Last 14 Years

Here are some facts I have learned from living in the Philippines for 14 years. Firstly, the Filipino staple food is rice, and the Filipinos like to fish as well. Unlike other Asians, Filipinos look and sound Mexican which is probably due to some of their ancestry being Spaniards as Spain colonized the Philippines for 333 years before the Americans ceded the Philippines from Spain. As a result, there is a significant amount of Spanish and Mexican influence in Philippine customs and traditions such as in their folk dance, music and Spanish last names. Then the Americans taught the Filipinos the English language, pop culture, fast food, music, film and basketball. Additionally, some Filipinos are also part Chinese owing to the fact that the Chinese from nearby Xiamen or the Fu zian people have immigrated to the Philippines. Since the Philippines was colonized by several different cultures all over the world, their cuisine is more of a mixture of all the countries. There are Indian, Spanish, Arab and American influences over the food all over the Philippines. Filipino traditional food is generally prepared with salt, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, tamarind, mango and guava. Secondly, the Philippines is divided into 3 parts, the largest northern island Luzon, the second largest predominantly Muslim Mindanao and the separated Visayas. Lastly, the natural resources of the Philippines are made up of its lands, water, forests, minerals, plants and animals. Various types of fish, shells, clams, oysters and other seafood are found in its waters such as rivers, streams, lakes and seas.

Fourth Stop: Zamboanga

The next day was spent in Zamboanga, the southern tip of Mindanao. Its capital is nowadays known as the Sotanghon City, referring to a kind of noodle that is a fair representative of what is to be found its barter market. We went to visit my aunt who lives there. I watched the kumpits (long deep covered motorboats) carry cargo between Zamboanga and the ports of Borneo. These cargo stock the barter market at the beginning of the wharf. The barter market sells food, toiletries, batik and other goods from Borneo.

Our family tried dining on curacha, Zamboanga’s culinary specialty. It was a half-crab half-lobster which tasted yummy and native at the same time.
The vintas are showcases for brush and brain corals, cowrie, cone, conch, clam, tambuli and turban shells. Aboard these vintas are bundles of pandanus mats that display geometric patterns in mauve, purple, violet, green and yellow. My mom and aunts bought five of these mats woven by the Badjao women who are the finest mat weavers in the archipelago. Past the Lantaka Hotel is Fort Pilar where a bronze plaque tells its dramatic story and the history of Mindanao. Built into the eastern wall was the open-air

shrine of the patron saint of Zamboanga, the Lady of Del Pilar. Here, the faithful light their candles and make their vows. I tried to do it and prayed in reverence to the Lady of Del Pilar.

We then visited and relaxed in the Greater Santa Cruz Island’s “Pink Sand Beach.” This beach has beautiful pinkish sand from the coloration effect of pulverized rare Organ-pipe Coral from eons of surf erosion mixed with white sand. This beach is one of the very few pink sanded beaches found in the entire world. My cousins and I snorkelled and we saw lots of colourful marine life in excellent water visibility according to the weather conditions. The island is covered with natural island vegetation and grass, with some flowering trees. It is also home to numerous red mangrove crabs and other sea creatures that seek shelter inside its protective lagoon.

Third Stop: Cebu

After the long refreshing rest, we ate breakfast in Dencios. I wolfed down my beef tapa with rice since I was planning to have a heavy breakfast. The whole group travelled via air plane to Cebu. The first historical sight we saw was Magellan’s Cross. Ferdinand Magellan ordered Portuguese and Spanish

explorers to plant this Christian cross upon successfully setting foot and therefore colonising the Philippines, introducing Catholicism to the Philippines on April 8, 1521. At present, the cross is sheltered in a chapel next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino on Magallanes (Spanish for Magellan) Street just across the city hall in Cebu City. A sign indicates that the original cross is encased inside the wooden cross in the centre of the castle. Other people believe that the cross possesses miraculous powers while others say it had been destroyed or disappeared after Magellan’s death.

Cebu is one of the most developed provinces in the Philippines, being the main centre of commerce, trade, education and industry in Visayas. There is less rainfall in this city compared to Manila and the lowest temperature during this time of year is 18 degrees Celsius.

