The Augustinian Mirror, October 2013 by USA Publications

d s w o r o p h o t c e c o n & h a i r

alag acal c. m n tiam a a i P B. adr r ay anz L o n n a nti gen rtun lore Thon b. co o. f t o n e n c in n i k v t p dd -u p e m a k e

Founded in 1928 and being one of the oldest in Asia, the USA Publications has constantly inspired many through its responsive, developmental, and research-based journalism. Now on its 85th year, the official press corps of the University pays tribute to all the past staff members who came before them. Without the ideas of Jose Mijares and Jose Sanchez, the USA Publications would have never been in existence. Today, it stands as one of the leading campus papers in the Philippines with a number of graduates who passionately make the world a better place through actions and words.

perspectives

Back 1928 in

The tides of time ebb and flow. The moment you sail among its waves, you get washed up upon its shores. Catching the elusive currents that molded history were like digging for a time capsule hidden within earthly grounds throughout the years. However, the USA Publications have managed to cruise among its taunting waters and have came up with these carefully opted compositions. It was not a smooth sailing journey yet we can say that it was all worthwhile, just to deliver quality articles to you, our dear readers. With topics ranging from the mundane to the momentous, the Augustinian Mirror features tales which have defined bygones that still lingers in the present and hereafter. The Pub has conceptualized this issue from scratch but everything was worth it. Come to think of it, this issue came out with a literal “rocking” because the recent Bohol earthquake was the alarm clock of the caffeinefilled editors on the first day of their presswork. The layout was done overnight. Artworks were done spontaneously by the artists. Photos

eDitors’ note

the past meets the present were shot like lightning. Photographers were turned into copyreaders. Just like this issue’s theme “Rocking the Ages”, the production of this magazine was record-breaking. The magazine’s material is a first for the Mirror. We don’t want our dear readers - the students - to go with something mediocre on our 85th year. We want you to have the best and inspiring experience while reading this magazine in full color and durable paper that will last and of course, rock the ages. Read on and enjoy this Richter Scalebreaking issue.

T h e www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

it was not a smooth sailing journey yet we can say that it was all worthwhile.

ediT or S The AugusTiniAn Mirror

responsive + developmental + research-based volume lxxx, number 1 + october 2013

ray adrian c. macalalag ric martin l. libo-on editors-in-chief

joel S. Sastrillo managing editor

jerson e. elmido wilhelm c. lizada jesanny i. yap associate editors

ayah danica v. granada literary editor

anne catherine d. malazarte art director

Thongenn lanz B. Patiam photography editor

jerson e. elmido circulation manager

Stephanie kay l. urquiola jeremiah john P. vardeleon joyce gem m. ca単ete rochelle louise d. doromal senior writers

edrylle g. cofreros Seulgi j. han marylex g. Sumatra christine joy a. Saber

mirror refleCtions The Augustinian Mirror would not come into reality without the aid of the heroes and the villains. To our beloved heroes, we would like to thank Breakthrough Restaurant and Ocean City for warmly accomodating our staff members for their story. In addition, we would like to express our deep gratitude to the people of Dauin and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental; San Miguel in Iloilo Province; the University of the Philippines Visayas (Center for Western Visayan Studies); the Iloilo City Government and its constituent; the Iloilo Provincial Government and its constituents; and of course, the University of San Agustin. To our interviewees and sources, thank you for supplying us the necessary information that we need in creating this awesome issue. To the villains, especially time and momentary temptations to procrastinate, all of you failed to put a halt in the production of this magazine that will surely rock the ages. The USA Publications is now 85 years old and it is no longer new to such damage. The Pub has been there and has done that. Ultimately, we thank the Almighty Father who is above all things for giving us the blessings and wonderful gifts, especially this issue.

staff writers

kinno o. florentino artist

daniel P. abutas mara elaiza a. flores mary johsyen e. Pabalinas photojournalists

hyacinth grace T. Paloma victoria jade v. estrada Therese mae f. Billones resty john l. Palete apprentice writers

marites P. cornel moderator

The Augustinian Mirror is the official student magazine of the University of San Agustin. It is published once every semester by the USA Publications. Comments, contributions, and suggestions may be sent to the editors. No part of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission and approval from the USA Publications and the authors of the articles.

office address

alumni Bldg., university of San agustin gen. luna Street, iloilo city, Phil. 5000 phone number

ABoUt the cover

anne catherine d. malazarte front cover artist

keisha Therese c. Palacios back cover model

ralp jason i. evangelista hair and make-up

Thongenn lanz B. Patiam photographer

(+63-33) 337 48 42 local 189 email address

usa.publications@rocketmail.com

Drifting amidst the clouds of nostalgia, a woman transcends time and memories as she holds on to her guitar with a blissful beat of perpetuity.

website

www.usa-pub.blogspot.com

coLophon

real-time news website

www.usa-publications.journ.ph

The AugusTiniAn Mirror

This issue of the Mirror was very well conceptualized from its set of articles up to its production. Since we want to take you to an ecclectic mood, the typography of this issue brings you back to the founding years of the USA Publications in 1928 while the layout gives a modern touch to its pages. All the fonts used in this issue, namely, Clarendon (1845), Didot (1799), Futura (1927), and Souvenir (1914), were developed immediately before our foundation. The layout, on the other hand, including the images, were either made or enhanced in Adobe Photoshop CS5, Adobe Illustrator CS4, Adobe InDesign CS5, and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.

ray adrian c. macalalag magazine layout design

Panorama Printing, inc. jaro, iloilo city, Philippines printer

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

contents

inside this

iSSue radio San aguSTin Forty-eight years ago, the University of San Agustin wanted to bring their vision and their mission out into the world; with promotional videos and Internet a thing of the mind, the opportunity didn’t present itself on a silver platter. Riddled with endless sacrifices and burdens, the University and its administration plunged headfirst into the air waves. READ MORE AT PAGE 26

opinion 05

photograft and plagiary

Stealing at its greater heights

Science&Technology 22

By Ric Martin L. Libo-on

the suicide of the old churches

What happened in Bohol could be the result of our faith

By Ray Adrian C. Macalalag

Society 07

‘no More Japs’

Meet Fermin Caram Sr., the hero of the Ilonggos

oddbreaKers

Two Augustinians and how they got up from the bottom

Campus 26

crab physicality

The crab family of Dauin, Negros Oriental

head over heels

The shoe cobbler of Guanco Street By Ric Martin L. Libo-on

religion 14

an incorruptible saint froM san agustin?

The Augustinian who could become the University’s first saint By Jeremiah John P. Vardeleon

noong sinusulatan pa Kita

Ang liham at ang kanyang mensahe Ni Joel S. Sastrillo

By Marylex G. Sumatra

the story behind the Microphone

Radio San Agustin and its journey from the beginning to the end By Stephanie Kay L. Urquiola and Resty John L. Palete

By Wilhelm C. Lizada & Victoria Jade V. Estrada

not your ordinary neighbors

Animals in the city and their interaction with mankind By Jesanny I. Yap

By Rochelle Louise D. Doromal

bricKs don’t lie

The Interlocking Concrete Earth Blocks with shredded tarpaulin

isang araw ng seguridad

Munting pagsubok ng pagiging tagabantay ng Unibersidad Nina Edrylle G. Cofreros at Therese Mae F. Billones

Food&Lifestyle 32

growing pearls below the ground

How to create sago out of a root crop By Jerson E. Elmido

tiMeless cuisina ilongga

The flavors of Ilonggo favorites By Seulgi J. Han

Culture 16

a heritage within a university

Discover the old Iloilo City Hall

By Joyce Gem M. Cañete & Hyacinth Grace T. Paloma

history Meets MeMory

The Ledesma-Montinola Mansion and Casa Mariquit

read us online!

Scan this code using your device to read this issue along with the other past issues of The Augustinan Mirror.

By Ayah Danica V. Granada & Christine Joy A. Saber

www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

The AugusTiniAn Mirror

has it been how long s? publication for the usa

f o s r a e Y 85 e c n e t s i x E a p h i c s i n f o g r

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LOCATIONS FEATURED OUTSIDE PANAY

Metro Manila

Mindoro

Cuyo Islands

Negros Occidental Cebu

Palawan

Bohol Negros Oriental

lag macala

The USA Publications have visited these sites in order to get great stories that would inspire the Augustinians in the University. Over the years, it has also been named as one of the best tourism-oriented campus paper in the whole region.

QUICKFACT

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Secret Spices

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The USA Publications staff are carefully selected in a series of examinations. The institutions below are the schools the current staff members have attended before they enrolled in the University and became Pubpips.

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The Augustinian Mirror

160 united states 151 hong kong 83 singapore 77 saudi arabia

Antique National School

70 united arab emirates

Colegio de las Hijas de Jesus Holy Rosary Academy Igbaras National High School Iloilo City National High School Iloilo National High School Mt. Eden High School (California, USA) Negros Occidental Science High School Oton National High School Our Lady of Snows Institute St. Candida School – Hijas de Jesus St. Joseph School St. Paul School – Barotac Nuevo University of Asia and the Pacific University of Iloilo – Phinma University of San Agustin University of the Philippines

Top 5 Countries that Liked our Facebook Page

The Dark Years The Pub stopped its operations twice. The first one was from 1940-1945 when San Agustin was closed due to World War II. The second halt of operation was in the time of Martial Law when it was declared by the late former President Ferdinand Marcos (Academic Year 1972-1973).

