Archive - Arts & Culture

By NORMAN SISON ART cannot be rushed. It has its own pace. Rush it and its excellence is lost along the way — or so goes the conventional concept  in the never-ending art-versus-commercialism debate. That is why some people tend to think that paintings being sold by painters trying to make a living by being

By KIMBERLY ROSE L. PILLO AND HAZEL P. VILLA ACCORDING to elders of Lampaya, no one in their  in the southwestern town of Leon in Iloilo, central Philippines, has successfully finished college to become a teacher, a doctor or an engineer. In this mountainous village of clear skies and cool air known as the Little

  By PABLO A. TARIMAN IF you want to explore the performing arts this summer and are not keen on music listening, the best way is to watch films on the lives of artists. The best examples are “Shine” (about a piano prodigy and his Rach 3-obsessed father), “Hilary and Jackie” (about a celebrated cellist

By MA. THERESA ANGELINA QUINTANA-TABADA IN the dead of night, two creatures square off for the undying soul: the mortal and the immortal. Myke U. Obenieta is both: blogger and sundered citizen of the Filipino diaspora. By day, Obenieta juggles life as husband of middle school teacher Arlaine, 37, and father of Aegan, 10, and

Text by TRACY IGNACIO Photos and Video by MARIO IGNACIO IV and MARIO ESPINOSA CAINTA, Rizal— Forty years ago, Sister Valeriana Baert, a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, had dreamed of putting up a home where persons with disabilities could live and train after undergoing rehabilitation.

  By PABLO A. TARIMAN ENGROSSED in the  Kris-James and Chiz-Heart entertainment news, many missed a  gem of a film shown on TV before Holy Week. Loy Arcenas’s “Nino” starring the venerable diva, Fides Cuyugan Asencio and a powerful cast that include well-nuanced performances from Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino  and Arthur Acuna, among others, has resonances of

Text and slideshow by VINCENT GO PAOMBONG, Bulacan—Thousands of tourist and spectators have once again flocked to the quiet village of Kapitangan in this town, 47 kilometers north of Metro Manila, to witness the bloody spectacle of flagellation and crucifixion that plays out here each year. Penitents lashed their backs using whips with wooden flails

By PABLO A. TARIMAN FORMER First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos is turning 84 this year and there is no sign she will ever consider retirement in public life. In the coming May 13 elections, she is seeking second term as congresswoman in the second district of Ilocos Norte after representing her home province, Leyte, some

By PABLO A. TARIMAN FOUNDED by the late Zeneida Amador and Baby Barredo, Repertory Philipines is on its 46th year and going strong on its 77th season. Like it or not, it has  enriched Manila’s theater scene for over three decades  with the world’s classic plays from  Antigone to Lysistrata and pioneering productions of  the

BY ELLEN TORDESILLAS Photos by MARIO IGNACIO IV YOU have your plane tickets. You have made the hotel reservations. You are all set for fun in the beach. But, is your body ready for it? Three physical fitness personal  trainers  – Angie M. Miranda and Jensen G. Centeno of Fitness First, Mall of Asia, and 

  Text and photos by ELIZABETH LOLARGA PAINTER Alfonso “Dayong” Mendoza Jr. has a continuing love-hate relationship with the jeepney. He has been a commuter for much of his life. When he looks at jeeps from the point of view of a car owner, he sees how the typical jeepney drivers’ proprietary attitude towards roads

By PABLO A. TARIMAN THE first time former London-based OFW  Esperanza Tresvalles showed up in a Catanduanes  concert was in May 1992 when she graced the concert of  Manila-based soprano Luz Morete and pianist Najib Ismail in a well-received voice recital in a small venue near the historic Bato Church. In her summer rag-tag attire

By PATRICK KING PASCUAL THEY are shapeless in form but they are captivating to one's eye. They are made of intricately structured clay with different colors on its finish.

By PABLO A. TARIMAN THIS year is the 68th anniversary of the heroic rescue of allied prisoners of war and civilians from a Japanese concentration camp near Cabanatuan City on January 30, 1945. The dramatic rescue inspired the Hollywood film, “The Great Raid” starring Benjamin Bratt, Joseph Fiennes, James Franco and our own Cesar Montano

Text and photos by ELIZABETH LOLARGA IN death Marilyn Monroe, as portrayed by visual artist Tin F. Garcia, is the negation of the desirable Hollywood actress/sex goddess who once said she wanted “to grow old without facelifts, to have the courage to be loyal to the face I have made.”

By PABLO A. TARIMAN TENOR Arthur Espiritu, the first Filipino tenor to sing at La Scala in Milan,  again made history as the first Filipino to sing Cassio in Otello mounted in Teatro Communale Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy. Espiritu,who sang for the first time in the hometown of  Pavarotti,said the audience was very enthusiastic

By YOLANDA L. PUNSALAN JUANA Change, the heavyweight anti-corruption advocate, has changed. Huge change. From an overwhelming size of 275 lbs., she is now down to a manageable 192 lbs. At her heaviest, Paner needed an extension of an airplane seatbelt to strap her three layers of tummy whenever she flew.  She became alarmed by

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO VARIOUS activist groups commemorated Women’s Day Friday with an assembly and a program at Plaza Salamanca off Taft Avenue in Manila, before marching to the United States Embassy. The groups called for the scrapping of the Visiting Forces Agreement and demanded the release of two of their companions