Traversing the Shaded Lights in Philippine Politics and the travail of the 'One Centavo Coin'

"Mambo Mambo Magsaysay"...thus went the chant that shaded my first perception of Philippine politics on March 17, 1957. Observing the tears and the sad faces of adults around, I sensed  a profound grief undeniably brought by the tragic death of President Ramon Magsaysay. Literally transfixed, the hardness of the one centavo bronze coin enclosed within my palm jolted me back to my designated chore: the one centavo coin I had to bring to a store down the bend of the road to buy my mother one bottle of vinegar, 1/4 kilo salt, a sachet of pepper with one bay leaf in it; and my mother admonished me never to forget to ask the store owner for 3 cloves of garlic as 'tawad'. 

GMA's and P Noy's Magics: Trick or Treat?

Okay, I never really liked the idea of Nonoy Aquino running our country but it does not mean I have ever favored former President GMA over him. As a matter of fact, due to unrelenting  frenzy on some despicable issues, I preferred anybody but GMA to run this country: and regretfully, although I had many other choices, that 'anybody' included P Noy, who I accepted as our president the moment he was declared the winner. I therefore pined my hopes and entrusted our fate on his administration; sadly though, the frenzy dramatically escalated into a mania, and I felt like riding a roller coaster or watching somebody play Grand Theft or Illuminati.

Book review: The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas

The Count of Monte Cristo

"Well, we're mortal, and the old must make way for the young, otherwise there would be no promotion", thus starts the story of Edmond Dantes. With a very promising career and a beautiful fiancee whom he loves so very dearly, this handsome nineteen year old lad has the world at his feet, but it is not meant to be since jealous hearts masterminded a  devious scheme that screwed up everything he should have had.

Dambana ng Kagitingan: Mt. Samat

Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor), Mt. Samat

Towering 555 meters above sea level sitting at the highest peak of Mount Samat at Bagong Diwa, Pilar Bataan, at 92 meters high (with 30 meters arms) made of steel, reinforced concrete and  marble, this majestic cross was erected in memory of the

gallant heroes, who with all the might that could still be possibly unearthed from their embattled bodies and  worn out spirits, valiantly fought to protect the last bastion of freedom in our then war-torn country.

Book Review: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte'

Jane Eyre: Charlotte Bronte

"My eyes were covered and closed - eddying darkness seemed to swim round me, and reflection came in as black and confused flow. Self abandoned, relaxed, and effortless, I seemed to have laid me down in the dried-up bed of a great river; I heard a flood loosened in remote mountains, and felt the torrent come: to rise I had no will, to flee I had no strength. I lay faint; longing to be dead. One idea only still throbbed lifelike within me - a remembrance of God - it begot a muttered prayer: these words went wandering up and down in my ray less mind, as something that should be whispered; but no energy was found to express them...It was near: and as I had lifted no petition to Heaven to avert it  - as I had neither joined my hands, nor bent  my knees, nor moved my lips - it came; in full, heavy swing the torrent

Propagating Gynura Procumbens

For the first Gynura Procumbens I bought from Mahogany Market in Tagaytay we shelled out 100 pesos. When Dannie came back he was able to buy 8 seedlings for 80 pesos each. Several weeks later when I told the seller that Gynura which they called ashitaba could be procured at 35 pesos in Cavite, we went home with 20 seedlings at 40 pesos each. We shared 7 seedlings to friends and relatives thus leaving us with 22 seedlings. With my husband and my mother taking 3 leaves a day, these seedlings would not last long.

My Roof Garden

The Garden I built on our Galvanized Roof 

My special bonding with plants started when I was in grade 6. The unpaved roads of my hometown were lined with evergreens laced with colorful flowers. On my way home, I would get a cutting of each variety per day. Planting those cuttings in  tin milk cans filled with soil readily lined on top of 4 old logs, formed into a square, was such a solemn ritual for me. My days were filled with expectations, eagerly looking forward to my rendezvous with my cuttings as they sprout into robust plantlets. Witnessing flower buds bloom into full glory amazed me no end: such phenomena of life made my supposed to be growing up pains pass unnoticed.

Camiguin: The Island of 7 Volcanoes

Camiguin, a small province in the northern tip of Mindanao is actually an island born of fire, shaped and formed by hardened molten lava, cinders and ashes spewed by its volcanoes over centuries of repeated eruptions; of which only Mount Hibok Hibok remained active to this day. Standing majestic in the midst of Bohol Sea, Macajalar Sea, Gingoog Bay and Butuan Bay, Camiguin island had long been an elusive dream for me. 

The Medicinal Value of Gynura Procumbens

Gynura Procumbens

Various studies on methanol extracts of  the leaves of Gynura Procumbens demonstrated its anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulceronegenic properties. Containing abundant proteins, it also exhibited free radical scavenging and iron chelating properties thus pointing to its high nutritional value and anti-oxidant effect. Based on animal experiments, no attributable toxicity had been attributed to it. Relative to these positive results of the said studies, I am sharing my personal account on Gynura Procumbens.

El Nido Palawan, Philippine's Last Frontier part 2

 Package B of the El Nido island tour 

To start our El Nido  Day 2 Tour, we were privileged to have a foretaste of the tropical island paradise of Entulala. With its sugary white fine sand, coconut lined beach and friendly water, this could have been an ideal place for us to swim;

El Nido Palawan, Philippine's Last Frontier Part I

Looking at the Philippine map, Palawan being a fringe island bereft of any volcano, seems to have not emerged from the Philippine mobile belt. 

The origin of this island can be traced to its limestone cliffs resembling those of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam and Guilin in China: 

Dingalan Aurora island paradise Luzon Philippines

Forty nine years ago as I stood perplexed watching a bus descend from atop the lush mountain of Sierra Madre I tried to fathom the secrets kept beyond those terrains. 

"Cross country drive: Manila to Pagudpud" 2008

I have always associated the Ilocos Region with former President Ferdinand Marcos, who was and still is regarded as Philippine Region I's most favored son. Back then, I had a vague notion that Pangasinan being in Central Luzon belonged to Region III, and La Union was a part of Ilocos Province. I must

Crossing Misamis Occidental: Dipolog to Pagadian

Dakak

This was God's belated birthday gift to me - an unplanned but much dreamed about tour of the Philippine islands. On July 9, 2008, we boarded Philippine Airlines for an almost one and a half hour travel to Dipolog, the capital City of Zamboanga del Norte. After filling our grumbling stomach with seafood laden lunch at the "Kamayan ni Nanay" along the coastal road of Dapitan City, we took the 10 to 12 kilometers long and winding road to Dakak, a well developed beach resort with amenities like a swimming pool, casino, a golf course and well manicured landscaped gardens. 

Growing up in rural Philippines in the 1950's

If by chance God is going to ask me to chronicle my life, it will not actually amount to something worth reading; but all the same, how I relate my life from my point of view is what really matters most to HIM.