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The Garcias of Cebu: dignity and defiance

by Todd Sales Lucero - June 11, 2025 - 12:00am

Former GSIS head Winston Garcia recently paid tribute to his father, former governor and representative Pablo “Pabling” Garcia, reflecting on his humility in victory, grace in defeat, and unwavering commitment...

Bloodlines, bloodbath, and Bong Go's roots

by Todd Sales Lucero - May 28, 2025 - 12:00am

I was curious about the latest in the Final Destination series of films, entitled “Final Destination: Bloodlines”.

Election 2025: surnames, surprises, and Sara's triumph

by Todd Sales Lucero - May 21, 2025 - 12:00am

During the recently held 2025 mid-term election campaign period, I noticed based on the campaign posters and other materials that many candidates are quite young or young-ish.

Why Leo?

by Todd Sales Lucero - May 14, 2025 - 12:00am

The election of American-born Robert Francis Prevost as the successor to the throne of St. Peter caught almost everyone off-guard.

Who will be Pope?

by Todd Sales Lucero - May 7, 2025 - 12:00am

In 1994, when I first began my genealogy journey, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints whose family history center I used for my research asked me if I was open to hearing about their min...

Common Muslim surnames in the Philippines

by Todd Sales Lucero - April 9, 2025 - 12:00am

This month, the Muslim world celebrated the Eid.

Pinoy nicknames

April 2, 2025 - 12:00am

Richard Heydarian, who once again earned the ire of the people of Mindanao with his comments and comparison between the Human Development Index of Luzon and Mindanao with Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, has allowed...

Luzon, Mindanao, and the great divide

March 26, 2025 - 12:00am

During the American colonial period, it seemed that majority of Cebu was literally divided into two: the taga-bukid and the taga-lungsod, and the physical boundary was the train tracks.

Davao, Mindanao, and the month of March

by Todd Sales Lucero - March 19, 2025 - 12:00am

Mindanao was recently thrown into chaos when, on March 11, former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by Interpol agents.

The Filipinos and the pope

by Todd Lucero - February 26, 2025 - 12:00am

Over the past week, local and international media have actively covered reports regarding the Pope’s declining health.

The first first lady of the Philippines

by Todd Lucero - February 19, 2025 - 12:00am

February 19th is the birth anniversary of Doña Aurora Molina Aragon de Quezon, who was, technically, the first official first lady of the Philippines because her husband, Manuel Luis Quezon, was the first...

Of uncles, speakers, and presidents

by Todd Lucero - February 12, 2025 - 12:00am

A lot of interesting events have happened for the first two weeks of February.

The death of Emilio Aguinaldo

by Todd Sales Lucero - February 5, 2025 - 12:00am

This week on February 6, 1964, former President Emilio F. Aguinaldo passed away at the Veterans Memorial Hospital at the age of 94. Aguinaldo was a controversial figure in history who one of my former professors...

Multi-syllable Tsinoy surnames

by Todd Lucero - January 29, 2025 - 12:00am

As the world celebrates another Chinese Lunar New Year, as a genealogist the topic of Chinese surnames naturally occupies my mind once more.

The Sinulog, past and present

by Todd Lucero - January 22, 2025 - 12:00am

One aspect of Cebuano culture has always been their veneration of the Santo Niño de Cebu.

Dimples Cooper: movie star, mistress, and mystery

by Todd Lucero - January 15, 2025 - 12:00am

January 15 marks the birth anniversary of Isabel Rosario "Dimples" Cooper, a name shrouded in both intrigue and controversy in Philippine and American history.

Critiquing “The Kingdom”

by Todd Sales Lucero - January 8, 2025 - 12:00am

Last year’s (2024) collection of Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) films was better, not just because most have better cinematography and story lines, but because there has been a clear shift from the jologs...

When December 31 disappeared from the Philippines

by Todd Sales Lucero - January 1, 2025 - 12:00am

Just think about it. If a Spanish governor-general hadn’t been so meticulous about even the most miniscule of administrative matters, new year would still have been tomorrow. If we had the ability to erase...

PhilHealth, Luigi Mangione, and this government’s priorities

by Todd Sales Lucero - December 18, 2024 - 12:00am

The recent focus on healthcare insurance in both the Philippines and the United States has sparked significant discussions globally.

Marcos and myth-making

by Todd Sales Lucero - December 11, 2024 - 12:00am

"Ferdinand E. Marcos was not really a Marcos, but a Chua. His real father was Judge Ferdinand Chua of Batac." So say some writers and historians.

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