BIR Santax Woes

It will be almost 6 months since my last post and this post is a rant about the inefficient, stupid BIR Santax project of the new Commissioner. You can read the Philippine Daily Inquirer's report and Philippine Star's report about this project.

So last Sunday, I joined the St. James Bazaar. It was my second bazaar and first time to join St. James. St. James Bazaar actually started on Friday, November 27. But since I applied too late, only the Monday, November 30 slot was open and I was able to join only on the last day (1-day).

At about 10am, BIR asked the organizer to announce on the P.A. system that it was only accepting payments up to 12noon. After lunch, they will be going around the bazaar and ask concessionaires to show their receipts if they have paid or not. So I went to the BIR table to ask about the tax to be charged and here are their stupid answers:

1. Even if you are a registered business, you still need to pay an application fee because by joining a bazaar in Muntinlupa, you have a "branch" and it is that branch (bazaar) that you will register.
2. The P500 application fee is good only for 1 year. So if you join St. James 2010, you will need to apply and pay again.
3. Since I was a concessionaire for 1 day only, I needed to pay P650.00 which consisted of a P500 application fee, P100 advance income tax and P50 percentage tax.
4. Even if you are just giving out flyers, you will still need to register and pay as long as you have a booth and as long as you are listed in the masterlist of exhibitors.

But the thing that really pissed me the most was that they did not issue official receipts to concessionaires who paid!!! See below the receipt that they issued my neighbor - who paid. And what more - they quoted different amounts!! My neighbor was initially quoted P700.00. She had already paid when I asked and was quoted P650.00. I immediately called her to go back to the BIR table to ask for a refund of the P50 which the BIR people slowly returned.

I asked the BIR people why they did not issue receipts and they said that they had run out. I asked them how could run out of receipts when they have the masterlist of all concessionaires. They said that it was the fault of the St. James Bazaar organizers - for not informing the concessionaires early on about the tax requirements.

I talked to the St. James people who informed me that BIR just appeared on Friday, asked for a table and started calling the concessionaires to pay for the taxes! St. James had called BIR to ask about their requirements but BIR never got back to them. Furthermore, BIR collected different taxes on different dates! So if you paid on Day 1 of the bazaar, it was P1,500. Day 2, it was P1,300. Day 3, it was P1,100.00 and on Day 4, it was P950. These rates are applicable to 4-day concessionaires. But for single-day concessionaires like myself, tax was either P650 or P700 (as my neighbor experienced).

Meanwhile, BIR was claiming that the concessionaires should have gone to the Muntinlupa RDO to pay your taxes before the bazaar date! So who were the BIR people at the St. James Bazaar? They were Rene Corpuz, Nene Balmorez, Rex Amiaga, Calvin Morga, Berna Magpantay, Mafe Lucas.

I called RDO53-B's Assistant Revenue District Officer Danilo Lino (556-0176). He informed me that the activity was supposed to be an awareness and not an enforcement activity. I told him that this was not the case. His people angered the concessionaires. Also, his people did not know how to explain their purpose (awareness) and were not at all friendly. One of them even had the gall to threaten the concessionaires that if they didn't pay, they will be receiving a notice with penalties!

Mr. Lino told me that they only found out about the bazaar on Friday - since they do not know who were the organizers of the bazaar. I told him that I found the organizers of the bazaar online. It was easy to find the information online and with the BIR's resources, I am sure they could have easily found it too. I told Mr. Lino also that if the activity was supposed to be awareness and not enforcement, it should have been handled differently.

What happened during St. James was that the BIR people angered the concessionaires. I asked for the names of the BIR people there and they initially refused to give the names to me. They eventually gave their names but only if I give my own name. I gave them my calling card. I was also really pissed at their inconsistencies! Why were there different "taxes" on each day? Why was there no sufficient receipts? If they got the list of concessionaires from the organizers on Day 1, they would've seen from the list that there are more than 600 names listed there! So they could've easily gone back to their office to get more receipts. Yet another BIR person told me that there were just limited receipts allocated per Revenue District Office. WHAT??!!!! How can I pay for "tax" without being issued a receipt?

I really think that BIR should fix this "SANTAX Project". Clear rules and regulations need to be publicized. Newspaper accounts are not sufficient. Also, BIR cannot expect Bazaar organizers to contact them. They should be resourceful enough -- information is readily available on the internet. And last -- sana naman, the money that they collected will go into the Philippines' coffers and not in their own pockets noh?!! Hay ... so sad to be Pinoy entrepreneur during this time!!

Registering to Vote

I know it sounds so cliché but voting is not only a Filipino’s right but also his duty. I last voted during the 2004 presidential elections. In 2007, I was pregnant with Naima and May - 1st trimester was the worst time - not only morning but whole day sickness. So I wasn't able to vote then. Recently, I tried checking my voter's registration status online and found out that my registration has been deactivated.With this recent brouhaha about Con-Ass and Charter Change, I felt that it was imperative that I activate my status and get out there to vote. I organized my schedule and was able to ask permission from my boss to register during my lunch break.

As is normal in the Philippines, you need to prepare before attempting to transact at a government office. I was going to register with Naima's yaya so I checked both our status online. Yaya's registration was active and she just needed to transfer her registration. Since my status was deactivated, I needed to register again as a new voter.

I used my mother-in-law's address, which belonged to the 5th District of Manila. The Office of the Election Officer for Manila was in Arroceros - squeezed between the Manila Barangay Bureau and Bulwagan ng Katarungan. It was in a building called "Philippine Geriatrics Foundation Building - an old decrepit building.In front of the building, old broken wooden tables were piled up. I wasn't able to take photos of the Phil. Geriatrics Building. It was on Lions Road, which was very easy to miss. Luckily, I had a driver that day so parking wasn't a problem.

My district was in the 3rd floor and it was chaos!

You needed to show your documents to get an application form. Waiting was in a non-airconditioned crowded hallway. There was some form of a queue (better than nothing) to get your application forms. Even if I had already printed our registration status from the Comelec website, they still insisted on checking our registration status. They even made a mistake by saying that my yaya had no record and re-checked only when I showed them her voter's affidavit and insisted that they re-check. Apparently, the typist plugged in the wrong spelling of yaya's family name.. and his response? sorry po tao lang.. grrr! I am aware that people make mistakes but PLEASE recheck when asked to do so and don't wait until I show you some other document!

We filled up our respective forms, had our photos, fingerprints and thumbmarks taken. We were then given an acknowledgment slip and told to wait for the notice when our Voter's ID will be ready for pick up. The minimum waiting time for the ID? At least 3 months! Wow! I wonder if those who register just before the October deadline will still be able to get their voter's ID before the 2010 elections!

For those interested in registering (and you should!) here's a preparation guide to make it as painless as possible.

Step 1. Know your district.

Even before you know which field office to go to, you have to know your congressional district. If unsure, check out the Comelec offices here and call. Give them your address and they should be able to point you to the right district.

Step 2. Know your barangay number.

The only time I heard of barangay numbers being used was during the news - that report victims or suspects of crimes belonging to Barangay xxx. To find out what your barangay number is, call your city hall and ask for the number of your city's Barangay Bureau. Call your barangay bureau and ask for your number. Or you can try to check your utility bill (Meralco or PLDT or water) and see if they placed the barangay number in your address. Manila Barangay Bureau phone numbers are: 3026874 or 3026875. Call your mayor's office, check list below for NCR region and ask them for your city's Barangay Bureau phone number.

Step 3. Call your local election officer.

Get the contact details here. Make sure you call to confirm if they accept registrants on the day you plan to go. Also ask and confirm what are the requirements and the registration hours.

Step 4. Download the forms.

If you're a new registrant or if your registration was deactivated (like me), you need to fill up a new application form which is available for download. You need to fill in 3 forms. For those wishing to transfer their registration, you can only fill-up forms when you get to your election officer. There is a copy of the form available online but can't be downloaded. I wonder why?? Allowing registrants to fill-up forms before going to the election officer would certainly save time.

Step 5. Check your registration status

Don't forget to check and print your registration status (lest your typist mistypes your last or middle name and comes up with a "no record" answer, like what happened to Naima's yaya). You need to put in your name and birthday. Even if you're on deactivated status (like me), you can still see you record as of your last registration - precinct number and barangay number, included.

Step 6. Compile the necessary documents.

You can check the requirements for registering here. Make sure you have 1 valid ID (they don't accept barangay certifications in my district) showing your residence (in the district where you are registering). If your ID reflects your old address, present an ID without any address on it and just bring proof of billings or mailings in your current address (e.g. credit card statement, registry return card or anything mailed to you at your current address). Also, make sure you PHOTOCOPY your documents before going. Photocopying at the COMELEC office is like being a victim of highway robbery - they charge 2 pesos per page using liquid xerox - which just about 50c or less in UP! And they don't even issue you a receipt.

Step 7. Bring a ballpen and some wet tissue/alcohol/tissue paper.

If you weren't able to fill up your forms ahead of time, make sure you bring your own ballpen. Also, you will need to thumbmark your application form so make sure you bring some tissue or alcohol or wet ones to wipe the ink off your thumbs.

What to expect:

When you get to your local election office, ask for your district's office. Present your documents (and application form, if you've filled up already). After checking your application form, they will ask you to wait so they can get your biometrics. This includes your photo, signature and fingerprints. In my district, they only have 2 machines. So if there's a lot of people registering that day, you're in for a wait. Once they've recorded your info (which they don't let you check, so I hope the "typist" inputted everything correctly), they will give you an acknowledgment receipt and tell you to wait for a NOTICE telling you that your Voter's ID is now ready for pick-up. It will be at least 3 months before your ID is ready so I suggest you register as soon as possible.

That's it. I hope my voter's ID will come before the 2010 elections as some officemates got their voter's ID after 6 years! Now, time to study the candidates' platforms and fill up my list.

A Hearty Southern Vegetarian Dinner

In my attempt to start planning and eating healthy meals, I recently commissioned an organic produce delivery from Cavite.

Shino delivers to Pasay every week (Wednesdays). You can choose between a 4.5Kg or 6Kg basket. The 4.5 kg basket lasts us 1.5 weeks. Plus I usually get my organic eggs from him. He's currently on vacation in Japan so I don't have any fresh organic vegetable delivery for June! You can tweak the amount of vegetables included to suit your family's weekly menu. During my first few orders, I over-ordered the okra so I had to look for some recipes so the okras won't go to waste. Stan was not exactly a fan of okra so the dish had to be tempered with something palatable to him. Quick google search for okra led me to several recipes. But it was this Okra and Tomato Soup recipe by Diana Rattray that caught my eye:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 green onions, with most of green, sliced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 8 to 10 ounces okra, about 3 to 4 cups sliced
• 1 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen thawed)
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• dash freshly ground black pepper
• salt, to taste

PREPARATION:

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery; sauté, stirring, until celery is tender. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, sliced okra, corn kernels, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until okra is tender. Add salt to taste.
Serves 4.

Now, where to get the Cajun seasoning.. more googling led me to this:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salt
• 3 tablespoons granulated garlic or garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons ground black pepper, freshly ground if possible
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Preparation:

Combine all seasonings and mix to blend thoroughly. Pour into a small jar with cover; seal tightly.

The soup was a hit!! I also found a package of cornbread mix and had Tata cook it for dinner. The cornbread was a bit dry but Stan (and Naima) really loved the okra soup. We had it on that day when it was raining really hard. No reason to cut down my okra order. I just love googling recipes --> and Southern food rocks :D

Korean BBQ Chicken

I first tried korean fried chicken at Cheogajip Chicken in Annandale, Virginia. I ordered the sweet and mild version. It was winter time and I really enjoyed the spiciness matched with the crisp pickled radishes. Cheogajip's chicken were boneless, cut into bite-size pieces and coated with their special dressing. Korean restaurants are very popular in the MetroDC area. In fact, there was another korean chicken place which had a huge following, but I wasn't able to try.

I never thought that korean fried chicken would make its way to Philippine shores. Two days ago, on my way to work, I espied the sign BBQ Chicken. Having heard of it through DCF, I was happy to see a korean fried chicken place so close to home. I picked up a half order of rice syrup chicken on my way home from the office. After getting the Pasay branch number, I called and ordered before leaving the office -- which was a good thing. When I arrived, my order was still cooking. Apparently, it takes 15-20 minutes for your order to be ready.

BBQ Chicken in Pasay is in HK Sun Plaza, facing Edsa. I would highly suggest that you order for take out and not dine in. The dining area is quite cramped and the aircon is not cold. I think this branch is primarily a take-out and delivery branch, given the number of tables (2) and size of the place. The rice syrup chicken was slightly spicy and sweet. Unlike Cheogajip, the chicken pieces had bones. A half order of 8 pieces cost P350 (300 if original flavor). However, the chicken pieces were on the small side -- imagine cutting up 1 whole chicken into 16 pieces. The chicken was quite oily but very crispy. No verdict yet till I get to try the other flavors -- next up: sweet chili chicken!

Lessons Learned in applying for a new passport

Since Stan's passport was expiring this year, I decided to renew my passport as well. Barney also needed to renew his passport and we wanted to get yaya Bibi her passport too. I initially thought of applying through the Online Passport Application. But at Php1,300 per passport application, I decided against it and go the manual way.
Still, I was happy to discover that I could make an appointment for my passport application online. When making online applications though, you can use a single email address for 3 appointments. Any more than that, DFA's system will automatically consider you as a "travel agent" and refuse to book a 4th appointment. Luckily, I had several email addresses. So used my gmail for my, Stan's and Barney's appointments, while yaya Bibi's application went on a different email address.
We got our appointment for March 31, 8am. Prior to this, I downloaded the form here and completed the requirements for all 4 applicants. Since yaya Bibi was a new passport applicant, I took pains in completing her requirements. Aside from her NSO certificate, I needed to find "Proof of identity / Supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship". Based on the passport application form and DFA's website, the supporting documents were:

• Marriage Contract
• Voter’s Registration Record
• PRC/IBP ID
• Baptismal Certificate
• Land Title
• Seaman's Book
• Driver's License
• Income Tax Return (Old)
• Government Service Record
• Old SSS-E1 form/or digitized SSS-ID
• School Form 137 or Transcript of Records
• Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and citizenship

So what did I prepare for yaya Bibi? She had a baptismal certificate, postal ID, SSS-E1 form and Voter's registration record with her photograph on it. Since I had about 4 supporting documents, I thought I had complied with DFA's requirements. But I guessed wrong!

To my surprise, when we submitted the requirements at Counter 8 at DFA-Manila, I was informed that the requirements were insufficient. Since yaya Bibi was a new passport applicant, she should have brought her yearbook and/or school ID. I informed the DFA employee that those requirements were not listed in the website or application form. I also requested for his name so I can report the same. He refused to give his name and told us to come back when the requirements are completed.

Grrrrrr!!! Is it really this difficult to get a passport?! I wanted to finish on the same day so I called a friend who helped me get a "courtesy application" for yaya Bibi. I was able to process yaya Bibi's passport although we had to pay a higher fee (P750) as opposed to our P500 pesos application fee. This was because all courtesy applications are treated as "expedited processing," requiring a higher fee. Still, this was a lot cheaper than the P1300 online passport application fee.

Lessons Learned:
#1 When renewing your passport, the manual way is acceptable - but make sure you request for an online appointment. This will make the application process painless. Make sure you get the earliest time slot (8am). Stan/Barney and my passport applications were completed in less than 1 hour.
#2 You can request that your passports be mailed to you through LBC. Cost is P100 per passport. You will receive your passport the day after it is released. In our case, since there are a lot of holidays, we received our passport on April 24. However, yaya Bibi got her passport on April 14 since hers was an expedited passport application.
#3 If you are a new passport applicant, bring your yearbook, school ID, transcript of records -- bring everything (including the kitchen sink)!
#4 Have your photo taken outside. Photographers (in DFA) charge P135 for 6 passport photos (double the price). Make the necessary photocopies, fill up your application forms and bring your black ballpen!
#5 If all else fails, look for a friend who works in DFA and ask to be his/her "courtesy applicant" for the month. They have a monthly quota of 3 courtesy applications.

I've written a letter to the DFA Passport Director complaining about my experience and the variances in the requirements for new applicants. It's just really sad that DFA makes it really difficult for Filipinos to apply for passports. Usually, it is the hard-up Filipinos who apply for passports and encounter problems with the DFA. If the requirements are correctly listed, I'm sure it will save Filipinos money and time by not having to go back and forth to completed the requested documents -- or to resort to fixers!

Hay... here's hoping the system will change... next up.. applying for Stan, Mommy, Barney and the yayas' digitized SSS ID-cards.

