mona sabalones gonzalez

Dengcoy Miel: The Charles Schulz of the Philippines

2012-01-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

Dengcoy Miel's work has appeared regularly in major publications including The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, and others. He has won numerous awards, including The Reuben Award, which was also won by Charles Schultz.

You can see my name on the Contributors' List. To read the article, press "control" and "+".

I really gotta change my photo, hahahaha.

Dengcoy's story is on p. 17, on the section, "Philippine Pride."

Article on Enrich Magazine last September

2011-10-03T03:19:00.000-07:00

I wrote an article about the Philippines' Bible Museum. I was surprised at the wealth of information one could get from this place.

My article in Enrich Magazine about a woman and her cat

2011-10-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

I wrote this article about Direk Sockie Fernandez. Her movie "Liyab" made it to the Cannes Film Festival, while her other movie, "Gulong" was a nominee at an Australian film festival. This story is about Sockie and her cat.

My article in Enrich Magazine

2011-10-03T03:01:00.000-07:00

In June this year I got to attend a forum by four self made women billionaires from the US, and was able to interview them afterwards. Here's the article:

My name is listed among the contributors.

Kat's photo as a child model in Good Housekeeping

2011-10-03T00:17:00.000-07:00

I wish I saved my old articles in Good Housekeeping. Who would have known that someday we would have computers and blogs where we could post all of them? But I did save this issue, because my daughter modeled for the article. She must have been seven years old at the time. She is now 20.

That is Kat on P. 81, sitting on the floor with the boy who modeled with her.

Kat is behind the mask.

Below, you can see my lovely daughter's laughing face:)

Sept. 2002 issue of magazine where I was Executive Editor

2011-10-02T23:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of the Sept. 2002 issue of Cook Magazine where I was Executive Editor. All along, some of my old issues were kept in the guest bathroom, and it occurred to me to look at the stack of magazines yesterday, and I discovered them. So I am putting them up here now. I only found five issues of Cook when I worked there, but I guess that will do:)

This is the Sept. 2002 cover of Cook Magazine.

You can see my byline on the staff box as Executive Editor. That is also my daughter's baby photo on the right.

My article is on P. 24.

My column, Recipe For Life. My article below.

My daughter is now 20 years old, but this is her baby photo that we used for the layout.

In this page, we used a photo of her when she was two years old. This was taken when the family took a trip to Taiwan. It was useful for the layout, anyway.

August 2002 issue of Magazine I used to edit

2011-10-02T23:31:00.000-07:00

This is another copy I found of the magazine I edited for two years, from 2000 - 2002. It is the August issue of Cook Magazine, and it was the time Nancy and I went to New Zealand.

You can see my byline as Executive Editor on the staffbox. My articles are also on pages 68 and 100.

My articles are also on pages 24 and 64.

My column, Recipes For Life.

My stories above and below.

The Magazine I used to edit

2011-10-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't kept many copies of my previous works, but I did come across this magazine, where I used to be Executive Editor. It is the Oct. 2000 issue of Cook Magazine.

This is the Oct. 2000 issue.

You can see my byline here as Executive Editor.

My article is on P. 54, while My hubbie's piece is on P. 76.

My hubbie's bio is here: Ed Gonzalez:)

My column, Recipes For Life.

My article.

Below is the article of my hubbie, Ed Gonzalez:)

Sept. 2000 issue of Cook Magazine

2011-10-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

I rarely save articles I wrote or magazines I edited, but I recently found old copies of Cook Magazine, which I am posting right now. I was Executive Editor of Cook Magazine from 2000 - 2002, and also wrote a column, Recipe For Life. Here are the old issues I found:

This was the Sept. 2000 issue.

This is my column, Recipe For Life.

My article is on page 26.

Microfinance is cool!

2011-03-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Even $10 can change a person's future through microfinance.

http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/11/giving-a-hand-up-through-microfinance-14266

Invisible TV: Never let a good crisis go to waste

2011-03-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Talk about making something even when you are left with nothing! He's got a great blog

http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/12/invisiblepeople-tv-brings-realities-of-homelessness-to-net-14278

Good News Productions Inc's Nenette Domingo Pacoli

2011-03-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Multiawarded regional director, and she's a Filipina:)

http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/04/gnpi-keeping-the-gospel-culturally-relevant-15625/

How a dog gave new life to its elderly master

2011-03-14T02:57:00.000-07:00

Dog Show Filipiniana

2011-03-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

Dog Agility

2011-03-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

Bird Watching

2011-03-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Elephants in Bali

2011-03-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

The day Lucky Happy died

2011-03-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

My first time to judge a dog show

2011-03-14T01:41:00.000-07:00

Quality Time

2010-05-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

From Kilroy to Grahap Upton

2010-05-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Seeing With The Heart

2010-05-12T07:47:00.000-07:00

Making It Easier

2010-03-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, this really cool blog made it easier to go straight to them to see my article on ecotourism in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. They also have a lot of other stories on ecotourism in other parts of the world, too. Here is the link:

http://www.terracurve.com/2010/02/16/ecotourism-in-costa-rica-and-nicaragua/

So instead of having to go to another place to get to this place, you can go straight to this place. You know, like shortest distance between two points. How cool is that?

Why Does My Name Head This Blog?

2010-02-22T03:55:00.000-08:00

I found this page using my name, and some articles that I didn't write. Why are they using my name?

http://investing.vugg.net/search/mona%20sabalones%20gonzalez

I know nothing about investing. Crazy. Can they please explain?

Another Post In Another Cool Blog

2010-02-22T03:30:00.000-08:00

This one's about EcoTourism.

http://www.terracurve.com/2010/02/16/ecotourism-in-costa-rica-and-nicaragua/

I found my article in this link, it is much easier to access here:)

My Piece Came Out In This Really Cool Blog

2010-02-22T03:21:00.000-08:00

I wrote this piece for an amazing blog packed with useful info. Here's the link:

http://outoftownblog.com/the-best-shopping-malls-of-metro-manila/

10 Reasons to Adopt an Askal

2010-02-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

My Latest Piece on Animal Scene Magazine

Seeing With Sound

2010-01-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

This is my newest piece on the Dec. - Jan issue of HIPP. Click the page and the story is readable.

2010-01-08T05:13:00.000-08:00

First I have to learn how to make cover photos right side up. But for now, this is my story in the January issue 2010 about the Bamboo Organ.

Cookies With Substance

2009-11-27T22:32:00.001-08:00

Check it out:)

http://www3.mb.com.ph/articles/231119/cookies-with-substance

Models are Kat Gonzalez and Renzo Claudio.

Ju.D Lao time of the year

2009-11-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20091120-237417/Cookies-with-health-benefits

It's Ju.D's time of the year, once again.

November Animal Scene

2009-11-22T19:34:00.001-08:00

My newest Animal Scene Story. Just click the image and it's legible:)

I Love HIPP Magazine

2009-10-20T03:51:00.001-07:00

I love HIPP magazine. It's everything a parent should look for. Nothing like the old predictable parenting magazines which all seem to have a similar format. This one is original, it's intelligent, and edgy. In fact, HIPP stands for Happy Intelligent Progressive Parenting. I am so proud that this is an original Filipino mag, too. Anyway, I have an article here and I'm so proud to be part of this:) Just click the image and it gets big enough to be legible.

Bali Take Two

2009-10-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

On the October issue of Animal Scene, my piece on the elephants of Bali was featured, and it was headlined on the cover.

The Managing Editor also mentioned my trip in her note. Click on the page and it's large enough to read.

On the far right, my name among the contributors.

And here's the story:)

2009-10-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Finally! I uploaded one of my pieces on Animal Scene's October Issue. This one is about my dogs, and it is entitled, "Love is not a feeling". You can read it by clicking on the page, and the image gets larger.

2009-09-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

August 2009 issue, my piece came out on the elephant park in Taro Ubud. I forgot to add it, then got an email from them today, showing the birth of their newest elephant:)

That's Claudia Virina with the elephant. She joined us for Kat's debut celebration in Bali. I will not type out the story anymore. If you click on the image, it will get large enough for you to read and to appreciate the photos better.

A word of warning--a corner of this magazine is torn. My dog, AshleyPumpernickel feasted on it and might have eaten a lot more if I hadn't caught her in time. So Nigel, I hope you don't mind just printing out the images I sent to you and Yanie--I would be too embarassed to send you this torn copy....

The Day LuckyHappy Died

2009-08-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

I cried buckets when LuckyHappy died, but after writing about him I felt great peace, as though his life was not in vain. One night, I dreamt he was sleeping with us. Usually our small askal Winnichurchill sleeps on our bed, but in my dream there were two dogs. The other was LuckyHap.
Here's my piece:
Don’t Ever Think You Are in Control

By Mona Sabalones-Gonzalez

“But the fruit of the Spirit is….self control. Against these things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:19-23

If you think you have got a handle on life, you are only fooling yourself-you are never in control.

We can ‘t control it if we happen to fall in love with the wrong person. We aren’t in control if we love a person who doesn’t love us back, or if we love someone who just doesn’t know how to love. We may own the company, but we don’t control the office. Not really, never fully. And when I believed I was in control of my dogs because they were MY dogs, I was very, very wrong.

Today my Japanese Spitz LuckyHappy died. He was 14 years old.
I thought I had it all planned. I would not let him die slowly, the way my mother did. One day I brought him to the vet because he seemed matamlay (weak). He was given a suppository (because he could not poo or pee), an antibiotic injection, and some vitamins. His ears were cleaned and his nails, cut. But the vet told me Lucky wouldn’t live very long-and although it wasn’t the vet's policy, he was willing to give the dog, in due time, an injection-so LuckyHappy would feel no pain.

Lucky did not get better after a day or two, so I called the vet and made the appointment. To my surprise, when I got home my dog had rallied. I told the maid that I had actually planned to inject him, and my maid, shocked, said “NO!” Forcefully, she told me I must only do it when he is really ready to die-not too soon.
Both my maids, you see, treated LuckyHappy as their dog. He was the guard dog and he always stayed outside, usually in front of their door. (The maids' home is adjacent to ours, but further back). So they considered the Spitz to be theirs, and the askals, ours.

I noticed after that, that the maids would constantly tell me, "Lucky is walking," or "Lucky is eating." When Lucky seemed to be ill, they would hide him from me; and that was the first time I realized that I was not even in control of my own dog. Not with my maids there to protect him from me.
In fact, we had a little over a month with LuckyHappy after his visit to the vet. In the interim when he got stronger he nipped my finger, as if he were upset and knew that I had planned to give him that injection.

When we left for a vacation in Bali, Indonesia, I wondered if Lucky would still be alive when we came back. And yet, he seemed to be okay. He would stand sometimes, walk a bit, and lift his head. He was still beautiful to look at. I thought he would do just fine, and indeed, when we got back home Lucky was quite happy to see us.

The other day Lucky walked up to me, and I petted him. As usual my two askals who are younger and stronger got in the way, but I still petted Lucky and only stopped when I realized the askals would bother him if I kept it up. Being dogs, they would often playfully jump on each other, but when one landed on Lucky’s head, I saw him visibly wince in pain.

Today at work my husband called me to say LuckyHappy had died. I was surprised. That morning as I left for work, LuckyHappy was lying flat on the ground as he usually did, but his face was in the direction of the car (usually he faced the other way). We looked straight at one another’s eyes, and I thought to myself that he is a very beautiful dog, indeed. In retrospect, I wonder if that was his goodbye.

So I never really had him, and I was never in control. But I think God gave me Lucky to teach me lessons I would need to take with me on the third quarter of my life. This is the time when we have to start getting used to saying goodbye, and we must release people – our children to adulthood, our elders to heaven.

Dogs are here to teach us so many things. Finally, I realized now why it is that no one is ever fully in control, even though there are many people who give a really good front and who can be so convincing, that you think that they are. The truth is, they simply have not got the power. We don’t have the power. Only God has the power. Only God is in control.

Considering all that, it doesn’t hurt to put your life into the hands and under the control of the one who holds the power, really calls the shots, and loves you more than you love your dog, because when you surrender, that’s when you really are in control.

The Bible says that in surrendering you get the gifts of the Spirit. Galatians says, “ The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Allow me to paraphrase the last part - "Against such things, there is no law."

Love it when it's easy

2009-07-08T15:48:00.001-07:00

I love it when it's easy.....there is now a link to animal scene! Here's my story in the June issue:

29 Jun 2009 by Administrator By Mona Sabalones-Gonzalez. In a family of six children, I was never the favorite child. My brother was my mom’s favorite, and my sister Terrie was Dad’s favorite. My husband and I have only one child, so she is the favorite-by default. ...Animal Scene - http://mbpublications.com/as/

Chan's Life on the Good Earth

2009-06-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Because right now i am too lazy to type, and because i don't know why copy and paste does not work in google, i am just for now putting the photos of the magazine issue of Enrich magazine (May this year) where my article came out, "Chan's Life on the Good Earth". For now, this will have to do. when my fingers feel empowered, i will put in the text.

Chan's Life on the Good Earth

By Mona Sabalones-Gonzalez
From the getgo, Hongkong is beautiful, starting with the fact that it
has one of the most widely acknowledged, best and most beautiful
airports in the world (I could almost imagine Tom Hanks hanging around
there, just like in a movie he did). And when you ride to your hotel,
you are awed as you cross 2 beautiful suspension bridges, the
Stonecutter's Bridge, (the 2nd longest cable-stayed span worldwide),
and tsing ma bridge, which is so reminiscent of San Francisco's Golden
Gate.

And then, there are things one should not fail to miss in Hongkong,
and just about everybody knows what those things are – Disneyland,
Ocean Park with its amazing 2 panda bears, seal show, and scary rides;
shopping in its many malls, and of course, Mongkok where you can
bargain stuff down to half its price, and sometimes, even 1/3.

But after all of this modernism, you find a part of Hongkong where
you may also see a part of yourself. It is in the middle of the
bustling commercialism of Tsuen Wan. There, you may be delighted to
find a piece of old China, authentic and true, in the Sam Tung Uk
Museum, just a short walk from the commercial center's main
shuttle stop.

If you have read Pearl Buck's classic bestseller "The Good Earth",then
you will be doubly glad to have come here. Because like Buck's main
character Wang Lung, the head of the house which is now a museum was
a wealthy farmer named Chan, who earned his wealth from his own rice
lands.

You may wonder, if the owner was "Chan" , why it is called the Sam
Tung Uk museum. Initially I presumed Uk referred to the United
Kingdom and Sam Tung was part British and kept his belongings there.
Actually, "Uk" is the Hakka word for "house" and "Sam" means "three".
So it literally translates to "Three Beam House" in English.

Walking through the courtyards, the layout was somewhat reminiscent of
my friend's house in Urdaneta, she herself taking great pride in her
Chinese roots. But as I walked from one set of rooms to the other, it
occurred to me that each was a "suite" of three rooms, a loft, a
kitchen area and dining area. Some suites had furniture for little
children. And that's when it occurred to me. The house resembled
that of Wang Lung's house, and the suites were the "courtyards"
referred to by Buck, which in due time were doubtless occupied by the
family of a child or two who had gotten married, and perhaps some
added wives that Chan had taken on.

That is when the museum gains more meaning to one who is interested in
Chinese culture, history and/or literature. Walking through the many
suites, one imagines pictures and scenes of people living there,
whether one has read Pearl Buck or a portion of Amy Tan's "Joy Luck
Club".

And then as one walks from room to room, one also realizes that the
courts so beautifully described in these books, the "Great House" is
actually much smaller and simpler than one had earlier imagined. Then
comes the realization. The ceramic pillows they laid their heads on
must have been the best they had at that time and quite a luxury. The
spittoon quite lavish. The engraved wooden chests where we keep our
bedsheets and display in our living rooms were their closets, where
even coats and dresses were folded rather than hung. And indeed
opulence is relative to its time.

There was also an altar, not unlike some large houses with their own
chapels or prayer rooms for the family, but in this case with joss
sticks and such in prayer to ones ancestors or perhaps, special gods
of the land. A place, perhaps, to pray for rain.

And courtyards for parties. Paper lanterns here and there, manure
buckets, winnowing machines, tools for the fields, even a raincoat so
one could still till the soil come what may. And one easily comes to
appreciate the Chinese state of mind at that time, as artwork is
beautifully depicted in a simplified manner, showing a fishmonger, or
a child with carp. As you compare the art with pictures of the real
thing, you see that for the Chinese, art is more an occupation of
sifting visions, of drawing a daily activity with simple straight
lines, to show the beauty in the artist's mind, minus, perhaps, the
dullard shadows that normally come in daily life no matter where in
the globe you are.

No better did I understand Chinese art than here. In Europe art
grandly depicted pain, suffering, a war, blood. Colors whirl to
enhance the realism, symbols and interpretation add to the story a
painting may tell. In Chinese art one sifts the dirt and grime from
working with the good earth to show less than the actual moment,
telling the rudimentary, gleaned fact.

The Sam Tung Uk museum is not hard to find and admission is free. It's
worth your while to stop by there. You may find a part of your own
story lies inside.

Dogs Never Love Too Little, or Too Much

2009-05-03T04:01:00.000-07:00

I wish Animal Scene magazine had a blog. Then I could just link up my article that came out in its May issue this year. This was a fulfillment of a dream I had nurtured for a year, since I first got my dog, Winniechurchill. I wanted her to come out in a magazine.

Thing is, I can't talk about Winnie unless I also talk about my mom. So here's the piece, featuring not just Winnie's photo, but my mom's as well. The editors changed my title to "Dogs Never Love Too Much or Too Little", and I think they made an excellent choice there. Article follows:

"Never will I leave you, Never will I forsake you"

Hebrews 13:4

Whether you are married, have a boyfriend, a child, a sibling, whatever -- we all have known what it's like to love and care for someone more than we love ourselves.

And then, there comes a time that the person we love is locked away inside himself, and he can be seated right beside you, yet not be there at all.

Last year, our family went through such a struggle. My mom was locked in her lillness, in a body that could barely move, a mouth that could not speak, and in time, eyes that could barely open. hers was a long, slow death and I could not reach her, though I could lay by her side.

And I was locked in my own grief. My husband Ed and our daughter, Kat, could only watch helplessly as I suffered. There was nothing they could do for me, just as there was nothing I could do for mom. We were locked in our separate places, boxed in, not knowing anymore how to live normally in an abnormal world.

Then someone gave me an askal, and all of that seemed to change. suddenly I looked forward to each day, and I couldn't wait to get home. I gave my dog a bath every day (Thank God askals are sturdy) and she, Winniechurchill, slept in our bed.

Kat and Ed enjoyed playing with Winnie and suddenly the 3 of us were involved in something that made us laugh together, behave like a family, and give us temporary relief from the sadness we'd been experiencing together when we would visit mom. we were all in grief, but while I only worried abut mom, Ed and Kat worried about mom and me.

Kat and Ed enjoyed playing with Winnie and suddenly the 3 of us were involved in something that made us laugh together, behave like a family, and give us temporary relief from the sadness we'd been experiencing together when we would visit mom. We were all in grief, but while I only worried about mom, Ed and Kat worried about mom and me.

From Ed and Kat's neverending love for Wininie, I came to see to see that they had been really worried about me. And though the wound was still too sore to accept their love back into my life, I could love and accept all of Winniechurchill. Dogs you see, never love too little or too much. They just accept what you give them, and show you no remorse. They don't understand commitment, but they respond to care and they are loyal. That was all I could handle for the time being.

Ed and Kat's love would mean coming out to the world sooner than I was ready. My dog had no expectations, and this enabled me to take baby steps to come back to an imperfect world.

A dog is God's creation. God loves us that way, too. We aren't perfect, but he loves us as we are. And if we surrender our lives to him, he'll patiently take us through the baby steps that eventually make us realize that life is worth living, because God is in charge, and He loves you and all the people you love, too.

My mother's body was broken with illness. My family was broken in grief. I was just plain broken. But God used the innocence and openness of an animal, a flea-ridden "askal" named Winniechurchill to put us all back together again.

