...the Billboard 's Next Big Sound toppers

Pinoy group SB19 enters Billboard' s Next Big Sound Chart

ABS-CBN News
20 November 2019

MANILA -- Pinoy pop group SB19 has earned a spot on a Billboard chart which lists musical acts for their fast-rising popularity.

On Wednesday, SB19 grabbed the sixth spot on Billboard's Next Big Sound chart, behind K-pop boy band A.C.E.

he Next Big Sound chart tracks "the fastest accelerating artists during the past week, across all major social music sites, statistically predicted to achieve future success," according to the Billboard website.

The chart is measured by Next Big Sound, an American company which provides analytics on online music.

Fans of the five-member group took to social media to celebrate the milestone, with the hashtag #SB19onBillboardNBS topping local Twitter trends on Wednesday morning.

Comprised of Sejun, Stell, Ken, Josh, and Justin, SB19 debuted in October 2018 with the song "Tilaluha."

The group achieved mainstream popularity after a video of the members' dance practice for their sophomore single, "Go Up," went viral on social media in September.

• The group, which is managed by a Korean entertainment company and whose members trained in South Korea, is noted for its synchronized dance performances.
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...the Filipino language in German University

Leading German university launches Filipino language course 

Philippine Star 

12 November 2019

 

MANILA, Philippines— The Embassy of the Philippines in Berlin, Germany recently announced that one of the leading Germany universities, Humboldt University, would be offering a Filipino language course for the first time.

 

The course was launched during the first week of November by the Advancing Philippine Studies Program.

“Filipino language will be offered as a full module for the first time at the institute,” the organizers of the Advancing Philippine Studies Program in HU said on a Facebook post.

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Advancing Philippine Studies Program, launched in July 2019, seeks to advance and promote Philippine and Filipino studies in HU "by developing academic programs, projects and activities related to the culture, society, and history of the Philippines and the Filipino people."

These projects are conceptualized and managed by Filipina sociocultural anthropologist and assistant professor at the Department for Southeast Asian Studies, Rosa Cordillera Castillo.

The Filipino language course, would be offered for the Winter term and would serve as one the major components of the Philippine Studies program.

It would be would be administered by Filipino language instructor Antonio Galang Jr. from the University of the Philippines.

The Philippine Studies program is overseen by HU's Institute of Asian and African Studies in partnership with the Philippine Embassy in Germany.

It is funded by a donation offered to HU through the office of former Sen. Loren Legarda and npw De[ity Speaker Loren Legarda and the Philippine Embassy in Berlin under the Cultural Diplomacy funds of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

HU, founded in 1810, is Germany’s premiere tertiary-level educational institution. It currently ranks 120th at the QS World University Ranking.

In May 2019, the Supreme Court ruled with finality that Filipino and Panitikan or Philippine Literature can be excluded as core subjects in college in the Philippines. —Rosette Adel

...the Banana Ketchup Inventor

She Invented Banana Ketchup & Saved Thousands of Lives. Why Have we Never heard of Her?

Amelia Rampe
Food52
26 October 2019

I’ve seen the look on my friends’ faces when the words banana ketchup are uttered. Confusion, maybe even disgust. How can two things with such different flavor profiles exist in one product? Despite its seeming incongruity, banana ketchup is a pantry staple that rings nostalgic to many Filipinos all over the world.

Magdalo V. Francisco, Sr. is credited with mass-producing banana ketchup in 1942, thus making it a fixture in the Filipino household. To this day it’s used as a condiment that accompanies many popular dishes such as tortang talong (an eggplant omelet), fried chicken, Filipino spaghetti (pasta with banana ketchup and sliced hot dogs), as well as a sauce for hamburgers.

You can even find some refined versions of banana ketchup in modern Filipino cuisine. At Toyo Eatery in Manila, Jordy Navarra makes a “Banana Catsup” using fermented bananas, banana peel vinegar, banana blossom, tomatoes, and spices. True to tradition, he also serves his alongside tortang talong.

But to truly understand the roots of banana ketchup, it’s important to understand the person behind the innovation, as well as the environment in which it was produced.

Her name? Maria Orosa.

As Chef Navarra says, “Growing up in Manila, we always knew the name of Maria Orosa as a pretty famous and busy street. After getting into food and learning about the history of banana catsup, we stumbled upon her story.”

