Gamet: Ilocandia’s Nori

Together with my partners from The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS), we went on a weekend shoot to the town of Burgos. This is a town with beautiful tourist spots and rich with natural resources.

One of its pride is the gamet, black seaweed that grows on the rocks of the seawater. This is painstakingly taken out of the rocks which usually comes slimy The gamet pickers are required to wear hand gloves made of net or sock to take it out.

We visited the village of Saoit where we went straight to the shore. We saw incredible varied coral rock formations. They come mostly in blackish color. We have to step on sharp pointed rocks that would look like stalagmites.

We chanced upon two groups gathering gamet, a couple team with Tata Bartolome and his wife and another team mother Manang Zenaida with her daughter. They looked earnestly collecting the seaweed. They each have a collecting basket made of net. They were so accommodating to explain the conditions of gamet picking. The seawater was calm so they have thin gamet to pick.

According to them, the best time to collect is when there are big waves and if it’s drizzling to get a thick and blackish gamet. Many people come along to pick during those times. They stand on the edges of sharp rock formations and they have to run before they are being struck by the waves. Palong is their local term for waves. So it’s also a risky job to pick seaweeds because they sustain injuries and bruises. There were even deadly accidents.

After the gathering, they have to flatten the seaweed and dry it under the sun. This Ilocandia nori is also expensive in the market because of the difficulty in gathering and its considered as black gold of Burgos.

Gamet can be eaten straight if it’s freshly picked. I have tried it from the site and it tastes good. But if it’s dried one, this can be fried, mix in an omelette, or in inabraw or vegetable stew.

Great Moments of 2011

The year 2011 has been a great year for me. Numerous great moments transpired on the said year. It was a year filled with so many blessings.

I started the year with a climb to Kibungan Mountain range in the province of Benguet. This climb was organized by the Laoag Mountaineering Club.We got the chance to immerse ourselves in the indigenous community who clamor for a no to mining. They protest against any means of exploration and mining in their place. I could say that it was a climb with a purpose since we have heard their sentiments and exchanged ideas through the fora we had in the villages.

I was able to attend and witness several local festivals such as the usual Ati-atihan in Kalibo where Ive been there annually for quite sometime. It was fun that my colleagues from The Ilocandia Photographic Society (TIPS) have joined me. I was elected as the president of the group on April. I have covered the much sensational Cutud Lenten Rites in San Fernando Pampanga on a Good Friday. I had the chance to witness people flagellating and the blood spurts to my shirt.

Newest for me to document was the Pintados-Kasadyaan Festival of Leyte. There was a bit of political drama where the participants barricaded in a portion of their parade route. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the festival because it was a showcase of the festivals of the different towns of the province.

The colorful festivals that I have been to were Panagbenga Festival in Baguio City and Pahiyas of Lucban in Quezon. Lovely blooms and colored rice crakers or kipping were featured respectively.

I had the chance to visit the ancestral home of the T’bolis called Lake Sebu where I had some nature tripping. I have seen the tunas in GenSan and the beaches of Saranggani. I have visited the island of Guimaras on a sidetrip from Iloilo and an up close encounter with the Mount Mayon in Albay.

Of course, the mainstay of Ilocandia’s festivals that I had seen for the year were Gameng of Solsona, Pamulinawen of Laoag, Kannawidan of Ilocos Sur, Guling-guling and Tumba of Paoay, Kawayan of Abra, Magdadaran Talip Festival of Carasi and Panagwawagi Festival of Dumalneg. The last two were from the indigenous community.

So lucky to have been elected as the head of the Iloko & Bago cluster and subsequently elected as the secretary of the National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities under the Subcommission of Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Attended the regular meetings, conducted capability building seminars in my area of jurisdiction and attended seminars and workshops related to arts and culture.

As the head of the Iloko/Bago cluster I had the chance to bring delegation to Tagum and Davao for the celebration of the Dayaw Festival of Indigenous Peoples. I was able to meet different groups of indigenous peoples of the country which is about 110.

For my charity works, I brought the Kids on Project Photography to a trip to a Sunday market in Laoag City and a Pamulinawen Festival exposure. The kids were so inspired to pursue their interest on photography. Something very fulfilling on my part was the spending time with the children of the Missionaries of Charities in Manila to celebrate my birthday meaningfully.

International trips I made were in Victoria, Australia where I was hosted by a college friend and toured me around and got a close encounter with kangaroos, koalas and other animals. Set foot in the south and the north of New Zealand doing the backpacking thing where I visited a Maori village and the earthquake devastated Christchurch.

Penang & Malacca were the two cities that I visited in Malaysia. They are both declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I saw Jakarta of Indonesia and Hong Kong, Macau, and Beijing of China where I have seen the Great China Wall and the Peking Opera. My trip to Mongolia was very special because of the best cultural experience. I have seen the Nadaam Festival where archery, wrestling and horse racing were showcased. It cannot be denied that it’s a big event with so much to see.

