15 Ilocano Verses: Paslep (Tempered Steel) - San Vicente IS Series

San Vicente IS Series
15 Ilocano Verses:

Paslep (Tempered Steel)

The Ilocano language of Northern Philippines is among the richest languages in the world. It is primarily because it is a homegrown language that naturally grew with the unique culture of the Ilocanos. It is pictureque, musical to the ear, full of imagery, and rich in vocabulary - which these verses reflect.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Paslep is originally Ilocano, a process and product at the same time of hardening steel through tempering, which was developed long before the coming of the Spaniards. The term has no counterpart in other dialects in the Philippines, not even Tagalog. These verses also reflect universal beliefs and truth, which is characteristically Ilocano amidst the influences of other cultures and the advancement of civilization towards postmodernism.

Paslep is originally Ilocano, a process and product at the same time of hardening steel through tempering, which was developed long before the coming of the Spaniards. The term has no counterpart in other dialects in the Philippines, not even Tagalog. These verses also reflect universal beliefs and truth, which is characteristically Ilocano amidst the influences of other cultures and the advancement of civilization towards postmodernism.

 

Blacksmith, an enduring craft in the Ilocos Region

1. Aggidyat to
Dagiti agpapada,
Kalpasanna.
Things similar may ultimately differ.

2. Mangriing
Dagiti bin-i.
Ceres ken tudo.
A good crop is nurtured by rain and providence.
(Ceres is the Goddess of Bounty in Greek mythology)

3. Bilin ni Tatang:
Kasu-uran adaywam.
Agbal-balasang.
Take it from the old folks, being too homely makes one an old maid.

4. Agtubo manen
Dagiti ruru-ot,
Sagut gurruod.
Weeds are back with the rainy season.

5. Paludip laeng,
Napunuan ti balikas,
Libro ni ayat.
The language of true love may be simple but deep.

6. Ayatennak pay
No irugita manen?
Ay, papaaweng.
Love the second tiime around may lack sincerity.

7. Karu-otan
Paggappuan ti uram,
Ken billit tuleng.
Fire warning on a grassy knoll may fall on deaf ear.
(Take heed of potential danger.)

8. Agmulat’ pagay
Inladawanna’t pader,
Nakasapatos pay.
"You can't grow rice on the blackboard." (Theory and practice are different. Things are easier said than done.)

9. Natartaripato,
Marmargaayan,
Matmatay.
Too much care and too much bounty lead to slow death. (Tender trap)

10. Ayat nga nagpayat
Umay, pumanaw,
Agnaed bassit.
Love has wings, it comes but briefly and leaves.

11. Agpilpilika
Ti ayat nga kayatmo,
Freud wenno Plato.
Physical (Freudian) or purist (Platonic) love - it's your choice

12. Burburti: Agpal-pallelang,
Bumab-baba ti init,
Maturog mamen.
A riddle: Acacia, its leaves droop as the sun sets.

13. Pitak ken ling-et
Paslep ti Oktubre
Makasisirap.
"Golden harvest is earned from hard work."

14. Panagipalangip:
Saan mo nga garawen.
Malinlinay.Never stir rice to hasten its cooking.

15. Aginanan ni Maestro,
Imminum ti Hemlock.
Ballegi!
There is glory in death. (Socrates obligingly faced death clinging to his philosophy that changed the thinking of man. Similarly Rizal's death was victory to Filipinos.) Ilocos Paslep blacksmith Photos

Symbolism of Paslep

Lola and grandchildren. Strong family ties is a characteristic of Ilocanos even in the absence of parents who are working abroad.

Strong cultural ties: Rondalla plays Ilocano romantic and idyllic musical

compositions like Pamulinawen and Manang Biday. Maestro Anselmo Pelayre of San Vicente, Ilocos Sur ranks with composers Nicanor Abelardo and Antonio Molina.

* Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday

High Rise Ruins An artist's concept of Neo-Babel Syndrome.

High Rise Ruins

An artist's concept of Neo-Babel Syndrome.

Dr Abe V Rotor

High rise building ruins with apocalyptic background made of 
termite wood remnants (Twin frames 18" x 12" and 14" x 8") 
by AVRotor 2020 

Beautiful is a high rise indeed, its glory seems forever,

its pinnacles pierce the blue sky, passing clouds into rain,

shrouded by smog and acid rain, in red and lavender;

yet all told, slowly rises the remains of a city lost in vain,

a jungle like remnants of termites, with nothing to gain. ~

Convergence in Nature (4 scenes)

Convergence in Nature 

(4 scenes)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Convergence in Nature, detail of painting by AV Rotor 2017

To see the world in every living tree,

And Heaven in dawn’s solemnity;

Hold infinity in birds flying free

And eternity in peace and unity.

