World War II, the Japanese occupation and Josef Mengele

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I was born two decades after World War II. I don't remember when I first heard about World War II but I do know that much about what I knew of the 1940s came from three … [Read more...]

We went to a vintage camera exhibit and saw the execution of Jose Rizal

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Several weeks ago, my brother-in-law, Buddy, posted photos of vintage cameras on his Facebook wall. The photos were from an exhibit in Taal, Batangas. A week or two later, … [Read more...]

Getting my history right

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If you go to Taal and ask for directions to the Agoncillo heritage house, it might get a bit confusing. There is more than one Agoncillo house in Taal. This is the … [Read more...]

One brief shining moment that was known as People Power

I was there 25 years ago with a contingent of UP Law students that manned the barricades. We were in the night shift. I was with a paralegal quick reaction team that was … [Read more...]

Dirty politics

Search Google with the key string “smear campaign Philippine elections” and you'll get a list, about four pages long, of the same Agence France Presse (AFP) report by … [Read more...]

Hidden meanings and violence in children’s literature

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On Sunday evening, my daughter Alex sat down next to me in my study with Neil Gaiman's “M Is For Magic” in her hands. Apparently, a lot of nursery rhymes were referenced … [Read more...]