Introduction to Philippine architecture and heritage

Here is an introduction to Philippine architecture and heritage from the Heritage Conservation Society. This is actually an old audio-visual presentation of the HCS entitled Here Today, Here Tomorrow? which obviously needs some updating. But it's a must watch for those who want to learn some basic information on our architectural heritage. It features the history of architecture in the Philippines, significant built heritage and prominent architects of various periods in our history.

Zamboanga del Sur: Scenic Lake Wood in Lakewood

If South Cotabato has Lake Sebu and the T'boli, the province of Zamboanga del Sur has Lakewood and the Subanen. The main attraction is of course the 800-hectare Lake Wood which is sometimes referred to as Lake Lakewood. But the culture of the Subanen is not as highlighted as the culture of the T'boli is in Lake Sebu. The best place to enjoy the view of Lake Wood is at the Alindahaw Lakeview Resort in Brgy. Biswangan.

From Pagadian, vans leave every hour for Lakewood. While public buses pass through the Lakewood junction along the National Highway, the Alindahaw Lakeview Resort and the town proper are still several kilometers inside. So it's best to take these vans or hire a habal-habal when you get off at the junction. Or better yet, hire a private vehicle but note that after the resort, the road to Lakewood is not yet paved.

You'll have to be patient with the vans though. As I arrived at the van terminal which is in downtown Pagadian, I was told the van was about to leave. Then they tell me a few minutes later that the vans have a scheduled time of departure which was still 45 minutes away. When the time of departure came, I was informed there would be a slight delay because someone had just consigned a delivery of construction materials including plywood and G.I. sheets which they had to load and secure on top of the van. Along the way, we stopped for gas, stopped at a store to load sacks of rice, and stopped for passengers to get on and off. The ride from Pagadian to Lakewood took about an hour and 30 minutes.


Anyway, my plan was to get off at the town proper to find a habal-habal to bring me back to the junction so that I could stop along the way at scenic spots and the resort to take photos. The van passed by the Alindahaw Lakewood Resort on the way to the Lakewood town proper and I was able to glance at the view through the gates for a few seconds. It was truly stunning!

After the resort, the road gets rough and I was about to regret not getting off at the resort instead since it looked like it was going the rain. And it did rain when I arrived at the town proper. But the sun came out again.


Finding a habal-habal was a bit of a challenge and I had to walk around the town asking at the market, barangay hall and some sari-sari stores where I could find a habal-habal. I did find one after asking at a vulcanizing shop. Unfortunately the owner was busy at work so he called the guy at the barber shop if he was free. I had to wait for him to finish doing a haircut though before we went off.


On the way to the resort, it was quite sunny and I was able to take nice photos of some terraced rice paddies and the lake. But as we neared the resort, it started to rain again. So I had to make do with rainy shots of scenic Lake Wood.


The resort has accommodation and kayaks for those who want to row around the lake. It's a great place for a day-trip or overnight stay with the picturesque view. But the videoke is as vulgar as in most provincial resorts in the country. They have function halls anyway so I hope they can keep the noise contained so that others can savor some peace and quiet which is perfect for this wonderful panorama.

It didn't stop raining so we had no choice but to continue to the junction under the rain. By the time I reached the junction, I was soaking wet! But the trip to the lake was worth it! If only I could stay longer. From the bus stop near the junction, I boarded a bus to Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Zamboanga del Sur: Around Pagadian

Pagadian is the capital of Zamboanga del Sur and regional capital of Zamboanga Peninsula. The first thing you'll notice when you arrive in the city are its unusual tricycles which are inclined at about 30 to 40 degrees. The unique design of Pagadian's iconic tricycles add stability given the city's hilly terrain. It's quite amusing seeing 6 to 7 people (including the driver) jam-packed in this peculiar-looking tricycle.


Hoping on the tricycle is quite an experience. Getting on, especially the top level, is quite a challenge. Make sure to ride on one of these tricycles when in Pagadian.

