Utak Utak

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Utak Utak Tausug dishes deserve the spotlight for their rich diversity of flavors. Utak utak is a spiced fish cake made of shredded tuna meat mixed with spices and grated coconut meat. Ingredients are shaped either by hand or by using banana leaves then coated in a flour-egg-water combination for frying. Each bite is a … Read more

Tausug Pastil

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Tausug Pastil Zamboanga is a repository of ethnolinguistic groups from Mindanao, enriching the destination’s foods and cultures. Meet the Tausug pastil, which resembles an empanada in a savory version. Call it a vegan empanada filled with sauteed mung bean sprouts encased in crispy dough. What makes it exciting? It is served with a bottle of … Read more

Tamal de Zamboanga

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Tamales have always been referred to in plural form but not in the case of Zamboanga. What makes their version unique? Use ground glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk, hibe (dried shrimp), glass noodles filling, and a slice of egg. All ingredients are delicately wrapped in banana leaves for steaming, best eaten as breakfast or … Read more

What is a visitorial power?

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What is a visitorial power? A visitorial power is the capacity of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to inspect, visit, and enter warehouses where imported goods are stored. Under Republic Act No. 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the President has the power to enforce measures to protect the people from hoarding, profiteering, … Read more

A Diver’s Tale

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A Diver’s Tale As factures of memories, motives, and intents, contemporary artist Mike Garcia’s pieces for A Diver’s Tale at the NCCA Gallery in September 2022 are synaptic relays of sums and parts. Mike introduces us to his version of El Nido, Palawan — the place still a common synecdoche of our nation-state for tropical … Read more