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Today is Your Last Chance to See the Tampinco Masterpieces at the National Museum of the Philippines Fine Arts

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler July 19, 2026

Art Philippine History Philippines

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Spanish Friars and Philippine Cattle Ranches

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler July 18, 2026

books Philippine History

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Cebu's Sweet Spot: Fresh Finds at the Marco Polo Plaza's Saturday Market

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler June 22, 2026

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Salapi: The Numismatic Heritage of the Philippines (A Book Share)

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler May 10, 2026

books Money Philippine History

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Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Chinese Lions

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler April 15, 2026

cebu Chinese Lions churches Philippine History Philippines piedra china

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Echoes of Intramuros Manila: Tombstones on the Streets

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler April 15, 2026

intramuros Manila Philippine History piedra china tombstones

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The Visual Traveler Blog: Best Cebu Personal Blog Winner 2025

Posted by Margaux Camaya, The Visual Traveler March 30, 2026

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El Filibusterismo: The Death of Maria Clara De Los Santos

A drawing of Maria Clara by Vicente Manansala. National Museum of Fine Arts. As a Jose Rizal fan, it might sound blasphemous but I don't enjoy reading El Filibusterismo as compared to Noli Me Tangere . I find Rizal's writing a little hurried and the narrative complex in this book. As a sequel to Noli Me Tangere , it does tie up the loose ends that were left unanswered at the end of the book. I always get emotional whenever I read El Fili. Maybe it was all because of the "revolutionary" talk that happens throughout the story. The scenes in El Fili are graver and forthright. There seems to be a sense of darkness that surrounds every page. The Deal There is this particular chapter in El Fili where Simoun , the intrigue-laden protagonist, visits the infirmed Capitan Tiago . The old man is being taken care of by Basilio, the young orphan sacristan in Noli Me Tangere who is now a medical student. Captain Santiago de los Santos is the father of Maria Clara, the...

An Evening Meditation Prayer St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy face

An Evening Meditation Prayer "At the evening of life, you will be judged on love." The darkness enfolds me, Lord, it is the end of another day. Noises are being hushed, and I still my restless heart in your presence. I rejoice that I am safe in your keeping whatever may come to pass. And I thank you for the many blessings received today and throughout my life. You have fashioned my soul to seek you out, and now that I have found you, I know you will never let me go. As the day draws to a close, I reflect on many things, and find I am negligent in remembering your commandment to love others as you love me. Your little friend, St. Therese, understood your dear request, and tonight I am reminded of that phrase that traced her own destiny: "At the evening of life, you will be judged on love." If I am judged on love, Lord, I confess to many lapses. And before this day goes by forever, forgive me, for not having comforted those who need support, for tu...

15 Treasures of the Philippines at the National Museum of Fine Arts

It might be purely coincidental that my visits to the National Museum happen every decade. The first time I was in the museum was in the 1990s, it was the time when the Philippine Senate was sharing the old Legislative building with them. It was cramped and even the hallways were full of exhibits because of the lack in space. The Spoliarium by Juan Luna wasn't even on display at that time. The second time was in 2008 and the place had a semblance of a more organized museum. My recent visit was a couple of weeks ago and I've seen tons of improvement. I got so excited that I wanted to spend the entire day at the museum. The National Museum of Fine Arts is open from Tuesdays to Sundays, 10AM-5PM . It's free of charge but if you want to donate for the upkeep, you can do that. Make sure that you allocate some time to fully enjoy the experience. It doesn't make any sense if you do a marathon of going from one room to another, you will not be able to appreciate the h...

Why Are Chinese Lions Guarding Philippine Catholic Churches?

Chinese Guardian Lions in San Agustin Church I'm not sure if visitors of San Agustin Church in Intramuros Manila have ever wondered why there are Chinese lions guarding the church. For the devotees of the San Agustin, the stone lions displayed at the main entrance of the church have been part of the landscape since the time of the Spanish Colonial Period. I've always thought that the San Agustin lions were unique to the church. When I moved to Cebu years ago, I was surprised to discover that there were a couple of sculpted stone lions standing guard at the main doorway of the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino . They somehow looked like the ones found in San Agustin. But, this pair of lions in the Santo Nino church is smaller compared to the ones in San Agustin. Seeing these guardian lions and wondering why they are found in churches piqued my curiosity. Why would Philippine Catholic churches have Chinese guardian lions on their properties? One reason would be that during the ...

12 Classic Pinoy Hugot and Pick-up lines that are so corny

Ah, love. You win some, you lose some. It's a neverending quest to find that person to spend your lifetime with. What is Hugot? It's a Filipino word that means pull out or drawn out. But recently, Hugot became a catchphrase for something that is deeply emotional especially love. It can be triggered by a song, a word, an action or a movie. Hugot lines have been in vogue even decades ago. It's just that people didn't know how to collectively say it.

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