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Wanted: Spanish-speaking voice-over talents for spanish cartoons! « FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 19:25:00 +0000

Wanted: Spanish-speaking voice-over talents for spanish cartoons! « FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES:

ambientmedia®, a multimedia production house, is in need of Spanish-speaking voice-over talents for an upcoming anime which will be uploaded in YouTube. They are in need of the following:

1) Male who sounds between 26 to 33 (baritone voice will do); they need three (3).
2) Female who sounds between 26 to 33; they need two (2).
3) An older guy who sounds between 30 to 40; they need four (4).

If you meet the above requirements, you may contact Lynnel de Mesa at lynnel@ambientmedia.ph. You may also dial (0917)537-8620 or 807-44-33.ambientmedia® is located at Carmel House, #29 Buencamino Street, Alabang, Muntinlupà City.

The first version of this anime (entitled Jurassika) can be seen in YouTube.

Read more from 'Filipino eScribbles'

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"Porque" (Chavacano Version) by Maldita

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Note: Not all the spelling of the Spanish words that you will see on the video were spelt correctly even in their Chavacano spelling.

Fundacion Centro Flamenco Philippines: Pasion y Fuego

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Fundacion Centro Flamenco Philippines, 'Pasion y Fuego', with Emma Estrada, Angel Gomez, Yerbaguena, Marien Gomez, Cecille de Joya, Antonio Soria.

Fundacion Centro Flamenco

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Mayen Gomez de Lizares is the daughter of Guillermo Gomez Rivera from whom he learned to dance. She After marrying her husband, she moved to Bacolod, Negros Occidental. There with Irene Caram, they manage a Spanish flamenco School called Zambra Gitana.

Cariñosa, The National Dance Of The Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:19:00 +0000

Cariñosa, the national dance of the Philippines, is a romantic, flirtatious folk dance set to a waltz-like 3/4 rhythm. A couple expresses their feelings for each other with coy moves, including playing hide-and-seek behind a handkerchief or a fan.

Cariñosa is known throughout the Philippines. Cariñosa ('kah-reehn-YOH-sah') means affectionate, lovable, or amiable. With a fan or handkerchief, the dancers go through hide-and-seek movements and other flirting acts expressing tender feelings for one another. There are many versions of this dance, but the hide-and-seek movements are common in all.

Carinosa was introduced to the country by Spanish colonizers. Panay Island, located in the Visaya island group, is considered the home of the carinosa. Dancers perform carinosa to Spanish-style music played by a string ensemble, in 3/4 time.

Carinosa usually involves two dancers, one male, one female, who dance facing one another. The word "carinosa" means "affectionate" or "lovable" in Spanish, and this is a courtship dance. The dancers don't touch each other, but their dancing indicates their romantic interest: They peek at each other around a handkerchief, exchange coy little waves, and drop to one knee while one partner dances around the other.

The first ever published notation of the Cariñosa dance steps was from the book Philippine Folk Dances and Games by Francisca Reyes-Tolentino (later became an Aquino). Mrs Tolentino's master's thesis which have the same title was revised and was later published in 1927. However, the most common of the many Cariñosa found in the country is the one from the book "Philippine Folk Dances v1" by Francisca Reyes Aquino, published sometime in 1940. The version integrated all the common dance figures among the many versions throughout the land.

Three versions of this courtship-festival dance were found in Panay Island, the "Home of the Carinosa". Three different dance researchers discovered three equally beautiful Cariñosa dances. Petronila Suarez had her Carinosa Binggawan, Jose Balcena's informant , an old dancing virtuoso name Casimiro earned him the identity of Balcena's cariñosa version: Tatay Meroy Cariñosa. Tatay Meroy was an old bachelor from Roxas City who because of old age became aggressive in his courting of a future partner. This version dramatizes Tatay Mero's pursuit of his partner who teases him by flirting.

Prolific Visayan dance researchers Libertad Fajardo and her daughter Joanne discovered a Cariñosa version from San Joaquin, Iloilo. The San Joaquin cariñosa is probably the most flirtatious of all known versions. Here, the couple does not simply do some hide-and-seek in a vertically spread handkerchief but also does the combing of each partner's hair and even putting a powder puff! This version is ended with a ballroom waltz where the couple goes around the dance floor in close ballroom position.

The Cariñosa was also very popular in Samar where it is called Pandanggyado Cariñosa or simply Pandanggyado in' Samar. A cariñosa from Bicol discovered by Ramon Obusan in Rapu-rapu, Albay is a very unique song-dance or sayawit. The hide-and-seek uses a folding fan rather than the common prop: handkerchief. A very unique Bicolnon dance step called binanog is prominent throught the dance where it was originally used as an intermission.

The Cariñosa is believed to have replaced the popular Tinikling as the "National Dance of the Philippines" in 1992. However, according to the Philippine Information Agency, the Tinikling is indeed the "National Dance of the Philippines".

The Steps:

The basic footwork is similar to the steps used in a waltz: You move around the floor by stepping to the side with your left foot, then moving your right foot next to your left. You finish off this series of three movements by tapping your left foot on the floor. Repeat this sequence of steps, this time beginning by stepping to the side with your right foot.

Spins are another fundamental element of carinosa. They take up the last two bars of an eight-bar sequence. If you're the male half of the dancing pair, you either fold your hands behind your back or put your hands on your hips. The best way to think of this modified hands-on-hips pose is to make sure your thumbs point inward toward your waist and your knuckles rest on your love handles, even if you don't have them. If you're the female, hold your skirt up a few inches off the floor by taking each side of your skirt between your thumb and forefinger. You can either do two turns, one for each three-beat bar, or one turn on the first three-beat bar. For the latter, you simply stand still for the last three-beat bar. You'll always turn to the right.

The Props:

Female carinosa dancers often use fans. If you're the female dancer, you open your fan by giving it a firm shake. Once it's open, simply fan yourself to the music, matching each downward movement of the fan with one beat in the three-beat bar.

The handkerchief hide-and-seek is a key element of carinosa. Each partner holds two corners of the handkerchief and stand facing each other, holding the handkerchief so it blocks the view of the other partner's face. On the first beat of the three-beat musical bar, both partners lean to the right side and peek at each other around the handkerchief. They hold for a beat, then, on the third and final beat of the bar, they return to an upright position, holding the handkerchief so it is blocking the faces again. On the first beat of the next bar, the partners flip the handkerchief while still holding it, so if one partner had been holding the top two corners, he's now holding the bottom two corners, or vice versa. As they do so, they lean to the side and peek at the other partner around the handkerchief again. This series of movements continues for six bars in total; for the last two bars of the eight-bar section, the partners switch places by waltzing around each other while still holding the handkerchief. This entire sequence repeats. The hide-and-seek sequence can be performed with a fan instead of a handkerchief.

The female dancer of the carinosa pair holds her skirt with one or both hands, pinching the fabric of the skirt with the thumb and forefinger, at the side, at about mid-thigh level.

Source: eHOw

Nueva Valencia, Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:25:00 +0000

Nueva Valencia is a 4th class municipality in the province of Guimaras, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 30,716 people in 6,043 households. This is the site of Guimaras oil spill since August 2006. The boat named MT Solar 1 sank a few kilometers from Nueva Valencia.

History:

The history of Nueva Valencia, just like that of other towns in the island of Guimaras, dates back to the time when Himal-us (Guimaras) was Christianized by the Spaniards in 1591.

The towns were known as pueblicitos (villages) of Nayup (Buenavista with San Pedro Apostol as patron saint; Nabilhan (Jordan) with San Juan Bautista as its patron saint; and Agang (Valencia) whose patroness was Santa Ana. Although during the Spanish regime there were separate powers between the church and the state, yet the church had much influence in the creation of pueblos (towns) and establishment of parishes.

It was also mentioned in the “History of Panay” by Regalado and Franco, that in Panay, the towns included under the jurisdiction of Ogtong (Oton) were the three towns in the Island of Himal-us, namely Nayup, Nabilhan and Agang.

In 1742, the island fell under the jurisdiction of Dumangas until 1751 when the Jesuits took over from the Augustinian Order. In 1768, the Dominicans had spiritual jurisdiction over Guimaras until 1775 when it was organized into a regular parish with Iloilo.

How Nueva Valencia got it's name:

With the coming of the Spaniards, trade and commerce also flourished as Spain opened markets to foreign countries. There was a “galleon trade” between Manila and Acapulco. Iloilo at that time was known as the “Fort of the Southern Archipelago.”

Just like at present, the sea route from Manila to Panay passed the western portion of Guimaras, through the Iloilo Strait and docked at Fort San Pedro. The Spaniards saw the need of a lighthouse to guide the incoming and outgoing vessels especially during dark nights and when typhoon occurred. The suitable place for a lighthouse was in Himal-us (Guimaras).

The group, with some engineers, landed in Puyu which at that time, the landing point of vessels. They went on foot until they reached a place which is now Sitio Guisi. Such place was ideal for a lighthouse since it could be seen far away from the sea. The Spaniards named the place as Punta Santa Ana in honor of the patroness of typhoon. A lighthouse was const ructed which operates until today.

The Spaniards had come to like the place of Santa Ana which extended from the lighthouse to Sitio Puyu. Eventually, population increased and the Spanish authority created Santa Ana as a town and named it Valencia after a town in Spain which patroness was Santa Ana. The first appointed “alcalde mayor” was Don Manuel Segovia. The municipal building called “Casa Real” was constructed and was located adjacent to the site of now Nueva Valencia National High School. Later, the seat of the municipal government was transferred to Barrio Igang when the Casa Real was razed by fire due to an unknown cause. Igang then became the Poblacion and the whole town was named Nueva Valencia or “New Valencia” after Valencia in Spain.

Profile:

DATE FOUNDED: January 1, 1941
CLASSIFICATION: 4th Class
AREA: 13,711 Has
NO. OF BARANGAYS: 22
NO. OF SITIOS: 133
POPULATION: 36,515
GROWTH RATE: 2.67%
NO. OF HOUSEHOLDS: 7,234
DIALECT: Kinaray-a, Hiligaynon
RELIGION: Roman Catholic (75.19%) Aglipayan (19.86%) Others (4.95%)
LITERACY RATE: 95.13%
LAND USE: Predominantly Agricultural
SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD: Agriculture, Fishing and Services
MAJOR PRODUCTS: Mango, Rice, Coconut
GEOGRAPHICAL COORDINATES: 10 31′40.63″ N & 122 32′18.62″ E

Barangays:

POBLACION
CONCORDIA
IGANG ORACON
MAGAMAY
CALAYA
STO. DOMINGO
SAN ANTONIO
PANDARAONAN
IGDARAPDAP
TANDO
CANHAWAN
DOLORES
CABALAGNAN
LUCMAYAN
PANOBOLON
SAN ROQUE
GUIWANON
SALVACION
LANIPE
LAPAZ
NAPANDONG

Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:53:00 +0000

The Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language (Spanish: Academia Filipina de la Lengua Española) is the main Spanish-language regulating body in the Philippines. Its headquarters are located in Makati City. It was established in Manila on July 25, 1924.

