Philippines Earns Recognition As A New Gastronomic-8 Country

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYNz4cz8H-0ChgJmQJD3yAc7zssuWQTX85AyxerIwwGWzL_Cod6QYWxd10ZMBUIrERGyaQn49tyc8BCii9yHo_YeFQjclCtHWuZwSWCM5rFTvUS63UxTDJFf1PLpaiJlvX2Nr0MkiHA0/s1600/inasal007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYNz4cz8H-0ChgJmQJD3yAc7zssuWQTX85AyxerIwwGWzL_Cod6QYWxd10ZMBUIrERGyaQn49tyc8BCii9yHo_YeFQjclCtHWuZwSWCM5rFTvUS63UxTDJFf1PLpaiJlvX2Nr0MkiHA0/s400/inasal007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uicuf60PQ8cuFfhWuj4wT9R5ldSC7lwrD9qQyNRd4asSCRP_dgu_B31baagRpDJDhgfQYsNxxFMo-vPUirref8U25tCvKYZZ7GPZh3TynPqoUIalhAF6bC-ZKZaWmpN3eZmoaFE4FzYF/s1600/10711091_821319071262389_6695991186651697923_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a> <span style="font-size: large;">The Philippines has just been included as one of the New Gastronomic 8 (G-8) emerging markets of influence in world cuisine by the Hongkong-based marketing and communications agency, Catch On, in their new report entitled The Future of Food.<br /><br />The report states that there is a new food order with an appetite for cuisine that defies conventional classification, and where dishes are inflected by mismatched ingredients or prepared in ways that question traditional techniques. The report further states that cross border migrations and population melting-pots have produced a generation of “third culture chefs” that innovate their culinary traditions and are mixing ingredients and techniques in unimaginable ways.<br /><br />This is where the Philippines has come in as a member of the New G-8 countries. Food is an important part of Philippine culture and Filipinos take their culture of food seriously. The cross-pollination of culinary influences in Philippine cuisine mirrors the country’s colourful historical influences and these influences are amplified and interpreted gastronomically for the world by a young breed of bold and tech-savvy Filipino chefs. As more Filipinos travel overseas, they bring with them their culture of food. Philippine ingredients and the country’s signature dishes like adobo, kinilaw, and sisig are slowly making their way into international kitchens.<br /><br />“Overseas, the Philippines’ colorful influence can be found in restaurants like Jeepney and Pig & Khao in New York, or Filipino-born, Austin-based Paul Qui’s eponymous restaurant,” according to The Future of Food report.<br /><br /><script async="" src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <!-- More Fun --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" data-ad-client="ca-pub-6389289657085016" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-slot="4829975547" style="display: block;"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script><br /><br />“There’s a growing movement to preserve and document culinary artisanal traditions that have survived generations simply because they came out of family kitchens. We’re seeing more self-trained chefs launching restaurants, more men cooking at home, the continued move away from any notion of fine dining, the growing influence of street food, and the popularity of culinary tourism. This is the new culture of food,” the report adds.<br /><br />Aside from the Philippines, other countries included in the New G-8 are China, Iran, Israel, Korea, Mexico, Peru, and Vietnam.<br /><br />“We are most pleased to announce that as a result of the recently-concluded global culinary events here such as Madrid Fusion Manila and World Street Food Congress, the Philippines is now gaining more recognition as an emerging country, whose indigenous ingredients and culinary excellence are increasingly finding their way into world cuisine. The fact that the organizers of the prestigious Madrid Fusion decided to hold the first and only Asian edition in the Philippines signalled to the rest of the world the growing influence and importance of Philippine cuisine and the Filipino talent. As more travellers are starting to choose their travel destinations and plan their itineraries based on the food culture of a place, this is definitely an added boost to Philippine tourism,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Jr. enthused.</span><br /> <br /> —From the <a href="http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/">Department of Tourism</a><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: medium;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=7032569243078403223&postID=5253114700856949575&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VZfdyGqGxYxPWoelwmGbf0QFLIKAuJeUY4gkUrOuG0ypMqSfMCY5oXqRyQNoFBeMj4-rf3fO2HSZuuzFh6RfAhiQUOB0mhu1FMnZNnkfdasfJ-Tjd3cZm3lh88B0ouKAVkPXVh278OA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=7032569243078403223&postID=5253114700856949575&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3bfhc90-5xenm9-eqI_ICgI5V8KPl28Gu8oXZsvNDA_oIk8ioAazonJE38acYIiOnSDyuPWj6zn-8wCMPPY5TMVVENEoNk2PfH73eNX5qkEIkvLossHYwU848ikKXjhyr1MRuJIjmFo/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></span></div> <br /> <br /><br /><a href="http://eurofilipinojournal.blogspot.com/2016/01/exploring-millionaires-row-in-bacolod.html"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Related Posts :</span></a><br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.morefunphilippines.org/2015/03/discovering-millionaires-row-in-bacolod.html" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFaYQjDpVUU-dC5pAsK8ie-9atfjPJrWVbB2ysZHPcXPLjnZ1Nd0Skzt7HSEFrC52YYVVWINOZ51SUAt2l1lEI-xHHXTw5_7ywjB9yyUChLYmCcvFvTa7UkUTPGFPEhTBs9ttYo7CW-aW/s200/bighouse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <a href="http://eurofilipinojournal.blogspot.com/2016/01/exploring-millionaires-row-in-bacolod.html"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Discovering "Millionaire's Row" In Bacolod City</b></span></span></a><br /> <br /> Wander in the part of Bacolod City which is not usually written about in tourist guidebooks or travel blogs and discover the charm of Old Negros Island.  ....<a href="http://eurofilipinojournal.blogspot.com/2016/01/exploring-millionaires-row-in-bacolod.html">Read More</a><br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="http://itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/"><br /></a>