Adapted from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence

Convergence in harmony in acrylic by the author, 2021

So wide the sky, limitless and free,

yet trees converge where I stand

in awe and wonder at the harmony,

and feeling blest by Nature's crown.

Algae in acrylic by the author, 2021

En masse, indistinct, these algae 

make the pond green and alive;

home of the living minutiae,

only under the lens can be seen. 

Bouquet in acrylic by the author, 2022

Standout in a bouquet to be seen,

red among lesser flowers;

wonder this scenario in a garden,

or into petals as showers. ~

Backyard Wildlife Series: Balloon Frog

 Backyard Wildlife Series: Balloon Frog  

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Balloon Frog - Uperodon globulosus (U. systoma?)

I don't know your true name, and never did care

ever since I was a child; 

you were, as other kids on the farm, called you

 tukak bat-og  - fat bellied;

our ways parted: I, to school, and you, to where

fantasia had ended;

endangered almost to extinction, I was told;

but down the river bed, 

I found you like the Phoenix bird resurrected,

where I never threaded.
  

Uperodon systoma is known under many different common names: indistinct frog, marbled balloon frog, and lesser balloon frog. As the common names suggest, Uperodon systoma have a very stout appearance with a relatively small head. They grow up to 64 mm (2.5 in) in snout–vent length.

It lacks teeth, an unusual feature probably related to their diet that (after metamorphosis) consists mainly of termites and ants, with other insects appearing in smaller numbers. It is suggested that in capturing such small but spatially clustered prey items teeth would not be very useful; instead, the prey are gathered using their tongue. It is a fossorial species that buries itself in soil. These frogs have been observed in a number of habitats, such as dry forests, plains, gardens, and agricultural areas. Adults are only seen during the summer monsoons; otherwise they retreat into the soil. Feeding may be concentrated to rainy nights during the monsoon when termites emerge to swarm. 

Breeding takes place during the monsoon rains when the males call from the banks of streams and paddy fields. Eggs are laid in water where they float. 

Ecology Wall Mural: "Mirror of Nature on the Wall"

 Ecology Wall Mural:
"Mirror of Nature on the Wall"

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all? 

This wall mural tells and warns us before the Fall. 

Mural Paintings and Verses by Dr Abe V Rotor

Orangutan and her baby perched in a tree their home -
mother and child model in the wild - and for whom?

A pair of gray herons patiently stalks for prey,
no fast food, no detritus even if it takes a day.

Too small a herd, remnant of an endangered kind;
bless he who has seen a deer free, it's a lucky find.

Kakapo, macaw, or parrot talking birds and colorful;
Bird of Paradise the rarest and brightest of them all.

Serene these creatures live in peace and harmony;
wouldn't we humans wish - if only there were many?

Nest atop a tree a mother hawk takes care of her brood;
scenario we wish, rather than living on the busy road.

A pair of love birds "'til death thou us part" bound;
while a third warns of danger stalking the ground.

A boa constrictor poised to strike or just resting,
makes a story symbolic, fearful, interesting.

Butterflies and bees too, have their share of the scene;
fluttering, buzzing in disguise, discreet on the screen.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all?
This wall mural tells and warns us before the Fall. ~

Reflection of a Lake

 Reflection of a Lake   

Dr Abe V Rotor

Lake in a lake, Laguna Bay (View from Mt Makiling)

 

A rainbow forms a cathedral in the sky.

The trees bow in deciduous obedience.

The lake mirrors the sun,

shimmers in dancing ripples

As the Siberian High combs the fields and hills,

while a flock of herons follows the setting sun -

and for not so long the day is gone.

Ephemeral these views are in make-believe story,

yet they live in lasting memory.

A retreat by the lake recreates

the biblical scenes around the Sea of Galilee,

And the undulating woods echo the holy words

of the Sermon on the Mount.

Atop the hill appears a silhouette that brings

the faithful to his knees.

Imagery, more powerful than reason, rekindles faith,

faith that lights the torch to reason for being,

and the reason for living. ~

Remembering GOMBURZA Today: A Tribute to Fr Jose Burgos

A tribute to Fr. Jose Burgos, Filipino martyr who championed the cause of the native clergy, on the occasion of his birth and death anniversary which falls in the month of February (Feb 9, 1837 – Feb 17, 1872) 

Dr Abe V Rotor

The author (holding trophy) and family pose with provincial leaders led by Governor Ryan Singson (4th from right) after receiving the Fr Jose Burgos Achievement award.

A Reprint (PNA) Feb 4, 2015
Award conferred on Ilocano scientist, 12 others in ongoing 2015 Kannawidan Ylocos Festival

VIGAN CITY, Feb.4 (PNA) — A well-known Ilocano book author and scientist led 13 sons and daughters of Ilocos Sur who made their province proud in their chosen fields of endeavor received this year’s prestigious “Father Jose Burgos Awards” from Ilocos Sur Governor Ryan Luis Singson.

Singson conferred the Father Jose Burgos achievement award on Dr. Abercio Rotor, a native of San Vicente, Ilocos Sur in a simple rite Sunday at the President Quirino Stadium during the on-going 8th Kannawidan Ylocos Festival in Vigan, which began January 29 and will end February 13. 

2015 Fr Jose P Burgos Achievement Awardees with provincial officials of Ilocos Sur. Dr Rotor is seen at the center, uppermost row. 

Rotor was an award-winning author of “The Living with Nature Handbook” (Gintong Aklat Award 2003) and “Living with Nature in Our Times” (National Book Award 2008).

Rotor is presently professor of the University of Santo Tomas; school-on-air instructor, (Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid, winner of Gawad Oscar Florendo for Development Communication) DZRB 738 KHzAM Band, 8 to 9 o’clock evening, Monday to Friday.), an outstanding teacher in the Philippines (Commission on Higher Education – CHED 2002); a Filipino scientist (DOST-Batong Balani);

He was also former director of the National Food Authority and consultant on food and agriculture of the Senate of the Philippines.

Other Father Burgos Awardees were Dr. Florencio Padernal, the incumbent administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), for public service; Justice Mansueto Villon, for foreign service; Rowena Adalla, for education; Leonardo Aguinaldo, for arts; Danilo Bautista, for Iluko literature; Professor Ocarna Figuerres, for education and research; Dr. Samson Sol Flores, for dentistry and philanthropy; and Professor Mario Obrero, for education and research.

Special Father Jose Burgos awardees were given to Engineer Alberto Balbalan and family, model OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker of Burgos, Ilocos Sur; Amelita Daproza, for agriculture; Lovely Ann Joy Lazo and Samantha Gloria Singson, both for academics.

Singson said that this year’s awardees were some of the Ilocos Surians, who have excelled in their fields of expertise and whose achievements will continue to inspire the young generations in the province.

The conferment of the Father Jose Burgos Award, the most prestigious award for residents- achievers from Ilocos Sur, started in 2008 under the term of then Governor Deogracias Victor B. Savellano which was made as one of the main highlights in the first Kannawidan Ylocos Festival that commemorated the 190th foundation day of Ilocos Sur as separate province by virtue of a Spanish Royal Decree on February 2, 1818. (PNA)

Father Jose Burgos - Idealist, Scholar and Hero.  He opened the gateway to Philippine Independence from Spain

I am transported back in history as I receive this prestigious award, 143 years ago to be exact; there I see a very young Filipino priest, together with two other priests, being garroted to death. I cry with my heart out to stop the barbaric, dastardly act. But then I realize what martyrdom truly means, and that is, death brings forth a new beginning, a new life, new hope from the cause for which the martyr gives his life.

--------------------
Burgos was the last, a refinement of cruelty that compelled him to watch the death of his companions. He seated himself on the iron rest and then sprang up crying: “But what crime have I committed? Is it possible that I should die like this. My God, is there no justice on earth?”

A dozen friars surrounded him and pressed him down again upon the seat of the garrote, pleading with him to die a Christian death. He obeyed but, feeling his arms tied round the fatal post, protested once again: “But I am innocent!”

“So was Jesus Christ,’ said one of the friars.” At this Burgos resigned himself. The executioner knelt at his feet and asked his forgiveness. “I forgive you, my son. Do your duty.” And it was done.

(Veneracion quotes Leon Ma. Guerrero’s The First Filipino: “We are told that the crowd, seeing the executioner fall to his knees, suddenly did the same, saying the prayers to the dying. Many Spaniards thought it was the beginning of an attack and fled panic-stricken to the Walled City.”)
-----------------------------------
As I stand at the foot of his monument today, I feel unworthy of the cause Father Burgos gave his life. His name forever lives in the annals of history not only for his countrymen, but for all peoples of the world. His death stirred a revolution that paved the way to Philippine independence from Spanish colonialism. It marked the beginning of a new era – the end of colonization, followed by the birth of new nations. 

