Serving Halal Certified Food in the Country: AlBarakah Philippines

This is the first time I've seen a LOT of people clad in their best garb and outfits that could resemble royalty in Mindanao, but right smack in the heart of Ortigas Center's Crowne Plaza. We were there for AlBarakah, a new brand of halal certified food chain in the country. For those who don't know, Halal certified food is a bit scarce in this side of the country, but with their presence, it would now be possible for halal food and ingredients to be served in different parts of the country.

This is the brainchild of AlBarakah CEO Ameerah Tamundong who says "It is a bit difficult to adhere to dietary principles in Metro Manila and different parts of the country. With the existence of AlBarakah, good halal certified food and drinks is now accessible for Filipinos. We also have different dishes to serve for our Filipino patrons if they're looking for carefully prepared meals."

 

At the venue, they had Muslim attendees enjoy dishes like Shredded Corned Beef, Minced Hash Corned Beef, their 3 in 1 brown coffee, and also white coffee. They also had Protein Bites which could serve as snacks in between meals, or even before athletes race, as it's got peanuts, almonds and other seeds. Each is assured of halal certification and lawful in Islamic ways. If you're in need of their services, visit their social channels on FB or their website albarakahph.com as all the details on how to order will be there.

LEGAL WIVES Showcases Cultural Differences on GMA

They've been doing good these past few days and with good reason. This is drama, severely cultural and depicts a relationship that isn't much of a norm in conservative Philippines. One man, married to three women, this is a series called LEGAL WIVES. This stars Dennis Trillo, Ms. Alice Dixson, Andrea Torres and Bianca Umali.

We got to talk to the cast a few days ago including Dennis Trillo who plays Ismael Makadatu. In a nutshell, polygamy is something that's a bit of taboo in the country. It's much of a cultural difference really, of understanding how society and these ladies to accept that they can be loved by one man. Aside from that, they're showing a couple of things that are a bit controversial like the harmful "Rido" wherein one clan tries to eliminate the other because of their differences. It will be explained in this series a bit, but not in whole because this isn't a documentary or news item. This also stars Derrick Monasterio, Ashley Ortega, Al Tantay, Juan Rodrigo, Irma Adlawan, Maricar de Mesa, Tommy Abuel, Bernard Palanca, Ms. Cherie Gil, Abdul Raman, Mon Confiado, Shayne Sava, Kevin Santos, indie actor Kiko Matos, Jay Arcilla and Brent Valdez. This is directed by Zig Dulay who also did Bianca Umali's Sahaya in the past.

Watch the show, maybe you'll see how something so crazy like this makes sense.

A Message of Peace from DS Loren Legarda this Eidul Adha

As announced by the Malacañan Palace, the 20th of July 2021 has been marked as a holiday for "Eidul Adha" or Feast of Sacrifice across the country. It also marks the end of Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. It's also one of the largest occasions for Muslims worldwide marking the the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ishmael (also known as Abraham and Ismael) as a form of total obedience to God, but God intervened and used sheep for  the ritual instead. During this time, our Muslim brothers and sisters reflect on the act and offer special prayers.

In  a recent post, Deputy Speaker, Former Senator and Bai A Labi (Honorary Muslim Princess bestowed by the Marawi Sultanate League) Loren Legarda sent her wishes to the public in celebration of this day. She says "I hope the values of selflessness, obedience and faith would bring us peace, blessings and harmony. I join our brothers and sisters in the Muslim faith in commemorating the Feast of Sacrifice, Eid Al Adha Mubarak!"

Here's her full message on video from her Facebook page:

May we all see the value and reason why this has been celebrated for centuries and hope today, we remember it all so we become better, selfless individuals. May your homes be vessels of peace, devotion and be full of blessings! Eid Mubarak!

Authentic Southern Cooking at PALM GRILL Tomas Morato

The Philippines is blessed with a rich culinary heritage and the rest of the world still has to discover what we are as a nation, our food included. Located at the corner of Scout Castor and Tomas Morato in Quezon City is a little known restaurant called PALM GRILL. I’ve been here a couple of times because of events by GMA and private companies - and I was happy because it’s in my neighborhood. I could literally walk from my house to there in just a few minutes.

