The Philippines "Pearl of the Orient Seas"

Vote for Cebu City to become One of the New 7 Wonders Cities

2012-12-25T02:41:00.003+08:00

Cebu City also known as "Queen City of the South" is one of the most important cities in the Philippines and the most important city in the southern part of the Philippines. It is also the major port in Visayas. It has a population of over 1 million people and it considered as one of the largest cities in the Philippines.

Cebu City is one of the famous tourist destinations in the Philippines. From beaches to historical landmarks, to festivities and foods. Cebu City boast the famous Sinulog Festival where in they giving back to their patron saint Sto. Nino. It held on the 3rd Sunday of January.

Another famous tourist destination is the Magellan's Cross. It is a Christian cross planted by Portuguese, and Spanish explorers as ordered by Ferdinand Magellan upon arriving in Cebu in the Philippines. Cebu is also famous on their "Dangit". It is a sun-dried salty fish that you can find on every market in Cebu City.

There's a lot of hotels in Cebu where you can stay like the Shangri-La Mactan, Radisson Blu, Waterfront Hotel, Marriot Hotel, Crown Regency Hotel.

To vote visit http://www.n7w.com/en/cities and choose Cebu City and other six Philippines Cities that is included on the list.

Higantes Festival (Angono, Rizal)

2011-07-12T07:56:00.000+08:00

Higantes Festival, also known as the Feast of San Clemente, is celebrated every November 23 in the town of Angono, Rizal. This is a major festival in honor of San Clemente, the patron saint of fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during a procession accompanied by "pahadores" (devotees dressed in colorful local costumes or fishermen's clothes, wearing wooden shoes and carrying boat paddles, fish nets, traps, etc.) and "higantes" (paper-mâché giants measuring 10-12 feet in height and 4-5 feet in diameter). This street event ends in a procession to Laguna de Bay until the image is brought back to its sanctuary.

The Higantes Festival is part of a two-week long celebration of the Angono Town Fiesta. Activities include a Misa Cantada (a special sung mass), novena, song and dance contests, fried "itik" festival and cooking competition, a 5k Fun Run, on-the-spot painting contest, art exhibit, job fair, bingo and videoke challenge, and of course, the highlights of the festivities -- the Race of the Higantes and the Procession of the Pagoda.

A procession is held throughout the town, with the images brought to the banks of the Laguna de Bay where they would be enshrined in a floating pagoda for a fluvial procession until the event concludes with the image of San Clemente returned to the church.

During the procession, thousands of revelers splash water on unsuspecting participants and onlookers. They use water bottles, squirt guns, and even drinking glasses, spraying water on everyone passing by.

PPUR - La Venta Discovery (Puerto Princesa Underground River)

2011-06-12T22:13:00.000+08:00

This is the reasons why we need to vote the PUERTO PRINCESA UNDERGROUND RIVER NATIONAL PARK FOR THE NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE. Having unique features and discoveries that you can only see and find here in PP Underground River. Many different stalactites and stalagmites formations and crystallized rock formations

PPUR - La Venta Discovery (Puerto Princesa Underground River)

2011-06-12T12:03:00.000+08:00

This is the reasons why we need to vote the Puerto Princesa Underground River National for the New & Wonders of Nature

Pinoy iKomiks Rock! Check us out!

2011-06-08T20:54:00.000+08:00

Pinoy iKomiks Rock! Check us out!

If you are pinoy comic lover this is the best site for you..

