Kamias or what is popularly known as Iba in Ilonggo is one of my favorite childhood snack alongside green mango, star apple, and guava. We didn’t have Jollibee or any fancy restaurant in Iloilo when I was a kid (except for some old-time Kong Kee, Dainty and Ted’s La Paz batchoy) so our backyard was the most convenient place to go everytime we crave for something to stuff our small bodies. My grandparents loved fruit trees and a variety of exotic plants. They probably planted every known fruit tree in every corner of our compound. We were educated to utilize everything that we had and that includes reaching for the nearest tree when we were hungry. 

 Iba stood graciously beside my grandparents’ house near the concrete fench surrounding our compound. It was always the object of desire among our neighbors’ kids that they would painstakingly climb over the fence to harvest the fruits. The time of the day was of no essence for them. They’d do it at nigh if they had to. I grew up shooing away as many kids as I could ever remember– sometimes I’d even throw stones at them. I got myself into petty fights with other kids because I was overly protective of the tree. Later on I discovered that some days, iba was all they had on their table. I heard it’s best with hot rice and a pinch of salt.

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I translated Pablo Neruda’s The Saddest Lines into Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), my own dialect. I recorded the Ilonggo version for everyone to listen. Click on the player to play.

I visited this far flung place in Iloilo to observe how beautiful fabrics like scarves, sarongs and even barongs are made. We had to cross several towns and a vast ricefield to get there and believe me, the place is in the middle of nowhere. I stayed there for half a day trying to observe how the locals still use traditional loom machines to weave fabrics. I was in awe by their skills in coordinating strands and colors to come up with a particular design.

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