it’s called the taratitat halfway. a catchy name you may have to read slow and twice just to make sure you got it right. at least i know i did.

it’s probably called that because halfway to sabang, puerto princesa, it’s a little stopover for visitors to stretch out and get their sleeping circulation running again after sitting in the van for what seemed like a month and a half.

however, more interesting than the name itself are the stuff sold there — native stuff which, i assume, are cheaper than those sold in the city. here are some of the things that caught my fancy:

i like sculptures such as these because i feel like they are very filipino. anitos, as these carvings are called, represent the spirits of one’s deceased ancestors to provide guidance to the living. a pagan belief practiced by ancient filipinos which kind of lost its meaning when the spanish colonizers introduced the statues of saints, as well as the notion that those who continued to pay homage to these wooden idols were pretty much damned.

now, it’s not so much about religion anymore as it is about culture. our culture. demoted to mere decorations or accent pieces to give a house a more ethnic vibe.