I first met Karl Marx in a dingy book store in UP. Of course I've heard about him before in class and textbooks but it was in 2006 that I first picked up a copy of his Communist Manifesto.

I was not yet an activist at that time and although I found some of the concepts in the book foreign and vague, I kept the book at my bedside table, intrigued by Marx's weltanschauung (world view). The following semester I took Sociology 110 and used the opportunity to learn more about Marx's ideas by volunteering to report on Das Kapital.

I found myself at the Third World Studies Library, poring over select chapters of Das Kapital's condensed version. I was blown away by the simplicity of Marx's logic on exploitation and how it made sense to me. His theory spoke to me and set into perspective my scattered thoughts and observations about labor and economy. Several questions I have long been pondering on (Why do people remain poor?) were likewise answered. Suddenly, I was seeing the world in a new light - or as others would say, a new set of lens.

In reality, it was not Marx who introduced me to activism...but his works did make me more open to the idea.

Even before becoming an activist, Marx made me realize that things are not always as they seem and that we should always look into the underlying relationship of people and phenomena. Most importantly, he thought me that opposition or contradiction is not necessarily bad and in fact paves the way for change. His words made me realize that to change society, collective action is necessary.

To celebrate Marx's birthday (yesterday, May 5), I decided to list down some of my favorite quotes and pair them with photographs I took. This is my little tribute to the writer who opened the door of a whole new world to me.

- It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but rather it is their social existence that determines their consciousness.

- The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.

- The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority.

- Workers have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.

- Social progress can be measured by the social position of the female sex.

- Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed.

Noong isang buwan, matapos magbenta ng Teddy care bears sa isang forum sa UP, sumakay kami sa taxi bitbit ang natirang merchandise at sangkatutak na dyaryong may libreng advertisement ni Teddy Casiño na donated ng isang publisher.

Laking tuwa namin nang di naman tumanggi ang taxi driver kahit lima kaming sumakay. Maya-maya nakikipag-kwentuhan na sya. Binanggit nya ang mga rali sa UP tapos napunta ang usapan sa eleksyon. Sabi nya iba naman sana ang mapunta sa Senado. Natuwa kami nang banggitin nya si Teddy.

Syempre binigyan na namin sya ng mga polyeto. Sabi nya susuportahan daw nya talaga si Teddy. Naniniwala kasi siyang kailangan ng katulad ni Teddy - ng aktibista at bagong pangalan - sa Senado.

Pagkahatid sa amin sa headquarters binigyan namin sya ng mga posters at stickers. Ibibigay daw nya sa mga kasamahan nyang driver. Nangako syang babalik kung sakaling maubusan na sya nga campaign materials.

Masarap ang pakiramdam kapag nakaka-tisod ng mga kagaya ni kuya taxi driver. Ramdam mong tumatagos sa kanila ang panawagang "Pagbabago para sa karaniwang tao" at mulat silang naghahanap ng alternatibo sa mga bulok sa kandidato. Mahirap man ang kampanya at mabigat ang laban, alam mong may saysay ang ginagawa mo kapag nakakausap mo ang mga taong todo ang suporta kay Teddy at sa Makabayan.

Ang kandidatura ng progresibong si Teddy Casiño ay ibang-iba sa mga tradisyunal na mga pulitiko. Kitang-kita ito sa naganap na Teddy Day kahapon. Kung ang mga kandidato nagbabayad ng artista para i-endorso sila, kay Teddy at sa Makabayan, ang mga artista ay libreng nagbibigay ng kanilang endorsement. Wala mang pera para ilabas ang mga ito bilang advertisement, alam ng tao na sinsero ang mga artistang ito at tunay na naniniwala kay Teddy at sa kanyang kandidatura.

Online, nag-trending ang #TeddyDay nang ang mga supporters ni Teddy ay nag-tweet kung bakit nila iboboto ang makabayang kinatawan.

Kung sa ibang kandidato ay personality-centric ang kampanya, kay Teddy at sa Makabayan people-centric ito. Ang pokus ay nasa tao, sa kung sino ang kinakatawan ni Teddy. Ang pagtulong na itinutulak ay hindi paisa-isa o patronage politics kundi mga repormang malaki at masaklaw ang epekto sa mga mardyinalisadong sektor.

