A Business Graduate's Reviewing History Blog

It's easy to say that the film Give Up Tomorrow is biased, because the producer, Marty Syjuco, is a brother of Mimi Larrañaga-Syjuco's husband, Miguel Syjuco (read here ).  A statement from Marty himself  would actually confess to it: I first met Paco at my brother's wedding to Mimi, Paco's older sister. Eight years younger than I, he was just a big, overweight kid, and I didn't pay him much attention. Later, when I heard about his arrest and trial, I went on with my life. Part of me figured the courts would sort it out.  Another part was so inured to the injustice and corruption that form the background noise of the Philippines, that I, like most Filipinos, was hobbled by fatalism . After moving to New York and working in film distribution, I began to crave something more meaningful and creative.  When Paco's sentence was elevated to death, and I saw the letter from the 35 "unheard witnesses," I knew I was at a crossroads. My own mother had seen Paco ...

It's disheartening that the Facebook page Tuloy Lang Tayo (which fortunately only has 358 followers) said that Chinese New Year should be discredited. The page is also supportive of Atty. Maria Leonor "Leni" S. Gerona-Robredo. Does the owner of the page even know that the late Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" C. Aquino was the person who declared Chinese New Year, a holiday?  The Asia Society gives this detail on Noynoy's declaration: It was the very first time that the Chinese New Year was celebrated in the Philippines as a special non-working holiday which gave the opportunity to both Chinese-Filipinos and Filipinos in the country to enjoy the celebration. This became possible because of the Proclamation declared by President Benigno S. Aquino III , stating that this "is a manifestation of our solidarity with our Chinese-Filipino brethren who have been part of our lives in many respects as a country and as a people." Further details from Asia Society als...

An interesting tidbit about Chinese New Year is that, to no surprise, Chairman Mao Zedong had the festival banned under his regime. The World Treasures website gives this detail on Mao's banning of the said holiday: In 1912, the government abolished Chinese New Year and the lunar new year and adopted the Gregorian calendar which made January 1 the official start of the new year.  In 1949, under the reign of the Chinese Communist Party leader, Mao Zedong, the government outlawed the celebration of the traditional Chinese New Year.  At the end of the 20th century, Chinese leaders became more willing to accept the Chinese tradition.  In 1996, China instituted a weeklong vacation during the holiday which took the name of the Spring Festival.  During this week businesses come to a halt and people are given the chance to travel home and celebrate the new year with their family. Chinese New Year was a tradition brought by the Chinese. However, the Lunar New Year festival i...

It's the Chinese New Year once again. Some  ignorant people have their ill feelings towards Chinese Filipinos, never mind the long history of Chinese immigrants who have become Filipinos. A simple classroom history lesson to a Google search, will tell us what it meant to be a Filipino.  What does it mean to be a Filipino?  It's often said that Filipino is more of a nationality than a race. Here's the definition of what it means to be a Filipino: 1 : a native of the Philippine Islands 2 : a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines 3 : the Tagalog-based official language of the Republic of the Philippines Filipino adjective  According to the current constitution, these define what makes one a Filipino: Section 1. The following are citizens of the Philippines: [1] Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of this Constitution; [2] Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines; [3] Those born before January 17, 1973, of Fili...

It's possible that the mind of Alan LM Purisima would replay events that led to the SAF-44 hearing that followed. It's January 25, 2025, meaning that would be 10 years since the Mamasapano Massacre happened. It was during that time when Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan was eventually killed. However, serious disarray and a lack of coordination led to the deaths of 44 people. Watching those videos reminded me of my feisty high school economics teacher. I've been scolded by her many times but I don't hold a grudge. Honestly, I still have a debt of gratitude to my teacher who I always called "Madame Miriam". Yes, she was like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago in some way! I had grown to respect my MDS style teacher even more after seeing the SAF-44 trial.  Can you give advice when you're preventively suspended? Should I be laughing or cringing at Purisima's words ? I may be no lawyer, but I don't need a legal law dictionary to underst...

