Latest posts from our Manila expert:
Pinoy Street Portrait: The Happy Hunter
I was driving on the roads of Roxas Boulevard in Manila. The heavy traffic gave me time to observe the world outside the comforts of my air-conditioned car. Amidst the confusing road signs and vehicles haphazardly zipping past each other, I spotted him.
He stood about five feet in height. He had floppy overgrown hair that was tinged orange. His polo was about three sizes too big for him and it hung loose like a sail on a mast. He had a genial gait, almost like he normally hopped to get to where he was going. Though his face showed marks of hardship, he wore a silly childlike expression.
From out of nowhere, a half-empty water bottle flew out in front of him. He gamely picked it up and smiled a wide grin towards the jeepney driver that threw it at him. He waved thanks to driver and skipped away. This man was a vagabond garbage collector, the kind that would go around collecting recyclables as a means of survival.
His gracious reaction hit a nerve and made me think of how lucky I was to be in a country where a person can still find value in a half-empty bottle of water. Maybe for him, it was half-full. Or maybe, he’s not the kind of person who thought about concepts as silly as half-full or half-empty. Because as I was internalizing all of that, I saw him walk away emptying the water on the pavement, putting away the bottle in his sack, and bouncing off to his own happy beat.
Book Reco: You Know You're A Filipino If...
Most travelers limit themselves to tried and tested guides like Lonely Planet and Fodor’s when they go off to a foreign land. Sometimes though, you’ve got to be able to see a country from a local perspective. That’s why I recommend the book, “You Know You’re a Filipino If…” by Neni Sta. Romana-Cruz. It offers interesting bite-sized insights into what Pinoys are all about. It’s quirky, fun and offers lots of topics for conversation starters. Here are some of my favorites from her list. Check out how true it is or make up some of your own along the way.
You Know Your're Filipino If...
1. You travel with eight pieces of luggage and most of them are called "Balikbayan Boxes".
2. You have uncles and aunts named Boy, Girlie, or Baby.
3. You have relatives whose nicknames consist of repeated syllables, such as Jun-Jun, Ling-Ling, and Mon-Mon.
4. You decorate your living room wall with your family's framed diplomas and certificates and plaques.
5. You put your foot up on your chair and rest your elbows on your knees while you eat
6. You decorate your dining room wall with a giant wooden spoon and fork and a picture of the Last Supper.
7. You keep your furniture wrapped in plastic.
8. You use fingers to measure the water you need to cook rice.
9. You wash and reuse disposable styrofoam cups, plastic spoons and forks, and aluminum wrappers. You also love recycling paper plates by covering them with wax paper.
10. You can squeeze 15 passengers into your five-seater car without a second thought.
11. Christmas isn't Christmas without a parol (Star lantern) and a belen (Nativity Scene).
12. You're always late.
13. You live with your parents until-and at times even after-you're married.
14. You demand that your children sing and dance to amuse your friends and relatives.
15. You own a "Footsteps in the Sand" poster.
16. You have a piano no one plays.
17. You use a halved coconut husk to polish the floor.
18. You own a "barrel man."
19. You shower at least once a day.
20. You prefer hand-washed to machine-washed laundry.
A Little Creative Heat
The sun is blazing down Manila signaling the start of summer vacation. Here are some creative ways for you and your kids to waste the hours until school starts again.
CCP Summer Workshops
The Cultural Center of the Philippines has the most extensive summer classes. They offer things for wannabe artists of all ages and genres. Enrich your knowledge and skills in visual arts, theater, and dance.
For more information, contact the CCP Performing Arts Department at 832-1125 loc. 1604-1607. Registration is ongoing.
Email: ccp@culturalcenter.gov.ph
Web site: http://www.culturalcenter.gov.ph
PETA Summer Theater Arts Workshops
They’ve neatly divided the theater workshops for kids and adults (who are basically kids over the age of 17).
Interested enrollees may call the PETA Summer Workshop secretariat at numbers 7256244, 4100821, mobile numbers 0916-5805153 or 0927-6465635 and look for Julie Bautista or RB Andres.
Website: www.petatheater.com
or http://peta1.wordpress.com.
Metropolitan Museum Summer Workshops
Their workshops focus on the visual arts from painting to manga, photography to paper-mache.
For details and registration, please contact Gari Apolonio: 536-1566/ 523-7855/ Fralynn Manalo: 523-0613/ 521-1517
Email: gariapolonio@metmuseum.ph
fralynnmanalo@metmuseuem.ph
Website: http://www.metmuseum.ph/
Holy Holy Week: Part Three
Moriones Festival
Legend has it that Longinos pierced the side of the crucified Christ. The blood that spurted forth touched his blind eye and fully restored his sight, converting him to Christianity. Marinduque celebrates this with a week long Mardi Gras kind festival held in the plazas of Boac and Gasan. The whole town comes together and puts on a pageant where they bring to life the beheading of Longinos. People dress up as Roman soldiers and wear masks with Roman helmets pretending to search the town for Longinos.