Food Miscellaneous News Reports Travel Travel-PH Philippines Earns Recognition As A New Gastronomic-8 Country

The Philippines has just been included as one of the New Gastronomic 8 (G-8) emerging markets of influence in world cuisine by the Hong...

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Federico Aguilar Alcuaz Finally Gets Conferment As National Artist

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAcyRDThMM-mpU0x_LkiVqkwjQYHJh9xSobt_hJTlK-IRtoSXo7mp2AlC8gFr_KFmknQiBaOzOXp4vt6xx78Cfab8D2MZpqMN61yD8l66rxwvHEv-yncjikKq2q4tT8ygDmdYE_Ezr_I/s1600/alcuaz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAcyRDThMM-mpU0x_LkiVqkwjQYHJh9xSobt_hJTlK-IRtoSXo7mp2AlC8gFr_KFmknQiBaOzOXp4vt6xx78Cfab8D2MZpqMN61yD8l66rxwvHEv-yncjikKq2q4tT8ygDmdYE_Ezr_I/s400/alcuaz.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;">Master Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz will finally be conferred the National Artist Award on Thursday, April 14, 2016.  President Aquino will formally elevate nine people to the Order of the National Artists (ONA) in the largest conferment ceremonies yet since the awards started in 1972.<br /><br />Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009. However, four nominees for the award other than Alcuaz became embroiled in the 2009 National Artist of the Philippines Controversy, which led the Supreme Court of the Philippines to temporarily issue a status quo order on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the awards on all seven nominees - despite the fact that no objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.<br /><br />Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (1932-2011) was one of the foremost Filipino modernist visual artists who excelled in virtually all genres—landscape, portrait, still life and abstract—and mediums—oil, acrylic, mixed media, even tapestry.<br /><br />Alcuaz was born on June 6, 1932 in Santa Cruz, Manila. He was the 6th of 11 Children of Mariano Aguilar a Lawyer and a Musician and Encarnacion Alcuaz. He finished early schooling at the Dr. Albert Elementary School and San Beda High School. He studied law at the Ateneo de Manila and finished his degree in 1955. In 1949–1950 he took up painting subjects at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts. In 1955 he went to Madrid with a scholarship at the Academia de San Fernando which he got through the help of the Jesuits from the Ateneo de Manila. In 1956 he chose Barcelona as his career base.He also became a member of the La Punalada Group which counted among its members Tàpies, Cuixart and Tharrats. In the same year he began signing his paintings with Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish himself from two other Aguilars who are also members of the La Punalada Group. In 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, a woman from Hamburg, Germany, whom he married 3 years later and they had 3 sons: Christian, Andreas and Matthias.<br /><br />A bon vivant and well-traveled, Aguilar maintained studios in Barcelona, Paris and Manila and exhibited extensively internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and abroad.<br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=2994850459028120325&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VZfdyGqGxYxPWoelwmGbf0QFLIKAuJeUY4gkUrOuG0ypMqSfMCY5oXqRyQNoFBeMj4-rf3fO2HSZuuzFh6RfAhiQUOB0mhu1FMnZNnkfdasfJ-Tjd3cZm3lh88B0ouKAVkPXVh278OA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=2994850459028120325&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3bfhc90-5xenm9-eqI_ICgI5V8KPl28Gu8oXZsvNDA_oIk8ioAazonJE38acYIiOnSDyuPWj6zn-8wCMPPY5TMVVENEoNk2PfH73eNX5qkEIkvLossHYwU848ikKXjhyr1MRuJIjmFo/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></span></div> <br />

