2025 Philippine Vacation

 "Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller", according to Ibn Batuta.

That is why I love to write about my travels because I can share the little joys I find along the way, the food I get to experience, the sights that proclaim the beauty of the Philippines, the adventures I can tick off my bucket list, and the family and friends that I can hug and spend memorable moments with.

In March 2025, we came to celebrate my sister Bheng’s 60^th birthday. It seemed surreal to return a year after our mother passed away, but we knew our mother did not want us to stop enjoying our family, to live our lives to the fullest, to reconnect with our loved ones, and to make memories to last a lifetime.

I enjoyed the old tourism slogan, "It's more fun in the Philippines", but after 11 years, it is time for a change. The new campaign "Love the Philippines", according to the Department of Tourism, is not just for branding purposes, but it is a call to action to all Filipinos "to remember the beauty of our country, to honor our past, and to look forward to the future armed with the virtues and values of being a Filipino."

Here are the highlights of our Philippine trip:

 

BHENG’S 60^TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

A significant milestone - my sister Bheng's 60th birthday celebration at Eurotel Hotel in Las Pinas. The event was well-attended by family and relatives, longtime friends, and neighbors.  I always marvel at my sister’s ability to preserve her connections with former classmates from elementary, high school, and college. The celebration served as a family and friends reunion, featuring heartfelt reminiscences, enthusiastic picture-taking, and dancing led by two energetic dance instructors. There was a photo booth, a Pica-pica table, a coffee/juice/drinks bar, and games.

We also celebrated at home a joint post-birthday celebration for Bheng and niece Mikee Cerrudo-Baradi. Great food and fun company. The Sandok Bilao money game was hysterical, where kids and adults alike went crazy trying to pick up pesos and dollars using the sandok.

Of course, in any Pinoy party, there is karaoke. I am confirming that the Cerrudos are gifted with excellent singing voices, except for Bheng and me.

 

INC TEMPLO AND INC MUSEUM

Finally attended a worship service at the magnificent Iglesia ni Cristo Templo, which was completed on July 27, 1984. The Templo is the biggest church/place of worship in the country with a capacity of around 7,000 people. The singing of the hymns was powerful and awe-inspiring, with the voices of about 100 choir members resonating throughout the Main temple.

We also toured the INC museum, which chronicles the successful evolution of the Church from its humble beginnings in 2014 to the present day.  The museum showcases historical artifacts and artworks, as well as the timeline of its growth in the Philippines, leading up to the Church’s global expansion, as evidenced by the magnificent houses of worship found all over the world.

The highlight of the day for me is hearing the recorded voice of Brother Felix Manalo as he preached a powerful sermon. It was one of those defining moments that touch your heart, to hear the Messenger share the words of God in a makeshift room reminiscent of a simple nipa hut with wooden benches for the listeners.

CIUDAD DE VICTORIA

The Ciudad is a 140-hectare enterprise built by the Iglesia ni Cristo in 2014, following the construction of the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena in 2011. Attractions are the well-kept gardens, the zoo, and the bird sanctuary. 

Our guide was funny and delighted us with Instagrammable pictures as he acted as photographer, stage director, and videographer/human drone. He swayed, swooped, and performed acrobatic moves to capture us against the beautiful scenery. Human drones are fun to witness as they gave it their all.

At the end of the day at the Gardens, after exercising muscles I don't usually use and after taking more than 15,000 steps, I find comfort with Biofreeze. Hirap maging tourist!

CORON, PALAWAN

Palawan was cited by Tripadvisor as one of the Trending Destinations in the World for 2024. 

Day 1 - Our family of nine embarked on a three-day adventure in Coron, Palawan. Our Airbnb lodging was arranged at Adora's Place, a fully air-conditioned establishment equipped with four bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a high-ceilinged living room, luxurious accommodations, an array of amenities, and our own concierge. Exploring the town to buy souvenirs and cashew nuts (in various flavors, such as honey, crispy, sweetened, spicy, caramelized, and barbecued), we noticed tourists everywhere in this town. Tourism is booming in Coron.

To explore Kabu Beach and the Maquinit Hot Springs resort, we hired two tricycles, navigating through rugged unpaved roads that proved strenuous for my gluteus maximus. The experience was akin to a Rollercoaster ride along the mountainous terrains. The Maquinit Hot Spring is reportedly the only known saltwater hot spring in the Philippines with the water temperature ranging at 38-40 degree Celsius. At first, it was intimidating to even dip your toes, but the water actually soothed and temporarily relieved our muscle aches and pains from the tricycle ride.  My brother Edwin, who can chat up any stranger, started joking around that the water can boil eggs (I thought balls, too). Such is the Cerrudo humor.

Day 2 - Tuesday marked the second day of our Coron, Palawan journey, which began with a peaceful morning reflection on the balcony of our Airbnb accommodation. An enterprising young man led our island-hopping excursion. While navigating the boat's entry and exit points proved challenging, especially for those with less-agile mobility, our group fortunately escaped unscathed. My son and the crew appeared startled (probably traumatized) by my unorthodox disembarkation method, reminiscent of Jackie Chan's signature moves.

The natural beauty of Palawan is breathtaking, boasting majestic rock formations, limestone cliffs, pristine turquoise waters, warm temperatures, and fresh, invigorating air. The tour encompassed visits to the Twin Lagoons, Banol Beach, Kalayan Lake, and CYC Beach. The young ones enjoyed snorkeling in the waters and coming up with a brown starfish. And yes, the kayak experience was an item off my bucket list, with our tour guide reassuring us that the boat would be able to hold our weight.

The crew cooked lunch for us and we had our picnic on the beach: shrimp, pancit, adobong manok, sitaw at kalabasa, and inihaw na tulingan. The adventurous trio of Jordan, Kate, and my nine-year-old nephew Jacob hiked up 300 steps to the stunning Kayangan Lake, which offered breathtaking views of the lake against the clear blue sky. The Kayangan Lake is considered the cleanest lake in the country and has been recognized with the Presidential Fame award.  When we got back to our rental, we were exhausted (Salonpas time), but happy for our incredible experience.

Day 3- That's a wrap, Palawan. As I spent a relaxing morning at Adora's Place, I savored a cup of tea and PB&J toast, accompanied by the pleasant sounds of Music Travel Love in the background. Concurrently, Jordan and Kate ventured forth to conquer the 700-step ascent to the pinnacle of Mount Tapyas, which offered a panoramic view of the land, sea, and neighboring islands. How nice to be so young and agile. My brother, Edwin, and Bill, my sister's boyfriend, elected to rent motorbikes and navigate the picturesque thoroughfares of Busuanga. Following our 11 am checkout from Adora's, we made our way to MC Cafe for a delectable brunch, culminating in a final opportunity for souvenir shopping. Then, back to Manila via Cebu-Pacific at 430pm.

 

 

TAAL HERITAGE, BATANGAS

Taal Heritage tour. It was 85°F in Batangas. While everyone in my group still looked fresh and comfortable (even Jordan), I resembled a drowned cat with my hair plastered to my scalp from the rivulets of sweat from the heat. First stop at my brother Allan's house in Los Banos with their dogs. I missed Boomer in NY.

The Taal Heritage Town will appeal to history buffs with the cobblestone streets and the well-preserved ancestral houses, specifically the Villavicencio Wedding Gift House and the Agoncillo House. The Villavicencio house is impressive for its 1850s style of hardwood floors with elaborate carvings, canvases, and furniture. However, I was most touched by the display of copies of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as the La Solidaridad newspapers. Dona Gliceria was a fierce supporter of the revolutionaries during the Philippine-American War. Marcella Agoncillo sewed the Philippine flag as designed by Emilio Aguinaldo.

The towering Basilica church is the biggest church in the Orient. The Taal Market claims to be the Barong Capital of the Philippines, so of course, Jordan could not resist buying a new one.

INTRAMUROS, MANILA

Intramuros, or the Walled City, is a National Historical Landmark that features Fort Santiago, a large stone gate, and a shrine to national hero José Rizal, as well as several cathedrals and churches, barracks, fortresses, and armories used during Spanish colonization. Within the walls of Intramuros are four universities and the Casa Manila museum, which is filled with Spanish-era furniture and art. The Rizal museum displayed the room where he was incarcerated before he was executed by firing squad. 

Rizal wrote Mi Ultimo Adios on a small piece of paper that he cleverly hid among his belongings in an alcohol stove. It was his last farewell to his beloved country, a farewell to oppression and tyranny from the Spaniards. I actually teared up when I saw a copy of his poetic tribute, which had been translated into several languages and was even displayed in Braille. I also remembered that we were required to memorize and recite the poem in our Spanish class.

One funny discovery is that my sister Bheng bears a resemblance to her namesake, Josephine Bracken, who was Rizal's girlfriend at the time. We then toured the rest of the walled area with the horse-drawn carriages (kalesa) that ply the cobblestone streets.

 

 

THEATER: LIWANAG SA DILIM

We attended the Musical show, "Liwanag sa Dilim" (Light in the Darkness) at RCBC Plaza. The musical featured OPM (Original Pinoy Music) songs by veteran musician and songwriter Rico Blanco. The superb performances (especially by Sisa) and the brilliant staging accentuated the twists and turns of the story based on an internationally recognized and heroic book by beloved author JPR.

It was funny when a Gen Z'er was teaching Clara the Generational lingo. Hello!!! I'm trying not to spoil anything, lol, but "gets ninyo"?

Day 14, March 29, 2025. This is it. Goodbye, Philippines. Until the next time. It has been a fabulous vacation; the 2-week itinerary was packed with diverse activities and memories that will last a lifetime. I feel most profoundly blessed to spend time with my family and friends.

Walang iyakan.

Next post: Food trip

When Your Son Can Cook and Write Better Than You

 

Well, I am just a proud stage mom. I am a self-proclaimed disaster in the kitchen, so how did my son, Jordan Sese, ever manage to create such yummy and Instagram-worthy dishes? How could he be my son? He can cook! I prefer washing dishes to turning on the stove. That talent did not come from me, nor from the other side either. Go figure.

However, I claim that the writing gene came from me. Jordan writes even better than I; his words are mesmerizingly beautiful.  He may not have inherited my lack of cooking skills, but he certainly shares my love of the written word. He tells a story accompanied by gorgeous pictures of the food that he recreates. 

For our annual family gift-swap, he requests cookbooks and pores through them for ideas on recipes that he can prepare with his own brand of magic. His description and the photos make me drool; surprisingly, even the idea of slicing and dicing does not terrify me (for one hot moment).

I can almost smell the banana leaves, and I can almost imagine myself on the patio, enjoying my hot chocolate and a serving or two of the bibingka.

He wrote: "Bibingka is, by far, my favorite cake, which is high praise because cake is already a perfect food. This rice cake is spongy, squishy, and suffused with the tropical perfume of banana leaf and coconut milk. The aroma alone is nostalgic. One of the delightful things about bibingka is the variety of toppings: macapuno shreds, kesong puti, or, my favorite, salted duck egg. The recipe owner opts for a shower of tart-sweet berries. That, with the addition of tangy buttermilk in the batter, brightens the cake, which, with a mug of coffee or ginger tea, makes this the perfect pick-me-up any time of day.”

I can't help but smile at how my son has a way with words that makes me like eggplants more than just deep-frying them.

"As the season officially transitions to fall, here’s one last farewell to summer’s bounty: charred eggplant braised in burst cherry tomatoes. While these ingredients are available year-round in U.S. supermarkets, as I get older, I’ve learned to appreciate the seasonality of ingredients. It’s part of a grander practice of being present: forgetting about the future for a moment and enjoying what's in front of you.”

 

FOOD FOR ALL SEASONS

Jordan pays homage to the different seasons. Perhaps to encourage Spring to continue blessing us with warm weather? And to warm us during the cold Winter season?

Jordan wrote: "A rainy day like yesterday begs for a comforting, brothy meal. The added warmth from red curry paste and the creaminess from coconut milk are all it takes to make a gloomy day bright.”

"Maybe I couldn't seal these rice balls perfectly, and the delicious salted honey pistachio filling may have spilled into the floral, sweet broth. But looks aside, this was such a delightful, chewy, warming dessert—perfect for a winter's day and just in time for the Lunar New Year.”

"No better way to celebrate spring than with a verdant pasta with the freshest of early spring bounty: crisp asparagus, sugar snap peas, and English peas."

“On a wintry week, when the cold creeps into your bones, a warm bowl of chicken and rice porridge serves as a cozy reprieve from the elements. The biting heat of ginger, toasty browned garlic, and earthy saffron make this broth rich and flavorful. And though the accoutrements are technically optional, I'd say a sprinkling of fried garlic chips, slivered ginger, sliced scallions, and a soy-cured golden yolk are non-negotiable.”

 

I love the Korean kimchi pancake. As my son Jordan Sese wrote, you are obliged to do a cheese pull. I have been doing the pull ever since, actually, with anything cheesy, lol.

"You really can't go wrong with a kimchi pancake. Sour and savory, crispy yet chewy, it's the perfect comfort food. The classic needs no alteration, but it's always fun to play around. Carla's variation adds sharp, gooey cheddar and portions them out into smaller discs to optimize the ratio of chewy inside to crispy outside. Photographed, of course, with an obligatory cheese pull."

 

DESSERTS

He has a sweet tooth, so he recreates these amazing temptations. They are just too good to eat.  If your blood sugar goes up, then you got your just desserts. These are so decadent, but you can't help but ask for more.

PINOY COMFORT FOOD

Jordan is embracing his Pinoy heritage as he recreates old favorites. He may have acquired a sophisticated and eclectic palate during his food-tripping years in Queens, but he gets nostalgic sometimes for Filipino food.

"Happy Filipino American History Month! Kicking off the month is none other than the national dish, chicken adobo. In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to the cooking technique of braising in vinegar, but recipes often add other flavorful ingredients, such as soy sauce (I have other recipes I’ve been meaning to try for achiote-based and turmeric-based adobos). In addition to soy sauce, this version by Angela Dimayuga has coconut in three forms (coconut oil, coconut vinegar, and coconut milk) to create a luscious and fragrant version that easily makes this my favorite way to adobo."

 

"It's been nearly two weeks since I returned from my vacation in the Philippines. Although I've shaken off the jet lag, the bittersweet feeling remains. I'm missing the place and the people, the sense of belonging.

It's no substitute, and it certainly doesn't vanquish the longing, but eating meals that remind me of the Philippines temporarily takes me back. This simple but delicious giniling atop a steaming mound of rice with sides of fried plantain and a crispy egg is like a gustatory roundtrip flight. Here comes the airplane.”

Jordan wrote: "Maja blanca, a coconut milk pudding studded with golden kernels of corn, graced many a party in my childhood. I’d pile a mountainous “dessert plate” with maja blanca and other sweet treats: biko, cassava cake, and turon.

Within this geological phenomenon of sugar, by comparison, maja blanca served as a refreshing palate cleanser of sorts. The coconut milk pudding was like downing a tall glass of milk to wash away the cloying sweetness; the corn became almost savory, like a buttery cob off the grill.

Abi’s recipe, like many of her delicious takes on Filipino desserts, riffs on the classic by doubling down on the savoriness with additions of malted milk powder for earthiness and a Frito toffee for a salty crunch on top. With a new treat this delicious, my dessert plate just got a little taller.

 

"When I was young, the greatest part of going to Filipino restaurants was ordering halo-halo for dessert. I used to hover wide-eyed over the towering glass of crushed ice, milk, and sweet mix-ins, armed with a long-handled spoon and ready to attack. The best ones were served up like a sundae, gilded with a creamy, caramelly square of leche flan and adorned with a decadent ube ice cream. Years later, at a backyard barbecue, I discovered they could be made at home. The host laid out bowls of crushed ice, a jar of halo-halo mix, milk, ice cream, and a stack of solo cups so we could assemble our own. Surely, she was playing a cruel trick on me; halo-halo could only be made in restaurants. And yet, scooping up mouthfuls with a plastic spoon, I realized that even a simple, homemade version could still hit the spot.

The beauty of halo-halo is that it is a no-recipe recipe and endlessly customizable. I can make it with available ingredients and to my personal preferences. Rather than using a pre-mixed jar (which is still valid!), this version is piled high with sliced jackfruit, nata de coco, kaong, sweetened red beans, ube halaya, and flan. I use oat milk instead of regular milk, but I defeat the substitute's purpose with a generous scoop of ube ice cream; a small price to pay for a few blissful moments. Served in this glass that is PERFECT for halo-halo from @incasa_decor. "

 

Jordan wrote: "Although adobo frequently gets top billing, to me, sinigang is the real star of FIlipino cuisine. It was the dish that made me actually enjoy vegetables as a kid, an experience I apparently share with several others. Sinigang also beautifully exemplifies one of the cuisine's defining features: sourness. I've grown up with the tamarind-based broth, but as an adult, I'm learning there are tons of other souring agents, including guava, tomato, kamyas, and even pineapple. This one uses a mix of tamarind and guava, which is familiar to me despite being new. The add-ins are also as variable as the broth itself; nestled in this broth are tender cuts of pork, creamy hunks of taro, bright bursts of tomato, and, my favorite, gently wilted kangkong."

 

 

"This is a fun twist on the tall glasses of Avocado con Hielo I used to get as a special occasion treat. In this format, grassy, yet buttery avocado pairs with sweet condensed milk and tangy Greek yogurt to make a dessert just as creamy and decadent as that childhood memory. And because these popsicles are prepared in batch, it was never easier to enjoy this treat every night of the week."

For non-Pinoys, it may be strange that we eat avocados as dessert; they are not just for guacamole, salads, or any Tex-Mex concoction.  They are actually a fruit. Next to Halo-halo, the Avocado milkshake is my favorite. Jordan's ice popsicle is certainly a treat that I would love to try someday. He finished it all.

I am relieved that Jordan is not traumatized by his childhood experience with food prepared by me. These photos are a feast for the eyes. Are you hungry yet?