A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

  It's been more than 10 years (and I forgot it was the 10th anniversary of this incident in 2023) since the 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol. Certain centuries-old historical spots were damaged. All that was during the reign of the late former president Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III. The Philippines is under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. I forgot about the earthquake then I checked my Facebook feeds today.  The photos above are taken from the Facebook page Pmi Confession . I went to Bohol in 2008 for a family reunion. Who'd have thought it was the last time I might see those historical landmarks. I can't exactly remember the places. It's disheartening to watch as these places were all destroyed, after centuries of preservation. It was like the Notre Dame De Paris cathedral fire. Junior Rangers Cebu Brigade It also affected my hometown of Cebu City. What a day to start the morning huh? The famous Sto. Niño Church was already centuries old--hence explaining the dama...

CDN Digital, for illustrative purposes only A weekend morning drive can be ruined by rude motorcycle drivers. I encountered two motorcycles and a helmet on the site. I was on my way to IT Park and I found them. A CCTO officer was there, doing some recording. The offenders were probably taken somewhere either for settlement or to the hospital. There was no sight of blood. However, after I hit a motorcycle making a slow turn or tend to be accident-prone, the latest scene still left me speechless. It's not the first time I've been into that but I always felt like, "We'd have fewer accidents if it wasn't for people like them!"  In 2019, I also remember driving home at 9:30 P.M. after attending an evening party at what used to be the JCentre Mall. I remember seeing a person with a dislocated leg from a motorcycle accident. Sure, it wasn't my fault but my blood froze in a figurative sense. It was because the incident happened after I accidentally hit two people ...

It's times like this that make me ashamed to be from Cebu. This Facebook page tends to demonize charter change without realizing that it can be a proper game changer. I'm pointing out that Hon. Hilario G. Davide Jr. isn't getting irrelevant because of his age. The problem isn't growing old but when one grows old without wisdom . I'd say this is the case for Davide Jr. himself he's grown old without wisdom. He's already 88 years old but he's still too comfortable with the outdated 1987 Constitution of the Philippines as it is. Come on, if that's the case then what happened to  Article XVII  of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines?  Section 1. Any amendment to, or revision of, this Constitution may be proposed by: (1) The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its Members; or (2)  A constitutional convention . Section 2.  Amendments to this Constitution may likewise be directly proposed by the people through initiative upon a petition of at...

Apology: I'm sorry that the video above is in Tagalog, so sorry in advance to non-Filipino readers. As long as an injustice happens, nobody should shut up about a case unclosed . Like the Vizconde Massacre case, nobody really knows who did the crime. With Davidson Rusia's story put into question, one must wonder what really happened in detail. I still believe that the body found in Carcar is really Marijoy Jimenea Chiong . However, the claim that the sperm of the main suspect, Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga, and the rest weren't found, makes you wonder who did the autopsy. In my case, the body found in Carcar wasn't formally identified until fingerprints were taken by the police. Nobody claimed the body of the woman found in Carcar.  It's easy to say that Give Up Tomorrow is biased because the maker of the video, is a "relative" of Paco (read here ). However, Marty Syjuco is the brother of the brother-in-law of Paco. The brother of one's ...

National Museum As a man in his late 30s, I can really miss the memories of the 1990s and the early 2000s (which included my college years ). I miss a lot of people who are no longer with us too. I'd like to share my experience at the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu . I haven't gone to a historical site in like, forever . Maybe, I could talk about some "historical sites" I "visited" a short time after the pandemic such as Bonsu Temple (a Buddhist temple in Pasil) and the Colon Chinese Temple (which I heard is no longer lived by anyone, if I'm not wrong). I wanted to go to Casa Gorordo, to relive some of my college days. Going to the NMP-Cebu made me feel like a student again.  Entering meant I had to get my ID. I presented my UMID ID as a registration. It was composed of two floors. It's spacious so getting lost (at first) can be expected for a first-time visitor. The first floor contained artifacts. That would remind me of the days at the Un...

PhilStar August is often called Buwan ng Wika though I want to call it Month of the Culture instead. Buwan ng Wika is often used to showcase various Filipino dances. With that in mind, I think the cultural month gives me the feeling to explore more of my country's history. I remembered visiting the University of San Carlos' museum when I was nine years old. I studied at USC-Downtown Campus and took my bachelor's degree and master's degree there. The USC museum was a fun memory. However, I think going to a much bigger museum than what USC or Casa Gorordo could offer might be more fun. Here are the guidelines from the Facebook page . Back when I was nine, I remembered we were told not to take photos. I assumed that it was for confidential reasons or because flash photography can deteriorate old artifacts. Here are some rules to follow and what to leave behind in your car. Hopefully, they will have a baggage counter and I'm afraid not bringing an umbrella can be an inc...

