Category: Features

ART has a way of meeting people where they are. It offers ways to encounter stories, consider different perspectives, and see familiar things anew. Yet experiencing art often depends on more than an interest in it.

IN a country attuned to signals of storms and stories of survival, resilience has become woven into the Filipino narrative. Yet, one of the Philippines’ most overlooked truths is its natural wealth. The country’s natural endowments are increasingly under threat. Palawan’s otters are the most recent example of wildlife disappearing beneath the very conditions Filipinos have learned to endure.

A dream is common enough, but a wish is a rarity on its own. It is born in a split second of desperation, formed through a whispered plea blown over melting birthday candles, a quick search through a patch of clovers, or a silent promise locked away behind closed eyes. Ask anyone what they wish for most, and the answer is rarely grand: just decent jobs that keep parents home, prices that spare the dinner table, and a government worthy of our endless patience. Perhaps that is why we hold onto it so tightly, hoping it will finally come true.

BEHIND courtroom walls, battles over truth and accountability unfold. As legal proceedings expose the tensions within the country’s political system, ordinary Filipinos are left to grapple with uncertainty. In moments when institutions, circumstances, and even certainty seem difficult to rely on, some turn to something more personal: faith.

CHARACTERS seen across comic book pages have long brought comfort and a sense of identity to Filipinos. Beyond entertainment, they have become reflections of dreams and ambitions. Since the early 1920s, komiks have become an integral part of Philippine pop culture, evolving from Filipino-crafted works to stories and characters embraced around the world.

SHOWING the world a new fantastic point of view, Lea Salonga made history as the first Filipina to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the 2,855th honoree along Hollywood Boulevard. After decades of captivating audiences on Broadway, lending her voice to Disney’s Princess Jasmine and Mulan, and performing on stages around the world, the Tony Award-winning singer and actress continues to make her mark on the global entertainment industry.

EVERY September, something shifts in the Filipino reading calendar. Shelves are cleared, budgets are set weeks in advance, and thousands of readers make their way to the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

THEY say home is where the heart is. It can be a person, a place, or even a feeling—a space where we feel cared for, where we belong, and where we find comfort. But what happens when that home has four corners, iron bars, and no way out? For Mali, once given the heartbreaking title “The World’s Saddest Elephant,” the cage she once called home was also the boundary between her and the freedom she would never get to know.

THE Philippines has endured one storm after another throughout August, bringing heavy rains, flooded roads, suspended classes, disrupted commutes, and damaged homes. But for communities repeatedly caught in the path of flooding, the consequences do not end when the rain stops. It can mean wondering whether they will make it home safely, losing another day of work, or watching hard-earned belongings disappear beneath rising water.

AS Filipinos welcome the “Ber Months,” we also welcome the beginning of the Christmas season. As early as September 1, Christmas songs play on the radio, decorations start appearing in malls, and the holidays suddenly feel near. But why do we start celebrating Christmas when it is still months away?