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Sa malayong bukid, sa tuktok ng bundok, ay mayroong isang kubo. Mula rito, tanaw ang buong isla at namumukod-tangi ang luntiang mga bundok sa ilalim ng malawak na bughaw na langit. Ang kubong ito ay tahanan ng mag-asawang Maria at Kaloy. Mayroon silang natatanging aso na pinangalanan nilang Ulap. Tila nga ba isang mitya dahil habang lumalaki ang tutang ito ay lalong nagmumukhang ulap. Maputi at mahimulmol ang mga balahibo nito, at ang kanyang maliliit ngunit maliliksing mga p

Matingkad ang tinta ng bughaw sa kalangitan bago magdilim sa Purok Biolina sa bayan ng El Nido. Nakaupo kami sa gilid ng bagong sementadong daan. Sa ibaba nito ay naroon ang isang bahay na napailalim na ng itinayong mataas na kalsada. Halos bubong at bahagi ng bintana na lamang nito ang litaw mula sa aming kinatatayuan. “Nagpapraktis na ba kayong magbasa?” tanong ko sa dalawang sampung taong gulang na bata. Sabay silang tumango. Puno ng tiwala. Tinanong ko kung ano ang tunog

a collection of photographs I took in Siquijor

Brgy. Cantabon, Siquijor, Siquijor I played this song in my uncle’s hut, the last private residence before Mt. Bandilaan National Park. You can hear the forest insects join me. Far from the touristy spots, life here is slow. There’s space to simply be. No rush to serve foreigners. Maybe it’s the forest’s splendor, when observed, you can’t help but respect. Mt. Bandilaan is a national reserve where traditional healers once gathered medicinal plants. What complements the mounta

Every day, I buy a kilo of fish for the dogs. My mom does too, for the family and her staff. Usually, the kinds of fish that are normal size, nothing like what I saw this morning. Kuya Roman facing chopping block, his hands in steady rhythmic motion. From behind, what he was cutting looked like a mermaid with long silver tail. It was huge. Oh, for the 50 guests they have in their bed and breakfast. In El Nido now, the sea must feed not just the locals, but the influx of touri

Manila Cathedral December 29, 2024 | Even for prayers, time must be the ultimate gatekeeper. I wonder, if you could have only one prayer in your lifetime, what would it be? In my teens I used to think that the more I spoke to the heavens, the closer I would be to it. Looking back, I recall