FAMILY AS FOUNDATION OF SOCIETY

 

By Klaus Döring

Article XV of the 1987 Philippine Constitution recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation, requiring the State to strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its development. It declares marriage an inviolable social institution, protects family rights, and mandates care for children and the elderly.

The family is considered the fundamental unit and bedrock of society, vital for social stability, continuity, and the initial socialization of individuals. It shapes personalities, teaches values like honesty and love, and provides essential emotional and practical support. A strong family unit leads to lower crime, poverty, and higher social solidarity.

Living in the Philippines since 1999 for good, I found out about this. I learned so many things being a part of a Philippine family.  I was born in a parish house in Germany  but experienced years later how to survive in a broken family.

My Philippine mentor, Hermogenes E. Bacareza, former Chaplain of the Philippine community in Berlin and author of German-Philippine Relations,  taught me in 1988: The Christian family is also called to be a sacrament. They are called, like the Church, to be Christ to one another, as well as to the broader community. By becoming what they are called to be, the family lives the sacramental life, and the sacred can bubble up through the ordinary things of everyday life.

What on earth can be more of a sign of God’s grace than the authentic self-giving love of a fully committed married couple whose love for each other brings life and spills out upon their children and with them onto those beyond the family? This, I believe, is the new vision of the Christian family for the 21st century.

Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom.

Families are central to God's plan for His children. They are the fundamental building block of strong societies. Families are where we can feel love and learn how to love others. Life is tough, and we need people we can lean on.

What's the purpose of family? These bonds are important because family helps us get through the most disastrous times and the best times. Family is important because they can offer support and security coupled with unconditional love; they will always look to see and bring out the best in you even if you cannot see it for yourself.

Since residing in the Philippines, I experienced that family is important to Christians because family is about witnessing to the Lord’s faithful love for the Church and for the whole of humanity; family is about making present, in a concrete and daily manner, the reciprocity and beauty of the love that characterises God’s life. Family is a rich school where we learn to be humane and generous, to be patient and steadfast, to be just and merciful, to be faithful and committed, to be together and to connect.

Single parented or mother-father; childless or fertile; in big cities or in the countryside; in harmony or in conflict/domestic violence; in home country or refugees; at peace or at war, married or cohabitating, separated or remarried; healthy or in illness/addiction, free or in prison, in a house or homeless, able or disabled, working locally or away from home, with or without pets; whatever the family… all families are precious in the eyes of God.

A colony of cousins

By Jullie Y. Daza

Published May 21, 2026 12:03 am | Updated May 20, 2026 04:26 pm

MEDIUM RARE

Your cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. Very often, cousins turn out to be best friends, principally because as childhood playmates they knew how to keep one another’s secrets.

Often enough, cousins live near each other. In some cases, as when I was a child and my grandparents had this big beautiful house with a roof garden designed for Grandmother, we cousins lived under the same roof (until life came along and the older ones started getting married, one by one). In those days, houses were built for generations.

Memories of those days surfaced and resurfaced during the party to celebrate the 60th birthday of Verna, my cousin Ted’s wife. The party was held in what appeared to be the ballroom of a restaurant in Quezon City (which is where most of us cousins live), and it drew the young ones as well as their parents and in-laws.

Expectedly, everyone but everyone was in red, except Verna the birthday girl, who was in a shade of marine blue. However, the lanterns that hung from the ceiling were in red silk, as were the bouquets of red balloons that formed part of the wall décor, in other words, not for take-home!

At the party, what fun it was to meet again my cousin Irene, 88, who lives in faraway Bulacan. Irene’s mom, my Auntie No. 1, was my favorite “summertime aunt” because every year, she rented a big house in Baguio for us cousins to take turns enjoying our vacation.

Irene’s younger sister Annie was my playmate, until we grew up and college separated us. Then she married a handsome Manila-based Spaniard and they built the first of their homes in Pamplona, Spain before moving to the US. They have two sons.

