Philippine Currency

The Philippine Peso is the official currency of the Philippines. In Filipino, it is called as “Piso”. It is usually denoted by "₱" symbol. Other ways of writing the Philippine peso sign are "PHP", "PhP", "Php", "P$", or just "P". 

Currently, 1 Philippine Peso is equivalent to 0.020 US Dollar.

What can you do/buy for 1 Peso ?

1. For 1 Peso, you can enjoy 4 minutes of internet usage. This was made possible because of the "pisonet" business which is one of the popular business in the Philippines. Just drop your 1 Peso coin in the coin slot of the machine and voila! you can already enjoy playing online games or surf the net.

2. For 1 Peso, you can buy a lollipop at the Sari-sari store. Or you can choose another snack or one piece of bread or junk food which only cost 1 Peso. . 

3. Laser/Clear Photocopy for 1 peso. So if you will be required to submit a photocopy of your Identification Card, there are stores who will only ask for 1 peso per photocopy. You can actually see a lot of small copy and print business stores in the Philippines, especially near the schools, malls and government buildings.

4. You can get a cup of water with your 1 Peso. There are small stores or areas in the Philippines which has the "ATM" or the Automatic Tubig Machine ("Tubig" means "water"). Just drop 1 peso on the coin slot of the machine and then prepare your cup or the plastic bag for the hot/cold water.

PHILIPPINES' COINS & BILLS:

From top: 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, 1 Peso, 5 Peso, 10 Peso
Note: 1 cent is also available however it is not included in the photo.

Front view of New Generation Currency: 20 Pesos, 50 Pesos, 100 Pesos, 200 Pesos, 500 Pesos & 1000 Pesos

Back View of New Generation Currency: 1000 Pesos, 500 Pesos, 200 Pesos, 100 Pesos, 50 Pesos & 20 Pesos

NOTE: 

*"sentimos" means cents.

What is the New Generation Currency? 

The New Generation Currency (NGC) is the banknote series launched and issued by the BSP or Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) on December 16, 2010. This will be the only series that can be used as payment for goods and services that has started on January 1 2016. 

The New Generation Currency series will be the only circulating set of notes by April 1, 2017. If you have the old series or the New Design Series you need to have it exchanged or replaced by March 31, 2017.

As stated in the BSP Circular No. 935, Series of 2016, 

Effective 01 January 2016, the NDS banknotes shall cease to be legal tender but may still be exchanged or replaced until 31 March 2017 with the BSP or its authorized agent banks and financial institutions at par with the NGC banknotes and without charge. After 31 March 2017, the NDS banknotes which have not been exchanged shall cease to be a liability of the BSP and shall be demonetized. 

DID YOU KNOW?

The Philippines has adopted and used the Barter system to trade with neighboring countries such as China, Java, Borneo long before the Spaniards came. However due to the inconvenience of the barter system, the Filipinos used the cowry shells as the new medium of exchange. Cowries produced in gold, jade, quartz and wood was the most common and acceptable form of money through many centuries.  

SOURCES:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_peso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_Philippine_peso

http://www.bsp.gov.ph/bspnotes/hist_curr.asp
http://www.bsp.gov.ph/downloads/Publications/FAQs/banknotes.pdf

Easy Tuna Sandwich

This is one of the easiest and tasty recipe that I make every once in a while. I recalled, when I was still in Grade School, we actually had a subject where we make a budget for a recipe and cook. Our teacher will provide us some recipes to cook and this was one of it. And since it has been more than 15 years, I have to make my own measurements for this recipe.

I can't forget this recipe because when I tried it at first, I really disliked it because of the onions. I don't really like onions before. However as I grew up, I got used to the taste of onions. So, if you ever make this recipe, just make sure that the onions are really chopped finely into small bits, some kids might dislike it if they see big sized onions in their food. 

Here's the recipe for the tuna sandwich:

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cans      Tuna Flakes in Oil

160 ml     Mayonnaise

3 tbsp      White Onions; chopped

                Salt & Pepper to taste

Sliced Bread/ Bread Bun

PROCEDURE:

Drain the tuna flakes. Then using a fork, make sure to break down big tuna flakes to small pieces. Add the mayonnaise and mix. Add the chopped onions and mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Then once you completed the mixture, spread it on the bread. 

For healthier recipe:

You can use Low Sodium Tuna Flakes in Oil and Low Fat Mayonnaise

You can also add a little of chopped cucumber however, please note that adding cucumber will make the spread mixture runny. Just be careful about this part. ^^

You can also add lettuce in your sandwich. 

