Quiapo is one
of the densest areas in Manila. Every day, devotees of
the Black Nazarene flock there. Quiapo has also been a commerce
center for a long time now. This is actually the first time
I'm paying Quiapo a visit. And I've found that a visit here is impossible not to turn
into a food trip. What kind of juice is this? Dragon fruit juice. Dragon fruit juice?
Can I try it? Sure. This is dragon fruit juice. It's one of the products here that's drawing a long line now
in Quiapo, as you can see. Let's taste it. It's good. This is a must-try in Quiapo. But I didn't come here
just to try the food. I want to see the different
cultures in the area... and meet the woman chosen
to be the Bae a Labi or the princess of Quiapo. The Princess of Quiapo I visited on the first Sunday
of the month. The place was so packed
with devotees, they spilled to the plaza
outside the church. They endured the scorching
sun to attend Holy Mass. And then, this is the usual... This is where I met Annabel, a known tour guide in Quiapo. She was accompanied
by two Gen Zs under her training to be tour guides. - Hello, Ma'am Annabel.
- Hello, Sir. Good morning. I'm John Consulta
from I-Witness. - Yes. How are you?
- I'm Annabel. How are you? How are you? I'm good, Sir. Their tour begins
in the historical Plaza Miranda. Plaza Miranda is becoming quite
an Instagrammable spot in Quiapo. It is being improved because so many people
in the church spill over here. Here, you can see this platform. And this statue were made to remind
the people of Manila that here in Plaza Miranda, you can unburden your feelings. Fundacion Santiago,
a non-governmental organization, teaches people like Annabel to become heritage community
guides. Today, she teaches young people,
including her children. These are the original
"Batang Quiapo," born and raised in Quiapo. Growing up, I didn't appreciate
heritage and what's in Quiapo. But through her work, I got the opportunity
to get to know the place where I was raised. I learned the hidden gems
of Quiapo. But there is a lot of stigma
about this place. What stigma about Quiapo
have you heard? And what do you want to do
about it? It has a negative reputation like it's a hotbed for thieves,
snatchers. What we want to promote
is that there's more to it. There are stories. There's a lot of culture here
that are unknown to many. Quiapo is not just a tourist
spot for a lot of people. For many like Annabel,
it has a deeper meaning. It was the only thing
I could hold on to when I became a widow. My devotion and my love
for Quiapo heritage grew over time. Annabel took me to the nooks
and crannies of Quiapo. I saw all sorts of extraordinary
things for sale. These are our fortune tellers
in Quiapo. What are these? These are charms that are used
to ward off bad luck. So, you buy these charms not
for yourself but to give to... - Give to other people?
- Yes. - So, they're gifts for others.
-Yes. And all of your wishes there... There seems to be something here
you can buy for every problem. Say there's a woman-- a neighbor who threw trash
at your property-- who made you angry
but can't be mad at her. If you want to make her
feel guilty, use this. This is a woman, right? So, this is the woman. Let's show it to the camera. - A woman?
- Yes. - It looks like a woman.
- Yes. A few steps from the center
of Catholicism in Quiapo... you'll find the center
of the whole Muslim community in Manila. To get there,
all you have to do is cross the road
under the Quezon Bridge. I was told that I would find
the "Princess of Quiapo" here. Upon setting foot
in "Muslim Town," I felt I was no longer
in Manila. I was unfamiliar
with the clothes... the food... and the items for sale there. The community was preparing
for the coming Ramadan. I had an appointment
to meet Chui, one of the first vloggers who featured the Muslim
culture here. He highlights Muslim food
and the stories behind it in his vlogs. Chui, what is this place? This is Globo de Oro Street. This is where most
of our Muslim brothers and sisters who are Maranaw
or from Maguindanao are. This is also where you
will find products from their province. Tita Inta's pater in this eatery
is one of my favorites. It's very budget friendly. For 25 pesos,
you can already have a meal. - 25 pesos?
- Yes. 25 pesos. What do you get? In a styrofoam, you get double,
turmeric rice - Okay.
- and a dish. You can choose between chicken
peparang or their bestseller, chicken rendang. - Wow.
- Yes. It's this one. As salaam alaikum, Tita Inta. This is a perfect bite. - Okay. All right. So, cheers.
- Cheers. Cheers. Delicious! It's really delicious. Your taste buds
will be satisfied here because there's an explosion
of flavors, the spiciness, the palapa
(Maranaw condiment), the turmeric and ginger. There's a lot going on. You'll wonder,
"Is this Filipino food?" Yes, this is also Filipino food. Chui started vlogging in 2019. I'm being honest, satti is my favorite Mindanao
food of all time. What do you enjoy the most about
vlogging about Maranaw food? Other people ask me
if I'm a Muslim because I like promoting
halal food. Actually, I'm a Christian,
a Catholic. But my interest is to put them
in the limelight. There are so many trending
Korean food and other foreign food,
so why not promote ours which is based on history. Muslim food or halal
food is pre-colonial. How did your perspective
on the Muslim community change after you vlogged
about Maranaw food? That's what's fulfilling
about it. My perspective really changed. I also realized that vlogging
isn't just a tool for gaining fame for yourself, but can also be a tool
to make something else famous. It's more of a game changer. It has the power
to change people's minds. Next, we looked
for the viral dish in Quiapo, the pastil or pater. Chui, where are we? Geographically,
this is Bautista Street, but because there are so many
pastil sellers here, people have dubbed this
as Pastil Street. As you can see,
most of them sell pastil here. Pastil is made of rice topped
with a dish like adobo flakes wrapped
in a banana leaf. Rice with adobo flakes on top? Yes. Wrapped in a banana leaf. And the even greater thing about it is
that it's only 10 pesos. Only ten pesos? - One order?
- One order. So, this is it. - We have one for each of us.
- Cheers. Okay, cheers. - It's good, right?
- This is good. It's delicious.
It tastes like adobo. Yes, it does. One order for just ten bucks? Yes, one order. But for 10 pesos, this is a lot. You get five to six spoonfuls. This is great value for money. According to Professor
Julkipli Wadi, the Dean of the Institute
of Islamic Studies at the University
of the Philippines, most Muslims in Quiapo
are Maranaws. They are naturally resourceful, especially when it comes
to their food. The community in Quiapo
are so good in business that they can transform
Indonesian, Malaysian, Tausug or Maguindanao food
into Maranaw food. Color is an important element
in Maranaw culture. Yellow and red dominate
their dishes. These colors are generally
identified with the royals. So to this day, the tradition
of their royalty is still strong. According to Professor Wadi, the people of Lanao was not able to establish a sultanate. Traditionally, there's none. What they have is what's called
a "pat-apangampong." The Maranaw royalty
is an extension of Maguindanao royalty. I'm talking about Sultan Kudarat
and so forth. The tradition of choosing
a Bae a Labi or princess has become part
of Maranaw culture. Leaders in Muslim communities choose and vote on who will be
the Bae a Labi based on popularity
and capacity to help. In Muslim Town in Quiapo, they had just chosen
their first princess, Hadja Noron. She arrived in Quiapo in 1976. The country
was under Martial Law then and she came just after the
conflict in Mindanao was ended. Everything felt strange
when I arrived here. I thought Manila
was so beautiful. It was very different
from where I came from. The golden mosque
had just been completed when I got to Quiapo. The imam was the husband
of my sister. That's why we settled
here in Quiapo. Hadja Noron showed me the dress
she wore when she was crowned. This is the Langkit design
of the Maranaws. What does the design mean? Do Maranaws have a flower
like this? Yes. I love flowers. - Yes.
- That's why. So I asked that they put
flowers. Hadja Noron is one of the first
sellers of Maranaw food here and has been well-known
since the '90s. Is it nearly done? Her daughter Jun Airah
helps her. We didn't have
a restaurant then. We had a small spot
and only sold patir. I was the first one to build
a small restaurant. Eventually I was able
to build a big restaurant. She began selling various types
of Maranaw food. According to them, the chicken
piyaparan and rendang are the most delicious. They also enjoy mudfish's head
in coconut milk. And then there's also fish eggs
in coconut milk. So these are small eggs
of a carp stuck together? Why is this yellow? Because we put color into it. - What is it?
- Because we put turmeric. You put turmeric? Without it, the dish tastes
too fishy for us. It's not too spicy. It's good. It's a really unique taste. It's my first time to try it. Our main spice or condiment
is the palapa. We always use it to season
all of our dishes. The main ingredient of palapa
is native scallions which are cooked
for almost four hours. This grows in Lanao del Sur. - Okay.
