Landscape Gemma Cruz Araneta In the winter of 1889, Filipino ilustrados in Madrid were alarmed that the Russian flu, first spotted in Bukhara, then in St. Petersburg, attacked Madrid with ferocity after only five days. Already, 6,180 deaths were reported and in Barcelona, 52,000 were infected with...
Landscape Gemma Cruz Araneta Seventy-eight frustrating years had passed since the promulgation of the 1812 Cadiz Constitution which stipulated that colonies and overseas possessions should be considered as provinces, integral parts of Spain, the metropolis. As provinces, these territories would be...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Time to foray into history: 31 May 1890, in the lead story of “La Solidaridad,” editor Marcelo. H. del Pilar (a.k.a. Plaridel ) argued the obvious. How can the Cortés (Spanish parliament) legislate in favor or against the Philippines without first-hand knowledge of...
The Smart Araneta Coliseum, also known as the Big Dome, will be Quezon City's mega vaccination site and will start operating on Saturday, May 15, the local government announced on Thursday. Mayor Joy Belmonte said the Araneta Group has agreed to allow the city to use its facility to help achieve...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta The first electoral law of the Spanish empire, contained in the Decree of 29 January 1810, called for representatives from Las Islas Filipinas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Chile, Venezuela, in short, from all of Spain’s colonies in America and Asia to join the...
Has the family of former Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas ever offered their resources to boost the country's pandemic response? A health worker prepares to inject a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination hub in Makati City (Ali Vicoy) Manila Bulletin For Presidential spokesman Harry...
Tessie Araneta Macasaet was a gentle force. She had the courage to question societal norms, but she went about her days with a sense of responsibility, grace, and restraint LOVE EVERLASTING The author and her mother, Tessie Araneta Macasaet My mother had an inherent strength about her. She had the...
An intimate portrait of one of the most complicated of human interactions—the mother and daughter relationship Cover design by Jules Vivas In time, daughters become their mothers, although many of them swear never ever to be when they are young. It’s a complex relationship, often constructive...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Who was Pi y Margall? There is a street in Sampaloc named after him and when last I saw the sign, the name was misspelled. Not even the City Administrator could tell whether Margall wasa famous or an obscure Spanish colonial official, or someone’s birth place in...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta A UP professor friend sent me a photo of a burly band of youngish males, properly protected with surgical masks and face shields posing in front of the Maginhawa community pantry after depositing donations in kind. They were wearing tees of various colors and designs,...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta I am convinced that the policeman who first set his eyes on that community pantry in Quezon City must be afflicted with terminal dyslexia. Upon seeing a handwritten sign saying “community pantry” he read “communist party” and was alarmed at the audacity of...
LANDSCAPE Gemma Cruz Araneta Or, when they think you are super annuated, so obsolete and defunct! By “they” I mean not only my grandchildren, grand nieces and nephews, but also my own children, even if they themselves will be senior citizens in less than a decade. I must look rather frail...
