5 Comfort Food for Rainy Days

Wazzup Pilipinas!

June marks the start of the rainy season in the Philippines. It’s also a strange time that makes us feel like cozying up at home and grabbing a bite of our comfort food. Luckily, Filipino food culture is booming with delicious meals that will surely satisfy you during the La Nina season.

Craving for comfort food? Check out these foods below!

Lomi

Nothing warms up the belly like a hot bowl of Lomi. Lomi is a kind of Filipino soup that shares its origins in Batangas. It is best known for its thick and rich broth that goes hand in hand with egg-based noodles and other savory toppings such as chicharon or liver pieces. Other provinces have made their own versions, but either way, it’s a must-have for the cold weather!

Arroz Caldo

You can never go wrong with ordering Arroz Caldo any day. It means warm rice in Spanish and is a bright yellow congee flavored by ginger and chicken stock. Arroz Caldo has shredded chicken meat that will surely fill up your tummy with delight compared to plain porridge. Garnish it with toasted garlic for an extra crunch or pair it with fried tokwa for a complete meal!

Sopas

Sopas is one of those meals that you can get whether you’re sick, craving, or just hungry. Originating from the Spanish term sopa, our rendition of chicken noodle soup uses elbow macaroni swamped in a creamy, broth-infused soup. Its main ingredients are usually choice vegetables and shredded chicken breast. Some would also use hotdog slices or corned beef as their choice of meat.

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo

Sweet and creamy bilo-bilo is the perfect dessert, especially on sweater weather. Inspired by the Chinese treat Tang Yuan, this snack is mainly composed of glutinous rice balls and sago pearls swimming in warm, coconut-flavored soup. You can also add taro, sweet potatoes, jackfruit slices, and saba to spruce up your bowl!

Nilaga

You can’t mention comfort food without Nilaga in mind! Probably the best companion for the rainy days ahead, this is a simple beef stew that uses choice cuts of beef and crisp veggies with some spices thrown in for a hearty meal. It is also commonly paired with fish sauce for dipping to balance out the flavor.

There’s still more meals that we can cover, but these dishes are by far some of the people’s top choices for the rainy weather.

Is your comfort food on the list? Share us what your top rainy-day meals are down in the comments!

TipidTanim challenges households to grow own food

Wazzup Pilipinas!

As the ‘new normal’ looms after the lifting of community quarantines throughout the country, a group of advocates are pushing for backyard farming for sustainable food security and self-sufficiency.

In March, Nasrudin “Naz” Buisan, an agriculturist from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) founded TipidTanim Challenge to encourage families to plant their own food in their backyards.

“The severity of COVID-19 pandemic has affected the movement and distribution of food because of the lockdowns and community quarantines. So how do we solve this? Let us plant our own food!” he said in a podcast interview.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a worldwide food crisis threatens as countries battle the spread of the pandemic. And local food production, particularly of vegetables, will be one of the steps to combat a future food crisis. (http://www.fao.org/2019-ncov/q-and-a/impact-on-food-and-agriculture/en/)

“May mga groups na nagexpress ng support nila, they said, okay, let’s start home gardening, pero sinabi din nila na hindi kami makalabas, hindi kami makabili ng seeds, that is why we thought, how about we distribute seeds?” Naz added.

Seed distribution

Eventually, the government, private organizations, and individuals supported TipidTanim challenge by donating funds to raise seedlings such as kangkong, ampalaya, pipino, and okra.

Naz narrated how the seed distribution started in just two pick-up points: Cotabato City and Datu Odin Sinsuat and grew to more than 18 pick-up points in Maguindano and ten outside the province, bringing the advocacy to Regions 10 and 12, and as far as Cebu.

“Sa ngayon, 3,000 na ang nabigyan natin ng seeds. Kung susumahin natin ang lahat ng mga seeds na naipamahagi natin, ito ay nagkakahalaga na ng PHP 200,000 na din,” Naz said.

Empowering communities to be self-reliant through social media

According to Naz, a lot of families have already started their home gardens proving that their advocacy continues to gain traction.

“Marami tayong nahikayat gawin ito kahit hindi naman natin sila nabigyan ng seeds. Yun talaga ang advocacy natin na bawat pamilya ay makapagsimulang magtanim.” he said.

TipidTanim’s social media page not only features the basic home gardening tips, but also answers inquiries on backyard farming. Agriculturists from Mindanao State University and Cotabato City Polytechnic College provide helpful tips to those interested.

