Is there isaw or dugo abroad?
Isaw is barbequed marinated chicken intentines. Please don't squirm yet. Dugo is barbequed hardened chicken blood. Don't yuck-yuck there! In fact I only discovered lately that it is blood. I disregarded it before because I thought it was pork liver (see above photo), and therefore more expensive. The raw material may not come from the malls, but they sure attract a lot of avid foodies inside our subdivision. Students buy and nibble some on their way home. While many office workers who come home late buy a few as their viand for the evening.
The isaw stand comes to life late afternoon when students are just coming home from school and when the grown-ups are about to grab some ice-cold beer, or for the financially-challenged, to utang a lapad from the nearby sari-sari store. Indeed, the stand is supposed to sprout where a beerhouse thrives. Sarap daw talagang pulutan. At 2 pesos a stick, how can you complain?
My kids love isaw. While many tambay-types are crazy about dugo.
When you buy, you select which sticks you wanted, and the vendor will grill them for you. Once your orders are ready, you inform the vendor which sauce you prefer - the sweet one or the hot one. The vendor will then brush the desired sauce over the steaming hot and mouth-watering chicken whatever. You then have an option to eat your isaw/dugo straight from the stick, or you insert it in between slices of bread to have a tasty sandwich.
Now ask: Is there any part of the chicken which is not sold or eaten?
Ti may isaw man kag dugo barbeque sa abroad? Waay gid haay. @
Friday, June 20, 2008
ISAW and DUGO
Monday, June 9, 2008
Kon tig-tarambo
It's June. And it's the rainy season. Time for bamboos to form new shoots. In Kinaray-a, it's tig-tarambo.
Tambo is young bamboo shoots which can be cooked into mouth-watering dishes. I especially like tambo nga may gata, with shrimps or crabs and tugabang. Sorry, wala ako picture. And sadly, nobody in our house knows how to cook this dish. We either buy from the school canteen, or we wait for neighbors nga galwan kami ti isa ka karan-an.
Tambo can also be pickled. Grabe daw galaway na ko. Kapin pa kon native nga langgaw ang gamiton. Atsara na, dapli pa.
But tig-tarambo also means the coming of hordes of flies. Mga langaw. Sa Cabatuan, bisan diin lang, grabe ang langaw. Agto kaw sa refreshment parlors para magkaon pizza, baw grabe langaw. Don't order anything with raisins or pasas. Basi magkaon ka, abi mo pasas pa gali langaw na. Kadiri. Iba gani, sa balay nanda nagakaon sa sulod ka mosketero. Para waay langaw.
Ti diin nagharalin ang mga langaw? Ti waay gid timo kamaan nga raku poultry houses sa Cabatuan? Pamangkuton mo mga tag-iya ka poultry, waay tanda ti langaw sa anda poultry. Ti ang baho? Can this not attract flies? 
Here's a picture of the softdrink I ordered. I was about to sip from my straw when I saw some moving matters inside the bottle, swimming on my softdrink. Langaw! And I was not the only victim. The others too, especially those who had Mountain Dew or Seven Up. Their softdrinks were not dark colored so you can really see the flies trying hard not to drown inside the bottles. Just pray that those who own the drinks also see what you see.
What then is the purpose of houseflies? Aren't all creatures having their own purposes for being?
I think the answer is simple. The flies would like to tell us not to drink softdrinks anymore. Softdrinks are unhealthy. Drink simple water instead. And you stay away from most diseases. @
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Our trip to Pandan, Antique
Tired of Boracay? Go to Pandan and Sebaste in Antique, and savor nature at its best.
Pandan is a northerly town of Antique province. It is about 4 hours drive from Iloilo City and 30 minutes drive from Caticlan, the jump-off point to the island of Boracay. The roads are safe, and the scenery is bucolic.
Tourism in the town is not on the level of Boracay. Not even a fraction. Pandan is a languid coastal town still untouched by developers. And that’s the catch. You can have the town to yourself for the rest of your visit.
Try to arrange for a local guide to accompany you in the town. I recommend Rex Zaldivar (cellphone# will be given those interested), nephew of the incumbent Antique governor, and a native of the place. He can arrange for all the excursions, resort accommodations, courtesy calls to retired national government bigwigs who reside in Pandan (all are his relatives; his surname is only Zaldivar.); tell you the folklores, and accompany you to the market for fresh food.