It is this incident with acronym GOMBURZA (Gomez, Burgos and Zamora for the three martyrs) that virtually started the Philippine Revolution. It was later inflamed by the power of the pen of Jose Rizal, our national hero, followed by armed mass uprising led by Andres Bonifacio, consequently the raising of the first Philippine flag by Emilio Aguinaldo.

Execution of the three priests, Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora by garrote  

I trace his roots Father Burgos in Vigan, the provincial capital of Ilocos Sur, now a UNESCO World Heritage city. Our hero’s home is now a veritable museum; a plaza is dedicated to him, at the center rises his monument, his statue pensive and scholarly, indeed a pose reminiscent of his outstanding academic record at San Juan de Letran and University of Santo Tomas where he earned three baccalaureate degrees and two doctorate degrees, with a third for final completion. Indeed this achievement serves to inspire our youth today to study hard and give education the highest priority.

What crime did our hero commit to deserve capital punishment and justify his death? We can only surmise who the victim is in a master-slave society. Burgos stood for and on behalf of his fellow Filipino clergy against abuses and discrimination by Spanish friars, which was taken as a serious threat to the Spanish government and grave offence to the church hierarchy. Burgos implication in a mutiny in nearby Cavite, sealed his fate. He was placed in a mock trial and summarily executed in Bagumbayan, now Luneta, along two other clergymen. When dawn broke on the 17th of February there were almost forty thousand of Filipinos (who came from as far as Bulakan, Pampanga, Kabite and Laguna) surrounding the four platforms where the three priests and the man whose testimony had convicted them, a former artilleryman called Saldua, would die.

Execution Scene by an Eyewitness

I imagine the scene of the execution from the account of a witness, Frenchman Edmund Plauchut, when Burgos, the last to die after seeing his two compatriots met their death suddenly stood from the garrote seat shouting, “What crime have I committed to deserve such a death? Is there no justice in the world?” Twelve friars of different orders restrained him and push him back into seat, advising him to accept a Christian death. Burgos calmed down, but went on again shouting, “But I haven’t committed any crime!” At this point, one of the friars holding him down hissed, “Even Christ was innocent!” Burgos finally gave in to the executioners who broke his neck with one swift and sudden twist of the garrote handle. 

It is a re-enactment of Christ’s passion and death, except that the leaders of the church are the very persecutors! Christ was killed by his enemies, Burgos by his friends and colleagues!

Burgos as Outstanding Thomasian  

Burgos’ death opened the road to freedom from the Spanish colonial masters. But what is the relevance of Burgos’ martyrdom today? I ask my students at the University of Santo Tomas where Burgos was an alumnus and professor. They hold high esteem for Burgos as a great man and hero like Rizal, also a UST alumnus, as an exemplary model in the pursuit of education, and higher education at that. Burgos was not only a very good student, he taught us that there is no end to learning. Thus the importance of a continuing education is a way of life. My co-professors also uphold the idea that the pursuit of knowledge on the level of philosophy elevates the learned person on the highest level of scholarship. This is where knowledge transforms into wisdom. Philosophy is love of knowledge, an extraordinary discipline open to all.

GOMBURZA  at the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan MM

The name Burgos is enshrined in eight municipalities in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, La Union, Pangasinan, Quezon, Southern Leyte and Surigao del Norte. There are also roads, schools, organizations named after him.
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“Burgos’ nationalist views, codified in editorials, essays, championing political and ecclesiastic reforms in favor of empowering more native clergymen, made him a target of opposition to civil authorities.” – The True Life of Jose Burgos (Ang Tunay na Buhay ni Jose Burgos.)
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As one of the most important events in Philippine history the significance of GOMBURZA is taught in schools. History books by Teodoro Agoncillo, Gregorio Zaide, et al point to this event important in arousing national consciousness for freedom. It influenced Filipino leaders to carry on the great task, among them Rizal who dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo to Burgos. 

