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Best Food From Gen San to Lake Sebu with Erwan

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    - What did the fish say
    when it was cut into two?
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    - What?
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    - I'm tuna.
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    (funny background music)
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    Whoo! 5:00 a.m. comedy show.
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    There is nothing quite like
    the possibilities
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    of the open road.
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    Every turn brings you stories—
    every bump, a rush of adrenaline
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    and unexpected discoveries.
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    Stop where you want to,
    sleep where you can,
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    and pick up some
    of your favorite bites
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    along the way.
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    This is Forager.
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    (tribal chant)
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    In the T'boli origin myth,
    the god D'wata warns humans
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    of the coming deluge.
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    La Bebe, La Lomi, T’mefeles,
    and La Kagef hide
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    inside a huge bamboo.
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    After the waters recede,
    the four split their way out
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    of the bamboo.
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    La Bebe and La Lomi married,
    becoming the ancestors
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    of the Christian Filipinos.
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    La Kagef and T’mfeles also join
    and go on to produce
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    10 sons and daughters.
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    Of these, Bou and Umen
    are the ancestors of the T’boli.
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    The other 8 form couples;
    their descendants
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    are the other non-Christian peoples
    of Mindanao.
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    When you travel
    through South Cotabato
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    and meet the T'boli,
    you feel something ancient,
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    grounded, and deeply rooted
    in place.
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    Genetic, linguistic,
    and cultural traces link
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    the T'boli to a much older
    migration story.
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    Good morning!
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    Hi! I'm Erwan.
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    - Good morning, Erwan!
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    - Nice to meet you.
    Are you Maria?
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    - Upstairs.
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    - Okay. Nice to meet you.
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    Part of the Austronesian family,
    their ancestors likely came
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    by sea thousands of years ago.
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    The T'boli and other upland groups
    resisted the spread
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    of Islam in the 14th Century,
    retreating to the mountains
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    as Muslim rule expanded
    in the Cotabato Valley.
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    Protected from both Islamic
    and Spanish influence,
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    they remained largely isolated
    until the American period.
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    In the 1900s,
    waves of Christian settlers
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    arrive through government
    resettlement programs,
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    bringing with them
    commercial interest
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    that claimed land
    through formal titles.
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    The T'boli,
    lacking legal recognition,
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    were pushed off
    ancestral lands
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    they had inhabited
    for generations.
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    From the rhythms of language
    to boat-making skills,
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    and even spiritual world views,
    you can still sense
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    the echo of people
    who once moved to the tides.
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    Today, that connection
    feels distant,
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    but it's still there.
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    (applauds)
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    Thank you!
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    - Welcome to the first organized
    School of Living Tradition.
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    You are here now at the "Gono Bong"—
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    which means one
    of the biggest traditional house
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    here in Lake Sebu.
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    We are preserving the structure.
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    Every Saturday, we are mentoring
    the children for free.
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    To preserve their cultural identity.
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    We offer free lessons
    in traditional music, dance,
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    and storytelling.
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    And also the mothers
    are bringing their grandchildren
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    for them to observe
    the practices.
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    Because now we are surrounded
    by technology.
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    So our fear is that—
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    the next generation
    won't forget the history
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    and culture of the T'boli Tribe.
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    - These are all traditional
    T'boli instruments?
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    - Yes.
    - Okay.
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    - It's a brass kulintang.
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    It's not just for weddings
    or for any festivities,
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    but the cultural value of these—
    when there's debt,
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    you can use this to pay.
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    - Ah, really?
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    - Yes. It's not just
    an instrument
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    but also has economic value.
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    - Piece by piece
    or just the whole set?
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    - It has to be the whole set.
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    And this one,
    we call this Blowon.
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    The longer you preserve it,
    but it also has meanings
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    and cultural symbols.
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    So the big gong—
    the one a person can’t carry—
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    when someone gets sick,
    a ritual can be done with it,
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    or it can also be for dowry,
    which has great value.
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    So you want to listen
    to how it's played?
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    - Yeah.
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    - Then, one of our cultural masters
    who’s with me in SLT
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    is Joel Ganlal.
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    He’s the one who makes
    the drums.
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    - Ah, he makes it. Okay.
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    I have a hard time
    putting it together.
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    - So Joel is also a traveler
    and he's also a volunteer
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    who helps me in transferring
    indigenous knowledge.
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    - The knowledge—
    is any of it written down in books,
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    or is everything just
    orally passed down?
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    - Mostly oral.
    But that’s also a threat—
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    if the cultural bearer
    or master dies,
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    they’ll bring the indigenous knowledge
    with them to the grave
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    without passing it on.
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    That’s why it really needs
    to be documented
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    in black and white, so at least…
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    - It gets transferred.
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    And the younger generations—
    are they interested in learning?
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    - Yeah. Although the threat is,
    of course, technology.
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    - Are there still a lot
    of T'boli around here?
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    - Here, yeah.
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    - So still alive.
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    - In Region XII,
    particularly in the province
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    of South Cotabato,
    the places where the T'boli are,
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    are in T'boli Municipality
    and Lake Sebu, mostly.
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    And also in Sarangani province
    along the seashore.
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    They—we call them T'boli Mohin.
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    Mohin means sea or ocean.
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    - Ah, so it's the ones closer
    to the ocean. Okay.
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    - Then, the first thing
    we need to preserve
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    is the language itself.
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    That’s why sometimes the fear now—
    even my grandchildren
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    are speaking English.
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    But that’s something
    we also need to emphasize
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    in our community—
    the fear of extinction,
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    cultural extinction.
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    - You need to use it
    on a daily basis
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    and not just for cultural reasons.
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    - In the T'boli culture,
    accessories are very important.
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    - Yes, especially for women.
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    You can’t just wear a blouse
    without a headdress
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    or other accessories.
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    We call that Libon Lababong.
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    It doesn’t look good if…
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    It’s also forbidden for us
    to have short hair.
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    It should be long.
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    The longer a woman's hair,
    the higher the dowry.
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    - And those traditions—
    are they still being practiced today?
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    - Yes.
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    - I mean, it must be so difficult
    to try to teach
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    all of this knowledge.
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    Because you're teaching
    a very different lifestyle
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    almost, right?
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    - Yes. Of course, we learn
    from our ancestors.
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    Then, next is how to pass it
    on to others.
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    It’s beautiful, because it’s like,
    within a community,
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    you become an inspiration
    to others,
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    and the organizing
    within the community grows.
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    Although, as I said,
    there are so many threats around,
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    especially the introduction
    of new things—
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    like technology, and such.
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    So we need to live a life
    that runs parallel
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    but must not compromise culture.
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    - Of course.
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    - Nature must not be
    compromised either.
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    That’s why we need
    to take good care
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    of nature as well.
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    - It’s almost like
    a value system that needs
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    to be reminded for everyone.
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    - Yes.
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    - From weaving in Lake Sebu
    to kulintang music
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    in Maguindanao,
    Schools of Living Traditions
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    are quite sanctuaries
    of cultural memory.
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    But they're under pressure.
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    The funding is scarce,
    young people are pulled away
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    by modern jobs,
    digital lives, and the idea
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    that tradition is something
    you outgrow.
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    And the masters,
    the ones who hold the knowledge,
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    are getting older.
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    What's at stake isn't a craft,
    it's an identity.
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    We headed off to another
    School of Living Tradition
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    to learn a little more
    about their performances
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    and their food.
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    - Sir Erwan, good morning!
    - Good morning!
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    - Welcome to Gono Ye Bong.
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    - Thank you!
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    - Since this place
    is very sacred,
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    so every time we have
    an event like this,
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    we need to ask permission.
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    So this is another way
    of a ritual,
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    it's called humbu.
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    - After a ritual led
    by Gono Ye Bong,
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    we were invited to watch
    the dances and hear their music.
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    Each song carries memory—
    a link to ancestors.
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    T'boli culture is deeply rooted
    in nature—
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    through dances,
    echo the movement of birds,
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    monkeys, and the forests
    they call home.
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    - Sir Erwan, we would love
    to welcome you
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    our different T'boli
    musical instruments
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    and different dances
    that we have.
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    So this musical instrument
    called Sloli.
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    So this is made of bamboo.
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    And T'boli tribe will play
    this musical instrument,
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    especially when they are far away
    from their native lands
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    and families.
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    - Thank you!
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    - Our next musical instrument
    is Kumbing—the harp.
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    This is also made of bamboo.
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    And among the T'boli
    musical instruments,
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    this is the smallest
    musical instrument that we have.
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    And Kumbing is played
    during the eclipse time
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    to call the moonlight back.
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    - Thank you!
    - Thank you!
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    Our third musical instrument
    is T'boli guitar called Hegelung.
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    We T'boli tribe will play
    this Hegelung,
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    especially at nighttime
    so that the children
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    will fall asleep.
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    And also, when they have
    an occasion like wedding ceremony
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    or festivals.
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    And T'boli women and men
    play Hegelung
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    to court a man or a woman
    while playing the music of Hegelung.
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    (applauds)
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    Our next musical instrument
    is Klutang.
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    And T'boli tribe play the Klutang
    during the planting season
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    and harvesting season.
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    Our next musical instrument
    is Sumagi or Blowon.
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    This musical instrument,
    we play this during festivities
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    and wedding ceremonies,
    and also to welcome the guests.
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    (applauds)
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    Our next musical instrument
    is Klintang,
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    made of bronze
    and eight suspended gongs.
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    So we also play Klintang
    during festivities
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    and wedding ceremonies.
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    Thank you!
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    And our last musical instrument
    is T'nonggong,
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    and this is made
    of giant bamboos
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    and skin of a deer.
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    Among the T'boli
    musical instruments
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    that we have,
    this is the most sacred
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    musical instrument.
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    Thank you!
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    That's all for our T'boli
    musical instruments, sir.
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    And now, we are going
    to perform
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    our different T'boli dances.
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    So this dance
    that I'm going to perform
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    is Madal Tahu, a true dance—
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    a dance by a T'boli princess
    and sister of legendary Tudbulol
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    called Kenaban.
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    - Thank you.
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    (applauds)
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    That's all, Sir Erwan.
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    - Super cool.
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    - Thank you so much.
    Welcome to Gono Ye Bong.
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    - Thank you.
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    (applauds)
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    After their cultural presentation,
    Gono Ye Bong taught us
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    how to make
    the traditional nelut unok.
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    Nelut unok is a whole chopped
    native chicken seasoned
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    with salt, ginger, onions,
    and lots of local species
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    of alliums and aromatics
    that I've never seen.
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    All of this is placed
    in a fresh bamboo trunk.
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    Sealed with another leaf,
    it is placed on top
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    of hot coal on a gradient
    and rotated multiple times
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    over 90 minutes.
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    While waiting for the dishes
    to cook, she took me
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    around the farm
    where she probably showed me
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    all the traditional
    and native ingredients
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    that she grows.
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    - So this is my garden, sir.
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    - Beautiful.
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    - Yeah. I planted all these
    T'boli root crops.
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    - Oh, cool!
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    - So this is the leaf we can ask for.
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    - This one?
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    - Yes.
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    - Ah, okay.
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    - That’s one color.
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    My cassavas—
    I have five varieties of cassava.
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    - Of cassava?
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    - Yeah.
    - Wow.
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    - There’s sticky, there’s yellow.
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    This one, sir—it’s like saluyot,
    but it’s good for paksiw.
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    - Oh, wow.
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    - Yeah.
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    - It’s so pretty, too.
    Look at that. Okay.
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    Definitely taking a few of those.
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    - So this is our bawing.
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    - Ah, this is the bawing.
    Okay. This one?
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    - That’s another variety of gabi.
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    So this is what we saw earlier.
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    Kisul.
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    - Kisul, okay.
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    - Do you want to bring
    some of that?
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    - I’ll take some of that,
    and then this also, for sure.
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    - Lemongrass.
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    Then, this is another variety
    of cassava—it’s yellow.
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    - And do you use the leaves
    in cooking here or no?
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    - No. This is one
    of our spices earlier.
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    That’s the small one we saw.
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    - Can I take some of these?
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    - Yeah, sure.
