I’m not living in some big steel building anymore, so I can grow flowers as I please!

My mother came over a several weeks ago and needed some company to go buy orchids. I volunteered my boyfriend. Hey! I’m a working girl. And at the time, my boyfriend was temporarily unemployed. He had just resigned from his job as a clinic researcher and had a week’s time to prepare documents so he could go into residency – as he had just been accepted to become an EENT (eye-ear-nose-throat) surgery resident! (Yes! Exciting! Just like Grey’s Anatomy! Without the sex. I hope.)

Anyway. Going back to the orchids. So, Gim went with my mom. Really, she was just looking for someone to carry the orchids and crates for her, so it was much better I sent him. When Gim came home, he was bringing me flowers!! And not the cut ones, but potted ones! So thoughtful!!!!! That is why I love him. Aside from him being exceedingly cute and smiley.

I do love flowers. Cut, potted, hanging, on the ground, on a tree, in between books… lol. I love them, in any shape or form. You couldn’t go wrong giving me flowers.

But I especially like flowers I can keep and APPRECIATE for a long, long time!!! I do hate to watch flowers wilt and die. So, potted flowers = perfect!

Funny!! I haven’t even told you what KIND of flowers they were. Well. They were chrysanthemums. Two yellow bushes, and one violet, is what he got me. And the following day he bought me a bag of rich topsoil and a big long pot to put my flowers in. Wonderful!

So here they are, my glorious flowers!

Let me start by saying that I love Cash & Carry! It’s a mall in Makati, about ten minutes walk away from my apartment. As a mall, it’s nice enough. A little bit of everything but not particularly outstanding (except for the mezzanine mecca of cheap imported goods but that is another post). As a grocery, though, wow, it’s amazing!

So far I’ve grocery-shopped in Rustan’s, Shopwise, Robinson’s, SM and Landmark. But Cash & Carry definitely takes the cake. It has the MOST number of aisles I’ve seen in a grocery, and a GREAT selection of items, with a lot of imported goods that you can’t find in other supermarkets, and the prices aren’t bad either!!

My most favorite item to buy in Cash & Carry Makati is – BEEF!!! Yes. Cash & Carry has several freezers devoted to premium meats – beef, lamb, salmon, turkey, game hen, and did I mention, beef?!? Not just the regular cuts, but prime marbled ones!!! And at such affordable prices!

Ok – maybe not exactly prime – I’m not sure if these steaks are graded. But they’re definitely at least choice or select cuts. The point is, they taste great. And that’s prime in my book! Hahah!

When I first discovered it, I was mighty tempted to buy it but I was afraid (I’d ruin it) because I had never tried to cook steak before. However, I have had it in restaurants and it was love at first taste. Except, steaks are mighty expensive, usually a meal costs upwards of Php1000! The steak I was looking at in Cash & Carry looked just as big as the one I ate at a restaurant recently, and it cost less than Php200!!! How about that?!? So that cinched it for me. I mean, if I ruined it, at least I could do it again.

Just to show you why I drooled so much, here are the cuts of meat that I bought just this week.

Look at all that fat!! OMGGG I can’t wait to pan-fry these cuts, yum!!! And look at that, 300 grams and it’s only Php148 – wow, huh??? Look at how much 300 grams will cost you around steakhouses in Manila (in Batangus grill, 230 grams cost Php480, I ate there and the steak wasn’t even marbled at all).

Here is another one.

Ahhhh! That center marbling looks DELICIOUS! These are rib-eyes, my favorite part. I also like sirloin however Cash & Carry slices them too thin, so it’s not as juicy. I haven’t tried the porterhouse and t-bone cuts but I’m definitely going to. I tried the New York cut but found it tougher, so I didn’t like it.

This one is already open ‘coz I already ate the other half. Hihihi! It was wonderfully flavorful. Let me tell you, don’t ever buy steak that isn’t marbled. The fat provides the flavor, so if you buy steak that’s not streaked with loads of fat, it’s like you’re just buying any other beef part. Why pay a premium if you won’t get marbling, just get some fresh meat off the deli counter, they’re much cheaper and will taste the same.

But let’s not talk about healthy, ok? I know very well this is SINFUL! Hahaha!!! But life is too short to deprive myself of the finer tastes. Besides, since these premium cuts cost a lot more than pork or chicken, I don’t have it too often. Maybe just once a week. Or else I will soon be broke and probably living back under my parents’ roof. Yikes!!!

Do you want to see the cooked meat? Of course!!! Here they are!

That above is sirloin. Just seared lightly. Still a bit bloody. This is Gim’s steak, I think. He likes it medium rare. I prefer mine well-done.

Ok this one is a new york cut on the left, and a rib-eye on the right. That’s mine. The rib-eye looks great, huh?!? These are past steaks, since the raw ones I showed above are still stored in my freezer. I just popped them out for some pics, haha. But they won’t be consumed today. I’m saving them for the weekend when Gim comes home.

If you’re wondering how we cook them, it’s very simple. Bathe them in salt, don’t be shy, as in literally cover them in salt front and back and leave on for about 10 minutes. The salt will draw any water out, because you want your steak to be as dry as possible, to be as juicy as possible. After salting, rinse them to get rid of any salt (you don’t want to gag on an oversalted piece of meat!!) and then pat dry with paper towels. No more need to season with salt since some of the salt you put on earlier will have made it inside the meat. Just add pepper. And other herbs/rubs, whatever flavoring you like. I prefer just a light smattering of powdered pepper. Heat your pan, and when REALLY hot, put in your steak to sear with a bit of oil or butter, then flip and sear the other side, and serve! The cooking part is really fast, usually 2 to 3 minutes is enough to cook your steak well-done.

There. Well I hope I’ve inspired you to cook steak right at home! People in the Philippines don’t cook a lot of steak. In fact I had never had it in my life until I came to Manila. And it took me about 3 or 4 years until I discovered how easy it is to cook steak. Even easier than pork or chicken because there’s no need to marinade. It’s just that people don’t generally know that steak can be bought cheaply. I certainly didn’t until I saw the steaks in Cash & Carry.

Cooking at home is so much more satisfying than going to a restaurant. And so much cheaper, too!

Now I’m looking forward to the weekend!!!

There aren’t any Sakura blooms yet in February, but thank goodness for plum blossoms, the earliest trees that signal spring.

While we were in Osaka, my sister and I, with our friend Erlyn, visited the Osaka castle (or Osaka-jo, they call it). My most favorite part was walking through the Bairin plum garden and being surrounded by all the beautiful blooming plum trees.

See for yourself!

And scroll through my pictures below!

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I spent Christmas in Zamboanga, as I always do, because that’s my hometown. ♥

On one of those days I had a dinner with my old debate friends Jeff and Ruth. I wish Chu and Jen were there so it would be complete, but Chu is in Australia and Jen was too effin’ busy (hmp!) so it was just the four of us including Gim of course (whom I met through debate! Double ♥).

We had a nice dinner in Lantaka Hotel, then went to look at the lights in City Hall and then had smoothies in Catribo. Zamboanga is so small, we kept bumping into old friends. We saw Julius, Joey, King, Raul, my old students and so many others. December is truly homecoming month.

I love this picture.

It was taken by Jeff, haha. We had a hard time getting a pic because all the waiters seemed so harried, running from one table to the other. We could hardly keep their attention for more than a minute, and almost all the waiter’s photos were a blurry fail. LOL. So. Sariling sikap, yo! Hahaha.

Here is a photo taken by Ruth of my favorite Lantaka dish. It’s pasta marisco – fettucini swimming in seafood sauce and yummy clams and squid. Mmmm!!! I miss!!!

Here is me and Gim, ooh, parang we just had a dinner date, hahahah!

