Mabalacat City College Library

11/03/2026

Heads up, book lovers — mark your calendars.

The Philippine Book Festival is making its return, and its fourth year promises to be its most dynamic yet. PBF 2026 once again opens a vibrant space where readers can discover a wide range of Pinoy-authored titles, join hands-on workshops, connect with acclaimed authors and illustrators, and immerse themselves in a celebration dedicated entirely to Filipino books and storytelling.

From must-read new releases to beloved classics, from insightful talks to interactive experiences, the festival is designed to bring the local publishing industry closer to its readers.

The runs from March 12 to 15, 2026 at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall.

Admission is FREE. Register by scanning the QR code on the official poster or secure your slot here: bit.ly/PBF2026Registration.

11/03/2026

The Sun Also Rises is a 1926 novel written by American author Ernest Hemingway about a group of American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bullfights. An early and enduring modernist novel, it received mixed reviews upon publication. Hemingway biographer Jeffrey Meyers writes that it is "recognized as Hemingway's greatest work", and Hemingway scholar Linda Wagner-Martin calls it his most important novel.

The novel was published in the United States in October 1926 by the publishing house Scribner's. A year later, the London publishing house Jonathan Cape published the novel with the title of Fiesta. Since then it has been continuously in print.
Hemingway began writing the novel on his birthday (21 July) in 1925, finishing the draft manuscript barely two months later in September. After setting aside the manuscript for a short period, he worked on revisions during the winter of 1926.

The basis for the novel was Hemingway's 1925 trip to Spain. The setting was unique and memorable, showing the seedy café life in Paris, and the excitement of the Pamplona festival, with a middle section devoted to descriptions of a fishing trip in the Pyrenees. Equally unique was Hemingway's spare writing style, combined with his restrained use of description to convey characterizations and action, which became known as the Iceberg Theory.

On the surface the novel is a love story between the protagonist Jake Barnes—a man whose war wound has made him impotent—and the promiscuous divorcée Lady Brett Ashley. Brett's affair with Robert Cohn causes Jake to be upset and break off his friendship with Cohn; her seduction of the 19-year-old matador Romero causes Jake to lose his good reputation among the Spaniards in Pamplona. The novel is a roman à clef; the characters are based on real people and the action is based on real events.

11/03/2026

GEN. ARTEMIO RICARTE VISITS MABALACAT, APPEALS FOR JAPANESE COOPERATION
Gen. Artemio Ricarte, (b. 20 Oct. 1866/ d. 31 July 1945) was a general of the Philippine Revolution who fought against Spain and America. He never pledged allegiance to the U.S., so he self-exiled himself in Japan, where he continued to hope for Philippine independence.

In 1942, when Japan's military forces occupied Manila, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo asked Ricarte to return to the Philippines to help maintain peace and order. Ricarte agreed, but in return, he asked Tojo to give his country its real independence from American rule, which the minister promised.

In June 1943, the 78 year old veteran Ricarte returned to the Philippines and went on a campaign tour starting in Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga. He arrived in Mabalacat on June 16 and spoke to its citizens urging cooperation with Japan because, as he told the crowd, “I am absolutely convinced of Japan's good faith in her protestation of love for the Filipino people, which she has repeatedly demonstrated even in the course of the present war, and in the sincerity of her promise of independence."

The thousands who heard him were deeply impressed by the emotional plea of the general who had fought against 2 colonizers in the past.Aside from Mabalacat, the general went to Angeles, San Fernando, Mexico, Floridablanca and Guagua, sending the same message to Kapampangans.

In 1943, Japan nominally granted the Philippines “independence” when Second "Republic of the Philippines" was established, which in reality was only a Japanese puppet state.

11/03/2026

1SANG TAON SA ICC!

Mula sa pagkaaresto kay dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte noong Marso 11, 2025 hanggang sa mga sumunod na pagdinig, petisyon, at mga usaping kaugnay ng kaniyang kalusugan at pananatili sa kustodiya ng ICC, narito ang TIMELINE ng mahahalagang pangyayari sa kaso ng dating pangulo.

Basahin ang buong ulat: https://balita.mb.com.ph/2026/03/10/timeline-unang-anibersaryo-mula-sa-pagtugis-ng-icc-kay-fprrd-hanggang-sa-pagdinig-ng-confirmation-of-charges/

11/03/2026

In March 1609, a peace agreement between Maguindanao and Spain was made, a pact that was honored for at least the next 25 years.