Though Spanish ceased to be an official language of the Philippines in 1973, the academy is still considered as a state institution. Former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto Romulo, and Cebu Archbishop Cardinal Ricardo Vidal are among its directors.

In December 2007, President Arroyo signed a directive in Spain that would require teaching and learning the Spanish language in the Philippine school system starting in 2008. It belongs to the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española.

Directors:
Academics In Order Of Seniority

Sr. D. Guillermo Gómez Rivera.
Sr. D. Edmundo Farolán.
Sra. D.ª Lourdes Carballo.
Rvdo. P. D. Fidel Villarroel, O. P.
Rvdo. P. D. Pedro G. Tejero, O. P.
Sr. D. Ramón A. Pedrosa.
Sr. D. José Rodríguez Rodríguez.
Rvdo. P. D. Diosdado Talamayan y Aenlle, D. D.
Sr. D. Alejandro Roces.
Sra. D.ª Rosalinda Orosa.

Rvdo. P. D. José Arcilla, S. J.
Sra. D.ª María Consuelo Puyat-Reyes.
Sr. D. Francisco C. Delgado.
Sra. D.ª Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Rvdo. P. D. Miguel Bernad y Anselmo, S.J.
Sr. D. Benito Legarda.
Sr. D. Salvador B. Malig.
Sr. D. Alberto G. Rómulo.
Sr. D. Wystan de la Peña Salarda.
Sr. D. Hilario Zialcita y Legarda.

Sra. D.ª Lourdes Castrillo de Brillantes.
Sr. D. Regino Paular y Pintal.
Sr. D. Emmanuel Luis A. Romanillos.
Sr. D. José María Cariño y Ancheta.
Sr. D. Macario M. Ofilada, III.
Sr. D. Erwin Thaddeus Bautista Luna.
Sr. D. René Ángelo Prado Singian.
Sr. D. René S. Salvania.
Sra. D.ª Trinidad O. Regala.
Sra. D.ª Daisy López.

Elected Academics

Emmo. y Rvdmo. Sr. Cardenal D. Ricardo Vidal

Association Of The Spanish Language Academies

Website: ASALE

Chabacano del Ciudad de Cavite Sample With Spanish Translation (Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:58:00 +0000

Chavacano or Chabacano, sometimes referred to by linguists as Philippine Creole Spanish, is a Spanish-based creole language spoken in the Philippines. The word "Chavacano" is derived from the Spanish word "chabacano", meaning "poor taste," "vulgar," "common," "of low quality," "tacky," or "coarse" for the chavacano language which was developed in Cavite City, Ternate and Ermita, and also derived from the word chavano which was coined by the people of Zamboanga. Six different dialects have developed: Zamboangueño in Zamboanga City, Davaeño in Davao, Ternateño in Ternate, Caviteño in Cavite City, Cotabateño in Cotabato Cit y and Ermiteño in Ermita in Manila.

The Chavacano language is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia. It has survived for more than 400 years, making it one of the oldest creole languages in the world. It is the only language to have developed in the Philippines (a member of Philippine languages) which does not belong to the family of Austronesian languages, although it shows a characteristic common to the sub-classification of Malayo-Polynesian languages, the reduplication.

This creole has six dialects. Their classification is based on their substrate languages and the regions where they are commonly spoken. The three known dialects of Chavacano which have Tagalog as their substrate language are the Luzón-based creoles of which are Caviteño (spoken in Cavite City), Ternateño (spoken in Ternate, Cavite) and Ermiteño (once spoken in the old district of Ermita in Manila and is now extinct). Zamboangueño Chavacano emanated from Caviteño Chavacano as evidenced by prominent Zamboangueño families who descended from Spanish Army officers, primarily Caviteño mestizos, stationed at Fort Pilar in the 19th century. When these Caviteño officers recruited workers and technicians from Iloilo to man their sugar plantations and ricefields to reduce the local population's dependence on the Donativo de Zamboanga, taxes levied by the Spanish colonial government on the islands'inhabitants to support the fort's operations, and with the subsequent migration of Ilonggo traders to Zamboanga, the Zamboangueño Chavacano was infused with Ilonggo words as the previous migrant community was assimilated. Most of what appears to be Cebuano words in Zamboangueño Chavacano are actually Ilonggo. Although Zamboangueño Chavacano's contact with Cebuano began much earlier when Cebuano soldiers were stationed at Fort Pilar during the Spanish colonial period, however, it wasn't until closer to the middle of the 20th century that borrowings from Cebuano accelerated as a result of more migration from the Visayas as well as the current migration from other Visayan-speaking areas of the Zamboanga Peninsula. Zamboangueño is spoken in Zamboanga City, Basilan Province, parts of Sulu Province and Tawi-Tawi Province, and in Semporna-Sabah, Malaysia and the rest of the Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte. The other dialects of Chavacano which have, primarily, Cebuano as their substrate language are the Mindanao-based creoles of which are Castellano Abakay (spoken in some areas of Davao), this dialect has an influence from Chinese and Japanese, also divided into two sub-dialects namelyCastellano Abakay Chino and Castellano Abakay Japon, and Cotabateño (spoken in Cotabato city).

Much of the words in the Chavacano vocabulary are mostly derived from the Spanish language, which almost to its entirety is made up of Andalucian Spanish spoken in the coastal and insular areas of the Americas, while its grammar is mostly based on other Philippine languages primarily, Ilonggo, Tagalog and Cebuano. Its vocabulary, especially the Zamboangueño dialect, has some minor influences from the Italian language, Portuguese and several Native American languages. The vocabulary of the Ternateño dialect, in particular, has a major influence from the Portuguese language and the language of Ternate in Indonesia since the speakers of the said dialect are the descendants of the Indonesian soldiers brought by the Spaniards in the area.

In contrast with the Luzon-based creoles, the Zamboangueño dialect has the most borrowings and/or influence from other Philippine Austronesian languages including Hiligaynon,Subanen/Subanon, Sama-Banguingui, Sama-lauan, Tausug, Yakan, Tagalog and Ilocano origin are present in Zamboangueño dialect.

The highest number of Chavacano speakers are found in Zamboanga City and in the island province of Basilan. A significant number of Chavacano speakers are found in Cavite City and Ternate. There are also speakers in some areas in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte, Davao, and in Cotabato City. According to the official 2000 Philippine census, there were altogether 607,200 Chavacano speakers in the Philippines in that same year. The exact figure could be higher as the 2000 population of Zamboanga City, whose main language is Chavacano, far exceeded that census figure. Also, the figure does not include Chavacano speakers of the Filipino diaspora. Notwithstanding, Zamboangueño is the dialect with the most number of speakers, being the official language of Zamboanga City whose population is now believed to be over a million.

Speakers can also be found in the town of Semporna in the eastern coast of Sabah, Malaysia—not surprisingly—because this northern part of Borneo is close to the Sulu islands and the Zamboanga Peninsula. This region was once part of Spanish Philippines until the late 19th century.

A small number of Zamboanga's indigenous peoples, such as the Tausugs, the Samals, and of Basilan such as the Yakans also speak the language. In the close provinces of Sulu and Tawi-Tawi areas, there are Muslim speakers of the Chavacano de Zamboanga.

Joaquín Xaudaró (J. O'Radvax) 1872-1933

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:09:00 +0000

Joaquín Xaudaró y Echau (August 17, 1872–1933) was a Spanish cartoonist, illustrator, and caricaturist. His humorous depictions of the new technologies of his time –he published a volume of cartoons called The Perils of Flight (Les péripéties de l'aviation, Garnier Frères, Paris, 1911)- serve as an important link between the worlds of nineteenth-century illustration and twentieth-century cartooning. Xaudaró's observations on contemporary culture and technology, as well as his gentle but insightful sense of humor, are apparent in such cartoons as "El telégrafo sin hilos," "Un retrato futurista," "El auto que pasa," "Despertar en Biarritz," "El leopardo inglés en Spyon-Kop."

Born in Vigan in the Philippines (at the time still a Spanish possession), Xaudaró's family, of Aragonese origin, settled in Barcelona in 1883. Xaudaró was educated in Paris and London. He began his career drawing for Madrid Cómico, La Saeta, Gedeón, and Barcelona Cómica, a Barcelona-based humor magazine of the 1890s, occasionally utilizing the pseudonym J. O'Raduax ("Xaudaró" spelled backwards). Between 1907 and 1914, he also drew for the Paris-based periodical Le Rire.

Xaudaró subsequently worked for the Madrid-based periodicals Blanco y Negro and ABC. His daily vignettes for ABC brought him fame, with each one containing a trademark little dog that soon became known as "el perrito de Xaudaró."

His book illustrations include those commissioned by the Paris publisher Ollendorff (Les conteurs joyeux), and famously, those utilized for Juan Pérez Zúñiga's Los viajes morrocotudos ("The Fantastic Voyages"). Xaudaró's works of collected cartoons include Los Sports, an album of sports-related vignettes published by Editorial Luis Tasso in the 1920s and Xaudaró: Tomos de Chistes (ca. 1932), a collection of his work that had been published inBlanco y Negro at the end of the nineteenth century.

Xaudaró also did scenographical work for a production of Madame Butterfly. At the end of his life, he founded, with Antonio Got and K-Hito, theSociedad Española de Dibujos Animados (SEDA) in 1932. He collaborated on an animated film with K-Hito. Xaudaró died in Madrid.

Source: Wikipedia/ Caricatures from Lambiek.Net

In Focus: Gary Valenciano

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano (born August 6, 1964) , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador.

He is currently part of ABS-CBN contract actors, and is frequently tapped to sing the theme songs for the network's soap operas and Star Cinema movies.

Gary Valenciano was born in Santa Mesa, Manila on August 6, 1964. He is the sixth of Vicente Valenciano and Grimilda Santiago Ortiz's seven children. His parents met in New York, married, and settled in Manila. His father is from Bicol, Philippines. His mother is a Puerto Rican woman of Italian descent, who sang opera in Manila during the 1960s. Valenciano took his primary and secondary studies in La Salle Green Hills.

Valenciano started performing in 1982 and launched his career in singing and show business on May 13, 1983. He first appeared as a solo in a television show called The Pilita and Jackie Show in 1982, and later in Germspesyal and Penthouse Live. He had his first solo concert, in April 1984 at the Araneta Coliseum. That would be followed a number of albums, three of them released internationally, including a Christian inspired album called Out of the Dark.

