The arowana is the most famous and powerful fish used in Feng Shui. In Chinese, the Arowana is called Kam Lung Yue, which means Golden Dragon Fish. It has distinct dragon-like barbels and large shiny scales that resemble the powerful and mythical dragon.

This Feng Shui Symbol is normally seen as biting a coin in its mouth sitting on a bed of coins. It has made its name as the ‘fish of the rich and famous because one has to pay a huge price for a live fish. The arowana as a Feng Shui symbol signifies supremacy, prosperity, wealth, strength, good luck, happiness and power.

It is also believed that placing this fish helps to drive away evil spirits and bad luck. This is a potent energizer of wealth and auspicious symbol to keep for those looking for increase their wealth luck, multiply sources of income or opportunities and pay raise.

According to placement Feng Shui, the most auspicious areas to keep the Arowana Fish figurine are the north, east, southeast and southwest. Displaying this symbol in the North sector of the house, office desk etc. can give a boost to the career luck.

Displaying it in the Southeast corner or in the Office reception counter helps to energize your wealth luck.

It can also be placed in the corner diagonal to the front door. Keeping the symbol in East improves the family well being.

Bistro Ecila chorizo

Filipino cuisine is a blend of the exotic and familiar with a lot of cultures having influenced the Filipino palate. From Chinese to Spanish to American to Japanese, all who colonized this country has left their mark on its cuisine.

It can be argued however, that Spanish influence to the Filipino cuisine predominates. It has been said that about 80% of so-called Philippine dishes are actually of Hispanic origin.

Some foods are actually the same with the difference lying in how it is prepared and what particular ingredients were added to make it “different”.

One such food is the chorizo, or the longganisa, as it is called in Tagalog. The longganisa is any particular type of meat sausage prepared in countless ways. How and where it was prepared describes the longganisa (i.e. hamonado, Vigan, kwong bee, etc.). There are perhaps as many different varieties as there are provinces in the Philippines.

During a recent visit to Cebu, I was on the lookout for their ‘Hispanicized’ version of the longganisa, known as the Spanish Chorizo. It is prepared either grilled or fried. Unlike the myriad varieties available, this chorizo is not sweet and is evidently infused with Spanish spice (or spices). It is a favorite breakfast dish in Cebu.

Chorizo is made heedfully by finely chopping or coarsely grinding the pork and “marinating” it in spices after. In the preparation of the chorizo, Spanish paprika is key in giving the chorizo its characteristic flavor.

The chorizo is highly popular. Many restaurants in Cebu have it in their menu. It is also sold in street stalls and in the Larsian barbeque place.

A good friend of mine recommended to try-out the Spanish chorizo of Bistro Ecila. It is one of their best-sellers! Even before it was served on our table, the aroma of the fried chorizo was irresistible. It was so good that finishing off the five pieces was no problem!

Another version that I really like is the chorizong hubad as prepared by the late Teresa Ugarte. I understand that the preparation starts from what the pigs are fed, thereby influencing the flavor of their meat and fat. The oil rendered is so flavorful that I keep it for future use.

To each his own, yes. But for me, the chorizo is best eaten with garlic rice, fried eggs and tomato.

Oh, and with chocolate-eh too!

At the age of 4, she took ballet and have honed her expertise through the years. She taught ballet for a time and still, in fact, teaches voluntarily after their church service. “That’s how I give back in my own little way, masaya na ako na nakakatulong ako.” she says. She took up Interior Design in college.

As a devoted Christian, her life speaks of the Lord’s purpose has and lived her life without regrets.

Mina speaks with conviction and her strong personality shines through as we talked about how cancer has drastically changed her perspective towards life. She talked as if she didn’t undergo a major health issue.

“My children are my inspiration. It is for them that I work hard and still live”

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer year 2008. Para hindi kumalat yung cancer cells, they really had to remove my left breast” she recalls. Mina, at that time, has accepted every blow in her life. After the surgery, she underwent chemotherapy and lived one day at a time. Facing her own mortality, she submitted herself freely to His will. “With faith in God, everything is possible. Maniwala ka lang! That’s why I didn’t cry when my left breast was removed,” and she added “I was more focused on the wig that I will be using. Dapat maganda ka pa rin, di ba?!”   

