This Baroque church with Gothic spires stands in the middle of Jaro district in Iloilo City, the richest district in Panay island during the Spanish colonial period. The cathedral aptly became the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro, one of the oldest in the country, which encompasses the whole province of Iloilo and the nearby Guimaras island.

During the Lenten season and especially during the Holy Week a lot of us Filipinos observe the tradition of "visita iglesia" or "church visits". The Philippines, being predominantly Christian, has countless beautiful churches with rich histories (as a result of more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule). This post kicks off a series of features on churches you may want to consider visiting.

The thundering sound of water falling from a 40-meter drop filled the huge gorge as the warm afternoon sun made the cliff walls glow. The volume of water flowing down belied the fact that it is currently summer here and the ongoing drought (brought about by the El Niño phenomenon) has wreaked havoc across the country - drying up watersheds and lakes, and reducing once magnificent waterfalls to a trickle. Buntot Palos (literally translates to “Eel’s Tail”) seemed to be immune from the effects of the drought.

Last weekend was two fun days of sun, sea, and sand with a group of enthusiastic photographers in a workshop about outdoor photography. The venue: the scenic coastal barangays of Osmena and Tambobong in Dasol Pangasinan.

It’s summer in my corner of the world! We have searing temperatures that average above 30 degrees Celsius lately. And with the El Nino phenomenon, it’s going to get hotter in the coming days; time to head to the beaches for a cool dip.