The Philippine national anthem’s title has often been mistaken as, “Bayang Magiliw.” It is the first few words in the lyrics composed by Julian Felipe in 1898.

But more than being a cheerful nation, the Philippines is a chosen land, hence, the title, “Lupang Hinirang.”

I remember singing Lupang Hinirang in my elementary years under the heat of the sun every morning in school. Back then, I felt that the national anthem had lost its meaning, as we sang it everyday. Of course, that was before. Today, you will hear the national anthem played in movie theaters before it opens and closes. So it was refreshing to hear a new version of the national anthem complete with new visuals.

For several minutes, I was enthralled, as I saw, for the first time, the recent movie screening of Mae Paner’s Lupang Hinirang at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall.

Here’s the same video uploaded on YouTube:

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

TAGUIG City, Philippines — United States Ambassador Kristie Kenney together with some American and Filipino military dignitaries celebrated the Veteran’s Day at American Cemetery.

“If not for their sacrifices, our nations will never be free. They are the reason why we can vote peacefully, freely and with excitement actually,” said Kenney who joined the honoring of the war veterans.

Kenney said she appreciated the enduring friendship between Filipino and Americans, as she acknowledged Filipinos who served the Americans during the World War II.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

MAE Paner has been in advertising industry for 25 years.

Her debut in directing commercials came in 1997 when she came out with “Black and White.” Since then, she has found herself drowned in a career of “selling” soap, political personalities and products appealing to a certain target market.

Paner is a stage actor in the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA). Aside from directing, she has been a commercial talent, appearing in a funny Boysen paint commercial as the nagging mother-in-law to a man painting his home. In the commercial, the nonchalant son-in-law keeps painting the wall white until he decides to paint over Paner who continues nagging him.

For years, Paner thought she was doing okay with her chosen career as an artist until she saw Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr.’s expose on the controversial National Broadband Network project during a Senate investigation.

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By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

AT first glance, operating a ferris wheel seems like a mundane job requiring little skill. Sort of like operating an on/off switch, like I thought it was, remembering annual “peryahan” or carnivals in time for fiesta in my hometown.

But when you’re in charge of keeping as many as 144 people safe while screaming their hearts out (out of joy and anxiety), as in the case of Enchanted Kingdom’s Patrick Abrantes, running a ferris wheel that’s about 45 meters tall – a lot more massive than most - requires you to pass exams. Aside from being extra attentive, of course.

By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

SOMETIMES you just hate the rain especially the nonstop downpour that causes flooding — not to mention wet socks and feet.

In Muntinlupa City, however, no rain can stop the celebration of the Banhayan Festival as residents of barangay Cupang and Buli danced and sang despite the strong rains. I saw people who were barefoot not complaining, as they followed the long route of the parade.

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By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – An economic crisis pushes people to engage in sidelines or extra jobs aside from the regular job they are already doing. But for 21-year-old Rodel Rosario of Los Baños, a sideline means the only way of making ends meet.

Pushing a trolley from “Crossing” to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños has become Rodel’s “sideline” for two years now.

“Kung walang trabaho, ito ‘yung sideline ko ang mag-tulak ng trolley[If I have nothing else to do, I push trolleys for sideline], ” he said.

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By Janie Octia
INQUIRER.net

QUEZON City, Philippines – Medical board exam topnotcher Marlon Garcia always wanted to become a doctor.

“I learned to love the profession as I was studying and I got to interact with the patients,” said the 26-year-old Garcia who finds the Anatomy and Surgery part of the board exam the hardest.

Watch this video interview with Garcia:

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Garcia said the country suffers from the unequal distribution of qualified doctors and the lack of adequate facilities to perform medical procedures.

He said most of the doctors are located in the city while far-flung provinces are in dire need of more doctors.
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By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

GONE are the days when you would hear a vendor shouting “Balut, Penoy!” in the streets in Manila early in the morning or late in the afternoon. In Pateros, which is known as the Balut capital of the Philippines, the scene just described remains.

“It’s a legacy of Pateros. And that’s what we’re trying to preserve,” said Menandro Concio, president of Concio’s Food Corporation.

Having been in the balut-making industry for 30 years, Concio wanted to save the striving industry of balut. In 2004, he introduced balut to the market in another form, which is the bottled balut or gourmet balut.

Balut is a duck’s egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It is delicacy in the Philippines.

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What started the so-called “Pandangguhan sa Kalye” in Pateros.

INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales finds out in this video interview with Parish Priest Fr. Orlando Cantillon, devotee Beth Adriano, and suman vendor Evangeline Macalipay.

Santa Marta devotees from Pateros dance the “Pandangguhan sa Kalye,” as spectators throw food called “pasubo.”

Local people consider Santa Martha as the patron of duck-raisers or “mag-iitik.” A procession is conducted with people carrying a pagoda with the image of Santa Marta stepping on a crocodile.

Wearing traditional costumes, the feast comes with the singing of kundiman songs while people dance in the street.

By Izah Morales
INQUIRER.net

“WHEN you decide to become a nurse, there should be a passion to serve and to care,” said Aira Therese Salamanca Javier of the University of Santo Tamos (UST), who topped the recent Board of Nursing exams of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) with a rating of 86 percent.

She said that going abroad should not be the primary motivation to pursue a career in nursing.

Asked to comment on the controversial leakage of the nursing board exams in the past, she stressed that nurses should always stand for integrity and honesty because they’re dealing with people’s lives.

Javier topped the board exams out of 64,459 students who took it. She was a UST scholar for four years.

Watch my video interview with Javier.