Roses are red By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   DURING the wake of poet Rogelio Mangahas, Ceres Doyo and I discussed about the sniper who shot Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan, Batangas. Who was he working for? Was he a he or a she? So many theories, but it should be…

Roger, the Ilocano By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   ROGER Mangahas just passed away. It was quick, and as others said, it was merciful. Merciful because he did not suffer much. But how do we know what he suffered at the moment of a massive stroke? I was in Pangasinan when…

Last in, first out By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   THERE is an accounting method for inventory and cost of sales known as “Last In, First Out” (LIFO) where “the last items produced or purchased are assumed to be sold first; allows business owner to value inventory at the less expensive cost of…

The dancing feather By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   A FEATHER dropped on the spade while I was planting the Philippine chestnut and Chinese gabi. I know Dad has a message, although I really do not know yet what he wants to tell me. I immediately put the feather inside the…

Independence Day By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo   I HAD lunch with an old friend at Chocolate Kiss on Independence Day. We talked about our relationships and how we, considering our advocacy on women empowerment and environmental coexistence, experienced independence, codependence and interdependence.  “Alam mo, nakakapagod din. Buong buhay ko, nag-aalaga…

Going bananas By Virginia J. Pasalo   MY day began at 7:00 a.m, passing by Mira, my niece who took the time to teach me how to pay my bills on coins.ph. After the tutorial and transacting payments for basic utilities with the new app, I proceeded to Philcoa to…

Virtual Binds By Virginia J. Pasalo   “REYNALDO Duldulao just joined Messenger!” It sounded like a call from the grave. He was an FB friend in April 2012. I never met him, but we had things in common. My first conversation with him: “Hi, Reynaldo! I am impressed, the collection…

Neutrality By Virginia J. Pasalo   “Yes! There is nothing like neutrality!” is the comment of Fr. Eliseo Mercado on my post of May 16: “We decide everyday how to live our lives, by doing something, or doing nothing, by hating or loving. The choice is ours.” I countered, “Neutrality…

Duterte’s vagina monologue: Hope for the flowers By Virginia J. Pasalo   SHOOT the vagina, ad infinitum. An inky business, cloudy and sinister as fake news. Trying very hard to focus attention on his anti-women remarks to draw attention away from more important matters such as the unprecedented foreign debt,…

Liket (Happiness) By Virginia J. Pasalo   WHAT makes you happy? We all have a barometer for what constitutes happiness, in the same manner that the World Happiness Report (WHR) and the Gallup Poll have defined theirs. We are a happy lot, according to the WHR 2018, which ranked the…