Sunday Culture and Arts Notebook

By Maria Veronica “Vernie” G. Caparas* That fateful LapuLapu Day Festival on 26 April 2025 not only quashed the future of eleven lives; it bared the grief, loss, outrage, and trauma of migrant communities. The three levels of government’s lingering…

by George Banez “If not adobo, what food do you miss?”  I asked Dr. Margarita Lavides, fellow academic residing in the U.S.  Currently teaching at universities in the New York metropolitan area, she moved to New Jersey in 2015. After earning…

Fortunately, nobody could read my mind, especially when I am hungry.   “Just order something, anything, I’m paying!”  I grumbled with my mouth shut.  I saw stars swirling as I listened to the back-and-forth chatter between the China-born owner waiting…

MANILA, Philippines – Triadico opens on September 20, 2025 at Imahica Art Gallery, Lee Gardens, Wack Wack, Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City. This compelling exhibition brings together three women artists: Jinky Rayo, Millet Sacerdoti, and Butchie Peña, whose works create a…

by George Banez Lunch for me these days at home in Florida simply retells the previous night’s dinner.  A quick reimagining of leftovers often suffices.  Occasionally, I make soup, sometimes Filipino Sinigang, sometimes Japanese Miso. Or I fry me some…

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) opens the season of the “BER” months with Balhin, a solo exhibition by Bulacan-born artist Edmond Rivera. Drawing from his own childhood experience of losing his home and the ongoing displacement…

I ran the words through my mind as I taught the class.  The polite Japanese translation of  “today is my last day, I quit” scrolled across my forehead like a TV news ticker.   The words streamed as fast as…

by George Banez “Keep your passport with you — in your pocket — all the time.” My eldest brother reminded me to be alert as I finally said goodbye after checking in. He must have seen me drop my passport near…

“This cooking competition streams globally. I feel like the time and platform have come to showcase Filipino dishes that have yet to hit mainstream.”   Bohol-born Rex Alba said. “I wanted to show Filipino grit and our resilience under pressure.…

by George Banez Full of confidence and naiveté of inexperience, I traveled to Pune, a historic city in India of the early 90s.  An international agency invited practitioners, young me included, to talk about the work of replanting trees to restore…