The yearender travel was in Guam with some family friends and meeting old and new local friends who toured us around the island. We had a dinner with Polynesian show at one of the hotels and that was fantastic. However, the New Year’s Eve celebration was boring in the island for it was so quiet. Nevertheless, the trip was very good.

I received a good response from the public of my book Around the Americas in 60 Days. Orders from abroad were made because they have seen me and the book featured in an interstitial on ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel. It was almost four months aired worldwide and my friends were surprised to see me on TV.

The big blessing I received for the year was the National Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture given by the SSEAYP International Philippines, an alumni organization for Japan exchange program. The board has recognized my efforts in the said field especially appreciating my activity for the kids at the orpahages where I conduct photography lectures and workshops for the Kids on Project Photography.

It’s Christmas Time in the City

Time really flies so fast. It’s Christmas time once again in the city. Christmas is the day of the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ which is celebrated by billions of people all over the world. The world came or originated from the term Christ’s mass.

Every city is decorated with colorful Christmas decorations. When I visited, Melbourne I saw some shops display colorful set up and designs. Animatronic show with lights and sound can be experienced here. Colorful lights and beautiful music are usually its components. There are some incorporated toys which are moving.

We also saw ginger bread built into a small house with other interesting candy decorations. It is a German style where the breadhouse is similar to witch’s house encountered by Hansel and Gretel.

Same is through when I visited Malacca which is located in a Muslim country. I saw Christmas trees with snow with mushrooms and smurf characters. I have seen another one in Baguio City.

SIP National Awards

The alumni association, Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) International Philippines (SIP), Inc., recently held its SIP National Awards ceremony during the Reunion on Board the Fuji Maru at Pier 13, Port of Manila. The awards committee aims to recognize alumni members who make exemplary contributions to the society.

The award was presented by Quake Garrido, chairman of the awards committee and here it goes:

SSEAYP National Awardee for Arts and Culture

DR. EDWIN V. ANTONIO
Batch 2002

... “ To share my experiences in life, to help others hone their talents, to impart knowledge and art skills in visual arts to the less fortunate and to the young minds and to preserve, develop, promote culture through my blog and my work at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)”

Our Awardee is the Secretary, Executive Council (Execon) National Committee on Northern Cultural Communities, Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts (SCCTA), NCCA until Dec 2013. Their activities include among others Capability Building Seminars/Policy Making for the Cultural Communities/Participation in Indigenous Peoples events and activities. In this area, he has tapped blogging as a new media to reach more people in promoting the culture of Ilocandia. He is a cultural & travel blogger in the site www.ilocandiatreasures.com.

He is also the VICE-PRESIDENT, TAWID CULTURAL TROUPE – Ilocano cultural organization and presently, he is the PRESIDENT, THE ILOCANDIA PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY (TIPS), INC. It will warm your heart to know that the awardee is also the proponent and founder of KIDS ON PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHY - a project that teaches cultural photography to kids in the orphanages.

The award was handed in by SIP Board Chairman Yvette Ledesma and President Greg Alcera. I am so grateful to the screening committee and the entire board for giving this award. It’s a validation of my efforts to promote the Philippine culture especially indigenous arts and culture.

Other awardees are Wilfredo Vina Bautista for Community Service, Atty. Mark Borres for Youth Empowerment, Napoleon Hernandez for Government Service and Atty Datu Reza Sinsuat for Strengthening SSEAYP.

Frolicking in Tumba

The fun and excitement never fade each time I attend the Tumba, a halloween tradition in the town of Paoay in Ilocos Norte. This is my fourth time to see it and my second time to judge the competition and I kept on discovering new things.

Tumba means catafalque. It is made of cogon, bamboo, coconut and banana leaves and other indigenous materials. It usually measures around 4x5x6 m. The people prepare an altar filled with a wide array of food plus antique images of saints, small and big alike, crucifixion, candles and flowers. The old folks clad in their pandiling and kimona with black or white veils recite prayers. They also render songs. Tumba is celebrated every first day of November in time for the All Saint’s Day.

The people from the community help put up the tumba. It used to be an individual barangay showcase but it was a long and tiring job to visit all the villages. So they came up with clusters of barangays or districts to minimize time and expenses. There were ten entries this year. We started past 7pm to go around. We have seen tumba that were dim lighted with only candles and torches. People in the community warmly greeted guests and they were led to the altar. Atang or food offering was shown to us. We were asked to pick whatever we like. The essence of tumba celebration is snatching the food you like from the table or it’s locally called mangararwa.

I had a great time tasting the food they prepare from each tumba. They had the umras consisted of native food delicacies such as suman, tupig, linapet, patopat, baduya, bicho-bicho and many others. Drinks composed of a bottle of softdrink, beer and basi, a local wine made of sugar cane are also offered. Not to forget the important offering, the betel nut, gawed leaves and the lime for mamaen.

