The Birth of a Wonderful Idea: Margeuries House of Goodies

The goodies churned out by Margeuries House puts one in a festive mood.

by Rex Godinez Ortega

Jobless and pregnant. That was what Marie Grace Halibas—the woman behind Margeuries House of Goodies—was in 2006 when she arrived back in Iligan City.

She had been a restaurant manager in Abu Dhabi with a bright future ahead of her when the difficult work conditions forced her to give it all up—including her Filipino boyfriend there.

Left without a father for her unborn child or a means to support herself, Grace arrived home in deep thought.

Suman sa Pandan

But the food trade graduate of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) didn’t think for long.  As  she was won’t to do in times of confusion and adversity, she  reverted to what she always loved doing—making pastries.

“Kung wala ko lingaw, mag himo ko recipes [When I have nothing to do, I make recipes],” she said.

Puto puti

Thus, after giving birth to her beautiful daughter, Margeuries, Grace went straight back to the kitchen.

Kutsinta

At first, she started selling mango tarts, which she used to do when she was in Cebu City taking her second course at the Culinary School in the University of Cebu.  Then she moved on to supplying a major supermarket with her creations.

However, it was not after a friend of hers, Aileen Ann Acosta-Gerona, an anesthesiologist, made a casual suggestion that proved providential, and which charted the course for Margeuries House of Goodies.

Lanka flavored palitaw.

“Aileen asked me to make kakanin (rice cakes) for  her birthday party,” she said. “And that I should place these in a bilao.”

The delicious bite-sized biko, cassava cakes, puto (with cheese), kutsinta, palitaw, espasol, and pichi2x Grace arranged inside the round shaped, semi-flat winnowing basket became an instant hit.

Just the sight of the colorful and bright native goodies neatly arranged inside the bilao sent the party guests into a festive mood. A single bite of the kakanin, kicked off the celebration in their mouths.

“I realized that people actually missed eating kakanin,” she said. “It was even a new experience for some!”

That was a surprising discovery indeed for Grace as the rice-based native delicacies are actually commonly taken as a snack in the Philippines.

“The ready availability of kakanin locally, however, is another thing,” she observed.

A full bilao set contains biko, ube, maja, cassava cake, espasol, kutsinta, puto cheese, sapin-sapin, pichi-pichi. However, customers can specify what items they want their bilao of goodies to contain. The bilaos come in different diameters: 14″ (P650), 12″ (P350), 10″ (P300), 8″ (P250), and 5″ (P150).

From there, talk of Grace’s kakanin spread by word of mouth until customers started showing up at the family home, which sits along the national highway in Brgy. Sta. Filomena.  She even gets asked now to cater to parties of customers who want to provide an alternative dessert choice for guests.

Although Margeuries House of Goodies’ business is still moving at a moderate pace, it usually picks up on Christian holidays, and on Fridays as Maranao motorists on the way back to Marawi City, 30 kilometers away from Iligan, stop by to load up on kakanin.

“It is a favorite pasalubong [coming home present] of theirs,” Grace explained.

Margeuries House of Goodies also caters to parties. The Kakanin Buffet goes for P2,000 (good for 200 persons) and P1,000 (good for 100 persons).

Today, the Halibas home’s façade is slowly undergoing a makeover that would transform it into a Kakanin Center of Iligan in the near future.

Things do seem to be looking up for Grace nowadays. A far cry from her homecoming in 2006 where she was jobless and six months pregnant.

But by an act of grace, a wonderful idea was born.

Margeuries House of Goodies owner, Marie Grace Halibas, with daughter, Margeuries.

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For more information about the delicious kakanin from Margeuries House of Goodies, visit Margeuries House of Goodies or text/call the following numbers: 0906-381-5088 (Globe) and 0928-750-1682 (Smart).

All photos in this article by Margeuries House of Goodies. More photos below: 

Bilao with ube palitaw on top.

A P450-bilao consisting of half-layer sapin-sapin, 200g of espasol, 12 pieces biko, 12 pieces cassava cake, and 25 pieces palitaw.

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Durian pie. Margeuries House of Goodies also make other pies like, buko and pineapple pies.

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Love Hotels: Guide to the Amorous in Iligan

by: Rex Godinez Ortega

So, you’re out on a date with your mi amor. You try your best to project your inner Merovingian self, while she sits there, beautiful as Persephone, staring into your eyes until “the why and the reason are gone.”

At the point where all that matters is just the feeling, the two of you suddenly become… uhm, how should I put it, “sleepy”.

My oh, my…

Now where to go?

There are several places in Iligan City active couples such as yourself and your date can go to—to get that much needed “rest” even if for a short time only.

These places, which charge you within the vicinity of P300, are generically called love hotels.

Olive Motel — Oil on Canvass. (Photo: irenajurek.blogspot.com)

A love hotel is a place one can enter discreetly and have a choice of “rooms for a rest”  for periods of three or six hours or even 12 hours should you come during “Happy Hour,” which starts at 10 pm.

In Iligan, these love hotels tend to consist of a single building with connected rooms. Some even have garages attached to the rooms to better facilitate your… <ahem> entry.

Thus, if you are in search of a different “sleeping” experience this love month, do read on as Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

“The Shower” by Klaas Koster. (Photo: pinterest.com)

CitiBest Inn. Located in an off the beaten track part of Ubaldo Laya Avenue, CitiBest is easy to miss as your eye might just dismiss its faded rainbow colored tall walls as, well, just walls.

This nondescript Inn sits along a dark stretch of road used by motorists as a shortcut from Kabulihan to the Iligan Medical Center area in Brgy. Pala-o.

