Rajah Versus Conquistador: Humabon and the Why of History Resurrected

“This too is a kind of law… not their rigid codes carved in stone, but the fluid law of power that shapes all things like water wearing away rock. You are what every rajah must be – friend and strategist, brother and player of the great game.” Rajah Versus Conquistador by Kahlil Corazo is that… Read More Rajah Versus Conquistador: Humabon and the Why of History Resurrected

Insect Hag: Creepy Crawlies and Cultural Preservation

If you’re lucky, you get treated to a tarot reading when you have your book signed by Yvette Tan, whom fans are calling “The Queen of Philippine Horror.” Tan then explained what the three cards meant, then inscribed the book with the message of the fates, accompanied by her red stamp. (In this reader’s case,… Read More Insect Hag: Creepy Crawlies and Cultural Preservation

Accidents Happen: Angry Stories that Thirst for Justice

F.H. Batacan’s newest book comes 26 years after she wrote the award-winning novel Smaller and Smaller Circles, which was hailed as a crime classic and turned into a 2017 film starring Nonie Buencamino and Sid Lucero. Set in the same Manila as her previous book, the short story collection manages to be both very similar… Read More Accidents Happen: Angry Stories that Thirst for Justice

Five Business Lessons: Interviews with Folks Who Struck Gold

FIVE BUSINESS LESSONS is a selection of twenty-one interviews by financial analyst Henry Ong, who has been writing for publications such as the Inquirer and Esquire Philippines for the past decade. These interviews are culled from Ong’s Esquire Philippines column Financial Adviser , but also feature two brand new ones found at the very start… Read More Five Business Lessons: Interviews with Folks Who Struck Gold

Face Shield Nation: COVID in the Philippines Seen Through Honest Yet Hopeful Eyes

“We overestimate our capacity to remember even as we underestimate our capacity to forget… if erasure is the default mode of engagement with the past, then we must become active agents of the labor of remembrance.” Gideon Lasco’s most recent book is a clear-eyed collection of essays that were written during the pandemic, a compilation… Read More Face Shield Nation: COVID in the Philippines Seen Through Honest Yet Hopeful Eyes

Seek Ye Whore: Are You Adult Enough to Handle This Horror Collection?

Yvette Tan’s latest collection of horror short stories under Anvil Publishing should come with a warning on the cover: don’t read at night. And make sure you’re not snacking on anything, especially sisig. Blissfully ignorant, I started reading the first story while waiting for an event to start, only to hastily shut it after reading… Read More Seek Ye Whore: Are You Adult Enough to Handle This Horror Collection?