As for my children, I am grateful that they have their cousins to share their weekends and parties with. Looking back, how I treasure memories of my cousins, with whom I learned about sharing time, toys and treasures, about give-and-take and being fair when you get into a fight.

In today’s technology-driven world, with screens of all kinds being as useful as part of your anatomy, a cousin is an old-fashioned friend to keep at your side.

P184.5-M bridge collapses in Davao City

By Ivy Tejano

Published May 20, 2026 11:04 pm  

THE bridge that collapsed in Davao City. (Photo via Ivy Tejano)

DAVAO CITY – A bridge in Purok 2 in Barangay Callawa in Buhangin District here has collapsed due to heavy rains and flooding since Monday night.

Photos circulating on social media showed portions of the structure collapsing after flood water from a nearby creek eroded its foundations.

The collapsed structure was part of a Department of Public Works and Highways infrastructure project under Contract ID 17LO-0133 – “Concreting/Widening/Improvement of Bypass Road at Buhangin-Tigatto-Mandug-Callawa-Fatima Road, including Reconstruction of Callawa Bridge and Right-of-Way (RROW)” – in the second district of Davao City.

The contract was signed on May 11, 2017 during the term of Davao City second district Rep. Vincent Garcia.

Project records showed it was awarded by the DPWH-11 to Premium Megastructures Inc., represented by General Manager Jerome Butaya, with a total contract cost of P184,588,193.30 and a completion period of 240 calendar days.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the government by then DPWH-11 office-in-charge Regional Director Allan Borromeo.

DPWH-11 spokesperson Dean Ortiz said the collapsed bridge measured about 15 meters and had been affected by progressive erosion over the years, worsened by the widening of the creek below the structure.

Ortiz said the situation deteriorated further due to heavy rains and flood currents from Monday night (May 18) to Tuesday morning (May 19).

“The creek widened significantly over the years, eroding the bridge approaches until the structure could no longer withstand the pressure from the floodwaters,” Ortiz said.

No injuries or fatalities were reported. Authorities are continuing damage assessments and monitoring other flood-affected areas in Davao City as rains persist.

The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been placed under a state of calamity

  The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has been placed under a state of calamity due to the combined effects of the global oil crisis and the extreme heat caused by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

All reactions:

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XONARA have arrived — and they aren't waiting for approval

By Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Why should anyone pay attention to you?

XONARA, the first girl group launched under 1Z Entertainment in partnership with Republic Records and Universal Music Group Philippines, seem to have decided the best response is:  

Because we have something real to say.

And, importantly, because they’re willing to say it loudly.

Officially debuting on May 16, the seven-member act of Eure, Megumi, Dominique, Tin, Namie, Ella, and Lei, XONARA are not interested in pretending perfection. Their appeal lies precisely in their individuality; the fact that each member seems to bring a different emotional vocabulary into the group, and that the group itself appears to embrace that messiness rather than flatten it.

To celebrate their arrival, XONARA transformed Escolta, Manila into what was effectively a temporary alternate universe: “XONARA’s World.”  

For one day, the historic streets became an immersive fan playground complete with graffiti walls, DIY charm stations, a social-media-fueling stamp rally, and a pop-up bazaar spotlighting local fashion, thrift culture, and creative street expression. It felt less like a traditional launch event and more like an invitation into the group’s internal aesthetic; part music showcase, part community-building exercise, part declaration that this group intends to be more than just another act cycling through the idol machine.  

At the center of it all was the live debut of their first single, “Tabi.”

As the members explained during the press conference, the title carries layered meanings: in Tagalog, tabi suggests closeness; someone beside you, staying near. In Bisaya, it can refer to something spoken about or acknowledged. In Japanese, fittingly for their half-Japanese member, it can mean “journey.” It’s an unexpectedly elegant title for what began, according to the members, as little more than a songwriting assignment. They had no idea it would become their debut and that makes its emotional weight even more compelling.

One member shared that writing the song’s second verse pushed her to exhaustion; running out of ideas, repeatedly checking drafts with coaches, even crying under the pressure to finish. But somehow, that emotional depletion became part of the song’s identity. 