Mom -- God put HER together in heaven. And up there, I know she is dancing.

The Magic Link

2009-04-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Now that I have learned the "Magic link" I am putting a link to a piece I wrote before. Ah, the digital world....

This is about YouTube.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20080614-142558/YouTube-is-the-new-TV

It's The Story that Makes the Dance

2009-03-21T23:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I found out that Nestor Torre put out one of my pieces again. Thank you, thank you! this was about a show that i truly enjoyed watching, "Step it up and Dance". It helped to confirm what I had always felt, that dance is not just about being beautiful. It's really about telling the story. Any choreography that fails to do that misses the point.

So, here's the link:

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/features/features/view/20090320-195280/Filipina-shows-off-winning-form-in-dance-tilt

It also speaks about a wonderful Filipina dancer full of personality and talent, Michelle Camaya. Boy, she can dance:)

Surprise!

2009-03-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

It was years ago when i wrote this piece for a column i had for Cook Magazine. Suddenly, it resurfaced on Nica's blog. It came out in February, and is called Humble Pie. Thanks Nica! I love your blog, btw. Hope we get to meet face to face someday soon:)

http://iniwastoni.blogspot.com/

Here's the link....

Healthy stories

2008-11-28T07:24:00.000-08:00

Now that i understand blogging better, i find it so much easier to put down the links. So if you click below, you'll see 7 of my pieces under the name "mona gonzalez" and 1 piece under "mona gonzales"

http://www.healthtoday.net/aboutus.cfm

hope i got this right...

anyway, you can also just google "Health Today Online" and you'll get there just the same:)

More New Same Oh

2008-11-22T04:34:00.000-08:00

I found 41 of my pieces here as "Mona Sabalones" and 11 pieces as "Mona Gonzalez," and 1 piece as "Mona Gonzales" because my name is often spelled wrong. So that makes 53 of the old articles I wrote. so much more efficient that a scrapbook:)

http://www.elib.gov.ph/results.php

Someone has bothered

2008-11-21T05:57:00.000-08:00

Someone has bothered to keep a file of some of the pieces i wrote. they are in the library of my alma mater, the University of the Philippines. I found a listing of my stuff that were done even before i got married. So here's the link below:

http://www.elib.gov.ph/results.php

just type my single name, "mona sabalones" in the search box. apparently, they bothered to list down 41 pieces of mine. unfortunately to read them, i guess you gotta go to the library ha ha ha! i had even forgotten i ever wrote some of them.

i also discovered that my late aunt, arcadia sabalones also has 3 articles in this library. Very, very nice:)

A Word About Suffering

2008-09-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Is life supposed to be easy? That's not what the Bible says. But it does say, life should be "Abundant". God has a plan for all of our lives, that we should live, and live abundantly. That's why I wrote this article one day... because someone had told me that we all are suffering. Because suffering can be pretty relative, just as happiness is. But joy, now THAT'S biblical. That comes from within, regardless of circumstance.

A word About Suffering
By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

“Life is suffering” the woman told me. “Jesus was nailed on the cross, beaten and died for our sins. Who are we to complain if we should share even just a bit of that suffering?

The woman who told me this is someone whom I deeply admire, and whose faith and sincerity are exemplary. She kept on her wall a poster with a poem about suffering, which described it as a state which brings us closer to God, and as a means for sanctification. But this time around, I felt she – and her poster—were wrong.
“We’re all suffering,” another woman told me. “You’d have to be a hypocrite to say that you aren’t.” Really? But honestly, I don’t think I am. In fact, a apart of me has a distaste for the word suffering. It implies a state of being, a condition of the mind. I think of myself as someone who sometimes has problems, but not as someone who is suffering.

Before I came to know God in a personal way, I was definitely suffering. And by that I refer to a continual state of depression and sadness. What is so mysterious is that after I came to know God my problems worsened but I didn’t feel sad, nor did I dwell on them. In fact, I was very much the cock-eyed optimist. Some people call that God’s grace, but I think there was a very practical reason why problems no longer weigh me down like they used to. It’s because now I have hope, now I know the power of prayer.

I realize that problems are temporary and can be resolved with confidence and power – provided, of course, you put your faith in God and count on His power to pull you out of any rut you’re in. I no longer see myself as a victim, but as someone with a degree of control over the events that come my way, armed with the power of God which I can tap on anytime through prayer.
I also don’t think that suffering brings us closer to God. We can get just as close to Him during good, happy times as in our sadness. And why should we suffer to be sanctified? Jesus died for us and so by faith we are saved, not by suffering. When people put undue importance on suffering, they land themselves in a vicious cycle of unnecessary pain. They end up praying to God for strength to bear their cross, rather than asking God for a practical way out of the predicament that causes the pain.

An example was the case of my friend, who prayed for her brother to get off drugs – a habit that he had for 15 years. For the last 2 years he’s been clean and leads a group of reformed addicts who meet regularly. Imagine if she merely prayed instead for strength to carry this cross?
Of course it doesn’t follow that we Christians will never be burdened with tremendous problems. Job’s sufferings alone took the cake. But the Bible says that God’s plan for all of us is to have an abundant life, and that God will never give us a trial too big for us to bear. Which should be more than enough reason for us to continually look up, come what may. Not only out of an irrepressible sense of optimism, but in order to call upon the fountain of Eternal Hope. No matter what.

A Joyful Howl

2008-08-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

When I wrote this in October, 1998 for my column, "The Last Word" with Women's Journal, the title was inspired by the Keith Green song, "Make a Joyful Noise". In his short life, Green wrote many wonderful songs. I truly miss the music that might have been.
A Joyful Howl
By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

When I was a child my mother would buy us all hats that we were required to wear to church. Those were the days when women had to wear veils as a sign of modesty, and I remember that my Lola in particular had an array of veils that were so beautiful that I couldn’t wait to be old enough so that I could one day wear one, too.

But since we were kids, my siblings and I wore hats. Some hats were better than others, but I remember one hat in particular that I was embarrassed to wear. My mother however felt it was the height of fashion and despite my irrepressible attempts to slide it off my hair during service, she would grasp it from my hands and practically seal it on my head.

Church then was a somber affair with an organ playing. That was supposed to be the proper way to pray to God, with reverence and deep respect. As I got older the hats were let go, and the organ gave way to songs from a guitar.

These days however, anything goes. And you don’t have to go to service to praise God, people meet in the middle of the week after office hours to engage in foot stomping, hand clapping, arm raising hallelujahs simply because they want to.

The gospel has also penetrated the media, with spiritual shows taking on, say, a talk show format or finding other engagingly entertaining ways to talk about God. Theatre groups perform gospel-based plays filled with spiritual songs. Praise music is making inroads on the airwaves, and there is a market that caters largely to Christian music. Concerts such as those of Don Moen or Ron Kenoly oftentimes end in prayer and altar calls.

“I like serious songs” an elderly woman once told me during Holy Week, alluding to the televised airing of “First Name,” a product of Christian theatre which included a contemporary beat, costumes, and dance, but the content of which was totally scriptural.

Understandably, for her it must have been a case of culture shock. But I am thankful that Christian music is taking on a new flair. I would like my daughter to grow up with the gospel woven into the daily fabric of her life, and if she comes to identify with young singers who sing of God with a contemporary beat, why not?

Stage thespian Freddie Santos once told me that God is cool. I know that—and I’d like my child to know that, too. So when Gary Valenciano engages in a funky “Shout for Joy” or Freddie Santos comes up with an off-beat production like “So David,” More, more I say.

In fact, chances are God likes it that way. After all, the Bible tells us to “Make a joyful noise.” It doesn’t say “Make a solemn sound” or “Make an angry noise.” It says to make foot stomping, hair-raising “noise,” of the joyful variety. I believe howls will also do. In fact, I like that. “Make a joyful how” – Amen.

A Comedy of Prayers

2008-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe some 25 years ago, my friend Betty Samson and I decided to test the Bible verse, "when 2 or more a gathered in my name, I will be in their midst and answer their prayer." We made a prayer list with columns for date requested and date answered. The results were amazing and since then, my prayer partners have changed along the way, but I always keep a prayer list with those two columns.

A Comedy of Prayers
By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

Some 15 years ago my niece Kara, then three years old, received her first puppy, a white Japanese Spitz that she named “Tinkerbell”.

But one year later, Tinkerbell was fully grown, and she told me she wished she could have another puppy. “Ask God to give you one,” I advised her. And so she prayed and within the year, Tinkerbell gave birth to five brown and white speckled pups, just as she had prayed for. “But I wanted a white puppy,” Kara told me to which I replied, “Well, you didn’t tell God what color”.

She was amused by my reply, but I knew from experience that God answers prayers specifically. And so she prayed for white puppies, and a year later, Tinkerbell gave birth to four of them, all white.
I learned about praying specifically more than 20 years ago when my friend Betty and I decided to embark on a prayer test. We made lists of specific requests which we prayed for weekly. The results were so remarkable that Betty decided to pray for a car.

The first time she told me her plan I inwardly scoffed, “hardeeharhar”. Betty had been jobless for three years since she was let go of the last one, which lasted just a few months. But managing a straight face, I told her, “Yes, lets”.

When several months passed with no car, Betty decided to nudge God by applying all the natural laws of the universe, applying (without my knowledge) a mishmash of new age jargon to our prayer cell.

One such law said you shouldn’t tell others of your plans, so she bought a raffle ticket for a car, sealed it in an envelope which she mysteriously labeled “Project Snookey” and together, we laid hands over the envelope in prayer. But the raffle day came and went, and she was still carless. And so, we reverted to our old tried but true system of simply praying specifically for her car.

The car came one month later, compliments of a benevolent Uncle whose number of cars exceeded his family members. He passed one off to her and for two years, also provided her with a regular allowance for gas and car repairs.

Today, Betty has 2 cars, a beetle and a Honda LX both of which her salary could never afford, but which are products of largesse from her loving father. A part of me wonders if at that time we overloaded God with prayers, which would explain why up until now she doesn’t seem to run out of cars.
With such fantastic results, could you blame me for teaching my seven – year – old daughter how to pray in specifics? And so, her first specific request from God was for Barbie shoes.

But like St. Peter long ago, I failed the walk-on-water test. Concerned that God might not provide, thus setting her faith astray, I scoured the toy stores in Makati, SM Southmall and Alabang Town Center for the shoes for her doll. For some reason, all the stores were out of stock.

Then she outgrew her shoes, and so she and her Dad went to Southmall to get her a new pair. She came home that day with a pair of white shoes – Barbie shoes – on her feet. You see, she failed to pray in specifics. And although I misunderstood what she meant,(thinking she meant shoes for her doll), God didn’t.

Is Anybody Looking?

2008-08-05T22:35:00.000-07:00

This one was a no-brainer. I saw this wonderful poem on our church newsletter and felt that more people should see it than just in our church. So it was published in my column with Women's Journal, called "The Last Word" on November, 1998.

Is Anybody Looking?

By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

One day I was dismayed to see a seven-year-old boy ordering his mother about, as though she were a servant. When I came to more closely observe the relationship between his parents, however, I could see why. He was simply following the example of his father, who treated his wife in a similar fashion.

Children imitate what they see, and it just so happens that we are our children’s first role models. Have you ever wondered what sort of an example you are setting for your child?
It may be easy to tell our children, “Do as I say, not as I do” but it never works. Rest assured, they follow your EXAMPLE, most especially in those moments when you think nobody is looking.

Recently I came across an item in our church bulletin which is lovingly put together by Irene Saavedra, a talented young woman. The article which she published in this particular issue is entitled, “When You Thought I wasn’t Looking” and it reads thus:

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator and I wanted to paint another one.

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.
“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake just for me, and I knew that little things are special things.

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I believed there is a God I could always talk to.

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight, and I felt loved.

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears fall from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s alright to cry.

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be…

“When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked….and wanted to say thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.”

Being Meek -- The Earth or Dirt?

2008-08-04T21:00:00.001-07:00

This piece came out in my column, "The Last Word" in Women's Journal on Oct. 31, 1998. It was written because I had the privilege of meeting the late Selwyn Hughes, who became my favorite inspirational writer. I loved his writing style because it combined his wisdom with knowledge. His books have depth, which is not often common in a lot of inspirational materials. How I wish they would sell his books again in the Philippines. Selwyn Hughes was a humble, patient, and very, very wise man.

Being Meek – The Earth or Dirt?
By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

That’s “meek” with a “k,” mind you. Because being meek is, in the beatitudes, Christ’s third prescription for happiness. He says, “Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

“Sorry,” you may reply – “I’m aggressive by nature.” Indeed, in the real world meekness (dictionary definition: Humble, compliant and submissive) simply doesn’t work. More so in the midst of the daily grind of office intrigue, and the “me first” mentality that is usually associated with the go-getter, the winner.

So – are go-getters and winners unhappy people? To be spiritually happy, must we be easily pushed around and manipulated? Of course not! Many strong Christians are in fact successful businessmen, and in the Bible many men of God were kings and leaders.

Selwyn Hughes in his daily devotional “Every Day With Jesus” clears up some common misconceptions regarding meekness. First, Hughes says being meek is not a matter of genes, but of grace. It is not a matter of natural disposition, but a quality produced by the Spirit of God.

Other things that spiritual meekness is not. First, it is NOT indolence, meaning the lazy, easygoing manner of one who takes life as it comes. Or to refer to the Pinoy caricature, Juan Tamad. That, Hughes says, is flabbiness.

Second, spiritual meekness in NOT niceness. Not to say that anything’s wrong with “nice,” but some people are nice by nature. It is biological, and as earlier said, being meek is not a matter of genetics.
Third, meekness is NOT passivity, the attitude that anything is better than a disagreement, or having a habitual desire to obtain peace at any price. Oftentimes, the true path of nobility involves taking a stand rather than passively letting evil prevail. And in the nuts and bolts of daily life, Hughes says that this kind of passivity does not make for good mental nor spiritual health.

That settled, then what does it mean to be meek? In the Biblical sense, Hughes says the meek person is trusting, confident, and secure. The root word of meekness is yieldedness or surrender. Hughes compares it to a scientist who is studying the mysteries of the universe. If the scientist approaches his subject in an aggressive, know-it-all and belligerent manner, he discovers nothing.

But if he does so in a spirit of meekness, the richest secrets of the universe unfold before him, and the scientist is able to harness the mighty forces around him and use them to advantage.
Similarly, spiritual meekness involves absorbing and surrendering to the truths of God in the Bible in a spirit of submission to His Word and teachings. In doing so, we discover the true meaning of our existence, and the purpose of God in all our affairs.
Meekness is an attitude of active compliance and obedience to God, involving a freedom from the spirit of demanding. Being meek is NOT being weak. And in the endgame, you inherit the earth.

Conversely, the world teaches that the more you assert and affirm yourself, the more you will get. Maybe so, but you sure don’t inherit the earth. Dirt, maybe.

A Fascinating Day

2008-08-04T00:40:00.000-07:00

This is another piece I wrote for my column, "The Last Word" with Women's Journal. Since everything is digital now, I have simply photographed it and retyped it below.

A Fascinating Day

By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

Attending the recently held one-day seminar of Helen Andelin, author of Fascinating Womanhood, was like memory blanket. It seemed like only yesterday that my friend Betty introduced me to Andelin’s book. Actually, we were students at the University of the Philippines. I was engaged in the business of seeking a boyfriend, while she was intent on keeping hers.

And so I read and reread Andelin’s book -- through the years -- highlighting entire paragraphs and pages. And you can bet, I applied it hoping to charm one fellow after another. But it just didn’t work. You see, Andelin’s book was about keeping a husband, not finding one.

And so after a very long string of failed relationships I decided that henceforth, I would stop trying to be someone’s ideal – I would simply be me. The next guy who courted me would simply have to like me – or dump me.

And being true to my word, the next fellow came along and on our first phone conversation I did all the un-fascinating things one could imagine. I hooted, howled, and made as many unusual sound effects that were possible on the phone. “Well,” I told myself as we hung up, “that’s the end of that.”

But surprisingly, the fellow called the next day, and today he is my husband. Indeed, when we married I was not fascinating. But on the day of our honeymoon I recalled all the things I’d learned from the book, and this time, applied it in my own style; in a more honest, less contrived fashion, a way with which I was comfortable.

After all, marriage is an entirely different ball game. When a fellow courts you he wants, I suppose, novelty and excitement. But when you’re married I guess he wants someone who makes him feel accepted, admired, comfortable, and someone who can also transform (when mutually desired) into a vamp.
The seminar enabled me to look at Andelin’s book in a new light. I realized that much of what she says is, indeed, very hard to stomach. For example, she speaks of submission, a term that many women may find difficulty with. She also believes that women shouldn’t work, or at least if she must, that she shouldn’t earn more than her husband. She shouldn’t kill her own snakes.

Hard to tolerate indeed, but the irony is, it works. Looking back on my own marriage, I had to acknowledge the fact that the more difficult times were those when I wasn’t really very “fascinating.”

But in general our marriage is solid and steady and in all honesty I would have to accredit it to things that I picked up from Fascinating Womanhood.

Andelin is no feminist, but neither does she advocate that a woman should be a pushover. In fact, in marriage of physical abuse, in her book she advises women to leave their spouse. And when one participant asked her if Hilary Clinton were a fascinating woman, Andelin replied, “No, she’s a feminist.”

What of Andelin’s tips have been most useful to me? The reminder to admire my husband, to see his better side, to accept him for everything he is, and most importantly, to submit to his leadership. “”But wouldn’t that be spoiling him?” One participant asked.

In my case, no. Instead, my husband has found in me his No. 1 ally, friend, and support. And he treasures me for it. Perhaps I’m not 100% fascinating. For example, I work, but he’s proud of my work. And I still howl, squeal, guffaw, sing like a dissonant violin, and sometimes, yowl like a banshee. Well, he finds that fascinating, too.

Lemons and Lemonade

2008-08-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across a folder of clippings of my columns with Women's Journal in 1998. So I decided to put them in this e-blog-scrapbook. My column was called "The Last Word". I loved the drawings that always came with my column. I have re-typed the column so it can catch up with the computer age, ha ha! This piece is called Lemons and Lemonade.

Lemons and Lemonade

By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

She is 60 years old, overweight, with rough skin and hands. Her daily wear are dusters and slippers, although she is a prosperous businesswoman. Her home is a center of congregation for brothers, sisters, children and grandchildren, especially on holidays which become day-long “eat fests” of her delicious, homemade dishes and freshly squeezed lemonade.

Her mind, like her cooking, is rich with practical, home grown wisdom which cuts to the grain in situations both large and small. She is street smart aside from rich, which is why I was surprised when one day she told me that she came from an abusive marriage.

Her husband, and addict, died from an overdose of drugs when she was 30 years old. She was not born rich, had never held a job before, and did not marry into a prosperous family, but she had a business degree. And although it didn’t come easy, she made ends meet, and all her children graduated from good schools.

One day, over glasses of juice from freshly squeezed Baguio lemons on a lazy afternoon, we spoke of her marriage. “Men are really like that,” she said, as she described to me the abuse (both physical and verbal) that she endured from her deceased husband.

And if one of her daughters ended up in an abusive marriage, how would she advise her? She replied, “I’d tell her exactly what I’m telling you now- that men are really like that, and you simply have to bear it.”

I was amazed that despite her many achievements, which she did, to quote Frank Sinatra, “Her Way”, this woman was still caught in a time warp of values from a time past. “And if your husband never died?” I asked. “What would your life have been like then?

Probably, she said, she would still be at his beck and call. Probably, she’d continue to endure a marriage of pain and dysfunction. Probably, her children would grow to become broken souls. Probably, she’d have never discovered her remarkable business capacity. Probably, she would be less free, less available for her friends and relatives today.

Sometimes, what you think are the worst things that could happen in your life, actually contain the seeds of your greatest blessing. They become the impetus that force you to make a sweet, refreshing drink out of sour fruit.

Sometimes, life hands you a “lemon,” and 30 years later, you’ve made lemonade.

