“The words are not good for the secret meaning, everything always becomes a bit different, as soon as it is put into words, gets distorted a bit, a bit silly—yes, and this is also very good, and I like it a lot, I also very much agree with this, that this what is one man’s treasure and wisdom always sounds like foolishness to another person.” ― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
Is there a connection between the Battle of Bayang in Lanao, Bangsa Moro in 1902 and the Battle of Karbala in Iraq in 680 CE? A distance of 7900 kilometers and a period of 1222 years separate them.In May 1902, some 1,200 American soldiers attacked two Mranao cottas in the pangampong (state or principality) of… Continue reading Battle of Bayang in Moroland, Battle of Karbala in Iraq and my great-grandfather
August 3, was the death anniversary of my father, Macapanton Abbas, Sr. I was just 5 and a half years old when he passed away, so I don't really know much about him, esp. when he was a young man. For whatever I remember of him, he was already an old man. He was already… Continue reading Portrait of My Father as a Young Man
The so-called Moro Conflict in the Philippines, which arguably does not end with the creation of the Bangsa Moro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), can be traced back to the United States of America. The various Moro Sultanates did not have a shared history with the conquered peoples of Luzon and Visayas. The Moro… Continue reading America and the Bangsa Moro through the years
While browsing the 'Net, I came upon an article by Emmanuel Dooc for his Telltales column in the Business Mirror newspaper. It is titled: ‘Wenceslao Q. Vinzons: The Hero the Nation Forgot’ He described Vinzons as "the biggest political thorn on the side of President Manuel L. Quezon during the pre-war years?" He wrote that… Continue reading Vinzons, the Young Philippines Party and my father
While the new Magdalos are being accused of plotting to oust the President, and Magdalo leader, former naval Ltsg, now Senator, Trillanes is facing suits from the government, the original Magdalos - Generals Emilio Aguinaldo and Gregorio del Pilar are being attacked as anti-heroes, if not outright villains, in the movie, GOYO (2018). I thought… Continue reading Debunking Heroes: the Magdalos then and now
What happened on Sept 21, 1972? Nothing of much importance. Just like any other day in the Philippines. I was in high school then. On that day, I went to school, as usual. What happened on Sept 22, 1972? Nothing of much importance. Just like any other day in the Philippines. I went… Continue reading Sept 23, 1972: Martial Law, my brother and Me
Postprandial Musings, 2.0 