Metro Cagayan de Oro

Always having a soft spot for the Philippines, Kevin Kwan, the author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy, revealed he is keen to shoot his next movie in the Philippines, although there are no concrete plans. 

Recently in Manila for the 21st World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit with Academy Award winning Hollywood producer, Lawrence Bender, Kwan gave a booster shot to tourism marketers in the Philippines when he said, “This is my fourth trip and it’s always a pleasure to be back.”… Continue reading... “Crazy Rich Asian Kevin Kwan may make film in the Philippines”

The commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of General Douglas MacArthur’s Breakout from Corregidor on March 13, 2022 was constrained by the latest surge of the coronavirus pandemic, but this did not stop private citizens led by the families of World War II USAFFE and guerrillas from making a token gesture to acknowledge its importance in our local and world histories.… Continue reading... “PT-41 comes home : WWII veterans kin fund PT-41 scale model for MacArthur Memorial in Cagayan de Oro”

Who would have thought that a poor boy from Loay, Bohol, would someday be tasked to feed an army?

Just four months after the surrender of American and Filipino armed forces in Mindanao, the guerrilla movement led by the unsurrendered soldiers started to come together.

Without an overall leader, without a word from MacArthur nor information from the outside world, the Filipinos from all over the country started to organize not so much as to create an armed resistance against the Japanese Imperial Army, but even more to restore law and order in a land rocked with crime and lawlessness by opportunistic bandits masquerading as guerrillas.… Continue reading... “To Feed An Army: The World War II Saga of Pastor P. Ilogon Sr.”

Australia and New Zealand celebrate Anzac Day on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders “who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations” and “the contribution and suffering of all those who have served”.… Continue reading... “In Remembrance for Anzac Day 2022: Australian Guerrillas in Tawi-Tawi & Mindanao, Philippines during World War II”

“B” Co. Collecting Company, 101^st Medical Battalion, 101^st Infantry Division, Philippine Army, USAFFE & 1^st Battalion, 111^th Infantry Regiment, 10^th Military District, USFIP

The annals of the Second World War in the Pacific Theatre are full of tales of heroism and sacrifice by patriots and martyrs who put their  lives at risk or paid the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their fellow men.… Continue reading... “Battlefield Angel of Mercy: Major Blas Chaves Velez, MC”

Sunday, March 13, 2022, is the 80^th Anniversary of General Douglas MacArthur’s arrival in Macabalan Pier following his successful breakout from Corregidor.

US President Franklin D. Roosevelt earlier ordered MacArthur to escape to Australia when the fall of the Philippines became imminent. Instead of taking the usual route by submarine, MacArthur instead chose the PT  Boats of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 to bring his family and staff from Corregidor to Cagayan de Misamis.… Continue reading... “Cagayan de Oro marks 80th Anniversary of MacArthur’s Breakout from Corregidor”

Five years ago, Ruby Asuncion Corrales Santos founded One Indigo Project to assist children of indigent indigenous peoples’ communities in Bukidnon, Davao and Cotabato improve their academic performance in school.

With donations from like-minded companies like LBCFoundation, Century Tuna, and Sierra Falcones , One Indigo donated simple items such as ‘tenderly used clothing’, toys, shoes, and face masks aimed at assisting the lumad families cope with the demands of educating their children.… Continue reading... “Salted in Heaven : Closing the loop between Charity and Good Intentions”

One of Cagayan de Oro’s pioneers who built up Uptown Cagayan de Oro has passed on, but his legacy lives on in the township he helped establish which perfectly embodies the city’s trailblazing spirit, and his various engagements in civic society organizations where he was a well-respected voice.

Rodolfo Luciano Meñes was  born in Magalang, Pampanga, but grew up in Sampaloc,.… Continue reading... “Elegy for a Kagay-anon Uptown Pioneer: Rodolfo Luciano Meñes (23 November 1947-19 February 2022)”

This coming month of May will be the 80^th Anniversary of the Japanese invasion of Northern Mindanao and subsequent surrender on May 10, 1942 of the United States Army Forces Far East Mindanao Force in Malaybalay, Bukidnon.

It is sad how eight decades later, little is remembered of the sacrifice of the Filipino and American soldiers who gave the Imperial Japanese Army a good fight despite the enormous odds stacked against them.… Continue reading... “Defenders of Mangima Canyon”

Natural pearls have been prized for their beauty and rarity for over four millennia.

Oriental Pearls (also called Bahraini or Genuine Pearls), are the world’s most precious gem and continue to break world record prices in both the Middle-east and in the west.

Natural gulf pearls are among the finest in the world and are still found today in the many countries that surround the gulf such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. … Continue reading... “A Kingdom for a Pearl: The Tale of the Lost Nautilus Pearl of Sulu”