NO TO PUBLIC AND DOMESTIC WOMEN VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT

FOCUS

‘We’re not asking for it’

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By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

He was holding it, caressing it. A man, a stranger, wearing short shorts, sunglasses, and cap, was masturbating in a jeepney I was riding in Manila. The other passengers were all women. Some were oblivious, but I, I was sitting in front of him and saw him doing it. As quick as I could, I hopped off. I didn’t call anyone for help, but only texted a friend to tell her the story. It was infuriating, at the same time frightening.

One in two women do nothing after being sexually harassed in public places. This is according to the latest, and “perhaps the first survey ever in the Philippines” on street harassment.

“Because they were overcome by fear,” said Social Weather Stations (SWS) project director Jay Sandoval about this reaction. 

The study was done on Feb. 13-18 in Quezon City, which has a population of more than three million and has one of the biggest urban poor populations in the country.

The SWS baseline study on street harassment was made possible in cooperation with the United Nations (UN) Women and Quezon City, which signed a partnership for the Safe Cities for Women initiative as a campaign in celebration of the National Women’s Month. The project aims to increase awareness of sexual harassment and safety in public places. Quezon City is the pilot city of the global initiative implemented by UN Women but will also soon include other cities in the country.

“Thirty nine percent of the surveyed women said the sexual harassment on the street was ‘negligible’,” said Mr. Sandoval.

Some reasons for not reacting include: “I would be in greater danger if I take any action” (23%); “Nothing would happen anyway” (20%); and “I was stunned” (20%).

The study surveyed 400 men and women in Barangay Payatas and Bagong Silangan in Quezon City. The city project “serves as a foundation or benchmark for project development and evaluation,” said Mr. Sandoval.

To kick off the initiative, UN Women and Quezon City are circulating a “Stop Now” video they shared on social media and will circulate soon as commercials on television and cinema. Campaign materials displayed on lampposts and bus seats will be set up this month.

“The Stop Now video aims to promote awareness, but most especially its target is the men and bystanders,” said UN Women Safe Cities program head Katherine Belen.

According to the study, majority of the sexual harassment comes from strangers and happens on the street and in public transport.

Elyssa Lopez, 21, was only waiting for a jeepney ride home when, “a stranger whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hi, sexy.’” Apparently, she was unaware her bra strap was showing, but “I was wearing a decent sleeveless shirt and jeans. And, no, I didn’t feel sexy. It didn’t feel like a compliment. I felt harassed.”

The study said one in seven (or 15%) of women have experienced sexual harassment in public places at least once a week. This includes catcalling, lascivious language, voyeurism, indecent gestures, stalking, public masturbation, sending pornographic videos and photos, and groping, rubbing, and touching.

“Be a decent human being,” Ms. Lopez said. She is one of the many people who have shared the Stop Now video on their Facebook accounts. It has 110,000 views and counting.

But the men — surely they know what they’re doing?

According to the study, three of five men have admitted to committing a form of sexual harassment at least once in their lifetime, while two out of five men have committed the worst forms of harassment: public masturbation and groping.

According to SWS project director Mr. Sandoval, sealed envelopes were given for questions on male perpetration because some may not admit it when asked face to face.

Unfortunately, the survey said more women than men thought the harassment was their fault and blamed themselves because of “how they’re dressed” and because “there are women who deserve to be harassed.”

I asked a friend through Facebook on her thoughts about this. My friend, who begs not to publish her name, often complains about men who ogle her breasts. She said, “I value the thoughts of the surveyed women [in Quezon City], but I strongly believe that it’s not our fault. We didn’t ask for it. Could the men imagine if the tables were turned?”

“While we have the rape law, there’s no specific law when a woman is outside her home,” said UN Women program head Ms. Belen.

The country has law on rape, the Magna Carta of Women, and Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) desks at barangays and police stations. But then, advocates say the laws are not implemented well.

Even 70% of the surveyed self-proclaimed harassers said increased sanctions “will deter them from committing sexual harassment again.”

So to start, Quezon City amended its Gender and Development Code this month. It is increasing the penalties: 30 days of imprisonment or a fine of P1,000-P5,000 for light and medium harassments including verbal and visual harassments, respectively; and 30 days to one year and a fine of P3,000-P5,000 for sever violence including physical harassment.

