+(Large).bmp)
ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
By: Leonor “Liling” Magtolis Briones
KAAKBAY Party List Nominee No. 151
SIGHTS, FLAVORS, SCENTS
Campaign sorties are often described as physically demanding, stressful , and nerve-wracking. The candidate has to put up with all sorts of challenging conditions—ranging from accommodations, transportation , food and health problems.
My own experience with-out-of-Manila sorties has been very enriching even as these were very exhausting. Aside from associating sorties with Team Liling, family and friends, I associate sorties with sights, flavors and scents.
I have been to Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, two provinces in Leyte, Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Davao and Cotabato. Each destination has given me a special, unforgettable experience. They are similar and yet different in sights, flavors and scents.
Sights
The sights in the places I visited ranged from stunning to overwhelming. I associate the drive from Caticlan to Antique with intense, blinding light. Everything seemed to be bathed in gold as we whizzed through coastal towns lined with coconut trees, golden shores and shimmering seas. I remember also the cracked ricefields and the dried up river beds.
The quality of light in Antique, as compared to the wintry scenes in Europe was totally different. I love the pictures taken in Antique. The brilliant sunshine had a special effect on the fotos.
I cannot forget the visit to the Magtulis Elementary School in Barbaza, Antique, the birthplace of my paternal grandfather. The sight of children in their pink uniforms listening intently as I told them the story of a Magtolis who left Antique and settled in Negros. Imagine discovering not only a town but an entire barrio named Magtulis! And six hundred wide-eyed kids probably related to the Magtulises!
In Tacloban, the sight of my very dear friend, Dali Sevilla, her husband Oscar and her children and grandchildren was well worth the trip. Of course, the sight of U.P. Tacloban was like a homecoming. And San Juanico bridge never fails to take my breath away.
I love being surprised by joy. Joy at the sight of Southern Leyte which is probably one of the most beautiful provinces in the country. Coastal towns straight out of a postcard. A Ph2 billion bridge across a deep chasm. Well-built roads lined with trees and lush vegetation. And of course the sight of friends Lilies Mercado Kapili and her husband Arsenio, and Mike Udtohan and his wife Ann. The sight of Lilies’ house beside the sea. The sight of an unforgettable seafood dinner and unique breakfast.
The road to Kidapawan City in Cotabato is likewise very scenic. The highway is paved with fruit trees. I am told that during their fruit festival, the road is lined with fruit stands where you can eat all the fruit you want.
Flavors
Dinner at Don Julio with Dali, Oscar and the Liling Team in Tacloban. Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Alejandro’s also in Tacloban, in a period house transformed into a hotel.
Arroz a la valenciana, Sipalay style prepared by Manang Lina Magtolis. Fragrant langka from the trees in Valencia. Mangosteen and lanzones from Kidapawan. Varieties of suman from Leyte and Negros. And yes, soup of all kinds—sinigang, dinengdeng, tinola and even sotanghon! It is obvious I am a soup person.
I can resist lechon and humba any where else except Dumaguete! It is not only flavors. It is also memories, people and love.
Scents
So many scents to remember! The heady scent of flowers at Barbara’s in the orchidarium at Luneta. The restaurant was the setting for a dinner concert sponsored by Tony Tiu and performed with verve and gusto by the Manila Concert Choir.
The scent of durian
I will always associate the campaign period with the scent of durian. We had durian for breakfast in far off Maasin Leyte in Lilies’ house. The best way to eat durian is to use one’s hands and wash them later in a durian shell filled with water. I should have taken a foto of Nonnie of Team Liling feasting on durian ! A week later, I had durian with coke for merienda in Kidapawan. The next day, I breakfasted on two varieties of durian at the Kaakbay Mindanao headquarters with Ogie and his wife, Alice. Aahh, it is paradise to eat durian!
The scent of civet coffee
In Cavite it is called alamid coffee. In Kidapawan it is called civet coffee. After two radio interviews and two lectures, Joey brought me, Becky and Rachel to meet other NGO’S and have a taste of civet coffee. If you must know, it is coffee beans processed after being extracted from the “popo” or droppings of civet cats who feed on ripe coffee fruit.
I don’t know if the taste and aroma of civet coffee had something to do with it but certainly, we had a grand evening not just laughing but literally guffawing and roaring with laughter as we exchanged jokes and stories.
The scent of Cheyanna’s hair
My grandchild Cheyanna sits on my lap whenever she has something to tel l me. I always kiss her head and inhale the fragrance of her long, black hair. At the end of a long wait for me to finish interviews and meetings, she sleepily sat on my lap and whispered, “Lola hwag ka na mag congressman. Care giver of Cheyann ka na lang.” Choices. Choices.
