MANGKOKOLUM!

SANA ay Amihan ang kanyang pangalang Ambon ng hininga sa sinapupunan… Binhing isinudsod ng sulo sa guwang Dinilig ng tala, ng tula at tanglaw… Sana ay Amihan yaring isiniksik Ng titis sa liyab ng labing pusikit… Pagsuyong dumampi kagyat ding umalis... Hindi nagpaalam ang lintek na paslit! No egret (it’s a stork?) or regret. What’s done is done—do some more… there’s something of a must-do in karatedo echoing there, “Learn. Then learn some more.” H’wag tatantanan ang salin-kaalaman sa diwa’t laman. Hindi kasali sa ganitong tagubilin ang gunggong. Nananalig naman tayo Fetalino, Garafil, Gene de Leon, Paul Gutierrez, Willy Valdez at Baun saka iba pang katoto-- “man proposes, God disposes” … kaya kalimutan ‘yang mga resolusyon na abot-kayang pipitpitin, pipilitin at pipilipitin sa 2011… Sabi nga: “There's too much resolution pollution and too little self-appreciation. “Walking among trees can make you famous,” dagdag pa ni feng shui counselor Kathryn Webber… kaya dapat na dalasan an...

Ulo-ulo ( Written for my column in the nationally circulated tabloid Banat in 2002 ) HIGIT sa 100 babae at lalaking mandirigma ang kabilang sa kilabot na Squadron 77 ng Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon (Hukbalahap). Nilinis nila ang malaking bahagi ng bansa sa mga dungis na kumubkob dito. Nilaplap ng tingga ang mga elemento at kakutsaba ng Japanese Imperial Army na sumaklot sa Gitnang Luzon mula 1942 hanggang 1945. Magiliw na sinalubong nila ang hukbong Amerikano sa huling yugto ng okupasyon sa bansa ng mga Hapones noong 1945. Gulantang ang Gitnang Luzon: dinisarmahan ng hukbong Amerikano ang Squadron 77. Dinakip. Saka ipinagkanulo sa mga dating kasabwat ng mga mananakop na dorobo. Walang awang pinuksa ang buong pangkat ng Hukbalahap. Iginuhit sa apoy ng tingga at danak ng dugo ang kasaysayan ng Squadron 77. Pagpihit ng kasunod na dekada, pangunahing tagapayo sa paglipol sa mga nalalabing Huk ang naging papel ng Joint US Military Advisory Group o JUSMAG. Kabilang sa ipinayong paraan par...

Happy Nuke Year! CANINE cohorts, bomb sniffing dogs, top dogs, lap dogs, bitches and riches, poodles and noodles, wolves and wolverines, garcias y gracias , all ye multitudes gone to the dogs… daemon est deus inversus … lend your ears and its maxed up hearing range to everyone who shoos away blessings, does blasts instead on New Year’s eve. So equipped with such a capacity well over 16 times than an average human’s, every firecracker blast would thunder like a jet’s sonic boom or nuclear warhead detonation doting on inside their heads… and cause more than neural, locomotor plus hormonal imbalance… total dysfunction in those imbeciles—we have lots and lots of ‘em living up to the tab, Filipinoise… uh, LOL! Fiat! Fiat! Fiat! Who needs anti-tetanus shots when the best shots don’t come in syringes on the eve of another year? Shot, come… shot, come… shot, come… (Bedlam in bed as temblors and aftershocks ensue, moans come… come…come aplenty, blissful blessed peace and physical release settle...

"Be thine own palace, or the world’s thy jail." -- John Donne BINASBASAN sa kung saan-saang panig, singit at sulok ang kanilang pamamahay— all-out house blessing talaga…. babaylan ang apong Musa na lapis, crayola at kahit anong panulat ang panghasik-lapat ng basbas… there’s serene kinesthetic thrill touched off in such scrawling spree, fingers plied out to bring earthly bliss… Natutunan na kasi ng apo ang Kubera mudra —ang sagradong anyo na ibubukadkad ng mga daliri’t kamay sa paghawak ng panulat… a blessing to amass worldly wealth, to make wishes come through and true… hands-on writing brings such wonders, so resonant of the archetypal Chinese folktale about a brush-wielder whose picture writings magically come to life… Hindi na isinama ang sangkatutak na mudra (Sanskrit for “bring out bliss”), the cutting hands of kujikiri ninjutsu at samut-saring igkas ng kamay mula sa mga sining ng tagisan… pero umabot sa may 80 ang bilang ng galaw sa kamay na inisa-isa sa isinulat noo...

