This is quite interesting! I have been trying to find ways of either opening a Filipino restaurant here in Charleston, there is really nowhere that is good that I find, unless they’ve changed their menus. I know of 2 places, that is considered “Filipino” food…its more like mixture of Chinese-American type of food. Its more americaninzed and not really the authentic filipino food that I grew up with. I recently went back home to California and I was spoiled with good Filipino home cooking and as well as some great many Filipino restaurant or take away food!! I didn’t want to come back!! There are soo many of great selections and I was really amiss to return to SC as we don’t have that option. So in finding this story from Margaux Salcedo, Philippine Daily Inquirer – is quite interesting and it gives me an excuse to do a road trip to check it out! 😀 Thanks to Inquirer.net for the image too! 🙂
FIVE years ago, I had the privilege of dining at the only Filipino restaurant in Soho, New York City called Cendrillon (sen-dree-yon).
It was a restaurant of mixed reviews: Some loved it because of the creativity of Chef Romy Dorotan, who gave his own flavor to traditional Filipino dishes; others hated it because they argued that they were looking for Filipino food and did not find it here. I was among those who loved Cendrillon and Dorotan’s kitchen experiments. It may not be traditional—rare is the adobo cooked in gata (coconut milk)—but the essence and flavors of Filipino cooking are present, and his creativity is a pleasure to indulge in.
Apparently Frank Bruni, resident restaurant critic for The New York Times, appreciated Chef Romy’s creativity as well and gave Cendrillon an appreciative review. Another fan is the queen of good housekeeping, Martha Stewart herself, who guested him twice on her show, with artist Perry Mamaril even authentically grating coconut from the husk in one of the episodes of “The Martha Stewart Show.”
Last year, however, the clock struck midnight for this Cinderella (Cendrillon actually translates to Cinderella) and it had to close its doors and its kitchen. It was certainly a sad day for Filipino foodies the world over who had come to regard Cendrillon not only with affection and adulation but also with a kind of pride that one of our own had made it in The City.
But bibidee-bobidee-boo, it turns out that the magic on Cinderella has not disappeared because the power couple of Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa (restaurateur and author of “Memories of Philippine Kitchens,” a much lauded book on Philippine food culture and history) has simply relocated to Brooklyn. I wondered if it would be a wise move since the action in New York seems to be in Manhattan. But Ms. Besa countered that Brooklyn has a great restaurant crowd. Plus, I figured, if “Sex and the City” has said that “Brooklyn is the new Manhattan,” we have to take The Girls’ word for it!
The new restaurant will be called Purple Yam. And it will be just like Cendrillon, although bigger in scope. Instead of being limited to Dorotan-style Filipino cooking, Purple Yam will have Asian soul food whose versions will be specific to persons the couple actually knows. For example, they will serve the Koreans’ popular kimchi not in any ordinary way, but using the version of the mother of Jane, an artist who helped design the interiors of Purple Yam. You might even want to contribute your own version of dinuguan or lumpia; the couple is very open to suggestions. So I envision the menu to be a live version of “Memories of Philippine Kitchens,” except that instead of having just the recipes of lolas, lolos, mothers, and yayas from the Philippines, the recipes of lolas, lolos, mothers, and yayas from all over Asia will come to life as well at Purple Yam.
Since it is difficult to replicate real Filipino flavors in New York given the limited Asian ingredients in the United States, the couple has resorted to experimenting on creating new Asian flavors with the ingredients the city has to offer. They are currently having a blast in the kitchen, mixing up various grains and seeds from all over Asia to create Purple Yam’s own bowl of Asian rice. This is bound to be exciting, especially in terms of texture. Imagine wild rice mixed with Japanese short grain rice mixed with lentil, among other things. Amy Besa says it’s a blast and I will take her word for it.
Of course, Cendrillon staples such as their homemade ube ice cream and pirurutong paella will stay. Along with their commitment to cooking gourmet, Besa is passionate in a campaign against MSG and swears that anyone who uses MSG destroys rather than enhances the intrinsic flavor of ingredients. So you can expect an MSG-free menu at Purple Yam, even for Chinese favorites. I guess you can expect that ube here will be halaya.
The interiors are very similar to the old Cendrillon. Although the restaurant was still undergoing construction when I visited, the red brick walls and the welcoming bar reminded me of the old Cendrillon in an instant. Like in the Soho resto, Perry Mamaril is also creating new art fixtures for this restaurant using bamboo.
Unfortunately, all I’ve had was a teaser of what Purple Yam will look like. I will have to come back in July for a real taste of it. No doubt, though, that Dorotan fans the world over are as excited as myself to see what he’ll be cooking up next! •
Purple Yam. 1314 Cortelyou Rd., Brooklyn, NY 11226 (between Rugby and Argyle). Opening in July 2009.
