Fort Pilar Zamboanga

Fort Pilar Zamboanga  Today marks the 386th anniversary of Fort Pilar. The gray stone walls of the fort are the oldest reminder of the Spanish presence and the only surviving physical manifestation of the founding and early history of Zamboanga. The fort was built and laid its cornerstone on June 23, 1635 under the direction … Read more

Subanun

Subanun In the Southern Philippines, the Subanuns, who inhabit the Zamboanga Peninsula and Northwestern Mindanao mountain ranges, attribute their worldview to their religious concept of animism. They believe that souls or spirits exist in humans, animals, plants, rocks, geographic features such as mountains or rivers, or other natural environment entities, making them god-fearing and capable … Read more

Hanayan

HANAYAN. For our Ethnic Tuesday, the National Museum of the Philippines – Western-Southern Mindanao features its National Ethnographic Collection of ‘hanayan,’ used in Sama Dilaut traditional rituals. Like other ethnolinguistic groups, the Sama Dilaut has numerous and multifaceted ceremonies. They also have a spirit medium called a “wali-jin” or “djin,” which can be both men … Read more

Tipolo

We see them, we enjoy their shade, and we breathe the oxygen they produce. But how many of the 3,600 Philippine native trees can you identify? Our featured Native Tree of the Day, is the TIPOLO. Antipolo or Tipolo (Artocarpus blancoi) is endemic to the Philippines that grows in low and medium elevations. It can … Read more

Puyoy

Puyoy Because it’s Father’s Day today, let’s go to the Seafood Capital of the Philippines. In Capiz, there is a popular food we don’t commonly find on our dining table – eel! Thank you to Alger Inocencio for sharing info about this dish. At first glance you would think it is a snake; but no, … Read more