By John Iremil E. Teodoro – My teacher in Literary History of the Philippines, the novelist B.S. Medina, Jr., once told our class that the history of Philippine writing is a history of subversion. It is a history of writers fighting the control and influence of the colonizers—the Spaniards and the Americans. This “fighting” may be figurative, as in the case of Francisco Balagtas and Jose Rizal, or literal, as in the case of Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto. In general, it is also a history of class struggle, of writing the stories of the poor who are oppressed by the rich and the powerful. (more…)

By Rosalinda Orosa – The first Filipino to make it to the La Scala Opera House in Milan, Italy, was bass-baritone Jose Mossesgeld Santiago Font who, in 1928, portrayed the role of Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Almost 80 years later, tenor Arthur Espiritu of Morong, Rizal, succeeds Santiago as the second Filipino in La Scala, appearing in 2007 as Fernando in Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti. (more…)

By Karen Flores - Fair-skinned and well-groomed Bern Josep Persia may be the new face of the gay-speaking community, being the self-proclaimed bekimon president in the country. (more…)

By Jim Paredes – We were doing a noontime TV show together some 13 years ago. That’s how I got to know Redford White. I had met him years before but we never went beyond the customary ‘hi’. Looking back at the way our friendship played out, I never imagined that I would ever get close to this Bisoy (Bisayang Tisoy) comedian. (more…)

Local authors Tyrone Lim and Dolly Pangan-Specht and Arcadia Publishing present Filipinos in the Willamette Valley, the newest addition to the popular Images of America Series. Boasting over 200 vintage images, Filipinos in the Willamette Valley showcases the arrival of the early Filipinos in the Willamette Valley and chronicles the progression of their culture in the area. (more…)

Three different sports–tennis, football, and basketball–have been on Filipinos’ minds this week as the three made it to the fastest rising news for the week of July 2 to 8, according to Google Zeitgeist. (more…)

By Rosana Entz – I was inspired to write down my thoughts after reading an article entitled “Stay here or migrate.” The piece was very timely considering the increasing trend of middle-income, highly skilled Filipinos leaving the Philippines for Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (more…)