Here is our fully lighted City Hall. Amazing, yeah? It was even more lighted up than last year, if you can believe that!!

And here are our other pictures, just browse through them all.

My friends and I are currently scouting for a good place to hold an overnight. Over the years, it’s become our yearender routine. Take photos, sing karaoke, eat, drink, be merry, catch up on all the latest goss and have at least ONE DAY in the entire year that we are all together again, just like in high school.

Astoria Regency is fully booked this year, sooo sad! We tried Lantaka Hotel, but they won’t let 7 people stay in a room even if we’re willing to pay extra. They tell us we have to book TWO rooms, but that is totally pointless for a reunion. Raquel is going to inquire at Garden Orchid next, and I went and had a look at Woodland Resort earlier today.

Woodland is beautiful, and there’s a lot of photo-friendly spots. But it’s too bad, because we were told that the Department of Education is holding their Christmas party over there for three days, including the day we’re holding our get-together. I envision loads of middle-aged government employees AND their families. Crowds and strangers are not my thing.

So, I guess we will have to look elsewhere.

However, Gim and I had a blast today. Just look at all our photos!

Here is me trying to look all cute for Gim.

Then this is me gorging down all the food we ordered! A mango smoothie, a diet Coke (every little avoidance counts), and a clubhouse sandwich!

Gim raising his eyebrow at me when I told him that no, this is MY coke, that is YOUR smoothie and this is OUR sandwich. (Because I was finishing everything.)

After eating, we went on to take photos outside. Okay, the truth is, we only ate in the restaurant to avoid paying the entrance fee that was Php35 per person. So we spent more on the resto, but at least we didn’t pay for nothing! Hehehe, we are really cheapskates!!

I wanted Gimmi to take a photo of me AND the flowers. This is how I look when I’m not getting what I want. It’s my Gimmi, you fix this now na!! look. Gim tells me that’s always how I look. Hehehehe!

Me posing by the lake. I wanted lots of photos with Gim and me but he said he would take the photos, I would pose, and since there is only me and him in this trip, that people would assume he is with me, taking the photo, and that would be enough. As I get to star in all the photos, that was fine by me! Hehehe. I am so spoiled! See why I love him???

A photo by the lilies, please? - Flifli. Okidokie, bunny! - Gimmi

This photo, I know it’s not really clear a clear shot of me, but I like that I am on the bridge. That’s all!!

Now I am at the end of the bridge. Don’t pay attention to my tummy. Gim says I look pretty here so there! I will not accept any other point of view hehehe!

Trying to take a good photo but Gim is sniffing me out! What the eff, Gimmi???

Try again. But this time Gimmi is trying to lick me! Puppy, sit and behave!!

No can do, and so I say, Gim this time I will look at you so you will behave! Now I’m the one who ruins the pic. Hayyy!

Another yummy tummy pic. My camphone takes bad photos but the background is really pretty IRL.

This photo, Gim had to pee, stat! But I wanted a photo by the bougainvillea. He took the cam, shot the photo in one second, handed me back the cam, and ran away to pee behind a secluded building. I had no time to even pose appropriately, so that is my bemused look!

Soo pretty! There are horses! And you can ride for P40 an hour I think. I didn’t want to because I pitied the poor animals. They would surely balk at my sheer weight, and then where would I be! Needing more than a would-be orthopedic specialist, I think!!

Here’s Gim, back from peeing. Hee hee, doesn’t he look relieved?!?

And then we decided we would rent a banca and row away on this lake! Ohhh it was so scary just getting on it! The little canoe rocked violently to one side when I first stepped on it!! And I had my very expensive cellphone with me, which I couldn’t leave with the help because what if he ran away with it, but then again, what if I brought it and it fell??? (In the end I brought it because around these parts, I would rather take the chance that it will not fall in the boat than it will not get stolen by helpers who earn less than the minimum wage! And I wouldn’t blame them either, if they did!)

