For every stone, a hero

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo What a great show of protest! Last Sunday, protestors (#bawatbato movement) of the planned burial of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, almost three decades dead, at the Libingan ng mga Bayani trooped to the site supposedly reserved for him. There, one by one, they placed stones with the names of individual heroes and martyrs who lived and died fighting for the restoration of freedom. They were...

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Pinoy cultural symbols, expressions, brands

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo Centuries from now, if the book is discovered intact in the aftermath of a planetary cataclysm, its readers, if they are Filipinos, would be amazed at how their forebears lived and expressed themselves, what values they upheld, and what personalities they turned into icons. But even now, readers of Visitacion de la Torre’s new book, “Filipino Cultural Symbols, Expressions and Brands,” would...

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Eruption and exodus, 1991

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo “Binulsa ko na lang ang aking kalungkutan” (I kept my sadness in my pocket).”—Paylot, Aeta leader It has been 25 years since the grand, world-class eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991. I remember a Franciscan sister, Sr. Emma Mediavillo, rushing to Manila and coming to my house to tell me about the volcanic rumbling felt by the Aeta community in Sitio Yamot in Poonbato, Botolan, Zambales....

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May I change the topic?

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo The postelection atmosphere is getting more and more toxic and foul from political, sexual, gender-insensitive and murderous tirades from you-know-who, and every time I hear more of the same the blood in my feet rises to my head. There is too much malodorous saliva flying around. Call it diarrhea of the mouth. Sometimes we need to turn off the sights and sounds and look elsewhere to revive...

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"Sutokil' on the menu

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo If speakers of Tagalog have tapsilog and longsilog—short for tapa/longganisa, sinangag and itlog (aged beef/native sausage, fried rice and fried egg) for breakfast, the Visayans have sutokil which stands for the verbs sugba (to grill), tola (to cook a fish/chicken-veggie soup dish) and kilaw (to prepare raw fish marinated in vinegar and spices). Sutokil, a combo meal for lunch or dinner,...

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