Must-visit is the Malumpati Spring Resort. The resort is a dammed portion of a river. The water is cold, clean, and medicinal as many believed. There are shallow portions suitable for kids and deep portions for diving. What was unique in the waters was the presence of fishes not found in other places. Malumpati also provides unchlorinated natural drinking water to the whole of Pandan.
The Malumpati Spring Resort
The resort asks for a nominal entrance fee, for the upkeep. Sheds and sitting areas are available. The restrooms are clean. The resort has some air-conditioned bungalows for rent if you decide to stay for the night, or for the long term.
A 30-minutes walk upstream to the source of the river is also allowed to few visitors. According to Rex, access to the source is strictly curtailed in order not to upset the ecosystem and also not to pollute the waters. As we entered the restricted area, we noticed that the only hint of visitors was the barely perceptible footpath. There were no plastic cans nor wrappers, no carabao droppings, no other noise but our own and those of the birds, the insects, and the splashing river. The water is so clean you can drink from beneath your feet.
The Malumpati head water.
Picture this - lush, craggy mountainsides; orchids and vines embracing tall trees; fern-covered boulders seemingly lost in mist; smoky glens dappled with wild flowers; the absence of city sounds. This picture makes this place ethereal, enchanting. After we crossed a bamboo hanging bridge, Rex asked us to observe silence as we neared the head water. The silence made audible muted sounds like some unseen people whispering the rosary. But, aside from the fishes, we were the only visible animalia in this eerie expanse. Could it be that this place was restricted because this really is a place of enkantos? The river source is a blue, silent waterhole, barely the size of a basketball court, at the foot of the mountain. Yes silent water is really deep. We were informed that the source is an underground river from another town. We could not imagine that this quiet hole is transformed into a noisy raging current about 50 meters away.
Malumpati has fresh waters, a welcome change from the salty waters of the sea. But if you are not tired of the beach, Pandan has kilometers of sandy uncrowded beaches to offer. You can light bonfires at night. Rex can book you in a beach resort, whatever is your budget.
A pumpboat cruise through Bugang River, recipient of the “Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran” award as the cleanest river in the Philippines, can also be arranged. Gush as village women and children give you a send off with calachuchi flowers (frangiapani).
Bugang River is indeed redundantly clean. There are no floating plastics and other human trash. Its banks of mangroves, nipa, exotic flowers and centennial trees are undisturbed. Dangle your feet unto the water, and let the current soothe your soles as the boatmen assure you that no crocodile can possibly live in such a sterile environment. Greet the few locals swimming and washing clothes ashore. Marvel at the absence of houses straddling the banks. Get down the pump boat at the far reaches upstream, and wade where the pebbles are all hues of yellow, orange, cream, and green. Eat budol-style where everybody stands around a small bamboo table where rice, and grilled fish and pork are all heaped over banana leaves; each one takes and eats from the heap with bare hands. No plates and spoons to wash. Saves on soap and water. Neat. After lunch, wonder at the likelihood of crocodiles courting humans. Because at the far bank is a lifesize tableau with two crocodile statues fighting over a maiden. With prior notice, a local elder can come and recite in Kiniray-a the legend that gave rise to the tableau.
(2nd L – R) Flower or fruit? What looks like a man-made floral arrangement is actually a bunch of flowers, or fruits, on a single stem. The inner globe is made up of tiny clusters of black berries, while the yellow globules are protruding clusters of yellow berry-like flowers. Locals call it lapad. (2nd R – L) Eating budol-style)
Next town to Pandan is Sebaste, another coastal town with a lot to offer inland. Its best attraction is Igpasungaw Falls.
We headed to the falls with two guides, courtesy of the Office of the Sebaste Municipal Mayor. In this seemingly uncharted destination, a local guide is a must. We picked up the guides, bought some fresh fish from the local market, and drove for about three kilometers off the national highway. We left our cars where the dirt road turned into a footpath.
