Pinangat is a famous native chili-hot delicacy of the town of Camalig. A vegetable dish cooked in

coconut milk mixed with select spices and its most important ingredient, the TARO (gabi in Filipino and natong in Bicol) leaves.

Story Behind Pinangat

Camalig as a second class town is one of the most picturesque and the earliest town founded in 1569 in the Province of Albay. It is situated approximately 8, 000 feet below the crater of Mount Mayon, the world renowned volcano because of its most perfect cone. It is composed of fifty barangays nestled

among the verdant fields and rolling hills where gabi plants grow abundantly. These are the plants from which the tender leaves are gathered and made into pinangat, which is Bicol’s gastronomic delight and a signature dish as well. Local gourmets are easily agreed that none can equal the quality of pinangat in Camalig. Whenever visitors come to Bicol, the first thing they invariably look for is their favorite pinangat from Camalig. Even balikbayans do not fail to take home

along with them to their host country a box or two of frozen pinangat as pasalubong. That’s how popular and special Camalig pinangat is as a food dish.

How to Prepare Pinangat?

Pinangat is a nutritious vegetable dish whose main ingredient includes

shredded gabi leaves, a bit of red ginger, tiny shrimps (balaw) or a slice of salted fish

(kanduli) or pork. Crushed pepper (siling labuyo) is added to the mixture to make the

pinangat hot. The entire recipe is then wrapped in gabi leaves and tied in small bundles.

These are placed in a palayok and cooked in coconut milk.

Pinangat is definitely a palate teaser, appetizing and yummy. It is in fact the pride of Camalig.

By history and even in the Ibalong Epic, Baltog planted the best variety of gabi in Tondol which is now known as Tondo, a sitio of Barangay Tagaytay in Camalig, Albay. In other words, the advent of pinangat was brought about by such event giving a good source of the product which has been a custom of the people in the locality to make it an ordinary viand.

Considering therefore the delicacy, the people increase greatly the production and make it as a potential source of their livelihood which grew into commercial proportion.

At present, pinangat made in Camalig is considered as signature dish and gastronomic delight in the Bicol Region which is now palatably accepted internationally.

Pinangat is one of Bicol’s trademark food other than the pilinut and its various incarnations and Bicol express, to name a few. Made from gabi leaves mixed with gata (coconut extract). Camalig in Albay is known for this delectable dish. It comes in hot and not so hot versions. Pinangat placed inside a large steamer to cook. Tied up with coconut leaves and ready to be eaten.

Source: the official website of Camalig, Albay

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THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF CAMALIG ALBAY : www.camalig.gov.ph

Volcano spews ash, restiveness worsens

By Mar S. Arguelles

LEGAZPI CITY ---  Mt. Mayon in Albay spewed brownish ash columns threetimes Tuesday prompting disaster authorities to warn residents here ofthe volcano?s display of heightened unrest.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said at about 5:45 AM Tuesday, three minor ash explosions took place at the volcano?s crater summit. These eventslasted for about three minutes.

Dr. Ed Laguerta, Phivolcs resident volcanologist,said the explosion had produced a brownish ash column that rose to amaximum height of about 700 meters above the crater and drifted towards southwest.

Laguerta said seismic network recorded eleven volcanic earthquakes signifying that magma intrusion is developing atthe volcano?s vent, for the past 24 hour period.

Steam emission varied from weak to moderate thatdrifted north-northwest and east-northeast while sulfur dioxidee mission rate decreased to 50 tons a day compared to the previous reading of 818 tons a day last Saturday.

The heightened abnormality exhibited by Mayon volcano prompted Albay Gov. Joey Salceda Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) chairman to direct various town and barangay disaster to be on 24-hours alert for any event that volcano's restive condition worsens.

He directed town disaster councils to be ready to evacuate residents to safer grounds in case seismic precursors are exhibiting signs of a possible full blown eruption.

He directed the police and military authorities manning the 12 checkpoints surrounding the volcano's designated danger zone to make this area as a "no man's" land.

Alert level status remains at Alert level 2 meaning the state of unrest could lead to more ash explosions oreventually to hazardous magmatic eruption.

Phivolcs reiterated that the 6-km radius PermanentDanger Zone (PDZ) and the 7-km Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) on thesoutheast flank of the volcano are to be off limits to the public dueto dangers from sudden explosions and rock falls from the upper slopeof the volcano.

Phivolcs also warned residents living along river channels to be on constant alert for possible lahar flows and swelling of the river during bad weather condition or during heavy rains.

Source: http://www.bicolmail.com

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Bicol train chugs to a halt in test run

By Juan Escandor Jr., Pons Caudilla

Philippine Daily Inquirer

First Posted 04:17:00 09/18/2009

Filed Under: Railway, Transport

NAGA CITY ? The spirit was willing, but the diesel-fed old engines were not.

After stopping several times for repairs, a refurbished PhilippineNational Railways (PNR) train on a test run from Tagkawayan town inQuezon province made it an hour late into Naga City in Camarines Sur onWednesday.

But before the new Bicol Commuter Train, a takeoff from the BicolExpress of yesteryear, could move any farther to its final destinationin Ligao City in Albay, its engines had conked out.

PNR officials had earlier expressed confidence that train servicesin Bicol would resume after three years in time for the Feast of OurLady of Peñafrancia this week in Naga.

Free rides

With an inaugural run from Tagkawayan to Ligao, the PNR will beoffering free rides to devotees until the fiesta celebration on Sunday.The PNR has routed the trip as Tagkawayan-Naga, Naga-Ligao, Ligao-Naga,and Naga-Tagkawayan.

On its trial run on Wednesday, the train left the Tagkawayan stationat about 5 a.m., traveled over 80 kilometers to Naga, and arrived inthe city at 10 a.m., an hour late, to the cheers of a welcoming crowd.

Manuel Andal, PNR general manager, said the trip had alreadyexceeded expectations when it was able to beat the deadline to linkTagkawayan to Naga.

But before it could leave the city for Ligao, its second-hand engines gave in and were sent to the shop for repair.

Reached for comment in Manila Thursday, PNR chair Michael Defensorsaid he was not yet aware of the problems encountered by the commutertrain on its test run.

But should problems occur, Defensor said, ?that was part of theprocess? in the rehabilitation work. ?We?re working very hard to makesure that we?re 100 percent efficient in time for the Peñafrancia,? hesaid in a phone interview.

?The engines are old so they shut down,? said locomotive operatorRomeo Caucil in explaining to the Inquirer the cause of engine failure.

Bought in Singapore

Constancio Toledano, manager of the PNR station in Naga, revealedthat the engines were bought in Singapore in 1987 and would easilyoverheat.

Instead of a Ligao run, the PNR management decided to send thecommuter train after repair for another test run to Tagkawayan andbring along Peñafrancia devotees for Thursday?s inaugural run.

According to Beda Priela, chief of staff of the PNR general manager,the train has three coaches?two for first class, which can seat 60passengers, and one for third class, which can seat over 100.

At 5:54 p.m. on Wednesday, the train left Naga and chuggedlaboriously across rice fields until it approached a rail bridge inSampaloc, Pamplona, Camarines Sur. Its engines overheated and stopped,20 kilometers north of the city.

After several calls on their cellular phones, PNR employees aboard the train discussed their options.

?We will not push to go back to Tagkawayan because we are afraidthat we might just give so much inconvenience to the riders,? Caucilexplained.

Back to Naga

When the engines roared back to life after more than 30 minutes ofrepair by the machinist, the train went back to Naga and reached thestation at past 7 p.m.

?The commuter train will run again going to Tagkawayan if theengines would run by four o?clock in the afternoon,? Toledano said.

After repair work was made Thursday morning, the train left Nagawith a few passengers on board at 5:43 p.m. for Tagkawayan. It wasexpected to stop in barangays along the railway line to serve residentsthere.

Today, the train was expected to leave Tagkawayan for Naga.

Railway rehab

Andal said the rehabilitation of the PNR lines had solely dependedon available government funds from the Office of the President andsupport from Rep. Diosdado Ignacio ?Dato? Arroyo, President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo?s son.

The PNR official said he was optimistic that the Metro Manila-Bicol line would be opened in March next year.

Some P400 million have already been programmed for the railways rehabilitation work, he said.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority, thefirst phase of the project would involve rehabilitation andreconstruction of 89 percent of the southbound railway tracks fromCalamba City in Laguna to Legazpi City in Albay.

This would cover 422.662 km at a cost of $627.81 million.

Under the second phase, a 112.23-km rail line will be constructedfrom Legazpi to Matnog in Sorsogon, a takeoff port to the Visayas andMindanao. It will cost $304.23 million. With a report from Christine O. Avendaño in Manila

source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net