Ambeth R. Ocampo's Blog, page 202

My Inquirer column today continues with elections and balimbing in history.http...

My Inquirer column today continues with elections and balimbing in history.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/53633/the-three-balimbing


The three ‘balimbing’
opinion.inquirer.net
Nobody ever loses in Philippine elections. Many losers claim they were cheated and file an electoral protest. This pattern goes all the way back to the founding fathers, to March 23, 1897, when Andres Bonifacio and 44 others issued a document that has come down in history as the “Acta de Tejeros.” U...

I have long wondered about the context of this photo of men on a casco or houseb...

I have long wondered about the context of this photo of men on a casco or houseboat along the Pasig (?) and why some of gentlemen in bahag are wearing silk top hats.

My Inquirer column today continues our series on elections in history.http://op...

My Inquirer column today continues our series on elections in history.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/53499/bonifacio-lost-in-snap-election-of-1897


Bonifacio lost in ‘snap election’ of 1897
opinion.inquirer.net
When Filipino students in late-19th-century Spain grew homesick and pined for their loved ones or even the heartwarming taste of adobo or sinigang, they learned to love the land of their birth more.

Browsing in a bookstore in Luang Prabang I came across a French newspaper from 1...

Browsing in a bookstore in Luang Prabang I came across a French newspaper from 1901 whose cover story was on the capture of Aguinaldo. He was depicted as a Latino! In the same stack were circa 1935 chocolate candy wrappers that taught French children about the Philippines. Too bad all these were priced slightly beyond my budget. Now I wonder if I should have just paid the US$100 and brought my loot home.

Every morning at six, in the ancient city of Luang Prabang, Laos Buddhist monks...

Every morning at six, in the ancient city of Luang Prabang, Laos Buddhist monks in their trademark saffron robes walk silently, single file, to receive alms from the faithful only to be pestered by stupid tourists who: get in their way, point their cameras in their faces, and blind them with flash. Some join the almsgiving using cheap food from touts that made some monks sick. These monks are models of patience and detachment, if I were in their place I'd punch inconsiderate tourists in the nose, break their cameras, and greet them with the wonderful expletive Bonifacio shouted to begin the Philippine Revolution that begins with "P."

Mark your calendars folks: June 29, July 20, and Aug 31 History Comes Alive aga...

Mark your calendars folks: June 29, July 20, and Aug 31 History Comes Alive again at the Ayala Museum. Please click on full photo to see the dates. Wonderful flyer as always by Spike Acosta.

My Inquirer columnhttp://opinion.inquirer.net/53205/fig...

My Inquirer column
http://opinion.inquirer.net/53205/fighting-over-champagne


Fighting over champagne
opinion.inquirer.net
Marcelo H. del Pilar once quoted Jose Rizal as saying, “Where there are two Filipinos unity is not possible.” We will never know if Rizal was misquoted, but that line should encourage us to do some soul-searching.

Giant slabs of lechon kawali on sale at the Friday food market inside Chulalongk...

Giant slabs of lechon kawali on sale at the Friday food market inside Chulalongkorn University is one of many reasons that make Bangkok one of my favorite cities in the world. Its a miracle Im still alive after eating this yummy cholesterol-rich food.

Arrived safely in Bangkok. Tomorrow at midday I fly to Laos to deliver two lect...

Arrived safely in Bangkok.
Tomorrow at midday I fly to Laos to deliver two lectures on Philippine History and explore the ancient city of Luang Prabang.

My Inquirer column today.http://opinion.inquirer.net/53079/phi......

My Inquirer column today.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/53079/philippine-elections-split-rather-than-unite


Philippine elections split rather than unite
opinion.inquirer.net
Textbook history is riddled with cardboard characters to hide the complexity of human nature that some teachers find difficult to explain. With the exception of the rivalry between the two Cavite factions of the Katipunan (Magdalo vs. Magdiwang), or the overblown but poorly explained conflict betwee...