In an earlier post, I wrote about the circumstances behind my joining the Happyland team as one of its producers. Here is the second part of my experience as an indie movie producer.
I become a producer of a movie about football two years before the sport got widespread attention. We even tapped the country’s most popular football player, Phil Younghusband, as one of the major actors in that independent film.
Today as I turn 67, let me share with you a feature article about me, published in the Business Mirror in December 11, 2016. The discussions with Roger covered my professional life from the time I joined CRC to the time I left Omnicom Media Group to volunteer in the Duterte presidential campaign. Much has happened after that, and I think I should be writing about it in a separate blog. Roger Pe, a veteran Creative Director, wrote this piece about what I was like around the time when I was 25. We had an initial face to face interview after which he sent me a set of questions via email and asked for a photo of me
Alon Lunurin mo ang aking kasamaan Ihampas sa dalampasigan Ang sama ng aking budhi Maging malakas ka Ihatid mo at ilibing Sa pusod ng dagat Ang sala ng sanlibutan *** a poetry in Filipino written by Nic Gabunada and published in Davao Harvest An Anthology edited by Tita Lacambra Ayala and Alfredo N. Salanga 1979 ****This was also published in my earlier blog www.wednesdayswithnic.com on June 29, 2011
A Mentor and A Friend Let me tell you about an excellent mentor and friend —Fr. Francisco “Kiko” Glover, SJ. For years, right up until the COVID pandemic, I’d always make a point to go home to Davao every January, especially around the 11th. Why that date? It’s Fr. Glover’s birthday, and those of us who were Management Engineering (ME) students from Ateneo de Davao would gather for our annual get-together. Honestly, we picked the date because we all wanted to celebrate him—a mentor and a friend. For many of us, Fr. Glover was like our North Star. He had this way of bringing us together, no matter how busy we all got. Former ME students based in Davao would always coordinate with him, and
After the noise of Media Noche dies down and the plates are cleared, I find it helpful to pause and reflect on the year that was, and to define what I want 2026 to be. This reflection is vital to appreciate the why behind what we do. As we enter 2026, my wishes feel clearer, heavier, and more deliberate than before. On this blog, I spent much of the past year writing about things that frustrated me, worried me, and sometimes kept me up at night. I wrote because staying silent felt wrong. I wrote so future generations could live in a country that values accountability, true public service, and refuses to accept failure or corruption as normal. One can hope, and should hope,
As Christmas arrives, I find myself reflecting on 2025. It was a year that tested our patience, our trust in institutions, and sometimes, even our faith in each other as Filipinos. 2025 was a difficult year, marked by scandal after public scandal. The flood control issue, in particular, was painful to watch: billions allocated, yet communities remained submerged, lives disrupted, and livelihoods washed away—with thin explanations and even thinner accountability. This blatant and systemic corruption reminded us how deeply rooted our problems still are, and how costly they have become for ordinary families who simply want safety, dignity, and a fair chance. Yet even amid this turbulence, I found moments that reaffirmed why I write in this space. This blog is where I share what
Today is the first day of the Simbang Gabi – a nine-day novena which starts December 16 and ends on December 24. It is celebrated at 4:30 in the morning. But in recent years, when masses are also regularly held in chapels and other places outside of the main church, simbang gabis are held during evenings – at 7:00, 8:00 or 9:00 depending on the availability of the priest celebrant. But the original practice is to hold it at dawn; at hours before the sun rises. It is common among former colonies of Spain. The friars convinced the catholic converts to prepare themselves for the celebration of the birth of the Saviour. And what more fitting preparation there is but to attend nine-day novena mass.
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.
Last October 18 and 19, St Michael School of Padada’s high school batch of 1975 had a get together to celebrate the 50th year since our graduation from the school. My batchmates requested me to give an inspirational talk focusing on my journey since we graduated from high school. Here is a copy of my speech: My dear batchmates of St. Michael’s School of Padada, MAAYONG GABII SA INYONG TANAN! When Eden reached out and invited me to speak at today’s reunion, I felt truly honored to be chosen to share my journey since graduating from SMSP. It has now been 50 years—half a century—since we walked away from those cherished school grounds. Yet, it hardly seems possible that so much time has passed.