The Return of Fritson

Buhiiiiiii!!!

Written by Fritson

Fritson. Photo by: FP

Greetings, lovers of lechon rice! I have been quite busy over the many months since our last lechon rice report and those two seestars have been even busier! Snort!

The seestars and I are still on the quest, searching for the BEST lechon rice ever but many projects have cropped up here and there. I’ve made new friends, watched the girls scarf down their food, met their friends, and whispered ideas in their heads. Before we pig up from where we left off, let me now take the time to tell you about what we’ve been up to since September 8, 2009.

I spent most of September contemplating the essence of lechon rice. My meditations led me to faraway swine universities - I mean universes! I shall not discuss these adventures here due to the language barrier and heavy technicalities. Sweek, sweek! I will later introduce to you my friend Theo (short for Theory) whom I met in those far off universes.

Fritson and Theo. Photo by: LL

I spent October glued to the TV watching the news of the frightening floods brought about by Typhoon Ondoy and followed closely by the devastation delivered by Typhoon Pepeng on the Cordilleras. I whispered my ideas into the seestars ears and with the help of many friends we did what we could to help. My friends and I set up a soup kitchen out of the Café by the Ruins, producing as much food as possible for the evacuees of Typhoon Pepeng. People from all over Baguio and beyond sent us donations and help! The amount of help that poured in was quite overwhelming and filled our hearts to overflowing. Despite being the mastermind of the whole thing, I was impressed by the magic that came out of that kitchen!

Imagine, they were able to produce meals for some 25 in-house volunteers, 700+ evacuees and snacks for 200 on-site volunteers for about ten days! They were able to feed hundreds of people with just 5 kg pork and even the chickens and fish would be proud to find that their comrades were used well. Buuhiiiiiii indeed! Many of my favorite foods such as sayote, monggo and kalabasa were served in as many different ways as possible! Grunz!

Cafe by the Ruins staff preparing soup kitchen food. Photo by: LL

Of course the time came when we realized we could not keep on feeding the evacuees because they were also anxious to get on with their lives. Still wanting to help, the group had a brain storming session and thought it would be a good idea to give away piglets to families that had lost their homes and livelihood. Can you imagine my joy when this was suggested? Squeeeeeee!!! My fellow pigs would find great homes and they would be helping the people of Tublay in so many ways. I was quite confident that these people would put my brethren to good use after all, the people of the Cordillera know and value pigs!

Our team made an agreement with Tubtub the Tublay pig that each family that received a pig would give a contribution to an emergency fund once the pig was sold, eaten or bred. It was quite exciting! Popo, Tubtub's human friend, went all the way to Ilocos to find the darling piglets that would find their homes in Tublay.

Tubtub is a bit camera shy. Photo by: FP

Finally on December 22, I ventured out to Tublay with the seestars and our friends Theo, Lia and Andene. We were accompanied by some representatives of Child and Family Services, Inc., Philippines to distribute the piglets.
 It was great to see the people of Tublay happily taking my brethren into their arms!

Photo 1: P handing piglet's to residents of Sto. Niño, Tublay as our friend Popo looks on. Photo by: FP

Photo 2: Another Tublay resident receives his piglet with joy. Photo by: FP

And so that has been my adventure since our last encounter. I now hand over the keyboard to the seestars and we will all wait for the continuation of this blog! :) Oinks, seestars! It’s time for some lechon rice!