BREAKING INTO THE BANK

cowrie shells

I'm not talking about a major crime here... just a little catchy title for a visit to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. 

knife currency 

Unbeknownst to many Filipinos, the BSP holds the distinction of having two (yes, TWO!) museums within the complex. The more famous one is the Metropolitan Museum which houses priceless works of our masters in the visual arts.

jade coins

Aside from that, Fort San Antonio Abad also lies adjacent to the Met Museum where special events and dinners for the central bank are held. The fort was built by the Spaniards as a look out for pirates and invaders coming in from the Manila Bay. Eventually, the navy erected their headquarters in the area which is now known as the Jose Andrada Naval Station.

crocodile money

The main purpose of my visit, though, was the MONEY MUSEUM, mainly because it was part of the itinerary of Business Management students from the Aklan Catholic College who were in Manila last week.

barter rings

It's not very often visited by tourists. One, because it isn't as high profile as the other well-known museums in the country. And two, because one only visits it for a particular reason that borders on materialism. It deals with the history of money. Anyone who would be interested in how we developed our currency should go visit it.

pre-spanish coin

Anyone knows that people attach a certain value to material things. Ergo, our appreciation of money and what it can buy is a subjective thing. Money is a great indicator of a people's history. It, in a way, is a "billboard" of what makes a country distinct from the rest of the world. It is a microcosm of a people's struggle to create an ideal way of life for its citizens. And so, when you look at a bill, you will find portraits of people who have contributed greatly to society, flora and fauna endemic in a country, historical vignettes that shaped a nation and security features to prevent imitation and falsification.

galleon trade coins

What interests me about the money museum is the evolution of our medium of exchange. It had to progress somehow, somewhere. So from early examples of cowrie shells traded for other goods and services it slowly... over the centuries... became more state of the art. Cowrie shells! Really? It is surprising how the value of it changed over time. Nowadays, it's only good to mark your "bahay" for a game of "sungka". But in pre-colonial times these cowrie shells were even coated with gold for added value.

Spanish coins

The Money Museum has four sections: the pre-colonial, the Spanish colonial period, the American up to WWII, and the contemporary period. Side galleries include Layon which tackles how paper bills and coins are designed and finally minted, the installation art collections of the Central Bank and tucked away in a corner is the foreign currency collection which includes an ancient Roman coin.

galleon trade coins and Spanish medals

It really is worth a visit for those of you who are history buffs. The collection is well-curated and organized and just about anybody who wants to view the collection is welcomed provided they can present valid identification. 

pre-colonial jewelry

tamborin jewelry spanish colonial period

Enchanting the A.C.C.

I had the privilege of guiding students of the Aklan Community College again last week. That was really cool. This time around, the group was composed of Business Management students, some of whom were coming to Manila for the first time.  Ms. Portia Robado got in touch with me weeks in advance in preparation for their arrival. She was accompanied by other professors of the Aklan Catholic College who were with the kids.

Unfortunately, their arrival was marred by a vehicular accident that caused a few precious minutes of delay. We were on our way to the Philippine Stock Exchange in Ortigas Center when the bus hit a car swerving onto the road. But once we got to our first itinerary for the day, we were all set. After the lecture at the Philippine Stock Exchange, the tour group found its way to Max's Restaurant at Harrison Plaza for lunch and then we walked our way to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas where the kids were given an AVP on the role of the BSP in the economy. It started raining by then and I was relieved we were indoors. 

The next stop was the Money Museum of the Central Bank which was conveniently located within the complex. The treat here was that the students got to see very rare collections of medium of exchange throughout the centuries; the oldest being a Roman gold coin.

The next day was a treat for the students as they were to do factory visits at Lucky Me and Gardenia, both in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and then the afternoon was spent at Enchanted Kingdom. We  hied off early to Sta. Rosa squeezing a side trip to Intramuros prior to our southward journey.  It was hot and humid and before the day had ended we sweated out in the sweltering heat of Laguna. Hopefully, the students from Aklan Catholic College had fun. They were, after all, a long way from home....

* Thank you to Ms. Portia Robado, Ms. Aiza Nahil, Madam Alice Coching and Sir Joel Zapico for the opportunity to be of service.

45 YEARS OF BRILLIANCE

Ballet Philippines' corps de ballet

This article is long overdue but I've been so busy lately and have not had the time to go online.

Stella Abrera as Giselle

That out of the way, I would like to add some tidbits about a lot of the articles that have come out in praise of Ballet Philippines' 45th Season Gala Opening and the Homecoming which brought to the fore students of former dancers who have immensely benefited from learning from colleagues and mentors who have left their stamp on the level of dancing in BP.

the mad scene

Sara Meier Black wrote a lengthy, well written article in the Manila Bulletin about the homecoming and the productions of the company that is both endearing and thought provoking. As of this writing, Ballet Philippines is touring the US West Coast and has so far garnered rave reviews from Filipinos and Americans alike prompting the likes of Lou Diamond Philips and Apl d.Ap to go backstage and heap praises on everybody in the company.

Myrtha and the Willis

Alice Reyes ( National Artist for Dance) once said that any company that lasts this long takes on a life of its own despite the people who run it. Prophetic words, those. The company's success lies on its main resource: the dancers and their mentors. Whomever runs the company is far overshadowed by the brilliance of the dancing, the energy of its youthful dancers and the passion that drives them to do what they do. I should know. Been there, done that!

James Whiteside

The Gala which starred American Ballet Theater's Stella Abrera and James Whiteside was magical. The tragic love story of Giselle is given a new perspective when Abrera's  and Whiteside's acting and technique marry together and  transform the ballet from a series of steps set to music to a moving story of love gone miserably wrong with the saving grace of eternal love. Ahhh... one is always hopeful...

Giselle and Albrecht in a pas de deux

Stella's "mad scene" which is the test of any seasoned ballerina was so well under-acted, you would've wanted to make the score go further. There were no jarring histrionics in her mime, no super violent reactions in movement. It was almost cinematic in effect. I was utterly moved by it. Whiteside, on the other hand was so technically adept, he seemed effortless particularly in the scene where Myrtha (Queen of the Willis) makes him dance till he drops of exhaustion. His entrechats were crisp and clean and his balon was breathtaking.

Denise Parungao and Edana Labitoria in Je, Tu, Elle

In the matinees, the Filipino dancers, tried to keep up with the ABT Stars as well. Denise Parungao and Katherine Trofeo were fabulous in their portrayals. Trofeo was slightly more expressive and her balances were solid. This, I feel, was due to experience. Denise Parungao is a star to watch. She is young and has more years to conquer the dance firmament. Jean Marc Cordero and Earl Arisola were galant Albrechts. Their partnering and support gave impetus to their Giselles semblance to weightlessness and ethereal quality. Giselle, is indeed after all, a ghost.

Macel Dofitas in Dandansoy

The next weekend saw the company performingin Blue Moon Series, a different genre of modern and contemporary dance. Strong pieces from the works of Bam Damian, Carlo Pacis, Rheda Bentefour, George Berkadze and culminating in Norman Walker's iconic Songs of a Wayfarer were the top draw. Ricard Yadao's dancing sealed the conviction that Nonoy Froilan can now finally rest his laurels. Nonoy was teaching Yadao the nuances of the piece every step of the way and the result was brilliant. Candice Adea and partner Shen Jie of HK Ballet and the Madrigal Singers performed to the delight of Philippine balletomanes. I was half expecting to see Gener Caringal's Ang Sultan, Edna Vida's Pagsamba and Isaiah in the repertoire as these were danced to death for shows during our generation. Ooops, that's a give-away!

Richard Yadao in Romeo and Juliet

Thanks to Ballet Philippines, there is now a whole new generation of artists who have stronger technique, higher aspirations and a legacy to pass on to other young aspiring dancers out there. Ballet Philippines should be elevated to a National Company like Bayanihan and Madrigal Singers. Shall we wait for another 45 years?

