Category Archives: Iloilo

City Agriculture Office

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Republic of the Philippines, Office of the City Agriculture, Iloilo City (snapshot taken last May 2014)

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Kanonization of Education

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43 years ago, my mother graduated from Central Philippine University (CPU), a school founded in 1905 by American Missionaries in Jaro, Iloilo.

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My mother in the picture was reminiscing her classroom days at Valentine Hall. Reverend William Valentine is the founding father of CPU

CPU is just one of the many institutions in the country founded by the Americans. The structures in the campus are just some of the many structures built or architecturally influenced by the Americans during their time.

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University of the Philippines, my alma mater, exists because of American colonization, which makes education as my favorite Americanization in the country.

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It was late afternoon when I accompanied my mother in her visit, hence the reason for the dusky look in all snapshots

Today, July 4, 2014, is a big day in USA, and the reason why I thought about CPU and the kanonization* of our education system.

*Kanonization is the term I used for Americanization in a local way. I do have that good book by Scott Garceau titled “Kano-nization: More Secrets from the X-Pat Files”. It’s about Filipino way of life that’s something of a bewilderment or humorous in the eyes of an American.

Typography: Prepaid Load

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Cellphone prepaid load retailing typography on a peanut stand

Charcoal Grilled Mais

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Lady vendor grilling corn over charcoal in downtown Iloilo. Her Weber is an old enamel basin

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No frills but good eats for just a few pesos

By the Iloilo River, I Ran

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When I was a kid, my favorite view in Iloilo would be the passage of the ship in this river coming from the strait of Iloilo. I would either be at the roof deck or at the railing of M/V Princess of Negros or M/V Don Vicente. How I wish I have photographs of these two beloved Negros Navigation vessels. Each way will take 2 hours but it was truly a joy to slow travel in those ships than in fast craft vessels which took over the Bacolod-Iloilo route in the 90s.

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Esplanade is a little more than a kilometer long

Whenever I run in Iloilo, one can always see the river, or one can certainly pass at some bridge spanning the river. This filled my mind with historical thoughts like my story above.

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I appreciate this beautification effort in Iloilo

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See that Gothic structure over there at the other side of the river? that's Molo church. I ran towards Molo district first before running in this esplanade by the river

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A sundowner run on one's trip means sunset appreciation and a good appetite for dinner

Tinuom

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Early this month, I found myself checking in at Iloilo airport, about 4:30 PM. Being alone, and seeing that it was still too early for my 7 PM flight back to Manila, I went for a walk outside the airport in search for a carinderia. In other words, looking for something interesting to eat (or something interesting to see), as generally, I find airport restaurants in the country dull.

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No other passengers. I guess, no one would venture out of the aiport anymore after securing one's boarding pass - except me

Walking past the airport gate, a little past the flying school’s some kind of an aircraft laboratory, I reached the doorstep of this tinuom carinderia. Tinuom is chopped native chicken that is boiled mainly with tomatoes, onions, salt (and maybe lemongrass), inside a banana leaf. It must be carefully wrapped so the stock won’t leak, else it wouldn’t be as richly flavored as it’s supposed to be.

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Cooked with banana leaves which makes the broth flavorful in a bukid way. No sautéing done with the native chicken which makes it healthful than tinola, I suppose

Tinuom is said to be Cabatuan’s specialty, a town that has recently become an airport town. More than 2 decades ago, I was playing by the river, by the mango tree in barrio Tiring of this town. Never did I thought that Iloilo airport will be relocated in this countryside (bukid).

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Tied and wrapped during cooking, the one on the left side. That whole wrapped thing (with water inside) was boiled in a caldero

Tinuom is a kind food I can identify with eating in a nipa house in the middle of a bukid. It tasted like bukid, my kind of flavor, my kind of interesting meal before boarding.

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Flying school just beside the tinuom carinderia. From afar, the lab looked like a sari-sari store. I guess Coca-Cola doesn't limit its signage sponsorship to stores only, for in this case, an aircraft lab

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A sari-sari store by the road leading to the gate of the airport. Everything is surrounded by ricefield

Repurposed Tarp as Trike Roof

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Advertisement tarp as trike roof

Salty Stall

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Uga (dried salted fish) and guinamos (salted shrimp fry paste) stalI at Iloilo Central Market

Lumpia Wrapper Maker

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This lad was making lumpia wrapper at Iloilo Central Market

Jeepney Fare Sorter Tray

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A customized wooden tray for sorting coins with a recess for sorting rolled paper bills. Makes it easy for the jeepney driver to deposit fare and give change while handling the wheel at the same time.

Guinamos Mound

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Heaps of guinamos (salted shrimp fry paste)

The guinamos vendor at Iloilo City Central Market procures 100 kilos of guinamos that will be then split into mounds of 50 kilos per plastic tub for retailing.

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The two lizards in the background love the smell of guinamos, I suppose

Live Ornamentation

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Looks like the aquarium fish vendor found a way to make his seating theft proof

Goldfish and other aquarium fish for sale on a sidewalk in downtown Iloilo.

Kamonsil

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Durian is to Davao as kamonsil is to Iloilo

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Kamonsil and sirguelas fruits (the round one) are so Iloilo

Tuko Tinapay

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Gecko-shaped bread as seen in a local bread shop in Iloilo

Splendor at Sundown

I happened to hang around these structures at sunset and naturally I had to capture this momentary splendor using my phone and my mind.

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Molo Church, Iloilo

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Taal Basilica, Batangas

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Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte

Rice Cake Cupcake

Also known as bibingka.
There are quite a number of variations of bibingka all over the country and this is just one of those.

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Banana leaf as cupcake liner instead of the usual paper in normal cupcakes

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Mini bibingka in Jaro

Puto (Rice Cake)

Usually this type of rice cake does not have packaging, but in Iloilo it is wrapped in banana leaves. I have seen locals pair this with batchoy.

it looked dense and it really is

It looked dense and it really is

Wrapped puto

Wrapped puto

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