Let's make the askal our national dog

2008-07-13T18:09:00.001-07:00

That's the july 2008 cover of animal scene.
My story came out on my great passion these days, the askal.
On the table of contents they shortened my name. actually, i started using my maiden name too because mona gonzalez is such a common name when you google it.
Anyway what matters is, my full name came out in the story page.
Safety shot.

The article that was published was an edited version, but I decided to print out the original in full below, as follows:

LET’S MAKE THE ASKAL OUR NATIONAL DOG
By Mona Sabalones Gonzalez

Recently I asked Dayi, my Korean student, about the Jindo dog. With evident pride she said, "That's our national dog. If purebred, they are very intelligent." Koreans love their own. As does Israel, which considers their Canaan dog to be a national treasure.

I wish Filipinos could feel the same way about our beautiful askal. I am a proud owner of one, Winniechurchill, who is cared for like any purebred and who has bound our family together more closely. My daughter is now 17, and she, the hubby and I needed something little and new to love and fuss over. I believe, in fact, that Filipinos love our askals more than we care to admit.

True, we have a reputation as dogeaters. But equally true, dogs are also – or historically in other places, have -- been eaten in China and Korea; in Nigeria, Siberia, Greenland, northern Canada, France, Germany, among other countries. Recently, Denmark's Prince Henrik said dog is one of his favorite foods, preferring it fried or grilled. So a seeming duality in one’s culture has not prevented the Koreans, nor Israel (whose Canaan dogs once wildly roamed in the desert), from giving due honor to their native dog.

In fact, although the mighty Igorots eat dogs, the fact is that they loved their dogs. Dogs have always been man’s best friend, and the best companion animal he could find, initially, because they were particularly helpful in hunting -- in the case of the igorots -- wild pigs. What’s more, if the dog was eaten by them, it was always as a last resort. Usually, it took the form of the sacrifice of a valued pet if it was believed that some curse had befallen a family, or for religious reasons.

Askal’s Beginnings

In tracing the beginnings of the askal, I learned it is usually written as "not known". But perhaps we can try to ascertain their possible beginnings.

It is believed that dogs were brought to American initially, rather than indigenous creatures. In the dog chain, the most feral dogs at the bottom of the rung are the Dingo from Australia, and the Spitz, which originally prevailed in colder countries.

Physically, the askal more closely resembles the dingo, so perhaps we can start there. The dingo is not indigenous to Australia, but is believed to have been brought there from Indonesia, where it was a pet. And where did the Indonesians get it? From the Austronesians, a group of sea travelers who initially originated in Taiwan.

The Austronesians were sea travellers, and as their population grew, they traveled by sea to other countries. It would not be surprising if they would bring along a pet dingo or two, since they were useful not just in hunting, but also in keeping the owner warm at night, like a human blanket.

The Austronesians traveled first to the Philippines, so the askal may have landed here before reaching the South Pacific. Another possibility -- could it be that the askal is indigenous to the Philippines? After some research, this seemed not as likely, since dogs are believed to be descendants of the wolf and the coyote. It is widely believed that a wounded wolf may have separated from the pack, been cared for by a human family and become domesticated. Through years of cross breeding, the dog eventually came to be. But this writer could find no information of any indigenous Filipino wolf or coyote.

From the Philippines, the Austronesians then went to Indonesia, and later the South Pacific – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand. Trade brought the Austronesians also to China, Malaysia, and Vietnam, where 5,000 year old skulls resembling the dingo have been found.

In Australia, the dingo has a wild reputation, but initially the Australian aborigines adopted the dingo as a useful companion animal. Remember the 70s band, Three Dog Night? The phrase actually refers to especially cold nights when aboriginals needed 3 dogs to keep sufficiently warm.

The European settlers changed the dingo’s fate since the latter ate their sheep. The settlers killed them, and so the dingos have the aggressive behavior they are known for.

More Connections

A study of the DNA of 200 Australian Dingo in the University of South Wales concluded that they had similar DNA type. That could even mean that the dingo is related to a similar dog in the United States, known as the Carolina dog. It is a historical fact that the Austronesians also traveled to Hawaii. What’s more, the Carolina dog, sometimes called the American Dingo, is anatomically and behaviorally similar to the dingo.

What is the connection between the Canaan Dog and the Korean Jindo? There is a story that Genghis Khan’s army was at one point stranded on the island of Jindo. A theory is that they got there from Canaan.

This is my argument for why the askal deserves its place in the sun. Modern dogs are believed to be the result of artificial selection. But the modern dingo, jindo, canaan dog, Carolina dog, askal -- call it what you will – appear to be a relatively pure descendent of one of the earliest domestications of the grey wolf. They are a part of our national heritage, our ecological legacy, our historical tradition. For these reasons alone, they deserve their place of national honor.

I' m quite certain

2008-06-15T07:49:00.000-07:00

I totally feel so great when i see something of mine come out....and grateful to know that there are editors out there who still believe in me....but i have a feeling i didn't put this many exclamation points in my original doc. maybe since it was sent by email, something came out that way. like when i email some people, i put a dash but for some reason it comes out in their computers like a question mark....

INQUIRER ENTERTAINMENT - ENTERTAINMENT

YouTube is the new TV
By Mona Sabalones-Gonzales
Philippine Daily Inquirer

June 14, 2008
Editor's Note: Published on page A1 of the
June 14, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer -->

MANILA, Philippines—It is also the new radio and the new movies—with advantages you don’t get from any of the three media:

First, in YouTube, you are more empowered. You can choose what you want to watch when you want to watch it! Second, you don’t have to wait for commercial breaks to go to the bathroom or kitchen. The videos are quick, and you can always replay. Third, you don’t have to wait through the boring stuff to see the good parts. Fourth, a lot of stars are discovered on YouTube just by filming inside their bedrooms.

Lead singer

Happy Slip became so famous that the Department of Tourism invited her to visit the Philippines. A Filipino, Arnel Pineda, became the lead singer of Journey because of a video of him singing in a local club. Charice Pempengco landed on Ellen DeGeneres’ show. And a clip shows a Filipino kid beating David Archuleta in a children’s singing contest many years ago. YouTube is the new Hollywood audition—without the casting couch! Fifth, YouTube has more reality than reality TV.

And that is why this article starts with YouTube, which features my favorite online program about two dogs—a Doberman and a Chihuahua.
Dogs are universal—they have no nationality. Whether they’re German Shepherds, Boston Terriers or Japanese Spitzes—they’re just dogs. Some dogs seem to think they’re people—or they think their people are dogs!

Running wild

While browsing through YouTube last year, I was surprised to see a Chihuahua and a Doberman running wild around their owner’s house. Intrigued, I continued to watch film after film, which became humorous and lovable. Every time I needed a break, I would search for CWDressen and watch his dogs’ latest clips.

It has been one year since. At first, their difference in size was interesting to watch. Then, I was drawn to the clash of their “personalities.” Sometimes there would only be one dog: I especially liked Ramsey, the female Doberman, “crying” because she wanted to play ball. Then there was Pablo, the male Chihuahua, “crying” because he couldn’t climb on the bed to play with Ramsey!

Later, CWDressen started setting his videos to music. He liked funny songs—like Adam Sandler’s “Best Friends,” or the old “Chihuahua” song.
I began to wonder: Who is CW Dressen? He never showed himself in his films. After a while, I stopped looking him up because I got busy.

Recently, however, when I decided to watch my “favorite” dogs again, I was surprised at what I saw: The dogs already had their own video site—with ads and a new T-shirt business!

The dogs have become stars, and Dressen, who now shows his photo on his blog, talks more about himself. He works in construction in Minnesota. Now, I know his parents have a pet squirrel.

Videos

Dressen has been twice nominated for the YouTube Awards: Best Video Blogger and Best Animal Blogger. He has accumulated over 60 videos with 150,000 viewers!

This is YouTube’s version of reality TV. In the past, dogs were seen on TV as “actors” who could perform special tricks. Now, they become stars simply for being themselves!

I also have two dogs—an askal and a Spitz—which explains my fascination with watching dogs on YouTube. I tell you this: Senior citizens just don’t get most of the new gadgets these days. My cell phone is, mildly put, an antique—it has no color and its ring tone is old-fashioned. I don’t understand the iPod, but I have mastered using the e-mail. YouTube has something for people of all ages and interests.

I know of a Filipina in Romania who spends her time watching Philippine drama serials on YouTube, which also shows clips of old European singers like Francoise Hardy, Jaques Brel and Salvatore Adamo. It has videos on Bill O’Reilly, Obama, and even the Edsa I revolution.

And, it gives me “my” dogs!

BULLYING

2008-06-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

I wrote this piece for Health Today, and found it online just now. So here I am, claiming it as my own. Do you know how many Mona Gonzalez's there are online? So let me set it straight, the writer was ME! ME!

Breaking the big bully
When the school ruffian goes too far, you and your child have to push back.
By Mona Gonzalez

Bullying exists, and we know it. But we rarely believe our child can be a victim -- much less the bully. Is it child's play, something natural that determines the pecking order in schools and neighborhoods, or a destructive force that can shape a child's future?

The red flag
In her book "The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander," Barbara Coloroso says that bullying, if left unchecked, can reap harsh, long-term consequences.

Studies show that children who bully are at an increased risk for engaging in antisocial or criminal behavior in the future. Unless intervention is early and swift, the school-yard bully could become an adult who harms his own children, fails at interpersonal relation-ships, has difficulty holding jobs, and lands in jail.

On the other hand, children who are bullied but whose cries are unheard could develop a tendency for violent behavior. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, students at Columbine High School, killed 12 classmates and one teacher, and injured 18 others before committing suicide in 1995. They were taunted and bullied at school.

The Central Intelligence Agency reported that two-thirds of shooting incidents in schools in the United States were committed by youth who experienced severe bullying by their classmates.

The red flag is up and it is time for you to get involved.

What is bullying?
Coloroso says bullying is a conscious, willful and deliberately hostile activity that comes in different forms. It is premeditated or sudden, obvious or subtle, easy to identify or cloaked in false friendship. Whatever the circumstance, bullying is marked by:

Imbalance of power. The bully may be older, stronger, more articulate or richer than his victim. A fight between two equally matched children is not bullying.
Intent to harm. Whether physical or emotional, the pain suffered by a victim pleases the bully.
Threat of further aggression. Bullying is not a one-time event. If it isn't stopped, it escalates until the fourth element is added.
Terror. Bullying is systematic violence that aims to intimidate. Terror in the victim is, for the bully, an end in itself.
The perpetratorColoroso says there are seven types of bullies. There are bullies who 1) swagger and have an inflated ego, 2) use rumor, gossip or verbal taunts rather than physical harm, 3) are sneaky--outwardly cool or charming, but becomes a thug when he is not caught, 4) are hyperactive and violent, 5) may be both victim and bully (He is intimidated by adults or bigger kids, and in turn bullies someone weaker), 6) tease or attack when with a group of friends but never on his own, 7) are with a gang--a strategic alliance to gain power--that lacks empathy and feels no remorse.

Coloroso adds that bullying is neither about anger nor conflict but about contempt. A bully strongly dislikes anyone whom he views as worthless, inferior, or undeserving of respect.

The victim
A bullied child, on the other hand, usually avoids seeking help from his parents. He may have "bought the lie" that bullying is part of growing up. He may be ashamed or fear retaliation. Or he may feel hopeless, believing nobody will help him. Whatever the reason, many times parents don't know their child is already a victim. But there are warning signs, says Coloroso.

Be concerned when:
Your child loses interest in school, or won't go to school
His grades suddenly drop
He wants to be left alone, and withdraws from family and school activities
He is hungry after school, and says he lost his money or wasn't hungry then
He takes your money and gives lame excuses for where it went
He becomes sad, sullen, angry or scared after receiving a phone call or e-mail
He uses derogatory or demeaning language when talking about his peers
He stops talking about peers and everyday activities
His clothes are disheveled or torn
He has physical injuries and gives unlikely explanations for them
He has stomachaches, headaches, panic attacks, or he can't sleep, sleeps too much, or is exhausted
If you see these warning signs, do not dismiss the changes as a phase that will pass. Many children have committed suicide after enduring constant bullying. Victims of bullying have also figured in cases of extreme violence.

The Corrida
You can put an end to bullying in the following ways.
For the bully:Discipline. Coloroso says discipline is not twisting a child's arm. It is a constructive and compassionate way of showing a child that he must own up for the problems he creates, and that he can and should resolve them.
Create opportunities to "do good." A bully should be taught to care for the rights and needs of others by teaching him to help people. Give him responsibilities at home so that he feels he is making a contribution to everyone's welfare.
Nurture empathy. First, let your child identify and understand his feelings and thoughts. From there he can learn to feel concern for others by having a better understanding of how the other person feels.
Teach him friendship skills. For your child to gain friends, he has to be one. Help him develop assertive, respectful and peaceful ways to relate to others.
Closely monitor what your child watches on TV, the video games he plays, his computer activities, and the music he listens to. Studies show that too much media violence can desensitize children to real-life violence. Limit his TV time, and expose him to shows that promote better values.
Engage in more constructive, entertaining and energizing activities. Find a new hobby or sport that you can enjoy together. Try wall climbing or hiking.
Teach your child to "will good." Teach your child right from wrong, and show him that he can do good "even when the burden is heavy."
For the bullied child:Listen to him. Let your child express his pain without interruption. Then gather the facts for yourself and determine who did what, where, and when.
Put blame where it belongs. Even if your child angered the bully, remember that he has already suffered. He needs to see that he didn't deserve to be humiliated, intimidated or frightened.
Work with him. Show your child that he doesn't and shouldn't take the bullying. Help your child figure out how he can assert himself, avoid dangerous situations, and regain control of situations. Remind him that he can turn to you for advice and help.
Report bullying. Your child's teachers need to know the facts--the date, time, place and kids involved in specific incidents. Let them know how bullying has affected your child. Find out what school personnel plan to do about it and follow up on their action plan. Show them that you are involved.

Wonder What He's Doing Now?

2008-04-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Rey Kilay in 2001. He was very charming. I wonder where he is now? Paging Rey Kilay...

Laugh a lot with Rey Kilay, singer and comedian
(Article written by Mona Gonzalez in 2001, from "Philippine Daily Enquirer")

No, his real name is not Rey Kilay - it is actually Rey Anthony Francisco. He got his moniker from co-workers when he was a neophyte scriptwriter at ABS-CBN. "I admired Madonna ever since I was a child, and I shaped my eyebrows so they'd be like hers," Rey explains.
Today, Rey is by no means as big as Madonna, but he is certainly carving out a name for himself on the local scene. At The Library on M. Adriatico st., where Rey performs from Tuesday to Sunday, he has a knack for bringing the house down.

Recognition
He is also getting some recognition as a regular player in two television shows, “Love Ko Si Babes” and “Pangako Sa lyo.” In the latter, he’s cast as the best friend and neighbor of Kristine Hermosa.

At The Library, Rey performs with there other comedian/singers, namely Rod, Jessie and Russell. After having watched their show, my husband and I are wont to admit that they are a formidable team.

The Library is known as a sing-along club, but Rey, Rod, Jessie and Russell have a knack for making the audience roar with laughter—just by being themselves. They also spice up their gags with their singing.

Gesture
Rey has this wonderful knack for singing beautifully (he did a fantastic rendition of Toni Braxton’s “You Mean, the World to Me”) - and then, just when you’re getting carried away with his song, he’ll make a movement or gesture that will force you to laugh... and laugh!
It is not so much the punchline as the way the simplest lines and gestures are said and done. It has a way of carrying you away, forcing you to leave all your cares behind. Time spent at The Library can, in this sense, be therapy.

Rey may be funny, but he takes his shows seriously. To protect his voice (since he performs from 9 pm. to 3 a.m.), he sleeps eight hours a day and taken Vitamin C. To maintain his stamina at night, there’s Red Bull.

‘I’ve been doing this for five years, and you’ve got to find ways to wake it different each day,” Rey says. “So I research new spiels and gimmicks. And I shop a lot. I buy clothes three times a week. I have four cabinets of clothes, and 47 pairs of shoes!”

But for Rey, expensive is not always best. He has his share of Italian shoes, but he also buys at the tiangge. And while he was not born to wealth, he’s accumulated quite a bit on his own.
Nieces

“I own my own car, and I’m renting a condo unit in Wack Wack,” Rey says. He also sends two nieces to school, and helps’ support his parents.

“This means a lot to me,” Rey says. “My family didn’t think I’d accomplish anything with my life, because I didn’t finish college (he was an undergrad pursuing a course as a hospital therapist).” It turned out, in his family, he now earns the most. Not bad for a 26-year-old Manila boy (his parents are from 11oilo).

We have no doubt that Rey has what it takes to make it big. Aside from his genuine talent, he’s got a charismatic personality to boot.

Winning edge
His upbeat manner is truly winning, and in a business like show biz, where everyone is bright and beautiful, it can give you the winning edge in making you stand out.

During his show, Rey talks to the guests and pokes fun at them every now and then. Of someone evidently well-heeled he asks, “Where do you live?” When the guest replies, “Ayala Alabang” Rey responds, “Guardhouse?”

Then he fusses over a 12-year-old boy in the audience. A co-performer gestures to Rey and says to the boy, “He’s your fairy godmother.” Rey adds, “I’m your future self..”

He tells us, “When you talk to the audience, you must be careful not to offend them. Nagti-timpla ako ng tao, I try to analyze them and I try not to go too far. Also, I don’t tell any green jokes.”

Rey can’t analyze what Filipino comedy needs, nor make any observations about what our taste in comedy says about ourselves. But he can certainly make you laugh!

Butch Jimenez

2008-04-02T02:13:00.000-07:00

I knew if i kept looking, i'd find something else i wrote eons ago that i never kept in a scrapbook or whatever. This came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in the year 2000

Butch Jimenez on media responsibility
By Mona Gonzalez

IT WAS an SRO crowd that Butch Jimenez, producer of the multi-awarded films "Rizal" and "Muro-Ami," faced at the multi-purpose hall of St. Benedict's College in Alabang Hills, Muntinlupa.

The event was the launching of SBC's newest course offering--Communications and Media Studies. And Jimenez's topic was "Media Responsibility, the GMA Experience."
TV campaign

Jimenez may in some ways be described as a fish out of water. Although his family owns GMA-7 and he's involved in the network's affairs, he reveals that he's also starting a television campaign to get students to read books.
"Television can never give you what you can get from reading books," Jimenez told the student body. "I'm a Business Economics graduate, and I could never have produced movies or done my work on TV if I didn't read a lot of books."

While he is a top gun of GMA, he admits that he watches the Nickelodeon channel as well. His favorite show is "Keenan and Kel," which he watches with his six-year-old son.

"Not everything you see on the Nickelodeon is good," he hastens to add. "Sometimes you'll hear bad language on 'Keenan and Kel,' or you'll see someone stealing. But you can use those scenes to educate your children."

For example, he said that when Keenan calls someone "stupid" he tells his son, "See that? You should never call anyone stupid." Or, if someone in the show is stealing, he tells his little boy, "That's bad. You should never steal."

Finally, he admits that he is a big fan of anime, animated series about "robotized" cartoon superheroes like Ultraman Dyna, Gundam G, Voltes V, Ghostfighter, Lupin III, Flame of Recca, Pokemon and his pocket monster Pikachu, and Knight Hunter.

The shows bring great ratings to GMA. However, that hasn't stopped him from producing 30-second spots that shake the "gleam" off their "armor."

"For Christmas, we wanted to show that Jesus is the God we all revere, but our campaign had to be relevant. So we showed all the anime heroes together with the slogan, "We are anime"--and in the end, all the super heroes were seen worshipping Jesus. In other words, he's a bigger hero than they are."

The children loved the 30-seconder, and GMA received many requests to air it again and again. Anime was also used in other 30-seconders to promote Biblical values, such as a series of three which depicted Moses (looking like Eugene of "Ghostfighter") and King David, anime-styled. The clips quote a Bible story showing perseverance despite obstacles, and end with the slogan, "Don't Quit!"

