Ang Bayan Ninyo

Ebun Ibon Candaba, Pampanga

2015-08-04T16:57:00.000+08:00

Ebun means EGG in the Kapampangan tounge while Ibon means BIRD in the Tagalog tongue. There was Joke between the borders Pampanga which are Pampango speaking people and Bulacan which are Tagalog speaking people. The joke is Q: What is the fastest way to hatched an egg? the answer is A: Bring an egg from Pampanga then cross the bridge going to Bulacan :P.

The Ebun Ibon festival is a celebration about the coming of various migratory birds to Candaba Swamp. Long ago people used to capture and eat the migratory birds but through awareness they are now conserve and turn to a tourist spot. ^^,

Journal #1 : Slum Poverty

2015-08-04T16:55:00.002+08:00

I had slept maybe for about 1 hour, I think that is enough for the activity to today. I dream crazy, somehow I miss my house in Pampanga. I miss my kid brother most especially. It has been a while since I go home. Maybe this is the prize of getting old, I mean maturing, you seems to move out from the nurture of the family you were reared to.

Last time I chatted with my friend. He lives in China. Same as me we are both office workers. Same as me we lived in the countryside. I mentioned to him I became a volunteer for a Non Profit Organization here in the Philippines. We go to the poor place in Manila. My friend asked me how can you help them. I came out with a hurried reply which to give them advise.

Visiting them and giving them advise are enough he asked again. It made me think, so what I am really contributing to the people.

Yesterday a good friend of mine arrived in the Philippines. He will introduced his hobby to the people living in the slums. His hobby will become his business in the future. His idea is great because he is correct. Labor cost in Philippines is cheap. I find the idea great not because of the cheap labor cost but to what it might contribute to the people of the slums. Those people people who labored on the mountainous garbage for money which can give them additional income.

I have been to those slums for a couple of times. In truth I am not overwhelm at all by the site of the village. I had lived in that kind of village before well minus the garbage heap and the food they sometimes ate which is called Pagpag. Pagpag are sold in that slum. Pagpag are variety of leaf over foods. I found it weird that they are sold not cheap. I am comparing the cost to what I eat in my stay in manila. I can eat a whole fresh cooked meal with those prices. P15 I can buy a Pancit, P25 Pesos I can buy Ulam P35 I can eat rice with Ulam.

People will stay on the ground unless they decided to stand on their own. Well given the right opportunity may boost them. I hope my friend enthusiasm will bear fruits. He keep talking about Peter the disciple of Jesus. He heard the rooster crowed three times then he realized he betrayed the Lord, yet right at that moment he realized that the Lord was telling the truth. What happen to Peter I will check again the Bible. One thing I am sure upon Peter he became the rock and he is sometimes depict as the keeper of the Gates of Heaven.

Philippine Taxi Driver Dorobo (Thieves)?

2015-08-04T16:55:00.001+08:00

After landing in the the Philippine Airports, the second thing passengers from the airplane might end up fetching a taxi. Unlike some other countries like Singapore, Hongkong, Macau, and Japan and maybe some other counties were you can ride buses and trains going in and out of the airport terminals, in the Philippines sad to say, your mode of transportation is limited to riding taxis.

You can also ride a bus that is if you know the way or a Jeepney in some other Philippine Airports, this time I am referring to NAIA's 3 Terminals. Going out from the Arrival gates the first thing you will see are the Yellow Taxis. Some people tried to avoid the Yellow Taxis because their flag down rate is very big about 70 pesos. So what other people do, just like me I go at the Departure Gate Entrance area to look for ordinary Taxi. Simple reason people ride going taxi going to the airport and ordinary taxis are more cheaper, flag down is 30 pesos now 40 pesos. So you are looking for a cheap way to go to your destinations.

You were able to call a taxi that you can ride on, then suddenly the taxi driver might do the following.

1. Ask for additional tip,, usually 50 pesos + the taxi's meter rate.

2. Tries to bargain with you, especially foreigners and pinoys who comes out of the international airports. No meter but you have to pay some certain fixed amount.

3. Refuse you because of,

A. Your place is famous for traffic like Rosario, Pasig
B. Your place is famous for danger like Tondo.
C. It is simply out of the way and they suppose to be going home already.

What a shock it may be, being ripped off by Philippine Local Taxi drivers.
But it can't be helped you need to go to your destination.
So the Taxi Drivers in the Philippines got the very bad image, people do not do service the way it should be instead they are always in for the Money. This impression is also passed to the rest of the Philippines.

Maybe some of you who reads this journal of mine agrees with me, that Philippine Taxi Driver's are indeed like thieves.

Not all Taxi Drivers are like that though, there are some who simply let you in, and then ask you where to go and they start their meter and move on to bring you safe to your house or hotel. Sad to say these good guys are being overshadowed by the greedy types.

In every thing there is always a two sides of the coin. I got curios, I ended up talking to some taxi drivers. I got all the same answer, why there are bad greedy taxi drivers.

There are two types of taxi Drivers in the Philippines, one that drives a taxi for an alternating 24 hours and one who drives a taxi every day for 12 hours. They have things in common, the taxi is not theirs and they have to pay for the boundary, like a rental fee for using the taxi.

I heard that they have to remit to the taxi owners 800 ~ 1200 peso every time they go out drive the taxi plus they have to return the park the taxi in the compound of the owner full tank if they got it full tank. Just compute for 24 hours driving if the taxi driver will remit 1200 peso, how many passengers he have to let in?

How to make an equation?

For flag down of just 30 peso , it will take 40 people to ride the taxi, in order to make 1200 peso within 24 hours. That 1200 peso is the amount to remit the taxi operator.

There are times when there are lots of passengers to ride on a taxi, but there are also times the taxi driver will wait or drive around and round in search of a passenger. There are times when the taxi driver get unlucky and find a passenger who turns out to be a hold upper.
As you see no matter the reason, with or without any passenger, in the end the poor taxi driver will have to remit the 1200 peso to the taxi operator, or else some operator takes the poor taxi drivers' license.

I asked one taxi driver how much he can earn in a day, in average,,, he said 400 peso. It can get higher or lower, the lowest is zero if he got held up, but there are times for 24 hour driving minus the gasoline and the remittance for the operator the poor taxi driver can only take home a meager 150 peso.

To those who had experience a taxi driver who turned you down because

1. The route of it is out of the way & he needs to park it or bring it back to the operator's compound, do not be angry because if they bring the taxi late the poor taxi drivers are also fine with a fee.

2. Your place is known for hold uppers. The reason you already know, they are just being cautious. If you happen to be on those places, please lock all your doors.

So next time you ride a taxi in Philippines, please try to talk to them. Now the flag rate is 40 peso, I wonder who made that rule? I think it is better that there be a law, like the one I saw in a Singaporean Movie about a taxi driver. The rule is simple, if your locations is on the business district, automatically there will be an additional amount to the meter if you ask to be drop there. This is ideal but then again, some operators tends to be greedy, they might take advantage of this and just increase their boundaries ( rental fee).

FYI the taxi driver's do not have SSS, 13th month and some other benefits :(.

Don't you think that the taxi driver's in the Philippines are being oppressed too?

The 40 Year Gap

2015-08-04T16:54:00.003+08:00

Some Japanese says that when they go here in the Philippines it is like Japan long ago. The stage when it was developing.

I found this article again from the old Reader's Digest. This is a commercial page for a certain oil company.
The page describe Japan in the Golden 60's.

Retyping what was written.

Here it goes.

Japan in the golden sixties.

Take four small mountainous islands, barely 1/6th of the land growing food, with poor coal, little iron, and few resources except for its 95 million people. How very hard to live in Nippon you might think.

1. Yet in the last ten years, the Japanese have doubled their real income, and banked a surprising amount of personal savings.

A nation of technicians

2. The Japanese themselves, have no easy explanation for their prosperity. Labour is no longer cheap. Steel workers, for example, the average about US $112 a month.

3. The answer is probably technical expertise. For the past 10 years Japan's 239 universities have poured out a flood of technicians. Today Japan claims more engineers than any other country, except the USA and Russia.

Ten years of frenzied inventiveness

4. Short of land, the Japanese, farmed the sea intensively, became the world's greatest exporters of seafood.

5. Short of resources, the Japanese complemented their traditional heavy industries with light manufacture. The electric appliance industry multiplied itself by 22 in 10 years, now exports radios, washing machines, and miniature colour television sets even to the USA.

Energy: the big switch to oil

6. Growing 17% a year, industry soon outstripped energy resources of the country.

7. So Japan turned to oil. As an oil-consuming nation, she jumped from 7th place in the 1953 to 3rd in 1963 ( in this effort all companies invested heavily).

A new way of life

8. Today the Japanese have no more leisure than they ever had, but they certainly have more means. They crowd ski-slopes and pack hot-springs resorts. And all year round, thousands of executives join in the new golf craze.

New frontiers

9. Japan wants to double her living standards again by 1970. Will she do it? For more than any other nation she lives on the knife-edge of the balance of trade.

10. The people believe she will. They know the difficulties. And they have the cheerful persistence that surmounts mountains. Already Tokyo is preparing feverishly for the 1964 Olympic Games.

Today Japan achieved that goal she is now one of the riches nation.
Comparing it with the Philippines. We have all the resources both natural and man power. The Philippines is also one of the people who can speak English. In that we are in advantage so it is so unbelievable that we are still in the list of the poorest countries.

The flaw maybe is in the leadership that lead the Philippines through years.
One of the father of a friend of mine once went to Singapore.
He overheard the word Philippines one day in a meeting held in Singapore. So out of curiosity
He asked what it was all about, he found out that the leader is praising the Philippines for having a big natural resources, comparing it with the menial resources of Singapore, but the Philippines is mismanaged and for the Philippines to improve leadership style should be change.

Philippine politicians are strange. Sometimes I think they mismanaged the public funds. Passing along the C5 road, I saw some projects which are not well think of. For example, They created a beautiful garden under the bridge. So what is wrong with the garden.
If you are going to observe they planted some plants even to the places where the sun can't reached, so in the end those plants ended dying. I also have observed a certain side walk. Long ago tress were planted there, they were cut to improve the sidewalk, cemented it so it became a beautiful not rugged path then all of a sudden someone drilled the side walk they flattened then planted trees again with spacing so little, not even thinking of the future when they grow into their full size then again I am betting when the tree grows they will be cut again to improve the side walk.

Sorry if I went out of the topic.