The way to the falls was curved along the sides of the river, which was good and bad at the same time. It was good because the river and the scenery were breathtaking; and the sounds of the plunging waters lulled us to believe that the falls was just around the bend, although the 30-minutes walk said otherwise. It was bad because river mists made the rocks constantly wet. But we learned our lessons, such as: 1) Don’t step on wet rocks. They are bound to be slippery. 2) If all rocks are wet, don’t step on those covered with moss. They are more slippery. 3) If you see your children balancing precariously on obviously slippery boulders, where a misstep means a 5-meter drop to the next watery ledge, don’t shout. Instead, be stoic. Hyperventilate. And pray. You don’t have to go this far to have a heart attack. 4) Of course, the place needs to be visited during the summer months when there are no rains. But, what the heck! It rains even during summer!
If Malumpati is an enchanted eden, the way to Igpasungaw is a jurrassic jungle, we can easily bump into Tarzan. Boulders, not pebbles, rule the riverbed. The trail is, at many instances, only a foot wide with the rampaging river down one side, and the twisting roots of trees up the other side. The vegetation appears lavish you will feel guilty to tear a leaf as the plant may cost thousands in the mall. The air is littered with confettis of iridescent butterflies. For us who were new to mountain climbing, and with kids in tow, this was a good practice. No rappelling required. And the bends and the thick vegetation somehow screen from view the vertiginous heights and the dangerous miscues.
This is Igpasungaw Falls.
Halfway atop the mountain was the Igpasungaw Falls. It was a refreshing sight. It was worth the hard climb. Only a few of us adults reached the main falls. We left the kids swimming in a waterhole about 50 meters downstream because the way up was very slippery. We were told that, if we continue climbing to the source, we would encounter more minor falls.
Back in the poblacion of Sebaste, our guides brought us to the parish church and introduced us to the original statue of St. Blas, their patron saint. The guides informed us that, a long time ago, the statue was brought to Pandan town for safekeeping. Then, the statue disappeared and was later found back in Sebaste, in the exact place where it used to stand. The statue’s shoes were covered with mud, its long robes prickled with weeds, as if it walked from afar. Since then, the statue was deemed miraculous and is visited by thousands of devotees.
We, adults, were dead tired as we drove back to Iloilo City. But the kids were unperturbed. They talked about their experiences and the sceneries. They loved the places we visited. But they thought they might not return back because the places were not yet developed. In my mind, I just thought that they were lucky. They were lucky because they saw and experienced Pandan and Sebaste before the towns are turned into another commercial and ravaged Boracay. @
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Ang Kabuhi Ni Haloy: My attempt at Kinaray-a Poetry
Ang Kabuhi Ni Haloy
Mga kasimanwa, bata kag mal-am
Mayad gid nga adlaw kaninyo nga tanan.
Sa dya nga tion, akon kamo pagasaysayan
Ang kabuhi ni Haloy nga manggaran, inyo gid pamatian.
Tama gid ragtu kabuhay
Kang mag-abot ang mga datu nga Malay
Kag kang sanda nagapanglugayawon sa Panay
Giya tanda sa pampang kang Tigum nagbuhay.
'Hotik, akon kapid nga sampaton,
Ah, sa pampang kang suba, giya takon matinir', hambal ni Kilaton
Tana isa ka maisog kag sampat nga hangaway
Daw kilat kadasig, ginapangadian ang dagway.
Gani si Kilaton naghimo kang anda puloy-anon
Kag nangabuhi kang masadya, sandig sa hurobaton.
Kang tag-baralinghoy, naga-urokad sa idalom ka kahoy.
Kang tag-arani, ga-arawas ang tabungos, kamalig gakabari harigi.
Kang tag-sarag-a, ginapamurot lang ang puyo kag dado nanda.
Kag sa sirom, bag-o gaturog nga may mala kag kapay, pangasi anda gina-inom.
Waay gid it gutom, santo sa hurobaton
Kay ang pagbakhu, marayo gid sa balay ni Kilaton.
Sa amo diya nga kabugana, natawo ang bata ni Kilaton
Si Humangin nga maambong, daw sa hangin man ang kadasigon
Kay kon ana ihaboy ang bangkaw sa marayo nga kahon
Pwede na man lagson kag dakpon bag-o magdulot kang dalom.
'Humangin! Humangin! Diin ka ma-agto?'
Sabat ni Humangin, 'Tatay Kilaton, sa akon paga-agtunan, nakaabot ron ako!'
