Survival of the Fittest during COVID-19

It’s been years since I had published any story.

But I never stopped from capturing events, places, and people.  Unfortunately, everything was captured from my only mobile phone, which has stopped functioning for a month or so.

Yes, it brought a few changes on my daily activities and communication but it didn’t affect my life the way COVID-19 did.

I am pretty sure, with the current 5,939,234 confirmed cases across the globe, it isn’t just me who’s hoping and praying for this worldwide outbreak to end sooner.

The coronavirus impacted not just global public health but as well as the economy. Millions became jobless. Businesses that were not categorized as essential ones needed to cease - like those of my clients.

I work online doing freelance HR practice, writing, and other digital marketing projects, but most of it has stopped since the implementation of lockdowns and quarantines began.

Today is June 1^st and is the first day for the reopening of some businesses here in the Philippines. It brings hope to employees who wanted to go back to work and earn again for their families, but it is also the start of another challenge due to the lack of public transportation. I only hope for them the best – not to get infected with the virus as social distancing seemed to have been forgotten this morning while commuters try their best to get a ride to work.

Survival of the fittest. This is the new normal.

Come to Cam Sur!

Known to be the three months of Philippine summer, March, April and May, are the best time to visit one of the best places in this tropical country, Caramoan.  Located in the province of Camarines Sur, it is approximately 10-12 hours drive from Manila.

With a number of awesome islands to go to, and some side trips to squeeze in your tour,  you won't regret travelling to this part of the Bicol region considering that you will be able to see and feel how Survivor participants and production staffs felt when they shoot in Caramoan.

View images of the terrific islands and visitors thru Caramoan Paradise's Facebook page.

Enjoy the views!

And hey, seeing the islands first hand is really a different experience, message or call them NOW!

Habagat practically introduced itself (repost from my previous page)

August 13, 2012

One of the most destructive Philippine Typhoon that has been recorded was “Ondoy” (international name: Ketsana).  According to "Situation report no.50 on Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) and Typhoon Pepeng (Parma)"  the 2-day storm last September 2009 had a cost of destruction amounting to Php 11 billion (USD 244 million).  Moreso, this left trauma to many Filipinos. 

For the past week, heavy rain and flood was experienced and state of calamity was declared in Bataan, Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna; Culion, El Nido, Linacapan, all of Palawan and in the cities of Marikina, Muntinlupa, Pateros, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, San Juan, Pasig, Caloocan and Pasay, according to The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).  Unusual it may seem but this was not brought about by a storm.  The heavy and continuous pouring of rain was due to “Habagat” (southwest monsoon).   

With the several decades of my life, I never really paid attention to those who deliver weather news, from Armando Pineda of GMA news, Kim Atienza of ABS-CBN and former PAGASA director Nathaniel Cruz  (even when he was still with PAGASA and until Mang Tani recently went back to the Philippines to be GMA NEWS’ regular meteorologist) talk about rain until it becomes a Typhoon. I never cared about southwest monsoon or Habagat (I bet most of us did not) until Habagat introduced itself this past week.  

Red vehicle "drowned" by "Habagat's" flood

"Ang basurang itinapon mo, babalik sa yo" -- When will we learn?

 We keep on asking God to spare us from calamities,

Yet it never dawned on us that it is our individual responsibility

to throw away wastes properly.

Now an UNLUCKY store

We should realize that this will never stop until we start caring for our environment.  It should serve as a reminder that it can happen again if we can't start being responsible.  Calamities may not cease or lessen overnight but it will over sometime if we think of tomorrow's children - our actions today are their future.

one of the children that Pater Benedictus Movement Inc  fed during the relief operations at Brgy Bambang, Pasig City 

An Artist from the South

July 20, 2012

At the southeastern tip of Negros Island, me and my travel buddies found one remarkable artist.  I say he is remarkable since most of the materials he uses are those logs which are found scattered along their Barangay.

      

Confessing that he wasn’t able to finish his studies, he wants to make sure that he will be able to sustain the education of his kids with his craft / business. It is just unfortunate, that his customers are limited to those within their vicinity or those going to and from Apo Island. You will barely notice his store if you are not the type of person who looks around while walking. We did not even notice it the first time we passed by it. We just found his place on our way out from the Maluay – Malatapay Terminal (the terminal where we took a ride going to Apo Island).

This was just a piece of log before,  now it is a masterpiece

This artist has many to offer if he could only be given a chance to create and share his artworks to other people not just within Maluay but probably as a start off—within Negros… This could probably aid his family's finances and help him reach his dreams – his dreams to sustain his kids' education until they finish a degree.

Sinangag Express

Sinangag Express has always been one of our favorite eateries.  Though it does not offer a wide variety of food it still captured the “stomach” of many Filipinos.  It is like an upgraded “tapsihan” with better arrangements of its chairs and tables.

For some, they would probably choose other Fastfood restaurants since the serving in Sinangag Express is really not enough for those who eat more than one cup of rice or who are “viand lovers”.  But the good thing about this eatery is that most of their foods are really appetizing.  I, for example, could eat two servings or order two meals.

This is why my friends and I would always make it a point to treat ourselves with the good taste of their meals whenever there is a chance to. We ride a jeepney or take a cab even on rainy days just to eat their “tapsis”. Just like this weekend, it was really raining so hard but it never stopped us in coming over to Sinangag Express.  We saw that there were also other people who did not saw the rain as a hindrance in going to this place. We have already finished dining but the shower never stopped.  The guard was helpful to hail a taxi for us.  He did not care if he is already getting wet (though he had an umbrella with him).  This is one of the good things about this place – most of the crews are accommodating.

Though it is not air-conditioned (I am not sure about the other branches) it is still a relaxing place to dine in.  It has good ventilation since it is an open door restaurant but “smokes” from vehicles are manageable since it is not located in the main street (what difference would it make if you are used to eating in carinderias and “fishball-ans”?).

For me and my friends, Sinangag Express would always remain as our “City Weekend Getaway” - away from our office, away from burgers and “fast food chickens”.

Marang - one of Davao's exotic fruit

For my several visits in Davao, it was just recently that I got introduced to Marang.  No, it is not a person J it is a fruit. Madang to some, the tree is native to Mindanao and Palawan as well as to our Asian neighbor  - Borneo. 

Artocarpus odoratissimus (scientific name of Marang) has a strong scent like that of Durian (the fruit which I never attempted to eat because of its smell) but is less intense and nose-friendly J. Although, it is recommended that this should be part of your check-in luggage when transporting from Davao to your destination.  But my friends advised me to pull out the edible part of the fruit from its rind and packed it in a plastic container so it won’t also add too much weight to my check-in luggage. Marang has a thick rind and is covered with spines.  The spines are soft so it won’t actually hurt you.  Its appearance and taste resemble Jackfruit (Langka in Filipino), though I like it better than Jackfruit.

More than its delicious taste, it is also a very healthy fruit since it has the following Vitamins: A, C, B.  It also contains Iron, carbohydrates, calcium, and phosphorus.

In Agdao, the fruit is being sold at 50 Pesos per kilo but you can also have a free taste before buying it.  Though, of course, it is not so nice if you taste it without actually buying at least one.

I am looking forward to buying more Marangs on my next visit to Davao.  Burp! (Yup, my burp has the exotic “Marang aroma”). See you soon Davao!

Photos from The 2012, 17th Philippine Annual Clark Freeport Hot Air Balloon Festival

My college friends asked me last year to come with them to the see the Hot Air Balloon Festival.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to come with them due to the loads of work I had to finish. Since then, it has never left my mind that I will come and see this Festival once my schedule permits. 

This Fiesta started here in the country in 1994 to help the economy after the Mount Pinatubo eruption. Year after year, there is an increase in visitors and participants. This means that there are more colorful things to view which would make me more relaxed, the reason why I need to watch this event.

A week prior to the 17^th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, I heard one of our officemate, Mommy Cherry as we call her, asking us who would want to buy tickets for this event.  In an instant, I advised her that I would want to and have asked my team if they want to come with me. 

To cut the long story short, I grabbed some tickets for this event and there! I am already excited to come to the event.

My office friends and I have set to watch the fourth day of the event since it falls on a Sunday.  Since the show is scheduled to start at 5:30 in the morning, we agreed that Liezel and Butch will fetch Mel before 3am.  Butch left his car at our house and we were supposed to meet Olive and her boyfriend.  Sadly, they had an emergency so we left Manila without them.

Isko drove us to the site -  Airforce City, Clark Freeport, Angeles City, Pampanga and it took us less than 2 hours to reach the destination but it took us quite awhile to find a parking space.

So I suggest that for those interested in coming over to watch this exciting event, that it is either you find a room in the nearest hotel to have an overnight stay and just wake up early in time for the first take-off of the balloons or wake up earlier and drive/commute to Clark.

Though we already had a few bites before we drove to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, we were already hungry by the time we got there.  But that wasn’t quite a probably since there are about 50 concessionaires in site. 

The entrance fee was 200 Pesos and you would need to fall in a long line if you have not bought your tickets in advance. However, a fee of about $150 - $200 dollar is needed if you want to take a balloon ride which is a first come first serve basis. Viewing the balloons nearer would also mean a different fee, If I remember it right it is about a hundred pesos.

The event took place on February 9 – 12 this year, in the Philippines but is also an annual event in the rest of the word.

Activities you can watch/do while you are in the event

As one of the biggest aviation sports events in the Philippines, there are so many things to watch if you are staying there for the day:

Aerobatic Exhibition

AOPA Light Airplane Ballon Bursting Finals

AOPA Light Airplane Balloon Bursting Competition

Choreographed Kite Flying Exhibition

Helicopter Flying Exhibition

Hot Air Balloon Flights

Paragliding Exhibition

R/C Helicopter Show

RC Airplane Flying Demonstration

Skydiving Exhibition

Ultralight Flying Display

Children will also enjoy being there since they can also fly kites while you are enjoying the shows (just make sure that someone is attending to them). 

We also enjoyed the Drift Demo sponsored by Goodyear.  There were some who got lucky to enjoy the drift ride. 

Demos on Rescues were also shown in this event.

View other photos:

Photos of Hot Air Balloon (Part 1)

Photos of Hot Air Balloon (Part 2)

Lunch with Deanne at New Orleans Cafe

August 24, 2012

Rendering almost the 12^th hour of my shift, I was really looking forward to eating in a place I have not yet visited in Davao.

I let Deanne decide where she would like to take lunch and she suggested that we eat at New Orleans Café located at RNC Bldg, Bajada.

We just had a few orders but we left the café really full. 

Here are what we ate:

and these were happily consumed in this very relaxing ambiance:

I will definitely dine again in New Orleans to experience the other food that they are offering.  

See you again in Davao!

Tagudin in Philippine History

On a previous post, I have already mentioned about St Augustine School where one of the two Sundials is located. But before the school was established, St Augustine Church was built in 1586.

However, these are not the only things that Tagudin should be proud of.  This town has significantly shared their part in Philippine History.

On May 27, 1945, it became the site of the Base Hospital of the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines – Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL) during the World War II.

According to the marker located in the town plaza, it is the biggest installation of its kind in the country during the Philippine Liberation Campaign. Big tents were set up at the town plaza, even in the market and residential houses served as hospital wards.

Taguidn was also the site of military headquarters of USAF-NL 121^st Infantry Regiments which was active from 1942 to 1945 and Post-War Era, 1945-1946. Veterans of WWII – names of officers and enlisted men are written also on a marker, also found in the town plaza.

It is also here where the “Filipino Youth Day” Bronze-Marker was erected. The Filipino Youth Day Proclamation issued in 1948 by then President Elpidio Quirino enjoins everyone to observe activities to relate the life and works of Dr.  Jose Rizal to the aspirations of the Filipino youth and lead them to dedicate their lives to the pattern of service established by our national hero. This was erected during commemoration of the 30^th anniversary of this proclamation and birthday of Rizal in 1979.

With the several events to be noted in this place, it is but right that Tagudinians should really be proud of their  town!

Ilocos Sur: Tagudin (Bien's nostalgias and how this town got its name)

After 9 long hours, we then arrived at Bien’s hometown in Rizal, one of the 43 Baranggays in Tagudin.

While I was writing this post today, I asked Bien via SMS to confirm if he really grew up in Tagudin and asked when was the time he left his native land for a job in Manila. He then replied that yes he was born there and practically grew up in Tagudin but left his homeland in 1993 to find his luck in Manila.

I guess my friend also went down the memory lane as he also shared with me that sometime in 1988, he left Tagudin to visit Manila together with his mom and sister to watch his first movie “Kambal Tuko” (starring the cute little twins – Richard and Raymond Gutierrez) in Avenida.   What’s more “nostalgic” according to him was on their way back to Ilocos, he told me that it was his first time to eat Balot (A balut / balot is a fertilized duck embryo that is boiled and eaten in the shell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balut_(egg)). He threw the cooked duckling in the highway hoping and praying that it would live again.  I really laughed out loud when I read his text message about it.  It just showed how “probinsyano” (someone from the province / outside of Manila,    

                                                      who is not used to city life) he was back then.

Being a Tagudinian, Bien studied at St Augustine School (built in 1910) where one of the first two sundials built in the country are located.  The other sundial stands across its Townhall.  These two timepieces were constructed in 1841 and 1848 by Father Juan Sorolla.  Amidst the modern times, these sundials are still accurate and reliable.

Tagudin,the first municipality right after the Amburayan Bridge traversing from Supiden, La Union, I may say has also been a great part of Philippine History.

But before dwelling on its significance in our country’s history, let me share with you how Tagudin got his name.

According to the locals, one day a Spaniard asked the name of the place from an old woman who was busy cleaning her yarn which she uses for weaving, (weaving or Tagud is one of the source of income in this municipality).  The old lady thought that he was asking the name of the tool where her yarn was placed and so she answered that it was Tagudan referring to the weaving apparatus.  He then wrote this in his notes.  Later on, he referred to his diary to refresh his memory but had read it as Tagudin.  So the place was then called Tagudin.