According to Ms. Belen, P5,000 is the ceiling fine allowed for local codes.

The “Safe Cities and Safe Public Spaces” global initiative builds from its “Safe Cities Free of Violence Against Women and Girls” global program launched in November 2010. It aims to develop, implement, and evaluate policies and comprehensive approaches on the prevention of sexual harassment and violence. It started in cities like New Delhi, India; Cairo, Eygpt; and Kigali, Rwanda, among others, and is now in Quezon City, Philippines.

Ms. Belen told BusinessWorld the program — including the videos, posters, and training — would start in Quezon City, but would soon be launched in other cities. The program training of local government officials, according to the UN Women web site, include “techniques and tools to develop skills and changes in attitudes and behaviors. It is a continuous and long-term process that requires political will and commitment of all parties in order to create inclusive societies that recognize the need to promote gender equality.”

“I deserve a safe street where I can walk anytime without fear,” said Anne Arguil, 25. She works in a business process outsourcing (BPO) company in Taguig and goes home late at night or at dawn.

The study says 80% of women will be encouraged to report the harrassment because of sanctions. 

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TRAVEL & TOURISM

Puerto Princesa: Fireflies, an audio tours, and a penal farm

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By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

PALAWAN OFFERS the picture of the perfect island life, with beaches and secluded islets ideal for swimming and diving. It isn’t surprising that Conde Nast Traveler magazine named Palawan the world’s best island in 2014 and 2015. But Palawan has more to offer — capital city Puerto Princesa has other secret weapons to lure its tourists, both local and foreign, to keep them coming back for more.

Puerto Princessa Sights: Iwahig at daytime. — Iwahig Firefly Tour

Last year, the tourist arrivals in Puerto Princesa hit 800,000. “We are expecting one million tourist arrivals [in Puerto Princesa] for this year,” city tourism assistant officer Demetrio Alvior, Jr. told BusinessWorldduring a media visit on Feb. 16 to 18.

The increased number of flights is one of the reasons for the increasing tourists arrivals, said Mr. Alvior. For instance, there’s now a direct flight from the city to Taiwan twice a week. The members of the media meanwhile flew via AirAsia, which has direct daily flights from Manila to Puerto Princesa.

The city is also reinventing its offerings to attract more tourists.

First on the list is the new audio tour of Puerto Princesa’s famous underground river, its most famous attraction, luring 1,200 visitors a day. The local government has decided to mute its bangkeros (boatmen), who often draw loud cheers from their passengers thanks to their witty puns and jokes, in favor of an audio tour which started being offered in January. This way, the bats inside the 8.2-kilomoter (km) river — said to be the longest underground river in the world — can roost at peace.

Puerto Princessa Sights: The new Canvas Botique Hotel, near the airport, is one of nearly 1,000 hotels in the city.

Located 80 km north of the capital city, it takes a 45-minute trip by land to reach the Puerto Princesa Underground River, which is a World Heritage Site and also one of the New 7 Wonders of the Nature. The subterranean river journey costs P250 for foreign tourist and P175 for local tourist. To reach the cave, tourists must travel a further 20 minutes by sea, with a risk of seasickness when big waves hit. Upon arrival at the shore outside the cave — and taking a few pictures at its pristine beach — visitors are asked to pay an extra P85 for earphones. The language options include Filipino, French, English, Japanese and Chinese. According to media friends who visited the river before, while the pre-recorded explanation aims to reduce noise inside the cave, they said they missed the live interaction with the bangkeros. Sometimes the recordings are not in sync with the pace of the tour so it gets hard keep up. But one can opt not to wear the earpiece, and instead, marvel at the cave’s natural beauty at your own pace.

Stalactites and the stalagmites fill the underground river’s course, some formations glistening as if adorned with diamonds, some rough and edgy. “Nature is a good artist that likes to incorporate textures,” said the recording. Some rock formations look like fruits and vegetables, others seem to offer more religious imagery. “Use your imagination,” the recording encouraged the tourists.

The tour lasts 40 minutes before the banca turns back, even though the river stretches farther into the pitch darkness. Much of the river still remains uncharted.

FIREFLIES AND PRISONERS
The trip to the Underground River requires a full day. But if you still have the energy for another trip after, the Iwahig firefly adventure should be included in the list. After all, it happens once the sun sets.

