The Colonial Department

Lio Mangubat
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Lost stories from 🇵🇭 history 🔊 Narrative nonfiction pod 📖 Book version published by @factionpress 📻 Written, produced, engineered by @liomangubat

  1. 2d ago

    INTERVIEW: What was it like to commute in Manila 100 years ago?

    Just the thought of commuting around Manila is enough to set one’s teeth on edge. But do our current-day problems of congestion and overcrowding have their roots in decisions and policies made a century ago? There’s no one better to answer this question than our podcast guest today. For more than ten years, Michael Pante, Ph.D., an associate professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, has been researching the history of transportation, mobility, and urbanization in the capital city. He even has a forthcoming book on the topic entitled The Immobile Metropolis: A History of Motorized Transportation in Manila. In this Interview episode, Michael and I talk all about tranvias, bancas, accesorias, carromatas, and more… as well as answer a crucial question affecting the lives of millions: Can anything be done to improve how we get around? Support us: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com Thumbnail image from the Maryknoll Mission Archives, University of Southern California, via John Tewell. The Colonial Dept. Interview is a series where I talk to researchers and authors shining a light on our past.

    INTERVIEW: What was it like to commute in Manila 100 years ago?

  2. Jul 18

    S8E8 Pacific Sick Ships: Medicine Aboard the Galleons

    In the long journeys from Manila to Acapulco, disease was the clingy passenger no one wanted around. But it wandered around the decks, knocked on every cabin, stalked everyone on board—until one day, you woke up, and disease was just everywhere. How could it not be? There was food rotting inside the barrels, slick and moldy woodwork, crew and passengers and officers packed into tight spaces, pests crawling over the meals, the overpowering smell of human waste. And so they came, that grim parade: fever, chills, dysentery, infection, dermatitis, beriberi, the dread scurvy.  How did the ships of the Galleon Trade and the trans-Pacific exchange keep up their good health in those arduous sea crossings? Let’s open the medicine chests and find out. Support us: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References:  “Accessions to the Map-Room.” (1869) In the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, 39. Arranz, Adolfo; Hernandez, Marco (6 May 2018). “Chapter 3: A journey of dread.” In Adolfo, Hernandez (2018),The China Ship, South China Morning Post.  Luque-Talaván, Miguel (2014). “Oceanic deaths aboard the Manila galleons.” In Van Tilburg, H., Tripati, S., Walker Vadillo, V., Fahy, B., and Kimura, J. (eds.), Iberian Global Interactions: the Manila Galleon and the Roteiro, The Museum of Underwater Archaeology (MUA) Collection. Morris, David Z. (17 May 2016). “Cruel ships of prosperity.” Aeon. https://aeon.co/essays/the-manila-galleons-that-oceaneered-for-plague-and-profit “Unguentum Populeon.” The Poisoner’s Apothecary. https://www.thepoisonersapothecary.com/shop/p/unguentum-populeon Matera, Margherita (8 November 2022). “Old Italian Recipes of Medical Ointments in Psalter Manuscript Rahlfs 1759.” Göttinger Septuaginta. https://septuaginta.uni-goettingen.de/blog/old-italian-recipes-of-medical-ointments-in-psalte/ Stuart, Godofredo U., Jr., (n.d.).“Sandalino/Connarus semidecandrus Jack.” Philippine Medicinal Plants. https://www.stuartxchange.org/Sandalino Viena de Souza, Lais (2018). Missionários Do corpo à alma: Assistência, saberes e práticas de cura nas missões, colégios e hospitais da Companhia de Jesus (Goa e Bahia, 1542-1622) [doctoral dissertation]. Universidade de Évora. Klein, Wouter (16 June 2021). “Plant of the Month: Sarsaparilla.” JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-sarsaparilla/  Kroupa, Šebestián. Georg Joseph Kamel (1661–1706): A Jesuit Pharmacist at the Frontiers of Colonial Empires [doctoral dissertation]. Darwin College, University of Cambridge. Hajar, Rachel (2012). “The Air of History (Part II) Medicine in the Middle Ages.” Heart Views, 13(4), pp. 158–162. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3573364/ Clarke, Laurie (17 September 2025). “The four 'humours': Our 2,500-year-old mania for personality types.” BBC. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250915-the-ancient-origins-of-todays-personality-types Dorner, Zachary (22 September 2020). “How Early Modern Empire Changed Medicine.” The Boston Review. https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/zachary-dorner-how-early-modern-empire-turned-people-patients Joven, Arnel E. (2012). “Colonial adaptations in tropical Asia: Spanish medicine in the Philippines in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.” Asian Cultural Studies, 38, pp. 171–186. Eppenberger, Patrick; Galassi, Francesco; Rühli, Frank (2017). “A brief pictorial and historical introduction to guaiacum – from a putative cure for syphilis to an actual screening method for colorectal cancer.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 83(9), p. 2118-2119. Voeks, Robert & Greene, Charlotte (2019). “God’s Healing Leaves: The Colonial Quest for Medicinal Plants in the Torrid Zone.” Geographical Review, 108(4), pp. 545-465. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6208447/ Wani-Obias, Rhodalyn C. (2025). “Health, History, and the High Seas.” In Wani-Obias (ed.), Galleons and Social Control in the Spanish Empire: Volume V, National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Najera, René F. (9 May 2025). “Isabel Zendal: The First Public Health Nurse.” History of Vaccines.  Sales, Ostwald C. (2005). “Las Actividades Medicas en las filipinas durante la Primera Mitad del Siglo XVII.” Perspectivas LatinoAmericanas, 2(168).  http://altmetrics.ceek.jp/article/publisher/Centro%20de%20Estudios%20Latinoamericanos%20Universidad%20Nanzan

