Hmm, I'll ask my neighbors if they know, although it was their grandparents and not parents who were from Manila. The Philippines are further south than Hawaii so it should be hotter there. I don't think they get enough elevation to cool it off enough for garlic?
I think something happened to my saved seeds. The garden was seeded twice with no results and the seeds that were started in pots didn't come up, either. Except for the purple kale, some of those seeds sprouted, although only about 15% of the ones planted. Don't think the seeds overheated, although it could be mildew? Does that destroy germination? A friend of mine thinks it got too humid so the seeds started germinating and then dried out and died. That could have happened, considering how humid it gets around here sometimes. Although it's never happened before and the seeds are still just sitting on the shelf where they usually do. Oh well, new seeds arrived in today's mail, I'll reseed with those and see what happens.