“Naging parte na din ng TipidTanim challenge ang hikayatin ang mga komunidad na magtanim ng sarili nilang pagkain. Kung ang bawat household ay may kakayanan nang gawin ito, hindi na nila kailangan pang umasa sa iba,” he said.


Support from PEF

PEF supported this initiative for its vegetable seed distribution project.

“Since the start of the lockdown, PEF has assisted a number of relief efforts in collaboration with other civil society organizations, but we also wanted to look for initiatives that promote sustainable recovery from the effects of the pandemic,” PEF Social Enterprise Institute Manager Merlyn Francisco said.

She added that encouraging backyard vegetable gardening can bring immediate support from the communities in the area.

“We think the project can be scaled up and replicated in many other areas,” she added.

24/7 construction of Bicol International Airport to start in July; priority facilities to be completed within the year

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Round-the-clock construction work on the Bicol International Airport (BIA) is set to start this July to meet its target completion date within the year for priority facilities set by Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Although the construction of the airport development project at present is in full swing, construction work will be done 24/7 starting this July.

The Bicol International Airport originally started in 1996 (pre feasibility study), while the Notice to Proceed was issued in July 2009. Meanwhile, construction works for the runway, taxiway, apron and fences were mostly left uncompleted in 2012, and budget was reverted to the national treasury.

It was only when the Duterte Administration came in 2016 that the construction of Landside Facilities (Project 2A) began. Runway Extension and the construction of the Passenger Terminal Building (Project 2B) commenced in 2017.

As of 24 June 2020, Package 2A of the airport development project, which is handled by Sunwest Construction, is already 81% complete. This covers the landside facilities, such as the Administration Building, Air Traffic Control Building, Crash Fire Rescue Building, and the Maintenance Building.

Meanwhile, Package 2B, which covers the construction of the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) and the runway, is 34% complete. Its project contractor, E.M. Cuerpo committed to provide additional manpower to finish said priority facilities within the year.

Overall, the completion rate of the Bicol International Airport now stands at 66.61%.

Hailed as the country’s ‘Most Scenic Gateway,’ the BIA features the iconic Mayon Volcano as its magnificent backdrop. Once completed, the BIA is expected to strategically boost air traffic and tourist arrivals in Albay province and spur regional growth in the Bicol region, making it an economic powerhouse.

Secretary Tugade said the continuous development of transport infrastructure is vital during this time, as the country starts recovering from the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

“It can’t be denied that the aviation sector has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. That’s why it is important that we finish the airport at the soonest possible time as this will absolutely give the economy a boost. Gusto ko matapos ‘yan within the year dahil gusto na natin itong agad na mapakinabangan ng ating mga kababayan. As we ready for take-off, kung baga, dapat all systems go,” the transportation chief stressed.

Meanwhile, DOTr Assistant Secretary for Procurement and Project Implementation Giovanni Lopez said that the expedited construction work for the airport is a way to offset the period of work suspension and unnecessary delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To recall, we have initially targeted to finish the airport by July this year. Unfortunately, we encountered delays that have hampered the early completion of the Bicol International Airport. But, as committed by our contractors, we will work triple time and meet the deadline set by Secretary Tugade by the end of the year. Rest assured that although we are expediting the airport’s completion, we will still follow the allowable budget costs without sacrificing the quality,” Asec. Lopez said.

Asec. Lopez and Asec. for Aviation Jim Melo conducted an unannounced inspection on the construction site last Sunday, June 28.

For its part, construction company E.M. Cuerpo said it is committed to the directive of Secretary Tugade to finish the airport project within the year.

"Ang amin pong commitment kay Secretary Tugade, tatapusin namin ang extension ng runway at ang PTB shell ng Setyembre habang ‘yung mga ibang gawain para tuluyan nang matapos ang mga priority facilities ng ating paliparan ay tatapusin natin hanggang Disyembre. Sana makisama rin ang panahon. Kaya naman po tumugon kami sa kautusan ni Secretary Tugade na tuluy-tuloy ang trabaho hanggang gabi. Sa katunayan nga po, pagdating ng unang linggo ng Hulyo, kami po ay magdadagdag ng 100 workers para magawa nating 24/7 ang pagtrabaho sa airport. Iba kung si Secretary Tugade ang nag-utos, kailangan tumupad.” E.M. Cuerpo President and Chief Executive Officer Architect Rene Cuerpo said.