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The Philippines
by Katrina Dovey


Home is where the heart is.

This is why a lot of people feel as if the Philippines could be a home to them, the country opens up its arms to everyone wanting to be a part of it. A lot of people feel as if the Philippines is already home to them, and it's no question why.

The Philippines is a country filled with culture. From its festivals to their wildlife, the food it offers, the places to see, the people you meet, there is so much to see. Everyone should travel to the Philippines because of all the things there is to see, every direction you face there is always something new to discover in this beautiful country,

Photo credits: http://www.justonewayticket.com/2012/12/05/why-you-should-travel-philippines/

Manila is the capital of the Philippines and is populated by approximately 102 million people. Some of the popular tourist destinations in Manila are the Rizal Park, Fort Santiago or the Cultural Center of the Philippines. 

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eralviz/

Although Manila is the capital of the country, the real adventure starts when you step out of the city.

One of the most popular tourist spots in the country would be Boracay which is a white beach located in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. The beach is lined with restaurants, hotels, bars, and other activities to do, it has truly become one of the biggest tourist destinations in the country.

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/35173034@N04/3259854237

A big part of the Filipino culture is its food. The food of the country is a combination of the mixed cuisine of countries like Malaysia, India, China, America and other countries that give it a sense of originality. 

Photo credits:http://www.expatch.org/2014/09/29/in-tagalog-dumalo-tayo-sa-pista/fiesta1/

Adobo is one of the most popular Filipino dishes and is unofficially considered to be the national dish of the country. The name adobo came from the spanish word "adobar" which means "marinade" or "sauce". The main ingredients tend to be meat, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking oil, garlic, and bay leaf. For this blog, I wanted to share with you all a dish that is a part of the culture but... with a twist.

The recipe I will be sharing today is Pork Adobo with Baby Back Ribs.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup Light soy sauce
• ½ cup Rice vinegar
• ½ cup Rice wine
• 1 Tbs.Fish sauce
• 3 Tbs. Brown sugar
• ⅓ cup Chopped garlic (approximately 18 to 20 cloves)
• 4 Bay leaves
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbs. Cooking oil
• 1 Rack of baby back ribs (approximately 3½ lb.), cut into single pieces
• 3 Green onions, chopped
• Fresh lime juice from 1 lime
• 6 Lime wedges to serve

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine soy sauce and next 7 ingredients(until black pepper) and whisk to dissolve sugar into sauce, set aside.
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3. preheat oven over 350 degrees.
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5. Heat a braising pan or deep skillet (I recommend to use oven-safe pan such as dutch oven or cast iron pan) over high heat; add oil. Sear pork ribs 3 minutes each side or until golden brown. It doesn't need to be cooked- we just want nice sear on each ribs. Do 2 batches if that’s necessary for really nice golden brown seared ribs.
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8. Tap excess oil on pan with kitchen paper towel and place seared pork ribs all back into pan or roasting pan if you are using. Pour sauce we made earlier. Cover with aluminum foil first then cover with lid. If not, you might ruin your lid from splashing soy sauce and sugar mixture. Place into preheated oven, braise for 1 hour 30 minutes.
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13. Remove pan from oven and bring back to stove. Uncover and cook for additional 10 minutes until meat has a nice caramelization and liquid reduced- as sticky glaze on ribs.
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16. Transfer ribs on a serving plate and spoon out most fat out from pan. Add in green onion and lime juice to sauce and mix.
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20. Pour sauce over ribs and serve warm. Enjoy with a warm cooked jasmine rice! :-D
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*Recipe and pictures retrieved from: http://seonkyounglongest.com/filipino-baby-back-ribs-adobo/*

The Philippines has so much more to offer than what anyone can write. It is filled with hidden treasures and secrets waiting to be found.

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cb_agulto/5770275195

Sources:

Filipino Adobo Recipe : Filipino Adobo with Baby Back Ribs - Asian at Home. (2015, January 22). Retrieved March 09, 2016, from http://seonkyounglongest.com/filipino-baby-back-ribs-adobo/

Laureta, I. (2015, March 10). 28 Reasons You Should Absolutely Never Visit The Philippines. Retrieved March 09, 2016, from http://www.buzzfeed.com/isabellelaureta/sarcasm-its-more-fun-in-the-philippines#.binGpeVxx

Manila, C. (2016, January 04). PopCom: PH population expected to hit 104 million in 2016. Retrieved March 09, 2016, from http://manila.coconuts.co/2016/01/04/popcom-ph-population-expected-hit-104-million-2016

Lobino, S. (2012). 10 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TRAVEL TO THE PHILIPPINES. Retrieved March 09, 2016, from http://www.justonewayticket.com/2012/12/05/why-you-should-travel-philippines/

Boracay - Lonely Planet. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2016, from https://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/the-visayas/boracay 

Places Filipinos can visit without a Visa

by: Sandra Kahn 

As the New Year approaches, what better way to celebrate it by traveling to different countries that you probably did not know you could without needing a visa.

So I have gathered a list of 5 countries that we can visit with just our Philippines passport.

1) Brazil 

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest in the world. Famous for it's football (soccer) tradition and Christ the Redeemer, An Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, You can see this and more for up to 90 days

2) Peru

Peru is another country from South America, but its culture is very unique and diverse from that of others that you may get a culture shock when you first land here. The picture above is from Machu Picchu and it is full of houses, artifacts that are over 5,000 years old. But this is not the only thing that you will find here, Pack your biggest malete because you can stay here for 183 days!

3.) Israel

Israel is known for its religious devotion. Many Christians and Muslims visit to see the holy lands. Get to know all the sacred sites while you're here for 90 days. Not only can you unwind spiritually but physically too, take a dip in the Dead sea and let yourself relax on the saltiest sea on earth. 

4.) Fiji

Fiji is a place that I think I might enjoy the most. For 120 days, you can go scuba-diving or just lay down on the warm sand. It is full of beautiful beaches and marine life.

5.) Colombia

With the recent crowning of Miss Universe 2015, why not spend 180 days here and see the tourist spots that Colombia has to offer? Colombia is rich with diverse atmospheres. From the friendly village of Guatape to the lush hilltops of Zona Cafetera, this South American country is wealthy with culture.

References

http://wikitravel.org/en/Brazil

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/israel

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/fiji

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/244922/news/pinoyabroad/pinoys-can-visit-at-least-25-countries-without-visas-dfa

Pinoy's Uniqueness

By: Sachiko Sasaki

Culture is way of living. It is also a path of believing that something or someone exist. You will know that it is a culture as long as a group of people agree with the idea of it and apply it with their daily basis. Culture is very significant, because I believe that culture represents what type of nationality and people we are by observing its knowledge, habit, manners, values, beliefs, law, etc. People could be aware what nationality we are and what country we were born and raised to. One of the examples of this is being a Filipino. There are a lot of amazing yet weird different types of cultures and practices that makes Filipinos totally unique.

Photo Credit: cherrymangos.blogspot.com

Filipinos appreciates and gives importance to their practices and traditions despite the fact that some of their practices these days are just inherited from the colonizers of the Philippines before, these are the Spanish, American and Japanese people. There are also some practices that came from the ideas of the Filipino ancestors. There are two magnificent examples that I will tell and show you about Filipino cultures that Filipino people still applies it right now. These are the 'Pagmamano' and 'Po and Opo'. Pagmamano is simply a gesture while Po and Opo are the noun words. Pagmamano is a practice of Filipino people to show respect to the elderly, same goes to saying Po and Opo to the elderly. Po is a polite word often used together with the sentence or statement whenever you are talking to someone that is older than you, while Opo is a nice and polite way to say 'yes' in terms of Filipino language. Filipinos are known as being hospitality and respectful type of people because of their delightful characteristics. Such as being kind, friendly and generous to their families, friends and to the people that they do not know as well.

Retrieved from: http://www.mommypracticality.com/2013/08/teaching-good-manners-and-values-to-children.html

PO AND OPO

I am a half Filipino and half Japanese 16 year old girl that is more fluent of being a Filipino rather than being a Japanese. I was born and raised in the Philippines, that is why I have adopted the Filipino type of attitude from what I have seen, heard and experienced from the people that was around me. Since I am living with my Mom here in the Philippines, I am with my Mom's family side as well and we have a provincial type of family. My family respect each other by treating and caing each other right. Especially doing pagmamano and saying po and opo to each and everyone to our family members. That is why I learned to apply these practices in my daily life with my family and friends that are always around me. Whenever I talk to someone older than me and especially to strangers, I talk to them with respect by adding Po and Opo on my statements, and of course the tone of how I speak should sound nice and sweet so that they would not misunderstood the feelings that I am trying to express and wont offend them.

Retrieved from: http://definitelyfilipino.com/blog/2013/05/wag-nang-mag-opo-part-ii/

PAGMAMANO

In Pagmamano, I usually do this every time I arrive from school to my house or from church to home and every time I visit my Lola's (Grandmother's) house as well. As soon as I get in to the house, I do this pagmamano to them by gently striking my Mom and my Lols's right hand onto my forehead as a sign for respect then they would eventually say "Kaawaan ka ng Diyos" which means "May God have mercy on you" in English. For me, this tradition is beautiful and very appropriate for the youth because it is basically asking for God's blessing and guidance. 

Retrieved from: http://tekapnoy.blogspot.com/2008/01/respecting-elders.html?m=1

Filipino people is rich in customs and traditions because modern Filipinos still apply it on their daily lives and make the most out of it and in my opinion that shows the real spirit of being a Filipino. How about you? Do you also do pagmamano and say po and opo to the elders? What do you think of the Filipino's cultures and practices?

Retrieved from: http://cherryblossoms24.deviantart.com/art/APH-The-Many-Philippines-256657245

Sources:

http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-and-people/philippine-culture/culture-and-traditions/415-filipino-culture-customs-and-traditions

http://tekapnoy.blogspot.com/2008/01/respecting-elders.html?m=1