The Archipelago Press Volume 1 Issue 10

March 8 - 15, 2026

Volume 1 | Issue 10

San Diego County

Transportive stories by island-born hands, across shores

Suman Tasting at the House of Suman in Clarin, Misamis Occidental

A roadside stop leads to a discovery of a town’s beloved delicacy.

Words and images by Gelyka Ruth Dumaraos

early, wrap rice in leaves, that steamy, familiar scent filling the house. So whenever I travel and find suman somewhere new, I always pay attention.

Clarin, Misamis Occidental’s Suman, to me, is personal. grabbed mine.

I grew up in Pangasinan, selling suman – the Philippines’ own glutinous rice cake – at the población market with my grandmother. I know what it feels like to wake up

Loob BAYBAY is a four-part essay series that dives into the Filipino pre-colonial history as a people of crossings. Of water, of body, of spirit, of space: Babayi—Ba’ay–Baybayin— Baybayan.

Together, BAYBAY is a telling of how Filipinos navigate the liminal spaces: between genders, between lands, between leaving and coming in—always crossing, always becoming.

After an event coverage in Tangub City, we had a quick side trip to this municipality, sitting between Tudela and Ozamiz. Someone in our group mentioned The House

PART 2: LOOB turns inward, mapping the concept of kapwa that we carry and the communal identity of the Filipino psyche. It asks why we don’t subscribe to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and why kalooban is a sacred space we offer to guests. Filipino hospitality does not seek to elevate others above us, but to invite them inside.

Words and images by Ron Cruz In college, we could sketch Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy

of Suman, a roadside suman shop located along the OzamizOroquieta National Highway.

We pulled over and walked in alongside a steady stream of people making their way in and out of the shop. The smell hit me first: warm, sweet, with that coconut and steamed rice scent I have known since I was small.

It felt like home, but different.

... CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

from bottom to top. We recited Erik Erikson’s stages like memorized Eminem lyrics. We threw around Jean Piaget and his tidy ladders of cognitive development in conversations as if development itself were a staircase we were destined to climb.

Half-asleep in fluorescent classrooms and intoxicated by the smell of whiteboard marker, we learned that the self must individuate, must ascend, must arrive at its most realized and independent form. ... CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Page 1

WHAT’S INSIDE from the Editorial Team 2 Letter Culture & Heritage »

Culture & Heritage: Suman Tasting at the House of Suman in Clarin, Misamis Occidental

3 Culture & Heritage 4 »

Loob

Outdoors »

Between Concrete and Current: Realizations on a Ride to the Manila Boat Club

5

Outdoors | Destinations

6

Entertainment

7 8

Destinations

9 10

Insights

11

Culture & Heritage

» »

» »

»

Choose Your Own Adventure Quezon City Promenade: Where the Footbridge is More Than a Bridge

Crossword Puzzle Poetry: • On the Night of December 30th

On Foot in Samar

Events »

»

A Devoted Reader’s Glimpse Into the Philippine Book Festival 2026

Life According to Burnham Park

Destinations »

Beauty & Contradictions: Sunsets and Local Life at Los Baños’ Laguna de Bay

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: An Iloilo Museum + Foodie

March 8 - 15, 2026

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Culture & Heritage

Letter from the Editorial Team

Editorial Team

On Passages

Severino Profeta Reyes

This issue buoys through that movement, beginning with a sensory passage through suman, then the sacred Filipino psyche of loob. We then navigate the muddy earth of Luzon, the currents of Pasig River, and a park “in the sky”, before walking the roads to friendship, to olden traditions, to sunsets, to poignant reflections, and finally, to an Ilonggo feast.

A passage is rarely just a bridge; it is a journey from who we were to who we have become, and who we still wish to be – individually and as a people. As you move through these pages, we hope you find that the distance between so near and yet so far is smaller than you thought.

FOUNDING EDITOR

Allandale Antenero

FOUNDING TRAVEL WRITER

Gretchen Filart

MANAGING EDITOR

Maia Imperial

EDITORIAL DESIGNER

Carmelo Perlas

EDITORIAL CARTOONIST

Suman Tasting at the House of Suman in Clarin, Misamis Occidental

A History That Spans Decades The House of Suman is a source of pride for the men and women of Clarin. Every day, they make between 3,000 to 5,000 pieces, and most sell out before noon.

Back in 1992, the local government gathered independent suman makers to form a production hub. They were only making 400 pieces a day then. With support from the Department of Trade and Industry’s One Town One Product program and the Department of Agriculture, the operation grew in 2009. The House of Suman was built to house the growing production and serve as a stop for pasalubong (souvenir) shoppers, opening up more livelihood opportunities to Clarin locals as farmers and suman makers.

Suman Varieties and Other Offerings

want; for something new to offer. The list is extensive.

You would have to try as many as you could in one visit and bring the rest home.

Sweet, a little rich, and very easy to finish in two bites.

There are more fillings— carrots, cheese, durian, buko (coconut), and moron (an Eastern Visayas specialty, which The classics are all here, contains cocoa), among others. including the plain suman—all rice, simple, clean, the same More than suman, other rice taste that I grew up with. cakes are also available, along Suman Balintawak, the version with refreshments and wrapped uniquely, sikwate – a with its own local distinct chew.

Ate Ruby, said that without this opportunity, she would not have been able to send her kids to school or save money for their future.

Other makers bought their own homes, even their own vehicles – all thanks to suman and hard work.