Senakulo
In many parts of Philippines like Manila, San Fernando in Pampanga Province, and Antipolo, the sufferings and death of Christ in the Cross are reenacted on Good Friday. In Mexico, Pampanga and also Dinalupihan in Bataan there are people who actually nail themselves to a cross for his "crucifixion" recreating the suffering of Christ's passion for a few minutes. You can also catch a less violent version at the Philippine Cultural Center. Though not as freakishly authentic, the senakulo here is performed by popular movie stars.
Salubong
At the end of Holy week, commonly called the Linggo ng Pagkabuhay or Dia de Pascua on Easter Sunday, masses and processions are held. Easter morning is marked with joyous celebration, beginning with the dawn mass called the Salubong (meeting), wherein statues of the Resurrected Christ and the Virgin Mary, along with other saints such as St. Peter and Mary Magdalene, are brought in procession together to meet. This is an ode to the first reunion of Jesus and his mother Mary after the Resurrection.
Holy Holy Week: Part Two
Black Nazarene
Every Good Friday, a miraculous statue of a dark child Jesus is brought out for a procession around the narrow streets of Quiapo. This century old relic was sculpted in Mexico during the Galleon era has survived many mishaps including the coming out unscathed from a church fire. Droves of people come in hopes of being able to lay hands on the supposedly illness-cleansing bust.
Siete Palabras
Throughout the country, TV and radio stations air the "Siete Palabras" or the Seven Last Words. These are usually sponsored by religious groups. People tune it to hear speakers depicting the life of Jesus Christ and of course in different versions but the same meaning.
Visita Iglesia
Come Holy Thursday, a popular tradition is the "church visit", which involves visiting ideally 14 different churches representing the fourteen stations of the cross. Families take this time to bond and go through religious rituals together. Celebrated on this day is the last Mass before Easter, usually including a reenactment of the Washing of the Feet of the Apostles; this Mass is followed by the procession of the Blessed Sacrament before it is taken to the Altar of Repose.
Amulet Hunting
In Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Good Friday is an opportune day for Herbolarios or faith healers to go out searching for anting-antings. These amulets offer special protection or have extraordinary spiritual abilities and can be found in unexplored caves.
Holy Holy Week: Part One
I reminisce back to my childhood when Holy was truly blessed when everything would shut down, from the shopping malls to TV channels. You go into any bustling metropolis and the only company you’ll find is that of your own shadow. No cable TV meant that I would be forced to watch religious themed programs. Ten Commandments and 7th Heaven marathons were a must every single year. Of course, there was also some obligatory praying and the observance of silence and solemnity. Not fun when you’re a kid.
I didn’t enjoy holy week then, but now that I’m all grown up, I miss those days when holy week was sacred. It seems that the combined forces of commerce and technology have encroached upon holy week and now it’s become just a long beach holiday. Though, it is a commemoration of Jesus’s Christ’s suffering, it’s really a blessing for the millions of suffering employees of this nation.
Next year, I think I will take advantage of the times and take part of more holy week rituals. Lenten celebrations in the Philippines is a collection of unique sometimes absurd Christian and paganistic practices that can enrich a traveller’s world view. Here’s a quick list of things to take part of for a holy holy week.
Palaspas
Holy Week in Philippines starts with Palm Sunday when the Catholics bring palm fronds or palaspas and have them blessed during mass.
The palaspas are often brought back home and hung on doors and altars to ward off evil spirits from one’s home
Pabasa or Pasyon
This is usually a family tradition that involves relatives and neighbors on Holy Monday. This is the reading and chanting of the life and passion of Christ in dialects in strange guttural tones. The singing can go on and on sometimes reaching two straight days and usually happens in someone’s home or in local churches.
Flagellation
Some Filipinos feel the need for restitution from their sins by walking barefooted under the hot sun and flagellating themselves with ropes and broken pieces of glass attached with strings to bamboo sticks. This cringe worthy spectacle is gruesome but a sight to see in churches in the provinces of Pampanga, Tarlac, Rizal the Tagalog region.
(Note: I don't recommend doing it yourself. Seeing it will trigger enough remorse for a lifetime)
HappySlip. A Site to See.
When i hear the term internet celebrity, I immediately think of porcelain skinned angels exposing their skivvies to the entire world. So it’s nice to see someone achieve web superstardom for being a genuinely talented actress, writer, producer, and editor. Best of all, it’s a success that’s come from staying true to her roots and being proudly Pinoy. Meet Christine Gambito, HappySlip vlogger and Philippine ambassador.
I’ve been watching Christine’s vlogs since early last year. Back then, she would do videos where she would imitate and lovingly mock members of her Pinoy family on her site HappySlip. Aside form comical sketches, she’d sometimes do sentimental vignettes as well as musical performances. Watching her stuff was good wholesome fun. Mid-2007, her popularity caught on when her video, “Mixed Nuts” won second place for Best Comedy on the YouTube Video Awards.
January 2008, she was appointed ambassador for Philippine tourism by the Department of Tourism. She came over early this year to visit the island of her heritage for the very first time. View the six episodes she promised to make to fully capture her travel experiences. I’m sure Pinoy expats and Pinoys at heart will love it.
http://www.happyslip.com/