signal the start of the Mass by ringing their fancy sanctus bell or swaying a censer giving us all a bit of the scent of the heavens, and sometimes, very minor coughing. These young guys are called Altar Servers or “Sakristan”, they are being commissioned as a volunteer of the Church to assist the priest in administering the Holy Mass. Let me share this essay tackling the very essence of these servers and how did the ministry affect them in a good or bad way. I am an altar server for more than a decade,...

These past few days, I've been reflecting on my life; as where am I now? What significant things have I done yet? Am I a worthy friend? and so on. Thoughts are flowing out of my mind, but I have nothing to write. As I am writing this blog entry, I am writing a piece of my personal void. Trying to express my own insights about my recent reflections and still I realize that I have nothing to write. I just turned 24 last month, left my job recently due to my poor health, has a messy love life, just sitting on a couch or staying still on the bed all day long trying to comprehend what's happening or why do these things happen to me. Overthinking all night long about a certain part of my life where I messed up so bad, that I couldn't even pull myself together back on my foot again. This is the reality in me right now, I don't know what triggers these things to happen but every time I am alone, they tend to linger and be my company for a long period. I am asking myself most ...

Have you ever experienced eating a certain dish and then suddenly, memories of the past rushed in your head? That's what I always experience every time I dine at 'Ma Mon Luk' restaurant in the middle of hustle and bustle of the Quiapo district, Manila. The humble restaurant serves a typical Chinese noodle house menu: their signature and famous chicken noodle soup, popularly known as 'Mami', hot pork bun or 'Siopao', siomai and soda. The restaurant was established in the late '40s and is still operational up to this day. The restaurant doesn't look any special or fancy, it is a typical restaurant with marble tables and a wall full of newspaper cutouts wherein the restaurant has been featured by the local newspapers, magazines or cutouts of famous personalities who have dined there. When I was around 7 or 8 years old, I and my grandparents used to eat at Ma Mon Luk after hearing the Mass at the nearby Quiapo church. I remember myself indulging i...

In a world full of modernity and use of the highest technology possible, I have a strange fascination for the things that had once used as a part of the daily lives of the people of the yesteryears - and this is my love for the typewriters. A majestic piece of a mechanical marvel that brings us all back in time where wifi, facebook, IG and Twitter haven't been invented yet. A time where post offices are so busy tending all the paper letters because the email has not yet been born. Typewriters are the writer's best friend and companion; it is their musical instrument as for a musician is the piano. My fascination with typewriters I guess started when I was 8. An aunt of mine gave me her Olympia portable typewriter complete with case and ribbons. As a child, I don't have much interest then, all I want is to play with my friends and indulge in arcade games during the weekends. Some nights when I wasn't been able to go outside, I usually type poems or short...

I was born and raised in the historic community of Santa Ana in the city of Manila, Philippines. As a child, we always tend to hear the Mass at the old church of Santa Ana - which is the first church outside the 'Intramuros'. it was built by the Franciscan mission friars way back 15th century and it is still standing today and have gone through many earthquakes and fires that almost took it to the ground. The district of Santa Ana; or also known as 'Santa Ana De Sapa'. Before the Spaniards colonized the Philippines, Santa Ana already had its own functioning community complete with the systems of politics, governance, military, and commerce. It was part of the Namayan  kingdom which was under the rule of Lakan Tagkan and his wife. Archeological excavations are also conducted in the area where they have found ceramic plates, vases, and many more ancient objects that dates back to the Ming and Sung dynasty which proves that Santa Ana is a very important trade area during...