The Inn’s garages are big enough to fit two cars with the door to your equally spacious room at the end of each. Inside, you would discover that the room’s floor area is not the only thing tiled, the walls are, too. (Every square inch of it!)

It has the standard bed (no habol included), a door-less toilet and bath with a glass window that offers  a good view of the shower from the bed, and a lounge with a small table and two chairs.

Park Sweet. Formerly Lovingly Pensionne House, this place is easier to find as its well-lighted façade is facing the national highway in the Gerona area of Brgy. Hinaplanon.

If you happen to be dining at Tatay’s Grill, you can just walk to Park Sweet as it is just beside the popular restaurant.

Park Sweet also offers rooms with garages if you don’t feel like leaving your vehicle out on the street. The rooms there are a little smaller than CitiBest’s, but they are nice and clean.

Chelina Beach Resort.  This beach resort is located on the outskirts of the city to the east in Brgy. Sta. Filomena. It is by the beach, thus, you need to get off the national highway once you spot the tall sign by the road.

The resort also offers rooms with garages. These large rooms are nicely interiored and well-furnished, albeit, now in need of some up keeping.

“Motel Love” by Jack Vettriano. (Photo: jackvettriano.com)

There are several more places in Iligan that can qualify to be called love hotels despite the different names they call themselves. However, you might find it awkward standing there before the counter when checking in.

To help you identify these places, just remember that the main distinguishing characteristics of love hotels are discreetness, choice of a short-time rest period, and the use of names that evoke love or employment of symbols, like hearts.  (Let’s not forget the neon lights, too!)

If you’re a couple having difficulties finding some privacy at home, you might want to consider love hotels as an alternative. Just bring your own sheets if you can’t trust these places enough.

For those single guys out on a date this Valentine’s Day, be good. If you can’t be good, well, make sure your girl is cool with the idea first before taking her there.

Be safe!

An anti-HIV painting at the U.N. (Photo: vectorblog.org)

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Below are pictures of Iligan love hotels filched from the Internet. (Sorry. My hands were too busy to take pictures during visits.) 

Chelina Beach Resort

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Park Sweet

Park Sweet

Park Sweet

A Baby Named Friendly

A child sleeping at an evacuation center. (Photo: newsinfo.inquirer.net)

by Rex Godinez Ortega

[Found another article of mine floating in the Internet. This came out in the PDI broadsheet back in Aug. 2008. It is about survivors of the MILF attack in Kolambugan town. I’ve lost the photos for this article.]

KOLAMBUGAN, LANAO DEL NORTE—After a huge yawn and a little wave of her tiny hand, week-old Friendly Zusima dozed off on a mat as if nothing happened.

She was only two days old when Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels swooped down on their community in Lapayan in Kauswagan town. She survived because her mother, 32-year-old Rogelyn, still recovering from childbirth, ran as fast as she could to safety.

Baby Friendly is the sister of 2-year-old Love-love, who, together with her militiaman-father Francisco, 36, was killed by the rebels during the Aug. 18 rampage.

“I believe my husband was cradling her in his arms when they were shot. He was hit in the chest, while Love-love was hit in the head,” Rogelyn said.

The MILF attacks on civilians in Lanao del Norte may have brought the best among those who survived. But the healing of wounds, physical and psychological, is another thing.

Boy rebels

At Kolambugan Riverside National High School, where the evacuees are staying, two teenagers talked about their ordeal in the hands of MILF rebels whom they described as between 13 and 15 years old.

Some of the rebels that attacked Kolambugan were as young as the boy depicted in this photo from malindangbuhilaman.wordpress.com.

“The rebels were as young as me,” Randel Sobrado, 17, said almost in a whisper while casting a glance at his bandaged right foot. A bullet had pierced through the wooden floor of their house and hit him.

Sobrado’s father was also wounded in the hand and shoulder, and is still in a hospital in Ozamiz City.

A few moments after the shooting, the young rebels kicked the door open and ordered Sobrado and the rest of his family: “Get out or be burned alive inside.”

After the family went outside, the rebels returned to the house and continued firing.

“They massacred the inside of the house including our clothes,” Randel said. “I [still] have one of those massacred shirts with me here [at the evacuation center]. Would you like me to show you,” he asked with childlike enthusiasm.

The Sobrados marched down to the highway to join other residents who were taken as hostages. Randel saw bodies along the way. “I didn’t have time to be afraid,” he said. “I just tended to my wounds.”

Rude awakening

His neighbor, William Sechico, 14, also had a rude awakening that morning when the rebels fired upon their house in Pantar town.

“The gunshots were so loud,” he recalled. “The house was filled with smoke.”

His father Florante, 40, and his cousin, Jaime, were killed. Jaime was hit in the head because he stood up during the firing, Sechico said.

“As to my father, I don’t really know what happened. I think he was stabbed because others who saw him said his bowels spilled out,” he said.

Aftermath of the attack on Kolambugan town, Lanao del Norte. (Photo: zamboangasouthwall.blogspot.com)

Sechico, who was hit in the left arm, escaped with his mother and two young siblings by jumping out of their house and hiding at the back.

“I got hit because I failed to duck on time,” he said. “I knew I was hit because my arm suddenly felt numb.”

Unlike Sobrado, Sechico said he was afraid the whole time. “I could no longer understand what I was feeling then.”

For what the MILF rebels did, Sechico said he was angry. But he looked resigned to the fact that he could do nothing about it.

“I’ll just leave it to the military,” he said.

Body language

The two young survivors were interviewed by Saturnina Rodil of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology’s Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao. Their body language betrayed their true emotional state, she said.

This is a phot of children writing down their plea for war in Mindanao to end. (Photo: arkibongbayan.org.)

“If you observed closely their hands and fingers, they were twitching as they recounted the events,” Rodil said.

If it was a curse for Randel and William to be able to recall what happened, it could be a blessing in disguise for Baby Friendly.

She had wakened suddenly because of the noise. True to her name, she gave a friendly look and went back to sleep.

Her mother, Rogelyn, said: “I may be the most unlucky victim here.”

She is constantly confronted by the thought of what was going to happen to her and her new-born, and the rest of her children who survived: Ranelyn, 13, Jeffrey, 11, and Junrey, 7.

Despite her double tragedy, Rogelyn managed to smile as she gently touched Friendly’s forehead.

Rodil described the woman as a very strong person. “She has to hold it up. Others would have crumbled already. It’s Baby Friendly that keeps her focused.” (Rex Godinez Ortega)

Taking Out Trash

by: Rex Godinez Ortega

NOTHING ruins your mornings faster than the sight of tomato skins, egg shells, sliced lemoncitos, and fish bones scattered all over the garage.

No doubt, the neighbor’s cat has raided again the mini-Smokey Mountain we’ve been growing here at home. That pet dog just can’t seem to do its job.

Wait a minute. Isn’t that her under the car?

“Puppiya! Let go of that diaper!”

Sheesh.

This sad state of affairs is the result of that garbage truck no longer entering our neighborhood.

Instead, it just passes once a week through the main road 50 meters away, where it waits on our street corner with the patience of someone suffering from diarrhea.

(Foto: 123rf.com)

Thus, as aesthetically unsound  as it may seem, we thought it strategic to station our garbage bins near the garage—for easy access to the gate. One just needs to be quick around here since taking out the trash involves chasing after garbage trucks.

Come Tuesdays, the time the garbage truck arrives for its long-awaited visit, the neighborhood erupts in a chaotic scene.

What follows is the sound of rustling slippers, gates banging open, and loud voices echoing the cry of “basura [garbage]” up and down our road.

I swear, it’s as if there was some calamity and that truck sitting out there was hauling relief goods.

I’m taken up by this excitement, too. I scream at give a little motivational word to the maid to hasten out the gate with our own bags of refuse.

Thankfully, she makes it just in time. It’s always a relief when she does.

I mean, those guys on the garbage truck, they wait for no one. Not even for that neighbor of mine who lives further down the road.

The poor thing.

Those garbage collectors just watched her dragging a week’s worth of garbage towards their direction. And with indifference, take off as the woman reaches the corner.

I cannot begin to describe the look on the woman’s face as she stood there, one huge garbage bag in each hand, staring at the rear end of the garbage truck as it faded into the distance.

The wave of emotions that washed over her face was quite a sight to behold. Disbelief, anger, resentment, frustration, shame, despair, grief. The works.

It became a little scary when the parade of expressions abruptly ended, and was replaced by this calm, icy stare.

If looks could kill, that garbage truck would have already run over a landmine. (Particularly the type designed for tanks.)

Garbage collection in Iligan City needs improvement. This is from a place appropriately called Tambacan in Iligan. (Foto: Lovette Jam Prada Jacosalem)

Those guys on the garbage truck do stuff like that with impunity. With impunity, mind you. Perhaps it’s because no one is monitoring or supervising them? I don’t know.

Many times they would not even stop to pick up garbage bags placed on the side of the road by people who could see them approaching, and whom they could clearly see were anticipating their arrival.

Maybe the neighbors should have put up a sign that said: NOT ROADSIDE BOMB. [Come on, guys! There really was no need to actually speed up as you pass.]

In the rare occasion that garbage men would allow themselves to be flagged down , they can prove to be picky, too. They refuse to touch certain things like cut branches and leaves, and everything you do not put inside plastic bags or sacks.

Believe it or not, they just leave those things behind as well as a disbelieving you with your mouth wide open.

The only times I recall these garbage dudes actually showing some enthusiasm in collecting garbage is during Christmas. This is the time people prepare gifts to cheer up those guys who are not even given gloves by their employers!

Corner garden at home, and the lush growing things there. (Foto: Rex Ortega)

However, getting into that yuletide spirit for their benefit quickly becomes a waste of time as these garbage collectors respond, instead, by displaying a sense of entitlement that owes a lot to the unspoken threat of them taking a long vacation from your area should you not give them their pinaskuhan (Christmas gifts).

And you won’t believe the grumblings you hear when they tell you that it was actually another garbage crew (one assigned to a different area in the city) that showed up in the neighborhood, and whom you played Santa to yesterday.

If you’re wondering what happens when the regular garbage dudes catch another crew collecting this “December garbage” in their territory, well, let’s just say they won’t engage in trash talk only to express their displeasure.

A friend of mine witnessed such a garbage war a couple of Decembers ago  in front of the house of his neighbor who happened to be a restaurant owner. The sight of it left him speechless.

Just like how it left that woman neighbor of mine.

The garbage truck was long gone by now, but the woman continued to stand there on the street corner—like a zombie holding black plastic bags with barbecue sticks sticking out the sides and bottom.

She was so numbed by the incident, she didn’t even notice the garbage bags’ putrid juices oozing out of the holes… and now dripping onto her feet.

UnFollow

by: Rex Godinez Ortega

AM I too funny to unfriend?

Whatever the reason was that I survived the annual FaceBook spring cleaning of my “friends”, I can only say: Happy New Year!

