OUR ICONS: Corazon Aquino

Anyone born before or after 1986 knows who Corazon Aquino is. The gentle, soft-spoken, simple housewife who became the 11th President of the Philippines that year and started a “wave” of People Power revolts across the globe.

She is the first female President in Southeast Asia and one of the firsts in the world. Her name is not restricted to the Philippines, "Cory" *her nick name* is a democracy icon in human’s modern history.

Needless to say, the whole world knows who she is. And the forgetful ones scruffled the Internet in the past 3 days trying to get a refresher *she is the top search on the Net right now*.

And I bet if the Martians and Plutonians are reading Time Magazine, they know her too.

Southeast Asia and the world lost one of our greatest icons – Cory passed away last Saturday (01 August 2009) after a long battle with cancer.

BISEAN arrived in Manila this morning to brave the sea of people who will try to get a last glimpse of her at the Manila Cathedral tonight. We want to be part of history. We want to see her for the last time.

See her full biography here.

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IT ALL STARTED IN MOUNT MAKILING

Mount Makiling is one of Southeast Asia’s sacred/mystical mountains. It belongs to the league of Mt. Agung in Bali, Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai, to name a few. It is located in the province of Laguna in the Philippines.

Legend has it that Maria Makiling was a goddess. FilipinaSoul better describes her here and who could tell the legend better than the great Rizal himself here.

Mount Makiling is a volcano – an inactive one, that is *whew! now I think y'know why I'm here*. Parts of the area are supplied with electricity produced from geothermal heat from this mountain. And it made Laguna the hot springs, mud springs, mineral baths centre and a very popular hiking treks of the country.

I would like to commend the efforts of those responsible for preserving the eco-system of this mountain -- UPLB. Lush forests, fresh air, ancient trees dotted the area and I can still hear the sounds of its’ abundant animals living in it. Considering Laguna is just an hour or so away from overly crowded Manila.

At the foot of Makiling is the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) – where the country’s future environmentalists, agro professionals and livestock moguls come from. The IRRI and Philippine Rice Research Institute are also nearby.

Mount Makiling isn’t just all these...

Mount Makiling is a heritage icon of the Tagalogs (the dominant ethnic group of the Philippines) – this mountain provided them legends and beliefs that made their distinct culture that eventually became the basis of all other cultures of the Philippines.

--Pisanu in Los Baños, Laguna
06 Feb 2009

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THE GREAT HORNBILL: Our Heritage Icon

Here’s one heritage icon instantly associated to our beloved region – the Great Hornbill of the Malay Peninsula, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. *other species found in Vietnam*

They are called แก้ไข นกกก in Thai, Kalaw in the Philippines and Burung Enggang in Malaysia and Indonesia and Kenyalang in Kalimantan. *what is it called in your language?*

I visited Jurong Bird Park in Singapore a few weeks back and this birdie does it all the time. When I walk in the aviary, they always land to get in the way. So, either I go back where I come from or I just make a run for it. What do they want from me?

Obviously, these great birds are fearless. That’s why they are the symbol of numerous tribes like the Iban people of Borneo, the Dayaks of Kalimantan, the Igorots of Ifugao -- Brave, fearless warriors of the land. Sarawak is known as the "Land of the Hornbills".

They can grow up to 4ft in height with a wingspan of 5ft! That’s why they are sovereigns of the rainforest. The Hornbill’s most distinct feature is that ginormous thingy on top of its’ already ginornous bill – it’s called a “casque” by those who want to have names for anything & everything. A casque – don’t forget.

It is said that Hornbills use their casques (only males has it) for aerial battle. Like what those deers and goats do – butt fight! Although nobody has actually seen Hornbills in actual aerial butt fight.. It’s just a legend perhaps.

The Great Hornbill is in the list of Threatened Species. We can’t afford to lose another one of our endemic icons.

Save the forest, protect the Great Hornbills –

heritage icons of Southeast Asia.


Buceros bicornis


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*Thanks to Mr Bauer for the photos

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PULL THAT TEA! I SAID PULL THAT TEA!

It doesn’t make sense, huh?

How can tea be pulled, you ask? Then shut up and I’ll tell you…

Teh Tarik is a creamy, sweet with a pleasant bitter aftertaste beverage served just about in every corner of Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei.

