Luid Kekongan Kayabe Ku King K-List:
It's 4am, a sure sign that my body clock is still on Philippine time. Eke agiung pakiapusan ing style ng Conrad king pamag-kuwentu, pero subukan ku ne. Nung mainip kayu king pamamasa, i-print yu nia mu at basan ye kabang makalukluk kayu king 'trono'.
Bayu ing eganagana, buri ku mu naman ipaabut kareng West Coasters ing kunsuelu ku king outcome ning picnic da. The "Ume ka keni" event is a major milestone in our life on the K-list. I hope to be able to join in the fun next year. We landed at JFK at about 4pm on the day of the West Coast picnic, so our plane was probably flying over the West Coast at about the time that Conrad arrived at San Pablo Lake.
Here goes my account of my 3-week trip.
PART 1
Frank and Jim's
Noreen and I arrived in Manila on the evening of May 19, Monday, as scheduled. We were in Angeles by Wednesday. First order of the day was an Armando's Pizza and buko sherbet. Kanyaman na! In the evening, we were met by cousin Gil Lim (aka "Ka Mario" during anti-Marcos underground days), his wife the former Ming Tayag and their cute little daughter (who they claim was "made" in my apartment in Philadelphia when they visited me there in '93). We proceeded to "Frank and Jim's", a spanking new 'sisig' place on Sto. Rosario Street near Villa Angela. The sisig was good but still not as good as Aching Lucing's original on the 'rilis'. It was San Miguel beer for us guys and Cali for the women. At the next table were some Jaycees whom Gil and Ming knew.
Culture Shack
From Frank and Jim's, we decided to go across town to drop off Coyang Gil's friend at the newly opened Culture Shack on Fields Avenue in Balibago. Stepping into Culture Shack, was I surprised to see that a lot of the people I needed to see where right there: there was Michael Pangilinan, one of our ninongs at our wedding Rudy Salas (aka Commander Bilog of NPA fame), Kapampangan artist Ronnie Tayag and his brother Dan Tayag who owns the place. Mipakirut ku, balamu pisabian ing pamikit-ikit mi -- ta lawen yu na ing tadhana ne. Talking with Bilog was the head of the Mt. Pinatubo Commission (MPC) whose name I now forget. There were also some UP Clark students hanging out with Michael at the bar. One of the students, Ma. Rosario Laborde (a non-K) had done a 16-page paper, "A Critique on Kapampangan Music" and Mike gave me a copy to bring back with me.
Culture Shack is a cultural oasis in the midst of all the girlie bars on Fields Av. Dan hopes that it will be the start of the transformation of Fields Avenue into an artists' mecca just like Soho and Greenwich Village in New York. For those who do not know Dan, he is also the owner of the wildly popular Trellis restaurant on Kalayaan Ave. in Quezon City. I think he is married to one of the Ocampo girls (Vina?) of Ocampo's Jewelry. I checked out Trellis and from the looks of it, papanasan de pa mu rin reng tau angga ngeni.
The decor and setup of Culture Shack was pretty impressive, with nice artsy tables and chairs for customers, paintings by K-artists hanging on the walls, sculptures and other art work by local artists were scattered around the main dining area. First class ya datang. A spiral staircase led up to an artists' workshop on the second floor. The third floor was still unfinished. As you've probably read in previous posts by Edwin Camaya, the Pampanga Artists Guild is planning to hold a big event at Culture Shack on June 12.
Anak Tupa Farms
On our first night in Angeles, we slept at C.Gil's new house in Carmenville which is being "rented" to him by Bapang Sensing Suarez. I noticed that there were still a few houses in Carmenville which were still empty and had not been fixed yet after the destruction of Pinatubo. For those looking for investments, you may want to consider buying one of these houses, fix it up and then sell it. Demand for housing around Clark is going up because of Manila people and other foreigners being assigned at Clark companies.
We took time to check out "Anak Tupa Farms" just behind Carmenville. This is a piece of farmland that is being developed by Gil's younger brother who is also a doctor. He planted all sorts of trees like narra, acacia, ipil-ipil, etc. and he is in the process of digging a fishpond to raise some tilapia.