We had to don these ugly life vests filled with styro foam and I really do not think they would be any good in case we did fall in the lake! And FYI, the lake was 10 feet deep!! So, really, I would drown if I did fall!!

I sat in the back while Gimmi sat in front. For a while there, we were both paddling and going around in circles! He would paddle in the right and I would paddle in the left. He would get frustrated because he said I was doing it wrong! And I said, I don’t care, I just want to paddle!!! It’s my first time kaya!!! Here he is looking at me all frustrated and charmed by my cuteness!

Then he decided he would take my photo. Now I don’t have to move a bit when I need to take his photo because I was at his back. But to take my photo he had to move sideways. And the banca would tip slightly to the side whenever he did that. Here is how I look scared shitless.

Then here is how I look while saying, Okay! Okay! We are tipped to the side but not yet capsized! Nobody move! Nobody!!!

And then here is me trying to smile and trying to forget that we are maybe going to capsize in a while if you do not sit back straight dammit Gimmi now na!!!

So he went back rowing. Oh, by the way, if you notice, I stopped rowing early on, after I had my fill of paddling. That’s when we actually started to move somewhere we actually wanted to go.

And look! The sun is so pretty, reflected in the lake! And those are new rowers who got jealous of us and decided they wanted to rent an banca too!

We went under the bridge! Pretty!!!

Another photo of me scared because Gimmi is again attempting to take a photo of me!!! (He never took a good one. I always looked the same.)

Awww we successfully passed under the bridge! And we pretended for 1.5 seconds we were in Venice. Or wherever is that famous place for romantically passing under bridges.

And then almost collided with the lilies!!! We were trying to avoid hitting the other couple on the previous picture. Do you know how hard it is to navigate with a boat??? Very hard!!!

Pretty waterlilies!! Do you know they bloom at night then close during the day??? I wonder why… Would it not be more aesthetically pleasing if it were the other way around?!?

Here is me posing with my favorite tree ever, the kalachuchi. (Because they have those huge pretty flowers.) Well, that’s what Gim tells me they are called. (Who knows with him. He often lies just to be able to give me an answer to all my endless questions.) I would have thought they would have a prettier name. Regardless, I want rows of these trees adorning my entire house and lot in the future!!!

Awww, and we had to leave at sunset… because the roads to that place are broken and many accidents have happened in the night there… So… goodbye Woodland Resort! It was a pleasure visiting!

All photos plus more down there!

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Lantaka by the Sea

We got caught in the rain while joyriding through the streets of Zamboanga. We were about to drop by Paseo del Mar, but it was full of Sunday folks. So we decided on Lantaka by the Sea instead, even though the rates were considerably higher, the solitude and quiet would be well worth it.

And a good decision, too, since mere minutes after settling in our cozy little hut, the rain started pouring by the buckets.

We ordered Pasta Marisco (seafood pasta) to share, Choros de Chocolate (bread with chocolate) for dessert, a Cookies and Cream frappe for me, and two San Miguel Lights for him.

Spent the evening just taking photos, eating good and having fun, until the rain let up and we were able to head home.

Getting caught in the rain always leads to fun times when I’m with Gimmi.

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Zesto Wrappers

What can you do with leftover plastic wrappers, the wasteful by-products of an industrialized generation?

Burn them? Bury them? Throw them into space?

You’d be surprised. Zesto does none of these. Instead, Zesto Corporation donates all their (clean but) excess doy pack materials to Gawad Kalinga, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter and livelihood to financially-challenged Filipinos. In turn, GK produces beautifully woven bags from these donated scraps right in their local chapter in GK Sunshineville, BF Resort Village, Las Piñas City, Philippines.

Their product include woven handbags, laptop bags, lunch bags, envelope bags, purses, bed mats, coasters, table tops, place mats, picture frames, storage cases and more.

Last week, I and my fellow bloggers, in coordination with Nuffnang and sponsored by HSBC, got the chance to personally visit GK Sunshineville.

