Lapu-Lapu was given a knife by the elder chieftain of the tribe. The knife was made from carved carabao and stag horn and said to have some supernatural powers. “Go, my son and defend our village from the Spanish conquistadors. We had our own beliefs from centuries ago, so we didn’t really need to be converted to Christianity.” And so Lapu-Lapu with his warriors waited for a battle to commence, ready to defend their independence, ready to die for it.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet had entered the Philippines and sailed to the island of Mactan with a small force. Magellan was a converting Catholic, and because of this he lost sight of his main goal, which was to find the Spice Islands. As an intensely religious man, he began to believe that his journey was ordained by God.
Lapu-Lapu had rejected the Spanish conversion and Magellan decided to use force. Due to his profound convictions and the easiness of converting other chieftains in the Philippines, Magellan had no hesitations about entering battle with the rebellious Lapu-Lapu and his warriors. He severely underestimated the capabilities of his opponents.
Magellan’s flotilla were allegedly greeted on the shores with near 1,500 fighters. The combatants recognised Magellan as the captain. Lapu-Lapu descended on him with the knife given to him by the elder chieftain and killed Magellan. The other warriors fought with their bamboo spears and cutlasses in the rocky shores of the island. The rest of the Spanish retreated.
together we fight for freedom
together we overcome
we have to be free
colonisation from Spain
battle till the end
independence is worth it
for generations to come
enemies attack
warriors defend precious soil
battle of the sea
great ancestors of the land
courageous people
defending sea till the end
freedom protected
the fruit of their hardship
they fought for our freedom
learning the past through art
at the gallery
country’s history
as part of our heritage
should know them by heart
women took part, too
Philippine Revolution
our own heroines
acknowledging them
they struggle for our freedom
we’re so proud of them
Walang mga bituin sa gabi
Akala ko ikaw ay aking kabalyero
Walang masuyong humahalik sa aking pisngi
Puro lang mga kritika
Walang paglalakad sa hapon
Kahit man lang sa space lumakad
Walang mga bulaklak sa hardin
Gusto ko lang tumakbo
Ilan lang sa mga yugto ko sa aking buhay
Maraming yugto ng mga pagtatalo,
Walang kabilugan ng buwan upang panoorin
Puro lamang ang iyong segundometro
Walang magandang bote ng alak
Namimiss ko ang ating pagkain sa labas
Pakikipag-usap tungkol sa mga bagay
Karaniwang sa mga tao sa mundo
Walang halik kapag dumating ako sa bahay
Paalam, paalam !
Walang nagnanakaw ng aking pritong patatas
Pinapa-iyak mo ako
Ang ating pag-aaway ‘
Kailangan ko ang aking panyo
Nakapagbitaw tayo ng mga bagay na hindi dapat
Para sa aking pagkakasala kailangan ko ng pampalubag
Alam naman natin na ito ay masama
Ano pa ang maaari kong idagdag?
Ngunit natutunan natin ang ating mga aralin
Parola o lakas natin ang isat-isa
Oras na para sa muling pagkakasundo
At tangkilikin ang araw
No stars in the night
I thought you were my knight
No breeze to caress my cheeks
Just some awful critiques
No afternoon walks
Not doing any spacewalk
No flowers in the garden
I just want to run
Just some chapters in my life
Quite a lot of strifes
No full moon to watch
Just your stopwatch
No nice bottle of wine
I miss our fine dine
Talking about things
Typical of earthlings
No kisses when I come home
Shalom, shalom!
No one stealing my fries
You make me cry
No more lovers’ tiff
I need my kerchief
We said things we shouldn’t have
For my guilt I need a salve
We knew it was bad
What else can I add?
But we have learned our lessons
We are each other’s beacon
Time for reconciliation
And enjoy the sun
The Tanaga is a Filipino poem. It consists of four lines with seven syllables each; the rhyme scheme is AABB.
Traditional tanagas don’t have titles and are composed in the Tagalog language. Most have been handed down through oral history and contain proverbs and moral lessons. (Similar to the tanaga is the ambahan, which has an indefinite length.)
Modern Tanaga
The tanaga has been in danger of becoming a dying art form. The Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission of the Arts have been trying to revive it. Several groups have been promoting the form in English.
The form is beginning to change slightly – not only are tanagas appearing in more frequently in English, they are picking up titles and varying their rhyme forms (for example, AABB, ABBB, ABAB, ABBA, AAAB, BAAA, ABCD, etc).
Pilipinas kong Mahal
Kahit malayo ako
Puso ko’y nasa iyo
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Philippines my Philippines
We may be far apart
But my heart belongs to you
Cheers to every one of us!
Tagalog, English and German
I wish to be clad in ermine
A bit of French and Spanish
Learn them so I won’t be banish with a sermon
Born and bred speaking Tagalog
English in school like analog
Now that we’ve lived in Germany
Say “prost” to drink in harmony even in fog
I used to work in Switzerland
Speaking French is always at hand
Not very good but I get by
Then Spanish I want to try so I joined band*
(c) ladyleemanila 2023
*The Florette
Philippines my country
politics is dodgy
pollution everywhere
poverty all over
proudly Christian nation
problematic but mine
parents, siblings are there*
(c) ladyleemanila 2023
*Pleiades
Rain has always been a part of us Filipinos. We only have two seasons – wet (June to November) and dry (December to May) seasons, depending on the amount of rainfall. This is also dependent on location, as some areas experience rain all throughout the year. I remembered our typhoon season, when it rained for days on end. From July to October, we have “bagyo” or tropical cyclones in the islands. We usually stay indoors, keep ourselves dry and listen to the sounds of the wind and the pouring rain. Some places would be flooded. Some days, classes and offices are suspended.
Listen to the rain
Playing bowling in heaven
When typhoon strikes
Trying street food in the Philippines is fun but challenging
Emerge yourself by tasting some weird food like balut and kwek-kwek
But also be prepared to have some belly ache afterwards
Street food in Manila is cheap but you can’t be sure
It’s very popular but you also have to be careful
You never know where they come from and might not suit your system
street food
challenging enough
delicious
cheap and fun
you can get them anytime
tell me what you think*
*Sijo
For: https://alwayswrite.blog/2024/06/12/wq-173-nature-inspires-even-if-it-pokes/
Ladyleemanila 
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