Foundation Day

Barangay Guadalupe in Baybay, Leyte celebrated their 53rd Foundation Day on June 21, 2012. Formerly known as Otod, the most striking feature of this barangay is that everyone takes part in the celebrations. I was invited to experience the event a month earlier when I tagged along on the Nunez family reunion celebrated each May. I joined in on the fun when I visited Baybay again from 20-23 June.

I never tire of going to far-flung areas around the country. This particular area of Leyte is very scenic offering majestic views from the mountain tops to serene vistas along the shore. So this trip was a bonus of sorts. It offers me to laze around the bahay-kubo of the Vilbar family as well as unlimited access to the beach and brilliant sunshine as much as I can.

I was with June Recto carousing on the clear waters that morning  when they had a bangkerohan regatta. The fishermen in the area competed in a boat race... no, two races!!! The first banca race had the boatmen paddling furiously to shore with the winners taking home cash prizes and bragging rights to boot. The second race was much more interesting and fun. All the contestants had to paddle way off the shoreline to a designated spot where the starting line was. then they had to paddle to shore with nothing  but bare hands. That was a blast! some boats with uneven outriggers would go roundabout and the oarsman had to steer it in a straight line. By the time the regatta had finished it was time for lunch. I had no pictures to share as I was getting a tan at sea... hah!

Barangay Guadalupe is one of two in Leyte that celebrates its foundation day. For this Congressman Jose Carlos Cari is proud and he makes it a point to make an appearance together with his lovely wife Marge on the big day. On their part, the entire community goes all out in the preparations for the big celebrations. All six zones are well represented in a grand parade that's preceded by a group of bikers in the area, a few drum and bugle corps from the schools and various socio-civic groups who joined in on the parade. Notable were the Senior Citizens Association, the Gardeners' Club, the Women's Livelihood Project and all four religious denominations whose pastors/priests were present during the invocation.

Cong. and  Mrs. Jose Carlos Cari

The gymnasium was converted into a stage and disco area specially for the event. The women's livelihood projects were on display in a makeshift bazaar while intelligent lighting and mega woofers and speakers were hired for audio requirements and the free disco to cap off the evening. The dance number of the senior citizens brought the house down as they did a folk dance to start the proverbial ball rolling.

Senior Citizens Group

Minutes later, the Commemorative Plates were handed out to the posthumous awardees that have contributed greatly to the barangay's welfare, sometimes at their own expense. June Recto received the honors for his grandfather Laureano Nunez who was cabeza de barangay in 1945. It's urprising to me how the committee members were able to research that far back as to who the barangay's founding fathers were. Tita Linda was also on hand to receive the award for her grandfather who happens to be a close relative of the Rectos and the entire APDANS clan.

Tita Linda and June Recto

Some of the guests flew in from Manila and were ably rewarded to be in the company of some of Leyte's esteemed political families. A baranggay official seal was unveiled with the help of Mrs. Cari. and the barrio captain.

Unveiling the baranggay seal with Mrs. Cari

The plates were handed out by the incumbent baranggay chairman and the honorable Congressman Cari. 

June Recto accepting the commemorative plate 

Later on, he was joined by his brother Vice Mayor Mike Cari who also gave a short inspirational speech to further move the community to continue with their own initiatives. Congressman Cari actually has earmarked the amount of P700,000.00 for the improvement of the river channels within the baranggay.

the honorable Congressman Jose Carlos Cari

The honorable Vice Mayor Mike Cari

After the more serious part of the festivities it was fun all the way till past midnight. There was a feast of specially made lechon that was served at the day care center area.  There were cheers wafting in the air as other groups performed in a variety show and then the disco followed. I was tempted to go dancing except I was tired from the day's events. But I could hear the national anthem playing as the dancing signed off at around 2 a.m.

Kudos to the  baranggay chairman and his organizing committee as well as the members of his staff for a job well done. What a celebration it was... see you in December?

Luloy's Backyard

Just this morning I read an article on Manila Bulletin's travel page regarding Baybay, Leyte. Now, I've been to Leyte a couple of times and am scheduling my next trip (yeah) come December. I have done some articles on my blog about Baybay and have posted my albums on my facebook page. So today, I'm writing about a particular experience about my trip last week.

My good friend June Recto has roots in Baybay. I got invited to tag along on this particular trip to take part in the celebrations of Bgy. Guadalupe's 53rd Foundation Day. June's grandfather was/is a posthumous awardee for his role as cabeza de barangay in 1945 or so. I was on hand to witness the colorful celebrations and to take photos of some interesting highlights of the event (more of this in another entry).

On the day of the big celebrations, June and I were on the beach and his cousin Luloy who was also in town for some R&R saw us and invited us for lunch. After having been on the beach all morning we decided to hit the showers and get ready to visit Luloy's home. Just to give my readers an idea, the barangay isn't a particularly huge one. It has seven zones, with each zone having descendants of the APDANS clan. APDANS is an acronym for the Amihan, Poliquit, Diaz, Almeroda, Nunez and Silao families who all share one family tree. Luloy and June belong to the Nunez group.

Luloy's home is a small patch of land a few meters away from where we were staying. Apparently, Luloy is home after finishing another contract as a seafarer abroad. His earnings went into the construction of his humble home for the women in his life... his wife and two little girls. When he's away on a job assignment his wife busies herself tending the garden and taking care of the two girls. 

I loved every minute of my brief visit in Luloy's home. I had to go back for my camera as I found every little corner very interesting. We had lunch at their backyard overlooking the rice paddies. Further down, was the new highway that leads to Visayas State University and a grand view of the Pangasugan Mountain range which seems to change according to the season and the time of day.

I took photos of the vegetable patch where they grew bird's eye chilli, eggplants, okra and camote. On the side of the fence which served as a hedge were the ornamentals. The calladiums stood out because of their pink color. Apparently, according to another friend, the color was caused by too much acid in the soil. But there were flowers which I didn't really know how to identify as I hadn't seen them before. I was tripping on taking shots with my camera as lunch was being served.

I admire the way they cook fresh produce. Lunch was simple fare of boiled camote (sweet potato) and saging na sabah (bananas),

a soup made with clams and lemon grass (halaan), a local variety of escargot (sisi) which you have to pry out of the shell using a safety pin,

sinugba (grilled tuna),

and a variety of baracuda which looked like torsillo that had a broth of garlic and  ginger.

To tie in all the flavors everything was either dabbed with sea urchin roe which was made into ginamos (fish sauce) which the locals call tihi-tihi. It was a surprise that Luloy's home could offer a gustatory and visual feast at the same time. 

Over cold soda and some bottles of Tanduay Ice, it would have been the perfect afternoon except we had to go back to the town hall/gym where the celebrations were about to start as we saw the parade going by on the main highway from our perch in the backyard.

Some good things never last, but the good memories linger...

Pinoys In the News

By now you must have realised Manny Pacquiao's loss has become a controversial decision that had resounding consequences for the state of Nevada. No less than Sen. Harry Reid joined the fracass when he sided with Manny Pacquiao and called for an investigation into the gaming mechanisms that rule the gambling state. Though Manny Pacquiao has graciously accepted defeat, the honourable senator wants to increase his pogi points by playing up to the Pinoys' wounded pride while trying to win the support of Filipinos in America. Sure, Pacquiao lost but he's still the big winner for gamely congratulating Bradley who showed up in a wheelchair for his post-fight media appearance.

Jessica Sanchez may have lost in American Idol to Philip Phillips (incidentally, where is he now?), but she sure is making more appearances on American national TV. Following in the heels of her Today Show guesting, she was given the honor of singing the US anthem for the Pacquiao-Bradley fight. Her star spangled banner rendition is one of the best we've heard so far, prompting Miley Cyrus to tweet about it on Twitter. Then she followed it up with another guest appearance for the NBA finals.

 On the coaching staff of course, is another Pinoy... Coach Eric Spoelstra.

The Ateneo Lady Eagles won their second Shakey's V League title recently after edging out the UST Tigresses in a best of three play off in the finals. Ateneo suffered their first and only loss ever during their first game bowing to the tigresses who happen to be the more experienced team. The second game went in their favour when the tigresses lost in four sets. The fifth set was the more exciting match when UST fought back to take the third and fourth sets. The fifth set was a thriller as UST regained composure to tie the set 13 all until Ateneo finally scored two more points to take the trophy. Now, if only they could beat LaSalle in the UAAP...

Another Pinoy who figured in international news is tennis player and Davis Cup veteran, Cecil Mamiit. After tennis star Maria Sharapova raised her arms in triumph for making a successful comeback and finally winning her first-ever championship at Roland Garros in the French Open, she climbed the stands to her coach and kissed and hugged Mamiit who happens to be her training partner. The next day, photos of her and Mamiit were splashed all over the sports page.

Unfortunately, after Sharapova won her coveted championship, Mamiit will no longer be part of her team. Apparently, Sharapova wanted Cecil to commit to be part of her team fulltime, but Mamiit can't as he has other duties with the Philippine Davis Cup team. That's great news for local tennis!

Diday Does It Again!!!

As of this writing, reports have reached Manila that Candice Adea and real life partner JM Cordero (both pricipal dancers of Ballet Philippines) have won the plum prize in the International Ballet Competition held in Helsinki, Finland.

This comes as no surprise as both have impressed world class judges in the US when Candice won the Silver Medal and JM, a special prize in 2010 for the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Both  artists have actively pursued competing internationally giving them the opportunity to perform the in Russia as part of their prize in the First Boston International Competition.

Passionate in perfecting in their art, both Diday (Candice as I fondly call her) and JM left Manila together with CCP Dance School newly appointed director Victor Ursabia on the 22nd of May, 2012. Just two days after the CCP SDW workshop recital, all three went straight to Helsinki and took on the competition head-on. It comes as no surprise that Diday and JM have once again impressed the judges with their performances as both have continued to strengthen their technique and artistry despite hectic rehearsal schedules and a punishing Summer Dance Workshop for 2012.

