Kape at Keso

Just a month ago, I had to go to Itabashi-ku's local government office to get a certificate of residency. It was my first time to go around that area, so I strolled a little bit and enjoyed the local scenery. And what really caught my attention is this huge Philippine flag. I got so thrilled and rushed closer to this building. Then to my surprise... I really thought it was a Filipino restaurant, but it's actually a pub. I've heard about Philippine pubs in Japan long before I decided to become an English teacher here. More than three decades ago, some Filipino women were sent to Japan to work as "Japayuki". Well literally, this word is a combination of two words "Japa = Japan" and "Yuki = to go" so it means "to go to Japan". However, for Filipinos it would mean "to work as an entertainer in Japan". Suffice to say, we had negative and sensational connotations to that word. So, whenever somebody would go to...

The Place Goyong, Borbon is located in the Northern part of Cebu Province approximately 74 kilometers from Cebu City. To reach the place, it takes about 2 hours ride by bus and 30 minutes walking up and down the slopes and the rough, uneven path towards the village. The place was affected by typhoon Yolanda five years ago. Because of its distance from the highway, little help reached the people.  An organization once supported the community and encouraged them to move to a nearby area. While others did so, others just stayed. Compared with the southern part of Cebu, the northern area is not so abundant with crops and vegetation. So instead of farming, people opted to work in the city as house helpers or construction workers to feed their family. The children As young as 13 years old, most of the kids in Goyong grew up thinking of working than studying. They felt the need to earn earlier than they supposed to in order to support their family. Actuall...