THE new Secretary of Tourism is virtually an old hat at marketing and promotions, a major asset in selling Philippine tourism destinations to the world.
Stories
A UP lawyer in the Palace
by J. Mikhail Solitario
“When I face an ordinary Filipino citizen, and he asks me who I am, I want to be able to tell him that I know what he’s going through and that we can help each other.” This is what keeps Attorney Hanna Keila Garcia serving in government despite criticism from some people, including family and friends. Continue reading
From beauty queen to iska
by Stephanie S. Cabigao
She is just as honest as she was during her final question-and-answer portion at the Miss Universe contest in 2010. But this time, eight years later, she admits that she has a major, major problem when asked why she wanted to take up a master’s degree in Community Development. Continue reading
The artist as storyteller
by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo
Funny Komiks made Mervin Malonzo realize he could tell stories with drawings. His family had just moved into another rental house and the former occupants had left copies lying around. The future magna cum laude graduate and National Book Award winner was in the third grade then. Continue reading
Plant science for the people
by Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo
He dreamed of becoming a doctor and now he is addressed as Dr. Pablito Magdalita. Instead of a medical degree, however, he has a PhD in Plant Breeding and Plant Biotechnology from the University of Queensland, Australia. “I went from wanting to help human health to plant health. It’s ultimately about wanting to help improve lives through science. I loved all my science classes in high school,” Magdalita says. Continue reading
The house that stories built
by Andre DP. Encarnacion, UP MPRO
The video begins with a plaintive piano track to accompany the visuals. Hand-drawn and labeled with black pencil, the story is told via a series of drawings depicting the day Typhoon Pablo made landfall. Continue reading
The passion of John Gabriel Pelias
by Stephanie S. Cabigao, UP MPRO
On April 17, 2011, under the scorching heat, I and 3,281 other graduates listened keenly to the words of our UP Diliman class valedictorian John Gabriel Pelias. Continue reading
Swimming with the dugongs
by Jo. Florendo B. Lontoc
Marine mammals—such as whales, dolphins, dugongs—are descended from ancestors that lived entirely on land. Fleeing from terrestrial competition, they turned to the waters and the vast resources of its depths. Continue reading
The researcher as storyteller
by J. Mikhail Solitario, UP MPRO
“I talked to this jeepney driver who told me he had changed his mind about this administration. He was listening to this daily radio drama where one of the characters was a drug addict who got killed in a police operation. For him, it was a turning point.” Continue reading
Who’s afraid of the Endocrine Witch?
by Andre DP Encarnacion, UP MPRO
While her online supporter base knows her better as the Endocrine Witch (and her equally popular recent moniker, “Dok Bru,” short for “Doctor Bruha”), UP-PGH Endocrinologist Iris Thiele Isip-Tan has certainly become many things to many people in recent years. Continue reading