Above is a GIF I created. After writing on crab mentality and the Filipino First Policy --I got inspired to write about why mud crabs change color. Mud crab dishes are one of my favorite foods in Surigao City. The color is dark but when it's cooked, it goes red. The Tavern Hotel is among the best places to get a mud crab dish.  Now, it's time to do science as a daily hobby. Sure, I'm no chemist or biochemist. However, researching and studying science as a hobby is sure fun. Here's an explanation from The Conversation : A crustacean’s exoskeletons contain several chemicals called pigments, which give the crabs and prawns their colour. One of these is an orange-ey pigment called “astaxanthin”. This is a member of the family of pigments that is responsible for colouring many of the yellow, orange and red animals. When the crustaceans are alive, the astaxanthin is tightly wrapped up and trapped by a special protein called “crustacyanin”. This is why live crabs and prawns us...

The late Pepsi Paloma (Delia Dueñas Smith) is one death I only knew about decades later. Delia died at only 18 years old in 1985. It would be 40 years since it happened and it's still a mystery. Right now, I feel that Daryl Yap's film The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma is simply there for box office tickets. Is it me or are exploitation films that claim to be based on the truth, really a fad? Some of the exploitation films are probably just meant for box office receipts. For example,  Animal (2004) was a fictional film based on the Chiong Sisters Case. Later, the film Jacqueline Comes Home (read my review here )   was supposedly based on what happened to the Chiong Sisters. Like the Chiong Sisters, it seems that nobody will really know what led Pepsi to end her life at only 18 years old. Manila Bulletin The Manila Bulletin also shows this: Pepsi also appeared in other sexy films, such as Virgin People and Naked Island released in 1984. In 1982, Pepsi and fellow sexy star Guada Guar...

Should we panic or should we not panic? Life during the COVID-19 pandemic was deadly. What we must remember is that COVID-19 was a novel virus at that time. Meanwhile, the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has surged in China. Should we immediately assume that "Oh no! Another lockdown is coming for the world!" or should we remain calm? I feel tense right now, even as I'm writing this. Partly, it's because I'm an outgoing person. Another reason is that I recall the number of Filipinos (both politicians and civilians) who do not follow simple guidelines. Right now, I can expect more racist attacks because I'm ethnically Chinese. I could even explain for all I care that (1) I was born in the Philippines, (2) I was raised in the Philippines, and (3) explain fluently that I never lived in China. The problem is that racist Filipinos do exist--never mind that the Philippines is a melting pot of several cultures! The recent Alice Guo (Guo Hua Ping) controversy where people...

JoseRizal.com Today is Rizal Day, and I found myself admiring him. I don't have his level of genius. Some people often joked that they practiced the Rizal hairstyle. He was only 5.28 feet, which may have been considered tall at that time compared to today's standards. This takes me back in time when my Filipino teacher (forgot her full name) asked, "Do you have to be born a Filipino to be truly Filipino. If we must accept it, Rizal's blood was Chinese." Rizal would be a Chinese mestizo. Look into his history. Rizal's great-great-grandfather was a Chinese immigrant . Those questions forever shook my mind slowly but surely. I'm Chinese by blood, but I was born in the Philippines to Filipino citizen parents, even if my great-grandparents were mostly from China.  Concerning Rizal's ancestor, this is an interesting detail: Domingo Lamco: A Beacon of Resilience Domingo Lamco, also known by his Chinese name Cua Yi-Lam (“Ke Yi-Nan” in Mandarin), was a trailbla...

Yes, disasters can happen during the Christmas Season. Google " Christmas Day disasters " and you will find that Christmas isn't immune to disasters. One of the worst Christmas season disasters aside from the December 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami would be the birth of Mao Zedong on December 26 , 1893. Yes, he was born during the Christmas Season. He wasn't there to spread Christmas cheer. Instead, he was born to cause disaster even beyond the Christmas Season! The Christmas season disaster that heralded a series of disasters It's amazing how some people still idolize this monster. Some victims of Christmas Season disasters may have gotten over and celebrated Christmas a few years later. However, Mao's rule caused one disaster after the other. A review of history would reveal the disastrous results of his dictatorship.  How Stuff Works reveals this detail on Mao's rule: His Controversial Rule   After solidifying his grasp on power, and winning over the ...