Burgos' Influence on Rizal and Jacinto 

In Rizal's letter 18 APRIL 1889 to Mariano Ponce, another compatriot, he said, “Without 1872 (GOMBURZA execution) there would not now be a Plaridel, a Jaena, a Sanciangco, nor would the brave and generous Filipino comrades exist in Europe." Without 1872 Rizal imagined he would now be a Jesuit and instead of writing the Noli Me Tangere, would have written the contrary. "At the sight of those injustices and cruelties, though still a child, my imagination awoke, and I swore to dedicate myself to avenge one day so many victims. With this idea I have gone on studying, and this can be read in all my works and writings. God will grant me one day to fulfill my promise.” 

On April 30, 1896 at the height of The Philippine Revolution General Emilio Jacinto recalled the GOMBURZA Execution. Author Jim Richardson wrote: “The day that Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were executed, writes Jacinto, was a day of degradation and wretchedness. Twenty-four years had since passed, but the excruciating wound inflicted that day on Tagalog hearts had never healed; the bleeding had never been staunched. Though the lives of the three priests had been extinguished that day, their legacy would endure forever. Their compatriots would honor their memory, and would seek to emulate their pursuit of truth and justice. As yet, Jacinto acknowledges, some were not fully ready to embrace those ideals, either because they failed to appreciate the need for solidarity and unity or because their minds were still clouded by the smoke of a mendacious Church. But those who could no longer tolerate oppression were now looking forward to a different way of life, to a splendid new dawn.” 

Father Jose Burgos Achievement Awards 

Burgos’ is honored in an annual celebration KANNAWIDAN (Heritage) in his birthplace Vigan which honors the province’s outstanding sons and daughters with Father Jose Burgos Achievement Awards and Recognition, dubbed the Nobel Prize among Ilocanos, in like manner the Ramon Masaysay Award is regarded as the Nobel Prize of Asia.

Where are the Writings of Burgos? 

There are 44 known works of Burgos, mostly unpublished and unlocated, 12 were in manuscripts and preserved in Luis Araneta collection in Manila. Topics gleamed from the titles include the following (translated from Spanish):

1. Shells in the Philippines
2. History of Roman Religion in the Philippines and its Mysteries
3. State of the Philippines at the arrival of the Spaniard
4. Studies on Philippine life in prehistoric time
5. What is a Friar?
6. What is the Bible and how to interpret is
7. Studies of archaeology of Manila at the arrival of the Spaniards
8. Philippine stories and legends
9. Corruption bathed in blood in the Roman religion
10. Religion vs Science (annotated by Rizal?)
11. How religions are formed
12. Are Miracles True?
13. Can religion make man better?
14. Studies of fishing in the Philippines,
15. Philippine Kings,
16. Mysteries of the Holy Inquisition in the Philippines,
17. Reforms necessary for the country,
18. Is the end of the world at hand?
19. Cultivation of intelligence in this country,
20. Comparative study of savage rituals, Crime in old Manila

But where are the original manuscripts? Why weren’t they printed and translated. Was it part of the silencing of this great Filipino Scholar? Allegedly too, Burgos' works were faked to the extent probably to discredit him and erase his name from any significant aftermath to the Spanish government and the church. Discovered as fake is La Loba Negra ( Black She-Wolf), printed and made into a play and dance.

Burgos rekindled Liberty. Equality and Fraternity, 
the trilogy of the French Revolution of 1789

The life and death of Jose Burgos rekindles the trilogy of the French Revolution 100 years before. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity was a battle cry for ten years until the Monarchy toppled. The triad became the foundation of constitutions of a number of countries including the US and the Philippines. In effect, the martyrdom of Burgos, Rizal et al, brought a new meaning of the trilogy in contemporary society. GOMBURZA paved the way to Philippine Independence from Spain, and continued to inspire Filipinos onward. Today we face threats to that cause locally and globally, a test whether or not we have truly imbibed the timeless great lessons from our great heroes. 

 References:
1. Life and Works of the Three Martyred priests GOMBURZA
2. The True Life of Jose Burgos (Ang Tunay na Buhay ni Jose Burgos.) 
3. Ambeth Ocampo, The Incredible Father Burgos
4. Leon Ma. Guerrero,  The First Filipino 

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NOTE:  The author studied in Vigan for his high school at the Colegio de la Imaculada Conception, now Divine Word College of Vigan. He is a native and resident of San Vicente, a town three kilometers west of now Metro Vigan, a UNESCO Heritage City.   

Go for Fresh, Natural, and Locally Produced Food

 Live Natural, 10 Ways

 Go for Fresh, Natural, and Locally Produced Food

                                                          

 Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Best for health: fresh fruits and vegetables

It's not enough that we produce food. We must produce food that ensure good health, reduce risks to diseases and ailments, and prolong life. We must produce food that also insures the health of our environment and the stability of the ecological system.