VOTE PUERTO PRINCES UNDERGROUND RIVER NATIONAL PARK FOR THE NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE

2011-06-08T18:05:00.001+08:00

PPUR - Official nominee of the Philippines to the New7Wonders of Nature

2011-06-08T09:21:00.000+08:00

Puerto Princesa Underground River - Excalibur Finale

2011-06-08T09:06:00.000+08:00

Puerto Princesa Underground River and the Sirenia Fossil

2011-06-08T09:04:00.000+08:00

LETS VOTE THE PUERTO PRINCESA UNDERGROUND RIVER NATIONAL PARK FOR THE NEW 7 WONDERS OF NATURE TO VOTE, JUST CLICK THIS LINK http://www.new7wonders.com/vote-2

AND CHOOSE THE UNDERGROUND ALONG THE OTHER 6 FINALISTS. IF YOU WANT TO VOTE VIA SMS

TEXT PPUR send to 2681

COST PER EACH SMS SENT:

PHP2.00 FOR SUN CELLULAR

PHP2.50 FOR GLOBE AND SMART

IF YOU WANT TO VOTE VIA TELEPHONE

1. DIAL ONE OF THESE INTERNATIONAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS:

+23 92201055

+1 869 760 5990

+1 649 339 8080

+44 758 900 1290

2. AT THE END OF THE MESSAGE, AFTER THE TONE, INSERT THE 4 DIGIT CODE FOR YOUR CHOSEN NOMINEE.

3. WHEN YOU HEAR THE THANK YOU MESSAGE, YOU ARE ALL DONE - YOU HAVE VOTED BY TELEPHONE.

THE CODE NUMBER FOR PP UNDERGROUND RIVER IS 7723

VOTE FOR IT AND BE PART OF ANOTHER HISTORY MAKING.

Stars nagkaisa para ikampanya ang Puerto Prinsesa Underground River

2011-06-04T11:59:00.002+08:00

Mas lalong umiigting ang kampanya para maboto ang Puerto Prinsesa Underground River bilang isa sa New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Sa unang pagkakataon, ipinarinig ng singer-composer na si Noel Cabangon ang nilikha niyang theme song para sa longest subterranean river sa mundo.

Ikinagulat naman ng lahat ang launch ng video campaign tampok si PNoy.

Sabay ito sa pagbunyag ng iba pang nakakamanghang anyo ng kuweba kabilang ang bagong tuklas na 20-million-year-old fossil ng isang dugong.

Sa hanay ng official 28 finalists, number 11 ang Puerto Prinsesa Underground River.

Apela ng mga nagtataguyod sa Puerto Prinsesa, dagdagan pa ang boto para matiyak ang pasok nito sa magic 7 circle.

Sa November 10, 2011 ang deadline.

“Kahit number one or number seven tayo basta one of the Seven Wonders iyan,” sabi ni Puerto Prinsesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn.

Kabilang din sina Piolo Pascual, Christian Bautista at iba pang ABS-CBN stars sa sumusuporta sa kampanya.

Gayundin ang Miss Philippines-Earth beauty pageant at OPM na magtatanghal ng "Tunog Wunder Ground" concert sa Quezon City Circle sa Linggo.

Sanib-puwersa naman sina ABS-CBN Foundation President Gina Lopez, Cannes Filmfest best director Brillante Mendoza at iba pang Pinoy indie directors sa TV-movie project kontra sa pagmimina sa Palawan.

Inspirasyon nila ang enviromentalist na si Dr. Gerry Ortega

“There are protected forests for protected place like Palawan na dapat talaga walang mining. Napaka-alarming kailangan talaga may gawin ka. Sobrang manhid mo na lang bilang mamamayan kung hindi mo nararamdaman ang mga nangyayari,” sabi ni Mendoza.

Kapamilya stars promote Puerto Princesa's Underground River

2011-06-04T11:58:00.001+08:00

A star-studded video promoting Puerto Princesa's Underground River was launched on Wednesday.

The video, which features mostly Kapamilya stars, aims to urge the public to vote for the Underground River as it vies to be included on the list of the 7 Wonders of Nature.

Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, Bea Alonzo, John Prats, Yeng Constantino, Christian Bautista and Zsa Zsa Padilla participated in the video campaign.

Candidates of Miss Philippines Earth 2011 and Noel Cabangon are also part of the drive. On Sunday, a concert dubbed "Tunog Wunder Ground," will also be held to promote the Underground River.

Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward Hagedorn urged all Filipinos to participate and vote.

The public has until November 11, 2011 to send in their votes.

