Filipina Soul - April ‘07 round up
Wow. What a month April was! Those in the Philippines, did you just feel a ten-degree (celcius) jump from March to April?! Argh. Apparently, our country is in danger of catastrophic climate change! Can you even remember how cool the early days of March were? Summer :-) and global warming :-( are here to stay!
What was the month like?
VACATION DAYS. Maricar and I went home in March for our brother’s wedding and a much-needed but too-short vacation. I wrote a lot about our experiences there - our stay at Los Banos, UP and Trace Hotel, the Mall of Asia, and the thrill of riding a jeepney (again)! Maricar stayed one week more than I did, so she got to see more of Manila. She was more about ‘pasyalan’/gallivanting :-) and oggled about the Fun Ranch at Pasig, shopping and dining at Tiendesitas, Serendra Piazza and a host of her other favorite stores. We missed the lenten season though.
Where did you go this April?
ELECTIONS, NOW. On May 14, 2007 the Philippines will have yet another national election and we really advocate you to vote. It’s your right. A lot of seats are up for grabs, with celebrities, politicians and a handful of public servants all vying for your vote. We often mention Manny Pacquiao, previously for his boxing prowess, but recently for his decision to enter politics. Lately he had to fight for both, and staked a sure claim on his boxing crown. We’ll have to see if he wins your vote in two weeks.
Another big thing on the elections update is the push for more US-based Filipinos to participate. So far, the turn out has been very low. But as a last ditch, US-based Filipino youth are making an effort to show their support for the KABATAAN party list.
Don’t forget to vote!
THE GLOBAL FILIPINOS. Several news-makers this month included Lea Salonga, who is back with Les Miserables in New York playing Fantine. Meteorologist Roman Kintanar now has an asteroid named in honor of him. Two Filipinas are competing in the 2007 Miss Universe Pageant - Anna Theresa Licaros for the Philippines, and Kirby Ann Basken for Norway (her other country). Jesus Sumook, a Swedish OFW, was honored for saving the life of a fellow mariner. Christina Gambito and her HappySlip online videos are making the waves - very fun and funny way of mimicking her pinoy relatives, all in good taste. Eliseo Art Silva, a well-known muralist in Los Angeles is featured in our Arts theme of the month. The overseas filipino workers and the struggle to provide for the family - that was highlighted with an interesting ‘post of a NYT post’. There’s a Global Filipino networking conference in Sydney, Australia this September 6-8, so check out the post for more information if you’re interested.
In the news, the Bush administration voted against giving full benefits for WWII vets who fought alongside American soldiers in the Philippines. A thought-provoking commentary in the Philippine Inquirer made me call for reactions from our readers. I also listed a series of news that I thought were relevant to our rights as Filipinos and human beings.
Mabuhay ang pinoy!
BLOGS AND BLOGGERS. It was a busy month for the pinoy blogosphere, with Philippine Blog Awards concluding last March 31st and 3rd iBlog Summit last April 13-14. I came across iBalita.com, a global newsfeeds for Filipinos. ASTIGG! is the Digg-counterpart of Filipino blogs. If you think one of our posts is worth mentioning elsewhere, please “Astigg!” us.
Filipina blogger on feature was Roxy Bathoxy of the jumongers koreanovela fan-fame. Just to be fair, I asked readers for their favorite Princess Hours episodes. Filipino bloggers in b5media were also featured, so check out the ‘astig’ pinays. We’ll feature the pinoy men this month of May. On the monetary end of blogging, it looks like Google Adsense checks may be more secure in the Philippines. Just this week, b5media and Problogger announced a blogger training in New York, open to everyone.
POLLS and RIDDLES. For our monthly poll, I asked about your favorite mall to hang out in Manila. The Mall of Asia got the highest votes (26%)! Yep, I like that place too!
I revived the “Bugtungan” (Filipino riddles” series for April, where I give out 3-4 riddles every Wednesday and post the answers a week after. So far, turn out has been low (like the elections?), so let me know if you still like it to continue for May… or suggest something you want to participate in, blog-wide. Maybe I need to think of prizes of some sort, huh? By the way, answers to Bugtungan #3 are:”lisa, gata, at noo”.
CULTURE AND THE ARTS. This month in the travel and culture channel, b5media bloggers wrote about ‘Spring’ and ‘Arts’. Unfortunately, ’spring’ is so over in the Philippines.
So that’s it. April is over and today is May. Definitely lots of goings-ons this month locally (i.e., in the Philippines) and globally. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated on all things ‘kulturang Pinoy’/Filipino culture.
And of course, if there are news/blogs/events etc., that you want us to know about in YOUR blogs, we’re always happy to share links.
Tags: Filipina Soul, Filipinos, global, culture
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POSTED IN: Arts and Entertainment, Blogs and Websites, General: Philippine Culture, Government, Politics and Economy, News and Events, Places to Visit
May 6th, 2007 at 2:32 am
Thank you for the kind mention of iBlog3. I hope you can join us next year.
August 16th, 2008 at 4:20 am
WHY WHEN I SEE THE FILIPINO RIDDLES THERE IS NO ANSWERS