Let’s Look At The Other Side

Ah, sometimes I can’t help but post my own views with what is happening in our country at the moment. Of course you are probably aware on what happened last May 13 during election day here. Not one opposition candidate for senators made it to the top twelve considering that they are more experienced than some of those who won on the government’s side. There was a seven-hour glitch in transmitting the results. It is not yet resolved until now and our Commision on Elections is so quiet. Sad story.

But let’s look at the outcome of the local elections last May. Most of those who won belong to the opposition. It speaks for how the people voted. Maybe it’s true that the senatorial election was rigged from the very start.

Three people that stand out and whom I  really admire are our very own Mayor Atty. Kit Nieto, Isko Moreno and Vico Sotto. This is Mayor Kit’s third and last term as mayor of our town. Mayor Isko Moreno of  Manila  defeated the former president and mayor Joseph Estrada. He is doing really well, on his 5th day, there is a big improvement in the city. He wants to preserve our heritage sites which are mostly located in his turf. He will not allow those high-rise, photo-bomber buildings to be constructed near those lovely heritage sites.  Third is a bagito former councilor from Pasig City who defeated a more than two decades of only one name in the city, relatives, brothers, father etc. He is Vico Sotto, a son of a former television actress, television host and producer. He is only thirty years old but his vision is so very different from other local mayors in other cities and towns. He is a great admirer of the late Jessie Robredo, who was the husband of our present Vice-President  Leni Robredo. I watched his inaugural speech. He is so good.  On his first day, he has suspended the odd-even scheme of the former mayor where you can’t even pass through major streets to reach other towns and cities in the metropolis. In his speech at the flag raising ceremony last Sunday, he said that this scheme needs further study.

Would you believe, I am following the three of them in social media.  In one of my visits to Vico’s site, I saw this photo with our own Mayor Nieto. I stole it 🙂 The former visited the latter some months ago.

Mayor Vico is the one in a black jacket while the one in white t-shirt is Mayor Kit.

Mayor Isko of Manila

Admirable people. I hope they would stay true to their sworn statements and plans for their own cities and municipality.

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Tupig And Other Stories

I was boiling water for afternoon tea, contemplating on what life is all about and looking at the robust orange bulb plants I planted in pots outside  our grill door. when two airplanes passed by. One was going north and the other one was going south to where our airports are located. Our place is on the east side of  Metro Manila so their path is always this way. It made me think of those people inside those two planes. The one going north made me ask myself, “where are they going? Are they leaving their families behind seeking greener pastures abroad? Are they tourists out to discover new places?” And  I can’t help thinking too, the family of those going to the airport must be so happy that they’ll be seeing their kins again or maybe they come from other places and would love to visit the Philippines.

I was busy this morning catching up with my two brothers and sis-in-law online and through calls and texts. My brother next to me has been sick for almost two weeks now, on and off fever, acute UTI and raised blood sugar. I was alarmed.  They’ve been to the doctor thrice with labs and medications. My youngest brother whose family lives in Tulsa called me up through Viber and we had a long chat about life, our family, my other brother’s illness and life here in the Philippines compared to the US where they have been living for more than twenty years now.

He bragged about making Tupig, our favorite kakanin  (sweet delicacies) back in the province.  He said he hasn’t tasted one for so many years now so he made his own. I borrowed the photos he posted earlier.

We call this tupig in our dialect.

It’s made of sticky rice powder, coconut cream, fresh grated young coconut or what we call buko locally, a little sugar and margarine to wipe the banana leaves before wrapping the mixture so it won’t stick when it’s cooked.

Then you have to grill them until they are cooked.

 

There, it is nicely done and he said it tasted better than the commercial ones we used to buy when we go back home to the province. I have never attempted preparing this but I will try it one of these days.

My brother is a great cook. He also experiments on other desserts native to our country. Maybe he misses  his land of birth. It’s another afternoon of reminiscing.

 

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