11 Essential Pinoy Bloggers You Oughta Read

The great F. Sionil Jose once lamented, “The Pinoy is shallow, mababaw ang kaligayahan.” The media, is to be blamed, he said, and writers for not being critical enough.

Some days I agree with the old guy, what with the number of mediocre blogs I have to come across with in my pursuit of read-worthy ones. With how commercialized blogging has become, poorly written blogs burgeon every day, and sadly, blogging has turned into a revenue generator more than it is a passion.

…Which is why I tip my hat to these Pinoys who write insights and stories in an approach that defies the status quo.  At the end of the day, blogging is essentially still about writing, and writing well beyond proper grammar and spelling. In an age where shallowness can at times be the norm, these contemporary writers put the class and substance back to the craft.

1. Gay Mitra Emami of  Pinay Travel Junkie and The Hippie Mum

2. Nina Fuentes of Just Wandering and Evil Martian

As a Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards honoree, a Lonely Planet featured blogger and a PHL360 crew, Nina has helped pivot the awakening of independent female traveling in the Philippines. Just Wandering chronicles her travel adventures through Southeast Asia and beyond from 2006 onwards – back when traveling was a concept that’s generally perceived as confined to the upper class.

A peaceful scene at Ward Island Photo by Nina Fuentes

But while she is best known for Just Wandering, her personal blog at evilmartian.org offers a refreshing respite from her travel-heavy posts and advertorials on JW, and lets us peek into the more intimate side of Nina outside traveling. I for one, find it to be very warm and engaging than JW in some instances, and a visit whenever I am in the mood for some soul-searching, never fails to stir up some sensibilities.

3. Dennis Villegas of dennisvillegas.blogspot.com

Photo by Dennis Villegas

Siquijor at sunset Photo by Dennis Villegas

A professor by trade, Dennis’ exceptional storytelling skills is seen in his accurate reportage of the Filipino life. His fearless, in-depth interviews with intriguing characters including Kristong Hari and the faith healers of Siquijor allow us commoners to have a glimpse of their lives and thoughts, outside of what is portrayed by the media. 

Dennis tells a story as it is, without any judgments, biases or personal innuendos – something that’s also characteristic of the articles he writes for the Philippine Online Chronicles. This objectivity and ability to present interesting stories without resorting to sensationalism is perhaps, his blog’s biggest draw – aside from the absence of ads, chicklet, chatboxes or social media badges on his site, which makes for a seamless reading experience.

4. Eliza Victoria of elizavictoria.com (formerly Sungazer)

A seasoned and published poet and novelist (four books and counting!), Eliza bagged her first Palanca at 22. In the past, she worked for the Philippine Daily Inquirer and has appeared in several publications including Philippines Graphic and Philippines Free Press.

Eliza’s personal blog offers us a glimpse of the other side of the writing life (i.e. Writers don’t wax poetic all the time!). Here she shares her biggest passions: eating out and traveling with boyfriend J and friends, makeup, literature and movies! 

Of particular interest are her movie reviews, which are refreshing, succinct and perceptive it is easy to mistake her for a movie critic (I wonder why nobody in that department has picked her talents up yet. She would make a wonderful, well-loved critic.). 

5. Loi Reyes Landicho of The Professional Heckler

Remember that Dan Brown letter to MMDA Chairman Tolentino who recently made the rounds in Facebook? This guy is the brains behind it.

Written with wit and novelty, The Professional Heckler is a breather from the usual slapstick/ dumb comedy we Filipinos are so accustomed to. Loi’s satirical jokes have been included in many political humor books as well as national broadsheets, and often expose truths masked by reality. His blog has been awarded in the Best in Entertainment/Humor category in the Philippine Blog Awards for four consecutive years as well as the 2011 Globe Tattoo Awards.

If you need a good laugh, the heckler is the way to go. Just remember, bawal ang pikon!



6. Allan Barredo of Lantaw

Allan is what I would describe as an over-the-top blessed earthling – something his photoblog, Lantaw, vividly encapsulates.  Not only does he take spellbinding, Nat Geo-calibre photos, he has excellent storytelling prowess too. He can make the grubbiest of places seem like paradise sans post-processing, and make you feel like you’re breathing the same space through words.

Lantaw easily transports one to a magical world that these days, only Pinterest can provide. His waterfalls and seascape shots in particular, are absolutely stunning. They compel you to see what is out there. Allan’s captures bear a certain humanity and untouched beauty that could make even the most cynical of cynics weep, and the soul, calm and renewed. If that’s not raw talent, heck, I don’t know what that is.

7. Lori Baltazar of Dessert Comes First

It was a search on Cyma that led me to DCF, and boy,what a cornucopia of gastronomic wonders that particular Googling sesh opened.

A fellow dessert lover, Lori considers dessert to be most interesting course in a meal. Unlike many self-professed foodies whose knowledge of food is oftentimes pedestrian, this girl knows how to talk the talk, and walks it – quite very well, in fact. Her skills go far beyond taking presentable photos of plated dishes. She writes with precision, vibrance and rhythm. Sensuality, even. Her great passion for food shines through each store she rummages through, every dish and story she shares. With the caliber she’s bringing to the table, I honestly think that her blog is one of the most low-key, most underrated food blogs out there. 

8. Nerisa Guevara of This Lady Is Cold

9. Tourism Philippines

10. Tutubi of Backpacking Philippines