By Marjorie Gorospe
INQUIRER.net

FILIPINOS are rich in culture and tradition. But will the future generation still remember them?

Practices, such as the “Bayanihan,” which describes a community coming together to help out those in need, and traditional Filipino dances and games are almost forgotten.

The Marikina government, however, has created doll museum to help Filpinos remember.

Working with world-renowned fashion designers Patis Tesoro and Guia Gomez, the local government has created 46 dioramas that highlight the history of Marikina and Filipino culture as well.

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IT was like seeing an army of ants climbing up a colony – only imagine it to be chaotic, more than a few stepping on heads and shoulders in order to touch a moving target.

In a predominantly Catholic country, religious festivities such as this are commonplace but the Feast of the Black Nazarene definitely stands out in terms of scale. This year’s estimates put the number of attendees by the millions.

During this day, the image of the Black Nazarene is paraded from Quiapo Church around Manila’s city streets and back. This year, though, the mass was held instead at the Quirino Grandstand (fronting Luneta or Rizal Park), followed by a procession leading to Quiapo Church.

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By Marjorie Gorospe

WHAT do you usually do with leftover spaghetti? American Hospitality Academy chef Ricky Cordova shows how you can turn this into a tasty and heart-warming Minestrone soup.

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By Fung Yu

Author’s Note: This article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. Adobe Flash 10 or higher is required to view the 360-degree VRs. Average VR size is 2.2Mb each.

I FIRST set foot on Sagada about 4 years ago, had so much fun and adventure then that I vowed to visit the place again. The opportunity came during the long December holidays. It was more of a sudden decision really, of packing your bags, leaving your thoughts and hopping on the bus the day after Christmas.

Sagada, known as Philippines’ shangri-la, is a rusty idyllic town near Bontoc, the provincial capital of Mountain Province in the Cordilleras. Located some 275 kilometers north of Manila and about 140 kilometers from Baguio City, it is a haven for adventurers. Famous for it’s centuries-old hanging coffins and burial caves, underground river and water falls, majestic sunrise and star-studded night skies, aromatic coffee Arabica and verdant rice terraces. At 1500 meters above sea level, Sagada boasts of cool breezy weather throughout the year. Dry season starts usually from December to May and wet season from June to November.

Even after 4 years, little has changed in Sagada. The whole place seems to be trapped in a time-warp with the locals keeping to their traditional way of life. The only notable transformations are the numerous inns and lodgings converted from residential homes, upgraded rest houses catering to more tourists with better amenities, and more dogs in the streets. Relatively crime-free and peaceful, with residents familiar with one another, only dogs are employed for house security; shifting from pet dogs in the morning to guard dogs at night.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

“My height is a gift from God,” said Ijaz Ahmed, a towering Pakistani who has come to the Philippines to raise funds for his right leg operation.

Ahmed claims to be 8 feet and four inches and weighs 287 pounds.

According to doctors, Ijaz, 26, is still expected to grow by three to four inches, giving him the chance of clinching the Guinness World title for world’s tallest living man.

Ijaz hails from Punjab and has worked as farmer before his injury, having been born to a family of farmers.

In 2002, he injured his foot in a car accident.

Doctors had told him the operation would cost $50,000 and so in 2006, he embarked on a tour to raise money for his operation.

Over the past two years, Ijaz has raised a third of the total amount required for his operation.

Ijaz took a trip to the Philippines after he met Ann Sia of Clara International during a 2006 event in Malaysia.

Sia said Ijaz was a guest in her company’s event along with a three-foot man. Upon learning of Ijaz’s condition, she offered to host Ijaz after he visits Manila for his fund raising project.

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IT weighs about a kilo and said to feed four people but when I asked the lady at the counter how many people have tried to finish it ALONE, she casually said: “Madalas mga tricycle driver po [Often, tricycle drivers can finish it].”

So with tinged (and later on, foolish) pride, I decided to give it a go. That huge chunk of white doesn’t look so imposing from the outside, even though by my estimate it is thrice the size of the biggest you can find at 7-11.

My strategy was to cut it in quarters, confident I can eat what four people can since it was late afternoon when we arrived at PVL Food Haus and I haven’t had lunch yet.

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By Marjorie Gorospe

IF you’re in a hurry to see the whole of Singapore, then perhaps you can take a ride on the Singapore Flyer.

Located in Marina Centre, the Singapore Flyer is an observation wheel with a diameter of 492 feet. It was built over a three-storey terminal building, giving it a total height of 541 feet.

The Singapore Flyer has exceeded the London Eye (443 feet) and Star of Nanchang (525 feet), making it the world’s largest observation wheel.

It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete the ride. The Singapore Flyer has 28 air-conditioned capsules and each can handle 28 passengers.

The Singapore Flyer gives passengers a chance to observe the city center and even beyond. You can see some parts of Malaysia and the islands of Indonesia.

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By Anna Valmero
INQUIRER.net

IS it possible to find in the Philippines a church like Vatican’s Sistine Chapel?

Yes. In the town of Guagua in Pampanga, one can find Betis Church.

Inside the Baroque-inspired church, one can be transported back in time by the ceiling paintings and wall murals that are comparable to the frescos of Sistine Chapel’s ceiling done by Renaissance masters.

Standing at the nave of the church, one can see the ceilings, walls and the retablo styled with paintings and murals of the Holy Family, selected scenes from the bible, Catholic saints and cherubs.

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FILIPINO celebrity kids Paul Salas, Jane Oineza, Eliza Pineda, Kristel Fulgar and Micah Torre pick their favorite dinosaur and talk about lessons they learned from the Dinos Alive World Tour currently open to visitors at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, Philippines. Watch this video report of INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales.

IN the darkness of the sky, the fireworks twinkle like stars and fall like meteor showers. It gives celebrations a bang. But did you know how fireworks are made or where it was first created in the Philippines?

In a quest for the pioneer in large-scale production of fireworks, I’ve walked in the middle of the fields, crossed barbed wires and found the “Super Lolo” of Sta. Maria, Bulacan. I found Arcadio “Ka-Adiong” Sta. Ana in a fireworks factory called Viva Pyrotechnics.

Sta. Ana, now 69 years old, recalls how his grandfather Valentin Sta. Ana learned fireworks manufacturing from a Spanish priest in Sta. Maria.

According to him, the priest used skyrockets, also known as “kwitis,” as substitute to Church bells. It was the priest’s way of waking up the people for the Simbang Gabi.

However, Sta. Ana says his grandfather did not pursue the fireworks business due to restrictions during the American period.

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