PART 2
Clark
The next Morning, Thursday, Bilog and his wife Josie gave us a tour of Clark. Our first stop was at the CDC office where he introduced me to Mr. Dean Santiago, Special Projects Manager. Mr. Santiago briefed me on the various opportunities in Clark and he gave me a brochure about the CSEZ and the business card and email address of the person who is heading the planned Cyber City project in Clark. I will post news articles about this Cyber City after I finish this account. My thoughts right now are that maybe interested k-listers can band together with their diversity of skills and talents to form a K-Software company which can participate and bring K-presence into this Cyber City project. Cyber City is still in its infancy stage so it would be a good time to lay down some plans now, before it gets too crowded. My general impression of Clark during this visit is that despite the hundreds of companies that have already setup shop there, the land is so vast that you hardly notice them. The only real area where development has been concentrated is within the Mimosa complex developed, if I'm not mistaken, by Tony Gonzalez, former Minister of Tourism. CDC would like to lease out hundreds of hectares of land, if only there were enough takers. There are no residences available at this time but they are preparing some of the officers' former houses (pretty new, built just before Pinatubo) to be made available for 25-year leases.
Bilog also planned to introduce me to Mr. Elum, CDC Vice President for Business Development, but he was not available at that time. As you can see, Bilog is now an ordinary citizen now, and very much a capitalist. He formed a cooperative which runs a trucking (gravel and sand) business. Bilog also had a failed Data Entry business in Clark. He showed me the building which he leased from CDC for a very low price. Only half of the building is being utilized so if anybody is interested in leasing the space for a business, you may want to strike a deal with him. I asked Bilog what all the other Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) personalities were up to. The one I remember is that Commander Dante's farm coop was a failure. It seems that Dante was just used by the government for propaganda. These days, he says, Dante seems to be making up for his years in jail. With his charm and the legends and stories surrounding him, women are falling easily for him.
Enough of chismis. We had a native Kapampangan lunch buffet at Bahay Kubo, just walking distance from the Holiday Inn at Mimosa. I remember having two pieces of "itu^", with buru and tidtad a mangga ampong kamatis my favorite combination. Niaman! Bahay Kubo is operated by the Dychiocos, the same people who own Batis Asul.
After lunch, we checked into the Holiday Inn. We got a room on the 4th floor facing west overlooking the golf course. I should have asked for a higher floor (the 7th floor is the highest) to appreciate the view better. From the scenic elevator, we could see the lakes around the golf course.
A lot of the Holiday Inn staff seemed to be K. Gil's wife, Ming, for one worked as secretary of the Public Relations manager. The manager turned out to be an acquaintance of Noreen from her Ballet Philippines days some years back, so, of course, 'kodakan' time. I met two other Angelen~as who had glamorous jobs there: the youngest of the Dycaico girls, and a daughter of Imang Enring Dizon (first cousin of K-lister Abel Dizon), both looking very pretty and professional in their business suits -- sorry I forget their names. Dinner was at the hotel's Cafe Mequeni. I could hear a lot of the waiters and waitresses speaking K. I talked to one of them who said that though there were lots of K staff in the hotel, most of the managers were from Manila.
After dinner we were supposed to meet Dan Tayag and Michael Pangilinan at Culture Shack but jet lag caught up with us and we dozed off at our cozy hotel room. When we woke up, it was past midnight -- too late to go to Culture Shack. It turns out that not only were Dan and Michael anxiously waiting for me at Culture Shack that night, but my cousin Sandy Nepomuceno was waiting for me as well. Oops. Big boo-boo.
PART 3
Mt. Arayat
The next day, Friday, we went for a swim at the hotel's pool (lalasang- pawas ing danum!) and then checked out of the hotel. Things that we wanted to do at Clark but weren't able to do due to our tight schedule: eat at the Mongolian Barbecue at the Holiday Inn penthouse, eat at Four Seasons -- a restaurant operated by Meng Tayag (a daughter of Imang Doring), and try the food at the Casino (I'm not much for gambling -- I always lose).
Picnic time! Gil, Ming, Noreen and drove back to Villa Gloria to pick up my aunt Imang Doring Tayag (check out some of her nationally famous recipes in Mandy Regala's, Therese Cruz's or Jane Po's Kapampangan Cuisine pages). Across the street from her house was her son Claude Tayag's "Bale Kastila" made from wood which he painstakingly scavenged from old houses from all around Luzon. This house is every artists' dream. In his yard, he also setup two new structures I hadn't seen in my previous visits: a Japanese style sauna and a real Igorot house which he transported stone by stone from the Mountain Province. We didn't get to see Claude as he was in Manila delivering a wooden bed frame and headboard commissioned by Sharon Cuneta for her bedroom. The price for this bed: 100,000 pesos (about US$4,000). Check out some of Claude's earlier paintings under Kapampangan Artists in the KHP.
