More information on the video. Check it out!

Thank you LGU Asturias for having us. In the photo is Ms Era (Tourism Officer), Mr. Jan (Owak Brgy Captain), Ms Magett Cece (#1 SB Councilor) and Ms. Dawn (Tourism Aide).

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By that time, I had a scheduled trip to HongKong, possibly the reason why I wasn’t given a project until their 3rd month of taping.

It was January 2020 just after the busy weeks of Sinulog when we started supplying talents/extras to the show. The whole talent supply experience brought me back to what I have experienced with TV work – no enough sleep and exhausted, but fulfilled and proud.

My gratitude goes to Ms. Ria and Sir Jevan of the talent department for having me on board. This was my 2nd time to provide talents, first was when Probinsyano shot some episodes here in Cebu few years ago.

On the last weeks of taping, we were also given the chance to become extras for experience.

After 6 months, the taping finally came to an end, interestingly just before ECQ was mandated and most of the staff flew back to their homes.

Pack-up Party with the rest of the staff, executives of ABS-CBN & WGN, crew and suppliers at the garden of Bigfoot Studio in Mactan Island, Cebu.

Thank you to my hardworking staff for this project – Michael, Jen and Peter. You were with me in an emotional rollercoaster ride, but we made it! They also have bit-roles, so I gave them the liberty to be a talent and staff at the same time. Until our next taping project.

Almost Paradise only on WGN America.

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The adrenaline was rushing all throughout my body the moment the paragliding pilot told me “Sige, ready na ka? Ig dagan nako, dagan napud. diretso ra ug dagan, dagan ug kusog. Walay hunong hunong, unya ig abot sa pangpang, ambak.. Ok? 1,2,3…” (Okay, are you ready? When I run, you run also. Run straight, run fast, and no stopping, when we arrive at the cliff, jump… Ok? 1,2,3…”

“Ay, wait sa kuya. Taymsa.” (Wait for a while big brother.) Trying to process what he just said with a half-baked smile. After a few minutes, Okay, I’m ready. – or I think so?

The fresh wind rushed through my face when we finally took-off at the peak of the town of Daanglungsod. While on air, I didn’t move and was closing my eyes for awhile. I can’t believe I was swaying my two legs freely at great heights. It terrified me for a while but after a minute, I decided to open my eyes and enjoyed the alluring scenery of Oslob, Cebu.

My fear of heights disappeared few minutes after, and I enjoyed the rest of the experience… especially the landing. It was awesome.

Here is the video made by our team for the Cebu Provincial Tourism Office. It was part of the travel promo of the tourism team.

Thank you to those who made this experience possible – Province of Cebu, LGU Argao, Visayas Paragliding Club and OCPD.

I hope you enjoyed the video.

For more of the paragliding experience in Oslob, Cebu, visit this page: Oslob Cebu Paragliding.

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“I will enroll at Culinary School.” I told my mama one morning, and her usual comment was “Ano na naman pumasok sa utak mo?” (What went inside your brain again?”) I replied “I wanted to learn how to cook!” and continued “Kung saan ka masaya, suportahan kita.” (Wherever you are happy, I am here to support.) She knew that I have always loved to explore a lot of things since I was young. I went down the house with a happy heart, excited for another learning adventure.

That day, I went to 2 culinary schools in Cebu. I first went to Magsaysay Center for Hospitality in Ramos Street, Cebu City; and second was at the International School for Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) at F. Cabahug Street, Mandaue City. I enrolled at the latter the week after using a portion from my savings.

I took the 6-month Professional Cookery Course at ISCAHM with the promise that I will learn the Basic of Cooking in no time, and that I can choose to continue to practice as a Professional Chef after I get my National Certification.

The class was designed for professionals. Our class was every Saturdays from 7am to 2pm, from January to June 2019 with a National Certification at the end of the course. I started 2019 overjoyed and was looking forward to Saturdays for the Culinary Class.

On the photo is Winfer, my ever partner in crime. We were 13 in the class. To my classmates Winfer, Chay, Vanessa, Ate Ange, Anne, Arrah, the Cabigon cousins, Paul and Kuya Roy, I miss you all. Some of them pursued Culinary, while some proceeded to do their own.

I enjoyed the course of 6-months of Culinary school; I may not have absorbed all the discussions and the practicals, but I am sure that I have improved. Thank you Chefs!

I am confident now that I can prepare good food to my family and friends.

National Certification

Look – I have passed my National Certification 2 (NC2) for Professional Cookery. So far and on the side, I have accepted bulk food pack orders since I finished my Culinary school for me to practice what I have learned from class.

These are some of my orders. Looks delicious and tastes delicious!

“Marry a man who knows how to cook.” Well, I guess I’m ready to get married now?

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The first time I visited this unassuming town at the South of Cebu, I was with my friends. We travelled long for approximately 2 hours just to reach this place from Cebu City, but then we’re all captivated by the interesting history and culture of this town when we arrived. The Cabecera de Argao is a testament itself. 

And just recently, I came back. Aside from appreciating their history again, I came back for one thing — for food.

On my second visit, I had the chance to meet three of the country’s culinary geniuses: Nina Daza-Puyat (Author, TV Host and daughter of the iconic chef Nora Daza), Nancy Reyes-Lumen (Philippine’s Adobo Queen) and Ige Ramos (Editor-In-Chief of Rustan’s Supermarket Sansrival Magalogue, Influential Cookbook designer). They were there to judge a culinary competition in the town.

Known as one of Cebu’s culinary destinations, they were all so excited to try out the local dishes of the Argaonaons and in fact, their first morning was spent in the town’s palengke buying local produce, and even had their breakfast in the nearby karenderia trying out local Adobo, Tinola, Linat-an na Baboy, Humba, Ngohiong and some Kakanin.

After the stroll in the palengke, we’re about to get familiar with the culinary preparation of Argao’s Torta, Tablea and Tuba.

We first visited one of Argao’s popular Torta maker, Jessie Magallones, in her modest home where she also runs her Torta business. It’s interesting that Jessie’s technique in Torta making remained traditional; and this is why local folks and tourists prefer her tortas more than any other tortas in the town though equally delicious.

Jessie’s Torta

Jessie shared that her mother introduced Torta making to her and that her mother started cooking Torta in the 90’s on special occasions especially during town fiestas.

With a 2-week shelf life, Jessie’s Torta contain white sugar, melted butter, tuba, genuine flour, egg yolks and mantika sa baboy (pig’s oil).

This is how Jessie’s Tortas are made:

1. In a basin, pour enough sugar
2. Add fermented Tuba (Coconut Wine) and leave for 4 hours. This is to make tuba and yeast mix faster.
3. Add big native chicken yolks that is half month prepared
4. Add Evaporated Milk
5. Add enough amount of flour using one cup then mix together until creating a creamy texture. Jessie shared that her cup was still from her mother.
6. Add some Mantika sa Baboy (pork lard). They use a 1 year old pork lard from last town fiesta.
7. Mix using hands and prepare
8. Cook in Hurno (Clay Oven)

Guilang Tablea

In a small house-like building filled with tablea  in Barangay Canbanua, Argao, we visited a 91 year old tablea maker named Nanay Miguela Higrimosa Lanotan, the owner of Guilang Tablea.

In a small house-like building filled with tablea  in Barangay Canbanua, Argao, we visited tablea maker named Nanay Miguela Higrimosa Lanotan, the owner of Guilang Tablea and in her early 90’s. 

Nanay Miguela shared that they started their tablea business when she and her husband got married in 1908, but officially started with tablea making in 1948. Nanay is proud to share to us that they only use pure cocoa which makes their process different from the others. Her grandson is now managing her tablea business but still oversees the operation.

Nanay Miguela’s Tablea making follows a process of cleaning with flowing water, roasting using traditional charcoal and local woodchips methods and grinding. Selection and fermentation that last for 5 to 6 days of beans are processed in Davao.

Bahal Max Sukarap

Our third and last stop is here in the Tuba place, Bahal Max Sukarap.

Tuba maker Randy Sedon warmly welcomed us in his tuba place, Bahal Max Sukarap in Barangay Talaytay, Argao. Tuba is a local wine made from fermented coconut sac. Randy proudly sells his Coconut Wine which is made from Sapot Coconut Sac, finely fermented for more than two years. He shares that if the coconut wine is still new, we call it tuba. A week later, the tuba now tastes somewhat sweet and we call it bahal. To add a bitter taste to the wine, they add tungog. After a year, we call it Tinuig. The coconut wine contains 12% to 14% alcohol content.

The tuba business in Argao started in the 1970’s, even before the Spaniards came in the locality. Due to the demand of Tuba, with Tuba as a main ingredient in Argao’s Torta, Randy decided to join the business. 

Aside from Tuba, Randy also sells Mango Wine and Sukarap, a coconut vineger. 

If you wish to try out Authentic Argaoanon tuba, come to Randy’s Bahal Max Sukarap and inside is a chill place called Chico Bar where you can stay and enjoy a glass of Tuba.

As much as our guests, Nina, Nancy and Ige had a great time, I was equally having a great time. I will definitely come back to Argao. Our stay was brief but we definitely had a wonderful time exploring and discovering the local taste of this town. 

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