Only 90 dancers were qualified to compete. Candice and JM being the only Filipinos and coached by Victor Ursabia, bested other dancers from Russia, China, France, Spain, Finland and the United Kingdom. Oh well, congratulations are in order. Job well done, Diday and JM!!!

McDevitt's Thai Food Station

A week ago, a dear friend of ours celebrated her birthday. Now this friend is no ordinary woman! She's no other than self-made entrepreneur, restaurateur and one-time resort operator Geraldine Palaroan McDevitt. Since she's a very busy woman so celebrating her birthday almost always get delayed by a couple of days. Imagine my surprise when I got a call yesterday that I was invited to a dinner at Geraldine's resto!

By 7:00 p.m. we boarded my friend Jojo's van and motored all the way to Paranaque for dinner. Mc Devitt's Thai Food Station is a nondescript restaurant that has no pretensions whatsoever. It's also very easy to find! As we made our way towards the Merville exit at SLEX, we turned right at the access road towards the villages of Merville and Moonwalk. Another right turn at the intersection and a few yards away the restaurant comes into view. Our hostess with the mostest was all draped in a black flowing summer dress. There were already a few guests sipping wine while the introductions were being made.

Then in the midst of the conversation and peals of laughter out comes the appetizer of crispy fried spring rolls with a sweet chilli dip. I had to start taking photos or else the guests would just devour everything. Then some more dishes started being set up on the buffet. 

The Prawn Salad arrived with the steamed prawns sitting on a bed of fresh greens and cucumber drenched in a sweetish vinaigrette that was so palate friendly it reminded one of the flavors of summer. 

Not to be outdone was the Pommelo Salad sprinkled with crunchy peanuts. Slivers of peeled pommelo added onto fresh greens and sour slivers of green mango and parsley provided just the right amount of zing to liven up one's palate. I should know, I think I had two servings before I moved on to the viands.

The Calamares was delicious with its tamarind based dip.The squid rings slathered in a special batter and deep fried to a golden goodness! 

I think I must have had a few more servings before I fixed my attention on the  Pad Thai that was served right next to it. Proof of its taste can be seen in the photo. I hadn't taken a few seconds to take a snap shot and I ended up with a picture of a half consumed serving platter!

Tonto Fish for me is something of a novelty... yeah, I'm accustomed to having crispy fried catfish on every Thai menu. But Tonto Fish? Apparently this kind of fish is caught in abundance here as well. It's a wide, fleshy fish with white meat that's been deep fried to a golden brown until the outer part is crisp but the inner meat is white and tender. It was garnished with generous slices of cucumber and tomato for effect.

Tonto Fish served with Thai Bagoong Rice were the perfect complementary dishes. Even the rice had that unmistakable Thai flavor that was sweet and sour at the same time and it had some slices of fried fish amid the egg and mango it came topped with.

To cap the meal, I tasted the Chilli Crab 

and the Pad Preek (I'm not certain if I spelled this right).

 But whichever way you spell it, the meat dish with fried basil leaves and lots of bird's eye chilli was so hot and good.Tasting these two dishes made me start to break out in a good sweat. Thank God for the cold sodas and the overflowing wine that made us all a bit light-headed and laughing at Doc Ariel's myriad stories of his risque encounters.

We were just too full to take in any dessert so we opted for some more wine and a lot more funny stories. Kudos goes to Geraldine for a marvelous dinner with friends and new acquaintances. If anything, I'm certain we'll be seeing more of these ladies in the near future. If you're ever in the area and you experience some hunger pangs try out McDevitt's Thai Food Station for authentic Thai food that's easy on your pocket. Oh, and by the way, your craving for some take out may be addressed by calling their number... Yes, they deliver too!!!

Bits and Ends

• As it turns out, our "mother hen" the indefatigable Susan Calo-Medina will be out of the country for a spell to attend her grand daughter's first Communion. So that means we'll be "orphaned" for a while. So as a sort of send-off, we met at Cibo in PowerPlant Mall last Sunday for merienda. In attendance were the remaining Mabuhay Guides: Yael Fernandez, Candie Cobiao, Chito Tayag, Jeff Velasco, Ronnie Gador. Lovely Reynoso and Ms Goya weren't able to attend the meeting.

• Some confluence in the stars must have occurred when I did a tour of Intramuros with the president of Brooklyn Academy of the Arts, Ms Karen Brooks Hopkins. BAM as the institution is more popularly known in NYC is one of the oldest and most prestigious art institutions in the USA. Ms Hopkins has had an extensive experience in arts management for over 30 years. She was in Manila recently to conduct a seminar on arts management at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

• Gaita Fores, culinary expert for the Mabuhay Guides will be featured chef for a Philippine food festival in Italy this June. This is the first time that a Filipino chef will be featured in a Filipino food fest in Italy. The idea was broached by Italian ambassador to the Philippines, Luca Fornari whose aim is to foster Italian-Philippine friendship through food.

• The Baao Children's Choir won first prize in Spanish Choral festival. Out of forty groups, only eight went into the finals. The Camarines based choir ended on top of the heap. No mean feat considering it was their first time to join any international competition. Kudos to the kids and conductor Virgilio Briones for putting the country's choral tradition back on the map.