One thing that is really prevalent in the Philippines is that each town or region has it’s own specialty products that it is famous for. Some examples? Well, General Santos City is famous for Tuna. Davao is famous for Durian. Iligan City is famous for a certain brand of peanuts (if I remember correctly they are called “Cheding’s”). There is a sweet treat called Piyaya that comes from Iloilo. Bohol has a product called “Peanut Kisses” which resemble Hershey Kisses, but are made from peanuts. Cebu? They have mangoes. The list is as long as the number of Cities in the Philippines.
When we first moved here to the Philippines, if you wanted to get these products, you pretty much had to travel to the City that was famous for them. Over the 7+ years that we have lived here, though, there has started to be a distribution network for these specialty products. That wasn’t the case just a few years ago, though.
Do you know what Pasalubong is? Pasalubong is a gift that you bring to somebody when you travel to their place. For instance, if you live in Davao and are going to see a friend in Cagayan de Oro, it would be customary to bring an item to them that is really a “Davao Product.” For instance, the most Davao thing you could bring would be Durian, but you might also bring Pomelo, which is considered another Davao Product. If you are worried about the fragrance of the Durian bothering you on the long road trip, you might decide to bring some Durian candy, or Durian tarts to your friend in CdO. I can remember going on a number of flights from General Santos to Manila years ago when people would have whole tunas (weighing several hundred pounds) all wrapped up in newspaper (you would see newspapers in the shape of a fish on the luggage carousel!). The fact was, back in those days, people in CdO might not be able to get a fresh Durian or a pack of Durian candy in their local stores. That is why something like this would be a prized gift for the recipient.
Nowadays, we can go to SM or even a convenience store and buy Cheding’s Peanuts from Iligan. We, from time to time purchase Peanut Kisses from Bohol. GenSan tuna is on the menu from time to time in our house too. We no longer have to wait for a friend to bring us Pasalubong to get these regional treats.
Pasalubong is still a deeply ingrained part of the Filipino culture, though. I doubt that improved distribution of specialty items will ever erase the need to think of Pasalubong when you are setting out for a journey!
“Pasalubong is still a deeply ingrained part of the Filipino culture, though. I doubt that improved distribution of specialty items will ever erase the need to think of Pasalubong when you are setting out for a journey!”
I agree with this 100%! I lived in the California for a while and I remember Filipino friends and relatives who visited us would bring boxes upon boxes of Goldilocks Polvoron despite the fact that we were only 5 miles away from the local Goldilocks outlet! That’s just the way it is for Filipinos, no matter where you go.
I’ve been a reader/lurker for a few weeks and I love your website! Keep up the good work, Bob!
Hi mia – Well, I’m glad to have you here, and leaving comments now! Welcome to the site! Yeah, I think that pasalubong is here to stay, no matter what!
I would rather sit next to someone on a plane smoking cheap cigars than someone carrying durian. !! Better yet I’ll take the only seat left next to the 2 screaming kids to get away from that smell from hell !!
Hi brian – Ha ha…. well, generally, durian fruit is not allowed on airplanes, except in the luggage compartment anyway. So, you don’t need to worry about that! For me… I love durian, including the fragrance! 😆
Hi Bob – Pasabulong is definitely here to stay. We finally finished handing ours out yesterday (plenty of relatives and friends to provide for!). 😛 Now we’re ready to hand out “Christmas”! 😆
If I remember correctly, the government renewed a push for the one town one product program. So many towns, so many single products. Don’t know if it will held the general economy – if every local person produces the same product for sale, then the price of that local product would drop (large supply). On the other hand, the price of products from other towns would rise as they’d be harder to obtain. 🙁
Still, even in this provincial area, plenty of domestic and foreign goods are available (for a haggled price).
That’s so true Bob! When I come home from Luzon, I would bring Pangasinan bagoong as pasalubong for my friends. Now I don’t know what to bring the next time I travel because I just saw Pangasinan bagoong in KCC!
Hi Bob
When my wife comes over here on visits she always brings fish and pork (all cooked of course) and fruit with her in her luggage.
Now believe it or not that’s after sharing the same “gifts” with her friends during a stop over in Dubai who would be genuinely delighted to get this. How’s that for distribution of goodies.
At the start I could never get my head around why she goes to all to all this trouble, because it takes her ages to prepare all this before leaving Philippines, cooking and then packing it etc.
One year she brought boxes of Lansones and the customs made her open one of the boxes, well there were literally hundreds of ants that were now caught between the paper box covering and the box itself and they came pouring out once the paper was undone and covered his desk. The poor customs man must have totally panicked because he ran away from his desk and shouted at her to get them out, get them out. But she still does it, now I’m used to it and I think it’s great, I still laugh at that episode whenever I think of it. 😆
Hi Paul – Yes, the government has really been pushing that OTOP policy. I must say that I really disagree with it, for many of the reasons that you provide.
Hi Cathy – Ha ha… the coming efficiencies in distribution make buying Pasalubong harder and harder! 😉
Hi Jack – Ha ha… that story about the lansones is hilarious! I can just see it at the customs counter! 😆
Well Filipinos indeed are quite fussy. Not only are they specifically asking for a pasalubong from your point of origin, but makes it quite certain that your pasalubong is authentically from the place that you came from.
Like my case for example: Whenever I go home to CdO from London, my family, relatives & friends go to the extra mile of “interrogating” that the pasalubong that I brought for them is genuinely from the UK not just from Duty Free. Over the recent years due to excess baggage fees or no space in the luggage at all, I learned to buy pasalubong at Duty Free & invent a super convincing white lie that it was from the UK. Lol! 😆 —Oooops! Mums the word so as not to blow my cover! Hehe!
I guess pasalubong for Pinoys is a cultural trait ingrained & forever to stay…
Hi Andrian – I always found it strange to buy things in the USA and carry them half way around the world when the exact same item could be purchased in a local store! But, you are right, that can of spam that comes directly from the USA is valued much more than the exact same one that is purchased at a local grocery store! 😆
> Hi Paul – Yes, the government has really been pushing that OTOP policy. I must say that I really disagree with it
DTI arrived at this policy due to all other economic-rationalization policies having failed. Same as the Dept of Agriculture having given up on giving cash loans – Filipino farmers just wouldn’t repay them.
Persistence is the mother of genius. Dept Agriculture discovered that loans of live breeding stock will almost always get re-paid. Reference
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.201549/
And DTI discovered that working WITH the malayan character trait of prefering to copy the peer group, can yield economic development.
UPDATE: A little “local pride” presses me to tout the Pasuquin Bakery (famous maker of delicious biscocho) “Pride of the North” – located in Poblacion 3 in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. The bakery is frequented by tour buses and other tourists, and produces both soft and crunchy bisocho. There are plenty of imitators, but only one Pasuquin Bakery! 🙂
Merry Christmas, all!
Hi Bob
I thought you said you were going to have a rest over Christmas! Let me take this opportunity to wish you and Feyma and the kids a peaceful Christmas and a prosperous New Year
All the best from Malcolm and Family
Soon you will be able to buy anything anywhere
just like the states … and fresh …Phil n Jess
Hi, Bob!
Here in Laguna province, we are proud of our ‘puto’ and freshly baked buko pie! You should try them! And speaking of pasalubong, I would be expecting many from my officemates who will be reporting back from their year-end vacation in their respective home provinces. These include ‘cornick’ from the Ilocos region to fresh strawberries or strawberry jam from Baguio to Bulacan sweets to ‘piaya’ and ‘barquillos’ from Negros to ‘otap’ from Cebu to durian candies from Davao, and many more!
By the way, greeting you in advance, a Happy New Year!!!