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

opinion

NEPTUNE, KING OF THE SEA. The controversial photo stolen by Solis (photo courtesy of gregory john smith)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is the worth of a stolen photo? Mark Joseph Solis was caught under flames and public scrutiny when he won a thousand dollars and round trip tickets to Chile and Brazil for winning an international competition. However, the photograph he submitted in the “Smiles of the World” contest hosted by the Chilean embassy turned out to be stolen and lifted right off from Flickr, an image-hosting website. Adding insult to injury, Solis came up with a back-story and named the subject of the photo to bolster his “award-winning” entry. He made it all up with sheer creativity, yet his modus was eventually busted. It was later identified that the photo belongs to photographer Gregory John Smith, founder of the Children At Risk Foundation based in Brazil. His Alma mater, the University of the Philippines, created a fact-finding committee to investigate. The witch-hunt revealed that the 22-year-old UP Graduate School student did not only lift one picture but stole seven photos. He named it as his own and passed it to various competitions. And worse, he even removed watermarks infringing copyrighted materials. The prodigal son of the State University, where he graduated cum laude in Political Science, was bashed by his professors. UP President Alfredo Pascual condemns his fraudulent act on plagiary saying, “it blemished the image of the academic institution.” Filipino netizens joined the hate bandwagon and spurred online outrage as this issue emblazoned on the national headlines and on social media. At the wake of the hitch, the amateur photographer apologized and cited that poverty fueled his desire to use the prized shots and baptized it as his own. He brazenly appealed to the Embassy of Chile to keep the money because of his so-called financial problems. Yes, the ends do not justify the means. Apparently, He used a “poor card” to access public sympathy, contrary to his reported affluent lifestyle. Consider it as a sweeping generalization, but one cannot deny that a misdemeanor of a single person can mirror on the entire institution he or she is associated with. His actions can greatly affect his college in specific and the Filipino people as a whole. www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

Solis’ plagiarism case is liable under the UP student code which governs the rules and regulations of the University. He can be stripped off with his degree or can even be expelled. Precisely, he should not just walk away without paying his dues; but in doing so, it will not prevent the deterrence of plagiarism in the country. It does not stop here. Simply because there is no law that expressly defines and sanctions plagiarism. According to the Department of Justice Advisory Opinion No. 02, plagiarism if committed under certain circumstances, can amount to criminal violation of RA 8293 (Intellectual Property Code which was recently amended by RA 10372), RA 8792 (E-commerce Act) or RA 10175 (the Cybercrime Prevention Act) which is currently under the Supreme Court’s Temporary Restraining Order. Despite all of these safeguards and preventives, plagiarism is a term not defined by statute making it vague and unclear. As for Solis’ circumstance, the academic institution adopted policies against plagiarism and made the necessary legal actions. There was no criminal offense in the eyes of the law, but it does not mean that what he did was morally right or ethical. In Christian doctrine, the eighth commandment directly states it, “Thou shall not steal.” After what noon-time host and politician Sen. Vicente Sotto has done last year and the recent Solis scandal, the legislative should study HB 3729 or the Anti-Plagiarism Law of the Philippines to give teeth straight to the mouth of the Intellectual Property Code. In the age where articles and photos can be easily accessed with a single click on personal computers or a flip on tablets, the Government should heighten its concern of this alarming issue that mire the Republic online or offline, in print or in digital. And as for the UP wild child, now is the time to embrace your individuality and come up with original photos, just make sure that nobody copies it from you, sends it to international contests and wins the top prize.

photograft and plagiary IMPETUS

RIC MAR T IN L . ric_liboon@yahoo.com

LI B O - ON

The Augustinian Mirror

opinion

VICTIM OF LADY CAYCAY. The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Oton, Iloilo before it was turned into piles of rubble by a magnitude 8.2 quake in 1948 (HISTORICAL PHILIPPINES WEBSITE)

the suicide of the old churches RAY

RAZOR EDGE

ADRIAN

C . MACALALAG adrian_attacks@yahoo.com

The Augustinian Mirror

In this Catholic University established by one of the first Spanish settlers in the Philippines, the Augustinians, the value for faith in God has been cultivated through holy masses, celebration of feast days, observance of the Angelus, control over decency of clothing, and of course church visitations. So far, as part of San Agustin’s celebration of its 60th anniversary as a University, the Campus Ministry and the Theology Department in coordination with the Alumni Associations, the monthly church visitation has been observed since June. The Augustinian community chose to visit the churches established by the order – parishes in Anini-y, Pavia, Dumalag, Pan-ay, and Cabatuan. These churches have survived the tides of time, especially the 1948 Lady Caycay Earthquake which struck the island of Panay causing the reduction of various churches, most of them built by Augustinians, into piles of rubble including the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Oton, Iloilo which was dubbed as the “most beautiful church in the Philippines” if not in Asia. Recently, an earthquake struck the very religious and historical island of Bohol. Churches were destroyed as well as hundreds of lives were lost. Historical landmarks including Baclayon and Loboc churches visited by pilgrims were heavily damaged. Even in the nearby island of Cebu where the headquarters of the Augustinian Province of Santo Niño de Cebu had its own share of the destructive 7.2 magnitude earthquake with epicenter located two kilometers near Carmen, Bohol. The belfry of the basilica collapsed. Sadly, churches are the common victims of this unpredictable (as of now) natural disaster. Whether or not these are messages from God or just a challenge in our faith, the Filipino people should take these life-changing events into inspiration for the constant search for truth and salvation. The malversation of government funds, for example, was exposed last August. Million people marches were held in various locations throughout the country. Religious groups were present in these peaceful uprisings but

are their messages of evangelization being lived up by all of those who were there? Perhaps, God has sent these forces of nature as a call for all of us. As if He was saying, “I am still here. Why are you worshiping mediocrity and making confusing pleas?” The churches served as sanctuary during the wars they have witnessed. People prayed for salvation. People prayed for the freedom of our motherland. Why couldn’t the Filipinos be like the Filipinos before? The culture of prayer in times of turmoil is dying while the culture of activism and violence is slowly hitting the limelight. Peace is rather an overrated term and hypocrisy is rampant. Churches begin to end their century lives because they feel as if they seem no longer useful. Moreover, other Christian sects have gravely insulted the Roman Catholic Church in social networking sites. They post photos of their church placed side-byside with the recently destroyed churches in Bohol with captions commonly conveying this kind of message: “See? Your church is not as strong as ours.” Hardly could one tell if the world has gone crazy, but these words coming from such, God will be the judge. Again, whether these are messages from heavens, the Filipinos should learn to live the life in prayer. The Philippines would not have reached this time if it was not for this secret weapon it always had – its people who would always pray for peace and order. The churches will not crumble if the people value its importance and realize the reason why it was built in the first place – to cultivate a sense of Catholicism and Christianity. Other religious sectors should mind their own business at least respect the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. Time passes by. The culture of prayer should at least save the fate of the old churches. Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

society

‘no more japs’ fermin caram sr. and his message that saved the ilonggos

w o r d s roc h elle louise a r t w o r k a nne c ath er ine

d. d.

dor oma l ma la za r te

“No more Japs here,” a strong statement written on a flat roof of the polyclinic which saved Iloilo from getting bombed by the American Air Force during World War II. Iloilo was then saved from destruction, chaos and great loss. The idea was that of Fermin G. Caram, Sr., an Ilonggo Augustinian hero. In 1888, no one would have thought that an Ilonggo hero would be born. He was the third son of Don Juan Caram and Doña Maria Gacibe de Caram. Although not everyone is aware of, or worse, acknowledges the heroic things he had done, Fermin Caram, Sr. is a person to be reckoned. Caram, Sr. obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts at Colegio de San Agustin now University of San Agustin, in 1909. To add to his achievements, he received the very first gold medal of San Agustin for being the first graduate to obtain the highest grades in the course. The gold medal was presented by the Vicar Provincial, Very Rev. Fr. Manuel Gutierez. He was the pride and joy of San Agustin. When the American Air Force saw the words of Caram Sr. on the roof, they dropped a sandbag with a note that they had seen Caram’s message and that they would notify their headquarters. Unfortunately, before the American head office got the message, Fort San Pedro was bombed. However, it ended there. The Ilonggos were still fortunate and thankful for Caram’s message because it saved lives. After World War II, Caram, Sr. continued his medical practice at the same time administering his polyclinic and hospital. He was also the founder and pioneer member of the Iloilo Medical Society. As a politician, Caram, Sr., extended his help and service to the community. He became a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1934. He was also appointed by the Japanese as Governor of Iloilo. Caram, Sr. was known to be a collaborator. In the book, An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines edited by Alfred W. McCoy, it was mentioned that “Rather than unifying to defend the principle of collaboration, the two most prominent wartime officials, Fermin Caram and Fernando Lopez, accused each other of treason… Caram and his supporters retaliated with detailed allegations that Frank Lopez Jison had collaborated with the Japanese…” Aside from the heated accusations of Caram and Lopez on each other, there was tension between Governor Caram, Sr. and Governor Confesor, the Governor of the resistance government of Panay and Romblon during that time, for it was said that Caram wrote a letter to Confessor demanding them to surrender. Confesor made a classic letter of reply expressing their unwillingness to surrender because for Confesor to give up would be to surrender something more precious than life. “Many people had made testimonies that it was Gov. Caram who saved many lives from being executed because he interceded for them,” Hon. Demetrios Sonza, one of the Ten Distinguished Ilonggos and historical writer, stated. While he collaborated with the Japanese, he collaborated to protect the other Filipinos. Caram, Sr. did not have a choice but to follow the Japanese or else he would have been killed. In honor of the late Governor Fermin G. Caram, Sr., Iznart Street had been renamed as Dr. Fermin Caram Sr. Avenue.This is a simple way of giving him recognition. But to know and appreciate what he had done would be an even greater form of credit. www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

When the American Air Force saw the words of Caram Sr. on the roof, they dropped a sandbag with a note that they had seen his message.

The Augustinian Mirror

oddbreakers

who says it can’t be done? these people chose to do it and said it was worth it.

p h o t o s

w o r d s w i l h e l m c . l i z a d a & v i c t o r i a j a d e v . e st r a d a th ongenn la nz b. patia m & ma ry joh sy en e . pabali n as

The true value of any success stories aren’t in any tale of poverty to richness, rather how the person inspired others to move to greater heights through his achievements.

of power & responsibility Memoirs

No one ever wondered how a boy who grew up in the fields of Tuburan would be serving his constituents in Oton, Iloilo. Born in a poor family, Jose Neil Olivares also known as JN already knew how hard life was at a very young age. “Poverty molded me to the way I am today. I saw my father working very hard in the fields, and my mother taking care of our little tiangge as a source of income,” Olivares shared. Motivated by the sacrifices of his parents, JN strove to become a leader and an honor student as a way of repaying them .

Peaks and Valleys

While taking up AB Political Science in the University of San Agustin, Olivares joined the ROTC unit where he became the Corps Commander and was hailed as the Most Outstanding Cadet of his time. Admittedly, the discipline and values he gained from his college life shaped him to who he is today. While taking up Law, Hon. Olivares ran for office and was recognized as the youngest Councilor of the Philippines in 1992. However, as young politician, he encountered also some challenges. “It was very hard for me to pass ordinances that time because I was in the opposing party, a minority member of the Sanggunian,” he narrates. Despite of the unfavorable political atmosphere, Olivares got his chance to be elected as Vice Mayor of Oton on May 14, 2007.

His Legacy

As a young and vibrant legislator, Vice Mayor Jose Niel Olivares was able to realize or achieve his goal in life - to serve the people in his community. “As one of the leaders of my town, I see to it that obstacles and problems be solved.”

