March 2012 Issue

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Meringue Pie

If you’ve ever craved for the delicious, sweet and fluffly taste of an honest-to-goodness meringue pie, then you’re in for a very Pinoy treat! Here’s a recipe for your favorite meringue pie with a decidedly Pinoy twist. Trust me, this is way better than your regular Buko Pie (not that it’s not delicious in its own right!)

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CRUST:
2 c. plain flour
1 tbsp. icing sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. butter, cut into cubes
2-3 tbsps. cold water

PROCEDURE:
1. Pre-heat your oven to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Get your flour and sift it thoroughly with the icing sugar and salt in your mixing bowl.
3. Mix the butter into the flour mixture by using a blender and mixing on light settings. Do this until you come up with a coarse mixture.
4. Slowly add water into the mixture, stirring with a fork. Make sure the water is cold.
5. Once you are satisfied with the consistency, roll up the dough into a ball.
6. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and chill in your refrigerator for 30 minutes.
7. After chilling the dough, prepare your rolling table / area and flour it lightly, so the dough won’t stick to the table. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough and line it on a 9-inch pie tray.
8. Make sure that you prick the base of the tray with a fork. Line the pie dough with foil and fill with baking beans and bake for around 10 minutes.
9. After 10 minutes, remove the foil and the baking beans, brush the sides with egg yolk and pop it into the oven again for another 10-15 minutes until the dough is baked a beautiful golden brown.
10. Once done, set aside to cool.

NGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:
1/4 c. corn flour
1/4 c. plain flour
1 c. buco juice or syrup from the tinned coconut
1 c. evaporated milk
3/4 c. sugar
2 c. buco meat, shredded or two 440 gm. tins of young coconut
2 tbsps. butter
4 eggs, separated
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

PROCEDURE:
1. To prepare the filling, you have to find the sweetest buko meat. Of course, unlike in the Philippines, it might be a bit harder to find fresh buko in your area. You may use tinned young coconut so you can be assured of its sweetness and tenderness.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and corn flour. While mixing, stir in the buko juice.
3. Add the milk immediately after.
4. Strain the mixture into a saucepan.
5. Bring the mixture into a boil, using low heat while stirring constantly.
6. Keep on stirring until the mixture thickens. Once it is thick enough, add the buko meat and the egg yolks, one after the other.
7. Keep on stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
8. Once boiling, turn off the heat. Add the butter to the still hot mixture, and stir until the butter is mixed into the filling.
9. Set aside to cool.
10. Once both the filling and pie crust are cooled, you should prepare the meringue.
11. Take your egg whites and tartar, and whisk them with an electric mixer. Make sure your settings are on high speed. Keep on mixing until you form soft peaks.
12. Add the sugar into the mixture gradually while your are whisking, until the sugar is dissolved into the mixture. You will see that the mixture is becoming glossy.
13. Bring all the ingredients together. Fill the pie crust with the buko filling.
14. Using a spatula or a knife, add the meringue on top of the filling. If you want more control in decorating your pie, you may pipe the meringue using a large, star-shaped nozzle. Cover the filling completely with meringue.
15. Pop the meringue pie into the oven for 10 minutes or until the meringue has turned a light brown color.
16. Cool and serve immediately.

Cesar Montano’s “Hitman” promises to be a hit

It seems that the local action film scene in the Philippines is just about to experience a revival—first with the recent landslide winner in the Metro Manila Film Festival Manila Kingpin, and this time around with the promising Hitman, topbilled, produced and directed by action genre icon Cesar Montano.

Selected members of the press have dubbed the film “stylized and story-driven,” and commended the film as delivering Cesar Montano’s promise of offering something new, something borrowed.

The actor mentioned Hollywood A-films Collateral and Unknown as his pegs in making Hitman, especially when it came to the fast-paced action sequences, and the press that reviewed the film were in agreement. Manila Bulletin entertainment writer Jojo Panaligan remarked, “The fast-paced action sequences in his film were well planned and executed that viewers would still feel a lot is going on in the fight department even if for relatively lower cost and lesser frequency.”

Also noted in the film was Cesar Montano’s refreshing take in portraying his character, Ben, who was seeking revenge over the death of his family, committed by the very people he works for as a hired killer. Using humor, wit and of course prowess in the action sequences, Cesar Montano was able to endear himself to the viewers and make them hang on to the very end of the story until his character triumphs over his nemesis, Philip, played by another critically acclaimed actor, Ricky Davao.

Hitman not only promises to thrill you with action but with some sultriness—after all what is an action film without a sexy siren to back up the sexy, brazen hero. This love interest character of Cesar Montano is played by FHM cover girl Sam Pinto, who in the film does very daring but done-in-taste love scenes. Yes, that’s with an “s,” so guys, there’s more than one hot scene in there to watch out for!

Also appearing in the film are other known names in action—thank God they’re making a comeback in a new, promising movie to set the film trend in the Philippines for the next year or so (hopefully): Joko Diaz, Rommel Montano, Jeffrey Tam, Sunshine Garcia, Onchie dela Cruz, and Alexis Navarro.

Ai-ai delas Alas on a “Spiritual Detoxification” in the Holy Land, Happily in Love

Award-winning actress-comedienne has recently joined more than 100 people in “The Feast” pilgrimage led by author-preacher Bo Sanchez that began last February 7. According to Ai-Ai, she went on the pilgrimage to show gratitude to her Creator for all the blessings she has received.

“I wanted to thank the Lord for all the blessings. Kaysa magpunta ako ng Amerika at mag-shopping-shopping, I told myself it’s better naman kung magnilay-nilay ako,” said Ai-Ai in her interview with Ricky Lo at the showbiz talkshow Startalk TX.

Ai-Ai related that it was such a privilege for her to “be where it all happened—kung saan Siya ipinako. I cried all the way, especially at the Wailing Wall,” recounts the actress.

Besides her feeling of spiritual fulfillment, and her gratitude about yet another movie project, Ai-Ai also expressed her happiness in the love department. “Mukhang ngayon lang ako susuwertehin sa love,” she said briefly.

The Comedy Concert Queen however chose not to divulge details on her blooming romance with reportedly a car company executive. The guy in question, said to be 20 years younger than her, was noted by Ai-Ai to have a striking resemblance with Bong Revilla, Jr.

Sarah Geronimo Denies Rumored Romance with Gerald Anderson

“Pop Princess” Sarah Geronimo was beaming with pride about her upcoming self-titled show Sarah G. Live!” during her February 19 interview at The Buzz. But when asked about her rumored romance with recent movie co-star Gerald Anderson (especially as recently, Gerald gave her a Tiffany necklace as a pre-Valentine gift), the singer turned coy and played the stories down, although, as host Boy Abunda noted, Sarah was in no way able to hide the “kilig factor.”

When asked if she and Gerald went out on a date last Valentine’s Day at Eastwood, Sarah replied, “Grupo po kami noon. May mga kasama po akong friends ko, friends din niya. Kasama ko po si Mommy [Divine]. O sige po, kung gusto n’yong date, e, di group date. O, di ba?”

To another reference about Gerald saying Sarah was “very special” to him, Sarah replied, “Siyempre po, special din sa akin si Gege [her nickname for Gerald]. Kasi naman, nakita ko rin naman…” Sarah then paused before speaking again, laughing, “Sinasanay ko na nga po ang sarili ko sa kilig para hindi ako madala. Dapat matibay na ‘ko diyan, Tito Boy.”

After going on narratives about her mingling with Gerald’s family and how they called each other “Gege” and “Sasa,” and not “Babes” as Boy Abunda inquired, Sarah would later declare that she and Gerald were not officially “on.” “Hindi, hindi po kami. Siyempre po, halimbawa na meron nga kaming relationship ni Gerald, hindi po namin ililihim yun talaga sa inyo. Sa ngayon po, talagang ayoko pong magpadala kami sa pressure.”

Finally she was asked if “nanliligaw ba si Gerald?” And again after much talk about their closeness, and how she’s trying to “huwag pangunahan…and love, hindi natin maididikta yan,” Sarah answered Boy’s question: “Sa akin po, sa pananaw ko, wala naman pong nangyayaring ligawan po sa amin.”

