THE GREATEST LOSS: LUNA’S PEOPLE AND KINGS by Peter Jaynul Villanueva Uckung       So many paintings of Juan Luna were lost to history. His brothers-in-law destroyed all of Luna’s paintings that they own; a damning reaction to Luna’s killing of their sister, Paz (Luna’s wife), and their mother in 1892. Some missing paintings continue reading : The Greatest Loss: Luna’s People and Kings

WHY BONIFACIO WAS CALLED THE FATHER OF THE REVOLUTION by Maria Cielito Reyno       On the night of 7 July 1892, a group of men gathered on Azcarraga Street in Manila to organize a secret society whose aim was to wrest, through armed means, the freedom of the Filipinos from the hands of their oppressors.  continue reading : Why Bonifacio was called the Father of the Revolution?

REFORMING THE AFP MAGSAYSAY’S Foundation Theory in Neutralizing Insurgency by Peter Jaynul Villanueva Uckung         The Philippine government never faced a more dangerous era of insurgency than the late 1940’s.         The rebels, led by the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB), had been attacking government targets with impunity and continue reading : Reforming the AFP Magsaysay’s

WHEN THE FILIPINO FIRST PROVED HIMSELF TO THE WORLD by Cielo Reyno       In May 1884, at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes held in Madrid, the Jury of Honor awarded the first of the three gold medals of the competition to Juan Luna for his painting Spoliarium, his blunt depiction of dying and dead continue reading : When the Filipino First Proved Himself to the World

THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST PHILIPPINE ASSEMBLY (1907-1916)       It was the inauguration of the First Philippine Assembly in 1907 that paved the way for the country’s independence from American rule as it provided the Filipino legislators to have hands-on in the local political affairs. This event was very significant in the history continue reading : The History of the First Philippine Assembly (1907-1916)

SPEAKER SERGIO OSMENA CARRIES ON THE INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE by Cielo G. Reyno       Perhaps it was not a mere quirk of fate that his death on 19 October 1961 occurred close to the anniversary of the institution that first catapulted him to national prominence, and with which his name will always be intertwined.  Osmeña, together continue reading : Speaker Sergio Osmeña Carries On  the Independence Struggle

THE GATES TO HEROISM: DEFINING A FILIPINO HERO by Diana A. Galang       It is common for Filipinos to look for someone to idolize –saints, politicians, artists, models, etc., somebody they will glorify and imitate. Since the time of the declaration of Philippine independence, 109 years ago, many were acknowledged as Filipino heroes, continue reading : The Gates to Heroism: Defining A Filipino Hero

THE TWO FACES OF THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY By Chris Antonette Piedad-Pugay       The 12th of June of every year since 1898 is a very important event for all the Filipinos.  In this particular day, the entire Filipino nation as well as Filipino communities all over the world gathers to celebrate the Philippines’ continue reading : The Two Faces of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny

THE BALMIS MISSION: AN EXTRAORDINARY EXPEDITION by Ma. Cielito G. Reyno       On April 15, 1805 the vaccine against smallpox, one of the deadliest and most physically disfiguring diseases ever known to man, arrived in the Philippines.  Headed by Dr. Francisco Xavier de Balmis, court physician of the Spanish crown, the medical life-saving continue reading : The Balmis Mission: An Extraordinary Expedition

RIZAL THE FUTURIST by Dr. Pablo S. Trillana II on the 103rd Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal (1999) “Protean is the word that comes to mind when we speak of the Filipino national hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Novelist, poet, teacher, linguist, ophthalmologist, sportsman, sculptor, essayist,thinker. He was all of the above. But continue reading : Rizal the Futurist

A GUERRILLA’S TRICK THAT WORKED: REMEMBERING STRATEGIES THAT MATTER By Peter Jaynul V. Uckung       We always remember World War II in the Philippine as a litany of battles and brutalities. From the Fall of Bataan in April 1942 to the destruction of Manila in February 1945 the Filipinos have experienced all the tragedies of continue reading : A Guerrilla’s trick that worked: Remembering strategies that matter

THE BATTLE OF MANILA by Peter Jaynul Uckung       General Yamashita considered Manila as too vulnerable to American attack and ordered his troops to evacuate to Northern Luzon for a last ditch stand where the mountains stood as national barriers to any military assault.       Most of his soldiers quickly obeyed continue reading : The Battle of Manila