October 30th,2009
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This is rather a sad story, but it is coming from another person eye’s as to what conditions are in the RP Jail houses. I have my own opinions of jail for criminals, but he was accused of something that he supposedly did not do. Now, everyone has their own opinions, I am merely presenting the story here. Thanks Good News Pilipinas, written by By Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Albert Wilson, a British national, was wrongfully sentenced to death for allegedly raping his stepdaughter in 1998, but was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 1999.
On death row, he suffered financial extortion, torture, inhuman living conditions, and untold physical trauma inflicted not just by prison guards, but by fellow inmates.
In a 39-page mandamus brief submitted to the high court, the Center for International Law on his behalf asked the Supreme Court to compel the Philippine government to improve the living condition in Philippine jails.
After his acquittal, Wilson filed a complaint against the Philippine government before the UN Human Rights Committee for violations of his rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which the Philippines is a state party.
He alleged that the Philippines breached its obligations under the Covenant not to commit torture and to prevent torture within its jurisdiction.
The Human Rights Committee is a mechanism established under the ICCPR where a group of experts examines reports and rules on individual complaints brought before it against states parties.
After requiring the Philippines to answer the complaint and to rebut the allegations, the Committee decided the case and released a communication on November 2003, finding the Philippines in breach of its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in Case No. 868/1999.
The Committee also said that the Philippine government must compensate Wilson for the torture he suffered while inside the New Bilibid Prison.
However, lawyer Harry Roque, head of the Center, said that instead of paying, the Philippine government gave Wilson a run-around.
”The failure of the Philippines to observe its obligations to prevent torture and not to commit torture under the Covenant gives rise to the commission of an internationally wrongful act which is a breach of treaty,” said Roque.
“The acts of the prison officials in Muntinlupa and the prison guards are considered acts of state, and acts of the Philippines, being directly attributable under the doctrine of state organs.”
The Center argues that the conditions of detention in Philippine jails do not comply with the treaty obligations assumed by the Philippine government under the ICCPR.
“In particular, the conditions prevalent in Philippine centers of detention are indicative of a failure to protect a person’s physical integrity and are the equivalent of torture. That these conditions exist are so established it has become the subject of judicial notice in several criminal cases decided by the Supreme Court.”
“As an organ of the state, this Honorable Supreme Court thus may take measures in the form of specific orders so that the right to compensation is not rendered illusory,” said the suit.
“Mandamus is the only available remedy to obtain such compensation given that the Philippines has not enacted legislation…or administrative measures to ensure that victims of human rights violations are redressed in the form of compensation and that such are enforceable, effective, and offer a realistic chance of compensation.”
The Philippines has since abolished the death penalty but inhuman conditions in its overcrowded jails continue and are turning from bad to worse.
In its suit, the Center said the Philippine Supreme Court has itself denounced the overcrowding of prison cells and inhuman condition of inmates.
October 28th,2009
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This is the weather update that is going on in some parts of the Philippines. Thanks to Alcuin Papa, Inquirer Northern Luzon, Inquirer Central Luzon for this article, it was written Oct 18th.
MANILA, Philippines–The next 48 hours are crucial for northern Luzon, the Pagasa weather bureau said on Saturday.
Within that period, it will be determined whether Typhoon “Ramil” (international name: Lupit) will veer north toward Taiwan or move northwest to ravage the region, which is still picking up the pieces after “Pepeng” cut a trail of destruction there early this month.
Weather forecaster Robert Sawi said a high-pressure area near Taiwan would spell the difference.
If the high-pressure area stays in its current position, it might allow Ramil to move north and spare northern Luzon. But if it moves west, it may pull Ramil over the region.
“We will see in the next 48 hours what will happen,” Sawi told the Inquirer.
He said Ramil was moving slowly and was almost stationary, as if deciding where to go. “In my experience, once a system slows down, there is a chance it would change direction and we would be spared,” he added.
But Sawi’s boss, Pagasa Director Prisco Nilo, was less optimistic. In a briefing late Saturday afternoon at the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) in Camp Aguinaldo, Nilo said the “unanimous forecast” was that Ramil would head to northern Luzon.
He said the chance of it doing so was 80 percent.
Nilo said Pagasa expected Ramil to stick close to northern Luzon on Monday. By Tuesday, Luzon will feel the effects of the typhoon, which is expected to make landfall in Cagayan on Wednesday afternoon .
At 4 p.m. Saturday, Ramil was located 750 kilometers east southeast of Casiguran, Aurora, with maximum winds and gustiness of 140 and 170 km per hour, respectively.
It is moving west northwest at 13 kph.
Nilo said scattered rain showers and thunderstorms were expected over southern Luzon and the Visayas for the next three days due to an intertropical convergence zone.
Sawi said it was possible that Ramil could develop into a supertyphoon with maximum winds reaching 215 kph or more because it was still out at sea.
At noon Saturday, National Power Corp. (Napocor) increased the opening of two spillway gates of the San Roque Dam in San Manuel, Pangasinan, from 2 meters to 3 meter.
In a general notice for water releases it issued on Friday, Napocor said San Roque’s reservoir elevation was expected to rise due to rains brought by Ramil.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, the water elevation was 283.35 meters above sea level. It was releasing water at 772 cubic meters per second (cms).
“Due to additional release of water, the water level and flow in the Agno River are expected to rise. Please be on the alert and take necessary precautions,” Napocor said.
In Isabela, operators of Magat Dam continued releasing water at a rate of 833 cms in anticipation of Ramil.
‘Prepositioning’
Defense Secretary and NDCC Chair Gilbert Teodoro said authorities were now “prepositioning” relief goods to areas likely to be hit by Ramil, such as Pangasinan, La Union, the Ilocos provinces, Batanes, Cagayan and Baguio City.
Teodoro said “air assets” were being concentrated in the Cordilleras, specifically nine isolated areas in Mountain Province and Benguet.
He said the NDCC’s regional offices had been ordered to consolidate assets like rubber boats and to prepare for preemptive evacuations: “Better to have preemptive evacuations than to have to rescue people.”
He added: “We have to plan for the worst-case scenario.”
Teodoro also said the NDCC would instruct operators of dams in northern Luzon to “release more water right now, but in close verbal consultation with local government officials.”
He said he would not accept communication through text messages.
Find evacuation areas
Under threat of Ramil, residents and local governments still reeling from Pepeng’s onslaught prepared to lessen the new typhoon’s impact.
Benguet Gov. Nestor Fongwan said he had ordered the province’s 13 mayors to move people away from danger zones.
Fongwan reminded people to take extra care and ordered all disaster coordinating councils in Benguet to be on the alert.
He said local officials had been tasked to find safe areas to serve as evacuation centers and temporary relocation centers, and were under strict orders to ensure that families displaced by landslides would not go back to their communities.
“We will not allow the families to return to their homes if their areas are considered geohazard [zones],” Fongwan said.
“We do not want to hear reports of new casualties because we failed to give the proper warning,” he said.
Massive landslides triggered by Pepeng killed more than 300 people in the Cordillera.
Benguet officials are worried that should Ramil hit the region, relocation and relief efforts would be delayed.
Since Monday, two Air Force helicopters had been transporting rice and other staples to areas that had run out of food, like the towns of Buguias, Atok, Kibungan, Sablan and Bokod.
The same choppers also delivered relief goods to Mountain Province.
In Baguio, which was isolated for about two days last week due to landslides triggered by heavy rains, Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. called on the people not to panic.
Bautista said Ramil was still far and people have time to prepare, he said.
Focus on critical areas
In Pangasinan, where floods spawned by Pepeng’s continuous rains submerged farms, communities and business centers in 38 towns and cities, officials and residents in riverside communities have begun to move.
“We have started to evacuate our people to a vacant space away from the dike,” said Jasmin Gamboa, barangay chief of Carmen East, a community along the Agno River in Rosales town.
Carmen East was one of the most devastated areas in Pangasinan when the San Roque Dam released excess water to the Agno River, causing it to swell, erode the earth dikes and inundate the barangay.
At least 800 families left homeless have settled in makeshift structures on vacant lots.
“We are scared by Ramil’s coming,” Gamboa said. “Our people have suffered so much and I’m worried for them.”
Rosales Mayor Ricardo Revita said he had no choice but to “face the problem and prepare for it.”
“We will have to focus on critical areas. We will have to constantly monitor the river’s water level,” he said.
Revita said the San Roque Dam should release as much excess water that the Agno River could absorb.
“With no rainfall, I think the river can absorb as much as 2,500 cms,” he said.
Carmen West resident Leny Flores, 58, said she was ready to open her house again to flood victims.
Flores’ house was turned into an evacuation center for at least 30 families when Pepeng struck.
“We were like sardines. Nobody could lie down; we just stood there until the water receded,” she said.
Preemptive evacuation
In Guagua, Pampanga, bakery owners Jesus and Lucy Tingin moved their baking equipment to the second floor of their house.
“If it gets flooded again, we will lose our source of livelihood,” Lucy Tingin said.
Added her husband: “There’s always a flood in our area because of the high tide. Heavy rains raise the flood level. We have lost customers due to the floods.”
Another resident, Natividad Verzano, said she had placed important documents in a vault in her house’s second floor, also as a safeguard against floods.
Guagua Mayor Ricardo Rivera said evacuation centers had been identified and relief goods prepared.
Melchito Castro, director of the Office of Civil Defense in Cagayan Valley, said his office had alerted all local governments in the region to prepare for the typhoon and evacuate residents in areas expected to be hit.
“Preemptive evacuation has been our priority in flood-prone areas. Even if they resist, if it is for their safety, we will resort to carrying them from their houses to evacuation sites,” said Antonio Montereal Jr., information officer of the Ilagan government. With reports from Delmar Cariño, Gabriel Cardinoza, Yolanda Sotelo, Vincent Cabreza and Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Charlene Cayabyab and Robert Gonzaga, Inquirer Central Luzon
October 26th,2009
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