While Jimenez admits there is some truth to the flak regarding the violent content of the cartoons, he notes, "But they are fighting for the right things--freedom, country, life, faith and family."

Although anime has done the station good, GMA has in fact turned down many other anime cartoons, because their violence was excessive and purposeless, or the cartoon paid insufficient attention to a child's moral growth.

GMA has also launched a campaign against student gangs and fraternities. "I have nothing against frats and gangs," Jimenez said. "But I do have something against frat or gang-related violence."

And so they began their campaign by displaying posters on campuses with the slogans "Say no to frats with bats," and "Say no to gangs with fangs." They also produced a 30-seconder that decried the violent practices of fraternities and gangs, including the code of silence that characterizes frats when one of their members does something wrong.

Their latest campaign is a series of three 30-seconders titled "Heroes of the Millennium." We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the heroes cited were not historical figures, politicians or socialites, but Juan dela Cruz types like Rhona Mahilum, the child who saved her siblings from a fire that razed their small home.

He told the students, "If you want to build a character ethic, the time to start is now, otherwise you won't have it at age 36. If you wait until 15 years from now, you'll be corrupted by the environment of media. You have to get it right from the start."

GMA has won many awards through the years. Their most recent New York Festival awards are the Silver Medal for Television Documentary ("I-Witness") and the Bronze Medal for Best News Magazine Program ("Brigada Siete").

Social responsibility as a legacy is nothing new to GMA-7. Jimenez said, "The challenge is to marry entertainment on TV with public service."

And he ended his talk with a Bible verse, "To whom much is given, much is required." "That's where GMA stands," Jimenez said. "Remember that when God gives you much, God will also require much from you--in terms of social responsibility."

if for no other reason than research

2008-02-11T08:18:00.001-08:00

Someone wrote something and something i wrote was one of the sources of it's research. now, if i could only find that thing i wrote. check out footnote 51.

