Destinations

Inside Makati’s immersive book club

Perhaps the most compelling issue in modern Philippine literature is still the gap in representation. Although the country has a range of literary works, there’s still a need for more representation and depth in the books local publishers churn out.

Published

3 years ago

July 5, 2023

ZestMag.com Staff

With the hustle and bustle filling the avenues of Makati, it’s not wrong to assume that the city is a concrete corporate jungle. From high-rise buildings to industrialized stores, Makati is built on corporate ladders and elevator pitches. But explore a bit more and to the east side you’ll find Poblacion, a lively and hip contrast to what’s otherwise a commercial work mill for many.

While the fun and drinks happen at night, The Astbury–a third space for creative human experiences stands in one of Poblacion’s nooks and crannies. There, an intimate and immersive book club called “The Write Side of Bookshelf” gathered to converse and breathe new ideas on how to be a Filipino author and the future of Philippine literature last June 20. This session called “The Journey of a Filipino Writer” was led by author and longtime writer Pancho Dizon, and is just the first of many book club sessions to inject creativity and build a new community at the heart of the Metro.

The gap in representation

For Bookshelf PH, a digital publishing house born at the height of the pandemic, the gap was found in the lack of books that paint the Philippine business landscape and sharing local stories of business leaders. This need was only amplified when people started searching for side hustles and business ventures to cope at that time. Thus, Bookshelf PH started publishing business books like The 50, which featured 50 HR leaders around the country to share their experiences working in different industries.

“Interviewing these leaders over Zoom calls was a great opportunity for writers like myself to dig deeper into stories often overlooked,” Dizon said. “You’d be surprised how easy it is to talk to these leaders by simply asking them over an email or messaging them on social media.”

Another issue in representation is found in many Filipino readers’ patronage of Western literary works over local books, especially for teens and young adults. Fantasy, sci-fi and other young adult Western novels with fandoms and following tend to take center stage in many local bookstores and online reading platforms.

“When you see the youth reading more Western literature, it actually signals a need for more Filipino representation and local books that can narrate stories as grappling as theirs. We have no shortage of inspiring stories, but we really have to search for them and dig deeper.”, Dizon explained.

The best language for local content

When it comes to language, the Philippines has almost 200 different dialects. Filipino readers and authors alike would often postulate on which language should be used in writing modern Filipino literature. One would argue that the rising use of English in many Filipino literary pieces snatches away the Filipino-ness of these works and dilutes the essence of using our Filipino language to enrich our literature.

But for Monette Quiogue, founder and managing partner of Bookshelf PH, language is simply a tool to use in conveying what truly creates the Filipino-ness in a literary work–the message.

“I believe that the message we communicate to our readers is the essence of Philippine literature,” Quiogue explained. “Language should never be a barrier in enriching local literary works. But choosing which language to use, whether that’s English, Filipino or Ilocano, matters most depending on which audience you’d like to get your message across.”

Bookshelf PH’s wide collection of books are mostly written in English. From business books painting the Philippine business landscape to women’s books narrating stories of prominent Filipina figures, the preference for English over Filipino in writing these modern books have a much deeper purpose behind it.

“We choose to write most of our books in English simply because we want to share our local content to a global audience. From the outside looking in, we want other cultures and nationalities to appreciate Philippine literature and reach a wider audience to inspire and share our local stories with,” Quiogue added.

The deeper purpose for writing local stories

After writing so many articles and books, one would ask what’s the deeper purpose to continue honing their craft in storytelling. For Dizon, his passion for writing stems from the people he has encountered and worked with in his story developments.

Fearless Filipinas 2, an anthology featuring 24 inspiring Filipinas who made a big impact in their fields, was an avenue for Dizon to create a spotlight for the Philippine women’s football team. By interviewing and featuring international footballer Cam Rodriguez in the book, Dizon had the opportunity to sit on the bleachers of Rizal Memorial Stadium to watch the team win the AFF Championships last year.

