"In onion there's strength - in nutrition and popularity."

Shallot, bulb, leak, spring onion  - the saying "in onion there's strength" is true; it is the most complete and most popular vegetable in the world.  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Shallot (sibuyas Tagalog, lasona Ilk) has a longer shelf life 

under ordinary environment than any other type of onion.

  

Just hang the bundle in a dry cool place and it will last for three to six months. And if you are cooking with firewood, hang it where smoke can reach it.  Smoke helps keep its freshness, and protects it from insect (onion beetle), and rot due to bacteria and fungi. 

The large bulb onions - yellow (Yellow Granex) and red (Red Creole) on the other hand, last only for a few weeks after harvest; you need cold storage to extend their shelf life.

If you are after "strength" pick the shallot. It's more than twice pungent and flavorful so that you need a few bulbs for your cooking, or spicing "kilawin."  It cannot qualify though, for onion ring recipes.  In which case, get the bulb onions. For fresh salad and garnish get the leak or spring onion.  You may grow in your backyard or in pots just for fresh leaves which you need now and then for scrabbled egg and soup. 

Facts about the Onion 

The onion (Allium cepa) belongs to the Family of lilies - Liliaceae. The onion is native to Southwest Asia, and it must have been known widely since the Egyptians were eating it in ancient times to add flavor to savory foods. 

Red bulb onion and ornamental lily (photo below) belongs to thew same family

The onion is a nutritious vegetable. It contains zinc, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, dietary fiber, vitamin C and vitamin B6. It contains no cholesterol, sodium or fat. It also contains quercetin, a flavanoid that helps to prevent certain diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer,

There is a warning though, that while onions may be useful to people, they can be unsafe for animals. Cats, dogs, goats and cattle can, among other ailments, become anemic by eating onions. Anemia means they will not have enough red blood cells to be healthy.

Here is a list of Nutrition Facts about the onion in general.

Serving Size 1 cup (160g) Percent Daily Values*

Calories 64, 3%

Total Carbohydrate 14.9 g, 5%

Total Fat 0, 0%

Cholesterol 0, 0%

Dietary Fiber 2.7 g, 11%

Sugars 6.8 g

Protein 4.9 g

Vitamin A 3.2 IU 

Vitamin C 11.8 mg, 20%

Vitamin B6 0.2 mg, 10%

Folate 30.4 mcg, 8%

Calcium 36.8 mg, 4%

Iron .3 mg, 2%

Magnesium 16 mg, 4%

Phosphorus 46.4 mg, 5%

Potassium 234 mg, 7%

Sodium 6.4, 0%

Zinc .2mcg, 1%

Copper 0.1 mg, 3%

Manganese 0.2 mg, 10%

Selenium 0.8 mcg, 1%

Fluoride 1.8 mcg

Alcohol 0.0 g

Water 143 g

Ash 0.6 g

Caffeine 0.0 mg

*Percent (%) Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Acknowledgement: Wikipedia, Internet 

Wolsey Spider - the friendly house spider

Wolsey Spider - the friendly house spider 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Tegenaria parietina is is sometimes known as the cardinal spider because of the legend that Cardinal Wolsey was terrified by this species at Hampton Court during the reign of Henry VIII. In fact Cardinal Wolsey was once the most trusted man of the king, being highly knowledgeable in managing the affairs of the kingdom, and that he was 20 years older which was ideal as the king's adviser.  But Wolsey got the displeasure of the king for the abuse of his power and was vanished. He died before serving punishment for his crime.

Females grow up to 20 mm, males up to 17 mm. Legs are approximately three times longer, although some specimens have legs as large as 7.5 cm with a span between front and rear legs of 14 cm. They are reddish brown. Females can live for up to eight years, while males die shortly after mating. These spiders live mostly in buildings or walls. They look rather similar to T ferruginea. 

Wolsey Spider is actually harmless, it is not poisonous and does not attack or show aggression.  Which makes it "friendly" to be in the house. When we find a Wolsey spider usually carrying an egg case, we simply catch her with a wide mouth bottle and release her where she does her trade - to kill and eat young cockroaches, flies and other insects. 