He is married to Maria Anna Elizabeth "Angeli" Pangilinan, with whom he has three children: Juan Paolo Martin, Jose Angelo Gabriel and Kristiana Maria Mikaela. Valenciano has released multiple albums. He has won the Awit Award for "Best Male Performer" 11 of the past 21 times.

In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador. In 2008, he marked his tenth year as a UNICEF Ambassador with a visit to Sitio Avocado, a former war zone in Negros Oriental.

In 2008, Valenciano returned to acting by appearing in "Maalaala Mo Kaya" which he plays a prisoner who turns his life to Jesus and becomes a changed man as a Christian. The same year, he was nominated as "Best Single Performance By An Actor" in the 22nd PMPC Star Awards for TV. In 2009, Valenciano released a collaborative album with Martin Nievera called "As 1", with their carrier single, "As 1".

In 2010, Gary V. returns to acting again via a Holy Week drama special, Gulong, a CBN Asia Production was recently shown on GMA 7, this was his 3rd GMA 7 holy week special since 2006. The same year, Gary V. releases his brand new 25th full-length album and his 4th compilation album, "Replay" was recently released, with his carrier single, "Did It Ever". He is currently living with diabetes.

Gary V. Official Website

Source: Wikipedia

Hispanidad

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Wed, 04 May 2011 19:32:00 +0000

The Hispanic flag

The Hispanidad (Spanish: Hispanidad) is the community formed by all the people and countries that share a common Hispanic heritage and cultural pattern.

The 20 nations that are included are all Spanish-speaking countries. The community can be classified into three geographic areas:Hispanic Europe (Spain), Hispanic America (Spanish-speaking America), Hispanic Africa (Spanish-African territories, Equatorial Guinea). A few countries in the Asia-Pacific region also have historical Spanish influence, although they no longer have Spanish as their official language.

Various countries celebrate October 12 as the Día de la Hispanidad ("Day of Hispanicity" or "Hispanic Day") is celebrated as a national holiday. Since 1987 Spain has celebrated this holiday as its Fiesta Nacional de España. In the other nations of the community, the day is also celebrated as a commemoration of the date in 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered America, marking the beginning of the diffusion of Spanish language and culture as well as its lasting impact on the New world.

Hispanidad or Spanish linguistic and cultural diffusion began on 12 October 1492 when Christopher Columbus initiated its European colonization of the Americas in the name of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. The kingdom of Castile (Castilla) built a global empire, spreading its culture and language in the Americas and biologically and culturally mixing with the Indigenous peoples and ultimately, the African slaves, altering the composition of the hemisphere. The penetration and reach of Spain at this time also extended into other European nations.

n 1713, the Real Academia Española was established to regulate written and spoken Spanish language throughout the empire so that it could be understood by all Hispanics. At the beginning of the 19th century, the American colonies' dissatisfaction with the Spanish government and Napoleon's invasion of Spain created an opportunity for revolution in America. All of the Spanish colonies obtained independence at this time, except Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. These three countries then became colonies of the United States after the Spanish-American War.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Hispanicity was moribund. Zacarías de Vizarra, Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro and Ramiro de Maeztu revived interest in the concept in Spain and the Americas, changing its name to Dia de la Raza or "Day of the [New] Race". This was already a national celebration in many Hispanic countries, in honor of the meeting of Europeans and Amerindians, their mixing and the emergence of the mestizo race. Shortly thereafter, the first pan-Hispanic organizations such as the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española began. With the restoration of democracy in Spain, all the Hispanic nations began to converge with, for example, the creation of the Cumbre Iberoamericana in 1991. Since then, the number of Hispano-American, Ibero-American, Pan-Latin American organizations has increased.

Currently, Hispanicity is a cooperative venture. Spain has created a base of support for Hispanic America and the Philippines due to heavy investments in these zones. Latinos or Hispanic choose to immigrate to Spain, because of its cultural, linguistic and ancestral affinity.

Hispanics In The World

Spanish, as a mother tongue, is spoken by more than 333 million people (second only to Chinese). The total number of Spanish speakers is more than 500 million people. Mexico contains the largest number of Spanish speakers.

Europe

In Europe, Hispanics reside primarily in Spain as it is the origin of Hispanicity, although there are small communities spread throughout Europe. The native-born population is more than 44 million, plus a large immigrant Hispanic community from Hispanic America and Equatorial Guinea.

Americas

The majority of Hispanics live in Hispanic America, coinciding with recognized international borders. The number surpasses 300 million. Countries with great majority Hispanic population include Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The United States and Belize, while not officially counted as Hispanic nations, do each have a large Hispanic population. The United States has more than 50 million Hispanic residents or about 16% of its total population. 43% of Belizeans commonly speak Spanish at home.

Africa

Hispanics in the African continent are concentrated in overseas territories of Spain, which are Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla and Plazas de Soberanía). Moreover, Equatorial Guinea has Spanish as its official government language, although the people speak their respective native languages. In Morocco and Western Sahara, some people maintain Hispanic characteristics, although these countries are more so influenced by Arab and/or Berber languages and cultures. Altogether in Africa, two million speak Spanish.

Asia-Pacific

Some countries in the Asia-Pacific region received influence from the Hispanic world while they were governed by the Spanish Crown via Mexico City and Madrid. The Philippines, Guam, and the Caroline Islands are among those in this region that received some influence from Spain and Mexico.

In the Philippines, there is a small but important Hispanic population. They are mostly concentrated in Cebu, Metro Manila, Zamboanga, Iloilo, and Davao. Spanish was one of the official languages of the Philippines until 1973 when the dictator Ferdinand Marcos had it removed. However the language is currently being reinstated in the country and it is considered as an optional language on the Philippine Constitution. Spanish in the Philippines is natively spoken by 5,000 people but around 500,000 to 2,500,000 people speak it as their second or third language alongside English and Filipino. In addition, Chavacano, a Spanish-based creole language in the Philippines has approximately 600,000 native speakers. In contrast with people from the Hispanic world, the prevalence of Hispanic given names and surnames among the majority of Filipinos does not indicate Spanish ancestry. It was implemented due to a decree by the Spanish crown for the systematic distribution of family names and the imposition of the Spanish naming system on the inhabitants of the Philippines for proper recording and to help ease the collection of taxes (see Alphabetical Catalog of Surnames).

Europe

Spain

Americas

Africa

Asia and Oceania

Philippines

Source: Wikipedia

Cheche Lazaro Presents: Isang Kakaibang Kwento ng Pag-ibig (A Unique Story of Love - Part 1-8 Video)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 16:03:00 +0000

A strenuous journey to the mountains of Mindoro. An accidental meeting that changed the course of history for a tribe in need. They are the Irayas, one of the seven tribes of the peace-loving Mangyans, that captured the heart of one woman (Doña Bea Zobel de Ayala). This is the love story of a people who have been shunned by the outside world but was embraced by the person who would move mountains for them.

For centuries, the tribe prospered along the coastal areas of Oriental Mindoro until migrant settlers drove them from their land and forced them to live in the mountains. From then on, they lived a nomadic life, moving from place to place, sleeping in makeshift huts, living on what little and whatever they can get their hands on.

Like other indigenous people in the world, they have been treated as second class citizens-- often exploited, neglected, and discriminated against by lowlanders. Denied of basic services for decades, the tribe struggled with their daily life. Uneducated and uncivilized, they lived in mortal fear of the Tagalogs. With the threat of being forced out of the land they live in always a possibility, they are praying for someone who could somehow end their plight. Time is running out.

Witness a different kind of love story which will spell the beginning of a new and better life for the Iraya Mangyans.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Profile: Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Jaime Zobel de Ayala & Family

Source: PROBE TV

The National Museum of The Philippines

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:35:00 +0000

The National Museum of the Philippines is the official repository established in 1901 as a natural history and ethnography museum of the Philippines. It is located next to Rizal Park and near Intramuros in Manila. Its main building was designed in 1918 by an American architect Daniel Burnham. Today, that building, the former home of the Congress of the Philippines, holds the National Art Gallery, natural sciences and other support divisions.

The adjacent building in the Agrifina Circle of Rizal Park, formerly housing the Department of Finance, houses the Anthropology and Archaeology Divisions and is known as the Museum of the Filipino People.

History

The National Museum was established in Manila on October 29, 1901 as the 'Insular Museum of Ethnology, Natural History and Commerce under the Department of Public Instruction by Virtue of Act No. 284 passed by the Philippine Commission. Since then, it has changed names and location, placed under various departments and offices, merged, abolished, transferred and re-created to become the 'National Musuem.'

On February 12, 1998, Republic Act 8492, also known as the 'National Museum Act of 1998', finally established the National Museum as an independent institution with a permanent and exclusive site known as the National Museum Complex. This consists of the National Museum Main(former Old Congress Building), which houses the National Art Gallery, the Museum of the Filipino People (former Finance Building), and the Department of the Tourism Building which shall become the Museum of Natural History. As per P.D. 804-A, the Planetarium is also administered and maintained by the National Museum.

The National Museum at present is composed of 12 disciplines in the areas of anthropology, archaeology, arts, geology, museum education, cultural properties, planetarium, zoology, botany, restoration and engineering, chemistry and conservation, and archaeological sites and branch museums. It has 19 branches and sites nationwide.

Website: The National Museum Of The Philippines

Dia del Libro (World Book Day)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 11:04:00 +0000

The Dia del Libro (World Book Day) is a commemoration was held at international level in order to promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. It originated in the National Day of Sant Jordi (St George's Day), held in Catalonia , where he has been a tradition since medieval times for men to give roses to their lovers, and since 1925 for women to return a book. At the international level is enacted by UNESCO , which began to enact for the first time in 1995 . It is held every April 23 since 1996 in several countries, in 2008 over a hundred.

In several countries, speaking Spanish , and Cuba , this day is celebrated as the Day of the language , unlike the International Day of the mother tongue held on February 21 . On April 23, 2011 Buenos Aires will be named " World Book Capital ", remaining in office until the same date in 2011 to be replaced by Yerevan .

The choice of the day April 23 as a day of books and copyright, comes from the coincidence of the death of the writer Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega on the same date in the year 1616 , though not really were on the same day, because the date of Shakespeare for the Julian calendar, which would be May 3rd the Gregorian calendar and Cervantes died on 22 and was buried on 23. It also coincides with the date of death of William Wordsworth ( 1850 ) and Josep Pla ( 1981 ). The proposal was presented by the International Publishers Association to Unesco , with the aim of promoting culture and the protection of intellectual property through copyright .On November 15th of 1995 the UNESCO General Conference approved the proposal in Paris, from which on 23 April would be the "International Day of Book and Copyright."

