Calamay Redux

Jagna (Bohol) Kalamay, bought at P50 in Jagna.

A few will argue that the trusty kalamay is the quintessential Boholano delicacy.

The Bohol kalamay's signature bagul or coconut shell container makes it more appealing visually. When cracked and stretched open, the delight of unraveling the gooey goodness adds to the overall gustatory sensation. (Seriously, no?)

Puddle Trouble

Malabon in Tagbilaran

On our way to a trip out of town, a friend pointed out this flooded area at Tagbilaran's Integrated Bus Terminal. He said it's been here for ages, the water, never drained, and seem to just be ignored by the authorities.

Talk about a breeding ground for mosquitoes, bacteria and other such disease-causing what-not's.

While that area out front of the Integrated Bus Terminal which used to be the problem-pool, ignored, left to turn green and disgusting, has vanished, now comes this new puddle.

There seemed to be someone digging something on the side, which looked like a sewerage manhole.

We hope this problem will get fixed. Soon.

Update (1 October 2015): The great puddle, unfortunately, was still there.

Heneral Luna: Adelante!

The student discount didn't count.

Heneral Luna, the independent film by Jerrold Tarog is the first Filipino I watched in the cinema since Eric Matti’s On The Job. Sadly, I only knew of it after reading raving reviews from Facebook and Twitter friends. Marketing budget was perhaps nil, which is unfortunate because these sorts of movies are exactly what Filipinos need, young and old. I watched a matinee showing at the Tagbilaran Island City Mall on its last day, and expected a full house. But alas, despite the 50% student discount (regular price is P120), the theater was mostly bare saved only by a string of senior Tagbilaranons enjoying their free movie passes c/o the city government. Where were the students?

In Photos: SidlaKasilak 2015

SidlaKasilak is an offering of dance and lights to Loon's patron saint the Lady of Light.

It was fortunate that we got the chance to again witness one of our favorite dance festivals in Bohol, Loon's SidlaKasilak Festival of Lights.

"SidlaKasilak is a combination of the words sidlak which means to rise, just as the sun rises to break the darkness of night, or to rise from life’s adversities; and kasilak, which means light. Collectively, SidlaKasilak expresses the Loonanons’ resilience amid challenges, hardships and suffering, and their ability to shine with their talents, capability and creativity." (Monreal, 2015)

Mosia: Must Love Dogs

Not your ordinary cupcake place.

Their minimalist logo is a cute dog nose-kissing a cupcake. And when you're lucky, the real-life fluffy Mosia avatar will usher you into the lovely quaint little sweets haven, south of Tagbilaran.

After a lengthy hiatus...

Remembering the Bohol Oktubre Kinse Linog

Exactly one year ago, the island of Bohol snapped from beneath, rocking the very foundations of our faith and fate as a people.

In less than a minute, I saw our stone churches reduced into rubble, homes crumbled and toppled, lives lost, families shattered, dreams interrupted.

While today, I shiver still, as I remember the people we lost – the kids crushed by  a falling wall (the only concrete wall of their house), the farmer pinned down by a falling debris from a chocolate hill, the churchgoers buried under centuries-old rubble , fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, strangers – and I shudder still, as I remember the earthquake, the 7.2 magnitude swaying of the ground, the eerie crackle of breaking earth, the raging groan of the tumbling hillside, the fierce seething of the sea waters, and the uneasy trembling of our hearts – I quiver more in rapture of the spirited humanity that engulfed the whole of Bohol during those most trying of times.

Padayon sa pagbangon, Bohol.

Dalareich and her tableya dreams

Fresh off from her grand prize win in the first Young Women Entrepreneurs Bootcamp (YWEB)  in September 23-25 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, we sat down with Dalareich Polot, the 25-year-old Boholana entrepreneur and namesake of their home-based family-run business venture, Dalareich Food Products, best known for their flagship native chocolate solids, tableya or tablija to us.

YWEB, organized by the Samahan ng mga Pilipina para sa Reporma at Kaunlaran (SPARK!) and the United States Embassy in Manila, is a “leadership and mentoring initiative that aims to help (young) Filipino women entrepreneurs expand their knowledge of business strategies and best business practices. YWEB offers a strategic and innovative approach to empower young women and give them the skills needed to scale up their businesses.

Dramarama: Boholano Drama is Alive!

Dulaang Kalinangan's version of ang Ang Unang Aswang by Palanca-award-winning playwright Rody Vera.

Drama is alive.

And kicking. It’s laughing, scoffing, weeping and wailing, screaming, growling, making jokes, laughing at its own jokes, staggers while doing it. 

Drama is so alive it’s making drama about it -- it is spitting expletives, yelling out superlatives, then stares at you, with piercing, smoldering eyes. 

(Fade light. Cue smoke effect.)

SidlaKasilak 2013: A Vision of Delight

Loon's SidlaKasilak Festival is the only evening street dancing event in Bohol.

Friday evening’s Street Dancing and Dance of Lights Competition in Loon put the light in delight as flickering lights danced in rhythm divine – a tribute to the town’s Nuestra Señora de Luz, whose feast day is celebrated today, the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The highlight of SidlaKasilak, Loon’s 10-day Festival of Lights in Honor of Our Lady of Light, the Street Dancing and Dance of Lights Competition is a nod to the past religious processions in Loon where the faithful would light candles in colorful hand-held lanterns or parow (parol). The Dance of Lights, whose contest criteria revolve solely on the lights (lantern design, lights movement and synchronization, etc.), is the only evening street dancing event in Bohol.

BIM 2013: On A Runner’s High

Days after the first ever international marathon event in Bohol, the finishers are still on a runner’s high.

That “state of euphoria and pure bliss either during or after a run”, you can read them still in the many exclamatory Facebook posts, tweets, blogs of the runners of the Bohol International Marathon (BIM) 2013 on August 25, 2013 in Panglao Island.