Scars By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   HERE she is again by the river, running her fingers through the water, digging her foot on the stones below. She can see clearly her face, worn out by the sun, the wind, the earth, and waves of experience. There were lines on her…

You By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE are times when you like someone very much but you do nothing. Because you know that when you start, it is the start of something that may have serious impact on others. Also, it might have the most serious impact on you. It…

Incovida By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I came up with a new term, incovida. It is a combination of three words: incommunicado (not allowed to communicate), COVID (virus) and vida (life.) It depicts a life of isolation hanging by the thread of a virus. I found out later that in…

Holy Water By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   GOOD evening, Dark Night! Not a drizzle, but an outpouring of rain. The rhythmic dripping enthralls, this solemn silence that feels like holy water. Not the bottled water poured over infants as they were baptized that required so many rituals to make holy….

Jurisdiction By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I heard a thud, and then a woman screaming. A man crawls unsteadily holding his back with one hand. The dead coconut tree just fell and hit him on his back. More people gathered to help him. The driver of a parked tricycle offered…

The man with flowers in his hands By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I am not sure what street he starts from, but at approximately seven o’clock in the morning, I see him from my window. Sometimes he has a small plastic bag with a cutter. He would stop at the…

Magbubuko By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   SHE called out from the street on her bike. I should have remembered her name, but I am not good at remembering names. I am good at remembering faces but did not recognize her with a black T-shirt wrapped around her face. I told…

The shortest distance between two points By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   FOSTERING a sense of intimacy requires physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bonding. It is easier to achieve the desired level of intimacy when couples live together. It becomes a challenge when they live apart, owing to the circumstances of…

Pensioners with poverty line pensions By Virgiinia Jasmin Pasalo   THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is tasked “to provide emergency subsidies of P5,000 to P8,000 for two months, as well as livelihood assistance grants to the low-income households affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).” The emergency…

When the mask becomes the face By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   FOR some, the smile is visible in the eyes. These days, however, every smile is hidden in the mask. The mask hides the true nature of what goes on behind it, especially the complexity of the tensions that characterize…