The Sampaguita flower

White, dainty and fragrant, the small sampaguita flower is the national flower of the Philippines. Who made this tiny flower symbolize our country? History books are one in saying that then American Governor-General Frank Murphy declared the sampaguita to be our national flower because of its “popularity, ornamental value, fragrance, and the role it plays in the legends and traditions of the Filipino people.” So how did this flower become popular? And is the sampaguita truly endemic in the Philippines?

Researching on the sampaguita’s origins, you will come upon the fact that this flower came from India. In fact, the tradition of placing a garland on the neck of a visitor who arrives is of Indian origin. So how did it come to reach our islands and flourish here? Perhaps one sultry afternoon a trading boat from India beaches on one of our islands and decides to show off their merchandise, one of which was the sampaguita – as enchanting then as it is now – and people excitedly barter their wares in exchange.

The sampaguita embraced our land, made it her own and flourished. It is a testament to how truly wonderful our land is.

Tasting summer

As the hot summer months come in there is a noticeable proliferation of signs slinging from gates all with the same words – “Halo-Halo 4 Sale.” Made of a mix of shaved ice, milk and different boiled, sugary beans, yams or coconut meat that is served in a tall glass or wide bowl, this famous summer dessert has made many or our days much cooler.

Generally there are two kinds of halo-halo, the ordinary and the special. The addition of a scoop (or two) of ice cream at the top of the mix is the only outward change to differentiate the halo-halo varieties. But when you mix all the ingredients together, the ice cream in the halo-halo truly makes this dessert special.

Next time you come across a store offering halo-halo, have a taste of cool summer by ordering one tall glass.

Do you know Maria Leonora Teresa?

If you are familiar with the name Maria Leonora Teresa, most probably you are a child of the 70’s or a fan of Guy and Pip. Maria Leonora Teresa or MLT is a three-foot ceramic-face doll that belongs to the “loveteam” of Guy (Nora Aunor) and Pip (Tirso Cruz III). This doll was treated as the child of Guy and Pip by ardent admirers/fans. MLT (the doll’s nickname) had her own wardrobe, jewelry sets, combs and sunglasses. She even had her own shoes and make-up kit! All these were provided to the doll by sponsors and the fans of Guy and Pip.

Back then, people even wrote to the doll! Maria Leonora Teresa became almost as famous as the doll’s “parents.” MLT “answered back” the people’s letters through a komiks magazine which featured “her.” People were really devoted to MLT that when the editorials “written” by MLT came out urging people to help typhoon victims, truckloads of fans rode out to help, donating food and clothes.

There has been no other doll in the history of Philippine show business that has matched the popularity of Maria Leonora Teresa. How this doll became real in the eyes of the fans is a wonder that existed during those magical ‘70s – an age and time when anything was possible.

DARNA! The fighter with a heart for others

Almost all the kids (and former kids who have grown up) are familiar with Darna, the lady who defends the defenseless, fights against ordinary criminals and other enchanted beings that have extraordinary powers like her. Darna’s character and story was created by Mars Ravelo in the year 1950 for Pilipino Komiks. Beautiful and strong, kind-hearted and brave, she was a character that people wished to be real.

There have been several reel versions of Darna, with famous female actors taking on the role of this feisty Filipino superhero. People flocked to the movies, followed it on TV, and watched the komiks story come to life. And as Darna fought evil, kids and grown-ups alike swore at her enemies and cheered her on as she fought with her fists and feet, with some even getting-up from their seats as if they wanted to jump into the screen and fight along with her.

Darna’s popularity can probably be blamed, not only on her scanty costume, but also at the hope that she gave to the poor and victimized. Her character’s good heart, compassion for the poor and downtrodden, and her extraordinary powers which she used to help others is what people hope to see and experience in real life.

The Joys of Jack en’ Poy

Whenever children gather, raucous laughter is heard along with lilting chant of “jack en poy, hale hale hoi, sino’ng matalo siyang unggoy!”

This hand game is used by the children as a preparation stage for the game they are about to play. Whether it is to segregate team members or to weed out the one who will play the “it”, this game is energetically played again and again and again.