JN already knew how hard life is at a very young age.

The Augustinian Mirror

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

society

Being the President of the University was very difficult, but work won’t be too heavy if it is done immediately.

The Visionary Memoirs

Way back in the years after the Second World War just ended, a boy was born, loved and cared by his parents and 10 siblings. Mamerto Alfeche was a very ordinary school boy who dreamed of achieving success in life. It was in his elementary days when Mamerto experienced the ups and downs of life. “My father was a security guard of the University,” Fr. Alfeche said. “But that situation did not hinder me to reach my dreams in life knowing that my father was a very supportive man,” he added. The motivation he applied to himself paved way when Mamerto finally joined the Augustinian Order in Intramuros after he graduated high school in 1963.

Peaks and Valleys

Fr. Mamerto Alfeche, OSA, was ordained priest in 1974, and not later than three years after his ordination, he was sent to Belgium to take his masters as well as his Doctorate Degree. After several years, he was transferred in the University of San Agustin where he became the assistant Campus Minister and Assistant Dean of Theology. Soon enough, he was appointed as the Vice President for Student Affairs, and in 1988, he became the University President. “As I journey my life to the near success, here as the President, I also encountered obstacles along the way,” he spoke with affirmation. Unions were formed against him. But instead of letting this situation weigh him down, he showed everyone that he has the purest intention - he wanted improvement in the University. Even if he was criticized, he never gave up nor did let the situation discouraged him. Fr. Alfeche remained strong amidst the turmoil. Through his sheer determination, perseverance, faith, and community-centered relationship, though slowly, the University regained its glory as one of the prestigious universities not only in Western Visayas but in the entire archipelago. Fr. Alfeche narrated that during his time, he emphasized the sense of community among Augustinians - a community of one mind and heart.

His Legacy

Being the President of the University was very difficult, but work won’t be too heavy if it is done immediately. “When I’m given an assignment, I always do and give my best. When I study, I really study and I don’t procrastinate,” he gladly shared.

www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

The Augustinian Mirror

society

crab physicality the family with the genes for rarity

w o r d s m arylex p h o t o d an i el

g . s u m at ra p. a b u ta s

The coastal town of Dauin knows how to defy the laws of nature. With limbs having bent arms and toes resembling the claws of marine crustacean decapods, this family is not your ordinary Callinectes sapidus. In the coastal town of Dauin, a 4th class municipality in Negros Oriental, lives a family which from generation to generation suffered this very rare physical deformity, syndactyly. “It started in our grandmother and then our father until our generation even up to my grandchildren, it is in the blood of the Alas-as family,” shared in Bisaya by the 62-year old Nanay Joliata Ingquit, the oldest member of the family who also manifest the deformity.

Unluckiest of the unluckiest

“This family’s condition is what we called syndactyly,” Peter dela Cruz, RMT, MD, DPCP, Internist and Cytogenetics Professor, said after showing the picture of the Alasan family. He further explained, “this term means, failure of differentiation of the fingers or toes leading to failure in the separation of individual appendages. Either the four fingers are fused resulting to a one big thumb and another big finger, same happened in the toes.” Research shows that this condition is not fatal, they can live normally, however, the gross appearance is abnormal. Dr. dela Cruz explained that “the consistent manifestation of the defect in the family is due to Apert syndrome, an autosomal dominant inheritance, in which it needs only one gene to manifest although genes come in pairs, that’s why almost in every generation there is/are member/s of the family to manifest the deformity. Though it is easily passed from generation to generation, however, as long as

10 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

there is a member that manifest it, it is still considered a rare disease, with a prevalence of 1 per 160,000 live births. “I am not saying that this is the final reason because of lack of detailed study on the genetics of the family but most likely, by incidence it can be due to Apert syndrome because of the 28 syndromes that can cause the deformity, it is the most common and wellstudied,” Dr. dela Cruz added.

The Joke of Life

As advance as the society now a day, it is inevitable that the family will be a constant target of contagious rumors. However, to Nanay Joliata these are just mere challenges in life that spice up their day to day life. “We don’t mind the rumors or what other people, especially our neighbors, say regarding our condition, what is important is, we know what we are capable of,” Nanay Joliata stressed while asking her about how the society treats their family. Nany Joliata is proud that even though physically not normal and handicapped, her family is capable of farming the land that surround the compound where they live. As she shared, the main contribution of their family to the society is that they are the one who is planting and harvesting corn in their

www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

community. In addition, another proof that their condition isn’t a challenge in their life, she shared that some of her sons are construction workers at Masaplod and other are wielders in the town. “Other people may view our condition as something that makes our life harder than the normal people, but actually it isn’t. For me, maybe all the difficulty gradually wear off as the days passed, all thanks to the lifelong experience that we have,” with chin up in the air, Nanay Joliata proudly shared to us in Bisaya, evident in her posture that these are one of the little achievements that she deeply cherish in her life. In the end they are still the Alas-as family, who for the one in 160,000 chance of having syndactyly, majority of their members manifested it. They are still the Alas-as family who survived the unending whispered judgments of the people that surrounds them. Importantly, they are the Alas-as family who proved to the world that having an impaired condition doesn’t always mean they are rendered as a disadvantage to the community nor a factor to consider to stop their fight in life. They are the Alas-as family to rocked the ages as they stood up high – even higher than those people who have given up in their own life’s fight.

We don’t mind the rumors or what other people, especially our neighbors, say regarding our condition, what is important is, we know what we are capable of.

The Augustinian Mirror

head

over

the man behind the shoes that have treaded a generation

12 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

heels

society

w o r d s r ic ma r tin l. li bo-on p h o t o r ay a d r i a n c . m a c a l a l a g

By the streets of Guanco, he sits bespectacled among wax, thread, and leather. Stitch after careful stitch, he pulls the threaded needle from the outsole and makes a defined puncture towards the welt in perfect rhythms. Then, he reattaches the heel and makes the finishing touches of a restored masterpiece. As he puts life in his craft and the soles of each shoe together, Rodolfo M. Azada becomes an artisan who never wanted to be in someone else’s shoes when he can bravely step into his own.

Imelda Republic

He wakes up at 5:00 am, prepares himself and heads off to work. He brings his improvised toolkit and takes a 15-minute jeepney ride from his home near the old Mandurriao Airport to Guanco Street. For the past 35 years, he has repaired thousands of worn-out footwear in the city and seemingly becomes a permanent figure blending in an economic jungle in the city where competition is apparently between prey and predator. “This is a tough business,” the 66-yearold roadside cobbler reveals in Hiligaynon, “because I am not the only person who repairs shoes. In this kind of industry, the key to survive is to be kind, and people will patronize your shop.” He started in 1978 in the corner of Delgado and Quezon Streets. He was 35 years old when he ventured into the business. “I decided to move in a different location,” he says, “but I assure each of my costumers that my services never changed, and I still restore shoes in their original.” He mends shoes of all shapes and sizes with different types of clients from Iloilo’s socio-economic triangle. “I have my loyal customers,” he says as the corner of his lips stretched in a modest beam. He uttered that some even came from the popular families of the city like Treñas, Ganzon, Zulueta and Gorriceta. “Whoever owns the shoe which I am fixing, whether it is part of an Imelda Marcos collection, Cinderella’s glass slipper or even just the ordinary damaged school shoes, I accept them all for repairing without biases,” he jested.

Shoestring, Shoeshine

To make ends meet and to provide for his family, Mang Rodolfo works patiently and maintains a pleasant outlook in life despite of the weight of responsibilities that rests on his shoulders. He explained that there is no stable income. There are days when he gets to serve chicken on the dining table, and there are days

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when he gets to serve a can of sardines or a pack of noodles. “I am a father of eight children, and I am grateful that four of them have jobs so that they can also satisfy the needs of their own respective families,” he adds as he inspects an old pair of leather non-slip suede loafers. “I am also a grandfather of six grandchildren. They live with me and my wife in our house. My partner helps me to balance out daily expenses.” By 6:00 pm, he sees to it that he’s home so that he can catch up with his loved ones and spend quality time with his apos.

Heart and Sole

“I am passionate about my work,” he declares in his mother tongue “because I have spent almost half of my life learning the proper skill to repair shoes and probably, I mastered it through dedication, time and experience.” He also believes that if you want to survive, you should learn to make sound priorities and should live by your own circumstance. “It depends on your perseverance. If you are doing your best, nothing can stop you to achieve the things that you desire.” Mang Rodolfo then reaches for his back pocket and pulls out a classic black bi-fold wallet. He slowly opens it and flashes a 2.5 by 3.5 photo. “This is where I get my strength and my inspiration,” he confesses with a glint in his eyes. “I love my family just as I love my job,” he says, “but I will always prioritize them more than anything else. Without my family, there will be no reason for me to wake up every day and to mend broken shoes.” “When my shoes needs repairing, Mang Rodolfo is the first person that I think of,” Tonyo, a middle-aged customer, declares in Hiligaynon. “I consider him as an institution because of his endurance and longevity in restoring shoes and I can surmise that he loves this profession a lot.” A famous maxim goes that shoes define a person and his or her character. It is said that you are what you wear. But for this roadside cobbler, who dons a pair of slippers at work, it is not the things that cover your feet that dictate personification; rather, it is about the person, his moral fiber and his footprints that truly matter.

The Augustinian Mirror

religion

An Incorruptibl

from san agus meet tay amador , the university’s chance of having its first saint

w o r d s j e r e m i a h j o h n p. va r d e l e o n a r t w o r k a nne c ath er ine d. ma la za r te

After 37 years from the time of his death, an Augustinian Alumnus, who had a saintly reputation, is perceived to be partially incorrupt. A movement to canonize him is now underway. Julie Ann Aninon recalled the time when her 12-year-old niece was accidentally rammed by a public utility vehicle last March 2, 2013. As the child started to vomit blood from her mouth, she remembered enduring the horror of waiting helplessly for few more minutes since a possible bone fracture hindered the people from removing the child away from the scorching road that further burnt her niece’s skin. When they were in the hospital, a blood clot inside her brain rendered her niece in coma, and so Julie Ann grabbed a picture of Tay Amador while unceasingly praying for her survival.

THE HUNT FOR RELICS & LIVING WITNESSES

Julie Ann is not alone venerating the late Tay Amador (Amador M. Tajanlangit, Sr). People who knew Tay Amador believed that he is a saint that could powerfully intercede for those who are in need of help. Interestingly, the search for possible relics and living witnesses who can give their testimonies began immediately after the 2nd exhumation of Tay Amador, which occurred in Jaro cemetery. It was seen that his body was still partially incorrupt.

THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE INCORRUPTIBLES

According to Joan Carroll Cruz, the author of the book, The Incorruptibles, “the more carefully we consider the preservation of the incorruptible, the more baffling does the subject become… The mystery of their preservations is further compounded by the

14 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

observance of (often fresh) blood and clear oils (which at times have healing properties that may even flow for more than 400 years, as in the case of St. Nicholas of Tolentino)…”

HIS SAINTLY REPUTATION

When Tay Amador died at the age of 65 on March 9, 1977, roughly ten thousand people from nearby provinces of Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Negros Occidental gathered at the Jaro Cathedral grounds where the reputation of Tay Amador’s sanctity went into new heights. Referring back to the archives, his burial received a nationwide attention after miracles began to take place which were even noted by a news publisher: “During the consecration of the sacred Host in a requiem mass held, thousands of birds perched in the dome of the Cathedral, some landed in the pews, others went to the altar while still others kept on chirping and flying inside. After the mass three beautifully colored rainbows with the shapes of an arched dome also appeared. Those who are inside the church had also witnessed the wooden cross that shone so brightly like pure gold in the place where the Barangay Sang Birhen was enthroned.”

HIS APOSTOLIC WORKS

In an interview with Nerissa P. Pamplona, the Chairman of FAMTSr (Friends of Amador M. Tajanlangit, Sr.), she detailed that many of the elderly witnesses remembered Tay Amador for his eagerness in bringing many people back to God through his creative apostolic activities. In fact, when he was still a teenager, he managed to organize a simple movie house where he would gather people to watch religious films such as the lives of the saints, apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and many more. As a Marian devotee, he initiated the “Dawn Rosary” which was aired over the radio from 4:00 – 5:00 AM, and often assembled people for a mass and distribute religious

materials such as catholic prayer book and holy rosaries. He even did this to people in farflung areas within the region. Tay Amador spent much of his time preaching and made use of his ventriloquistic skills (i.e. he can skillfully imitate the sounds of many animals, birds, and insects) to gather people and teach them Catholic doctrines. As the elders have recalled, the people overwhelmingly loved Tay Amador enough that many volunteered to carry him in a cart (karosa) or hammock (duyan), so he can reach difficult areas in the rural areas. They even climbed mountains and crossed river borders.

DOES INCORRUPTION SPELL SAINTHOOD?

Though the Church was able to recognize more than 250 incorrupt bodies of saints to date, it has always been clear to point out that incorruptibility does not automatically confer sainthood upon a person. But if this phenomenon is authentic, it is welcomed by the Church as a supernatural occurrence. Hence, the faithful may obtain blessings by venerating the relics or objects that have been closely connected with that person. We find this practice evident in the case of St. Augustine when he attributed numerous cures to the relics of St. Stephen in Africa and in the Old Testament where a dead man was restored to life after coming in contact with the bones of the prophet Eliseus (4 Kings xiii. 21).

CAN THE FAITHFUL VENERATE TAY AMADOR?

Three months after the incident happened, Julie Ann Aninon had been very thankful to Tay Amador for obtaining a miracle that allowed her niece to survive and resume good health. Her testimony is just one among the many recorded by FAMTSr. Only time will tell if Tay Amador will officially gain public veneration approval from the Church.

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

le Saint

stin?

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The Augustinian Mirror

a heritage within a university

all of us know where the new iloilo city hall is but do you know that the old one is still alive and still serving?

16 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

w o r d s j o y c e g e m m . c a 単 e t e & h ya c i n t h g r a c e p h o t o ma ry joh sy en e. pa ba lina s r e f e r e n c e m a d r i d , r . m . , d a n y a g XIII , 2 ( 2 0 0 8 )

paloma

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

culture

Envisioned in 1908, conceptualized in 1929, constructed in 1933, operated from 1937 to 1947, became UPV property from 1947 to present.

But forever the first Iloilo City and Municipal Hall. Listed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines as a national heritage on November 25, 2008, the grandeur of this neoclassical structure that stands at the very heart of the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) screams of Iloilo’s glorious years as “Queen City of South”- back when Iloilo boasts a focal superiority from agriculture to trade and commerce.

The Starting Point

It was during 1908 when Ilonggo Lawmakers felt the need for Iloilo Municipal Hall to be built. On February 28, 1929, Juliana Melliza of Molo together with her husband Esteban and Son Pio Sian formally donated a 10,800 sq. m. (10.8 hectares) of land located at Estanzuela (now Tanza) to the Municipal Government by signing a Deed of Donation which was unanimously accepted by the Municipal Board on March 1, 1929. Plans for construction were soon finalized on March 20, 1929 with PhP 90,000.00 as the target cost of construction. The municipal hall was pictured out as three separate edifices made of concrete materials but connected to each other by spacious hallways. Various fundraising activities marked the year 1930 while in 1931 temporary sites for the city hall were deliberated and successively rejected. It was during this time that Melliza reiterated to the board that she would surely take back her donated land if the municipal hall would be placed somewhere else. While the Municipal Board convened and unanimously decided in the final site of the building which was originally at the boundary of Molo and Iloilo, the need for provision of loans delayed the implementation of the project for more than a year. On Jan 20, 1933, a big sum of money collected from various loaning agencies was enough to start the construction. Through the collaboration of the talents and artistic complexities of its builders, Juan Arelano, who served as consultant architect; Francesco Riccardo Monti, who decorated the building’s exterior; and Salvador Delado, who provided the finishing touches in its interiors, the first Iloilo Municipal Hall was built and left a mark in the history being the largest building in the Visayas and Mindanao during the Commonwealth Period.

The First Residents

The immediate completion of the municipal hall was demanded by Ilonggo lawmakers in Manila. The bill, which was passed by Lozano and was gaining support, was soon unanimously approved by National Assembly on October 1936. The charter then took effect on July 16, 1937 by virtue of Republic Act 365, otherwise known as Commonwealth Act 158.

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Eulogio Garganera was considered the last Municipal President of Iloilo while Ramos Campos was appointed as the first City Mayor and first City Chief Executive to occupy the newly-built Iloilo City Hall. The structure was inaugurated with much fanfare and celebration on December 19-30, 1936. It was a double celebration during Christmas season: the inauguration of The Presidencia or the House of the People and the elevation of the Municipality of Iloilo into a chartered city. Campos position as mayor was succeeded by Oscar Ledesma, a wealthy sugar planter, followed by Maximino Jalandoni.

Captured and Freed

Mayor Jalandoni vacated the city hall when the Japanese troops seized Iloilo City on April 18, 1942. The building was then converted into a garrison and the surrounding area, a concentration camp. They ruled the city for almost three years. Fernando Lopez, persuaded by President Sergio Osmeña, served as Mayor of Iloilo City and had the clumps of tall grasses cut and debris consisting of exploded grenades and human skeletons scattered in the city hall’s premises cleaned. Despite the urban legends about the building being haunted by ghosts and spirits, the Mayor and Iloilo City Council expressed their want for a branch of the University of the Philippines established in Iloilo and the old building was certainly an ideal site. A City Council resolution was passed as early as December 18, 1945 authorizing this move which was conclusive in their part since its major purpose was to bring the institution of the nation nearer to the youth of Western Visayas, particularly in the province and city of Iloilo. The formal legal transfer of the city hall building and the adjoining site from the city government’s ownership to UPV came into realization through the city council’s Resolution No. 753, No. 782 and No. 906. Thus, on August 24, 1949, Mayor Vicente R. Ybiernas, signed the “Deed of Donation” which made legal and definite the use of the building and site by the UP Iloilo College. As of now, the building houses the UPV Art Gallery, Office of University Student Council, Community Outreach Program (COP) Training Room, UPV Legal Office, Library Center for West Visayan Studies, and Old Supply and Property Services Office. It is, however, sad that the detailed historical account of the municipal hall along with the significant proofs of Iloilo’s glorious days were turned into ashes during World War II. No one can deny that the old Municipal Hall holds the city’s pride as the “Queen City of the South”, the title that still echoes within the walls of each building. Indeed, the glorious days to remember and treasure.

The Augustinian Mirror

culture

history meets memory

two ancestral houses in iloilo that have stood the test of time aya h d a n i c a v. g r a n a d a & c h r i st i n e j o y a . s a b e r p h o t o s th ongenn la nz b. pati am & ma ry joh sy en e. pabali n as w o r d s

MONTINOLA-LEDESMA HOUSE. The interior of the house showcases sturdy hardwood floors that is over a century old. (usa pub photo / thongenn lanz b. patiam)

Amidst intricate scars that kept the untold, two Ilonggo heirlooms survived the centuries in defiance of a modern city. Iloilo’s noble family houses are designed after what we usually see in typical Filipino horror films. Despite of the preconceptions set by society, these gems will never lose their ageold luster.

House of Memories

It is our pride and joy to let the rest of the world know and acknowledge the beauty of our heritage.

20 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Casa Mariquit, named after Mariquit Javellana, the heiress of the 210-year-old house, can be found in Graciano LopezJaena Street, Jaro, Iloilo. According to Morel Ferrer, the caretaker for the past 17 years, it was built by Don Julio Javellana, Mariquit’s grandfather, on July 11, 1803 giving accolade to the adored wife of the former Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines, Fernando Lopez. Constructed out of brick and stone rather than the traditional bamboo material and red brick walls with egg white, ash and sand – “special ingredients” – complete the recipe that is Casa Mariquit, a classic bahay na bato with a mixture of native Filipino, Spanish and Chinese influences. A small museum found at the upper floor of the house gives prominence to Lopez’s political career. Discovered among their possessions were a fully functioning vintage telephone and gramophone, emblems that proved they were one of the few affluent families during the time. Elaborately carved wooden stair handrails further defined the antiquity of the house. In the 18th century, Casa Mariquit served as a bank (a vault built in 1910 was

mounted and still exists today). It was also known for being the “House of Guerillas” in the 1930’s, an aspect which fosters the history of the house. An approximately 1 kilometerlong tunnel, though currently closed for safety purposes, can be found in the ground floor of the house and surprisingly leads to Jollibee-SM Jaro, Iloilo National High School, Central Philippine University and the rear of Jaro Cathedral. Robert Lopez Puckett, great-great grandson and current owner of the house and President of the Solar Electric Company Inc., started the restoration of the house in 1993 as his small concession to modernization. This old home has discreetly installed solar panels on its roof as part of its renovation.

Polychrome Home

“It is a facet of the Filipino ethos that ancestral houses in the Philippines remain owned and preserved by the same family for numerous generations,” says Jovil Gonzalodo, Engineer and General Manager of Gonzalodo Enterprises. A few blocks away, the 88-year-old Montinola-Ledesma mansion sits across Jaro plaza and still remains a sight to marvel. Although not as historically acclaimed, it still holds memories for its owner, Lola Emma Montinola-Ledesma. Caretaker Jerry Elnar, mentions that what brings visitors from all over is its outer edifice. Constructed in 1925, and despite the moldering, hints of elegance

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

and grandeur still peek through its huge cement columns and colored glass windows.

Throwbacks and Flashbacks

Casa Mariquit and Lola Emma’s abode are proof that home can be both a “who” and a “where”. These old houses are as unique as the families that lived under their roofs. From the outside, the bi-centennial Mariquit home looked rather ordinary when compared to other mansions in the city. The sala embraced the innermost beauty and memoirs of the house, full of photographs of “Nanding” and “Inday” with their children on vacation and holidays spent in Casa Mariquit. Home is seen in the glimmering eyes of Lola Emma as she repeatedly told stories of being born in the house itself, coming back home from St. Scholastica in her teenage

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years and through the vibrancy of the handpainted portraits of herself – preserved and still hanging. “Their architectural designs could proudly be claimed as one of a kind being protected by a patent, and there is a need for permission if one intends to duplicate it. It is our pride and joy to let the rest of the world know and acknowledge the beauty of our heritage,” adds Gonzalodo. Their original owners may not be here anymore or these houses are unoccupied, but they are never empty. Through these homes, part of our Filipino forefathers’ legacy was preserved. Casa Mariquit and the MontinolaLedesma mansions serve as a metaphor for the bigger setting; that is, our beloved Iloilo now – a wealthy inheritance of a majestic past that continues to hold meaning in the present.

CASA MARIQUIT. This house traditionally identified as bahay na bato stands firm along with its furniture, electronics, pictures, and miniature statues. (usa pub photo / mary johsyen e. pabalinas)

The Augustinian Mirror

NOT YOUR TYPICAL CLASSROOM. This semi-concrete structure is the classroom donated by PICE-Iloilo to San Miguel Elementary School as part of the Project Green Engineering Philippines. The bricks in this green building were designed by the now civil engineering graduates of the University. (usa pub photo / ray adrian c. macalalag)

BRICKS

don’t

LIE

Tarpaulins would always end up torn and tortured by graffiti, but Augustinian engineering graduates have an unorthodox way of making it last w o r d s & p h o t o s r ay a d r i a n c . m a c a l a l a g a d d i t i o n a l d a t a c o llege of engineer ing & a r c h itec tur e

As a student walks by the long covered walk leading to the Jalandoni gate of the University, he would always look to his left for something new among them. Searching for familiar faces and inspiration, he spends a short glance at the tarpaulins hanging on the rusty meshed wire that encloses the tennis court.

THE RAW MATERIAL. One of the researchers from the College of Engineering and Architecture manually shreds the tarpaulin into small pieces. (CEA File Photo)

22 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Produced at an average of 20 pesos per square foot, these tarpaulins have been useful for effective information dissemination; they highlight record-breaking achievements, spread political campaigns, advertise products, announce messages, and many more. However, what can they really do as they age? Some end up as improvised roofing and doorway for pedicabs, covering for jeepney seat upholstery, and umbrella in case of rain. This is not as conventional; however, as BS Civil Engineering Batch 2012 graduates used tarpaulin as an additive in developing interlocking concrete earth blocks (ICEB). The

thesis group composed of Czarinna Verlynne Magan, Edna Mae Delfin, and John Philip Diasanta, developed this material to minimize the use of soil in the ICEB.

Cheaper, Stronger

“Compressed Earth Blocks are ideal for low cost housing projects, but the source of suitable soils may get depleted as the demand for these blocks increases. Thus, finding another aggregate to supplement the mixture lowers the need for soil content in the block,” the group stated in their thesis manuscript. With the depletion in mind, the team hit two birds in one stone: minimizing the

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

science&technology

use of soil and recycling the tarpaulin. Thus, the group were very happy in the result of their study. The block which was composed of 55 percent soil, 15 percent cement, and 30 percent shredded tarpaulin, but is 50 percent stronger and a lot cheaper at PhP 4.62 than its orthodox counterpart article with strength of 6.1 megapascals and costs at least PhP 7.00.

facebook’s participation

These blocks have captured the attention of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineering (PICE) especially in its Project Green Engineering Philippines program. Thus, it has adapted the Augustinians’ invention in its maiden project in Iloilo, one of only 16 green classrooms under the said program in the Philippines. You can find these blocks in one of the classrooms in San Miguel Elementary School. According to School Principal Leticia Saraza, the PICE’s intent of donating a green structure in their school was merely a needle in a haystack. It only came into realization when Engr. Ronnie Primaylon, former president of PICE-Iloilo Chapter, and Engr. Reynaldo Asuncion, current President and Dean of the University’s College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA), contacted her on Facebook and personally talked to her about the organization’s intent of building a green classroom. The groundbreaking ceremony was done on August 1, 2012, and the classroom is now used by students.

The Green Classroom

Serving as the second home of the special education program pupils, the architecture depicts a mix of old and new with the tarpaulin ICEB on its base and native materials on the upper portion. The roofing is made of nipa making the classroom “well-ventilated” according to Saraza. “The school is very grateful because our population rose from 1,300 to about 1,500. The classroom is also very comfortable for special education pupils because they can move freely because this classroom is more spacious than the others,” she said with a smile on her face. As time passes, the ideas turn into plans, and the plans turn into reality. These Civil Engineering graduates proved this in their project. Reducing wastes generated by tarpaulins, this unorthodox ICEB with shredded tarpaulin had its own Cinderella story from the conception of the thesis and its happy ending – that is being an answer to one of humanity’s aim to sustainability. The next time you see those tarpaulins hanging along the Jalandoni gate walkway, imagine how far those tarpaulins would go when they end up in the hands of Augustinians. Most would have their first and primary purpose to commend achievers who etched the University’s history. No longer will they end up in pedicabs; rather, in those ICEBs that will form another structure that will nourish the mind and heart to form another wild idea on sustainable development.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT. The top image shows the ICEB with shredded tarpaulin while the image below shows the base soil mixture. (CEA File Photo)

The block which was composed of 55 percent soil, 15 percent cement, and 30 percent shredded tarpaulin, but is 50 percent stronger and a lot cheaper at Php 4.62 than its orthodox counterpart article with strength of 6.1 megapascals and cost least PhP 7.00.

A TOUCH OF CULTURE. The layers show how three types of materials were used in the green classroom. The middle layer is laid with the ICEB with shredded tarpaulin. The roofing is made of nipa; thus, making the room cool and properly ventilated for the occupants despite of the heat of the sun. (usa pub photo / ray adrian c. macalalag)

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The Augustinian Mirror

science&technology

Not Your Ordinary

neighbors

in the tides of time, where are our little friends now?

w o r d s j e s a n n y i . ya p p h o t o d a n i e l p. a b u ta s

Cities are always expanding, but it is not just humans who are moving in. The expansion of urban development has resulted in the colonization of wildlife within its confines. It is not unusual anymore to hear of snakes found crawling outside our yards, inside water pipes or sewers; and birds assembling their nests atop buildings. Green roofs and other green spaces form an ecological network that becomes more attractive to birds and insects, and provides them with a flexible ecosystem; others thrive either in abandoned or inhabited houses, big old trees, polluted creeks, and rusty railway tracks. Our cities have definitely become urban oases for wildlife.

Shared Territory

“Synurbization” is the term theorists – ecologists coined to describe the adjustment of wildlife within the urban area. As cities sprawl into wilderness areas, our wild neighbors are also responding by staking their claim for territory in an increasingly human-controlled world. Charges of theft, property destruction, disturbances, and even assault are on the rise — against animals. It’s become an all-out turf war. But who is invading whom? “It’s reasonable to assume that these animals are moving to the city because they’re being displaced by climate change and habitat destruction. They do this for survival,” says Rose Enriquez, a Consultant of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Central Office. There is no doubt that human civilization has had a negative impact on biodiversity since 24 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

the industrial revolution. Overfishing and hunting, destroying of their habitat through agriculture and urban extension, the using of pesticides and herbicides, and releasing of other toxic compounds into the environment have all taken their toll particularly on vertebrates. For instance, Inquirer Visayas published a news report of a five-year-old child who died barely three hours after he was bitten in his right hand by a venomous snake within the vicinity of their house In Valencia, Ormoc City. “Although these animals pose a threat to people, they do not necessarily give us the right to hurt these so-called intruders. We have the laws protecting them. They are still preserved for the environment, for their medicinal values and purposes of promoting biodiversity,” shares Enriquez. A study conducted in Minnesota USA also found significant cranial growth over the last century for some rural species like bats and shrews. It is because these animals need to travel further to find food, for humans dominated the landscape. Research suggests that the brains of some of these animals have goten bigger in tandem with the industrialization of their habitat - making some city animals smarter than their rural peers.

Facing the Danger

Whereas many animal and plant species have adapted to the new stresses, food sources, predators and threats in urban and suburban

environments where they thrive with people, there are also some major cutbacks. Citydwelling animals still face a range of new challenges and a relative decrease in its species and ecological diversity as its major consequence. For species that rely on sound to communicate or execute mating strategies, noise pollution presents a problem. The downside of living in a noisy environment can be significant for birds which use acoustic signals to attract mates, defend territories, warn dangers, and deter competitors. Many human beings find urban noise uncomfortable, but for birds, having vital communications drowned or muffled threatens their breeding and survival. This rapid increase in the phenomenon only manifests chances for coexistence between wild animals and our urban civilization as well as possibilities of managing wildlife in the cities. But it does not change the fact that the world’s ecological crisis affects the fauna in the cities just as in the animal world as a whole. An already tenuous relationship between humans and the natural world is further threatened urban sprawl. Species of plants and animals face extinction, and any loss is a devastating blow to all of life. Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

This rapid increase in the phenomenon only manifests chances for coexistence between wild animals and our urban civilization as well as possibilities of managing wildlife in the cities.