The Iwahig firefly tour — two-km river cruise that lasts for 30 minutes — started being offered in early 2000, thanks to the initiatives of the locals and its partnership with ABS-CBN Foundation.

Thirty minutes away from the capital city, on a dark river illuminated only by the bright stars in the clear sky, tourists play hunters in the jungle, searching for the alitaptap or firefly, whose bioluminescence attracts both mates and prey. According to our boatman, Jonathan, fireflies thrive among the bakawan or mangroves. Once a common sight all over the country, including the cities, pollution has shooed these twinkling insects away. Now, to see an alitaptap in the city is almost impossible for they can only live in a place with clean air — such as that in Iwahig. The Ihawig firefly tour is so popular that sometimes, especially at the peak summer season, there can be tours as late as two in the morning. The boat ride costs P600 for three persons.

The Puerto Princesa goverment is preparing another tourist attraction that is adjacent the Iwahig firefly tour: the Iwahig penal farm.

At 28,333-hectares, Iwahig — one of the largest penal farms in the world — is safe to visit. There is barely a fence to mark its boundaries, but the prisoners aren’t tempted to escape. After all, the inmates under rehabilitation are allowed to earn their own income to help them once they are free. The penal farm — established in 1904 during the American Occupation — is green, peaceful, and scenic, home to vegetable farms, crocodile farms, and the Balsahan river, which, according to Ihawig Superintendent Antonio Cruz, is slated to be eventually have its own version of Bohol’s Loboc river cruise where one can eat lunch on a boat while leisurely sailing down the water. The plan, however, isn’t concrete yet.

Puerto Princessa Sights: Going into the bat cave that is the Puerto Princesa Palawan Underground River.

The visiting media were able to visit the penal colony’s souvenir shop, which offers artworks and souvenirs made by prisoners from found objects.

In the works are historical tours of the city said tourism officer, Mr. Alvior. The city, after all, is celebrating the 71st year of Palawan Liberation on April 21 to 23.

“The role of Palawan guerrillas who liberated the island from Japanese invaders during World War II was crucial to Philippine history,” said Palawan Governor Jose Ch. Alvarez in a statement. “It’s about time we recognize their heroism through historical tourism programs.”

The new tourism package offering includes a heritage tour and visit to the World War II Museum, which features the role of the Palawan Special Battalion who fought side-by-side with the Americans. A walkable tour, the tourists can hop from one heritage site to another, including the creepy Plaza Cuartel, found in the heart of the city. Here, explained our tour guide, lie the bodies of American soldiers who were tortured, burnt  and buried alive by Japanese soldiers.

Whether a trip to the beach, an educational tour of an underground river, or a trip down memory lane, one’s visit at the Puerto Princesa, Palawan begs to be remembered and revisited.

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ENVIRONMENT

Earth Hour: Beyond turning off the lights

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By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

WE SHOULD not take the planet for granted, said Leonardo DiCaprio as he accepted the Best Actor trophy at this year’s Oscars. This sentiment is echoed by other environmentalists. So, in a seemingly small act — which, when done collectively can have a big impact — everyone is asked to save the Earth by turning off the lights on March 19, Saturday, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The annual World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Earth Hour campaign, which aims to spread environmental awareness, is important because, in the words of Mr. DiCaprio, climate change is “the most urgent threat facing our entire species.”

The synchronized event will be held all around the world, with major landmarks going dark including the Empire State Building in New York, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Here, the lights of the Quezon City Memorial Circle will be switched off.

The Philippines, which has committed to reduce its carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 through the initiatives of energy, transport, waste and industry sectors, has been an active participant in the campaign since 2008.

According to WWF Philippines climate and energy program head Gia Ibay, the country became an “Earth Hour Hero Country” because of its dynamic participation from 2009 until 2013. An hour of simultaneously turning off the lights in the country saves, on average, at least 500 megawatts of electricity, she said.

Still, turning off our lights for an hour on one night is not enough.

“The aim is to go beyond the Earth Hour. To make it sustainable,” said Ms. Ibay.

The main trust of the organization “is not just about fish or cute animals, but is providing economic, social, and institutional capacities that can sustain,” WWF Philippines President and Chief Executive Joel Palma told BusinessWorld.

“[On March 19] we will demonstrate that we can be renewable. We will have electric jeeps and kinetic energy [through a bicycle]. [This is to demonstrate] that as we switch off, all the power is run by renewable sources to make a point that this is feasible and it’s the way to go because it’s indigenous, renewable and clean. It’s about time to see solar units at the household level. It should resonate as part of the sustainable strategy of the government,” said Mr. Palma.

The event will be “a showcase of climate solutions.”

“Stationary bikes will partially power this year’s event to show that united Pinoys can light up this country with their collective energy. Together, anything is possible,” said Ms. Ibay.

Besides turning off the lights, some of the sustainable energy saving lifestyle changes that can be made, according to WWF Philippines:

• Avoiding using plastic straws and disposable food containers;

• Using the stairs when going up or down one to three floors;

• Walk when going to a nearby place;

• Set the air conditioner thermostat at 25 degrees;

• Always bring a reusable water bottle; and,

• Avoid unnecessary printing.

Drawing the Lines: Editorial cartoons show that the more things change...

Editorial cartoons show that the more things change...

TIME MOVES in circles. For proof of this, go visit the exhibit called Drawing the Lines, on view at the Lopez Museum and Library in Ortigas until July 8, and see how things change -- and don’t -- through a series of drawings.

  

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UNTITLED by Liborio Gatbonton, cartoon. The Manila Chronicle, Feb. 7, 1867 -- LOPEZ MUSEUM

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Drawing the Lines features editorial cartoons made by Filipino artists Danilo Dalena, Neil Doloricon, E.Z. Izon, Dengcoy Miel, Dante Perez, Jose Tence Ruiz, and Pinggot Zulueta whose work was seen in local newspapers and magazines. Not mentioned, however, among the lineup of exhibitors is Manila Chronicle’s renowned cartoonist Liborio Gatbonton, who started his career in the 1940s.

“The exhibit gives a critical view of our history. Why does it seem to be repeating?” said Thea Garing, visual arts and public programs coordinator of the Lopez Museum and Library.

Even a cursory look at the drawings shows their continued relevance: one by the Manila Chronicle’s Gatbonton shows Manila traffic as a tangle of string -- back in 1967.

The cartoons -- some contained in a special casing because they are brittle and need special care -- from the 1950s until 2000s, may cover over six decades but their themes are still relevant today. The subjects are obviously recurring: hunger, social inequity, American soldiers in the Philippines, the plights of overseas Filipino workers, and oil prices, among others.

Drawing the Lines draws the line between today and yesterday, re-examining the past while giving context to the present. After all, editorial and political cartoonists are illustrators of life, thanks to their artworks that mixed representation, opinion, and personal style.

The exhibit, which is divided into six themes, also aims to show that editorial cartoons are legitimate artworks like paintings, said Ms. Garing.

The first gallery displays the artists’ drafts, to illustrate the struggles and difficulties the artists faced in creating cartoons that would speak to their audience. 

In an adjacent room, the process in which the drafts made it to the newspaper is shown, back when technology like Photoshop and modern layout methods were not available. The audience learns about such things as “copy-paste” -- words and images back then were cut out one by one and pasted on a dummy.

Another room, focuses on the cartoons’ themes like Filipino identity, heroism, and the justice system. The drawings go back from the time of former Presidents Manuel Roxas until Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

There’s also a special room that is a mock-up of the old newsroom of the Manila Chronicle. It features preserved newspaper clippings, photographs of journalists, and a display of an ancient typewriter.

That the newsroom is included in the exhibit should come as no surprise: Eugenio Lopez, Sr., after whom the museum is named, owned the Manila Chronicle before the paper -- which was founded in 1945 -- was closed by Ferdinand Marcos in 1972 when he locked the country down under Martial Law.

The audience can start anywhere and will still end up with one realization: History does repeat itself. The question is how closely.

For more information about the exhibit and the services of the Lopez Museum and Library, call (02) 631-2417 or e-mail lmmpasig@gmail.com.

Arts & Leisure

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Posted on March 08, 2016 05:34:00 PM

NCCA celebrates 83 artists whose work brought honor to the Philippines in 2015

WHAT DOES it mean that more than 80 Filipino artists won in various international prestigious competitions last year? It just goes to show that the art in the Philippines is alive and thriving.