    S8E8 Pacific Sick Ships: Medicine Aboard the Galleons

  3. Jul 4

    S8E7 The Fractured Plateau: Bukidnon in World War II

    The word Bukidnon means “people of the mountains”, but historian Ronald K. Edgerton also gives another name for them: the people of the middle ground. As he writes in his book of the same name, “Many Bukidnons mastered the art of borrowing from the new without losing touch with the old. [...] And over time they developed a capacity to envision themselves [...] as negotiators between worlds, skilled at including both in a new, more accommodating world view.” This middle ground was pushed to the limit during World War II, when Japanese troops invaded the fastness of the mountains and Philippine soldiers splintered into guerrilla groups. Now, in the dark days of wartime, the Bukidnon found themselves caught in the middle of conquerors, resistance fighters, criminals, cults… and even cannibals! Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References: Edgerton, Ronald K. (2008). People of the Middle Ground: A Century of Conflict and Accommodation in Central Mindanao, 1880s-1980s. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Esteban, Rolando (2016). “Cannibalism among Japanese Soldiers in Bukidnon, Philippines, 1945–47.” Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, 52(1). Shiraz, Josie (2025). “Echoes of Defeat: The Horrors of Japanese Stragglers in Post-WWII Bukidnon.” Pacific Atrocities Education. https://www.pacificatrocities.org/blog/echoes-of-defeat-the-horrors-of-japanese-stragglers-in-post-wwii-bukidnon Kyoto National Museum (undated). “Tales of Hungry Ghosts (Gaki zōshi).”  Google Arts and Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/tales-of-hungry-ghosts-gaki-soshi-kyoto-national-museum/ZQVByl-_mamPJQ?hl=en “National Treasure: Tales of Hungry Ghosts (Gaki zōshi).” Kyoto National Museum. https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/collection/meihin/emaki/item03/

    S8E7 The Fractured Plateau: Bukidnon in World War II

  4. Jun 27

    INTERVIEW: Making a Magellan Comedy Manga

    In the offbeat manga Ferdie!, Ferdinand Magellan and Antonio Pigafetta are caught up in a storm right before they arrive in the Philippines…and find themselves transported five hundred years into the future into a place that’s beyond anything they could have imagined. So what is an explorer and colonizer to do in 2020s Philippines? Why, become a content creator, of course! In this Interview episode, I talk to Ferdie! creators Julius Tabios and Jeri Llorca about their comic book. Where did this crazy idea come from? How did their understanding of the historical Magellan craft their own funny and fictional take on the famous explorer? And what does this manga have to say about social media and the modern world? Ferdie! (P450) is available at Lazada and Shopee. Disclosure: I am one of the editors of Ferdie!, and I worked closely with Julius and Jeri in developing the story for their comic. It was also published by the company I work for, Summit Books. Summit Books did not sponsor this episode. The Colonial Dept. Interview is a series where I talk to researchers and authors shining a light on our past.