“Moments like the women’s football team winning the championship inspire me to write stories that are often found on the sidelines,” Dizon said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but telling our own stories lets us take control of the narrative and for once, put a spotlight on us Filipinos.”

Join the next literary movement, intimate conversations, and creative exchange at the Astbury on July 12, Wednesday, 6-8 pm featuring The Write Side of Bookshelf’s latest guest speaker Merlee Jayme, author of Chairmom.

To reserve a spot and learn more about this creative get-together and future events, sign up here – limited slots only!

Destinations

Checking the wind turbines of Pililla… since there’s not much else being offered

The Municipality of #Pililla promotes #pilillawindfarm #windturbines as tourist attractions… and nothing else, becoming a #touristtrap as checked during this #LGBT visit.

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

As a tourist, there are two ways to look at the Pililla Wind Farm. On one hand, you head there to see how we’re making use of nature to propel progress. But on the other hand, you go there because… there’s nothing else worth checking out in the area; we are so tourist site-deprived that we end up glorifying not-even-pretty gigantic turbines.

Anyway, we headed there, yes, and here are some observations.

@outragemag Municipality of #Pililla promotes #pilillawindfarm #windturbines as #tourism… and nothing else, becoming a #touristtrap as checked during this #LGBT ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place is really only accessible for those with private vehicles. If you’re commuting, you can take a tricycle to and from the nearby Tanay Public Market. But don’t expect to be able to just hail sasakyan while there.

Ikalawa, open from 7AM to 6PM every day, you’d see 27 wind turbines operated by Alternergy Philippine Holdings Corporation there.

Standing atop hills at 300 meters above sea level, overlooking Laguna de Bay, each turbine can produce 2MW, with the entire farm generating almost 150 Gigawatt hours of electricity per year. To put this in perspective lang, ha, it could provide power for approximately 90,000 to 100,000 households… assuming, of course, na what’s produced is provided cheaply to the people.

But yes, you’d see “science in action” here… in a very, VERY limited way, of course.

Ikatlo, even if the Pililla Wind Farm doesn’t charge fees, everything is still for profit here – e.g. parking, stuff you can use while walking (like umbrellas), access to some viewing areas, and so on. The greed is most apparent in the access to toilets; here, all the shops have “PAY CR” since Pililla Wind Farm itself doesn’t have similar publicly-available facilities.

So… should you visit? If you have a car, daan lang siguro, quickly drop by. Or just enjoy those windmills from afar siguro. Because either/or, there’s not much to gain while at the Pililla Wind Farm – e.g. no people to discuss with you how farming the wind works, no glimpses of how this particular wind farm actually works, no picnic areas to stay at while enjoying the views, and so on.

Of course, if you really just want to take pics din, then yeah… head there. Pero kami, off we go for more LGBTQIA+ discoveries…

The Pililla Wind Farm is located at F8CX+VJW, Manila E Rd., Pililla, Rizal Province.

Destinations

Checking the café vibe of Filipino-ish Yellow Bird resto

#Breakfast-hunting in #Antipolo led us to #YellowBird #restaurant that offers #Filipinofood, Italian dishes, #cafe goodies, atbp. But… is it worth checking out?

Published

2 weeks ago

May 17, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

Antipolo has, particularly lately, been trying to make a name as a must-check place for foodies. If most places in Metro Manila close at night, Antipolo has 24-hour venues that boast not just not-bad food, but views of cities of Metro Manila as they succumb to darkness.

So one morning, after a night shift, we decided to grab something at any of their breakfast nooks… which was how we ended up at Yellow Bird Café X Kitchen.

@outragemag #Breakfast-hunting in #Antipolo led us to #YellowBird #restaurant that offers #Filipinofood, Italian dishes, #cafe ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the place isn’t hard to find for those with private vehicles; Google Maps or Waze will lead you there easily. But noticeably, we didn’t notice public transportation during our visit.

