Catfish and Pangasius Fishing in Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines

For truly dedicated and passionate sports fishermen or anglers, looming unfavorable weather condition at the sea or lakes will be the worst news to receive the day prior to any weekend. Such unwanted (to hear) reports have the capability to crush ones spirits and turn the world temporarily upside down. It is tantamount to the complete annihilation of a week-long (sometimes month-long) process of profuse planning, preparation, anticipation and imagination which unknowingly, has already caused involuntary excessive salivating, unnecessary drooling and spontaneous feeling of agitation not really curable even by the powerful combination of TV-watching, pizza-eating and beer-drinking moments at home. (But that would really help to lessen the agony ……… just so the wives know!) :-)

During such days when the sea or lake or river is not quite safe for venturing or at times when you are located quite far from any of them and does not have the liberty of time for some reasons or another, then the nearest available pay pond could be the angler's best friend ………… which we may not instantly realize is always there to save the weekend. No, it will not brand us already addicted to the sports. No way! That’s not the case. As I said above, we are just seriously passionate about it. Okay, okay, somehow we probably are. :)

You see, like most implements and tools, the cheap (as the wives thought) fishing gears and accessories need regular testing and commissioning for its continuous well and effectively functioning. Such investments although not really big (as declared to the wives) need ample quality time, constant monitoring and personal touch or over-seeing ……… so that it will incessantly provide us with priceless “returns” supplied in the currencies of “thrill”, “joy” and “fulfillment”. I really like saying that! :-)

Villanueva Christmas Reunion 2010 - Part 2 .... Fun Fun Fun

Reunion serves as a storehouse of colorful family memories ……. a depository of significant family updates, warm pleasantries, light moments, hopeful wishes and fruitful meetings. Happy thoughts of many family members are made and kept inside it. It is therefore essential that the affair is made meaningful, memorable and full of fun……..a truly wonderful experience for all the members, young and old. Quite luckily, the annual Villanueva Christmas Reunion has always been like that and has maintained that standard over the years.

This year’s family get-together, as sponsored by the Villanueva-Dimaandal clan was no exemption. In fact, it successfully lived to the implied objective that the affair should equal or be better each passing year. Not really as a contest, but as a joint family commitment to live to the ideals of continuous development and further improvement in our lives. So that the family will continue to grow, enrich its legacy and effectively serve as an inspiration to the young members to aspire harder, become better persons and eventually acquire the ability to contribute to the family heritage.

All throughout the day, every moment was filled with fun and excitement; from simple chatting, to sumptuous dining, to thrilling games, to raffling of prices and to truly surprising presentations (both well-prepared and impromptu). With funny family members around …… tickling each other’s bones, mocking and frolicking, there was really no dull moments. Whilst the hilarious tandem of Ate Kim and Ate Ethel sure kept the life of the party going, the riotous participation of Tiya Auring was deeply missed. The triumvirate is no doubt an icon of fun and entertainment in every family affair or celebration.

Villanueva Christmas Reunion 2010 - Part 1

No matter how successful we may be, we will always long for that magical feeling that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. Something we could depend on, lean on and rightfully call our own. Something that could give us comforts, reprieve and assurance when everything else seems not working the way it’s planned; the way we want it to be. I’m referring to a FAMILY. You can call it clan, or kinsfolk, or even tribe. Whatever you call it, however you call it, one thing is sure, we all have one ……….. and we all need one.

We can sometimes ignore or overlook its importance, but sooner or later we will experience that yearning to connect back and desire for that relaxing feeling of togetherness. For no matter how far we have travelled or how high we have flown, in the end the most important question is where we came from. For like branches of a tree, our lives may grow and follow different directions, sprout in different places and elevations along the trunk and traverse different paths, yet our roots will remain as one. Collectively, those roots, no matter how low, no matter how deeply laden with dirt, is the life giving force of all the branches…..of the whole FAMILY.

Fundamentally, this is the reason why families including our own, the Villanueva’s of Padre Garcia, Batangas (Philippines) regularly have a family reunion during the holiday season. Formally organized by the highly respected family member, Chito V. Recto, to be alternately hosted by each family, it is one of the most anticipated Christmas activities of our extended family which many members, in pursuit of its individual aspiration, have relocated in various places all over the country and even abroad. But despite of the distance, busy lifestyles and indifferences, we all make sure that we meet and get-together in an annual Christmas Reunion.