All across Asia, children play this game but have different chants. Some even have additional hand movements (perhaps similar to ‘original’ additions to this game like “ulan,” “pako” and the most powerful, “Diyos”).

So when was the last time you played jack en’ poy? And most important, who were jack and poy? Did they ever exist?

Manny Pacquiao’s biggest challenge

What can make the whole Philippines crime-free for a few hours? Nothing can do this miracle except a title fight by the Philippine’s current boxing hero, Manny Pacquiao. Every time Pacquiao has a fight, there are fewer people out on the streets, less than a handful public utility vehicles plying their routes and everyone is glued to their TV sets or, if they have the money, at pay-per-view facilities that make a killing from hosting a live telecast of the fight.

On the evening of May 2 (May 3 in the Philippines), Manny Pacquiao is scheduled to fight the IBO and Ring Magazine Light Welterweight world title holder, Ricky Hatton. This 5 foot 7 inch Briton, who has never lost at his natural weight of 140 pounds, is one inch taller than Manny. Both Hatton and Pacquiao are power boxers, have hand speed and quick feet. Tickets to the fight are already sold out and pay-per-view outfits are already raking in sales.

This is the biggest boxing event of the year so far. And Filipinos around the world will surely be storming the heavens on Fight Night to seek God’s blessings for Manny Pacquiao.

Lechon

Fiestas, weddings, birthdays and other joyful occasions are the perfect excuse to have a feast. But a feast is incomplete without the star – lechon. The lechon is the centerpiece of the feast. All the other viands, desserts and drinks are laid out and placed around it. The lechon enjoys the highest honor in the hierarchy of fiesta food, towering over lesser viands.

Traditionally, when you say lechon you mean roasted pig. Nowadays they also cook lechon manok and lechon baka. But the lechon baboy with its crispy skin and soft meat inside is incomparable. Legend states that the lechon was accidentally discovered one afternoon when a Chinese person who had pigs living at the base of his house left the gas lamp on. It broke, spread fire to the house and the pigs got roasted. The Chinese person, upon seeing his house burnt to the ground began to wail in despair – until he caught a whiff of a delicious aroma. When he went to check it out, he discovered that his pigs got roasted in the fire, tasted the crispy skin and got hooked (so did his neighbors) and there were a lot of burned houses that year.

Seriously, the lechon originated from China. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao all have the best-tasting lechon. Which one is really the best is up to you to decide.

Remembering the sorbetes of our childhood

“Mamang Sorbetero, tayo'y sumayaw
kalembang mong hawak, muling ikaway
batang munti, sa 'yo'y naghihintay
bigyang ligaya ngayong tag-araw…”

[excerpt from Celeste Legaspi’s Mamang Sorbetero]

As children, we all eagerly waited for the tinkle of mamang sorbetero’s small bell on hot summer afternoons. Each time he lifted the covers, heads would hover above the cart and scooper in hand, mamang sorbetero would ask us our choices – “keso, ube, o tsokolate.” On some days he would offer us langka or mangga! We would then take out our coins and give our requests. As mamang sorbetero got ready to scoop out the sorbetes he would ask – “sa tinapay o sa cone?”

All grown up and having tasted other ice cream brands through the years, we sometimes still hanker for the taste of the sorbetes of our childhood – that homemade taste of mamang sorbetero’s ice cream still lingers on our taste buds – much like the smiles and laughs that filled our afternoons many summers ago.

The lost kulambo

Have you ever watched those Disney animated cartoons that show the princess’ room? Most of the time there is a kulambo over her bed. Other cultures have also used a kulambo or what is known as a mosquito net. Rich or poor, the kulambo has served them all. Of course the rich used the kulambo that was made of a finer, softer material and the poorer folks used kulambo’s made from ordinary, nylon based materials. Nowadays we seldom see people using the kulambo. But that does not mean it has outlived its usefulness.

It used to be that when dusk sets in mothers would ask their children to affix the kulambo over their sleeping areas. The bringing out of the kulambo would signal that the time to rest and sleep has come and everyone would start to settle down and get ready to end their day.