    INTERVIEW: Making a Magellan Comedy Manga

  5. Jun 13

    S8E6: After the Black Ships Departed

    The island of Balangingi stands halfway between Borneo and Mindanao. Surrounding Balangingi were sharp reefs and surging cross-currents that would be lethal to any boatman… except for the Balangingi Samal, of course. Surrounding the main landmass were little islets that would wink in and out with the tides. On the coast were thick snarls of mangrove; in the parched interior were swaying groves of coconut.  During the Spanish occupation, the Balangingi Samal—also known as the Banguingui Sama or the Sama Balangingi—visited the Philippines twice a year, raiding coastal villages across the Philippines and capturing many of their inhabitants as slaves. And then the Spanish struck back. This is the story of the rise and fall of a fierce seafaring people. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References:  Cojuangco, Tingting (1993). Kris of Valor: The Samal Balangingi’s Defiance and Diaspora. Manisan Research and Pub. Inc. Warren, James Francis (2020). “In Search of Julano Taupan: His Life and His Times.” Journal of Indian Ocean World Studies, 4, pp. 2-31. Warren, James Francis (2021). The Sulu Zone, 1768-1898: The Dynamics of External Trade, Slavery, and Ethnicity in the Transformation of a Southeast Asian Maritime State (40th Anniversary Ed.). Ateneo de Manila Press. Mastura, Datu Michael Ong (2023). The Rulers of Magindanao in Modern History, 1515–1903: Continuity and Change in a Traditional Realm in the Southern Philippines. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Nimmo, H. Arlo (1968). “Reflections on Bajau History.” Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 16(1), pp. 32-58. Roxas-Lim, Aurora (2017). “Marine-Oriented Sama-Bajao People and Their Search for Human Rights.” Public Policy, 18, pp. 50-66. Cojuangco, Margarita delos Reyes (2003). “The Samal People in the Mindanao Sea, Pre-History to 1900s: A Historical Study in Ethnic Origination, Dispersion, and Migration” [doctoral dissertation]. Faculty of the Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas. Moreno, Frede (2023). “Stateless sea gypsies in Bangsamoro coastlines: Understanding the Sama Bajau ethnic tribe in the Philippines.” MPRA Paper No. 117900, pp. 1-17. Silvestre, Jojo G. (24 June 2023). “Tingting Cojuangco — Christian Espiritu’s ultimate muse.” Daily Tribune. https://tribune.net.ph/2023/06/23/tingting-cojuangco-christian-espiritus-ultimate-muse

    S8E6: After the Black Ships Departed

  6. May 29

    S8E5: Rajio Taisō; Or, How to Get Fit in a Time of War

    At seven o’clock on the dot, a high-pitched Japanese voice blared out from speakers and switched-on radios all across the archipelago. The program came on like clockwork, chirping in immediately after every station signed on for the day—a cheery signal of a brand-new day under Imperial rule.  In wartime Philippines, Rajio Taisō was everywhere—schools, private companies, government offices, military camps. If you browse through pictures from World War II, you can see many pictures of dozens or even hundreds of citizens stretching and twisting in unison. But how was this radio regimen baked into the lives of ordinary Filipinos from all walks of life? Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References:  Jose, Ricardo Trota (1990). “The Tribune During the Japanese Occupation.” Philippine Studies, 38(1), pp. 45-64. Griggs, Alyson (2020). There Were Children on the Battleground: Japanese and Filipino Youth in the Second World War [masteral dissertation]. Utah State University. Yamashita, Samuel (2023). “Understanding Daily Life in Wartime Japan, 1937-1945.” Education About Asia, 28(2). https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/understanding-daily-life-in-wartime-japan-1937-1945/ Bigcas, Deana; Javate, Bianca (undated). "Radio Taiso: The Birth of Community Morning Exercises in the Philippines During the Height of the Japanese Occupation." Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/document/488287830/Radio-Callisthenics-in-the-Philippines Frühstück, Sabine (2014). “The spirit to take up a gun: militarising gender in the Imperial Army.” In Gender, Nation and State in Modern Japan (Germer, Andrea; Mackie, Vera; Wöhr, Ulrike, eds.), Routledge.   Cabbell-Manners, Rupert (15 March 2026). “Why Tojo’s men loved him – and Japan’s far-Right still does.” The Telegraph. Tani, Fumi (20 December 2024). “The Political Rhythm of Rajio Taisō.” Ethnomusicology @ Harvey Mudd College. https://hmcethnomusicology.substack.com/p/the-political-rhythm-of-rajio-taiso NPO Japan Radio Calisthenics Federation NPO 法人全国ラジオ体操連盟. “History of Radio Calisthenics ラジオ体操の歴史.” https://www.radioexercises.org/taisou/history Chua, Karl Ian Cheng (2012). “The Stories They Tell: Komiks during the Japanese Occupation, 1942-1944.” Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints, 53(1), pp. 59-90 Semans, Himari Radio (3 July 2023). “Taisō: A Nuanced History of a Nearly 100-Year-Old Tradition.” Unseen Japan. https://unseen-japan.com/radio-taiso-japan-history/