In Spain

Alfonso XIII signed a Royal Decree on February 6 of 1926 on the officially created the Spanish Book Festival to be held on the date then believed that he was born Cervantes, on October 7. The original idea was Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés , proposing it to the Book Chamber of Barcelona. Soon after, in 1930, definitively establishing the date of 23 April as World Book Day. The celebration took root quickly in Barcelona and spread throughout Catalonia, although the official purpose was diluted gradually to match the day of patron saint, known as National Day of Sant Jordi (St George's Day), while in other areas the party was held with little importance or even disappear. Over time they became traditional in Catalonia and gift exchange roses and books between partners and loved ones on that date, becoming one of the most celebrated popular days. This tradition was one of the arguments used by UNESCO to declare April 23 World Book Day . In Spain we consider that date for the annual presentation of the Cervantes Prize, the highest award made to the Hispanic authors. Around the world celebrates this day.

World Book Capital

In 2001 at the initiative of UNESCO was appointed Madrid World Book Capital. Since then, every April 23, different capitals of the world have been accepting this honor, made during the year various cultural activities related to books. In 2002 he served as Alexandria , New Delhi in 2003 , Antwerp in 2004, Montreal in 2005 , Turin in 2006, Bogota in 2007, Amsterdam in 2008, Beirut in 2009, Ljubljana in 2010, Buenos Aires in 2011 and Yerevan in 2012.

As of April 23, 2011 Buenos Aires will be the World Book Capital.The selection committee consists of representatives of the International Publishers Association (IPA), the International Booksellers Federation (IBF) and the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and UNESCO. The following cities have been selected as World Book Capital:

Year	City	Country
2001	Madrid	Spain
2002	Alexandria	Egypt
2003	New Delhi	India
2004	Antwerp	Belgium
2005	Montreal	Canada
2006	Turin	Italy
2007	Bogotá	Colombia
2008	Amsterdam	Netherlands
2009	Beirut	Lebanon
2010	Ljubljana	Slovenia
2011	Buenos Aires	Argentina
2012	Yerevan	Armenia

Read: 'Dia Del Libro' encourages Filipinos to read more

In Focus: Paulino Alcántara - "El Rompe Redes"

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:39:00 +0000

Paulino Alcántara Riestrá (7 October 1896—13 February 1964) was a Spanish–Filipino footballer and manager. He spent most of his playing career at Barcelona and was the first Filipino and Asian player to play for a European club. He also played for Catalonia, the Philippines and Spain. Alcántara made his debut for Barcelona at the age of 15 and remains the youngest player to play or score for the club. He also scored 357 goals in 357 matches, making him the club's highest goalscorer (counting goals scored in both official games and friendlies). After retiring as a player in 1927 at the age of 31, he became a doctor. On 5 July 1927, Barcelona played against Spain in a testimonial match in his honour and he later served as a club director between 1931 and 1934. In 1951, Alcántara became a selector and managed Spain for three games.

Alcántara was born in the Philippines to a Spanish military officer and an Ilongga (Filipino) mother. He moved to Spain to play for FC Galeno before he was discovered by Joan Gamper and signed up for Barcelona. He made his debut at the age of 15 years, 4 months and 18 days old on 25 February 1912 against Catalá SC in the Campionat de Catalunya (Catalan football championship) and Barcelona won 9–0, with Alcántara scoring the first three goals of the game. He was nicknamed "El Rompe Redes" (the net breaker) after he broke the net with a shot during a match against France. Among his team mates during his time at the club were Francisco Bru Sanz, Jack Greenwell and Romà Forns. He went on to help the club win a Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) and Campionat de Catalunya in 1913 and a Campionat de Catalunya in 1916.

In 1916, Alcántara returned to the Philippines and played for the Bohemian Sporting Club. He helped the club win two Philippine Championships; in 1917 and 1918. During this time, Barcelona had failed to win a championship title in his absence.

After returning to Barcelona, his former team mate and manager, Jack Greenwell experimented with Alcántara as a defender, but failed to achieve success on that position, which saw him return to the forward line and in 1919, he helped the club win another Campionat de Catalunya. The club also reached the Copa del Rey final but lost 5–2 to Arenas Club de Getxo. In 1920 the club won another Copa del Rey and the Campionat de Catalunya with Alcántara scoring in the 2–0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Cup final. The squad included Emilio Sagi Liñán, who formed a partnership with Alcántara as well as Ricardo Zamora, Josep Samitier and Félix Sesúmaga. This marked the beginning of the club’s first golden era and saw them dominate both the Campionat de Catalunya and Copa del Rey tournament. Alcántara scored twice in the 1922 Cup final, where Barcelona defeated Real Unión 5–1 and scored the winning goal in the 3–2 win over Atlético Madrid in the 1926 final.

In 1915, Alcántara made his debut with Catalonia and in 1924 he played at least six games and scored at least four goals for the team. In 1917 he was selected by the Philippines national team and represented the country at the Far Eastern Championship Games in Tokyo, helping them defeat Japan 15–2, which became the Philippines' biggest win in international football. In 1920 Alcántara, along with Zamora, Samitier and Sesúmaga, was selected to represent Spain at the 1920 Olympics. However, Alcántara chose to stay at home to take his final medical exams. He eventually made his debut for Spain on 7 October 1921 at the age of 25 against Belgium and scored both goals in a 2–0 win. He made five appearances and scored six goals for Spain between 1921 and 1923.

Club

Barcelona

Copa del Rey (5): 1913, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926

Campionat de Catalunya (10): 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927

Bohemian Sporting Club

Philippines Championship (2): 1917, 1918

Philippines

Far Eastern Games: 1917 (Silver medal)

Link: El Rompe Redes: The Greatest Footballer of all time.

Source: Wikipedia

In Focus: Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo (August 27, 1924 – June 2, 1984), also known as Fernando Zóbel y Montojo, Fernando M. Zóbel and sometimes as Fernando M. Zóbel de Ayala, was a Spanish–Filipino Non-objective modernist painter, businessman, and patron of the arts.

He was born in Ermita, Manila in the Philippines. He was the son of Enrique Zobel (1877–1943) and Fermina Montojo y Torrontegui and was a member of the prominent Ayala family. Zobel took up medical studies at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. Later on, Zobel in 1942 had spinal deficiency that forced him to him bedridden that year. Zobel to past the time sketched of anything that caught his eye. He finished studying in Santo Tomas and left for Harvard University in 1946 to take up degrees in history and literature.

Zobel started painting without formal training while in Harvard. He graduated in 1949 as magna cum laude. He later stayed on as biographical researcher after finishing his bachelor's degree. It was at this time, he met American artists Hyman Bloom, Reed Champion and Jim Pfeufer who helped him launch his career as an artist. His paintings were in style of the Boston artists and are considered his Boston-style works.

He returned to the Philippines and became friends with contemporary Filipino modernist artists. As such, he collected modernist works and set up exhibits for them to be shown and noticed since modernist art was largely unappreciated. In 1954, he left Manila and enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design where he saw an exhibition by Mark Rothko. Rothko's paintings made an impression on Zobel later to be done in his later works. When he returned to Manila, Zobel started in having interest in Chinese and Japanese art and took up calligraphy classes until 1960. During this time, he joined the faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University and later was given an honorary doctorate and was made honorary director of the Ateneo Art Gallery for his contribution in education and as patron of the arts. To make a name for himself as a full-time painter, he later resigned from his position in the Ayala Corporation and move to Spain.

Zobel is best known for his first artwork series called the Saetas. Named after the liturgical song sung in Holy Week in Spain, they were developed for the most part in the Philippines. Zobel faced the technical problem of how to achieve the lines that his theme required, lines that were, in his own words, "long, fine, and controlled." The surgical syringe was the solution which was his trademark in painting. The Saetas were Zobel's first artworks incorporating colors he saw in Rothko's works. After the Saetas, Zobel started painting his concept on black as a color in a series called Serie Negra or Series in Black influenced by East Asian calligraphy. The Serie Negra was started in 1959 while he was in Madrid which were done after four years.

After his first two definitive art series, Zobel began painting landscapes inspired by the river Júcar. In his later years, Zobel created the Museo de Arte Abstracto Español at Casa Colgadas in the town of Cuenca, Spain in 1963. Zobel was a tutor and helped in the careers of Spanish painters some of which were Antonio Lorenzo, Eusebio Sempere, Martín Chirino López, Antonio Saura and many others. Until his death, Zobel was working on a series called Dialogos which was reactions to art masters which he saw in the museums around Europe. In 1983, King Juan Carlos of Spain bestowed upon Zobel the Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes. Fernando Zobel died of a heart attack in Rome, Italy on June 2, 1984.

In 2003, a retrospective traveling exhibit in honor of Zobel were held in Cuenca and Seville. On May 21, 2006, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded posthumously him, the Presidential Medal of Merit for his contributions in the arts. On May 24, 2008, Zobel's work titled Noche Clara was sold at Christie's in Hong Kong for PHP 6,000,000, making it the most expensive Philippine artwork.

On Dec.19, 2010 a train station in Cuenca, Spain was inaugurated and named after hispano-Filipino artist Fernando Zobel.

Website: Fernando Zobel. Com

Harvard Magazine: Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Brief life of a peripatetic man of arts,1924-1984

Source: Wikipedia

Asian - Latin Americans

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:17:00 +0000

Filipino-Mexican-American singer Jasmine Villegas

Asian Latin Americans are Latin Americans of East Asian,Southeast Asian, South Asian descent. Asian Latin Americans have a centuries-long history in the region, starting with Filipinos in the 16th century. The heyday of Asian immigration occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries, however. There are currently more than four million Asian Latin Americans, nearly 1% of Latin America's population. Chinese and Japanese are the group's largest ancestries; other major ones include Filipinos and Koreans. Brazil is home to the largest population of Asian Latin Americans, at some 1.5 million.The highest ratio of any country in the region is 5%, in Peru. There has been notable emigration from these communities in recent decades, so that there are now hundreds of thousands of people of Asian Latin American origin in both Japan and the United States.

History

The first Asian Latin Americans were Filipinos who made their way to Latin America (particularly Mexico) in the 16th century, as sailors, crews, prisoners, slaves, adventurers and soldiers during the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. For two and a half centuries (between 1565 and 1815) many Filipinos sailed on the Manila-Acapulco Galleons, assisting in the Spanish Empire's monopoly in trade. Some of these sailors never returned to the Philippines, and many of their descendants can be found in small communities around Baja California, Sonora, Mexico City, and others. In the 19th century, several thousand Indian labourers of Tamil descent from the Indian French colonial settlements of Madras, Pondichéry, Chandernagor and Karikal where brought to French Guiana, Guadeloupe & Martinique to work in plantations.

Most Asians, however, arrived in the 19th and 20th century as contract workers or economic migrants. Today, the overwhelming majority of Asian Latin Americans are of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean descent. Japanese migration mostly came to a halt after World War II (with the exception of Japanese settlement in the Dominican Republic), while Korean migration mostly came to an end by the 1980s (though it still continues in Guatemala) and Chinese migration remains ongoing in a number of countries.

