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Filipinos love Christmas. We see and feel this in the frenzied shopping and buying weeks before December 25, in the happy faces of overseas workers as they arrive home for the holidays, in the often noisy and off-key but joyous caroling of small children, in the devotion by many among us who go out of our homes -- still half-asleep and enduring the chilly breeze -- for simbang gabi .
But the hard times can dampen some of the Christmas spirit. As you shall read in our stories, Filipinos are scrimping on their celebration because prices are just too high. Some can't be with their families because of the high cost of transportation. Many among us barely survive on ordinary days; Christmas has a way of making the pain caused by economic hardship much more acute.
Still, there is hope. And to many poor Filipinos, that is the one good thing about Christmas. Merry Christmas!
The Davao Today staff |
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A Not-So-Bright Christmas
Davaoeños, like most Filipinos, are now feeling the pinch of the high cost of commodities. Many can’t afford to celebrate Christmas the way they used to.
“The times are so hard, we hardly sell anything,” two fruit vendors cried in unison when asked about their sales this week just a few hours before dusk. "We’ve been here since morning begging customers to buy but look at what we’ve got," one of the vendors, Jocelyn Salermo, said, pointing to her box of unsold apples she sells for 10 pesos a piece.
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 Fragments of a Bright Christmas
DAVAO CITY -- By the first week of December, the whole stretch of Rizal Park was already a pleasant sight with lanterns and Christmas lights wonderfully arranged. Christmas was finally here. By nighttime, all decorations were in full light, the sight giving passersby a magnificent feel of the holidays.
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 What’s for (Christmas) Dinner?
With the present state of the country’s economy, only a few may be able to afford abundant food on their tables this Christmas season. But to many Davaoeños, a little creativity and practical thinking can go a long way.
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 Christmas and Its Long History of Change
Although striking differences and similarities may be noted in various Christmas traditions in different Christmas celebrating countries, the core idea of each country’s celebration of Christmas is all the same. It is mainly to commemorate the birth of the savior Jesus Christ. |
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NABOC, the Philippines -- From Davao City, one has to travel for three hours to reach Monkayo town, Compostela Valley province. Five kilometers from there, a small village called Naboc sits right at the foot of Mount Diwata. The Lumads (indigenous peoples) in Naboc are from the tribes of Ata Manobo and Ata Matigsalog who depend on farming. With neither electricity nor potable water, the least they aspire for is food on their table and peace in their community.
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 A Cry for Justice
The family of Sofronio “Tatay Poloy” Enoc, the peasant leader who was killed among five others in a massacre on April 15, 2002, in Pangyan, Marilog District, is still hopeful that justice will finally come. |
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 Of Strokes, Figs and Canvases
In this issue of davaotoday.com, five visual artists who all hailed from Mindanao share their passion for the arts and for Mindanao. Some of them are fresh out of college while others have been around since the ‘70s. Through their craft and their vision – of the people, of nature, of revolution, to name a few -- they depict not only their world but ours.
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 Pedestrian Delights
Street foods are popular nowadays not only because these are tasty but mainly because these are cheap and can easily take care of hunger. From sweet, sour, spicy, salty, to hot or cold, name it and you can find it in the streets of Davao and other cities and towns. |
 In Search of
Darling’s ‘Humba’
At the malls, I have tried different versions of humba: the Chinese pale version, the Ilonggo version, even the vegemeat version. In Digos City, I remember dining at a nameless carinderia where they cooked humba with lots of vinegar -- and eggplant. |
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 A Book Lover’s Paradise
Forget durian and the touristy beaches. Davao’s bookshops are just as exciting and rewarding, where getting lost is not necessarily a bad thing.
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 Showcases of Warmth
and Hospitality
Durian, the Kadayawan festival, pristine beaches, warm and friendly Davaoeños – all these make up the ultimate getaway experience that is Davao. But the city not only offers its hospitality through its affectionate and welcoming people but also through its hotels.
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Christmas at the 
An Occasion for Shopping 
Caroling as a 