Behind Japanese Lines by Ray C. Hunt

2015-08-04T16:54:00.001+08:00

I read this book. I typed some of the highlights I wanted to remember. Although this book is about WW2, my point is not about the war but my wishes to like to share the good and bad points of us Filipinos and the Philippines from the observation of a foreigner, which I think still exist up to the present. -- ninoChapter 1 The War Begins

Page 3

The bulk of the Philippine army was still virtually untrained, badly armed, and almost impossible to command since the men spoke something like seventy different dialects.

Page 5

Once ashore, I found nothing that seemed to have anything to do with imminent war. Downtown Manila seems a typical modern big city. Sunsets over Manila Bay and the Zambales Mountains on Bataan Peninsula were the most gaudily brilliant spectacles I had ever seen, like the canvases of an impressionistic painter gone berserk.

A second lieutenant with a heavy red beard startled me momentarily, but I was told that American soldiers thereabouts often grew such beards to impress Filipinos, who have little facial hair.

The jai alai building seemed particularly modern since it had air conditioning and gambling apparatus similar to parimutuel machines at U.S. racetracks. Equally memorable, if less happily so, was the pungent smell of native villages (barrios) without the facilities to dispose sewage.

Most striking of all were the women.

Now small, dainty Spanish-Filipina girls with incomparable complexions seemed inexpressibly beautiful.

Even the straggly-haired lavenderas ( washerwomen), sitting on their haunches and pounding their dirty clothes with large wooden paddles, would have looked at least moderately enticing if only their lips and teeth had not been stained a ghastly, almost neon, red from chewing betel nut.

Page 8

In an effort to save civilian lives and prevent the needless destruction of Manila. General MacArthur declare the metropolis an open city. In a response typical of their conduct throughout the war, the Japanese ignored the gesture and bombed the city freely. Soon its streets were filled with rubble of every sort, and the air hung heavy with the stench of countless human and animal corpses.

Chapter 2 The Struggle for Bataan

Page 14

Our immediate problem was not the enemy at all but the sheer density of the jungle. Gigantic trees towered up to two hundred feet in the air, grew close together, and were crested with luxuriant intertwining branches. Far below, dense masses of vines and bushes took up most of the space between the trees. The growth was so thick that on the ground it was never really daylight, and there were about six hours of the day that could even be called twilight. By the end of the afternoon one could avoid getting lost only by hanging onto the belt of the man in front of him.

Pages 16-17

I soon learned that Japanese infantry men were not merely savage and treacherous but also remarkably brave, tough, tenacious, and disciplined. Physically, maybe 80 percent of them could have come from a mold. They were about 5'2" and weighed about 125 pounds. Most were in their early twenties and had only elementary education. Perhaps a third came from farms. Most had been in uniform a couple of years, and all had passed through the world's harshest military training regime. Because of the brutality of their training and the thoroughness with which they had been indoctrinated to make any sacrifice for their emperor and their country, they were capable of incredible feats of endurance, not to speak of conduct that seemed insane to Occidentals. In desperate circumstances the Japanese would kill their wounded, even burn wounded men to death in buildings, to prevent the disabled from slowing the pace of military operations.

This grim approach to war did possess a certain macabre "efficiency," but it was also counterproductive. All the support services in the Japanese army, medical included, mere meager because Japanese troops were supposed to fight rather than engage in peripheral activities or go on sick call. This meant that many Nipponese soldiers threw away their lives in displays of brainless bravado, while many other sickened and died because they seldom received the medical treatment they needed and deserved. In our army, by contrast, for every man who was actually in combat there were as many as twelve others in training, maintenance, liaison, planning, special services or above all generating mountains of paper .

Page 17

Japanese infantrymen were armed with .25-caliber Arisaka bolt-action rifles and weighed about ten pounds with bayonets attached. Both commissioned officers and noncoms carried pistols modeled on the German Luger, and commissioned officers sported fancy samurai swords, which some of them delighted to use for beheading. It is possible that this particular penchant indicated a desire to humiliate the enemy since ordinary Japanese soldiers has a superstitious fear of having their own heads and bodied buried in separate places.

Page 19
The trees were so close together, and the brush and the vines so thick, that a tank wallowed as helplessly as a rhinoceros in quicksand.

Another of their unsettling tricks was to send snipers up tress where they tied themselves fast and covered themselves with camouflage. Then, as we advanced against their comrades on the ground and the sound of ground gunfire would hide their own, they would shoot us in the back. This happened to often that we took to spraying trees with bullets indiscriminately during each advance. Even when a sniper was hit, as happened occasionally, he would seldom move or cry out. We would become aware of his presence only if we happened to encounter drops of blood spattering the thick undergrowth.

In these grim surroundings one quickly learned iron self control or he did not live.

Page 25

Another such story was related to me by an old-timer. God, he said, had seen fti to create two kinds of mosquitoes for the Philippines: large daytime mosquitoes that caused dengue fever, and small nighttime mosquitoes that carried malaria. Unhappily he wasn't joking: I soon contracted both maladies.

Page 28

We tried eating carabao, the huge water buffalo Filipinos use as draft animals, though carabao meat is better suited for making saddles than for steak.

An animal I did try hard to kill was the iguana, a large lizard with a forked tongue and a hide like a crocodile. Though the iguana are ugly, repulsive creatures, their meat is sweet and tasty, much like the white meat of the chicken.

Page 29

Ed Dyess called in several of us sergeants, explained the situation to us, and asked us how the men would respond to such an agreement. We replied that they would accept it. Dyess later wrote in his book that he had never been more proud to be an American. No doubt that was the way it seemed to him; and I will say for us that we did understand the necessity of the action, but inwardly we were resentful. The pilots were officers and we were enlisted men. They had decent quarters while we slept in the outdoors on the ground amid mosquitoes so thick that by dawn our eyes were often swollen shut from their bites.Now, when we were all half starved, the officers were to get extra food as well.

Chapter 3 The Bataan Death March

Pages 33 - 34

The travail of some 75,000 - 80, 000 beaten, bewildered, sick, and hungry Americans and Filipinos who were bullied, badgered, taunted, stabbed, starved, and shot by their Japanese captors on a hellish march some eighty miles in stifling tropical heat has long since passed into history as one of the most spectacular and revolting atrocities of World War II. It was also one of the most important events of the Pacific war, for the shared sufferings of Americans and Filipinos strengthened the bond between the two peoples and heightened the animosity of both toward their brutal conquerors.

Nobody among either captors or captives attempted to keep records. Thousands of Filipinos and much smaller number of Americans managed to escape during the march, but nobody knows how many of them died alone in the mountains and jungle, or how many of the Filipinos made it hoe and quietly became civilians again. Thousands of both people died in O'Donnell and Cabanatuan prison camps after the war was over, but it is impossible to distinguish between those who expired from the belated effects of the Death March and those who perished from the cruel regimen in the camps themselves.

Page 37

Another time I was removed from the road and forced to help a Japanese company prepare a bivouac. Here one of the guards spoke to me in English. I asked him where he had learned the language. He said he had been trained in Yokohama to be a teacher in English. I then asked him which side he thought would win the war. He replied thoughtfully, without the customary Japanese menace or boasting, that he believed Japan would. He added that the training he had undergone in Japan was tougher than anything he had experienced so far in combat, so rough in fact that some of his fellow trainees has committed suicide rather than endure it. He said he hated the British, but about Americans he was silent. From this manner I guessed that he was opposed to the war and not sanguine about its ultimate outcome.

Page 39

All of us would have died had not the general disorganization that prevailed for three or four days enabled us to scrounge a little food in various ways. When the guards were few and otherwise occupied, we would sometimes dig up a few camotes ( Philippine sweet potatoes) in fields. Now and then a friendly Filipino would furtively hand or toss us something from along the roadside.

It is possible that an individual Japanese guard might have handed me a rice ball on an occasion or two, though I don't remember it.

Page 41

All along the road I had seen brave and compassionate Filipinos of both sexes and all ages risk their lives to slip food to prisoners. Surely some Filipinos would help me if only I could get away.

Page 43

I wanted to leave our adobe, but my companions did not. At length I arose and began to call out. Across the stream some Filipino farmers heard me, and one started toward us. He walked up onto a log that lay across the ditch, with his eyes turned downward. I asked him if there were Japanese around. Fortunately, he understood some English. He told me to stay down, and slipped into the underbrush. A few minutes later he returned and motioned for us to follow him.

Chapter 4 In and Out of the Fassoth Camps

Pages 44-45

As always throughout the war the Filipinos here treated us warmly and generously, at dire risk to themselves. Various of them brought us rice, water, and crude sugar several times a day. One boy begged me to let him hide me amid fishponds in Manila Bay, promising that he would make me well again and would keep me safe until the Americans returned in perhaps three months. Little did he or I realize that it would be three years.

Page 48

The new camp consisted of one large building about fifty by a hundred feet and several smaller ones, all made of entirely of bamboo and without nails. Filipinos are geniuses with bamboo. They make everything out of it: cooking utensils, drinking cups, woven baskets, animal snares, fish traps, scabbards for bolo knives, bridges - anything from tweezers to houses.

Nobody has seen rain until he has seen it in the Philippines. Many downpours would have been called cloudburst in the United States, yet they went on for hours, day after day.

Page 49

One incident during this era of semi-starvation. I will never forget. Vicente managed to get us a considerable quantity of navy beans, the sort universally reviled in World War I but now regarded as manna from heaven by those of us who had eaten little but rice for months. Mrs. Cataina Dimacal Fassoth, William's Filipina wife, who gave unselfishly of her time cooking and trying to care for us, prepared the feast. We lined up with our bamboo tableware in ardent anticipation. With my first bite I was astounded. Judging from the looks on the faces of the others, so were they. Filipinos like sugar ans prepare many of their foods with it. Mrs. Fassoth, knowing nothing about navy beans, had thrown a lot of sugar into the water when she boiled them. But we ate them.


Page 53

Filipinos had a lot of intriguing medical beliefs and practices. Their effects varied from bizarre to lethal. Henry Clay Conner, who like me owed his life to friendly Filipinos, relates that early in 1942 a Negrito tribesman once brewed an herb called dita and gave it to him for his malaria. In two days the chills and fever abated and Conner felt vastly better. When he tried to secure more dita on his own, however, he was warned by an educated Filipino, the brother of a doctor, that while dita did not harm Negritos, it often caused people less tough to end up deaf, dumb, blind, or dead.