As of posting time, Puerto Princesa’s treasure ranks No. 11.

Meanwhile, Hagedorn also took the opportunity to dismiss fears that Miss Philippines Earth candidate Jonavi Raisa Quiray will be highly favored in the upcoming coronation night of the competition.

Quiray is representing Puerto Princesa in the beauty pageant. The coronation night will be held in Quiray’s hometown on June 5.

Hagedorn assured the public of impartial results, saying that it is up to a panel of judges to come up with the list of winners.

He also shot down speculation that he might influence the results, adding that he will not attend the coronation night.

Palawan’s Underground River Pushed as One of the New 7 Wonders of Nature

2011-06-04T11:56:00.000+08:00

We Filipinos know that our country is naturally beautiful, but now we have a chance to show the world as our very own Puerto Princesa Underground River is now a finalist as one of the 7 New Wonders of Nature.

In 200 B.C., Philon of Byzantium chose seven man-made structures and declared them the Seven Wonders of the World, now known as the Seven Ancient Wonders. Today, only one of these structures, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, still exists, leading to the campaign to find the New 7 Wonders of the World and the New 7 Wonders of Nature. People from all over the world can take part in selecting the New 7 Wonders by voting online or via text until November 10, 2011. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed on November 11, 2011.

The Puerto Princesa Underground River is one ofPalawan's popular tourist attractions, having been declared a UNESCO Natural Heritage Sitein 1999. The river runs through the cave of a limestone karst mountain and flows out to the South China Sea. It is known to be the longest navigable underground river in the world.

As part of our government's efforts to push Philippine tourism, the Puerto Princesa Underground River was one of the Philippine's entries in the search for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. After the first round of voting by people all around the globe, it made it into the shortlist, being among one of the top 77 out of 440 entries. From the top 77, the New 7 Wonders Panel selected 28 Finalists of which the Puerto Princesa Underground River is the 11^th.

Last Wednesday, June 1, Mayor Herbert Bautista of Quezon City and Mayor Edward Hagedorn ofPuerto Princesa signed a Memorandum of Agreement that stands to signify the two cities' sisterhood and their commitment to keep their cities clean and to protect the environment. In order to show support for this advocacy and to raise awareness about the endeavor to make the Puerto Princesa Underground River one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, a concert entitled Tunog Wunderground will be held on Sunday, June 5, at 4:00 in the afternoon at the Quezon Memorial Circle. A voting center will be set up at the concert so that those in attendance will have the chance to vote. The participants of this event include Noel Cabangon, Gloc 9, Nina, Rivermaya with Paolo Valenciano, Franco, and Julianne, among many others. Admission is free.

Support the Puerto Princesa Underground River campaign to be a part of the New 7 Wonders of Nature and vote here.

Philippine stars promote Puerto Princesa Underground River

2011-06-04T11:54:00.002+08:00

A star-studded music festival promoting the Philippines Finalist in the New7Wonders of Nature, Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR), will take place on Sunday in Quezon City, one of the municipalities that make up Metro Manila.

The Tunog Wunderground festival will feature performances by Noel Cabangon, Ogie Alcasid, Nina, @jimparedes, Dingdong Avanzado, Gloc 9, Franco, Up Dharma Down and Rocksteddy.

Candidates of Miss Philippines Earth 2011, which takes place on Sunday as well, are also part of the drive to support PPUR.

Pahiyas Festival(Lucban, Quezon)

2011-05-25T16:01:00.000+08:00

Lucban is pretty much synonymous with the famous Pahiyas Festival, celebrated every 15th of May – and it is this Philippines festival that made Lucban a must-see destination for those exploring the decadently multicultural and multifaceted country that is the Philippines. The festival dates back hundreds of years long before the arrival of the Spaniards and started out as an animistic ritual for the locals to honor their gods for their bountiful harvest and believing that celebrating this great fortune would ensure another bountiful year ahead.

When the Spaniards arrived around the 16th century, the festival was appropriated to suit the Catholic taste (as it was the same with the Kalibo Ati-atihan). The Spanish friars introduced San Isidro Labrador (Saint Isidore) to the natives and shifted the allegiance basically from the animist gods to the Christian God whilst continuing the tradition of thanksgiving and prayers for more abundant harvests to come. The townsfolk started to bring their best harvest to the church for its blessing and later on, with the increasing bounty they started putting it outside their doors instead with the statue of San Isidro going out in a procession.

With Filipinos being naturally creative, the Lucban townspeople started hanging their harvests on their windows as well and then, the entire façade of their houses along the procession route. You would usually know the trade or industry of a particular house by the decorations themselves – rice stalks – means a rice farming family lives in that house; hats- meant there lives a hat-making family and so on and so forth. Don’t expect a house decorated with lingerie or kinky adult toys here though, however, we kind of had a wistful thought of that while we were strolling along the procession route. The procession route changes each year so that other houses may have a chance of participating in the festival. Giant papier-mache effigies are also paraded around town with a lively brass band, adding to the lovely fiesta atmosphere.

One iconic Pahiyas decoration is no other than the “kiping”, a colored (and edible) rice paper that is similar to the tacos of Mexico. The Galleon Trade between Manila and Acapulco (Mexico) in the 17th century was a major influence with this Pahiyas icon. A Lucban local by the name of Juan Suarez sailed to Mexico for training of some sorts, and was introduced to tacos in the port of Acapulco. Being a culinary talent, he tried to fashion out his version of tacos upon his return to Lucban using locally available ingredients (water, ground rice, salt and food coloring) – and thus, kiping was born.

Kiping is made by mixing all ingredients with water and pouring the mixture into a “kabal” leaf- a sturdy and wide leaf, while dripping the excess liquid (kipi) and then steaming it for 2-3 minutes. It is then hung up to dry after which you remove the kiping from the leaf to dry on a flat surface. You then put the “buntal” fiber for hanging and then you flatten (kipiin) several pieces by putting a heavy object on top. Kiping eventually became part of the Pahiyas Festival making the festival more colorful than ever – with chandeliers or “arangya” made out of kiping and sunflowers made to decorate the houses along with the vegetables. A drop by the local and surprisingly well-stocked souvenir shop can get you some kiping to take home (which is about PhP75 for six different colored pieces in a box). The kiping is usually deep-fried like prawn crackers and dipped in locally made organic spiked vinegar. It can also be grilled or microwaved and dipped in sugar, cheese powder, sour cream or however you like it.

In the ‘60s the local word “Pahiyas” meaning decoration was formally added to name the celebration. Each house would compete for the Grand Pahiyas Prize and when the day turns into night, the brightest and the most lighted house wins the “Kutitap Award” – suddenly transforming the entire town into a Christmas village in the middle of May.

The Pahiyas festival usually starts around the morning of the 15th May with a mass in its beautiful centuries old Lucban Church (photo below). The present church actually sits on the ruins of the previous churches on the same site. The first one was built in 1595 and was destroyed in 1629, and a second church was constructed between 1630 and 1640 but was seriously damaged by fire 1738. The present church was completed in 1738 and the convent in 1743. Right by the right side of the church was the site of the La Casa de Doña Ana. It was the site of a big “bahay na bato” (house made out of stone – an architectural style that is usually attributed to the well-off Filipino families as opposed to the “bahay-kubo” – also known as the nipa hut and is usually attributed as the abode of poorer Filipinos). The house, which was owned then by Pedro Nepomuceno Y Villaseñor and Ana Maria Herrera Y de la Concepcion, was built in a neoclassical style a few years after the couple’s wedding in 1842. It was the only house with the neoclassical style in the entirety of Lucban and was the favorite place to stay for prominent guests coming from Manila and neighboring towns. The house was subsequently named in honor of the wife for her role in establishing Hospicio de Pobres de Lucban, a facility taking care of Lucban’s destitute and sick.