Wala naman ding maibabatong masama kay Teddy. Mahusay syang mambabatas, manunulat, at mass lider. Napaka-ganda ng kanyang track record sa parlyamento ng kalsada at sa kongreso. Nagampanan nya ng mabuti ang kanyang trabaho bilang kinatawan ng mahihirap at api.

Ang nangyari kahapon ay tunay na nagbibigay ng pag-asa para sa pagbabago. Ang Teddy Day ay People's Day. Pero hindi katulad ng People's Day ng mga tradisyunal na pulitiko kung saan humaharap sila sa tao upang mangako at mag dole-out ng personal na tulong kapalit ng boto at katapatan, ang People's Day ni Teddy ay ang kabaliktaran. Ang tao ang nagbubuhos ng tulong kay Teddy bilang pagpapasalamat sa kanyang katapatan sa karaniwang tao.

Ito ang kaibahan ni Teddy. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit nananatiling makabayan at makatao silang mga progresibong kinatawan. Ang kanilang katapatan ay nasa karaniwang tao. Hindi nila tinitignan ang kanilang sarili na nakatataas na opisyal. Sila ay kabilang sa sambayanan. Patuloy silang nagsisilbi sa bayan, kapit bisig ng mga magsasaka, manggagawa, at iba pang mga mardyinalisadong grupo.

Ang Teddy Day ay People's Day. Ito ay hindi lang candidate's pride day kundi pagkakataon ng mga karaniwang tao na ipahayag ang kanilang mga saloobin tungkol sa lipunan at kung anong klaseng pagbabago ang inaasahan nila.

Sabi nga ni Teddy, "Ang laban pong ito ay hindi tungkol kay Teddy Casino, hindi ito tungkol sa ambisyon ng isang tao. Ang laban pong ito sa senado ay tungkol sa inyo. Tungkol po ito sa ating pagsisikap na magkaroon naman ng tunay na boses ang mga karaniwang tao sa senado."

Teddy Day is People's Day. Let's make everyday Teddy Day by voting for him on May 13.

Crossline and afternoon disco - things you didn't know about your parents' generation.

Before Facebook and clubbing, there were crossline hotlines and Martial Law era's "afternoon disco."

We were driving at a slow pace, down the winding road that separated the coastal outskirts and city proper of Ternate. In a bid to stay awake and distract ourselves from the long journey ahead of us, we started chatting about relationships and dating in the 1980s.

Some people would probably find it weird that my 20-year old cousin and I would enjoy such a conversation. But we are both close with our Moms and find it funny and interesting to hear about their life as teenagers.

My Mom relishes these short stories, as much as my Dad does when he weaves tales about Toboso and Philippine folklore.

Mom started telling us about the boys who courted them: from the Filipino-Chinese suitors who just can't marry them because they didn't have Chinese blood to the probinsyano who would bring her kakanin in bayong during her colegiala days.

Crossline party line?

And of course, there's the Crossline story that never fails to elicit a laugh. Apparently, one time my grandmother caught her on the telephone, under the dining table! (To be fair, the table was relatively big.) Mom revealed that she was in some sort of "party line" called Crossline where youngsters would go "on line" to find phone pals.

"It's like Facebook but it's all voices," my Mom said. My cousin and I couldn't process how it was possible for a dozen people to understand each other from all the noise generated by their collective chatter. But it worked for them.

Mom said they would alter their voices, the boys using Donald Duck-like tones to get their attention (beats me how that would attract women!) while the girls would give their best come-hither voice.

You have to dial a hotline and you get into the chat room and scope out the crowd for anyone interesting. Of course, they used aliases though I promised my Mom not to reveal hers. Haha.

Afternoon disco

But what mostly made us interested were stories about "afternoon discos." It was the first time that she told me about it. My Mom was the party girl among the siblings so she was the only one who went to those kinds of things.

She said after school, which lasted only half day, they would have lunch then go straight to "afternoon discos." Once you enter the premises, you feel like it's already dark outside. They had to create an illusion that it was already late at night because of the curfew imposed during the Martial Law.

Apparently, all the restrictions brought about by the Marcos dictatorship didn't dampen their party life. By the time they went out, it was already 6 pm and they all had to rush back home.

---------------------------

It really is fascinating to hear about how life was back then and how teenagers socialized. I guess, it's not that different from the present. 

