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mwcowan · 5 years

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Mark & Georgia’s Big Trip

Chapter Seven – Miscellaneous Ramblings II

Another busy week, but that’s become the norm. At least this week we saw good progress towards getting everything together that we’ve been trying to get together. But not much of a theme so just some thoughts on the important events of the week.

Caretakers

The biggest milestone this week was that we selected and hired our housekeeper and caretaker. Plus their two boys – we will soon have a new family in our home, and we’re very excited. You’ll soon meet Ranny and Pina, and their boys Prince Denver and Ethan, who will take up residence in our caretaker’s apartment.

Ranny (pronounced “Ronny” – remember that the vowels AEIOU are pronounced here, without exception, Ah, Eh, Ee, Oh, Oo) for the previous seven years has worked as a groundskeeper for Kawayan Cove so he comes with excellent gardening and tree maintenance chops. Pina has been a homemaker, is a great cleaner and a good cook; Georgia says she’s a good student and will quickly learn our favorite dishes. She already knows that I like fresh fruit every morning – half the battle’s won already! Prince Denver (8 yrs) and Ethan (4 yrs) are just normal boys, though very polite. I think it’s going to be fun having them around.

Capiz

Capiz is both a province in the Philippines, on Panay Island, as well as an oyster from the area known for its special shell. A capiz oyster is on the left, the harvested and cleaned shell on the right. One shell of the oyster is flat, growing to 3-5 inches in diameter, and importantly, translucent.

You find all sorts of items here made from capiz – Christmas ornaments, outdoor lights, ashtrays, you name it. When we lived in the Bay Area, Georgia always said you could tell a Filipino’s house because of the capiz lights in the trees. Harvesting and producing craft items from the shells is today the principal livelihood of the people of Capiz. Historically, capiz is important in Philippines heritage and culture, one that’s given away by the Capiz oyster’s Western name: windowpane oyster. For thousands of years the shell served as the “glass” in Filipino windows; many older homes still feature these windows today.

So why this story about capiz? On this week’s trip to Manila, we were wandering around a mall and walked into an antique store. Stacked against the back wall we found a number of dusty old capiz windows. The shop owner had no hard information about their provenance but said they were likely from the 1800’s. They looked it; the Narra and Molave wood was weathered but the craftsmanship was still evident and not of this century. No nails or screws, the window frames are joined with hand-made mortise and tenons, held with wooden pegs. The capiz was dirty, but almost 100% intact – it looks fragile but is actually pretty sturdy stuff. We’re not sure yet what we’ll do with them, but we now have three panels. After an afternoon spent cleaning them we have a treasure we’ll proudly display.

Calamansi

I don’t think Calamansi has been featured in my Strange Fruit of the Day series; it’s really not that strange anyway. Calamansi is the citrus fruit of the Philippines. About ¾ to one inch in size, they look a lot like a key lime but aren’t limes. The insides and juice are orange, but they’re not oranges. They aren’t lemons either, they’re just Calamansi. They flavor many Filipino dishes: you’ll typically squeeze one onto your Pancit before eating, or onto your grilled fish, and they’re often an ingredient in the dipping sauces served with many dishes.

There are no limes here, so I had a dilemma: how to make a proper Gin and Tonic. Finding decent gin was easy (S&R/Costco), and after searching a few stores I found tonic water. But no limes. Calamansi to the rescue! I’m now able to enjoy my favorite summer cocktail. And it’s always summer here! Cheers!

The Massage Table

Massage is a way of life in the Philippines. Go to almost any beach and there will be massage tents set up, in the city there are plenty of establishments, or just call for home service. My only complaint, actually my neck’s complaint, is that the traditional Filipino massage is performed on a flat bed, not a massage table. You’ll sometimes find a real massage table but it’s rare. Fast forward to our weekly trip to S&R, and there it was! My neck had a sudden seizure as I tried to walk past, so into the cart it went! We set it up on the “meditation deck” and brought in a masseuse that Hervé and Lett turned us on to. She’s expensive, about $12 an hour, but good. Very good. Ahhhhhhhh, heaven!

Friends with Furniture

Our friends from Manila, Noel and Michelle Tanada, who have been mentioned before in my blogs (they’re the members at the Balesin Island Club with whom we’ve had some memorable trips) visited us yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever said much about them. Michelle is a former local TV star/singer; after that career a serial entrepreneur, starting and running businesses in the advertising field. Noel was originally headed for a career in law, but left that world for his art, which encompasses traditional forms such as painting and sculpture, but his real passion lies with interior design and furniture design. In all they do they only use native and sustainable materials, or recycled materials, and always local labor. You can learn more and view some of their products at www.ecohomeart.com. They are also both active environmentalists, deeply involved with coral rehabilitation (www.coralmovement.org). This shot is with them at Balesin Island last year.

Today’s visit was more than a social call as they delivered a van full of furniture, some of the last items for our living room. We’d asked Noel to create some custom bar chairs, a breakfast table and chairs, and a credenza. Since we live in Kawayan Cove he chose a bamboo theme (kawayan is the Tagalog word for bamboo). He also brought a special floor lamp for us. All beautiful and unique pieces we’re proud to have.

House Tour

Finally all the major furniture is here and the house is feeling pretty livable (though we did fine with just a plastic card table and a mattress on the floor for the first 2 weeks…). So, I’ll wrap this up with a photo tour of our newly furnished rooms.

First up is the living room. The coffee and end tables from the acacia slab have arrived, we’re very happy with them and like the way they go with the sofa and love seat. The turtle on the coffee table is from Puerto Vallarta and has a special connection with Kawayan Cove – every fall Olive Ridley sea turtles arrive at Kawayan Cove to lay their eggs.

These are two of the barstools Noel designed for us. Using 100% native and sustainable materials, the backs feature split bamboo and the upholstery is hand-woven Tikog grass from Leyte. Besides a warm an inviting look, Tikog is durable and has a very nice, soft feel. It’s woven into many items here, historically the Banig which is the traditional Filipno sleeping mat.

Also in the same style and materials are this breakfast table and chairs. Noel feels the table design is sexy, resembling a woman’s curves. You decide!

One of Noel’s more creative pieces is this dramatic floor lamp, reflected in our corner windows. The lamp is made of water hyacinth reeds. Beyond being a sustainable material, the use of water hyacinth has an additional benefit as it’s a nuisance here, growing quickly and clogging rivers and harbors.

New in our master bedroom is this computer desk, made of mahogany from our design by Boyet, one of the construction foremen for our contractor. Boyet also made all of the cabinets in the house.

Our small guest bedroom, the one with the great view, has two new side tables of acacia, which we picked up pre-made at the same place where we got our slab. Note the baskets on the wall, which made their way here from the White Sulphur Springs Ranch rummage sale!

Last up is our second guest bedroom. In trade for the lack of a view you get a larger room, with a sofa and coffee table, which is the final piece of our acacia slab. Any of you who visited the Mokawk Community Resource Center last fall will recognize two paintings by Tyler Jacobsen, and a woven wall hanging by Salli Wise. Sorry the bed’s not made, we’ll make sure that’s done before you arrive!

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phgq · 5 years

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NAPC holds Regional Sectoral Assembly in Central Luzon

#PHinfo: NAPC holds Regional Sectoral Assembly in Central Luzon

CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga, Oct.10 (PIA) -- About 150 leaders representing the 7 provinces of Central Luzon and 14 basic sectors are currently gathered in Clark for a Regional Sectoral Assembly (RSA). “RSAs aim to broaden the space for basic sector participation and ensure a more equitable regional representation; validate the list of organizations present in the regions and map-out possible delegates to the National Sectoral Assemblies; develop a region-specific sectoral and cross-sectoral reform agenda and action plan; and organize interim government-basic sectors regional coordination mechanisms,” National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Secretary/Lead Convenor Noel K. Felongco said. The 14 basic sectors are farmers and landless rural workers, artisanal fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous peoples and cultural communities, workers in formal labor and migrant workers, workers in the informal sector, women, children, youth and students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, victims of disasters and calamities, non-governmental organizations and cooperatives. “NAPC is the only government agency in the country that has a structure where the 14 basic sectors of the society are fully-engaged and institutionalized as fundamental components of the agency as well as a government sector comprised of 25 national government agencies and presidents of four leagues of local governments,” Felongco added. “With the President as the Chairperson, the Commission embodies the principle of basic sector participation in policy-making at the highest level of governance. This unique structure enables us to monitor the government’s anti-poverty alleviation programs and communicate the agendas of each sector to the national government as mandated in Republic Act 8425,” the official furthered.

National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary/Lead Convenor Noel K. Felongco (middle) and representatives from the 14 basic sectors present to the media the mandate and accomplishments made by the commission in addressing the concerns of the poor. (Carmela Jane F. Villar/PIA 3)

Earlier this year, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the poverty incidence among the population in Central Luzon dropped from 14.7 percent in the first half of 2015 to 10.3 percent in the same period of 2018. Moreover, poverty incidence among families fell from 12.2% in the first half of 2015 to 7.8% in the same period of 2018. According to the National Economic and Development Authority, this general decline can be attributed to the growth in employment in the manufacturing and construction sectors as well as employment shifts to the industry and service sectors from agriculture. “Even though we have made significant strides in reducing poverty in the region, the road to winning the battle against poverty is still long. If we translate our country’s overall poverty incidence at 21%, this means that there are 23.1 million Filipinos who do not have income that meet the poverty threshold or the minimum amount needed to meet the basic food and non-food requirements of a family of five,” Felongco stressed. He vowed that despite the many challenges, NAPC will continue to strive towards a society where the presence of government is felt within each community. It shall double its efforts in providing the support needed by all sectors in the country. For his part, NAPC Vice Chairperson for the Basic Sectors Ruperto B. Aleroza disclosed that among the key executive and legislative measures they succeeded include Republic Act 11350 which created the National Commission of Senior Citizens and Republic Act 11291 or the Magna Carta of the Poor. Also, Executive Order No.92 series of 2019 which institutionalized the National Council Against Child Labor. (CLJD-PIA 3)

National Anti-Poverty Commission Vice Chairperson for the Basic Sectors Ruperto B. Aleroza discloses that among the key executive and legislative measures they succeeded include Republic Act 11350 which created the National Commission of Senior Citizens and Republic Act 11291 or the Magna Carta of the Poor. Also, Executive Order No.92 series of 2019 which institutionalized the National Council Against Child Labor. (Carmela Jane F. Villar/PIA 3)

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References:

* Philippine Information Agency. "NAPC holds Regional Sectoral Assembly in Central Luzon." Philippine Information Agency. https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028554 (accessed October 10, 2019 at 09:41PM UTC+08).

* Philippine Infornation Agency. "NAPC holds Regional Sectoral Assembly in Central Luzon." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1028554 (archived).

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