Art Events News Philippines Stories Travel Travel-PH Federico Aguilar Alcuaz Finally Gets Conferment As National Artist

Master Artist Federico Aguilar Alcuaz will finally be conferred the National Artist Award on Thursday, April 14, 2016.  President Aquino w...

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Looking back to 40 years of Chicken House, Bacolod's Best Chicken Inasal

<span class="post-labels"> </span> <span class="metabtn" title="more options"></span> <br /> <div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4924914458205149388" itemprop="articleBody"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_yWWvuj_suir4sPLMYPqp5M8Hudrjy5YJtIxYSEyCZKCT1qEhC3wTcx4hQsN1Os0F5mc-eYzLa6HrcBA0gFWCUsB4nfImQRvPy4vTnv-UdI3pfKIY7Fr7dSscpNs-HgnR2H1BkucqqA/s1600/10711091_821319071262389_6695991186651697923_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy_yWWvuj_suir4sPLMYPqp5M8Hudrjy5YJtIxYSEyCZKCT1qEhC3wTcx4hQsN1Os0F5mc-eYzLa6HrcBA0gFWCUsB4nfImQRvPy4vTnv-UdI3pfKIY7Fr7dSscpNs-HgnR2H1BkucqqA/s1600/10711091_821319071262389_6695991186651697923_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: medium;">Bacolod City's famous chicken dish inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe reaching not just the United States of America but also the Middle East.  </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">Architect Joe and Pat Cajili, started the Chicken House we know and love today in 1976.  I remember my first visit to Chicken House near the Redemptorist Church, along North Drive.  My late dad took me there because he had learned about it being a friend of Tito Joe.  </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">Over the years, Chicken House was always a favorite.  I remember bringing my high school classmates from Manila over to Bacolod for one crazy summer in the `80s and the first place we ate out at was Chicken House in Mandalagan.  <br /><br />In college, </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">my classmates in Fine Arts and I would frequent Chicken House </span>in San Juan Street.  Of course with classmates Pachit Cajili-Cuaycong and Julie May Calderon.<br /><br />Happy 40th Anniversary Chicken House!  Bacolod will not be Bacolod without a Chicken House!</span><br /> <br /> <i><span style="font-size: medium;">Chicken House in Metro Manila is located in Makati along Chino Roces Ave., fronting Makati (Cinema) Square.</span></i><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERVS2wZ8MshhjHbAr5Sz4Iu_JJEqPuwdlrpNe45OHmjIcD_694et_XJHuqWEJ0TprQCdrDzJoM38EFsLYPRhU52uYt7aB4sM_QmigCBIwA-cCqu33-noWz1I21mUIpyhDjfoWHlsEG0E/s1600/avataraablog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERVS2wZ8MshhjHbAr5Sz4Iu_JJEqPuwdlrpNe45OHmjIcD_694et_XJHuqWEJ0TprQCdrDzJoM38EFsLYPRhU52uYt7aB4sM_QmigCBIwA-cCqu33-noWz1I21mUIpyhDjfoWHlsEG0E/s1600/avataraablog.jpg" /></a>The writer, Lloyd Tronco, is from Bacolod, a chicken inasal lover and addict who always eats inasal with garlic rice and a stick of baticolon (chicken gizzard).  <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=12023869&postID=4924914458205149388&target=facebook" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizPb6g8uHWx_C_Q-tEYRfcAIXfaxi7tBx5Qr5zsAx5k2WdfdsujHGPfxtpZgX1NroxikTWmw4GuoAt91iq5GS1SYt3KUHGxft92LRgCD5U4ybtaZYyzlRWPZ1IlbIQZz1KDL94fXNVHJou/s320/fb04.png" /></a> </div> <br /> <div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/246047352083965"><img alt="Negros Island. The SWEET Spot of the Philippines." border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_zTtKG9-71qwJ0EoyuxLq52prkRg4iaaL7owQTUkNLZ5umRKgeSoam_LbqmQIBRFWx3EJcfJH_MZZ0rcGlU0eFZMssJxWQ_VVBo7EQq7YVjow6rfjIfSkmkui7U0Rp3POC2ZNdgAi_c/s1600/talonggo3.jpg" /></a></div> </div>