My parents were relatively young at that time and remained buffered from the harsh realities of the dictatorship (though I had an uncle who was among the militant student protesters) but they were one way or the other affected by the changing times. But that's something I will have to expound on next time. For now, let us be both thankful and dismayed at the wonders of technology that brought us Facebook and freer forms of socialization (the latter we have to thank the collective action of the people and the resistance movements for).

Namatay ang blog ko nang simulan kong magsulat tungkol sa kung anu-ano. Mula sa pagkain hanggang sa paglilibot. Hindi na ko nakapagsulat tungkol sa mga saloobin ko sa pulitika at sa personal.
Siguro dahil naging eskapismo na rin ito para sa akin. Iyon na kasi ang trabaho ko - ang magpaka-atribida at pumosisyon sa mga bagay-bagay at balita. Pag-uwi ko sa bahay, ayoko na munang pag-usapan ang hot topic of the day. Iba naman.

Sinimulan ko ding laruin ang ideya ng pagkakaroon ng mala-magasin na website. Pero mahirap i-maintain kung mag-isa ka lang at eventually nawala na rin ang novelty nito sa akin.

Ang daming distractions. Ang daming pwedeng isulat. Biglang lumawak ang mundo ng blogging para sa akin. Kaya nga lang, nawalan naman ng puwang ang orihinal kong istilo ng pagsusulat - iyong anecdotal at simple (minsan nag-aangas lang) na mga kwento. Hindi ko na nagawa iyong primarya kong layunin - ang magamit ang blogging upang ibahagi sa publiko ang kawastuhan ng aktibismo o iyong simpleng pagkakaroon ng posisyon sa mga isyu.

Inabot rin ako ng isang taon bago ko napagtanto ang kakulangang ito. Kinailangan pang mag-crash ng aking hosted website para magdesisyon akong bumalik sa aking lumang blog format na mas komportable ang dating at akma sa aking personalidad.

Parang Biyernes Santo ang pinagdaanan ko - mula sa pagiging tigang sa pagsusulat hanggang sa epic fail na pag-migrate mula Wordpress patungong blogger (pero sa susunod ko na ikekwento iyon).

Sa ngayon, tapos na ang kalbaryo. Nandito na ulit ako.

Handa na sa Taon ng Muling Pagkabuhay.

Sinisipat ang kapaligiran. Salamat kay Carlos para sa kuhang ito.

As the Sabah crisis escalates, leaving several dead and more to follow, politicians from both the Philippines and Malaysia are quick to point fingers and lay the blame on convenient targets. Spin doctors had started crafting complex webs of half truths and fantastic lies, banking on old connections and malicious minds. The finish product: another convenient excuse for the administration, another mistake blamed on Aquino’s favorite whipping boy/girl.

But is the blame-Arroyo-game, or for both countries - blame-the-opposition, truly believable this time around? Or should the public set its sights on another conspiracy theory - one that is grander, more plausible and truly disturbing?

The facts
On February 9, more than two hundred supporters of the Sultan of Sulu led by his brotherRaja Muda Ajbimuddin Kiramlanded on the shores of Sabah. Their goal: to reclaim their homeland.
Reports claimed the group was arrested or encircled but details remain fuzzy. The standoff had begun.

On February 26, President Benigno Aquino III finally issued a statement calling on Kiram's forces to return to the Philippines and face the consequences of their actions.

Three days after, Malaysian forces attacked the Filipino Muslims. The aftermath left 12 Filipinos dead, as well as the owner of the house where the Raja Muda (crown prince) was holed up. Only two Malaysian officers were killed.

Further emboldened by Aquino disowning the group, Malaysia ordered a crackdown against the "intruders," launching air strikes and mortar attacks on the coastal town of Lahad Datu. But as the two countries held their breath awaiting the outcome of the attacks, news the next day proclaimed, "Filipinos survive attack."

The Sultan's brother and his men were apparently able to escape the security cordon around the area and are now bracing themselves for another attack. Kiram said Raja Mudacalledon Wednesday morning to say that they are safe and had eaten, although still being pursued by Malaysian military forces. "The truth is they are nervous. Who will not be nervous when you are against all odds?” said the Sultanate's spokesperson Abraham Idjirani.

Interestingly, as Kiram narrates this in his home in Taguig, Aquino remains aloof and continues to issue messages through the media.