ACTRESS Nora Aunor led 83 other honorees at the NCCA’s Ani ng Dangal which celebrates artists who brought honor to the country by winning abroad. -- NCCA

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To conclude National Arts Month in February, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recognized 83 Filipino artists who earned international awards in 2015, in the annual Ani ng Dangal awarding ceremony.

Veteran actress Nora Aunor, a third time awardee, led the roster of winners. She won two awards last year: Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Film at the 3^rd St. Tropez International Film Festival in France in May, and a lifetime achievement award for her filmDementia at the 2^nd ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) in Kuching, Malaysia in April.

“Movies have become the instrument for a country to promote awareness of its culture, tradition, and beliefs. I want to show that the Filipino movies and the Filipinos have depth... Unfortunately, our movies may have been put on a pedestal by international award-giving bodies, yet the Filipino audience doesn’t have the opportunities to see them,” she said in Filipino.

With this, she appealed for three things: monitoring of a talent fee scheme to protect artists and the people behind the camera; secure, fair, and prioritized play dates at movie theaters to protect them against Hollywood movies; and for the government to allot a budget for directors, especially new filmmakers, to make their movies.

“Some directors, especially those who are starting, have to borrow money to start a movie,” she said.

The Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) Awards recognizes Filipino artists -- individuals and groups -- who in the previous year won at any international awards that went through rigorous judging and not through online voting alone. The 83 artists honored this year come from different fields: one for architecture and allied arts; one for broadcast arts; 45 for cinema; seven for dance; three for dramatic arts; 14 for music; and 12 for the visual arts.

Also an awardee is Cherie Gil, who bagged two best actress trophies for her films Manaand Sonata, at the 4^th Madrid International Film Festival in Spain in July, and at the 2^ndAIFFA in Malaysia in April, respectively. Her most recent film, Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby for the Sorrowful Mystery), directed by Lav Diaz, got the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66^th Berlin International Film Festival. The eight-hour film costars John Lloyd Cruz, Piolo Pascual, Alessandra De Rossi, Angel Aquino, and Ely Buendia.

“Art defines and feeds our soul,” said Ms. Gil at the NCCA award ceremony. “The recognition is a stamp of approval that encourages artists to continue their work,” she said in mix Filipino and English. She hopes many Filipinos will be able to watch critically acclaimed local movies, especially the independent films.

The other winners for cinema are: Aiko Melendez, Albert Chan Paran, Allen Dizon, Benjamin Tolentino, Brillante Mendoza, Carlo Enciso Catu, Epy Quizon, Emilio Garcia, Joseph Israel Laban, Jun Robles Lana, Lemuel Lorca, Sid Lucero, Liza Diño, LJ Reyes, Louie Ignacio, Micko Laurente, Ralston Javier, and Richard Gomez.

Also honored were the makers of award-winning films Ang Huling Cha-Cha Ni Anita, Ari,Balikbayan #1, Bambanti, Boundary, Bwaya, Children Show, Dementia, Ekstra, In Nominee Matris, Kanlungan, K’na, the Dreamweaver, Lihis, Mana, Magkakabaung, Paraiso, Princess Urduja, Purok 7, Red Lights, Ruined Heart, Sundalong Kanin, That Thing Called Tadhana, The Waves, Wawa and Yolanda.

GMA 7’s Front Row was honored in the broadcast arts category. and Rachelle Ann Go will be recognized in the field of dramatic arts.

For the dramatic arts, one of the awardees is Rachelle Ann Go, who was not able to claim her award personally. The actress bagged the Broadway Worlds award as the best featured actress in a musical for her role as Gigi in Miss Saigon last year. Now she’s back in the Philippines to play Fantine as part of the international touring production of Les Misérables which will open this month. Also honored with actor Bernardo Bernardo and Broadway producer Jhett Tolentino.

In the field of dance, the awardees were: the Bayanihan National Folkdance Company, the Halili-Cruz School of Ballet, Jamaica France Jornacion and Lawrence Santiago, Klivert John Mendoza, Sayawatha, and Upeepz.

