THIS is a true story. It involves real people like you and me. Mentioned here are real names except for the con men who change names like they change shirts. They switch titles, too, from engineer to doctor or to whatever is convincing at the moment. Lest you be the next target of these dupes, […]

THE Ilonggo migration from Iloilo to Negros in the late 19th century, in the wake of the boom in the sugar industry, was not only observable in the central and southern parts of Negros Occidental but also in the northern section. These places inhabited by the Iloilo migrants were Silay, Saravia, Victorias, Manapla and Cadiz. […]

SCAVENGING in garbage cans has become a common sight every Sunday morning at Florvel Subdivision Phase II in Oton, my hometown. That’s the day when the municipality’s waste disposal truck transports the residents’ weekly accumulated trash to the dumpsite.
Last Sunday, I was up at 6:30 a.m. picking up wind-blown mango leaves in the yard of […]

TEXTILE weaving in Iloilo dates back even to the pre-Spanish times. Long before the coming of the Spaniards to the Philippines, the Ilonggos were already weaving clothes from various fibers. Thus, when the colonizers arrived, they found that the weaving craft was already well established in the area.
The most common garment woven was the patadyong […]

GRANDMOTHERS are great walking buddies, and I have two of the best: Eufrocina “Inday” Cepe and Pressie Faraon. Like me, they have whales of tales about the grandchildren—the dreams of little ones and their needs that only a grandmother’s sought-for special tender, loving care could provide.
Florvel Phase II in Oton is a laid-back subdivision with […]

THE history of the struggle against foreign domination in Panay and Negros showed that, after being victorious against the Spaniards, two Ilonggo groups across the Guimaras Strait manifested opposing reactions to the coming of the Americans. Whereas those in Panay resisted with utmost determination against the new invaders, the elite of Negros decided to organize […]

THE Chinese has long been a part of Iloilo’s history. Historical and archaeological studies indicate that the Ilonggos already had trade relations with the Chinese beginning with about the 10th century and onwards to more recent times. By the time of the Spanish contact, a good number of them had already settled in the town […]

WHEN the snow gets to be knee-high at winter in the U.S. of A., the mind—my mind—simply refuses to be overwhelmed; instead, I focus on the onset of lovely spring, even think of my country’s sunny isles and its tempting cuisine to stave off winter chill.
When Frank got me stuck for a week—wind, rain, and […]

IN THE early years of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines, Negros Island was put under the jurisdiction of the colonial administration in Cebu. Later, in 1590, the governance of the island was transferred to Iloilo and the first recorded Spanish official assigned to administer the few settlements in it was Gonzalo Ronquillo. It must […]

I’M on reverse mode writing this column—as if the closing remarks became the opening remarks. My task was to give the closing remarks to the joint meeting of both the Oton and the Brgy. San Antonio chapters of the Senior Citizens Federated Association of Iloilo, Inc. (SCFAII) last Monday, Aug. 25, at the San Antonio […]