Bizarre foods - Part 5
This time, we are looking at Palawan Bizarre foods! Let’s have a look and see if the foods of Palawan aren’t a little different from Manila!
Let’s go to Bukidnon!
Well, for today, I have a video of a trip that Feyma, the kids and I took to Bukidnon.
It’s not really a full-fledged trip to the Province, rather just a trip across the border to buy some plants for around our house in Davao. In Bukidnon, there are lots of roadside stands selling flowers and plants, and the prices there are very cheap. For a plant that you would pay P200 or P300 for in Davao, you can get it for P20 to P40 at the most along the roadside in Bukidnon! Quite a savings, don’t you think?
The trip was rainy and very foggy, which you will see in the video.
The maid’s choice
Today I got a text from our helper that she is quiting.
She went home a few days ago to the province to visit her Dad and attend the wedding of her uncle.
Our helper was complaining how did her uncle afford to be getting married (even special wedding) that him and his wife has no job. The wife-to-be is like 5 months pregnant now. A few months back that same uncle was asking some money from our helper for her to help the wedding expenses. I told her at that time that would you really want to send the money to your uncle even your dad is needing the money for his check up? Her dad is kind of sickly with old age and overwork in the farm. She told me that she wants the money to be given to her dad. I had a feeling that the family is forcing them to help pay with the wedding. My nieces and I even told her to just send the money to her dad because the fare to go to the farm can already pay half sack of rice. Which is a big deal to her family.
She has been working with us for over 2 years now. When I hired her I told her that I don’t want for her to just stay with me for a few months and I will train her how to do some work and later on quit. Well, at least she stayed for 2 years.
When she first came to our house she really looked pretty bad, her teeth had lots of problems, her skin was so dry because of working in the farm. Really we felt sorry for her. The next day when she came I immediately brought her to the dentist for her teeth to get fixed first. The dentist did a good job and our helper was really happy with the result. At least for staying here for 2 years she really learned a lot and she looks better. Even her neighbors in the province would always comment to her that she must have been treated good with her employer because she looks great now.
She told my sister that it is hard for her to quit because we really treated her good, but just that she wants to be with her family all the time. My sister said that how could she afford the medicine and the food if she’s not working? Our helper said that it’s okay for her to work at the next town and have a smaller paycheck as long as shes near to her dad.
I think she is now helping her aunt to do laundry (labandera). Some of her cousins want her to be the nanny of their babies and kids. They even got mad at her for working with us since we are not her family. I think she’s just so tired of their whining and will just work with them to get it over with. She really despises her extended family because when her and her dad were in need of her family to help them because one of her siblings got ill, the family just turned them away and told them they had no money.
But when the uncle was getting ready to get married the family really told the dad of our helper that they have to give this amount of money and they have to give it right away. And now that our helper was working and earning a little bit to support her dad and siblings the family wants a portion of her paycheck too. Sometimes I told her to get her priority straight. To focus on her dad and her siblings instead of her relatives.
I really hope she is happy on the next job that she ventures. I hope that she will not get married soon, shes too young to have a kid too.
Medical news in the Philippines
In recent weeks, there have been two big news stories in the Philippines related to the medical field. Both of these are major stories, although for different reasons.
The first case, which has been public for a couple of weeks now involves a patient who had surgery at a Government operated hospital in Cebu, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. The incident happened back in January 2008, and involved a Filipino man who got into an embarrassing situation. After a night of drinking, the fellow got into a sexual encounter with another man. The whole thing went bad, and the man ended up with an aerosol can somewhere where it should not have been. The only way to retrieve the aerosol can, it turned out, was by having surgery for removal. During the surgery, somebody in the operating room shot video of the scene, and the doctors and nursing staff were all laughing and carrying on regarding the situation that the man was in. When the can was retrieved, one of the doctors even said that the “baby had been delivered,” and broke out into a burst of laughter. This video (over 3 minutes) was posted to YouTube, and made worldwide headlines.
To me, this behavior that the doctors and nurses displayed in the Operating Room was really a case of a breach of confidence with the patient! It was also childish and immature behavior. I believe that it borders on malpractice, although the man recovered from the surgery successfully.