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    - Wow. We’ve got blessings, sir.
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    - Termites?
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    - Yeah.
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    Let’s go to the other side instead.
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    (laughs)
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    - Okay. You can eat termite eggs.
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    Ooh, they're everywhere.
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    - Oh, there are so many.
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    - Thank you.
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    That smells good.
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    - So earlier there was no water.
    Now, here it is.
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    - Wow. So all of that is just water
    from the bamboo?
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    - Yes. And from the chicken.
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    - It smells so fragrant.
    Lemongrass, all the herbs.
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    - That’s hot.
    - Oh, I like this!
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    - It’s hot.
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    - Still using natural gloves.
    - Yeah.
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    - So this is a local
    rice variety.
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    Okay let's try this.
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    Just to try everything.
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    - So please try the broth.
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    - Wow. That's a lot of flavor.
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    Definitely from all the herbs.
    It's very bright.
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    That's delicious.
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    - Thank you!
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    - It's very good. Thank you.
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    You know when people talk
    about tinola,
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    I feel like this is
    how it should be,
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    not the ginger/sayote
    that we know.
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    Like, the flavor here
    is incredible.
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    And this is way better
    than tinola.
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    If you've been to Lake Sebu,
    people will tell you
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    you have not been here
    until you visited one
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    of the seven falls.
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    Obviously, this whole area
    is surrounded
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    by different types of lakes,
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    so you'll have a lot
    of different waterfalls.
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    We're going to try
    to quickly stop
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    and maybe visit fall number one
    and fall number two,
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    and then we're going
    to start our long drive down
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    or a two-hour-drive
    towards General Santos City.
  • 20:04 -
    I left Lake Sebu reluctantly.
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    I would have loved
    to stay a little longer
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    to explore the trails
    and waterfalls
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    but we had to start driving
    towards Gen San.
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    As is customary,
    we went out for some ihaw.
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    The street is packed
    with options
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    and is a very popular stop
    in town.
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    The food was straightforward,
    perfectly grilled,
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    and just what we needed
    after a few long drives
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    and a couple of eventful days.
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    But I couldn't help
    but notice that most
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    of the tuna was frozen,
    which I understand
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    is necessary for
    a non-stop operation
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    like most of these
    ihaw places run,
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    but I'm really excited
    to get the real deal tomorrow.
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    What did the fish say
    when it was cut into two?
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    - What?
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    - I'm tuna.
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    (funny background music)
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    Whoo! 5:00 a.m. comedy show.
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    We found a hotel
    about five minutes away
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    from the port and got there
    bright and early,
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    but there was an issue—
    we needed permits.
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    We've gotten so used
    to shooting in markets
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    that aren't as organized
    that we forgot
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    that the Gen San one
    is the real deal.
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    The admin were able
    to quickly help us organize
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    a permit and off we went.
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    I'm with Hero,
    an insane ex-motocross guy
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    come businessman
    and fish broker.
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    We needed an insider
    to understand
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    the organized chaos
    and he was it.
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    Gen San is the tuna capital
    of the Philippines.
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    Over 140,000 metric tons
    landed here
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    in peak years.
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    90% of it, yellowfin tuna.
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    - Hello!
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    - Okay. So can you explain to me
    what's the system?
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    So the boats arrive...
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    - That’s how it is—
    when the boat arrives,
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    from the fishing area,
    then straight here.
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    - Okay.
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    What you see here
    is all line-caught.
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    These big boats
    have smaller boats attached
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    to them.
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    Those small outriggers
    fit one man
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    and a couple of lines.
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    And each time
    they catch something,
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    they bring it back
    to the bigger boat.
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    Boats offload massive tunas
    onto icy trays,
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    the fishermen unload by hand.
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    Traders and brokers move fast.
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    There is no time to waste.
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    - After the unloading,
    the fish will be piled here,
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    like this. Like this.
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    Then they—those are the buyers.
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    And those are the testers.
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    Once they get the fish,
    if they win the bidding,
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    then they’ll test the quality
    of the meat.
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    This is how tuna meat quality
    is tested.
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    - Is that considered
    a good tuna?
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    - Not so good,
    but it's sashimi grade also.
