hISTORYA

I AM PROUD TO BE A FILIPINO: The People Power Experience Troy Alexander G. Miano, DPA 22 February 2008 The book, An Eyewitness History, People Power, the Philippine Revolution of 1986 published by the James B. Reuter, S.J. Foundation in Manila, inspired me to write my personal experience of the Edsa Revolution. I was eleven years old when this historic experience unfolded before my very eyes. Having activist parents paved the way for me to be ever conscious with history. I Am Proud To Be A Filipino reminisces the past and my personal journey towards being a full blooded Filipino. News on the day to day event from February 22 to 25 were included to update the narrations. The peaceful Revolution gained respect around the globe. To quote Mr. Bob Simon, anchorman of the CBS News - New York; “This could be as close as the 20th century has come to the storming of Bastille. But what’s remarkable is how little violence there has been. We Americans like to think that we ta

TREMORS IN SURIGAO Troy Alexander G. Miano, DPA 11 February 2017 The 2017 Surigao earthquake or 2017 Northeastern Mindanao earthquake which occurred yesterday, February 10, 2017, reminded me of my experience when the 1990 Luzon earthquake happened over a quarter of a century ago. I was in second year high school in La Salle Greenhills at Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong City when the strong earthquake   occurred on July 16 at 4:26 p.m. on the densely populated island of Luzon. The shock had a   surface wave magnitude   of 7.8 and produced a 125 km-long ground rupture that stretched from   Dingalan, Aurora   to   Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija . The event was a result of strike-slip movements along the   Philippine Fault   and the   Digdig Fault   within the   Philippine Fault System . The earthquake's epicenter was near the town of   Rizal, Nueva Ecija , northeast of   Cabanatuan City .   An estimated 1,621 people were killed,   most of the fatalities located in   Central Luzon   a

MISS U STAMPS AND Q & A Troy Alexander G. Miano, DPA 31 January 2017 I have experienced, three times since I was born, the hosting of the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in the Philippines. I was only three months old (92 days to be exact) on July 19, 1974 when the country hosted the 23 rd beauty pageant held  at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in Pasay City. The Philippines’ representative was Guadalupe Sanchez and Miss Spain, Amparo Muñoz, secured the crown. After twenty years, the Miss Universe craze went back to the Philippines. I was in second year college at the University of Santo Tomas in España, Manila taking up Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Business Administration (BSCBA) when my uncle who was a Manila Times photo correspondent would nag us to join him in covering the activities and functions of the 43 rd Miss Universe held on May 20, 1994 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. The Philippines’ represent

BAMBANTI AND THE MORIECOS Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano 27 January 2017   The Bambanti Festival of Isabela was awarded as Best Festival Practices and Performance during the 28 th and 29 th Annual Aliw Awards in 2015 and 2016, respectively . Aliw Awards of the Aliw Awards Foundation was established by the renowned Philippine journalist Alice H. Reyes , to recognize achievements in the live entertainment  industry in the Philippines. Founded in 1976 in Manila , it is the pioneer in giving awards for excellence in theatre, opera, dance,  live vocal and instrumental shows. Aliw  is the root word meaning "to entertain" in Tagalog  while bambanti is an Ilocano term meaning “scarecrow”. According to "Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles", a scarecrow or hay-man is a decoy  or mannequin  in the shape of a human . It is usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds  such as crows  or sparrows  from disturbing

THE TRIUMPH OF TRUMP Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano 21 January 2017 The whole world is focused on their television set to witness the inauguration of the oldest and wealthiest person inaugurated as president of the United States of America. Donald John Trump, a businessman and television personality born on June 14, 1946, is sworn in as the 45 th president and the first without prior military or government service experience to hold office. The event was the 58 th presidential inauguration with the official theme “Uniquely American” held at the West Front of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. As I witness on TV the historic oath, I tried counting sequentially the U.S. presidents who served since I was born on April 19, 1974, a total of nine from Nixon to Trump. I browsed the book entitled Scholastic Encyclopedia of the Presidents and Their Times by David Rubel given to me by my host when I was sent to the United States (Maryland & Washington, D.