Star of the Sea

"Oh star of the sea keep burning bright..."

I went to a Catholic school for girls that was managed by Franciscan missionary nuns. For eleven years, from kindergarten to high school, this was my world.

The school grounds were huge. Upon entering the school gate, one had to drive thru a pine tree-lined road and rows of asosenas and rose bushes as one approached the L-shaped building. The school was a narrow three-storey building consisting of very long hallways.

I remember how during my elementary years, I would “skate” down the hallway in my white socks— with nary a thought on the extra work I would give to the laundry lady. And oh the thrill I would get from taking a walk at the back of the building to investigate the insects and frogs that lived in a thick bamboo grove.

I knew almost every nook and cranny of the school minus the nuns’ cloistered area. There was a closet under the stairwell where it was rumored that the nuns “aged” their habits to get that particular shade of ivory. The threat to be placed inside for misbehaving was every little girl’s nightmare.

During my high school years, there were more threats and thrills. The sisters kept a close watch on the lengths of our skirts, our hair styles and our eyebrows. Those were days when chunky boy shoes, rolled down socks and tiny brass bells were the in-thing. And how vividly I remember our Principal (Sr L) standing in the middle of the road to block the entrance of a motorcade consisting of several busloads of high school boys. I joined in with the rest of the girls screaming at Sr L to let the buses through.

Fun and crazy. An emotional rollercoaster ride of growing pains and joys shared with girls of different backgrounds and personalities. Of overnight stays at retreat house where wet toilet paper fights broke out and buckets of tears were shed during “bull sessions”. A shared time that bonded classmates together.

My high school batch was the last to graduate. The school had to close down because it could not manage to pay the real estate taxes on its huge land. The convent has since relocated to another area on the other side of the city.  With no school to go back to, there have been sporadic reunions arranged in other venues.  And as we continued to age, the desire to meet up more frequently became stronger.

Thus two weeks ago, after much search for each other – some with ease, some with hesitation, some involving travel of great distance— a dozen classmates came together once more in what could only be described as a riot of a reunion. Although time has managed to change our physical appearances, a strong connection still lives inside our 16 year old hearts.

Our hearts swelled with happiness as we spent time catching up with each other’s lives. And even if there were sad stories told – of separation, of death in the family, of health issues—just being in each other’s company gave everyone a natural high. Reconnection was complete.

Before we bid each other good-bye, we promised to get together more frequently in the coming years. In the final analysis, a lot of change have occurred in our lives but one thing remains constant— true friendship.

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Very recently, I was told that the school property was sold to a real estate developer. In a matter of time, our school will fade away like so many landmarks that have been replaced by condos, malls and call center buildings. But no matter.  The memories I have always make going back to Cebu a happy occasion.  In addition to my happy memories, there still remains a delicious array of delicacies and dishes that give me a sense of connection.  Here are just a few of my favorites:

Steamed Fried Rice ( now served in many dimsum establishments but was exclusively served at Ding Haw Dimsum Revolving Restaurant)

Cebu Lechon (Sunday family lunch would not be complete without a kilo or two of lechon.... there's Luz, CnT, Rico's, ZuboChon, and many more outlets now)

Puso ( rice in a handy heart shape coconut leaf woven container). Where there is barbeque, there is puso.

Bibingka from Catmon, Rosquillos from Liloan, Tagaktak and Marreal from Mandaue, Ampao and Chicaron from Carcar (rice cake, a cookie with scalloped edges, triangular shaped fried sweeten rice noodle, peanut based delicacy, rice puff and pork crackling. Now available at most food carts in the mall)

hot bibingka

ampao, tagaktak, piniato, marreal, rosquillos etc.

Breakfast of corn grits, fried eggs, chorizo and tsokwate

Ngohiong- similar to a long spring roll but with a crunchy exterior and an ubod-singkamas based filling (used to be sold only at a rinky dinky canteen near San Jose Recolletos Universary but is sold almost everywhere—fastfood areas in malls and street food stalls)

Cebu breads and pastries: King Roll, Bohol, Elorde, Everlasting, Monay, Binankal, Darling, Sweetheart and much, much more.