Settlement of war refugees has been extremely minor: a few dozen ex-North Korean soldiers went to Argentina and Chile after the Korean War, and some Hmong went to French Guiana (which may or may not be considered part of Latin America depending on the definition) after the Vietnam War.

Geographic Distribution

Four and a half million Latin Americans (almost 1% of the total population of Latin America) are of Asian descent. The number may be millions higher, even more so if all who have partial ancestry are included. For example, Asian Peruvians are estimated at 5% of the population there, but one source places the number of all Peruvians with at least some Chinese ancestry at 4.2 million, which equates to 15% of the country's total population.

Most who are of Japanese descent reside in Brazil, Peru and Argentina, while significant populations of Chinese ancestry are found in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Costa Rica (where they make up about 1% of the total population). Nicaragua is home to 12,000 ethnic Chinese; the majority reside in Managua and on the Caribbean coast. Smaller communities of Chinese, numbering just in the hundreds or thousands, are also found in Colombia, Ecuador and various other Latin American countries. The largest Korean communities are in Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Mexico and Argentina. There are around 10,000 living in Guatemala. There is also a Hmong community in Argentina. The French Overseas Departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe & Martinique have large populations of people of Tamil Indian descent. Chile, Panama and Venezuela also have small Asian Indian communities.

Japanese Peruvians have a considerable economic position in Peru. Many past and present Peruvian Cabinet members are ethnic Asians and former president Alberto Fujimori is of Japanese ancestry. Brazil is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan, numbering about 1.5 million.

Emigrant communities

Canada - Canada has been a destination for Asian Latin American emigration. The immigrants usually settle in the largest cities, such as Vancouver and Toronto, and integrate into the overall Asian Canadian communities.

Japan - Japanese Brazilian immigrants to Japan numbered 250,000 in 2004, constituting Japan's second-largest immigrant population. Their experiences bear similarities to those of Japanese Peruvian immigrants, who are often relegated to low income jobs typically occupied by foreigners and, as with other immigrants, are vulnerable to the Yakuza.

United States - Most Asian Latin Americans who have migrated to the United States live in the largest cities, often in Asian American or Hispanic and Latino communities in the Greater Los Angeles area, New York metropolitan area, Chicago metropolitan area, San Francisco Bay area, Greater Houston, the San Diego area, Imperial Valley, California, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida (mainly Chinese Cubans). They and their descendants are sometimes known as Asian Hispanics and Asian Latinos. In the 2000 US Census, 119,829 Hispanic or Latino Americans identified as being of Asian race alone. In 2006 the Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimated them at 154,694, while its Population Estimates, which are official, put them at 277,704. Some notable Americans of Asian Hispanic/Latino heritage include Franklin Chang-Diaz, Carlos Galvan, Kelis, and Chino Moreno.

**Asian Latin American population (incomplete data)**
Country	Chinese	Indian	Japanese	Korea n	Filipino
Argentina	130,000	1,600	35,000	22,024	15,000
Bolivia			12,000	640
Brazil	151,649	1,900	1,405,685	48,419	1,000
Chile		650	10,000	2,249
Colombia		20	1,119	710
Costa Rica	7,873	16		730
Cuba	113,828		1,300
Dominican Republic	50,000		3,000	518
Ecuador		5		1418
El Salvador				272
Guatemala		2,000	288	9,921
Honduras				406
Mexico	31,000	400	35,000	12,072	200,000
Nicaragua				531
Panama	200,000	2,164	456	306
Paraguay			10,321	5,229
Peru	1,300,000	145	90,000	812
Puerto Rico	2200>
Uruguay		~100	456	152
Venezuela		680	828	325

Source: Wikipedia

Tamara Quiogue Mapua: A Filipina Cast Of "HAIR" The Musical In Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:53:00 +0000

A Filipino is part of the cast of Hair. Her name is Tamara Quiogue Mapua.

Participates in numerous works of musical theater with the Company Repertory Philippines: Grease, Stop the World! I want to get off, The Fiddler on theRoof, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor dreamcoat, Little Shop of Horrors, Play itAgain, Sam! Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, Into the Woods, among other. InBarcelona with the Little Company The Musical, Rodgers and participates in play at Off Broadway.

In Manila, many stars in both television commercials and radio. Spoke several times in a children's TV show 5 and Up! In the present work with Casa Asia giving workshops at filipino cultural outreach programs and as narrator of legends and fairy tales.

WWW.HAIRELMUSICAL.ES

Texas: Nuevas Filipinas (New Philippines)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:05:00 +0000

Nuevas Filipinas and Nuevo Reino de Filipinas were secondary names given to the area of Texas above the Medina River at the time of Domingo Ramón's expedition of 1716. Although less popular than the name Texas, Nuevas Filipinas remained part of the province's official name throughout the colonial period. Antonio Margil de Jesús evidently first used the name Nuevas Filipinas in a letter to the viceroy dated July 20, 1716. In it he voiced the hope that with the king's patronage it might be possible to secure "for the greater glory of God and the name of our catholic Monarch another new Philippines" among the Hasinai. Two days later the missionaries sent a representation to the viceroy in which they expressed their "great hopes that this province shall be a New Philippines." The Franciscanqv' intention was to equate their work in Texas under Philip V with that of their brethren in the Philippine Islands under his predecessor, Philip II, thus engendering royal support. The name did not find immediate acceptance. Neither Domingo Ramón, the missionaries, nor officials used Nuevas Filipinas in the period 1716–17. Martín de Alarcón's title as governor of Texas, issued by the viceroy in December 1716, refers only to the Province of the Texas. Nuevas Filipinas surfaces again in the address of a letter written by Fr. Isidro Félix de Espinosa from East Texas at the end of February 1718. The instructions issued on March 11, 1718, for Alarcón's expedition to reinforce Texas does, for the first time in an official document, refer to Texas as "Nuevas Filipinas, Nueva Extremadura. " In his journal of the expedition Alarcón calls himself "Governor and Lieutenant Captain General of the Provinces of Coahuila, New Kingdom of the Philippines Province of the Texas." A modification of this title appears in his memorial of services to the crown, in which he refers to himself as governor and lieutenant captain general of the Province of the Texas and New Philippines. Although Nuevas Filipinas appeared regularly on documents during the next forty years or so, if fell out of use toward the end of the eighteenth century. By the early 1800s the term could be found only in a few of the province's legal documents, particularly land grants. Census reports, orders, and other governmental correspondence general referred to the province strictly as Texas.

By: Jesús F. de la Teja

Source: Texas State Historical Association

El Manton De Manila (The Manila Silk Shawl)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:42:00 +0000

Giving wings to bailaoras

Silvia Calado Olivo

María Pagés

When a bailaora's swirling dance causes the layers of her skirt to rise as if she is about to take flight, a delicate piece of silk covered with floral embroidery takes the place of her wings. The women of Seville made the Manila silk shawl their own from the very moment this Chinese complement was first imported in the 16th century via the Phillipines, then a Spanish colony. And in the same way it was also adopted by the cantaora as an essential part of her costume as she stepped on stage to sing, and by the bailaora, taking on a key role in her performance, especially for dancers who formed part of the escuela sevillana. A true follower of Pastora Imperio, Matilde Coral has established herself as the principal proponent of this garment, the movement of which, while leaving room for creativity, requires a certain technique. There's a continuity in the use of the shawl across generations of dancers, from reputed veterans such as Blanca del Rey or Milagros Menjíbar, through to younger gems like María Pagés or Belén Maya.

Manila, capital of the Philippines, gave its name to one of the complements with which the women of Seville, and hence the escuela sevillana school of flamenco dance, identifies most. The island, colonised by Spain in the 16th century, was an obligatory port of call for galleons loaded with precious cargoes of oriental products, which came via Mexico to dock at Seville's port. The daintiness and bright embroidery of the Chinese-made shawls captivated the imagination of Sevillians from all walks of life, to the point where the Manila silk shawl gave protection from the cold to both workers at the tobacco factory (the legendary Carmen among them) and ladies of the aristocracy alike.

The original Chinese shawl swapped its pagodas and dragons for flowers and birds, adapting to Andalusian tastes, and at the same time creating different styles: traditional, Isabelino, de cigarreras (tobacco workers), adorned with birds, with roses... There's even a corner of the province of Seville, the village of Villamanrique de la Condesa, which became famous for the making of these shawls, a now traditional activity which together with harness-making characterises the small town, tucked away in the Doñana National Park. Although the tradition is kept up in the area, some of the Seville companies specialised in producing the most prestigious brands of shawls boast age-old collections of designs which have survived to the present day on shawls which they commission from China. Today, though, they aren't sent to Seville by sea, and they certainly don't make a stopover in Manila and Acapulco...

Take a glance at any photo or any print from that era, and you'll soon realise that the Manila silk shawl has been intrinsically linked with flamenco for as far back as we can trace the history of the artform. Bailaoras and cantaoras like La Macarrona, La Malena, La Argentina, Pastora Imperio, La Niña de los Peines... all of them appear in portraits wrapped in lavishly embroidered silk shawls. But this garment really came into its own in flamenco dance, associated especially with the escuela sevillana - ask Matilde Coral, for example, who considers the silk shawl "one of the most beautiful components of flamenco dance, an essential complement used by the greats, like Pastora". The dancer, instructress and choreographer affirms that "it's worthwhile embellishing those movements with a mantón, it's really beautiful, even if it does need training and a certain knack," although it leaves room for personal creativity: "I have a really simple, plain one, but the shawl never misses a beat - it dances in time, and I never move it off beat. It dances with you. I don't like to throw it down, it's lending me its prestige on stage, and I see it as an insult to throw it. I always lay it carefully over a chair." And keeping with this tradition, some dancers are famous today for their skilful control of this garment, bailaoras like Milagros Menjíbar or Blanca del Rey, who have made the soleá del mantón their trademark... It's no surprise either to see the shawl in shows by the Compañía Andaluza de Danza, Belén Maya or María Pagés.

Flamenco dance fans and professionals alike can find all they need at Flamenco-world.com to help them with this artform. The website's commercial department has carefully selected a range of Manila silk shawls, all embroidered by hand - an essential complement used by legendary dancers from the escuela sevillana like Matilde Coral. Soleá, Bulería and Debla are the names of the three models selected, each one hand-crafted from silk following the traditional methods borrowed from China by the Seville craftsmen. This new line adds to our existing range of hand-crafted shoes, castanets, ladies' fans, dance skirts and Lina top-of-the-range accessories. Flamenco-world.com seeks to find a balance between quality and price to ensure that these fine dance products are accessible to bailaores and bailaoras all over the world.

"Manton De Manila" by Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa

Show performed by the Orchestra and soloists from the Opera Workshop Julián Aguirre Conservatory at the Teatro Coliseo de Lomas de Zamora, Argentina, on September 13, 2007.