As someone who once helped sell suman as a kid, I know it is not easy work. The early mornings, the wrapping, the waiting, and the selling itself. There is something powerful about food that comes from that kind of passion.

That is the part that stays with me, especially as a travel writer. Not just the food or the privilege to taste it, but to truly understand it: where it comes from, who makes it, and what it means to them.

Suman w i t h mango, with its lovely mango fruitiness without being overly sweet.

Suman with langka, soft with that faint jackfruit sweetness running through the rice.

Now in their 17th year, they offer 18 varieties, with the store remaining a beloved suman haven. What Clarin does is take the classic suman and stretch it in so many directions. Each flavor still tastes as it should, but also like Then, there is suman with ube, something new to the palate. whose purple color and mild flavor I personally enjoyed.

The makers themselves suggest Suman with tablea is something new flavors, always on the kids would definitely fancy. lookout for what customers

Loob Continued from front page

To be a Filipino is to be in a constant state of passage. Our history is a map of crossings—through water, through land, through spirit, through community.

Continued from front page

March 8 - 15, 2026

hot

These women wake up every day and make thousands of pieces of something they are proud of. Something that carries their town’s name and represents it to the world.

Something that has changed their lives for the better.

chocolate drink – available in classic and special versions. There are also neatly packed pasalubong boxes If you pass through Misamis for undecided shoppers.

Occidental, stop by here.

Try the plain one first; then work your way through the rest. Enjoy it with a freshly Other Offerings brewed cup of coffee or One of the pioneer makers, sikwate. Bring a pasalubong

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alyssa Danielle Navarro Bernard Supetran Christian Sangoyo Christine Fernandez Gelyka Ruth Dumaraos Heather Ann Pulido Kara Santos Karl Ren Lalas (Poetry) Karlo Sevilla Lagman III Rhea Claire E. Madarang Ron Cruz

But the

no one diagrammed idea of kalooban.

No one told us that long before the Western psychiatric revolution arrived in our textbooks, we were already living inside a fully operational architecture of the self.

Loob is often translated as “inner self,” or worse, “soul.” But the soul is an entity—something you possess, like a glowing marble tucked somewhere behind your ribs. Loob is not a thing. It is a space. And space, by definition, can be entered.

In the logic of Maslow, you secure yourself first. You climb toward self-actualization at the

Culture & Heritage

the tambayan, that most misunderstood Filipino space.

To tambay is to linger at the edge: sari-sari store benches, basketball courts, the strip of pavement just outside the gate.

It is neither fully loob (inside) nor entirely labas (outside). It is the threshold where the interior spills outward and the exterior seeps in. Gossip, confessions, borrowed cigarettes, shared tagay (a shot of alcohol). No one schedules belonging; it Even travelers—sunburned, accumulates through proximity. backpack slung over one shoulder, newly arrived—are A Japanese friend once asked startled to find themselves fed me what single activity he inside homes they passed on should not miss. He expected their way to their hostels. They karaoke, an island-hopping come expecting beaches. They tour, perhaps a visit to the leave remembering the tacky cathedral his grandfather interiors of someone’s house. almost destroyed in 1945. I told him, “Tumambay sa kanto.”

To outsiders, this looks Sit at the corner. Watch. Stay. impractical.

Economically irresponsible, even. Why feed Tambay is not idleness. It is half the barangay? Why open fieldwork. It is where the your living room to people who culture appears uncurated, may never return the favor? unsponsored, and unfiltered. do. You can be a friend of a cousin of a coworker and still find yourself seated at a plastic-covered table in a cramped living room with pictures of Jesus Christ and a Tanduay calendar girl in a bikini plastered on the wall.

You are handed a plate with a heaping serving of pancit and rice. No printed invitation.

No RSVP link. Just: “Tara, kain tayo (Come, let’s eat).”

not showcasing wealth. We are dismantling distance.

This is also why utang na loob feels heavier than financial debt. Money can be repaid externally. Loob, once entered, rearranges the interior.

And so when a stranger finds themselves seated at a crowded table during fiesta, chewing lumpia slowly, unsure if they belong, bewildered by how easily they were welcomed

GOT QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS? Email us at: editorial@thearchipelagopress.com

The opinions and statements expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or The Archipelago Press. ​The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, The Archipelago Press assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors, omissions, or any actions taken based on the information provided. ​No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

​© 2026 The Archipelago Press.

All rights reserved.

box home. Most importantly, sit down with the women who made them. That part is just as nourishing as the suman itself.

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apex. You become whole, then perhaps you share. In the logic of loob, however, wholeness is never solitary. The self is not autonomous; it is relational.

Kapwa—loosely translated as others—is not outside the self. It lives within it.

And the

during doors are

fiestas, open.

In many Filipino towns, when the brass band begins its procession and the lechon glistens like an offering, neighbors do not stop at the gate waiting to be acknowledged. They walk in.

Sometimes even strangers

Because Filipino hospitality is not a transaction. It is a spatial expression. The goal is not to elevate others, but to relocate them. Not to lift them higher, but to move them inward.

Free from tourism brochures and political branding campaigns. It is not a chance encounter but an immersion into the Filipino psyche, and a quiet initiation into kapwa.

The concept of loob and labas predates colonial house architecture. Before capiz windows and concrete fences, there was already an understanding of inside and outside as moral categories.

Labas is exposure, transaction, performance. Loob is trust, vulnerability, belonging.

