When I first found the French-English book Philippines: Un Pays au Pluriel (1987) from the bottom shelf of the Embassy library, it seemed like just any other book about the Philippines with pictures of nature, tribes wearing their traditional garments, and Filipinos wearing beautiful smiles. But when I read the description of the author Jean…
Tag: Philippines
Glimpse of a Diplomat’s Life
What do diplomats do? In the virtual age, is the work of a diplomat still relevant? At a time when even the highest leader of the land or the head of the Foreign Affairs Department can post his/her decisions and sentiments online, available to the public within mere seconds and when news travels more than…
A 2018 Study on Metro Manila by Sciences Po Urban School Students
Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR) is more than a group of highly-urbanized cities. With Manila as the capital of the Philippines, it is the place in the country that is most covered by mainstream media. Every corner of this collection of cities breathes—from the sky-high buildings of the more affluent neighborhoods, to…
Anting-Anting in Paris
In March 2019, I was delighted to find out that one museum in Paris featured the Philippines. The exhibit did not show paintings nor sculptures of talented Filipino artists, as what would normally be found in a museum. Instead, it presented anting-antings! This exhibit was held from March 12 to May 26, 2019 in Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac. The 10-week exhibit titled “Anting-Anting, The Secret Soul…
Beyond Routes 