Garry Corpuz and Katherine Trofeo in Nocturne

AKLANONS AT THE VILLA

About a month prior to the arrival of students from Aklan Catholic College, I had been in touch with Ms Portia Robado, who had made arrangements for the tour of Manila and Villa Escudero. Who would have counted on tropical storm Mario battering the country on those appointed dates? I had blocked off the dates of their tour on my calendar 19th-21st of September notwithstanding my other commitment to be at Ballet Philippines' 45th Season Gala opening of Giselle (that's another story in the works). Well... the weather cooperated on the two succeeding days, thank God!  So they were at least able to salvage some fun days out of the entire weekend.

Luckily for their group, they were able to catch the early morning flight from Aklan and got to Manila by around 7 or 8 a.m. After that, all flights to Manila were cancelled. Despite the heavy rains, I managed to meet them at the Mind Museum at Bonifacio Global City. It was nice that the Mind Museum staffed honored their prior commitment to welcome the students to see the museum. heavy rain and gusts of wind didn't dampen their enthusiasm. Ahhh... the energy of youth...

There were 57 students in all, plus two faculty members in the person of Ms Portia and Ms Aiza who dutifully served as mother hens. About half of the kids were first time visitors to Manila. It was quite difficult to make a good impression of Manila for these kids because the terrible weather almost obilterated everyone's view of what they could see from the rented bus.

Surprisingly the areas of EDSA from the BGC to MOA and Roxas boulevard to Padre Faura weren't inundated by floods. No traffic either, From there, after an lengthy check-in process (due to sheer volume of guests) and a skeletal work force at Lotus Garden hotel, they were to have dinner at Tramway where I made my leave to see to my costuming duties at the CCP. Luckily, Tramway was a short walk away from CCP.  I was prepared and dressed for the fowl weather. 

My next assignment for them was to guide towards Villa Escudero in San Pablo, Laguna. This time, the trip was blessed with glorious sunshine all the way. No traffic at the Sto. Tomas area either so we got to the destination in record time. While taking photos at the site, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms Rosalie Escudero (resort director) who requested one of the workers to escort me on the plantation. 

The students had a fun time with the buffet lunch by the waterfall. After which some of them swam in the pool, Some rented bikes, while some were content to take in all the natural beauty Villa Escudero had tried so hard to preserve. All of them watched attentively while the cultural show went on. with authentic costumes and choreography by the late, great Ramon Obusan (National Artist for Dance) performed by workers of the resort and the villa themselves. This is something the Escudero clan is really proud of. Before we even left to bring the students to Terminal 4 to catch their flight home, they bought some native delicacies and some souvenirs to bring home.

On a personal note, a flood of memories came to mind as I was taking shots of the numerous improvements on the facilities as well as taking snapshots of both old and new attractions at the villa. It seemed like ages ago when we brought my sister's family to Villa Escudero. My sister is married to a Brit and their family reside in Batley, West Yorkshire. They had come for a holiday with my young nieces . We had a fun time frolicking in the pool with the kids and made a go out of all the villa had to offer back then. We even took photos of the kids with Pogi and Tisoy (albino carabaos) for posterity. The kids are all grown up now... One is engaged to be married and the other now has a boyfriend and is working for the Royal Air Force. My mom has since passed on and I... well, I became a tour guide. That's the stuff nice stories are made of....

*Thank you to Mesdames Portia Robado and Aiza Nahil for the opportunity to be of service. and Thank you Madam Rosalie for your kindness and assistance.

MGA MUTYA NG JEEPNEY!

Trust Jeepney Tours to come up with out of the box  tour packages for their clients! 

first level of the double-decker jeepney

I recently got a call from their travel coordinator, Kim to do a tour for no less than "Mutya ng Masa" , Ms Doris Bigornia. It was originally for a rolling tour of Manila on board a double-decker jeepney. I was naturally delighted as I had done tours for this company many times over utilizing their not so standard jeepneys. They have three. So this was going to be different on two fronts: 1) it had media mileage written all over it, and 2) it was a maiden voyage of sorts for the double-dutch jeepney. 

the upper deck

Ms Clang Garcia, owner and tour operator of Jeepney tours is the original Mutya ng Jeepney. She related to me how at the start, people in the hospitality industry thought she was nuts when she approached them with the idea of having foreign guests ride in jeepneys. They were lukewarm to the idea at first. It didn't deter her from pursuing that germ of an idea.

now boarding...