Even our communal habits When we invite someone reveal the same model: consider to eat during fiesta, we are

Our language quietly preserves this architecture. Lakas-loob.

Utang na loob. Saloobin. Kusangloob. Courage is the strength of the interior. Gratitude is the debt of the interior. Thought is not just cognition but inner climate. Volition is something that rises from within.

into private space, something irreversible has happened. They have crossed a threshold more significant than a doorway.

They have been mapped into someone’s interior.

Loob is not a soul we guard.

It is a space we enlarge.

Which is why during fiestas, every plate passed across a crowded table quietly proves that, for us, becoming whole has never meant becoming alone.

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Outdoors

Page 4

Between Concrete and Current: Realizations on a Ride to the Manila Boat Club Insights from a bike ride to a historic boat club along Pasig River and how waterways can shape our cities.

Words and images by Kara Santos Hidden along the banks of the Pasig River in Santa Ana, Manila, stands the headquarters of Manila’s oldest sporting club.

Unknown to many – including me – the Manila Boat Club, established in 1895 for rowing, sculling, and squash, still operates today. The historic clubhouse, which moved to Santa Ana in 1932, has remained there for almost a century.

I had the opportunity to visit this members-only club during a Manila Boat Club Open House tour, organized by heritage group Renacimiento Manila and bike shop Tambay Cycling Hub. Through their “ride and row” World Rivers Day tour, cyclists got to explore the sporting club, get free rowing lessons, and above all, learn from heritage talks on the Pasig River.

After biking 25 kilometers from my Quezon City home and joining a group of urban explorers from Pasig for another 10-kilometer ride, seeing the Manila Boat Club was a surprise. With its secluded dock, providing direct access to the Pasig River, the clubhouse offers guests a serene rowing experience, training, and a respite from city traffic.

Adorned with sporting memorabilia, exploring the historic two-story wooden structure and seeing the view from the balcony felt like a step back into history books.

Words and images by

Timothy Jay Ibay

Over coffee with our hosts, we learned about the challenges and ongoing preservation facing the river amid moves to build an elevated expressway over it. Lead event organizer and heritage advocate Bea Dolores of Renacimiento Manila explained how many civilizations were built along rivers, and how the Pasig River served as the foundation of Metro Manila following the early settlements.

Over the years, the river got heavily polluted primarily due to unplanned urbanization following World War II. In many countries, waterways are considered prime areas and key tourist spots meant to be preserved and protected.

However, past decades in Metro Manila were marked by extreme neglect, industrial dumping, and untreated domestic sewage from a rapidly growing population being dumped directly into the river.

By the 1990s, the river was considered biologically dead.

My girlfriend and I were on our way back to Cavite from Daet, Camarines Norte, when we suddenly found ourselves on a muddy mountain road in the middle of a downpour. This wasn’t the route I intended to take, but as Waze is wont to do, it encouraged us to take the path less traveled.

With the terrain getting muddier and subsequently more slippery by the minute, I thought it was best to turn around, go back the way we came in, and exit the mountain roads of Gumaca, Quezon. But just as I was about to, a local on a Kawasaki Barako 175 said that if his motorcycle could do it, my Yamaha XSR 900 could too. While he may have been

Hope Amid Rehabilitation But there’s still hope. Massive rehabilitation efforts, including sewage treatment, ongoing dredging, and improved urban management, have significantly reduced trash and have improved water quality.

Portions of the river have improved and even restored aquatic life. Recent projects to revive the river through the Pasig River Esplanade (PARES) in Intramuros, which is part of an ongoing 25-kilometer walkway and bikeway project along the riverbanks, show the potential of the river for transport and tourism.

However, one of the main threats looming that could impede all the progress made is the Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), a proposed 19.37-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway spanning the river in Metro Manila.

While advertised as a way to relieve traffic congestion for car users and to provide a link from Manila to the province of Rizal, the project faces criticisms over its environmental, heritage, and social impact. Environmental groups point out the adverse effect on marine life of the river and on its heat effect in cities, already choked by concrete structures.

Heritage advocates and cycling groups believe that expanding the river’s esplanade and improving ferry-based transport instead could help preserve heritage structures, such as the Manila Boat Club, while improving mobility and livability.

From a people-centered and environmental standpoint, an esplanade provides free public spaces for families, exercise, and leisure, and encourages nonmotorized transport (walking and cycling). Meanwhile, an expressway will exclusively benefit car owners and encourage more private vehicle use, leading to greater pollution.

As I biked back home through traffic-choked streets, weaving next to honking cars and jeepneys, I couldn’t help but wish for more walkable and bikeable riverside areas. I dream of the day when people-centric green spaces are prioritized over car-centric infrastructure.

We only value what we can see and appreciate. Seeing how the Pasig River looked from its banks made me realize that the river is very much alive and should be protected.

The next time you visit the Pasig River, go with the flow. Take the time to stroll or bike around to see that rivers are always meant to be part of city life, not something to be covered.

Outdoors | Destinations road – an endeavor that would require training and people to ride with. That’s right about the bike, he clearly when I met the friendly overestimated my abilities. folks from MotoRepublic.

Choose Your Own Adventure How riding with MotoRepublic helps you find your tribe.

Pasig River Preservation Challenges

The Pasig River was once a clear, clean waterway and lifeline in the city and a vital transport route for people and goods, connecting Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. The river was a reliable source of fresh water, food, and livelihood for the “Tagalog” settlers (“Tagalog” derives from the Filipino word taga-ilog, meaning “those who live by the river”).