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The Augustinian Mirror

campus

the story

behind the microphone radio san agustin once dominated the air waves in iloilo, how long has it been?

st e p h a n i e k a y l . u r q u i o l a & r e st y j o h n l . p a l e t e g r a p h i c s g e o n a n j o h n p. g u e va r a p h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f usa a r c h iv es a nd museum

w o r d s

Forty-eight years ago, the University of San Agustin wanted to bring their vision and their mission out into the world; with promotional videos and Internet a thing of the mind, the opportunity didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t present itself on a silver platter. Riddled with endless sacrifices and burdens, the University and its administration plunged headfirst into the air waves.

26 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

THE MASTER CONTROL ROOM IN 1979 (usa archives and museum photo)

Nuts and Bolts

No ready-made radio station was available on the market, not during those days. The plan of having a university-based radio station was an idea not easily grasped until a station manager of a radio station in Iloilo City offered a one-hour program which featured the students and their talents, music, and wholesome entertainment. The radio segment was named Kawilihan-USA. It was a huge success, for it was not a conventional radio program. After airing for five months, however, the station manager informed the University of the slot being sold and with the next slot late in the afternoon. Then, the University temporarily bid goodbye to broadcasting. Another station offered the same program but also sold the time slot after two months. The possibility of opening a radio station was then entertained by the Augustinian Fathers. They had a talk with the late Bob Garcia, who had the vast experience in radio construction and equipment. After a series of talks, a decision was made. University personnel were set to work. Garcia, with his crew, started raising the 150 ft. antenna and vigorously worked on the first nut down to the last bolt of the 1.0 kV. Transmitter. The University wanted the call sign ‘DYSA’ with the ‘SA’ identifying with ‘San Agustin’, but the call sign was already being used by a shipping corporation. With the crew working tirelessly on the construction, the staff also attended to the matter with the same vigor, and after a long exchange of letters, the corporation ceded the call sign to the University, and DYSA was conceived.

Ready, Set, Switch!

On October 30, 1965, history was made with the inauguration of DYSA with the Ambassador of Spain, His Excellency Don Miguel Teus, as the guest of honor. The program was set to go smoothly with the blessings given by the Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro, Most Rev. Juan Milmar, and for everything to go uphill from there. But the road to triumph is not without its blind curves as proven by the events on that day. Apparently, stated in the records of the University during the DYSA years, the transmitter couldn’t emit a sound without its 1050 Khs crystal, which Garcia promptly installed upon receiving it late in the day. www.usa-pub.blogspot.com/theaugustinianmirror

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH. Don Miguel Teus, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines, hits the button to formally turn the DYSA Radio San Agustin on air. (usa archives and museum photo)

The most awaited moment was when the Ambassador of Spain pressed the switch to actuate the station where the first note of the station identification could be heard. “There was not a dry eye among those of us who had toiled, suffered, endured and survived the difficulties attendant to the birth of this station,” the late Station Manager Enrique Pio Campos, Sr. stated.

On-air Benefits

In an article by Maximus Rex entitled Community Radio, he stated that community stations should serve the interest of the communities. They broadcasted content that was popular and relevant to a local, specific audience which was often overlooked by commercial broadcasters. Community radio stations provide a mechanism for enabling individuals, groups, and communities to tell their own stories, to share experiences and become a vehicle for the community. DYSA was more than a symbol of the University’s constant strive for excellence, it also served as a mark of greater things to come for all Augustinians. “Aside from DYSA serving as the laboratory for students who were taking Communication related courses, it also became the University’s free vehicle for marketing with the scope reaching those in the far-flung areas of Panay. Most of all, knowledge has always been a driver of development; knowledge that we shared through broadcasting,” Jigger S. Latoza, Chief of Staff of the University, stated.

Final Wave

Radio San Agustin has proved to be a badge of honor of the University being the first FM station in Iloilo City. However, all good things eventually came to an end as DYSA was sold by the University; however, it did not bring with it the school’s honor and prestige it has established over the years. According to Latoza, the University was able to fulfill its 4 missions through DYSA: Instruction, Research, Community Service, and Evangelization; these missions benefit society, the community, and the general public. Almost five decades ago, Radio San Agustin became the blaring horn of the University as the prestigious and first University in Western Visayas. From the past to the present, we shout our glory across the sky!

DYSA was more than a symbol of the University’s constant strive for excellence, it also served as a mark of greater things to come for all Augustinians. The Augustinian Mirror

campus

Noong Sinusulatan Pa Kita

dahil sa paglaganap ng teknolohiya, unti-unti nang namamatay ang tradisyunal na pagpapadala ng sulat. KumuSTA NA ang ganitong paraan?

r e t r a t o

m g a s a l i t a j o e l s . s a st r i l l o ma ry joh sy en e . pabali n as

Biglang may gumuhit na isang maliit na ngiti sa kanyang mukha. Hindi niya mawari kung saan ito nanggaling. Mababakas dito ang saya na nadarama ni Lolo Macario habang binabasa ang mga lumang sulat na itinago ng kanyang namayapang asawa sa loob ng baul – naglalaman ng masayang paghihintay sa mahabang panahon. Mistulang nalimutan mo na NILIMOT NG PANAHON. Nananatiling tahimik ang dating masiglang tanggapan ng Iloilo City Post Office sa tabing pasukan ng Unibersidad.

28 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Habang binabaybay ang daan papunta sa Kalye Jalandoni para bumili ng buko juice sa labas ng Unibersidad ay makikita ang isang maliit at lumang saradong bintana na mistulang walang sigla sa gilid kung saan ito’y pinintahan ng alikabok at pinalamutian ng mga agiw. Dati itong masiglang tanggapan ng koreo ng lungsod ngunit hindi ito parte ng Unibersidad. Ayon kay Engr. Rizalde Monserate ng General Services Office, umaarkila lamang ang tanggapan noon upang tumanggap at magpadala ng mga sulat lalo na ng mga estudyante. Sa panayam kay Engr. Rolly Mamon, Post Master ng Iloilo City Post Office (ICPO), isinara ang nasabing tanggapan noong Enero taong 2013 dahil na rin sa kakulangan ng mga kawaning magtatrabaho rito. Katulad ng isinarang tanggapan na makikita sa Unibersidad ay ganoon din katamlay ang pangunahing tanggapan ng ICPO. Kakaunting bentilador lang ang gumagana para palamigin ang buong kuwarto sa loob ng lumang gusali ng Aduana sa likod ng Freedom Grandstand kung saan

matatagpuan ang nasabing opisina. May malapad na espasyo para asikasuhin ang mga taong pumupunta rito. Patuloy paring kinakaya ng lumang hagdanan ang bigat ng mga taong umaapak at dumadaan dito. Sa ikalawang palapag makikita ang mga mamang karterong matiyagang naghihiwalay ng mga sulat sa manuwal at tradisyunal na paraan. “Walang sapat na pondo para ipaayos ang naturang opisina kahit sabihing gobyerno ang namamahala rito. Kadalasan, mula sa sariling bulsa namin idinudukot ang perang ginagamit makapagbigay lang ng tamang serbisyo sa kapwa,” ayon kay Mamon. Ito ay isang paglalarawan ng tunay na kalagayan ng mga liham na tila nilimot na ng modernisasyon.

Kung iyong naaalala

Bago pa man pumuti ang mga buhok ng aking lolo na si Lolo Macario Sastrillo Sr., 83 taong gulang, naikuwento niya na katulad din ng mga tao sa kapanahunan niya, mahaba-habang pila ang kanyang hinihintay makapagpadala lang ng liham sa kanyang mga anak.

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

LUMIPAS MAN AY ‘DI KUMUPAS. Patuloy pa rin ang operasyon ng Iloilo City Post Office sa gusali ng Aduana sa Kalye ng Muelle Loney.

“Sa pamamagitan din ng sulat nagliligawan ang mga kabataan noong kapanahunan ko,” ayon kay Corazon Campos, kawani ng Iloilo City Post Office. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulat, napapalapit nito ang mga tao sa mundo dahil ito lang ang nagsisilbing paraan ng komunikasyon noong unang panahon.

Nasaan na ba tayo ngayon?

Ayon sa istatistikang ibinahagi ng ICPO sa buwan ng Pebrero ngayong taon, nakapagtala sila ng 131, 368 mga sulat na natanggap sa opisina samantalang 127, 505 naman ang kanilang naipadala. Inamin ni Francis Cereno, tagapamahala ng Internal Audit ng PhilPost, na bumaba ang sulat na natatanggap ng kanilang opisina dahil na rin sa mga modernong pamamaraan ng komunikasyon. Ito rin ang isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit ang ibang post office ay isinara rin. “Personal letters lang naman ang nabawasan. Nariyan pa rin ang mga importanteng dokumento, physical packages, billings ng mga credit cards at mga utility companies na ipinapadala sa post office,” ani niya. Sa kabila ng bumabang bilang ng

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mga nagpapadala, daig pa rin ng layuning matulungan ang mga taong kapos at hindi pa rin abot ng modernisasyon kaya napapanatiling buhay ang post office. “Marami nang nagsusulputang private letter delivery companies kaya nahihirapan din kami ngayon. Kahit maliit lang ‘yung kita, patuloy pa rin kaming nagbibigay serbisyo,” paliwanag naman ni Mamon.

Puwede bang maibalik ang dati?

Sa panahon ngayon, mahirap makipagsabayan ang snail mail sa e-mail. Pipila sa isang luma at mainit na gusali upang maipahayag ang saloobin o di kaya’y umupo sa tabi, maki-WiFi, at sabihin ang lahat ng gusto sa harap ng kamera? Mas pipiliin ng nakakarami ang kung saan sila mas komportable. Subalit ayun kay Cereno, depende rin sa sitwasyon ng pagpapadala ng mensahe at sa taong nangangailangan nito. “Kapag mabilis na kumonikasyon at malinaw na pagkakaintindihan, nariyan ang internet at telepono. Pero kapag mga pribadong dokumento gaya ng birth certificate, post office ang tatanggap nito,” paliwanag niya. Dagdag pa niya, karamihan sa mga kabataan ngayon ay modernong paraan na

ang ginagamit. Kaya naman hindi na natin na-eensayo ang tamang gramatika na itinuro sa atin. “Minsan, kapag sumusulat lang ng excuse letter o simpleng liham ay mali pa,” biro niya. Ang pagsusulat ay isang natatanging paraan ng pagpapahayag ng damdamin kung saan, ang sulat kamay ng nagpapadala ang mismong mababasa ng pinapadalhan. “Ang isang liham ay maitatago mo, maaaring basahin muli, at magsisilbing masayang alaala mo lumipas man ang panahon,” binigyang-diin ni Campos.