“Tabi” is fundamentally about movement through uncertainty. About riding waves instead of running from them. About surviving the lows together. That same theme echoed throughout the group’s interviews. When asked whether they ever felt like underdogs, Tin offered what might already be the defining XONARA quote: “Don’t compare your chapter one to someone else’s chapter thirteen.” 

That’s the thing about XONARA. Even in carefully managed debut settings, they come across as vulnerable in a way that feels deliberate rather than accidental. They openly talk about their differences, their insecurities, and their chaotic internal dynamic. They call themselves a family, not because they are identical, but because they’ve learned how to hold space for each other’s contradictions.

And that may be what ultimately sets them apart.  

P-pop has no shortage of polished performers, but with “Tabi” and the immersive ambition of XONARA’s World, they’ve done more than introduce themselves. They’ve built the first chapter of something they clearly intend to grow and invited everyone else to come along for the journey. (Ian Ureta)

 

THE MUSIC AND THE BIBLE

By

 Mindanao Daily News

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May 20, 2026

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I grew up with both. I was born in a  parish, and allowed to play the organ there. Pairing music with your Bible reading is a beautiful way to center your mind and deepen your spiritual focus. Many find that ambient instrumentals, scripture-based songs, or curated Praise and Worship Playlists help block out distractions while reading.

The Bible highly values music as a powerful tool for spiritual expression. It is depicted as a way to worship and praise God, express emotions (joy or sorrow), and teach others. The Bible does not restrict the style of music, but warns against music that promotes ungodly behavior. 

Music is intentional — designed by God to move both spirit and mind, as we see in 1 Corinthians 14:15, “What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”

What is the biblical explanation of music? The principal direction of congregational singing is to the Lord (Ps. 96:1). Music is made first of all to the Lord and only secondarily to each other. Music should communicate and express a sense of awe and wonder in the presence of God; it should lead our thoughts toward God rather than toward ourselves.

Music has a way of piercing into the deep parts of our soul, that assists in our expression and response to God and to the church. Singing helps unites us to the church. The gospel alone unites believers to one another.

The music and the bible. Strategies against darkness. Sure, you are able to listen to the wonderful music I select for my daily music column. But there is something more… .

“Why am I so sad? What am I so troubled about?” (Psalm 42,11).

If it’s becoming dark, we usually turn on our lights. But, it’s still daylight. It’s a magnificent and wonderful  day! The sun shines with might in the sky. The trees are blossoming and the flowers are ablaze with amazing colors; the birds are chirping cheerfully. – “Yet, why am I so sad? Why am I so troubled?”

We experience feelings, as if darkness lies onto our souls, and light cannot get through any more. Yes, we make head or tail o it, because some really bad things happened since a couple of weeks or months in many of our life and surroundings:

A good friend passed away unforeseen; a wish, carried with us in our hearts never became true; all doors seem to be locked forever; financial problems bother us and don’t allow the chance for three daily meals; and arduous illness seems to become incurable.

Why are we so sad? Why are we so troubled? The psalm’s poet voices out innermost feelings and emotions during those times.

Music accomplishes many things. It has practical utility that can be applied to many endeavors, it can be used to communicate information and emotions, it plays a substantial role in culture, it provides entertainment, it gives people an outlet to be creative, it helps us understand beauty, and it has value on its own.

Music unites the congregation so that God is worshipped with one voice. A wide variety of music is used in Christian worship including hymns, psalms, choral music, gospel songs, contemporary music and instrumental music, played for meditation and reflection.

I was trained how to survive such periods of life. Be patient and wait!

Pray!

Or: “Quarrel with your soul!” No, it’s not nonsense, it really works.

“Don’t make such a fuss; get out of your dump and be happy!”

Or, read Psalm 103: “The Love of God”.

