RENATO, Author at Constantino Foundation

YOU ARE INVITED! Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of Edsa Revolution & What is its Relevance, Lessons for the Philippines today

Tertulia-Inspired & Non-Partisan **Pandesal Forum**

You are invited to a morning of meaningful dialogue — where ideas are shared as warmly as freshly-baked pandesal & brewed coffee. This session shall discuss a pivotal chapter of Philippine history

Date: Tuesday, 24 February 2026

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RENATO2026-02-25T10:31:12+08:00February 23, 2026|

State of the Nation ni Allan Popa

Ikalawang tula mula kay Allan Popa sa isang linggong serye ng berso bilang paggunita sa ika-40 anibersaryo ng aklasang EDSA. Nagsimula nang dumagsa ang mamamayan. Tanging armas na bitbit – tapang, galit, dasal, at pag-ibig sa tinubuang bayan.

Malaki ang utang na loob ng bayan sa mga makatang tulad ni Popa, na patuloy na nag-aalay ng kanilang panula sa mga bagay na karaniwan na mangangailangan ng maraming pahina ng sanaysay para lang maipinta ang saloobin ng taumbayan. Kasama man ang ???????????????????? ???????? ???????????? ℕ???????????????????? sa koleksyong ???????????? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? na nilimbag noong 2022 ng Aklat Ulagad, sapul na sapul ng makata ang pagkabalisa ng mamamayang nilalagnat – noong 1986, at ngayon.

Hinihikayat namin ang mga mambabasa na suportahan ang napakagandang literacy program ni Allan, ang Kulaybrary sa Catanduanes. Ito po [READ]

RENATO2026-02-25T10:29:40+08:00February 23, 2026|

Bahaghari ni Jose F. Lacaba

Isang tula kada araw bilang pagninilay-nilay sa ika-40 taong anibersaryo ng aklasang EDSA. Ang unang tula para sa unang araw ng pag-aaklas ay mula kay Jose F. Lacaba, dakilang manunulat, lubos na minamahal na makata, at makatang tinitingala ng Constantino Foundation. Pinili ang Bahaghari ni Lacaba bilang panimula sa serye ng mga berso ngayong linggo para ipaalala sa madla: lahat ng bangungot nagwawakas, bagamat sa buhay ng tao, wala ring nagtatagal na bahaghari, lalo na kung ang tao’y hindi handang kumilos para tiyaking hindi na makakabalik ang mga kawatan at mga malignong sanhi [READ]

RENATO2026-02-25T10:28:08+08:00February 22, 2026|

The nation will soon mark the 40th anniversary of EDSA, a time of simplicity, complexity, and mythmaking. Four days before the Snap Election of February 1986, Renato Constantino wrote insights in the fortnightly paper WE Forum that deserves our pause today: “I view the current electoral exercise with ‘amiable skepticism.’ The frenetic activities have diverted the attention of the people from basic issues. Both Marcos and Aquino view the economic situation within the parameters of the IMF program. Economic issues have been depoliticized. . . . “The opposition is performing a useful service in the general struggle against authoritarian rule and therefore is contributing to an aspect of the protest movement. But unless they present this question and the attendant violations of human rights as consequences of an economic program that benefits foreign interests and unless they propose concrete measures that will reverse [READ]

RENATO2026-02-18T19:41:25+08:00February 19, 2026|

The Snap Revolution: A Post Mortem

The past is always present, but often concealed or costumed. Letizia Roxas Constantino wrote this in March 1986, less than a month after EDSA:

“The portentous events of February followed one another in rapid succession involving many millions of Filipinos in accustomed actions of commitment and courage and evoking in the whole nation a gamut of strong emotions from fear, dejection, and disgust, to pride and euphoria of victory.”

“Given the dismal 20-year record of the Marcos administration, the opposition did not lack issues. However, it concentrated on corruption, hidden wealth and Imelda’s extravagance, Ninoy’s assassination, and repression and terrorism. When they decried growing poverty and mounting foreign debts, the candidates blamed it all on Marcos, exonerating by their silence the US which had consistently and generously supported him all [READ]

RENATO2026-02-18T14:20:31+08:00February 18, 2026|

We’re in this month’s Enrich Magazine of Mercury Drugstore!

Hooray! We hosted the lovely Batch 68 of St. Theresa’s High School in October 2024, and one of the participants (thank you, Eve Angcanan!) wrote an essay about the exchanges. The Foundation certainly had a great time, one made memorable because of a particular quality that stood out among the women of Batch 68 – all of them were so mighty curious.

The high level of curiosity displayed by Batch 68 is remarkable, a quality we hope Filipinos will emulate. Older, or younger, curiosity ensures a sense of discovery is constant in our lives, which is enriching but also liberating, especially when it merges with interest in history, our common past, and our common need to overcome challenges that lie ahead.

Get yourself a copy of the magazine, available [READ]

RENATO2026-02-11T15:59:27+08:00February 11, 2026|

Revisiting February 4, 1899: The Philippine-American War in Historical Context

More than a date on the calendar, February 4, 1899 marks the beginning of the Philippine-American War. The conflict set in motion a new phase in Philippine history, one that continues to shape how this period is studied and understood.

This year, the Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery Cafe returned to this moment through historical discussion, situating the war within its broader context and revisiting its place in the nation’s past.

Image source: Oskee Recabar’s Facebook Post and Constantino Foundation

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RENATO2026-02-07T17:28:36+08:00February 7, 2026|

A panelist’s reflection on the historical discussions from recent Pandesal Forum sessions

We share here a panelist’s reflection on the historical discussions from recent Pandesal Forum sessions, including those on the Abad Santos family and the Philippine–American Memorial Day, and on the transmission of historical memory across generations.

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RENATO2026-02-07T16:53:23+08:00February 7, 2026|

Commemorating the ‘Forgotten’ Philippine-American War & Honoring Heroes

“Dén é la sásáup. Sásákup la,” the immortal words of the great Kapitan Bikong del Rosario. They are not here to help us, they are here to conquer us.” Today, a new press briefing about the past at a house of memory – Kamuning Bakery – with valued guests who will speak of history and current affairs.

Kamuning Bakery Cafe

February 6, 2026

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RENATO2026-02-07T16:38:29+08:00February 6, 2026|

spot.ph reissued: Kara David & Karmina Constantino on the Lola Who Taught Them the Power of Words

(SPOT.ph) Before they were household names, they were simply Hochi and Minh—cousins who spent a lot of time together, little children running around during Sunday brunches at their grandparents’ home. What may have seemed ordinary occasions back then would, in fact, serve as foundation for the two girls who would become two of the country’s most admired journalists.

Long before they stood in front of cameras and reported on the day’s events, Kara David and Karmina Constantino were learning the art of storytelling, the power of perspective, and the quiet strength of public service from their grandmother, Letizia Roxas Constantino—writer, editor, and constant collaborator of noted historian Renato Constantino, her husband, with whom Letizia produced The Philippines: A Past Revisited, and The Philippines: A Continuing Past, among other titles.

Who is Letizia Constantino?

Renato Constantino, nationalist, political analyst, and historian, may have been the more famous [READ]

RENATO2026-02-07T16:40:08+08:00February 5, 2026|

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About RENATO

Who is Letizia Constantino?