A very long (dis)engagement By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   ONCE upon a time, when I wanted to be a nun, I would wake up at 4:00 a.m. put on my jacket and mufflers, walk to the Pink Sisters’ Convent and Chapel and wait for the gate to open. It always…

The Philippine PEN at 61 By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THE Philippine PEN is a senior citizen. It is a member of the International PEN, “a worldwide association of writers founded in London in 1921 to increase friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere.” Initially, the letters P, E, and N stood for “Poets, Essayists and Novelists” but…

Then comes the rain By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   GO back in time when we walked on the steep slopes of the mountain trail and sucked out the nectar from the blooms one by one leaving only enough for the next day at a time when you held my hands…

Distractions By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   Of course, you are a ghost. I already killed you before. You resurrected, walked by towards the comfort room, and back. Your bladder still malfunctions, after all these years. Were you wondering if, it was me, your assassin, because you stood there, like you…

Street Families By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   LAST week, I described my experience passing through a nearby barangay on social media: “More and more children are on the streets demanding money and sometimes tugging at my bag. I hesitate to open my purse, and I feel guilty doing this, but…

“My cup runneth over” By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I was again under the canopy of the trees along the Clark Freeport, which I visited twice over the span of 10 years. The acacia trees and some fruit trees, quietly swayed, dancing to the rhythm of the wind that lingered…

Project Puraw (White) By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   FOR some countries, the painting of houses in depressed neighborhoods aimed to reduce violence among young people. This was how Mexico envisioned it. This was also how it was conceived by others in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro and Philadelphia. With this objective…

Over my dead body By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THIS morning, I decided to walk to Jollibee V. Luna, where I used to sit and had mental conversations with the kaimito tree across it. The kaimito is no longer there, but I imagine it to be, and say hello to…

“Fake News” By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THE fact that Mocha Uson resigned does not mean that “fake news” will disappear in Malacañang. She did not invent fake news. Fake news began before her time. The reason we are so concerned is not so much because of her person, but…

ITOGON By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE is a creeping landslide far worse than Naga or Itogon. The landslide is happening inside of us, an erosion creeping insidiously, right at the very core of our existence, unnoticed, replacing traces of goodness and Godliness. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists six things that God…