Travel Travel-PH Looking back to 40 years of Chicken House, Bacolod's Best Chicken Inasal

Bacolod City's famous chicken dish inasal (barbecued chicken) has spread far and wide across the globe reaching not just th...

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The Yummiest Pancit Molo in Makati

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbxMnW9LRCZfZwaIQdkngeve_JLRf3oaBgLbEMPHHmKIAilRXvX8xNleYZ0Vpv9t9Up97_68bGxIcUfWyCCF3lh6sYUW2H6ioOdOQ874IWaqUjRxehCWkGh_BkZNis_GAGQP-oxWGZic/s1600/lloyd_tronco_negros_001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbxMnW9LRCZfZwaIQdkngeve_JLRf3oaBgLbEMPHHmKIAilRXvX8xNleYZ0Vpv9t9Up97_68bGxIcUfWyCCF3lh6sYUW2H6ioOdOQ874IWaqUjRxehCWkGh_BkZNis_GAGQP-oxWGZic/s320/lloyd_tronco_negros_001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: medium;">MAKATI, Philippines - I have found the cheapest but yummiest Pancit Molo in all of Metro Manila.  </span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">By saying this, I would like to assert my self-claimed knowledge on discerning what is good pancit molo or not.  This I have stated in my other article, "The Most Expensive Pancit Molo I Have Ever Had".  <br /><br />The cheapest and yummiest Pancit Molo is in Owlisms at Greenbelt 1 along Legazpi St.  <br /><br />I paid PhP 37.50 for a bowl with 5 "nun heads".  If you are Ilonggo, you will know why I termed it that way.  The cost is actually PhP 75.00 but from January 2 to 17, 2016, it's at half the price.<br /><br />Definitely a must try.  I'm going back for more.  Even when the price goes back to PhP 75.00.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERVS2wZ8MshhjHbAr5Sz4Iu_JJEqPuwdlrpNe45OHmjIcD_694et_XJHuqWEJ0TprQCdrDzJoM38EFsLYPRhU52uYt7aB4sM_QmigCBIwA-cCqu33-noWz1I21mUIpyhDjfoWHlsEG0E/s1600/avataraablog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERVS2wZ8MshhjHbAr5Sz4Iu_JJEqPuwdlrpNe45OHmjIcD_694et_XJHuqWEJ0TprQCdrDzJoM38EFsLYPRhU52uYt7aB4sM_QmigCBIwA-cCqu33-noWz1I21mUIpyhDjfoWHlsEG0E/s1600/avataraablog.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">The writer, Lloyd Tronco, is from Bacolod, a chicken inasal lover and Pancit Molo <span class="st"><i>connoisseur</i></span>. His other articles include </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"<a href="http://www.talonggo.com/2015/05/pancit-molo.html" target="_blank">The Most Expensive Pancit Molo I Have Ever Had</a>" and "<a href="http://www.talonggo.com/2015/01/the-birthplace-of-real-bacolod-chicken.html" target="_blank">The Birthplace of The Real Bacolod Chicken Inasal</a>".</span></span><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /> </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=2900105800084266150&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VZfdyGqGxYxPWoelwmGbf0QFLIKAuJeUY4gkUrOuG0ypMqSfMCY5oXqRyQNoFBeMj4-rf3fO2HSZuuzFh6RfAhiQUOB0mhu1FMnZNnkfdasfJ-Tjd3cZm3lh88B0ouKAVkPXVh278OA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=2900105800084266150&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3bfhc90-5xenm9-eqI_ICgI5V8KPl28Gu8oXZsvNDA_oIk8ioAazonJE38acYIiOnSDyuPWj6zn-8wCMPPY5TMVVENEoNk2PfH73eNX5qkEIkvLossHYwU848ikKXjhyr1MRuJIjmFo/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div>