I enjoyed eating the grilled fish such as the huge tilapia from Paoay Lake. They also had the mudfish, catfish and the porong. They displayed also roasted native chicken, a farm produce in each barangay. People from the coastal areas showcased seafoods such as big crabs, shrimps, shell fish. I even their exotic roach of the sea which is a family of shrimps.

Fruits adorn the table in the tumba such as bananas, papayas, guaples, pineapples, sugar cane and other fruits. When you look up, some pomelos were hanged for decoration and I was told that that was the main decoration in the old times. It was also decorated with abel cloth and crocheted fabrics including the altar.

We finished it after an hour and a half. We had difficulty of taking home the bunchful food they have given to us. Right after judging the village folk shared the offerings. With Mr. Raquel, Ms Majang, Mrs Carpio and Mr Galano, we concluded our trip to the tumbas at the municipyo. Districts 5, 8 and 2 came out as the winners in this year’s Tumba.

Frolicking did not stop at the tumba but went for a quick trip to the horror house set up at the creepy site of the convent ruins. There was a long queue of young people who want to be frigthened by scary characters inside. Screaming and shouting of young girls is what you can hear and there was even crying of a young boy. What a wonderful way to celebrate halloween.

Semana ti Ar-Aria

Ar-aria means ghost in Ilocano and the past week was a season of ghosts. On October 30, I was invited by barangay chairman Joegie Jimenez to attend the celebration of halloween and judge the contests in the town of Burgos. It rained cats and dogs but it did not dampen their mood. Locals joined in the body painting contest, scariest costume, thriller dance, & lie down in a coffin challenge. The teenagers showed no fear of lying down the coffin. No elders dare tried it. There were some snacks basically of kakanin prepared for the participants and guests.

On October 31, a halloween bash at the Ilocos Norte Capitol was held. It was participated in by most of the towns in the province. Even local political leaders donned costumes. There was a parade of scary halloween characters and costumes that started from the public cemetery taking the Rizal Street and ending up at the Capitol. There were a lot of spectators for this event showing that they love to be scared.

After the parade, there was a frightening pageant called Reyna Iloca-locana with most of them outrageous gay characters. They were made up really as creepy creatures. There was even one candidate who portrayed as unborn fetus who drank blood.

There were also some halloween games such as the lungon challenge. Prior to this event, there was free horror film festival held at Robinson’s Mall and Mariano Marcos State University in which I saw the indie films Yanggaw and Kinatay courtesy of Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte.

GenSan: Tuna Capital of the Philippines

The very purpose of my visit to General Santos City or Gen San is to see how the tuna export market looks like since it is dubbed as the tuna capital of the Philippines since 1970. The city is the largest producer of sashimi-grade tuna and the second largest daily total catch of fish in the Philippines after Navotas City with a capacity of around 750 metric tons.

Lungsod ng Heneral Santos is a highly urbanized city and it is a component of the province of South Cotabato. It is the center of commerce and trade in Region XII better known as the SOCCSKSARGEN Region. It has a total of 26 barangays and has an area of 492.86 sq.km. It is located on the coastal area making fishing industry as main source of livelihood.

I went to the fishing port in Barangay Tambler early to catch the glimpse of the huge tunas. On my way, I saw workers in their suit and boots who rode on the jeepney Im riding at. It was unfortunate that I was on a shorts and sandals that they won’t allow admission. Because of strict implementation of the policy and that it’s a waste of time to go back to my hotel, I went and tried my best to look for someone whom I can rent boots and pants with. Luckily at the side of the gate there were people with boots for rent. I rented it at 50 pesos and I also rented the pants he’s wearing.

Then I went to hitch in a motorcycle. There I saw the fishport with numerous boats. This is a world class fishport complex that has 750-meter quay and a 300-metre wharf. The port is equippped with modern facilities of international standards. People were busy transporting their catch. Several kinds of fish that I saw.

Then at the other end were the huge tunas that men carry on their shoulders. I instantly took photos of them. I even boarded the boat just to see the tunas up close. They were placed on a container on the boat’s body with lots of ice. They have to use force to carry and bring it to the floor. Then one by one, they were picked up by porters.

At the hall, they have to weigh each and every tuna. It shall be assessed by buyers and have to pinch a very slim metal tube into the tuna’s body to sample the quality of the meat. They haggle and negotiate with the price of each tuna. I saw some foreigners at the market with Japanese and Caucasians.

Aside from exporting tunas, General Santos City process the tuna catch. The city is actually home to seven tuna processing plants which one can see along the highway. Then coming back to the city, I looked for restaurants that serve tuna and I was lucky to find one. I had a taste of the sinigang na tuna with partnered wtih seaweed lato salad. This was truly a great tuna trip experience.