The ultimate Cebuano treat: Sweet Mangoes paired with puto (steamed coconut and ginger flavored sticky rice) or budbud (same as puto but rolled up in banana leaves and steamed) AND tsokolate (thick chocolate drink whisked to perfection from hand-made chocolate tablets.

I yum Cebu-- the star of the Visayan sea!

I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Camotes

“Would you like to come with us to Camotes?”, A asked me.

A explained further that before we embarked on a tour of the island, there was work to be done first. We would form part of her family’s rural bank team tasked with distributing stipends to qualified individuals who meet the DSWD’s Pangtawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. In a nutshell, the government hopes to replicate Brazil’s successful social welfare program targeted at alleviating the conditions experienced by extremely poor households.

Yes, I was very interested to visit Camotes with A.

Not only was this a chance to see why there was a growing interest in the tourism potential of Camotes (visions of rocky and barren fields passed through my mind. Impressions formed from many stories of how poor and insignificant this group of small islands lying between Cebu and Leyte) but this was an opportunity to help and witness first hand the implementation of the government’s program.

1st day itinerary

4:30AM take a 30 minute drive to the Danao port to get on a barge for San Francisco, Camotes

5:30AM barge leaves  Danao port for San Francisco, Camotes

7:30AM arrive at the Consuelo pier of San Francisco, Camotes

8AM Breakfast of fried eggs, rice and paksiw na danggit (so very fresh)

8:30AM Arrive at the Municipal Gym to a sea of people (almost 3,000 recipients not counting their children, other family members and friends)

10AM Break: visited the near by St Joseph church across the Gym

Facade of St Joseph Parish Church

Inside St Joseph Church

10:30AM back at the gym to man the color coded lines

12:30PM Lunch break (rice, fried GG, adobong pusit ( oh so black!) and nilagang/linat-an na baboy- YUM!)

1PM Back to the Gym—less people now

3PM Last claimant served

4:00PM Boho Rock Resort in Poro, Camotes - a Cliff-side resort

4:30PM Mangodlong Rock Resort

5PM Chilling at Santiago Bay (http://www.camotesresorts.com.ph/home.htm )

View of the Bay

One of the many restos the line the Bay

7PM Dinner (Tinowang Isda)

9PM Settle down at the Pink house located at the center of town

Yellow would be a better name : )

2nd Day Itinerary


6:30AM Wake up and check out the sights from the balcony

Lady selling catch of the day

7:00AM buy bread and walk along the board walk

8:30AM Breakfast (can't have enough of paksiw na danggit)

10AM View of Lake Danao from a house at an elevated distance

10:30AM  at the water's edge: Danao Lake

11:00AM Return to Consuelo Port for barge back to Danao

12:30PM Sail back to Danao, Cebu

2:30PM Arrive in Danao and took a VHire to SM, Cebu City

3:30PM Enjoyed a chicken croissant sandwich at French Baker, SM Branch

The end to an enchanting visit!

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Impressions and Reflections

San Francisco, Camotes reminded me of many past quaint towns (Cebu City included) I visited before tourism took innocence away and replaced it with the harshness of commercialism.

San Francisco, Camotes is clean and green—so much recycling and garbage segregation going on. Mode of transportation is the motorcycle (Habal-habal) —wished they were bicycles instead.

San Francisco, Camotes does not have any Malls. Entertainment is a jump into the clear waters, a run on a long stretch of white sand and perhaps a banca ride around the lake.

On the PPPProgram: I am glad that there is such a program. Even if it has flaws, I would rather that the poor get the funds to buy some ice cream, notebooks, a pair of pants at the ukay-ukay and a bag of bread than for the funds to end up in bank accounts of some politicians. Learn more about the program: click  http://pantawid.dswd.gov.ph/

There were a lot of volunteers from the barangay level at the gym making sure that the crowd was managed in an organized and orderly fashion. Sometimes it only takes willingness to give of your time, your expertise, your heart.

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Travel not only expands horizons but is a great avenue for meeting interesting people. Take for example Manang Mohing.  Not only did she cook up all the delicious meals for us while in Camotes but was glad to share with us her life story. Suffice to say that her positive attitude helped to keep her spirit from breaking. It’s that attitude that makes her get up every morning and dress up in coordinated splendor.