Many residential settlements, commercial areas, churches, and government buildings were built along its banks.

March 8 - 15, 2026

Unsure how to navigate the muddy terrain and facing rising waters from the spillway, I asked my girlfriend, Chrissy, to get off the bike and start pushing. After over an hour of struggling through the detour’s slippery climbs and descents, we finally saw cement.

Intro-verse

MotoRepublic is a community of riding clubs that makes it easy for anyone to join rides.

You simply register on their website, browse the scheduled rides, and join the ones you fancy. They have everything for motorcycle enthusiasts of all skill levels and availability, from quick social rides to coffee shops and traditional Batangas lomi jaunts to weekend island loops and off-road adventures.

It’s the kind of organization I used to actively avoid.

mountains of Maragondon and Ternate. There would be random rides to Kinabuan Falls in Tanay, Rizal, and weekend explorations of the backroads of Lobo, Batangas.

In less than a year, MotoRepublic helped morph me from a lone wolf whose fate was left, in equal parts, to skill and chance to an honorary member of a motorcycle club.

Acceleration

One of today’s more influential adventure riders, Adam Riemann, says that “Like soldiers at war, sharing a ride experience with someone literally accelerates your relationship.”

Few But after a few off-road training truer words have been said. sessions organized by one of its member clubs, I found myself Apart from sharing spectacular with something I haven’t had views and unique travel in a while – riding buddies. experiences, being responsible Sporadic sessions on the for each other’s safety on the trails at Arden Botanical in road and the fun of it give you 2024, my riding Trece Martires would become unique insights into a collection progressed off- weekend habits around the of diverse personalities. On the bike, you always tend to find the person who prefers the same pace as you. Off it, you gravitate toward those who like to drink and laugh as much as you do.

I’ve always preferred to ride alone (or with Chrissy riding pillion). While I would usually find myself mile-munching on group rides a couple of times a year, I spent most of my saddle time riding to wherever my whims desired, at my own pace.

It’s a lifestyle choice that has saved me from wasting time waiting for others or sitting around talking about upgrades.

But in interests

The Community

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I still enjoy riding my bikes alone. But thanks to MotoRepublic and the Backroads Mountain Trail Crew, I have the option not to.

Quezon City Promenade: Where the Footbridge is More Than a Bridge Behold the new park between parks!

Words and images by Karlo Lagman Sevilla III So near and yet so far. Growing up and still a resident here in Quezon City, that expression is what comes to my mind every time I think of traversing the admittedly short distance between Quezon Memorial Circle and the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center.

From the west side of QMC, one only has to cross the approximately 29-meter Elliptical Road to get to the equally popular park on the other end, whose gate stands immediately along the southbound side of Quezon Avenue. However, the roundabout is a busy eight-lane road, and it is as inconvenient as it is dangerous to cross with all the speeding

vehicles—especially during the daytime. Without delving into the details, let me just say that getting from one to the other entails, well, roundabout routes.

For decades, the successive administrations of the city didn’t make it easier for travelers to visit both tourist destinations in a day. I highly doubt that any mamamasyal (tourist) familiar with these spots invited friends or family with, “Let‘s visit Quezon Memorial Circle and Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center this Saturday!” It’s either one or the other, and certainly not both in a day’s itinerary.

Most probably, only those who take part in organized tours of the city or field trips set foot on both places in a day.

To my great relief, I learned – though belatedly – that a kind of footbridge connecting the two landmark parks was

From one end to the other, a pergola winds through rows of tropical plants in white circular concrete planters, with the towering Quezon Memorial Shrine in the background. I found visitors taking photos, or sitting on the floor, some by the barriers on both sides, indulging in the urban nightscape of surrounding buildings and A mere 10-minute walk from the cars cruising below. home, I knew I had to visit this new infrastructure project under our current mayor, Any pedestrian can pass or stop Joy Belmonte, soon—though by to enjoy the promenade’s lush garden. In the early I was a little apprehensive evening, from the railing initially due to a February overlooking the circular park advisory on the QC LGU’s and nearby buildings, one can socials about an incident sense how the dark subdues the concerning opportunistic city; how the latter, in turn, individuals charging pedestrians ₱10 to pass through—a scam I refuse to be a victim of. opened to the public last November. I was left with awe, seeing the aerial night photos of what turned out to be not just a footbridge but a breathtaking park in its own right. The Elevated Landscape Promenade, or simply, the QC Promenade, is an ingenious new suspended mini park between two larger and older parks.

Fortunately, no opportunistic incident took place. After a lone security guard at the landing made a quick security inspection of my belongings, I feasted my eyes on the paved bridge sprawled before me under the night sky with an abundance of greenery strewn all over it.

puts up a semblance of a fight with its myriad artificial lights.

Seeing the homeward-bound vehicles running underneath, their headlights leading their charge, reminds me that everyone is headed somewhere.

It’s always a blessing to spend a few stolen moments when we can be still and just be—even in the middle of a busy city.