INALIS ng bubot na dilag lahat ng saplot sa katawan, buong tiwasay na humarap, tuksong inihahandog ang alindog sa kanyang panginoon… pero walang tutusok sa tukso, ni hindi na tumindig ang balahibo sa katawan ng amo… Tagpo ‘yon sa pelikula, Novecento… pero may palusot ang kausap hinggil sa kanyang milyonaryong kanayon… hindi na nito kailangan pang magpunta sa doktor… doktor na ang nagtutungo sa kanya… paulit-ulit na bayaran sa konsultasyon, hindi gamutan… ‘yung tinatawag na pamamahala na lang sa samut-saring sakit, ailment management … Nagbigti na lang ang hindi makasabsab na panginoon sa sabsaban. Humahalakhak na iniwan siya ng naghahandog ng alindog. Mutya na may kutya. Kahit kasi saksakan ng milyong halaga ng botox ang singkapan, hindi na titigasan… pero nanigas sa wakas ang buong katawan… rigor mortis. Nagsimula na rin ang end organ damage sa milyonaryong taganayon… isa-isa nang nalalaspag, pumapaltos ang iba’t ibang sangkap ng katawan—atay, lapay, bato, utak, puso… pinakamasa...

HIDEOUS destructive powers under leash… Greek term for such is praus referring to war steeds. It translates to ‘meek’ that the Messiah cited in the Beatitudes, what it takes to be happy. “Happy are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Fair warning: the meek won’t be trampled to a pulp, grounded to compost and buried in earth’s bowels to lay claim to their inheritance… they’ll likely do all-out land-grabbing. In the meanwhile, bleat drums and sound out a shy hiss as a teakettle does before spilling out some of its scalding intent, uh, content… so much content in contentment. Praus mauna—uh, Polynesian for mountain-- ang hiya ng inyong imbing lingkod na isinilang sa Taon ng Kabayo bilang pagpupugay sa datal at dasal ng Taon ng Kuneho, Year of Chemistry — kaya hee-yaah! hee-yaah, tigidig… tigidig… tigidig! Nakagiliwan na kasing makipagniig sa buhangin, tabsing, araw at simoy-amihan diay ti amianan sa pagsasalit ng luma’t bagong taon… it’s a ritual romp with the elements to start...

FRENCH… romance… counters of men, lend me a few millions of pesos… oops, my ears are yours for the taking, talking, blowing a blaze of sighs into… a photojournalist who did hit jobs for the Left years back, he left the talking to whoever he was with… he won’t sing even under duress, why bother to tell where bodies are buried? That attitude—he’d listen intently, showering the talker with earnest attention as if basking in the presence of the soul before him. That made him—rather homely looking-- a babe magnet, fair target for indecent proposals. A comely japayuki once baited him with her fat bank account, even asked him for deposits—the sort that spurts… pero hindi ATM ang kanyang budhi… Kaya ‘kikinig lang din ako … talc is a lot cheaper than make-up. But it does ease off freckles and wrinkles just don’t talc your head off. So, please do so, so… get it off your chest… uh-duh, I wasn’t referring to that 40-D cup, uh-oh, okay, let me lend a hand… now that you can breathe easier you have...

SAINT Stephen couldn’t have paved a road or built a solid foundation with all the stones they hurled at him… for a man who kept the faith, he suffered the punishment meted to unfaithful wives in places where shariah law rules—stoned dead… Poor wives… penalty for unfaithful husbands would make Manila top honcho Alfredo S. Lim groan for saying that the law applies to all, otherwise their application letters and applicants ought to be thrown together in a paper shredder… decrepit, misfit applicants who won’t get hired in any job. St. Stephen’s Day—December 26-- coincides with the public holiday celebrated in England, Australia, Canada and other Commonwealth countries, Boxing Day… the upper class gives thanks to their drivers, maids, and other service workers with gifts of money, food, clothing, and other goods… Let’s get this straight, all that gratitude and generosity go to those who serve, they deserve it—idlers and lazybones deserve to be treated as punching bags. Why Boxing Day: gift...

SO dirt-poor were those dullards nearby all they could give was dirt… but I’m taking neither their dirt nor dearth, so that just keeps on stacking up and burying ‘em under… Christmas can be a burial season of sorts, mwa-ha-ha-ha-happy holidays! Suspicion sinks in that most of this column’s followers are gifted— so they need not be lavished with more. However, I insist on giving them either the benefit of doubt or a break… Easier to give than to forgive—one reason why most of my godchildren kunat find their godfather… I gave away a cheap chess set to a boy—“money po ninong !”-- hoping that such grows on him. Children grow—and they outgrow most of the presents that they get… best to dote on them with gifts that will grow with them. So I guess once that boy is done toying with strategies in chess, he’ll move on to playing with chests… Our beloved departed Lourdes “Odette” Alcantara, art connoisseur and environmentalist once gave me several book-size boxes of matches with a naughty note ...

TIYAK tatamaan ng erectile dysfunction kapag nasilaw sa kuwarta. Aba’y sa babae ‘yan, sa lalaki—kuwarto. Hindi nakakasilaw ang nanlalagkit na alkitrang karimlan sa kuwarta ng babae… ‘kakasikipantalon nga’t talagang sinasaliksik o kaya’y sinasalaksak ang hiwaga ng hiwa… lalo na kapag naglalawa… that’s how you treat money— perra, female mutt, bitch. Sa ganitong dahilan kaya nahawa sa isang kakatwang gawi… nilalakipan ng basbas ang sabsab, the saying of grace before feasting on a yummy thing… maituturing din na sabsab din ‘yang kuwarta— litmus tests show that such a delight is slightly acidic , parang sinigang o manggang manibalang—kaya kailangan din ng basbas… bago sumibasib sa paglapang. Hindi paspasan— no quickie, no premature ejaculation here—kundi basbasan. And the latter lusts, oops, lasts. Pansinin na nabasbasan ang sabsaban dahil doon iniluwal ang Messiah… and He shall reign forever and ever. “Be a blessing, be blessed. Go and multiply. Return to me a millionfold.” Mantakin kung...

LILIYAB ang umaga, mabilis ang sakmal ng dilim sa pinakamaikling araw ng buong taon… kaya maghanda ng pulang kandila—ukitan ng larawan ng araw sa gilid nito, umusal ng kahilingan habang umuukit… Igiling-giling ang hiling sa isipan. Hihiling na rin lang, h’wag naman mga imposible—tulad ng kapayapaan sa sanlibutan… aba’y malinaw ang nakasaad na peace on earth to men of goodwill , talagang liglig ng ligalig ang masama ang kalooban, kung sama ng loob ang itinanim, huwag umasam na katiwasayan ang susupling… Huwag hihiling na malantakan ang Kim Chiu, kimchi na lang, mas may anghang-linamnam pa… Huwag hihiling na tumama ang kahit limang numero ng tayang lucky lucky pick pick sa lotto araw-araw… mas masarap tumama do’n sa huli. We’re working with symbols of the yuletide season—that red candle stands for the bet… oops, Yule log . Sindihan ang dila, oops, kandila. Hayaang maupos, tangayin ng hangin ang kahilingan upang makarating sa kinauukulan… tatalab ang alab ng hiling sa dibdib, ah, let ...

MATAPOS ang magdamagang putukan, maiiwan sa kama ang hubo’t hubad na katawan ng kalaro sa apoy—tila tupok na tumpok ng tuyot na laman at kalansay… Gano’n sa sinubaybayang nobela sa komiks nitong dekada 1960, “Ambrose Dugal” ang pamagat… obrang Al Cabral yata… isinumpa ng ginahasa niya na lakambining babaylan… Adonis na naging taong linta o limatik na sisipsip, sasaid sa mismong élan vital or vital force ng bawat dilag na makasiping. An’daming sinalanta sa kama…tayan. Gano’n din pero walang pinipili ang mga salot na pulititiko—bata, matanda, kahit anuman ang kasarian… hinuhuthot ang kabuhayan. Mas matindi siguro ang hilakbot sa isipan ng mambabasa kung pinalabas na lingkod-bayan, pinuno ng government-owned and controlled corporation, customs or tax examiner si Ambrose Dugal… the horrors, the horrors hounding our lives … Teka… ganoon din ang ginawa ng mga alalay ni Haring David (isa sa mga ninuno ng Manunubos) nang uugod-ugod na hukluban na ito… itinabi sa pagtulog niya ang birheng dil...