 Happily she shared with me her recipe for linat-ang baboy. And in the same manner, I share it with you.


Linat-ang Baboy ni Manang Mohing
1 k pork spare ribs (chopped)
1 lemon grass stalk (the white part only)
1 thumb-size ginger, sliced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
5-8 whole pepper corns
1 sili espada (the one you put in your sinigang)
Some spring onions, sliced to about 2inches long
2 cups of cubed squash
2 cups of sliced cabbage leaves (about 4-6 leaves)
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the chopped ribs and place in a pot. Add the lemon grass, ginger, onion, and garlic. Add water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil and then simmer. Spoon off the scum that floats on the surface.

When pork is tender, add the sili espada, squash and the spring onions. Continue to simmer until squash is soft. Season with salt and pepper and add the cabbage. Simmer until cabbage is just wilted.

Serve with lots of steaming rice. Have some fried danggit or dried fish on the side and you have a winner!

June is for Remembering

June. Start of classes, the rainy season and the countdown to Christmas. June. Philippine Independence Day, Feast days of the Sacred Heart and Mother of Perpetual Help. June. The wedding month. The month my father married my mother.

He was 37; she was 21. He was a man about town; she was a simple lady from the province. He was tall, dark and handsome. She was brimming with youthful energy and had the most captivating smile. He was the boss; she, an apprentice. He pursued her relentlessly. Not even a strict aunt could stop him from courting her. Nor the muddy conditions to her parents’ farm. It seemed that his resolve to make her his wife could not be shaken. Their story had the elements of a Mills and Boons romance novel.

Although coming from a well-to-do family, my father did not have nor sought the financial assistance to bankroll a grand wedding. Instead, in a very simple ceremony, my father married my mother one afternoon in June with his mother, my mother’s older brother and my mother’s aunt standing as witnesses. After the ceremony, there was no grand party. Not even snacks for the witnesses. Instead, after my father and mother had some siomai in a downtown Chinese restaurant, he brought her back to the aunt’s house while he went back to his house. It would be several days before they moved in together and lived as man and wife. It would be a year before my mother’s parents would talk to her again.  It would be a life that both would not have wanted any other way.

My siblings and I never tire of my mother’s stories. And stories are all we have now to keep our hearts from forgetting what June reminds us of.

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I would like to share with you an old fashioned recipe that I know pleased my father. Below is a recipe of Arroz ala Cubana. Easy to make but very impressive on any dining table. This is a good way to remember June.

Arroz ala Cubana

(This is an adaptation of a recipe taken from “Philippine Cookery and Household Hints”  by Herminia Villacorta (“Mimi Alvarez”).  If you are an old time resident of Cebu, you would recognize the name. She owned Black Princess—a sweet shoppe.  Unfortunately, it no longer exist.)

¼ k ground lean pork

¼ k ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion,  chopped finely

½ c tomato sauce

½ c raisins (more or less depending on your preference—I love raisins)

¼ c green peas (more or less depending on your preference)

Salt and pepper

4-5 bananas ( saba or cardaba or plantain), sliced and fried until golden

4-6 sunny side up fried eggs, one egg per person

In a wok or kawali, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the garlic and onions.  

Add the ground meat, tomato sauce then season with salt and pepper.  Stir until cooked through.  

Add the raisins and peas and stir for another 2-3 minutes. 

( Optional: Move the cook meat to one side of the wok.  Tilt to allow excess oil to collect.  Remove with a spoon as much oil as you can.)

Assemble:
Option 1

Pack the rice in a ring shaped mold. Turn over onto a large platter. Pour in the cooked meat in the center of the ring. Surround the mold with fried eggs and bananas.

Option 2

Place in the center of a large platter the cooked meat. On one side of the platter, add the fried eggs. Balance the other side of the platter with fried bananas. Serve the rice in another dish or bowl.