Currently, the medical staff is under investigation, and they stand to lose their medical licenses. I feel that it would be appropriate for such a punishment, given their actions.
Do you remember last year when there was a huge uproar due to an episode of Desperate Housewives when Terri Hatcher made comment indicating that she didn’t want a doctor from the Philippines? It caused a huge stir in the Philippines. While I think that this YouTube incident is an isolated incident, I can also imagine that if this is a common practice among doctors in the Philippines (I don’t think it is, though), many people worldwide would prefer to avoid medical professionals from here. Was Terri Hatcher right? What do you think?
In the second big medical story here in the Philippines, there has been a big investigation into medicals billings here in the Philippines, and evidence has surfaced that a number of Philippine clinics have been involved in defrauding the United States Government of hundreds of millions of dollars! Yes, you read that right, HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of US Dollars! How?
Well, you see, United States Veterans who have Tri-Care medical coverage can be treated in many accredited medical facilities in the Philippines, and Tri-Care is billed for the services. It turns out that some of these facilities have been billing the US Government at rates up to 2,000% above the correct rates! It has been said on the local news that even some American Vets who were treated were given kick-backs to assist with the fraud.
One Medical Facility in the Philippines has already been convicted, and they have been ordered by US courts to divest all of their assets within 3 months, and to give the money to the US Government as a repayment of the fraud that they committed. All reports are that the Philippine Government stands ready to assist the US Government in whatever way is necessary to recover the lost money. The Philippine Justice Secretary last week even said that he is ready to extradite any Filipinos that the US Justice Department requests for trial.
Quite interesting times for the Philippine Medical profession. Very interesting!
The shampoo is always greener…
What? Green shampoo? Well, the title of today’s column is a little twist on the old saying - “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” You’ve heard the saying, right?
Now, what does this have to do with shampoo? Well, I’m going to poke a little fun at Feyma today. She is welcome to poke me back, I’m sure that she won’t have any trouble finding something that I am an easy target for!
You see, when Feyma first moved to the States, it didn’t take long and she was always telling me that she missed the shampoo from the Philippines. I told her that we had so many kinds of shampoo in the States that she must be able to find some kind of shampoo that she liked! She told me that the shampoo in the Philippines was special, because it was made for Filipino hair, and thus worked better for Filipinos than the American brands did.
We searched and searched, and finally we found sources for Filipino brands of shampoo! It wasn’t easy to find them, but it turned out that a Filipino grocery store in town carried such items. They were pretty darn expensive, but if my wife felt that she needed it, of course I would do whatever was necessary to get it for her, right? So, of course, I bought it for her, and during the ten years that Feyma lived in the States, Feyma tended to use Filipino brands of shampoo, which we purchased from the Filipino store in our community. It was just better for her.
A funny thing happened when we moved to the Philippines, though… Feyma rarely buys Filipino brands of shampoo anymore! Ha ha….. when I ask her why, she says “The Pantene is just so much better than the local brands!”
Oh my…..
Memorable visit to Davao
Today’s guest column is from my friend, Jim Cunningham. Jim is a long time visitor to the Philippines, and will be retiring to the Philippines by the end of this year. Jim recently visited Davao City, among other places, and writes here about his experiences. Thanks for writing this, Jim! Meeting you and Marilou for dinner during your visit was a real pleasure! Bob
During our recent holiday to the Philippines we had an occasion to visit Davao for the first time. The journey to Davao was made in the company of Greg and Rose Longcob the husband and wife team who manage the administration of Bethany Christian Home for Children in Talakag, Bukidnon along with my wife Marilou’s tita Mrs Caring Garcia.
The journey to Davao took us through some of the most beautiful scenery not only in Bukidnon but also Mindanao. The contrast from the coastal areas to mountain region was a sight to behold. Certain parts of the journey particularly where there is an abundance of pine trees growing reminded me of the alpine regions of Europe.
At over a thousand meters above sea level the climate in the Quezon/Buda region is almost akin to an eternal European spring or early summer. Along the way locals were selling plant species that could only be described as alpine, thriving no doubt as a result of the elevation.
There is a place along the highway called Overview from which you can have a spectacular view of the Bukidnon scenery from mountains in the distance to rice fields in the valleys a whole 360 º panorama it’s absolutely breathtaking. How some of the heavy goods vehicles negotiate this mountain road is beyond belief but obviously they do, hour by hour.
When eventually we arrived in Davao we visited a very close friend of ours who like ourselves lives in the North East of England but also has a house in Mindanao. The lunch we enjoyed was sumptuous one or two even enjoyed forty winks after leaving the table. Since we had not booked accommodation in advance of our journey we set out to look for a centrally located hotel to stay for the next two nights which we thought would be relatively easy. Easy in deed by now it was becoming almost dark and we had visited all the down town hotels to no avail when we stumbled across a small hotel called Humberto’s “The Charming Little Hotel” which transpired to be a little jewel in the heart of the city. After my wife returned to the car to confirm that there was room at the said inn we decided to park the vehicle in front of the hotel as there was a space available and it would be easier to unload our bags etc. When I got out of the car I accidentally dropped my camera due to my small bag still being open which I use for cameras and phones when I travel. I retrieved my camera and continued to guide Greg into the parking space. When we were settled into our room I noticed that my mobile telephone was missing and began to search around for it asking the other members of our party if they had seen it. We even searched outside around the car where I had dropped my camera as well as inside the vehicle to no avail. Additionally we even telephoned our friend with whom we had lunch just in case I had left it there at her house.
So I was resigned to the fact that I had lost the phone and I would contact my office the next day to cancel the sim card just in case someone was telephoning their friends and family around the world at my company’s expense.
The next morning we set off to visit Samal Island which we had heard about through reading Bob Martin’s www.liveinthephilippines.com. We used the RoRo ferry to take us over to Samal as we had taken the car with us so we could explore the island at our leisure. Whilst on Samal we visited Chemas Resort which is a private resort family owned and managed and is very secluded should anyone want peace and quiet whilst on holiday. The accommodation is currently being upgraded although the present rooms are very nice. We stayed at Chemas for lunch which was excellent and reasonably priced even although we just dropped in. The truth was we used Bob Martins good name to gain entrance as normally one would have to book at the Waterside Hotel and travel to the resort by its private boat, so we were fortunate having a well-known acquaintance. Later that afternoon we made our way back to Davao as the women wanted to do some shopping and we stopped off at an area of the city where they mainly sell native crafts etc. Whilst the women did what they do best I went to look for an internet café so that I could contact my office and cancel my sim card. I found an internet café very quickly and when I checked my mail I saw one from my daughter and on opening it I got the surprise of my life. My daughter informed me that someone called Jackie had contacted her by text to tell her that they had found my mobile telephone. Jackie had left her e-mail address as well as phone number for me to contact her. I text her straight away and very soon had a reply that she would come to Humberto’s Hotel to return my phone. I was overjoyed to receive this news as the phone was my only means of staying in touch with my office during my holiday. I went back to find the others and gave them the good news.
At around 4pm Jackie (Jacqueline B Javier) arrived along with her mother Ma Fe B Javier and related the story of the previous evening when the phone was found outside the hotel. When I had dropped my camera the previous evening unknown to me I had also dropped my phone. Mrs Ma Fe B Javier was on her way to the Gym around the corner from the hotel and had noticed the phone lying on the road. There was no one around and it was raining so she continued to the Gym for her workout.
Later that evening when she returned home she explained to her daughter Jacqueline who is a medical student at Ateneo de Davao University, what had happened. Jacqueline soon found my daughter’s messages to me and contacted her to say my phone had been found. That was how I discovered my phone had been found. My wife and Ma Fe soon got chatting and discovered that they were both members of the same civic organisation called Alpha Phi Omega Sorority which includes “honesty” as one of its jewels. How true this turned out to be as far as I was concerned I was absolutely delighted.
My day had been made and later that evening we met up with Bob Martin and his charming wife Feyma to enjoy what turned out to be a fantastic meal at De Bonte Koe restaurant on Rizal Street.