Before cancer, she already was a fighter. She had to be.

Mina took the plunge at an early age. At the young age of 17, she married her high school sweetheart and had her first child. After the birth of the fourth (and youngest) child, it did not take long before marital relations took its toll.

But Mina was not to be defeated.

She fearlessly stepped up and worked her way to raise her four children. “We needed to survive and so I worked,” she stated. Her perseverance paid off and raised her children the very best way she can. “Sila ang kayamanan ko.”

“Life has never been easy but with God, everything is possible.”

Fast-forward to the present, Mina obviously derives her pride and joy from her four children. The relationship with the former husband is described as civil.  Among her children, she does not have a “favorite” as she exerts extra effort to make sure that all of them are given time.

“My children are my inspiration. It is for them that I work hard and still live” she stated. In all aspects of Mina’s life, she eliminated the drama and approached each hurdle head on and without fear. She is realistic and she has sacrificed so much of herself in dedication for her children. Her purpose in life and her unconditional love for her family serves as her inspiration to fight for the dreaded disease called cancer. “I had lifted everything up to the Lord” and her relentless faith has kept her still in times of storm.

She has fought emotional, financial, spiritual and physical pain; she has cried out but in the end, she is victorious.  Mina is a true testament that your faith can save you. Of course she is still human and is bound to falter at times but she manages to stand up and continue facing life’s caveats head-on. “God’s love knows no boundaries. You only have to believe.”

Positivism, faith and resourcefulness. The personification of these may very well be found in one like Carmina Chua.

Embattled Municipal Mayor Teresito Paras Mariñas is now paying the price for his decision to leave the One Cebu Party to transfer to the Liberal Party. Nevertheless, it was something which the Mayor thinks he had to do. “It was a sound and logical decision for political survival. A strong political party is an advantage. One Cebu is a local party but Liberal is a National party” Mariñas reasons.

Hon. Teresito P. Mariñas – Mayor, Municipality of Barili

As the Chief Executive of the 4^th biggest town in the province, Mariñas says that the lack of support from the Municipal Council is deliberate. “They are slashing the budget in an attempt to paralyze my administration” he says. “The numbers are 10-0; I have no councilor on my side.”

This can be disastrous. While the Mayor may be the municipality’s highest elected public official, it is the Vice Mayor who acts as presiding officer the Municipal Board. In turn, the Municipal Board controls the money of the municipality and, more significantly, its disbursements.

As can be seen in the case of the Municipality of Barili, the Vice Mayor, in connivance with the Municipal Board (or Sangguniang Pambayan) can indeed restrict the outflow of funds to the Office of the Mayor and its projects.

It is not to say that Mariñas simply accepted his fate and watched his administration becoming useless by the day. “We have tried to seek help from the Department of Interior and Local Government, but of course, they cannot impose on the Municipal Board, especially on matters like budgeting. They can only guide and cite” he explains. In order to survive, the Mayor has learned to maximize what is on-hand and available. “We may be short on budget and have had no improvements on infrastructure development, we have our ways. We are still operational” Mariñas says.

And then there are friends and allies he can count on.  “There is financial help from the Liberal Party. Financial assistance were given by some Senators like Sotto, Legarda, Escudero and Zubiri” he says.

“Karon pa ba ko mo-surrender?”

All is not sad though. When asked about his town, Mariñas proudly speaks of Barili’s tourist come-ons. “Tourism in Barili is rich. We have the Shrine of Sta. Ana, a pilgrimage site. Then we have the Mantayupan Falls which is also a source of hydro-electric power. Barili is also home to the Boloc-boloc Springs, which has the potential to be a health spa” he says. One can also find in Barili a number of old houses, like the ones that can still be seen in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. But unlike the old Vigan houses which have been turned into commercial places, the old houses in Barili stills serve their purpose — homes to its residents.

A brief drive around the small poblacion will allow you to see the Casa Pañares. Then there is the Delgado Mansion, the house of former Mayor Tomas Delgado. On the main street, the former Abad residence has become a popular suroy-suroy sa Sugbu stop. Built in the 1920s by then Mayor Miguel Abad, it is now known as Villa Eliton, named after its current owners Liz and Tony Yu.

Another interesting stop is the private museum of Azucena “Baby” Pace. It houses the family collection of old gadgets, equipment, moneys and clothes. Baby Pace is the daughter of Barili’s longest-serving and well-loved mayor, Librada Pace.

With all these assets within the municipality, it is of no wonder that Mariñas wanted to put to good use its tourism potential. “My administration wanted to develop our tourism industry to help us economically. But in order to attract visitors, we have to improve on facilities, infrastructure and transportation” he says.  “However, our tourism plan was also disapproved by the Municipal Board” added Mariñas.

“There were investors who were interested to invest but due to this legislative and executive conflict, they have become hesitant. They simply want my administration to fail” discloses the Mayor.

Surrender has never been an option though. “Honestly, there were times when I felt like giving up. I realized it is not good to surrender. Acceptance means defeat” says Mariñas. “All my sacrifices have paid off, even against all the odds. Karon pa ba ko mo-surrender?”

With the determination and belief of one who has gone through the worst of times, Teresito Mariñas declares: “I am running again for Mayor and I will finish the battle.”

The current Vice Mayor of Barili, Marlon Garcia, is the younger brother of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Garcia and Mariñas are closely related through their Paras Family lineage. Here we see another family torn apart by their respective differences in opinion.

Politics is indeed a strange, if not perverted, animal.

Could former Capitanes Municipales Don Agustin Paras (+), whose descendants include both the present Mayor and Vice Mayor of Barili, have imagined that the political dynasty he started would eventually see relatives fighting relatives?

Mariñas was a medical doctor for 13 years. He is a General Practitioner.

In the end, it is the Barili constituency that suffers the brunt of this on-going feud. Why should the common Barilinians be deprived of their right to basic services?

Is the “One” Cebu Party, which the Garcia’s now dominate, living up to its name? Has it become a single entity serving the interest of a singular family or unit? While it can be excused that “One” is also characterized by unity, how can this claim be made when the very people who control the One Cebu Party has chosen to pawn, if not jeopardize, the very interests of the very people who least deserve to be its victims: the People of Barili?

Thank you to the One Cebu Party, the politics of revenge is once again alive and kicking.

Because it is economical and relatively easy to prepare, the torta is a popular everyday food. The only challenge in its preparation is in the flipping.

One may use two same-sized plates when flipping the torta although the old-fashioned way of using the banana leaf makes the flipping easier. And just like any food that uses the banana leaf in its preparation (it is not edible though), the food smells good!

One may add tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and other preferred ingredients to the basic recipe below.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons cooking oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 medium sized onion, diced

1/2 kilo ground beef or pork

6 eggs

Salt & pepper to taste

4 tablespoons cooking oil

Banana leaves, cut into pieces, about 2-3 inches bigger all around than the size of your pan.

Cooking Procedure:

Heat the frying pan and pour in the cooking oil.  Saute the garlic and onion.  Add the ground meat and cook until brown and set aside.  Beat the eggs and then mix with the sautéed ingredients.

Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the banana leaf over stove flame quickly to wilt the leaf and make it easy to handle.  Heat the pan with oil over low heat.  Put the banana leaf and pour in the meat and egg mixture. Keep heat low to ensure even cooking and to prevent the leaf from scorching.

Cover the pan for about 10 minutes.  Check to see if the mixture has set.

Put the 2^nd banana leaf on top of the pan.  Get a plate and use this to cover the leaf.  Keep the plate firm with one hand and flip the pan.  This would have turned the torta revealing the cooked side.  Simply slide the banana leaf on the pan to cook the eggs completely.

You may also divide the ingredients into serving sizes and cook each one after the other, through this, flipping the omelet should be easier.

Let stand before serving as it would be firmer and thus easier to slice into wedges.

Keep in its leaf lining to appreciate the aroma of the warm banana leaf.