Daniella Hart

After more than 300 years under Spanish rule, the Philippines declared independence on this day in 1898. Filipinos commemorate their independence on June 12th by raising their national flag high in the sky. While many people battled for Filipino freedom, only a handful have been acknowledged and remembered as heroes for their contributions to the country's independence. José Rizal was a significant figure in the Filipino Propaganda Movement, and his works sparked a wave of nationalism. Andrés Bonifacio, known as "The Father of the Philippine Revolution," founded the Katipunan, a secret club that led several successful battles against the Spanish. During the Spanish-American War, General Emilio Aguinaldo was another important man who fought alongside the Americans. He was the one who declared the Philippines an independent republic on June 12, claiming a "dignified position in the concert of free countries." Happy  Araw ng Kasarinlán , or Independence Day, to...

  People gathered to select spots when the streets were closed. The drums are pounding furiously. The street dancers proudly exclaim "Viva Vigan!" in colorful costumes. The Binatbatan festival has grown to become one of the greatest cultural gatherings in the Philippines' northwestern archipelago. Binatbatan Celebration is more than just a festival, with participants dressed in abel Iloko, a woven fabric native to the Ilocos Region. It highlights Vigan's rich culture and traditional industry. Binatbatan Festival has its origins in Vigan's abel weaving business, which existed long before the Spaniards arrived to colonize the Philippines. It derives from the word batbat, which refers to a pair of bamboo sticks used to remove cotton pods from kapas sanglay trees. In Ilocano, the term "kapas" (from kapas sanglay) signifies "cotton." Binatbatan Festival street dancers wave their "batbat," some imitating the way used by abel-weavers i...

  How can we expect the world to grow when our patriarchal society’s decision-makers are all men? And they’re making decisions on behalf of women without even realizing or beginning to comprehend the difficulties that women face in their daily lives. Empowerment is a broad concept, and everyone’s definition is different. However, the general concept of empowerment is to involve those who are frequently left out of decision-making processes. In this scenario, women’s empowerment comes from their inclusion and acceptance in such roles. We can’t all succeed if half of us aren’t allowed to participate, can we? Females are unable to obtain good employment since they have had a low education or no education at all. As a result, they are forced to either stay at home or work for lower pay. As a result, the father is always the family’s breadwinner. As a result, women have a hard time gaining economic autonomy. It Is critical to have “Women empowerment” if we want to see a nation that adva...

  The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risks, both known and unknown. Children who contract COVID-19 can become very ill, require hospitalization, and in rare cases, die. Children and teenagers who have COVID-19 may also experience a variety of new, returning, or ongoing health problems. Getting eligible children vaccinated can help prevent them from becoming seriously ill even if they become infected, as well as serious short- and long-term COVID-19 complications. Vaccinating children can also keep them in school and daycare, and allow them to participate in sports, playdates, and other group activities safely. COVID-19 can make children and teenagers of any age extremely ill, necessitating hospitalization in some cases. COVID-19 complications can result in death in rare cases. There is no way to predict how COVID-19 will affect children in advance. Although children with underlying medical conditions are more likely to develop severe COVID-19, healthy children who do...

  The Day of Valor, also known as Araw ng Kagitingan, commemorates the bravery of Filipinos and American soldiers during World War II, when the Japanese occupied the Philippines. On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King of the United States Army was forced to surrender more than 76,000 Filipinos, Chinese, and American soldiers to the Japanese. The soldiers had to hike 90 miles (145 kilometers) to Camp O'Donnell in San Fernando. Thousands of prisoners died during the hike (also known as the Bataan Death March) as a result of starvation, dehydration, and diseases before reaching the camp. Despite the difficulties of defeat, the captured soldiers remained strong, and heroes emerged from the event. The fall of Corregidor was hastened by the surrender of Bataan. However, if the Japanese had not taken this stand, they would have quickly overrun all of the US bases in the Pacific. Bataan forced them to slow down, giving the allies valuable time to prepare for subsequent conflicts su...

            As Asia's only predominantly Catholic nation, the Philippines considers the Lenten Season to be one of the most important religious events. It is during this time that Filipino religiosity is at its peak, as depicted in various traditions, that we practice remembering Christ's journey to the cross.    The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, when ashes made from palm branches from the previous year's Palm Sunday are blessed and placed on the devotee's forehead in the shape of a cross while the priest or nun says, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."      Easter, as we all know, is a joyous occasion. It serves as a reminder to those who are feeling helpless, discouraged, and afraid as a result of pain, problems, and challenges that there is a brighter side to life. Easter is the "light at the end of the tunnel" for those who have been overwhelmed by life's circumstances, including tho...