Paulino 1
The Metropolitan Museum of Manila
by Roberto G. Paulino
This essay constructs a partial history of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (MMM;
henceforth, MET). Its narrative is informed by, among other contexts, the relations of the tenant
MET with its neighbor Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and lessor Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP). It considers such cartographic position as symptomatic of the power relations
among institutions and between individuals. Such relations—e.g., of domination, resistance and
negotiation—impregnates the struggle of the MET for space and place in Philippine art history.
Conception
In a memorandum to the CCP President dated 15 September 1976, then First Lady
Imelda R. Marcos instructed the opening of a Metropolitan Museum of Art by October 1976.
According to Mrs. Marcos—chairperson of the CCP Board of Trustees—the Museum
was to be organized by and attached to the CCP “for legal and administrative support.”
However, it was to be “managed by a Museum Director acting under the authority of the Board
of Trustees and the CCP President.”1
In the same memo, Mrs. Marcos—likewise governor of the Metropolitan Manila
Commission—specified that the Museum was to be located at the Armed Forces Museum of the
Central Bank2 in Roxas Boulevard. She declared that the Museum was to be “assisted in every
way possible by the Central Bank of the Philippines with regards building repairs and
maintenance, services and utilities, and the full use of the premises rent-free.”3
Paulino 2
Thus was born the MET in 1976 as a brainchild of Mrs. Marcos, a division of the CCP,
and a subsidy of the Central Bank.
Progenies
It seems, though, that the MET was conceived as part of a tandem.4
On one hand, the MET was originally a fine arts museum for “non-Philippine”5 art. It
was proffered “to broaden our people’s awareness of the cultures of the world and to provide
them with the opportunity of viewing international art in original form.”6
Complementary to this, the Contemporary Art Museum of the Philippines (CAMP)—
another CCP division founded in October 1976—was a venue for “Philippine” visual arts.7
[CAMP was later renamed Museum of the Philippine Art (MOPA) in 1977.]
Propagation
A proliferation of museums, in fact, characterized the 1970s: the Museum of Philippine
Costumes was created also in 1976; the CCP Museum was earlier inaugurated in 1971; the
Central Bank Money Museum was opened in 1974; and an Intramuros Administration museum
was inaugurated in 1979, just to cite some.8 In addition, the Design Center Philippines (DAP)
was created in 1973. All were located at or within the periphery of the Cultural Center complex.
This “drastic change” wherein “museums virtually sprouted in many places” was then
attributed to the “encouragement and support of the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez-
Marcos.”9 The MET was reportedly “part of the cultural development program” of Mrs. Marcos
who was further credited for taking “the decisive step to expand further the traditional role of the
Paulino 3
museum by encouraging active support and participation of the private sector in the
Government’s effort to accelerate the delivery of cultural services to the people.”10
Pro-pa-ganda!
Such “mushrooming of cultural institutions”11 was concurrent—if not complicit—with
the so-called construction boom of the 1970s. Between 1972 and 1977, the Bagong Lipunan
(“New Society”) of President Ferdinand E. Marcos claimed to have invested over P19 billion in
infrastructures.12 In addition, tourism and international promotions instantiated beautification
programs.13
To wit: the 10,000-seat arena Folk Arts Theater was devised in a mere 77 days to host the
1974 Miss Universe Pageant. “Designer hospitals” such as the Philippine Heart Center for Asia,
the Lung Center, Kidney Center, Eye Center, and the Lungsod ng Kabataan or Children’s
Hospital were erected. White concrete walls, among others, were constructed to conceal squatter
communities living along the highways.
Styled as the “City of Man,” Manila was promoted as a “Convention City.” The 1976
International Monetary Fund-World Bank Conference held October 1976 in Manila gave rise to
the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) and the Philippine Center for
International Trade and Expositions (PHILCITE). It also served as impetus for fast-tracking as
many as 18 luxury hotels.14
Although the “Conference itself was not a cultural gathering but an economic one, as we
all know,” it was engineered with happenings. The Kulay ng Anyo ng Lahi public art project was
launched in conjunction with the Manila Arts Festival—which in turn coincided with the
conference. Works of contemporary Filipino painters were reproduced large scale in the exterior
Paulino 4
walls of buildings and even water tanks. The National Museum displayed Egyptian and Chinese
antiquities.15 The CCP Museum Department organized an exhibit of Philippine contemporary art
at the former Elk’s Club building appropriated from the Manila government.16 And at the former
Army Forces Museum, the MET mounted its inaugural exhibit from 04 October 1976 to 06
November 1976.17
The Private as Privileged and Confidential
Three years after its establishment, the MET was incorporated into a foundation known
as the Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc. (MMMFI). The latter was registered
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 24 September 1979. This officially
changed the status of the MET to “an independent, private, non-sectarian, non-political and nonprofit
cultural foundation.”18
The founding members of the foundation were prominent government officials and
businessmen: First Lady Mrs. Marcos, chairperson; Mr. Bienvenido R. Tantoco, Sr., acting
president; Central Bank governor Gregorio S. Licaros, Sr., treasurer; Ambassador Jose Soriano;
Roman Cruz, Jr.; Alfonso Yuchengco; and Lucio Tan. It had a capital fund of P12.7 million.19
Its official objectives were threefold:
(1) To promote, develop and enhance the cultural awareness of the general public
through the presentation of various works of art;
(2) To disseminate and exchange museum information with the general public;
(3) To promote and/or undertake studies of research that will in any manner
achieve the primary purpose of this foundation.20
The agenda for the privatization of the MET has been tenuous. According to a later
MET self-profile, the foundation simply “was created to carry on the tasks of its earlier
namesake.”21 In another account, the incorporation of the museum into a foundation was “to try
Paulino 5
and drum up support from the private sector.”22 It appears, however, that the dichotomy between
private and public spheres had not always been mutually exclusive:
. . . In the case of the Metropolitan, this meant going back to the rationale behind
the establishment of the Foundation: at once private but still partly governmentrelated.
It is a structure similar to the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Or to the
new Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas whose Monetary Board is composed of people
from the private sector with nominees from the government sector. That was the
reason former first lady Imelda Marcos was chairperson of Metropolitan. 23
It has been suspected that such scheme legitimized contributions to the projects of Mrs. Marcos:
. . . The MMM was created as a “private” foundation by Imelda Marcos.
The [sic, That] was back in 1979, when she was still First Lady and nobody could
say “no” to her. Those were the happy days when she was still the country’s most
important patron of the arts—plus designer clothes, jewelry and shoes. Dozens
upon dozens of foundations were formed during her time, precisely because this
scheme was the only way for government institutions to justify “donations” to her
projects.24
Seizing the Armed Forces Museum
Even after its privatization, the MET continued to hold office at the Central Bank
complex as stated in the former’s Articles of Incorporation as well as its By-Laws.25 According
to a later MET manuscript dated September 1986: “The Central Bank provides the building rentfree
for the use of the Metropolitan Museum per initial agreement with the Cultural Center.”
Also, “[t]he Central Bank is in charge of all major repairs on the airconditioning system,
architectural defects such as leaks on roofs and walls. All major electrical repairs are shouldered
by the Bank.” On the other hand, “[t]he Museum takes care of minor plumbing and electrical
repairs, the construction of walls and partitions (wooden) for exhibition purposes and painting of
interior.”26
Paulino 6
Nevertheless, the MET “was shocked to discover in 1986 that it lacked documents
protecting space arrangements and utility subsidies arranged presumably by art patron Imelda
Marcos.”27 A legalizing Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) did not seem to exist. It simply
appeared that “[d]uring [Arturo] Luz’s time [as director from 1976 to1986], the rent and utilities
were completely subsidized by the Central Bank, probably because of Mrs. Marcos’ influence.”28
Luz Connections
Visual artist Arturo Luz was appointed director of the MET in 1976. He was then, also,
owner-director of the Luz Gallery,29 among others. “In the seventies . . . [Luz] actually became
the de facto Art Czar when he took over several positions.”30 He simultaneously held the
following titles: executive director, DCP (1973-1987); director, MET (1976-1986); and director,
MOPA (1977-1985).
Although it seems it was Mrs. Marcos who appointed him in all three positions and that
he was “put in charge, rather reluctantly,”31 Luz denied that she interfered in his programs.32 He
also maintained that “for 10 years I brought major, foreign exhibitions to the Metropolitan at no
cost to the government!”33
From October 1976 to August 1986, the MET mounted 109 exhibitions. (They accepted
76 exhibits of which 33 were later reshown.) The first 23 were held when the MET was still
under the CCP administration (1976-1979). In the MET’s classification of exhibits by source or
origin, the most numerous shows came from the United States and the former German Federal
Republic with 17 each. France and the former USSR followed with five each. Hence, majority
of the shows accepted then (62 of 76 or 82%) were of North American and European origin.
There were only seven shows from Asia (including two from the Philippines), four from South
Paulino 7
America and three from Australia and New Zealand. Paintings and photographs were the most
numerous artforms displayed.34
A highlight for Luz was the 1982 exhibition on Paul Klee. “More than just a curatorial
coup, the show was an emotional encounter. To his country Luz finally succeeded in introducing
the works of Klee.”35
Conferring Culture
Recounting his first four years as a gallery owner, Luz once wrote:
Actually, my principal reason was simply to provide art with the setting
and importance it deserves. Bad paintings deserve obscurity, but paintings that
deserve to be shown must be shown well. Surprisingly, virtually all other
galleries in Manila ignor [sic, ignore] this obvious truth.
More obvious though less popular is my notion that galleries have to be
dictatorial in matters of taste and quality. . . . The point is that galleries have
certain functions and responsibilities other than to make profit. . . . Above all, it
should mold taste and exercise a certain degree of critical judgment. It must
continually seek and show only what is tasteful; meaningful and genuine. Only
then can it fulfill its most basic and most significant function.36
Such sensibilities have since been offered to account for the artistic integrity of the Luz
Gallery,37 a reputation likewise later appropriated by the MET.38
However, these sensibilities also seem to assume a concept of culture as something
urbane—i.e., referring to “a desirable quality we can acquire by attending a sufficient number of
plays and concerts and visiting art museums and galleries.”39 The museum is seen as a conferrer
of “high” culture40 and a signifier of civilization. Hence, when the Central Bank reportedly
planned to evict the MET in 1993, Luz remarked, “If you close the Metropolitan now, we might
as well go back to the barbaric ‘50s.”41
Arts of the State as State of the Arts
Paulino 8
The discourse thus far is consistent with the notion that “polices implemented by the
Marcos administration were especially crucial to the directions taken by Philippine contemporary
art in the 1970s through the early 1980s.”42 Others have further argued that the CCP and the
MOPA engendered programs valorizing the so-called “high arts” and the modernist dictum.43
Hence, privileged members of this art world more than partially defined the arts of the period.
The altruistic role of Mrs. Marcos in Philippine art, moreover, has been contested, if not
rewritten, especially since the February 1986 EDSA Revolution. Revisionist histories
problematized the nature and publics (read, audience) of her patronage. A few initial post-EDSA
accounts on the MET plainly excluded her from the historical discourse.44 Some contended the
1970s as a “glorious time . . . when patronage flourished” but remained silent on her
interventions.45 Others diagnosed the state-sponsored building spree as a symptom of Mrs.
Marcos’s edifice complex. Moreover, her beautification projects and “civilizing museum
rituals” were unmasked as part of a national agenda for trade, tourism and diplomacy. Strategies
of imag(in)ing a flourishing and united New Society to the international community were laid
bare.46
Similarly, the museum audience—also referred to as ‘people’ in the 1976 CCP memo
creating the MET—was revealed not as a homogenous Filipino mass but a dominant minority
with rarefied definitions of art. (In the CCP and MOPA, “[p]rograms and activities excluded the
general public whose needs and experiences differed from the preferences of the privileged elite
they espoused. Hence, education programs further enhanced the hierarchy among the arts and
the audiences.”47) Hegemonic social institutions were engaged to project and naturalize state
ideology. Philippine art, like Filipino identity and nation, was essentialized and (mis)represented
Paulino 9
as sharing a common culture, repressing differences in class, gender, ethnicity, religion, among
others.48
‘Art for All’
In September 1986, seven months into the Aquino administration that toppled the Marcos
regime, the MET acquired a new board of trustees. The latter “voted to expand the Museum’s
role to incorporate Philippine art, . . .”49 It was envisioned that effective January 1988, there will
always be an exhibit of Philippine art within the MET at any one time.50 Cognizant of the elitist
reputation of museums in general, the MET adopted the motto ‘Art for All’ to embody a more
populist thrust.51
The museum objectives were revised accordingly:
(1) To encourage the appreciation of aesthetics as practical applicable discipline
for stimulating environmental awareness, civics, cultural curiosity and
appreciation of beauty in everyday life;
(2) To expand museum viewership;
(3) To acquire for Philippine viewers art references from around the world and
thereby uplift aesthetic standards in the country; and
(4) To upgrade professional museum services and administration.52
The First National Juan Luna / Felix Resurrección Hidalgo Commemorative Exhibit held
June 1988 inaugurated the new Philippine art program of the MET. The exhibit featured the
MET’s “bilingual, didactic approach” wherein art was used in teaching cultural values, among
others.53 Instructional materials such as signages, guide notes, teacher’s museum assistants and,
occasionally, monographs, were written in both Filipino and English.
In 1988, the visitor traffic reached 188,409. This figure was a 500% increase from the
annual average of 37,261 from 1977-1986. Seventy percent of the visitors were students, a
complete reversal to the 1977 profile.54
Paulino 10
Paradign Shift: From White Cube to Brown Banig
Mrs. Felice Sta. Maria, MET president from 1986-1993, developed the conceptual
framework “Banig [Mat] Level Approach.” It was an attempt to contextualize—to
“Philippinize”—the western museum model. The latter had been likened to a white cube marked
by white walls, academic labels, fluid space, and strict silence. However, it was again averred:
For Philippine museums, adherence to the Western museum paradigm led to an
isolationist image, incomprehensible texts, and ineffective programs—a total
museological dysfunction. . . . It dampened the raison d’être of museums as
cultural and educational institutions for the general public.55
In its place, the MET experimented with “non-conventional variables . . . to establish the profile
and psyche of the Filipino museum audience.” For instance,
Because of the Filipino’s affinity with colours, the white walls were occasionally
turned pink. The academic labels were formulated into poetic thought pockets,
trite but high impact. The fluid space had to be filled with more materials to
satiate the Filipino’s erratic attention span. Strict silence suddenly gave into
piped-in music from the classics to modern harmony with exhibition theme.56
Purportedly,
When Luz was director, the museum was “like a picture frame.” There were no
curatorial impositions placed on the pre-packaged exhibits although Luz’s team
was selective about which shows were chosen. However, Felice felt it was the
museum’s responsibility to create exhibits which could communicate to the
viewer—it was unfair to put the burden of understanding art on a public which
didn’t have the tools to grasp it in the first place.”57
Though best remembered for popularizing the bilingual exhibition notes,58 Sta. Maria
clarified that the former was just a means to the educational reorientation of the MET.59 Her
goal was to position the MET as a non-formal space for continuing learning and value
formation.60 The MET also developed outreach programs including a museum apprenticeship
program for students, a volunteer program for professionals, and traveling exhibits in linkage
Paulino 11
with various agencies such as the Department of Education.61 “If there was anything I achieved
for the MET, it was the desire to be of service to education.” 62
Spatial Contestations
In August 1993, the BSP reportedly planned to evict the MET from the bank premises
and to sell its arts collection.63 The 1991 Commission of Audit (COA) Report referring to
entities receiving substantial subsidy from the Central Bank was cited.64 Attention was called to
the (illegal) use of use of government property and money for private purposes.65 Ergo, the
MET—a private foundation operating inside the BSP premises—cannot be entitled to full
government subsidy.66 (It was revealed that the MET had hitherto enjoyed virtually “full subsidy
. . . since its founding at the time Mrs. Imelda Marcos was First Lady.”67 An estimate of the
subsidy in terms of foregone rental, electrical expenditures and water consumption since 1979
amounted to P59.3 million.)
During the Sta. Maria presidency, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) had already
been drafted by the MET itself. The contract stipulated a P5.3 million annual service fee by the
MET on the BSP for curatorial and visitor handling of the latter’s art collections. (The BSP
deputy governor Andre Navato as well as governor Gabriel Singson later remarked that the
amount was “obviously overvalued . . . but conveniently made equal to the computed value of
rentals at current rates.”68) The MOA also included a provision wherein the MET would pay for
its own electricity, water, telephone, garbage and janitorial service. In effect, the MET would
continue to be rent-free in exchange for curatorial services. However, it would now have to pay
for its own maintenance and upkeep. The MOA was approved by the Monetary Board on 03
December 1992.69
Paulino 12
However Rita Ledesma, who assumed the MET presidency in February 1993, 70 refused
to sign the agreement because she found it “incomplete.” She clarified that she was ready to pay
for the utilities but questioned the value-added tax (VAT) of P0.5 million, which is 10% of the
P5.3 million curatorial fee. Instead, she suggested an agreement “without figures.”71
MOPA Reprised
Ledesma recalled how a similar fate befell the MOPA. “When no one was looking, the
MOPA was evicted. I’m not gonna wait for my eviction paper. . . . We are fighting for our
cultural heritage.”72 Several art groups and various individuals condemned possibly “the major
cultural demolition feat of the People Empowerment Era.”73 The new BSP was even
editorialized as “barbaric” and “philistine.”74
It has been pointed out, however, that the main issue—“whether it’s right for the Bangko
Sentral to subsidize a private foundation or, conversely, for a private foundation to seek subsidy
from the Bank”—got conflated.
The real thing is, we cannot expect the bending of rules, the forsaking of
law and order, no matter how stupid they may be, all for art’s sake. That’s also
barbaric, and it beats the very things we seek from art like values and honor and
love.75
(Regarding the MOPA analogy, it has likewise been noted that “the sudden closure of MOPA in
1986 . . . was primarily due to the illegal occupation of the museum building by the CCP
Administration.76)
The controversy seem to have dissolved when the BSP called a press conference on 03
September categorically denying (1) intention to evict the MET from the bank premises, and (2)
intention to sell the art collection.77 President Ramos likewise intervened and ordered executive
Paulino 13
secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr., First Lady Amelita M. Ramos, and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim
to assist the MET.78
In affirming the space of the MET, the community exalted the latter’s place in Philippine
art. Member galleries of the SM Megamall Artwalk motioned that the MET is “the country’s
premiere visual arts institution.”79 A Philippine Star editorial even remarked that the MET “is
the most prestigious art museum in the country.80
MET-a-morph
The buildings of the MET, as well as the MOPA, “were never designed as art space.”
Nonetheless, they “offered interior halls outfitted for art display.”81 Hence, even though “the
Met, as far as size is concerned, is only an alcove of the Louvre,”82 it and the MOPA “were
larger than anything the country ever had.”83
The relatively spacious area of the MET has transformed it as a main conduit for large
international exhibitions84 and major retrospectives of Filipino artists.85 The stature of such
exhibitions and the prestige of a non-revenue museum86 have likewise enhanced the position of
the MET.
As had been specified by Mrs. Marcos, the MET building was to be located at the former
Armed Forces Museum building of the BSP in Roxas Boulevard. “The austere architecture of
this mini-Fort-Knox-by-the-Bay” was inspired by the San Antonio Abad, a small colonial
Spanish stone fort—likewise within BSP premises.87 Its dark windowless walls also seem to
contrast with the pale IBM-computer-punch-card-inspired-façade of the BSP tower looming
behind it.88 Its massiveness betrays its original function as a military museum supposedly built
“to carry the weight of suspended tanks and jeeps!”89
Paulino 14
‘And They Came from Afar’
A new(ly renovated) MET was inaugurated by President Fidel Ramos and Jaime Cardinal
Sin in 03 November 1994 on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition, “… And They Will
Come from Afar”: 2000 Years of the Vatican Treasures.
Through the initiatives of Board Chairman, Senate President Edgardo J. Angara90 and
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Vicente Carlos, among others, the MET completed a
major renovation and expansion programme. DOT agreed91 to finance the P12 million, threemonth
project that increased the exhibit space by 25%. Architect Lor Calma added galleries on
the upper level, a feng shui correct central spiral staircase, and standard museum requirements,
such as dehumidifiers and security devices. The lighting and air conditioning were also
improved.92
Dovetailed with the official visit of Pope John Paul II and the World Youth Day
celebration in January 1995, the Vatican Treasures exhibited more than 200 artworks principally
from the Vatican Museum.93 About 140,000 visitors came to view the exhibition.94
Life After the Vatican: ‘Dead, Dying and National Artists’
After the international Vatican Treasures exhibition, the MET begun and ended 1995
with retrospectives of Filipino modernist Arturo Luz and J. Elizalde Navarro.95 (Solo shows of
Nena Saguil and Malang followed in 1996 and 1997, respectively.96) In addition, three galleries
at the upper level of the MET were named and formally opened in April 1995 in honor of senior
patrons Lor Calma, Arturo Luz and Anita Magsaysay Ho. These developments resurrected
concerns that museums are purveyors of hegemonic state ideology and vested group interests.
Paulino 15
Regarding the selection of artists for exhibitions at the MET, then director Corazon Alvina
addressed the issue as thus:
“Let’s put it this way—dead, dying or a national artist or a candidate for national
artist but always of excellence. It must be a senior artist if it is a solo show. . . . It
is very seldom that we ask solo artists to come in.”97
[Nonetheless, Alvina is particularly proud of the thematic “Ako” exhibit (1995) featuring selfportraits
of Filipino artists. According to her, “Ako” was a signal show for the Met, proof that
they no longer just concentrated on “dead, dying, or national artists.”98 Ditto for 1998 centennial
exhibition “Alab ng Puso.”]
The Galeriya Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas was also formally opened in July 1995.99
Located at the former Long Gallery of the MET, the Galeriya is a gallery exclusively for the
BSP art collection.100 This actualizes an earlier proposal of transforming the MET as ‘Home of
the Central Bank art collection’ like how the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art curates the
Rockefeller Collection.101
Likewise, “The CCP at the MET” (1996) exhibition was construed as a symbiotic
relationship between institutions. The ample spaces of the MET enabled it to display selections
from the CCP visual arts collection which merged the collections of the CCP Museum
Department and the MOPA.102
‘Pre-Colonial’ and Contemporary
The BSP pre-colonial gold jewelry and pottery collection were unveiled at the lower level
galleries in October 1996. Another grant from the DOT then under Secretary Mina Gabor
enabled the construction of the permanent exhibition space again designed by Lor Calma.
President Fidel V. Ramos inaugurated the galleries in time for the APEC Conference.103
Paulino 16
The MET collection of contemporary Philippine art was introduced in August 1996.
Originally a museum for non-Philippine art in 1976, the MET only began soliciting donations of
Philippine art in 1995. By its 20th anniversary, the MET had acquired 45 pieces.104 Alvina
disclosed, “I thought it was about time we had our own collection of Philippine art and since we
had no acquisition funds and couldn’t compete with big collections with works by Edades and
Manansala, we went for the younger generation . . .”105
Confluence: Art, Community and Development
In October 2001, Victorino M. Manalo assumed the post of director of the MET. Given
the problem of funding106 among others, he wrestles in defining the role and relevance of the
museum in a developing society. Whereas museums are traditionally perceived as a treasure
house, Manalo attempts to transform it as a channel for community issues.107 “Since we’re
metropolitan, from the term metropolis, I thought it would be a good way to push our idea of art
for all by showing the art of all.”108
A four-year program with the theme “Sining at Pamayanan” or “Art and Community”
has been instituted.109 Exhibits like “Quiapo: The Arts of a City District” aim to focus not only
the arts (of a city or community) but also urban issues (involving arts and community), such as
water and overpopulation. Art is tapped as a resource/insight to such issues and problems, thus
revitalizing the museum as useful to a broader audience.110
Furthermore, Manalo conceptualizes a fluid connection between art and development.
“One of the negations that must be corrected is the notion that arts and culture are separate from
economic development. Until we make that connection, it will be difficult to make our
Paulino 17
development sustainable.” That is, not only is art possible after development, but art makes
possible development.111
Germinal ideas were evident during the 1993 museum congress in Intramuros with the
theme “Museums and Their Communities.” Manalo illustrated then how a symbiotic
relationship between art and community enabled an artform to survive the modern era. He
stressed the supportiveness of people when they see the role of art in their lives.112
A History of Its Building, a Building of Its History
A study of the museum as an institution traditionally involves a history of the building it
inhabits. The museum, of course, is not reduced to a building. (The whole world is potentially a
museum.) A building is just seemingly a convenient place for an art community to meet. In
time, this building may be humanized. From a house for artworks, it becomes—pun aside—a
home where the art is. Thus, the building is sometimes correlated with the museum. Hardly
neutral, it is value-laden because it concretizes and reproduces otherwise intangible ideologies.
The building space and the museum place shape and are shaped by social forces in history.
Histories are built as buildings are historicized.
It has been remarked that a fundamental meaning of the word ‘church’ is a “group of
believers,” although it is frequently used to mean “a place of worship.” “The Western sanctuary
approach . . . continues in the modern art gallery; inside the white cube is isolated, elevated to the
position of ritualistic offering, and made ready for contemplation as a divine creation.”113 A
social history of the MET attempts to recuperate the concept of museum from a building and its
collections to people and environment. Manalo once pointed out then how the fiesta can be a
guiding image for museology in the country.114 He cited Angono wherein the fiesta is a vibrant
Paulino 18
image of itself without a permanent building. “Maybe it is time that we stop getting bogged
down with the museological function based on a building but rather as a tanghalan, a celebration
of objects and process, . . .”115
The changing role of the MET in history from, among others, a so-called high temple for
privileged contemplation to a tanghalan for community celebration exhibits the transformative
value of art as overdetermined by various forces in society.
Paulino 19
Endnotes
1 Further, the museum was to be provided with a separate annual budget. She underscored the CCP “to
advance funds for operation or any other project of the Museum, to be reimbursed from the Museum’s funds when
available.” Imelda Romualdez Marcos, Manila, to the CCP President, Manila, 15 September 1976, TDS,
photocopied in “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986” (Manila: Metropolitan
Museum of Manila, 1986?), n.p.
2 The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) was known as the Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP) until its
restructuring in 1986.
3 Marcos, n.p..
4 Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” The Philippine Star, 24 Nov 1991, reprinted in A Cultural
Worker’s First Manual: Essays in Appreciating the Everyday (Manila: Anvil, 2001), 5 (page citation is to the reprint
edition).
5 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” First National Juan Luna and Felix Resurrección Hidalgo
Commemorative Exhibition ([Manila]: Metropolitan Museum of Manila, 1988), 263; and Sta. Maria, “Art for All,”
5. Artworks initially exhibited at the MET have also been labeled as ‘foreign,’ ‘western,’ ‘international,’ and
‘world’ among others. Rita Ledesma, [“Museums and Urban Communities,”] in Museums and their Communities:
Third Annual Museums' Congress, 1993, proceedings of a conference held 06-09 October 1993 at the Sala Filipina
in Intramuros, Manila (Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the NCCA Committee