An intoxicating love

 

By Klaus Döring

U.S. musician and author Ted Gioia argues in his excellent book “Music: A Subversive History” (2019): “At every stage in human history, music has been a catalyst for change, challenging conventions and conveying coded messages — or, not infrequently, delivering blunt, unambiguous ones. It has given voice to individuals and groups denied access to other platforms for expression. Pop music has often been dismissed as ‘lightweight’ given its young audience, simple snappiness and mainstream status, but those elements are really where its strength is concealed. Pop songs don’t originate themes of mental well-being, equality, liberty, activism — but they do transmit them to the broadest platforms possible.”

Snap the radio on, zip to any station, and what are you likely to hear? Love songs. Songs of new love, songs of disappointed love, songs of grateful love, songs of crazy love. I still remember my time as a radio host in Davao City several years ago, playing the hits of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Nothing has changed. Times change, but through history, the flow of love songs is a constant.

Plenty of people are surprised or even shocked to find an explicit love song in the Bible — complete with erotic lyrics. But “Song of Songs” is exactly that. It shows no embarrassment about lovers. Consequently, intermittent attempts have been made to rule “Song of Songs” out of the Bible. It’s like making it “for adults only.” Imagine, my dear reader, in 16th-century Spain, for instance, professor Fray Luis de León was dragged out of his classroom and taken to jail for four years. His crime? He translated “Song of Songs” into Spanish.

If you start reading “Song of Songs,” you will find that this book conveys a very different atmosphere from most modern love songs and pop music. Since love songs are always popular, many people approach “Song of Songs” with great expectations. However, readers often find the book much different from what they had expected. One is the poetic imagery. Second: “Song of Songs” is hard to follow. One part doesn’t seem connected to the next.

Try to explore “Song of Songs.” One thing is for sure: You’ll learn a lot about the love between God and His people.

***

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com, follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or X — formerly Twitter — or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.

The caring Filipino family is the heart of the nation

 

By Fr. Shay Cullen, Founder since 1974

The Filipino family is revered worldwide for its many values, its unity, and the mutually supportive and harmonious love between parents and children. Such a family has wise Filipino parents who have respectful, positive and caring relationships with their children. They neither dominate nor neglect their children. They are not punishers and scolders, and they never emotionally or verbally abuse their children. They encourage their children to be independent, love freedom and serve their community. Close-knit families are resilient and bound by these values, and they endure and overcome struggles and poverty. Dire poverty is caused by corrupt politicians and their cronies involved in graft, fraud, nepotism and cronyism. The Filipino family, in general, is resilient and is the heart and strength of the nation. Good and dedicated parents strive to protect and teach their children to be upright and have compassion for their neighbors.

The United Nations’ theme for the International Day of Families this year was “Families, Inequalities and Child Wellbeing.” It is a particularly timely reminder for the Filipino family, which must remain strong as it faces the challenges posed by corruption that feeds an unequal society, leaving 17.5 million families in poverty out of 117.5 million people, according to government statistics. But surveys by Social Weather Stations and other research firms indicate that roughly 50 percent of Filipino families rate themselves as poor. There are an estimated 2.19 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). The Filipino diaspora roughly number 10.7 million; they left for a better life abroad, unable to endure the corruption, social inequality and lack of opportunities for themselves and their children at home.

These 2.19 million OFWs provide critical financial support for their families through massive money transfers monthly. In 2025, they sent home a record $35.63 billion in cash remittances. Including informal remittances, this figure increases to $39.62 billion. Besides the daily struggles of so many Filipino families to cope with worsening poverty, especially during oil crises, they are also faced with the onslaught of negative content on social media. Traditional family unity is under severe threat.

The historical roots of this unity and togetherness are found in the “balangay,” the wooden boat that traveled across seas for weeks, carrying families bound by their desire to survive. These families arrived on the islands, where they lived and worked in mutual cooperation. Working together came to be known as the “bayanihan,” or community, spirit. This community cooperation and togetherness was a life-saving experience for an intelligent and proud people.