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    - Once you’ve tested the quality
    of the meat and it’s bad,
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    the price drops.
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    - Ah, so…
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    - That’s why testing
    is not allowed right away…
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    - You can only test test
    when you buy it.
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    - Yes.
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    - Okay. That's...
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    - You can test it
    once you win the bidding.
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    This one’s bad because it’s blurred.
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    The meat should be crystallized.
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    - So "yucky" means yucky.
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    - “Yucky” means blurred.
    And white meat—
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    that’s what we call yucky.
    That’s our term here.
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    What quality is that: SP, SPLM?
    - Local only.
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    - Local. Local is the lowest class.
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    - Local is what's going
    to be served here.
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    - Yes. Local market
    and Manila market.
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    - Inside, a double-edged ritual,
    a silent auction.
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    Buyers listen to whispers,
    bids flying,
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    no fanfare,
    just business and smiles.
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    We're outsiders here
    so I don't think we'll get
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    the whole story.
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    The boats are financed
    by boat owners or fishermen.
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    The crew is usually hired
    with an advance,
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    and then paid by commission.
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    Every fisherman has his name
    attached to his fish.
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    The brokers then negotiate
    the prices
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    with the potential buyers.
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    You can't test the fish
    until it's bought.
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    It happens quickly
    in a way that you don't even know
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    it's happening.
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    Buyers here are from Japan,
    California, Europe, and Manila.
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    Once purchased,
    the tuna is graded
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    by the buyers, then shipped
    to its final destination
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    depending on that grade.
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    Each fish will also be marked
    by the name of the boat
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    and the fisherman
    who hand caught it.
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    It's a system of commissions,
    trust, gut instinct,
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    tinged with the rush of gambling.
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    In terms of who's involved,
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    so you have the fisherman,
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    then there are boat owners...
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    And usually the boat owners...
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    - They're also the dispatchers.
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    - Is the dispatcher. Okay.
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    So once they bring
    the tuna down...
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    - On the marketplace.
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    - On the marketplace,
    it gets purchased?
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    - Yes.
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    And then, from marketplace
    going here.
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    - And then, what happens here?
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    - Display waiting
    for the plant to also test.
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    - But these are all purchased?
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    - Yes.
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    - All bought already? Okay.
    - Yes.
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    By that one,
    the name of the buyer.
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    - Ah, okay. So the name
    of the buyer is on there?
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    And usually the buyer
    is the trader?
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    - Yes.
    - Okay.
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    But it never happens
    where one person owns
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    the whole process?
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    - That's not allowed
    because the relationship
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    of the boat owner
    and the captain of the boat
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    will be ruined.
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    - So boat owner, fisherman,
    dispatcher...
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    Dispatcher works
    for the boat owner?
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    - The boat owner. Yes.
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    - And then, buyer or trader.
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    - Buyer or trader.
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    - Okay. And the traders,
    they do their own logistics?
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    - Yeah.
    - Okay.
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    - There’s more.
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    There’s still a lot over there,
    as long as you're looking
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    for blue ones.
    There's a lot over there.
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    - Show your haircut.
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    - Oh!
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    - Hello!
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    - And how long do they stay
    out in the sea?
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    - If this small, 10-15 days.
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    - That's crazy.
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    - Bro! Bro!
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    Meet my friend, Erwan.
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    (laughs)
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    This is one of their dispatchers.
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    - Good morning! How are you?
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    - And this is the buyer.
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    - Hey!
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    - This is my buyer.
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    Cheap buyer.
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    (laughs)
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    - That's local.
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    - This is the local market?
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    - The Filipino will eat that.
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    - That's a sashimi grade.
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    - You can eat it raw.
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    - I want to compare the...
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    - You can eat that.
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    (laughs)
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    - You can eat that.
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    But this one...
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    - Don't eat that one.
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    Only the red one.
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    - Maybe the fish is sick.
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    (laughs)
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    - So this can be grilled
    or kilaw.
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    If you can't test it,
    how do you tell
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    from looking at it?
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    - Eyes and the...
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    - Gills.
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    - Gills.
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    - So the buyer is allowed
    to look at here, here,
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    and he can touch the firmness?
