Maniolas

Mr. Roberto Mercado (5th from left) hands over the commemorative Mama Sita stamps to Mr. Ted Wilson (6th from left) of the Collections Department of the National Postal Museum on 15 August 2016. Commemorative stamps of the late Teresita “Mama Sita” Reyes, Filipino culinary icon, have been included in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. A statement from the Philippine Embassy in Washington said a simple turnover ceremony, attended by embassy representatives, was held on Monday. The commemorative stamps were issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation to recognize Reyes’ influence on Philippine cuisine, in time for her birth centenary in 2017. Roberto Mercado, consultant and representative of the Mama Sita Foundation, which donated the commemorative items, said the stamps “signify the flavors that the Philippine cuisine offers as well as the country’s vision of sharing our biodiversity to the rest of the world.” “We love to have it,” Ted Wilson of the Postal Museum’s Collections Department was quoted saying. Mama Sita became an iconic figure in Philippine culinary arts for pioneering the use of special mixes and seasonings to enrich the flavor of Filipino food. CDG Mr. Ted Wilson (right) shows Mr. Roberto Mercado the Philippine stamps that were on display at the Postal Museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. RELATED STORIES Mama Sita’s brings PH flavors to the world’s most prestigious food expo – The 2014 SIAL Paris Photo exhibit pays tribute to Mama Sita, culinary pioneer   Latest DOLE admits it lacks means to detect illegal contracting practices Indonesian hostage escapes from Abu Read More …

Christian activist Dane Duplessis (left) and Cassiem Augustus of the International Transport Workers’ Federation have helped free several trafficked Filipino fishermen. LINKEDIN/FACEBOOK SAN FRANCISCO — In one of Africa’s largest ports, in Cape Town, South Africa, many boats come for fuel and repairs. Many of the fishermen on these boats are from Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, and they are victims of abuse and forced labor, according to a report in TheGuardian.com. Alex (surname withheld), a 32-year-old Filipino, earned only a few hundred dollars after a year at sea. The captain, he said, promised to pay him when he returned home. His crewmates have been told the same thing. Dane Duplessis, chaplain with the charity Biblia, a South African Christian NGO, found six Filipinos, including Alex, who told him about their plight. Duplessis said the boat was squalid. The seafarers’ passports are with the captain, and they haven’t seen their contracts. In another case, Benjamin, 24, a farmer back in the Philippines, said he hadn’t been paid after five months at sea on a Taiwanese-flagged vessel, and that the crew was beaten regularly for not working hard enough. Several seafarers went to the Mission to Seafarers in Cape Town to seek help. Duplessis works at the Mission alongside Cassiem Augustus, an inspector with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The two planned the escape of more than 25 crew members, he brought them to a safe house, negotiated with the ship owner’s agency and arranged for the men to be Read More …

Irene Santiago and Gary Hipp. She believes their whirlwind romance was ordained by God. CONTRIBUTED SAN FRANCISCO — Irene Santiago-Hipp, 42, a full-time mother and wife was not the kind who would marry for convenience. She may have been from a poor family in the Philippines, but her ticket to a successful life was not finding a prince charming that would get her out of poverty. For her, marrying an American 25 years her senior was not for convenience but came from a love “ordained by God.” Irene and spouse, Gary Robert Hipp, 67, a native of Pennsylvania, have two children, Jeremiah, 12, and Jael Mae, 8, live in Maui, Hawaii and are enjoying life and love in the island paradise. Not a chance meeting Irene was able to finish her degree in education with the help of her relatives and sibling. In spite of that, she worked various odd jobs just to make it through college. Her life may not have been a real tearjerker, but she had her share of difficulties, like the death of her mother after long sickness. In spite of these, she did not lose hope and faith in God. While studying and working, she still found time to serve her church, teaching kids at Sunday school, doing mission outreach to the Mangyans (indigenous people in Mindoro) and also helping the pastor’s wife in various household activities. It was February 2001 when she met Gary Hipp, a missionary assigned to Palawan for nine years. Irene Read More …

The Queen of Kundiman Sylvia la Torre greeting the audience as FASO conductor Bob Shroder and la Torre’s granddaughter, Anna Perez de Tagle beam. HYDEE ABRAHAN GLENDALE, California – It was an evening of sweet memories and undying melodies that the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO) concert and a bevy of talents delivered August 13 at the John Wayne Performing Arts Center in Glendale. Going to the concert was all excitement for us because the headliner was Sylvia La Torre, the Queen of Kundiman, who was appearing together with her granddaughter, rising Hollywood star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle. We got to know Sylvia from her “Tang Tarang Tang Series” on TV with the comedian Pugo as her father, and those “Oras ng Ligaya” days back in the 60s. Sylvia la Torre in a duet with her granddaughter Anna Perez de Tagle. HYDEE ABRAHAN TV shows then were most anticipated in our entire neighborhood. Our house turned into a mini-theater by the afternoon, with its own orchestra, loge and balcony seating. Every night we were packed like sardines. It didn’t matter much to us because in our neighborhood, everybody seemed like an extended family. Charmer The TV was our only window to the world. Sylvia was most loved for her own antics and wide-ranging talent. She had her own charisma and her singing a la coloratura was a source of wonder and joy.  So Sylvia charmed her way into our hearts, with her kundiman, “Waray Waray,” “Sa Kabukiran” and “Mutya ng Pasig.” She Read More …

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, center, delivers his State of The Nation address ahead of the country’s Independence Day at the parliament building in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016. AP President Joko Widodo pledged Tuesday to defend “every inch” of Indonesia’s land and maritime territory, following clashes with Chinese vessels around Indonesian islands in the South China Sea. In a state of the nation address he also said Indonesia was “actively involved” in seeking a peaceful solution to the broader regional dispute about ownership of islands in the Sea. Widodo’s underscoring of Indonesia’s sovereignty over the Natunas islands — and the resource-rich waters surrounding them — comes at a time of high maritime tensions between Beijing and Jakarta after repeated clashes there. “We are developing regions like Entikong, Natuna, and Atambua so the world can see that Indonesia is a big country, and every inch of its land and water is truly taken care of,” he said in a televised address which did not refer directly to China. Entikong and Atambua are remote Indonesian territories bordering Malaysia and East Timor respectively. His comments come as Jakarta prepares to mark independence day celebrations Wednesday by scuttling dozens of foreign boats seized for illegally fishing in Indonesian waters. The government has previously said that Chinese ships would be among those scuttled. The sinking in May of a large Chinese vessel ship caught fishing illegally around the Natunas drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing. Unlike several of its Southeast Asian neighbors, Indonesia has Read More …