Instant food (especially those with very long expiry dates; yes, not healthy, but…)
Drinking water.
Traditional radios. (Preferably ones that can be recharged so you can reserve your batteries for other purposes.)
Two-way radios (a.k.a. walkie-talkie).
Backpacks, belt bags.
Maps and compass. Do you also know how to read maps and use a compass?
Escape routes.
Do you know which places were marked for emergencies?
Some of the people I know also have generators, gas, and bunkers already. Yes, bunkers in the Philippines (oh, and guns, really).
Don't rely on electronic gadgets. The first things to go fast are electricity supply and communication network.
Remember there are 3 major fault lines in Luzon.
East Valley Fault System
West Valley Fault System (100+ km long; from Angat Dam to Luzon-Batangas boundary)
Manila Trench. On the West Philippine Sea, running from Northern Luzon to near Mindoro Island.
We haven't even considered the 1,200-km Philippine Fault System (which itself is major too, but we rarely hear about it). It runs from Northern Luzon to Southern Mindanao.
Then the currently unstable and volatile China issue, which, as I've talked about previously, can easily turn into a major regional or world war.
Never leave the Philippines without eating these fruits, and taking a bunch with you when you fly home.
Mangosteen
While popular in Southeast Asia, the Mangosteen in the Philippines is the best variant in the world. Mangosteen is plenty and cheap in the country. You can find it anywhere, from wet markets to supermarkets to street stalls.
There are also many other products made from Mangosteen, from coffee to juice to daily supplements, even a candy and cookies!
Banana (local: saging)
Like Mangosteen, Philippine bananas are the best in the world. There was even a joke how a Philippine banana was exported in the West, and a local restaurant bought banana supplies from those countries and used it, hence, their very simple banana dish (that is ₱20 elsewhere) is worth a Big Mac (₱200). Without them realising the banana they imported originated from their neighbour.
Of course it's a joke. Or maybe not. (We did have an incident like this decades ago, for shoes. Marikina-made shoes were exported. Branded. And then that brand sold it here. 🤣)
Trivia: An endemic banana, "abaca", is also used to produce "Manila Hemp", which is expensive.
Mangoes (local: mangga)
Yes, the best in the world too! Some of our Asian neighbours visit the Philippines just to eat Philippine mangoes, because it's very expensive in their country.
Pineapple (local: pinya)
The best? Well, some of those popular foreign pineapple brands actually have farms here in the Philippines because they found that Philippine-produced pineapples are better.
Trivia: Pineapple was brought here during the colonial era. It's not endemic.
Trivia: Pineapple fibres are used to make clothes, and are usually expensive. It's the most common Philippine linen. Filipinos were the first to create clothes from Pineapple fibres. In fact, like the Coconut, Filipinos found use to everything Pineapple, generally, nothing goes to waste.
Yes, you guessed it right again! The best coconut in the world. It's also exported as well. Ask a Filipino how to properly eat a coconut. Most foreigners only drink the juice. You should eat the "white" part, that's the actual coconut. Never ever throw it!
After eating, you can use the coconut case for various things. One such is what we call "bunot", it helps shine flat wooden floors after putting floor wax on it.
No part of a coconut goes to waste in the Philippines. It is also used in a lot of Filipino foods!
Durian
No comment on this one. Just look for it. 😉 It's sweet, promise.
Jackfruit (local: langka)
A must! It is also part of the famous "halo-halo" summer crushed ice drink/food. A halo-halo without langka is incomplete.
Papaya
If you haven't tried Papaya, you definitely should. Usually included in dishes to give a dish a different taste, but eating Papaya by itself is better because you'll be able to taste it fully.
Special mention: Calamansi
Usually called Philippine lemon. Calamansi is small. This is endemic as well. According to foreigners, it is better than the regular lemon.
You'll often see this in restaurants. We use this in almost every food, either as part of the ingredients, or as a condiment. For example, combine soy sauce + calamansi and you get an exotic dip for your chicken, pork, fish, and so on.
We use it for pansit (Filipino noodles) like in pancit canton and pancit palabok. Also in goto and lugaw (porridge). Once you've tasted calamansi in various ways, you'll replace your regular lemon, and other ingredients, with it.
Just went back to this #canteen for #lunch to have a sizzling #bagnet this time! A bit pricy (90 pesos), but it's really yummy, I didn't expect this to have this many #gravy lol :munch:
I also forgot that they offer free #sinigang#soup for every meal :mima_derp:
I'm definitely gonna come back here regularly :cirno_fumo_yes:
I find it amazing and cool that in other countries, their monarchy is still "public".
In the #Philippines, almost all of those who are from the "Royal Class" in pre-colonial times are sort of, "in hiding". They don't advertise their presence. The majority of Filipinos are not even aware of them, they assumed they no longer exist.
Almost all of the clans in the "Royal Class" still exist to this day. The thing is, they agreed not to get involved in the "Philippines" politics. They agreed that their time ended after the Nation gained its independence.
(aside: Royalty in pre-colonial Philippines is a social class. There are a lot of clans within the Royal Class. Each clan has a lot of families. A leader can only come from the Royal Class. (In addition, someone not of a Royal Class can become a member of this social class, but unfortunately, not much information about this, other than marriage, and they are not discriminated against.))
Another thing most Filipinos are not aware of about them is the fact that they were the ones who kept the revolution going. They funded revolutions. They maintained a communication network that the Spaniards, the Americans, and Imperial Japanese, were not able to find.
These "Royal Class" clans truly care for the Nation far more than the politicians who took over. Unfortunately, because of corruption, self-interest, and dirty politics that started with Emilio Aguinaldo's government, they retreated and retired from getting involved.
Example. In a certain province, corrupt politicians are always trying to recruit a descendant of a "Royal Class" clan so they can bolster their respective political parties. These politicians do murder their opponents. Imagine siding with one of them, or even as an independent, going against them all. You'll definitely put a target on your back.
They only want to use them because they know the "Royal Class" clans still hold a major sway.
So, you know, just stay away from it altogether.
This is the sad state of the "Royal Class" clans in the entire Philippines. As much as they want to help the country, it might only turn into a bloodbath. Which, by the way, we've already seen with those who chose to get involved.
Ahhh, and nothing beats the love and respect I have for this country's #rice farmers than taking 4 #unlirice cup scoops and diligently finishing all of them down to the very last butil or grain I can see and eat! :cirno_thumbs_up:
#tagalog gives me two moods when I write with it on the internet
one is "holy shit ang ganda ng wika na ito para akong si Jose Rizal" ✍🔥
the other is "putangina bakit ba napakahaba ng wika na ito sino ba kasi nagimbento ng mga salitang ito hindi nila magaya yung Ingles na mas kaunti ang mga letra at mas maikli ang pagkabigkas" :koishtare:
They're like the 100-in-1 #pirated Game Boy cartridges of #music :sagume_think:
This is the shit I am #nostalgic about :akyuu_headphones:
I'm kinda surprised they still exist here in the #Philippines, but if there are pirated #DVDs and #Bluray being sold in the black market, why not MP3 CDs as well? :satrithink: