The Philippines is sometimes described as patriarchal but matricentric, meaning mothers can also be quite powerful in the face of male domination. But “matricentric” is not necessarily limited to mothers. In the Philippines, aunts band together to become even more powerful. “Tita,” “tiya” and “auntie” are terms that are extended broadly, to include sisters, [...]
Last Sunday, Sen. Edgardo Angara was the commencement speaker at the University of the Philippines Diliman. His challenge to the graduates was to build a middle class, which he said was a potent force for the social transformation of the country. Senator Angara did express concerns that the middle class was too small, maybe even “vanishing.”
Last weekend was a particularly hectic and emotional one for many people, with college recognition rites and general commencement exercises at the University of the Philippines Diliman. I thought I’d share more of the spirit of the weekend with a two-in-one column, first about graduation gifts in terms of legacies and bridging of generations, and second about a different kind of graduation gift I had for an inaapo (explanations later about this term).
Let me start off on a light note: The sunflowers have bloomed at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and we’re ready for the next few days’ individual college recognition rites and general commencement exercises. This is a pitch to attend graduation ceremonies, whether at UP or not. Think of Kevin Villanueva, the info [...]
I’m sharing some of the reflections I gave in a keynote speech last week at the Philippine Nephrology Society’s annual convention, where I spoke of the challenges that nephrologists face from a medical anthropologist’s perspective.
Last Wednesday, I had to give a talk at the annual convention of the Philippine Pediatrics Society. My talk was part of a session called “Dr. Perla Santos Ocampo Memorial Lectures,” which included a tribute to her. “PSO,” as Dr. Santos-Ocampo was called by people who worked with her, died last year leaving many legacies [...]
For more than 30 years, I looked at the filing of income tax returns as part of Holy Week penitence, from filling out the forms (which seem to be getting more and more unfriendly with each new version) to the crowds and queues at Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) offices.
The results of the recent Social Weather Stations survey on Roman Catholic (I’ll use “Catholic” from here on, for convenience) belief and practice in the Philippines have caused a stir, particularly the figure of 9 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement “Sometimes I think I might leave the Church” and another showing regular (meaning weekly) Mass attendance dropping from 66 percent in 1991 to 43 percent in 2013. (See sws.org.ph for the full report.)
The man next to me at the drugstore counter was very explicit with his instructions, sounding almost like a chef instructing his assistants: Cut the Enalapril tablet into four, and each Furosemide has to be divided into six paper packets.
For students and parents, the release of grades and report cards can be a major cause of anxiety and dread. There may be an added dimension of confusion this year, with a new grading system in public schools for grades 1 to 7 where the ratings are “A,” “AP,” “D” and “B.” I’ll explain those [...]
Brusco is a bulldog, or more precisely, a French bulldog, the type that invites cuddling, which he thoroughly enjoys and reciprocates by slobbering all over you. As bulldogs go, he snorts a lot so he sometimes ends up looking like he’s making tsismis, gossiping in your ear about all that’s been going on in the last few days with his humans. To entertain the kids at home, I’d occasionally interrupt Brusco and go, “And then?” or “Really?” and it’d look like he was picking up, continuing with his story.
Every year during Holy Week, I am asked why we have extreme forms of self-inflicted pain among Filipinos, the most dramatic of which are the flagellants and the ones who get themselves crucified. These practices are generically called penitensiya, meaning it’s presumed they are done to atone, to do penance, for sins. But more than [...]