While science and technology continue to explore new ways to increase food supply with genetic engineering, people are yearning for organic food – or naturally grown food.

Here are issues raised by the proponents of organic farming.

1. Many ailments and abnormalities are traced to the food we take. Cancer for instance, is often related to carcinogenic substances. High uric acid leads to kidney trouble. High cholesterol and high sugar levels are associated with high blood pressure and diabetes. Aftatoxin causes cirrhosis of the liver. Ulcers are food-related, so with many allergies.

2. Proper nutrition and balanced diet can be attained by eating the right kind and amount of natural food without fortification with vitamins and minerals, and other forms of altering food value. Thus there is no need to process food unless it is really necessary. Fresh foods – vegetables, fish, and the like – are still the best. And why modify the genetic composition of crops and animals? Leave that to nature. Nature knows best.

3. Taking excess foods rich in animal fat and protein, and foods high in calories foods has predisposed many people to overweight conditions. Gaining unnecessary weight leads obesity now an epidemic sweeping many countries today particularly in cities where there is a proliferation of fast foods and junk foods. Or simply there is too much of the “good life” – excess in food and pleasure. In the US today one out of five Americans is an obese, two are overweight.

4. There are natural substances that keep our body always alert to fend off stress due to overwork and diseases. They are known as probiotics. We get probiotics from fruits and vegetables. We also get them from seaweeds, mushrooms, yoghurt, algae such as Chlorella, and Cyanobacteria such as Spirulina. And there are many more sources that occur in nature. We are beginning to realize that eating foods rich in probiotics and antibiotics (substances that directly kill germs) makes us healthier and live longer.

These are the rules set by the advocates of organic farming.

1. It is always better to eat foods grown under natural conditions than those developed with the use of chemicals. This statement can be captured with one term "natural food". All over the world this is a label found in food grown without chemicals. People are afraid of becoming ill because of chemicals introduced into the food. There are banned pesticides still in used such as methyl parathion, endosulfan, DDT, BHC, among others. These are also harmful to all living organisms and to the environment.

2. People are avoiding harmful residues of antibiotics and pesticides.

Poultry, hogs and cattle are given high levels of antibiotics to safeguard the animals from diseases. As a result, the antibiotics are passed on to the consumers. Unless we are ill, the body does not need supplemental antibiotics. We have adequate natural sources. Every time we eat commercial eggs, chicken, pork chop, steak, and the like, we are taking in antibiotics which accumulate in our body, shutting off our immune systems, punishing our kidney and liver. To many people, antibiotics cause allergic reactions.

Typical fruit stand, UP Diliman QC

3. People are getting scared of food contaminated by radiation. Nuclear reactors are being built in many countries as a fallback to fossil fuel.
With the nuclear plant meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, the Chernobyl nuclear incident in Russia, and that of the Three-Mile Island nuclear plant in the US, people have become wary about the consequences of fallout. A trace of radiation can be absorbed by grass in the pasture, finds its way to milk, then to infants. Radiation can remain active for hundreds of years. People are still dying today in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, more than sixty years since the bombing of the two cities with the first atomic bomb.

4. People are becoming aware of the deleterious effects of toxic metals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium. These find their way through the food chain and ultimately reach humans. They escape to the air and enter our lungs, as in the case of dusts from old paints. Since they are in soluble compounds, they are easily absorbed by plants and animals. Kangkong (Ipomea reptans) for example absorbs lead. Tuna has high mercury in its tissues and liver. Cadmium from batteries is absorbed by crops.

5. People are becoming more conscious of the nutritional value of food rather than its packaging and presentation.
More and more people are shunning away from junk foods, in spite of their attractive packaging. Soft drinks have taken the backseat, courtesy of fruit juices and mineral water. People have even learned that different plant varieties have different levels of food value. Beans grown on naturally fertile soil have higher calorie and protein content than those grown on poor soil, or with chemical fertilizers. This is also true with animals. Animals raised with proper nutrition give meat, milk and eggs with higher protein, minerals notwithstanding.

6. Freshness is the primordial rule in choosing a perishable food.

There is no substitute to freshness. While freshness is a function of efficient handling and marketing, the farmer must enhance farm-to-market freshness. By keeping his standing plants healthy, his produce will stay longer on the shelf life. Products that are free from pest and diseases also stay fresher and longer. Too much water or fertilizer reduces shelf life of the commodity.

