Vendors unload squash Friday at the Balintawak market in Quezon City which had been trucked in from the Ilocos region. Squash, known in the Ilocos as karabasa, is grown in many Filipino backyards, a versatile and delicious vegetable which packs a serious punch in terms of health and medicinal benefits, which include strengthening the immune system, preventing cancer and managing symptoms of diabetes, heart health and insomnia. Lino Santos