President Cory Aquino, 1933-2009

Maraming salamat sa pagbibigay ninyo ng pag-asa sa sambayanan.

Independence Day?

The Filipino people celebrated Independence Day today. Yesterday, several groups rallied to protest the Constitutional Assembly (Con-Ass) that is being pushed by some Congressmen to amend the Constitution. Now I wonder, are we really free or are we still being controlled by a powerful few for their own selfish gain? Is there a difference between the time when colonizers ravaged our country and now that it is being plundered in broad daylight by greedy people in the government?

One thing is for sure, Revolution will result when push comes to shove.

Kontra-usog

I mentioned in a previous post that I spent my childhood and teenage summers at my maternal grandmother's house in a little town in Zambales. One of my memories when visiting a newborn cousin or a relative who just gave birth is how the elderly handle comments from admiring fans. It seemed like we cannot praise the little baby without being shushed. After each positive word we utter, they would exclaim "pwera usog" and they would wet their thumb with their saliva then rub it on the baby's forehead. And that is just one of the many things I have witnessed.

Usog is a concept similar to evil eye curse. It is believed that comments from other people will cause the baby to become sickly. So something good, like a positive comment or a praise, will result into something bad? That's why a lot of people now just shrug it off as a superstitious belief.

And to counter the bad effects of usog, mothers would pin a lubigan to the baby's shirt or make the baby wear a red and black bracelet (sometimes orange and black) made from corals, the corales. I was told by the vendor that lubigan is a little pouch with dried ginger and some other herbs. I just learned recently that lubigan is a medicinal plant that is used to cure cough and tummy aches, so maybe the lubigan plant was the original content of the pouch. The little pouch usually comes with the corales pulseras / bracelet, which is originally made from corals but a lot are just made from plastic now. These are sold for P20 from vendors outside a church like Quiapo Church.

Here are some kontra-usog pics as modeled by my baby*:

*no, he doesn't wear any of these. :)

Lubigan and Corales




Lubigan when pinned to shirt




The corales when worn



And another shot

Once King of the Road: The Pinoy Jeepney

the FX fare is a little higher than the jeepney's, and there is airconditioning. But one can also see them plying the EDSA route! If one's running late or too lazy to climb up the stairs of MRT to take the train, taking the FX is more convenient but be prepared to shell out double the MRT fare!


SUVs may now be a popular means of public transporation, especially for the working class , but one cannot deny that the jeepney is one Philippine icon.

What's in a Name?

I received the following sms from my sister this morning:


How Pinoys can be so creative with names:

Wholesale store of Balot in Sto. Tomas - STARDUCKS

Laundry shop in Manila- SUMMA CUM LAUNDRY

Petshop in Ortigas - PAKITA MO PET MO!

Bakery in Cainta - BREAD PITT

Restaurant in Pampanga - MEKENI ROGERS

Copy Center - PAKOPYA NI EDGAR

Boxing Gym - BLOW JAB

Tombstone Maker in Antipolo - LITO LAPIDA

Beerhouse in Cavite - CHICKPOINT

Laundromat in Manila - STAR WASH: ATTACK OF THE CLOTHES

Internet Cafe in Taguig - N@KOPI@

Name of a Kambingan - SAGOAT KITA

Chinese Restaurant - LAH FANG

A store selling feeds for chicken - ROBOCOCK

Flower shop - SUSAN'S ROSES

Ceiling Installer - KISAME STREET



----