I can’t promise they won’t regret it, though, as I do tend to like to live “dangerously”.

In fact, I’ve always been less forgiving in my own Facebook Trimming campaigns in the past.

Indeed. Those were the days when I could care less.

Too much Facebragging—unfriend; Too annoying—unfriend; Not a Liker, eh?—unfriend; Who, you?—unfriend

I was the judge, jury, and executioner for those on trial for unfriendable offenses.

Broadcasting stupidity—unfriend; Atrocious grammar—unfriend; Drama Queen—unfriend; Another album of selfies?? (By golly!)—unfriend.

Click! Click! Click! I was clicking my way to Hermitbook at the rate I was going.

Thus, before I knew it, I was down to only a handful of “friends”.

Ok. Forty. Just 40 Facebook friends.

The immediate benefits to having such a small number of Facebook friends is that you only see updates from friends you really care to hear from.

(Foto: themetapicture.com)

This translates to a less cluttered newsfeed. (And my, does that truly make for better reading!)

The bonus for me was that you no longer have to contend with the endless flow of posts from those serial selfie-takers.

Ugh! Some of them should be told the truth, pronto!

I recall someone leaving a comment on a “friend’s” 10^th selfie post for the day screaming: “Sakto na! [That’s enough!]”

That had me in stitches.

Anyway, aside from the benefits to be had, unfriending exercises actually also serve to jog our memories about who our real friends were.

I realized then that there were several other reasons that make friends grow apart aside from distance.

What some “friends” post on Facebook is a good indicator—no, reminder—of why we stopped talking to them in the first place or why we didn’t hang out with them in real life.

What I failed to realize, however, was how “friends” would react to being unfriended on Facebook.

Now, I get the cold shoulder or lukewarm greetings every time I bump into someone I unfriended, like that former high school classmate of mine.

I guess it didn’t help that we had a little reunion at the wake for the father of another former classmate just a week before I unfriended her.

I had thought that it was pointless to keep “friends” that one had absolutely zero interaction with on Facebook—even though you were friends in real life.

I even got a “hurt letter” from another friend, saying it left her questioning our friendship.

Well, I had also thought that hiding one’s posts from my newsfeed meant the person didn’t want me to know what was going on with his or her life.

What’s the point of trying to “connect with your friends online” then?

What’s painfully clear now is that people view the act of unfriending as rude. Some, as shown, take it badly.

(Foto: mashable.com)

When I mentioned the first incident to my regular friends, they were aghast. They agreed with my reasons, but, nonetheless, I was adjudged the impolite one. (Imagine that.)

They obviously drew the line on deleting someone you actually knew in real life from your Facebook friends list.

It seemed from our conversation, too, that I was ignorant of the other options to unfriending that was available to one on Facebook.

Ahh, yes, there’s the “Hide” button. Funny how it seems so well-hidden. And it doesn’t seem to do the job properly.

However, what I consider a discovery is the “Following/Follow” button. (Hey, isn’t that where “Subscribe” used to be?)

It functions like the “Hide All” button; and effectively removes from your newsfeed the updates and posts of “friends” whom you would otherwise be tempted to delete.

It’s a relatively new addition on Facebook, I understand, and it has become my new best friend these days.

(Hurray for using clearer language this time, Facebook!)

This new Facebook button allows you to unfollow someone without them knowing about it. Or the way I see it: unfriend someone without actually unfriending them.

So, since it’s January, and you are no doubt about to embark on another clean-up drive of your friends list, spare yourself some drama.

Hit Unfollow. (Rex Godinez Ortega)

The Betamax Experience

by: Rex Godinez Ortega

[I get incredibly nostalgic every time I see a Betamax tape or player. It just transports me back to the early 90’s when I was still in high school. This article was originally written for my high school classmates, and posted at ids93.com.] 

It’s a Monday morning and you know what that means—another Jim Basilia Jr. recap of last weekend’s movie. On the agenda: The latest Charlie Sheen movie–Navy Seals.

For the next couple of hours it’s Charlie Sheen this, Charlie Sheen that, gwapo kaayo this, gwapo kaayo that… until his tongue slips, and he blurts out: “gwapo kaayo si Charlie Shee—“ (say what??)

<laughter>

<more laughter>

Ahh… those were the good old days when seeing a movie over the weekend got you so excited you could hardly wait to see your classmates the next week.

Watching movies then meant a family trip to Iligan’s video stores like, Po Video, Flash Video, or Tron Video to borrow Betamax tapes.

Can you still remember how you felt as you stood there with dad or mom waiting for the video store clerk to finish rewinding all the tapes?

If you’re unlucky enough not to have seen the latest flicks, you could just feel yourself being nudged out as the gathered circle of friends tightened: with everyone nodding their heads in confirmation, and taking turns recounting the minutest of details.

After the storytelling, it was time for tape swapping: “Overnight lang kay ma-overdue unya.”

But it’s not just Betamax tapes of the latest movies being swapped around on campus then.

There was also the secret exchange of triple X tapes (c’mon, fess up) that you hurriedly took home with you to watch before mom and dad got back from work.

Unfortunately for you, Iligan Light and Power f*cks up again and that for-adults-only video cassette is now stuck inside the Betamax player (panic! panic!)

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When your parents return, as do the electricity, the cassette tape that represented all your sinful desires is automatically and smoothly ejected by that now traitorous machine.

Keeping your cool, you think of a brilliant plan: Blame the classmate. (This was about the time Merrill discovered his problem-solving skills were excellent.)

(If you think this is just fiction, go ask Allen.)

The Betamax brings back a lot of memories. Just the sight of one takes you back to high school, and to childhood, definitely.

It may have been big and bulky, but it was the best thing to have at home, especially when your classmates came calling.

(Pass the Pee-Wee, please.)

One Odd Look at Barefoot Running

Barefoot runner Bobby Timonera says that thick callouses (kubal) result from prolonged steady pressure on the foot from a constricting footwear, and not from running barefoot. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

by: Rex Godinez Ortega

ILIGAN CITY–THE barefoot child crossed the lanai, and as he took his first couple of steps onto the cement floor of the garage, there was a shriek.

“Yuri! Slippers!!”

The child is sent scurrying back to fetch his slippers. He knows all too well he couldn’t go out and play barefoot.

“Do you want to get worms?!” the mother would ask, exasperation clear in her voice.

This stubbornness of putting on footwear by the child, well, she could only shake her head at it… and so would the people reading this who have encountered the same resistance from their children.

However, do adults stop to consider the fact that there could be something that they are missing from this?

According to Mr. Robert “Bobby” Timonera, a legendary Iligan photographer and coffee brewer, and now barefoot running enthusiast, the feet are as sensitive as the hands.

“There are many wonderful sensations to be experienced through the feet,” he said. “You don’t know what you are missing!”

Running with barefeet. (Photo: Junjei Lagapa)

Feeling the world through one’s feet does seem to be a forgotten human ability these days as the members of this species have encased their feet in shoes—or in Bobby’s words, “in a coffin”.

“Ipatilaw pud na imo tiil og yuta [Give your feet the chance to taste the ground],” he exhorts.

This man, whose love for running was born only recently (June 2012), ditched his running shoes eight months later after reading Chris McDougall’s book, “Born to Run” about the famed Mexican Tarahumara Indians who ran barefoot.

Ever since that “life changing” literary encounter, Bobby has been enjoying the texture, and yes, “taste” of a host of surfaces that any biped could run on.

Thus, be that the hard concrete or asphalt highways baking in the sun or the wet, mushy muddy trails or the unpaved road with sharp rocks outside his home, Bobby runs on them all.

He seems to relish the delicious sensations of barefoot running so much that now he would even quip: “Running a marathon with shoes, where’s the fun in that?”

Bobby running the Dumaguete Adventure Marathon barefoot in November 2013. (Photo from: Irma Pal )

Barefoot running could be fun as Bobby has found out, but would his testimony on bare feet sensations be enough to make people think differently about the subject of germs?

The argument of worms and bacteria entering the exposed feet is dismissed by Bobby. In fact, he dismisses it like one would do a stupid question.

“Unless you have cuts on your feet, then that’s the time you worry about microbes going inside,” he said.

And if Bobby says that with apparent strength of conviction, the gentle reminder that he is married to Miriam Roxas-Timonera might help explain things. Miriam is not only a medical doctor, but is a very sought-after cardiologist in Iligan.

If Miriam is confident worms and bacteria are not conducting their own fun run in her husband’s bloodstream at the moment, then that alone should allay fears of barefoot running being dirty.

And when the conversation invariably touches on foot hygiene, Bobby is quick to challenge anyone to a foot smelling contest.

“The inside of a shoe is perfect for incubating bacteria as it is dark, hot, and damp,” he points out. “Besides, the hot sun sanitizes the road.”

However, the lack of sun also hides perils on the road, like fine broken glass. Since fun runs and marathons tend to kick off very early mornings when it is still dark, Bobby has found himself getting a tetanus shot one time.

That experience only slowed him a bit, and had the effect of hastening the further development of  his eyesight.

“That’s what the eyes are for—to always be on the lookout,” he said.

There is no arguing that point. Even regular runners need to watch the road for sharp objects and obstacles.

The moment a runner takes his eyes off the road, injury becomes a very real possibility as Bobby had the misfortune of finding out at another fun run.

“I got distracted by the cheering crowd,” he revealed. “As I waved at them, I stubbed my big toe on a rock!”

Ouch! That must have been painful.

Even the act of watching someone running barefoot alone elicits pained reactions from spectators. It is only natural for them to think unpadded ground impact on hard surfaces and rocky terrain is painful.

Bobby, though, does not fault people for that. He understands that they do not know that it is all about technique.

Odd looks and light-hearted jokes from amused folks not familiar with barefoot running are common at barefoot runs. (Photo: Junjei Lagapa)

“Barefoot running employs the mid-foot landing technique,” he explains. “Unlike regular running, we do not strike the ground using the heel of the foot.”

The claim of barefoot running is that landing on the balls of the feet first before the rest (heel and toes) follow is the better way to run.

It is a difficult technique to learn (one needs to unlearn conventional heel landing first), not to mention painful, too, Bobby admits.

Quoting Ken Bob Saxton, the acknowledged father of barefoot running, Bobby says for those interested to try barefoot running, they should “start learning to run barefoot on surface with sharp stones, so that when you master the difficult terrain, everything else will be dessert.”

“Just start really slow,” Bobby adds.

However, in the event one finds going barefoot immediately to be too much too soon, then Bobby recommends the use of very thin-soled sandals he calls, Huaraches.

Huaraches only have 4mm of sole padding and 1mm of leather. They are the next best thing to barefoot running as they help teach those interested in barefoot running to become a mid-foot striker, while still offering some protection.

Changing the running world one odd look at a time! (Photo: Circle Productions, Inc.)

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Bobby even finds himself resorting to them on very rare occasions when negotiating the toughest and sharpest of all terrains.

Most of the time, however, Bobby finds no need for the Huaraches. He has since moved on to 42-kilometer marathons and even logged 5 hours and 8 minutes for the last one he participated in while barefoot.

For the uninitiated, that time is actually very good. Most running hobbyists make that same distance in 6 hours.

(That is food for thought for those who think barefoot running makes one slower.)

So, in the event one sees a barefoot runner passing by, give him some credit; instead of calling out after him with jokes, like “Hey, man. What happened to your shoes?”

Bobby playfully hollers back at these jokers by the road with statements, like–

“I got robbed!” or

“I woke up late; I forgot to put them on!”

Barefoot running is such a novelty here that Bobby says he has learned to prepare ready answers for the amused folks he passes by.

He says barefoot runners have to accept the fact that people are still not used to seeing joggers or marathoners running barefoot.

“We should not let it bother us,” Bobby says, “We are changing the running world one odd look at a time.” (Rex Godinez Ortega)

HomeBrew Café

Inside the Homebrew Cafe. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

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Text by: Rex Godinez Ortega

(Photos by: Bobby Timonera)

ILIGAN CITY—We all take that alternative route whenever we try to avoid traffic. Most of the time we do not mind this longer drive as it takes us through a more scenic route. The open spaces allow our eyes to breathe, and we relax in our seats—we might even wish there was a nice stopover, like a café, along the way.

For those driving down the B. Andrada road along Andrada Heights here towards the Tambo exit (where the bus terminal is located), consider that wish granted.

Sitting quietly on a rise by the road is the almost unobtrusive Homebrew Café. If not for the parked cars before it, it would not be impossible to miss it.

Homebrew Café is a new and very welcome addition to Iligan’s culinary establishments that is owned and operated by Ms Erla Bansuelo Tan, a physical therapist  who opted, instead, to heal the body through a different skill she acquired—the preparation of healthy, organic food and beverages.

Homebrew Cafe invites you to come up. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

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The café’s location may raise some eyebrows from those who subscribe to the sound business dictum of success having a lot to do with “location, location, location”.

However, for those looking to sip coffee or have a nice light meal in a quiet and clean, well-lighted place, then Homebrew Café couldn’t be located at a better spot.

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The author (left) with photographer-friend, Bobby Timonera, enjoying their drinks al fresco. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

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One could half expect to find Ernest Hemingway’s deaf old man sipping brandy by the shadow of a tree when he approaches the cogon grass-roofed open air café from the road.

Walking into the main part of the café would reveal a mishmash interior that is reflective of owner Erla’s eclectic taste.

Erla is a confessed awatera (imitator) who makes no secret of taking ideas from cafes and restaurants she encounters wherever she may be, and incorporating them into her dream establishment.

(Photo: Bobby Timonera)

Notable also is her ability to innovate. Being unsatisfied with the bareness of the café’s iron-wrought walls, Erla had vines and flowers that she designed and personally painted added to the walls.

She further displayed her creativity  by fencing off the café grounds with pallets, which just happened to be available to her.

This creativity is also best displayed in Homebrew Café’s specialty, which is the Jars of Greens.

Homebrew Cafe’s delicious and nutritious Jars of Greens. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

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Jars of Greens might just be this newly-opened café’s strongest selling product. It is an organic juice made from a blend of those delicious and nutritious vegetables and fruits like spinach, carrots, cucumbers, apples, pears, and lemons.

“I call them my Daily Dose of Greens,” Erla said.

This writer and photographer-friend, Bobby Timonera, were served this juice inside a vintage Libbey Ball Mason jar by Erla, and both agreed it was worth coming back for more.

“I also plan to serve Kamonade, it is what is called Magic Juice,” she added, “ It is made from kamote tops and lemonade.”

Also in the works, according to Erla, is the Homebrew Power Drink that will target bikers who are starting to drop by the café on a regular basis.

“This power drink will contain whey protein, oatmeal, fruits, and chocolate,” Erla said with an obvious nod to the nutritious shake popularized by Herbalife.

Aside from the Jars of Greens and the fresh strawberry juice, Homebrew Café also serves yema cupcakes, pancakes, waffles, and a variety of popular sandwiches. The colorful nachos is also a joy to have.

The love for cooking came to Erla while in high school at the Developmental High School (now Integrated Developmental School) of MSU-IIT, and she mentions with fondness her home economics teachers: Prof. Rosalina Gonzaga and Dr. Lydie Paderanga.

“I really learned a lot from our food trade classes back then,” she said.

Of course, Erla also enrolled herself later on in short cooking courses in Manila under the tutelage of the likes of Sylvia Reynoso Gala and Heny Sison.

Colorful nacho chips with jalapeno sauce. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

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Homebrew Cafe uses recycled paper straws. (Photo: Bobby Timonera)

However, all that training and skills-acquisition were originally just meant to benefit  Erla and her family.

“It was all just for the house, and for our guests,” she revealed.

And guests did tend to arrive at their home as Erla is married to a scion of one of Iligan’s biggest families, the Andradas. Erla’s husband is Renato Andrada Tan who runs Rene’s Diner, a popular restaurant and pension house in Iligan.

He studied at the Ecole Les Rouches, an international school of hotel management in Switzerland, and worked in the Philippines as a sous chef for the Hyatt Hotel, La Primera Vera, and Larry Cruz Bar & Restaurant.

Erla and Renato have two children, Beatrice, 18, and Alessandra, 11.

Despite the long shadow cast by Erla’s husband, Erla is coming into her own in the restaurant business with the apparent  steady flow of patrons who do not mind the drive to her café.

Homebrew Café opened with little or no promotion on December 10, 2013. (Rex Godinez Ortega)

Finding Limunsudan Falls

by Rex Godinez Ortega

ILIGAN CITY–What do you call people who visit waterfalls?

Waterfallers?

According to the World of Waterfalls site, “waterfallers” is the term being used nowadays to describe people who like to go “waterfalling”.

“Waterfalling” is, of course, the act of collecting waterfalls sightings; and I consider myself as one who likes to do just that.

As a “waterfaller” who lives in Iligan, I have plenty of waterfalls to visit. In fact, there are 23 of them here. (Some say more.)

Chief of these waterfalls that I have visited, and that any self-respecting “waterfaller” should see (should he be in Iligan), are the legendary Maria Cristina Falls and the famous Tinago Falls.

The road from Talakag, Bukidnon to the remote Brgy. Rogongon in Iligan City where Limunsudan Falls is located is in such a condition that even this truck got stuck. We had to wait nearly an hour for it to get out of the way. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

The adjective “majestic”—which is attached to the names of both waterfalls—is there not as another ploy to bring in tourists, but to actually serve as a description of them.

However, as awed as I am at the size and power of the 320-foot twin waterfalls, Maria Cristina, and the hidden beauty that is Tinago Falls, nothing did prepare me for the monstrous wonder that waited at a remote corner of Iligan.

Tucked away in the jungles of Barangay Rogongon here is the little-known two-tiered Limunsudan Falls.

(If you are an Iliganon and you have not even heard of this waterfalls, do not be embarrassed. Limunsudan Falls has managed to stay hidden from the public due to its location.)

The trek through the jungle. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

In 2008, I happened to join a party that consisted of photographers Rene Pernia, Ace Reston, and Roger Marcelo, and led by Ms Agnes Clerigo of the Tourism Office that was headed for Limunsudan Falls.

Despite the fact that Limunsudan Falls was just 55 kilometers South-East of downtown Iligan, the journey took several hours.

In fact, we had to exit Iligan in Lanao del Norte, drive to Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, make the turn to Talakag in Bukidnon, and then re-enter Iligan just to get there.

Ritual being performed by an Higaunon elder to ask permission to view Limunsudan Falls. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo)

The long circuitous route took us through three provinces!

Of course, the alternative was a trek through the jungles of Brgy. Rogongon. A trek that would have taken days—not to mention expose us to more dangers (and I’m not talking about the wildlife).

Rogongon is a vast hinterland of mountains and jungle (35,555 hectares in all) that sits next to Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur. It is home to the lumad Higaunon tribe. Moro rebels and armed groups are said to be sighted crossing the area from time to time.

Anyway, I say “more dangers” as the route we took also posed dangers of its own.

I remember feeling very uneasy in the last few kilometers of the journey as we were clearly passing through empty open places where there were no semblances of authority.

The sight of people on the road could actually make one nervous.

The unpaved road itself was dangerous, too. It was more suited to vehicles with large tires like dump trucks, not beat-up old pick-up trucks like the one we used.

After nearly four or five hours on the road, we arrived at Sitio Limunsudan—the farthest of the seven Sitios of Brgy. Rogongon.

Our lumad guides, who were armed with bolos and pistols, immediately took us on a trek through thick jungle foliage.

After about only a few minutes, and as we brushed aside the remaining vegetation that was in our way, we suddenly found ourselves on a small clearing.

And the roaring creature we had been hearing during the short trek came into view.

At last, there it was. The two-tiered, 870-foot Limunsudan Falls. It is perhaps the biggest and tallest waterfalls in the Philippines. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

As our jaws dropped in amazement, I noticed that at the end of the small patch of grass we were standing on was a drop of several hundred feet. And directly across from us was Limunsudan Falls—a massive watery monster that fell, flowed, and fell again into the bottom of the gigantic bowl.

It was the biggest waterfalls I had ever seen in my entire life as a “waterfaller”.

As an Iliganon, I felt it almost sacrilegious to think this was more awesome than the truly majestic Maria Cristina Falls. (Limunsudan Falls was indeed way bigger. Each of its tiers was taller than Maria Cristina’s twins.)

However, I quickly dismissed the thought as I reminded myself that Limunsudan Falls was also in Iligan. And like Maria Cristina Falls, it was unique in its own way. A big unique; that’s what I like to call it.

To my mind, this WAS the holy grail for waterfalls tourists. Well, at least, to “waterfallers” in the Philippines. This is because Limunsudan Falls could very well be the biggest and tallest waterfalls in the country.

Our lumad guides. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

Limunsudan Falls is an 870-foot wonder of nature, I’ve been told. However, seeing it with my own two eyes, and from such a wonderful vantage point, made me believe it was even more.

Aside from its beauty, one could not escape thoughts of power to be generated while in the presence of such a huge waterfall.

The might of the Maria Cristina Falls, which has been harnessed by engineers through the Agus VI Hydro-Power Plant, has been estimated to have a “potential capacity” of around 200 MW.

Sign at a waiting shed in Sitio Limunsudan, Brgy. Rogongon. (Photo: Roger Marcelo.)

I am not an engineer, but seeing the size of Limunsudan Falls, I believe it could easily rack up that same number (even much more) if ever it is harnessed.

Many Iliganons today truly feel it is ridiculous for them to be paying so much for electricity with the presence of Maria Cristina Falls.

With the continuing threat of power shortage plaguing Mindanao, I cannot help but wonder how much longer this untapped natural resource could sit there in the jungle undisturbed.

I got my answer very recently during my visit to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Provincial Office here in Iligan.

According to Wilma Sihagso-ong Wade-Bado of the NCIP, a hydro power company has already conducted a feasibility study on Limunsudan Falls.

Wilma, who is the descendant of a Higaunon princess from the area, said that the company was in the process of securing a Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) from the Higaunons.

Securing this certificate is required by law since it involves the lumad Higaunon’s anscestral domain.

Thus, it would seem that Limunsudan Falls is to share the same fate as Maria Cristina’s. Perhaps it could also generate revenues from tourists and “waterfallers” like Maria Cristina.

The Limunsudan Party with guides: Ms Agnes Clerigo (woman in white shirt); Mr. Rene Pernia (in white shirt with camera); the author (in red bandana); Mr. Ace Reston (in orange shirt with backpack). (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

After taking pictures and admiring Limunsundan Falls for several minutes, our party decided it was time to leave as we didn’t want night to catch us on the road.

The drive back proved to be another adventure.

As we were passing through a lonely stretch of dirt road framed by tall cogon grass, three armed men suddenly appeared, and they motioned for us to stop.

One was carrying an M-16 Armalite rifle, the other was holding a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the third was carrying a Springfield carbine rifle.

Given the firepower these three were carrying, we had no choice but to stop.

The armed men’s accents told us they were Maranaos.

The author poses with some lumad children outside their village school in Sitio Lumunsudan during a brief visit. (Photo by: Roger Marcelo.)

As we nervously wondered what they wanted from us, they informed us, in gentle voices, that they only wanted to hitch a ride.

It turned out they were security men from a nearby plantation. They got off a few minutes later.

As we continued on, we ran into another group of three. This time, they looked lumad.

We slowed down to avoid kicking up too much dust as we got closer: a courtesy rarely extended by drivers nowadays.

However, once we were close enough, one of the men suddenly pulled out a gun.

Wearing an I’m-gonna-kill-you look on his face with the eyes flashing with anger, the man threateningly waved the gun in the air and then pointed it at us.

We all turned shades of white. Our driver floored the accelerator and everyone dove for cover.

However, no shot came.

Perhaps the man’s gun jammed. Or maybe he only meant to scare us.

Whatever the reason, I clearly remember I was the one seated by the window and the first to have been hit. I also had the unfortunate pleasure of admiring his ugly mug the most from that side.

As we got closer to civilization, our driver put on the radio, and the song by The Three Degrees: “When Will I See You Again” came on.

As the significance of the song sunk in, we all smiled and wondered to ourselves: When indeed would we ever see Limunsudan Falls again?

Given the distance, the difficult terrain, and the guys with guns on the road, I believe it would be for quite some time again. (Rex Godinez Ortega)

The author striking a “pang-Facebook” pose with Limunsudan Falls in the background. (Photo by: Mr. Roger Marcelo. Taken in 2008.)

Iligan City nursing grad is No. 1

[Writing this article, which came out in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Inquirer.net on Feb. 2, 2010, was a joy as I knew the subject: Clarie Bontol.]

By Rex Godinez-Ortega

Photo from iligan.gov.ph

ILIGAN CITY–Her nickname alone can disarm you. It is Bogging.

And she made it clear right off that if we were looking for a blood-sweat-and-tears story, we came to the wrong place.

“I assure you, no family kalabaw (carabao) was sold to support my studies,” the 28-year-old Clarie Morales Bontol joked when interviewed Monday, hours after the results of the November 2009 nursing board exams were released showing she was the topnotcher.

“My life is so normal, no drama. My parents are not farmers,” Bogging, as she is known to friends and family, laughed.

Of the more than 94,000 examinees, less than 40 percent passed. Bogging got an 87.8 percent score.

There was no doubt the results of the exams made her happy, but it was a kind of happiness not unlaced with some sadness.

“I’m happy that I made a lot of people happy,” she said in response to the expected how-does-it-feel-to-be-No.-1 question.

“But I’m not that happy,” she added, “because I know many who did not make it.”

Only child

Bogging is the only child of Jude Bontol, a retired government employee, and Dr. Della Bontol, a well-known obstetrician-gynecologist here.

Dr. Bontol, in a phone interview, described her daughter as “diligent” in her studies.

Bogging said she had chosen to take up nursing after she hit a point in her life where she just had to ask someone for directions.

“I asked my Tita, who was a nurse in Texas, what to take up and she said ‘Nursing.’ At that time, it felt like a good idea,” she said.

Now, nursing seems to define her life.

“I’m proud to be a nurse,” she said.

Soon after the results of the board exams came out the other night, Bogging’s alma mater, Iligan Medical Center College (IMCC), offered her a teaching job.

Victoria Elizabeth Lepiten-Alagar, dean of the nursing college, said Bogging graduated at the top of her class last year.

As a student, Bogging was hard working, punctual in meeting requirements and always respectful of her teachers, Alagar said.

During the re-accreditation, or re-evaluation, of the IMCC, which raised it from Level 1 to Level 2, Alagar said one of the accreditors remarked that the school’s students should not go to Manila anymore because IMCC was a top performer.

Another high-performing school in Iligan, the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), posted an 86-percent passing rate, according to Dean Clowe Jondonero.

Despite her proficiency in Nippongo, Bogging has no plans of working as a nurse in Japan or anywhere else outside the Philippines for the moment.

She made a special request during the interview: that the article mention that she is “a proud member” of presidential candidate Nicanor Perlas’ Pangmasa party (Partido ng Marangal na Sambayanan).

She said she hoped to emulate Perlas by choosing to stay to serve the Filipino people.