Essays Food Travel Travel-PH The Yummiest Pancit Molo in Makati

MAKATI, Philippines - I have found the cheapest but yummiest Pancit Molo in all of Metro Manila.  By saying this, I would like to assert...

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Exploring "Millionaire's Row" in Bacolod City

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQrPSU_iEiErRu5F1tvPE1wRq6S8QxcNn3GkjFDqldA4f7UBG0iA0w6Jl3m8BdHcGgnQeCW_P5txNW1N8vbtJlSKJqJhJgM6EOHBNsTdUGHQKNl9vbD2fIk7JpuAungyjslRfrqjRkZo/s1600/villanueva04.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindVgVgK_47vumbw_LEZiOom2-u-wZY62agxNlOiuvKMXeWA_lqgBxRPoduskk0VY6eGG-ihMx5hSrSYCDEmny3BH8aGErAOS4K3JNRzdC8zp0WDPCElCVsNgTlcnRTSCJstt0YIHiMhQ/s1600/bighouse.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindVgVgK_47vumbw_LEZiOom2-u-wZY62agxNlOiuvKMXeWA_lqgBxRPoduskk0VY6eGG-ihMx5hSrSYCDEmny3BH8aGErAOS4K3JNRzdC8zp0WDPCElCVsNgTlcnRTSCJstt0YIHiMhQ/s1600/bighouse.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />Heritage conservation advocates are totally aghast at the ongoing demolition of the Carlos Palanca mansion in Pasay.  This comes just a few months after the Army and Navy Club and the Admiral Hotel fell prey to the wreckers of Manila's historic architectural icons.  To those who remember the wonderful edifices of Manila's glorious past, the current spate of demolitions are really a nightmare.</span><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQrPSU_iEiErRu5F1tvPE1wRq6S8QxcNn3GkjFDqldA4f7UBG0iA0w6Jl3m8BdHcGgnQeCW_P5txNW1N8vbtJlSKJqJhJgM6EOHBNsTdUGHQKNl9vbD2fIk7JpuAungyjslRfrqjRkZo/s1600/villanueva04.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQrPSU_iEiErRu5F1tvPE1wRq6S8QxcNn3GkjFDqldA4f7UBG0iA0w6Jl3m8BdHcGgnQeCW_P5txNW1N8vbtJlSKJqJhJgM6EOHBNsTdUGHQKNl9vbD2fIk7JpuAungyjslRfrqjRkZo/s1600/villanueva04.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">One cannot say the same though of Bacolod City, the premier city in the Philippines' Sugar Bowl.  This summer of 2015, tourists from Metro Manila and all over the country will visit Negros Island, the Sweet Spot of the Philippines and have a glimpse of Bacolod's fabled glory days.  This is due to the revitalization of a small strip of houses known back in the 1930s as "Millionaire's Row".</span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">For those who arrive in Bacolod City and follow what is usually written on travel books and blogs, the usual stops are the Negros Museum, the Provincial Capitol of Negros Occidental, and the Ruins (Mariano Lacson Mansion) which is technically located in the next city of Talisay.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">What is often missed in Bacolod is a street which was once known as Millionaire's Row.  This street is hardly publicized because most tour guides can only reach back to Bacolod's glory days of the 1960s and the 1970s.  The importance of this street goes back to the pre-war decade of the 1930s.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_YZ0rL4huzt78d1saQ-dyZwxD_gcNFeBhxO1_VviiuqrJVdAp-8vogkbyajmRfT4bKEkC_EO0A7-FxAp7H8m2wrerSE8AMvP-nD4csUsZ34D4ei9i-q-_iYTSJyfWGXuzQswb2w3k-EC/s1600/villanueva05.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_YZ0rL4huzt78d1saQ-dyZwxD_gcNFeBhxO1_VviiuqrJVdAp-8vogkbyajmRfT4bKEkC_EO0A7-FxAp7H8m2wrerSE8AMvP-nD4csUsZ34D4ei9i-q-_iYTSJyfWGXuzQswb2w3k-EC/s1600/villanueva05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">It was back in the 1930s when Generoso M. Villanueva, a prominent sugar planter, and his wife Paz, built the first art deco  structure in Bacolod City. Designed solely by the owner, the three-story, poured-concrete steel reinforced building with graceful curved balconies, parapets, and porthole steel-cased windows looks like the Titanic on land. It was known among the locals as the Boat House. Among family, though, it was simply called Daku Balay (the big house).