SPREAD a million gallons of water over a hundred hectares, you got rain. Same volume fitted in a thumb-sized hose, shot smack into the solar plexus—now, that’s killer focus. A hundred or so bulbs blazing throughout the confines of a theatre stage, that’s floodlighting. All that heat and light bundled and tapered thin as a pin cuts through metal, anything that stands in its way— and that’s laser focus. No hocus-pocus-- there’s wondrous downright real magic in focus that allows a 100-pound weakling, uh, someone surnamed Hu from China, to flick out a half-a-ton punch that rips through the rib cage… sure, the rib cage is the surest way to a man’s heart and lungs. Plural form of “locus” is “loci”… for focus, now don’t you enunciate that with so much smirking and smacking… Susi—opo, titik “i” at hindi “o” ang nasa huli ng kataga—pala sa puspos na kasiyahan ang tindi ng tutok ng isip sa ginagawa… talagang bubulwak ang tinatawag na happy hormone or oxytocin sa bukal ng utak. Itsapwera na lang...

A northern tribe who chop off foes’ heads as war trophies listen to their food, I was told. Sure sounds edible-- would a pinch of fish flesh howl in pain or sing a paean? They’re not likely referring to the snap, crackle and pop off crunchy slivers of raw radish, seaweed or cucumbers lazed in vinaigrette of black pepper, sugar, olive oil and salt. Every item of viand ought to tell something more than a “moo” off a beef morsel. Unlikely an early warning that copious intake of nitrates in cured meats— tocino, longaniza , corned beef and what have you-- may reach critical mass and just go off like a time bomb wrecking the insides of a gourmand. Certainly not a list of the food item’s biochemical makeup, no fastfood staple spiked with industrial-strength ingredients would bother to inflict pangs of panic on a prospective victim of obesity-related mortality. So what did those headhunters had in mind when they sat down for repasts, hushed hunger and asked their kids to lend a heedful ear to ...

UNDAY ni Ondoy ang kailangan para patunayan kung kaya ng mass housing design ang tindi ng baha. Hindi lang sa bayo ng bagyo-- pakay ng patimpalak na inilunsad kamakailan ng administrasyong Herbert Bautista sa Quezon City na magtindig ng murang pabahay na ligtas sa todong Ondoy at lindol, pati yata impiyernong alinsangan, buhawi’t iba pang lupit ng kalikasan. Hindi malupit si Ondoy… todo-buhos nga sa tubig tabang na dapat sanang sumalin sa mga imbakan sa dibdib ng lupa— underground aquifers whose reserves gathered for about a decade is used up in just a day by any mall… and we keep on building malls. Sa halip na tubig-ulan ang sumasalin sa mga naturang imbakan, katas-Malabanan… kinupkop kasi ng mga sambahayan ang baho at baha. Binihisan, tinapalan, tinakpan ang buyangyang na dibdib ng lupa—hindi naman masagwa kahit damsak sa putik, tila utong ng ina na tigmak sa gatas. Kahit saganang tubig-tabang ang ibiyaya ng alinmang Ondoy, nasasayang lang… tatapon lang sa mga kanal at imburnal, maw...

BUDBOD ng asin at basbas na dalangin ang isinasangkap sa tubig-ulan para maging agua bendita… na pangontra sa mga maligno at impakto. Tataglayin ng tubig bawat isalin ditong sangkap, pati na sansang at lansa ng mga ATM ang budhi… kaya marahil hindi kanais-nais ang lasa ng tubig na tustos sa mga taga-Palawan. Uhaw sila sa paliwanag… kung bakit ang kanilang dating gobernador Joel T. Reyes at 10 lokal na pinuno hindi dapat ilublob sa kumukulong tubig kaugnay ng paglaspag sa P200-milyong inutang ng lalawigan para sa pantustos-tubig at sanitasyon. Taxpayers will have to bleed for every cent—interest including—of such a loan given out by the World Bank through LandBank as part of the latter’s $36-million grant for improvement of water, sewerage, sanitation and drainage projects at the grassroots. The provincial government trotted out a list of projects to be funded by the P200-million taxpayer’s debt-- construction of 10 Barangay Environmental Sanitation Projects (BESP) – Water Supply and ...