Buko is a complete food

7. Food processing must be efficient and safe.
Food processing, such as drying, milling and manufacturing is key to higher profits. Whenever feasible, food must reach the table fresh. But processing is designed to extend the shelf life of perishable commodities. There are products that require processing before they are used. These food items include vanilla, coffee, cacao, wine and vinegar, soya, fish sauce and the like. Profits generated through processing are value-added to production.

8. Food must be free from pest and diseases.
By all means, food must be free from insects and pathogens. There are cases of food poisoning as a result of food deterioration, or contamination. Take salmonella and E. coli. Khapra beetle in grains may even cause death to animals. Weevils hasten the deterioration of the food.

9. Food preservation must ensure quality, and above all, safety.
Be aware of the fish that is stiff, yet looks fresh. It is easy to detect the odor of formalin. Salitre is harmful, so with vetsin or MSG (Monosodium glutamate). Too much salt (sodium) is not good to the body. Some puto makers add lye or sodium hydroxide to aid coagulation of the starch. We wary of sampaloc candies enticingly made red with shoe dye. The same diluted dye is used with ube manufacture to make it look like the real violet-colored tuber.

10. Beware of GMOs. 

Many countries warn of the potential dangers of genetically modified food and food products, popularly called Frankenfood, after the novel Frankenstein, a mad scientist who created a monster. This move is not only to safeguard health, but also the environment. Genetically modified plants and animals – as well as bacteria, protists and even viruses – are now a threat to the natural gene pool, giving rise to a new kind of pollution - genetic pollution. Once a gene pool of a certain species is contaminated with a GMO genetic material, the genic pollutant cannot be eliminated, even in subsequent generations. Thus, it also disturbs natural evolution.

No GMO, please, for the sake of the children.

Next time you go to market, remember these guidelines. Why not convert that idle lot to raise food that is safe to your health and the environment? That little corner could be the start of a new green revolution. ~

Recycling: Key to Self-reliance, Homeostasis and Sustainability

  Recycling: Key to Self-reliance, Homeostasis and Sustainability

Dr Abe V Rotor

Recycling at home:  garden plants, pet bottles, aquarium water - 

with the aid of pond alga, as natural fertilizer. At home Lagro, QC

1. Recycling helps moderate global warming, the buildup of heat in the environment from increased human activity in a postmodern world. Recycling offers opportunity to everyone in doing his part in combating global warming, and the effects of El Niño

2. Recycling corrects the growing imbalance of acidity and alkalinity of the soil and water (pH value). Too acidic or alkaline conditions lock up available nutrients useful to life, affect the physiology of living things. Recycling buffers acid rain which is responsible for the death of whole ecosystems like forests, coral reefs, and destruction of fields, pasture, seas, and even valuable pieces of art.

3. Recycling is not ideal where monoculture is practiced, thus it aims to lead farming back to a system of multiple cropping and integrated farming. Tri-commodity farms – production of crops, animals and fish – are best suited to recycling, and guarantee the gains in recycling itself.

4. Self-contained farming is therefore an important condition for recycling to succeed - and that recycling in return insures the success of the other. It is in principal and practice imitating nature. There is no formula in keeping our environment healthy and balance. This is indeed the answer to spiraling prices if farm inputs, and the decreasing productivity of farms.

Lightning

Nature’s quickest and most efficient converter and recycler, instant manufacturer of nitrates, phosphates, sulfates; burns anything on its path, recharges ions. Lightning is key to Biodiversity; it humbles the spirit as well.

5. E. Schumacher pointed out in his thesis and book, Small is Beautiful, that being small after all, is the alternative to corporate failure, the inability of bigness to adjust to change, analogously like “dinosaur syndrome”, which explains the failure of these primitive giants to survive abrupt change of their environment.

Recycling with Fire.

Fire is indeed destructive. In the long run, fields, grasslands and forests give way to new life, spread of pests are controlled It is the key to renewal and continuity of life.

Do you have children who are just too quiet for their age?

 "A child who eats ripe fruits partly eaten by birds and bats becomes talkative." - Old Folk Remedy

Dr Abe V Rotor

Guyabano (Anona muricata) partly eaten by fruit bat during the night.

This is a cure to children who are just too quiet for their age.

The old folks would give children ripe fruits they first offer to a parakeet or parrot. At one time I tasted guayabano ripen on the tree which bore teeth marks. Since then I began reciting in class.  

That’s how convincing Lolo Vicente was. But the pitch of my voice was unusually high. It was a fruit bat that tasted the guyabano fruit, and early sunrise must have prevented the nocturnal animal from finishing it.  

By the way, birds and bats are carrier of certain diseases, such as rabies,  bird flu, and coronavirus. So, beware! ~ 

A bat feeding on ripe fruit on the tree. Either it finishes the whole fruit leaving the inedible part, or carries it over a distance, often dropping it along the way. (Internet drawing) 

Spinning Top (Trumpo) - Endangered Native Toy

 Spinning Top (Trumpo) -  Endangered Native Toy

Dr Abe V Rotor

 Traditional spinning top

 Modern versions of the spinning top

Anyone who grew up in the province in our time is familiar with the original spinning top. If not, imagine an oversize chicken egg, of that of the guinea fowl or bengala, its small end sharply tapering into a shank made of nail, one to two inches long. The tip is pointed to reduce friction for longer and more stable spinning. But we always made it sharp ready to nip or puncture the tops of our opponents in tournaments.

Because our town is famous for furniture making, we have lathe machine (pagturnuan Ilk) to make the best tops in town. Everyone could easily recognize a spinning top made in San Vicente, three kilometers west of Vigan, the capital. There were spinning top tournaments held on certain occasions and we would send our best players to the capital. To be a good player, first you must be accurate at marked target. But there is another kind of tournament - you should be able to immobilize your opponent’s top, by puncturing or chopping it out of shape. This is why the wood used in making tops is molave, better still kamagong, which is claimed to be the hardest wood in the world.

Exhibitions are part of the tournament. For example whose top makes the loudest humming sound? How balanced and stable is the spinning of your top? How long will it keep on spinning? Then there is the skill to “capture” a spinning top and have it continue spinning on your palm.

But how do you make a top without lathe machine? I still can recall my experience in making one. Cut a branch of molave, or any locally available wood such as guava or isis or Ficus ulmifolia, the tree that produces sandpaper-like leaves. Choose a branch at least three inches in diameter. With a sharp bolo, shape one end into a round peg, and drive through it a 3-inch nail, leaving half as the shank. Smoothen the wood with boy scout knife and sandpaper, making it even and balanced. Shape and cut off the upper part of the top with a saw or sharp knife.

An immature wood when it dries up has a tendency to crack. That’s why you have to look for a seasoned branch. The harder it is, the better - and the more durable is your top. For the rope or string to spin the top, get a pure cotton thread, numero ocho, that is 1/8 of an inch, and a meter long. Sometimes we would twist two thinner threads to make the standard spinning rope. To learn the technique of playing spinning tops, ask older boys - or us who were experts in our days.

Why don't you try making your own spinning top? It's a real test of craftsmanship, by how well it performs and chance to win in a tournament. ~

Snails (kuhol) are controlled with neem, tubli, makabuhay and other plants.

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Living with Nature School on Blog

          
Golden Kuhol is the No 1 pest of rice on the ricefield

Pomacea is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae. As Pomacea it is commonly sold in the aquarium trade as "[color] mystery snail" in the United States. 

Before the introduction of chemical pesticides our native kuhol was a good source of viand in the ricefield and seldom did it turn against growing rice plants. Almost simultaneously in the sixties the golden kuhol or apple snail (Pomacea caniculata) was introduced with the promise that it is a better gourmet, and that it could even be exported.  It did not turn out that way, and with the resistance this exotic mollusk developed having left behind its natural enemies, it emerged a maverick, now the number one pest of rice plants infesting two-thirds of our total lowland ricefield area of no less than two million hectares. Agriculturists have lately turned their attention to phytochemicals to control golden kuhol.  These are the plants they have confirmed to be effective. 

Neem tree and closeup of fruits. Azadirachta indica, also known as Neem, Nimtree, and Indian Lilac is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. 

Derris or tubli   

  Derris philippinensis (derris or tubli)
· Manihot esculenta (cassava)
· Chrysanthemum morifolium (chrysanthemum)
· Capsicum anuum (pepper or siling labuyo)
· Makabuhay
· Neem

Except for siling labuyo, the leaves and stems of any of these plants are either crushed or chopped finely and applied directly on the ricefield, controlling the water level up to three to four inches so as to allow the active ingredients to spread out and reach the pest in all of its stages. Where there are two or more of these plants growing in the area, farmers may use them in any combination, either alternately or simultaneously. 

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class Monday to Friday