BECOMING A DABAWENYO: Paradigm Shift
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 August) -- Japan has lifted the community quarantine for COVID-19. The infection rate is low in Japan and death...
HABAGATNONG HINAGAWHAW: Putragis Nga Kanta
Putragis ba ning kantaha, makahilak man pod ta!
Nakadungog ka na ba anang kanta
nga hilabihang mingawa?
Ang mga titik niini ug ingon man ang iyang huni
sa...
LATE BLOOMS: Of Jokes And Clowns
Some thought
he was
just joking.
But, no, he was
not joking.
For he is
himself
the big joke.
I guess
now I understand
understand kids.
You may
laugh at
their antics.
But, yes, clowns
can indeed be
scary –
very,...
ANGAY-ANGAY LANG: Harmony and Conflict among the Lumad Communities of Mindanao: Focus on the...
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 01 August) -- As far as I know, only two major studies have been made so far that are specially...
REFLECTIONS: Eid’l Adha: Only the Purest of Sacrifice
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 31 July) -- Except that it is a non-working holiday, I have never given much thought about the Muslims’ celebration...
MY, MY, MY MARAWI: We wear black for we are not aware of our...
(Delivered during the 4th State of Marawi Bakwit (Sombak) in Marawi City on 29 July 2020)
In the Name of Almighty, the Most Gracious...
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY: A Liberative Approach to the Evangelization of Indigenous Cultures (2)
Last of two parts
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 July) -- Etymologically, religion is derived from Latin re-ligar which literally means “re-link.” In...
TURNING POINT: SONA 5: Inutile
NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 29 July) – Somewhere in his speech, President Duterte desired the people’s unity, cooperation and support in weathering the...
OUR MARAWI: Fake News: Walang Human rights Violation sa Martial Law ni Duterte...
MARAWI CITY (MindaNews / 28 July) -- Eto po ang reaksyon natin sa sinabi ni (President Rodrigo) Duterte sa State of the Nation Address...
UPPER RIGHT HAND: A déjà vu of footfalls and trembles
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 July) -- I heard the sound of heavy footsteps. It was clear they were of boots – footfalls of military boots,...
ANGAY-ANGAY: Pamalandong si Marya o Maryam sa Kasaysayan ng Pinas
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 27 July) --- Noong February 1978, nakarating ako sa Boac, Marinduque; wala sa plano ko, wala akong dalang bolpen, o...
STORIES FROM SULU: It’s Fruit Season in Jolo
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 26 July) -- Growing up in Jolo meant eating fruits anytime of the day. Ask any Tausug, and he will...
TAUSUG IN DOHA: Durian symbolizes hospitality, love, respect and honor
DOHA, Qatar (MindaNews / 25 July) -- Durian season is one of the most awaited seasons by every Tausug in Sulu and elsewhere because lots...
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY: A Liberative Approach to the Evangelization of Indigenous Cultures (1)
1st of two parts
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 July) -- Our concern for cultures and religions is essentially part of the present...
LATE BLOOMS: Exile, The Homecoming
From shores far away
where for your country you fought
you're home finally
to rest for eternity
in this land loved from afar.
Eric S.B. Libre
24 July 2020
SOMEONE ELSE’S WINDOWS: Oligarchs old and new
MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 22 July) – President Duterte doesn’t hate oligarchs per se. What he dislikes are those he perceives to have personally...
QUARANTINE DIARIES: How COVID – 19 destroyed my family tradition
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 21 July) -- Traditionally, the Gallardo, Borja and Paredes family clan would gather to condole with our relatives...
UPPER RIGHT HAND: The Terror Law and the People’s Defense
OZAMIZ CITY (MindaNews / 20 July) -- As to when the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) takes effect brings with it more controversies. Government quarters put it...
BECOMING A DABAWENYO: I came herewith no plans but life unfolded as I stayed
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 19 July) -- I am Ichido Miyake, 43. I was born in Tokyo but I was raised in Hiroshima.
I first...
QUARANTINE DIARIES: For those who say they have no love lost for ABS-CBN, try...
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 19 July) -- Am I a fan of ABS-CBN? No, not really. Am I a fan of big media? No,...
TURNING POINT: Flattening the Curve William R. Adan
NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 19 July) -- Only last week, UP experts projected the number of COVID-19 infection cases to rise to 100,000...
ANGAY-ANGAY LANG: Pamalandong sa Kasaysayan sa Erumanen (Manobo) ng Mindanaw
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 18 July) -- Tatlong ang mainam i-highlight sa kanilang kasaysayan sa Mindanao. Bahagi ito ng kanilang pagtubo sa konteksto ng...
A MORO IN EXILE: Do the honorable thing
MANILA (MindaNews /18 July) -- I checked out his professional profile online to answer some of my nagging questions about the fellow. What I...
HABAGATNONG HINAGAWHAW: Kahilakon
Nagkadaiya nang panghitabô
ang sa kinabuhì ko gikatagbò:
naay makalipay, naay makasubô,
usahay pod adunay makapasukô.
Kining tanan giharong ko walay pagpanuko,
tanan nalatas ko uban sa kaluoy sa...
LATE BLOOMS: Two Tankas (The Win)
1
Woe be the loser.
But what truly pains me more?
The victor’s winning!
For victory brings great pride
that to perdition can lead.
2
And they celebrate.
As if the win...
ALPSIDE DOWNED: Déjà vu
BERN, Switzerland (MindaNews / 14 July) – It was like déjà vu, said Ernie Lopez of the family which founded ABS-CBN, describing the moments...
TURNING POINT: A Postponed Affliction and a Soft Opening
NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 14 July) – A lockdown is not designed to extinguish the virus, but is a measure to contain or...
KISSAH AND DAWAT: Inclusion (pag-agad-iyagari) and the end of it (iban sin katikmuran niya)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 14 July) – One of the buzzwords coming out of the BARMM plebiscite, as BTA members were being identified and...
LATE BLOOMS: A Tanka (Losing/Winning)
Better a loser,
be one of those who have lost
rather than get lost.
I’d rather lose a battle
than win it but lose my soul.
Eric S.B. Libre
12...
A MORO IN EXILE: The Mandis: A Family of “Terrorists”
MANILA (MindaNews / 12 July) -- Remember the Mandi Family? Six members of this family died in 2008 when an Air Force plane fired...
THE VOTE: Kung ihahalintulad natin sa isang tao ang ABS-CBN na maraming sakit, ang...
(Explanation of Basilan Rep. and Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman on his vote on July 10, 2020 on the resolution denying the franchise application of...
THE VOTE: Sino po ang apektado ng ating pagpa shutdown sa ABS-CBN?
.
Maalab na pagbati sa ating mga kasamahan sa Kamara, Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano, Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, Minority Leader Benny Abante, Chair Chicoy Alvarado,...
BECOMING A DABAWENYO: The Challenge of Technology
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 11 July) -- I am Keisuke Nakao, 38 years old. I was born in Kagoshima, Japan which is a fisherman's...
TURNING POINT: Pandemic Distancing in Education
NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 09 July) – If there is work from home (WFH), very soon there would be education from home (EFH),...
KISSA AND DAWAT: After a hundred days of pagtalungkû (quarantine) against this “panyakit” (plague)
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 8 July) – We thought after transitioning from one quarantine status to another since the middle of March this year,...
STORIES FROM SULU: Flashback: At the Malacanan Palace for The Final Peace Agreement Sept....
ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews /07 July) -- The invitation read: The President of the Republic of the Philippines requests the pleasure of your company at...
A MORO IN EXILE: On COVID pandemic: If you think the situation is getting...
MANILA (MindaNews / 07 July) – As an emergency professional, I was among the very first few even among my colleagues in the profession...
MUSINGS FROM TEXAS: Mga badlongon ug suringiw
McALLEN, Texas (Mindanews / 7 July) – Bisan asa’ng parteha sa kalibutan, naa gyoy mga tawo’ng badlongon ug suringiw!
Si kinsa man ang unang matakdan...
LATE BLOOMS: A Haiku (In The Dark)
let us be fireflies
flickering lights in the night
pushing back the dark
Eric S.B. Libre
6 July 2020
LATE BLOOMS: Child and Mother Dark Conversation
The child, its voice a-quaver,
cried softly to its mother,
“Oh, mother, mother dear,
I am filled with so much fear.”
And the mother, ever concerned,
gently and lovingly...
TULA: Bagong Bahagharì
Magkikita-kita pa rin tayong mulî
Magsásalu-salong dî nagmámadalî
Sa pinagdaanan babangon, babawi.
Ang dî nakadalaw at dî nakauwî
Ang maglalakbáy pa sa malayong lahì
Makararatíng din nang maluwalhatì.
Ang dilím...
ANGAY-ANGAY LANG: Lessons from my major conflicts in Jolo
ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews / 03 July) – The year was 1966, the last quarter. I cannot place the exact date now but it was...
BANGSAMORO SPEAKS: : It is our fear that among the hardest hit once the...
(Statement of Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Balawag Ebrahim, Member of Parliament and Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on the...
UPPER RIGHT HAND: Lawyering for the People
KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 1 July) – The powerful and eloquent speech of Justice Marvic Leonen during the oath-taking ceremonies for new lawyers overwhelmed...
HABAGATNONG HINAGAWHAW: Makaugtas
Bungol nagyawyaw,
alingugngog way unod.
Ayaw lalisa,
lagmit maugtas ra ka:
dî man siya kadungog
Hanggaw nagsangyaw,
pagtuo nga inamaw.
Lalisa ayaw,
dî man siya maminaw:
labaw ka unyang hanggaw
Eric S.B. Libre
1 Hulyo...
A MORO IN EXILE: The Anti-Terror Bill and why Muslims in the Philippines are...
For those who are wondering why ordinary poor Muslims are afraid of the Anti-Terror Bill (ATB), read on. If not interested, skip this post...
LATE BLOOMS: Crazy Seasons
the rainy season
is not exactly all rain
sometimes the sun shines
shines so very intensely
it makes you forget the rain
the sunny season
is not always so sunny
sometimes...
COMMENTARY: COVID-19 and Civil-Military Relations in the Philippines: Getting the Balance Right
WASHINGTON, D.C. (MindaNews / 29 June) -- The appointments of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, and Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez...
HABAGATNONG HINAGAWHAW: Balak Napulak
Bulak napulak
walay nitagad,
walay nihilak
sa iyang pagkatagak.
Bulak napulak
duna bay gitangag,
gitangag nga balak
sa damgong nahunlak?
Eric S.B. Libre
28 Hunyo 2020
UPPER RIGHT HAND: Populist leaders in democratic regimes: why drug war in Southeast Asia...
DAVAO CITY (Mindanews / 28 June) -- Indonesia, Philippines and the Kingdom of Thailand offer an interesting contrast of democratic consolidation (or decline) in...