I hope you like this recipe. Enjoy! ^^

Learning Bisaya

Just like other countries, the Philippines has a lot of dialect. Bisaya language, also known as Binisaya, Cebuano or Visayan Language is a common language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people, mostly in Central Visayas, eastern Negros Island Region, western parts of Eastern Visayas and most parts of Mindanao. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Visayan language family and is closely related to other Filipino languages.

In my case, I am from Iligan City which is a city in Lanao del Norte located in Mindanao. Most of the people here speaks Bisaya. So if you ever get the chance to travel in Visayas and Mindanao, you'll find out how common Bisaya is. 

Learning Bisaya is the same as learning other languages. You have to be patient, diligent and attentive. You have to be careful as well, because some of the Bisaya words are used widely and can mean another thing in other places or to other people. Some of the words are cut in short and there are also new words that are being used in Bisaya. In addition, you will also notice that there are English words that are also being borrowed. 

Although learning the language can be difficult for you, you will still find it worthwhile. If you know the language, you no longer have to ask someone to translate the words for you, you can easily communicate with people and make friends with them, you no longer have to worry if there is someone who is talking bad about you and you will be able to understand more about the language and culture of people.

Here are some useful Bisaya words you can learn and familiarize yourself with:

NOTE: *** you can use the english word, since it is also commonly used in Bisaya

ENGLISH	BISAYA
good	maayo
morning	buntag
noon/lunchtime	udto
afternoon	hapon
evening/night	gabii
dawn	kadlawon
day	adlaw
Good morning	Maayong buntag
Good noon	Maayong udto
Good afternoon	Maayong hapon
Good evening/ Good night	Maayong gabii
Good day	Maayong adlaw
Good bye	Babay/ Bye Bye/ Bye
Till we meet again	Sa sunod natong pagkita
See you	Kita-kits
How are you?	Kumusta ka?/ Kumusta?/Musta?
I am fine, thank you	Maayo ra man ko, salamat
I am (Name)…	Ako si (Name)…
Excuse me	***Excuse me/Pasensya-i sa ko/Pasensya na/ Pasensya
Please	Palihog
Thank you	Salamat sa imo/ Salamat
Thank you very much/Thanks a lot	Daghang salamat sa imo/ Daghang salamat
Take care	Ingat/Pag-amping/Amping/Ayo-ayo
Forgive me/I am sorry	Pasaylo-a ko
I know	Kahibalo ko/ Kabalo ko
I don’t know	Wala ko kahibalo/Wala ko kabalo
Yes	Oo/ O
No	Dili
Sorry	***Sorry
Do you understand?	Nakasabot ka?/ Kasabot ka?
I don’t understand.	Wala ko nakasabot./ Wala ko kasabot.
Do you have…?	Naa kay …?
I don’t have…	Wala koy…

These are the common Bisaya words you might encounter. Please note that some words may change if used in a complete sentence. 

Hopefully, you have learned something in this post.Thank you and good luck in learning Bisaya! ^^

Stranger in My Own Land

I have always been dreaming about traveling and visiting other countries. And I have always wanted to learn about other people's culture and language. But the problem is that I have yet to fulfill my dream. I think that one of the setback is that I'm actually one of those people who find pleasure in lying at home and being comfortable staying at my comfort zone. And so, when a friend would ask me out for a date, we would somehow end up getting in a restaurant to eat and talk. But before getting to a conclusion where to eat, it would usually take us a long to discuss and decide since I am actually not very knowledgeable about good places to eat here in our town. 

Now, I realize that I don't want to be like that anymore. I am already 26 and soon to be 27 years old and I have only known a few of too many places in my hometown which is Iligan City. I want to be able to bring and introduce my family and friends to a place that I have visited and where the food is good. I wanted to explore and try food that is also new to my palate. 

I realized that I have to stop making excuses and start living my dream. Because if you ask me about tourist spots in our place, I could give you a few in mind. However, if the question would be like... "Is it a good place? How is the place?", I would probably be mute or would say awkwardly "Eeer...I've not been to that place, sorry." And I would probably lose my face. 

And so, I have decided to get to know our town first. This would also be a good way to start my dream. Aside from a reason to de-stress, have fun and learn, I have to know where I come from so that I can also help others learn more about me. 

Here's to getting to know my place better!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iligan