These days, when we hear the word baúl or kabán (sp. baúl) We are reminded of treasures (tag. kayamanan) buried deep, somewhere. Most people have never seen one in person let alone have used or owned one. Lucky for me, I have seen old houses with bulky trunks in them. Baúls then are everyday items […]
Category: Iloilo
Reading little known diaries and memoirs are not only entertaining, they’re a great resource of anecdotal and first-hand historical information. I’m a regular reader of Manuel Quezon III’s The Philippine Diary Project, as its name suggests, it’s a collection of diaries from both less known and key historical figures. I recently stumbled upon this book […]
The Bangus, or milkfish, is loved by Filipinos everywhere. Filipinos learned to cook it in so many different and delicious ways. I even heard of a place where they cook it “adobo” style. My Aunt has dates highlighted when sea level would increase. When the tides rise, she instructs her “cabulig” (helpers) to open a […]
A friend blogger posted in his site the apparent threat to the one of the oldest building in the Iloilo, the Ker and Co. in the downtown area. The city government plans to convert it to a parking area. I hope they reconsider this course of action. Iloilo local government have had a good record, […]
Last Saturday, I visited my friend Sr. Gomez at his home. He showed me some old photos of his and I volunteered to scan them so he can save a digital copy somewhere in his computer. Our humid weather accelerates the deterioration of such old materials, its best to scan them for safe keeping. Eveytime […]
The recent success of the Philippine football team brought to mind the image of the little quaint town of Barotac Nuevo, a municipality not far from Dumangas. Barotac is called the footbal capital of the country, and rightly so, as there was once a time when our national team was mostly composed of players from […]
When I told them that I went around San Agustin Church and spent the whole morning there, my relatives exclaimed, “Ah ang simbahan sa cachila” (yes, my aunts pronounced it with the “che” sound!) Then I suddenly recalled that one of the founders of Aglipay here was a grandfather, in fact my mother was baptized […]
My Tia informed me that she would be visiting the place where they buy Bangus fingerlings in Tigbauan. Since she know that I’m ignorant about so many things about country living she tagged me along. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center is a 40 hectare research complex. This is where all the bangus in her […]
The Pavia church is an Italian inspired church that was completed in 1895 by the Augustinian fathers. The construction commenced on the feast of its patron saint, Santa Monica, on May 4, 1887. Pavia was named after the rich agricultural Italian town where Saint Augustine was buried (Basilica San Pietro in Ciel d’Oro). Most likely […]
Sunday. My tía decided to treat us in Tatoy’s Manokan and Seafoods. Tatoy’s is perhaps the most popular and biggest restaurant in Iloílo. It is located in Villa de Arévalo, along Baluarte-Calumpang-Villa-Oton Boulevard near the John Lacson Maritime University campus. My aunt could still recall how the restaurant used to look like, huts of bamboos […]
I consider myself fortunate to have Visayan roots. My father’s mother is a Cebuana from Barili. His father is pure Negrense who spoke Hiligaynón, Bisayà, and Spanish. My mother is an Ilonga, and she prides herself for being one. Her mother was from San Carlos, Negros where she was raised. Her father, a Díaz, was […]
Jaro A trip to the old district of Ciudad de Iloílo became a pilgrimage of sorts to the spiritual legacies of the colonial period – an epoch where the most imposing and richly decorated edifices are churches which the missions and the community constructed. Everyday Filipino life back then revolved around it. And this faith, […]
I went outside the city to visit Cabatúan Church. A tía told me that it is where the father of Senador Manny Villar hails from. I was not sure what to make out of that information but I did hear some news about him funding roads on this part of the country – that fact […]