Signs of the times

A closer look at Veejay Villafranca’s Signos A dead pig lies under the hood of an old passenger jeepney, its light-colored flesh begrimed with mud and dirt. On the hood of the jeepney are a pair of leather shoes, a couple of notebooks, and two little stuffed animals laid out to dry. A framed family…

Birdshot: Calculated, cunning

Mac Andre Arboleda "Ang lahat ng ito, mas malaki pa sa iyo (This whole thing is bigger than you)," said Mendoza (John Arcilla) to his cohort Domingo (Arnold Reyes). Both police officers were investigating the disappearance of farmers en route to Manila on a bus when they were ordered to focus on the killing of…

Sining Banwa’s ‘Oktubre’ entertains, educates

Text and photos by Kimmy Baraoidan and Chris Quintana “Actually, totoo kasi ‘yung sinasabi na ‘Sino ba’ng may gusto ng history?’ (Actually, it’s true, the saying, ‘Who even likes history?’” said 36-year-old Sari Saysay, director of Sining Banwa, a community-based theater group from Legazpi City, Albay. We were sitting on the steps of one of…

Deconstructing art: creativity and the creative process

Gourmet. Indie. Hipster. Just some of the words in the English language that are being thrown around so carelessly on a daily basis that their meanings have been twisted beyond recognition. Among all the words being kicked around in daily discourse, one could spark debates that could last for years on what it really is:…

The Hammers That Forge Heavy Metal (Part 3 of 3)

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Photos by: Chris Quintana, Kimmy Baraoidan, and Bong Ranes. In this three-part series, Kimmy talks about some of the problems that plagued and continue to challenge metal bands and fans, her experiences as a former member of a metal band and her personal thoughts about the local metal scene and those…

Surreal realities in Manix Abrera’s News Hardcore

Text by: Kimmy Baraoidan Comic strips courtesy of Manix Abrera “At dahil hindi natutulog ang balita, nakatutok kami beinte-kwatro oras (And because the news never sleeps, we are tuned in twenty-four hours),” goes the spiel of veteran news anchor Mike Enriquez of GMA Network–a mantra that everybody in the media would come to know as early…