LOOKING BACK AT THE FUTURE OF PHILIPPINE WRITING

ONLY the very naive or the very cynical would try to predict the future course of Philippine literature. There are only the weekly magazines or the occasional books as signposts to indicate trends, and these signposts do not give very coherent directions.

THE PETRON SELLOUT

The sale of the national oil company to a...

100 Years of Graphic

Of ‘balimbing’ and coup

It is balimbing season once again. Balimbing is a fruit with many sharp sides, so that it has been popularly used to describe agile politicians who are able to change sides quickly everytime there is a change in the political weather. It is the local term for “turncoat.” Senate President Aquilino Q. Pimentel, who is known to cling to his political principles no matter what the weather is, predicts a...

RIZAL AND THE ASIAN RENAISSANCE

An Asian Renaissance must involve cultural rebirth and empowerment, not simply cultural jingoism. In 1886, a young Asian student wrote from Europe the following lines dedicated to his country: "Recorded in the history of human suffering is a cancer so malignant that the least touch irritates it and awakens such agonizing pains." Alone and far away, Jose Rizal tried to invoke the memory of the Philippines to compare it with countries...

THE FIRST FREEDOM DAY

By 4 p.m. the clouds had dispersed and the sun shone over Manila Bay. This looked like a good omen on the historic birth of the Republic 67 years ago. THE town of Kawit in Cavite Province assumed a festive air that Sunday morning of June 12, 1898. Local bands had been promenading around the streets since sunrise playing a medley of gay tunes, some Spanish, others Mexican, mixed...

The Making of the U-Belt

U-Belt means Manila’s collegiate zone, an area extending from Calle Arlegui in Quiapo to Governor Forbes in Sampaloc, bounded in the west by Quezon Boulevard and in the east by Dr. Jose P. Laurel Street. In the university belt are three boroughs: Quiapo, San Miguel and Sampaloc. Hub of this campuslandia is the east end of Recto. Here and on the streets off it are the shops, eateries and cinemas...

LOOKING BACK AT THE FUTURE OF PHILIPPINE WRITING

ONLY the very naive or the very cynical would try to predict the future course of Philippine literature. There are only the weekly magazines or the occasional books as signposts to indicate trends, and these signposts do not give very coherent directions.

Cover Story

EXPOLIARIVM: The expatriate life of Juan Luna’s famous painting

While examining the archives of the Biblioteca Nacional de...

Orly Mercado’s Philanthropy Revolution: The next 50 years of Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko

BY HIS own admission, the young Orlando “Orly” Mercado...

KKMK Philanthropy Anthology Raxel’s World: The Race to Healing

Angelic, with a hint of sadness and uncertainty framing...

There’s a light that never goes out for Filipinos—thanks to art

The celebration of the Philippines’ arts and culture is...

U.S.T. MUSEUM: Believe it or not, they’re there!

A book smaller than your thumb, Roman coins before...

Tilly’s birth will do us part: AI actor and the doomed commerce of inauthenticity

Previous era of the arts had subversiveness, vulgarity, and...

Anatomy of a repeating scandal: Lessons in investigating a failed 1926 public works project

Some 96 years ago, on June 12, 1929, the Graphic magazine published an article titled The Tinkers’ Dam by M. San Martin.

When there is no Planet B, how do you get to point C?

The astronauts got it right the first time. It was 1971 and Apollo 14 Lunar Module Pilot Edgar Mitchell peered through the small window of their spacecraft and saw a 360-degree panoramic view of the Earth, Moon, Sun, and the stars.”

Hymen, oh Hyménée!: Juan Luna’s love in a time of lunacy

Juan Luna’s ‘Hymen, oh Hyménée!’ drowns the public with...

Literature

Phils. Graphic launches 1st-ever onsite writing workshop as it nears 100th year

PGLW is a two-day event where aspiring young writers...

Looking back at the future of Filipino writers

One day, toward the end of 1967, National Artist...

April 2026 Philippines Graphic Literary Workshop: THE FINAL OUTPUTS (Masterlist)

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Do Not Go to the Naked Forest

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Rose Thorns

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

The Star

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Out-of-World Experiences to Have at Your Local Tapsihan

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Night Routine

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Two Mites

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Break Time

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Papaya

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

His Gaze

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Prosperity

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

The Woman in Feathers

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Oh, Ojeda. 

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

White Carnation

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Love maybe when it’s the end

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

An Encounter with the Red Lady 

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

If Lost, Return to Route 88

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Eyebrow Slit

Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary...

Feature

Americana, on his back

My grandfather was shipped out of the Philippines in the 1920s, and landed in Stockton, California—less as a starry-eyed immigrant, and...

“2GO or Not 2GO”: Why sea travel to Coron is as good as it gets

By all accounts, traveling in an archipelagic country like the Philippines has always required patience, strategy, and a little creativity.  Filipinos, especially...

Orly Mercado’s Philanthropy Revolution: The next 50 years of Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko

BY HIS own admission, the young Orlando “Orly” Mercado...

KKMK Philanthropy Anthology Raxel’s World: The Race to Healing

Angelic, with a hint of sadness and uncertainty framing...

Tilly’s birth will do us part: AI actor and the doomed commerce of inauthenticity

Previous era of the arts had subversiveness, vulgarity, and...

Through Greg’s brilliant eyes

TRIBUTE — On September 26, the Filipino literary titan, maestro of the Philippine short story, and former Graphic editor Gregorio C. Brillantes passed away at 92.

THE YOUNGEST HOPE OF A TRIBUNAL ON TRIAL

It looks like it’s going to be a long haul when you scan the country, or even just this part of town, from the corner of Taft and Padre Faura—a long dazed journey, not to “Philippines 2000,” the splendiferous miracle promised FVR’s faithful a mere seven years from now, but to reality of NIChood probably a century hence.

Lifestyle

Filipino students command robot in space, wins 3rd place at international programming contest

Team Inflection Point of the Batangas State University (BatStateU) has won again in the international Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo-RPC), securing...

Staying connected with Xiaomi’s durable, water-resistant ecosystem

For urban professionals, fitness enthusiasts, and daily commuters, the...

Maximize fun with an epic battery & immersive screen from the HUAWEI nova 15 Max

via GRAPHIC PLUS | Manila, Philippines (June 11, 2026)...

HP IDEA launches in Pasig City to advance innovation, digital learning in schools

Via GRAPHIC TECH | MANILA, Philippines (10 June 2026)...

How land use shapes the viruses mosquitoes carry, UP study finds

Mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, which...

PH among top 3 nations in AI Olympiad

The Philippines placed among the top three national delegations...

Graphic Plus

Portrait by premier Filipino painter Damian Domingo rediscovered, went unnoticed for nearly 200 years

An important 1833 portrait by Damian Domingo, considered to be the father of Philippine painting, went unnoticed for centuries and has...

Tala launches Grow with Tala feature to support credit growth tracking

via GRAPHIC PLUS — As global economic shifts bring...

Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards winner for 2026 

Winford Manila recognized as a top-rated hotel in the...

Justice Zones to strengthen coordination within the nationwide justice system

VIA GRAPHIC PLUS — The Department of Justice (DOJ)...

Teaching your kids to listen to their gut early—Erceflora

Via GRAPHIC PLUS — Back-to-school season often brings changes...

4 travel pro tips to plan and spend smarter on your upcoming trips this year—GCash

VIA GRAPHIC PLUS | MANILA, Philippines – Despite higher...

Canon Philippines launches Back-to-School Promo and Canon Academy 2026 Campus Tour

VIA GRAPHIC PLUS | Manila, Philippines — As students...

Tala launches Grow with Tala feature to support credit growth tracking

via GRAPHIC PLUS — As global economic shifts bring...

Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards winner for 2026 

Winford Manila recognized as a top-rated hotel in the...

The Philippines Graphic Reader

Iteration of a Theme’s Variation

End with everything. Keep nothing. Then own it all again.Find a bad man on a good day. Lose a worse man,then...

On A Day Like This

There is an old Japanese film called Okuribito, which Marvin once told him about in a hospital room as if recommending...

You, Too, Are a Pilgrim

“Look!” she exclaimed. I followed her clue toward the...

The Sanctuary

The church stood alone and abandoned at the edge...

Thank you

They came before the day began,before I was ready...

Read Receipts

My phone slipped from her grasp, clattering against the...

The Floating Library (The Inheritance)

The humidity in Manila wrapped around Lia De Castro...