The main attractions of Pagadian are beaches (Dao Dao Islands and White Beach), waterfalls (Lourdes, Lison Valley, Manga and Ditoray Falls) and caves (Twin Caves and Kendis Cave). This is one trip where I chose not to do research hoping to rely purely on the locals. Unfortunately, the hotel frontliners could not answer my queries about Pagadian's tourist attractions and I ended up seeing nothing major. The tourism office should train people on how to answer these queries.


They ended up pointing me to a beach resort in the town of Tukuran, which was a 45-minute jeep ride north of Pagadian. Baguio's Beach Resort was a bit too rocky. While Serena Beach Resort didn't have much of a beach and had a really noisy videoke! While videoke is an important national pastime, I've always advocated that it be kept in a contained area of a resort so as not to disturb other visitors who may have wanted to visit a beach for some peace and quiet.

Being regional capital, there are a good number of decent hotels in the city. Anyway, I decided to rest early instead since people had suggested I visit the town of Lakewood, Zamboanga del Sur. So my plan was to visit the town on the way back to Zamboanga City.

Zamboanga: Satti at Pilar Street and Canelar Street

Satti is an early morning dish sold in Zamboanga City. It's actually from Jolo, Sulu but was made popular in Zamboanga City. It was a good thing satti restaurants open as early as 4 a.m. in Pilar Street. So as soon as I arrived from Jolo, I went straight there for breakfast.


For an affordable Php50, you get eight sticks of beef satti and puso (rice) floating in a generous serving of the sweet and spicy sauce that accompanies the satti. There's also chicken satti and you can pick which chicken part you want. In one corner of the restaurant, one of the staff was slicing puso into small pieces preparing them in bowls where the satti and sauce would be added later.


Pilar Street has a lot of satti restaurants. But there's actually another satti place in Canelar Street if you're staying in a hotel near the airport. It's very close to Jollibee. Just make sure you visit in the morning since supply doesn't last until the evening.

Now I'm craving for satti! Does anyone know where to get satti in Metro Manila?

Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt with Jelly, a new twist to my favorite yogurt snack

The other night, my mom was talking about this new yogurt product which my niece really liked. She's quite hard to please and has only a few snacks in her list of things to eat. So I checked the fridge to try out some. It turns out, it's the Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt with jelly added!

I've always been a fan of yogurt because it's both good and healthy (with live microorganisms). And it was good Nestlé introduced a new twist to snacking by adding jelly to its already yummy yogurt. We always have Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt stocked in the fridge. So this will be a new addition to our snacks at home.


It's actually jelly on top and Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt at the bottom. Right now, it's available in Strawberry and Buco Pandan flavors. I personally liked the Buco Pandan flavor since it reminded me of one of my favorite desserts which has buko, pandan jelly and cream.


But I hope they add more flavors and include my favorite Berry Mix Medley in their Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt with Jelly line-up. I saw my niece liked the strawberry flavor a lot and she always asks for some every afternoon.

Looks like I'll stock up on Nestlé Fruit Selection yogurt with Jelly, perfect for a snack when I get really hungry! And it will be a very important ally as I try to move towards more healthy eating.

JellyGurt Bounce Game
Now here's something I also found out. There's this amusing game called the JellyGurt Bounce Game which went live yesterday, September 6, 2010. I actually got to try it and it's a good distraction in moments of stress. It's integrated with the NFSY Facebook fan page.

For the next 8 weeks, five weekly winners will get prizes like two movie passes per winner, Sodexho and Adidas P500 gift certificates. So click that like button on the NFSY FB fan page since this is where you can play the game and join the contest. Good luck!

Sulu: Visiting Jolo, Bud Datu in Indanan and Quezon Beach in Patikul

Sulu is indeed an island paradise. It's so unfortunate that the security situation there won't allow tourist arrivals for the meantime. But my curiosity pushed me to visit the island and see what was there. You can get to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City since ferries leave Zamboanga Port every evening and arrive in Jolo at about four in the morning.

I spent Php620 for a cabin room bed (a cabin room accommodates four people). The regular aircon beds are Php470 which are all in one hallway. The cabin rooms have doors which you could lock. There are also flights to Jolo available from Zamboanga. Read Day-trip to Jolo for Part 1 of this trip.