- Near Marawi. They're sent to Manila. Piyaparan and rendang
are seasoned with it. Palapa is a condiment. It's like the sambal in others. This is the main ingredient. The biggest mosque in Manila
is in Quiapo... known as the Golden Mosque. It was built in 1976. It can accommodate
22,000 people. The mosque plays a vital role
in Muslims' daily lives. After the second world war,
during the American occupation, Manila became more open
to Muslims. The first to come were
Indian Muslims who came to set up businesses. They were followed by what
we call the "pensyonados." These were young Muslims
who were given scholarships by the American colonial
government. They went to Manila to study. So they formed groups
with the Indian Muslims. In 1972, armed conflict
spread in Mindanao. Many Muslims were forced
to migrate to Manila. Quiapo served as their
safe exit here. In the early days,
it was multi-tribal. There were Maranaws,
Maguindanaons, Tausugs, Yakans, Samas. These were apart
from the early Indian Muslims. Later on, the Muslims in Quiapo
became Maranaw-dominated. For them to survive, they have to be really good
in business. They sold whatever they could
in order to make money. And this eventually
became their tradition. Muslims have been living
in Quiapo for decades now, but to this day, they still
experience discrimination. Of course it hurts. It pains us. We don't do anything bad
but we hear others say, "They're part of Abu Sayaff
(a terrorist group)." Or Muslims are like this
and that. Of course we get hurt. How do you overcome it? We just don't pay
attention to it. We let it slide. The time will come
when we will be understood. Being a princess or a Bae-A-Labi
is not just a title. A princess serves as a protector for the women in their
community. They can be considered
the female version of a sultan. Essentially, the Maranaws
have a patriarchal society. It's always male-dominated. If you're declared as a Bae,
you're a respected and known Maranaw leader. Oh, how was it? The term of a Bae-A-Labi
is six years. The most important for me is that we women help each
other. That's really
the most important. If someone comes to me
to share her problems, I give her good advice. I realized that a Princess
of Quiapo serves as a pillar of community. Hadja Noron commits her energy and time to her role
as the Bae-A-Labi. She was chosen to be the Bae because of her long life
experience in being an elder
in the community. Being helpful is also said
to be in Hadja Noron's nature. I see that the role of being
the Bae-A-Labi is tough. You have to deal
with so many problems. For example, someone needs
to return to her province and asks for fare. A Bae-A-Labi faces many
problems. But the village chairman
also helps me. Please eat. She has a wound on her foot
because of diabetes. Sometimes I give her
in the morning, and then at night,
I give her twice. Eat more please. I'm not the only one she helps. Everyone who needs help
in Quiapo runs to her. Part of her duties is
maintaining the peace and order in their community. There's a lot of problems. A lot, mostly about eloping. For example, a man elopes
with a woman. You don't have a day
to solve that because armed conflict
can be expected to ensue. So you have to act fast. So, you mediate between
the two families? Yes. More than the assistance
she gives... maybe the most important gift
Hadja Noron gives is the assurance
that they're not different, and they're not alone. Since I was already in Quiapo, I continued tasting
the traditional food that they're very proud of. Delicious. The sweetness and saltiness... They blend. If only there's rice. Yes. This hopia store is often
visited by patrons. Yes, this. Kim Chong Tin was
established in 1927 and until now it's still
in the same area. The owner is already
in the fourth generation. It's still hot. Yes, it's still hot. It has a smokey flavor. I've tasted a lot
of mung bean hopia, but there's something unique about this that makes it
so good. Hadja Noron and Annabel are
from opposite sides of Quiapo, but they share a common goal. My dream is to add
to the beauty of Quiapo. I also wish that people will be
successful in their businesses here in Quiapo, so that it can be transformed
for the better. Since I was a young woman
and to this day, I've lived here in Quiapo
and have loved its heritage. I also want to take care of it. I'm passing this on to the young
people I'm now training. I want my legacy to be
as someone who contributed to the improvement of the image
of Quiapo. During my visit to Quiapo,
I noticed its two faces. Their culture
and tradition were shaped by two different religions. Conflicts in other parts
of the world may lead to misunderstandings and differences
in religious beliefs. But I saw something else here. Here in Quiapo,
tolerance is high. Christians and Muslims
live in the same space. We can therefore say that Quiapo
is a place we can be proud of. There is a place where
stereotypes can be changed. Here, they proved that while
there may be differences... it's not impossible to unite. From Quiapo, Manila, I am John Consulta, and this is I-Witness.
