EMONG'S JOURNALS

It can get a tad confusing. South China Sea is the dominant term used in English for the sea, and the name is a result of early European interest in the sea as a route from Europe and South Asia to the trading opportunities of China. In the sixteenth century Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea (Mar da China); later needs to differentiate it from nearby bodies of water led to calling it the South China Sea. In September 2012, then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III signed Administrative Order No. 29, mandating that all government agencies use the name "West Philippine Sea" to refer to the parts of the South China Sea within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, and tasked the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) to use the name in official maps. This leaves us one question. When do we use the names West Philippine Sea and South China Sea? Condo Vibes In a media interview with ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) , Supreme ...

SM Cinema will be screening seven popular and award-winning films from China as it hosts the Chinese Film Festival at SM Megamall, SM City North EDSA, SM City San Lazaro and SM City Manila from Sept. 5 to 9. Admission is free. A joint project with the Chinese Embassy of the Philippines, the showcase of China’s blockbuster films is part of efforts to encourage and inspire a deeper understanding of China’s cultural diversity. Internationally-acclaimed Chinese stars topbill two of the films: Zhang Ziyi in The Grandmaster, a martial arts drama film based on the life story of the Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man, and Jackie Chan in Little Big Soldier, an action comedy that tells the story of three men and a horse. Some of these films have historical inspirations. Aftershock recounts the aftermath of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, while Back to 1942 is about the famine during the second Sino-Japanese War in 1942. Others bring us to modern times in China. Caught in the Web is a conte...