After my quick nap, we proceeded to explore Jolo and the neighboring towns of Patikul and Indanan. We first dropped by the Sulu Provincial Capitol in Jolo. I noticed the centuries-old trees that lined the avenue that led to the Sulu Capitol. How I wish many of our old cities were able to preserve their trees.

You could also see the vernacular architecture hidden under the urban chaos of Jolo. If only the politicians there had the political will to clean up the city and preserve its character, Jolo would have been an even more fascinating town.

It's the gold domes that stand out in the Sulu Provincial Capitol. Beside the Sulu Capitol is the National Museum Sulu Branch which houses historical and cultural artifacts and exhibits on Sulu including the Sultanate of Sulu, as well as the Tausug and Badjao among others.



Outside the main building are statues of local heroes Panglima Unaid and Abduhalim Imao, as well as a century-old Bajau houseboat called a lepa.



I also got to taste the local Sulu variety of durian which was really good. And the prices shocked me. A basket of lansones (which looked like almost 8 kilos) was just Php70 or less than Php10 a kilo! The durian was just Php30 a piece or roughly Php15 a kilo. A bundle of mangosteen was just Php20 and my host told me that when in season, you could buy mangosteen for as low as Php5 a kilo!


We then visited the Central Mosque in Jolo. Unfortunately, I could only take a photo from the outside. There were a lot of people exiting the mosque since Friday prayers had just finished.


Lunch and the early afternoon was spent indoors since it started raining really hard. I walked to the nearby Jolo Cathedral when the rain stopped. In front of it was a Rizal Monument.



Later in the afternoon, we motored to the town of Indanan to visit Bud Datu where the grave of Raja Baginda, the first Muslim ruler of Sulu, is located. You'll have to enter a military camp to reach it. And since it's in a military camp, it's relatively well-maintained. But I'm sure the Raja Baginda Shrine can be improved to highlight the prominence of this Sulu pioneer in our nation's history. In fact, I'm surprised the National Historical Commission hasn't placed a marker there yet.

You can also see a nice panoramic view of Jolo from Bud Datu. But unfortunately, as we were walking from the Rajah Baginda Shrine to our vehicle, the sun disappeared again and it started to rain. So we ditched the view.


We had to wait the rain out again before proceeding to our last stop, said to be one of the best beaches in the Philippines with a wide expanse of white sand that could rival that of Boracay. It was about twelve kilometers from Jolo in the town of Patikul. Quezon Beach was highly-recommended with a caveat though: that I may need a security escort to visit.

My hosts didn't mention any of that so we proceeded to Quezon Beach. We passed by several military camps and check points along the road that went deeper into Patikul. I noticed the houses, very fine examples of vernacular architecture. They rarely used hollow blocks in Patikul. And I felt I entered a time warp as we drove through since these could have been the architecture of Maynilad when the Spaniards arrived there almost five centuries ago. Most of the wooden houses were elevated on stilts with covered porches on two sides. An elevated walkway connected the main house to another structure behind the house which served as a kitchen and cleaning area.


We finally reached Barangay Igasan and parked by the beach. There wasn't too much sun. But I could see that the beach was stunning even with the overcast skies. The beach was wide and the water was baby blue. I was told that further down the road, the sand was even finer, powder fine in fact to rival the best beaches of the country. But I had to save it for another day. I did not want to push my luck any further since it was starting to get dark. The sun and sand would have been an impeccable combination. But I guess I'll have to wait for another trip, hopefully when the situation is a bit better.

What I liked about the beach was that the houses were all made of native materials. So it really gave you that tropical feel. At least for now, it will stay that way. But I wonder how they would manage development there if the situation gets better.



Back in Jolo, we had dinner and I got to try more local meat dishes like pastir and pyesak. Relatives of my host, curious as to where I went, asked which places I visited. When I told them we came from Quezon Beach, I got startled reactions. One even asked my host if they really brought me there and said I was brave to even visit. It was only then that I found out that the area was where many of the kidnappings this year occurred.

After dinner, I was brought to the Jolo Port to catch the 8 p.m. ferry back to Zamboanga. It was the M.V. Kristel Jane 3 again and I got myself the same cabin room. I was back in Zamboanga City at 4 a.m. just in time for another satti breakfast. As soon as I was done, I rushed to the transport terminal in Guiwan to catch a bus to Pagadian.

Have you tried KFC BBQ Rods?

KFC fried chicken has always been on my list of favorites. The good thing about KFC is that they continue to innovate and add more selections to the chicken offerings. There were the KFC Pasta Bowls (chicken with noodles such as Kung Pao Chicken and Chicken Alfredo), KFC Supreme Bowls (chicken and rice such as Italian Roma and Chinese Imperial) and KFC Twister Toasted (pizza in a wrap).

When I visited KFC last night, I asked for something new on their menu. Aside from the new wraps, they mentioned the KFC BBQ Rods which I didn’t notice on their overhead menu. So I tried out their new KFC BBQ Rods and was very satisfied.


Inspired by the success of KFC Chicken Barbecue, KFC launched the new KFC BBQ Rods which are KFC’s crispy chicken bites with a really yummy barbecue sauce, served with java rice. I got the three-stick KFC BBQ Rods meal which includes java rice and a drink for Php95.

This new and innovative lunch offering from KFC is the same finger lickin’ chicken they are known for, only in a stick. And the price is quite affordable for a rice meal. They also have the two-stick meal if you don’t have too much of an appetite.

If you do visit KFC, I suggest you try out the KFC BBQ Rods.

Sulu: Day-trip to Jolo, Sulu

It was four in the morning. The M.V. Kristel Jane 3 had just docked in Jolo, Sulu. Boats from Zamboanga usually arrive in Sulu at this time. When I bought my ticket, I was advised to stay in my cabin until the sun came out. In fact, the lady at the counter said to me after handing over my ticket, "Good luck!" Such were her words of encouragement which of course had a twist of irony and sarcasm in them. Good luck indeed!


I kept my trip to Sulu under wraps, knowing that everyone would dissuade me, except hardcore travelers of course! But before daring to set foot on this beautiful yet precarious island, I made sure all bases were covered. For now, it's not a good idea to visit the island if you do not have a local to accompany you. As they say, "Don't try this at home folks" since visitors definitely stand out from the language difference alone.

Weeks before, I had been in contact with a fraternity brod. His father, Ismael "Pochong" Abubakar, Jr. was the first Speaker of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly. They had graciously assisted me when I visited Tawi-Tawi last year. And Ka Pochong had asked his cousins in Jolo, Sulu to take care of me while I was there. So I waited in the cabin for them to pick me up.


It was still dark when we walked out the boat. As we exited the port for our predawn breakfast, melodious chants blared from loudspeakers atop the minarets of mosques around town, piercing the morning silence as muezzins recited the adhan or Islamic call to prayer.


Jolo was once a charming town. It used to be a walled city during the Spanish colonial period. But there's nothing much left to remind us of its fortifications, save for a few bricks and watch towers hidden by the urban chaos that politicians left unregulated. My host lamented the destruction of the historic wall that formed an inherent part of Jolo's heritage. Add that Jolo was totally destroyed in 1974 as a result of heavy fighting between government forces and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).



Breakfast was satti, a dish composed of small pieces of beef grilled on skewers and served submerged in a bowl of sweet and spicy sauce. Also in the bowl are pieces of puso, rice that is cooked inside a palm leaf pouch. In Malay, it's called ketupat. They also have grilled chicken as well.

Satti is actually a dish native to Jolo, Sulu. The ones in Zamboanga in fact originated from Jolo. Anyway, the hawker stalls were abuzz with activity so early in the morning since it was the fasting month of Ramadan.

After breakfast, we proceeded to the house of my host where I took a quick nap. I was in Sulu for about sixteen hours. But getting there and getting back is an additional sixteen hours. So it's not quite a day-trip. More on Sulu in my next post.