By: Leonor “Liling” Magtolis Briones
KAAKBAY Party List Nominee No. 151
SIGHTS, FLAVORS, SCENTS
Campaign sorties are often described as physically demanding, stressful , and nerve-wracking. The candidate has to put up with all sorts of challenging conditions—ranging from accommodations, transportation , food and health problems.
My own experience with-out-of-Manila sorties has been very enriching even as these were very exhausting. Aside from associating sorties with Team Liling, family and friends, I associate sorties with sights, flavors and scents.
I have been to Aklan, Antique, Iloilo, two provinces in Leyte, Samar, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, Davao and Cotabato. Each destination has given me a special, unforgettable experience. They are similar and yet different in sights, flavors and scents.
Sights
The sights in the places I visited ranged from stunning to overwhelming. I associate the drive from Caticlan to Antique with intense, blinding light. Everything seemed to be bathed in gold as we whizzed through coastal towns lined with coconut trees, golden shores and shimmering seas. I remember also the cracked ricefields and the dried up river beds.
The quality of light in Antique, as compared to the wintry scenes in Europe was totally different. I love the pictures taken in Antique. The brilliant sunshine had a special effect on the fotos.
I cannot forget the visit to the Magtulis Elementary School in Barbaza, Antique, the birthplace of my paternal grandfather. The sight of children in their pink uniforms listening intently as I told them the story of a Magtolis who left Antique and settled in Negros. Imagine discovering not only a town but an entire barrio named Magtulis! And six hundred wide-eyed kids probably related to the Magtulises!
In Tacloban, the sight of my very dear friend, Dali Sevilla, her husband Oscar and her children and grandchildren was well worth the trip. Of course, the sight of U.P. Tacloban was like a homecoming. And San Juanico bridge never fails to take my breath away.
I love being surprised by joy. Joy at the sight of Southern Leyte which is probably one of the most beautiful provinces in the country. Coastal towns straight out of a postcard. A Ph2 billion bridge across a deep chasm. Well-built roads lined with trees and lush vegetation. And of course the sight of friends Lilies Mercado Kapili and her husband Arsenio, and Mike Udtohan and his wife Ann. The sight of Lilies’ house beside the sea. The sight of an unforgettable seafood dinner and unique breakfast.
The road to Kidapawan City in Cotabato is likewise very scenic. The highway is paved with fruit trees. I am told that during their fruit festival, the road is lined with fruit stands where you can eat all the fruit you want.
Flavors
Dinner at Don Julio with Dali, Oscar and the Liling Team in Tacloban. Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Alejandro’s also in Tacloban, in a period house transformed into a hotel.
Arroz a la valenciana, Sipalay style prepared by Manang Lina Magtolis. Fragrant langka from the trees in Valencia. Mangosteen and lanzones from Kidapawan. Varieties of suman from Leyte and Negros. And yes, soup of all kinds—sinigang, dinengdeng, tinola and even sotanghon! It is obvious I am a soup person.
I can resist lechon and humba any where else except Dumaguete! It is not only flavors. It is also memories, people and love.
Scents
So many scents to remember! The heady scent of flowers at Barbara’s in the orchidarium at Luneta. The restaurant was the setting for a dinner concert sponsored by Tony Tiu and performed with verve and gusto by the Manila Concert Choir.
The scent of durian
I will always associate the campaign period with the scent of durian. We had durian for breakfast in far off Maasin Leyte in Lilies’ house. The best way to eat durian is to use one’s hands and wash them later in a durian shell filled with water. I should have taken a foto of Nonnie of Team Liling feasting on durian ! A week later, I had durian with coke for merienda in Kidapawan. The next day, I breakfasted on two varieties of durian at the Kaakbay Mindanao headquarters with Ogie and his wife, Alice. Aahh, it is paradise to eat durian!
The scent of civet coffee
In Cavite it is called alamid coffee. In Kidapawan it is called civet coffee. After two radio interviews and two lectures, Joey brought me, Becky and Rachel to meet other NGO’S and have a taste of civet coffee. If you must know, it is coffee beans processed after being extracted from the “popo” or droppings of civet cats who feed on ripe coffee fruit.
I don’t know if the taste and aroma of civet coffee had something to do with it but certainly, we had a grand evening not just laughing but literally guffawing and roaring with laughter as we exchanged jokes and stories.
The scent of Cheyanna’s hair
My grandchild Cheyanna sits on my lap whenever she has something to tel l me. I always kiss her head and inhale the fragrance of her long, black hair. At the end of a long wait for me to finish interviews and meetings, she sleepily sat on my lap and whispered, “Lola hwag ka na mag congressman. Care giver of Cheyann ka na lang.” Choices. Choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment