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Symbols, Origin and Meaning: Philippine National flag
They say the easiest way to know a country better is by looking at the meaning of its flag. So in this posting for Brief History , we'll take a look at some of the many influences that were at play in the designing of the Philippine flag. If placed beside each other, one would see the similarities between the Philippine, Cuban, and Puerto Rican national flags. This is no coincidence, as all three countries were colonies of the Spanish Empire and all three fought for their independence at the turn of the 19th Centu…
Looban Girls' Convent
Fine Needle Workers. Looban Convent, Paco, Manila, Philippines The Looban convent also known as the Asilo de San Vicente de Paul (ASVP), was founded on 26 July 1885 by Sr. Asuncion Ventura . She donated an inheritance from her family to the Daughters of Charity and purchased a lot of 6 hectares of land for a building where she established the asylum for girls, making her the first Filipina to build an orphanage in the country. Posing for a photo / John Tewell ASVP started with only 33 wards, catering to girls who were orphans o…
Japanese "Mickey Mouse" Money
₱ 5 Japanese invasion money of the second series Japan had conquered many colonies and other states during World War II. Special currency notes were officially issued by Japan in these states to replace local currency. These currency notes were known as Japanese Invasion Money. Both Wartime Finance Bank and the Southern Development Bank used bonds to raise money. Wartime Finance Bank gave loans to military industries, and the Southern Development Bank gave loans for hydroelectric generators, electric power companies, shipbuilding, and pe…
A Brief History of Jollibee
Who wouldn't say no to these? Who would have guessed that a giant cartoon bee character could become the national symbol for delicious, affordable and fast food in the Philippines? Well, that’s what began in 1975 when Tony Tan Caktiong opened an ice cream shop in Cubao, Quezon City. The results of his efforts have been nothing short of phenomenal. Though Jollibee began as an ice cream parlor, it was the move to diversify to more types of food like hamburgers that really put them on the map. In every major area in the Philippines, …
Virtual zoos, museums and galleries: 14 sites with great free art and entertainment
Kerensa Pickett/Unsplash , CC BY By Caroline Wilson-Barnao , The University of Queensland As the coronavirus outbreak forces the closure of museums, art galleries, libraries and theatres around the word, the concept of “on demand culture” is gaining momentum. Institutions – museums, galleries and concert halls, which by their very nature rely on in-person visits – are seeking out digital solutions in the form of live-streamed performances, virtual tours and searches of online collections. The Sydney Biennale announced a shift t…
Preventing an agricultural and ecological crisis in the Philippines’ Benguet Province
by Karlston Lapniten , Mongabay BENGUET, Philippines — Every day, at least 1,500 metric tons of semi-temperate vegetables are trucked down from Benguet, a mountainous province in the northern Philippines, to depots called bagsakan in the country’s capital, Manila. The volume of deliveries can triple around holidays like Christmas and Easter, when demand surges. From Manila, crops are shipped across the archipelago, meeting 80 percent of the country’s demand for semi-temperate vegetables like potato, cabbage, radish, chayote, carrot,…
The Fierce Long-haired Scouts of Macabebe
Macabebe Scouts Macabébé is one of Pampanga's oldest communities. It is intimately linked to the Rio Grande de la Pampanga and had played a dynamic role in Philippine history. The people of Macabébé were the first Kapampangans to appear in Spanish records and is considered as one of the oldest communities in Pampanga. They took part in various battles including the Battle of Bangkusay Channel at Pasay in 1571 where they faced off with the Spanish and their 600 Visayan auxiliaries at the channel, ending in a Spanish victory. Dur…
Oh My Gulay - Filipino Expressions Derived From Fruits to Vegetables
Kamote riders? Filipino slang is an ever-growing compendium of expressions that dates back since time immemorial. In general, it is an amalgamation of Spanish and English expressions, pop culture-styled street slang and, oddly enough, words of fruits and vegetables which are often used to describe people. Here are a few examples of the latter. Nangangamote Nangangamote pertains to one who is having difficulty or failing to do well. The word " kamote " is also used to describe somebody who is dim-wit or unintelligent. …
COVID-19: household cleaning products can kill the virus – an expert on which ones to use
By Lena Ciric , UCL , The Conversation COVID-19 has only been around for a few months, so at this point scientists don’t know that much about it. But more is being learned every day. We now know, for example, it can live on surfaces for up to nine days and survives in the air for a few hours . We also now know that the virus particles are shed through saliva and fluids coughed up from the lungs. And that the virus can also be shed from our faeces . It’s easy for an infected person to spread the virus particles through coughing,…
Philippine Education Among Asia's First, But Lags In Quality
Boys’ Normal High School,1900s. Before the Philippines attained complete independence, the country's education system was patterned on the systems of Spain and the United States. In Asia, The Philippines was among the first to access free modern public education. However, after independence, its quality lagged behind and was overtaken by its neighboring countries. Main courtyard of Santo Tomás College in 1887 / Biblioteca Nacional de España In 1857, Modern public school education was introduced in Spain through Queen Isabela…
Philippines Scrambles to Protect its Endangered Hornbills From Extinction
Visayan hornbill by Mongabay.com MANILA — The last 15 years have been harsh on hornbills in the Philippines: Nine out of the 11 species in the country are threatened, with the Visayan hornbill (Penelopides panini) reaching critically endangered status, according to the environment department’s updated National List of Threatened Terrestrial Fauna of the Philippines. Sponsored “From seven hornbill species threatened in 2004, we now have nine,” Berhel Doria of the environment department’s wildlife resources division tells Mong…
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