Did you know that our national hero Jose Rizal also went through a quarantine? When Rizal decided to return to Europe for the second time, he left for Hong Kong on February 3, 1888. After a few weeks in Japan, he boarded the SS Belgic going to the US. When the SS Belgic arrived in San Francisco two weeks later, Rizal was surprised that they were not allowed to land. He spent six days in quarantine. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org Rizal's experiences mirror what we are going through right now in this Enhanced Community Quarantine during the COVID-19 health crisis. First, he...

Just because Metro Manila is under lockdown, it doesn’t mean that we can’t do some of our traditional practices during Lenten season. We can build an altar at home or attend some online Holy Week events online. Manila Cathedral San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila Catholics can virtually visit the churches from the safety of their homes as Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines or CBCP opens Visita Iglesia online. Without violating the government-imposed enhanced community quarantine and physical distancing, we can still do Visita Iglesia as one of our ways to atone for their sins. Caption Just visit Google...

Holy Week this year would not be the same anymore. It is not the usual celebration we used to have over the years. It feels different and seems to be an extraordinary one ‘cause we meant to celebrate it at home this year amid the COVID-19 crisis. Churches and spiritual groups will no longer hold some of our Filipino traditional practices which served as a vital part of our annual holy week celebration. Photo courtesy: Photo by Flickr user istolethetv via catholicsandcultures.org Streets along the house of God will never be the same again this year. Our traditional ‘Pabasa’ or...

By: AJ Virtuz | We all know what's up with March. It's a month dedicated to celebrate International Women's Month! And in celebration for the said event, Philippine Commission on Women shared a list of different agencies that offer freebies, discounts, free admission, direct services, transactions, products and other privileges for Pinays in the month of March, 2020. The #SerbisyoParaKayJuana includes the following privileges: Free Admission to National Planetarium Shows on March 8, 2020. This includes the transgender women as well. Free Admission to Museo ni Manuel Quezon on March 8, 2020.  Free Admission to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center on March 9,...

By: Jhoemz Vercide Today is a big day for East Asian communities with families gathering for dinner, lighting lanterns and eating mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.  In 2019, the event falls on September 13, it is said to be the second grandest festival in China after the Chinese New Year. It takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. The day is also known as the Moon Festival, as at that time of the year the moon is at its roundest and brightest, as for the Chinese, the round shape symbolizes...