Today, November 30, we Filipinos are commemorating the 148th birthdate of one of our heroes Andres Bonifacio. It's funny though that when you ask a certain student who Andres Bonifacio is, you could see a puzzled look as well as funny grin.  A lot of students nowadays have no clue who Andres Bonifacio is, they didn't even know why we commemorate this date. All they know is that Andres Bonifacio is carrying his famous  jungle Bolo fighting for something not all Filipinos are aware of. More often than not, if someone tries to ask the same question to their parents, even them can admit that there's more to tell about Gat. Andres Bonifacio than his Camisa Chino and his rolled trousers. He is really more than a face you could see on a Php 5 peso bill. Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro was born on November 30, 1863 at Tondo, Manila. He was a Filipino nationalist and revolutionary. He was a founder and later Supremo ("supreme leader") of the Katipunan movement which is more...

Last Monday, November 21, 2011, two students escaped from abductors and claimed they have witnessed the suspects extracting internal organs of two other students inside a hut in a village located somewhere in Cagayan De Oro. Not revealing their real names, nine-year-old Anna and 13-year-old Mary said five men wearing bonnets, one of whom is a foreigner, kidnapped and dragged them onboard a black van while on their way to school in Zone 7 Mahayahay, Barangay Bayabas on Monday. They also saw two other students while inside the van, who were wearing the same uniforms and were sleeping. Anna is enrolled at the Bayabas Elementary School while Mary is a first year student of Bayabas National High School. The two students claims that the suspects brought them to a hut in Barangay Camaman-an near a relocation site in Bolonsiri after the suspects covered their mouth with handkerchiefs. While inside the hut in Camaman-an, the suspects allegedly operated on the two other students and extrac...

Committing with each other with such a great passion and dedication is hard to come by these days. Though one couple in the Philippines have proven that being together in a lifetime can happen no matter what it takes. Meet Lola Aurelia Matias, living just a simple life along with her family and a loving husband Lolo Luis Matias.  On November 10, Lolo Luis Matias was lost. The family may have suspects that Lolo Luis is suffering from dementia, and he is 78 years old. Just for a quick info,  dementia (taken from Latin, originally meaning "madness", from de- "without" + ment, the root of mens "mind") is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body. Although dementia is far more common in the geriatric population, it can occur before the age...

If you haven’t noticed a giant Balisong erected at the center area of Batangas, that’s because there is no any. But if there is a landmark worth erecting in Batangas province in northern Philippines, it would be the sculpture of the balisong. Also known as fan knife, for centuries, it has defined the unique art, craft, and culture of Batanguenos. Diosdado Ona, owner of the Ona Blades store, sees a chance of reviving the dying industry. Yap, you heard it right folks, the balisong industry is now suffering from the dwindling supply of knife experts. The balisong capital of the Philippines is the Barangay Balisong in Taal Town. According to Ona, "I think if the government would support the balisong industry, and promote it by putting up the fan knife landmarks in all the entrances to the province such as Laguna, Cavite, and Quezon, people will know and appreciate the industry". A six-foot balisong, will be found in front of Ona's store along the highway of Barangay Balis...

The world welcomes Nathaniel James “Nate” Alcasid last 8 th of November, 2011. The happy couple Ogie and Regine Velasquez-Alcasid brings home the joyous baby boy last November 18. The songwriter and songbird are as hands-on as can be with their first-born. Of course, they have waited almost a lifetime to have this moment. Rumors has it that the baby will be named Herminio Jr. According to Ogie himself, there's nothing wrong if they will use such a name, though he admits with a smile that it is not applicable nowadays.  When we search the name Nathaniel, this is what the books are telling. Nathaniel \n(a)-tha-niel\ as a boy's name is pronounced na-THAN-yel. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Nathaniel is "God has given". Biblical: one of the 12 apostles, who was also called Bartholomew. Used by the Puritans. Author Nathaniel Hawthorne; musician Nat "King" Cole. Nathaniel has 15 variant forms: Nat, Natanael, Nataniel, Nate, Nathan, Nathanael, ...