Interesting Option 3

On a tortilla, place a fried banana, some chopped fried eggs, rice and cooked meat in the center. Roll this up in a burrito fashion and wrap in a square of aluminum foil. Bake for a few minutes in the oven. Serve immediately once out of the oven. Some hot sauce would hit the spot.

Nero: A Dog Story

Seven years ago, I was born in a garage together with 4 other siblings.  I really never knew my father but that did not matter.  My mother loved me so.  My days were  filled with joyful wakefulness with my siblings and dreams of chasing butterflies.

But not long after,  I was given away by my mother's master.  I was taken away from the safety and warm embrace of my mother.  Overnight, I had lost my siblings. 

At first I missed my mother and I would cry for her. No amount of soothing whispers from my new master could console me.  I was heart-broken.

But I soon realize that it was futile to be sad and whine for the past.  Besides, my master was kind, held me in her arms and stroke my back to make me feel better.

She had a brother who liked to wrestle with me.  I truly enjoyed those times when he would let me chase after him around the house.  All that running around and noise did not go well my master's parents.  They would always shusshh us to be quiet. 

One day, a lady came to help with the laundry.  I can't explain it but I did not like this lady.  Don't you get that feeling when you meet a person for the first time and you just feel that the chemistry between you is not right?  Well that was the way it was with her. 

To my great discomfort, she would pat my head when she arrives at the house.  Until I just could not take it anymore and nipped at her chin.  I created a great commotion and my master's parents were very upset.   The lady had to be brought to the doctor for some shots.

Soon after, another lady came to help with cleaning the house.  My master had given me a good lecture about behaving and I bent down my head feeling misjudged.

Everything went on well as I liked this new lady.  She was kind and would give me treats.  But then out of the blue, she startled me.  Out of self-defense, I nipped her at the ankle.  I felt that there was just too big a fuss about such a small nip.  My master never heard the end of it from her parents.

The final straw that broke the camel's back was when I nipped another lady who was leaving the house with a basket.  How was I to know that she was leaving for the market and needed the basket?  I innocently thought she was stealing from my master. 

Before I knew it,my master attached a link chain to my collar and secured me at the garage. 

I was judged to be a menace to society when all I lived for was to protect my master.  So for the last three years, the garage has become my home.  At times, my master takes me out for long walks that I love so much. Sometimes, she permits me to sniff at everything we pass.  During New Year's Eve, my master sits with me until all the midnight fireworks have died down.  And when she comes home from work, she is sure to give me a hug-- never mind that I get my hair all over her dress.

My life is restricted bacause of the chain.  But no matter, I still have my dreams of butterfiles and the love of my master.

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I am not fun of keeping animals as pets.  I feel that it's a waste of emotional energy to take care of one.  The most I would give is tolerance.  When my daughter is at work or travelling and cannot take care of Nero, I willingly clean after him and make sure he does not go hungry.  And for that I know that he is grateful and takes whatever affection I occassionally give him.

About a month ago, Nero got sick.  The change of weather must have been the culprit.  When my daughter found out, she immediately searched the internet for possible remedies.  One called for increasing the caloric intake of a sick dog.  She proceeded to the kitchen to cook some chicken noodle soup and when it was ready, she coaxed Nero to eat it.  With soulful eyes, he obliged.

I looked on with marvel at the two of them.

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Down with a cold?  There is some truth to the old wives' take: Starve a fever and feed a cold.  Here's a homey recipe that is sure to ward off aches and stiffness or for when you want a delicious warm fix.

Chicken Macaroni Soup aka Sopas

1/2 of a chicken breast, boiled with a dash of salt and pepper and a little onion
(remove when cool and shred or cubed)
the chicken broth
1 small onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced

1 small celery stick, chopped

1/2 c diced ham (optional)
1 small carrot, diced

a handful of grated cheese (optional)

1/2 c evaporated milk

1 c elbow macaroni (boiled al dente and drained)

Saute the garlic in a little oil then follow this up with the onions and celery.  Add the chicken and ham and stir for about a minute. Add the carrots and the reserved chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer then add the macaroni.   Pour in the milk and continue to simmer for about 5 minutes.  Season with some salt and pepper.  Serve piping hot with the option to add some shredded cheese on top. Yum!