The next morning as we left Davao I was so happy the way our visit had turned out having my lost telephone returned and meeting up with nice friends and having the opportunity to see Davao at last.
I hope if there is anyone from Mayor Duterte’s office reading this to note that I am most grateful to Mrs Ma Fe B Javier and her daughter Jacqueline of La Verna Hills Subdivision, Buhangin for being upstanding and honest citizens of Davao City. A real credit to your city Mr Mayor.
Block Party in Subic and Clark
Run. Bike. Climb. These aren’t the things you’re normally allowed to do on a highway. But I was fortunate enough to have been invited to “94k Weekend” – last week’s pre-inaugural opening of the smooth and spanking Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).
The new toll road is a flagship project of the Arroyo Administration and government corporation Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). Promising speedy and comfortable travel for tourists in Luzon (just 30 minutes from Clark to Subic!), the SCTEX is expected to become the economic backbone of Central and North Luzon, while also developing new centers of excellence in international service and logistics in Southeast Asia. Introductory toll rate has been set to P2 per kilometre.
For the 94k Weekend, BCDA gathered runners, cyclists, bikers, car lovers, families and leisure seekers in what turned out to be, quite literally, a three-day block party. Well, a block party with marathons and ceremonial torch relays and tattooed Mad Dog MC bikers with handlebar moustaches.
On Friday, the 250,000-strong Luzon Motorcyclist Federation, Inc. (LMFI) held an exhibit and convention on the grassy grounds of the Clark Omni Area. And then on Saturday, executives and corporate professionals put on their cycling suits for a friendly but competitive 150k race. Wall-climbing guests scaled a specially-constructed 3-panel wall. There was also a concert stage, on one side of which was a bazaar that sold –among many other things– imported tequila. And BMW Philippines built a mini-expo to showcase their latest luxury bikes and cars (a red M3 Coupé!), most of which were made available for test drives.
Oh. And then there was a 94-kilometre marathon.
It’s not every day that toll roads are open for runners but for this one summer weekend the organisers had made it possible. An invitation was sent to a team of athletes to cover the full distance of 94 kilometres; collectively, they’re called the Pinoy Ultra Runners, and I carried the journalistic burden of following them.
So they ran. They ran across an asphalt highway so smoothly paved such as you’ll never see elsewhere in the Philippines. They ran through the country’s most important economic hubs: from the Central Techno Park in Tarlac, through the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, and to the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales (as well as several other duty-free, Americanized areas). They ran past 8 interchanges, 35 bridges, 255 culverts, 44 underpasses, and –ahem!– state-of-the-art computerized toll collection systems.
They ran to prove a point, to burn calories, or maybe just to view the northern scenery. (The SCTEX does offer breathtaking views of distant mountains, cliffs, and green landscapes.) They didn’t exactly run to finish first. In this case, after all, placing ahead of others did not really matter so much as conquering new challenges.
And treading new paths. Literally.
A “typical” foreigner’s behaviour?
A couple of days ago my wife and I visited a mall here in Davao City. After entering the mall we decided to visit one of the ATM’s to check our account balance. Following the line I went straight to the ATM, while my wife followed me being to insert the card. Suddenly from the left side “an English speaking foreigner” tried to make a “short cut” by blocking our way. We just ignored him, even he planted himself before us while we tried to get our cash amount. Some terrible embarrassing words came out his mouth. I really don’t like to repeat them all here, but when he started to shout at my wife: “You are a pig!” - I really began shaking. I smelt something. I guess the foreigner has been with under the influence of alcohol. His wife tried her best to stop him for affronting us - but he continued with finger pointing and another @*@*@*@* - word… .
This was the time, a Filipino, waiting behind us for his turn, lost his temper and a loud verbal confrontation between him and this foreigner started. I will not bother you, my dear reader, with details - but when my wife and I liked to thank this Filipino, he suddenly shook my hands and hugged me: “I know you, you are living here - but this “old stupid monkey” should go home to his home country!” The Filipino stressed also, that not only he observed many more incidents like that during those days.
