A Halloween Adventure

by Rosario Charie Albar

The night was dark and dreary
I was tired and weary
The air was far from cheery
I felt a little leery.

I heard a faint knock, knock
Like the tick tock of a clock
Not the pounding of a rock
But the turning of a lock.

I went to open the door
And beheld not one but four
And in the distance many more
Ghosts so scary I fainted on the floor.

"Come with us for a jaunt"
"To places we will haunt"
I cowered and said "please don't"
But they dragged me as was their wont.

Our first stop was at a bar
Where men were drinking by the jar
Ghosts appeared and it was war
But the drunks merely laughed har, har, har.

To a parked car we went
Where love was heavenly sent
The ghosts screeched and gave full vent
But the lovers were to each only intent.

Then we crashed into a party
Kids in costumes how teenie boppy
The ghosts in unison howled eerily
"Cool" said the kids and danced merrily.

The night was being pared
Yet not one victim had been scared
The ghosts frustrated but dared
One more trip before light bared.

We swooped into a house
Found two old folks half drowsed
The ghosts in full regalia ready to joust
Noises of the night they doused.

Grandma and grandpa didn't stir
Neither had their vision gear
Nor wore their hearing aid to hear
They sat content and had no fear.

All too soon came dawn
I found myself on my lawn
Chilled and tired I heard a moan
A cold body beneath my bone.

Happy Halloween!

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963, Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...

Masaganang Ani by Vicente Silva Manansala

Masaganang Ani (Bountiful Harvest), oil on canvas, 1962 The International Rice Institute of the Philippines (IRRI) was founded in the Philippines in 1960 by the Ford and Rockefeller foundations with the support of the Philippines government. The goal of IRRI is “to improve livelihoods, abolish poverty, hunger and malnutrition among those who depend on rice based agri-food systems”. Their headquarters is in Los Baños, Laguna. These two Manansala large scale paintings were commissioned by IRRI in 1962 to depict Filipino life, labor and leisure activities. The paintings were hung on the walls of the dining room and cafeteria at its headquarters. These weren’t ideal places to hang the canvasses because the smoke from the kitchen and the cleaning solutions used by the staff threatened the paintings. They are now on loan to the National Museum of the Philippines which declared these two masterpieces as National Cultural Treasures. In Masaganang Ani, Manansala chose themes celebrating th...

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