Maghihintay pa rin

Hindi pa naman natin masasabi na tuluyan na ngang nilimot ng makabagong henerasyon ngayon ang kahalagahan ng pagsusulat – isang paraan ng komunikasyon na bumago ng mga buhay at nagdugtong sa mga tao noong unang panahon. Nakakabagot nga ang maghintay subalit mapapalitan din naman ito ng saya kapag natanggap na ang pinakahihintay na liham. Papalapit na ang buwan ng Disyembre, at masayang dumungaw si Lolo Macario sa bintana matapos ang kanyang kuwento. Marahil nasasabik itong makatanggap ng mga liham ng pagbati sa nalalapit na Pasko.

The Augustinian Mirror

isang araw ng seguridad kayanin kaya ninyo na maging tagabantay nang isang araw sa makasaysayang unibersidad ng san agustin?

m g a

30 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

s a l i t a

ed ry l l e g. r e t r a t o

c ofr er os a t th er ese ma e ma r a ela iza a . flor es

billones

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

campus Sa bawat hakbang ng aming mga paa sa pasilyo ng Mendel Hall ay parang nilakbay din namin ang mga bawat yapak ng mga sinaunang bantay na umikot at lumibot sa kasaysayan ng San Agustin. Sa natatanaw na mga bulwagan ay nakapinta ang mga kamay na dumiit mula sa mga nakaraang tanod ng Institusyon. Sa kalagitnaan ng dilim, lalong bumilis ang pagtakbo ng mga daga sa aming dibdib ngunit ito rin ang nagbigay-lakas at tibay upang aming malampasan ang hamong aming tinanggap. “Matapang ba kayo?” Ito ang tanong na kahit kami ay nahirapang sumagot. Gaano nga ba kami katatag para tanggapin ang isang hamon na suotin ang puting uniporme dala ang mga batuta, uupong parang mga siga, at maninita ng mga estudyanteng hindi sumusunod sa patakaran ng paaralan. Dagdag pa rito ay aarangkada’t lilibutin namin ang buong eskwelahan upang siguraduhin ang kaligtasan at kaayusan pagdating ng takipsilim.

PAGHAHANDA PARA SA HAMON

Sa kabila ng tumpok na proyekto na dapat tapusin at sa dami ng pagsusulit na dapat paghandaan, ipinagpatuloy parin namin ang pagganap bilang mga mahihigpit na guwardya sa loob ng isang araw. Kailangan pa naming humingi ng pahintulot na makahiram ng uniporming pang-guwardya. Syempre kailangan naming ihanda ang aming sarili na magmukhang istrikto bilang parte ng aming pagganap. Bagaman nahirapan kaming makahanap ng uniporme na aming magamit, hindi iyon naging hadlang upang hindi matuloy ang aming misyon.

UNANG PAGSUBOK, PATOK

Sa simula ng aming pagganap, hindi naiwasang mabigla ang mga mag-aaral nang makita kaming nakapuwesto sa side gate at nakasuot ng puting damit na may dalang batuta. Malalagkit man na tingin ang aming nakuha mula sa mga mag-aaral na nanibago, makapal naman ang aming determinasyong matapos ang hamon sa amin. Nagsimula kaming manita ng mga estudyanteng lumalabag sa patakaran katulad ng mga walang ID at hindi nakauniporme. Sinalubong kami ng mga kumukunot na noo at nanlilisik na mga mata sa tuwing nahuhuli naming hindi nila nasusunod ang regulasyon. Sa bawat nahuhuling lumalabag ay kanya-kanyang palusot at dahilan ang kanilang ibinibigay sa amin ngunit hindi nila kami nadala sa mga rasong hindi naman katanggap-tanggap. Siyempre, kami na yata ang pinaka-istriktang guwardyang nakasalubong nila sa buong buhay nila.

SILA ANG MALI, SILA ANG GALIT

Hindi maikakaila na halos lahat ng estudyante ay pagkakainis ang bukambibig kapag sila’y nahuhuli ng mga guwardya na lumalabag sa patakaran ng paaralan. Mayroong mga estudyante na kahit alam nilang lumalabag sila sa regulasyon ng paaralan ay patuloy pa rin nila itong ginagawa. Kapag sila ay nahuhuli, sila pa itong galit. Ang tanging mithiin ng mga guwardya ay bantayan ang paaralan sa paraang kanilang alam. Lingid sa kaalaman ng mga estudyante, ginagampanan lamang ng mga guwardya ang kanilang trabaho - ang tungkuling kumalinga sa seguridad ng Unibersidad daang taon na

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ang nakalipas.

KAMI’NG BAHALA SA IYO

Hindi alintana ng mga guwardiya ang pagod at puyat na kanilang kinakaharap sa bawat araw. Sa katunayan, nagagampanan pa rin nila ng mabuti ang kanilang tungkuling mapanatili ang kapayapaan at katiwasayan sa loob ng paaralan kahit noon pa. “Mahirap talaga ang aming trabaho dagdagan pa ng kaba na aming nadarama tuwing iniikot namin ang buong eskwelahan sa gitna ng dilim para lamang patayin ang mga ilaw,” ayon kay Security Officer Reymil Declaro sa wikang Hiligaynon, nakatalagang magbantay sa Mendel Hall. Sa kakarampot na kita ng mga guwardya sa Unibersidad ay hindi sapat upang tumbasan ang hirap at pawis na kanilang iniaalay para lamang magampanan ang trabahong siyang tumutugon sa kumakalam na sikmura ng kanilang mga pamilya. Dagdag pa ang takot na kanilang dinadanas sa tuwing umiikot sila sa mga lumang gusali ng paaralan. Sa kabilang dako, lubos nilang ipinagmamalaki ang trabaho sapagkat kahit ganoon, alam nilang marangal at tama ang kanilang ginagawa - ang maprotektahan ang paaralan na minsan nang gumuhit ng pangalan sa kasaysayan.

TATAK NG KASAYSAYAN

Sa pagpapatuloy ng aming paglalakbay sa Aguirre Hall sa pagtuklas ng mga nakatagong kuwento ng paaralan, kamanghamangha ang aming mga nalaman mula kay Security Guard Edgardo Gempis. Naging testigo ang ating mga kawal mula sa kanilang paglilibot hanggang sa kanilang pagbabantay sa mga estoryang naihahatid sa bawat sulok ng paaralan. Kung nakakapagsalita lamang ang bawat pader na siyang naging sandigan at siyang naging mata’t taingang saksi sa bawat pagkalugmok at tagumpay ng mga dumadaan, siguro amin nang narinig ang mga kuwentong kanyang maibabahagi. Ang Urdaneta Hall na minsan nang nagsilbing taguan ng mga Pilipino noong Pangalawang Pandaigdigang Digmaan laban sa pananakop ng mga Hapon. Ito ang nagbigay proteksyon upang siguraduhin ang kaligtasan ng mga Pilipino. Ang tangke ng tubig na malapit sa Dolce Garcia Hall na kinatitirikan ngayon ng tirahan ng mga tagabantay mula pa noong unang panahon ay nananatiling buo upang ipaalala sa atin ang mga nai-ambag ng mga tumayong tagapangasiwa ng kapayapaan sa paaralan ang ating mga guwardya. Sa munting hakbang na aming ginawa nawa’y naipaabot namin ang mensahe na ang pagbabantay at pagpapanatili ng katiwasayan mula noon hanggang ngayon ay pagpapakitang-halaga sa isang institusyon na minsan nang tiningala at patuloy na titingalain sa kinabukasan.

Siyempre, kami na yata ang pinaka-istriktang guwardyang nakasalubong nila sa buong buhay nila.

The Augustinian Mirror

FooD&LiFestYLe

growing PearlS Below The ground a sip of an old friend w o r d s j e r S on e. el m i d o p h o t o s r ay a d r i a n c . m a c a l a l a g

The chilly place of the milk tea shop helped me cool down my impatient mood in refreshing my browser to search for a long-lost traditional food. While waiting, I took a sip of my winter melon flavored milk tea and felt the refreshing and enlivening fluid that flowed in my gullet. I filtered the pearls with my tongue and played and swirled them inside my mouth. I giggled and chewed them individually for a gummy finish. Suddenly, my eyes glistened as the reply was positive! A friend told me that what I’m looking for is available, but can only be found in Brgy. Juaneza, Sara, Iloilo, 115 kilometers away from the city. All eyes were on me as my failed attempt to shout “Yes!” was caused by my choking on a pearl. I was embarrassed but still thankful that the sago didn’t surge out of my nose. Regardless of what happened, I was still happy to finally please my longing for an uraro. I could still remember my early childhood when we were called by my lola while playing outside tumbang-preso or pukol (a fist-sized ball made of damp soil rolled together to test which one is tougher) with my friends. She would serve herself hot tea and for me and my cousins, a hot cocoa drink paired with steamed uraro and muscovado

32 T h e A u g u s T i n i A n M i r r o r

sugar dip. We simply dug those tubers under our lawn to match up our usual afternoon hot drink. Uraro (Maranta arundinacea), also known as arrowroot, is a root crop that grows to about 2 feet tall. It bears small white flowers, and its roots swell up to 1 foot in length and 1 inch in diameter after a year. They are off-white, joint and covered with loose white skins. Uraro thrives in tropical countries, and some people dubbed for its medical wonders. Despite its health benefits (if indeed true), the present generation especially the citygrown are less aware of its information and

Vol. 80 No. 1 + October 2013 Issue

whereabouts. Even walks at the city’s public market make this fibrous, but delicious root crop a rare find. So, I decided to introduce uraro as the main ingredient for an expensive, best seller bubble milk tea. I dared myself to incorporate this root crop in today’s tea shop craze. I made an experiment of extracting the starch from uraro to make homemade pearls, and my discovery proved quite successful. Just prepare the ingredients to get all started: ¼ kilo of uraro 1 tea bag (flavor of your choice) 200 ml fresh milk sugar

procedure

1. Smash the uraro to bits then plunge in a bowl of water. 2. Crush the bits in the water. Notice the water will turn a bit hazy or cloudy because the juices of uraro were squeezed out. 3. Filter the mixture with a strainer and let it settle in a glass. A thick white paste will soon appear at the bottom of the glass. 4. Carefully pour out the brown water then scoop the paste out of the glass. Now, you already have the uraro starch. 5. Lay the wet starch in a plate and allow it

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to dry under the heat of the sun. 6. You will produce at least 3 tablespoons of uraro starch. That is equally good for 1 serving of milk tea. 7. Mix a tablespoon of boiling water to the starch then knead to a dough-like form. If you want to add color to your pearls, just add any natural food coloring. 8. Pinch a bit and roll into small balls of dough with half centimeter in diameter depending on the size of the pearls you want. 9. Cook the pearls in boiling water 30 – 45 minutes according to the size of the pearls. 10. Quickly drain and put in an ice bath to cool down. 11. Let it submerged in sugar or honey solution and marinate for 20 minutes (optional). 12. Put in a poco glass. Pour the tea, milk, and crushed ice. Add sugar to taste. Serve while it is cold.

moment of truth

The uraro pearls were gleaming, and I could really compare its smoothness and softness to the artificial pearls in the market. I let my family taste them, and they were safe. No signs of gastroenteritis or whatsoever; all natural and homemade. My childhood memories came back to life. Hopefully, the tradition of eating uraro will not be a thing of the past, but will be respawned and palatable to the new generation.