My wife and I felt very uncomfortable. We hope, that this incident remains as individual and isolated case…
How about you, my dear reader: Have got similar “adventures”???
Bizarre foods of the Philippines - Part 4
Continuing the journey through Bizarre foods found in the Philippines, we start out looking at Jeepneys, and quickly move on to delicacies of the Philippines.
Don’t miss this latest installment in the series!
What is the national language of the Philippines?
Over the years, I have heard some talk among other foreigners about language and the Philippines. There is some minor misunderstanding among many foreigners when it comes to language. Most foreigners decide not to try to learn any local language when they move here, while others struggle with the question of which language to learn.
First, let’s look at the question of National Language. Well, the reality is that there really isn’t a “national language” except under the law. There is not any national language in terms of a language that everybody in the nation speaks with regularity. Under the law, the National Language is Pilipino. No, it’s not Tagalog. A few decades ago, lawmakers decided that instead of forcing everybody to learn Tagalog, they would create a new language, and call it “Pilipino,” which sounds so inclusive of everybody.
This new language was supposed to incorporate words and sayings from all of the various languages used around the country. Did you know that there are over 80 different languages used in the Philippines? So, a team was assembled to begin creating this wonderful new language that would be so inclusive. Funny thing happened along the way, though. Basically, Pilipino became Tagalog! Why? I don’t know for sure, although I have been told that most of the people who were officially tasked with creating this new language were Tagalogs, and that probably resulted in the “new language” of Pilipino basically just coming out as Tagalog under a different name. As a matter of fact, if you look at many references, they will list “Tagalog” as the official language of the country, even though by law it is not.
Based on Census data, do you know what the most widely spoken language is in the Philippines? I am talking the most widely spoken first language now. It is Bisaya, by about 5 million people. Yes, there are around 5 million more Bisaya speakers than Tagalog speakers! If you look at the data from a standpoint of the language that can be spoken by the most people that is Tagalog, but if you look at the number of people who report their first language (language of choice), Bisaya is the clear winner.
Next choice, for a foreigner who wants to learn some language is - “Which language should I learn?” Well, in my opinion, that depends on where you plan to live. If you are going to live in the Visayas or Mindanao, I would encourage you to choose Bisaya. Be it Cebuano or one of the other Bisayan languages in the region. I mean, no doubt if you live in Bohol, you should learn Boholano instead of Cebuano most likely. But, if you live anywhere in the Visayas or Mindanao, my recommendation would be to learn Bisaya. If you live in Luzon, learn Tagalog, Ilocano or whatever language is spoken in the part of Luzon where you choose to settle.
Think of it like this… You are probably wanting to learn a bit of language so that you can communicate with as many people as possible in your chosen region. So, learn the language that they speak regularly. If you were going to live in Brazil, would you learn Spanish? Probably not, because they speak Portuguese there! Spanish and Portuguese are similar to each other, even share some words, and almost all of South America speaks Spanish, so why not learn Spanish? Well, because Spanish is not the language that is spoken in Portugal! Thus, if you want to live in the Visayas or Mindanao, why not learn that language that is widely spoken in that region. And, if you are going to live in a Tagalog area, by all means, learn Tagalog!
Now, let’s look at another question. Do you have to learn the language to live here? Absolutely not! You can speak English here and live a happy life, no doubt about that. That said, however, I believe that you will lead a more enriched life, be better accepted in the new society that you have chosen to live in, and overall have a better quality of life if you make the effort to learn to converse in the local language. I know that I went for more than 7 years without learning the language. When I started formally learning to speak Bisaya last year, I saw that a lot of doors into the culture opened for me. I have gotten where I better understand what is going on around me, and I have a better appreciation of life here. So, no, you don’t have to learn the language at all, but I recommend that you learn at least some. Actually, living here, I don’t think it would be possible to not learn some, I mean when words are spoken in front of you on a daily, even hourly basis, you can’t help but learn what some of those words mean.
I have had a few questions on what language I recommend for people to learn. That is why I have written this piece. Of course, this is just my opinion as is everything else that I write. I just feel, though, that if you want to live in Davao or elsewhere in the south, Bisaya is the way to go.
What do you think?