I like Drynaria

Photos and Poem by Dr Abe V Rotor

Drynaria fern covers the limbs of an acacia tree. Tagudin, Ilocos Sur

I like Drynaria for her feathery foliage in the distance like the proud peacock and the turkey trotting to win favors of their flock;

I like Drynaria for her sturdiness in the wind, cooling the summer air and keeping the coolness of the amihan in December;

I like Drynaria for her resiliency, bending with the limbs and branches, turning upside down and up again the next season;

I like Drynaria for sleeping through the dry months while her host takes the show, verdant green, robust and free;

I like Drynaria for resurrecting from a state of torpor  as if she defies death and perpetuates life while others simply die;

I like Drynaria for her economy in sustenance, living on captured dirt and rain, yet discreet of such austere living;

I like Drynaria for touching the clouds with her host taming it to fall as rain and shared by all creatures around;

I like Drynaria for her ability to multiply fast through invisible spores, in one sweep of the wind are sown in far places;

I like Drynaria for its benevolence to many creatures, tenant and transient, keeping their brood in her bosom;

I like Drynaria giving the martines birds a home, where it sings in joy and praise and thanksgiving for a beautiful world;

I like Drynaria for keeping company to passersby, to tired souls in the shadow with her host, in dark and unlikely hours;

I like Drynaria for giving off oxygen and taking in carbon that poisons the earth and living things, among them no less than I;

I like Drynaria, for caring its host and vice versa through symbiosis - a perfect bond that humans have yet to learn someday. ~

Martines birds, long thought to be extinct in many places, find
shelter and company with the Drynaria, and their host acacia tree.

Wit is the key to a good joke

 Wit is the key to a good joke 

Researched by Dr Abe V Rotor

1. A Fisherman's Lament
A three-pound pull, and a five-pound bite; an eight-pound jump, and a ten-pound fight; a twelve-pound bend to your pole - but alas!  When you got him aboard he's a half-pound bass.  

FISHERMAN: "I tell you it was THAT long!  I never saw such a fish."
FRIEND: "I believe you."

2. Big Fish Caught
A fellow in a lunatic asylum sat fishing over a flower bed.  A visiting doctor, wishing to be friendly asked.

"How many have you caught?" 

Answered the not-so-dumb fisherman, "You are the ninth."

3. Statistics

 "What are the chances of my recovering, doctor?" 

"One hundred per cent.  Medical records show that nine out of ten die of the disease which you have, Yours in the tenth case I've treated. The others all died.  So you see, you're bound to get well.  Statistics are statistics."

4. Romance
A shapely young girl had just married a man of wealth who was more than twice her age.

"I don't believe in these May and December marriages," declared a critical friend.

"Why not?" asked the bride.

"Well, said the friend.  "December is going to find in May the youth, beauty and freshness of spring, but what is May going to find in December?"

The bride's logical answer was, "Santa Claus."

5. Importance of Punctuation
A grade school student was having trouble with punctuation.  

"Never mind, Sonny," said the visiting school board president, consolingly. "It's foolish to bother about commas; they don't amount too much, anyway." 

"Elizabeth Ann," said the teacher. "Please write this sentence on the board: The president of the board says the teacher is misinformed." 

"Now," she continued, "put a comma after the board, and another after teacher."

6. Maximum Punishment
A judge in sentencing a criminal recently said, "I am giving you the maximum punishment - I am letting you go free to worry about taxes, inflation, and everything else, just like the rest of us."

7.  Age
The young co-ed brought a friend home from college, an extremely attractive curvaceous honey-blonde. 

Introducing her friend to her grandfather, the girl added: "And just think, Beverly, he's in his nineties.

