LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta The unfortunate Jullebee Ranara, a Filipina domestic helper or kasambahay, could not afford to raise her four children so at age 35, she went abroad to seek greener pastures. (Where is the father of her children?) Jullebee ended up in Kuwait, perhaps she was inveigled...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Does Miss Universe, R’Bonney Gabriel, know that Texas was once Nuevas Filipinas? Don’t you think it is serendipitous that a half- Filipino Miss Texas should win the Miss USA and Miss Universe titles? It was the eminent Bicolano historian, Dr. Domingo Abella, who...
First Lady Araneta-Marcos has "zero" involvement in the appointment process of the present administration, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said. President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos arrive from Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21, 2023. (Noel Pabalate) In...
ILOILO CITY -- First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos was one of the special guests of Mayor Jerry Treñas for the main event of the 2023 Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City on Sunday, Jan. 22. “Maayong adlaw sa inyo nga tanan (Good day, everyone),” the First Lady said as she greeted a huge crowd at the...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta “Gone with the wind,” a movie based on a novel by Margaret Mitchell was produced in 1939, before I was born. The protagonist, Scarlett O’Hara, was the headstrong daughter of a wealthy plantation owner and slave holder who survived the American Civil War. Some...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta “David Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier,” was the title of a movie produced by Walt Disney in 1951. No, I did not get to see it. My mother assiduously protected her children from Hollywood’s harmful influence, unlike an aunt who bought Crockett coon caps for my...
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has had enough of allegations of her involvement in the appointment process of the present administration, warning that those using her name may not get the position they desire if they continue doing so. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (Liza Marcos Facebook page) In a...
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has taken a museum trip with Chinese President Xi Jinping's wife, Peng Liyuan, to learn about China's culture as she accompanied President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in a state visit. According to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian, Araneta-Marcos...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta In 1880, Jose Rizal wrote a play in verse, “Junto al Pasig,” which no one thought subversive because he was a 19-year-old, diligent student of the Ateneo Municipal in Intramuros. The play seemed innocent enough, if not pious. A group of students were waiting by the...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Yet another year is about to end and here I am with unanswered messages of good cheer, thoughtful gifts unacknowledged. I am glued to this book (a Christmas gift from a dear friend) by Nancy Isenberg, titled White Trash, The 400-year Untold History of Class in America...
After ordering the opening of the Malacañang grounds for the public to view its Christmas display, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. made a surprise visit to some families visiting the Palace. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (PBBM Media Bureau) The families, who came from nearby cities...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Most of you already know that in 1888, Marcelo del Pilar asked Jose Rizal to write an encouraging letter to 20 of his lady townmates who wanted to open an evening school, in a private home, where they could learn proper Spanish and other subjects. They had already hired...