I decided to feel nostalgic by remembering my college days at the University of San Carlos. I remembered taking summer classes immediately after finishing my two-year computer course. I was more than glad that I wasn't accepted for Information Technology since it's not my line. I took basic marketing, statistics, and humanities. It would be around 2004 and it's almost 20 years since that experience.  Facebook The mandatory field trip was going to the four historical Catholic churches in Summer Class 2004 (April-May under the old curriculum). If my memory serves me right, the places were Carcar, Bolhoon, Dalaguete, and Argao. I already forgot the route of the long humanities trip back in 2004. I could remember waking up early, we were told to be well-rested, I still had a camera with negatives back then, and it was a time for me to be extra attentive. Yes, I can be very inattentive. At that time, I still didn't have an active lifestyle though I tried to do some exercise ...

Give Up Tomorrow has been an interesting documentary. Why I was fascinated by it because of how it shook my mind. It turned out that it was a trial by publicity . It was also at that time when The Calvento Files aired a dramatization of Davidson Rusia's testimony. As Cebu City Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said, it was a very unpopular move. People already thought Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco (and the seven others) were guilty. People thought Davidson's story was worth believing. Some deleted scenes never made it into the final cut  This deleted scene talks about the owner of the place where the crime allegedly happened. David Gurkan now recalls his experience. According to Davidson, this was the story as recorded by the Supreme Court of the Philippines:  From the evidence of the prosecution, there is no doubt that all the appellants conspired in the commission of the crimes charged. Their concerted actions point to their joint purpose and community of intent. Well s...

This deleted scene involves a woman with lower learning as the woman called herself. Fortunately, there are English subtitles for those who can't understand the Cebuano dialect. For some reason, this scene never made it into the final cut. Yet, this scene provided valid evidence that something was very fishy about Davidson Rusia's story.  Back then, I remembered the Chiong Sisters' case was dramatized on national television. Yes, it was done during the trial . That's why it shocked me when I learned that Juan Francisco G. Larrañaga aka Paco was innocent of the crime. I was shocked when I learned that a friend of mine was also with Paco in Manila on July 16, 1997. It was the night when the crime happened. His brother-in-law, Miguel Syjuco, was pretty confident because Paco was in school . A woman was made to sign an affidavit by the police? Okay, I still believe that the body was really that of Marijoy Jimenea Chiong. Even if it were Marijoy, the fact that this woman has...

Sheila Singson was still mentioned in Give Up Tomorrow but not this whole part. This deleted scene features Atty. Florencio O. Villarin and his interview with Sheila. We do have more unheard-of clips of the interview with Pros. Teresita Gallanida. What I want to focus on is the interview with Villarin, the very person whom the Chiong parents went to ask for help. Ironically, the late Dionisio Chiong ended up calling Villarin a liar . Was it because the Chiong parents wanted instant justice or felt that the "testimony" of Davidson V. Rusia was "more than enough"? Starting at 2:21, I decided to pay attention to what Villarin said. At that time, Villarin was still at the NBI. The following day, Villarin went to the workplace of the late Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong. Jacqueline was noted to have worked at the Global Village which used to be at Ayala Center, Cebu. This person was named Sheila Singson. Villarin mentions that Sheila couldn't identify and neither gave a re...

Today marks the anniversary of the formation of Odette. I remembered having a cheerless Christmas. I was in no mood to say Merry Christmas until January came. I couldn't get over celebrating Christmas and New Year in January . Those dates were on December 25 and the final day of the 12th lunar month. I wanted to put up some Christmas decorations but the house was still under repair . Living rooms and some bedrooms were still under repair. The good thing though was that electricity was restored. I did enjoy doing some clean-up work. The disaster was unenjoyable. The repairing soon became enjoyable. It was because every repair meant something to do after the disaster . Project Lupad My hometown of Cebu was devastated. Much of Visayas was ruined. I could remember how both former president Rodrigo R. Duterte and former vice president, Atty./Mrs. Maria Leonor Gerona-Robredo did separate scouting. I was thankful for whatever help both did for the less fortunate. This reminded me of the d...

Head Topics This is pretty much another part of history, not gossip. It turns out that the White Gold Ruins have collapsed . Before that, there was already some demolition going on. It really has become a painful site. For the 1980s to 1990s children, the whole place may have had a lot of nostalgia associated with it.  I could remember how often I was excited to go there. I could remember the children's department (which I think was the third or fourth floor). It was the simpler days back then. There were also arcade games that were meant to make people spend more money. There was my memory of mascots of various fictional characters like Darth Vader from Star Wars (which scared me), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Santa Claus (and I used to think he was real). I also remembered some of the rides there like the mini-train ride. That was what I associate with the White Gold Ruins the most.  There was also another urban legend or gossip. Robinson's had the snake-man legend. So...