After touring Claude's house, Imang Doring had her "pang-nangnang" loaded into her pickup truck and we all drove to Mt. Arayat where Pol Tayag, younger brother of Claude, was already waiting for us at his tilapia and mango farm. Imang Doring was her usual gracious self, preparing a big feast for us: "ningnang a tilapia", "burung asan", "burung paro" (balo-balo?), "ningnang a balasenas", pork chops, even "nasing makabalut bulung- saguin", "Sapin" for tables was also "bulung saguin" which was very plentiful at the farm. This was the life. After lunch, Coyang Gil had to rush Ming back to her Holiday Inn job. As it was hot and humid, we spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting around, admiring the view from up there, and catching up on each others' lives with Imang Doring, Pol and Atching Beth Tayag (wife of Dr. Clinio Tayag). Mekasagap ku pang ditak a chismis. It seems that something's in the air between Claude and Mary Ann Quioc (Christine Jose's very pretty first cousin who is based in Hongkong, working for Cathay Pacific). It started daw when Claude went to the wake of Mary Ann's mother last year. I just hope that the two parties involved won't get mad at me for leaking this out. I think Mary Ann is a subscriber to the k-list. Mary Ann panupaya mu naku "masuelu ku mu para kekayung adua, at sana ikayu ing mituluyan". O kasi mag-lagari yang Manila-Hongkong y Claude ngeni?
Lahar Resettlement Areas
On the way to and from Pol's farm, in the Magalang-Arayat area, there was a whole new town established for Mt. Pinatubo/lahar victims. The town had new concrete roads, a community center, and concrete single family homes (lupa-lupa la nia eka malyaring muling malasing -- pota aliwa ya ing aluban mung bale). The office of the Mt. Pinatubo Commission was also situated in the center of the town.
Typhoon Bining
The next day, Saturday, we were off to the Meralco staff house in Puerto Azul in Batangas with my sister Mariel and her family. Little did we know what was in store for us there. Typhoon Bining ushered in the start of the rainy season without a warning. We were stranded in the beach house as Bining lashed and howled for three days. The only consolation we got was that we managed to venture out during lulls in the storm to pick the fruit off some "mansanitas" and "duat" trees around the resort. The day after typhoon Bining had finally gone away, a theatre actress friend returning from the U.S. tells how their plane was made to land in Clark and wait there for 5 hours before being allowed to land at NAIA and when they landed at NAIA, their plane had to be pulled in by airport personnel using raw people-power because there was a long brown out and so the pulling equipment could not be charged. I'm sure you've read all about the problems at NAIA caused by Bining.
Batiawan Foundation
We went back to Angeles on Sunday, June 1, to meet with Edwin and the others. The meeting started at about 5 pm with Atching Elvie Bangit, Fr. Sol, Ronnie Tayag, Edwin Camaya, Prof. Juliet Mallari, Michael Pangilinan and me in attendance. The main purpose of the meeting was to sign the incorporation papers for Batiawan Foundation which Edwin and Michael had prepared prior to my arrival. Fr. Sol had to leave to say a 6pm mass so only the six of us remained to become the incorporators. It was agreed that Michael would be president and Edwin would be treasurer in the interim as the SEC requires that the names of these two officers of the foundation be submitted as part of the application papers. Dakal a salamat kekayu Edwin ampong Michael for all the hard work you're doing. The mission of the Batiawan Foundation is to preserve, nurture and advance the Kapampangan language and culture through the use of various forms of media, including but not limited to print media, TV, radio, film, internet and multimedia. In this respect, based on findings and recommendations by its Board of Trustees and the General Assembly, it will seek to support deserving and related projects like Francis Aguas' LA'AR and other similar projects. The U.S.-based World Kapampangan Congress (WKC) is also in the process of being formed to work in hand-in-hand with the Philippine-based Batiawan Foundation.
PART 4
Significant Developments in Manila:
There was a very deep excavation all along Ayala Avenue in Makati. They told me that it is for the commuter train which is going to be underground so as not to destroy the Makati skyline. Unlike the LRT along Taft Ave. which is above ground. So, we're going to have a subway!
The C5 was a big help in my commute between Paranaque and Quezon City because I didn't have to pass through Makati and EDSA anymore. Instead of 2 to 3 hours between Paranaque and QC, the C5 cut it down to 30 minutes to 1 hour. But no matter how you look at it, the traffic is still horrible in Manila.
Significant Develpments in Baguio:
Legarda Street overlooking Burnham Park is fast becoming a glitzy restaurant row. The house our parents used to rent during the summer when we were kids is still standing but now surrounded by high-rise hotels and fashionable restaurants.
Significant Developments in Angeles:
Sto. Rosario Street has suddenly become the Financial District of "Old Town Angeles", as more and more banks set up shop on that strip. Among those who have setup shop there are: Prudential Bank, BPI, RCBC and now Equitable Bank at the Nepo Ancestral house. My disappointment in the way Equitable Bank fixed it up is not the white paint but the fact that they plastered the natural adobe stones of the house with smooth cement and also destroyed the two grilled windows on both sides of the main entrance leading to the "baldoza" of the house. No offense meant to my uncle who owns that house now, but the renovation should have been supervised more closely.
Nepo Mart Mall. The plan of the Don Juan Nepo clan to build a mall on the site of existing Nepo Mart seems to have been scrapped for now. It seems that the partner they were counting on backed out.
Significant Developments in Tarlac:
There are two shopping malls now but I only got to go inside the Luisita Mall which is beside the Max Fried Chicken and Jollibee. Mitalwi ne ing Pampanga. Tarlac is now ahead in the shopping mall race.
Other Restaurants we ate at:
Ima (Makati Branch). Good K dishes but I don't think their rice will meet any K's culinary standards. I wonder why they have to scrimp on the rice when it is such an important yet inexpensive part of the meal.
Cafe Adriatico 1900 (Remedios Circle). It was so good that we ate lunch and then went back for dinner there on the same day. If you go there, their "Special Iced Tea" is a must. It is a concoction of lemon iced-tea blended with guyabano and some other tropical fruits. This restaurant, as well as the original Cafe Adriatico just across the Circle and four other restaurants in the hopelessly hip Remedios Circle area, are all owned and operated by Larry Cruz, coya of our k-lister Therese Cruz of the World Bank.
Saisaki (Alabang Town Center). Sushi buffet. Ngeh. Not worth it.
HoneyBee (Talipapa area in Boracay). Great ihaw-ihaw seafood dishes at inexpensive prices. There is a cozy second floor dining area where you can watch NBA games while devouring your seafood and barbecue feast. If you are in Boracay, try these restaurants hidden in the Talipapa area instead of those that are on the main strip which cater more to the tourist palate.
Jazz Grille (Libis, Pasig at the end of the C-5 Highway). The best sizzling sisig yet. I couldn't get enough of it. After the second order, I wanted to order another plate pero mebuisit naku uling gigisanan da reng kainuman ku. Maka-adua kumung subu kayi ala na. This is the latest addition to the chain of restaurants started and operated by the Gueco siblings of Bacolor which include Rhythm & Booze and Jazz Rhythms.
Dainty Chinese Restaurant (Palengke, Angeles City). They still make the best Pancit Canton in the whole world, just the way they've always done it since I was a kid. No wonder Pancit Canton was my favorite dish when I was growing up in Angeles and my mom would always order it from Dainty when there was a special occasion. According to my cousin Pol Tayag, a certified gastronomic expert, Chinese food in Pampanga tastes better than even Chinese food in HongKong, and the food at Dainty is prime example of this. He and his siblings call it Chinese-Kapampangan food, to distinguish it from regular Chinese food.
Fruits I had a lot of:
- Sariguelas (Siniguelas?)
- Ripe papaya for breakfast
- Duat
- Ripe mangoes for breakfast and dessert
- Glasses and glasses of mango shakes
- Green mangoes with sweetened baguk
Other Experiences:
Now that I am more attuned to and aware of my cultural heritage, I had a lot of fun relating to other non-Tagalog Filipinos. I interacted a lot with Ilonggos and Ilocanos on this trip.
Some phrases I learned:
| Agtagerger pay! Agbayag agpapukis | Mangalgal ya pa! or Gagalgal ya pa! Kalambat magpaurud | He/she's shaking with anticipation/excitement! Takes so long to get a haircut |
| Tikalon gid! |
Masaya ya ing pamanuli ku. Pero balamu mas masaya ya pa mu rin itang West Coast get-together yu!