alan cortez

saba

Saba is native to the Philippines (hangang ancient times sabi.) It's the Latundan, a cultivar (cultivation by selective breeding), that was brought here from India by Claude Letondal a French Clergyman.

carl

Karl Cahaton and Eman Paelmo have been friends since grade school. For the past 20 years Carl has played Jesus Christ during Paete's Senakulo, the drama of Holy Week. Carl on his mountain bike dropped by Eman's Mustard Studio, the converted garage where he does his art, works on acoustic guitars, sells art and music paraphernalia, and most impressively has a small library of books where children often congregate in the late afternoon. The whole time of his visit Carl and Eman talked about guitars, excited about their planned visit to Pakil to see Mang Nelson who collects old vintage guitars.

peping, aka Eugenio cadapan

Barangay 2-Matoong Paete Laguna:

"Peping" stopped by this morning. We talked briefly about basketball photography technique, over Kopiko Black. Then, we talked about Alex Baluyot who lives nearby in Laguna, Alex's days with the Manila Bulletin. He mentioned "Gono," ang ibang kasama ni Alex noon sabi nya. He mentioned photographer Sonny Camarillo who was also a Nikon dealer that had several shops in Manila. Locally here in Paete, Peping and Eman of Mustard Studio both mentioned photographer Kafu Afurong who just recently passed away. We talked about Manuel Morato of MRCTV, who was the son of once QC mayor Thomas Morato. Peping said he also new Mario Erlandez, photographer of the first lady, and Nestor Rivera a commercial photographer based in Makati. As I showed him some of my drawings, we drifted off into talking about Oscar Advento of the Phil Cartoon animation company. 

Peping and I hope to spend some time photographing basketball, and some landscapes of the many scenic sights here in Laguna Province known to the locals, but only a mystery to me yet to solve. I noticed a cool breeze often blows through Barangay 2-Matoong Paete, especially during Pluto Time. 

I'm reminded of the Balete tree, (especially the 500 year old one in Sequijor that I visited in 2018). These trees hold a lot of spirit.

Woman of Biliran

Happy Birthday woman of Biliran. Lola now, who as a youth stole her father's small boat to gather seawater to make salt, and fought the school bullies, and ventured farther out to forbidden zones to harvest coconuts and bananas. She is Lola now, forever mother to the islands, speaking different dialects, one with the white sands that slide beneath emerald waters close to shore. Waray warrior queen. She is Lola now to us all.

Condolences

CondolencesUntil now words cannot be found.Each day, it was only moments ago that it happened.Each day, words wander incoherently in a desert searching for your tears......that precipice, to fall once again upon fertile ground.But each day, moments ago time is an an unfathomable distance......just the way