May 18, 2020
Just another of those illustrations my mom asks me for Tagalog Time. My brother also has one or two doodles included in this video. “Alamat ng Ampalaya”, written in 1995 by award-winning author Augie D. Rivera and illustrated by Kora D. Albano, just celebrated its 25th year in February 2020. Five years ago, the book’s anniversary was marked by a full-length musical adaptation by Silliman University in Dumaguete, Philippines. This is actually the coolest legend I know of from the Philippines, where the fruit/ vegetable is not from a severed body part of royalty or supernatural beings. Needless to say, I eat my ampalaya now, like most kids who do so after listening to the story.