From this precolonial heritage emerged a culture in which teamwork is strongly present in Filipino family traditions today. “Utang na loob,” or debt of gratitude, evolved from a tribal system of mutual help and reciprocity into a deeper moral binding obligation. Teamwork for prosperity beyond survival, known as “pakikisama” or getting along with others, arose from a need to maintain peace and order and cooperation in small communities, so all could thrive. An important family value is respect for parents, which also came from early tribal living in which age denoted wisdom and knowing traditional herbal medicine that helped people survive for thousands of years.

Enduring values

Many other enduring values of Filipino family life are strong and healthy today, such as love of education, a deep commitment to freedom and justice, compassion for the sick and needy, generosity in sharing with others, hospitality, welcoming strangers and sharing food and drink with them, and the sacrifice of poor parents working desperately at home or abroad to provide for their children against poverty and hunger that are rooted in inequality and injustice. The value of “malasakit,” or concern, is strong, and a sense of dignity and self-worth are powerful driving forces for success. This is where we see the vast majority of parents deeply loving their children and providing for their needs.

Filipino family values, traditional lifestyles and familial relationships themselves are under serious threat as families struggle for survival against an onslaught of negative social and economic forces. A profound transition is underway, driven by economic pressures, cost of living, unemployment, teenage pregnancies, and exploitation through social media that are putting great strain on the unity of the family, as teenagers drift further from their parents and siblings by the negative influence of abusive online content.

The departure of children for the city, where gaining employment is more likely than in the countryside, is challenging to their parents. Today, our capitalistic society takes families away from fields and farms, where all once helped each other in an “all for one, one for all” spirit. Now, they’re involved in isolated — and likely isolating — work in a factory or business enterprise in the city, leaving parents and grandparents alone.

While the internet connects family members virtually, it is also driving them apart. Church-going is declining due to the irrelevance of many institutional rites and sermons. The absence, with some exceptions, of strong and outspoken Christian moral leadership by church leaders to challenge ills in government and society leaves a vacuum for evil to erode family values.

The government’s inability or unwillingness to implement laws regulating internet content is among the greatest threats to the Filipino family, young adults and children. Internet service providers continue to ignore a law blocking child sexual abuse materials, and the government is complicit in ignoring this. This is causing horrific moral decadence among families, adults and the youth. The availability of abusive online materials to young boys drives them to sexually assault girls as young as 6 years old.

The UN Children’s Fund says as many as 2 million Filipino children have been sexually abused online and in the community in one year alone. Nearly one in five children (17.1 to 22.4 percent) have experienced sexual violence within their community or home.

This is the great challenge for all Filipino families, and leaders in society and the Church to unite on board the balangay of human rights — especially children’s — and defend moral values and human dignity.

Do Filipinos still practice the tradition of "mano po"?

 

Ghemma Marie

 · 

SouthEast Asian

My answer is NO, not all Filipinos practice mano po. (You can research the meaning on the internet).

While it is a deeply rooted and widely recognized gesture of respect across the country, as this is taught in school curriculum, its usage varies significantly depending on the region, generation, and individual family traditions. It could be that this sign of respect practice by the majority of Filipinos nationwide several decades ago unlike today’s generation. I always encounter a situation when an elderly guest arrived, the parents of the child need to remind them to do the mano po, not an automatic action of gesture towards the elderly.

This is what I observed.

I live in the northern Philippines and while we (Igorot, Ilocano) acknowledged that this is a sign of respect to the elderly, we don’t practice it on a regular basis. The only people that I noticed doing that came from Tagalog speaking regions either Metro Manila or adjacent provinces like MIMAROPA/ CALABARZON regions, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija/ Viscaya. So it is safe probably to say that this gesture is a tradition normally practice by most of the Tagalog people.

I’m not familiar with people from the south (Visayas, Mindanao).

I could be wrong of course, but I also noticed this from the native Cordillerans like those people from Kalinga, Abra, and people from Ilocos region. Some do the beso-beso thing, nodding of head to acknowkedge the presence, or you also noticed this humble tone of voice when talking to the elderly. I didn’t say that mano po is completely out of the picture, its just they practice it on a very rare occassion.

Btw, this is the mano po hand gesture.