Tag-init, for many Filipinos, means finding the perfect halo-halo. You can just grab one from those street vendors; almost always, they’re the best. But for those without access to those off-the-street halo-halo vendors, the next best versions would be those from supposed halo-halo specialists… such as Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice, which – like Icebergs and Razon’s – eyes to be known for giving this Pinoy dessert a twist.

@outragemag #LGBT checking a #halohalo ‘specialist’ in #Manila to compare it with #Chowking, #Razons, and those from #streetvendors ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Kumusta naman ang experience sa Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice?

Una, this biz actually has sit-down venues – e.g. the one we checked in Santa Ana in the City of Manila. But exactly because they have to pay for a dining venue, they don’t just offer halo-halo, but also so-so Mexican food. At least the space isn’t bad naman, and allows you to enjoy your halo-halo away from the humidity outside.

Ikalawa, slight maingay ang staff – e.g. when taking orders from foodpanda, or when chatting with each other. Promise, disturbing siya.

Ikatlo, kumusta ang halo-halo and the Mexican snack? More particularly, we tried the ₱150 ube halo-halo and the ₱200 taco?

1. With the halo-halo, the winning element is supposed to be the shaved ice since timplado na, so may additional lasa. However… the shaved ice used here may not be lumpy as the one in Chowking, but it not as smooth as Razon’s either.
2. If eating at Razon’s, you know there’s not a lot of sahog. But here, even if you do get more, nothing was memorable.
3. Lasa-wise, the halo-halo was quite bland… even with all the sahog and all.
4. The three pieces of tacos were so-so, tasting more like some inuman venue’s beef nachos than anything else. Overloaded with fake-tasting cheese, this appears like someone’s false idea of what Mexican food really is.

If, in the past, we craved for halo-halo during summer when the heat becomes intolerable, nowadays, that halo-halo craving is now what’s normal. Climate change is real, for real. So Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice has a captured market na. But if you can find others pa rin… like those selling halo-halo in street corners, try them as well. You’re bound to be pleased more for less the price.

So off we go for more lafang venue search…

Street Halo-Halo Milky Ice is located at 2241 Syquia St., Santa Ana, City of Manila, Metro Manila.

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus himself said a person cannot serve both God and money (or mammon). NOT that money is inherently evil; but the love of it can lead people away from God.

Alas… if you look at the way faith is practiced now, money just can’t be avoided. Take religious tourism as an example.

So it’s with trepidation that we headed to Montemaria International Pilgrimage & Conference Center in Batangas.

@outragemag Eyeing for ways to express your #LGBT faith? Head to #Montemaria in #Batangas for #religioustourism ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

There are some things worth stressing here…

Una, masalimuot ang history ng Montemaria. It used to be a project of a Roman Catholic priest, Fernando Suarez, with the land donated by local politician Hermilando Mandanas. That was around 2009. But Suarez moved to Cavite, so Montemaria was put in ice in 2014. The land was eventually donated to the Archdiocese of Lipa, managed by the Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. (MAPI).

Prominent buildings include the Santo Niño Chapel, a replica of the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague, built around 2010; and yeah, the “Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace” that was completed in 2021.

Ikalawa, Montemaria may be a pilgrimage site, and – as such – is filled by the faithful. But it is also a tourist spot, so expect lots of non-believers who are there for non-religious reasons. There are a lot of touristy attractions, like the glass bridge, accommodations facing the seas, and so on.

Ikatlo, too many of the offerings are still not functional, but yeah… sayang ang kita, so papasukin na ang tourists all the same.

Ika-apat, you will need money to fully appreciate this place. For instance, the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary, the “Montemaria, The Mother of All Asia”, is here. You can just appreciate it for free from afar… or cough up some cash to be allowed to go up.

In truth, publicly-accessible venues need to earn for their upkeep. I’d say Montemaria is no different. And yet… yeah, we can’t help but feel uneasy when money’s involved in promoting faith.

But off we go to the next rampa…

Montemaria is located in Barangay Pagkilatan, Batangas City.

Unless ang tibay ng resistensiya ng katawan mo and you can survive swimming in the waters of the seas of Metro Manila, we do not really have a choice but to head out of the city if we feel like getting wet. For some, that would be to head to the beaches of Cavite, which can be as dirty as Manila; the hot springs of Laguna, often overcrowded; or check the beaches of Batangas, which can be a hit-and-miss experience since some are also trashy, some can be deadly, some still not accessible due to bad infrastructure, and so on.

And yet… it is the latter that we did when we headed to Lobo, a municipality in the province of Batangas. And after a quick stop at the Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, we were led to discover the beach off the cliff.

So kumusta ang experience namin?

@outragemag Looking for new #beach #swimmingdestination? We #LGBT checked the unsafe and yet worth-checking #Malabrigo in #Lobo, #Batangas ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

While looking over the cliff housing the lighthouse, we met locals who went swimming at the Malabrigo Beach. You can access this through a… really long staircase starting from where the lighthouse is.

Some things worth stressing:

1. Locals pay the “caretaker” ₱20 per visit (they don’t pay anything if they don’t swim). Non-locals, though, are made to pay from ₱50. If you want to shower after your swim, you pay extra (from ₱20, depending on the need for soap or shampoo or conditioner). All these transactions are receipt-less.
2. The beach here doesn’t have fine white sand. Instead, you get pebbles. And sharp rock formations. Getting wounded is possible (and, yep, since we experienced it, apparently to be expected).
3. The pebbles are malumot, so the pebbles can be really slippery. Walk slowly when going swimming… or crawl (seriously) instead of walking out of the water as it could be safer.
4. There’re no safety protocols here – e.g. no lifeguards, no shark nets, no buoys, no nothing. So coming here – even if it’s actually refreshing taking a plunge there – is AYOR (at your own risk).

We’ve checked the other beaches of Lobo – e.g. by the road on the way to the lighthouse, and in Nasugbu. Too many of them are literal dumpsites. You see the garbage on the shores, and you feel how dirty the water is as soon as you take a swim. Filipinos like going to beaches, just not to look after them.

And so it is refreshing – literally and figuratively – to discover Malabrigo Beach.

Now… if only it can be properly developed, then Barangay Malabrigo or the Municipality of Lobo or the Province of Batangas will sure have a major must-visit spot. Until then, though, this is good-to-visit, though not really.

Join us as we continue with our rampa.

Malabrigo Beach is accessible from Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, located along Lobo-Malabrigo-Laiya Rd., Barangay Malabrigo, Municipality of Lobo, Batangas Province.