AMIGOS EN LA CULTURA National Museum Director Jeremy Barns (left) and Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jose Moragas formally open the exhibit titled The Longest Journey With alert level one in place, diplomatic events have come back to (real) life. This, after having been relegated mostly to...
The newest embassy in town restarts major diplomatic events in Manila after a two-year drought, no thanks to a pandemic ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATION Greening of the Fort Santiago gate “I think the question is ‘Why only now?’ or ‘Why not earlier?” Ireland’s Ambassador William Carlos...
CLIMBING MOUNTAINS TOGETHER Cecilia and I's workout statistics brought us as high as Mt. Abunugi! “You diplomatic spouses have it way better,” a female diplomat once said with a laugh. “You just have to attend the parties and we have to do all the backbreaking work.” It was supposed to be a...
AREIT, Inc. (AREIT), the first Philippine real estate investment trust, will enter a second property-for-share swap with its sponsor AyalaLand,Inc.(ALI) worth P11.26 billion. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the firm said the transaction will involve six Cebu-based office buildings...
OKSANA STUDIO Oksana Polonets (fourth from right) and her models at the Ukrainian Ambassador_s Residence in Berlin in 2017 The first diplomatic spouse’s event I attended during our posting in Berlin was at the official residence of the Ukrainian ambassador. It was in 2017 and the country was...
Ana Algabre-Hernandez paints a full and fulfilling life Mme. Ana Algabre-Hernandez On a cold December evening in 2016, in the middle of a holiday trip, I found myself at a Rizal Day dinner at the Philippine Ambassador’s residence in Korea. I’ll always remember that event as the perfect example...
From a mere pastime to a "crime-triggering" activity. (Photos from philippineragingnets.com/ Unsplash) Former YACAP Party-list Rep. Carol Lopez gave this rather worrisome description of online cockfighting or e-sabong Thursday, Feb. 24, even as discussions about its regularization continue to split...
Believe me when I say that people around you are always watching how you treat others The best way to appear classy is through kindness and by being polite to everyone no matter their social status or background. Back in 2016, I sat next to a real-life princess at a fashion show. I was there as a...
PRINCESS TO QUEEN Post-Spain and post-Miss Universe, Corrine is all grown up There’s something about living abroad that instantly bonds you with other people who have done the same. I recently found myself at the same lunch as Corrine Abalos. The 24-year-old ended her journey with Miss Universe...
A WORLD METAVERSALLY CONNECTED Will there be a need for ambassadors in a future without borders Back in November, the Caribbean nation of Barbados announced that they would be opening its first embassy in the metaverse, Decentraland. The island nation’s decision to build a digital diplomatic...
We all have something we’re proud about. A new job, a raise you totally deserve, a new property or a car, even a career milestone you worked so hard for. While it’s human to be proud, it’s often considered pathetic to seek attention or validation for one’s achievements or good fortune....
Words and reactions during this pandemic It’s been two years and I feel like this pandemic has aged most of us. The worries and uncertainties it brought are enough to make us suffer from daily, mini-breakdowns. Death, sickness, and mental troubles circle us like vultures waiting for that moment...
