Before the elections, I wrote two articles on PNOY. One was about "A Longing" for sincerity and truthfulness amidst a national government of dishonesty and fraud. The second one was about "Depth of Character" of a presidential aspirant with unquestioned integrity, unbelievable humility and simplicity, strong commitment to principled governance and public accountability, and trust in the power of the people.

The meaning of the name Naga, our city, has lately changed. For a long time, we have associated the name to the presence of Narra trees, the local name for which is said to be Naga.

THOSE WERE TRYING TIMES, the time I learned grating coconut meat.

The rustic peace of Lupi, the town where I grew up was always disturbed by frequent encounters between the military and the revolutionary army. Harassments, it was the how the men from the detachment called these moments of gunfire exchanges. The evening trains sometimes were flagged down by unidentified persons perhaps because a wounded comrade had to be transported someplace where there was a hospital. Those were times when we children were often cautioned by our parents never to talk to strangers and never to catch dragonflies and beetles up in the pine trees.

The Philippines was second to none in military might among countries in Southeast Asia, but that was long, long time ago.

Today, by twist of fate, the Philippines found itself at the bottom, gasping for breath trying to save whatever it could on its remaining aging aircraft and warships in its arsenal.

It is high summer in Germany and indeed this year's July seems to break earlier records in temperatures. Normally Germans consider it summer already when temperatures go above 30°C for one week in the year. This July however we here are already on our third week of heat above 35°C. Further, it  rarely cools down over night and it hardly rains.

How do Germans cope these days?

Last Tuesday, I had a lunch with three good friends. It was a delayed celebration of my friend's daughter's graduation. The daughter is well on her way to becoming a doctor.

A table was laid out at the porch. The beams surrounding the porch framed the skies and the clouds.

The infamy of the former Arroyo administration did not begin and end with the corruption scandals it was involved in. There were the allegations of cheating during the 2004 elections, which shook the ground it was standing on.

"Are we not re-opening old wounds?"

This was then first-termer Congressman Noynoy's question on the issue of finding the real mastermind of Ninoy's assassination together with bringing to justice all those responsible for human rights abuses and corruption during the Marcos Dictatorship in one congressional hearing I attended as a resource person way back in 1998.

Hunyo 27, 2010 - A las 6:00 ng Umaga

Katedral ng Naga, Lungsod ng Naga