Gideon Lasco Journalist Profile

Articles

What Turkey’s Cats Teach Us About Human-Animal Relationships

Jan 3, 2025 | zmescience.com | Gideon Lasco

While visiting eastern Turkey to climb Mount Ararat, I discovered a nice cafe called Ru Sahaf in the town of Doğubayazıt. I had arrived days before the hike and was looking for a place to work remotely. The cafe had nice chairs, jazz music, good coffee, and decent internet: a perfect spot. To my surprise, as I was in the middle of writing, two kittens—gray tabbies wearing collars with bells—walked up to me. Without hesitating, they made themselves comfortable in my lap.
Of PGH rats and other urban rodents - Philippine Daily Inquirer

Oct 3, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

When I was an intern at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), my blockmates and I sometimes saw giant rats scurrying across the hospital, sometimes even transgressing the sterility of the OR, to the horror of our nurses and residents. Dubbed “roborats” at the time because of their seemingly monstrous form, urban legend has it that they feed on placentas, antibiotics, and other materia medica to make them the mutants they’re believed to be.
Doc Willie Ong’s brave cancer disclosure

Sep 19, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

Last week, Doc Willie Ong—one of the most popular doctors in the country today and certainly the most followed on social media—disclosed that he has stomach cancer and that he had faced excruciating pain and “brushes with death.” In a Facebook post, the cardiologist-turned-health advocate cast his disclosure in spiritual and patriotic terms, writing that “If God will grant me a miraculous healing for my huge 16 cm sarcoma, I will spend the rest of my remaining days fighting and lobbying for...
Defence of the mongrel

Sep 15, 2024 | asianews.network | Gideon Lasco

September 16, 2024 MANILA – When—in a now-viral incident—the Balay Dako restaurant in Tagaytay turned away an “aspin” named Yoda, they were re-enacting a longstanding bias against local dog breeds in favor of foreign ones. “Ano pong breed nya?” pet owner Lara Antonio claimed she was asked, when she sought an explanation. Dogs have been in the country for a very long time, and they appear to have been valued companions.
Defense of the ‘aspin’ - Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sep 12, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

When—in a now-viral incident—the Balay Dako restaurant in Tagaytay turned away an “aspin” named Yoda, they were re-enacting a longstanding bias against local dog breeds in favor of foreign ones. “Ano pong breed nya?” pet owner Lara Antonio claimed she was asked, when she sought an explanation. Dogs have been in the country for a very long time, and they appear to have been valued companions.
In praise of Philippine chocolates

Sep 5, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is not native to the Philippines, having been first domesticated over 5,000 years ago in tropical South America and brought to our country, much later, through the Colombian exchange. But as in West Africa and other parts of Asia, it has taken root in our archipelago. Chocolates have been having a resurgence in the country, with local producers creating premium chocolates that have gained notice on the world stage while also making inroads in the local economy.
Cultivating Philippine coffee

Aug 29, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

Over the long weekend, while visiting my good friend, the journalist Howie Severino, in Kapusod, by Taal Lake, I had the opportunity to experience an impromptu “cupping” by the coffee specialist Rich Watanabe, alongside my guest and Harvard hiking buddy William Gottemoller. As we sipped the award-winning beans from Sagada, the conversation naturally turned to coffee, and I’d like to impart some thoughts that have actually been brewing in my mind for quite some time.
Supporting - not just rewarding - success

Aug 24, 2024 | thestar.com.my | Gideon Lasco

WHEN Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo won her historic gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics, she was pledged cash prizes among many other incentives totaling over P50mil. But when she hadn’t won the gold yet, Diaz’s life was that of struggle, makeshift barbells, and at one point, vilification – even after already winning silver in Rio de Janeiro.
The bullet train from Manila to Davao

Aug 22, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

Nagano, Japan—Riding the “shinkansen”—popularly known outside Japan as “bullet train”—is always an awe-inspiring experience, and thanks to various JR rail passes, I have been able to travel across this beautiful country over the years, from Hokkaido and Tokohu to Shikoku and Kyushu. My main goal (or excuse) to do has been climbing all of the “Hyakumeizan” or 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, and in this trip, I’ve reached the milestone of completing half of this veritable list.
Carlos Yulo and the height of sports

Aug 8, 2024 | plus.inquirer.net | Gideon Lasco

In the aftermath of Carlos Yulo’s historic and breathtaking double victory in gymnastics, many were quick to point out that his height—4’11—was almost the same as that of Hidilyn Diaz, and that it was no barrier for either of them to achieve incredible sporting success at the most rarefied of global stages.