Pages 53-54

In my case, one day a Filipino around the camp commiserated with me and told me that if I wished to recover I should drink the blood of a black dog. The thought was sickening, especially since blood was to be secured by cutting the dog's throat, but numerous Filipinos regarded it as a sure-fire universal remedy. I was so desperate to recover that I had become willing to try anything, so I agreed. When some of the repulsive stuff was actually brought to me in a coconut shell, I could down only one swallow. Nothing beneficial happened. Maybe my faith wasn't strong enough.

Page 55

Six other Americans indoors were caught in bed. Like me they survived by a fluke. The Japanese, finding them unarmed, spared their lives. Three Filipino and a baby were not so lucky. The invaders butchered the men with bayonets. When the baby began to cry, one of them seized it by the feet and struck off its head with one slash of a sword. Then the visitors set fire to the camp and burned it to the ground.

Page 57

Mac walking and I staggering, until we came to an inviting mountain stream full of suso. A suso is something like a freshwater oyster, a creature that lives in a shell stuck to a rock. We pried some off rocks in the stream, built a fire, put some water in a bamboo joint, and boiled them. When cooked, suso can be popped out of their shells with a sharp rap of the heel of one hand against the other, or by banging them against a rock. We ate our relish, but inadvisedly topped off our dinner with some green papayas, which promptly produced diarrhea.

Page 58

Mackenzie and I were awakened at dawn by the crowing of a rooster. This meant that there had to be some people around, so we headed in the general direction of the sound. Soon we came to a house occupied by an old Filipino man and a young girl. Once more, as was to be the case so many more times during the war, I was the beneficiary of the friendliness and generosity of ordinary Filipinos. Though these two had never seen us in their lives and could communicate with us only in sign language, they fed us rice and venison and then, for reasons unknown to us, probably far of the Japanese, quietly packed up and left. Long afterward I cannot help but wonder if we Americans would have taken comparable risks and shown equivalent kindness to Filipinos.

Page 59

After a time I came to a village inhabited by Baluga pygmies, a mountain people dressed chiefly in G-strings but whose men were armed with American rifles.

Though the Balugas were frightened momentarily at this apparition appearing suddenly in their midst, they soon recovered and fed me some camotes and green papaya soup. By now an ulcer had indeed developed in the wound on my foot, and had eaten a deep hole in it. The Balugas treated my malady by grinding a red rock into powder, pouring this into the wound, and then covering it with white paste produced by chewing some leaf. Then they took me to a trail that lead downward into the lowlands and left me.

That evening I came to a house nestled against a hillside where foothills disappeared into lowlands. Here I was greeted hospitably by two Filipino couples and offered a choice of food or cigarettes. Incredible though it must seem to a reader, my addiction to tobacco then was so great that I opted for cigarettes and smoked three or four of them. Later my host fed me anyway and let me take a bath, after which I felt refreshed and restored, save only for my throbbing foot.

Pages 59 - 60

By now it was in bad shape. The ulcer had eaten a hole an inch across right down to the bone. Little beads of decaying flesh honeycombed its sides and stank atrociously. In fact , as soon as I sat in the house the family dog picked up the smell and kept coming towards the foot, sniffing inquisitively. I kept driving him away. At length one of the Filipino women, who spoke English, noticed what was taking place and urge me to let the dog lick the wound clean. The mere thought disgusted me, but there were nothing to lose by trying. The dog eagerly worked its tongue into the festering cavity and began to lick away the rotting flesh. The pain was excruciating, so bad that I had to stand and hold my foot down to endure it; but when the dog had finished its loathsome task the foot felt better. I stayed there for week. The dog continued its treatments every day, and my foot began to heal. How easily civilization cause us to forget simple things, that from time immemorial animals have healed themselves by licking their wounds.

Chapter 5 Daily Life with Filipinos


Page 61

Receiving unorthodox medical treatment from a Philippine dog began a process that came close to making me a Filipino.

I was inherited by Mr. and Mrs. Louis Franco, who lived in the village of Tibuc-Tibuc near Gutad at the extreme western edge of Pampanga province.

The Francos did not know a word of English, but they treated me splendidly all the same.

Page 62

Sun, swimming, rest, and ample food gradually healed my foot and restored my health. In the process I turned brown as the Filipinos themselves. Save for my beard , which I could shave, and my Occidental nose, about which I could do nothing, a casual observer could hardly have distinguished me from a Filipino.

The Francos brought me what books they could. Most of them were elementary school text, but since they were all I had I read and reread them many times. From them I learned much about history, government, religion, and customs of the Philippines. With some amazement I discovered that more than seven thousand islands comprise the Philippines, that atleast eighty-seven dialects are spoken by their inhabitants, that Spanish was still the official language of the Islands, that Americans had made English compulsory for school children, and that Tagalog, a smooth, flowing tongue that is pleasurable both to speak and to hear, would probably replace both Western languages eventually.

Page 63

I also began in earnest to learn Pampangano, the dialect of the area.

Page 64

The favorite weapon of most Filipino men was the bolo, a long, curved knife carried in a bamboo scabbard and used for a variety of purposes.

Filipinos love to gamble, particularly on cockfights.

Page 66

Because few Filipinos had firearms before the war, carabao, deer, pigs and chickens were plentiful.

Page 67

Filipinos also esteemed large rats that lived in sugarcane fields, though I must add in their defense that they did not eat rats if the sort that infest garbage dumps. I don't know whether I ever ate "sugar rats" or not. Sometimes one was served stews and soups that were best consumed without asking a lot of questions.

Rice was the staple food of the Philippine diet. Because of its starch one could easily gain weight on it.

"Coffee" was made from rice and corn roasted together, then served with much sugar.

Cassava, the root of a common tropical plant, was cut, fried, and made into something like potato chips.

Small fish called bagong were often mashed and left to ferment, a process that turned them into a sharp-flavored, smelly seasoning.

Cattle intestines were carefully cleaned and much prized.

One's craving for sweets was satisfied most easily by chewing sugar cane, though the Filipinos did make a crude brown sugar by pouring boiled cane juice into coconut shells to harden.

Sometimes they make candy by boiling sugar and freshly gated coconut together.

Pages 67- 68

Most Filipino food was either boiled or roasted, and it run heavily on soup

Pages 68

Silverware was unheard of. Everything but soup was put on banana leaves spread on the floor and eaten with the fingers.

There were times, though when I drew the line. I never became reconciled to the delicacy called balot, a fertilized egg that had been buried in manure of some time, and I never developed a taste for the Philippine jerky after watching clouds of flies blow it while it was being dried in the sun.

But the worst was dog. The first time I ate it, I did not know what it was. When I was told, I promptly vomited my entire dinner. It was not that the flavor was repellent; it was just that I had always liked dogs and the thought of having eaten one gagged me.

The usual procedure was to tie the poor beast to a tree, starve it for several days, then stuff it with all it can eat and batter it to death with a club.

Pages 74-75

A religious service was held in the place almost as soon as we arrived. The sermon was given in Pampangano and then, with unfailing Philippine courtesy, repeated in English for my benefit.

Page 75

Now, near Porac, we met an old man. I told Jose Balekow, the Filipino who would soon become my bodyguard to ask if there were any Japanese in the vicinity. The two carried a long, animated conversation during which Jose was barefooted, shifted repeatedly from one foot to the other on the hot noonday sand. Eventually I lost patience and asked Jose what the old man had said. "Nothing," he replied. The truth of the matter was that there are so many dialects in the Philippines that understanding can easily vanish within twenty miles. Jose had no idea what the old man had said, but was ashamed to admit it.

Page 76

In the tropics people must pace themselves when working to avoid exhaustion. Filipinos did this in a delightful fashion, by having a guitar player set a tempo.

After the rainy season the rice fields dried, the grain ripened, and the farmers harvested it with sharp hand sickles.

Evenings women put rice grains into hallowed logs and pounded them methodically until the husks came off. The sound is as rhythmic as that of railroad men alternating hammer blows when driving spikes.

The rice was laid on broad, hand-woven, nearly flat, circular discs and tossed into the air. The wind blew away the husks, and the rice grains, being heavier fell back onto the discs.

Eventually the rice was packed into sacks on large bamboo baskets. The whole procedure was accompanied by much guitar playing and light-hearted talk. Thus the Filipinos make rice harvesting one of the lesser fine arts. Alas! they were never able to make it an exact science. No matter how much hand picking went on along the way, harvested rice always contained a few tiny rocks.

One soon learned to eat rice cautiously; the alternative was jangled nerves and chipped teeth.

Page 78

The faithful Filipino sometimes went to incredible lengths to protect me. It would be hard to imagine a more heartening demonstration of loyalty that that displayed by Mr. Dolfin L. Dizon, the village leader of Matatalaib, a suburb of San Jose, east of Tarlac City, in Tarlac Province.
Mr. Dizon assembled all the people of his barrio, finger printed in their own blood, ordered them to swear never to reveal my presence among them. He told them they were to die , if necessary, rather than provide any information about me to the Japanese.

Jose soon grew restless for other reason aswell, the main one being that he longed to go back north to his family and fellow Igorot tribesmen.

Chapter 6 Early Guerrillas of Luzon

Page 111

The enemy might have been forgettable, but the booze was not. There were many different liquids one could drink in the Philippines. They ranged from puzzling to lethal. In some places trucks and cars an on coconut alcohol. This was drinkable if it passed through copper tuning; but there were instances of men drinking it after it had run through galvanized pipe, in which cases the thirsty topers went blind.

Pages 111-112

Another common drink was tuba, which was made from palm buds. I drank some of it on occasion and found it not too bad. What our local Filipinos had, though, was two different kinds of wine: basi, made from sugarcane, and miding, concocted from some portion of the nipa palm. The former destroyed one's stomach, the latter one's mind. We drank both and suffered fearsome hangover next morning.

Page 115

In fact, training them at all was difficult since most were civilians who knew nothing of military regularity. Consequently, they relinquished some kinds of training, hated others, and tended to ignore what they disliked.

Pages 115 - 116

What most of them enjoyed most was competitive drill and repeatedly cleaning their weapons. They especially delighted in contest to see who could most rapidly take apart and then correctly assemble weapons when blindfolded.

Page 117

Blackburn was right about most Filipino guerrillas, though. They got bored easily unless there was some action.

Page 123

it simply work better to pick a Filipino subordinate whom you trusted, tell him general what you wanted done, and then leave him alone.

Page 124

While a few Japanese knew occasional Filipino dialect, most of them knew none, whereas Minang had an excellent command of English and knew several Filipino dialects as well. Soon her guards were asking her why her audiences seemed to laugh at unexpected times during her speeches, which were given in Panpangano. It never seemed to occur to them that she would dare to sabotage them verbally. On the contrary, some of her captors were quite taken with her. One high ranking Japanese officer even offered to take her with him when his countrymen conquered Australia.