Earlier, the 60-ship fleet of Maguindanao ruler Kapitan Laut Buisan and his Caraga allies was unable to carry on their planned raid after being cornered by a Spanish fleet under Juan Gallinato at Panguil Bay. The resulting impasse convinced Buisan that his massive fleet, which has successfully attacked Spanish seas and coastal towns for a decade, was rendered ineffective by the numerically inferior Spanish fleet. Thus, in an agreement witnessed by some 2,000 Muslim warriors, Buisan and Rajah Sirungan (Sirongan) made peace with Spain.

At about the same time, Sirungan had been negotiating with the Dutch, who had been showing interest in nearby Borneo. In October 1614, future Dutch East Indies Governor General Laurens Reael met with Sulu and Maguindanao rulers in Zamboanga who sought an alliance with the Netherlands to fight Spain. While Buisan was likely elated with Dutch recognition of his rule in Maguindanao, he was less convinced about their actual capacity to send assistance, as he saw with the case of Sulu Sultan Muwallil Wasit (Rajah Bongsu).

Nonetheless, Buisan's diplomatic ties with the Dutch carried over to his son, Sultan Kudarat (Qudarat, Guserat). In 1619, shortly after Buisan's death, Kudarat sought the help of the Dutch to resolve internal conflict in the realm. However, the Dutch did not see real advantage in supporting one Muslim ruler over the other, especially if both of them were potential antagonists of Spain. Instead, they attempted to broker peace between the two in 1621.

The apparent neutrality of the Dutch gravitated Kudarat to Spain, which proved to be more generous by loaning him an artillery piece. In exchange, Kudarat opened up commercial relations with the Spanish government, allowed Christian missions, and even offered the Spanish to build a fort in his territory. It was not the end, however, of Kudarat's troubles in keeping Buisan's empire together. Learn more about Kapitan Laut Buisan's military career: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2020/07/buisan.html

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11/03/2026

TODAY'S EDITORIAL: It’s been a year since former president Rodrigo Duterte was bundled off by police on a private plane for his trip to The Hague and detention in a facility of the International Criminal Court. http://tiny.cc/fm50101

04/03/2026

04/03/2026

On March 4, 1879, Filipina educator and suffragist Rosa Sevilla de Alvero was born in Manila. In her early career, she served as a journalist, including in the revolutionary paper La Independencia and the Spanish publication La Vanguardia. In 1900, she founded Instituto de Mujeres, the first school for women in the Philippines to be headed by Filipinos. It is now known as the Rosa Sevilla Memorial School.

She also contributed to the establishment of the Liga Nacional de Damas Filipinas (National League of Filipino Women), which campaigned for the women's right to vote. She died on May 11, 1954. Learn more about women's rights: https://history-ph.blogspot.com/

On March 4, 2021, she was featured in a Google Doodle for her 142nd birth anniversary. Among other commemorations, Rosa Alvero Street in Quezon City was named in her honor.

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04/03/2026

𝗜𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 🔥

“Flammable” and “inflammable” may seem like opposites, but both mean that something can catch fire easily and burn rapidly.

Examples of inflammable materials include gasoline, alcohol, kerosene, acetone, propane, paper, dry leaves, and certain cleaning solvents.

Although the prefix in- often means “not” (as in inactive or inaccurate), in inflammable it actually means “to cause to be,” similar to words like indent or indebted.

04/03/2026

𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝗿𝘆

For over 2,500 years, the power in Persia, now Iran has stood face to face with the West.

First against Greece.
Then against Rome.
Today, against the United States.

Empires changed. Borders shifted. Weapons evolved.
But the struggle for influence in the Middle East never truly disappeared.

From Marathon to Mesopotamia… from Roman legions to modern sanctions, the rivalry echoes through history.

Is today’s tension just modern politics or the continuation of an ancient geopolitical story?

04/03/2026

Amid concerns that Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites could become potential targets, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reassured the public on Tuesday that there is no threat to the country from Iran’s missile capabilities, stressing that the ongoing hostilities remain confined to the Middle East. https://tinyurl.com/5n8hryrr | via ONE News

04/03/2026

MARCH IS FIRE PREVENTION MONTH!

Fire Prevention Month aims to raise awareness and promote fire safety throughout the country.

Here are some safety tips to keep your home safe from fire accidents.