Columnist SunStar Briones, writing for SunStar, reflects on a turbulent week in Cebu and the Philippines, choosing to focus on historical events of July 10 rather than current affairs. The article, published July 10, 2026, opens with a litany of local and national issues: the ongoing impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, class suspensions due to ashfall from Mt. Kanlaon's eruption on Negros, and the apparent demise of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit project. Briones notes a brief respite during Alex Eala's Wimbledon run, where she upset defending champion and world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, but cautions against burdening the young athlete with national expectations.
Metal detectors in schools spark criticism
Briones then criticizes a local government plan to distribute 100 metal detectors to public schools by July 20, 2026, in response to a school shooting in Tacloban City that killed three students and injured 20. The columnist laments that this measure, while addressing a tragic isolated incident, ignores pressing issues like classroom shortages, teacher-to-student ratios, staff pay, and learning supplies. Briones declares a refusal to write about politics or social issues this week, instead turning to a favorite mantra about alcohol consumption and a nostalgic look at historical events on July 10.
Historical events of July 10
Drawing from Britannica.com, Briones recounts several notable events. In 1040, Lady Godiva is said to have ridden naked through Coventry to persuade her husband, Earl Leofric of Mercia, to reduce taxes. The columnist draws a rhetorical comparison to Filipino politicians' spouses. In 1962, the first communication satellite capable of transmitting live TV and telephone across the Atlantic was launched, inaugurating a new era in communications. Briones recalls a black rotary phone in her grandmother's house on Urgello Street. French novelist Marcel Proust, author of In Search of Lost Time, was born on this day in 1871, the same year France ceded Alsace-Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War. Briones muses on childhood memories and false memories, noting a willingness to be corrected.
Volkswagen Beetle production ends in 2019
On July 10, 2019, Volkswagen ended production of the Beetle, first introduced in 1938. Briones recalls the Beetle as a common sight on Cebu's streets in the late 1970s, and her father's Volkswagen Brasilia—gold with silver stripes, later repainted red. She learned to drive in that car during summer breaks in high school; it had no radio or air conditioning and often broke down, requiring passengers to push it back to life. Briones concludes with a fond memory of simpler times.