of Museums (NCOM), 1994), 113; and Francisca F. Caberoy, and Jovita M. Napao, Directory of Museums in the
Philippines, edited by Rosario B. Tantoco (Manila: National Museum, 1984), 30; Corazon S. Alvina, “The
Metropolitan Museum of Manila: Exhibitions and Education Programmes,” [photocopied TDS] (Manila: MET,
1998), [1]; and Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Profile of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila [photocopied TD]
(Manila: MET, 1988?], n.p.; to cite some.
6 Marcos, n.p.
7 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 263; Directory of Museums in Metro Manila (Manila:
National Museum, 1981), 20; and Caberoy and Napao, 41.
8 Directory of Museums in Metro Manila, 6, 8, & 21; and Caberoy and Napao, 18, 23-24, 42. The 1981
directory of Metro-Manila museums published by the National Museum noted that “until a decade ago, there was
such a dearth in museums in Metropolitan Manila that the need to publish a directory was deemed unnecessary.”
Alfredo E. Evangelista, foreword of Directory of Museums in Metro Manila, n.p.
9 Evangelista, n.p.
10 Directory of Museums in Metro Manila, 12 & 20; and Caberoy and Napao, 30 & 41.
11 MET, “The CCP at the MET,” guidenotes to the exhibition [Manila; MET, 1996], n.p.
12 National Media Production Center (NMPC), The Marcos Revolution: A Progress Report on the New
Society of the Philippines (Manila: NMPC, 1980), 169, quoted in Gerard Rey A. Lico, “On this Site Will Rise:
Nation-building and Marcosian Architecture,” in Arkitekturang Filipino: Spaces & Places in History [CD-ROM]
(Manila: Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, 1992), 7; and Lico, Edifice Complex: Power, Myth,
and Marcos State Architecture (Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2003), 52.
13 Maria Victoria T. Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts: The Cultural Center of the
Philippines and the Museum of Modern Art, from 1969 to 1985,” M.A. thesis, University of the Philippines, 1994,
62; and Herrera, “The Marcos Years: Creating a Cultural Center for the Public, or Public Support for the Cultural
Center,” in Art Studies Journal 2, no. 1 (Dec 1994): 21.
14 Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” 61; Herrera, “The Marcos Years,” 21; Lico, “On this
Site Will Rise,” 9-10; and Lico, Edifice Complex, 52-53.
15 Leonidas V. Benesa, “The Kulay Anyo: Art for the Public,” Archipelago, A-64, Feb 1980; reprinted in
What is Philippine Art? And Other Essays (Manila: Pambansang Komisyon para sa Kultura at mga Sining, 2000),
13; noted by Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” 62; and Herrera, “The Marcos Years,” 21.
16 Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” 86.
17 Accounts of the self-titled “Inaugural Exhibition” vary. Cf. Benesa, 13; Eric Torres, “There’s More than
Money in the Central Bank,” “A Way of Seeing” column, Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 27 Jan 1991, 18; Anna M.
Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” Philippine Starweek, 11 Feb 1996, 5; “The Metropolitan Museum
of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986,” 6; and Lico, Edifice Complex, 54-55. Note the omission of Armand
Hammer in one account; and of the Brooklyn Museum in another.
Paulino 20
18 Ismael J. Andres, “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc. Modus Operandi,” TDS,
photocopied in “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986” (Manila: Metropolitan
Museum of Manila, 1986?), n.p.; and “By-Laws of Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.” TDS,
photocopied in “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986” (Manila: Metropolitan
Museum of Manila, 1986?), n.p.
19 Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 6-7.
20 “Articles of Incorporation of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc,” TDS, photocopied in
“The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986” (Manila: Metropolitan Museum of
Manila, 1986?), n.p. Also in Andres, n.p.
21 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 263. Such rationale has since been reproduced in other
publications such as “Metropolitan Museum of Manila,” Philippine Journal of Education 68, no. 5 (Oct 1989): 238.
22 Angara, “This Is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
23 Rod. Paras-Perez, “Metropolitan Museum: The Road Ahead,” Sunday Chronicle, 12 Sept 1993, 21.
24 Conrado R. Banal, III, “Portrait of the Bank as Artists’ Foe,” “Breaktime” column, Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 03 Sept 1993, 18.
25 “Articles of Incorporation of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc,” n.p. “By-Laws of
Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.” n.p.
26 Moreover: “The Central Bank also provides the maintenance of the outdoor premises. We are also
allowed to borrow stackable chairs from the Bank for our programs. The Fort San Antonio Abad is also made
available to the Museum for reception and presentations.” “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.:
September 1986,” n.p.
27 Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 6. Quoted in Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
28 Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
29 The Luz Gallery (1960-2002) is reputedly “considered by most artists as the first truly professional art
gallery in the country.” Cid Reyes, Conversations on Philippine Art (Manila: Sentrong Pangkultura ng Pilipinas,
1989), 183. Also, “[t]o this day, despite the proliferation of many commercial galleries, the [Luz] gallery remains
the preeminent showcase of Philippine art.” Cid Reyes, Arturo Luz ([Makati City]: Ayala Foundation and the
Crucible for Globe Telecom, 1999), 31.
30 Virgilio Aviado, “The Luz Gallery: 1960-2002,” Art Manila Newspaper, vol. III, no. 11 (2002), 5. Also,
Luz was “the premier tastemaker of the ‘60s and ‘70s.” Rod. Paras-Perez, “In Luz, Less is More,” Philippine Daily
Inquirer, 27 Nov 1994, C1.
31 Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 4.
32 To wit: “When asked if Imelda Marcos ever interfered with his program, Luz said, ‘No.’” Sta. Maria,
“Art for All,” 5.
33 Rod. Paras-Perez, “Bangko Sentral to Boot Out Metropolitan Museum,” Sunday Chronicle, 29 Aug
1993, 22. Cf. Angara, “This Is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
34 “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila Foundation, Inc.: September 1986,” 6-23. Other sources list
different figures. Cf. Ledesma, 113; and Talitha Espiritu, “Rita at the Helm,” Manila Chronicle, 07 Mar 1993, 23.
35 Reyes, Arturo Luz, 51. Also, Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
36 Arturo Rogerio Luz, “Random Observations by a Former Gallery Owner,” (N.p.: 1964?), 26, emphasis
mine; partially quoted in Reyes, Arturo Luz, 31.
37 Reyes, Arturo Luz, 31; Aviado, 5; and Talitha Espiritu, “The Galleries in the Manila Art Scene,” in Asian
Art News Supplement: The Philippines, Sept-Oct 1993, 20; to cite some.
38 To wit: “I would like to acknowledge the superlative leadership of my predecessors, Arturo Luz and
Felice Sta. Maria, who set the foundations for the artistic and educational excellence that are still our hallmarks
today.” Ledesma, 113. Also: “Ms. Alvina then elaborates on what excellence means, ‘It means good. There’s
integrity, not too commercial. . . ’” Karen Sibayan, “Metropolitan Museum: Preserving Standards of Excellence,”
Philippine Art Bulletin, 12 June-12 July 1996, 6. Further: “Corazon S. Alvina, . . . president of the Metropolitan
Museum [1998-2001] remarks, ‘Luz trained a core of museum workers in exhibition techniques. Subsequent
developments in curatorship for fine arts museums have been built on the foundation Luz established at a time when
art museums were only beginning to emerge in the Philippines. The Met still uses Luz’s standards as its measuring
stick in exhibition choices and designs.’” Reyes, Arturo Luz, 52.
39 Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember, and Peter N. Peregine, Anthropology (New Jersey: Pearson Education,
Inc.; reprint, Singapore: Pearson Education Asia Pte Ltd,), 217 (page citation is to the reprint edition).
Paulino 21
40 Sta. Maria, “The User-Friendly Approach: Challenge for Metro-Manilan Fine Arts Museums,” in
Reading Material in Museum, proceedings of seminar-workshop held 01-05 Oct 1990, 4.
41 Paras-Perez, “Bangko Sentral to Boot Out Metropolitan Museum,” 22.
42 Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” v.
43 Flaudette May V. Datuin, “Imaging/Restaging Modernity: Philippine Modernism in An/Other Light,” in
Perspectives on the Vargas Museum Collection: An Art Historical and Museological Approach (Quezon City:
Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters and the Jorge Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research
Center, 1998), 54-55; and Herrera, [“Discussion”], in Perspectives on the Vargas Museum Collection: An Art
Historical and Museological Approach (Quezon City: Department of Art Studies, College of Arts and Letters and
the Jorge Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center, 1998), 60-61.
44 Cf. “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 263; and Regalado Trota Jose, A Guidebook to the
Museums of Metro Manila [Manila]: Presidential Commission on Culture and Arts, 1988, 51.
45 Cf. Ledesma, 113. In the same manner, the creation of the CCP, MOMA and MET were simply ascribed
as “perhaps in response to the need to preserve and increase awareness of the country’s artistic heritage.” “The CCP
at the MET,” n.p.
46 Alice G. Guillermo, “Philippine Art: From 1900 to the Present,” Art and Society, managing editor Patrick
D. Flores (Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 1997), 301-302; reprinted in the Filipiniana Reader: A
Companion Anthology of Filipiniana Online, edited by Priscelina Patajo-Legasto (Quezon Ciy: OASIS, University
of the Philippines Open University, 1998), 276-277; Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” 60-66;
Herrera, “The Marcos Years,” 18-23; Lico, “On this Site Will Rise,” 7-12; and Lico, Edifice Complex, 51-55.
47 Herrera, “Government Support for the Visual Arts,” v. Moreover, Sta. Maria asserted that “[t]he Marcos
government clearly shaped its national vision knowing the role of culture, but its cultural legacy failed because it
was not designed to last beyond the Marcos regime; it was dependent on politics and personalities. It may also be
the greatest failure was its cultural policy which aimed to ‘bring culture to the masses,’ rather than catalyze a
‘culture of the people.’ The public and a majority of policy makers became indifferent to culture. In its 21 years
(1965-1986), the Marcos regime did not communicate that cultural action is dynamic civic action.” Art for All,” 8.
48 Priscelina Patajo-Legasto, “What is Filipino?” introduction of Filipiniana Reader: A Companion
Anthology of Filipiniana Online, edited by (Quezon Ciy: OASIS, University of the Philippines Open University,
1998), xv-xvii; and Ana P. Labrador, “A Most Unfashionable Frill,” Art and Asia Pacific 1, no. 1 (Dec 1993): 54-
55.
49 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 263. The closure of the MOPA in 1986 has also been cited as
another motivating factor for the expanded role of the MET. Honasan, 4.
50 A Profile of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, n.p.; and Jose, 53. Furthermore, a Philippine reference
was immediately included in non-Philippine exhibitions. Fact Sheet, n.p. Cf. Alvina, quoted in Sibayan, 6. For
example, Hercules Seghers is introduced as “having worked in the time the walls of Intramuros were built.” Sta.
Maria, “Museum Problems in the Philippines,” in Seminar on Museum Pedagogic, proceedings of a conference held
23-27 November 1987, n.p. Cf. Eric Cerrudo, quoted in Nilo P.Rosales, “The State of Philippine Museums: The
Metropolitan Museum of Manila: Synthesizing Foreign and Local Art,” Pilipino Reporter Magasin, 20 Mar 1994,
15 & 29. By 1996, the 30:70 ratio of Philippine: Non-Philippine ratio in exhibitions had been reversed. Honasan, 4;
and Alvina, “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila: Exhibitions and Education Programmes,” [1].
51 Mona S. Gonzalez, “Art for All,” Philippine Starweek, 11 Nov 1990, 6. Cf. Alvina, quoted in Martel, L-
1; and Alvina, quoted in Honasan, 5. The MET also attempted to rephrase their program “by no longer speaking of
art per se, because generally it is misdefined in the Philippines.” Instead, they speak of ‘aesthetic discipline’as their
field of concern. Felice Sta. Maria, “Museum Problems in the Philippines,” n.p. The logo was likewise redesigned.
Profile of the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, n.p.
52 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 263-264. More specific objectives are listed in Metropolitan
Museum of Manila, Fact Sheet [photocopied TD] (Manila: MET, 1988?], n.p.,
53 “Metropolitan Museum of Manila Profile,” 2 & 263-264; and Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made
Of,” 5; to cite a few.
54 The total audience attendance for 1987 was 97,146. [Felice Sta. Maria], President’s Annual Report
1988: A Report to the Board of Trustees (Manila: MET, 1988), n.p. Cf. Sta. Maria, “The User-Friendly Approach,”
4; and Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 7. Attendance in 1989 declined to 138,121 due to the 6-month construction of the
museum’s basement, the general strikes by public school teachers in July, the typhoons and brownouts, and the
December 1 coup d’etat. Attendance in 1990 was 141,182 because of the closure of the MET for energy saving
program, the exploratory talks on US Bases, the 4-day a week work program, the Welgang Bayan, and the
Paulino 22
brownouts. Attendance increased to 196,977 in 1991. [Felice Sta. Maria], President’s Annual Report (Manila:
MET, 1991-92), n.p.
Since the majority of its audience were young students, the MET wrote in simple and basic language.
Alvina, “Critics and (the Museum) Audience, in Art Criticism Workshop: Writing in Context, Context in Writing
(Manila: NCCA, 1998), 15. See First National Juan Luna and Felix Resurrección Hidalgo Commemorative
Exhibition, 263 for the so-called styling.
Further, the Museum security guards were held as role models and were familiarized with the exhibitions as
well. Fact Sheet, n.p.; Espiritu, “Rita at the Helm,” 23; and Sta. Maria, telephone interview by Roberto G. Paulino,
23 Jan 2003.
55 Eric B. Zerrudo, “From the White Cube to the Brown Mat,” Asian Art News Supplement: The
Philippines, Sept-Oct 1993, 12. Cf. Sta. Maria, “The User Friendly Approach,” 5-6; and Sta. Maria, “The User-
Friendly Approach,” 5.
56 Zerrudo, 12. Sta. Maria observed that many children felt the museum was like a mausoleum. Hence,
background music was introduced, even though she personally couldn’t stand music while working. Felice Sta.
Maria, telephone interview by Roberto G. Paulino, 23 Jan 2003. These unconventional methods were not always
well-received. For instance, “[t]he Met got a lot of flak for putting up too many signs and labels which were deemed
distracting. But at least, Felice counters, it got people reading.” Angara, “This Is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
57 Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5. Cf. Honasan, 4.
58 Several workshops were facilitated by the MET including a museum exhibition design seminarworkshop
held 01-05 October 1990 and a museum labeling seminar-workshop held 10-12 October 1991.
59 Sta. Maria, telephone interview by Roberto G. Paulino, 23 Jan 2003.
60 Sta. Maria, “Museum Problems in the Philippines,” n.p.; Felice Sta. Maria, “Educational Considerations
in Designing Museum Exhibits for Filipino Audiences,” in Museum Exhibit Design, proceedings of a seminarworkshop
held 01-05 Oct 1990 (Manila: MET, 1990), n.p.; and Alvina, “Critics and (the Museum) Audience,” 15.
Cf. Alvina, quoted in Sibayan, 6.
61 Fact Sheet, n.p.; “Metropolitan Museum of Manila,” 238; and Monette Sison, “For the Sake of Art: The
Met Now Welcomes Volunteers,” Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 11 Aug 1996, 7. By 1991, the MET staff had
increased to 22 regular and 5 contractual from the 9 and 4 in 1986. Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 7. Many of the MET
staff had been products of the apprenticeship program. Alvina, “The Metropolitan Museum of Manila: Educations
and Education Programmes,” [2]; Kenneth Esguerra, “Annual Report: Exhibitions Department Metropolitan
Museum of Manila,” in President’s Annual Report 2000-2001 (Manila: MET. 2001?), n.p.; and Nelda C. Isuga,
interview by Roberto G. Paulino, MET, Manila, 26 May 2003.
62 Angara, “This is What Museums Are Made Of,” 5.
63 Paras-Perez, “Bangko Sentral to Boot Out Metropolitan Museum,” 21-22.
64 Andre Navato, “CB has been Supportive of the Arts,” Letter, Sunday Chronicle, 05 Sept 1993, 31.
65 Gabriel Singson, “For as Long as I Have Authority over the Assets—Singson,” Sunday Chronicle, 05
Sept 1993, 31.
66 Paras-Perez, “Metropolitan Museum: The Road Ahead,” 21; Lito B. Zulueta, “Singson Vows to Keep
Metropolitan Museum and CB Artworks,” Sunday Chronicle, 05 Sept 1993, 31; Ethel S. Timbol, “CB Governor
Belies Reports on Museum,” Manila Bulletin, 04 Sept 1993, 1 & 8; Ellen Tordesillas, “Malacañang Steps in to Save
Museum,” Malaya, 05 Sept 1993, 2; and Navato, 31.
Moreover, COA had recommended that the BSP dispose of the extraneous investment to help provide
financial relief.” BSP also mentioned that they had been previously criticized by media and Congress for assuming
tasks not related to the bank’s monetary functions. The House of Representatives, in fact, had urged that these nonrelated
assets to central banking be transferred to other agencies such as the National Museum or the Department of
Tourism. Navato, 31.
67 Singson, 31.
68 Navato, 31; Singson, 31. Navato also disclosed an earlier proposal of P8.4 million which “included the
salaries and allowances of their personnel, their equipment and supplies, in short their entire budget.”
69 Singson, 31; Navato, 31.
70 In February 1993, the MMMFI announced the election of Rita Ledesma as trustee and MET president.
Sta. Maria, her predecessor, was appointed vice chair of the board. [Sta. Maria had previously been elected
commissioner for cultural heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in 1992.] Other
members of the board were: Socorro Kalaw, chair; Doris Ho, treasurer, Luis Virata; vice-treasurer; Rafael
Buenaventura; Imelda Cojuangco; Alejandro R. Roces; and Alfonso Yuchengco. “Ledesma is New Met Museum
Paulino 23
President,” Manila Chronicle, 16 Feb 1993, 15; and “Ledesma is New Met Museum Head,” The Philippine Star, 18
Feb 1993, 28.
71 “Why should I pay tax for cash which I did not actually receive?” she asked rhetorically. Singson
retorted, “Your problem is not with us but with the BIR.” Zulueta, 37.
72 Zulueta, 37.
73 “Artists Make a Stand,” Sunday Chronicle, 05 Sept 1993, 31; Paras-Perez, “Bangko Sentral to Boot Out
Metropolitan Museum,” 21; and “Artist React,” 21-22.
74 “Bankers, Bureaucrats and Philistines,” editorial, Manila Chronicle, 30 Aug 1993, n.p.
75 Banal preceded his argument as thus:
. . . The governor is barbaric. The Bank does not understand culture. Money cannot be more
important than the art. Bankers in general are greedy. Art is the answer. In short, the MMM
cannot close down for a stupid reason like lack of money.
Who can disagree to that? . . .
Art is not the issue regarding the MMM. Neither is the issue whether the MMM serves
only the artistic interest of our society’s thin upper class, or it should exert effort to bring art—and
all the joy it brings to the soul—to the lowly masses. Banal, 19.
76 Herrera continued, “The onset of the Aquino administration gave its rightful owners (the Cojuangco
family) a chance to regain control of the property. This was done through the Manila local government. In the
absence of legal documents, the museum’s rights over this property were not pursued. “Government Support for the
Visual Arts,” 87-88.
77 Timbol, 1; Singson, 31; Zulueta, 37; Paras-Perez, Metropolitan Museum: The Road Ahead,” 21;
Tordesillas, 2.
78 Tordesillas, 2. The MET now pays for its air conditioning beyond regular office hours. A MOA is still
under negotiation with the BSP. Nelda C. Isuga, telephone interview by Roberto G. Paulino, MET, 18 June 2003.
79 “Artists Make a Stand,” 31.
80 “Bangko Sentral Support for Culture,” The Philippine Star, editorial, 08 Sept 1993, 10.
81 Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 5.
82 Ruben D.F. Defeo, “Luz After 50 Years,” “View from the Gallery” column, first of a two-part series,
Today, 29 Mar 1995, 20.
83 Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 5.
84 The National Museum (NM) was the original venue for the 1995 Vatican Treasures exhibition which
consisted of 200 artworks. However, the National Museum lacked space since it was then still sharing its building
with the Senate, the Sandiganbayan, the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission and the Office of the Vice-President.
NM director Fr. Gabriel Casal asked Ledesma, “Would you like to do it instead?” Tinna B. Mauricio, “Meet the
New MET,” Philippine Starweek, 30 Oct 1994, 8; cf. Nelson Navarro, “Treasures of the Vatican,” Manila Standard,
14 Oct 1994, 11; Leonor Orosa Goquingco, “Come from Afar: Treasures of the Vatican,” Philippine Graphic, 04
Nov 1994, 25.
In 1996, the spatial advantage of the MET was once more demonstrated in “The CCP at the MET”
exhibition.
85 Cf. [Romulo] Olazo, in “Artists React,” 22.
86 Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 6. The MET does not exhibit art for sale. Fact Sheet, n.p. Sta. Maria, “Art for
All,” 5. “If you exhibit here, you only exhibit and not sell. We’re not a gallery. We’re a museum.” Corazon
Alvina, quoted in Sibayan, 6.
87 Torres, 18. Architect Augusto Villalon once described the MET building exterior as “a monumental,
funerary bunker of a structure” with an “unfriendly exterior.” Augusto F. Villalon, “The Met’s Grand Coup,”
“Think Space” column, Sunday Chronicle, 06 Nov 1994, 28.
88 PPL, “The Met Museum: Mecca for the Arts,” Business Daily, 02 Oct 1998, 15. Gabriel Formoso was
the designer of the BSP building. Ringo Bunoan, Edson Cabalfin, Alice Guillermo, Cora Lamas, and Gerard Lico,
“The Last 50 Years: 1950-1999,” BluPrint 4/6 2001, 86-87.
89 Alya B. Honasan, “A Home Where the Art Is,” Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 08 Sept 1996, 3-5.
90 Press releases of Senate President Angara’s acceptance of the chairmanship of the MET were issued in
March 1994. “Angara New Chairman of Met Board,” Sunday Chronicle, 06 Mar 1994, 33; “Senate Pres. Angara is
Chairman of Metropolitan Museum of Manila,” Manila Bulletin; 11 Mar 1994, SB-1; and “Angara Chairs Met
Board,” Today, 16 Mar 1994, 20.
Paulino 24
91 Another controversy arose when Sec. Carlos initially rejected Sen. Angara and Mrs. Ledesma’s request
that the DOT fund the rehabilitation cost of the MET because it “does not fall under any of our guidelines for social
infrastructure projects.” Alya B. Honasan, “Much Ado Over Museums,” Sunday Chronicle, 01 May 1994, 21;
Museum’s Rehab Funding Assured,” Manila Bulletin, 22 Apr 1994, 1 & 8; B Carlo M. Tadiar, “Why Giotto was a
Bad Artist,” Manila Chronicle[?], 10 May 1994, 15-16; Lindablue F. Romero, “DOT Grants P12M for Met
Renovation,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 19 June 1994, 25; G. May R. Alcalde, “DOT Pledges P12M for Met
Museum Facelift: Vatican Exhibit Set,” Business Star, 20 June 1994, 14; Navarro, 11. Angara was aware of
suggestions that because his position was more powerful than the tourism secretary, the latter had to reverse his
decision. Edgardo J. Angara, “What Has the Senate Done for Culture and the Arts,” Today, 11 May 1994, 19.
92 See Villalon for a technical account of the renovation. See also Mauricio, 7-8; and Goquingco, 23-25.
93 The “Vatican Treasures” is by far the most publicized exhibition of the MET. To wit: Francine Y.
Medina, “Holy Treasures,” Today, 05 Oct 1994, 18; Honasan, “Icons from Afar,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 08 Oct
1994, C-12; “The Word Made Art,” Sunday Chronicle, 09 Oct 1994, 28; Norma Olizon Chikiamco, “Treasures from
the Vatican,” The Philippines Star. 17 Oct 1994, D-2; Rosalinda Orosa, “The Vatican Treasures: The World’s
Patrimony,” Philippine Starweek, 30 Oct 1994, 4-6; “Met Museum Reopens with the Vatican Treasures,” Today, 09
Nov 1994, 19; “Vatican Art Exhibit: A Manifestation of Continuing Faith,” editorial, Manila Bulletin, 10 Nov 1994,
10; Honasan, “How to Appreciate Vatican Art,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 11 Nov 1994, C1-C2; “And the Word
Became … Art,” Manila Chronicle, 13 Nov 1994, 1 & 29; Lorelei de Belen, “Keeping the Faith,” Manila Chronicle,
13 Nov 1994, 29 & 31; Ambeth R. Ocampo, “History and the Vatican Exhibit,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 16 Nov
1994, 9; Manuel L.Quezon, III, “Vatican Warehouse Treasures,” Today, 16 Nov 1994, 8; Corazon S. Alvina, “A
Long Way from the Vatican,” Sunday Inquirer Magazine, 04 Dec 1994, 6-7; Leonor Orosa Goquingco, “Is There
Life After the Vatican Treasures,” The Philippine Star, 10 Dec 1994, D-4.
94 [Rita Ledesma], President’s Report Feb 1994-Feb 1995 (Manila: MET, 1995?), n.p. The Vatican
exhibited ended in Feb 1995. In 1996, despite centennial related activities, the total number of visitors to the MET
“decreased significantly” to 35,473 from 116,093 the previous year. [Lita Ledesma], President’s Annual 1996-1997
(Manila: MET, 1997?), 5. Ledesma observed, “A thousand-and-a-half people come in daily, busloads of students
from the provinces. . . . But it’s two thousand that crowd our shopping malls daily.” Goquingco, “Is There Life After
the Vatican Treasures,” D-4.
95 Lita Ledesma, President’s Annual Report 1995-1996 (Manila: MET, 1996?), 1.
96 “Nena Saguil’s Works at Metropolitan,” [press release], Philippine Daily Inquirer, 22 Apr 1996, D8; and
“Four Decades of Malang at Metropolitan Museum,” [press release], Philippine Daily Inquirer, 13 Oct 1997, E5.
97 Alvina, quoted in Sibayan, 6. Saguil and Elizalde died in 1994 and 1999. Luz and Navarro were later
proclaimed National Artist in 1997 and 1999. Present director Manalo is inclined to accept retrospective exhibitions
of Filipino artists only after they have been proclaimed National Artist. Victorino Manalo, interview by Roberto G.
Paulino, MET, Manila, 09 May 2003.
98 Juaniyo Arcellana, “Art Heals: Touring the Met with Cora Alvina,” Philippine Starweek, 09 Aug 1998,
4-5. Cf. Anna M. Angara, “MET Show a First in the Country,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 30 Aug 1995, C1, C3.
99 President’s Annual Report 1995-1996, 1.
100 See the following for accounts of the BSP arts collection: Emmanuel Torres, Kayamanan: 77 Paintings
from the Central Bank Collection, foreword by Jaime C. Laya (Manila: Central Bank of the Philippines, 1981;
Margie Quimpo-Espino, “Treasures of the Bangko Sentral,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 15 June 1994, 24; [Maria]
Victoria T.Herrera, “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,” Art Manila Newspaper, vol. IV, no. 1, 2003, 4.
101 Cf. Sta. Maria, “Art for All,” 7.
102 Jeannie E. Javelosa, “CCP at the Met and its Fate Thereafter,” Manila Chronicle, 18 July 1996, 20; and
“The CCP at the MET,” n.p.
103 President’s Annual 1996-1997, 1; “Bangko Sentral’s Old Gold Now at the Met,” The Philippine Star, 16
Dec 1996, L-5; MET, “The Fulfillment of a Dream,” [print advertisement], 24 Oct 1996, F2-F3; Bambi L Harper,
“A Lasting Tradition,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, “Sense and Sensibility” column, 09 Nov 1996, 9. See Goquingco,
“Is There Life After the Vatican Treasures,” D-4; “CB Gallery Reopens,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 07 Sept 1994,
C-3; and “Met Museum Under Renovation for ‘Vatican Treasures’ Exhibit,” Philippine Daily Inquirer, 24 June
1994, C-4 for accounts of the preparations.
104 MET, “Introducing the Met Collection,” guidenotes to the exhibition, (Manila: MET, 1996), n.p.; and
President’s Annual Report 1996-1997, 3. Compare this with an inventory of the MET collection in 1988, Fact
Sheet, n.p.
105 Alvina, quoted in Honasan, 4.
Paulino 25
106 [Corazon S. Alvina], “Office of the President,” in President’s Annual Report 2000-2001 (Manila: MET,
2001?), [1]. In January 1994, entrance fees were implemented. The MET also started renting some of its space after
gallery hours for receptions and book launchings. The MetShop and the MetCafe also provide supplementary
income. Milet O. Santos, “MetCafe – Welcome Boon for Lovers of Both the Visual and Culinary Arts,” Manila
Bulletin, 17 Apr 1995, S-26; and Arcellana, 4.
107 [Victorino] Manalo, “Ino Manalo: Man with a Mission,” interview by Marie Anne Fajardo, Art Manila
Newspaper, vol. II, no. 8 (2001): 7. This recalls Fr. Gabriel Casal who as director of the National Museum and
NCCA commissioner wrote: “The theme of this year’s congress “Museums and Their Communities” is very
important, in the light of the changing role of museum’s in today’s world. For indeed, museums in the modern
concept are no longer just repositories of artifacts and specimens, but have expanded their involvement outside the
four walls of the museum in order to reach out as diverse as audience as possible in their immediate communities
and far beyond to encompass broader societies.” Gabriel S. Casal, message in Museums and their Communities:
Third Annual Museums' Congress, 1993, proceedings of a conference held 06-09 October 1993 at the Sala Filipina
in Intramuros, Manila (Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the NCCA Committee
of Museums (NCOM), 1994), 14. Even earlier, Sta. Maria wrote, “Goals have emphasized, in the past, the
museum’s curatorial role to preserve collections. However, Philippine demographic projections demand that
museum’s activate their function on cultural disseminator and cultural animator.” “Museum Problems in the
Philippines,” n.p.
108 Christine Carballo Rivero, “Art for All at the Metropolitan Museum.” Available from
http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:s3LaqRqcE90C:www.ncca.gov.ph/organization/doc/feature/feat19met%2520
museum.doc+Metropolitan+Museum+of+manila&hl=en&ie=UTF-8, internet, accessed 04 Mar 2003.
109 Metropolitan Museum of Manila, “Art and Community,” [photocopied leaflet] (Manila: MET, 2001[?]),
2; and Metropolitan Museum of Manila, “Master Plan for the Metropolitan Museum of Manila,” TM (photocopy), 1-
2, Exhibitions Department, MET, Manila.
110 Manalo, “Ino Manalo: Man with a Mission,” 7; and Rivero. Overdue multi-media services like
uploading its own website and producing CD publications of past exhibitions are also being planned. Victorino M.
Manalo, interview by Roberto G. Paulino, MET, Manila, 09 May 2003; President’s Annual Report 1998-1999
(Manila: MET, 1999?), n.p.; and Rivero.
111 Vanni de Sequera, “A Sure Win at the Met,” Philippine Starweek, 10 Mar 2002, 3.
112 Victorino M. Manalo, [“Lowland and Rural Communities”], in Museums and their Communities: Third
Annual Museums' Congress, 1993, proceedings of a conference held 06-09 October 1993 at the Sala Filipina in
Intramuros, Manila (Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the NCCA Committee of
Museums (NCOM), 1994), 96.
113 “The original meaning of museum was a ‘place of contemplation’; among Greeks it was in addition the
temple of Muses.” Sta. Maria, “The User-Friendly Approach,” 5. The MET “goes beyond looking at art as mere
precious objects.” Alvina, quoted in Sibayan, 6; and Alvina, quoted in Martel, L-1. Cf. Espiritu, “Rita at the Helm,”
23.
114 Sta. Maria likewise noted that “[t]he stark simplicity of the modern gallery may need adjustment to
make Filipinos feel at home.” This is because”[t]ropical Philippines remains attuned to a pre-[I]slamic and pre-
[C]hristian spiritual world. . . . Worship was not in silent contemplation, but in dancing, chanting, feasting with
Nature’s own providing pattern upon pattern as background. The temperate enclosed sanctuary and the tropical
outdoor sambahan differ greatly in more than setting.” “The User-Friendly Approach,” 5.
115 Given (then) the lack of a permanent building of the National Museum , he further remarked, “Can we
ask ourselves: Can we have a museum without a building? Can the museological function continue? I think it can.”
Manalo, [“Lowland and Rural Communities”], 109 & 110.

smile

2007-12-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

seeing this in the paper made me smile...

INQUIRER ENTERTAINMENT - ENTERTAINMENT

Fruitcake lady thrives in her new advocacy
December 14, 2007
Updated 23:31:02 (Mla time)
Mona Sabalones-Gonzales
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—Ju D started out baking a fruitcake that eventually gained the favor of celebrities, politicians, socialites and leading business corporations. Her fruitcake made her a television celebrity, and led to the publication of two vegetarian cookbooks. Later, she won two National Food Quality awards because of it.

Ju.D has been making her fruitcake for some 30 years, but what kept her busy this year has been her volunteer work as a vegetarian culinary teacher for the elderly at the Tzuchi Foundation’s Sta. Mesa campus in Manila. “I also teach them about computers,” she adds in her characteristic jolly demeanor.

Innovative

Her new endeavor, however, hasn’t stopped her from being innovative where her fruitcake is concerned: She has four new innovations—namely, the Ginger Cranberry fruitcake, flavored with candied cranberry and liquor; the Ginger Apricot fruitcake, with walnuts and Ilocos basi; the Ginger Cranberry cookies, and the Ginger and Apricot cookies, which are perfect for vegetarians.

This year’s reinvention—the All-New Ju.D Gold—contains wild honey and rhum. (Call 633-0260 or 633-1188). Ju.D’s fruitcakes have truly made their mark!

The Indians like these fruitcakes with tea, while Rosemarie Gil accompanies them with Black Russian. The classic fruitcake, however, is perfect with coffee. And the ginger cookies are preferred by people with Middle Eastern taste.

For the country’s fruitcake lady, not everything is about celebrity—which explains her advocacy with the TzuChi Foundation. After all, life is not forever!

First Time Parents

2007-12-09T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yet again i found another piece i wrote some years ago for Health Today Magazine. With my name spelled wrong again (it's a z, not an s). I rediscovered it just now on the Heath Today Online Thailand site. cool, someone has read me in thailand. so here it is, being compiled in my blog aka scrapbook which is still primitive but someday, someday. This is about having your first baby.

Your new baby: A guided tour
A primer for first-time parents. By Mona Gonzales.

You've waited 9 months-although it seemed more like an eternity-for your baby. Now, you're alone with your newborn and she starts crying. Your mind goes blank. Welcome to parenthood.

Most first-time parents certainly have an abundance of information about infant care. It's actual experience they lack (taking care of nephews and nieces don't count). The good news is that it gets better over time.

Here are tips, culled from various experts, on how to take care of your newborn child:

RIGHT AFTER BIRTH
Baby's doctor. Your pediatrician should be present as soon as your baby comes out, says Dr. Alvin Florentino of Makati Medical Center, Philippines. "He or she should be in the operating or delivery room for the baby's initial resuscitation and the Apgar Special Scoring System, which assesses the baby's cardiovascular and nervous systems to see how well the infant has crossed over."

Circumcision. Should a boy be circumcised as soon as he's born? Circumcision may cause the infant to be more sensitive to pain later in life, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). If you plan to have your newborn circumcised, be sure to discuss anesthetic options with your doctor.

Breastfeeding. "Not enough mothers breastfeed" says Florentino. "And when they do, they stop after just 2 weeks or a few months. They should breastfeed until the child is at least 6 months old."

Breastfed babies get 5 to 10 times fewer stomach infections; up to 50 percent less ear infections; and are better protected from bronchitis, bronchiolitis, pneumonia, asthma and other allergies. They also have less risk of becoming diabetic.

Vaccination. "Every baby should have complete vaccinations," Florentino stresses, "but sadly, usually only half of the shots are given. Often, parents just forget."

The AAP recommends that children be immunized from 11 diseases within the first 2 years of life. Combination vaccines are now available, which combine several vaccines in one injection, thereby lessening the pain of vaccination. Talk with your baby's pediatrician for a complete checklist of vaccinations.

WHEN BABY COMES HOME
Feeding. "But don't presume that every time a baby cries, it's because he's hungry. Determine first why he's crying," Florentino says. After 6 months, the baby is ready for solid food, and Florentino says cereals are best. "The infant needs more sustenance, and the bulk from cereals helps the child develop his or her swallowing reflex."

Choose a shorter, small pacifier for your newborn. Look for one with ventilation holes so the baby's saliva won't collect behind the base. Never tie a string around a pacifier-this can cause choking.

Baby bath. A baby should be bathed daily-even with just plain tap water, says Florentino. "Some doctors advise soaps or shampoos, but remember that all products have chemicals, and babies have delicate skin."

Wait about 10 days before giving your circumcised newborn a full bath to allow for complete healing; sponge baths will do in the meantime. A baby can't regulate his body temperature the way adults can, so be sure the water is at body tem-perature (around 37°C or 98.6°F).

"Not enough mothers breastfeed" says Florentino. "And when they do, they stop after just 2 weeks or a few months. They should breastfeed until the child is at least6 months old." Place tow-els at the bottom of the tub in case the ba-by slips, and don't leave the faucet running. Better yet, wash him in a basin or bowl on a tabletop. Never leave your baby alone in the tub no matter how little water is in it.

Poop business. In the first week, a formula-fed baby usually poops four to five times a day. By the second week, this should taper off to about one to two times per day. Breastfed babies usually poop with each feeding for the first month-which means things are going well. During the first few months, maternal antibodies protect a baby's gastrointestinal tract.

In the first 2 to 3 days, your baby's stool may be black and tarry, eventually turning dark brown. If breastfed, his stool will turn mustard-colored and pasty if bottle-fed. See your doctor if your baby's stool is hard and dry-this could mean constipation. If you see streaks of blood in the stool, the most common cause would be a fissure in your baby's rectum.

Baby skin care. If your baby develops a rash, discontinue use of any baby skincare product, says Florentino. "Ask your doctor to prescribe or recommend a new one. There are a lot of soaps in the market. Some babies are very sensitive, so you can never tell which baby will react to which product."

Disposable diapers are more convenient but can be expensive, says Florentino. "Change diapers after every use."

A baby's sensitive skin is delicate and sunburns easily, so take him out only in the early morning or late afternoon. Also, be sure his clothes cover the arms and legs. Loose-fitting natural fibers will protect and keep him cool. And baby sunglasses are more than cute-they protect his eyes. Choose infant shades that block out 99 percent of the sun's rays. Also, always have your baby wear a wide-brimmed hat. Infant's sunscreen can be applied in small amounts on the baby's face and back of the hands, says the AAP.

WHEN BABY IS SICK
Colic. Does your baby fuss, cry and scream inconsolably-usually at the same time every day? Does the wailing tend to worsen in the late afternoon or evenings then suddenly stop when she sleeps?

Colic usually occurs between 2 and 4 weeks of age and can last until the baby is about 4 or 5 months old. The AAP says about 20 percent of babies tend to get colic. More frequently, they are bottle-fed firstborns. Consult your pediatrician to see if there are other medical reasons for your baby's incessant crying.

Doctors believe colicky babies have immature nervous or digestive systems. Try changing the baby's formula to lactose-free soymilk (it might be a milk allergy). Or if you are breastfeeding, try eliminating possible irritants from your diet, such as milk products, caffeine, alcohol, onion and seafood.

Some babies like steady, rhythmic motions or sounds. Hum a song or put her in a place where she can hear the clothes dryer or vacuum. Another option: Lay her stomach on your knees and lightly rub her back. A change of scene can also distract her from the pain. Take her for a walk in a carrier. Or simply give her a pacifier; the sucking motion can be soothing.

Blocked tear ducts. Excessive tearing in one or both eyes may be due to blocked tear ducts. Your pediatrician can show you how to massage the inside corner of the eyelid where it meets the nose, to dissolve the membrane causing the blockage. He may also recommend warm compresses.

A thick yellow or green discharge indicates infection. Your pediatrician may recommend antibiotic drops. But if the ducts remain blocked past your baby's first birthday, they may have to be surgically opened.

Bronchiolitis. It starts out as a cold but becomes more severe after a day or two. His nostrils may dilate when he breathes, and he makes a wheezing sound. He may use his ribcage and collarbone to get air into his lungs. These are signs that you need to see the doctor-especially if the baby's younger than 3 months. The doctor may recommend a humidifier, saline nasal drops or a nasal aspirator.

Cradle cap. Seborrheic dermatitis manifests as scaly, red patches on the scalp, folds of the neck, underarms and behind the ears. If it spreads to the rest of the baby's body, call your doctor. He may prescribe a cortisone cream or lotion. If it's just on the scalp, wash your baby's hair with a mild shampoo, then use a soft baby brush to gently remove the scales. The AAP does not recommend baby oil as it may worsen the rash (oil can build up on the scalp). If the shampooing and brushing don't work, call your pediatrician.

Scrapes and cuts. If there's not much blood, cleanse the wound with gentle soap and water, then pat dry. An antiseptic can be the finishing touch. If there is redness, swelling or pus, see your doctor.

Sunburn and minor burns. For sunburn, apply an aloe vera cream.You can also give an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever. If there is vomiting, fever or the burn is severe, see your pediatrician.

For minor burns, run cool water (not ice) over the burn then apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly. Cover with a bandage.

Bruises. An ice compress can numb the pain and reduce swelling. You can also give an OTC pain reliever if necessary. If the baby seems disoriented, lethargic or vomits after bumping his head, see a doctor.

Medications. Children are more sensitive than adults to many medications, so always exercise caution. Even nonprescription drugs like aspirin can cause serious illness or death in young children-especially if he has chicken pox or flu.

A child under 2 years should never be given any medicine without first checking with a pediatrician, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Read labels carefully.

My name spelled wrong

2007-12-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has happened many times, i get published with an s instead of z in Gonzalez. i knew if i searched the web i'd find another of my pieces, spelled wrong. and here it is, a piece i did on a string quartet, BOND in England. the interview was by phone, and the woman i spoke to, EOS had the most engaging telephone personality. This piece came out in Inquirer 4 years ago.

Philippine Daily Inquirer
February 1, 2003
With Over two Million album sold, Bond string quartet has the last laugh
By Mona Gonzales

If surprises were the yardstick for success, Bond would qualify. After all, when was the last time you watched a string quartet of four beautiful, nubile women, playing violins, and sexily clad ala Spice Girls? That's Bond.

Stiff Competition
Indeed Eos Chater (second violin, whom I interviewed by long distance), Haylie Ecker (first violin), Tania Davis (viola) and Gay-Yee Westerhoff (cello) would give Halle Berry stiff competition--were they to star in Bond's (aka James) latest action flick. But they'd rather pull strings.

"Bond is everything I've dreamed of," Eos told me. I could imagine, as I heard her frolicsome tone, a lovely head of hair bobbing happily back and forth as we spoke. "We get on really well. We like to see the funny side of things."
Consider for example, two years back, when Bond's first album, "Born" was banned from the UK classical top ten charts by organizers--two weeks after they'd reached the No. 2 spot! "The organizers must have finally listened to our music when they decided," Eos laughing.

Multi Cultural
And they agreed saying, "Our music is classicaly influenced, but blends in a lot of multi-cultural styles and genres. It's not strictly classical, like Celine Dion (for her hit song in "Titanic") and U2," Eos pointed out.

And yet, with over two million albums sold, and gold and platinum albums in Britain, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Italy, Belgium, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan, Bond had the last laugh.

Not to mention their performance at Times Square in "Pavarotti and Friends" (alongside Tom Jones, George Benson, Barry White, etc.), the Winter Olympics, MTV, and the Royal Albert Hall, to name a few. The have given sell-out performances all over the world.

Indeed from Pavarotti to MTV is quite a wide range--and for Eos, that's terrific. "Sometimes we just look at each other and think, 'Wow!' Yesterday we did a religious program and played something sedate. Later we did a club, then an underground radio station. It's crazy--yet fun to be able to span there different areas of music."

Eos is particularly delighted with the tremendous acceptance Bond has received in Asia. "There is a history of instrumental music there, maybe that's why they took to our music so quickly,” she ensuthes.

Classical Training
Bond's music is no piece of cake. They all had classical training at the Royal College of Music in London (Eos, second Violin); London's Guildhall of Music and Drama (Haylie, first violinist and Tania, viola); Sydney conservatorium (Tania); and Trinity College of music in London (Gay-Yee, cellist)

And yet, Eos is no musical snob. "The beetles never studied music, they just watched and learned. I have great respect for all types of musicians whether pop or classical. It all boils down to the quality of music."

Now they are mingling with musical and show biz greats all the way up to Hollywood. The experience has, at times, been daunting. For example, Eos recalls the time she accidentally did a "Marilyn Monroe" when Bond performed in a party attended by the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Denzel Washington, et. al.

Party
"It was the party of The "Man of the Year Awards," Eos recalls.
"There were wind machines, and we told them to put them in the corners." Instead, one wind machine was right behind Eos' back, and her skirt--like Marilyn's flew upward.

"I had to carry on playing, so I signaled for them to move the machine. Instead they made it worse! So I inched my way along the stage to find a spot that wasn't windy."

"By the end of the song she was off one of the wings, while the other Bond girls were in the middle """I didn't come back anymore--I was so embarrassed," Eos winced.

Listening to Bond's newest album, "Shine," can be quite an experience. Their expertise--and creativity--are evident. You'll find traces of different musical influences--Arab ("We've been to Morocco--lots of North African music is Arabic. I think it's powerful and moving.") Asian, Irish, a little bit of gypsy; and for classical lovers, some inspiration from Albinoni's Adagio and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances. You'll even find a little bit of Bollywood!

"On a plane, we saw a Bollywood film and listened to the music. It's great, uplifting, and works well with strings. It's also got a slightly funny side to it, so we put it in the album," Eos says.

Transcribed by me......

2007-11-15T06:01:00.000-08:00

It took a Ju.D Lao fruitcake to make me actually like eating fruitcake. And that's saying a lot.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Financial Times Ltd.

Ju.D Lao's Fruitcake Par Excellance
(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Byline: Mona Gonzalez

THIRTY years ago, Ju.D Lao started her home kitchen business by making a delicious fruitcake. Since then, the aroma of baking has permeated from her kitchen during the holiday season. Her maids are thrilled when celebrities stop by her place in Greenhills to order. (Call 633-1188.)

Cooking program
But, since Ju.D appears in a cooking program ("Modern Vegetarian Cooking," shot in Taiwan), you can say that she is herself a celebrity.The latest episode of "Modern Vegetarian Cooking" was filmed at Farmers' Market. "My suki was featured, and her grandchildren were thrilled when they saw the program," Ju.D says. "The challenge was to make two viands for P108. We made three, instead!"

Ju.D made the world's first fruitcake cookie, and introduced coffee fruitcakes and ginger cookies to the Philippines. This year, she will introduce the prune and the ginger fruitcakes. Ju.D's prune cake has coffee in it, while the ginger fruitcake has an orange fruity smell. Her ginger products don't have eggs. They make for perfect vegetarian desserts.

Classic
Jamie Rivera loves Ju.D's Chewy Chewkies, while Maru Sotto and Helen Gamboa like her classic fruitcake. Rosemarie Gil prefers Ju.D blue. "She takes it with Black Russian, a ladies' drink with vodka and kahlua," Ju.D says.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Financial Times Ltd.

Declan Patrick

2007-11-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

I wrote this article at the request of my daughter's former ballet teacher. It turned out to be a wonderfully, delightful experience. First, because Declan is an amazing choreographer. He is the only choreographer who makes dances where the audience has to do some real thinking. You also find yourself emotionally responding to his works. I had never quite had an experience like that from watching a dance performance. Second, because he comes from New Zealand, and I so love that country. If I weren't Filipino, I would like to be a New Zealander with lots of sheep and cattle and horses and....

COPYRIGHT 2005 Financial Times Ltd.

Declan Patrick Wears Many Hats
(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Byline: Mona Gonzalez

RIGHT NOW, THEATER ARTIST DECLAN Patrick is not working (by choice!).

He has made his mark in innovative theater around Europe and Asia. He wears many hats: Dancer, actor, singer, choreographer, writer and director. These days, Patrick is taking it easy.

Master Class
Well, not too easy. We caught him conducting an outreach Master Class with the International Christian Academy, thanks to the persuasive skills of its director, Chelo Gemina, who managed to convince Declan to choreograph a number for her students.

Here are interesting things about Declan Patrick:

1. "He's contemporary-such that what we know as contemporary is passe to him," says Gemina. Patrick says "neoclassical ballet" is different from "alternative dance," which is what he loves doing. "I've observed some alternative companies in Europe that use techniques that are very far from what's usually done," he says.

2. Observing him teach reminds you of films like "Centerstage" or "The Company." "His style is experimental," Gemina says, "He goes beyond technical precision." "Communication is a two-way process. You talk to the audience with your body, and the audience responds," Patrick adds.

Remarkable dancer
3. Patrick says you don't need a body to dance onstage. "I know a truly remarkable dancer who's paralyzed from the neck down. She's with a dance company for the disabled called Touch Compass in New Zealand."

4. He's "been there, done that"-and won't stop. He started dancing at age 10, and eventually trained in and taught ballet, contemporary jazz, improvisation, tango and flamenco.

5. He used to round up cattle on a motorcycle in his parents' New Zealand farm.

6. He's into Balanchine. But, he also cites the works of Timothy Gordon, Douglas Wright, Nacho Duarto and Maurice Bejart.

Intellectual approach
7. It's the thought that counts. "He's very intellectual in his approach," Gemina says. "He translates 'verbal language' into music and gives it soul. His method is probing and analytical, and he strikes you emotionally. You can only deconstruct the dance after you've mastered the 'vocabulary' for it."

8. He's seen some local performances and says, "The dancers are talented, and the training excellent. They make do with little money."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Financial Times Ltd.

ARt Therapy

2007-11-12T01:07:00.000-08:00

Dr. Randy Dellosa is a great psychiatrist! He is the resident psyche of "Pinoy Big Brother" and some other ABS-CBN shows. THis came out in Health Today in the Philippines some years back, but I found it again on HealthToday online in Thailand.

The art of healing

Mona Gonzalez discovers how art therapy can lead a person on the path to self-discovery, personal growth and life transformation.

Today, while we were shopping, my 12-year-old daughter told me, "Mommy, it's nice to see you buy things for yourself for a change."

Actually, I've changed a lot. Although I still work hard, I now spend time with friends, have taken up photography (once I thought it a waste of time and money) and am more assertive at home. Yesterday, I climbed a tree. I have released many fears. A half-day session of art therapy did this.

