Written & Illustrated by: Autumn Spence
Written & Illustrated by: Autumn Spence
04 Introduction
COLORS OF THE PHILIPPIANS
Hometown Hues
06
Cultural Event
PANAGBENGA FESTIVAL
Season of Blooming
12
Colophon BOOK DETAILS
Technical Details
08
Landmark
TUBBATAHA REEF
Gem of the Sulu Sea
10
Cuisine
HALO-HALO
Filipino Hospitality
Rich hues cover the mountains and valleys of the Philippines, bringing to mind a place called “home.” With 7,641 islands painted with sun-honeyed palm trees, rolling hills, and a spectacle of various rare terrains–the archipelago vibrates into an endless metamorphosis of verdant landscape hues. Color is fundamental to our experience of the world it has always been a driving force used by creatives to render the world as they see it. It is a language that allows us to communicate emotions, values, and ideas without words. As a powerful communication tool, color can dramatically impact our emotions and the choices we make.
Beautifully empowered, color enlivens the imaginations of many. It is one of the deepest conceptions of culture, inspiring us to philosophize and narrate the stories of entire communities. A way of individualization, color can reinforce beliefs, evoke emotions, and become an instrument of communication. Subjective, irrational, and endlessly transforming, it is, without a doubt, a power that speaks to the soul.
Panagbenga is an annual flower festival celebrated every February which takes place in Baguio City, Philippines. The term “Panagbenga” comes from a Kankanaey term meaning “season of blooming”. This festival reflects the history, traditions and values of Baguio and the Cordilleras. It lasts over a month long and flourishes through community spirit involvement.
The festival, showcases floral floats, native dances, a flea market, street food, and other Panagbenga-related activities such as Pony Boys Day, the Flower Tee Golf Tournament, and a Barangay garden competition. The Panagbenga festival is a time for people to come together as a community, to revel in the beauty of their surroundings, and to celebrate their unique cultures that make up the city. It is time to showcase the talents of artists, the skills of their craftsmen, and the warmth and hospitality of the people of Baguio.
“A season for blooming, a time for flowering.”
Young girls preforming cultural dance, Payno at the Panagbenga Festival
The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 96,828 ha, including the North and South Atolls and the Jessie Beazley Reef. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles. The site is an excellent example of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100-m perpendicular wall, extensive lagoons and two coral islands.
It protects an area of almost 100,000 hectares of high quality marine habitats containing three atolls and a large area of deep sea. The property is home to a great diversity of marine life. Whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles and Napoleon wrasse are amongst the key species found here. The reef ecosystems support over 360 species of coral and almost 700 species of fish. The reserve also protects one of the few remaining colonies of breeding seabirds in the region.
“The park strongly protects rich coral reef ecosystems in the Coral Triangle, the global center of marine biodiversity.”
Tagalog for “mix-mix,” this traditional Filipino shaved ice dessert gets its name from a concoction of sweet ingredients in interesting flavors and textures that is topped with shaved ice and evaporated milk. It’s important to mix the dish to help get all the flavors incorporated into the perfect bite every time.
The most commonly-used ingredients include syrup-packed beans (a combo of chickpeas, red and white beans), nata de coco (coconut gel), macapuno strings (coconut sprouts), sweet jackfruit, tapioca perals, and colorful jellies. All this then gets topped with shaved ice and ea drizzle of evaporated milk.
To start, you’ll want a fairly tall glass or deep bowl. A spoonful of each ingredient goes into the glass before the ice, evaporated milk, and most of the time, the mix-ins are laid out buffet-style so everyone can create their own. You can customize your halo-halo recipe with more or less of any ingredient. This makes it a great dessert idea for summer parties and gatherings. This recipe is my favorite way to make halo-halo, but it’s definitely a choose-your-own-adventure.
This makes it a great dessert idea for summer parties and gatherings.
• 1-2 tbsp syrup-packed red mung beans, white beans, and/or garbanzo beans
• 1 tbsp sweetened jack fruit
• 1 tbsp macapuno strings (coconut sprout)
• 1 tbsp nata de coconut (coconut gel)
• 1 cup shaved ice
• 1 tbsp ube halaya jam
• 2 tbsp Leche Flan, purchased
• 2-4 tbsp evaporated milk
• 2 tbsp ube ice cream
1In a tall glass or a trifle dish, layer the assorted beans, sweetened jack fruit, coconut gel, and coconut strings. Feel free to add more or less of any of the ingredients you enjoy.
Add shaved ice to fill the glass, leaving room for toppings. Top with ube halaya, leche flan, and ube ice cream.
To finish the halo-halo recipe, drizzle evaporated milk over the top. Mix and enjoy. Halo-halo is best enjoyed right away.
Colors of The Philippines Copyright in 2024 CCC. All Rights Reserved
Written and designed by Autumn Spence
This booklet was designed using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. Body cop English and is set in Helvetica Neue regular, heading and subheading in Montserrat Medium, other heading is in BayBayin.
Sean3810, “How to Explore the Philippines” travelandleisure.com (2017)
Baguio City Public Information Office, “Some scenes during the Panagbenga 2023’s Street Dance Parade in Baguio City”
philstar.com (2023)
Tet Lara, “Tubbatha Reefs Natural Park” marine-conservation.org (2020)
Katlyn Moncada, “Halo-Halo (Filipino Shaved Ice Dessert)”
bhg.com (2023)
This booklet was created as a class project for the Junior Visual Communications class at Ball State University.
Beautifully empowered, color enlivens the imaginations of many. It is one of the deepest conceptions of culture, inspiring us to philosophize and narrate the stories of entire communities. In this book we travel to the Philippines and experience all the glorious hometown hues this beautiful island nation has to offer.