'Abaw, ang bata ko nga madalig,
Sobra gid kadasig!
Bag-o lang mag-agi, pay kang ako nagpisok
Lima ka bukid, ana ginlukso, ginaturasok'.
Tama gid ka isganan, kag tama ka-abilidadan
Ang mag-tatay, daw guyom kapisan
Tuya sa pampang kang suba
Naga-ralapaw ang sadya kag manggad nga duna.
'Haloy! Haloy! Sa diin ron ikaw?'
Abaw, ang bata ni Humangin, sa suba nagatampisaw
Apo tana ni Kilaton, kag datu man ang hagyon
Kay ang mga nag-abot nga dumuluong, ana ginbaton.
'Haloy, ikaw ginabunyagan ko nga Alonzo,
Ngaran ka santo, mayad gid nga kristiyano'.
Ang ngaran kay Haloy kang mga Espanyol gin-tao
Tanda kang pagsulod kang kristiyanismo.
'Oremus….' kag nagraku pa ang mga kristiyano
Ginpatindog ang simbahan kag ginkasal ang mga tumuluo
Ah, ang magayon nga Amas, gin-asawa ni Alonzo nga manggaran
Kag sanda nabantog 'Si Alonso pilakan, si Amas bulawanan'.
Kag sanda nagbata, pito gid tanan, ay abaw!,
Gin-unahan ni Bido, ginsundan ni Kayaw.
Si Pongkol, Batol, Omeng, Hadog, kag Ontolan.
Abaw pito tanan, puraw isganan.
Pay naghambal ang pari, 'Pamati tinyo tanan,
Kinahanglan may tawo nga ang obra sa simbahan lang,
Mahakot bato, lupa, kahoy, kag bulawan,
Para ang simbahan, daw palasyo kon sudlan.'
Kag suno sa kasulatan,
Ang panglima ka bata nga laki, para lang sa simbahan.
Kag para maman-an ang mga bata ka ginikanan
Mga apelyido kada pamilya, sanda pagataw-an.
'Ah, indi diya mahimo,' hambal ni Alonzo nga manggaran.
'Kay ang tunay ko nga manggad, ang akon mga kabataan.
Manggad ko nga pilak, pwede itao sa simbahan,
Pay ang mga bata ko, kay Amas kag kanakon gid lang.'
'Gani, para ang panglima ko nga laki indi maman-an,
Kada isa ka bata, lain nga apelyido ang pagataw-an
Para kada isa daw sa lain ang ginhalinan
Kag sa quintos, bahala na ang simbahan.'
Busa, si Bido nahimo nga Caspe
Si Kayaw, Tormon ang swerte
Moscardon kay Pongkol, Kay Omeng Moneva
Celda kay Batol, kay Hadog Valenzuela
Kay Ontolan, indi gid masapwan
Kay hambal ka iba si Ontolan Cuarte, pay may Fuertes man.
Kag ang balay ni Alonzo nga Haloy naglinong
Kay sa ana bata waay it gintapyong
Sanda sa pangpang kang Tigum pirme nagatiriripon
Para magta-o kang sadya kag maglantaw kang saralikwon.
Bido Caspe, sa ngaran indi gid magpaurihi
Kayaw Tormon, ngaran kang manggaranon
Pungkol Moscardon, huwaran pamatian, kanami gid tamdon
Omeng Moneva, kahumot kang ngaran nga daw sampagita
Batol Celda, ah indi ikaw priso, kundi prisohan kang gugma
Hadog Valenzuela, pamilya ka mga guwapo kag guwapa
Ontolan Cuarte-Fuertes, mayad man ang Cuarte, mayad man ang Fuertes
Bisan pa pamangkuton ang mga huwes.
Mga kasimanwa, bata kag mal-am
Ti nabatian ron ninyo, ang kabuhi ni Haloy nga manggaran
Tana si Alonzo, bana ni Amas nga bulawanan
Bata ni Humangin, apo ni Kilaton, nga kapid ni Hotik
Nga puraw isganan.
Ang diya nga pagsaysay akon pagatapuson
Pero pahapyaw lang sa kay Haloy mga kinabon
Si Haloy kag inyo mga ginhalinan, indi gid pagkalimtan
Kay diya duna kang Cabatuan, bugal gid kang tanan.
** END **
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