Iloilo Philippines

By Krencelou Gaile O. Briones*

It was the year 2007 when I entered college in University of the Philippines- Iloilo City campus. It was also during the same year when I was introduced to kumos-kumos. I was with my friends talking when our stomachs called out for food. “Gigutom me ug tinabi.” (Hehehe, that’s Siquijor language for “we are hungry from talking.”) It was then when they mentioned about kumos-kumos. I was so naive then when they brought it up to me. I thought it was just a popular food eaten by the students in the university. But, it’s not. It is actually a way of eating rice packed in plastic and partnered with a viand, usually barbeque.

Kumos, an Ilonggo word actually means to crumple in English. It was from that word where kumos-kumos came from. And the story of kumos-kumos goes like this.

Kumos-kumos started in the year 1997. It was introduced by the UP High School students as they found out that rice can be eaten even if it is served in plastic. When they started going outside the campus looking for food, they found alternative ways to eat rice served in plastic. And so they come up with the practice kumos-kumos.  Later years, the college students also used the term kumos-kumos. There were also other names used to refer to kumos-kumos like “chupe”; but it didn’t last as long as the term kumos-kumos did. Now, kumos-kumos continues to be practiced by the CM students. (CM stands for College of Management).

Kumos-kumos is known by a lot of students in the university and is continuing to be introduced to every student who enters CM. Why? First, the way it is done is interesting. One doesn’t need to have a plate and a spoon and fork. One can just eat anywhere in the campus or even outside the school. Popular “tambayans” of students are the “mushrooms” and “umbrellas”. (These are called such because the structures of these “tambayans” look like mushrooms or umbrellas.) You see, we UP students really like giving names to things. Usually, people find it weird. Another place where kumos-kumos is usually done is in classrooms. Students doing group projects or assignments in classrooms prefer to buy rice and viand and just do kumos-kumos there. This way, they can save time and effort going to “carenderias” or food stores and have their meals there, the second reason why kumos-kumos is mostly done by students. Third reason why kumos-kumos

continues to be popular is that the rice and viand are affordable. One can have rice and two “inasal” for just P19.00. See? That’s how cheap it is. Lastly, it is interesting because of its uniqueness. It is unique in the sense that it is done mostly by the students in UPV- CM and not by those in other schools found in Iloilo.

However, UP students influence other students. How? It is through bonding in dormitories and boarding houses. Example of such is that of Grizelle ladies dormitory. Grizelle is a ladies dorm just beside UP. Since most of the dormers come from UP and often do kumos-kumos during weekends, they influence other students who also live there.

The packed rice for which kumos-kumos is done is usually bought in food stands where barbeque is also sold. And mind you, many food stands of that kind surround UPV-Iloilo City campus, one of which is located in “Fonts.” “Fonts” is a place just near the UP gate, wherein a group of food stands can be found. These food stands sell different kinds of food for snacks and even for meals. These food stands are open during weekdays, sometimes even Saturdays; but with fewer food stands selling.

Now, let me teach you how to do kumos-kumos. Given that you have already bought rice in plastic, you can now follow these steps.

1.      Make a hole at either of the corners of the plastic by tearing the corner with

your teeth. This would release the air inside and will allow you to form the rice into the shape you like.

2.      Crumple or squeeze the rice to the form you like for it to be eaten easier. It could be in a form of a mountain, a cone or a corn. As for me, I usually make it into a mountain. However, it changes to other forms as I get through my eating.

3.      Make the hole you made earlier bigger through your hands.

4.      Start eating the rice. Of course, alternate it with your viand. You can take a bite of your barbeque after the rice; or you may take a bite of your barbeque first before eating the rice.

5.      Finally, you just have to repeat the process of eating rice alternate with barbeque until it’s through.

That’s how to do kumos-kumos. It is easy right? Oh! Please, really, don’t forget your viand. First timers have the tendency to forget their viand as they do kumos-kumos. “Bason mawili mo pagporma sa luto dayon kalimot namo kaon sa inyo sud-an.” (Maybe you’ll be so much enjoying doing kumos-kumos that you’ll forget to eat your viand.)

About ME:

My name is Krencelou Gaile O.Briones, a BSA-II student from the College of Management. Many of my friends call me Bebe. I come from Siquijor and I am currently staying here in Iloilo for my studies. I love experiencing new things at the same time learning from it. Although kumos-kumos is no longer a new experience for me, I still enjoy doing it.

One can email me at bebeupv_0906@yahoo.com or add my Friendster account ahuh_iwill@yahoo.com if there are clarifications or other related concerns and if one just want to be my friend. Hehehe

*By Jimma Luz Totesora

As I settled myself comfortably inside a Miagao jeepney, I began to wonder why there is such a difference between the jeepneys of Iloilo and those of my hometown. I thought that the Philippines is dominated by Sarao jeepneys only. But here in Iloilo, the jeepneys have smooth and curved edges, and they are longer and wider compared to the average Sarao jeepney, thus, they can accommodate more passengers in a single trip. To me, Ilonggo jeepneys look more like private vans than PUJs.

I headed to a shop called Pasajero Sosyal for some answers. People have told me that it is a famous maker of modern-looking Ilonggo jeepneys. So, I went to Pavia. At first, I was lost because the jeepney driver dropped me at the wrong place. It has a big sign Pasajero Sosyal in front but it was a dark, empty warehouse that greeted me. I suspected that they transferred to another location so I rode another jeepney and asked the driver to lead me to the “real” shop. And he did.

Mrs. Elena Giralao, the sales manager warmly greeted me and led the way to their main office. She was kind enough to entertain me since the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Sotelo, weren’t there. According to her, Pasajero Sosyal emerged in 1992 with the name Miag-ao Car Care Services in Mambatad, Miag-ao.

“Why Pasajero Sosyal?” I asked. Mrs. Elena laughed at the question. She told me that the owner saw the phrase “pasajero sosyal” on one of the jeepneys in Cebu. Mr. Sotelo liked the phrase that he adopted it. He thinks that the word is appropriate for his jeepney fabrication business.

Mr. Ramon Sotelo used to be a warehouse employee. As a sideline, he worked as a car mechanic. When the number of his customers started increasing, he quit his job in the warehouse and focused on upgrading jeepneys. In 1992, he and his wife, Mrs. Lonie Sotelo, began to take few orders. In 1995, orders escalated. Pasajero Sosyal jeepneys were starting to get more attention. It became immensely popular because the quality of the streamlined product is very good and these could be bought at a very reasonable price. It’s was a good deal for people who want to venture in the PUJ business.

From Mambatad, Miagao, Pasajero Sosyal decided to transfer to Sta. Barbara and again, to Mali-ao, Pavia, closer to the city to accommodate more customers in the Northern and Central part of Iloilo.

Pasajero Sosyal jeepneys can easily be distinguished by looking at the jeepney’s hood. As the owners’ son said, their shop uses headlights and bumpers from expensive cars like Honda CR-V and even Toyota Fortuner. These things give an identity to the jeepneys. It makes them look “sosyal” enough to be called unique. Aside from that, the hood of a Pasajero Sosyal jeepney look like the hood of branded pick-ups and vans such as Toyota Hilux or a Nissan Frontier.

Its body is wide enough for twenty (20) people to fit in and its exterior contains airbrushed designs reflecting Ilonggo culture. Of course, who could forget the name “Pasajero Sosyal” in cursive writing on its lower part, to complete the look of this contemporary Ilonggo jeepney.

A Pasajero Sosyal jeepney these days ranges from 500 to 600 thousand pesos. Every two years, new models come out. The unique designs are made by their son, Mr. Ramil Sotelo, who also inherited his father’s interest in automotives. He holds car shows in SM City to display Pasajero Sosyal’s new models of jeepneys. Pasajero Sosyal has also exported products to Papua, New Guinea.

Pasajero Sosyal jeepneys symbolize the Ilonggos’ creativity, uniqueness and their perseverance to create something that promotes Ilonggo pride.

Related entries:

Ilonggo religiousity and jeepneys

Iloilo color

Ilonggo jeepney art

Ilonggo jeepney seat

The contemporary Ilonggo jeepneys of Patoo Wheel Motors

The hammer and chisel have started to make music again.

This morning, as the Miagao jeepney I took slowed down near Oton plaza hoping to pick up more passengers, I noticed a familiar sound–a pleasant kind of hammering. Ah, lapida makers. The season has arrived.

I’m talking about this little recognized business of lapida-making.  A  piece of lapida is a thin slab of marble incised with the name, date of birth and death of a person. Modern day grave marker.  When the “ber” season arrives, the lapida makers are probably one of the happiest for customers will start coming in to have a marker made for their deceased, probably to replace an old or broken one or to have the lapida where there was none.

Several lapida makers are concentrated along E. Lopez Street in Jaro, Iloilo. I remember that one of them has even been featured in a t.v. drama. Was it Maalaala mo Kaya?

Anyway, that will be all for now. Still need some more sleuthing to do.

Oct 27, 2007

I’m back.  Two days ago, while walking along E.Lopez St. towards Colegio de San Jose, I saw the lapida makers and remembered the sleuthing I had to do.  I approached two shops and here’s what I found.

The standard lapida of marble, size 16 X 20 inches costs P500.  You can choose from a variety of designs and fonts.  There’s the typical cross with a flower.  Of course, the RIP is ever present.

The bigger sized lapida is between P900-P1300.  The smaller than 16X20 is P400.

The special kind, on the other hand, is made of black granite.  It looks shiny and slee.  The granite lapida costs P3,500.  One lapida maker, Nong Arthur Salvador says,  incising on granite is more difficult to do, thus the higher price.

Actually, there are more than six shops lining E.Lopez but I was only able to visit two.  Hopefully, I can check out the others and write down their names here as well.

1.  SALVADOR MARBLE WORKS

     31 E.Lopez St., Jaro, Iloilo

    Arthur Salvador

    Cell No.  09272337314

2.  CE MARBLE WORKS

      E. Lopez St., Jaro, Iloilo City

Ukay-ukay or UK or RILIP…that’s what we Ilonggos call the second-hand imported clothes, bags, shoes, bed sheets, and curtains that are sold at Iloilo’s public markets and plazas and street corners. Ukay literally means to make a mess and that’s what Ilonggos do as they dig into towering mounds of clothing for their best find. The term Ukay-ukay can also be shortened to UK thereby lending it a sosi or sosyal (classy) image. The term RILIP is derived from relief (relief goods) . It is said that the first ukay-ukays some years back were originally meant as aid sent from America for calamity victims in the Philippines. Read the rest of this entry »