Founded on February 22, 2002, iSTORYA.NET was launched on the idea of having an “Online Community for Cebuanos all over the world”. Today, iSTORYA.NET is the biggest and most active online community in the Southern Philippines. We offer a platform for Online Discussion as an alternative venue to express your thoughts, buy or sell stuff, post ads, or simply to hang out and make friends. We pride ourselves in being able to maintain a wholesome and healthy environment as we are guided by our rules which we strictly enforce.
From 8 initial members to the thousands that we now have. We have managed to outlive and outgrow a good number of other websites. We are driven by passion to serve and make a difference.
iSTORYA.NET is more than just talk! We live by “Reaching out, bridging gaps”. Each and every year we strive on giving back and reaching out to our less fortunate brothers and sisters through our various outreach and community activities. If you wish to join us in our endeavors, please visit the forums and join in! We’d love to have you on the team.
Panlasang Pinoy is the leading source of Filipino Recipes and Culinary Information. Learn to cook and eat healthy foods for balanced diet and weight loss.
From simple prayers, sometime in December of 1989, God answered Ella to bake her great grandmother's bread for a hobby, and that is PASTEL.
PASTEL is a Spanish term for CAKE. By our ingenuity in grammar, PASTEL has long been called in English, as a soft dough coffee bun whom the Spaniards has generously taught our ancestors and made PASTEL as part of a Camiguingnon's delicacy. This made PASTEL a common treat in the tables of the affluent Camiguingnon's of the time, especially during special gatherings and occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, fiestas, Christmas and the likes.
Eleanor Popera Jose, a true blooded Camiguingnon, was the first to commercialize PASTEL on January 8, 1990 from what was left of her husband's Christmas bonus, thus dated the beginnings of VjANDEP PASTEL (pronounced with silent "j", which stands for Virgilio Jose AND Eleanor Popera). The initial capital of P120.00 has yielded three dozens of the said buns which doubled the following day and onwards. It was just simply a hobby at first, until Ella saw a great potential in the product, thus, she continued producing PASTEL up to this date.
PASTEL originally has "yema" (custard) for its filling. But during the summers of 1990 to 1993, Ella learned from culinary and baking workshops the rudiments and techniques of baking. She then reformulated the PASTEL to what is now the pillar of coffee bun taste. Today, the VjANDEP PASTEL OF CAMIGUIN has 12 varieties of fillings to satisfy the fancy of your taste buds.
Pastel is available in cheese, langka, macapuno, mango, Pineapple and made-to-order durian, guava, strawberry, chocolate, and special yema
OBRA NI JUAN is a unique line of men's apparel that is truly filipino. It's a fusion of traditional filipino design and new world fashion. It personifies the filipino ingenuity, at its best.
OBRA NI JUAN started out in 1997, a family business focused mainly on tourist market. The first outlets were lobby shops of five star hotels, duty free shops and the famous Amanpulo Resort in Palawan. But the influx of domestic buyer prompted the product to go mainstream and open branches in department stores. nationwide.
OBRA NI JUAN is made of special woven fabrics, manufactured using high quality standards combined with exquisite craftsmanship. Some authentic collections are handcrafted and dyed manually to offer the best quality ever.
OBRA NI JUAN has big things planned in the near future. With the advent of foreign brands dominating the local market, we at OBRA NI JUAN, will continue to be innovative to be at par with the world's best.
MURILLO, though formally established only in 1993, is actually a company of people whose know-how and skills in the art of making quality furniture goes back a long way. Allan and Chris Murillo's father, Asher, for a long time has been doing furniture since early 60's and until now as a favorite pastime, used to bring them to his place of work.
The brothers imbibed their father's love of his work and everything connected with it- no surprise at all they have made it their life's work too. Absorbing and arming themselves with the needed technical skills, the brothers took up studies in welding, electricity, carpentry etc. during their school years. Working and learning from the expertise of craftspeople around them, the brothers discovered their innate talent for art and design and thus set out to make their mark in the furniture industry.
Their experience taught them a good understanding of specific materials and their potentials - its limitations and appropriateness. This often led them to show these materials almost in its natural state- often the most effective manner. Their work experience in Australia moreover exposed them to the residential and commercial standards of the furniture industry.
Already acknowledged by their peers in the industry, Murillo has won twice in the best product design Mugna Award ( Mugna the Cebuano word for, creation when used as a noun; to create, when used as a verb ) during the Philippine International Furniture Show in 2000, contemporary category and 2001, classical category. They also won for the Best Booth Design in the 2004 Cebu International Furniture and Furnishing Show. Their products can be found in many books and magazines published in different regions of the world.
Murillo has in its stable, not only some of the best craftsmen-carpenters and weavers in the industry, both experienced and trained ones, but also the ace that in Allan and Chris, they have the artistic and design talent that makes their products stand out. Being more technology driven than their father before them, the brothers constantly do research and development. They always look for ways to create and innovate-always exploring possibilities. A new interpretation of conventional furniture motivates the duo. Both have strong beliefs that design and function are very important elements in all the products they create.
Allan creates design concepts for the furniture while Chris does mostly the art works like sculptures, paintings, lamps and wall decors. Rattan, wicker, leather, iron, aluminum, wood, abaca, sea grass, and other natural materials are mixed with man-made ones. They play around subtle contrasts on colors, pattern, textures, shapes and forms.
Supremely crafted, clean fluid lines, elegant and excellent aesthetic details-these are the elements that the duo strives to achieve on both transitional and contemporary pieces they design. This reflects the company's enduring and deep respect of the craft while always having an open mind for new and creative ways of material applications and production. At the same time, they recognize their responsibility to their workers, the community and the environment.
The factory and showroom is located in Cebu, Philippines, 20 kilometers from the Mactan International airport. With about 150 craftsmen and craftswomen helping them interpret their designs, Murillo, is a mark for beautiful and truly unique pieces of furniture and accessories.
Murillo. Innovative ways of interpreting tradition.