Chapter 7 Hukbalahaps and Constabulary

Page 127

Our Operations in Central Luzon were complicated immensely by the presence of a rival and bitterly hostile guerrilla organization, the Hukbalahap.

Generations before the war Spanish entrepreneurs had gained control of much of the good farmland in the Philippines and turned it into great estates for the commercial production of various commodities, notably sugar.

Gradually, and particularly in the twentieth century, many Filipinos had also become large landowners.

Actual work on the estates was done by sharecroppers and hired laborers.Like similar people at other times and places, they scratched out a bare living for themselves, and slowly fell hopelessly into debt to their increasingly wealthy landlords.

Because of this long-standing condition there was much peasant unrest in the Philippines on the eve of the war. It was most intense in Central Luzon, particularly in the Pampanga province.

(Notes at the Back)
Most of the debts of peasants were incurred not to improve their lands and to increase their income but to finance weddings, funerals, and fiestas, and to bet on cockfights. Spence, For Every Tear a Victory, p. 230

Chapter 8 Guerrilla Life

Page 141

Meanwhile the villagers who hid us went about their customary activities as their ancestors had dowe for generations.

The women squatted on the banks of streams and beat the dirt out of the family clothing with wooden paddles, in the process often chewing betel nut or indulging in the strange practice of smoking cigarettes with the lighted ends inside their mouths.

Now and then they would take a break and undertake a collective assault on the head lice that are commonplace in the Philippines. They would sit in line, one behind the other like a row of monkeys, and each would pick the lice and nits from the head of the woman in front of her. I never did figure out how the last one inline was accommodated. It seems to me that a circle would have been a more logical configuration.

During the rainy season sudden fierce downpours were common, but nobody seemed to mind, or even notice it much.

The men, usually barefooted, dressed in shorts and, armed with bolos in wooden scabbards attached to their belts, went about their business as usual.Women would pack whatever they had to sell and walk off to market quite as readily during a cloudburst as on a sunny day.

Funerals are frequent, rain or shine, and were always joyous occasions; never sad. Wine and
sweet foods would be shared, as at a party. When the deceased was being taken to his final resting place, his cortege was always preceded by a brass band if anyone could find or assemble one.

Page 155
With the heartening bravery I witnessed so many times in the Philippines, the villagers, even with our common enemy in their midst, tried to deliver food to us, in the dark, in our new location.

Page 157

We Americans are notoriously poor judges of the psychology of other people and maladroit in our dealings with them. In the 1940s the Japanese were incomparably worse. Had they treated the Filipinos with kindness and generosity from the first day of the war, many of the latter would have accepted their fate, and many who remained loyal to America initially would have gradually gone over to the conquerors as months of of Japanese occupation stretched into years.

Japanese field commanders usually acted harshly in an effort to scare civilians into cooperation.

Japanese military administration, by contrast ,gradually began to urge leniency in an effort to win the sympathy of civilians.

The latter might have worked had it been instituted in December 1941, but by 1943 there had been far too many crimes committed by Japanese against Filipinos for such policy to have a chance of success.

Page 158

It is impossible to conceive a more effective tool against Filipinos, whose primary allegiance has always been to their families rather than the nation or state.

Page 160

Most Filipinos are mild, peaceful people, but if aroused or enraged they can become vindictive and capable of frightful cruelties.

Chapter 9 The Flight of the Filipinos

Page 168

The Filipinos were simply caught between Americans and Japan from 1941 to 1945.

The whole position of the Filipinos in the modern world has long been ambiguous.

By geography and skin color they belong to the Orient: by religion and by four centuries of history and social experience, they belong to the Western world.

The latter does not indicate merely a desire to appear "white," as some Caucasians have assumed.

The Philippines never had a well-developed indigenous civilization like those of China, India and Japan.

Thus, when the islands were conquered by Spain in the sixteenth century the victors did not have to displace a deeply rooted alien culture; they had only to impose their own.

Pages 168 -169

Spanish civilization and religion colored the Philippines heavily for more than three centuries, and was then succeeded by American civilization for forty years preceding World War II.

In 1940 Filipinos were brown-skinned Asians, but their recent ancestors had spoken Spanish, the educated among them now spoke English rather than Tagalog, and their government was modeled on that of America.

They were not typical Orients but half-westernized east Asians who occupied a major outpost of the half-Christian, half-secular Occident.

Page 169

Another factor that contributed to the Philippine identity problem was the special character of American imperialism.

The Filipinos were the only Asian colonial people who refused to capitulate to the Japanese without a fight; the only ones who remained loyal to and friendly with their former rulers; the only ones who called eventful Allied victory " Liberation? rather then "reoccupation."

Page 171

The Japanese had no particular animosity toward Filipinos when the war began. They had attacked the Philippines because American bases were there.

But they always underestimated the desire of the Filipinos for freedom, and they were incredibly inept psychologists.

When they stressed the common oriental heritage of Japanese an Filipinos and went out of their way to humiliate white people, this might have cut some ice with Filipinos who remembered " white only" golf clubs, "Christian" schools from which Filipinos were barred, and other subtler forms of American condescension.

But the same "fellow Orientals" then killed them, tortured them, raped their women, stole their food, slapped their faces in public, and required them to bow to Japanese privates.

Nothing made ordinary Filipinos so pro-American as the Japanese occupation.

Page 172

An important element in Filipino psychology is than when one accepts unsolicited favors or gifts from another he thereby incurs an obligation.

Because Americans had done so much to promote democracy, public health, and education in the Philippines, Filipinos felt that they were obligated to help the United States resist the Japanese - who had, of course invaded their homeland too.

But then the Filipinos also assumed that their loyalty would be reciprocated; and they could never understand why the United States was lax at its military preparations before 1941, made its major war time effort in Europe rather than in the Pacific, and did not compel the Japanese to pay war reparations to the Philippines afterward.

Page 174

The Filipinos were trapped, first of all, between the Japanese-sponsored Vargas or Laurel government in their homeland and the Quezon-Osmena government-in-exile in the United States, each backed by a foreign army and each demanding their total allegiance.

If they cooperated with the guerrillas, the Japanese killed them.

If they worked with the Japanese, the guerrillas killed them.

Pages 174 - 175
If the supported the Huks, they incurred the displeasure of all non-communist guerrillas.

If they helped us USAFFE irregulars against the Huks, there lives were at once in danger from the communists.

Page 175

An all-too-typical illustration of this melancholy state of affairs once took place in Tayabas province.

Guerrillas entered a town, assembled all the people in the village church, read off the names of those deemed pro-Japanese, and shot them.

The Japanese soon heard of what had happened, assembled the survivors, and shot all those they considered pro-American.

Page 176

Historically, the usual response of the Philippine ruling elite to conquest has been to come to terms with the invader in order to retain their own influence and to spare the islands and their peoples.

So it has been with the Spaniards before 1898 and with the Americans afterward.

In 1941 most Filipinos did not regard the Japanese as a friendly people, or trust them, but they did regard them with respect.

The traditional Filipino elite doubtless would have responded to Japanese conquest and occupation as their forefathers had done to Spaniards and Americans if only Japanese propaganda had been less crude and unconvincing, and Japanese conduct less beastly.

A Day in Pampanga: San Jose Mitla Elementary School

2015-08-04T16:53:00.003+08:00

Our company's Community and Extension Service Committee visited the elementary school in Porac, Pampanga in cooperation of ACCE Philippines. We shared our blessings to them. We became Ate and Kuya,,, I even called our president Kuya and even our manager.汗)

Study Tour：ゴミ山

2015-08-04T16:53:00.001+08:00

Together with ACCE we visited Smoky Mountain at Tondo, Manila.
Philippines has many beautiful spots ^^, but also some eye sores(T_T)

So what did I saw on Smoky Mountain?

Naked children running and playing around garbage, not knowing the danger they are encountering.
Wood Debris being change to charcoal then sold for money.
The soot brings health hazards to the lungs of the people there.
Lastly, Philippine people even though they suffer poverty they can still managed to smile to life.

I am grateful for these Japanese persons member of ACCE because they bring light of hope to my fellow Filipinos.
This NPO ( non profit organization) or NGO ( non government organization) as they are called.
They were able to provide a pharmacy which sells medicines for low cost.
By home visit the locals, the homeowners may feel important that they are still part of the community because even in their humble state they can still received visitors from local and foreign lands.
Having someone to listen to you even in the lowest state will still give you pride.
I am glad even though they are poor they still have dreams for their children.
I hope Philippine government will really help them by giving them a security to have a home.
Smoky Mountain lands are private, they have electricity yes, but they are connected illegally.
What surprised me was they should not be paying for those illegal connections but, it turns out that houses with illegal connections pays more than the legal ones. In one of the family we visited and local folks living there, we learned that they pay electric bills 400~800 pesos per month. I was surprised because in the apartment we lived in our averaged electric bill per month was only 200~500 pesos, well we have a tv, 5 electric fans, a flat iron, my laptop, cellphone chargers and lights.
They can't have a legal connections because the land is private, it seems that rich people owning the land seems don't want them to established a decent community there, if that happens it will be hard for them to be kick out from their land.

Filipino vs Spanish

2015-01-11T08:10:00.000+08:00

¿Cómo está? in Filipino it is kumusta. How are you? On my last travel before the end of 2014, I met a Spanish friend. He told that he can recognized some of the words we Filipinos use.Well I did some little compilations :)

Months

enero - enero

febrero - pebrero

marzo – marso

abril – abril

mayo – mayo

junio – hunyo

julio – hulyo

agosto – agosto

septiembre – septembre

octubre - oktubre

noviembre – nobembre

diciembre – disyembre

Days

lunes – lunes

martes – martes

miercoles – mierkules

jueves – huebes

viernes – biernes

sabado – sabado

domingo – lingo ( in other area like Pampanga domingo is used)

Time

hora – oras (time)

minuto -minuto (minutes)

segundo – segundo (seconds)

es la una – ala una (1 o'clock)

son las dos – alas dos (2 o'clock)

son las tres – alas tres (3 o'clock)

son las cuatro – alas kuwatro (4 o'clock)

son las cinco - ala singko (5 o'clock)

son las seis - ala sais (6 o'clock)

son las siete – ala siete (7 o'clock)

son las ocho – alas otso (8 o'clock)

son las nueve – alas nuebe (9 o'clock)

son las diez – alas dies (10 o'clock)

son las once – alas once (11 o'clock)

son las doce – als doce (12 o'clock)

es la una y media – ala una y media (1:30 )

The plural form of Spanish becomes the specific name of thins in Filipino such as:

patata is potato,, make it plural it becomes patatas, in Filipino potato/potatoes is called patatas

pera is pear, make it plural it becomes peras, in Filipino pear/pears is called peras

lechuga is lettuce, make it plural becomes lechugas, in Filipino lettuce is called lechugas

rabano is radish, make it plural becomes rabanos, in Filipino radish/radishes is known as labanos

uva is grape, make is plural it becomes uvas, in Filipino grape/grapes is known as ubas

manzana is apple, make it plural it becomes manzanas, in Filipino apple/apples is known as mansanas

zapato is shoe, make it plural it becomes zapatos, in Filipino shoe/shoes is called sapatos

Old Filipino lacks the F, V, Z and some alphabets. So tend to pronounce F as P, V as B, Z as S.