Digression: Lack of diplomatic finesse

In my opinion, Aquino's decision on the matter defies logic.From the Manila hostage crisis involving Hong Kong tourists to the Sabah dispute, the President still lacks diplomatic finesse - or perhaps diplomacy itself.

Question 1: You are supposedly negotiating for a peaceful resolution. Why would you refuse dialogue and expect the other party to surrender without any condition or compromise?
Question 2: You want them to return home. Why would you tell them that once they do they are going to be slapped with criminal and war charges?
Question 3: You snubbed them for more than two years.^ What gives you the right to accuse them of being unreasonable?
Question 4: Your decision to disown the group and their cause basically undermined the country's claim on Sabah. How can you expect them to trust you and leave the land they are fighting for?

King of all conspiracies

As the plot thickens and media networks dig for other angles, numerous people have become entangled in the story, creating a web of issues rife with possibilities of conspiracy and demolition jobs.
As election draws nearer for both the Philippines and Malaysia, party politics had been dragged into the discourse with the administrations attempting to save face by laying the blame on the opposition.

Conspiracy theory #1:Former president Gloria Arroyo and supporters are behind the Sultanate's actions
Motive:To sabotage Aquino government. For revenge and opportunity to seize power or influence.
On March 4, Aquino told media, “We are aware that there are those who conspired to bring us to this situation – a situation that has no immediate solutions. Some of their identities are clear to us, while others continue to skulk in the shadows. The family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram could not possibly have settled on this course of action alone.”
Signs: Presence of former security adviser Norberto Gonzales in Kiram's home has raised speculations that Arroyo is conspiring with the Sultanate to make a mockery and to sabotage the Aquino government. Kiram once ran for senator under Arroyo's slate (Team Unity '07).
Why this might not be true:While I hate siding with Arroyo's minions, there really is no concrete evidence for this and is obviously a way to divert the blame from the Executive to its opponents. It is a very convenient excuse and an old tactic. The boy who cried wolf would probably be better off leaving broken records behind and finding more creative excuses next time.
Why this theory is bothersome:Aquino not only lays the blame on Arroyo for the nth time, he also undermines the Sultanate of Sulu's capacity to decide on their own. With such accusations, he belittles what they stand for. I doubt it that Kiram would send his brother and crown prince to Sabah just to play politics with Arroyo or at a price. Our Muslim brothers won't give their life for these tainted politicians. I truly believe that they went there to fight for their homeland and their beliefs.

Conspiracy theory #2:Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim instigated the crisis as election draws near
Motive: Same as Arroyo, to sabotage the ruling party.
Signs: A picture of Ibrahim with Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari and an Inquirer article quoting unnamed Filipino intelligence sources that a Sabah politician allied to a Malaysian opposition leader met with the Sultanate of Sulu.
Why this might not be true:Again, the "proof" is pretty flimsy and there is always the possibility that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razik and Mahathir Mohamad (former PM and Ibrahim's mentor before the falling out) are implicating Ibrahim to sully his public image. Malaysias and Philippine politics are similar afterall...
Why this theory is bothersome:I doubt that Ibrahim would risk losing Sabah (for Malaysia) just to be able to throw potshots against Najib. I mean, even if you're opposition, you don't want your country to lose additional territory, especially since you're also gunning for the seat of power. At the same time, Najib and his men are wholly to blame for not detecting the Sultanate's forces earlier. Like Aquino, it's a cheap trick to shift the public's attention.

Conspiracy theory #3 (my pick):Kiram and group were being ignored by Aquino because the governments of Malaysia and the Philippines are conspiring with each other to quell the various Muslim groups.
Motive:The Philippines is relying on Malaysia to disarm the MILF through peace talks. They both did not want the Sultanate to be involved because of their claim on Sabah which will complicate the proceedings as the MILF had already agreed to the watered-down (in my opinion) Bangsamoro framework. It is both in the interest of ruling parties of Malaysia and the Philippines to isolate Kiram.
Signs: Aquino's statements basically echoed and welcomed Malaysia's militarist actions against the group. It called for peaceful negotiations but did not give the Sultanate options and even threatened them with war and criminal charges. His disowning of the Sultanate also emboldened Malaysia to push through with its attack against the group.
Why this might be true: Of course the government is trying to keep close ties with Malaysia which is pivotal in brokering the peace deal with the MILF - supposed to be one of PNoy's legacies. During the Marcos regime, the strongman orchestrated Operation Merdeka to aggressively reclaim Sabah. However, the plan backfired and resulted in the Jabida massacre. It was Ninoy who exposed the massacre and was rumored to have made a deal with Mahathir to back him against Marcos. Later, when Cory was in power, she attempted to raise the possibility of dropping the claim on Sabah but was opposed by Congress. Now, her son is doing the same thing by implying that he wants nothing to do with Kiram. In fact, Aquino has yet to discuss his thoughts on the Sabah claim itself. It is also interesting to note the United States' silence on the issue, even on humanitarian grounds (a village is being bombarded with mortar bombs!). Both Malaysia and the Philippines are US allies. As far as the US is concerned, the less outspoken Muslim groups in Mindanao, the better. With the MILF and the Sultanate out of the picture, the US can fully utilize Mindanao against China, among other things.

