Quiz for the Whiz: Asian Women Achievers

Chinatown East Vol. 1 No. 38, October 20, 1982

On the cover: President Ferdinand E. Marcos

An issue of the general information quiz section, Quiz for the Whiz, which I started in Chinatown East magazine when I was still in college. This issue pertained to Asian women achievers (NOTE: One of the few times I used the byline Erhnee Ang Lawagan) .

“Women must dress in becoming manner, modestly and soberly, not with eleborate hair-styles, not adorned with gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, as befits women who claim to be religious.” – The First Letter of Paul to Timothy 2:9-10, The Revised English Bible.

Hard Facts About Diamonds

Chinatown East Vol. 1 No. 32, September 8, 1982

On the cover: Gemologist Cynthia Tiu

Another of my early article, “Hard Facts About Diamonds,” in a sense is just like a book report about the hardest naturally-occurring substance on earth. No going around the bush, just the “hard facts.”

“The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus. With a diamond point it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars..... To time indefinite it will keep kindled.” – Jeremiah 17:1 & 4, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

A Question of Tongue

Chinatown East Vol. 1 No. 20, June 14, 1982

On the cover: Marie Edwine Ng

This article, “A Question of Tongue” (p. 23), is one of the earliest I have written that got published. I was still in fourth-year college (BSCE) when I wrote this article about the Chinese curricula being taught at Chinese schools in Metro Manila. I am half-Chinese, and the first time I saw the magazine in a newsstand, I got interested in being a contributor and earn some additional money for school expenses. I found out that its office was at the Journal Compound in the Port Area, where I’m also contributing crossword puzzles for Times Journal International Edition. At the start, I also want to contribute crossword puzzles for Chinatown East, but the magazine already had a syndicated source. I was fortunate, however, to be given a trivia quiz column, “Quiz for the Wiz,” which started appearing on its third issue. Mr. Louie C. Camino, the associate editor of Chinatown East, noticed that “my English was very good” and asked me if I could write articles for the magazine. They assigned me this article. I had to go around Metro Manila, to different Chinese schools, and ask principals, teachers and students regarding the Chinese course being taught at their schools, and the which medium, Fukien or Mandarin, is the better medium of instruction. Luckily it was college summer break, though some of the Chinese schools were still holding summer classes and it’s the start of enrolment. It took about a week before I completed the article. I had so much materials, interview comments, survey statistics and a couple of chunks of researches, but I need to trim it down to less than 1,500 words (the limit that was given to me by the editor). I got paid 150 pesos, barely enough to pay for one engineering book, but that was an experience I will treasure! It is in this magazine that I got to meet Joe Quirino and Alejandro R. Roces, who would later hire me as a parttime researcher/ghostwriter. Through Mr. Roces’ mentorship, I became a very scrutinizing researcher.

“We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because GOD has poured out His love to fill our hearts. He gave us His love through the Holy Spirit, whom GOD has given us. – Romans 5:3-5, The Everyday Bible, New Century Version.

December 22



DECEMBER 22

Chinatown East Vol. 1 No. 47, December 22, 1982

On the Cover: Regal Films producer Mother Lily’s daughter Sherida Monteverde

Disyembre 22 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Nonng Disyembre 22, 1941, dumaong sa Lingayen Gulf, Pangasinan, ang puwersang mananakop ng mga Hapon.

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GLIMPSE FROM THE PAST

John Lennon (1940-1980) on the cover of Time (December 22, 1980), exactly two weeks after he was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on Disyembre 8. It was labeled “when the music died,” which is somewhat a repetition of what happened on February 3, 1959, when rock singer Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, then labeled as “the day the music died” in Don McLean’s song “American Pie” (1971).

Personalities and celebrities born on December 22:

1874 – Flaviano Yenko, revolutionary general – in Tondo, Manila (d. March 3, 1897).

1896 – Francisco Fronda, National Scientist (1983) in animal husbandry – in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija (d. February 17, 1986).

1910 – Querube C. Makalintal, Speaker of the Interim Batasang Pambansa (1978-1984) and 11th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (October 21, 1973 – December 22, 1975) – in San Jose, Batangas (d. November 8, 2002).

1961 – Rolando “Lan” Medina, comic book artist.

Picture Trivia



Farrah Fawcett on the cover of
Playboy December Gala Christmas issues (1978 and 1995).

