history Archives - PeopleAsia

Railroads as political borders in the former Soviet Union tackled in new documentary

Produced by artist, filmmaker and essayist Tekla Aslanishvili, A State in a State is an experimental documentary tackling the railroads in the South Caucasus and Caspian regions as political borders. It will be screened for free in Bacolod’s Art District beginning September 23. The 2022 single-channel film traces the construction,…

Keeping Ninoy Aquino’s legacy alive among today’s Filipinos

Four decades after Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was assassinated, we look back on the huge impact he has made on Philippine history. By remaining steadfast in his beliefs even if it meant incurring the ire of then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. for being one of his staunchest critics, Ninoy's bravery served…

The “Freedom Houses” of Taal

Owners of these colonial-era houses, or what were commonly called back then as mga bahay na bato, also belonged to the country’s elite. Although they led fairly comfortable lives, many of them still yearned for freedom from the yoke of Spanish oppression. Teeming with ideas from an emerging world order,…

Quiapo’s past, present and future

The Mama Sita Foundation recently sponsored a Quiapo-themed heritage dinner at Chef Tatung Sarthou’s Lore Manila, where resource persons led by Dr. Fernando Nakpil Zialcita and Ige Ramos discussed the importance of Quiapo in the country’s cultural life and what the future holds for the historic district. Before Ayala Alabang,…

Edsa at 36: Four days of pure ‘People Power’

By Alex Y. Vergara and Jose Paolo S. Dela Cruz As we celebrate the 36th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, PeopleAsia readers share their memories of the four-day revolution that toppled a dictator and restored democracy in the Philippines. The iconic 'Laban' sign of the People's Power Revolution…

“Hindi kami nag-iisa”

Upon PeopleAsia’s special request, then former President Corazon C. Aquino penned this article in commemoration of her husband Ninoy’s 20th death anniversary in 2003. By CORAZON C. AQUINO Cory's article on Ninoy in PeopleAsia I wrote this haiku in 1982, when Ninoy and I with our children (Ballsy, Pinky, Noynoy,…

Ninoy: In the eye of memory

BY MAX V. SOLIVEN Max V. Soliven was founding publisher of The Philippine STAR as well as PeopleAsia magazine. Soliven and the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino were arrested and thrown into the same prison after martial law was declared on Sept. 21, 1972. On the 38th anniversary of Ninoy's…

How ‘the Siege’ in Baler eventually fostered Filipino-Spanish friendship

As the Philippines and Spain celebrate Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day today, June 30, a Spanish journalist and frequent visitor to the Philippines before the pandemic tries to put into context the long shared history between the two nations. By Jesus Valbuena On March 2021, 500 years had gone by since the…

Where were you on Aug. 21, 1983?

By Joanne Rae M. Ramirez Many of those who remember vividly the day former senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino was shot in cold blood on the tarmac of the Manila International Airport recall also that it was “the shot that rang across the world.” It was arguably the first tile in…

Balangiga bells: The sounds of peace and friendship

By Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez When the church bells of Balangiga tolled on Sept. 28, 1901, they foretold of bitter combat between Filipino guerillas and American soldiers occupying the small Samar town at the height of the Philippine-American War that lasted from 1899 to 1902. In the aftermath of…