We met up at Starbucks Bonifacio High Street early Saturday, and rode a van towards GK Sunshineville. It was half an hour’s ride away from Makati, and upon getting there, we immediately saw the GKers hard at work weaving strips of doy pack, sewing up bags, making envelops and creating all sorts of wonderful knick knacks.

Project Director Bong Ragojos and the GK Beneficiaries

We met Brother Bong, the project director for the Gawad Kalinga Bayong ng Kabuhayan livelihood project. (Bayong in Filipino means large bag. Bayong ng kabuhayan means livelihood bags.)

He, with the help of his wife, voluntarily manages the Bayong project, as part of  his responsibilities towards Couples for Christ (CFC). The men and women of Gawad Kalinga Sunshineville choose to work for the Bayong project, as most of them are unemployed and with children.

I asked the women how many bags they produce in a day, and they said that on average, they could finish 5-7 each. They are paid about 7 pesos per bag they create. Each bag sells for about Php200-300. (But more when sold via retailers.)

Bayong ng Kabuhayan Samples

Here are sampler bayongs from the Bayong project. Lovely, aren’t they? From afar, you can’t even see that they’re made out of Zesto materials.

The generic silver bags are Bayong’s best seller. They’re a hit locally. Interestingly, foreigners and Filipinos overseas prefer those that show the Zesto labels. I completely understand. Who wants to walk around carrying a bag that matches your buddy’s snack? However, a local product is certainly something unique abroad.

I was enamored with the silver bag as well, but I’m not a fan of the handbag. I wanted a laptop bag, but the one they currently had on display had a black strap. I wanted the earthy brown strap they used for the other bags. They were only too happy to oblige, except that they couldn’t find a long enough strap to hold my laptop bag. Aw. However, they said they could do it, I’d just have to follow up. GK Sunshineville, I’m holding you to your promise!

If you are interested in purchasing these bags, they do accept orders and even customizations. You can contact Mr. Bong Ragojos via mobile phone 63.2.9173907861/63.2.9196120202 or email him at ljragojos2002@yahoo.com.

My thanks goes out to Nuffnang, especially Patty, for inviting us to this event, and Abby, for buying us lunch. Thanks to Gawad Kalinga as well for giving me a bag! (More on the next post!)

To see more photos of the trip, see the gallery below.

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Just showing you guys where I spend the little of my free time these days.

Hello Kitty Online, where else! Here you see I am at The Prairie and I am hunting gorillos for Landry! He’s an NPC. No he is not in the shot. Because the gorillos wouldn’t let me.

Here are the drops you can get in The Prairie:

From the Gorillo:
Gorillo’s Anger, Gorrillo’s Treasure, Gorillo’s Eyedrop

From the Giant Lily:
Pink Lily, Caterpillar, Roots

From the Rainbow Rock:
Purple Gem, Purple Crystal

From the Pink Kaolit Tree:
Sakura, Bad Wood, Roots

From the Pong-Pong:
Pong’s Eyedrop, Pong’s Treasure

I was reading an article on how to lose belly fat in the ER one rainy afternoon when a twenty-something woman saunters in to sit in the chair in front of me. She wanted me to issue her a medico-legal certificate. This being a government hospital, I was used to these requests. They’re usually filed by people who want to legally document bodily injury done to them by other people such as domestic abuse. However, nothing prepared me for this particular request.

Sauntering twenty-something woman: “Doc, kere yo man pa-medicolegal.” (I’d like to get a medico-legal certificate, Doc)

Me: “OK. Cosa ya pasa?” (OK, What happened?)

Sauntering twenty-something woman: “Ya gerya comigo pan, Doc” (Somebody threw a pan at me)

Me (giving my most sardonic smile): “Cosa clase pan se, ma’am, akel karahay?” (What kind of pan, a frying pan?)

Sauntering twenty-something woman (now vehement): “Hende kel karahay, Doc. Pan gad kel! Ta trabaha yo na bakery.” (It wasn’t a frying pan, Doc. It was bread. Bread!)

Me (Now incredolous): “Ah PAN gale gayod?”

Vehement formerly sauntering twenty-something woman: “Si, Doc. Aki gad comigo na cara ya tupa!” (Yes, it hit me right here.) Points to her left cheek. Of course I don’t see anything. No bruises or even just reddening of the skin. Nothing. So I start explaining the nature of the medico-legal certificate. That I could only document physical signs of injury like wounds, bruises and swellings. And then I say, “Since pan de sal lang ya gerya contigo, ma’am, di siempre, nuay gad se marka.” (Salty bread doesn’t leave a mark, you know). It is at this point that her eyes grow wide as saucers and she fixes me with a cold, angry stare.

Cold, angry twenty-something woman: “Hende kel pan de sal, Doc. Cheese bread kel!” (It wasn’t salty bread, Doc. It was cheese bread!) And with this statement, she stands up and icily leaves my desk.

As if pan de sal would leave a different mark. Ayayay.

Around lunchtime today, Cory Aquino’s funeral procession slowly passed along Ayala Avenue. My officemates and I went down (from our office up at the 20th floor) to watch the procession.

I took photos, but all I had was my cellphone camera with me, so the following photos aren’t good. But they’re all I have, and it was a significant occasion in Philippine history, and I’m glad I have these snapshots, at least, to remember the day by.

This is around 12:00pm. From the 20th floor, we could already see the hearst nearing Ayala, so my officemate and I went down to watch the procession. We would be waiting quite a while, since the procession was moving very slowly.

Since 11am, people had been throwing confetti from the buildings. It looked like it was raining yellow bits of paper.

People started climbing up the fences and standing there just to get a better glimpse of Cory’s casket.

This man is actually flashing Cory’s symbol, the L sign. Except I didn’t capture his thumb. Fail me.

The confetti at our feet. I feel for those who had to clean up Ayala Avenue afterwards.

The crowd just kept getting bigger every minute.

Hang a yellow ribbon for Cory. Buildings glittered with yellow ribbons as people paid their last respects.

Lots and lots of yellow ribbons.

And even more confetti.

So much confetti!

My hair was all covered in confetti after standing outside for 30 minutes! And I was standing in the building lobby!

People flew flags bearing Ninoy’s face.

People waiting, flags waving…

So much confetti it started to look like ashes from a newly erupted volcano.

People stopped working to watch the procession.

Funny thing. We were so hungry already so we went inside Jollibee to buy food. And right when we were buying, Cory’s casket passes by! Urrgh! So I took this photo from inside Jollibee. Fail fail fail me.

Now from the outside, but there wasn’t much to see. There were too many people blocking the view.

After buying our food and going up the pantry, we could see the procession below. I attempted to take a photo, but it was too much for my cellphone. LOL. This is the best I got.

Rest in peace, Cory Aquino. We love you.

Here is the Inquirer article about the Cory’s funeral procession.

Edsa a stream of yellow; Makati rains confetti

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 7) Former President Corazon Aquino drew tens of thousands to the streets one last time on Monday, amid an outpouring of support reminiscent of the 1986 revolt that she led to restore democracy in the country.
Yellow confetti rained and people flashed the “laban [fight]” hand sign as Aquino’s funeral procession motored from the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium to the Manila Cathedral, passing by Edsa and Ayala Avenue, the main staging points for the bloodless uprising over 20 years ago.
However, there was no “Cory” to wave back at the adoring crowd. Instead it was her flower-adorned casket on top a six-wheeler truck that passed by. Tied to the vehicle was a white tarpaulin with the words “Mahal ka namin [We love you], Cory.”
As Aquino’s cortege passed through Edsa from La Salle Greenhills at 11 a.m., the former leader was greeted by a stream of yellow – from people’s shirts to the balloons they were holding.
In Makati City, thousands more, mostly in yellow shirts flashed the “L” sign as they lined up along Ayala Avenue. Office employees, some perched on building ledges, threw yellow confetti as the funeral convoy passed.
The scenes were reminiscent of 1986 when Aquino, then the opposition’s presidential candidate, led massive protests against dictator Ferdinand Marcos whom she accused of cheating in the snap presidential elections. The protests eventually led to a bloodless people power revolt that ousted Marcos and installed her as the first female president of the Philippines.
When the funeral cortege reached the monument of Mrs. Aquino’s late husband, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., on the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas, the crowd of thousands simultaneously sang “Bayan Ko” (My Country) and again flashed the “Laban” sign.
Instead of stock prices, the Philippine Stock Exchange ticker turned yellow and displayed a message thanking the democracy icon.
Mrs. Aquino’s younger brother, Jose Cojuangco Jr., led his clan from Tarlac in joining the funeral procession to the Manila Cathedral. Cojuangco, overwhelmed by the thousands who lined up Ayala Ave., flashed the “laban” sign to the crowd and reached out to shake the hands of some of the people there, saying thank you.
Police estimated the crowd in Makati at 25,000, while those that lined up along Edsa were estimated at 5,000, said Superintendent Rommel Miranda, spokesman of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
In the area of the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium, where the funeral procession started, the crowd was estimated at 30,000 to 40,000, said Senior Superintendent Carlos de Sagun, Mandaluyong City police chief.
Four honor guards stood by Aquino’s flower-adorned casket. Around 50 policemen from escorted the procession, which moved slowly because of the huge crowds.
Yellow confetti greeted the funeral procession as it arrived at the Manila Cathedral at around 4 p.m., two hours behind schedule.
The former leader’s children escorted her remains, including her daughter Kris Aquino, who was with her husband, basketball player James Yap and their children Joshua and James Jr. Mrs. Aquino’s son, Senator Benigno Aquino III was at the cathedral ahead of his sisters.
Upon arrival, the former leader was given military honors, followed by prayers from Bishops Socrates Villegas and Broderick Pabillo.
People cheered and raised their hands with the famous “laban” [fight] sign as they saluted the icon of democracy.
“Hindi ka namin malilimutan Madam President [We will never forget you Madam President]!” an elderly woman said as she wiped her tears.
“Maraming salamat po, Tita Cory (Thank you very much, Tita Cory),” a student said as the truck carrying Aquino’s hearse passed by Palacio del Gobernador.
Employees of the Commission on Elections unfurled yellow banners and a large white tarpaulin written with the words “Salamat Pres. Cory.” (Thank you, Pres. Cory)
Aquino’s wake at the Manila Cathedral was opened to the public shortly after the prayers, with the public advised to enter through General Luna Street. Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales was scheduled to celebrate mass in the evening.
Among those who were at the Manila Cathedral were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, former Ambassadors Henrietta de Villa and Howard Dee, Black and White Movement convenor Leah Navarro, and political analyst Lito Banayo.
So far, only Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. was the only administration figure spotted at the cathedral.
For the necrological service, vigil, and requiem mass for Aquino at the Manila Cathedral, the following areas are closed to traffic from 9 a.m. Monday until Wednesday:
Stretch of A. Soriano from Arsobispo to Solano;‬
Stretch of Magallanes from A. Soriano to Sta. Potenciana;‬
Stretch of Cablido from A. Soriano to Sta. Potenciana;‬
Stretch of Gen Luna from A. Soriano to Sta. Potenciana;‬
Stretch of Sto. Tomas from Gen. Luna to Magallanes;‬
Stretch of Beatro from Gen. Luna to Magallanes;‬
Stretch of Anda from Gen. Luna to Magallanes;‬
Stretch of Real from Gen, Luna to Magallanes.
The Stretch of A. Soriano from Gen. Luna to Cabildo was closed to traffic starting at 6:00 a.m. August 3 until 5.