The Augustinian Mirror

Timeless Cuisina Ilongga p h o t o s

for over 10 years, these restaurants are still alive and definitely giving not just the ilonggos but the entire country culinary masterpieces

w o r d s seulgi j. h a n th ongenn la nz b. patia m

I take a spoonful of the dish served. As it plays with my taste buds, I am comforted by the taste of home, like grandma’s cooking. I witness its decade-old journey from the time it first served up to the present with its flavors and secrets intact. I am taken back to the time when a stick of banana cue and softdrinks cost only 10 centavos. Ocean City

Following some culinary rules, the soup is always served first. French-inspired bouillabaisse soup is catered with prawns, shrimps, bite-size fish pieces, and crab afloat a creamy bath. Carefully, the prawns are de-shelled and a bite pops its sweetness and blends well with the smooth soup. It’s like a milk spill in the ocean. The milk-based creamy soup itself is worth a few more helpings. Beside it, is the Crispy Tadyang ng Baka (Crispy Beef Ribs) which sits in a fancy bed of greens. Fried to inner tenderness and crispy cortex, there’s no better sauce to it than the Ilonggo sinamak. Just-grilled blue marlin follows and laid humbly with not so many garnishing, holding up to its reputation. Ah! The buttery sensation trapped in tight flesh. Next is the glow food group to balance the meal. The Ocean City’s version of chopsuey is

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM. Bestsellers of Ocean City: Bouillabaisse, Chopsuey, Grilled Blue Marlin, Ocean City Fried Rice, and Crispy Tadyang ng Baka

34 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

food&lifestyle

Pat-pat’s Kansi House served its first bowl of kansi with only two bamboo tables to start with.

a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, button mushroom, baby corn, shrimp and pork in oyster sauce. Then finally, a staple in every Filipino meal - rice. Ocean City’s fried rice is rather colorful with Chinese sausage, shrimp, Baguio lettuce, egg and rice. Even with just the rice, it’s already a complete meal. With an aim of specializing in seafood, it was named Ocean City by its owner, Mr. Ernesto A. Borromeo. It was established in 1992 and located at Sen. Benigno Aquino Avenue, Mandurriao, Iloilo City. For 21 years of its service to customers, “Ocean City has evolved as a family dining restaurant and has been known for its Filipino and Chinese dishes with reasonable prices,” shares Mr. Borromeo. Indeed, Ocean City’s quality of food has satisfied farther than just the Ilonggo palates. “Some unforgettable customers who dined here were PBA players Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Cordiñera and celebrities like Eddie Guttierez, Sharon Cuneta, Jose Mari Chan and Jolina Magdangal,” recalls Mr. Borromeo. For a holistic dining experience, the seafood place caters not only food of excellent quality, but also frequent music bands to entertain customers while they eat especially on weekends. You can also enjoy their food at food courts found in Robinsons Mall, Atrium Mall, Marymart Mall, SM City Iloilo and SM City Bacolod. When asked what makes Ocean City stands until today, Mr. Borromeo answers, “Ocean city takes care of its customers well, so they keep on coming back. It has also maintained good quality of food and provided efficient and friendly service”.

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With that said, a cupful of ice-cold buko pandan is served. It’s a refreshing treat of buko slices and pandan jelly in sweet milk and just the right dessert to cleanse the palate after a hearty meal.

Pat-pat’s Kansi House

While waiting, the waitress brings a plate with my weapons for battle – a bamboo stick and a serrated knife. In not even 15 minutes, the kitchen door opens and a huge bowl of Lawas with unod is delivered. The beefy aroma potentiates my reflexes to dig in, but staring at the huge bone right at the center of the bowl, I have no idea how I’m going to eat it. So instead, I limit myself to a spoonful of soup, and it awakens the lingua with its rich beef broth and sour aftertaste. Taking a bamboo stick, the cholesterol-filled soft marrow oozing out of the bone is poked and gathered on the plate. When it’s finally in my mouth, it melts leaving only its gushing taste with the tongue desperate for more. Then, the ligaments are carefully removed from the bone with a serrated knife and is devoured with the chunks of meat bathed in the soup. For a second, I thought I would have to chew the ligaments until my jaw tired, but Pat-pat’s proved me wrong. Despite the rubbery texture, it was tender enough to chew. Finally, with a cup of rice, the meal is complete. *Burp!* As a little girl, Pat-pat was a lover of kansi (an ilonggo version of the famous bulalo or beef marrow soup) that she asked for it almost every mealtime. Her mom, Christine Servando, who thought spending money to eat out wasn’t budget smart, decided to cook the dish herself adding her own touches and

flavors. The recreated kansi, however, not only satisfied Pat-pat but also friends and guests who convinced her to open a restaurant. Thus, on May 10,1999, Pat-pat’s Kansi House served its first bowl of kansi with only two bamboo tables to start with. It stands today on the same spot where it was built 14 years ago, attracting customers not with fancy interiors or huge posters but with the soup itself. “I think the very thing that keeps customers coming back is the right blend of flavors and seasoning in the soup,” reveals Sharon Uytiepo, sister of Mrs. Servando. You can choose from Lawas with unod or Puro unod. For those who rather enjoy adventurous food, then the kansi for you is Lawas with unod which makes you work for a taste of its marrow and ligaments. However, if you find it a hassle to eat with the bone, you can go for puro unod and still get a taste of the famous soup. A word of praise about the authentic Ilonggo casserole has spread to different parts of the country especially with the opening of its third branch in Makati City. Furthermore, Pat-pat’s kansi reached its crowning point when it was chosen as one of the best bulalo houses in the country and the only one from Iloilo during the Sooo Pinoy (Evolving Filipino

Flavors): National Search for the Ultimate Pinoy Dish, a campaign led by Unilever Food

solutions, Department of Tourism and Inquirer Lifestyle last April 28, 2010. At present, Pat-pat’s Kansi House continues to serve only the finest kansi in five branches located in the different regions of the country and showcasing the bowl of timeless Ilonggo culture.

The Augustinian Mirror

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP. Breakthrough’s Bestsellers: Grilled Red Snapper (Managat), Sizzling Crab Meat, Aligue Rice, and Baked Talaba.

Breakthrough

When you hear the toss of waves and feel the tropical breeze past your cheeks, you know you’re at Breakthrough. Staring at the vast spread of the Villa beach, all worries of my next exam were put to rest. The staff brings out an equally vast spread of food and I guess the right thing to say is “I don’t know where to start!”. Breakthrough does justice to the Asian staple with its Aligue rice, rich fried rice topped with crab fat that makes you forget you’re even eating rice. As my mouth masticates, my hand makes an involuntary reach for the largest half shell of baked talaba. The melted butter and cheese melts twice in my mouth with the fresh flavor of the meat underneath. While I savored the luscious talaba with closed eyes, I sensed a buttery aroma and a hot sizzle – the sizzling crabmeat. The soft crabmeat is made even delicate with the butter as the latter brings a modern taste to it drawing out a burst of flavors with vegetables, mushroom and egg that makes your palate insane. Last and the best is the grilled Managat fish (Red Snapper). Known to many as a pest fish, it was introduced as menuworthy by Mr. Raymundo Robles, a marine biologist and owner of Breakthrough. After its discovery, Mr. Robles now cultures them to be served fresh at the restaurant. Although it is grilled, the flesh remains lean and moist, and it comes off easily when forked. It also 36 T h e A u g u s t i n i a n M i r r o r

has a sweet taste that only fresh seafood can achieve. Notwithstanding the high-end taste, I was surprised to learn that it was marinated only in salt, soy sauce and kalamansi to keep the flavors satisfactory to the native tongue. A course of must-try’s has ended, and I go back staring at the vast Villa beach. Before its “Breakthrough”, the restaurant started as a little snack bar at Lopez Arcade. After a fire incident, owners Mr. and Mrs. Robles moved to a new place in Villa which was known to the locals as a jinx. The jinx turned into fortune on January 1987 when they decided to open Breakthrough which was literally a “breakthrough” in the career of Mr. and Mrs. Robles. For over two decades, it has been catering native Ilonggo dishes and “better than fresh” live seafood with its turo-turo style and has become a famous gastronomical stop among tourists, bloggers and balikbayans. Nevertheless, they also had their share of rough beginnings. “Mr. and Mrs. Robles struggled and experienced the time when food business was hard, and that they need to give their full attention and extreme hard work. They only rested four times a year and worked day in and day out to sustain the business. And since it was by the beach, typhoons greatly affected the restaurant and the money they saved sometimes went to repairs,” shares Breakthrough General Manager Mia Robles.

Even at the peak of success, Breakthrough remains grounded to its roots. “There are actually several franchise offers that we turned down because we want Breakthrough to be one of the reasons why people come to Iloilo. If we branch out in other areas, people would go there to eat and not here in Iloilo,” explains Mia Robles. In fact, some significant guests who made a visit were Boy Abunda, Martin Nievera, Judy Ann Santos and PNoy himself together with his co-candidates of the Partido Liberal. It has conquered both natural and unnatural typhoons, and it was more than just the hard work and perseverance of Mr. and Mrs. Robles that made it possible. “We are thankful to the pioneer staff that stayed with us through the years. I would as well add that Mr. and Mrs. Robles have been blessed because of their generosity. Every Noche Buena, they invite the staff and their families to eat together with them, so they wouldn’t have to worry about finding means to feed the family on that day,” shares Ms. Robles. Branches of Breakthrough include Dapli (located in front of SM Delgado) and Punsyon (in Plazuela de Iloilo). So, if you’re thinking about what to post next on your Instagram, I guess you have found the answer. There is nothing better to share with the world than a plate of distinct Ilonggo culture and history that feeds more than just the stomach. Now hashtag that. Volume 80, Number 1 + October 2013

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