After, we went to the Lapu- Lapu shrine. This is where a memorial bronze statue in Punta Engano, Mactan Island in honour of Datu Lapu-Lapu is situated. Datu Lapu-Lapu was a native leader who defeated the Spanish soldiers and killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan on 1521.

For lunch, we ate at Cary’s Lechon (suckling pig) where I devoured the most mouth-watering lechon I have ever eaten in my life. The meat is so tender and tasty that you wouldn’t even need to dip it in sauce! In addition to that, the skin is so crispy that you will certainly ask for more. The price is right, and they also serve roast beef with no preservatives and stuffed lechon or even spicy lechon. We then ate sweet pulvoron for dessert.

Other places I would have gone to if I had more time were the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Fort San Pedro, Magellan shrine and the Cebu Taoist Temple.

Second Stop: Tagaytay

Because my cousins from China are currently visiting the Philippines, my family thought of bringing them to Tagaytay where we can view the Taal Lake. There lies several small volcanoes and one of them is the Taal Volcano, the smallest volcano in the worldWe had a long car ride, about 2 hours from Manila, to Tagaytay, a place near the Taal Volcano in Batangas. The volcano has not erupted since 1977.

We ate an early lunch at 10:00am in Josephine’s Restaurant. Its address was in Km. 58 Gen. Aguinaldo Highway, Maharlika West, Tagaytay City. They serve a variety of Filiipino foods influenced by Western and Asian cuisine. Even if our family had a cottage in Tagaytay, we chose to eat out since this is a favourite Filipino past time. A typical Filipino eats about 6 times a day including snacks between breakfast, lunch and dinner. For our appetizer, we chose Crispy Kangkong (water spin ach covered with a light tempura batter and deep-fried to a crisp served with mayonnaise or spicy vinegar),

Sizzling Gambas (Shrimps marinated in rum and sautéed in pimientos and chili sauce) and Seafood Ceasar Salad. For the main course, the table was

filled with Palabok (Thin rice noodles topped with an orange shrimp sauce sautéed with pork and crushed pork rinds), Bicol Express (A hot combination of sliced green chili sautéed with pork and shrimps then simmered with ginger and coconut sauce), Blue Marlin sa Mango Salsa (A Blue Marlin Steak grilled to sweet perfection and complemented with diced ripe mangoes, cucumber, onions, and Chinese celery in a sweet vinegar), and many more

tasty dishes. I quickly devoured these delicious food since at home, I usually eat rice, corn, adobo (a meat stew made from either pork or chicken), lumpia (meat or vegetable rolls), pancit (noodle dish), fried fish, chicken or pork and ampalaya (bitter melons) cooked by the Filipino helper.

During the course of the day, we enjoyed indoor and outdoor swimming,

playing golf, badminton, bowling, horseback riding and sightseeing the Taal Volcano from the Tagaytay. This is certainly an affordable weekend day trip to benefit from. There are two 18-hole par 72 golf courses amidst hilly terrain and ravines. My cousins, dad and I played a little friendly game as Tagaytay Highlands is highly rated offering two of the best golf courses in the Philippines. Although I would say that the mosquitoes and little insects were quite irritating.

Sightseeing came next. We took a trip from Tagaytay to the volcano island in the middle of Taal Lake. The tiny brown volcano looked like a hat without a rim. My father fervently bargained with the Filipino bangka (small canoe) ride to the volcano from 8000PHP down to 5000PHP. The experience on the serene waters of the Taal Lake reassured me that I was safe from eruption due to the fact that the volcano was just sitting there quietly and peacefully. The tourist guide also showed great aplomb when it came to safety near the volcano. My relatives took tons of photos here as the view is very scenic, with all the blues and fog clashing with the volcano, making it look tranquil. About an hour and a half walk followed as we climbed up the mountain to see the view. Even if we were out of breath from climbing the steep mountain, the view was breathtaking especially with the cool climate there.