A food chemist and innovator, Maria saw that the Philippines was heavily reliant on imports like tomatoes. At the same time, she understood and envisioned the vast potential of a great many products endemic to the island nation that, when used properly, could make the country more self-sufficient. She was passionate about a self-sustaining Philippines and made it her life’s work to study native food, and the use of fermentation and various preserving techniques to educate and uplift people in need. She would eventually become a war heroine through her food innovations. Most notably: banana ketchup.

One day, she created a banana sauce with mashed bananas, vinegars, and spices. The brownish-yellow color was not very appetizing, so a little red dye was added, turning it to what is today known as banana ketchup.

But her story is far vaster than her most popular invention.

Maria moved to the United States at the age of 23 (some accounts say she was a stowaway). She was a government-sponsored scholar at the University of Washington in Seattle. There, she earned a bachelors and a masters degree in pharmaceutical chemistry, as well as one in food chemistry. During her education, Maria would spend her summer breaks working in the Alaskan canneries.

In the end, she earned a position as an assistant chemist for the state of Washington, but instead chose to return to the Philippines in 1922. Upon her return, she taught home economics at Centro Escolar University and would later transfer to the Bureau of Science organizing the food preservation division.

A humanitarian at heart, Orosa had a vision of empowering the Filipino family. She launched Health, Heart, Head and Hand (4-H) Clubs. This organization brought herself and other educators into rural areas and barrios to teach women how to raise poultry and preserve food, as well as how to prepare and plan meals. By 1924, the organization had over 22,000 members. Part of her initiative was to introduce one of her inventions, the palayok oven—a clay oven intended for people who did not have access to electrical appliances.

She used her background in food chemistry to run experiments in fermenting, dehydrating, and preserving native plants and animals. The innovations that emerged are said to still be used in laboratories today. The ultimate goal? Make the Philippines more self-sufficient and sustaining.

Local fruits like tamarind, santol, and calamansi provided her with foundations to make wine, jams, and jellies. Cassava and green banana flour would replace the need for wheat. Coconuts would yield vinegars; she was the first to preserve macapuno, a jelly-like product of coconut that is used in Southeast Asia to this day. She was also the first to freeze mangos, enabling distributors to send the famous Filipino fruit throughout the world.

The Bureau of Science recognized her efforts and promoted Maria to head of the Home Economics Division and the Division of Food Preservation. Her work with the bureau would send her all over the world to research canning and preserving technologies.

She was passionate about a self-sustaining Philippines and made it her life’s work to study native food, and the use of fermentation and various preserving techniques to educate and uplift people in need.

Some of Maria’s most known contributions to the food world came during World War II. She was beloved within Filipino households for her banana ketchup, but she would become a war hero for her food inventions: Soyalac and Darak. Soyalac is a protein-rich, highly nutritious powdered soybean product. Darak is a rice by-product that is high in B vitamins, thiamine, and vitamins A, D, and E (intended to fight the vitamin B deficiency disease, beriberi).

During World War II, Orosa was a captain in Marking’s Guerrillas, a group of Filipinx soldiers who would fight alongside the United States against the Japanese during the war. Legend says that she devised a system for smuggling Soyalac and Darak in bamboo into Japanese-run concentration camps. These internment camps, which housed mostly Guerrillero and American prisoners of war, were known for poor sanitation and lack of food. Many would perish as a result of malnutrition. Freedom fighters disguised as carpenters would deliver Maria’s “magic food,” saving countless POWs and civilians.

Despite pleas from her family and colleagues to leave Manila during the war, she stayed until she was killed by shrapnel from fratricide in 1945.

Maria Orosa was a scientist, an activist, a humanitarian, and a war hero who loved her country and dedicated her life to uplifting the Philippines through food innovation. Many of her recipes and experiments were compiled by her niece, Helen Orosa del Rosario, in a posthumous book called Maria Orosa: Her life and Work. The book contains over 700 recipes, some of them unedited since Maria wrote them.

Banana ketchup, while probably the most beloved of Maria’s creations, is just a small part of her great and many contributions to food history. Her creations were intended to bring forth self-sufficiency and empowerment for her nation—and yet, in this day and age, it’s hard not to see that Maria symbolizes so much more.

As Chef Navarra says, “It’s amazing that she basically is the Filipina food hero. Ingenuity in a time of need which I think captures the Filipino spirit.”

...the Next Best Destination for Food Tourists

The Philippines is the next Best Destination for Food Tourists

Emily Brown
UNILAD
25 October 2019

There are plenty of cuisines out there that dominate the restaurant and takeaway scene, but one that doesn’t get nearly enough attention is Filipino food.

Believe me when I say, the delightful dishes on offer have enough flavour to match the 7,641 islands it comes from.

Though it’s possible to get a taste of foreign cuisines from restaurants and takeaways at home, there’s nothing like trying them in their country of origin. 



You might think it’s a good idea to experiment with more than 15 ingredients to create halo-halo yourself – but combining sweet red beans, sweet white beans, coconut gel, macapuno, jackfruit and ube ice cream to create the signature Filipino summer dessert might be a bit of a stretch without some expert help.

If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, how about Filipino adobo, a chicken dish that varies greatly from the much more widely well-known Spanish and Latin American version. Removing chili, paprika, oregano and tomatoes, you may think you’re taking away all the flavour but replace those things with Southeast Asian ingredients like soy sauce, black peppercorns and bay leaves, this dish is still certainly packed full of flavour.

Award-winning chefs JP Anglo and Jordan Andino discuss the country’s rich, diverse cuisine and dining culture in Eats. More Fun In the Philippines campaign video, where they were joined by top YouTuber and comedian Mikey Bustos.

Filipino-American chef Jordan described the Filipino dining experience as offering more soul than most countries. He explained when you eat the food you taste ‘love, family and tradition’, adding ‘not a lot of cultures are able to do that’.

Chef JP spoke more specifically about the sumptuous flavours of the cuisine, recommending the pork dish lechon as well as grilled chicken known as inasal, saying:

Our lechon is very strong. We’re one of the countries that do the roasting technique really well. Our grilled chicken, the inasal, is also very strong and it can go against the other grilled chickens in the world.

I look up to the street vendors like the guy who’s been making batchoy (noodle soup) for two decades in a market in Iloilo. I think we should celebrate them more and give them a venue.

These guys are the real deal and as chefs we get our inspiration from them.

But Filipino cuisine is so much more than just diverse flavours; it’s fun to eat. Dining in the Philippines is an event where you can experiment and try new things, like eating with your bare hands – a way for people to truly savour the food they’re eating.

For Filipinos, eating is an experience to be enjoyed and shared with everyone, with comforting meals shared while bonding with friends, at a big gathering or at simple get-togethers.

Having experienced Filipino food for himself, YouTuber Mikey acknowledged appreciating the dishes involves understanding ‘Filipino food is designed for Filipino life’.

The comedian added:

If you really want to learn about a country, you have to eat and experience that whole thing.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat pointed out more and more people are travelling not just to see the sights, but to discover new cuisines.

She commented:

We believe that one of the best ways to explore the Philippines and experience the country’s culture is through our plentiful and diverse food offerings.

Food, especially to us Filipinos, is a universal language. We always say kain na (let’s eat) as our way to say “hello” and “welcome”. I think that it is the best testament to our uniquely Filipino hospitality. Our food and our love for it, make us some of the most endearing hosts in the world.

Though Filipino food promises to offer an explosion of flavour, arguably one of the best parts about eating in The Philippines is the fact you can enjoy five meals a day thanks to the inclusion of merienda; dishes smaller than a traditional meal but still just as delicious.

Next time you’re sifting through where and what to eat, why not give the unique flavours of the Philippines a try? You won’t regret it.

...the Filipino culture in Lisbon

Filipino culture showcased in Lisbon


Business Mirror
25 September 2019

LISBON—The Philippine Embassy led the monthlong celebration of the 121st anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in June at the Terras Sem Sombra, Artes â Solta Festival in Ferreira do Alentejo.

In collaboration with organizers, the embassy and municipality officials, the Philippine Day activity provided an inclusive experience on the richness and vibrancy of Filipino culture through food, music, traditional games and handicrafts. The embassy also took the opportunity to promote various tourist destinations in the Philippines by giving away anahaw-woven fans from Quezon province, dried mangoes from Cebu and 3D holographic destination luggage tags from the Department of Tourism. 

Filipina entrepreneur and Chef Jaymaylyn Galiza Day prepares Filipino-style fried lumpia. Guests also got to sample spicy sisig.

The morning program started in the Ferreira do Alentejo Municipal Garden with a Filipino fiesta setting with kiosk of street food, exhibited and operated by Jaymalyn Galiza Day, a Lisbon-based chef who owns Diplomata catering service. Filipina entrepreneurs and co-owners of GustoKO, Paula Figueras and Queenie Guzman, also showcased a selection of handicraft products.

Figueras and Guzman are recognized as the embassy’s “cultural entrepreneurs” for not only creating economic value to Philippine products, but for also pursuing Filipino culture and heritage.

The afternoon event gave participants an ultimate Filipino eating experience with Filipino favorites, such as pork adobo with rice served in coconut rice bowls, as well as local snacks from Alentejo like ferreirense (cake), chouriço (sausage), as well as traditional cheese and olives.

Visitors enjoy Filipino pork adobo served in coconut rice bowls.

Visitors got to play Filipino traditional games such as sungka, dama and patintero, while Filipino children also enjoyed participating in the traditional Alentejo games like paper kite making, rope jumping, walking with stilts and face painting.

Pundaquit Virtuosi, a 28-member youth string ensemble from San Antonio, Zambales, ended their 2019 European tour with an evening concert before a crowd of 500. It played a diverse repertoire of classical music masterpieces, popular original Pilipino music staples and contemporary standards. 

The show ended with the string ensemble and Portuguese all-male singing group Os Boinas (The Berets) performing the song “Amor Pelo Dois,” the winning Portuguese entry at the 2017 Eurovision singing contest.

Ambassador Celia Anna M. Feria expressed her appreciation to the Municipality of Ferreira do Alentejo and to festival organizers for allowing the embassy to showcase the best of Filipino culture. Members of the Filipino community in Lisbon also came to partake in the festival. 

The Terras Sem Sombra festival is held annually since 2013, bringing music, heritage and biodiversity together. This year’s edition also featured Madrid-based Filipina soprano Aniway “Manila” Adap, who performed a full-concert repertoire at the Igreja Matriz de Sao Vicente in Cuba Alentejo in May.

The Philippines also shared its best practices of biodiversity conservation in April for the “Resist the Invader: The Water Hyacinth and the Guadiana Basin” event in Elvas, Alentejo.

The Philippine Day Activity at Ferreira do Alentejo is a culmination of the Country’s participation in the 2019 Terra Sem Sombra Festival. DFA

..the Asia's friendliest cities

Travel website recognizes Manila, Cebu as among Asia's friendliest cities


Alec Go
Manila Bulletin
25 September 2019

Manila and Cebu ranked 4th and 15th, respectively, in Big 7 Travel’s list which was released recently.

The travel website described Manila residents as “famously welcoming,” and the city a “friendly place to spend some time in.”

Roxas Boulevard, Manila (supplied)

“It’s a place where locals have a buzzing attitude and an eagerness to show off their city to out-of-towners,” the article stated.

Cebu City, on the other hand, was recognized for its “exuberant vibe” and the presence of multiculturalism among its residents.

Ayala Center, Cebu City

Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Chiang Mai were the hailed the top three friendliest cities in Asia.

Big 7 Travel said they surveyed their “social audience of 1.5 million” for the list.

There were no specific criteria given to respondents, but factors such as where they felt the most welcome and how easy they navigated the area either with the help of locals or not were considered.

Big 7 Media is a travel website that features content on food, travel, and hotels around the world.

...the Pinoy K-pop

SB-19: Pinoy band with K-pop sound is winning fame 

- and perhaps making history

In this To be You exclusive, the boys with the humble beginnings and arduous four-year training finally ‘go up’

Anton Segismundo    

Philippine Daily Inquirer

September 21, 2019

All I knew about SB19 before meeting them was that they’re an all-Filipino group with a K-pop sound rapidly building momentum on social media, thanks to their fresh sound, unquestionable talent, and good looks.

I arrived in an empty office of ShowBT Philippines Corp., the events/concerts production company that handles the group. This is where they hold rehearsals. I came a bit earlier than the appointed time and was greeted by a tall guy who immediately apologized, “I’m so sorry, our manager’s not yet here.”

He then asked, “Would you like me to make you some coffee or get you some water?”

He introduced himself as Stell, the main vocalist of SB19. He introduced me to the group’s other members who were very welcoming and even apologetic because they said their studio was messy.

Turned out they came from a gig the previous night and decided to sleep in the studio—on the floor—because they couldn’t commute home due to the horrible traffic. They also didn’t want to be late for our interview and shoot.

Origins

Before auditioning for ShowBT, Justin, the youngest member, and Ken, the main dancer, were students. Josh, the lead rapper, and Stell were with an established dance group, and Sejun, the leader, was working as a data analyst. (By the way, all go by stage names.)

While each member had a different back story, all five had one thing in common: the dream to be a performer. With that goal in mind, none of them hesitated to join the audition held by ShowBT to form a pop group.

Stell recalled the tedious process. “It all started with the audition. When we got in, we went through grueling training sessions. Every week had an evaluation, so trainees were scrapped off the team weekly—it would happen spontaneously sometimes. We’d also have weekly tasks to determine who’d stay and who’d go.”

At the end of the “training camp,” there were just five of them. SB19 was born.

 Ken

Sejun said, “SB stands for sound break because the main goal of the group is to break into the music scene of the Philippines with our new and fresh sound. 19 represents the youthful generation and the combination of the country codes of the Philippines and Korea. The Philippines’ country code is 63 and Korea’s is 82; so 6+3+8+2=19.”

Four-year process

Before their debut, members of SB19 had to hone their talent and perfect their craft for four years. The period, according to Josh, saw the group facing many struggles.

“Coming in, we knew we’d have to give up a lot mentally and physically,” Josh recalled. “We had financial problems and family problems—sometimes our own parents couldn’t even support us anymore because four years without a big break was a difficult thing to accept.”

Contrary to popular belief, the group was not trained in Korea. They were trained right here by a combination of Filipino and Korean mentors. When they did go to Korea, it was to record their songs and prove they had what it takes.

In Korea, SB19 performed with the likes of Psy, Up10tion, and GFriend in arenas with crowds of more than 20,000. The reception by the Korean crowds was great—the guys believed they proved their talent.

According to Stell, the group practices singing and dancing each number they composed at least 30 times a day—the aim is to practice each song at least 1,000 times. Only after reaching that 1,000th mark do they release it.

Online reception

This perfectionist mindset is probably why their online content is full of positivity. I have yet to see online haters/bashers of the group.

Sejun

Stell

“It feels so good that Filipinos appreciate our music. We all know that Filipinos have been so used to rock bands and ballads so we were shocked by the positive response,”said Ken.

This response was apparent during their performance the night before our interview. “Yesterday was the most memorable show we had,” said Sejun. “There were a lot of people and they were really singing along with us. They were singing so loud we couldn’t even hear our music anymore. I wanted to cry onstage. 

Nakakakilig.”

They also received praise from a renowned Korean producer they worked with when they recorded their single, “Go Up.”

Stell recalled how this producer, who has worked with other famous “idol” groups in Korea, told them, “This is the first time I’ve worked with a Filipino idol group and I never expected Filipinos to be this good.”

I ‘Go Up’ for…

Asked who they “go up” for, each member gave his own unique answer. Justin goes up for himself first so that he can start helping others. Ken goes up for his goals, while Stell said he goes up for his family because of their unending support.

 Justin

Josh revealed an inspiring backstory. “I’ve been through a lot in my life. My childhood was rough—I never got to meet my father, I finished only elementary and I just pursued work for myself. I was really independent—and so I go up for myself.”

Finally, Sejun said, “All my life I felt the need to prove myself to everyone. I’ve always wanted to be an artist, but I never had the chance to take the path because of various responsibilities. I go up for me, myself, my family, and everyone who believes in me.”

A promise

For all those who believe in these young men, the guys are beyond thankful. Said Justin, “To all our supporters, to all those who appreciate us, we would like to say thank you. We don’t know how else we can repay you for your support other than by working harder, practicing harder, and giving our all so that we’ll be able to give you a satisfying performance.”

I left the dance studio with the boys on the floor, bundled together, playing Nintendo Switch with pure joy on their faces. They are truly a group of humble and genuine artists. If they keep this up, “going up” won’t be a problem—they will surely reach the top (if they haven’t already) in no time. —CONTRIBUTED