The Christmas We Didn’t Go Anywhere

December 1, 2025

I came across this old video from Singaporean producer/actor/singer Alvin Oon from 2020, and it took me back to the time of COVID – when the world stood still, but we still found ways to keep on moving. It’s him singing “We’re Not Going to Anywhere This Christmas” (sung to the tune of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”). Here’s the video: A Christmas Song That Only 2020 Could Have Produced Alvin sings about not being able to travel. Everyone had to stay home that year. But the song never turns bitter. Instead, it lands on a simple idea: what matters most is having the person you love right there beside you. It is a light, cheery piece about going nowhere. He

Walingwaling: from Bud to Full Bloom

November 26, 2025

Vanda sanderiana – that is what the folks at the Philippine Orchid Society and a lot of hobbyists call this orchid. But to people from Davao, Cotabato and Zamboanga, where this orchid is, we call it waling-waling.

Reflections on 50 Years: My Journey Since St. Michael’s School of Padada

October 29, 2025

On October 18 and 19, 2025, the high school Batch 1975 of St. Michael’s School of Padada came home. Fifty years had passed since we walked out of those gates in Davada del Sur. Some of us had grown old in Manila. Some had grown old abroad. Some did not make it back at all. My batchmates asked me to give the inspirational talk. They wanted to hear about the road I had taken since graduation — from a small rural town in Davao del Sur to the Metro, and to a front-row seat in a Philippine presidential campaign. Here is that speech, lightly edited for reading. My dear batchmates of St. Michael’s School of Padada — MAAYONG GABII SA INYONG TANAN! (Good evening to

Filipino Christmas Traditions

October 15, 2025

There is no Christmas like a Filipino Christmas. Every Filipino knows that the season officially starts during the “Ber Months”, making it the longest Christmas celebration in the world. It’s becoming a tradition that on September 1, you can expect the Jose Mari Chan memes to pop up on your feed, marking the start of the season. During this time, malls and other public spaces already start putting up Christmas decor, a full three months before December even starts. It’s funny, because nowhere in the world will you see Christmas decorations come up even before the Halloween decor – in some places, they even just put them up side by side. But beyond the decorations, the months-long celebration, and the memes, there is a rich

Promdi to the Big City

October 8, 2025

In 1975, after high school, I was awarded several college scholarships in Manila. However, I chose to study at Ateneo de Davao. My Alma Mater was one of three colleges run by the Society of Jesus (SJ) in three very strategic centers in Mindanao: Davao, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga. It was the college of choice for most of the local elite – if they didn’t go to Manila for college, they went to Ateneo de Davao. I would miss my hometown of Padada, but Davao City was close enough. If I had transport money, I could always go home. Also, my elder sister was staying in Davao, so I planned to stay with her and her family to save on board and lodging costs.

A Homecoming Speech for the St. Michael’s College of Padada Golden Jubilee

October 1, 2025

In October 2025, the High School Class of 1975 of St. Michael’s College of Padada will gather to celebrate a deeply special milestone: our Golden Jubilee. As I eagerly anticipate reuniting with batchmates—some of whom I haven’t seen since we proudly walked across the graduation stage half a century ago—I find myself looking back on our shared history and the timeless values our beloved alma mater instilled in us. To set the mood for our upcoming 50th-year celebration, I want to share a speech I delivered during another momentous occasion—the Golden Jubilee of the founding of our school. Through the years, our school has evolved from St. Michael’s Academy to St. Michael’s College, and now, St. Michael’s School of Padada. Yet, the Michaelean spirit remains

A Reason to Come Back Home: Building Padada’s First Library and Museum

September 10, 2025

Setting up a public library and museum in my hometown of Padada, Davao del Sur, is my ultimate dream. Currently, there are no public museums in Padada. The only libraries belong to the town’s two private schools. Because of this, finding someone who reads for fun is rare. Smartphones offer instant gratification, easily winning out over books. Without other local recreation options, people often default to idle chatter or drinking to pass the time. Why Padada Needs a Public Library and Museum Small-town libraries and heritage museums exist in other countries, but they are incredibly rare in the Philippines. We see great initiatives like free pop-up libraries in Metro Manila, but you rarely see these projects reach the provinces. For someone living in a rural

Jackstone: How to Play the Filipino Game of Ten Stones

August 27, 2025

Series: Game of Titos and Titas – Part 5 Key Takeaways Jackstone is played with ten six-pointed metal stones and one small bouncing ball Ten numbered rounds — picking up one stone, then two, then three, and upward — are only the qualifier The real game is the exhibition round, where the leader sets a trick move and everyone else must copy it exactly Into the Cave, or kweba, is the hardest of the ones we played: you arch one hand on the floor and sweep the stones underneath it Nine named exhibitions are set down here — three from my own memory, six reported by players elsewhere You don’t win by being flawless. You win by imagining something nobody else can do. All

A boy crouching with the long stick in a game of syatong, the short stick airborne above him as other children watch

Syatong: How to Play the Filipino Stick Game

August 20, 2025

Series: Game of Titos and Titas – Part 4 Key Takeaways Syatong is played with two sticks and a shallow ditch — and it produced more bruised hands than any other game we played Three phases, and you must survive all of them before a single point is counted Two scoring systems were in use — shrink the ruler, or apply a multiplier — and which one applied had to be agreed before play The short stick — the one that gets struck — is the whole game The losing team must run the field shouting “syatong” in a single breath, restarting wherever it gives out Every summer, back when video games and computers were still a rarity, you would see children and teenagers

Boys crouched in a ring on a narrow street playing holen, glass marbles scattered on the ground between them

Holen: How to Play the Filipino Marble Game and Pamato

August 13, 2025

Series: Game of Titos and Titas – Part 3 Key Takeaways Holen is the Bisaya word for glass marbles — jolen in Tagalog-speaking areas Your pamato is your shooter: the lucky marble, never traded at any price Two ways to play: the ring, won by accumulation, and the duel, fought straight at your opponent until bankruptcy or surrender The winner takes his opponent’s marbles, which is why nobody could ever stop at one round Holen was the boys’ game. Holen is the vernacular for marbles — and mind you, not the marble used to make floors and countertops. A holen is a small glass sphere with a design suspended inside it. The most common carries a ribbon-like twist of colour at its centre. Some

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