</span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">On the same street, another similar daku balay (big house) also shows the glorious past of Negros and Bacolod City.  This is the house of <a href="http://www.sweetspotphilippines.com/2015/03/a-visit-to-don-mariano-ramos-ancestral.html" target="_blank">Don Mariano Ramos</a>.</span><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsr4TlQOJOBBSdGbiT3KEU8eH2Kq4arWukyOQ0-Lq83hL-xl0hcQP2zmW629tpPaAK3CF5Tn4ABZMuWg6SWanWVTSrTiTh0IDqXlatkvsRVkJz-tDU24G7eFbhn9bf5cqSZOgPAAUFmk/s1600/Burgossepia350.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsr4TlQOJOBBSdGbiT3KEU8eH2Kq4arWukyOQ0-Lq83hL-xl0hcQP2zmW629tpPaAK3CF5Tn4ABZMuWg6SWanWVTSrTiTh0IDqXlatkvsRVkJz-tDU24G7eFbhn9bf5cqSZOgPAAUFmk/s1600/Burgossepia350.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: medium;">Mariano Ramos was among the first Presidente Municipals appointed in Bacolod City.  At that time, Bacolod was not yet chartered as a city and thus did not have any mayor yet.  Mariano Ramos was a former classmate of Manuel L. Quezon in Letran and the late president did stop by this house often during his many trips to Negros Island.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">Between the two mansions mentioned are other houses which are resplendent of Bacolod's decadent pre-war past.  It is of little wonder then that during the Japanese occupation in World War 2, the head of the Japanese Imperial Army, headed by General Takeshi Kono, took over the houses in Millionaire's Row as these two houses had the tallest miradors (viewing towers) to observe the city from all directions.</span><br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">The Japanese Imperial Army commanded all forces occupying Negros from Millionaire's Row until the surrender in August 1945.</span></div> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">The street known as Millionaire's Row is commonly known today as Burgos Street.  In the same manner that one visits Lombard Street (the most crooked street in the world) in San Francisco, or the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, or Las Ramblas in Barcelona, one should not miss Burgos Street when in Bacolod City.</span><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: medium;">All mansions can be viewed from the street as these are all still closed to the public, except one which is the currently run as a museum, the Dizon-Ramos Museum.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />Photo credits to Voltaire Siacor (Villanueva Art Deco House) and Lloyd Tronco (Mariano Ramos House)</span></i> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=3325184995869142004&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VZfdyGqGxYxPWoelwmGbf0QFLIKAuJeUY4gkUrOuG0ypMqSfMCY5oXqRyQNoFBeMj4-rf3fO2HSZuuzFh6RfAhiQUOB0mhu1FMnZNnkfdasfJ-Tjd3cZm3lh88B0ouKAVkPXVh278OA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=3325184995869142004&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3bfhc90-5xenm9-eqI_ICgI5V8KPl28Gu8oXZsvNDA_oIk8ioAazonJE38acYIiOnSDyuPWj6zn-8wCMPPY5TMVVENEoNk2PfH73eNX5qkEIkvLossHYwU848ikKXjhyr1MRuJIjmFo/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div>