          Do you know that Farrah Fawcett appeared in two Playboy December (Gala Christmas) issues? This is in December 1978 and, again after 17 years, in December 1995 (SEE attached cover pages).

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September 11




SEPTEMBER 11

Universal Komiks Taon 2 Blg. 39, Setyembre 11, 1965

Tampok sa taklob-pahina ang kuwentong “Taong Kabayo” ni Pablo S. Gomez

na iginuhit ni Hermoso D. Pancho

UNANG LABAS

Ang taklob-pahina ng unang labas ng
Mabuhay Komiks, tampok ang guhit ni
Ruben N. Yandoc

Ang Mabuhay Komiks ay unang lumabas sa sirkulasyon noong Setyembre 11, 1951. Ito ang ika-16 na komiks na inilimbag sa Pilipinas. Itinampok sa unang labas ang nobela ni Amado C. Yasona na “Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo,” na iginuhit ni Hugo Yonson Jr. Ito ay ginawang pelikula ng Premier production sa ilalim ng patnugot ni Gerry de Leon, at pinagbidahan nina Jose Padilla Jr, Anita Linda at Rita Gomez. Nagwagi ito ng kauna-unahang FAMAS Award para sa Best Picture noong 1952.

Tampok din sa unang labas ng Mabuhay Komiks ang “Borong-Borong” (ni Teodoro Virrey), “Parusa ng Puso” (mula sa kathang-isip ni Carmen Madonna na isina-komiks ni Drew Campillos at iginuhit ni Ben S. Maniclang), at “Ang Kampanero sa Lumang Simbahan” (kuwento ni Iluminado M. De Jesus na iginuhit ni Ruben N. Yandoc).

Ang iba pang nilalaman ng 43-pahinang komiks na inilimbag ng M. E. Anatalio & Company (MEACO) ay “Datu Samarang” (isinulat ni Dolores Calabig Aca at iginuhit ni Federico Javinal, “Mabait na Anak (Isinulat ni Epitacio Reyes Tan at iginuhit ni B. S. Maniclang), “Babaeng Satanas” (isinulat ni Isabelo C. Almario at iginuhit ni R. N. Yandoc, na siyang tampok sa taklob-pahina ng unang isyu), at ilang short strips kabilang ang “Doon Po sa Amin” at “Samson en di Alila (di misteri op di mising daga-dagaan)” ni Deo Gonzales, “Choy” ni Maning P. de Leon at ang “Mga Pakulo ni Mang Porong.”

Setyembre 11 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Setyembre 11, 1973, ang Tawi-Tawi na dating bahagi ng lalawigan ng Sulu, ay inihiwalay at idineklarang isang bagong lalawigan sa pamamagitan ng Presidential Decree No. 302. Ang Tawi-Tawi ay mayroong dalawang kinikilalang kabisera, ang Panglima Sugala at ang Bongao, na kinaruroonan ng sentro ng pamahalaaang-lokal.

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Personalities and celebrities born on September 11:

1904 – Cornelio T. Villareal, politician, Liberal Perty leader and Speaker of the House of Representatives (1962-1967, 1971-1972) – in Mambusao, Capiz.

1907 – Daniel Z. Romualdez, lawmaker and Speaker of the House of Representatives (1957-1962) – in Tolosa, Leyte (d. March 22, 1965).

1911 – Clodualdo Legaspi del Mundo, komiks writer, editor and screenwriter – in Sta. Cruz, Manila (d. October 3, 1977).

1917 – Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, lawyer, author, war hero, statesman, advocate of Filipino Ideology, Senate President (April 5, 1963 – December 30, 1965) and President (1965-1986) – in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte (d. September 28, 1989).

President Ferdinand E. Marcos
on the covers of (from left to right) Philippine Free Press (November 20, 1965),
Time (October 21, 1966), Sunday Observer (March 18, 1973), Philippine Panorama (September 15, 1974),
Chinatown East (October 20, 1982), and Sunday Inquirer (February 19, 1989)

Martial arts master and actor Jet Li

on the cover of Men’s Health (September 2004)

        Picture Trivia

          At the age of 12, Jet Li (Li Lian-jie) became world champion in wushu even though he faced opponents more than 10 years older than him. As an actor, Jet Li first appeared in the film Shaolin Temple (1982). He is renowned for playing the roles of Hwang Fei-hung and Fong Sai-yuk in Chinese films including the Once Upon a Time in China series.