In the field of music, the awardees were: the Aleron Choir, Anna Tabita Abeleda-Piquero, the Ateneo Chamber Singers, Boschorale, Imusicapella, Los Cantantes de Manila, Ryan Tamondong, Triple Fret, the University of Visayas Chorale, the University of the Philippines Concert Chorus, the University of the Philippines Manila Chorale, the University of Santo Tomas Singers, Acapellago, and Kammerchor Manila.

In the visual arts, the awardees were: Ana Katrina Miranda, Ananda Wisely, Herbert Bagolbagol, Jamia Mei Tolentino, Jamille Bianca Aguilar, John Herrera, Jophel Botero Ybiosa, Maria Angelica Tejada, Mandy Javillonar, Robert Anton Aparante, Ruston Banal, and Trisha Co Reyes; and Christian Salandanan in the field of architecture and allied arts.

The growing number of Filipino artists who continue to carve a name for themselves here and abroad and win while doing so, encourages the artists to continue their craft, said NCCA Chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr. -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

Arts & Leisure

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Posted on March 02, 2016 05:23:00 PM

The art of pouring a beer

Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

“THERE’S MORE to bartending than just serving you a drink,” said bartender Jordan Bernarde as he carefully wiped the excess beer froth from a glass. He is one of the three Filipino bartenders who won the chance to compete at the regional Stella Draught Masters -- an international pouring ritual competition -- in Kuala Lumpur in May.

BEHEADING, or removing the froth from a glass of beer, one of nine steps to pouring the perfect glass of Stella Artois beer.

Mr. Bernarde, Raniel Dy, and Eduardo Mayani II will represent the country and compete against representatives from Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand.

“We have the same skills [as the other competitors] but I think our Filipino hospitality will set us apart,” Mr. Bernarde said as he put the glass of beer down carefully, as if it was a delicate baby.

Well, maybe it is. While many Filipino beer drinkers drink carelessly straight from the bottle or from a large mug, apparently, like wine drinking, there’s a science and art to enjoying a cold glass of beer -- at least for Stella Artois, a 650-year-old sophisticated beer brand from Belgium.

“We believe in local beers. We’re not here to replace them,” said Stella Artois South East Asia Manager Philip Tan. The brand is aware that San Miguel Corp. holds the loyalty of the majority of the Filipino beer drinking community. “But maybe, if you have friends coming over from abroad, you may want to serve a premium brand, especially on an important occasion,” he said.

Belgian beers (Belguim has been brewing beer since as early as 12^th century) are traditionally served in special glasses to draw out the flavors and aroma of a beer. For Stella Artois, the secret of a good beer lies in its special stemmed glass called the “chalice.”

There’s a calculated way of pouring a glass of beer, so said Mr. Tan. In fact, there are nine steps to a beer ritual. And this ceremony was carefully demonstrated by the bartender winners on Feb. 25, a holiday, so many people were able to witness, and learn, this art.

A good glass of cold beer starts with a clean slate. Called the “purification” process, the chalice is cleaned and rinsed with cold water to allow the glass to reach the same temperature as the beer. “A good beer should always be served cold,” said Mr. Tan. He said the Belgian beers travel 30 days oversea before reaching the Philippine. The bottles are placed in a special storage to keep them fresh.

After purification comes the “sacrifice,” or the act where the beer tap is opened in a single swift motion to let the first drop flow (the “sacrifice drops”) before finally holding the chalice at 45 degrees under the stream of beer. The angle makes the beer roll around the glass.

Then comes the process called “liquid alchemy” or holding the chalice by the stem without the nozzle tap touching the glass.

The bartenders must always make sure that the logo faces the customer. This seemingly mundane, yet important ritual process is called the “head.”

Now comes the “removal” process, when the bartender fills the chalice with beer. A connoisseur needs to make sure that the beer slightly overflows the chalice.

The “beheading” process that follows next is the art of allowing the excess liquid to overflow. The froth that forms after pouring a glass of beer is called a “head.” A head cutter is used to smoothen the foam.

In the “judgment” process, the bartenders make sure that the foam or head is not too thick or thin. It should be no more than two fingers thick. The head is important because it adds in the flavors (and perhaps texture)of the beer.

After the perfect beer is poured comes the “cleansing” process -- the act of cleaning the bottom of the glass so it is not sticky.

Finally, the last act is the “bestowal,” which, as the term implies, is the signal for you to enjoy and savor the drink. Cheers! -- Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman