Cebu Philippine in June

It's technically the rainy season in the Philippines, and here in Cebu it drizzles now and then. It's terrible humid and hot. In a way it is more uncomfortable than Egypt which has dry desert heat. It's stiflingly muggy and you just swelter.

I asked a taxi driver about the shortage of rice and he said there are warehouses full of sacks of rice, so he doesn't believe there is a shortage. I think what is happening is some vendors are hording rice, holding on them until the price goes up. The fact it that the very hording limits the amount of rice out there, thus driving up the price. I'm sure this isn't legal, but I don't know what the government is doing about this matter.

I'm thinking of the 1960s when the Philippines was exporting rice. There was a lot of experimentation in IRRI (International Rice and Research Institute) to be able to grow rice several times a year. Unfortunately the government did not encourage rice farmers, and for years rice farms lay dormant. I wonder if they are now cultivating those rice farms.

I'm in Cebu for personal business and for the fiesta in the Parian Old Cebu District. For the second year now, Louie Nacorda, Pepit Gorordo and I co-host a fiesta dinner at the Casa Gorordo on the feast day of St. John the Baptist. In fact, Louie and Pepit have been doing this for years. I'm a johnny-come-lately. Louie leads the tridium prayers for St. John the Baptist at the Casa Gorordo (3 days before the fiesta). Devotees go all out decorating the antique statues of St. John and an Angel. They also decorate the prayer area - last year it was on the beautiful balcony of the Casa. It's all quite lovely, with a guitarist, singing, prayers, followed by a merienda and stimulating conversation. I recall that last year Louie talked about the Ghosts of Casa Gorordo, which was quite a lot of fun.

All for now,
Cecilia