"Early nineties, that is," the old gent added. ~

Saving the "Living Farm Machine" from Extinction ( RA 7307: Philippine Carabao Act of 1992}

 Philippine Carabao - a Threatened Species

Facts and Figures

Saving the "Living Farm Machine" from Extinction

RA 7307: Philippine Carabao Act of 1992

Dr Abe V Rotor

Typical Philippine carabaoThe carabao (Spanish: Carabao; Tagalog: Kalabaw; Cebuano: Kabaw; Ilocano: Nuang) is a domestic swamp-type water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) native to the Philippines.

                          Beating the summer heat. Agoo, La Union

The oil and food crisis revived much interest about the lowly water buffalo that nearly relinquished its old-age role to agricultural modernization. Although the animal still serves as a beast of burden on the farm, the fact is that it is now a threatened species in many parts of the world.

As a work animal it is efficient, it requires little maintenance, and depreciates slowly. As a biological unit, it is capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. As an ecological unit, it is key to sustainability in farm production and balance of the ecosystem .

How much do we really know about the water buffalo? Here is a question and answer review:

Q : How is the Asian water buffalo related to the American bison and African buffalo?

A : They are distant relatives although they belong to a common family (Bovidae) and genus (Bos) which also includes the Indian on Zebu cattle, Bali cattle, and all European cattle breeds. Each group has marked characteristics in anatomy, physiology and behavior.

Q : Is cross breeding among these groups possible?
A : Not for water buffaloes which breed strictly within its group (Water buffaloes are grouped under sub-genus Bubalinae. It is known that the other groups can be crossbred with Zebu cattle, and European cattle, bisons and Zebu/European cattle, Bali cattle and European/Zebu cattle.

Q : To what type of water buffalo does the Philippine carabao belong?
A : The Philippine buffalo or carabao, Bubalus carabanesis belongs to the swamp type. Its counterpart, the Indian buffalo, Bubalus bubalis belongs to the river type. It is not indigenous and therefore, is not locally popular.

Q : To what group does the tamaraw belong?
A : The tamaraw, Anoa mindorensis, is a related wild species, and belongs to the same family. Other off-lineages are the Anoa depressionis of Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the seros (Capricornis sumatraensis) of Sumatra.

Q : What colors are water buffaloes distinguished?
A : Buffaloes are predominantly grey, grey-black or normal black. There are however, few white ones or albino. The rarest is the black-and-white which is known to exist only in Toroja, South Sulawesi, which is highly prized for its value in religious offering.

Q : What is the productive life span of a working buffalo?
A : The Philippine carabao is put to continuous work from the age of 4 years up to 15 years, or over.Three females can perform the same work as two males.

Q : How is the draft of buffaloes compared with that of cattle?
A : At 4 to 11 years old male crossbred cattle has a power equivalent to 74 percent that of a 7 to 15 years old male carabao. A native male cattle delivers only 58 percent power. A young 4 to 6 years old male carabao is only half as strong as one twice its age.

Q : Buffaloes feed on low nutritious coarse roughages such as rice straw yet they attain remarkable size and fast growth rate. How do you account for this feat?
A : Surprisingly, they are able to convert low quality rations effectively and live over lengthy periods under conditions unsuitable for other domestic animals. Buffaloes have been found to enjoy high feed conversion efficiency. They have a 5 to 7 percent advantage over Holstein cattle on digestibility coefficients. It is proven that the bacterial count in the rumen of the buffalo especially the large Osillatoria type that aids in digestion, is 10 to 30 times more than in he cow. This is complemented by the longer retention time of the feed thereby further aiding to a more complete digestion.

Q : How long is the gestation of buffaloes and at what age are the calves weaned?
A : 322 days, 40 days more than cattle. Weaning time is 8 to 9 months. Calving interval is 1 1/2 to 2 years, or earlier under a breeding management program.

Q : Is the quality of carabeef is inferior to beef?
A : There is little difference if the slaughtered animals are of the same age.

Q : Buffalo milk is richer than dairy cows' milk. Is this true?
A : True. Buffalo milk is richer in all major nutrients and has much higher total which is important in creaming. Philippine carabao's milk has 9.65 percent fat (4.5 percent higher than Jersey's cow's milk), 5.26 percent protein, 4.24 percent casein, 5.29 percent lactose, 20.36 percent total solids, 0.083 percent chloride, 0.216 percent calcium, and 0.177 percent phosphorous. Philippine carabaos, produce the highest fat and total solids content than any domesticated buffaloes. Local soft white cheese is made from carabao's milk.

Q : How important is the hide of the water buffalo?
A : India and Pakistan are the souces of buffalo hide, while the US, UK, Yugoslavia, Italy and Australia are the major markets. The hide is used for all types of heavy leather manufacture from belts to upholstery, and recently, articles for the fashion world. In the Philippines, we consume a lot of chicharon which is made of carabao hide, kare-kare which is partly skin of the animal, and a favorite pulutan called caliente, softened thin slices of hide spiced heavily with ginger, onion and red pepper.

Q : How do carabaos contribute to ecological balance?
A : Firstly, their mud wallows serve as abode of useful organisms including edible snails, frogs, mudfish and shrimps which use them also as aestivating place during summer. When the monsoon rains come, the population of these organisms readily increases to the delight of farmers who depend on them for food. Secondly, they are agents, in fact, biological machine in recycling waste and residues on the farm.

Q : What value has the excreta of the animal?
A : it is a good organic fertilizer containing 18.5 percent nitrogen, 43.7 percent phosphoric acid, and 9.6 percent potash. It is a good source of fuel either as dried dung, or in generating biogas. By the way, per capital solid waste output is 18.8 kg. per day or 6,896 kg. annually. Thirdly, it is mixed with clay as a building material or as a plaster on the ground where palay is threshed.

With the efforts of the Philippine Carabao Research and Training Center* based at Central Luzon State University (Muñoz, Nueva Ecija), and its regional and provincial centers, carabao population is expected to increase not only for farm power but for meat and dairy, ecological significance notwithstanding.



Romantic countryside scene with the Philippine carabao by national artist, Fernando Amorsolo


-----------------------------------------------------
* The Philippine Carabao Center (Sentro ng Kalabaw sa Pilipinas or Sentro ng Pilipinas para sa Kalabaw an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, was established at Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija province in 1992 to breed and cross carabao based on high-yield Murrah buffalo (native breed of Haryana state of India) in the Philippines as a multi-purpose animal that can be raised for milk, meat, hide, and draft. It was set up in 1992 on a 40 hectares (99 acres) piece of land donated by Central Luzon State University on its main campus, initially with 6 network centers in 1992. 7 more network centers were added in 1994 bringing the total to 13. The bill was sponsored by then senator Joseph Estrada and eventually enacted as a law through Republic Act 7307 i.e. the Philippine Carabao Act of 1992. RA 7307 was enacted into law during my term as consultant on food and agriculture under the chairmanship of the late Senator Butz Aquino. It is indeed a very significant piece of legislation considering the spiraling cost of mechanized farming, and the precarious state of the carabao as a threatened species. NOTE: Dr Rotor served as consultant on food and agriculture committee of the Senate of the Philippines in the drafting and passage of o the Carabao Act of 1992.
------------------------------------------------------------------
The presence of the carabao on Philippine landscape adds aesthetics to rural life. National artist Fernando Amorsolo was fond of portraying the carabao is his paintings of countryside. ~

 

Quaint countryside scene - carabao race, a popular sport during barrio fiesta. (Internet)

Let us not underestimate this lowly beast of burden. It is Nature's most efficient farm machine capable of providing food, articles of trade and services. It requires little maintenance and depreciates very slow. The carabao generally enjoys perfect health and long productive life. There is some truth in the aphorism that "a sick carabao is a dead carabao".


Reference: Living with Nature in Our Times, by AV Rotor UST
---------

RA 7307 - Philippine Carabao Act of 1992

Philippine Carabao Center, Central Luzon State University (CLSU),
Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija


Republic Act No. 7307: An Act Creating the Philippine Carabao Center to Propagate and Promote the Philippine Carabao and for other Purposes


SECTION 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Philippine Carabao Act of 1992”.


SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — The Constitution provides that the State shall develop a self-reliant and independent national economy effectively controlled by Filipinos. It also provides that the State shall support indigenous, appropriate, and self-reliant scientific and technological capabilities, and their application to the country’s productive systems and national life. Towards this end, the State shall establish various programs to conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide.

Dairy products from carabao's milk

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean:
a) “Philippine Carabao Center” refers to the National Carabao Center at the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, the other carabao centers in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, and those that will be created pursuant to this Act:
b) “Draft animal power” refers to power provided by the carabao as a farm animal;
c) “Smallholder farmer” refers to a farmer owning or cultivating five (5) hectares or less of farmland;
d) “Semi-Commercial Production” refers to the raising of twenty (20) to forty-nine (49) carabaos.


SECTION 4. Creation of the Philippine Carabao Center. — There is hereby created a Philippine Carabao Center, hereinafter referred to as the PCC which shall under the supervision and control of the Department of Agriculture.


SECTION 5. Powers and Functions of the PCC. — The PCC shall have the following powers and functions:
a) Conserve, propagate and promote the Philippine carabao as a source of draft animal power, meat, milk, and hide;
b) Enable the farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries to avail themselves of good quality carabao stocks at all times and at reasonable prices through an organized program of production, breeding, training and dispersal;
c) Undertake training programs for farmers, particularly smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries, designed to transfer technology on the proper care and reproduction of the carabao and the processing of its meat and milk;
d) Encourage backyard dairy development in rural areas by raising carabaos so as to meet the nutrition needs of the smallholder farmers and their families and reduce dependence on imported milk by-products;
e) Undertake research activities in all disciplines that lead to the improvement of the over-all productivity of the Philippine carabao;
f) Increase the existing annual population growth of the Philippine carabao to keep pace with human population growth; and
g) Enter into memoranda of agreement and received donations through the Department of Agriculture from local and foreign sources. Upon the recommendation of the PCC Advisory Board, the individual carabao centers may enter into agreements directly with funding agencies through their respective board of regents or head of agency.


SECTION 6. Priorities. — The PCC shall give priority to the following activities:
a) Increase in carabao population and productivity;
b) Development of feeding systems for backyard and semi-commercial production, improving reproductive efficiency, physiology and schemes to reduce losses caused by parasites and diseases;
c) Reproduction, breeding, nutrition and animal health;
d) Socio-economic researches to ensure economic viability and acceptance of technology by farmers and
e) Development of appropriate technologies that are cost-effective, simple and practical.

At least thirty (30) to fifty (50) percent of the carabaos maintained/propagated by each carabao center shall be of the pure native/indigenous stock to ensure the preservation of the Philippine carabao and provide option to the farmers.


SECTION 7. PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall be composed of the following:


a) Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or his representative, as Chairman;
b) Undersecretary for Regional Operations, Department of Agriculture, as Vice Chairman;
c) Executive Director, Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Research and Development (PCARRD);
d) Chancellor of the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB) and presidents of Central Luzon State University (CLSU), Central Mindanao University (CMU), Cagayan State University (CSU), Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union, Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA), West Visayas State University(WVSU)in Iloilo, University of Southern Mindanao (USM), and the president of the state college or university where a carabao center may be established pursuant to this Act;
e) Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry;
f) Executive Director of PCC; and
g) Farmers’ representative to be appointed by the Board.


SECTION 8. Functions of the PCC Advisory Board. — The PCC Advisory Board shall perform the following functions;
a) Formulate policies, programs and projects for the development of the Philippine carabao;
b) Review and recommend the annual budget of the PCC;
c) Evaluate the implementation, efficiency and effectiveness of the program and projects of the PCC; and
d) Recommended the establishment or abolition of carabao centers as may be deemed necessary.

SECTION 9. Executive Director of PCC. — The Executive Director of the PCC shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The Executive Director of the PCC shall perform the following functions:
a) Oversee the implementation of the policies, programs and projects of the PCC;
b) Assist the PCC Advisory Board in the review, evaluation and monitoring of the Carabao Program; and
c) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the PCC Advisory Board.


SECTION 10. Appointment of Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — The Directors or Project Leaders of the carabao centers shall be appointed by the respective board of regents or head of agency.


SECTION 11. Functions of the Directors or Project Leaders of Other Carabao Centers. — Subject to the policies of the PCC, the Directors or Project Leaders of other carabao centers shall perform the following functions:
a) Administer the policies, program and projects of the PCC in their respective centers;
b) Recommend the creation of divisions and sections including the staffing pattern of the centers;
c) Prepare the budget of their centers;
d) Approve the expenditures of their respective budgets;
e) Recommend to their respective head of agency the appointment of personnel or consultants;
f) Recommend policies, programs and projects to the Executive Director of the PCC; and
g) Perform such other functions as may be assigned by the Executive Director of the PCC.


SECTION 12. Implementation and Coordination of the Program. — The PCC Advisory Board through the Executive Director shall coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the carabao program.


It shall identify, through the Directors of carabao centers and Project Leaders from the various implementing stations, the programs and projects in the areas of reproduction, breeding, distribution, nutrition, animal health, and processing of carabao meat and milk.


It shall formulate strategies relative to the reproduction and distribution of the Philippine carabao. Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao shall initially have total of thirteen (13) carabao centers.


The Centers in Luzon shall be located at U.P. Los Baños (UPLB) in Laguna; Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Nueva Ecija; Cagayan State University (CSU) in Cagayan; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in Ilocos Norte; and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union.

The Mariano Marcos State University also referred to by its acronym MMSU, is a higher education institution with campuses and facilities throughout Ilocos Norte province in the Philippines. Its main campus is in Batac. MMSU is the regional carabao center for Region I (Ilocos Region)

The centers in Visayas shall be at La Carlota Stock Farm in Negros Occidental; Ubay Stock Farm in Bohol; Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA) in Leyte; and West Visayas State University in Iloilo.

The centers in Mindanao shall be at Central Mindanao University (CMU) in Bukidnon; University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in Cotabato; Mindanao State University in Marawi City and Mindanao Livestock Development Complex in Kalawit, Labason, Zamboanga del Norte.

These centers shall specialized in the development of technology on reproduction, breeding, nutrition, animal health and processing of meat and milk.

SECTION 13. Farmer’s Participation. — The farmer-participants shall be encouraged to establish strong farmers associations or cooperatives to serve as focal point for government assistance in the propagation and dispersal of Philippine carabaos and dissemination of technology on the carabao.

SECTION 14. Beneficiaries. — The beneficiaries of the CARP and those under Presidential Decree No. 27, and other smallholder farmers shall be given priority in the carabao dispersal program.

SECTION 15. Participation of the Department of Agriculture and Local Government Units. — The carabao centers, the regional and provincial offices of the Department of Agriculture, specifically the Bureau of Animal Industry, and the local government units shall implement a carabao dispersal and propagation program within their respective areas in accordance with the national policy and program of the PCC. The PCC shall adapt a national dispersal program to primarily benefit the smallholder farmers and CARP beneficiaries. Any income from the sale of the carabao shall be placed in a revolving fund to be used in the propagation and distribution of carabaos.

SECTION 16. Use of Funds. — Not more than thirty percent (30%) of funds allocated under this Act and in subsequent annual appropriations shall be used for personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses, ten percent (10%) for research and development, sixty percent (60%) for carabao dispersal and distribution.

SECTION 17. Annual Report. — The PCC submit an annual report to the Office of the President, the Senate, and the House of Representatives indicating among others the number of carabaos distributed and the names of the beneficiaries.

SECTION 18. Transfer of Carabao Programs to the PCC. — Upon approval of this Act, this existing carabao programs and projects implemented by various agencies shall be transferred to the PCC.

SECTION 19. Appropriation. — The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law and thereafter.

SECTION 20. Separability Clause. — If any part, section, or provision of this Act shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the rest of the provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SECTION 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly: Provided; however, That nothing in this Act shall amend, modify or repeal the provisions of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code.

SECTION 22. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. ~

Mushroom-Tokwa Barbecue - for a change, for good health

Dr Abe V Rotor 

 Leo Carlo, chef and inventor of MTB

 Shitake mushroom, TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein)

 from soy bean, plus green bell pepper 

 

Make your own version - add fresh ripe tomato. 

Culinary art, here's the thrill
on the porch or backyard,
makeshift kitchen of simple grill,
on days dull and hard.

Mushroom for meat, tokwa for fat,
bell pepper and tomato,
capsicine, lycopene for the heart
brain and kidney too.

eating while cooking - oh, the fun!
the household whole
in modest Bacchanalian
happy to the full.~

Gladiator kites

Dr Abe V Rotor

It's a game fought up in the sky.  It’s the string that is the target more than the kite itself. This is how we did it in our plaza in San Vicente where we used to fly kites come harvest time, in the months of October and November. 
 
Author prepares the frame of a kite; kids flying kite at harvestime (painting by the author) 

At that time there was no nylon or monofilament, so it was the good old cotton thread, “numero viente” we used, which is the standard for kite string then. We would pound broken glass finely and mix it with egg yolk, then coat it on the kite string. When it gets dry the string is like
sandpaper (papel de liha).

 Here we go. The opponent’s kite and our kite are flown simultaneously. And when both kites are sufficiently stable in the air, we bring the two kites at striking distance, until the strings get entangled. Now the fight is whose kite falls – or which string breaks. Most often it is the string that spells victory. You can imagine the loser running after his kite across the fields, over fences and making sure no one gets ahead to retrieve it. A loose kite is everybody’s, and ends up to somebody.~

WARNING: Never play this game.  It is very dangerous. Games had their own time.

Little Gladiators - Game and Gamble, too

Little Gladiators - Game and Gamble, too

Dr Abe V Rotor

Do you still play native games and sports? At least you remember the games you played on the countryside when you were a child. Or occasionally watch old folks playing the games in their own time.

Here are traditional games, many of them endangered. There are contemporary games which have traditional roots, while others are simply versions on old ones.

1,  Spider Gladiators – Spiders are by nature ferocious and they attack even their own kind. Why, we do not find spiders living in group. It is because they will always try to defend their niche and will resort to kill any intruder. Even in mating the male which is smaller may end up instead as a meal. It is for this trait that this sport takes advantage of. Curious kid as we were, we would conceal our spider gladiator in empty individual match boxes. The matchmaker arranges the duel between two similar species of the same size.
 Gagambang Hari
The contest starts. Actually it is a game of death. Some people even bet to the point of gambling, especially for large spiders like the gagambang hari which measures up 5 inches from tip of front leg to tip of the hind leg. Tarantulas, other than being rare, are docile and would rather try to scare off their enemies before considering any bloody confrontation.

Our folks used to warn us, “Beware of the black widow spider!” We kids would hesitate to capture any unusual kind of a spider. The skull and crossbones insignia embosomed on the back of the black widow is still fresh in my mind. By the way, whatever kind of spider you find, take precaution; there are cases of allergy from spider bite and from inhaling hair dust specially during molting.
2. June Beetle Gladiators – Raise the tough outer pair of wings of this seasonal insect (Leucopholis irrorata) in a perpendicular position and clip it together with the split end of a barbecue stick five inches long. Do the same thing on another beetle of the same size so that each one faces the opposite direction. Draw a line between the two gladiators equidistant to each other. The contest begins. The struggle goes on until the stronger beetle pulls its opponent across the line and wins. A second or third round may be necessary to resolve any doubt.


June beetle (left), green beetle and Japanese beetle are generally called June beetles.  They emerge from the soil in June or as early as May, thus are also called May beetles.  


3. Rhinoceros Beetle Gladiators – Oryctes rhinoceros is coconut beetle known as u-uang (Tag) orbarra-irong (Ilk). The larva (grub) bores and feeds on the growing bud of the coconut. The males have horns which naturally makes fierce looking. The females on the other hand, have no horns and are relatively docile. During the mating season the males ferociously fight over their mates, a ritual that may last for hours, and this is what makes them favorite gladiators especially among the Thais who bet heavily on them like fighting cocks. The game is celebrated on a national scale during the emergence of the beetle usually from April to June. It is a traditional game for all ages and classes, lately the rearing of fighting beetles known as kwang has evolved into business in as much as the game has transformed into big time gambling.

Male Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes rhinocerus)

Shielded by a tough armor made of chitin, the male is reminiscent of a medieval knight - clean, shiny, compact, and armed with horns. Normally the horn comes in a pair, vertically positioned, but in some species the horns form a trident with the lateral pair as long and as pointed as the central horn. Horns may reach a third of the body length of the insect, but these are more decorative than functional, except that in the insect world the horns are a deterrent to potential predators, and are used by the insect to bluff its own rival.

4. Beetle “kite” – It’s a game we children on the farm played when the salagubang (L. irrorata) finally emerges at the onset of the rainy season, usually in May or as early as April, although the insect normally comes out of the ground in June, hence its name – June beetle. We would tie the end of a thread like a kite on the pair of hind legs, then make the insect fly into the air. The beetle that flew the highest and the longest won. But we had to repeat the game over and over until the insect is exhausted, and then we replace it with fresh ones – or until we ourselves got tired.
  Comments:

Angela said...

I usually do witness these games when I go to the province. Children would tie a string on the salagubang and let it the poor insect fly around while being bound. However, for me, it is not really a pleasing sight. Not because I hate to see the poor insect suffer but because I just don't like insects.
MANARANG, Angela Therese C.
4CA2

March 5, 2009 3:52 AM 

darrel said...

When I pass by in our street I saw children holding a matchbox with different species of spider. Spiders are being played by the children and even the older one. They put the two spiders in battle and the one who falls down first is the loser.

March 5, 2009 3:59 AM 

darrel said...

I want to collect the different species of spiders. We should also take care of them because they are very important in our eco system.

March 5, 2009 4:04 AM 

darrel said...

Ever since I was a child I have been very grossed out by spider webs. I was afraid of spiders as a child and would scream and cry if a spider was in.

March 5, 2009 4:06 AM 

darrel said...

When I was a child I have been very grossed out by spider webs. I was afraid of spiders as a child and would scream and cry if a spider was in my room until one of my parents or sister would come and remove the invader.

March 5, 2009 4:59 AM 

annetukinn said...

I’m really missing these native games. I remember how my cousin, who’s in Batangas, would keep his spiders in a customized spider-box. He used matchboxes, and put divisions for each of his spider. It’s sad, howeve, that I don’t see kids nowadays collecting spiders or having fun with beettles.

March 5, 2009 9:23 AM 

Erick said...

In the first time, my friends used to catch spiders and beetles and make them fight. I thought it was bad, but later on I envious to their happiness, I also try to catch one and made a battle with them. I forgot the name of my spider but I used to put it in a matchbox or garapon and give him some flies or little worms for food. Is it bad? To play with the spiders or beetles? Well, I was a kid that time and all I know was to play. :)
-Erick I-BA-

March 7, 2009 5:32 PM 

darwin XD said...

sir, i caught one last night i think it is a rhinoceros beetle it had a horn-like on his head. i throw it on the sky to release it because it is very rare to one on this kind of day because of the pollution and industrialization and cutting down trees.

March 11, 2009 8:23 AM 

angelicapascual said...

When I was a kid, my busmates used to play spiders on a matchbox. They used to play it every dismissal time. My busmates playing these kind of game are not boys, they are girls and I think they enjoy playing it. :)

March 17, 2009 3:52 AM 

abelene marie said...

i really love seeing young boys in our street playing this kind of game but i am very sad when i see those little spider and beetles losing their head and even their feet after every fight. but it is a tradition for most young men today they are enjoying from what was happening to their so called "pamato sa laban".

March 26, 2009 2:46 AM