What scare? TIME goes ga-ga over RP's lechon

MANILA, Philippines - As pork lovers worldwide worry over the spread of the deadly swine flu, the Filipinos’ favorite roasted suckling pig has been listed by TIME magazine as the best Asia has to offer. TIME magazine hailed the Philippines’ lechon in its annual Best of Asia list as the "best pig ever.""It was just a matter of time before the rest of the world found out," TIME said.According to the magazine, it was No Reservations’ TV chef Anthony Bourdain’s visit to the Philippines that paved the way for the underrated lechon to gain international stardom. When Bourdain went on a gastronomical tour to Cebu last November, he declared that he had finally found the holy grail of all pork. [See: Anthony Bourdain visits the Philippines]Bourdain, who was convinced by a Filipino fanatic to visit the Philippines with him, raved about the country’s fiesta staple. He rated lechon as the best he had ever had, followed by other pork dishes that he tasted in Indonesia and Puerto Rico.“It can now be said that of all the whole roasted pigs I've had all over the world, the slow roasted lechon I had on Cebu was the best. This puts the standings in the Hierarchy of Pork as follows: 1. Philippines, 2. Bali, 3. Puerto Rico," he wrote in his blog. TIME magazine too, drooled over the Filipinos’ porcine pride.“You could call it the Platonic ideal of a pig, but it's doubtful if Plato, or even an entire faculty of philosophers, could have imagined anything so exquisite," they said. - GMANews.TV

EARTH DAY 2009... Paraiso

Hi PP readers! as you know PP is very active in environmental protection and preservation advocacies, in fact I had launch PP's own campaign called "PoP" or Protect our Planet.. In celebration of Earth Day PP has dedicated its Blog header for an eye opening billboard "Sige Sirain mo, Sige Itapon mo! Ikaw rin ang babalikan... PP readers I hope all of us can be an environmental heroes in our own little ways! PP readers are Planet Protectors, Guardians of the environment! ^-^ right?

"PARAISO" – The Song Paraiso

Return to a land called Paraiso,a place where a dying river ends.No birds there fly over Paraiso,no space allows them to endure.

The smoke that screens the air,the grass that's never there.And if I could see a single bird, what a joy.I try to write some words and createa simple song to be heardby the rest of the world.I live in this land called Paraiso,in a house made of cardboard floors and walls.

I learned to be free in Paraiso,free to claim anything I see.Matching rags for my clothes,plastic bags for the cold.And if empty cans were all I have, what a joy.I never fight to take someoneelse's coins and live with fearlike the rest of the boys.

Paraiso, help me make a stand.Paraiso, take me by the handParaiso, make the world understandthat if I could see a single bird, what a joy.This tired and hungry land could expectsome truth and hope and respectfrom the rest of the world.

Donaire and Villoria won their respective fights!

MANILA, Philippines – They don’t call Nonito Donaire Jr. “The Filipino Flash" for nothing.Donaire lived up to his name Sunday when he made short work of Raul “Cobra" Martinez needing only four rounds to silence his Mexican-American challenger in the main event of their 12-round IBO/IBF flyweight title bout at the Araneta Coliseum.Earlier, Brian “The Hawaiian Punch" Viloria scored an 11th-round knockout win against Ulises Solis to snatch the IBF light flyweight championship belt from the Mexican.It took Martinez four quick trips down to the canvass before the referee stopped the fight to the delight of the sellout Filipino crowd that included former President Joseph Estrada, Vice President Noli De Castro and deputy national security adviser Luis “Chavit" Singson.Donaire brought down Martinez with left and right hooks in just four rounds. He improved his fight record to 21-1-0 with 14 of his by way of knockout while handing Martinez his first loss after 24 fights.Martinez, in the first round alone, already kissed the canvass twice courtesy of Donaire’s left and right hooks – delivered consecutively at the challenger’s undefended face.Donaire kept the pressure in the second round and give Martinez, who eased up a bit, another taste of his dreaded left hook.The fight ended in the fourth after Donaire sent Martinez down on his butt, after taking another hook, the referee stopped the fight, giving the victory to Donaire via technical knockout. – GMANews.TV

Philippines and Filipinos landed on different lists..(2009 first quarter)

The Forbes Magazine Richest Man ( World Billionaires) 2009
Henry Sy is now considred as the richest man in the Philippines today but only managed to land on 234th place with 2.7 Billion dollars worth of networth. The other Filipino who landed on the list is Lucio Tan landing on the 522nd place with 1.4 Billion dollars of Net Worth.


Newsweeks Magazine's Greediest list
Imelda Marcos the former first lady is one of the 11 individuals listed on newsweek's list. "She saw it as her duty to provide ‘some kind of light, a star’ for the impoverished Filipino people over whom her husband presided. So she took $5-million shopping sprees to New York and Rome, reportedly owned the world’s largest collections of gems and 3,000 pairs of shoes,” Newsweek said.


Guiness Book of World Records
On 15 March 2008 – nearly 487 years to the day after Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines – businesswoman Sister Grace Galindez-Gupana (Philippines) achieved five Guinness World Records in a single day.
With the support of the Philippine National Red Cross, Sister Gupana embarked on a mass medical mission to provide 24 hours of free screenings for the marginalized Pintong Bocaue community. In doing so, she established four Guinness World Records:
Most blood identification tests in 24 hours: 260 Most cholesterol readings taken in 24 hours: 527 Most blood pressure readings taken in 24 hours: 2,302 Most diabetes readings taken in 24 hours: 503
Sister Grace wanted to involve children of the community in a record-breaking attempt too, and recruited youngsters from the local Baranggay Pintong Bocaue school to complete the longest drawing. Using coloured crayons, the children drew a picture of a long dragon with horns. The drawing was subsequently burned, in a symbolic act representing the victory of good over the devil.
Sister Gupana states, "7 records is an amazing achievement for a lifetime."


Grand Bida March, The Philippines officially made it Saturday afternoon for Guinness World Records as the first nation to hold the biggest march against illegal drugs by attaining the highest number of participants composed of public school children and their parents and teachers dubbed as the “Grand Batang Iwas Droga” (BIDA) March in Manila.


PERC's Asias Most Corrupt Country for 2009


I include this because of the marked improvement the Philippines had attained because last year (2008) Philippines top this list and was perceived as Asia's most corrupt. Hey that year had already passed and the list said it's not the Philippines anymore. As I quote "Indonesia and Thailand are perceived as Asia's most corrupt economies, with last year's cellar-dweller the Philippines making a marked improvement, an annual survey of foreign business executives shows."

OECD's Tax Haven Blacklist

The Philippines together with Malaysia, Uruguay and Costa Rica was removed from the Blacklisted countries. this means that there are marked improvements in tax collection, reforms and stricter laws against tax evasion. Nice one!

"Whether it's a Good or Bad list at least the Pinoy's make it! haha..."

Palm Sunday, Holy Week at ang palaspas ng pinoy

Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday mass is the first mass of the Holy Week. It celebrates the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. We’ve learned from the Bible that Jesus entered the town of Jerusalem on a donkey instead of on foot, and was acclaimed by crowds waving branches.

Palm Sunday of the Catholic Holy Week is ushered with a widely- practiced ritual; parishioners wave palm fronds, locally called palaspas, in the air, mimicking the crowd that met Christ upon his return to Jerusalem. Blessings, prayers and Sunday mass follows, in affirmation of the religious nature of this age-old custom.

Palaspas was derived from palapa i think it is also a leaf that came from the palm family..

Palm Sunday becomes more culturally unique in the Philippines because of the palaspas.

The church goer usually buy palaspas being sold nearby the church area, palaspas nowadays had improved its design and the way it is weave, I personally see a lot of different designs when I went to church this afternoon.

Cultural belief: Some say that palaspas is used to drive away evil spirits especially during holy week when christ has been crucified,.

Holy Week is locally called Cuaresma or Semana Santa. The start of Holy Week is Palm Sunday. Catholics carry palm leaves, known as palaspas, to chuch for the priest to bless. Catholics also celebrate Maundy Thursday, attending church services and watching Passion Plays. In one practice called visita iglesia, Catholics try to visit as many churches as they can. On Good Friday, believers in certain areas, such as Manila, San Fernando in Pampanga Province, and Antipolo in Rizal Province, reenact the sufferings and death of Christ in the Cross. Although Good Friday is a somber time, Easter Sunday is a joyful occassion that starts with salubong, where the statues representing the Risen Christ and the Grieving Mother Mary are carried to meet at an appointed place.

" he died for us, he redeem the world and saved us from our sins."