She had a fleet of jeepneys customized, changed the seating configuration, installed air conditioning and videoke and had them painted yellow and designed with different themes. She applied for accreditation with the Department of Tourism and opened shop. She never looked back! It created a stir in the industry and even now, foreigners get wowed when they see a jeepney rolling up the hotel driveway to pick them up.  They start taking selfies and photo ops before they even take the ride.

fun on the upper deck

She's at it again! Together with SkyJeepney Coachbuilders, Inc., they hatched the idea of doing one better by amping the current Jeepney tours coaches with an upper deck. Mr.  Mark Bautista (no, not the singer) who happens to  operate SkyJeepney, says the idea was taken from provincial jeepneys that take on passengers on the roof whilst holding onto baggage railing for dear life . Why not offer a safer ride for more people? Thus the double decker jeepney was created. 

the lower deck with the dining/meeting tsables

Think of it as a jeepney on steroids! It's got everything that the original fleet has and more. This 41 seater has dining tables, a refrigerator, CCTV cameras, and a GPS system.  They can actually track where the double decker is located at any given point in the tour. Only thing missing is wi-fi. Being a prototype, this 80 foot (or is it meter?) ride is still in development mode. In the works is a 90 footer(again, i can't recall) that will have a washroom on the lower deck.

Groupie with Ms Bigornia

The call time  for the tour was at ten a.m. but knowing how media "runs" after their stories, I knew it was going to be a long day. I was right. The staff and crew of Mutya ng Masa arrived near lunch time. Doris Bigornia arrived at two p.m. Soon enough the cameras went rolling and as any TV, show there were numerous interviews and calls of "cut" and " action" so it wasn't really a normal tour. 

Mutya ng Masa staff and crew

As the other Mutya ng Masa ng Jeepney gamely inter-acted and interviewed and exchanged banter with some of the guests, the camera crew were taking valuable footage of guests having fun, singing videoke and waving to crowds. Doris Bigornia even sang an entire song taped as live on videoke which riled everyone up. You'll even find her eating ensaymada and bananas provided by jeepney tours on a regular basis. 

Eileen and the  Skyjeep Coachbuilders  

The shoot was high-octane and lots of fun. By the end of the shoot, Doris Bigornia; the TV host, Mutya ng Jeepney and all around "kalog" obliged us with selfies and groupies and even her crew got into the act.  This is why I love my job!

LUGANG CAFE

Lugang Cafe

I know, the name doesn't sound so appetizing! What's in a name, anyway? I was mildly surprised, though that despite the apparent lack of imagination on nomenclature, the food was rather sumptuous. It was a lazy afternoon which was a nice way to spend the time meandering through stores in the Mall of Asia. 

After a few hours, my companion and myself got hungry. We haven't experienced dining at Lugang and found the name quite odd. So, in we went and decided to experience the food they had to offer. There were only two of us, so it didn't make sense to order everything they had on the menu. but from what we tasted, it was enough to conclude that their food was savory.

Yang Chow fried rice

The service wasn't shabby either. Their staff were friendly and corteuous, taking the time to explain menu items that were unclear to us. We then decided to settle for the asado pork and the sweet and sour fish and a small serving of yang chow fried rice. We were not disappointed!

pork asado

I'm actually quite glad we held back from ordering too much food. The servings were more than enough to be shared by two persons. Either that, or we were too strict on food intake. We managed to finish the food, though. So i guess it wasn't any indication that either of us was on a diet.

sweet and sour fish

The pork asado was tender and  well complimented with the plum sauce dip... or was it oyster sauce? I can't recall which one it was now. It was really good with or without the sauce, though. While the fish was flaky, with bits of tausi (black bean dip) and the tofu that went with it was firm. The gooey sauce was flowing over the large cast iron sizzling bowl. Towards the end of the meal, we felt that the money we spent was well worth it. Don't get me wrong, their prices are mid-range, not too expensive at all! The umami was great value for money. Lugang Cafe is on the ground floor of SM MOA right beside Kultura. You can't miss it.