Fresh Starts
/February hits different. It’s the month of kilig, fresh starts, and full-on revolution energy — and that vibe runs through all our stories this month.
First up: the epic, universe-aligned love story of artists Novy Bereber and Ignatius “Nacho” Jones. Two creatives chasing their art across continents, only to find each other at exactly the right moment — before life had other plans. When their global careers began to slow down, they chose to come home to Iloilo — where it all started for Novy and where it would end for Nacho. In “Artists Novy Bereber and Ignatius Jones: Not Like Everybody Else,” PF contributing writer Menchu Aquino Sarmiento tells a love story that feels cinematic, fated, and deeply Filipino.
From your childhood screen to the global stage: Fil-Am actor Joshua dela Cruz — yes, the host of Blue's Clues & You! — is back in his theater era. This time, he’s stepping into history, playing martyred Filipino hero Ninoy Aquino in the latest staging of Here Lies Love, now running in Los Angeles. After years of trying to land the interview, PF’s LA correspondent Anthony Maddela finally caught up with him for “A Definitely Happy Beginning for Joshua Dela Cruz.” From Nick Jr. to Ninoy? That range.
And if you or your fam were around for the 1986 People Power Revolution that ended the Marcos dictatorship, you probably still know every word to Bayan Ko. It became the unofficial anthem of the anti-Marcos protests after Ninoy’s assassination in 1983 and helped carry Corazon Aquino to the presidency. Fast forward to today: history has entered its plot-twist era with Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in office — and a new generation of artists is dropping protest tracks that hit just as hard.
In “Filipino Protest Songs Rage Across Generations,” University of the Philippines Baguio professor Luis Zuriel Domingo breaks down how resistance sounds in 2026.
And because history is never just history — it’s personal. Two issues ago, we published Alex Fabros Jr.’s deep dive into “Alice Roosevelt, The Sultan of Sulu and The Theater of American Empire,” unpacking the 1905 visit of Alice Roosevelt and her encounter with the Sultan of Sulu. Soon after, PF reader Jessie Huberty slid into our inbox with a human-interest twist: her own family’s connection to that moment, complete with archival photos. We’re sharing her story — proof that diaspora memory is alive, layered, and still unfolding.
Love. Legacy. Resistance. Homecoming.
February isn’t just a vibe — it’s a reminder that wherever we are in the world, our stories stay connected.
[Read It Again]
30 Years Ago: Coup d'etat and People Power by Gemma Nemenzo
(This article was written 10 years ago and posted on February 24, 2016)
Romances in History by Ambeth R. Ocampo
The Poet and The Women He Loved by Gemma Nemenzo
[Video of the Week] "Sinners" cinematographer opens up about career journey amid historic Oscar nomination
In The Know
Philippine Church highlights unity as Lent, Ramadan begin together
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2026-02/philippines-church-lent-ramadam-same-date-shared-path-of-faith.html?
Airbrushing Autocracy: The Fall and Rise of the Marcoses
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002rdb3
Between English and Emptiness
https://www.weareonehumanity.org/writings/between-english-and-emptiness?
Brunei vs. the Philippines: The War That Ended in a Wedding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXvNLjf3V54
PSA: You Can Get a College Degree for Free Through UP’s Online University
https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/adulting/psa-you-can-get-a-degree-for-free-through-ups-online-university-