Ikalawa, the actual place was… airy, thanks to the glass walls/windows. But while this may also be a steakhouse/Filipino restaurant/Italian-ish restaurant/and so on, look-wise, it’s more a café that happens to serve some food. Rustic also came to mind, thanks to those dried flowers everywhere…

Ikatlo, the staff’s deadma; no one was friendly enough to stick to mind. They just tell you where to sit, take your order, deliver your food or drinks, then… kebs na. No small chitchats on what’s good or not, or whatever.

Ika-apat, how was the food?

The ₱140 Americano was… forgettable. Mag-tubig ka na lang while waiting for your food.
The Sinigang na Baka (₱525) was actually a surprise – that is, this isn’t your typical sinigang, Using kamatis (tomato) instead of bayabas (guava) or sampalok (tamarind) or miso, the broth was tasty without being overpowering. Yes, the meat could have been softer/more tender, but at least it wasn’t chewy. And the serving could have been bigger, considering the asking price. But yes, this one’s worth checking out.
The Munggo & Chicharon (₱295) wasn’t bad at all… but there’s nothing special about this as it’s no different from the munggo (beans) that you’d get from some carinderia.

That sinigang may have been a pleasant surprise (and this is even if the meat needed more time to boil), but I doubt that’s enough to lure us to head back anytime soon. This isn’t a bad place at all, but when in Antipolo, a place that has more food venues to discover, we – or you – may as well check others…

So off we go, as we search for more lafangan venues.

Yellow Bird Café X Kitchen is located at Blk 2, Mission Hills Blvd, Antipolo, 1870 Rizal Province.

Destinations

Checking Cavite’s Lolo Claro’s

It claims to sell over 400 pieces of #friedchicken per day, so Lolo Claro’s must be good, no? We checked the former mami house turned restaurant in #Cavite during a quick #LGBT wandering.

Published

1 month ago

April 26, 2026

M.D. dela Cruz Tan, MDC

So… if a resto claims to sell as many as 400 fried chickens a day, you’re bound to think that what they have may be really good. So we checked Lolo Claro’s Restaurant in Cavite City, one of those restos that can claim that it was built by, yep, friend chicken.

How was Lolo Claro’s Restaurant for us?

@outragemag It claims to sell over 400 pcs of #friedchicken per day, so #LoloClaros in #Cavite must be good, no? We #LGBT checked this former #mami house turned #restaurant ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, as background, this place is somewhat historical. Started over 25 years ago by Bernie Ilagan in honor of his late kutsero (horse carriage driver) grandfather, it used to just be a food stall that sold mami, among others, but eventually grew to have multiple branches.

Ikalawa, the branch we visited was easy to find, as it’s along a major road in Cavite City. Yeah, public transport passed the area. And there’s ample open-air parking for those with private vehicles.

Ikatlo, the resto is luma (antiquated). This should also serve as a warning since there, tabletops are peeling, corners are soiled, walls have who-knows-what prints, and so on. The squeamish may say it borders on… dirty, and they won’t be completely wrong.

Ika-apat, the staff was perfunctory – e.g. you have to pester them to clean a table for you, or follow-up an order, et cetera.

Ikalima, how were the offerings?

Claro’s Fried Chicken (₱275 for half, ₱475 for whole) was similar to Max’s chicken – e.g. not that big and not over-fried, but not that tasty and quite dry.
The chopsuey (₱290) was… peculiar. Think deconstructed, and you’d have an idea of their version – i.e. the veggies were steamed or boiled, and the sauce was just poured on top before serving. Good for those who just like steamed veggies; but for those who want chopsuey the traditional way, this isn’t gonna please you.
The kare-kare (₱360) needed more oomph; kulang sa lasa. But at least you get enough laman, from the meat slices to the veggies. And yeah, the bagoong (shrimp paste) was good… even if they didn’t serve a lot.

Lolo Claro’s Restaurant was packed when we visited; we actually had to wait for a table to be vacated before we could eat. So this is a popular resto, indeed. I can’t, and won’t, justify this; to each his own. But we have reservations… with the venue, the staff, the food… And so off we go in search of more lafangan venues…

Lolo Claro’s Restaurant is located at Governor’s Drive corner Naic Indang Road, Cavite City.