Shabu-shabu Buffet at King One

King One has been in business for a couple of years now. Despite its proximity to our home, we never got a chance to try it until early February 2009. King One is an eat-all-you-can shabu shabu restaurant. There is “train” in the middle where the shabu-shabu items can be picked up. However, you have to request for the meat to be served. Check out their shabu-shabu choices here: Aside from the shabu-shabu choices, they have free short orders namely: spare ribs salt and pepper, fried tofu with cuttlefish, oyster cake, fried dumping plus yang chow fried rice or plain rice. You can also choose from 8 types of soup base – satay soup, century egg wansoy soup, spicy szechuan soup, plain soup, Hong Kong curry soup, Korean Kimchi Soup, Thailand Tom Yan Soup and Hong Kong style pork soup.
We liked the HK Style pork soup – they put in a pork bone to flavor the soup. For the shabu-shabu choices, we’re fans of the mozzarella cheese ball while my mother-in-law likes their pork blood with glutinous rice. She’s also happy to find that the Ma-Ki cut of beef is available.
We were regulars of Mini Shabu-shabu and Healthy Shabu-shabu. But with our experience at King One, this is now our shabu-shabu favorite. The meat is freshly sliced and the variety of shabu-shabu choices is overwhelming.
During the weekdays, cost is 499p per head, including drinks while its 499p without drinks on the weekends. However, they have a no leftover and no take out rule. If you have leftovers, you will be charged the leftover price of 599p.
King One is in Hobbies of Asia complex at D. Macapagal Avenue. It's in front of the Mini-Stop. Park near Security Bank and walk towards Mini-stop. Reservations are a must. Ask to be seated near the "train". 5561370 or 5561827.

Shopping at Baby Steals

One of the things I miss since I came back to the Philippines is online shopping. It's a good thing that BabySteals just turned one and wasn't in existence yet, when I was pregnant and in a shopping mood. Otherwise I would probably have maxxed out my credit card shopping. Being in a country where online shopping is still in its early stages, I didn't think that I would be able to buy anything from BabySteals. I often logged in to the site and checked the bargains -- but didn't but anything. Until I saw the Wisey Daddy's Diaper Bag which was priced at 50% off (or more, I think). I wanted it!!! But I was too late! Being in a different time zone, I had to wait until 12midnight or sometimes even later for the new deals to be posted. Since Naima still wakes up every 3 hours to nurse, I am unable to beat other bargain hunters and purchase the deals since I usually get to the computer at 630am which is already about 4pm MST. I was finally able to purchase Bical Grippers - perfect for summer! As BabySteals turns 1 and as Naima becomes a toddler, I am hoping to be able to stay up late more to catch more shopping deals! Shopping moms, don't forget to bookmark BabySteals!

*This post is written as an entry to the BabySteals 1st Birthday Contest. ;)

Friday Bliss

*All photos by Stanley S. Ong

I'm a planner and OC at heart. Since we were planning to eat out on Good Friday, I wanted to make sure that a restaurant would be open with non-meat dishes. I initially thought of eating at Oh My Gulay in La Azotea Building. However, we didn't really want to brave the traffic in Session Road so I looked for another restaurant and found Bliss Cafe in Hotel Elizabeth. Bliss is an art space/restaurant serving lacto-vegetarian fare. They have a pretty extensive menu. Jon was excited since this was the first time that he could eat everything on the menu. For appetizers, the waitress suggested that we start with veggie chicharon (75p). I was first hesitant but she said that we wouldn't regret it. She was right! The chicharon was salty, crunchy and tasted just like pork chicharon! (75p). We thought it was made of tofu skin and it was really good. Jon also ordered some potato-cheese-chives rolls (75p) for Ju. This was just like cheese lumpia with potatoes - crunchy and yummy.We also ordered the Strawberry Fields and Bali Salad (200p each) and some spinach soup (70p). Papa wanted to try the carrot soup but they only had spinach available.
Salads and soup were terrific! The spinach soup was fresh and green - tasted healthy :-). We loved the salads! Bali dressing was yummy and the strawberry fields salad was scrumptious - it was heaped with strawberries! (cin's favorite fruit).
For the main course, Papa was not too happy with the choices -- he is a MEAT, MEAT, MEAT person. He even went to check the hotel-lobby restaurant the outside! He eventually ordered Pesto pasta while Mama got the Santorini (tomato) pasta. Both pastas were so-so. Neither Papa or Mama were happy with their orders. We all got different dishes to try out. Cin, Jon and Bong got the Lonely Planet Bliss set menu (250p, comes with 1 drink), with Cin getting Mexico City, Jon ordered Seoul and Bong chose Tokyo. Mexico City was a veggie burrito with spanish rice. Cin thought it tasted authentic and was satisfied. Tokyo was made of veggie nori and rice. The seaweed wrap contributed to the authentic taste. The veggies were pretty normal and Bong also liked it. Jon's Seoul dish was Kalbi --> we were talking whether this was made of tofu or gluten. But I definitely think that it was not tofu. Jon thought they got the "kalbi" sauce right. But I'm not a big fan of gluten - so didnt' really like it. Stan chose the "no oink sisig" (180p) -- which according to the menu, fooled Kapampangans. Ummm... not so.. I'm a huge fan of pork sisig which is probably why I got disappointed with this sisig. Again, it was made of gluten (which I don't like) and the "sisig-y" taste came from the sauce. Stan thought it was pretty decent though. I got the tofu burger (280p), which came with multigrain (probably Nova Chips). The patty, made of spinach and tofu, was quite thin. Also, they put it on square wheat bread! I don't think it qualifies as a burger. Taste was good but it can be improved-- bigger patty on a whole wheat burger bun - with potato fries. And for dessert, we had to try the "infamous bliss crepes" (100p for a full crepe; 60p for a mini crepe). The full crepe could serve about 2 persons, with choices of strawberry or mango/banana, we ordered 2 full crepes with strawberry. Unlike the regular crepe, the fruits were not folded inside. The main crepe was also not thin and light but according to Stan, it was more like "palitaw", topped with fruit and whipped cream. Sweet, gooey and filling - it was the perfect dessert to cap our meal. The crepes were quickly wiped out! I wanted to order another one but was saving room for our Baguio Country Club seafood buffet (which turned out to be a disappointment!). The guys also had some strong French pressed Benguet coffee (50p) to go with the dessert. Good coffee, taste good but Stan felt it was "mild". Then again, Stan is A coffee drinker (downs at least 3 cups a day). Definitely, our Bliss meal was more value for money than our Eve's lunch. Bliss' salads were as good as Eve's and for the price, the main course was better. Still, I don't think I will be turning vegetarian in the near future. I love meat and veggies and hate gluten! Bliss food is good and I wouldn't mind having a weekly meal there if it were in MM.
Bliss - Hotel Elizabeth, Gibraltar Road, Baguio City. To reserve, contact Jim (09178464729) or call 074 619-0367.

Cozy and Warm At Choco-Late Batirol on a Rainy Thursday

*All photos by Stanley S. Ong
After lunch at Eve's we were worried that the yayas and Mang Jun were still hungry, given the "light lunch" they had. Cin and I also wanted to try the hot chocolate at Camp John Hay, so we dropped by for some hot choco and snacks for yayas and Mang Jun.






Choco-Late de Batirol was originally located at Scout Hill inside Camp John Hay in Baguio. However, they were temporarily moved to Igorot Garden. We entered Camp John Hay through the entrance near Baguio Country Club.
After checking out their menu, Cin and I initially thought of having their Baguio Blend. Turns out that this was not made of fresh strawberry but just strawberry syrup. Eventually, all of us decided to get the traditional blend at 70p each. The chocolate came fragrant and steaming. It was not too sweet (i'm not a sweet tooth) and very creamy. More importantly, it seems that peanut butter was added to it - yum! I love hot chocolate - especially the ones made from cocoa tablets -- and I love peanut butter. This cup was a perfect combination of my 2 favorite treats. I downed my cup quickly, forgetting that I had ordered some turon to go with it. The turon was also good - crunchy and not soggy.
We also ordered 2 pancit palaboks for the yayas and arroz caldo for Mang Jun. Bong got hungry and also ordered another arroz caldo.I didn't get to try the palabok but Cin had a bite and said it was delicious! Palabok and arroz caldo were at 95p each while the turon was 20p each.
Aside from the restaurant, they were also selling other food stuffs, including some dried fish shaped like a fan. Merienda prices were reasonable and I think we enjoyed this merienda a lot better than our Eve's lunch.

Choco-Late Batirol
Scout Hill, Camp John HayBaguio
Phone Number: (63 916) 741-4740, (63 74) 446-7006
Currently located in the Igorot Garden

Healthy Lunch at Eve's Garden

*All photos by Stanley S. Ong

I stumbled upon Eve's Garden while googling for a new restaurant to try in Baguio. Stan and I loved our Sonya's B&B experience and thought that Eve's Garden would be something like Sonya's Secret Garden. To eat at Eve's Garden, reservations must be made by texting +639209476264 or +639175066264. They are also open only for lunch (11:30 am to 2:20 pm). Like Sonya's, Eve's has a set menu and gives you 3 choices for your main course - beef, chicken and fish. However, they had run out of beef for Holy Thursday so our choices were just chicken or fish.

From Baguio City, Eve's is about 20-30 minutes by car through Naguilian Road. Eve's is already in La Trinidad. The restaurant was small, serving only a maximum of 20 people. Aside from the restaurant, there is also a lettuce farm, where they grow about 12 varieties of lettuce and an edible flower (nasturtiums).

The meal started with a refreshing drink that was really cold, fruity and not too sweet. The drink was made of freshly squeezed pineapple with lemon mint and sage, sweetened with Muscovado sugar.

Aside from the fruity drink, there was also some sweet strawberry wine, which costs an extra 300p for a small bottle. Although the drink was good, unlike Sonya's dalandan juice, Eve's was not refillable. You needed to pay extra to have your glass refilled.

Next up was some soup - made with a base of onions and squash with seven herbs garnished with parmesan cheese, croutons and yogurt. Creamy and savory -- no complaints here.

Eve's salad came next - salad platter made of 10-12 lettuce varieties, served with carrots, turnips, walnuts, raisins and a caesar-type dressing made from organic flax oil, olive oil and sunflower oil, prepared with seven fresh garden herbs.
This was the highlight of the meal. The lettuce were crisp and fresh. My mom was amazed and said that the lettuce were very beautiful - she could not see any brown spots or marks on them. The dressing was also delicious. Tangy, creamy - it went well with the salad. We all enjoyed eating the edible flowers and were told that these flowers were part of the watercress family. However - one low point was when Stan asked for some extra walnuts and got an unsure stare from the waiter/gardener. He said he had to ask permission from the kitchen. Happily, permission was granted and Stan got his extra walnuts. However, it seems that once they served the plate, no seconds were allowed. Drink refills had to be paid for and when we had our salads wrapped, they would only pack the dressing which was served. No extra dressing could be given anymore. :(

Main course was a choice of grilled chicken breast with pesto fettucini served with 2 pieces of whole wheat buttered fingers OR Steamed Norwegian Salmon with caper dressing with organic rice, corn and turnips.

I had the chicken, some parts of which were dry. And the main courses were tiny!! Running joke during the meal was that they filled you up with the salad so you won't notice how small the main course was. The pasta that came with my chicken was about 2-3 spoonfuls. My brother-in-law commented that he finished his salmon in 3 bites! The pesto pasta was nothing special. I wasn't able to try the red rice although Stan wasn't impressed. All of us were not satisfied with the main course. We couldn't help but compare it with Sonya's Her main courses were 2 types of pasta plus salmon belly. But the pasta sauces were delicious and plentiful - same with the salmon belly.

To cap the meal, we had a choice of coffee or ginger ginseng with mint tea and a homemade dessert. The "homemade dessert" turned out to be an oatmeal raisin bar. My brother was not happy - I think he assumed he would be served crepes or something similar. The oatmeal bar was pretty good - gooey, chewy and tasty. Then again, I love oatmeal raisin bars! The tea was quite sweet but the coffee was good.

The price? 650p per head. I had also requested for yayas and driver's meal. They served the salad, a sandwich, juice, coffee and dessert at 275pesos!!! I asked my yaya what the sandwich was and she said it might be tuna. It was just 2 pieces of wheat bread and some spread. Definitely not worth 275p.

The verdict?? Even though we liked the soup and salad, we were very disappointed that Eve's Garden was very stringent and refused to give seconds. The main course was not enough to fill you up. We couldn't help but compare this restaurant with Sonya's Garden. Similar to Sonya's, Eve's Garden had a set menu, focusing on the salad. The salad dressings in both restaurants were unique and delicious but in Eve's, they will just give you a cupful of dressing to go with your salad, while at Sonya's a bottle of salad dressing is placed on your table.

Meals at Eve's and Sonya's each cost 650p. However, Sonya's gives you more value for your money. Both restaurants espouse the concept of healthy eating and are premised on the slow food movement.

Eve's Garden is set in La Trinidad, with a wonderful view of the mountains. But apart from a porch/balcony with a view, there is not much to do except take quick photos. Eve's staff told us that we could check out the lettuce garden but the steps going down were steep and there was no pathway towards the lettuce fields. Also, we didn't get to meet Eve but just her daughter. When I asked her daughter if soup and sandwiches were the only meals available to driver/yayas, she told me that was what her mom texted her. Maybe if I texted her earlier, a better meal could be prepared - but I still think that they should not charge 275p for yaya/driver meals.

If you are in Baguio and would like to eat in a private secluded place, with a great mountain view (like Baguio 10 years ago), then check out Eve's Garden. But make sure you feed your driver/yayas first before you go. Our family finds that this restaurant is a novelty that we are willing to try once. But until they improve their food servings, we won't go back and will just opt to visit Sonya's instead.

Contact Eve's Garden at +639209476264 or +639175066264
Directions from Baguio City Hall: Go down naguilian road, pass by St. Vincent Church, Cooyesan Hotel/Plaza, Cemetery, Nagoya Inn, San Miguel Depot, St. Joseph Church, Irisan High School, PNP Station. 500M down is a 10M bridge. Then turn right at the junction. Pass Lamtang Cockpit, Lamtang Elementary School, 2 KM up with parking space and sign "Eve's Garden." (right beside PCM). MAP

City Baby

During the last weekend of February, Stan, Naima and I went on a mini vaca-y to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. We left Manila at around 10am and made it to Tagaytay just in time for lunch. Lunch was at Buon Giorno at the Cliffhouse. We had initially wanted to try Cafe Verbena but there was a private function. Stan loved the mushroom/chicken risotto! After a yummy lunch, we were back on the road to head towards Buck Estate.

We booked at Sonya's Bed and Breakfast. The place was full. When we arrived, there were several events at their various pavilions. Luckily, the B&B was at the far end of the property, separated by a wooden gate. We were assigned to Rosemary room, which had 1 queen bed and a day bed. Naima eagerly explored the room and started rolling all over the bed! The room was lovely - Filipiniana designs with a lot of knick knacks (which we put away from Naima's reach) and quaint details. The curtains were made of sheer fabric, weighed down by shells (the kind used for sungka) -- little did we know that it would result in some sleeping issues.

We spent the afternoon exploring and of course, capturing various Naima moments :) Dinner was at the B&B's dining room, with Sonya's salad-bread-pasta set menu. We didn't have any yaya so Stan and I took turns eating and feeding Naima. One of Sonya's staff generously offered to take care of Naima for a bit so we could eat. Being the socialite that she is, Naima immediately said bye-bye and went off to do more exploring on her own.
Bedtime came and after getting ready, all three of us went to bed ready to cuddle and turn in. There was no aircon but the room was cool thanks to the light night breeze. The sound of the tinkling shells and crickets were slowly lulling Stan and me to sleep. And where was Naima during all of these?! In between us, playing with Stan's cellphone and refusing to sleep!! City baby that she is, she was used to the buzz of the aircon! Every tinkle, hoot and cricket sound made her search around the room, looking for the source of the sound. She repeatedly also asked Stan to read her Dr. Seuss' Alphabet Book over and over and over (i think about 20 times). She wasn't scared.. she just wasn't used to all the country noises. She finally fell asleep at 10pm with Stan and I joining her shortly after. AND she was up at 630 in the morning - with the sound of the crowing roosters waking her! So instead of a leisurely 9am scheduled breakfast, we were ready and at the breakfast table a little after 8.
Breakfast was a heavy one with salted fried rice, mushroom and cheese omelette, chicken pork adobo, fried bangus, fruits hot chocolate, coffee and this yummy mango tomato salsa. Naima had her own meal of mangoes, melons and potato wedges with herbs which was especially cooked for her. Despite my city baby's restlessness, we enjoyed Sonya's B&B and would definitely go back again.. but probably with earplugs for Naima :D

Sonya's Bed & Breakfast
Barangay Buck Estate, Alfonso, Cavite, Philippines
(near the vicinity of Tagaytay City, Philippines)
For reservations: call or text +63-9175329097 or +63-9175335140

*all photos by Stanley Ong