All posts tagged: Marikina

Metro Manila Flood August 9, 2026

‘Bad Weather’ Is a Luxury Word

Published by

Somewhere in Metro Manila this morning, someone is posting a photo of coffee by the window, captioned with some version of ang ganda ng weather, sana all pahinga. Not far from that window, a family in Rizal is arranging a wake for someone the floodwater took over the weekend. Somewhere else — Benguet, maybe, or a low-lying barangay along the Marikina — people are standing on a roof right now, watching the water climb, waiting for a rescue boat that hasn’t come yet. I’m not writing this as either of those people. I’m the guy in between — the one who got mildly, expensively, embarrassingly inconvenienced last night trying to get home, and who’s uncomfortable enough about that to actually sit with why. The Weather Is Not the Same Weather for Everyone Here’s the thing about a red rainfall warning: it describes rainfall, not risk. On paper, everyone under it gets the same millimeters. In practice, “bad weather” means a cancelled outdoor lunch for one person and a flooded sari-sari store for another, sometimes on …

Lola Helen Panciteria in Marikina

Lola Helen’s Panciteria: The Marikina Pancit House That Made the Michelin Guide

Published by

The Michelin Guide Philippines didn’t have to go looking for Lola Helen’s Panciteria. Marikina found it first, a long time ago, and has been going back for 25 years. There’s no spectacle here, and none is attempted. The Marikina eatery serves Filipino-Chinese stir-fried noodles to regulars who know exactly what they came for: honest food, generous portions, and flavors that taste like somebody’s family kitchen. In 2025, that plainness earned it a place in the Michelin Guide Philippines, the first edition of the famous French restaurant guide to cover the country. It’s a reminder that the guide’s inspectors aren’t only looking at tasting menus. Sometimes the thing worth recognizing is a cook with a well-worn wok and a plate that comes out the same way every time. Why Pancit Carries So Much Weight In the Philippines, pancit is less a dish than a ritual. It shows up at birthdays, family milestones, and town fiestas, and just as often on ordinary weeknights. The long noodles stand for long life, a belief inherited from Chinese tradition that …