I wanted to actually go on a solo adventure to Zamboanga and its neighboring provinces, but when I booked flights to that region I think I always get bumped off or got cancelled (twice) and security wise I was advised to tone down my looks and not look like an almost 6 foot lad with blond hair so I wouldn’t stand out from the crowd. I dreamt of doing street photography, to mostly people and even for once, maybe catch a glimpse of a real deal Vinta, a boat which can only be seen in that place. It never came true, so I was a little sad I couldn’t tick that off my bucketlist. Aside from that, when I went to Sabah Malaysia a couple years back, I got a glimpse of the food I wanted to have from that region. Apparently, most of their dishes are similar with what is served on a daily basis in the Southern part of the Philippines, which I have checked and confirmed. I knew I couldn’t live without trying the real thing, real Southern Philippine dishes that caught my eye.

I didn’t know that all along, this same restaurant a few minutes away from my house actually served the authentic southern Philippine dishes I was looking for. Owner Miggy Moreno says “All the dishes here are what I had during childhood, it’s made the same way with ingredients we’ve flown in from Zamboanga. It’s the reason why you’ll get the same taste as if you’re really there.”

The place can probably pack a little over a hundred people. It’s got two floors where you can also find your spot as it’s interiors are fit with flowers and leaves, which I find to be all instagrammable if there is such a word.

The top floor is like a loft, perfect for small functions or parties. They do accomodate that so if you’re looking for a good meal (with new food) this would be a nice place to book.

The second floor is just as pretty. I think they have spent a lot of time thinking about the interiors using wood, bold colors as base, and I think it works.

Now I mentioned I have dined here previously right? I remember having this Green Chicken that time so I wanted to have it again during this small luncheon. It did not dissappoint. The chicken wreaks of coconut their house spice base which reminded me a lot of Malaysian and Indonesian dishes I had in the past. I must admit this is my favorite. Imagine having this and piping hot white rice on a rainy afternoon, it’s like a different kind of comfort food.

The Green Chicken

Tiyula Itum

During our lunch, we were invited to try their newest item on the menu. They call this Tiyula Itum. It’s a Tausug dish similar to our local Bulalo, but it’s got this intense herby but mildly spicy beef flavor. They brought this here because they knew Tomas Morato was quite a competitive place for restaurants. This would defintely make them stand out. You can also ask them to adjust the spiciness of the dish if you prefer a spicier one (which I do by the way) and they would gladly do it for you. They serve this with a little flare, with a live torched bone marrow which you can scoop off and mix in with your rice and broth. If you’re like me who wants the perfect spoon, this is so sinful but so worth it. The broth was hot, has chunks of meat boiled for hours so it is ideal to have this while it’s hot.

The Knicker Iced Treat

This is their version of the Zamboanga Knickerbocker which they call Kinicker Iced Treat. Think of it as a Halo Halo on steroids because it’s got lots of local fruit pieces, ice cream too. I think this would be one of the things you should order to end the meal, especially if you’re a sweet tooth.

They have coffee

They also have a mean coffee. If you’re just around the area and looking for a place to chill, this could be a good place to start before you run amuck and spend the night clubbing.

The food is authentic as it gets because they source their ingredients from Zamboanga. They also have CURACHA with Zamboanga Sauce which I also suggest you get for your meal. Make sure to bring family and friends because the service is not intrusive (which I like) but you can talk to them casually, if you’re just having a drink, that can be done.

If you wish to know more about the place, check out their instagram account @palmgrillph and their social media channels, just search!

Call 3731688 or 545177. They are open everyday 11am to 11pm. Go start your Mindanao journey at Palm Grill.

I am obsessed with their Green Chicken!

The War In Gaza Strip and Israel

Thousands of people suffering from wars, why wouldn't they just STOP!

Okay, so here I go now telling you what I think about the war in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Some of my fellow bloggers would not probably discuss this on their site because they’re like 1.) Don’t know much about it or 2.) There are other things to worry about that war in this world… I dare now since I’ve been itching to speak about it since I’ve heard it over CNN.

The Gaza Strip, tanks are already going through towns!

I am no war crime expert, but I’ve weighed the pros and cons of this particular war and why it happened. As a background, let me tell you what happened to my Aunt a few months back as she was part of MAJOR HEADLINES. If you are a follower of my blog, you know that my Aunt Milet was kidnapped by armed men from world renowned terrorists/kidnappers Abu Sayyaf. My Aunt was doing preparations to work for an NGO from Malaysia to help the people of Sulu, Tawi Tawi and Basilan. The surrounding areas and provinces included. She however is Christian in a Muslim centrifuged community so she was treated a little differently (I think) in that part of the world. I hated them (Abu Sayyaf) for doing that to the few people who make life better in the southern Philippines because of the fact that there are only a few of them left. How I wish I could just bomb these terrorists so she could be set free because it was just a BIG nightmare for me and my family. We were merely spectators in this case because we knew how dangerous these men were to start with. People were talked to and arrangements were made so she could be released. Yes ladies and gentlemen, she was weak and suffered a horrible ordeal in the treacherous jungles of Mindanao. She was released on a Friday, November 14, 2008 so thank God! Thank Allah for that! (article about it here)


Now, with that horrible experience from terrorists you should wonder what I would feel about this WHOLE WAR between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. First of all, I hate terrorists because of obvious reasons. Hamas has been launching 30-40 rockets into Israel these past few weeks before these whole ruckus began. The Palestinian authority has a few people working with this group and some who only purely work for the people and the government. They say they are a different entity in the beginning but they never denied that some of them are from Hamas. They were all part of the fight before as we all know. If we want to point an accusing finger WHO IS TO BLAME for this war, it’s a HEADLESS chicken and egg hunt! These factions have been fighting since B.C. and A.D and the 21st century for crying out loud! Now it’s blowing out of proportion because you know both sides could not be handled by the so called super powers of the world and the UN.


Palestinian Authorities were blaming Israel for killing women and children…making them hungry and isolating them. Israel on the other hand blamed Hamas for launching an unending barrage of rockets to southern cities so they have ongoing operations and plans to stop Hamas permanently. Israel was looking like sitting ducks there for a while since they did not do anything in earlier attacks of the same nature. Hamas in this case was just doing too much.

Israel had to defend itself and its people from the terrorists. If the Palestinian authorities could not do anything about their own internal arrangements with these groups that some even call heroes at their homes, then Israel had to go fight them back to make sure their people are safe. The same case would be done here; we need to also get rid of our own terrorists to eliminate this problem. When do you think this would stop though? Israel is also hurting civilians but they are treating them as “needed casualties” for their own concerns. Who is right or wrong in this case? Who is to blame for the hundreds and thousands of people dying and suffering? Something has got to be done because it is just not enough to ask them to stop fighting. You need to weigh both sides before you can put an end to this. First, Palestinian Authorities must take control of their own territory and Hamas. Police their own borders first and stop whatever radical Hamas militants are doing to hurt people in Israel. Then Israel, after making sure that Hamas would stop what they are doing, should also stop their military offensive. They already have their own marked territories, the only thing both sides should do is work the land they are in and get on improving the lives of their people. Israel is getting alienated in that part of the world not just because they are “Christians and Jewish people” but because they are Israelis. Look at the countries around them… they are all super powers too if you ask me. This is just unending, what do you think both sides should do to stop this war and keep it from escalating? Comments are welcome! So go ahead and click the comment box! This is just my opinion, I need to hear what you think.

Kidnapped : Please Continue To Pray For Their Safety

Abu Sayyaf and extremist rebels are still in Mindanao, some of them are dead and some breakaway groups survived previous military operations and still kidnap people. May God have mercy on their soul.

file photo taken on survivalx.com

My Aunt Milet Mendoza hasn’t been freed yet by her kidnappers. I just am too worried about what these “dangerous people” could do with her and Ms. Espie from Nagdilaab Foundation. These are teens who are just brainwashed by Muslim Extremists in the Southern part of the Philippines. There are other people behind this. My Tita Milet went there because of her calling to help War displaced Filipinos (Muslims and Christians alike) and help them rehabilitate thru programs provided and implemented by NGO’s. I just read off an update in Inquirer that the abductors were able to use Esperancita Hupida (Ms. Espie’s) mobile phone and call Nagdilaab Foundation President Fr. Angel Calvo on Tuesday and reiterated the demand for 5 million pesos in ransom. Ms. Espie was able to talk “They threatened to cut Espie’s fingers if we do not give in to the ransom demand, they also made us hear how they hurt her while the call was ongoing… it is agonizing, unbearable and very barbaric… Espie was so weak and she could be ill, but her captors still did hurt her. She kept on begging for help and asked us to do all means to help her” Fr. Calvo said.This ransom value was lowered today to an undisclosed amount but was still impossible to raise by Ms. Espie's family. They would still not release information on my Aunt Milet until Hupida has been released. Government is strictly implementing a no ransom policy for kidnappers.

For those who were not able to read my previous article on my website, Ms. Espie Hupida and my Aunt Milet Mendoza were kidnapped along with four other people in a remote village of Tipo-Tipo Central Basilan, a war torn province in the southern Mindanao on Sept. 15. Four others managed to escape on separate occasions, Auntie Milet could have also done so but she did not want to leave Ms. Espie Hupida behind because she could barely walk. They could not however still get any information about my Aunt Milet. I ask all my friends, fellow bloggers and family to please continue to pray for my Aunt Milet and Ms. Espie’s safety.