As we were was having our traditional “Noche Buena “ Christmas Eve festive meal of ham, “queso de bola “ roast turkey and other sumptuous goodies, a tinge of guilt suddenly struck me.
Here we are amid the comforts of our homes, with family and friends while 13,000 kilometers away in typhoon –ravaged Compostela Valley in Mindanao, a mother of six children was wishing of preparing a simple meal of “pancit canton “(Cantonese noodles) to celebrate “Noche Buena “ with her homeless family.
But that won’t happen…they’re still awaiting the ration of water and canned goods that they usually get from the government and organizations who are now helping thousands of families, victims of the worst calamity ever to hit Mindanao in years.
There will be no Christmas or New Year for them. Their first priority is to rebuild their shattered lives.
I just wished our kababayans here would at least lend a hand. Give a loonie or even a quarter, a can of food or perhaps just say a simple prayer for these poor families.
Our mercy and kindness should never end. It should be practiced year round.
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On the other hand, some of our kababayans, during this season of giving and sharing have other things on their mind and I can’t understand the humanity of some people in this Filipino-Canadian community here in Toronto.
I received news of a petition signed by a motley group of so-called wannabe Filipino community leaders against this Newspaper, its publisher and two of its writers (including myself, thank you it’s flattering) complaining about what they described as “media bullying “.
The signed manifesto was forwarded to the Philippine Press Club of Ontario (PPCO) of which I was a former officer but no longer a member. They urged the PPCO to investigate the matter and take appropriate actions. Trouble is, the PPCO is a social club.
My answer to all these is simple. I will continue to write and opine for what we perceive as the truth. I will report with impartiality what I see, what I hear or witness, nothing more, nothing less. That is our duty to our readers.
This whining is nothing more but about “:Pride Chicken “.
That I think is the “Humanity” of these people .
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MY LITTLE PHILIPPINES : A pleasant surprise is what I got when I visited our old haunt in the Don Mills area that was the Casa Manila, formerly owned by couple Raymond and Lilian Co and now a “renaissance place “in a blooming resto lane along that area.
Attending my brother in law Jesse de La Cruz birthday party, I was lured by the aroma of lemon grass coming from the belly of a medium sized lechon prominently displayed along with other mouth-watering Filipino specialties , the creation of a former chef from the famous Kamayan resto and Mario’s in Manila.
Turns out that the centerpiece of every Filipino feast. The lechon was cooked in a pit like they do in Cebu, complete with the fillings of lemon grass and other spices and needs no salsa or sauce to appreciate it. The only place that cooks this excellent and succulent lechon is at Dolphing Tigley’s place during their annual celebration of the feast of St.Anne for Barili,Cebu.
The transformation of this cozy place could be the epitome of what a Filipino resto or eatery should be and maybe it could be because its owner. Former beauty queen Mila Nabor Cuachon and her husband Rizalde “Zaldy “ Cuachon, spent some painstaking time and effort to prop up the place or should we say “interior decorated “ to make it a miniature Philippines from the menu card (which puts to shame a 5-star menu) to the furnitures, decors that some of which were flown in from places like Cebu. The result: a five star Filipino restaurant that definitely puts this place on its rightful lofty level even among mainstream restaurants.
“Ipagmamalaki mo” said a friend and perhaps this should be the standard of what a Filipino restaurant should be if it will be accepted or compete with other nationalities like Japanese, Thai or Vietnamese which is now very visible and widely accepted as far as their food is concerned.
Adventurous. The place is not all menudo or crispy pata, the usual fare you could find in any Filipino resto which I will describe as “gasgas “na menu. What Casa has is an assortment of bold recipes but approximating the original taste of the island regions of some of the Philippines’ best known delicacies like chicken inasal of Bacolod (Zaldy is from Bacolod), sisig of Pampanga, Kare Kare of the Tagalogs, or try maybe their avant garde sandwiches like adobo sandwich or subway, sisig sandwich or kaldereta subway !
Blogger and freelance photographer Angelo Maralit described the place as “my little Philippines “ .
Could be that restaurant business as far as the Filipinos here in Toronto are concerned, has finally arrived?
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GOOD BYE BIN LADEN:NEW YEAR’S CRACKERS: The Pinoys never run out of ideas whether legal or illegal. Each year, prohibited powerful firecrackers sells like hotcakes but often causes deaths and injuries . This year is no difference as more powerful explosive crackers are being watched by authorities in Manila.
Piccollo remains the more popular but lately the Bin Laden Goodbye Philippines an expensive but very potent explosive seems on the way out since the death of Bin Laden. Now its Goodbye Bading, named after gays (in Pilipino gays), it lets out a shrill
Yell or what is known as “Tili “ before exploding while Gangnam Boom, named after the Korean dance craze popularize by rapper PSY, emits a musical like sound wop,wop sound before blasting off.
Whether it’s amusing or making a powerful blast, it’s still illegal and lethal,according to Philippine police authorities .
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2012 BIGGEST STORIES: The impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona is the crowning glory of President Noynoy Aquino relentless drive against graft and corruption while former Gloria Arroyo’s arrest and her airport drama aborted travel abroad became her crown of thorns for 2012. These and other will be the subject of our next column. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO OUR READERS !.
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