When you have a kulambo, no matter how many mosquitoes or flies are flitting around, there is a solution to the problem (and you don’t need any of those clogging fumes from those lighted anti-mosquito coils to solve it). Inside the kulambo, it’s another world. Peaceful slumber is just around the corner.

Banig

The banig that we are talking about here is not Banig Roberto, the Filipina who first ‘wowed’ the American Public when she was just 10 years old. We are going to delve into the traditional banig that is used as a mat, laid on the floor and slept on.

The colorful banig is handwoven using the leaves of the palm (buri), the pandan or sea grass. Cut and dried, the leaves are sometimes dyed to make it more attractive. There are some who favor the buri mat, the sturdy feel of the mat giving excellent protection from cold hard floors. On the other hand there are others who are partial to the mat made from pandan leaves or sea grass. Made up of a softer material compared to the buri mat, these mats are more often smaller than the buri mat – and much softer and thinner.

The banig can usually be bought at a local marketplace. Why don’t you go out and purchase a banig for yourself?

The Pinoy Jeepney

When foreigners come to the Philippines, one of the things that we share with them is the Pinoy jeepney. We regale them with the creative designs on the jeep, those moving horses, and the funny horns that go “ha-ha-ha-haaaaa.”

But there is more to the Pinoy jeep than that. The jeep is a showcase of Filipino culture – the bayanihan spirit innate in us. Where else can you find people willing to move aside so some unknown person can also take a seat? Where else do you see people willing to pass on the fare until it reaches the driver? And where else will you experience people help, even if they don’t know each other, a passenger tell the driver that it is time to stop so he can go down?

Be proud of the Pinoy jeep. It’s a testament to who we Filipinos really are.

Reminiscing about the binalot

Before cheap plastic containers from China started flooding the marketplaces in the Philippines, the binalot was the only way schoolchildren could bring their lunches to school. Children who had to walk for long distances just to get to school and didn’t have the money to buy lunch had to bring their own food along with their books.

Those who studied in the provinces can surely remember the wonderful smell of warm rice wrapped in banana leaves that waft up as the binalot is slowly unraveled. And even if the lunch was just rice and dried fish or a boiled egg and a tomato, it didn’t matter. Food tasted wonderful.

Lapu-lapu

We are not going to talk about that local chieftain who defeated Magellan on the beaches of Mactan a long time ago. We shall, instead, talk about this pricey, better-tasting fish – the lapu-lapu or grouper. When seen in the market, this orange-spotted large fish will surely fetch a high price. This is because it is large and, since it is solitary, has to be truly hunted by the fishermen (usually using a spear-gun). The lapu-lapu is uncommon, sometimes only one or two per reef, and they are very difficult to catch.

Lapu-lapu is best when cooked steamed with soy sauce and ginger. Of course, this tasty fish is good cooked as sinigang, in sweet and sour sauce or as escabeche. This fish is a treat that, hopefully, we will always get to taste.

Drinking a tall glass of sa malamig

Hot summer months or not, sa malamig is a popular local beverage that can refresh you after a tiring day. The pandan flavor cools you down and its aroma allows your tension to go away. The bits of gulaman and sago that you gently chew take away the tiredness from your limbs. The sweet taste of panotsa brings back the energy you lost during the day.

We don’t know who thought of mixing that first glass of sa malamig but it probably happened one hot afternoon when the wind was silent and the birds quietly watched as the pandan boiled in water, the panotsa melted, the gulaman was cooked and the sago drained. Then, as the wind gently broke free and the birds tentatively broke out into song, that first tall glass of sa malamig touched parched lips. And our Filipino summers were never the same again.

Breakfast with tuyo

Starting the day with a good breakfast is the dictum that has always been pounded into our heads since we were kids. But Filipinos traditionally start the day with a good breakfast - making sure that it is enough to give the energy necessary for the day’s work. There are various kinds of tuyo. But it is the tonsoy that is more famous.

Tuyo is not usually eaten alone. The salty taste of tuyo is complemented by fresh, sliced tomatoes. Others pair tuyo with spicy vinegar. Both of these break down the salty taste of tuyo and make it tastier at the same time. Whichever is chosen, tuyo can’t be enjoyed without warm, hot rice. Down all that taste with brewed coffee and you are ready to face the day.