    S8E5: Rajio Taisō; Or, How to Get Fit in a Time of War

  7. May 23

    INTERVIEW: Restoring historical markers with Project Panandito

    You pass by them every day: plaques of metal set onto walls and plinths, heavy with text and history. You may have wondered—how do you maintain these historical markers? A group of students in the University of the Philippines Diliman wondered the same thing. So, for their required NSTP initiative, they formed Project Panandito, a student-led project that, during the sweltering summer months of 2026, went around historical sites in Manila to clean and restore some of these markers. In this interview, I talk to them about the nuts and bolts of cleaning a plaque, what to expect in Manila when you show up to do conservation work on a hot day, how to highlight history in a time that seems determined to forget it… and why restoring a marker can actually be—therapeutic? The Colonial Dept. Interview is a series where I talk to researchers and authors shining a light on our past. Support the podcast: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com The Colonial Dept. just celebrated its fifth birthday! To celebrate, I’m giving away discounts for new Patreon members. Subscribe now to any tier and get 50% off your first month. Just use the promo code 5YRS. To know more, go to patreon.com/thecolonialdept/membership.

    INTERVIEW: Restoring historical markers with Project Panandito

  8. May 9

    S8E4: Edison’s Cameras, Manila’s Trenches

    Yes, Edison as in Thomas Edison, the light bulb guy. At the turn of his century, the tech wizard of Menlo Park produced thousands of movies as a showcase for his company’s vitascopes. Among those movies are five films about the Philippine-American War, produced in a flurry all throughout June of 1899.  It turns out that the boom of cinema dovetailed neatly with America’s growing imperial ambitions. But what made this faraway war so compelling for wide-eyed audiences captured by the magic of the silver screen? Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/thecolonialdept Follow us on IG: @thecolonialdept Follow us on TikTok: @thecolonialdept Email us: thecolonialdept@gmail.com References: Rafael, Vicente (2016). Motherless Tongues: The Insurgency of Language Amid Wars of Translation. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Palis, Joseph (2009). “The ethnographic spectacle of the ‘other’ Filipinos in early cinema.” GeoJournal, 74, pp. 227-234. Robbins, Dylon Lamar (13 July 2017). “War, Modernity, and Motion in the Edison Films of 1898.” Journal of Latin American Cultural Studies, 26(3). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13569325.2017.1292222#d1e122 Brewer, Susan A. (1 October 2013). “Selling Empire: American Propaganda and War in the Philippines.” Asian Pacific Journal, 11(40). https://apjjf.org/2013/11/40/susan-a-brewer/4002/article Walker, Malea (6 February 2024). “The Spanish American War and the Yellow Press.” Library of Congress Blogs. https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2024/02/the-spanish-american-war-and-the-yellow-press/ “Advance of Kansas Volunteers at Caloocan.” Library of Congress “History of Edison Motion Pictures.” (undated) Library of Congress  Blinkhorn, Martin (1980). “Spain: The ‘Spanish Problem’ and the Imperial Myth.” Journal of Contemporary History, 15(1), pp. 5-25. Paterson, Thomas G. (1996). “United States Intervention in Cuba, 1898: Interpretations of the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War.” The History Teacher, 29(3), pp. 341-361. Ocampo, Ambeth (19 March 2013). “Treasure trove in thick books.” Philippine Daily Inquirer. Ocampo, Ambeth (21 March 2013). “An Igorot in the Philippine-American War.” Philippine Daily Inquirer. Legarda, Benito J., Jr. (2001). The Hills of Sampaloc: The Opening Actions of the Philippine-American War, February 4-5, 1899. The Bookmark, Inc. Angeles, Jose Amiel P. (2013). As Our Might Grows Less: The Philippine-American War in Context [Ph.D. dissertation]. Department of History, Graduate School of the History of Oregon.

    S8E4: Edison’s Cameras, Manila’s Trenches
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Lost stories from 🇵🇭 history 🔊 Narrative nonfiction pod 📖 Book version published by @factionpress 📻 Written, produced, engineered by @liomangubat

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