PALISTA lang ‘to ng anak…para sa Facebook -- 15 tauhan na kumintal sa isip, kumimpal sa lirip … the composite of characters that becomes seething ruthlessness, promethean patience and dedication… 1. Frank Bok, a character in Larry Alcala's "Kalabog and Bosyo" komiks series... he's a hunter who always brings to civilization quaintly comic species of plants and animals. 2. Perseus, demigod slayer of Medusa... saw a litograph print in Camilo Osias's "The Philippine Readers." 3. Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi Hunter in Ira Levin's "The Boys from Brazil." He's for real, though, and he's been scouring the far reaches of earth to bag his quarry. 4. Batman, the only superhero with no super powers-- just cutting-edge skills in jujutsu, kalaripayat, and Tibetan boxing. 5. Gandalf, the wizard in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. 6. Popeye really nudged me into eating vaginas, oops, veggies and shunning burgers which, as t...

IT must have been a sort of banana republic, that which was bruited about as, uh, “STwrong Republic.” With her lieutenants firmly entrenched in strategic outposts, erstwhile top banana Gloria remains out of harm’s way, untouchable… recent developments indicate that no Truth Commission can hound or haunt her, what a charmed life! O baka talagang may agimat o anting-anting na galing sa saging—na ayon sa sinaunang kaalaman, talagang isusukob ang may taglay nito upang hindi mabasa kahit sa tindi ng unos o buhos ng baha… hindi pa rin basa ang papel ng Gloria. Dagdag-kaalaman: katutubong saging ang Gloria, pinaghalo ang lasa ng tundan at saba—at parang pinagsanib din ang anyo ng tundan at saba. Walang duda, pinakamarikit sa tingin sa mga katutubong saging ang Bongolan—kulay pula ang balat ng bunga. What a wonderful sight, this bunch of native strains of bananas—and we can chatter like monkeys pouncing and devouring them with gusto. Sabi nga, nomen est omen —kaya marahil sa sari-saring sagin...

NOT much of a showman, so much of a shaman… who dances up storms amidst summer’s blowtorch spell using killer moves in hung gar and taekkyon … and pays homage to a vast body of water at the onset of each new year with the flimsy excuse that over 70% of his brains and body is aqueous… Ji-Heun Yun, Asian Development Bank water resources management specialist reckoned he had found a sounding board, maybe a kindred spirit when he plied me with drinks on that drizzly night at Thirst.day, a Makati watering hole for admen, madmen, a menagerie of cranks and he-men out to spill semen. He wanted to be heard… why, ADB likely had full backing on the $440.8-million takeover of a Korean water firm on the 218-megawatt hydroelectric power plant component of Angat Dam in Bulacan—which provides over 90% of Metro Manila’s water supply. In May 24, the Supreme Court plied an order preventing the sale and transfer of the Angat facility to winning bidder Korea Water Resources Development Corp. or K-Water, a...

A moneyed Malacañang hopeful hitched his wagon to moneyed star that was Willie Revillame—and had his high hopes ending in the ditch… why, the bloke was his usual grumpy self when he bellyached how the Cory funeral procession got in the way of his show’s cheerful bedlam… was that the height of callousness and insensitivity? That wasn’t. He challenged his ABS-CBN bosses to dump another talent and threatened to quit if he does not get his way. He didn’t get his way. So he parted ways with the network that nurtured his rising star— sure, it takes all kinds as Dennis F. insists… there are greats, near-greats… and there are ingrates. His ABS-CBN bosses had been seeing to his weal—as he amassed wealth—as scandals and grieving victims, remember the 73 dead and hundreds of grievously injured in the ULTRA stampede, were hushed… they were too protective of their ward. They gave him the breaks, after all. He could have ridden out into the sunset after a run-in with his bosses over a silly whim… h...

TELL the tale in killer honest and dead earnest in one sitting… after this anyway, your head goes. Chopped off. Ah, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade Suite” hammers out and away on the desktop’s sound-blasters, urgent in its recall how a sultan’s bride kept her head intact for a thousand and one nights— nearly three years—and how she kept a captive audience captivated each night with her fount of stories. So you were asking how I hacked away through over 600 entries in various categories to come up with my winners in a nationwide writing competition for journalists… One word: Scheherazade. Tell your story as if your life depended on it. Too, we can throw in Aristotle’s counsel—“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” I guess that’s what writing, writing about life, and gleaning two-bit significance in life is all about. Ah, that’s awfully useful yardstick… comes handy when an outfit, a foundation or government entity hales me as juror in ...