One word: Whatevs.

Pinoy Music Madness

Words by Matt Ching

When it comes to music, you know that Pinoys are mad over it. Whatever genre you place Pinoys in, you will be sure that they will be crazy for music, and that they will be extremely good at it.

That is why every summer, a music festival is held in the Philippines that celebrates local and international music from different genres – the Pulp Summer Slam. Founded and produced by Pulp Live World Productions, Inc., it brings together rock and metal bands, and the occasional performances from ska, reggae, pop rock and hip hop artists.

This event brings in around than 30,000 fans annually. This year, the Pulp Summer Slam is on its 12th year already, and it promises to bring exciting bands and performances from all around.

The Pulp Summer Slam was first produced for the readers of the Pulp Magazine – a magazine which released its first issue in 1999 to cater to rock music fans. The Summer Slam was produced by the magazine’s publisher and concert promoter, Vernon Go.

The Pulp Summer Slam is known for bringing in more than 30 bands to its line-up every year. Rock fans from around the country flock to the venue to celebrate this one-day rock music festival. Known simply as “The Slam” it has become a tradition for rock fans everywhere.

Over the years, the Pulp Summer Slam has improved their lineup of performances by bringing in International acts to headline the event. This caught the attention of rock fans all over the world, and has brought in audiences from Asia.

Previous Pulp Summer Slam events brought in international rock bands like Darkest Hour, Death Angel, Shadows Fall, Lamb of God, Testament, Hellyeah, Anthrax and Nervecell.

Every year, the Summer Slam tries to top the previous year’s with its gimmicks during the concerts. It’s not enough that they bring in a lot of bands, they have to come up with something outrageous that will be talked about for the years to come. In 2007, they produced a moving giant zombie as a backdrop for the Shadows Fall performance. Shadows Fall liked it so much, that they included it in their DVD release.

This year, expect another legendary musical event as Pulp Summer Slam XII: The Apostles brings in more bands, better performances and an even wilder crowd of rock fans.

Moshers get ready to bang your heads and slam your bodies to six international headliners taking the stage: Arch Enemy, blessthefall, Darkest Hour, We Came As Romans, Periphery and August Burns Red plus a handful of the hottest local bands. With a packed roster like that, you know it’s as heavy as it gets. Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City is sure to send out seismic waves in the surrounding vicinity that night.

Now, we take a closer look at the six hard-hitting foreign acts, these messengers of maddening music, in this sure-fire epic event:

Arch Enemy

Arch Enemy are a Swedish melodic death metal band, originally a supergroup, from Halmstad, formed in 1996. Its members were in bands such as Carcass, Armageddon, Carnage, Mercyful Fate, Spiritual Beggars, and Eucharist to name a few. It was founded by Carcass guitarist Michael Amott along with Johan Liiva, who were both originally from the influential death metal band Carnage. The band was originally fronted by Johan Liiva, who was replaced by Angela Gossow as lead vocalist in 2000.

blessthefall

Arizona’s blessthefall stormed to the forefront of the new evolution of the post-hardcore/metalcore genre with the release of critically-acclaimed second album “Witness.” Upon release, the album debuted in the Billboard Top 200 at #56 and the Independent Chart at #6. Having played dates in 16 countries in 2010 in support of Witness, blessthefall stormed into 2011 as part of Soundwave festival in Australia. After returning from the Outback, the band went into writing mode for their third full-length album “Awakening” and started recording in May 2011. The album has been named by Alternative Press as one of 2011’s Most Anticipated Albums. Trying to win over new fans while appeasing the old may be a difficult task for some bands, but blessthefall accept it eagerly as a challenge that they’ll work toward with their forthcoming tours and releases.

Darkest Hour

Some metal bands barely last 10 years, much less 15 years. If a band does get to the decade-and-a-half mark, they’re usually sputtering out or are teetering on their last, diseased and ready-to-give out legs. Rare is the case where an aggressive band mutates, growing stronger, more unstoppable and more menacing with every passing riff, scream and album. Darkest Hour are such a case. And they haven’t yet touched the core of their potential, despite their impressive resume. They’ve done a lot but still have more to do to fulfill their addiction to the music and their commitment to their fans and themselves. Sounds like a beautiful, complicated romance.

We Came As Romans

Since their 2005 inception, We Came As Romans has successfully delivered a refreshing lyrical perspective that focuses on spreading the positive message of being good people and loving one another. Hailing from Troy, Michigan, We Came As Romans are pushing the envelope, combining intertwined singing/screaming vocals, theatrical, orchestra-infused metal, crushing breakdowns and positive lyrics. Through their relentless enthusiasm and dedication to touring, We Came As Romans have proven their ability to win over any and every audience by pouring their hearts out on stage and take “giving 100%” to the next level.

Periphery

Periphery was formed by guitarist Misha Mansoor in 2005. Before and during Periphery’s tenure in the metal scene, Mansoor developed a reputation for doing his own audio production, the majority of which was performed with a home computer and a Pod XT during this period. Between 2005 and 2009, Periphery worked with vocalists Jake Veredika, Casey Sabol and Chris Barretto, gradually moving from a nu metal-influenced sound to a more experimental style, with a focus on innovative production. In 2009, the band announced via their MySpace blog that they had signed a one record deal with Sumerian Records, on which they would release their debut full-length album.

August Burns Red

There are a galaxy’s worth of metalcore bands active today, but stare at all of those stars long enough and some lines start to form; everything starts to take shape. The Constellations begin to bloom. Few years ago August Burns Red were, to the naked eye, just another young band jockeying for position in the modern metalcore scene. Then came Messengers, the band’s 2007 full-length release for Solid State Records, and a new front-runner emerged. Without hype, devoid of any smoke and mirrors, the album debuted at #81 on the Billboard charts, going on to ever-so-quietly sell more than 80,000 copies with their heavy breakdowns and odd-meter riffs.

Water Sports: Now Trending

Words by: John Lomtong
Since the beginning of time, surmounting the tides has always been an age-old challenge that has become a constant fascination and challenge to what the human will and skill can really do.

We Filipinos have always had an obsession for the waters and we’ve always had the benefit of being surrounded by many types of bodies of water across the country. Tailor-made for water activities, the Philippine archipelago was always a fitting destination for water sports enthusiasts, add to that our tropical climes and breath-taking scenery which bumps up the fun a notch. With water all around us, most Filipinos have become divers, surfers and water sports lovers.

Have a fill of extreme routes, exciting obstacles and electrifying adventures as you conquer the waves. Summer and vacation time are upon us! You don’t have to go far to make a splash because we have the best water sports events in the Philippines this 2012!

SAILING
With so many islands to explore, sailing is a must-try sport. Whether it be on the seas or lakes, there is something about it that relaxes the soul. Be it on a boat, yacht, catamaran, jet-ski or rented longtail, getting out on a body of water will always bring a smile to your face. Get off the sandy beaches and out into the blue seas, enjoy the sun, breeze and scenery of the Philippines. Here is our list of races and regattas that offer a great roundabout experience for sailing enthusiasts:

The Philippine Hobie Challenge – An international extreme sailing event for Hobie 16s, cruising yachts, keelboats and multihulls plus a cruising yacht rally that will anchor its way on the 10th to the 18th of March. It is organized by the Philippine Hobie Challenge Foundation with courses set throughout the Philippine islands.

Easter Regatta – A sailing regatta event, open to racing yachts, cruising yachts, keelboats and multihulls, and is organized during the three days leading to Easter Sunday by the Puerto Galera Yacht Club, Mindoro. Mark April 6 to 8 on your calendar.

Commodore’s Cup Regatta – A four day international sailing regatta event organized during the week following Easter to attract the finishers in the South China Sea Race & San Fernando Race. This is open to all racing yachts, cruising yachts, keelboats and multihulls. Prepare to set sail from the 11th to 14th of April.

Independence Day Regatta – This is a two day sailing regatta organized to commemorate the Philippines’ Independence Day, typically held during the weekend closest to the 12th of June.

All Souls Regatta – A sailing regatta event organized by the Puerto Galera Yacht Club during the three-day Halloween holiday weekend at the end of October or beginning of November. Racing yachts, cruising keelboats and multihulls should better prepare for this year’s largest and friendliest sailing regatta.

Punta Fuego Regatta – The regatta event organized by the Punta Fuego Yacht Club during the week following the All Souls Regatta near the beginning of November. Racing yachts, cruising multihulls and sports boats are all booked on the 11th to the 12th of November.

Iloilo Paraw Regatta – It’s a national championship for Paraw sailing regattas held every February off Iloilo City, Panay Island. Currently, the longest running sailing event in the Philippines where native paraw sailing yachts take on the sailing supremacy. Got to wait till next year.

Boracay Paraw Regatta – Another sailing regatta event featuring native paraw racing yachts with the unique outrigger yacht design held every February.

Boracay Cup Regatta – An international sailing regatta in Boracay organized every February as well following the Subic Bay Boracay Race by the Saturday Afternoon Gentlemen Sailors (SAGS) and Subic Bay Yacht Club.

SURFING & SKIMBOARDING
A sport that involves using a board to ride large breaking waves, surfing originated in Hawaii and California and has found its way to our shores. The Philippines offers large waves for surfing enthusiasts and a good training ground for beginners too.

On the other hand, skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing wherein the rider glides on the short break waves close to the shore.

The waters are waving hello for you to come and check out their events:

Mayor’s Cup – A national surfing and skimboarding championship event at the end of March or beginning of April at Dahican Beach, Mati City, Davao Oriental.

National Skimboarding Championship – A meeting of the best of the best, this national challenge usually takes place in the middle of September as part of the annual Tuna Festival in General Santos City, South Cotabato.

Siargao Surfing Festival Cloud 9 – This international surfing cup competition is usually organized during the last week of September at the World-famous Cloud 9 surf break on Siargao Island, Siargao.

WATERSKIING, WAKEBOARDING & WAKESKATING
The popular beaches and lake resorts of the Philippines have long offered facilities for waterskiing, a sport which involves being towed on skis by a motorboat or a cable. Camarines Sur is the best place for this, at the modern Camsur Watersports Complex. For outdoor waterskiing behind a boat, Anchor Bay Water Sports offers great waterskiing around the calm waters of Romblon. Similarly, wakeboarding involves riding on a board to which both feet are bound while being towed across the water by a boat or cable. By riding on the wake, the wakeboarder may fly up and perform stunts in the air. Wakeskating is comparable except the feet are not bound to the board. Destinations for wakeboarders and wakeskaters in the Philippines include Lago de Oro and Taal Lake in Batangas. Don’t miss these events:

Philippine Cable Wakeboard Nationals – Another international attraction, these games are scheduled every last two weekends of October in Camarines Sur. It is organized by the CamSur WaterSports Complex and is a crowd magnet for guest riders and masters of the sport that have graced the occasion since its inception in 2006.

Two fast and exciting months after the New Year and the action just keeps getting stronger. Of course we couldn’t ignore all those high octane gears and premium rotors that bring flare to the competition. That’s why we’re leaving you with an invitation to the Philippines’ only water sports equipment & nautical lifestyle exhibition:

Sea-Ex / Philippine Boat Show – This is an international water sports lifestyle and boat show exhibition event to be held from March 3-5 at the Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

Water sports is the outdoor spectacle that continues to amaze Filipinos and tourists alike. History has watched the tides ever since, from speed to endurance challenges – many forms of these aquatic athletic activities continue to lure the human curiosity. If you want to take a cool break from the string of traditional sports, this is a refreshing way to be active and have fun.

Independent Pinoy Shirt Brands

Words by Matt Ching

NICK AUTOMATIC

Nick Automatic is one of the most popular and sought after brands in the Philippines today. Its trademark cartoon-inspired doodle style has won over a rabid following that literally lines up outside their stores in anticipation of fresh releases. The brainchild of graphic illustrator Nicolo Nimor, Nick Automatic first started in his hometown of Cebu City where the brand immediately made waves with its fresh eye-grabbing designs. Soon after that, Nick Automatic became an even bigger epidemic as it hit Manila and foreign shores. His work is renowned both here and abroad by brands and bands alike. Hustling like crazy all over the country, Nick Automatic opened its own dedicated shop in Cebu (which also carries fellow local brands) and a tie-up with the store Built By Sonic in Manila.