About the vowels we have 5 which are A , E, I, O, U but Filipinos can tends to interchange the

E/I sound, as well as the O/U sound.

A BA KA DA E GA HA I LA MA NA NGA O PA RA SA TA U WA YA

I was singing the song I was taught in school N years ago to refresh my memory while typing the above characters.

Now the modern Filipino alphabets are the ones below. We now have 28. Additional of Ñ NG to the English alphabets.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N Ñ NG O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Spanish - Filipino 101 words being use in/for:

SCHOOL

estudiante – estudyante (student)

papel – papel ( paper)

lapis – lapiz (pencil)

borrador – pambura (eraser)

pizarra – pisara (blackboard)

libro – libro (book)

maestro – maestro ( male teacher)

maestra – maestra ( female teacher)

escuela – eskwela

TRAVEL

pasaporte – pasaporte (passport)

viajero – biahero

pasajero – pasahero

HOUSE, Just looking around the house things with Spanish words can be seen.

mesa – mesa (lamesa) (table)

cuchara – kutsara (spoon)

tenedor – tinidor (fork)

plato – plato ( plate)

caldero – kaldero ( pan)

silla – silya (chair)

ventilador – bentilador ( electric fan)

jaula – haula (birdcage)

cama – kama (bed)

plancha – plantsa ( iron)

vaso – baso (glass)

cocina – kusina (kitchen)

horno – horno (oven)

lavabo – lababo (sink)

baño – banyo (bath)

singular for baño is el baño if the baño becomes many, it becomes los baños

We have that place in Laguna, so it means many baths because in that area many hot springs

Another place one in Mindoro, the place name is Puerto Galera

Puerto means port

Galera means galley

Looking at the net the meaning of galley means galleon..

ANIMALS:

animal – animal (animal)

conejo – kuneho (rabbit)

caballo – kabayo (horse)

elefante - elepante (elephat)

pavo – pabo ( turkey)

usually these words denotes part of meat, we usually eat..

pecho (breast) – pecho ( chicken breast)

pata (leg) – pata ( pig leg)

lechon – lechon (roasted pig)

FOOD:

cafe – kape (coffee)

azucar – asukal ( sugar)

pimienta – paminta (pepper)

food combination of spanish word

leche flan - milk custard

pan de sal – salted bread

puto seco – seco means dry, about the puto better ask some Spanish speaking people

here are some food we eat in the Philippines :)

pastillas

mamon

puto

Pampanga Churches 1

2013-07-29T23:00:00.003+08:00

It has been long thought of mine to have a compilation of the churches in my home province Pampanga.
I want to showcase the churches of Pampanga the way you can journey them.

Mabalacat City: Our Lady of Grace Parish Church.

From Dau to the church fare is just 10 peso. Just ride whichever one of these jeepney
1. Angeles-Mabalacat
2. Capas-Angeles
3. Bamban Angeles

Our Lady of Grace Parish

Magalang : San Bartholomew Parish Church

Since you are already in Mabalacat, after visiting the Our Lady of Grace Church, just walk southward going to the Public Market. You will be able to see the jeepney terminal going to Magalang. It is on the left side (east side) if you go southward. there is a Gasoline Station near the Mabalacat-Magalang Terminal. Mabalacat to Magalang is 24 peso. The Parish of San Bartolome is located at E. Baluyut street.

The Gasoline Station

The Mabalacat-Magalang Terminal

The Fare Chart

Parish of San Bartolome

Arayat : Santa Catalina Parish

From Magalang going to Arayat wait for Magalang-Arayat jeepney at Pablo Luciano Street, it takes long sometimes to it is better to ride first going to Buensuceso, Arayat this too is a Magalang-Arayat jeepney, fare cost is 8 peso. At Buensuceso, wait for another Magalang-Arayat jeeney this time bound to Santa Catalina Parish. The church was renovated concrete was applied at the facade of the church.

Santa Catalina Parish

Santa Ana : Santa Ana Parish Church

From Arayat you can reach Santa Ana by riding a Arayat-Hi way- San Fernando jeepney the fare is 10 peso.

Santa Ana Parish Church

VOA : Volunteer of ACCESS

2013-07-29T21:58:00.002+08:00

A. ACCESS area based program

1. Smokey Mountain 2 ( Tondo, Metro Manila)

Health Training

Youth

Women

Livelihood (Rosary making)

Meet Up at Betty Go LRT Station

Riding a Jeepney

Touring SM2

Woods for Charcoal Making

Children in the Charcoal Area

Swimming at the Pasig River

2. Perez (Alabat island, Quezon province)

Scholarship program - Feeding program

Kamalayan (youth organization)

Mapayapa (Livelihood program, Coonut product making)

Kagayaka ( Experimental farm project and organic feed hog raising project)

3. Pinatubo (Porac, Pampanga province)

Education program.

Daycare Center

Support elementary school

Tutorial Class for out of school children

Feeding Program

Farming program.

Organizing obrero (Farmers using carabao)

Mango growing

Carabao dispersal project

Planting crops on lahar soil

B. ACCESS major activities

1. Implementation of program in each area

2. Study tour (Long, short, one-day)

3. Staff development (study, training)

4. Fair Trade

5. Communication with ACCE Japan (Supporters in Japan)

6. Microfinance program (Start from Perez)

7. Advocacy

C. Expected participation of volunteer.

1. Communication for Japanese supporters (translation, interpretation, making report, photo recording, video recording)

2. Visitation of program sites.

3. Research, recording, data analysis in coordination with ACCESS

4. Expansion of advocacy members. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Fund raising.

D. Classification of volunteer.

1. Intern - With contract. More than 6 months. 40 hrs per week.

2. Volunteer Staff - Basically participates with voluntary will but has certain task in activity.

3. Volunteer - No binding. Participate with voluntary will. No regular task.

4. Retainer - Contribute his/her professional capability with minimum compensation.

The VOA falls in the category of volunteer staff.

We conduct study tour for the project sites, tapping the network we are involved with Students, Offices and Friends.

We help in in selling the fair trade goods in bazaar.

We record the events by taking pictures.

Caving Wawa Rodriguez, Rizal

2013-07-29T21:55:00.000+08:00

This year aside from looking at the water reservoir, I tried spelunking two times. I have been to some caves before Like the Caves of Sagada and the Puerto Princesa Underground River (will it count?), But one of the caves of Wawa challenged my stamina. Twice I entered the the Pamitinan caves. This cave harbor lots of history from the Spanish era till WW2. The Pamitinan caves has a length of 1110 m, so this is 1.11 Km one way, returning back you need to trek again 1.11Km. We were guided by kuya Joni Delos Santos his contact number is 09295497211. Wawa is accessible from Cubao. Just ride the white FX under the Cubao MRT station, on the side of Farmers Market. Ask the driver to drop you at around Eastwood ( Not Eastwood Libis mind you) from there you ride a jeepney.

Here's the itinerary I made on my last visit :P

Let us Meet at Cubao MRT station (near farmer's plaza) not LRT station. around 730 am,

How to go, to do, how much?

1. Meet Up at Coffee Bean Gateway.
2. Ride FX from cubao MRT to Montalban Rizal 50 pesos
3. Ride Jeepeney going to Wawa 9 pesos
4. Register at tourism office 5 pesos.
5. If you go caving we rent helmet 50 pesos, rent light 50 pesos
6. pay tour guide, last time i went there we were two each of us paid 100 peso each.
7. going back maybe rent tricycle 50 peso one tricycle.
8. If not ride a tricycle ride a jeepney cost 9 pesos
7. bring water, and snacks and extra clothes, we will surely get wet and dirty.

we will not push through if the weather is bad :(
added info, the avillon zoo is located in Montalban
entrace fee is 300 peso.

It just rained a few days before I went to Wawa, the hut that are found at the base of the dam were swept away by the current. The water was not so clear,,, It was colored mud. This was erosion from the mountains. Sad to say although it is forested many people are still just living for today not minding about tomorrow. Many people still make charcoal for livelihood. Charcoal is made from wood, so were would you think they get their raw materials? Wawa river is connected to the Marikina river the Marikina river is connected to the Pasig river. The Pasig River is connected to the Manila bay. Marikina River branch out at Floodway in Pasig, then these branching out goes to the biggest lake in the Philippines which is the Laguna Bay. So what do you expect if the source is muddy,, all the river connected to it will be muddy also :(

Wawa River

Water Rushing Down

Wawa Dam

Bathing under the Falls

Caving :P here I come...

Gears for Rent

From the Tourism Office you need to cross the river to go the the Pamitinan cave. It is located halfway the mountain. In front of the cave is a memorial,,, praying for the souls of WW2.


Helmet and Headlights are a must :P

Water Hose for transferring water

If you got lost,,, just grab the hose :P

Crystals

Our Guide

Pa Palawan (Going to Palawan)

2012-04-12T22:37:00.000+08:00

Palawan Cherry Blossoms

First time to travel to Palawan, I boarded PAL, got 91 miles going and another 91 miles going back to Manila. As the Plane is touching down on the run way of Puerto Pricesa Airport, the plane speaker broadcasted a reminder that Palawan is a clean city and littering is strictly prohibited and those who violates will be penalized :P. I hope all of the Philippines are like this...behaving like Singapore... Strict :P

The Tower of Puerto Princesa Airport

PAL

Philippine Airlines

Peace Sign and PAL

Welcome to Puerto Princesa ^^

Arrived in Puerto Princesa Airport, after going out from the airport terminal, I was greeted by pink flowers blooming on trees. The local resident called it the Palawan Cherry Tree, in the local language it is called Balayong. It was March, that is also the spring season of Japan, when the Sakura begins to Bloom added to that according to the local people the blooms of the Balayong stays on the tree for a week only then they fell in the ground, so you can compare it with the Japanese Sakura ^^. On this Month the people of Puerto Princesa held the Balayong Festival, in honor of the Palawan Cherry Tree.

