Photos from the book The Odyssey of an Igorot Mission Girl

For a woman who formally entered school at age 10, Esperanza Daliwa Somebang of Nadatngan, Mountain Province, travelled far and wide, a great believer in education and in the spirit of service to humankind.

Somebang grew up in a culture where , “girls were expected to stay home to help in the fields, get married and raise a family.” It was something she was prepared for since she was the family baby sitter.

But Somebang had a mother, Mauricia Badasan Suyen, who had the perspicacity to tell her before she went off to study at St. Mary’s in Sagada, “We are very poor; the only thing we can offer you is to allow you the opportunity to have an education in our mission school. We are glad to make the sacrifice, whatever it will take.”

The Odyssey of an Igorot Mission Girl (published by Igorot Heritage Press in Lyme, Connecticut) traces Somebang’s childhood, a rural idyll on hills “abundant with wild

Ina Kapatid Anak

By Pablo A. Tariman, VERA Files

Friday night last week, it seemed everyone who owns a TV set was glued on the final airing of the Channel 2 teleserye, “Ina, Kapatid, Anak” directed by Don M. Cuaresma and Jojo A. Saguin.

The evening audience profile surprisingly cut through and went up the usual CD audience categories with the educated class equally awaiting the dramatic ending.

It was a given that the masa was there as usual but it was also true that the other bulk of the teleserye watchers were public servants, working journalists and performing artists as well.

The big come-on was the highly competent cast led by Cherrie Pie Picache, Pilar Pilapil , Janice de Belen , Ronaldo Valdez with actors Enchong Dee and Xian Lim providing the “kilig” factors.

Alex MedinaThe amazing discovery of this recently concluded teleserye is undoubtedly the new actor Alex Medina (son of Pen Medina and brother of Ping Medina). Even in a secondary role, Alex has the temperament, the intensity and highly expressive

By Mikha Flores, VERA Files

The Supreme Court launched on Friday an electronic filing system that will digitize judicial processes in trial courts in Quezon City.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno. Photo by Mikha Flores/VERA Files

Dubbed as “eCourt”, the system uses case management software that will allow judges and court personnel to organize case flows from the filing of the complaint up to its resolution and enforcement.

The system will be piloted in regional and municipal trial courts in Quezon City, which account for about a third of total cases handled by trial courts in metro Manila. The project will be rolled out eventually in other regions across the country.

“We can only deliver justice if indeed the systems…that will deliver justice are abled and the eCourt system is a step in the right direction,” Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno said in her speech at the launch of the project in Quezon City.

With the eCourt, the raffling of cases will now be done electronically instead of using tambiyolos (raffle drum), removing human intervention and