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    - It's only 50-60% chance.
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    - If you get this right.
    - Yeah.
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    - Hero invited us
    to his tuna restaurant run
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    by his wife.
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    So we took a quick shower
    and off we went.
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    And here, I found
    our team waiting for us patiently.
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    - Diretsong diretso, ah.
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    - Thank you. Thank you.
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    - Amazing.
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    - These guys are not taking
    their jobs seriously.
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    Let's work.
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    The food was straightforward
    but so delicious.
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    This is the fresh tuna
    I wanted to have.
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    Not only did we get
    a full fresh yellowfin carved
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    right in front of us
    with the fresh sashimi that ensues,
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    but we also got to eat
    all of our favorite parts.
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    The jaw, grilled to perfection,
    some tuna tapa, salpicao,
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    and sisig which were
    all delicious
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    and some beautiful soup
    to wash it all down.
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    Honestly, one of the best meals
    I've had this trip.
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    So this is Grade A
    yellowfin tuna.
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    Very flavorful.
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    The sisig tastes so good.
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    Very nice.
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    It's really different
    when it's fresh.
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    - Yeah. It's really different
    when it's fresh.
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    - Delicious.
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    - There's no aftertaste.
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    - Yum.
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    Whole thing.
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    - Even the meat of it,
    we really cook it.
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    - Delicious?
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    - It's so good.
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    - Put some sauce.
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    - Since Hero used to drive
    all these trails
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    with his motorbike,
    he knew them quite well
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    and was eager to show us
    his backyard.
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    I had no idea that
    the other community here
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    was so alive—
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    from hikers to motocross,
    and adv-ing.
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    We saw all kinds of people
    just having fun
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    and enjoying nature.
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    But it was time to put
    the car to the test
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    and drive through
    some insane views.
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    Oh! Here it goes.
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    - Whoa!
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    - The Ford Ranger Raptor
    stands out
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    as the best truck
    for adventure thanks
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    to its perfect blend of power,
    comfort, and innovation.
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    It offers a commanding presence
    on any terrain
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    with its wide stance
    and reinforced frame,
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    while features
    like the FOX shocks
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    and front and rear
    locking differentials
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    make technical
    off-road maneuvers effortless.
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    If you're someone like me,
    the Ford Ranger Raptor is built
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    to take you further, faster,
    and with total control
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    without too much experience.
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    We are able to go full speed
    on some pretty gnarly trails
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    without any fear.
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    After driving around,
    we finally found
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    the perfect camping spot
    that we had been looking for
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    this whole trip.
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    So we've been collecting
    ingredients along the way.
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    We've got this beautiful
    little alliums
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    from Lake Sebu which survived.
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    So I'm going to go ahead
    and just grill these as well
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    with my mini eggplant.
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    We have our sibujing,
    and then we have
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    a really special herb
    which dried out a little bit,
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    obviously.
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    These ones, I don't know.
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    I don't know
    what to do with them now.
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    Let me see.
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    They're still tasty.
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    I think that on here
    would be really cool.
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    Okay.
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    We have a plan.
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    I ended up grilling
    some tiny little eggplants
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    that I bought
    at the market earlier
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    and some alliums,
    and just cooking that
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    with some coconut milk
    and onions.
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    For our tuna, you really
    don't need to do much to it.
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    I just sliced the loin and made
    a quick green mango salad
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    with some jicama
    and a citrus and vinegar dressing.
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    Serve that with
    some boiled potatoes
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    and it was the perfect match.
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    I mean, this trip,
    what's cool is finally now
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    we have a good day.
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    We're finally able to camp.
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    With Forager,
    we always have issues
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    but we always figure it out
    at the end,
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    and it's all about the journey.
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    But if the destination,
    it's cool at the end too.
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    Why not?
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    - Cheers for Rye and Hero.
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    - Cheers for our fallen heroes.
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    - Bon appétit!
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    - Thank you!
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    - You're welcome.
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    Very good.
Title:
Best Food From Gen San to Lake Sebu with Erwan
Description:

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Video Language:
Filipino
Duration:
34:36

English subtitles

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