THE LEGEND AND ORIGIN OF GUAVA FRUIT - ANG ALAMAT NG BAYABAS

Where did the Bayabas fruit came from? Another Philippine legend and story about the Alamat of Bayabas.

A long time ago, there's a king who ruled a rich, prosperous island. He had all the things a king could ever ask for: the power, the wealth, and all the delicious foods one could only imagine.The king's name was King Barabas.

King Barabas is a rude king and overweight, indulging himself to all the foods available, hesitant to share. And his castle is starting to become filthy. He would spend most of his time sitting and eating with his bare hands. As he eats, he drips food on the floor and smile mockingly at the people around him, specially his servants.

People in the kingdom would approach with requests for his help, but he would always refuse. As he neglected his kingdom, people started to complain and starve.

After some time, an old hunched-back woman showed up at the castle begging for food while the king was eating. The old lady asked for food as she was starving.

"Go away! I don't have anything to give. Can't you see I'm eating?" said the king.

"Please, my king, " said the old woman. "I'm asking for anything, anything you could give me as I am so hungry. Even a little piece of bread or fruit would do."

"Get out at once! You disgust me," the king belittled the old beggar.

The old woman stood up straight, casting aside her stooped posture. "I've heard much about you and how your kingdom is suffering." The tone of her voice had changed. It was no longer the voice of a weak, old woman. "I asked for help, and you shoved me away. You have a lot for yourself, but when I only asked for a little food, you belittled me. You are selfish. No one loves you and no one will remember you when you are gone!"

And the beggar disappeared.

After a few more days, the king slowly weakened and became sick. No one knows what's wrong with him. He got weaker and weaker and lost much weight. He looked older than his age. Soon after that, the king died. As unfortunate and unexpected as it was, no one cried and nobody showed up at the king's burial. He died alone.

And where the king was buried, his people noticed a strange plant growing, a plant they had never seen before. The plant soon grew into a tree, which bore rounded fruits that turned yellowish when ripe.

People also noticed that the fruit seemed to have a crown as it develops, which reminded them of their selfish, arrogant king. The flesh of the fruit tasted a bit sour, just like the sour personality of the king towards them.

The people learned to eat the fruit, which helped them with starvation. And because the tree was from the grave of their King Barabas and it has crown just like their king, they named the tree after him: barabas, which in time they called bayabas.

The fruit is still called, as to this day, bayabas.

And although the guava may have came from the rude, selfish King Barabas, guava fruit is one of the fruits that offers many health benefits when consumed, the fruit is a good source of vitamin C. The leaves are made into tea and treats many diseases as well from a simple toothache, to treating diarrhea, lowering blood sugar, and many more. And it is used amongst young boys after their circumcision in the Philippines.

KAI SOTTO - THE KAIJU ARRIVES

Note: This is commentary.

For FIBA ASIA U16 tournament, many Gilas fans are eager to witness how Kai Sotto, the Philippines' version of unicorn, the probably once in a generation specimen will fare against tougher competition. 

The first three games were underwhelming, but when it mattered the most, trans: a match versus Japan with ticket to the world Cup in Argentina at stake, this happened:

That stellar performance helped Batang Gilas defeat Japan to book a date in Argentina. More importantly, during that game, we saw him played a significant role on an important game, no, historical game.

With a world cup ticket on hand, the game against China will be a test on how he would fare versus equally tall, hefty, but a little bit aged (evil grin) Chinese front line.

The result: for the first time in history of battling China, our front line actually won. Oh, do we need to remind everyone of this move:

We lost the game but confident that with the coming wars ahead, we have a Kaiju as a weapon.

What is important to note is this, Kai arose to the occasion. He embraced the moment, he did not falter. Sure there is so many (that would be an understatement) on his game that needs to be polished and to be improved on, no doubt and debate on that.

What's glaring though, is that he welcomes it. He is aware of not only of it, but he is aware of the expectations, and he is up to the tasks.

SIARGAO ISLAND BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS

SIARGAO ISLAND - THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, THE TRUTH
Where Is Siargao? How To Get To Siargao?

Siargao Island
Off the northeastern tip of Mindanao lies the teardrop-shaped island of SIARGAO, a largely undeveloped backwater with languid beaches, dramatic coves and lagoons battered by the Pacific Ocean and a verdant hinterland of rustic little barrios and coconut groves.

Some of the first tourists here were surfers, who discovered a break at Tuason Point that was so good they called it Cloud Nine, and though it’s still off the tourist trail, word of mouth is bringing an increasing number of surfers from around the world.

Arrival and getting around
Most visitors arrive by ferry at Dapa, 16km from the modest but comfortable resorts around the island’s friendly little capital of General Luna, known as GL, on the east coast. There are no banks and credit cards aren’t accepted in most places, so bring cash.

Your choices for getting around the island are fairly limited. Most locals use the habal-habal (motorcycle) drivers, good for up to two people and light luggage. Rates are fixed: Dapa to Cloud 9 is P200, while Dapa to GL is P150. Rides between GL and Cloud 9 should be P15. Drivers will take you to Magpupungko for P300 or the Tak-Tak Falls near Burgos for P1000; in both cases the price includes the trip back. If you intend to do a lot of roaming around, ask your accommodation about renting a motorcycle (P500/day).

The other options are tricycles and minivans: tricycles will charge at least P30 per person (P150/vehicle) between Dapa and GL, but sometimes ask for a lot more (it depends on how much commission they are expecting from your hotel). Minivans charge P300 per person or P1500 per trip to the airport – other trips will be charged according to time and distance. For bangka trips see opposite.

Accommodation
Accommodation in Siargao covers the whole range, from modest lodges aimed at backpackers and low-budget surfers, to upmarket tropical resorts. Most accommodation is a short distance from GL, and can help arrange motorbike rentals, bangka trips and other forms of transportation.

Exploring the island of Siargao
Resorts line the coast north of GL, and though there isn’t really a beach here it’s a lush laidback strip, with swathes of coconut palms linked by a sand road. The whole area is generally referred to as Cloud 9, though the world-renowned break is actually at Tuason Point, 2km north of GL, towards the end of the hotel strip.

The peak surf season is September and October, while things tend to slow down at the end of the year; beginners will find the weaker surf in June and July more manageable. Even if you don’t surf, wander out to the viewpoint at the end of the Cloud 9 boardwalk, a rickety wooden pier that cuts across the lagoon to the edge of the biggest waves.

Some 35km north of GL via mostly dirt road is PILAR, a village of traditional wooden stilt houses on the edge of the mangroves. It’s best known for Magpupungko Beach, 2km further north and the site of regular beach parties every Friday night (P20). The sandy beach is one of the island’s best, but the highlight is the giant natural swimming pool (basically a huge rockpool) that forms to the far left of the beach at low tide.

The water is beautifully clear and inviting, assuming the weather cooperates. There’s a nominal charge of P50 per person, but this isn’t always enforced. Minivan drivers should take you for P2000–2500 (1hr). It’s a long and bumpy ride by motorcycle.

Siargao island-hopping
The seas around Siargao are littered with unspoiled and rarely visited islands, but you’d need your own boat and lots of time to explore them all. The easiest to visit are the three islands just off the coast of GL (around 30min by bangka): day-trips to all three cost P1500 or P2500 depending on the size of the boat. Most resorts can fix you up with local bangka operators.

Naked Island is little more than a giant sand bar and perfect for lounging in the sun. Dako Island is the largest of the three, smothered in coconut palms and home to a small fishing community. The villagers will happily serve you fresh coconut (P20) or even barbecue chicken (P150) if required. Tiny Guyam Island comes closest to the stereotype of a classic desert island, a circular clump of sand and palm trees ideal for picnics, swimming or sunbathing.

The island caretaker usually charges a fee of P10 per person. Snorkelling isn’t much good off any of these islands – the best reefs lie in between them, so ask your boat to make an extra stop. Another appealing day-trip from Siargao is to La Janoza and Mamon, the easternmost islands in the archipelago – the bangka ride takes around one hour and costs around P3500 per boat.

There’s a powdery white sand beach and a quaint fishing village on La Janoza and between the two islands is a pellucid lagoon that’s wonderful for swimming and snorkelling; both islands are also surfing hotspots.