Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

HOW lucky are you in the year of the Ox?

Being born under a different sign, I decided to visit this store in Binondo called Charm General Merchandise to get some answers.

Lucky for me, store owner Maxima Tiu was kind enough to explain the lucky charms for this year.

“Ox symbolizes prosperity through fortitude and hard work. People under this sign are born leaders and have the ability to achieve great things,” says Tiu.

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FILIPINO celebrity kids Paul Salas, Jane Oineza, Eliza Pineda, Kristel Fulgar and Micah Torre pick their favorite dinosaur and talk about lessons they learned from the Dinos Alive World Tour currently open to visitors at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Philippines. Watch this video report of INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales.

By Lawrence Casiraya

BALICASAG Island in Bohol is described as one of the best dive spots in the country with its protected marine sanctuary teeming with healthy corals. For non-divers, it is also a great place for snorkeling.

Last Saturday, I was part of a small group that ventured near Balicasag for dolphin watching. I did read about dolphins in Bohol although around nearby Pamilacan Island.

Anyway, one important lesson is to wake up early – early as in don’t wait for the sun to rise. Or rather, it pays to be at sea on sunrise because that’s mating time for dolphins.

We set out past 6AM and by the time we reached the area where the dolphins are, it was already swarming with many boats with the same idea.

As one colleague puts it, it was more like “dolphin chasing”, rather than watching. Each time dolphins were seen rising out of the water; it was like off to the races. And it just seemed to scare these poor creatures.

Fortunately, before we headed for home we did see dolphins - one more like twirling rather flipping out of the water. And just when we least we expected it, a whale shark passed by in front of our boat rousing our sleepy eyes.

According to Wikipedia, the Manila Chinese cemetery is the second oldest cemetery in the city, built during the Spanish times for non-Christian Chinese residing in the country.

Since then, however, it has become the resting place for the Chinese community in the country regardless of religious affiliation.

The cemetery is said to be the burial of many prominent Chinese in local history, including those who led uprisings during the Japanese occupation, but one name caught my attention.

So I went there the day before All Saints’ Day and I did find his tomb but unfortunately, I can only peek from outside the locked gate, seeing there were no visitors yet then.

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ASIDE from soldiers and former presidents, the “Libingan ng mga Bayani” (Cemetery of Heroes) is also the resting place of some 30 of the country’s national artists including Levi Celerio, Nick Joaquin and Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero.

INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Lawrence Casiraya visits the graves of these artists and finds out how they became eligible for burial at this sacred resting place.

By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

TAGUIG CITY, Philippines — Soldiers don’t die, they just fade away.

At the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort Bonifacio, this rings true. In the Philippines, deceased personnel who has brought honor and has served the country were interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in recognition of their faithful and dedicated service.

Under Proclamation 208 under late president Ferdinand Marcos, a total of 142 hectares were reserved from the Fort Bonifacio Military Reservation for National Shrine purposes.

By virtue of AFP Regulation 161-375, government dignitaries, statesmen, national artists and scientists, former presidents, chief of staff and widow of the last two categories can be interred at the cemetery. At present, it is under the administration and maintenance of the Grave Services Unit (GSU), a unit of the Army Support Command, Philippine Army (ASCOM PA).

A total of 45,680 remains were interred in the cemetery at Fort Bonifacio, said Laine Barbosa, database programmer of GSU, ASCOM PA.

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By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

PASIG CITY, Philippines — After long years of dreaming about it, Natalie Tanchip, owner of Pocketful of Kids, finally opens her dream toy village. It is the first toy village in the country that carries popular American and European brands that encourages the children to learn and discover through play.

Pocketful of Kids is a playground inspired from Tanchip’s dream playground when she was still a child. The toy village hopes to break the notion of “look, but don’t touch”.

Tanchip explains that kids can actually play and have fun with the toys unlike in other toy villages where they are only for display.

Tanchip believes in the need to give children the chance to explore the world through toys and have fun while learn through play. This is one reason why its interactive playground is designed to let kids explore on their own. The place features a mini-library and mini-theater surrounded with toys that can exercise their motor and cognitive skills.

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