Balayong "Palawan Cherry Blossoms"

Palawan Cherry Blossoms

On our Trip to Palawan we are just in time to witness one festival called the Balayong Festival. The streets are closed for parade.

Balayong Festival

Street Parade

Food :P Something Exotic

Tamilok

KINABUCHS Grill and Bar

I ate TAMILOK (Shipworm),,, a kind of mollusks, but looks like an earthworm, the taste was oyster like, so it suit my taste buds but due to its appearance I ate it with closed eyes. The Tamilok is the termite of the sea it can digest woods. They are mostly found on Mangrove forest.

Mangrove Fruit

A clear view Y^^,

On this trip I learned to prevent the clouding of the snorkel mask, you can use the sap of the Mangrove Fruit as an anti clouding agent, just rub the sap on the inner side of the mask and if you go snorkeling then remove the mask it will not accumulate vapors.
(From my Camiguin travel I learned from my French female friend that you can also use toothpaste as an anti clouding agent, just do not forget to rinse it or else :P)

Growing Mangroves

Mangrove

Bamboo and Mangrove

Our guided tour includes the Island hoping
Snorkeling was done on the Honda Bay ( Hunda Bay) there are many coral reefs. Different types of corals can be seen and fishes too, you can bring bread then feed the fish.

The boat we rode on are boats of fishermen. Some of them once participated in illegal fishing.
They used home made bombs to blast the sea.
This action destroyed the corals and killed many fishes.
Now they changed job, they are now on to ecotourism.

We stayed on a guest house, one room 4 guys all of us office mates, then on the other room another office mate with his girlfriend. How lucky the other room because they were greeted by a Tokay gecko (Tuko in Filipino).

On this Palawan stay , we enjoyed nature very much, there is also an interesting road we traveled on, because of the hilly terrain, The car we rode on felt like a roller coaster, going Up and going Down.

We went to the Crocodile farm where you can view a large skeleton of a salt water crocodile, this was killed because it ate a man :(.

Dinosaur?

Basking in the sun

Baby Crocs

my Baby :P

Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm, here prisoners are roaming freely, doing farm work and other stuffs like normal people do outside, except all of them wear bright orange suits. You can buy souvenirs which the prisoners themselves made. They are selling crocodile figures, I ask how they made it, they said it made from melted plastic cups. They melted the plastic cups and molded it to a crocodile shapes. So they are reusing the plastic junks from fastfood.

Crocodile Souvenier

Palawan Crocodile

Pasalubong ^^

The Palawan Under Ground River.

Palawan Underground River

The Palawan Underground River became one of the new 7th wonders of nature.Proudly, I voted fo it ^^, including the other winners from Asia ^^. From Sabang Beach we ride a bangka (boat) going to the underground river. Get off from the Bangka then walked on a trail leading to the mount of the cave. On the trail you can be greeted by a Bayawak (Monitor Lizard) a big lizard with fork blue tongue. Some monkeys too will say hello, but be cautious because those monkeys are not shy to grab plastic bags. They steal for food :( according to one of the people there.

Boat from Sabang

dorobo saru :P

bayawak

PPUR

HORSE@ppur

flower

bats of PPUR

ppur

The guided tour includes a trip around the town we had a stop over on the town. We were taken to the The Immaculate Conception Cathedral and a nearby park with a monument about WWII.

The Immaculate Conception Cathedral

One downfall of going to Palawan is that if you are a blood donor, you need to wait 1 year as quarantine period. You can not donate blood :( because Palawan is known source of Malaria disease from mosquito bites.

Other stuffs and stop over...

I saw red banana on Palawan but it was not my first time to see one^^, I was able to take some pictures of it together with different types of bananas.

Red Banana

bananas

banana

On this Palawan trip I just stayed on Puerto Princessa. In the future I would like to see, Coron, El Nido and Calauit Island, these are one of the good places too in Palawan. Coron and El Nido are famous for beach while Calauit is famous safari animals like giraffes ans zebra roaming freely on the island.

Daranak. Batlag and the Hinulugang Taktak : Water Falls Dilemma...

2012-04-11T00:39:00.000+08:00

Long time no write in here, I have so many things to share, but this one is urgent. I was looking forward for this one day trip. I went to Tanay Rizal last July 2009. I was able to see the famous Daranak Falls. I took some pictures and here are they :P

Daranak Falls

For more pictures try to visit my Ang Bayan Ninyo ^^,

So after three years, I returned back to visit Daranak falls, I brought two foreign friends with me. It came out of my mind that April 9, 2012 was part of the longest weekends in Philippines. It started Thursday for the Holy week vacation and April 9 still a Public Holiday because of the Day of Valor. I did not realized and did not expect that there will be so many people in the falls. We paid 20 pesos for the entrance. I think it is for the maintenance of the area. But what are they maintaining? If people who entered there destroys the area plus they leave their garbage behind so sad. In this area people should only take pictures and leave nothing but footprints.

Too much people at Daranak

So many people Swimming on Daranak Falls. People = Food = Plastic Bags = Garbage,,, it's so frustrating that people just throw their garbage anywhere :( ,,, What does the people on the park doing? I hope people of the Tanay Government will provide info about the importance of the spot and what are the trees, plants, animal, insect, birds species that can be found there. We spent only around 15 minutes here, then proceeded to the Batlag Falls.

Welcome sa Batlag

Batlag falls located on a private land,,, I got a bad experience here last time, just read my experience here. This time we were able to enter Batlag falls. Entrance fee is 50 peso, thinking that it is private and cost alittle expensive I thought only few people are there. To my dismay same situation on Daranak falls, we Filipinos really do not think what we are doing,,, Cooking BBQ everywhere, throwing garbage anywhere, destroying nature while having fun :(.. I hope we appreciate nature and keep it beautiful.

Batlag falls

Batlag turns Brown

Basura

BBQ

I hope on these two sites the management must set a designated spot for eating and have an orientation about the place plus reminding the Do's and Don'ts so that the cleanliness and the natural beauty of the place be preserve.

From Tanay, Rizal we rode a Jeepney going to Antipolo's Hinulugang Taktak. We arrived at the Hinulugang Taktak National park, entrace is 8 pesos. the ambiance is better than Daranak and Batlag because you can feel you are inside a national park,,,somehow I got the impression that it is organized. They have garbage bins for biodegradable and non bio. But...

Going down you can see clearly some spot of negligence. This is a National Park and people pays to enter too, yet many garbage sores the eyes. Regarding the Waterfall as water drops bubbles also form, It seems they are soap bubbles, since upstream the river flows along residential area, so I guess it is also connected to the drainage system of the houses, too bad because it destroys the beauty of the falls, I hope the park management is aware of the problem.

Hinulugang Taktak

Hinulugang Taktak and Detergent Bubbles

Sapa

Basura

P.S.
To see the beauty of Daranak here is link from one of my Idol

Daranak Falls by digiseph

How to Go to Tanay please click Che's Blog

Cebu Bai ^^ Day 2 Danggit and the Ayala Center

2012-03-02T00:28:00.001+08:00

Danggit : Naso hexacanthus

After Going to the Taoist Temple of Cebu we decided to buy some Pasalubong ( お土産）, We went to the public market to look for souvenirs. We landed to the Fish Market to buy the ever famous salted dried danggit. Well not just salted dried danggit are there were also squids and different kinds of dried fishes.

Aside from the dried fish we also saw the ever famous dried mango ^^, the one on pack pack are expensive compare to the dried mangoes you buy per kilo.

dried mango

After the market we returned to the hotel then proceed to Ayala Center Cebu.

So this wrap up our cebu trip the following day we boarded a Boat to go to Bohol Island.

Cebu Bai ^^ Day 2 The FOC and the CTT

2012-03-01T15:28:00.003+08:00

The Dragon of Cebu Taoist Temple

Too bad I did not experience going to Cebu's famous tourist spot like the Malapascua Island.
All we did is just getting familiar with the main island of Cebu.

So what we did on the second day? recalling again based from the pictures taken :P

Early in the morning, I went to the Fuente Osmena Circle. Oh it was the monument at the right corner of the old Philippine 50 peso bill.

Fuente Osmena Circle

Me:P

After the morning shoot at Fuente Osmena Circle we rode a Jeep going to the CebuTaoist Temple. It is located at Beverly Hills subdivision and was built in 1972. You can see dragons here ^^ which makes me think of Dragon ball Z :P

Ilang-Ilang

Lotus

Picture Time

Dragon

Goldfish

Hump Ahead

Fallen Flowers on the road :P

Cebu Bai ^^, Day 1 City Tour :P

2012-02-29T16:15:00.003+08:00

Danggit Bai ^^, I went to Cebu last June 2009. Trying to recall again what was done and what was seen, reviewing the pictures filed on my hard disk. When I went there I used two cameras my Casio EX-Z1080 and my Nikon D60. I traveled with two office mates by Philippine Airlines. We left Manila June 11, 2009.

Day 1, Leaving Manila... Arrival to Cebu

Coffee ala PAL

In flight Meal :P

We arrived at Mactan Airport, then we went to visit the Mactan Shrine, where the statue of Lapu-Lapu is standing.. He is one of the first Filipino Heroes who resisted the invasion of Spain,
Lapu-Lapu is the one who killed Magellan.

Statue of Lapu-Lapu

After visiting the Shrine, we ate SUTUKIL,,, well we thought it was a name of a restaurant there. SUTUKIL means sinugba, tuwa, kilaw. It a combination of three meals. Sinugba is Grilled, Tuwa is Sour Soup and Kilaw is vinegar raw fish.

One of the many SUTUKIL restaurant

Our ULAM later ^^

Parrot Fish

Kilaw, raw fish mixed with vinegar

the precinct infront of the Sutukil restaurant

After Eating we proceed to go to Mandaue-Mactan Bridge. We rode on a Jeep, so different from the Jeepney in Manila and in Pampanga.

Babae sa Tulay

From here we took a cab to bring us to our Hotel ^^,

Map of Cebu

Sto. Nino. the child Jesus...

Sto. Nino

Welcome to Mandaue City

Welcome New Mandaue City ^^

At Westpoint Inn...

From our Hotel we walked going to downtown. We visited the Cross of Magellan, which is located at the back of the Church of the Convent of Sto. Nino (Basilica del Santo Nino). There is a mini museum inside the church.