          In Hollywood films, Jet Li was first seen as a villain in the Mel Gibson starrrer Lethal Weapon IV (1998). His first starring role was in the film Romeo Must Die (2000).

          In 2003, he starred with rapper DMX in Cradle 2 the Grave. In this film, Jet Li demonstrated his martial arts prowess when he fought UFC fighters Randy Couture, Hector Echavarria, Tito Ortiz, Mark Hicks, Chuck Liddell and Garrett Warren all at once inside the ring. He also faced Filipino-Irish martial arts expert Mark Dacascos, who played the villain’s role, at the end of the film.

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Quote of the Day

The Democratic Revolution in the Philippines (1974)

by Ferdinand E. Marcos.

“The poignant wish for a tranquil life will find no sanctuary in today’s world. We live in a revolutionary era. It is an era of swift, violent, often disruptive change, and rather than lament this vainly, we have to decide whether we should be the masters or victims of change.” – Ferdinand E. Marcos, Today’s Revolution: Democracy (1971), requoted in The Democatic Revolution in the Philippines (1974).
(SEE ALSO THE LEGACY OF PRESIDENT FERDINAND E. MARCOS).

August 16

AUGUST 16


Chinatown East Vol. 1 No. 29, August 16, 1982
On the Cover: Badminton Champion and stockbroker Danny So

GLIMPSE FROM THE PAST



Elizabeth Ruth “Betty” Grable (1916-1973)
on the cover of Look (August 16, 1949).



 

Agosto 16 sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas

          Noong Agosto 16, 1893, itinatag nina Valeriano Solis, Ramon Fernandez at Andres Frois ang Teatro Zorilla, isang tanghalang naging popular sa pagpapalabas ng mga operas at konsiyerto ng musika.

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          Ang Rizal Law, na naglalayong isama sa curricula ng mga paaralan ang paksa tungkol sa buhay at mga gawa ng pambansang bayaning si Dr. Jose Rizal na pinagtibay ng Kongreso ng Pilipinas noong Hunyo 12, 1956, ay ipinatupad noong Agosto 16, 1956.

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          Isang malakas na lindol (Intensity VIII), na ang epicenter ay sa Moro Gulf, ay tumama sa Mindanao at naging sanhi ng isang tsunami na kumitil sa mahigit 3,000 katao (humigit-kumulang 3,000 pa ang nawawala) at sumira sa kabahayan ng 20,000 pamilya.

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Personalities and celebrities born on August 16:

1843 – Jose Enriquez Basa, lawyer, judge, teacher and delegate to the Malolos Constitution (d. May 7, 1912).

1935 – Carlos Velasco Badion, basketball player known as “Bad Boy” and national team player – in Lubao, Pampanga (d. June 20, 2002).

1950 – Roque Federizon Lee (better known as Roxlee), cartoonist, painter, animator, film maker and rock musician – in Naga City.

1959 – Jess Lapid Jr (Jesse Lloyd Flake Lapid), actor, fight director and scuba-diving instructor – in Angeles City, Pampanga.

1963 - Erin Tañada (full name Lorenzo Reyes Tañada III), lawyer and politician – in Quezon City.

1968 – Vilma Beltran Vitug, actress, model and businesswoman – in Pampanga.

Vilma Vitug
on the covers of Scene (February 1983, courtesy of Ms. Vilma Vitug), Pinoy Playboy (November 23, 1983),
and Sports World (January 28, 1984).

1976 – Jomari Yllana (Full name Jose Maria Garchitorena Yllana), actor, model and concert producer – in Manila.



Jomari Yllana (with former wife Aiko Melendez)
on the cover of Mr. & Ms. (February 8, 2000)

1978 – Ariel S. Tabag, poet, fictionist and musician.

1980 – Ynez Veneracion (Sheryl del Rosario), actress.

Ynez Venaracion
on the covers of Sexy Movie Stars (November 11, 1997) and 10 Magazine (May 2006).

1990 – Melissa Carmen Bulanhagui, Filipino-American figure skater – in Philadephia, Pennsylvannia.

1994 – Tippy Dos Santos (full name Stephanie Denise Esquivias Dos Santos), Filipino-American singer and actress – in Houston, Texas.

 

 

Maja Salvador on the cover of
Speed (August 2009).

Picture Trivia

          Maja Salvador got her first leading role in the the ABS-CBN afternoon TV series Nagsimula sa Puso (2009-2010), a remake of the 1990 film of the same title starring Hilda Koronel.
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