"Teh” means tea in Bahasa and “Tarik” means pulled. Get it?

This beverage is all about showmanship. It is prepared by mixing tea and condensed milk together and poured from a container held high to a container held low. That’s where the “pulling” comes in.

A properly made Teh Tarik must have thick foam on top like a cappuccino -- If it doesn’t…*whishk!* poor you. *LOL*

How is it iconic? Well, it is de facto the national drink of Malaysia. They even hold a national competition in preparing this drink…

Competitors showcase their “talents” (like cart-wheeling, leg-splits, can-can) while dragging a long stream of tea over their heads. Simply spectacular, baby. Ok, get off me.

Oh! Did I mention Teh Tarik is best served hot? -- Which means best for a cold rainy day. And to be more accurate; “served in just the right temperature” for immediate consumption *unlike coffees from McDonalds & 7-Eleven which you have to wait 600 years to cool down!* Although some prefer it over ice.

Go and try this heavenly brew on your next visit to Malaysia, Singapore or Brunei. You’re not gonna like it…you’re gonna LOVE it!

Teh Tarik – beverage icon of Southeast Asia.



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CHINLONE: Burma's National Sport

BISEAN previously featured our region's National Sports. It was a round up of our neighboring village's cool games.

We mentioned that Chinlone was the most beautiful game -- non-competitive, graceful and everything nice. See for yourselves...

Cool! See what we mean? =)

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NATIONAL SPORTS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

The 11 villages in Southeast Asia have their own national sports. Some are official as recognized by the government and some are not. Other villages pick their national sport by cultural tradition and others opt with popularity.


Silat is the official national sport of Brunei. It is traditional martial arts form that uses blades and stuff but mainly bare hand. This sport spans the whole Malay Archipelago.

The official national sport of Burma is Chinlone. It requires a ball that’s kicked around with your team mates. There is no opposing team meaning, this is a non-competitive game. The object of the game is how beautiful and skillfully pass the ball to your team mate. I have seen this once and I could strongly say; it is one of the world’s most beautiful games.


Cambodia’s Sey dates back to the 11th century. It is the official national sport of the Khmer Kingdom. It is played with a special kind of ball thingy that’s kicked back and forth like volleyball. Here’s the kicker – historians believe that ancient Sey of Cambodia is where the Sipa (Philippines) and Sepak Takraw (Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei) came from.

Indonesia seems not to have an official national sport although their Cultural Attaché in Bangkok told us that Pencak Silat is considered for cultural and traditional importance. Pencak Silat is the collective term of the countrywide game called Silat. I asked around and all I got is – Badminton and Football. Obviously noted by popularity.

Here’s a surprise: the official national sport of Laos is *drumroll* Rugby. The game was recently recognized by the Lao government as their national sport although Laos is a football playing nation. Go figure.

Sepak Takraw is one of the most popular sports in the whole of Southeast Asia and it is considered as the national sport of Malaysia although it is not official. It is called Kick Volleyball in English and played by opposing teams making sure the ball doesn’t hit the ground on their side.

The Philippines’ official national sport is Sipa which means kick in Filipino. It is played with a special shuttlecock-like ball (street) or rattan ball (court) and played like the Cambodian Sey and the Malaysian Sepak Takraw.

While writing this, I was with a Singaporean friend and asked her the country’s national sport. Guess what I got? – Shopping! Then it occurred to me why I asked a lady. I turned to a dude and he said Online Gaming like Killing Orc and others. Whoah! Hi-techie-techie!

Football is the national sport of Timor Leste and Vietnam, although it’s not officially recognized by both countries. The Timorese attaché in Bangkok didn’t have any idea and my Vietnamese friends say it’s football (but I seriously doubt it).

The official national sport of Thailand is Muay Thai. “Muay" means boxing and “Thai” means... isn't it obvious? It is our version of Muay Boran (ancient boxing). It is amorously called “The Art of 8 Limbs” and considered one of the deadliest martial arts in the world.

Our National Sports -- Our icons.

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*If this post needs correction, it is always welcome.

PHAM TUAN: Southeast Asia’s First Man in Space

The great Phạm Tuân deserves perennial recognition. And this is BISEAN’s contribution to continuously appreciate the Heroes of Our Region.

This amazing dude will be forever written in our history --
Vietnam’s pride, Southeast Asia’s honor and Asia’s first man in space.

Phạm Tuân was born in Quoc Tuan, Vietnam. He joined the Vietnam People's Air Force in 1965 and actually fought in live air-combat against America’s bests (?) in the Vietnam War till 1975. He also holds the distinction of “the only pilot in the World to ever shoot down a B-52 bomber.” *super cool!* -- although America diligently denied this. *Yeah, right. They even denied they lost the war! Haha!*

After he became a Major General and a research engineer for the USSR-Vietnam Space Program, he was selected (with another Soviet cosmonaut) to be sent on a space mission on board Soyuz37 on 23 July 1980 at Baikonur, USSR.

Our hero was in space for 7 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes and completed 142 orbits before going back to Earth on 31 July 1980. He did a lot of scientific experiments up there.

Looking at his photo (above) in his prime, Mr. Phạm is a very handsome fella indeed! And the photo (right) is, more or less, how he looks like today – still very handsome and dignified. *Mr. Phạm, you are my idol! I’m sure a lot of girls are running after you! Woohoo!”*

Mr. Phạm was married in 1975 and has 2 kids. He is now a Lieutenant General -- Head of the General Department of Defense Industry of the Ministry of Defense, and a member of the Vietnam National Assembly.

The Great Phạm Tuân of Vietnam – Hero of Southeast Asia.

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Related Article: Malaysia’s First Man in Space

*** Author’s trivia: Pisanu’s 3rd son was named “Marcus Pham Tuan” nicknamed “P.T.” in honor of Mr. Phạm.

SE ASIA'S BEST MUSEUM: The Ayala Museum

We found another one of Southeast Asia’s Best Museums. This is actually what me and my friends came here for – check this building out and that special collection on the 4th floor.

We loitered, sashayed, gawked, sashayed some more, had coffee, loitered even longer and spent the whole darn rainy day in and around the “legendary” Ayala Museum. I say “legendary” because since we saw that docu (by Che-che) on satellite telly a few months ago, we were itching (like scabies) to come over and check it out.

The Ayala Museum was established in 1967 by the Ayala Foundation Inc., owned by the prominent Ayala family. One of the most modern in the country. It is an Art & History museum showcasing works of famous Filipino masters and their recent collection has drawn visitors from all over the world *including me, me and me!*.

I am prepared to talk about the Gold of Ancestors Exhibit on the 4th floor all day but my friends say we should also mention about the other exhibits on the floors below – there, I mentioned it already. Can I continue? Good. Now, listen....
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The Gold of Ancestors exhibit is the most exciting, exhilarating, thrilling (and to some extent, drooling) pieces of evidence that the Philippines has their OWN identity before their colonizers.

A whopping 1,059 gold objects (jewelleries!, accessories, sabre and all things wonderful) is a new permanent exhibition from the 10th-13th century. Its’ importance to RE-WRITING history is like a refreshing ray of sunshine…

A golden “kinnari” (deformed, photo below) suggests that the people of Southern Philippines (Surigao) share similar cultures with Mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesia. I told you! We are brothers! Goddammit. You won’t believe me – why is it all about Spain, Spain, Spain?! Wake up already! Ha! Nothing wrong with being similar to our neighbors.

The centrepiece *drumroll*, is a 4kg-pure-gold belt (an Upativa, a Hindu term for the “Sacred Thread”). You have to check it out to believe it!

No cameras allowed in the museum *I don't even know where other blogs got theirs!*. Ok, I can live with that. But I can assure you…I will never forget the images that I saw in there for a long, long time. The thrill that I felt that a nation, trying so hard to find its identity, has finally found it.

Visit the Ayala Museum – highly recommended and worth the trip. Located on the corner of Makati Ave. and De la Rosa Sts. in Makati City. It’s easy to find amidst the Ayala Center shopping mecca. Open between 9am-6pm [Tue-Fri] 10am-7pm [Weekends] Closed on Mondays. Admission fee is Php450 (300Baht, US$10, 30 Ringgit) for foreigners. They also got a fantastic coffee shop and the mandatory souvenir shop in the building. Senior citizens (local or foreign) gets a discount!.

The Ayala Museum and its' Gold of Ancestors Exhibit –

Treasures of Southeast Asia.

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**2nd & 3rd photo courtesy of the Ayala Museum official website.