Conspiracy theory #4 (maybe): The MNLF is backing the Sultanate
Motive: Left out from the GRP-MILF peace deal, the MNLF is seeking a second chance to pursue their interests. It is not surprising that they share Kiram's wish to reclaim Sabah (Bangsamoro).
Signs and why this might be true: MNLF chairman Nur Misuari visiting Kiram and reports of his members joining the Royal Sulu...Misuari admitted that some of their men are in Sabah but not as MNLF. Kiram likewise said they can't stop people from joining them but they cannot claim they are MNLF or MILF.
*But in my humble opinion, I don't think this conspiracy (if you will call it that) is alarming, nor surprising. If the MNLF supports the Sabah claim then that's it. It's pretty straight forward and actually understandable.

OOPS. I HAVE TO CUT THIS SHORT. TO BE UPDATED (Unfortunately, I have to work right now and will not be able to expound further on these initial ideas. News have been disappointing. Both governments are truly stubborn. Please comment if you think I missed something or you think I am mistaken.)

^Aquino admitted the misplacing (or perhaps snubbing) of the many letters from Kiram which respectfully asked for the government's guidance on the Sabah claim, as well as their request for inclusion in the peace talks concerning Mindanao. In the same breath, he stated that the government will be pressing criminal and war charges against the group.

I took some time off from writing and holing up in the office to attend IBON Foundation's oNE direction: Nationalist Economics and the Road to Industrialization forum. The hall/auditorium had bad acoustics and I couldn't see part of the presentation because of a pillar blocking my line of sight but I managed to follow the discussion and tweet.

Personal opinion: Tweeting can be another form of note-taking. It's really helpful since it forces you to pick the best points and share it real-time with the rest of the world. Of course, sometimes you miss the exact statement or the other points and end up with keywords.

A lot of good arguments were raised by IBON's executive director Sonny Africa and the reactors from various sectors. Maybe if I have time, I'll write down my thoughts on nationalist economics. For now, hope you get something out of my short (but numerous) tweets:

- At IBON's forum on #NationalistEconomics #IBON

PART 1: Sonny Africa discussing the Philippine potential for Nationalist Economics

- 89% of PH's mining production is exported. We produce IT products for other countries (not hi-tech stuff but chips and hdd) but agriculture remains backward

- PH problem is that we don't produce. Govt pushes for BPO (business process outsourcing), tourism, OFWs.

- PH has resources. How do u design d economy for majority of Filipinos to benefit from said resources?

- How can we benefit? 1. Agri reform and development 2. National industrialization

- Right of people to livelihood. Environment protection. Monetary & fiscal policies. Foreign economic & trade relations

- Ipamahagi ang lupa at suporta para sa mga magsasaka. Isabansa ang mga importanteng industriya. Support for Filipino entrepreneurs.

- Mga sektor na may monopolyo ay hindi productive. Kahit sa ibang bansa ganyan.

- Agri reform for social justice and basis for econ development. Libreng pamamahagi ng lupa para mawala ang monopolyo.

- World record: PH longest agri reform program in the whole world. Shows it didn't work.

- Why natl industrialization: create jobs &income, domestic capital accumulation, tech & productivity, linkages..

- How to have natl industrialization: strategic industrial policy, industrial support & production.

- Fact: Strong govt support for established auto companies all over d world (eg. Mazda)

- Trivia: walang bansa na umunlad w/o state intervention (free market will.not create a strong natl economy). Now these established countries prevent others from doing the same so we remain dependent, smaller economies

- Road to development: 1. aggressive national counteroffensive (expose neoliberal policies, push pro-people economics)

[Unfortunately, I was not able to jot down the other points. I'll have to ask the organizers for that last slide.]

Part 2: Reactors

- Lita Mariano of Bantay Bigas: totoo lumalaki ang agwat ng mahirap sa mayaman..P44 hindi ka na mahirap? Lugi ang mga magsasaka dahil ang mga may monopolyo sa lupa at kapital ang nagtatakda ng presyo ng ani. Agri reform magbibigay ng hustisya sa mga magbubukid na nagpapakain sa sambayanan.

- Nelson Abuganda of NEPA: 6.6 growth maliit pa sa 7 nung kay Ramos na bumagsak din kasi walang pundasyon.

- Noon madaming negosyong Pilipino. Laruang Hapon. Sira maghapon.

- Pilipinas lang noon ang nagbaba ng tarif. Paunlarin natin ang agri. Mechanize natin. Pero ang bakal imported. Ineexport natin ang metal ores. Wala tayong sariling pagawaan ng bakal.

- May nakita ka bang produkto ng mga Pilipinong imbentor na nasa market? Wala kasing suporta ng gobyerno.

- Romy De Vera of EILER: Nabanggit na ang requirements na light, heavy industries at agrikultura.

- Si Alexander Hamilton nagsabi kay Washington noon na wag mag free trade. Protectionism muna.

- Posible ba ang pag-unlad ng walang mayor na pagbabago? Ma-redirect ang utak ng gobyerno?

- Gani Tapang of UP College of Science: Madaming siyentista na umaalis ng bansa. Walang puwang dito dahil walang industriya.

- Less than 10k scientists sa bansa para sa 100M na Pilipino

- Kung gusto mong maging siyentista, ipaglaban ang pambansang industriya

-  PH #2 in gold, #3 in copper production. Pero exported dahil walang processing dito.

At this point I stopped tweeting.

Among the best parts of the forum was IBON training head Mandy Felicia's concluding remarks. He said that this particular forum was different from the others. "Sa ibang forum problema ang pinag-uusapan. Dito pag-asa." He pointed out that "One Direction" does not refer to President Benigno Aquino III's daang matuwid. "O.N.E." for "On Nationalist Economics" and one direction for "tanging daan." Because nationalist economics is the only way for economic development.

Of course some economists and critics will scoff and say "protectionist" measures have long been proven useless and detrimental to the economy. But I'd like to echo Sonny Africa's point that all developed countries became what they are right now because of state intervention. It was not free trade that made them super powers and industrialized economies. But that's another article/book (like this one).

It was apt that they ended with Andres Bonifacio's "Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog":

Kaya, mga kababayan! Ating idilat ang nabulag na kaisipan, at kusang igugol sa kagalingan ang ating lakas sa tunay at lubos na pag-asa na magtagumpay sa minimithing kaginhawahan ng bayang tinubuan.

Late last year, I decided to return to my food blog Froodie. I know that my personal domain and hosting afforded me flexibility and more hits but I thought that it was better to cultivate a blog exclusive to my food exploits.

Last month, I finally finished writing about my backlog foodie posts. I'm sharing some of them here. I reviewed a Vietnamese restaurant, a trending piece of bread and a local delicacy:

1. Pho Bac - a no-nonsense Vietnamese restaurant in Glorietta

"We ordered Steamed Rolls (P120) for appetizer, the cold cuts complimenting the mild and refreshing taste of the rolls...Their pandan pudding (P45) was so much like our local kakanin, though much lighter with coconut cream and sesame seeds. Read more..."

2.  Lechon-shaped bread - a lot of Filipinos had these as part of Noche Buena. Bread that is not as tasty as lechon but looks equally delighting.

"I was only recently introduced to lechon-shaped bread which tastes nothing like lechon and very much like ordinary bread. Still, I find it amusing and cute. Read more..."

3. Napoleones - dangerously sweet pastries from Bacolod.

"'Tis the season to be jolly...and sugar-crazy. Yes, I've spent the holidays baking and snacking on sweets but I'm still craving for my favorite dessert (for 2012): the famed Napoleones of Bacolod. Read more..."

Visit http://froodie.tinesabillo.com/ for more yummy posts.