The Manuglibod

The vision of the manuglibod, the ambulant vendors of Bacolod and Silay, traditionally dressed and balancing a woven basket of native delicacies on his or her head, will probably soon pass into the world of memories. The manuglibod collected the best native treats from famous local kakanin makers and brought them directly to people’s homes. Unfortunately, the native Visayan kakanin, known as kalan-unon, are slowly being replaced by spaghetti and ham and cheese sandwiches. Even the art of wrapping with banana and coconut leaves is giving way to Styrofoam and plastic wrap. We met with a manuglibod, Amalia Sabobo, one early morning in Lyn’s Silay home, where she gave us this taste of the kalan-unon: