IT'S MORE FUN RUNNING

Suddenly, we felt like doing a walk or run.

Every Sunday morning at least.

I guess that's one thing you suddenly want to do when you're 40.

We did 3 kilometers in 30 minutes during the Don Bosco Fun Run in San Jose City.

A friend said that 30 minutes of sex is equivalent to a brisk walking of 2 miles per hour.

Maybe that should be done more often too.

(Premature ejaculations are not counted.)

Photo courtesy of Kuya Art Danao.

FOR THE LOVE OF BATCHOY (AND MOLO)

There are 3 reasons why I decided to join Aksiyon Klima in its Iloilo road trip although I have been hurting from too much travelling and I thought I'll take it easy for a while.

First are the churches because I want to update my Olympus Camedia-era gallery on such.

Second is to have another take of that to-die-for La Paz Batchoy.

Third is to finally get acquainted with Pansit Molo.

The first intention is a disappointment because I was only able to shoot the 19th century San Agustin church of Dumangas (first photo below) while doing a courtesy call to the mayor, and update my take on the 19th-century-also San Jose church in Iloilo City (second photo below) during a lull in a forum with local planning and development officers. The churches of Jaro, Molo, and La Paz will have to wait for another time.

But not La Paz's batchoy as I was so determined not to fail in this mission which my the-other-day reconnaissance informed to be just a short walk from our hotel. And it was indeed a heavenly breakfast of that classic noodles tempered in chicken stock with an avalanche of meat and liver slices, fresh raw egg, and a shower of crushed chicharon which deserves a rightful place among the titans of the Filipino noodle cuisine.

And Pansit Molo too as I was finally properly introduced this bowl of ground-pork-wrapped-in-wonton-wrappers-and-cooked-in-a-sublime-galicky-concoction at Ponsyon's while killing time for the flight back to Manila at the Plazuela de Iloilo.

FOOTNOTES: 

DUMANGAS CHURCH. Perhaps there is basis on the locals' claim that their town of Dumangas is in fact the oldest town in the Philippines. It was believed to be the center of Panay's nobility long before the Spaniards came in 1565 and built Iloilo's first ermita. But what will be the town's first church was built between 1620 and 1625. What is now the present church was started to be erected in 1887 by Fr. Fernando Llorente (OSA) and completed by Fr. Rafael Murillo (OSA) in 1896.  The church has been described as "magnificent and of exceptionally monumental proportions..." It has been declared as a national landmark by the National Historical Institute.

SAN JOSE CHURCH. The Jesuits probably built the first church in 1617 --- the same year that Hilo-hilo was accepted by the Augustinians as a mission. In 1873, the present church was started to be built where an image of the Nuestra Senora del Rosario, said to be found in a box during a raid by Dutch pirates on La Punta de Iloilo in 1614, is enshrined.

LA PAZ BATCHOY. There are various versions of the origin of the batchoy. What is conclusive is that it originated in the La Paz market in Iloilo somewhere between 1938 and 1945, and that it evolved from a Chinese noodle dish.

PANSIT MOLO. This noodle dish obviously originated in Iloilo City's Molo District and is an adaptation of the wonton soup. 

ZIPPED, RAPPELLED

No internet, no mobile phone signal.

Only the welcome peace of Camp Alfredo, good all-Filipino food (tinolang manok bisaya, suman at manga, balingoy at buko, adobadong manok at baboy, pinoy salad, daing at longganisa) and great company of colleagues from Aksiyon Klima.

And the zip line which I tried for the first time, and the hanging bridge for the second time (the first was a long, long time ago on the way to a Kasibu logging camp), and rappelling which is another first.

I got to reshoot the Trappist Monastery but as in the first time, the lousy weather ruined the day. I did have Abbey Road (during a quick nicotine fix outside the monastery grounds) and Monk (with Wendy and Pangging at the entrance of the monastery church) below flickred.

I love Guimaras...

PHOTO CREDIT: The first 3 photos were taken by Mark Cervantes of the IIRR.

LUCENA ON MY MIND

Ang Lucena sa aking alaala ay tanong kung ano ang capital ng Quezon na 'di ko masagot sa isang quiz matagal na panahon na ang nakakaraan n'ung Grade IV pa ako sa Mapandan, Pangasinan. "Lola mo, lola mo," bulong ng nanay ko na siya naming titser noon. Hindi ko pa rin nakuha pero alam kong ang pangalan ng lola ko ay Lucena Salatan-Ceincia.

Tapos nabalitaan ko kina Mama Ched n'ung naka-stow away ako sa Sta. Ana, Manila na ang Uncle Manoling Ciencia na madalas kong marinig at madalang makita ay pinagsasaksak at napatay sa Lucena. Maliban d'un, ang natatandaan ko pa sa kanya ay may anak siyang Liza ang pangalan na mahusay maglaro ng chess.

Siyempre, dumagdag na sa huli ang opisina namin sa Lucena na lungga ng aking Kumpareng Amor. 

At siyempre pa, sa Lucena 'din matatagpuan ang pansit habhab na hindi ko pa natitikman mula ng ako'y maging mamang-mahilig-magpityur-ng-pansit.

Ayon sa Wikipedia,  ang pansit habhab ay nagmula sa Lucban, Quezon. Ang luto nito ay parang pansit canton  at may sahog na baboy at hipon. Tinawag sigurong habhab ito dahil sa dahon ng saging ihinahain at kinakain na walang tinidor at kutsara. Ang isa pang pagkakaiba nito sa lahat ng pansit na dumating sa buhay ko ay tinitimplahan ito ng sukang binabaran ng sili, bawang, at paminta bago kainin.

Ayon sa aking panlasa, mamantika at matabang na may bahid ng lata ang inalmusal naming pansit habhab sa palengke ng Lucena. Totoong mura ang presyo nitong P7 hangang P10 dahil totoo 'ding ako'y napamura matapos ang ikatlong habhab. Hindi ko man lamang nalasahan ang sahog na baboy at hipon, kung meron man.

Subalit ang pansit habhab ay hindi para sa fine dining at masarap na pagkain. Ito ay dagliang pamukaw sa mga sikmurang gutom na barya lang ang laman ng bulsa. Nalala ko tuloy ang pansit kanin na paborito ng mga tricycle driver sa San Jose City, Nyeva Ecija...

ANG DIWATA NG KASAGINGAN

Nabulabog ang isla ng Marinduque.

Sumaludo ang araw at yumuko ang mga alon sa kanyang daraanan; nagpulong ang mga tulingan at manakla kung kanino mapupunta ang karangalan na maihain sa magaganap na handaan; tumulas ang pawis ng mga Buyuboys upang punasan ang mga katawang nililok ng walang katapusang hamon ng buhay. 

Darating ang Diwata ng Kasagingan.

Ilabas ang bagong hangong tuba, igayak ang manok na adobado sa gata at tinola sa tanglad, hanguin ang bagong lutong uraro!

Sa kanyang pagdating ay pinaliguan siya ng bendeta mula sa bituka ng natutulog na bulkan upang maisakatuparan ang pangakong naudlot ilang taon na ang nakararaan sa Nueva Ecija.

Mabuhay ang mga Buyuboys! Mabuhay ang matibay na motorsiklo ni Nitoy! Mabuhay sina Haring Gaspar, Balatazar, at Melchor at ang 3 islang nagluwal kay Poctoy!

At bagamat lumukob ang dalamahati sa misteryosong pagpanaw ni Randy, at napanis ang iginayak na hapunan ni Ka Mac, at nangulila ang mga simbahan ng Sta. Cruz at Boac....

...bagamat sandaling umiyak ang langit...

...maligaya ang Diwata ng Kasagingan, at iyun ang pinakamahalaga sa kanyang mga konsorte.

Mabuhay si Roma!