It was almost getting dark and so after eating a hearty merienda (afternoon snack) of chicharon (deep fried pork skin) and puto (white rice cakes), we headed to Antonio’s, a famous restaurant who produces the best special dinner you could ever have in Manila. There, we ate mostly western food such as Grilled Angus Beef Prime Rib Eye Steak with mashed potatoes, Spanferckel (Boneless, stuffed weaned pig herbs, fennel and potato served with sauerkraut, homemade apple sauce, horseradish cream and german mustard.) and Crispy Deboned Lamb Ribs on Garlic Egg Noodles with Hoisin Sauce. The chef, Antonio Escalante would even meet guests and ask how the food was. Antonio’s offers you the perfect food, perfect ambiance and perfect service. However before eating, we prayed to give thanks to the Lord for blessing us with food. Most of the Philippines is Catholic and so it became a ritual to our family to follow this tradition. Classrooms in both public and private schools even have a picture of the Virgin Mary and the president at the front of the room.

When we went back to our hotel, the Belagio, and we all dropped down and slept soundly on our respective beds.

Weekend At Last! My Trip Around the Philippines First Stop: Intramuros

I am a Chinese Filipino who was born in the Philippines and I have lived in the Philippines my whole life. However I still have not roamed and experienced the Philippines as much as I could. In my previous studies on the Philippines, I learned that the Philippines is mostly a historical and vacation spot for tourists and since I am interested in history and geography, I have managed to urge my family to actually go visit these historic and naturalistic sights.

Usually, my yaya (nanny) would wake me up at 6am in the morning with a homely smile on her face. The cook would serve some breakfast which would consists of the leftovers from last night along with pandesal (buns) from the vendors outside, as Filipino culture has taught these household helpers. On special occasions, sausages and eggs may be served. Currently, it is the wet season with monsoon rain, as it is from July to December. Sometimes typhoons can come your way and provide a reason for students to go home early from school. I am anticipating for when the next typhoon will be. This could mean no school for a few days. Time goes by as I daydream to myself. It is almost past 7:20am. Class starts at 7:30am. As usual, like some other Filipinos, I have the habit of being late. Crringg! My alarm clock goes off and I realize all that was a dream. It wasn’t a school day, it was the weekend! And a long weekend it is because next Monday and Tuesday are holidays. The first thing I did after I got out of bed was to eat my scrumptious typical Filipino breakfast, pandesal (buns) with hotdogs and fried eggs. I changed quickly and packed my things for our long trip to Intramuros, Tagaytay, Donsol and Zamboanga.

As I approached my aunts and uncles, I brought the elders’ backs of their hands towards my forehead. This is a Filipino sign of respect and honor to the elders. My relatives from China who are spending their holidays in the Philippines joined us in our tour around the Philippines.

The nearest stop was Intramuros, in the southern side of the Pasig River close to the entrance to the Manila Bay. Its construction was started in 1571 by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a Spaniard. Intramuros was a fortress city with walls 6 meters high and 3 kilometers in length. My foreign cousins were amazed at the width and height of the walls. From the historical account of the tour guide, only the Spanish elite and Mestizos (mixed race) were allowed to live inside Intramuros, where the city gates were locked down at night. It was designed with a moat and 51 blocks within vast walls and the only access in or out was the seven fortified gates. Inside the city were 12 churches, hospitals, domestic accommodation, military barracks, Governors Palace and schools. The Chinese, Dutch, Portugese and the Sulu pirates all tried in vain to conquer the city of Intramuros by force. It served as the center of political, military and religious power of the Spaniards during the colonisation period of the Spaniards. In my

mind was thinking, “Why would they try a seemingly impossible feat? With all the old technology in those eras, surely the walls would not fall at that.” Nonetheless I was put into my right mind by the fact that during World War II, Intramuros, now a Japanese garrison and prison, was severely

damaged during the Allied bombings to liberate the city from the Japanese. It was Today, Intramuros is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences were retained and minimally touched by modernization. The old moats were transformed into a golf course and the garrison that was Fort Santiago is now a tourist spot to see how Manila was during the Spanish era. Our family roamed around the museums and churches around the city. The most relevant historical places were Fort Santiago, San Agustin Church, San Agustin Museum, Manila Cathedral, Rizal Shrine and the Casa Manila Museum.

As we got hungry after the tour, my mother bought chicharon and fresh fruits such as bananas, mangoes and grapes to eat as a snack.