Art Cribs Miscellaneous Travel Travel-PH Exploring "Millionaire's Row" in Bacolod City

Heritage conservation advocates are totally aghast at the ongoing demolition of the Carlos Palanca mansion in Pasay.  This comes just a ...

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A piece of England forever Philippine

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp94eckjLXZ5AN_rkKCrRFp8PVqFKYOoO8Xcy398gemMs8gqCgKudcxxmEW2QJ-wVSr94pnN4PiA2dlDlOFTI5w8jGyzz-o916P5XKM6iFbX93I6eH7MIteRa7m87y-EvBjdyFy-cWlZXE/s1600/885896_4184267143063_7919875874249902112_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp94eckjLXZ5AN_rkKCrRFp8PVqFKYOoO8Xcy398gemMs8gqCgKudcxxmEW2QJ-wVSr94pnN4PiA2dlDlOFTI5w8jGyzz-o916P5XKM6iFbX93I6eH7MIteRa7m87y-EvBjdyFy-cWlZXE/s320/885896_4184267143063_7919875874249902112_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">— by Gene Alcantara</span><br /><br />There is a bit of London that will forever be Philippine.  It is a house on 37 Chalcot Crescent NW1, on Primrose Hill, just off Regents Park, owned many many years ago by the Beckett family.  One can approach it from two tube stations, southward from Chalk Farm or westward from Camden Town.  If one happens to be visiting the London Zoological Gardens, it will just be about 10 minutes walk across the road in a northerly direction.<br /><br />The three-storey, white painted house with spear-like metal fencing in black, is easy to spot in the rows of identical terrace houses on the crescent.  For it is the only one with a blue circular plaque to the left of the black front door saying that Dr Jose Rizal, Filipino hero, lived there in 1888-1889.  The way though that the house has become for all intents and purposes a pilgrimage site for Filipinos visiting the British isles, one would think Rizal lived there for a long long time.<br /><br />I suppose he did not have to live there for very long.  For whatever period of time he spent in that house had been absolutely productive for both the birth of the Philippine Republic, and the pride of Filipinos nowadays not just as a nation of heroes, but as one with a rich cultural heritage.  The house was of course Rizal’s base when he came to England for scholarly pursuits.  It is important because under its roof he undoubtedly contemplated the state of his country and what he was going to do to bring about a better future.<br /><br />While he was a boarder in the house, Rizal worked on three major literary undertakings–his annotations of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, his philological studies with a view to producing a Philippine dictionary and grammar book, and most importantly his sequel to Noli Me Tangere.  During this time he was prolific in political writing as well as correspondence with family and friends.  Rizal was supposed to have done some sculptures during this period too although I have never set eyes on any of them at all.<br /><br />Chalcot Crescent is located fairly centrally and is a stone’s throw away from the residence on Elsworthy Terrace of his good friend, Dr Reinhold Rost, librarian of the India Office Library and who gave him access to Morga’s book.  Across the park, the British Library would probably have been a good hour’s walk away.  The major sites of attraction of London would have been also mere walking distance from where he was staying.<br /><br />It is a pleasant surprise therefore to find that Rizal had also actually traipsed from there to London’s more distant but less affluent East End to continue his work with Filipinos.  He apparently set up a Filipino young men’s club in the Dalton area near Hackney to ensure that his kababayans of that time were always conscious of national issues.  Rizal should probably also be given the title of ‘Father of Filipino Community Organizations in Britain’.  A lot of Filipinos nowadays own houses in London’s East End where prices are generally cheaper, but I do not think many of them realize that the hero was active in their community a hundred years ago.<br /><br />I wish I had a copy of the second volume (1888-onwards) of Epistolario Rizalino which the Biblioteca Nacional de Filipinas published in 1930.  It ought to have details of Rizal’s community organization work in London.  It would be fascinating to see which Filipinos were here then, what they did, what they talked about and possibly where they met regularly.  Maybe the Filipino community can discover another historical site in London.  But this time, maybe the government or some rich Filipino benefactor could purchase the property and turn it into a Philippine center or museum.<br /><br />The Filipino community continually seeks role models for their children born or growing up in Britain.  The Philippines however is strangely bereft of credible modern heroes who could be turned into icons of role model proportions, and whatever Filipino breakthroughs are made to date in Britain relate usually to the theatrical stage.  So looking back to the heroes of a century ago, with their imperfections and individual tragedies, is a safer bet.  For theirs at least are monumental achievements with which it is less difficult to identify.  However, one cannot simply identify with these heroes in scholarly books or in newspaper articles.  What they need is a place to go to where they could see visually what these heroes looked like and what sort of things they did when they were here for the country.  One solution is to have a house devoted to Filipino heroes who lived in London.<br /><br />The Chalcot Crescent house is apparently owned by an American lawyer who rents out the property to visiting Americans.  Apart from the Philippine Ambassador, his wife and embassy staff and the Knights of Rizal  who every June 19 pay tribute to Rizal with a floral offering at the house, I know of nobody else who was ever let into the house to feast his or her eyes upon whatever historical artefact remains inside, particularly the two rooms Rizal occupied as bedroom and receiving room.  This is a tragedy for the Filipino community, and a shame indeed for the Filipino nation.  How could the nation allow such a historically valuable property slip through its hands?  Its non-Filipino tenants probably cannot even begin to appreciate how much this landmark means for Filipinos around the world.<br /><br />This property (and the Dalton one, if it ever gets discovered) ought to become more than just a site to pose at for souvenir photographs.  I would like to see it as a testament to Anglo-Filipino relations, to the ties that bind both countries to each other in the spirit of friendship, trade, cultural and even political cooperation.  That is my fervent hope for Filipinos in Britain who have long been in need of an enduring place to meet with pride.  A place where people can bring their families and friends.   A place which can showcase the best of Filipinos, old and even new.  A piece of England forever Philippine.</span><br /> [2003, London]<br /> <br /> Photo credited to Mr. Ronaldo Samson Adoptante <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=3546242783260174679&target=facebook" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VZfdyGqGxYxPWoelwmGbf0QFLIKAuJeUY4gkUrOuG0ypMqSfMCY5oXqRyQNoFBeMj4-rf3fO2HSZuuzFh6RfAhiQUOB0mhu1FMnZNnkfdasfJ-Tjd3cZm3lh88B0ouKAVkPXVh278OA/s1600/sharefb185.png" /></a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=3629012486930784822&postID=3546242783260174679&target=twitter" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3bfhc90-5xenm9-eqI_ICgI5V8KPl28Gu8oXZsvNDA_oIk8ioAazonJE38acYIiOnSDyuPWj6zn-8wCMPPY5TMVVENEoNk2PfH73eNX5qkEIkvLossHYwU848ikKXjhyr1MRuJIjmFo/s1600/sharetw185.png" /></a></div>

Articles Cribs History News Travel Travel-Europe UK A piece of England forever Philippine

— by Gene Alcantara There is a bit of London that will forever be Philippine.  It is a house on 37 Chalcot Crescent NW1, on Primrose Hill,...

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