SINUBOK sa lansangan kung may mahahagilap na matindi ang emotional quotient, E.Q., the human capacity to walk a mile or more in another’s forbidding path… Kaya ba ng Pinoy ang ganitong pagsubok? Kakaiba sa isang tampok na bahagi ng pantanghaling palabas, huhugot ng isang pangalan ng naninirahan sa sinadyang maralitang kabahayan… tatambakan ng pagkain, kagamitan at pakimkim na ilang libong piso ang mapalad na tagaroon. Kakaiba sa alinmang ‘kikigayang palabas na bubungkal ng makabulwak-uhog o makabuhos-luhang saysay sa buhay ng kalahok sa paligsahan… para yata makapagladlad ng human drama in an inhuman television show… that segues to a loud celebration of human incompetence, the absurd, banal and trivial to elicit laughs… to numb and dumb audiences. Pumapalakpak na ‘ko nang ilahad ni Elizabeth Oropesa ang pakay ng pagsubok… to seek out a rare bird among gulls, geese, and gargoyles out in the streets… “Love your neighbor as you would love yourself” is the second of God’s two greatest co...

MANGAHAS umalulong ng ilang kanta… ‘yung tinatawag na Christmas quarrels para pumitas ng P10,000 mula Pambansang Samahang Pindot (PSP) o National Press Club. Pampaligsahan dapat ang ibusina… taimtim na Gregorian chant sa panimula… Dona nobis pacem … litanya muna na may kasabay na mahina pero unti-unting lumalakas na sagitsit-taginting ng Angels we have heard on high … Sa bahaging gorilla , oops, gloria in excelsis Deo , buhos na unos ng Joy to the world, the lewd has come, let earth receive their King… na may kasaliw-tuhog na lambing-lamyos ng Greensleeves… Sa panapos, ubo’t ubos sa Hallelujah chorus mula “Messiah” ni George Frederick Handel… Tuhog na tuhog ang uhog ng kuwento sa konsepto… nagsusumamong hiling ng kapayapaan sa sanlibutan… may mauulinig na balita mula kaitaasan ukol sa iluluwal na sanggol na maghahasik ng mga binhi niyon… tatambad nga ang hirang na mag-ina sa Joy to the World at Greensleeves … at sa huli’y maghahari magpakailanman ang kapayapaan… Mungkahi lang na...

SIRIT na… Hindi sagot sa hulaan o bugtungan ang tinutukoy ng “sirit” sa wikang Batangan… pulandit o bulwak ng laman-loob, ihi’t dugo ang talagang tinutukoy. Maraming pinaglaruang babae si Iton… at isang gabi nga habang suray ang lakad galing sa inuman, may umakbay sa kanyang kakilala… ni hindi nahagip kahit sa gilid ng paningin ang iglap na igkas-tuklaw ng balisong sa tagiliran ng dibdib… buong hinay na iniupo pa siya sa tabi ng kalsada. Saka lumakad palayo ang salarin… marahan, parang walang ginawang marahas. Sirit mula sugat sa puso ang dugo ni Iton… nagmapa’t namuo ang kimpal sa aspalto… sa mismong pagkakaupo nalagutan ng hininga. Poetic justice for a debt of honor . Naging sukli daw sa daming puso’t puson na tinarakan ng biktima… hindi na nakilala pa ang salarin. Sa mga blind item na lang itinatapat ang “sirit” sa ngayon, ‘pag hindi mahulaan ang tinutukoy… hindi na madugo’t masansang. Sa malagim na pagpaslang sa mga mag-inang Estrellita, Carmela at Jennifer Vizconde noong 1991, l...

OUT-and-out out— RP for rust in piss, rumbling pennies. So, so in: PH which can be construed as the “potential of hydrogen” to swing from tartness to bitterness, the so-called pH scale to measure acidity or alkalinity of a substance… It’s now a tad easier to figure out the sort of substance in the Pinoy biochemistry… there are bitter sorts and orts limping in Momordica charantia sentiments and wrinkles, may mga matindi talaga ang asim , and there are those who go limpid as distilled water with a neutral 7-- the vaginal pH of prepubescent girls and damsels on into menopause… A gourmet can relish the hydrogen potential spectrum taking equal mouthfuls of pinapaitan (bile-flavored stew of goat innards) and sinampalukang manok (spring chicken in a consommé of condiments spiked with tamarind shoots)… and a headstrong—no sugar please— brew of Coffea arabica goes well with paksiw na bangus (milkfish simmered in palm vinegar, spices and veggies) for breakfast… that bitter brew of suds go...