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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Enter the Dragon

Enter the Dragon

Published Jan 29, 2024 11:36 pm

MEDIUM RARE

Jullie Y. Daza

Five billion pesos and nine years later, CNN Philippines will be off the air in a matter of days. Sky Cable will come under new management at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 26, when it transits to PLDT as its owner.


The two media entities whom we welcome into our homes every day for information and entertainment are affected by the changeover from Rabbit to Dragon, but don’t blame the fire-breathing Dragon, which will not officially start its reign until Feb. 10, 2024. It’s the lingering effects of Rabbit that we are feeling like a pinch in the gut, particularly the hundreds of employees who will be losing their jobs. As it happens, Rabbit is not deemed a friendly companion to Dragon. Rat and Monkey are more compatible.


Dragon is a powerful sign but that kind of power should be used benevolently, warns Patrick Fernandez, who reads scholarly feng shui texts in-between hi-tech research and data collecting for his work as an investment banker in the US, where he is based.


Dragon, the fifth beast in the Chinese zodiac, is the only mythical creature in the collection, yet the Chinese identify themselves as descendants of the dragon race. If the dragon is not real, who invented it and how has it persisted in the collective imagination of a people for thousands of years?


Drawings, sculpture, and other artwork portray the beast as a combination of many animals: antlers like a deer’s, a camel’s head, a serpent’s neck, belly like a crocodile’s, claws like an eagle’s, paws like a tiger’s, ears like a buffalo’s. (Source: Chinese Astrology by Sabrina Lao.)


In the past, emperors used the embroidered symbol in gold on their robes. Their temples, thrones, and architecture were decorated with dragons. Today, Chinese parents wish for a dragon baby who will grow up to become CEO, president, a dragon emperor. ‘Tis said that more babies are born in China during a Dragon year.


Last week, I chanced upon a dragon dance in UP Town Center, the first hint (as far as I was concerned) of the Chinese New Year coming to town. As it turned out, the dancers were performing for Richard Yap and his guests at his newly renovated Wang Fu restaurant. 

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