What started as doodles on a piece of paper has now blown up into an empire that aims to showcase homemade products here and the entire world; here to inspire and represent.

Like they say: handmade world domination, one shirt at a time.

THE CLOTHING

“THE – Etymology: Middle English, from Old English the masculine demonstrative pronoun & definite article. It is used as a function word to indicate that a following noun is a unique or a particular member of its class. – Webster Dictionary.”*

They’ve got the beat when it comes to the streets: arts, sports, culture and lifestyle; elements of which they infuse into their limited designs. THE Clothing is all about the artist, place or event; it’s a never-ending collaboration with like-minded people and organizations. The concept of the brand is to release products in a quickstrike manner – designed and released within a short time frame. THE is committed to producing concepts and designs that are fresh and new at the time of the release, as well as, guaranteeing each piece is produced in small numbers so as to not over saturate the market.

GNARLY!

Established in 2008, Gnarly! is a lifestyle brand dedicated to introducing and sustaining a streetwear culture fueled by comics, music, skateboarding, street food, people, and most especially, extreme fun to individuals worldwide.

With a wide range of products that include shirts, hoodies, caps and bags, Gnarly! aims to spread good vibes with its colorful characters namely Fudge, the cute fat boy and Gremgnar, the monster. Gnarly! also is an active collaborator with fellow local brands and organizations. To date they have released shirts together with Nick Automatic, Product of Uranus, Sari-Sari Sounds, Tease and more. Everything about Gnarly! is meant to be a happy reminder for everyone to let go, get rid of all inhibitions, and have the gnarliest time.

As with their food and their driving, Pinoys like to take their sports to the extreme!

Words by: Blessie Adlaon
merican football – it’s fast, it’s physical, it’s a risk to life and limb … it’s fun! But just by looking at the amount of padding and other personal protection the players wear, you can easily see that this is no game for the weak-boned and weak-hearted.

Now imagine playing the same game, but this time, without all that padding. Yes, let’s do away with those helmets and protectors. A clean white shirt, which you can shuck off any time you feel like doing so during the game, is all you need.

And then, instead of a nice textured easy-to-grip leather ball, how about we give the players a smooth, heavy, bulky coconut instead to run around with?

Still not fun enough? Well, hold on. We’re not done yet. How about we cover that big, smooth, heavy coconut with thick grease, to make it even harder to grip? And maybe we could choose a big muddy field to play the game in, for no other reason than to raise the messiness level.

Does that sound fun enough now? Would you dare join a game like that?

Pinoys dare – and they do so every year, in different parts of the country.

We call the game agawan buko. It’s traditionally played during fiesta time. Perhaps you’ve played it yourself in the country, when you were a kid.

If so, then you’ve been initiated to the world of extreme sports, Pinoy style!

Extreme Climbing

When we talk about climbing sports, we often think of mountain climbing or rock climbing.

No doubt, these two sports require skill. No fool would dare deny it.

And yet, we venture to propose that it takes a different level of climbing skill to reach the top when you have no jutting rocks to hold on to, not even the tiniest ledge to step on, and the surface you’re working on has been slathered in grease.

We are, of course, alluding to that extreme Pinoy climbing sport, the palo sebo. Height-wise, it’s hardly daunting. The distance you need to scale is a mere 30 feet. At the top of the pole is the prize, literally up for grabs.

But consider what you need to climb: a smooth bamboo pole, with nothing but its smoothed out notches for your nimble toes to grab on to. And to up the ante a little bit more, some genius thought of coating the bamboo pole with grease. Whatever foothold you get from the bamboo, you’ll lose in half a second from the thick oil.

The secret, of course, is that if you stay at it long enough, you’ll slowly wear the grease off the bamboo and you’ll finally be able to make some headway – that is, if you’re the type who knows how to climb smooth 30-foot bamboo poles in the first place.

But this secret only works if you’re given your own bamboo to work on for an indefinite period of time. If you’ve got to give up your turn to somebody next in line after your time is up, then all you’ll accomplish is to clear off the grease for the guy coming after you, giving him a better chance at getting the prize that you let slip out of your hands.

Extreme Rugby

But perhaps American football was not the best comparison for agawan buko. A game with more similarities to the Pinoy sport would actually be rugby league. Like agawan buko, rugby players wear very little padding, no hard helmets, and they are never interested in tackling anybody but the guy holding the ball.

Like agawan buko too, rugby players never throw the ball forward. (We’re pretty sure, though, that it’s just the rules that prevent them from doing so. With agawan buko, on the other hand – well, we’ve yet to see anybody try to pass a grease-covered coconut forward, or anybody try to catch it, despite the fact that there are no rules and sometimes no referees either to prevent them from making the move.)

Now one day, perhaps some Pinoy realized that agawan buko was still too similar to rugby for comfort. And you know us: we like to be unique.

So somebody decided to take the original Pinoy game and make it even livelier. How? By inventing a “ball” that runs away – a grease-covered suckling pig!

It was pure brilliance. Now, nobody tries to tackle the player who has the ball anymore. Everybody is too busy trying to tackle the ball.

Of course, whether that person who eventually catches the running squealing ball can hold onto his prize long enough to present it to the judges is quite another matter.

Extreme Agility

Lest one gets the impression that all Pinoy sports require grease to be fun, let’s talk about one that requires nothing but clean skill: patintero.

Patintero is a dodging game. One team needs to cross a number of lines, then cross them again to get back to home base. You earn a point each time your whole team is able to return to base.

The other team’s job is to keep the first team from crossing the lines. At each line, a team member is stationed with arms outstretched to make as wide a human barricade as possible.

Only one team member can guard each line, so the more team members there are, the more lines the other team will need to cross.

Now the guards are not allowed to step anywhere but on the lines, but they don’t have to physically man-handle the other team’s players to keep them from crossing. A simple tag is enough to end the game and let the other team have their turn.

There is also often a single vertical line running through the horizontal lines that the first team needs to cross. This single vertical line is also guarded by one member of the other team, so in addition to the runners paying attention to the guards in front of them, they also need to keep watch in case the guard on the horizontal line is approaching to tag them from behind.

Needless to say, one needs a lot of speed and some contortion ability to win in patintero. But it has been done, many times, by Pinoy kids all over the land.

Extreme Racing

Horse racing is the game of the royals. In Ascot, the sport even requires people to have the proper attire, the proper hat – no fascinators, please – just to watch it.

Leave it to the Pinoy to get rid of all the pomp and ceremony of such a sport and get down to basics: we’re looking for speed and thrills.

Now whoever said only horses have speed? If it’s got four legs, we can race it. In other countries, they race camels and elephants.

Certainly, the Pinoy mind figured that if the animal had long, sharp menacing horns and a big, dark, monstrous-looking frame to boot, why that would be equivalent to twice as much fun!

That’s probably how our forefathers came up with the concept of carabao-racing, an annual fiesta event in some of our Philippine provinces such as Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, and Rizal.

The concept is deliciously simple: get a carabao with big long horns, train him for speed, sit on his back, and race him to the finish line.

Those who have been used to imagining the carabao to be a docile, slow-moving animal are in for a surprise when they watch their first race. For their apparent bulk, these animals can go pretty fast!

To speed their animals along even more, the riders have their light whips, just like regular horse jockeys. But there’s one crucial difference between the horse racers and the carabao racers: carabao races are done bareback. No saddles for these farmer-jockeys. And yes, some of them have slipped right off their carabao’s bare back while the animal was galloping at full speed. Then they fall into the mud of the rice paddy, where the races are held. The muddier, the merrier!

After the race, if their animal wins, they go home with a cash prize. If their animal loses, they go home with a pretty fast plower.

So nobody really loses, and everybody – perhaps, even the carabao – had fun.

That’s sports to the extreme, Pinoy style.

GOOD FOOD MADNESS!

Words by: Joan Lopez-Flores

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