Sto. Nino

The Magellan's Cross

Magellan's Cross

Around the afternoon on our first day at Cebu we visited Fort San Pedro.
When we arrived there the clouds are dark, and inside the fort there are tables for a wedding reception I guess it was an unlucky day for a garden wedding party :( the rain poured suddenly :(

Fort San Pedro

Wedding Reception

Building ^^

National Museum

Kanyon

When it rains, it pours

Sa silong

Basang Ibon

Day 1 in Cebu is finished,,, I will continue to post pictures of Cebu Day 2 on next blog ^^

Ang Bayan Ninyo 2012...

2012-02-28T11:00:00.002+08:00

One time I had a dream about taking pictures of something which I can not recall. What I remember is that I was taking a picture then suddenly my camera split into two. Waah no more camera. My camera is almost 2 years old. I used it so much maybe It will reached its end soon. I am glad it captured so many good memories and sights. D60 お疲れ様でした^^

February 24, I got a new baby, her name is Fujifilm X10, I am still finding my way how to work it out. In the meantime I will give rest to my Nikon D60, she served me well these past years.

It is already the last week of February, but I never update this site. Maybe to busy or just to lazy to update. I will be trying to design too my new banner. Upload pics from past travels like Palawan, Cebu, Bohol, Boracay and Etc... I hope I will not be too lazy to upload later... :P

I tried to make one blog, about the Philippines. A friend of mine once talked about how the image of the Philippines is perceived. My Friend is Japanese, he told me if you search it on google using English and Japanese the results varies.

If you type in the word Philippines in google and look for images, the Philippine nature will be displayed, however when you key in フィリピン　(firipin) in Japanese pictures of girls will fill the screen. Is this the image of the Philippines to the Japanese eyes.　I hope I can changed that image that Philippines has alot more to offer, not just of girls on pub.

Search Image: Philippines

Search Image: フィリピン

I also have a friend whose perception of Philippines is a little bit strange. He thought that Philippines is a land filled with Banana trees, people are so dark and the place is like a garbage of mountain. Partly they are right if you go to banana plantations you will see bananas :P.There are also dark colored people but there are also light colored people, Philippines is a mixture of different races, from the Aetas, Igrots, and other Philippine tribes, there are also mixtures of European due to 345 years of colonization of Spain. Many Chinese and Indians and Arab descends too due to a long history of trading. There are also Americans, Japanese decends due to occupation.

Regarding the Mountain of Garbage yes we have it but there are also some places like that aside from the Philippines. In Philippines we are poor in waste management that is why garbage piled up :(. One of my friend when he arrived in Philippines he was so surprised to see skycrappers on Makati, Aside from Makati you can also try to visit the Fort, Eastwood City and other places. Most of the foreign people I talk to are so amazed that the shopping malls in the Philippines are too large compare it to malls they saw in their own country. I jokingly answer these are the parks in the Philippines, since the Philippine is an everlasting summer, we Filipinos love airconditioner ^^,

Regarding safety, where ever you are, just be careful, For example, do not display your glittering gold jewelries amid the crowd, it is common sense :) if you do not want to be held Up, just dress plainly and not flashy, if you go to public places.

I have to remind you too to always bring your own toilet paper wherever you go around Philippines, because we Filipinos rarely uses that :P So in case of emergency just prepare because you will not find one in the toilets :P

I am off topic again sorry for no cohesion, I just write what I feel ^^

Come to Camiguin...^^

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000+08:00

My second trip to Mindanao. The plane touched down CDO airport. CDO stands for Cagayan De Oro, it is also called the "City of Golden Friendship." We arrived at CDO airport around 6 in the morning then went to town to visit the family of my friend, I think we stayed there until 8 am, after that we travel going to the port where we will ride a barge going to Camiguin island.

Map of Camiguin I found somewhere in the net long time ago, sorry I forgot where.

CDO

The Port this is one of the gateway going to the Camiguin Island. For students and senior citizen, an ID is needed to have discount on fare. The travel going to Camiguin was around 1 hour.

A view of Camiguin

The White Island, actually this is not an island it is a sand dune, if it is high tide you can only see some part of it, if low tide you can walk on it like a beach.

Going to White Island, pic courtesy of Bryan

The White Island

Photo of courtesy of Allan on White Island

Enigmata Tree House and Sculpture Garden, I lost my jacket here :(, We played Sungka here one of the traditional Filipino games, I think we met our Swedish friend here.

The Sungka Battle..

From Enigmata We rode on a tricycle to go to Katigbawasan Falls,, It is a 250 feet tall falls.

Katibawasan Falls

After the Falls we climb a mountain which I forgot the name, But I tried to jokes to my two lady friends that there is a snake, I wanted to surprised them being the mischievous me I saw a twig and with an intention to shout SNAKE! then the brown twig suddenly moved it was a real snake after all, I was the one who was caught by surprised. As we walk down the mountain our friend Marcus give us a hitch on his rented bike. The first ride was 3 people on one bike. Then we walked down so 4 people rode the bike after :P this is called Habal habal. As we are walking down I noticed even on the mountains people love Karaoke and they spoke to me in their language, which I can not comprehend not a single word. I told my Japanese and French friend I am also a foreigner here because I can not understand what the People are saying :(. After the trek and the snake we dip on to a hot spring resort, too bad I was not able to take pictures, I wonder why? maybe my battery run out. After the Dip we drunk beer in one of the hotel near our rented cottage.

These two pictures are c/o Allan

Going back to CDO from 3 Filipino Guys, 1 Japanese Girl, 1 French Girl we added one friend from Sweden, then we all gate crash to one wedding on our return to CDO, the City of Golden Friendship. On the Way going back to the port we were greeted by jumping dolphins ^^,

Dolphins：イルカ

There is a underwater cemetery in Camiguin but unfortunately we did not able to visit. It was buried by Volcanic Eruptions, in Camiguin you can find one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines which is Mt. Hibok-hibok. It was featured once in Television, the biodiversity of Camiguin is so many too. They featured Whales passing the island ^^,

Zamboanga

2011-12-28T13:50:00.000+08:00

Cebu Pacific at Zamboanga Airport

I really wanted to see the vinta, the colorful sail of the boat in Zamboanga but I got no chance, instead I was surprised by the discovery of some weird looking crabs. They call it Kuracha.
I was also astound when I saw many swallows like swarm of bees in the sky. Sea Food is cheap in Zamboanga because it is near the sea. You can also view the Basilan Island right now that island is abit dangerous so be careful to not go there. The pictures below are the ones captured by my Nikkon D60, the year was Dec 2009 so it has been 2 years :P. In traveling around the Philippines we can see the evolution of the tricycle. This is my second time to be in Mindanao. I did home-stay to house of my friend who lives there. I'm really thankful for the hospitality they gave to us.

Tricycle

daing

surume ^^ daing na pusit

Sea weed

Kuracha Crab

Satti: Mindanao is dominated my muslim people, they have the spicy dish they call satti. The sauce actually taste like the Japanese Curry.

Satti

Dilaw na Parol; Yellow Star

On travelling I really love sight seeing in the market, sometimes you will be able to see many different animals which you do not normally see.

Eel, Fish and strange crab

Cut the Tuna

Sea stuff :P

Soursop: Guyabano

Papaya

Buttered Shrimp

The Illumination of the city hall was very fascinating, I wonder how much was their electric bill :P

The City Hall

Badjao

These badjao people are good swimmers and divers, drop 5 peso coin in the sea then they will jump from the boat and retrieve the coin. Ofcourse that becomes theirs.

Malong and Sarong Stall

Kinilaw: Raw fish and Vinegar

The migratory birds perching on the electrical lines. They look like swarms of bees when they fly.

Birds dropping

Akyat Pinatubo : Climb Pinatubo

2011-12-26T15:02:00.000+08:00

Akyat Pinatubo 2011

June 12, 1991, Philippines Independence Day, A Wednesday, no classes, I was watching a movie of Dolphy the Philippines King of Comedy when people outside created a noise. The world is ending? As I go outside our house, I saw a grey smoke coming from the west part of the Zambales Mountain ranges, I can't believe it we have an active volcano on sight. The year Mt. Pinatubo erupted is the year the contract of the American Military Bases in the Philippines expires. Anyways, I remember we went to Bulacan to evacuate on June 15 there was a typhoon, the sky was darken by combine forces of ash and sand plus rain. Surely we thought the world will gonna end. The eruption of Mt. Pinatubo brought disaster to the "Rice granary of the Philippines" burying most low lands of Central Luzon, and making many people unemployed because of the closing of the Clark and Subic. This event made the Aeta people flee from the mountains to escape the wrath of Apu Mallari (Mt. Pinatubo) . This event forced them to become beggars for some years, but now they return to the mountains and continues with their life of simplicity.

This page is about Mt. Pinatubo, when I did hiking, I climbed Mt. Pinatubo 2 times the first time was in the year 2008, around June with two office mates. Then this year around February with some friends. On both trips I joined on a group tour. Just pay money and be there no need to organize.

But if you want to go there from Manila, take buses going to the North ( Going to Pangasinan, Going to Baguio) then drop by at Capas, Tarlac, then go to Brgy. Sta. Juliana (by tricycle) and register for the climb. Warning: They charge different fee for foreigners, the reason I do not know :(

Pinatubo Climb with Office mates June 2008

Sta. Juliana, Capas, Tarlac

With Kuya Lam and Ate Mabs

with Charme

February 2011, Pinatubo Climb with non-office mates ^^,

Taal Volcano the Smallest Volcano in the World

2011-12-23T16:33:00.000+08:00

Taal is in Batangas, but the best view of it is in Cavite, there was once a commotion in the net that a BIG BATANGAS letters be place on the worlds smallest volcano. But I'm not here to talk about that :P.

It does not appeal to me that is it the smallest volcano in the world but what I learned posted in the guest house we live in. There was once living sharks in the lake, until 1930's until they were wiped out by over fishing. I think it is also for safety reasons, because sharks are carnivores.
Viewing the lake you can still see fishes that can be found in the sea, these creatures adapted from salt water to fresh water. Like the TAWILIS, a kind of fresh water sardines that is only found inside the TAAL lake. Sorry no picture, but here is a link from wiki about TAWILIS.

