Artworks have been a popular means of narrative since time immemorial, as exemplified by the art of Ancient Egypt. One such excellent illustration of storytelling through art can be found inside Pampanga's Saint James the Apostle Parish Church.

Years after its 1991 eruption, the wrath of Mount Pinatubo continued to be felt. A case in point was the San Guillermo Parish Church in Bacolor, Pampanga. On September 3, 1995, after days of torrential rains, a raging lahar flow from the slopes of the previously thought dormant volcano buried the town about six meters deep.

There had been a few points in our history where it might be said that the Philippines couldn’t seem to catch a break. One such event occurred on March 17, 1957, when a plane carrying President Ramon Magsaysay crashed on Mount Manunggal in Cebu, ending a promising term in which Magsaysay became popular because of his accessibility to the common people. Magsaysay, who was known as "My Guy" because he was everyone's buddy, was widely regarded as the best head of state the Philippines had ever seen. However, as luck would have it, he passed away in office and in life far too soon, leaving behind a legacy of greatness we could only hope could be replicated by current and future leaders.

The Spaniards had hoped that Jose Rizal's banishment to Dapitan, a sleepy town in Zamboanga del Norte that faced the Sulu Sea, would finally break his spirit, since it was so far removed from the cities where he had lived and thrived with fellow La Liga Filipina members. Our national hero, on the other hand, had other plans. Rather than accepting defeat, Rizal made his presence in Dapitan felt deeply by members of the local community.