Facing fears"I was made to face something I'd been ignoring, but this was done in such a way that I didn't feel threatened," says Net Pacoli, regional director of a U.S.-based Christian video production company, and one of my "classmates" in art therapy. "I realized I love my father passionately, so much more than I would openly admit even to myself."

Pacoli believes the therapy's success depends on the facilitator. "[Dr. Randy Dellosa] earned my trust with his competence. He's not patronizing and took our thoughts and ideas seriously. [Art therapy] is a fearless way of facing your fears--very real, very practical."

Dellosa is founder and director of The Life Transformation Institute (a center for personal growth and healing) and the Life Change Recovery Center (a home care for drug dependents and psychiatric patients). On the side, he conducts art therapy seminars for people who aren't ill, but seek life enhancement.

Dellosa earned a degree in psychology from the University of the Philippines and trained in psychiatry at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

However, he felt restricted by psychiatry's emphasis on medication and the traditional Freudian approach to psychotherapy. He sought further training at Southern California University and the Gestalt Psychotherapy Network of Europe. Dellosa wanted to explore other therapies, aside from his traditional practice. He also does dream analysis, touch therapy and primal therapy, among others.

HEALING CHILDREN
Dr. Lilia Bautista, an expert in special education (SPED), uses art therapy to identify developmental problems in children.

"Most children cannot express what they feel verbally, so art therapy helps you understand them better and address their problems," says Bautista, a professor in a leading Manila university.

Art therapy helps children understand their emotions, says Bautista. "After the children enjoy their art activity, I let them process their feelings by explaining their work. I'll ask, 'What did you draw?' Expressing their thoughts and emotions makes the children feel good and more comfortable."

Observation is important, Bautista says. If a child uses too much paste or can't cut a straight line, this tells her there may be a problem with fine motor coordination. If a child seems to prefer black, it tells Bautista something about the child's emotional state.

Bautista particularly enjoys exposing children to many materials-different types of paste and paper, scissors, paints, and indigenous tree bark or pressed flowers; oftentimes, even junk will do.

In Singapore, two centers of healing where art therapy is used are Mount Elizabeth-Charter Behavioural Health Services and the National Cancer Centre. At the cancer center, art therapy helps children express their feelings and develop coping mechanisms.

In Malaysia, the Institut Masalah Pembelajaran Autisme (IMPIAN), a daycare school for children born with autism, incorporates art therapy in its treatment plan. Art therapy is also used in the Psychiatry Adolescent and Child Unit of the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Malaya Medical Center.

THE PURSUIT OF SELF-DISCOVERY
Most art therapists agree that creating art involves the whole brain, both right and left hemispheres. As people tell their stories through art, hidden, suppressed issues surface and a person's understanding of himself or herself is altered.

New insights and choices come to the fore. "[Art] is the bridge between the conscious and unconscious," says Carol Lark, a board-certified art therapist and a certified group psychotherapist. "Art making can increase self-esteem and autonomy."

Art therapy is not just for the mentally ill, but also for individuals, families, couples and work and community groups who simply wish to have a clearer idea about themselves and each other. But its benefits have been especially noted for children, adolescents and adults who have a hard time verbalizing what they feel.

Dellosa notes his clients come from all walks of life and vary in age. "Teenagers join to identify personal values and virtues that can help them become more stable and mature. Professionals seek how they can meaningfully balance their work, family and personal lives. Mid-lifers want to deal with the ghosts of their past and seek a clearer direction for the future. The elderly join to find a greater sense of integration in their many life experiences. It is the pursuit of self-discovery, personal growth and life transformation that leads people to join art therapy workshops."

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Picasso once said it took him a few years to become an artist, and the rest of his life to forget the rules and learn to become a child again. Many trained artists deliberately strive for that innocent, playful, childlike "playing-with-art" feeling that taps into the unconscious. What emerges is a collection of exciting images of untold stories. If, as researchers say, Picasso operated from the subcortex of the brain, his paintings doubtless reveal much of the artist's persona.

However, Dellosa, who often uses art therapy in his practice of psychiatry, notes that professional or skilled artists often tend to hide personal issues through stylistics. In fact, most art therapists believe the therapy works best for people who can't draw since they are not limited by performance anxiety.

Whatever the case, the expression, "a picture is worth a thousand words" certainly rings true in the practice of art therapy.

PEOPLE CAN CHANGE
The theoretical basis of art therapy stems from many disciplines: psychology, sociology, anthropology, physiology, aesthetics and education. But all these disciplines share one common belief--that people can change how they see themselves and their world, and they can change the way they behave in it.
In a very real sense, that has been my experience, thanks to one morning spent with Dellosa, some friends, blank sheets of paper, crayons, craypas, paint and clay. Sometimes, all it takes is a little art.

Cooking Shows

2007-11-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

When I wrote this piece I really didn't know how to cook very well. I was scanning the various cooking shows on TV, and decided to write an article about them. This came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. btw, I'm still not a great cook....

Sept. 25, 1999 Philippine Daily Inquirer

The trouble withcooking shows
By Mona Gonzalez

THE TROUBLE with cooking shows is that you won't learn how to cook bywatching them. I discovered this four years ago, when my husband and Ibought our house and I was left to worry about the cooking.

At the time, I knew nothing about cooking. My first day in the kitchen followed a theme: Black. Black pork chops, black vegetables, blackscrambled eggs. Finally, I complained to my husband that he didn'tappreciate the fact that I cooked for him three times a day. He blurted out in exasperation, ''Mona, cooking is one thing--eating is another!''

Learning by osmosis
So I decided to watch cooking shows. Maybe, I figured, I could learn by osmosis. The trouble was, the shows I watched were foreign shows, and one had to worry about where to buy the ingredients.

These days, the situation has worsened. If you know absolutely nothing about cooking, (like I did), you are even less likely to benefit from watching cooking shows. I discovered this while monitoring cooking shows on the Lifestyle channel for one week.

For one, the cooking shows today don't even start out by listing down the ingredients. That is, except for ''Chef du Jour'' which features aguest chef every week. They pop the ingredients out on the computer, measurements and all--but not long enough for anyone interested to list them down. Better be ready to tape the show, if you're seriously interested in getting the recipe.

Now, the rest of the shows I monitored, namely ''Entertaining at Home,'' ''Hot Off the Grill,'' ''Michael's Place'' and ''Mediterranean Mario,'' mention the ingredients as they go along, but they are not consistent in giving out measurements! However ''Michael's Place'' at least has a website that you can refer to for recipes.

But the bottom line is, in order to benefit from these shows, you'll have to have some facility with cooking to begin with. Beginners, beware.

There is however, much to be gained by watching the Food Network. For starters, you are exposed to such a variety of cooking styles that you learn to appreciate the art behind the craft, and the fact that cooking is indeed a multicultural experience.
And you get a lot of interesting tidbits of information. For example, the fact that eggs should be stored in your refrigerator with the large end up, to keep air pockets in and the yolk fresh.
I am also amazed at the variety of ways in which you can visually package an activity as basic and fundamental as cooking. Each cookingshow, I noticed, had its own unique approach. Some used humor, others were serious shows, some were formal, others casual.

Special guest
For example, ''Entertaining at Home,'' hosted by Dean Ferry focuses on meals you can prepare for guests. It is a pretty standard cooking show, but it had more recipes than the other shows I monitored. The theme for the day was ''Dinner For the Boss'' and after they got the cooking done, they featured a special guest from Bride Magazine who talked about how you could arrange your tableware.

The guest also gave suggestions on color combinations of tablecloth, tableware and flowers. She suggested small table lamps and candles for the centerpiece, noting that ''lights create atmosphere.''

Included, too, were do's and don'ts such as, ''don't let them sit in front of the kitchen door'' and ''maintain office decorum.'' She adds,''If your boss gave you a wedding gift, keep it visible on the
table.''

''Chef du Jour,'' on the other hand, is a show that focuses more on the task of cooking. A drawback may be that because they feature guest chefs, the chef is not always comfortable with the television medium.

In the episode we watched, the guest chef was an oriental named Robert Wong who worked at a posh restaurant. We were tickled when he pronounced ''lime'' juice American style, as in ''lam'' juice. Thank God for cameras that focus on the ''lam.'' He also said he'd ''mandolin'' the papaya. Mandolin, apparently refers to a rectangular shaped object with a circle holding a slanted blade. To ''mandolin'' the papaya simply meant to slice it.

Benefits
Wong also included helpful tidbits, such as comparing the benefits of whole spices to shelf spices, and offering tips on how to buy good-quality, fresh tuna (you want it firm, with a deep red color, he says).

''Hot Off the Grill'' had a more informal, refreshing approach. It was hosted by Bobby Flay and Jackie Malouf. They interacted with a guest named Mark who admitted he didn't know how to cook, and asked a lot of questions presumably to reflect those of the less knowledgeable viewer. Mark also engaged in light, verbal banter--lots of subtle American humor here.

In fact, the casual, conversational tone was so convincing that the viewer almost felt like she's eavesdropping. But the repartee was also seasoned with interesting informational tidbits. Did you know, forexample, that saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, and you should use it sparingly, because it's very strong?

''Michael's Place'' did an episode on poaching, a cooking style ideal for those who are weight-conscious. Michael offers a website for recipes, which may explain why he goes through the dishes very quickly.

Vital information
So if you're watching ''Michael's Place,'' leave the phone off the hook and send the husband out of the house and lock the kid in the closet. Otherwise you'll lose vital information on the dream dish you want to spoil your family with.

We particularly liked his talk on the different kinds of mushrooms,and how to clean them. He also gave tips on how to make a fantastic bean puree. His recipes are rather complex however, so you have towatch how he does them. For recipes, his website ishttp://www.foodtv.com.

''Mediterranean Mario,'' hosted by Mario Batali, showed us how todeep-fry potatoes in olive oil. We were tickled to learn that British french fries are dipped in olive oil twice, at different temperatures, for a crustier taste. That explained why he kept a thermometer in his pot of oil.
What makes Mario different is his obvious love for his craft. He loves embellishing his show with small details about the ingredients he uses. So the program is more focused on the art of cooking, rather than simply on the recipes.

Of course, if you're a beginner who is starting at point zero in terms of knowledge about the esoteric kitchen, I'd suggest you do what I did first--go to a cooking school. Then you can watch all the cooking shows you want to your heart's delight! September 25, 1999

Gossip With a Purpose

2007-11-11T08:38:00.001-08:00

One night I was watching Coney on 700 Club. I liked what she was doing, the way she handled the show. years before I had also interviewed her, but this time I simply wnted to write a commentary. So I critiqued the show, her style, and borrowed snippets from the interview a few years before. I wonder what she thought when she read it? Because she had no idea this story about her was going to be published in the Inquirer.

DailyInquirerNovember13, 1999

'Gossip' with a Purpose on '700 Club Asia'

By Mona Gonzalez

Every Wednesday at midnight on Channel 7, we see a familiar face on a familiar television show with a familiar format--but the program seems altogether new. The face belongs to Coney Reyes, a veteran television host who handled two of the top noontime shows in their time, "Student Canteen" and "Eat Bulaga." The show is "700 Club Asia, a take-off on itsAmerican counterpart. The format is talk, made new this time because Coney maximizes on her talents, experience and fame, to reinvent the talk show format by simply being herself. Personal touch"700 Club Asia" is also shown every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on Channel 7, and every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Channel 11. Because of Coney's warm, personal touch, more people are watching the program from beginning to end.The American version of the "700 Club" has been around longer than we can remember. When "700 Club Asia" was launched with Gordon Robertson hosting, this channel surfer again caught the program in snippets. But with Coney as solo host, it has become an hourly nesting place for my family, and apparently many others as well. The main reason is Coney.

Her treatment of the program has given it a decidedly pleasant flair. She makes you feel like you've ended the day with a warm, loving hug--something that's difficult to resist.

Power

Some years back, we interviewed Coney, and we were surprised at the number of people who would smile, wave, and even come to the table togreet her. Coney explained her fans' effusiveness: "For so many years,I was on their television sets at noontime. I became a part of their households." At that point, we realized that we should never underestimate the power of the small screen.Today, she continues to make waves on television, and on "700 Club
top-rated show, and it is quite another thing to transform a low-budget program like "700 Club Asia" into a unique program with an identity all its own.

Spiritual entertainment

To transform spiritual entertainment into secular pleasure without compromising intent is a difficult task. For instance, we Filipinos enjoy a dose of "gossip," and as a show biz personality, Coney knows first-hand what\'s happening in the lives of the celebrities she interviews. This makes the difference when she interviews celebrities like Rio Diaz, Maritoni Fernandez and Eddie Mesa. But always, it\'s "gossip"with a purpose. It\'s information voluntarily supplied by her guests rather than rudely elicited from them by her. And by combining the trust the guests have in her with skillful interviewing that\'s heavy on compassion, the objective of showing how God has transformed a life becomes more palatable for secular viewers.

We also enjoyed her sympathetic interview with former beauty queen-actress Emma Yuhico, with whom she wept, and were amused when on the same episode Coney wept again--this time tears of joy--when she was surprised with a video of her son talking about his spiritual life. What do we Filipinos like? Well, we like to feel good about ourselves, we like to know what\'s happening in other people\'s lives, and we like to believe in what we do. Coney reminds us that we\'re special, shares interesting stories about people, and sometimes, in her own gentle, uncompromising manner, points us to a better way. November 13, 1999\u003cbr /

Beauty Salons

2007-11-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

I can't remember why i wrote this, only that it was assigned. but i do remember that because i hate to interview, i decided to try doing things on the sly.

HealthToday Regional HealthToday Thailand HealthToday Indonesia HealthToday Indonesia Malaysia Malaysia Philippines Philippines SingaporeSingapore Saturday, November 10, 2007
Visit HealthToday Thailand

Beauty
Is your salon safe?Mona Gonzalez investigates.

When my editor told me to "find out how safe beauty salons are," Kat,my 12-year-old daughter, provided the perfect cover for theassignment.

"I need a haircut," Kat said. So we headed to a salon called Ystilo inParañaque City. I began my sleuthing while Kat's hair was beingshampooed. I spotted a contraption resembling a microwave oven.

"What's that?" I asked Ramon, who was doing my daughter's hair.
"That's a sanitizer. We use it to sterilize all our combs and brushes."
"How often?"
"After every use."
"How about makeup brushes?"
"We clean them after every use, too."

As Ramon snipped at Kat's hair, I noticed several rolls of neatlyrolled black and white towels on a shelf.
"Why do you need so many?" I asked Ramon.
"Because we use a fresh towel for each customer. We wash the towelsafter every use."
"What?" I said, feigning surprise. Surely, I told Ramon, the clientswouldn't notice if a towel had
been used more than once. He said suchstringent standards were necessary.

At that point, a woman sat beside me and struck up a conversation. Shewas the salon manager.
"Why don't you relax your sanitation standards a bit?" I asked,dangling the bait. "I'm sure no one will catch you at it."

"We have to comply with Department of Health standards, we are checkedevery 6 months," the manager said. Ramon explained that parlor workersare required to undergo a health exam
twice a year. "That's the onlyway City Hall will renew our license."

HEALTH AND SANITATION REQUIREMENTS
The next step of my investigation took me to the Division forSanitation of the Parañaque City Hall. I wanted to find out the healthand sanitation requirements for beauty parlors. Page 22, chapter 12 ofa booklet titled "Code on Sanitation of the Philippines" states threerequirements: a sanitary permit from the local health authority, aclean and sanitary establishment and a health certificate issued bythe local health authority for every salon employee.

The section on Sanitary Practices enumerates the following guidelines:
1. Personnel must wash their hands with soap and water beforeservicing customers. They must wear clean working garments.2. Smoking and eating while working are not allowed.3. Implements must be cleaned and disinfected before and after every use.4. Towels must be clean and fresh for each customer.5. Precautionary measures must be taken when serving customers showingany symptoms of skin disease.Local health authorities conduct regular inspections of beauty salonsto check sanitation, water supply, lighting and dividing walls, amongothers. Frequency of inspections varies depending on parlorclassification. Class A parlors are inspected every 2 to 3 months,while Class B and C parlors are inspected every month.
Ramon was telling the truth - the city government indeed requiresparlor workers to undergo a health examination twice a year, in whicha chest x-ray is done and stool and urine samples are collected.

KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE
There are inherent health and safety risks in anything you do, andanywhere you go - even in beauty parlors.

However, between the standards and requirements of the healthdepartment and City Hall, I would say that the risks have been kept ata safe minimum. There is no way, of course, of knowing whether yourparlor adheres 100 percent to government requirements. But in makingyour own determination, it helps to keep a watchful eye, and to useyour common sense.

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2007-11-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me that i do not compile my articles. and i don't know how. so if this system is quite primitive, bear with me. the last time i tried to do this, it was a scrapbook.

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Saturday, November 10, 2007

Is there sex after back pain?Definitely, experts say. Couples need to keep an open mind and consulthealth professionals. By Mona Gonzalez

Max and Lyn know that there is sex after back pain. Max's bad backprevents him from assuming conventional positions involved in sex. Heconsulted a specialist for his bad back and did research. The couplethen made adjustments, incorporating certain forms of sex that Lyninitially frowned upon. "Sex has never been better," says Lyn.
BE FLEXIBLE
Sex should be experimental, according to Alglyn Duran, a physicaltherapist at Commcare Medical Clinic's (CMC) Theraoptima. "Havingchronic back pain doesn't mean never ever having sex again. Justmodify your normal practices. Experiment until you find what works,what satisfies."
It is understandable that people with back problems may sometimesdoubt their ability to have sex in the "usual way" (e.g., missionaryposition), according to Dr. Godofredo Pineda, orthopedic surgeon at CMC, University of Santo Tomas Hospital and Medical Center Parañaque. But with a new frame of mind, perhaps a "paradigm shift" of thought,sex can be more enjoyable than ever, he explains.

Tips to save your back

"Couples can make adjustments in time, frequency and positions," saysDuran. "They can even try more adventurous forms of sex." He cited astudy that revealed that some stroke patients chose to have sex lateat night, even after midnight. Other studies found that arthritispatients occasionally found sex to be better early in the morning. Ifthe man suffers from chronic back pain (pain that lasts for more than6 months), he can put a pillow under his lower back, Duran says. "Orthe woman can always go on top."

Work is a 'pain in the back'Most back problems are work-related, according to orthopedic surgeonDr. Godofredo Pineda. "Back pain is usually due to muscle strain orspasms that occur when a person performs a physical movement that hedoesn't usually do, or makes repetitive movements." SEX AS THERAPYSex is good therapy for some forms of back pain, says Duran. "If yousuffer from mild or moderate back pain, you shouldn't just rest allthe time. You'll still need movement, even if it's just walking. Thepelvic and hip movements involved during sexual intercourse can helpstraighten the back muscles."

Pineda agrees. "Sex is a form of exercise and sometimes muscle strainsin the back can be aided by the stretching [involved in sex]." Butdon't get carried away and overdo it. Pineda says avoid anythingextreme, like trying out the positions in the Kama Sutra, which cancause additional strain to the back. "You should respect back pain."

SERIOUS BACK PROBLEMS
Even people with severe back problems, such as arthritis of the spineand central disc herniation, can find ways to enjoy sex, says Pineda.For these men and women, conventional sex can be very difficult. "Butthey can modify," he says. "And as long as the man is capable ofhaving an erection, sex is always a possibility." Because paindiminishes libido, treatment is aimed at pain relief, according to theorthopedic surgeon.

BREAK THE SILENCE
Unfortunately, both Pineda and Duran observe that most patients willonly consult them for their back problems, not their sexualdifficulties. "Unlike people from the West, [Asians] are moreconservative," says Pineda. "They'd rather solve problems about sexpersonally."
Max didn't take his affliction "lying down" while Lyn never consideredher husband's back problem as a threat to their marriage. She says shejust had to broaden her perspective on their sex life. "In the end,our marriage became stronger than ever."

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why?

2007-11-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Because my byline is so common, so now I shall gather together what is truly mine.