The Philippine Peso (Currency)

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Countries where the Peso is being use. (Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, The Philippines, Uruguay)

The word Peso (meaning weight in Spanish) was the name of a coin that originated in Spain and became of immense importance internationally. Peso is now the name of the monetary unit of several former Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Philippines. Countries that used to use the Peso are Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El salvador, Guatemala, Hoduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

The Philippine Peso

A 100-peso note from the English Series, which was introduced in 1951 and was replaced by the Pilipino Series in 1969.

The peso (sign: ₱; code: PHP) is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos (Spanish) or sentimo (Filipino). Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used. The language was then changed to Pilipino (the name of the Filipino language then) and so the currency as written on the banknotes and coins is piso.

The peso is usually denoted by the symbol "(₱)". This symbol was added to the Unicode standard in version 3.2 and is assigned U+20B1 (₱). The symbol can be accessed through some word processors by typing in "20b1" and then pressing the Alt and X buttons simultaneously. Other ways of writing the Philippine Peso sign are "PHP", "PhP", "P", or "P" (strike-through uppercase P), which is still the most common method, since as of 2010 the Unicode Peso sign is not known to be supported by major and/or cross-platform fonts.

The coins are minted at the Security Plant Complex. Banknotes, passports, seaman's identification record books, land titles, checks, sweepstakes tickets, official ballots, official election returns, passbooks, postal money orders, revenue stamps, government bonds and other government documents are printed in the Security Plant Complex or the National Printing Office.

The Philippine peso derived from the Spanish silver coin Real de a Ocho or Spanish dollar, in wide circulation in the Americas and South-East Asia during the 17th and 18th centuries, through its use in the Spanish colonies and even in the US and Canada.

The Philippine peso was established on May 1, 1852, when the Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II (now the Bank of the Philippine Islands) introduced notes denominated in pesos fuertes ("strong pesos", written as "PF"). Until October 17, 1854, when a royal decree confirmed Banco Español-Filipino's by-laws, the notes were in limited circulation and were usually used for bank transactions. The peso replaced the real at a rate of 8 reales = 1 peso. Until 1886, the peso circulated alongside Mexican coins, some of which were still denominated in reales and escudos (worth 2 pesos). Coin production commenced in 1861 and, in 1864, the Philippines decimalized, dividing the peso into 100 centimos de peso. The peso was equal to 226⁄7 grains of gold.

In 1886, Philippine colonial authorities started the gradual phase-out of all Mexican coins in circulation in the Philippines, citing that Mexican coins were by then of lesser value than the coins produced in Manila. But just as in the case of the Mexican dollars, the Philippine unit was based on silver, unlike in the case of the USA and Canada were a gold standard operated. As such, following the great silver devaluation of 1873, the Philippine unit devalued in parallel with the Mexican unit, and by the end of the 19th century, the Philippine unit was worth 50 cents in relation to the US dollar.

10 Peso note is an example of Japanese printed currency issued in the Philippines soon after it's occupation by Japan in 1942.

20 Peso note during the presidency of Sergio Osmeña of the Philippine Common Wealth. WW2 Note.

200 Peso Banknote - Bank of the Philippine Islands (1928) American Regime

Related: Philippine Coins & Banknotes, Philippine Peso, Worth Point, Peso History of the Peso

Source: Wikipedia & (photo) - Philippine Coins & Banknotes (philmoney.blogspot.com)

Nata de Coco

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Nata de coco is a chewy, translucent, jelly-like food product produced by the fermentation of coconut water, which gels through the production of microbial cellulose by Acetobacter xylinus. Nata de coco is most commonly sweetened as a candy or dessert, and can accompany many things including pickles, drinks, ice cream, puddings and fruit mixes. The product originates from the Philippines.

Nata de Coco is highly regarded for its high dietary fiber, and its low fat and cholesterol content. Strips of Nata de Coco are used in mass-produced bubble tea drinks as a healthier alternative to tapioca. Commercial Nata de Coco is made by small farms in the Philippines.

The primarily coconut water dessert is produced through a series of steps from:

1. Extraction of coconut water

2. Fermentation of the coconut water with bacterial cultures
3. Separating and cutting the produced mat of nata de coco
4. Cleaning and washing the acetic acid out of the nata de coco
5. Cutting to packaging

Nata de Coco comes from Spanish "cream of coconut". Cream in this sense means the fat from the coconut milk. The Spanish name is a result of Spain's colonization of the Philippines.

Facebook Fan site of Nata de Coco

How to Make Nata de Coco?

España Boulevard, Manila

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:41:00 +0000

España Boulevard is the main thoroughfare of Sampaloc district, Manila and the extreme western section of Quezon City. It is an 8-lane divided arterial road and is a component of one of the radial roads of Metro Manila — Radial Road 7 or R-7. España's name is taken after "España," Spanish for Spain, the Philippines' colonial power for 333 years. True to its name, several Spanish names abound the street.

España is an east-west artery of Manila. It connects Lerma and Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta) streets of Sampaloc district on the west end to Mabuhay (formerly Welcome) Rotonda, Quezon City on the east end. The entire street is straddled by a center island, which is only broken on major intersections and at the railroad crossing. Vehicles are not allowed to make a left-turn at the full length of the boulevard, with the exception of the intersection going to Nicanor Reyes Street at the western terminus. España is two kilometers long. España's north side is its west-bound (Manila-bound) side, while the south side is its east-bound (Quezon City-bound) side. Buses, taxis, jeepneys and cabriolets serve the commuters.

QuezonCity

At the east end is Mabuhay Rotonda, which connects España with Quezon Avenue (also known as Quezon Boulevard Extension), E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue (also known as España Extension) and Mayon Avenue. Quezon Avenue leads to EDSA and ultimately to the Quezon Memorial Circle. Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue (España Ext.) leads to Cubao district of Quezon City, a popular shopping place. Mayon Avenue leads to the North Luzon Expressway (formerly North Diversion Road). Vehicles pass through the Mabuhay Rotonda on a counter-clockwise direction, although the west side of the rotonda is now closed to traffic.

At the south side of España at the front of the rotonda is South East Asian College, a medical and nursing school. At the north side of Macaraig Street are offices of telecommunications company PLDT. Macaraig marks the Manila-Quezon City boundary.

Manila

At Josefina Street's south side is a Meralco branch, a power distribution firm. The first major intersection is the one-way (north-south) Blumentritt Road. The street is named after Austrian professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, Jose Rizal's best friend. The next intersections are characters from Rizal's novel Noli Me Tangere: Ibarra, Sisa and Basilio. Crisostomo Ibarra is the hero of the novel, while Sisa was the mother who went mad when her two sons, Basilio and Crispin went missing.

From Welcome Rotonda to Blumentritt lies 2 Ministop Convenience Stores. One is the Macaraig, just beside PLDT and the one with wide parking slot is the Mini Stop Blumentritt-Ibarra branch, across Equitable bank.

The next major intersection is A. H. Maceda (formerly Washington Street), which is named after a prominent politician. Along Craig Street on España's south side is a Mercury Drug branch. Between Kundiman and E. Quintos, Sr. Streets is the only pedestrian traffic light along España. The yellow notice at the traffic light reads "Ped Xing," which means "pedestrian crossing." Between Antipolo and Algeciras streets is the Philippine National Railways tracks, on which trains stop at the España Station, on the south side.

Vicente G. Cruz (formerly Economia) and Manuel dela Fuente Streets (formerly Trabajo) each have traffic lights. This area is still referred to as "Trabajo" (Spanish for "hard work"). The surrounding streets are named after virtues in Spanish. For example, Economia (thrift), Pureza (purity), Sobriedad (sobriety), Verdad (truth), Honradez (honor), Alegria (joy), Constancia (constancy).

Along V. G. Cruz lies a Mini Stop convenience store, while on M. dela Fuente lies a 7-Eleven branch, and Wendy's (now closed) and Chowking food chains. Several meters from España on the south side of M. dela Fuente lies a Jollibee branch. V. G. Cruz can only be crossed on a north-south route while M. dela Fuente can only be crossed on a south-north route.

Between Don Quijote (named for Don Quixote) and Carola streets is Ramon Magsaysay High School, a reputable public high school. It can easily be distinguished from España's north side with its sky blue walls. The school is also the largest public high school in Manila. On the north side, from A. H. Lacson to Padre Noval Street is the 21.5-hectare Manila campus of the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

A. H. Lacson Avenue is named for Arsenio Lacson, a former Mayor of Manila. It was formerly named Governor Forbes Street after William Cameron Forbes, the American Governor-General. At the northwest corner of the España-Lacson intersection is UST's Roque Ruaño building, which houses UST's Faculty of Engineering. Between M. F. Jhocson (named after Mariano Fortunato Jhocson, founder of National University) and Centro Streets is another pedestrian overpass, which serves UST students.

At the front of UST is a Shakey's Pizza parlor, branches of Bank of the Philippine Islands and Metrobank, a Victory Liner bus terminal, Mayric's Bar, several review centers and dormitories. Viewable from España is the Arch of the Centuries, which is a vestige of UST's connections with Intramuros district.

At UST's west side is Padre Noval Street, named after one of the first priests to arrive in the country who served as rector for UST. At the street corner is the Beato Angelico building, which houses the Fine Arts and Design, and Architecture colleges of UST. The street is peculiar because the southbound vehicles are allowed to cross the street, while northbound vehicles are only allowed to make a left or right-turn along España.

At Padre Campa Street are branches of McDonald's and KFC, both on the north side. At KFC's pedestrian side is another pedestrian overpass. Facing McDonald's on the south side is Saint Thomas Square, a shopping center.

España ends when it splits into Nicanor Reyes (formerly Morayta) and Lerma Streets. Nicanor Reyes, named after the founder of Far Eastern University, which straddles its north side, leads to Claro M. Recto Avenue (formerly Azcarraga). Lerma, on the other hand, leads to Quezon Boulevard (a different street from Quezon Avenue), named after the President Manuel L. Quezon, who also studied at UST.

Intersections

List of intersections from east to west. Bolded names are road crossings with traffic lights. Names in parentheses indicate former names, some of which are still in wide use. Designations in square brackets indicate official Metro Manila national roads.