March 8 - 15, 2026

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Entertainment

TAP Into This Week’s Crossword Puzzle ACROSS

5. The Philippines’ largest lake 6. First provincial museum in Iloilo 9. Suspended mini park between the QC Memorial Circle and Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center

DOWN

1. 2.16-km bridge spanning the strait from Samar to Leyte 2. 64-kilometer penitential walk around the province’s circumferential road 3. Local glutinous rice cake sold in 18 varieties in Clarin 4. Acronym for the Intramuros esplanade that’s part of a 25-km riverbanks bikeway project 7. Creek that used to exist in Burnham Park in Baguio 8. Filipino word that translates to “inner self” or “inside”

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S CROSSWORD PUZZLE

ACROSS 3. Aurora *Tune into to the next issue for the answers!

5. Limatik 6. SineSadya 7. Hudhud

DOWN 1. Baao

2. Babaylan 4. Bayoguin

International Women’s Month

On the Night of December 30th

By Karl Ren Lalas

When morning arrived, it was still dark for them.

The truck had unloaded its burden, and they were about to get dressed for the party.

One by one, they were pampered by delicate hands.

When the last of the pigs was next in line, It started looking for the familiar.

The old pit, the old face of the master, And the old dirt. It prayed for its misery Away from the happiness of man.

The Archipelago Press 03082026

We accept previously unpublished poems on place, migration, movement, memory, and Filipino culture in English, Filipino, and other Philippine languages and dialects from Filipinos across the world. For non-English poems, please provide an English translation. Indicate your preferred byline (a pseudonym is fine).

Please submit just one (1) poem as a Word document or pasted in the body of your email to editorial@thearchipelagopress.com, with the email subject: Poetry: Your Name – Poem Title

Karl Ren Lalas is an educator and a writer from Pangasinan. He writes essays about his experiences with his friends and poetry that seeks to make sense of the world.

Page 7

Destinations

On Foot in Samar

comfortable, while a slightly elevated pedestrian path ran alongside the road, allowing us to savor and appreciate the full span of the bridge.

With only a day to spend, a small budget, and little planning, a quick trip with two friends became a lasting memory.

The sun warmed our backs, its light gloriously bouncing off concrete and water. Below us, the San Juanico Strait shimmered. At its highest point, about 40 meters from the sea, we could feel the bridge tremble slightly as vehicles sped past. I paused there, steadying myself, aware of both the height and the thrill of standing between the two provinces.

Words and images by Christine Fernandez It was 2009. Airline seat sales were still a novelty, and the competition for cheap fares was not yet as ruthless as it would later become.

Mobile internet was rare, and if we wanted photographs worth keeping, we carried heavy cameras in our bags.

An hour and hundreds of photographs later, we reached Samar. Near the foot of the bridge, we stopped at the first beach resort we saw. We slipped off our footwear and dipped our feet in the water. I regretted not bringing extra clothes, though we were content laughing off our small misadventures.

My friend’s brows sank into her eyelids – a telltale sign that she was hyperfocused on a sale. When she called me and another colleague over, we stood behind her, watching as the page refreshed. Then, it appeared: the confirmation message.

We had lunch at a nearby eatery before flagging down a van back to Tacloban. After a cup of coffee, hunger set in again. On the jeepney ride to the airport, we spotted a barbecue stand and, without much discussion, hopped off to buy puso – rice wrapped in banana leaves – along with skewers of chicken and hotdogs.

We ate quickly, savoring each bite before hurrying back to catch our flight.

Another flight secured—the cheapest I would ever book to date, too: only ₱56.02, tax included. The thrill of that small victory felt almost equal to the journey itself.

The party doesn’t arrive until tomorrow.

But the pigs sang together with the truck’s engine.

None of them complained When their master put them in the cage on wheels.

It was entrapment, yes. But it was something new.

Something peculiar from their ordinary, swine life.

Something different from the usual dirge They had to endure whenever one of them didn’t return.

Together with the moon, they watched the concrete road And the distant mountains slide in and out of the bars.

They raced with four-wheeled cars, Inhaled their carbon emissions.

The cold night bothered them, But they didn’t wait for the sunlight to come.

March 8 - 15, 2026

Accepted poems will be paid 500 Php and featured in our weekly issue and our website.

If you don’t hear back from us within 30 days of submission, please give us a nudge.

This time, we were headed to Tacloban, a city in Leyte that serves as the gateway to Samar.

We knew very little about it; the main draw for us was the cheap flight. We were in our twenties, carrying the kind of stamina that comes naturally with youth. Seat sales let us fill our months with trips, leaving only a single day for this one.

An overnight stay would have been ideal, but our pockets weren’t deep enough to afford it. Still, as hearty eaters, we came up with a simple plan that felt enough for us: breakfast in Leyte, lunch in Samar, and dinner back in Manila. hung an overstuffed sling bag Back then, we still relied containing EZ Map, a few on travel magazines and crumpled internet printouts, brochures, so information and the barest essentials. gathering required a bit of effort. On the day of our We landed safely in Tacloban flight, I rushed to the airport and stepped into streets in whatever I could grab—a still damp from earlier rain. capri, a bright orange shirt, Puddles and streaks of mud and slippers. On my shoulders ran across the roads – a small

We reached the airport just in time for our afternoon flight, slightly breathless and relieved. In a single day, we had wandered through new places, enjoyed simple meals, and returned home— all within the limits of time, money, and energy.

inconvenience for anyone in light-colored pants as I was. We quickly realized that getting around was actually easy, and people were happy to help.

After a breakfast of tapsilog and a short visit to a public park, we made our way to the San Juanico Bridge. One of

the Philippines’ most striking bridges, it stretches 2.16 kilometers across the strait from Samar to the neighboring province of Leyte. From the Tacloban Public Market, we rode a jeepney to the foot of the bridge and continued on foot. Most people crossed in vehicles, faster and more

We were hearty eaters then.