Basically, to jointly celebrate the birth of Christ, remember our ancestors, share blessings, have fun and games, rekindle the relation, re-affirm the bond and hopefully make the ties stronger. With the rather adhesive theme “Dikit-dikit... parang malagkit” , which roughly translates to “Sticking with one another... like glutinous rice.” (whew….that was tough Father Donald :-)) the Villanueva-Dimaandal family of Lipa City, Batangas hosted our annual Villanueva Christmas Reunion last 30th December 2010.

Christmas Family Gift-Giving - The Tradition Lives On

As I have featured last year in my post “Gift-Giving on Christmas Day”, our family, for the last 13 years (at the very least), has been distributing modest Christmas gifts to the children of our community or “barangay” as well as to some kids of other nearby villages and subdivisions. This year, through God’s grace, we were again able to sustain the family gift-giving activity which we are doing as our way of sharing part of the bounties and blessings every family member received for the year. A rather small but sure way of bringing fun and memorable moments to the children who eagerly wait for Christmas and the customary gift-giving that goes with it during the most important day of the holiday season.

On the larger context, this is our small contribution in spreading the true spirit of giving and sharing particularly to the mind of young children in the hope that it will somehow inculcate and develop within them a pay-it-forward effect so that the noble gift-giving tradition will propagate and continue to live in the hearts of the next generation. This could just be a speck in a wide ocean but at least it provides a tiny lit of hope in helping parents in up-bringing more loving and passionate children in the volatile era of computer and hi-tech gadgets.

If my sisters Baby, Maya, Aimee and Cha-cha personally prepared 500 gifts last year, they have increased that number to 600 this year to ensure that the growing number of children who eagerly await and joyfully anticipate the gift-giving activity could be safely accommodated and that no child, under any circumstances, will go home empty handed and frustrated. Wrapping some 600 gifts was no easy job but the family was enthusiastic in doing the wrapping ourselves making every gift a true labor of love, caring and compassion.

Rebosado or Rebosadong Taba ng Baboy (Deep-Fried Battered Fatback)

Reminder: This is not for everyone. Definitely not for those who avoid animal fat due to medical condition or special dietary restrictions. Not for those who do not eat lard due to religious laws that forbid the consumption of pork especially its fatty tissues. This involves an ingredient with a nutritional value of 39g saturated fat, 45g monounsaturated fat and 11g polyunsaturated fat for every 100g. Finally, this is sinfully delicious and potently addictive. Consider that you’ve been warned. :-)

I am referring to “rebosado” or “rebosadong taba ng baboy”, a regional dish from the provinces of Batangas and Quezon (Philippines) which our clan has been preparing and serving in almost every major family gathering or event as one of the special family dishes. The dish is actually like the “camaron rebosado” except that we are using small pieces of pork fat, particularly fatback, in lieu of the shelled shrimp.

Fatback is a cut of meat which consists of the adipose tissue layer or the subcutaneous fat under the skin or rind of the back of the pig. While fatback is often rendered to make a high quality lard, it is also an important ingredient in traditional sausage making and accompaniment to many meat dishes and vegetable stews.

Fun Family Fishing at Bane, Pangasinan

In the continuation of our family's Christmas Fishing Tourney, the 2nd and final event which is the saltwater fishing at Bane, Pangasinan was held on the 3rd January 2010. The young family members who ruled the 1st event of Fun Family Fishing at The Lakeshore were not able to join the tournament as the sea is quite dangerous for them. Some adult members were likewise not available that day due to pressing commitments and holiday hang-ups. While we were only four committed anglers available, the show went on. The game plan is to try trolling and if not so productive, shift to reliable bottom fishing.

Another important part of the game plan is to have a wonderful seafood lunch as we usually do, courtesy of our contact who owns most of the boats from his or other fishermen’s catch of the day.

We left Tarlac City at 4:00 am on that relatively calm Sunday. We made a short stop-over at Alaminos, Pangasinan to buy some provisions and live shrimps for bait. We continued the journey and arrived at the secluded fishing village by around 7:00 am. We were greeted by our contact and boat-owner who was extremely happy to see us but quite unexciting about the unfavorable sea condition. He informed us that the water is full of grass and sea weeds making trolling difficult and reports of very low catch among local fishermen have been prevailing for several days. We somehow confirmed the bad news by seeing lots of boats docked on the shore indicating nobody seems interested to fish.

But since we traveled more than 200 km for the event, we can not be prevented from trying our luck. This is a tournament with 2 exciting prizes at stake and going home without casting and wetting lines is not an option. Among the prizes for the tourney is a nice Okuma “Cedros” High Speed Spinning Reel CJ-55S donated by Maya and Eboy intended for the first prize and a reliable Abu Garcia “Soron” STX Spinning Reel donated by Aimee and Andrew slated for the second prize.

So we asked the boatmen to prepare the boats while we eagerly set up our gears. We prepared our trolling gears and rigs likewise some terminal tackles for bottom fishing just in case trolling will not work. I have been dreaming of a big catch from trolling but since the condition is not perfect, I decided to lower the level of our anticipation early on but somehow still hopeful of a worthwhile fishing. As we leave our camp/contact's house towards the shore, our contact asked if he will prepare a late lunch for us which we immediately replied with a resounding YES, eating seafood being part of our adventure for the day.

When everything was ready, we boarded our boats and off we head out for the sea. It was the tandem of my brother Bogs and brother-in-law Bojo who first left the shore at about 7:30 am. Me and my cousin Allen followed soon after but had to go back ashore and change boat as the engine malfunctioned. By around 8:30 we were also in heat trolling the waters of Bane reaching as far as Bolinao, Pangasinan.

As cautioned by the boatmen, presence of a lot of sea weeds was encountered. Trolling was quite difficult as we spent most of the time removing the weeds that entangles into our rigs. The same happened to the other group. But we did not give up, we continued trolling hoping for a strike of either “tanigue” (wahoo), “talakitok” (giant trevally), king fish, barracuda or “dorado” (dolphin fish) which our group caught before and the local fishermen are usually harvesting. I had a massive strike which pulled the drag of the reel resting of the rod holder, but even before I was able to hold the rod, the line snapped taking the whole rig away. We don’t know and will never know what sort of fish caused it. That was the only strike we had.

After several hours, we tried our luck in bottom fishing. Live shrimps were baited and dropped some 50 to 80 meters below the surface to entice reef and bottom dwelling fishes. But even this proved to be unproductive. We managed to only have several weak bites landing relatively small reef fishes.

When the bottom fishing wasn’t really working, we once again tried trolling but as before, we only caught weeds. Lots of weeds. We tried bottom fishing once more but still, only small reef fishes were biting. The biggest is only a grouper of about 250 grams. The wave got bigger and the under water current became stronger making the fishing even more difficult. As the day closes to its end, we decided to head back to the shore, almost empty-handed.

Our catch are really colorful and utterly beautiful but then minute, just slightly bigger than the bait. :-) They are only juvenile fish good for pan frying. My planned post for wahoo sashimi, “kinilaw na talakitok”, “sinigang na ulo ng dorado”, grilled fish steak, fish fillet appetizer and golden fish & chips will have to wait for some time. :-)

While we were waiting for the other group to arrive, I just satisfied myself with the magnificent sceneries that can be viewed from the tiny fishing village. I watched the clear blue sea which has been the source of the villagers’ main livelihood and everyday meal. It may had not provided us with an abundant catch but has been and will continue to provide a sustainable good harvests to the many families of the community in order to live and support their needs. And as I gaze at the horizon, I can see hope…….that someday I will be able to land the big fish of this sea.

The other group was even more empty-handed than us. They suffered the same problems we experienced. Even my brother Bogs, the organizer, who is the most hard core angler among us, did not fare well. But all of us are happy. We were able to undertake the passion we all love. It may take another year for us to be able to join together again and thus the memory of the day along with the freshwater fishing earlier held is quite significant for us.

Before leaving the place, we had our late lunch as prepared by our contact. Contrary to the seafood dishes we are expecting, we were served with fried “longanisa” (Filipino sausage) and steamed rice. This only confirmed that the sea is not really that generous that day. We brought our packet of grilled pork chop out to add to the “longanisa” and rice and nonetheless had a wonderful lunch…….an all-meat meal by the sea. :)

Upon our returned home, we received the loudest teasing from other family members. :-) As we later shared moment with one another telling the experience we just had over a bottle of our favorite drinks, awarding of prizes was carried out. This was despite the joking protest of my brother-in-law and prize donor Eboy, that there should not be an awarding. The first prize went to my cousin Allen. The Okuma “Cedros” Reel was awarded by its donor, my sister Maya.

The second prize, out of mercy and probably respect, was accorded to Boyet. The Abu Garcia “Soros” Reel was awarded by my sister Ines who’s representing the donor, Aimee & Andrew who are currently in Dubai.

Though there was an obvious shortage of fish in both the freshwater and saltwater fishing events, there was an overflowing happiness and memorable moments shared by everyone. Truly there is more to fishing than just catching fish. As we, in the Tarlac Anglers, finally close the Christmas Fishing Tourney, look forward to a better tournament next year, hopefully with better attendance among members and better catch, for me to cook and blog. c“,)

Fun Family Fishing at The Lakeshore

As I have posted in August 2009, there will be a fun family fishing for the Tarlac Anglers during the Christmas Holiday dubbed as Christmas Fishing Tourney. It is an exclusive family affair open to members and family members of the Tarlac Anglers. Due to hectic schedules, the supposed to be four (4) leg tournament was converted into just two (2) separate fishing events, one in The Lakeshore in Pampanga for the freshwater fishing and the other one in Bane, Pangasinan for the saltwater angling. Whilst it was held during the Christmas holiday, gathering the members and participants proved to be quite difficult due to varied individual commitments. The most promising site, Laiya, Batangas, where trolling is in season, had to be cancelled out due to conflicts of schedules. :(

In spite that some of the members were not available, the tourney pushed through. This post will cover the freshwater fishing held at the 12 hectares man-made lake of The Lakeshore in Mexico, Pampanga on 30th December 2009. The gorgeous and magnificent lake thrives with healthy aquatic life. Among the different varieties of fish seeded and now roaming the vast waters are milkfish (“bangus”), tilapia, “toman” snakehead, mangrove jack, carps, large-mouth bass and sea bass. Reports of big catch such as more than 10 kilos toman snakehead, more than 3 kilos “bangus” and more than 2 kilos tilapia, being occasionally caught by some lucky anglers, gave us the inspirations, though we have been warned that landing one is pretty difficult.

The view of the lake is not bad, for a lake which is a pure product of engineering in a rather flat area of the great plain of Central Luzon, it can be considered nicely done. With the trees and grass that have now fully grown, the place is now a calm alternative refuge for Filipino anglers.

The participants immediately set up their gears upon arrival, just after a short reconnaissance of the area. Everyone was excited and hopeful that luck will strike and hook a biggy.

It did not take long before everyone is busy wetting their lines, casting and retrieving. We can see a lot of big fishes creating a massive splash in the water, but enticing them for a bite needs patience and creativity as the juvenile fish were the ones busy biting our offerings.

The mammoth catch is quite elusive. We have been casting, waiting, retrieving and casting again for several hours and everyone is still yet to catch their 1st good size fish. Since it is getting late, and everyone is still skunked, my brother wisely decided to change the fishing style and targets the tilapia. He also helped my son to change his set-up to avoid getting bored. And they started catching pan-sized fish, still small by our standard, but good eating. This was noticed by my daughter and wife who followed through and soon, they too, were reaping tilapia as well as small “biya” (a type of freshwater fish) and flowerhorn (cichlid) which we all released.

During the final hours, we are all into tilapia catching mood. But the young ones who changed gear earlier and are probably better angler that day easily took the trophies. My daughter was declared the second placer, winning a nice Lemax GFC Action Rod donated by my brother Bogs.

My son Naven easily bagged the first priced trophy of a nice Abu Garcia Ambassadeur Conventional Reel donated by Bojo. Whilst he originally came to the lake with only a mammoth “toman” or “bangus” bigger than his previous catch (more than 2 kilos in Island Cove) in mind, his decision to change tackle early on and be satisfied with tilapia earned him the championship.

We, adults, may be disappointed that no biggies were bagged, but both young winners were quite happy that they outsmarted us. Sometimes desire for a bigger take will end you with an empty hand. But we are glad though that the young ones were elated. After all, that day was really arranged for their enjoyment.

Over-all, we had a great time. It could be happier should other family members were able to join and should biggies made a bite. But as we always said at the end of every unproductive fishing adventure, there is always a next time. We bid the night good bye with a huge smile as we shifted our mind to the next event which is the Pangasinan saltwater fishing. c“,)

Gift-Giving on Christmas Day

Christmas is an annual Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated every 25th of December and is central to the Christmas and holiday season. There are many popular modern customs of the holiday including church celebrations or “Misa de Gallo”, family gatherings and reunions, Christmas carols, exchange of greeting cards, special meal called Noche Buena, display of various decorations; such as Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe, nativity scenes and lantern or “parol” and of course, the much-awaited gift-giving.

Christmas has, for many centuries, been a time for giving and exchanging of gifts, particularly between family members and friends. A number of figures of both Christian and mythical origin have been associated with Christmas and the seasonal giving of gifts. Among the most popular are Santa Claus or Father Christmas which is a folklore figure associated with the bringing of gifts for children and the traditional Kris Kringle which is the exchanging of gifts among friends, office mates, classmates and family members. Kris Kringle is a yearly activity in our family which we joyfully perform every 12:00 hour midnight of December 24, just before indulging in the Noche Buena feast.

On top of gift exchanging however, the family, for the last 12 years I think, has been giving gifts to all the children of our community (Barangay) which over the latter years also included children from nearby villages (other Barangays). This gift-giving project was conceived by my sister Maya, as a way of sharing the blessings we received throughout the year. The activity is jointly and actively participated in, carried-out and supported by all the members of the family through the guidance of our loving parents.

As the number of children-recipients has steadily grown over the years, so is everyones' level of anticipation and excitement. We have witnessed how a modest gift can really make a difference in the heart of a child during Christmas. The happiness that can be mirrored from their eyes upon receiving their gift is a feeling rarely experienced in our everyday lives. This activity will be pursued by the family for as long as we are financially able to do so. As what our neighbors have said, gift-giving is now our family’s tradition which most kids and parents look forward every Christmas Day.

My sisters Maya, Ines and Cha are the ones providing much of the time, labors and efforts in the preparation, toy selection, shopping, buying and wrapping of all the gifts which this Christmas numbered to around 500 from only about less than a 100 during the maiden year in 1997.

Since we are having our Kris Kringle on Christmas night which sometimes last up to around 3 am in the morning, waking up early on Christmas Day is a feat for us all. So we always schedule the gift-giving to around 10 am, giving enough time for the children to visit their “Ninong” and “Ninang” and relatives first for the traditional hand kissing. Nonetheless, they would always line up early, which for us is only suggesting how important gifts to children are.

The distribution of gifts is always assigned to my younger sister Cha who, this Christmas, tapped the young members of the family to act as Little Santa Clauses and do the giving. My daughter Chiara, nieces Tin-tin and Charize, with the assistance of some young relatives, eagerly attended the distribution.

As we have been doing each year, the ecstatic children were safety guided to an orderly queue to avoid anyone from getting hurt. Even if there are enough gifts for everyone; some kids will always make their way in hastily as we understand that it is human nature for them to always want to get ahead of the others.

Gift-giving is always a wonderful sight to see, no matter how humble the gift maybe. The joy it brings to a childs' life is for us something immeasurable. And with scenes like these? The fun and happiness are not limited to the receivers but also felt by the assigned givers who are themselves kids.

But of course the children who will receive gifts will always have the sweetest smile…….specially on this time of the year.

The fiesta atmosphere continued until all the children who came were given their presents. All children went home with a happy a face and a joyful heart. We just hope that the activity did not only provide them with the material thing but with an appreciation and hopefully a deeper understanding of the true essence and beauty of giving……..that when they grow up, they will as well practice the noble way of giving, not necessarily on this scale, but even on their little own way…….within their families and circle of friends. I’m sure that such inculcation will go a long way, to somehow contribute in making them a better person who, in the near future, will have the ability to make a difference in someones' life.

Since there are around 500 gifts distributed, expect Little Santa Charize to exhaust her energy…………and to bring her back to a cheerful mood, some frolicking by Ninang Marj is necessary.