Mabuhay Rotonda (Welcome Rotonda) — Mayon Avenue / Quezon Avenue [R-7] (Quezon Boulevard Extension) / E. Rodriguez, Sr. Avenue (España Extension)
Macaraig Street (North side only)
Josefina Street (South side only)
Blumentritt Road / Ibarra Street
Sisa Street
Instruccion StreetBasilio Street
A.H. Maceda Street (Washington Street)
Metrica Street
Craig Street
Kundiman Street
E. Quintos, Sr. Street {Pedestrian Crossing}
San Diego Street
Antipolo Street
Algeciras Street
Prudencio Street
R.S. Cristobal Street (Constancia)
Miguelin Street
V.G. Cruz Street (Economia)
J. Marzan Street
M. dela Fuente Street (Trabajo)
Maria Cristina Street
Don Quijote Street
Carola Street
Dos Castillas Street
M. Earnshaw Street (North side only)
A.H. Lacson Avenue (Gov. Forbes Street) [C-2]
Valencia Street (South side only)
Ruaño Drive (North side only, inside UST)
Extremadura Street (South side only)
P. Cayco Street (South side only)
Quezon Drive (North side only, inside UST)
M.F. Jhocson (South side only)
Centro Street (South side only)
Osmeña Drive (North side only, inside UST)
Moret Street (South side only)
Galicia Street (South side only)
Tamayo Drive (North side only, inside UST)
Padre Noval Street
Eloisa Street (North side only)
G.M. Tolentino Street (Cataluña)
Adelina Street (North side only)
Padre Campa Street
Paquita Street (North side only)
Lerma [R-7] / Nicanor Reyes Street (Morayta)

Source: Wikipedia

Hacienda Luisita

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:08:00 +0000

Hacienda Luisita is a 6,435-hectare plantation estate located in Tarlac, Philippines, owned by the Cojuangco family, which includes former Philippine President Cory Aquino and her son, President Noynoy Aquino. It spans various towns in the province. The hacienda is primarily within the 2nd District and 1st District of Tarlac. The estate is as large as the cities of Makati and Pasig combined.

History

Spanish Era:

Hacienda Luisita was once part of the holdings of Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas sociedad anonima, better known as Tabacalera, which was founded in November 26, 1881 by a Spaniard from Santander, Cantabria and Santiago de Cuba, Don Antonio López y López. He was the first Marques de Comillas and was famous for being an associate of the first Spanish Prime Minister with native blood, the Spanish-Filipino mestizo Don Marcelo Azcárraga y Palmero. The estate was named after his wife, Luisa Bru y Lassús. Their son, Claudio López, the second to hold the title , donated some of the profits to the Jesuits to create the Pontifical University of Comillas, a university outside Madrid. López acquired the estate in 1882, a year before his death. López was a financial genius who parlayed his work adventures in Cuba and Latin America into a steamship, companies and trading businesses. He was the most influential Spanish businessman of his generation and counted the Prime Minister and the King of Spain as his personal friends. Tabacalera was a private enterprise he founded with the sole intention of taking over the Philippine Tobacco Monopoly from the Spanish colonial government. This included the Hacienda Antonio (named after his eldest son), Hacienda San Fernando and Hacienda Isabel (named after his eldest daughter) in Cagayan and Isabela provinces where the legendary La Flor de La Isabela cigar was cultivated. Tabacalera’s incorporators were the Sociedad General de Crédito Inmobiliario Español, Banque de Paris which is now Paribas and Bank of the Netherlands which is now ABN-AMRO. The sugar and tobacco in the Philippines were the reason why the López de Comillas family were able to donate such a huge pontifical university to the Jesuits on top of lavishing on their home, the Palacio de Sobrellano in Comillas and the Güell park (designed by Gaudí) in Barcelona. Don Alfonso Güell y Martos born in 1958, the fourth Marquis of Comillas, currently holds the title. He is also the Count of San Pedro de Ruiseñada, the third to hold that title. Both are grandee status in Spain and as such can address the King as "mi primo" or "my cousin."

American Period:

Contrary to what was expected, Spanish-owned Hacienda Luisita did not languish when the Americans took full control of the Philippine government. In fact, Tabacalera as a whole experienced prosperous times because of the legendary sweet tooth of the Americans. With Cuban sugar not enough for their domestic market, the Americans tapped the Philippines for its sugarcane requirements. At one point during pre-war Manila times, Hacienda Luisita supplied almost 20% of all sugar in the United States. Luisita sugar became popular among Filipino (specifically Ilocano) expatriates in America just as much as Victorias sugar was popular among Manila’s elite circles back home. The Americans also brought the centrifugal-based machinery which doubled the production of the estate and therefore did not require the cane to be loaded by truck to Laguna to be squeezed in the haciendas there, including those of the Roxas y Zobel families. As this new technology swept in Luzon and the sugar mills consolidated, many wealthy families fell into foreclosure or combined their resources. Some of the brave few like Honorio Ventura (who paid for Diosdado Macapagal’s schooling), the De Leons, Urquicos, Lazatins and the Gonzálezes did just that--- which is how PASUDECO came into being. Structurally, there was little change in the hacienda; Tabacalera y Compañía positioned Spanish-Filipino and American-Filipino encargados and administradores to manage the vast estate.

Japanese Regime:

Like all haciendas and tabacaleras in the Philippines, the Hacienda Luisita continued to operate during the Japanese occupation who were bent on ensuring that commodities such as sugar and rice be made available to the majority of the Filipinos, therefore avoiding any tempers of additional insurgencies and guerilla movements. The Spanish-Filipino administrators simply placed their subordinates, Japanese and Korean immigrants working as machinists in the centrifugal system, to the helm. This kept both the Japanese and the Spanish in good terms as both their interests were protected.

Pepe Cojuangco Period:

In the 1950s, the onset of the Hukbalahap rebellion led the Spanish owners of Tabacalera to sell Hacienda Luisita and the sugar mill Central Azucarera de Tarlac. Ramon Magsaysay, then president of the Philippines, blocked the sale of the plantation to the eager and wealthy Lópezes of Iloilo. During those times the brothers Fernando López and Eugenio López as well as their cousins were one of the wealthiest in all of the Visayas Islands, save for a few Chinese Filipino families in Cebú and Leyte, as well as the Familias Aliadas de Villegas, Teves, Lopez, y Rodriguez (a family with origins from Santander, Galicia, & Asturias; as well as China - Teves). Fearing the Lopezes might become too powerful after already owning Meralco, Negros Navigation, Manila Chronicle, ABS-CBN, various haciendas in Western Visayas and then the nearby PASUMIL consortium in del Carmen, Pampanga that they purchased from the Americans, the President offered the property to José Cojuangco, popularly called “Pepe” through Magsaysay protégé and Don Pepe’s son-in-law, Benigno Aquino. Magsaysay also knew the Cojuangcos through his wife, Luz, of the prosperous Banzons, an old Chinese Filipino family. Unfortunately, President Ramón Magsaysay died in Mount Manunggal, Cebu in 1957.

The sale was consummated in President Carlos P. García’s term, a close ally of then Senator Ferdinand Marcos and five years from the day President Magsaysay offered the land. The José Cojuangcos were wealthy in land and bank holdings and in Philippine pesos. They were not wealthy in United States dollars which was closely regulated then by the Philippine Central Bank. In fact, Pepe and his wife Metring were not able to send Pepe’s younger brother Eduardo Sr. (Danding Cojuangco’s father) to the United States for treatment for the mere fact that they could not exchange their pesos to dollars. Eduardo Sr or Endeng Lalake later died of kidney failure.

The José Cojuangcos acquired the property in 1958 through a loan from the Government Service Insurance System and a dollar loan from the Manufacturers Trust Company of New York, which was guaranteed by the Central Bank of the Philippines, with consent from Miguel Cuaderno, its governor. Pepe also reduced his stake in the Paniqui Sugar Mills, though he and his cousins still managed it on behalf of his aunt, Ysidra Cojuangco, the matriarch. Hacienda Luisita was the largest investment he ever made.

With the ink barely dry, he appointed not his eldest Pedro but his son-in-law Benigno Aquino Jr to administer the hacienda. Pepe and Ninoy introduced an almost social welfare state: free medicines and check up, scholarships to colleges, free education, free food and equitable shares to the harvest, free child care and nutrition, free burials, a village with housing earmarked for the farmers, even free gasoline to the tractoras. Like the Paniqui Sugar Mills, not a single workers’ strike was instigated during their administration. Pepe barely made any money from the Hacienda Luisita. Understanding that the value of the Luisita is in the farmers who till it, he chose to rehabilitate the Filipinos who before were almost slaves under the Tabacalera. He was able to sustain these losses due in part of his other more money making investments in the Bank of Commerce and First Manila Management which owned the Pantranco buses and the Mantrade group.

Marcos Period:

As Ferdinand Marcos was elected for a second term in 1969, the reverse happened to Pepe. At Bank of Commerce, where he and his brother Juan “Itoy” Cojuangco and nephews Ramon Cojuangco (later of PLDT; son of relative Antonio Cojuangco Sr) and Danding Cojuangco (eldest son of deceased brother Eduardo Cojuangco Sr) each owned equitable stakes, the last three factions planned a coup d’ etat by toppling him from the presidency of the said bank. The three did not want Pedro (Pepe’s first born) to be bank president which was against the aging Pepe’s wishes. To avoid a scandal, Pepe Cojuangco sold his remaining shares in Bank of Commerce, almost equal to 28%, to his relatives. Thus Pepe lost his one of eventually three lifelines in nurturing the Hacienda Luisita.

As the 1970s crept in and immediately after Benigno Aquino Jr imprisonment on false charges, Pepe’s business empire began to wane. He was unable to purchase new machines and new technology for the aging sugar mill that stands in the middle of the estate because of the government’s refusal to Pantranco’s appeals for higher charges as compared to its competitors who have since been permitted so. Business critics believed it was Marcos’s way of pressuring Pepe to influence his son-in-law from attacking him and his wife, First Lady Imelda Marcos(who recently built the Cultural Center of the Philippines and whom Ninoy labeled as the new Evita Peron). His close business associate in First Manila Management of the Pantranco / Nissan Philippines / Mantrade fame, Manuel Lopa, died in 1974. With his death, the FMMC-Mantrade companies lost their immunity from the Marcoses (Manuel was a close personal friend of Speaker Daniel Romualdez, Imelda's uncle). Ambassador Benjamin Romualdez, brother of Imelda, then coerced Pepe and his son-in-law, Ricardo “Baby” Lopa (Manuel’s son) into selling the collection of 38 companies under First Manila Management to him. Baby and his wife Teresita Cojuangco, together with Pepe and the rest of the Lopa heirs, had no choice but to sell. The second lifeline disappeared with this extortion.

In 1976, First United Bank, the banking concern Pepe built on his own after his ouster from the family owned Bank of Commerce which he saved from bankruptcy decades ago, was sold for an amicable amount to his nephew, Danding Cojuangco, who was then close to President Marcos, with both mothers being Ilocanas notwithstanding. The poorest branch of the Cojuangcos, the Eduardo branch, has become the richest through the sheer genius of Danding. Though this third lifeline disappeared in good terms, the Jose Cojuangcos were left with nothing but a half-rehabilitated and barely-earning white elephant of a hacienda. Practically all of his farm workers mourned his death. Many flooded his funeral Mass to see him off.

Aquino Exile Period:

Pepe Cojuangco died on August 21, 1976, five years from the day of the Plaza Miranda bombing. His wife, Demetria Sumulong-Cojuangco, died due to colon cancer (the same disease that killed daughter Cory Aquino). Both died disappointed and broken-hearted. Their children and grandchildren zealously took key positions in the holding company to save the hacienda from the creditors, all of whom wanted to slice Luisita away save for Chinabank of Binondo, who defied the anger of President and Mrs. Marcos by continuing to help them. Chinabank was partly owned by the Dee, Sycip and Lim families.

With Ninoy and his wife Cory Aquino in exile in Boston, the remaining children took drastic steps in ensuring that the hacienda continued to exist and operate. To maximize the productivity of sugar and therefore profitability, a certain level of economy must be reached. Thus the Jose Cojuangcos tried their best to keep the Luisita in one piece. They refurbished and re-used old 1950s era farm machines and tools, doubled capacity production maintained low expenses. There were a lot of reasons why Luisita remained in Cojuangco hands. One, it helped that Danding Cojuangco was the de facto kingpin of Tarlac and his kind mother Josephine Murphy Cojuangco was still cordial to them. For Marcos to touch Hacienda Luisita he also would have to force Agrarian Reform into the Ysidra Cojuangco haciendas which were under the supervision of Danding Cojuangco. Thus, many haciendas around Luisita were hacked to smaller pieces such as those of the De Leóns, Escalers, Urquicos, Arrastrias, Quiasons and Gonzalezes but not those of the Cojuangco. Two, it helped that the price of sugar spiraled so high because of President Marcos and Roberto Benedicto manipulating the sugar prices primarily in Negros Occidental. Third, Ninoy Aquino was not in the Philippines lambasting President Marcos in the underground movements. For as long as the Marcoses heard less of Pepe’s son-in-law, the less government pressure there was on the José Cojuangcos. Most importantly, it helped that most of the farm workers who remember Pepe understood the frugality measures his children had to implement.

The Cory Period:

On Pepe’s death anniversary and that of the bombing of Plaza Miranda, Ninoy Aquino was gunned down in broad daylight, August 21, 1983.

Upon the installation of his wife, Cory, Pepe’s daughter, the property was folded into the Hacienda Luisita Incorporated established on August 23, 1988. In compliance with the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program which at this time around did not exempt anyone whether or not they were close to President Marcos before, nearly 5,000 hectares of Hacienda Luisita were placed under a stock distribution agreement between the landowners and farm workers. President Aquino wanted to make sure that all farmers’ rights are recognized. If the farmers agreed for a stock distribution agreement then the plantations would also remain intact. Many haciendas, including those assembled by Ysidra Cojuangco a century before, did not qualify or the farm hands there refused the offer. Thus, the majority of all Cojuangco lands disappeared while a Cojuangco was President of the Philippines. This caused a silent rift within the Cojuangco clan. All the lands where sugarcane and molasses were derived to feed the Paniqui Sugar Mills were hocked to appease the government program and those of the angry farm workers. Hacienda Luisita was saved by the perseverance of Cory’s siblings and the fact that most of the farm workers signed the agreement, counting that one day the life in Hacienda Luisita would be just as good as the time when Pepe and Ninoy used to managed it. However, development and new technology did not arrive in Cory Aquino’s term. She barred any relative from starting any new businesses. Furthermore, she forbade many among her siblings and cousins from retaking the family businesses lost in the 1970s unless it was sold back to them (as with the case between Romualdez selling back First Manila Management to Baby Lopa) or was awarded to them by the PCGG or Presidential Commission on Good Government. The old sugar mill in the middle of Luisita remained rickety and with holes in its roofs.

The Pedro Period:

After 1992, Cory Aquino stepped down from the Philippine presidency. That was also the time that elder brother Pedro “Pete” and sons Melecio “Mel” and Fernando “Nando” entered the hacienda hoping to make it profitable. Mindful of the farm workers, they instituted very slowly the fiscal reforms to achieve this goal. This partly explains why every year from 1988 until 2008 the Hacienda Luisita and its Central Azucarera de Tarlac posted hundreds of millions of losses. Only in 2009, buoyed by the huge demand for sugar and the unpredicted fluctuating prices of Brazilian sugar, did the family corporation posted a profit. The various siblings stopped contributing money from their own non-hacienda corporations for the benefit of Pepe’s hacienda, which was a huge sigh of relief for them. On the other hand, the management style of the Pedro Cojuangcos lacked the charisma of the deceased Ninoy. His United States educated children, Mel and Nando, continue to strive to placate the needs of the farmers while balancing the budget. Sadly, when profit arrived so did the workers’ strikes. The unrest was blamed on the allies of current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who were shocked to see Cory Aquino joining anti-Arroyo rallies. Some blamed Danding Cojuangco since owning the hacienda would complement San Miguel and Ginebra’s ethyl, molasses and sugar needs. This was refuted by Danding himself and his cousins believe in him.

In 2005, the Department of Agrarian Reform canceled the stock distribution agreement, citing that it had failed to improve the lives of more than 5 000 farmer beneficiaries. Hacienda Luisita Incorporated appealed this decision, but in May 2006, the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council rejected with finality the motion of Hacienda Luisita Incorporated to reconsider the revocation of the stock distribution agreement. However, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order, stopping the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council from parceling out the land to the workers.

Massacre:

On November 16, 2004, twelve picketing farmers and two children were killed and hundreds were injured when police and soldiers dispatched by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s Labor Secretary Patricia St. Tomas stormed a blockade by plantation workers. The protesters were pushing for fairer wages, increased benefits and, more broadly, a greater commitment for national land reform. Despite witness accounts of police, government soldiers and security personnel firing into the picket line, no arrests were made.

Citicism:

The Cojuangcos have often garnered criticism for their ownership of the estate. Leftists have painted it as a symbol of the country's paralyzing oligarchy, with some of the country's most powerful figures all having stakes in the property. The estate's incorporators, who control 70 percent of Hacienda Luisita's stock shares, are Pedro Cojuangco, Josephine Reyes, Teresita Lopa’s heirs, José Cojuangco, Jr., and Maria Paz Teopaco, all brothers and sisters of the late former President Corazon Aquino, who bequeathed her shares the day she became President of the Philippines to her children and the Daughters of Charity and other non-profit organizations for fear that it would be used as political propaganda. The remaining 30 percent of the stock shares was given to farm workers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program's stock distribution option scheme.

Website: Hacienda Luisita

Website: Central Azucarera De Tarlac

Source: Wikipedia

June 30 Is Philippine - Spanish Friendship Day

noreply@blogger.com (Ze Cabreira) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:13:00 +0000

The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day celebrates the strong links between the Republic of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Spain. It is celebrated every June 30, remembering the day when General Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the First Philippine Republic, issued an order requiring that the last Spanish soldiers who had garrisoned for almost a year inside Baler’s church be treated not as enemies, but as friends, and that they receive the necessary permission for their return to Spain.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, the main promoter of the Friendship Day, described this occasion as “a glorious day for both countries because the siege of Baler brought heroes and victory for both parties." Today, it is the symbol of the great friendship between both countries.

The Philippine - Spanish Friendship Day was established by Republic Act No. 9187 of July 22, 2002, as a means to strengthen the relationship between two nations that share history, values and traditions.

Republic Act No. 9187 states: June 30 is a day when President Emilio Aguinaldo commended the besieged Spanish soldiers in the Church of Baler for their loyalty and gallantry. To mark this momentous occasion, there is a need to declare said day a national holiday to remember the act of benevolence which has paved the way in bridging better relations between Philippines and Spain.

The Thirtieth of June of each year is hereby declared as Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day to commemorate the cultural and historical ties, friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and Spain. It is hereby declared as a national special working holiday and a special non-working holiday in Aurora Province.

Relations between Spain and the Philippines had been steadily improving since 1998. On June 30, 2003, the first celebration of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day took place in the Philippine town of Baler, province of Aurora, with Senator Edgardo Angara as host. Guests for this first event were, among others, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the head of Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, Mr. Rodríguez Ponga, special representative for this occasion.

Since 2003, this celebration has acquired more and more relevance and has kept growing in terms of the amount of activities and projects, which have been organised in different locations:

YEAR / PLACE OF CELEBRATION:

2003 - Baler, Malolos
2004 - Malolos
2005 - Iloilo
2006 - Zamboanga
2007 - Baler
2008 - Baler
2009 - Baler

The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day is strongly linked to the town of Baler, where, in 1898, a group of Spanish soldiers garrisoned inside the town’s church, defended their flag, without knowing that Spain had already lost its principal colony in Asia.

Heroism and stubbornness let the 33 soldiers, commanded by Captain Enrique de las Morenas and Lieutenant Saturnino Martín Cerezo, not only to survive, but to earn the respect of the Philippine Republican Army, whose safe return to Spain was ordered by General Aguinaldo. After this heroic act, this group of soldiers came to be known as “Los últimos de Filipinas” (“the last ones of the Philippines”).

Link: Embassy Of Spain In Manila

Source: Wikipedia

¡SupereXtraordinarisimo!

Wanted: Spanish-speaking voice-over talents for spanish cartoons! « FILIPINO eSCRIBBLES

"Porque" (Chavacano Version) by Maldita

Fundacion Centro Flamenco Philippines: Pasion y Fuego

Cariñosa, The National Dance Of The Philippines

Nueva Valencia, Philippines

Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language

Chabacano del Ciudad de Cavite Sample With Spanish Translation (Video)

Joaquín Xaudaró (J. O'Radvax) 1872-1933

In Focus: Gary Valenciano

Hispanidad

Europe

Americas

Africa

Asia-Pacific

Cheche Lazaro Presents: Isang Kakaibang Kwento ng Pag-ibig (A Unique Story of Love - Part 1-8 Video)

The National Museum of The Philippines

Dia del Libro (World Book Day)

Read: 'Dia Del Libro' encourages Filipinos to read more

In Focus: Paulino Alcántara - "El Rompe Redes"

Club Barcelona Copa del Rey (5): 1913, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926 Campionat de Catalunya (10): 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 Bohemian Sporting Club Philippines Championship (2): 1917, 1918

Club

In Focus: Fernando Zobel de Ayala y Montojo

Asian - Latin Americans

Emigrant communities

Source: Wikipedia

Tamara Quiogue Mapua: A Filipina Cast Of "HAIR" The Musical In Spain

Texas: Nuevas Filipinas (New Philippines)

El Manton De Manila (The Manila Silk Shawl)

The Philippine Peso (Currency)

Nata de Coco

España Boulevard, Manila

Hacienda Luisita

June 30 Is Philippine - Spanish Friendship Day

Club

Barcelona

Copa del Rey (5): 1913, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926

Campionat de Catalunya (10): 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927

Bohemian Sporting Club

Philippines Championship (2): 1917, 1918