Tara na Byahe Tayo

2011-05-17T09:55:00.000+08:00

Philippines is the best!

Vinta

2011-05-17T05:37:00.004+08:00

The vinta ( locally known as lepa-lepa or sakayan) is a traditional boat found in the Philippine island of Mindanao. These boats are made by Bajau and Moros lining in the Sulu Archipelago. It has a sail with assorted vertical colors that represents the colorful culture and history of the Muslim community. These boats are used for inter-island transport of people and goods. Zamboanga City is known for these vessels.

Candaba Swamp and Wild Duck Sanctuary

2011-05-16T18:30:00.016+08:00

The Candaba Swamp is located 60 kms north of Metro Manila. It encompasses about 32,000 hectares of wetlands located mostly in the town of Candaba, Pampanga, and is bounded by the towns of Baliuag, San Ildefonso and San Miguel in Bulacan, San Luis and Arayat in Pampanga, and Cabiao in Nueva Ecija. Situated at 11 meters above sea level, the swamp is the lowest point in Central Luzon. It acts as a natural flood retention or catch basin holding wet season overflows from the Maasim, San Miguel, Garlang, Bulu and Penaranda rivers, and draining into the Pampanga River. The natural retention capacity is approx 1.5 billion cubic meters. The swamp is the staging and wintering area for migratory birds from October up to April of every year. It is a significant part of the East Asia-Australiasian Migratory Flyway that includes Siberia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea and Singapore. WHAT TO SEE: Migratory birds spend winter in the Philippines or pass through the islands on their way to points South and North on their return trip to their native habitats. Egrets and indigenous birds like the rare salaksak and batala can be observed especially during dry months when the fishponds turn to rice fields - when large numbers of egrets descend on shallow pools teeming with snails and small fish. In 1982, about 100,000 ducks were observed in a single day, thus having the largest concentration of birds in the country.

Galing ng Pinoy Music Video

2011-05-16T16:31:00.004+08:00

This song was written and sung by Ogie Alcasid, a Filipino singer-songwriter. The video was made to salute all Filipinos around the world who bring pride to our country. The video features Filipino athletes like Manny Pacquiao, Fashion Designer, World Performer and Entertainer, Movie Directors and Producers and Beauty Queens who made us proud to be a Filipino.

Escabeche

2011-05-11T18:21:00.001+08:00

There are many version of Escabeche around. This version that we have here is probably the most simple of all. However, the taste will not be as simple as it seems because this recipe has all the good flavors in it.

Not to be mistaken as Ceviche — which is a South American favorite that makes use of raw fish — like kilawin. Filipino Escabeche requires the fish to be fried and cooked in vinegar.

I grew-up eating different kinds of fish. I enjoy both fried fish dishes and fish dishes with sauce. I am always excited to have this dish because I personally think that the result of fried fish being cooked in any type of sauce is truly amzing. You get the good flavor of the sauce while enjoying the texture of the fish — which is not too soft at all. Having escabeche is like eating fried fish with a hint of atchara.

Ingredients:

1 large fish (1 to 2 lbs), cleaned and salted

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 cup white vinegar

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon whole peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

1. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan then fry both sides of the fish until a bit crispy. Set aside.

2. Heat a clean pan and pour-in the vinegar. Let boil.

3. Add sugar, whole peppercorn, and galic. Cook for 1 minute.

4. Put-in the onion and red bell pepper. Stir and cook until the vegetables are tender.

5. Sprinkle salt and then stir.

7. Put-in the fried fish. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Turn-off heat and transfer to a serving plate.

9. Serve. Share and enjoy!

Margarita Moran

2011-05-11T14:24:00.004+08:00

Maria Margarita Morán Róxas De Floirendo won the Miss Philippines and Miss Universe crowns in 1973. A granddaughter of former Philippine President Manuel Roxas she has also been known as Margie Morán Róxas and Margie Moran Róxas De Floirendo. She's the second Miss Universe of Philippines.

Heritage Town of San Miguel, Bulacan

2011-05-11T07:27:00.003+08:00

San Miguel de Mayumo is very historic town in Bulacan where you can find old Hispanic houses.

It is the site of Biak na Bato National Park, made a big part of 1897 revolution against Spain.

The Pact of Biak na Bato

signed on December 14, 1897, created a truce between Spanish Colonial Governor-General Fernando Primo de Rivera and Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine Revolution. Aguinaldo and his fellow revolutionaries were given amnesty and monetary indemnity by the Spanish government in return for which the revolutionary Government would go into voluntary exile in Hong Kong. Aguinaldo would later use the money to purchase firearms.

According to Aguinaldo, writing in 1899, the principal conditions of the pact were:

(1) That I would, and any of my associates who desired to go with me, be free to live in any foreign country. Having fixed upon Hongkong as my place of residence, it was agreed that payment of the indemnity of $800,000 (Mexican) should be made in three installments, namely, $400,000 when all the arms in Biak-na-bató were delivered to the Spanish authorities; $200,000 when the arms surrendered amounted to eight hundred stand; the final payment to be made when one thousand stand of arms shall have been handed over to the authorities and the Te Deum sung in the Cathedral in Manila as thanksgiving for the restoration of peace. The latter part of February was fixed as the limit of time wherein the surrender of arms should be completed.

(2) The whole of the money was to be paid to me personally, leaving the disposal of the money to my discretion and knowledge of the understanding with my associates and other insurgents.

(3) Prior to evacuating Biak-na-bató the remainder of the insurgent forces under Captain-General Primo de Rivera should send to Biak-na-bató two General of the Spanish Army to be held as hostages by my associates who remained there until I and a few of my compatriots arrived in Hongkong and the first installment of the money payment (namely, four hundred thousand dollars) was paid to me.

(4) It was also agreed that the religious corporations in the Philippines be expelled and an autonomous system of government, political and administrative, be established, though by special request of General Primo de Rivera these conditions were not insisted on in the drawing up of the Treaty, the General contending that such concessions would subject the Spanish Government to severe criticism and even ridicule.

Mount Apo

2011-05-10T17:10:00.003+08:00

Mount Apo is a large solfataric, potentially-active stratovolcano in the island of Mindanao,Philippines. With an altitude of 2,954 metres (9,692 ft), it is the highest mountain in the country and is located between Davao City and Davao del Sur province in Region XI and Cotabato province in Region XII. The peak overlooks Davao City 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the northeast, Digos City 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southeast, and Kidapawan City 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west.

Apo, which means "ancestor", is flat-topped mountain with three peaks and is capped by a 500-metre-wide (1,600 ft) volcanic crater containing a small crater lake. The date of its most recent eruption is unknown, and none are verified in historical times.

The volcano is one of the most popular climbing destinations in the Philippines with the summit, on the average, takes two days to reach. The first recorded climb was on October 10, 1880, by a party led by Joaquin Rajal, then Spanish governor of Davao.

Mount Apo Natural Park

On May 9, 1936, Mount Apo was declared a National Park with Proclamation no. 59 by President Manuel L. Quezon, followed by Proclamation no. 35 of May 8, 1966 then Proclamation no. 882 of September 24, 1996. On February 3, 2004, the approval of Republic Act no. 9237 established Mount Apo as a protected area under the category of natural park with an area of 54,974.87 hectares (135,845.9 acres); with two peripheral areas of 2,571.73 hectares (6,354.9 acres) and 6,506.40 hectares (16,077.7 acres) as buffer zones, provided for its management and for other purposes.

Although a declared Natural Park, the current climbing trails are littered with rubbish by irresponsible climbers, opening paths for soil erosion across the already denuded mountain sides. Some mountain and social climbing groups conduct climbs after the Holy Week/Easter, the peak climbing season, to clean the affected areas.

UNESCO World Heritage list

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) submitted Mount Apo on December 12, 2009 for inclusion in the UNESCO world heritage list. The mountain is considered by DENR as the center of endemism in Mindanao. It has one of the highest land-based biological diversity in terms of flora and fauna per unit area. It has three distinct forest formations, from lowland tropical rainforest, to mid-mountain forests, and finally to high mountain forests.

A portion of the eastern slopes are also within the scope of the UNESCO Hydrology Environment Life and Policy (HELP) Network. The Davao HELP Network is focused on building collaboration among watershed stakeholders.

Flora and Fauna

The mountain is home to over 272 bird species, 111 of which are endemic to the area. It is also the home of one of the world's largest eagle, the Philippine Eagle, the country’s national bird.

Fruits like durian, the king of fruits, grow abundantly in Mt. Apo.

University of Santo Tomas

2011-05-10T05:41:00.004+08:00

The University of Santo Tomas is one of the oldest existing universities and holds the oldest extant university charter in the Philippines and in Asia. It was founded on April 28, 1611 by the third Archbishop of Manila, Msgr. Miguel de Benavides, O.P., together with Frs. Domingo de Nieva and Bernardo de Santa Catalina. It was originally conceived as a school to prepare young men for the priesthood. Located within Intramuros, the Walled City, it was first called Colegio de Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario and later renamed Colegio de Santo Tomas in memory of the foremost Dominican Theologian, Saint Thomas Aquinas. In 1624, the Colegio was authorized to confer academic degrees in Theology, Philosophy and Arts. On November 20, 1645 Pope Innocent X elevated the College to the rank of a university and in 1680, it was subsequently placed under royal patronage.

Through the centuries, the University was given the following titles: Royal, Pontifical, and Catholic University of the Philippines. In 1785, for the loyalty shown by the administration and students who volunteered to defend Manila against the British invasion, King Charles III of Spain granted it the title of "Royal University". Pope Leo XIII made the University of Santo Tomas a "Pontifical University" on 1902 and in 1947, Pope Pius XII bestowed upon it the title of "The Catholic University of the Philippines". Thus its complete name is The Royal and Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines.

Panglao Island

2011-05-09T20:30:00.004+08:00

Currently Panglao is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines, famous for its beautiful dive spots and its coral reef, as well as many several islet ideal for beach bathing like the islets of Gak-ang and Pontod.

About 250 new species of crustaceans and 2500 new species of mollusks were found around the island. The discovery was the work of the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project. The project found that Panglao alone has more marine biodiversity than Japan and the Mediterranean sea.

Embutido

2011-05-09T14:36:00.003+08:00

Embutido is a type of meatloaf prepared Filipino style. Though a well known dish for the holidays, Embutido can be enjoyed everyday without any hassle. Several meat processing companies now produce this meatloaf for commercial purposes; all you have to do is grab one from your favorite grocery store.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground pork

12 pcs vienna sausage or 6 pcs hotdogs, cut in half lengthwise

3 pcs hard boiled eggs, sliced

1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1/2 cup tomato sauce

2 pcs raw eggs

2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup red bell pepper, minced

1 cup green bell pepper, minced

1 1/2 cup raisins

1 cup carrots, minced

1 cup onion, minced

salt and pepper

2 cups bread crumbs (made by placing 4 slices of tasty bread in a food processor. If not using any food processor, just tear the bread.)

Cooking Procedures:

1. Place the ground pork in a large container

2. Add the bread crumbs then break the raw eggs and add it in. Mix well

3. Put-in the carrots, bell pepper (red and green), onion, pickle relish, and cheddar cheese. Mix thouroughly

4. Add the raisins, tomato sauce, salt, and pepper then mix well.

5. Place the meat mixture in an aluminum foil and flatten it. (see video for guidance)

6. Put in the sliced vienna sausage and sliced boiled eggs alternately on the middle of the flat meat mixture.

7. Roll the foil to form a cylinderlocking the sausage and egg in the middle if the meat mixture. Once done, lock the edges of the foil.

8. Place in a steamer and let cook for 1 hour.

9. Place inside the refrigerator until temperature turns cold

10. Slice and serve. Share and Enjoy!