I climbed Taal Volcano last March 2010, this was our company summer outing. From Balai Isabel we rode a boat, then went to the Island where Taal Volcano is located, I was the road was dusty because it was El Nino during that time the soil was so dry, so dust fly freely. On the trail I saw many butterflies, some frogs and heard a Gecko crying "TUUKO", on the trail I saw pet bottles thrown by people so sad :(

Below is a text in Japanese, corrected by friends in one language site ^^,

昔はタール湖にサメがいました

フィリピンには特別な湖があります。
その湖はＴＡＡＬ湖と言います。
昔、湖は外の海につながっていました。
火山の噴火で新たな陸地が形成されました。
そして湖は外の海と切り離されました。
わずかな海洋生物がその湖に閉じ込められました。
それらの海洋生物は淡水に適応しました。
その湖に淡水イワシが生きてます。
地元語でそれらは「TAWILIS」と呼ばれています。
サメも１９３０年までその湖にいました。
乱獲されてサメは絶滅しました。
湖の中に小活火山があります。
火山はＴＡＡＬ火山と言います。
ＴＡＡＬ火山は世界で最小の活火山だと思います。
この前、会社の慰安旅行でＴＡＡＬ火山を登りました。
たくさん汗がしたたり落ちました。：Ｐ

Here are some Pictures of Taal.

Picture of me taken by my officmate

Picture of me taken by my Officemate

Office Peeps

Picture of me taken by my officmate

Flower

Sunset

Macopa

Mango Flowers

Frog

Sweat after Hike

Taal Crater

Bahay Kubo...Nipa Hut... Pinoy's house

2011-12-21T10:12:00.000+08:00

Along the river banks of Smoky Mountain 2 we can view the former Smoky Mountain, now it is a hill with greens.

Smokey Mountain 1 becomes a Hill, What if people will plant bamboo there?
Bamboo can be a source of housing materials and even food.

What if along the riverbanks of the Pasig river, Nipa Palms will be growing?
I wonder if they grew there once upon a time.

Nipa Palms are like Mangrooves they shelter smaller fishes. And the native Filipino Houses are called Nipa Huts. It is a combination of Bamboo and Nipa leaves. There was once a time when housing materials are free, all can be gather from nature.

Bamboo : Kawayan :竹

Young Bamboo shoots

Nipa palms along the river

Nipa Palms

Nipa Palm Flowers

The draw back of living in Bahay Kubo is that Philippines is visited by numerous storms every year and this houses are easily blown by it. These house are light weight so long ago these types of houses can be transferred to other places if the tenants want to move. This tradition was called BAYANIHAN. People in the community volunteers to carry the houses for transfer, thus the name BAYANIHAN was born. Simply call it People's Power ^^,

A bahay kubo

Aside from Nipa palm leaves, other leaves can also be use like the coconut leaves and the buri leaves.

Coconut Leaves

buri Leaves

Watching the Stars at Perez, Alabat Island

2011-12-18T22:10:00.000+08:00

From Manila you ride a bus going to Lucena Grand Terminal about 5 hours. Then from there ride another bus going to the port of Atimonan about 1 hour, then finally you ride a boat going to Perez, in Alabat island about 1 hour. The total travel time is about 7 hours. This Saturday December 17, 2011, we are bound to go to Perez to attend the Christmas party of the youth, but unfortunately we did not reached Perez, because there was no boat to cross us, this is due to the big waves that happen on that day. We only reached Atimonan Port. This is a learning experience before going to an island it is better to confirm first the situation on the port, this can be done by contacting the proper authorities. Well I took pictures of the contact numbers of Atimonan Port so to avoid similar situations in the future.

At Atimonan

Atimonan

Atimonan Port

寝癖＾＾

Numbers to call, the paper below

Alabat is in the province of Quezon. The island is located at the east side of the Philippines in the Luzon island.

I came to know this island from the NPO to which I am volunteering , ACCESS a Japanese Non profit organization. ACCESS helps the People in one of the municipality called Perez. They provide, scholarship for the kids, help the women have extra income for their families、also provides livelihood to some people there, Like the PAGAYAKA projects, organic piggery.

The Scholars of Perez

The ACCESS Scholars of Perez

The Tutorials

Mathematics

What to write

Self Study in the corner ^^

Teacher teacher

The MAPAYAPA Women of Perez, these women, make use of the used coconut shell and turn them into accessories. These are sold in Fair Trades. To know more about their products please Visit MAPAYAPA sorry the page is in Japanese.

The MAPAYAPA women

The work place

hello

pic

tools

VOA member trying to smooth the coconut shell

VOA member with MAPAYAPA woman

MAPAYAPA Goods

MAPAYAPA Products sold at Fair Trade Booth by VOA

The first time I went to Perez, Alabat was May 2010, after then almost once a month in 2010 I visit there.

The west side of Alabat is facing the Pacific Ocean, and the east is the Lamon Bay. The Waters of Lamon Bay is so calm sometimes you can see blue Flying fish jumping from the waters as the boat threads the sea..

A collection of Photos of Perez and Alabat, One of the 7.100 islands of the Philippines ^^

Perez Collections ^^,

MAY 2010 1st Visit

Perez has an airplane runway built during the American occupation. There are Aeta too in Alabat., The Mangroves are too few sad sight, needs rehabilitation. Many Stange animals too.

Boat

To Perez

The Perez Port

Window

ACCESS Office,,, PEREZ

PAGAYAKA pig

Bakawan: Mangrove

Girl and Dog

Muni-muni

Shohai and Sho

The Airplane Runway: Built in 1939

Nipa Flowers

Aeta Lola and baby

Carabao: Damulag

Lapote? Lipote? sour fruit

palay

Tikoy

Port of Alabat

Atimonan Port

Young Pacquiao

Agila: Eagle

Sad People throw garbage to sea :(

boat race

I found Nemo

Sea Cucumber: 海鼠

July 2011 Visit Photos Taken by my Samsung Galaxy tab.

Halo-halo of Perez

Straw Horse

Nilagang Saba

Piniritong Saba

Green Bike

Rhinoceros Beetles

Leaf

Bahay Kubo

Coconuts

Sungka

Saging

Totoro ^^

Big Leaf

The hidden forest of Anawangin my second time visit

2011-12-15T05:26:00.000+08:00

Behind Anawangin Cove : The Swamp

March 08-09, 2009 I went back again to Anawangin Cove. This time I was the guide for two travel buddies I met in Sagada adventures. This time I did not commute,my friend kuya Abner has a car, so we went to Pundaquit straight from Manila by Car.One friend is Ron, he was not so well prepare for the trip :P he has his own camping set all brand new just for this trip ^^,

Ronald's Kitchen Set ^^ all brand new :P

Preparations for this trip I frequently check the weather updates, during that time the weather forecast was sunny ^^, I guess we had the right timing.

from http://www.wunderground.com/

The travel time was shorten because we rode on a car. I guess we are lucky because it means more time to explore the Cove.

the car

Pundaquit beach

Sea weeds

Somewhere

Island before Anawangin Cove

Anawangin Cove

Our Boat man kuya Max

The ammenities then ( March 2009)... this time I do not know, on my third visit I will report again

bahay kubo

the toilet and bath

toilet and bath

The owner's house, kuya max family

the pump, poso, 井戸

Kuya Max +639092546470, I wonder if it still works?

The forest area of Anawangin cove: the campsite is surrounded by barb wire, this is to keep the wild water buffaloes (Carabao) from coming in the camp site. I never seen one though, only skulls, hoof prints and dung ^^,

The campsite

Stump in the river

Kuya Abner the Photographer

Serene river

Cow Fish

rocks and water

V = Peace = Victory = I'm cute ^^

pebbles

forest

pandan fruit

pandan plant with fruit

Agoho ^^

bark

stump

putol na puno

林

dead branch

Termite house

river rocks

water and mountain and trees

Mud skipper

River

Under Water

Carabao Skull

Carabao Skulls

Blue Bird

Blue Damselfly

hoof prints

isda : fish

submerge Camera

barbed wire fence : Bakod

Barbed wire (有刺鉄線)

The rest of the forest and the cove and some animals ^^
I really love the greenery of Anawangin has many Pine trees (They say they are not really pine trees but agoho trees, I'm not tree expert, but thery are still lovely ^^). I love the combination of pine and beach, its like Baguio meets Boracay, no words can express, I will just post more pictures. By the way these pictures were taken by my now defunct EX-Z1080 casio camera.

The MudSkipper... I thought It was a frog before because it skips in the water. for more info visit Master Wiki :)

Look closely you will see fishes ^^

The sunset ...

The early morning...

I really love the tranquility of the swamp and the forest and the mountains. The water was so clear I swam and took pictures while enjoying I later realized carabao also swim in that spot :P so what to expect unlike human they drop their bombs every where... What the heck all natural its part of the ecosystem ^^

Carabao Print

The Bomb

Nald

Bonsai

Another cove

Definitely not M&Ms

the other cove,, I forgot the name :P sorry

Camping at Anawangin and sight seeing Capones island

2011-12-14T22:48:00.000+08:00

I really love this place. I went to this cove for two times. The first time I went there I was with my office mate and gym mates, Yes I went to the gym once in my life, enrolled for 1 whole year, The result,, I got a healthy heart <3 ^^, and a round body,,, after gym I ate Fastfood ^^, . My offices mates and I rode a bus going to San Antonio Zambales, for more info please search the web ^^, there are more reliable travel blog for directions than I am ^^.
I'm a little poor in directions :P.

Suprisingly on my second time to visit Anawangin I became the guide to two newly met friends, I stumbled upon when I went to Sagada. This time we did not rode on a bus. Will write about it next blog.

Our contact going to Anawangin was Kuya Max,, I am older than Him I think, but they call him Kuya so I also called him Kuya. I place his number, I got it last 2009 so I do not know if it still works or if he is still there. If you want to try, you can try to contact him. He is a very nice guide.

Kuya Max +639092546470, I wonder if it still works? 2nd trip

We rented a tent from him, because we camp at Anawangin and we only have one tent. aside from tent please bring food, water, flashlight and camera to take memories ^^,

Anawangin is a blessings of Pinatubo. I interviewed some fishermen there, they say that Anawangin used to be a cliff and sea, after Mt. Pinatubo eruption the ashes and sand of Pinatubo becomes the beach of the cove, and on that beach pine trees grew.

Adventures of the First Trip January 17-18, 2009 Just an overnight camping trip.

1. Pundaquit Beach

2. Capones Island an island with many slippers.On this trip unfortunately I did not took pictures of the many garbage wash ashore on the Capones beach majority of them are slippers. There is a light house is Capones but on this trip we were not able to see it however on my second return I was able to see it.

3. Camping Anawangin

This is a overnight trip. We went there Saturday Morning then left Sunday afternoon.So do not bring your closet, travel light ^^