Seventeen years later, I am grateful that I still am.

Traveling on a tight schedule and budget might feel restrictive, but these constraints made us more aware of what we could do with what we have.

We walked. We noticed. And the day, in a way, stretched longer than it actually was.

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Events

Insights

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Page 9

Life According to Burnham Park

A Devoted Reader’s Glimpse Into the Philippine Book Festival I checked beforehand what events were happening until evening for Day 2. I attended a discussion on Queer Fantasy Words and images by Alyssa Danielle Navarro at the Gubat Stage featuring two male writers: moderator author Joel Most people take trips and elsewhere around the country Donato Ching Jacob, or across different parts of and Steven Sy, who the globe to unwind and released his book, Lady Hiraya, discover new things. Being a My year.

Steven voracious reader, my version last talked about how of this is usually a trip to the important it was for him that bookstore. This week, instead the process of writing itself of the usual shops, I went to was something he enjoyed. He one of the biggest annual book said writing was natural for events in the country: the him and most times, he did Philippine Book Festival 2026. it for himself and his friends.

A Baguio local’s life (re) told and (re)viewed through milestones spent in Burnham Park

Burnham Park was one of

Words and images by Heather Ann Pulido the popular places to shoot

A bookworm’s experience of one of the Philippines’ biggest book events

catalogue at UP Press, however, was a bit less organized, so one must patiently sift through each shelf to find books.

I experienced another pleasant surprise: a zine called The Cat Named Moonstone caught my attention. Turns out the drawings inside were made by a seven-year-old girl named Zena Chelabian, who created the zine with the help of her mother.

I visited the Booktopia zone to check out the zines and books made by some writer acquaintances. I was happy to see the titles offered by Bente Bente Zine, because as their name implies, their zines cost only ₱20. My only regret is that I did not wait until late afternoon to visit the Jonaxx Stories booth.

When I left the venue, I saw a social media post saying the author herself was there.

Map in hand, I walked along the wide expanse of SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall through a maze of stalls that represented part of our country’s local publishing landscape. As best as I can, I tried to be strategic: I relied on the paper given to me for navigation, so I could save time and be efficient in visiting the booths I wanted to see.

After this discussion, I took my time checking out the booths.

Thankfully, they were categorized into special zones: Collective Stand, Aral Aklat, Kid Lit, Booktopia, and Komiks. The nearest to Gubat Stage was Aral Aklat.

Aral Aklat included stores by university presses, such as Ateneo, UP, UST, and FEU Launched in 2023, the (in that order.) I was delighted Philippine Book Festival is to see how systematic the a four-day cultural event cataloguing was at the Ateneo organized by the National Book Development Board Press booth. It was so easy to (NBDB). It brings together find books based on genre. UST, publishers, authors, illustrators, meanwhile, had a sale of books creators, and readers from ranging from ₱100 and below. all over the country in a I scored two books by the poet dedicated marketplace Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta for Filipiniana books. for a total of only ₱100. The

we rode a swan pedal boat.

My uncle had to take breaks to rest his aching calves.

My favorite part of PBF 2026 was the Collective Stand section. I saw independent publishers and small presses like Alagwa and Tridax Zines, which featured writers from Mindanao.

Though I did have certain booths I wanted to check out prior to the event, I allowed myself to have an open mind. Aside from the sale in some b o o t h s ,

Overall, I felt at ease attending Day 2 of PBF 2026.

It helped that I strategized and used the map from the organizers. I felt less pressured to check out the booths, compared to my past experiences with other book fairs. Best of all, there were tables and chairs set up in the middle of each walkway, which meant that anyone whose feet or legs ached from walking all day could sit down and find comfort in-between browsing! I also appreciate the affordability of some books and zines, since most books cost quite a lot these days.

I’m excited to attend PBF again next year to see what our country’s creatives have produced. It was quite fun to do a mix of planning and spontaneity before and during the book festival. I made it a point to familiarize myself with the floor plan, but being open to possibilities, I found delightful s u r p r i s e s along the way.

I have no recollection of the first time I set foot in Burnham Park. But there is a photo of me as a toddler, standing in front of the park’s famous pine trees, wearing a red sweater with a black-and-white plaid skirt. Another photo has me in the same clothes, plopped on a rattan picnic mat with my Lola, Mama, Papa, and a few cousins. Only my mom flashes a big grin. I’m looking at the camera, but I don’t smile. Judging from how the picture was staged, I’d say one of the park’s photographers

music videos, short films, and commercials for high school projects in the 2010s. Then again, our school was much closer to the City Hall, and its gardens were good enough for us. So, as a teen, the only time I strolled around Burnham was during our yearly intramurals at the Athletic Bowl. I was not in any way sporty, but I aced my MAPEH tests because I memorized long lists of sports jargon. My participation in the intrams was limited to the bench cheering competition.

I take pride in that to this day because our team often landed in the top three.

climbed down Hilltop every day before 6:00 a.m.. We’d circle the park until we reached 10,000 steps or so. We met lots

Tourists coming off overnight trips sauntered by with their luggage as they waited for the darkness to lift. Many broken dawns after, busloads of tourists would interweave with the morning sprinters.

One day, I just stopped going.

Do you ever pause to wonder how much history a place can hold? And I’m not thinking of history in the sense of the 32-hectare park being named after Daniel Burnham: the architect of Baguio, the colonial resort. I’m not even talking about how the park, along with City Hall, sits on land that used to be known as “Kafagway.”

Don’t even get me started about how there used to be a creek there called Minac (or Miñac). I’m aware most people

must have taken it. I’m not sure if these photos still exist.

I have yet to dig into the boxes of my mom’s belongings. For now, I rely on mental images.

of joggers and walkers along the way. Zumba coaches with their portable speakers gathered aunties near the Rose Garden.

The garden grounds belonged to the tai chi practitioners.

Groups practicing kickboxing, calisthenics, or a mix of these, assembled near the biking area.

Two or three boxing trainers claimed the spot behind the Burnham Lake viewdeck. The pigeons, doves, and mayas were there every morning, too. After a week, I remember feeling that I was seeing Burnham Park with brand new eyes.

When I started going to school, I wasn’t brought to the park often. We weren’t the type of family that went to church or on vacations. Sometimes, when my father got his salary, we’d dine at a fast-food restaurant.

Otherwise, we just visited my mom’s parents in Irisan.

Many of my college memories took place at the Igorot Garden.

After our debate training, we’d go to the Night Market to grab a bite. I almost always couldn’t afford the food, but I still tagged along to hang out with other club members.

Plus, the seniors would walk me home to Hilltop after dinner. When I was a junior, my brothers visited from Kapangan. I saved up so that we could go biking at Burnham Park. On that perfect weekend, I even bought them ice cream.

But I remember when my uncle had just gotten married.

He and his wife stayed with us on Asin Road for about a month. Once, they took us kids to Burnham Park and

Like the rest of the world, I was stuck at home when the pandemic struck. When Months later, teenagers in white lockdown restrictions began to blouses and maroon skirts jogease in 2021, my friend invited walked across the park to reach me to go on morning walks. I school before the bell rang.

only recall the man-made lake—that one’s been closed for renovations since October 2025.

I’m talking about the time a fortune teller stood from a bench and offered to reveal my future for ₱20. I gave her the money, but I was too busy to ask anything. Or maybe I already knew too much.

My parents’ and my uncle’s marriage did not survive. The people I was in high school and college with no longer exist.

My youth has raced past me.

And just like the photographers at Burnham Park, happiness doesn’t last—at least, not as long as we want it to. Photo albums are forgotten. Memories, misplaced. Still, every day, the birds sing. The sun wakes.

The trees bear witness.

March 8 - 15, 2026

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Destinations

Beauty & Contradictions: Sunsets and Local Life at Los Baños’ Laguna de Bay

March 8 - 15, 2026

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: An Iloilo Museum + Foodie Tour Check out these (mostly) free museums and neighboring pocketfriendly food stops.

Words and images by Christian Sangoyo You can spend a whole day in Iloilo eating non-stop— visiting local restaurants and decades-old eateries.

But most visitors are unaware that it’s also an excellent destination for spending the day hopping around the city’s numerous museums – most of which are free to enter.

Why at

Local Life Beyond Mount Makiling, Los Baños’ Laguna de Bay gives visitors a taste of the local experience, though not Beyond the landmarks is without the issues hounding a wide open space where the country’s bodies of water. vendors sell usual street food like fishballs and kwekkwek, and even sweet snacks like cheesy donuts. Students Words and images by Rhea Claire E. Madarang in uniform and other locals flock here during afternoons.

Los Baños is well-known and often visited for Mount Makiling, with its ancient forest trails and rich wildlife, as well as the abundant greenery sweeping down its slopes to the University of the Philippines campus. As a visitor – and later, a resident – of Los Baños, I always find myself in awe whenever I take my nature walks in these places.

Closer to the lake’s shore is a huge I Love LB (Los Baños) signage, where some people take photos. Just near the signage is Dalampasigan, a floating restaurant named for its location on the shoreline.

Here, I would enjoy fresh tilapia or seafood on banana leaf-covered plates with a friend while taking in the hyacinth-dotted waters and the gentle lake breeze on my face.

However, for sunsets and a taste of local life outside the campus, my favorite place is the Los Baños Laguna de Bay shoreline. I learned about it through locals, who gave me commuting directions and landmarks to look out for, as the precise name and location is not on Google Maps.

Nearby are benches with couples, groups of friends, and families—some sitting on the concrete steps leading down to the water. Kids play and students practice a skit or dance for school. Occasionally, there are also bikers resting and enjoying the scenery.

As the lake is part of some locals’ livelihood, fishing boats are a common sight in Laguna de Bay. Sometimes I would chat with the fisherfolk to check out their catch. I learned that they can also take people around the lake, though I haven’t tried it myself.

Farther out to the left are the ruins of the old Spanish pier, once used by steamboats for docking during the Spanish colonial era, and later for seaplane mooring during the American occupation. There are also lakeshore resorts, some with pools. I’ve only ever inquired with one, and still prefer the view from the signage or the floating restaurant.

Beauty Amid Contradictions During sunsets, everyone turns their gaze to the horizon.

The lake, sometimes still as glass, sometimes with waves like sea, is painted in vivid oranges. It reminds me of Manila Bay’s own iconic sunset. Laguna de Bay does

look like the sea or part of it, with its horizon seemingly endless in the distance. In fact, I’ve heard locals call Laguna de Bay dagat (sea), not lawa (lake), which makes sense.

As the country’s largest lake, with its sheer size spanning towns and cities beyond Los Baños, it feels as vast as the sea.

Like Manila Bay, however, Laguna de Bay’s beauty is beset by environmental issues. Local leaders have warned that it is becoming the country’s “biggest septic tank” with high fecal coliform, sewage, and other pollutants.

Flooding has also become common. While there are ongoing rehabilitation efforts, environmental researchers recommend doubling down and increasing funding.

Among the proposed projects for Laguna de Bay is a ferry system to decongest Metro Manila traffic jams. In fact, in the 1990s, there was a short-lived boat service plying between Los Baños and Guadalupe in Metro Manila. The ride took only

not do the same

A jeepney away is Museo Iloilo. Built in 1971, it is the first provincial museum in the city and is the museum that first comes to mind, with its colorful façade. Despite its limited space, it houses the province’s invaluable heritage, from stone-age potteries to religious relics and artifacts from the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupation.

MUSEUM STOP #2: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES ILOILO

Cross Capitol Street and you’ll find the Iloilo National Museum.

Originally built by the Americans in 1911 as both the city’s provincial jail, it time? now hosts a modern museum with revolving exhibits and

A few steps away stands the Museum of Philippine Economic History. It has 13 galleries showcasing the evolution of the country’s economy and historical development.

Its 1905 two-story bahay na bato is worth the visit itself.

Lunch

Yet, despite its issues, the lakeshore’s beauty and accessibility to locals cannot be denied. I myself cannot help but come back here, if only for its sunsets.

How To Get There From UP Los Baños, take a Bayan-bound jeepney or any jeep passing by Bayan and ask to be dropped off at the lumang munisipyo (old municipal hall) or the Los Baños public market. From there, it’s a short walk to the shore.

MUSEUM STOP #6: CINEMA EXMUNDO Also within UPV grounds, Cinema Exmundo rests inside UPV’s film theater - a curious white building with a strikingly red door. Its hallways are replete with movie replicas and pop culture icons.

While not a museum per se, the film artifacts onsite and library are a worthwhile side trip, especially for cinephiles.

MUSEUM #7: BRANDY MUSEUM

40 minutes, far shorter than the two hours by bus now.

To me, an important rehabilitation on Los Baños’ Laguna de Bay lakeshores in particular is the addition of more benches and shaded areas, ideally with trees.

Although the lakeshore serves as a third space for locals and visitors, it offers few seats and lacks a carpet of grass where anyone could simply spread out a mat and relax.

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Culture & Heritage

Breakfast FOOD STOP: NETONG’S LA PAZ BATCHOY + MADGE CAFÉ Start your day with a hot bowl of Iloilo’s best noodle soup at La Paz Market. One of the three restaurants claiming a stake as the first batchoyan in the city, Netong’s is a fave for both locals and tourists alike. Its clear butobuto caldo with miki, chopped pork innards, bone marrow, beef loin, and crushed chicharon is a heartstopper.

After a filling bowl, head over to Madge Café for a cup of legit Ilonggo coffee.

MUSEUM STOP #1: MUSEO ILOILO

two permanent ones: Habol Panay: The Woven Artistry of Western Visayas and the Geology and Paleontology Exhibition.

MUSEUM STOP #3: MUSEUM OF PHILIPPINE MARITIME HISTORY History buff? Take a jeep bound for Plaza Libertad and you’ll reach the Museum of Philippine Maritime History.

It documents the country’s past through marine voyages— from the prehistoric balangay to the modern steel ships we have today. Found inside the handsome 1916 Iloilo Adwana, or Iloilo Customs House, the fantastic view of the Iloilo River out front, is a great bonus.

MUSEUM STOP #4: MUSEUM OF PHILIPPINE ECONOMIC HISTORY

FOOD STOP: ROBERTO’S Cross Calle Real and brave the lines at Roberto’s for their Queen Siopao—a massive bun packed with chicken-pork adobo, bacon bits, duck egg, and chorizo. Best paired with meatballs on a stick and lomi – one of Iloilo’s OG dishes.

MUSEUM STOP #5: UPV MUSEUM OF ART AND CULTURAL HERITAGE Take a jeep heading to University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) to visit the Old Iloilo City Hall – now the main building of UP Visayas.

Inside its Art Deco halls – designed by National Artist for Architecture Juan Arellano – is a collection chock-full of artworks from regional artists and Filipino masters.

A jeepney ride to the Megaworld Business Park will bring you to Emperador’s— yes, that Emperador —Brandy Museum.

This compact museum showcases not only the history of the brand, but also brandy-making in the Philippines through literature, tools, and production. They occasionally hold brandytasting activities, too.

MUSEUM #8: ILOILO MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART Beside the Brandy Museum is ILOMOCA, or the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art. While there is a fee to enter, it is the largest and first modern art museum in

Visayas and Mindanao. It houses five exhibit halls with works from international artists and local masterpieces

by BenCab, Arturo Luz, Ang Kiokok, Salvador Dalí, Marc Chagall, and Joan Miró.

Dinner FOOD STOP: ONDOY’S Cross the street and finish your tour at Ondoy’s Sugbahan for Ilonggo seafood dishes.

Wokfuls of buttered garlic shrimp and fresh scallops can be paired with Iloilo’s KLB— kadyos, baboy, langka—for an unbelievably affordable price.

It’s the perfect way to cap off your Iloilo museum tour!

March 8 - 15, 2026

San Diego County

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