ASTROLOGY PHILIPPINES

By Bridgette Nicole Diaz "I hate the College of Arts and Letters! It is a place where people are trained to make a career out of spending their lives sitting in one corner, meditating in introspection about their own egotistical 'art' and worshipping authors they don't know when there are people out there who are starving and lost or are in desperate need of their guidance and help!" I unleashed this tirade on two of my close friends and course mates. They must have been taken aback by the venom that finally spewed out of my mouth. They had been egging me to tell them the reason behind my decision to shift from BA Creative Writing to BA Political Science. They knew I was doing pretty well in my course, so they knew grades weren't the issue, so I gave them the answer they were looking for. But, if they ask me the same question now,  I would just dismiss the issue and blame the mishap on none other than Venus. As someone who had been soaked in modern as...

By Resti H. Santiago   The narrative of a modern nation-state is not complete without a retelling of the sacrifices of its heroes, especially around its birth. Some stories were written in blood and these should not be forgotten by each succeeding generation. The film "Heneral Luna" is one such effort -- a brilliant, entertaining and moving one. In medieval society, the distinction between classes is clear-cut and this is astrologically defined as well. Some are meant to write or to teach (Mercury), some are meant to lead (Sun), some are meant to take care of others (Moon),some are meant to bring about prosperity (Jupiter), some are meant to bring honor to the country using their God-given talents (Venus) but in times of conflict, war or the fight for freedom, we turn to Mars to bring out heroism among the populace. In Philippine's war with America at the turn of the 20th century, one man stood out -- Heneral Antonio Luna. According to astrologer-translato...