By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE is something magical in our lives, stories narrated by our grandparents and our parents, before Santa Claus came to our consciousness. As children, my grandfather Laki Ilot, often told his experiences with the magical as a natural part of everyday life. He would tell…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   STEPPING into the bathtub, she notices her body, her hands, her feet, as they moved, depending on her will. She touches her face, her neck, her breasts. There’s a difference now, she realizes. There was a time when she didn’t mind about specific parts of…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   A good friend, art curator Bina Sarkar Elias, requested me to participate with a short 6-8 lines poem on women’s empowerment for an art show she will be curating entitled “Free, Fearless & Fantastical!” scheduled for the Pen + Brush Gallery in New York (Jan….

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   FOR the past few years, I wake up with a smile, whether I’m ill or not, to inspire my family and friends to act and contribute to healing a country descending to hell. There is not much one can hope for, but seeing others doing…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   IN 2016, I delivered a speech in Bayambang for the celebration of the Singkapital, the 402-year-old town’s commemoration as the fifth capital of the First Philippine Republic and the final seat of the short-lived First Philippine Republic. Bayambang also served as provincial capital during the…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   EVERY morning, I open the sliding doors of the veranda to see the different shades of the sky and the mountains before sunrise. The gradation of colors of the mountains enthralls, appearing to be on top of one another, defined by lines that blur with…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I was told that the Senate hearing on the subject of extra-judicial killings (EJKs) is a waste of money. This is because the hearing was literally hijacked by former President Duterte with his curses. Senator Koko Pimentel, who chaired the session, no matter if he…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   SURPRISINGLY, the rain didn’t flood EDSA. We drove to the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) to accompany my niece Ashang for an important appointment, anticipating a little flooding, having watched videos on TikTok and FB, but the heavy rain seemed to be absorbed by the pavement…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   YESTERDAY, I came across Farah Decano’s post on FB which showed a photo depicting the positions of four presidential aspirants regarding the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or (POGOs) during the campaign period with the caption: Papayagan mo ba ang POGO Operations?/ Nakakamiss ang mg panahong/…

By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THE party list system empowers those already in power. A politician or businessman can represent the disempowered and the marginalized just by espousing their advocacy. As a result, most of those who represent the party list system are entrenched family dynasties and representatives of big…