From Padre Faura to EDSA: The Iglesia Ni Cristo Mobilizes

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The past few days have been quite crazy to say the least. And I’m sure “crazy” is an understatement as to what we are witnessing at this moment.

It all began last July when religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) was rocked with an internal crisis as some members, including relatives of the current executive minister of the group Eduardo Manalo, came forth and exposed the corruption going on there.

Iglesia Ni Cristo’s Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo

It would seem this is all an internal matter for the INC to deal with. That was, until allegations of abductions and serious illegal detention were raised by one of its members.

This prompted an investigation initiated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Secretary Leila de Lima. Something the INC did not like on the basis of meddling of the INC’s internal affairs (whatever that means) and the fear of bias the DOJ will have against them.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima

Thus, last Thursday, August 27, which happens to be the birthday of Sec. de Lima, hundreds to an estimated thousands of INC members decided to celebrate her birthday by staging a protest in front of the DOJ Building along Padre Faura Street in Ermita, Manila against the DOJ’s violation of the principle of “separation of church and state.” Again, whatever that means.

the INC protesters at Padre Faura and their birthday greeting to Sec. de Lima (courtesy of GMA News Online)

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A Tribute to the “Jollijeep”

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In the midst of the western modernism we see today in the Makati Central Business District, there is an element of Filipino-ness one can see behind the tall skyscrapers of glass and concrete. I’m not even talking about the jeepneys that ply along the main thoroughfares of the district but something not many people realize.

I am referring to those tin-colored food stalls located along the inner streets of the district that served the lunchtime needs of the working population there. The ones popularly known as the “jollijeeps.”

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Street Art in the Heart of Makati

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For a long while, Makati, particularly the central business district area, has been perceived as a stuck-up type of place, where you can’t expect to see “fun” except in the malls located in the CBD. While this is understandable given its stature as a business district, it deprives this part of the metropolis a unique character, other than a dull, grey district that is deprived of “fun” and color…in a literal and figurative sense.

Things have changed recently when the Makati Commercial Estate Association decided to give a vibrant atmosphere to an otherwise uninteresting area as it hired a bunch of street artists to decorate some parts of the district, in particular the Dela Rosa Carpark buildings along the Dela Rosa elevated pedestrian walkway in Legaspi Village.

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Mobile Retail Redefined: The Globe Gen3 Store at Greenbelt 4

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We Filipinos just love our mobile phones. And that’s pretty much a given, despite the headaches our telecom companies have been giving us for a long while now. Along with this is an evolving savviness that Filipinos have for mobile technology these days.

And if connection issues are not enough, mobile companies are finding themselves racing to keep up with the changing trends not only in mobile technology but also in the digital lifestyle of its customers.  One company is making an effort to meet this challenge as Globe reopened its store in Greenbelt 4, transforming it into a completely new experience in digital lifestyle called the Globe Gen3 Store.

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