Vista Pinas

Misibis Bay

2011-10-15T19:29:38Z

Tucked away on the southeastern tip of Cagraray Island in Bacacay, Albay is the luxurious resort of Misibis Bay (official website). I have been vaguely aware of this resort for quite a while now but it is only recently that I read up on it. Of course, I also searched for the resort in Google Maps and was pleased to see that has recent satellite imagery available.

Having only opened in late 2009, Misibis Bay is one of the three Philippine resorts that is accredited by the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, along with Discovery Shores in Boracay, and Eskaya Beach Resort on Panglao Island. Misibis Bay actually reminds me of Bellarocca Island Resort in that both are ultra-expensive, both have opened in recent years, and both are found in locations that do not come to mind when you think of popular beach getaways. But between the two, I think I would much prefer to go to Misibis Bay. :-)

Photo from the Misibis Bay official website

One great thing about Misibis Bay is that it has a breathtaking view of Mayon Volcano. And the view is just a backdrop to the plenty of activities that you can do at the resort. Misibis Bay has the usual water sports like scuba diving, wakeboarding, sailing, and jetskiing. If playing in the water is not your thing, then there are also rentable ATVs that you can use to explore the surrounding area. Located nearby is the Cagraray Island Eco-Energy Park Adventure Zone which features a zipline and an obstacle course.

One fun trivia about Misibis Bay is that it was the pit stop for the 5th leg of the 4th season of The Amazing Race Asia, which was won by a team from the Philippines (yay!).

If you want to learn more about the resort from the perspective of a guest, then these two series of blog posts, one by Calvin and the other by Anton are quite informative. You might also want to check out

A José Rizal @150 Tribute

2011-06-20T16:41:46Z

As a belated tribute to the 150th birthday of our National Hero, José Rizal, let’s look back at the five Rizal-related sites that I have featured here in Vista Pinas throughout the years. Surprisingly, all but one are found overseas. Then again, this should not be a surprise. Since I also feature Philippine-related sites on foreign soil, there should be a higher proportion of Rizal-related overseas sites since Rizal’s travels around the world have left an indelible mark in the places he has visited.

I will definitely feature more Rizaliana sites here in Vista Pinas. Hopefully, Google will add satellite imagery of Dapitan, which is possibly the second-most important Rizal-related place in the Philippines after Manila. There are also Rizaliana markers in Daet and Dumaguete, so I expect to feature them as well in due time.

So without further ado, here are the five Rizal sites I’ve featured before in chronological order.

Dr. José Rizal Park in Seattle, WA

The first Rizal-related site I ever featured is a public park named after him in Seattle, Washington. Although Rizal had never set foot in Seattle, the sizable Filipino community in the city successfully petititioned to have the new park dedicated to Rizal.

[Posted: June 17, 2006]

Rizal Shrine (Calamba, Laguna)

The next site I featured was Rizal’s childhood home in Calamba, Laguna. Now this residence functions as a museum to Rizal and is one of the Rizaliana sites included in the Department of Tourism’s Lakbay Jose Rizal @150 project.

[Posted: July 24, 2007]

José-Rizal-Straße in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany

One of the foreign cities Rizal stayed the longest was Wilhelmsfeld, Germany. In honor of him, a street in this small town was named after him. There’s a park in his honor also found in this town but that will be the subject of a future article. :-)

[Posted: June 20, 2009]

1 D’Aguilar Street

Did you know that Rizal practiced medicine while he was in Hong Kong? If you read the article I posted a few months back, then you surely would have known. This site was one of the places I had on my list of things to see when I went to Hong Kong earlier this year.

[Posted: March 14, 2011]

2 Rednaxela Terrace

This residential street in Hong Kong was also another place on my HK list. This street was where Rizal and his family stayed for a while because of harassment from the Spanish authorities back home.

[Posted: March 18, 2011]

Pamilacan Island

2011-03-21T08:59:57Z

Just like Balicasag Island, Pamilacan Island is another island of Bohol that is located quite some distance from the mainland. If Balicasag is famous for its scuba diving and coral reefs, Pamilacan is famous for its dolphin and whale watching, though it does have some dive sites of its own.

Located more than 10 kilometers away from its parent town of Baclayon, Pamilacan Island is a whole barangay in itself and is home to more than 1,000 people, or around 200 households. Its main industry is fishing, though some of the fishermen also engage in the tourism trade as well, bringing people on their boats to see the dolphins and whales. Among the species that can be seen are the Fraser’s dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei), the bottlenose dolphin (T. truncatus or T. aduncus), and the Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei). These fishermen are trained to spot dolphins and have been taught how to properly approach them. It is said that a watching expedition with these fishermen will always be rewarded with cetacean sightings.

Photo by Beng Eusebio (CC)

Aside from the dolphin and whale watching, this island is also home to white sand beaches. The island has one commercial resort and it offers various activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, fishing, and island touring.

If you’re interested, you can check out this article by Ferdz describing his experience of seeing hundreds of dolphins during his trip to Pamilacan Island. This Bohol tourism webpage also contains tons of information about Pamilacan including some about a 200-year-old fort on the island’s northeastern coast.

2 Rednaxela Terrace

2011-03-17T16:50:04Z

To finish off my series on Philippine-related sites in Hong Kong, let’s visit 2 Rednaxela Terrace which is located in the Mid-Levels part of Central District on Hong Kong Island. This address is historically significant because this was where José Rizal and his family lived from 1891 to 1892. His family was persecuted by the friars back in the Philippines due to Rizal’s subversive novels and so they joined Rizal on his self-exile in this former British colony. Rizal would also hold clinic at what is now 1 D’Aguilar Avenue. See also a photo of his HK business card.

Just like the two previous locations I’ve blogged, this site has a marker installed by Hong Kong’s Antiquities and Monuments Office. However, unlike the marker on D’Aguilar Street, the Rednaxela marker is quite visible and is located on a high-traffic area, specifically beside the Shelley Street portion of Hong Kong’s famous Central–Mid-levels escalators, which is the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator system. As you can see from the photo I took, the marker is plainly seen erected beside the Rednaxela Terrace sign. (What’s “Rednaxela”? It’s “Alexander” spelled backwards supposedly due to a Chinese painter who couldn’t read English.)

Shown above is a more close-up photo of the marker. It reads (in English and Chinese):

Dr. Jose Rizal (1861-1896) National hero of the Philippines lived in this area with his family from December 1891 to June 1892

That wind’s up my Hong Kong series here in Vista Pinas. I must say that researching about and finding these markers in Hong Kong was very educational. The Rizal-related markers are quite timely too since we will be celebrating Rizal’s sesquicentennial birthday this year! :-)

1 D’Aguilar Street

2011-03-14T15:56:24Z

To continue my short series of Philippine-related sights in Hong Kong (started last week with 535 Morrison Hill Road), I now present 1 D’Aguilar Street located in the Central District of Hong Kong Island. This location is special since it was where Dr. José Rizal practiced medicine while he was living in this former British colony. The location is now occupied by the Century Square Building, a commercial tower.

The photo to the side I took when I went to Hong Kong early this month shows the current location of the oval marker created by the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office. The marker is almost hidden on the red granite wall it’s installed on. It’s not very obvious that this site, surrounded by storefronts, has a historical significance. There are thousands of Filipinos in HK and I wonder how many pass by this road and don’t realize that our National Hero practiced medicine here?

Shown above is a more close-up photo of the marker. It reads (in English and Chinese):

Dr. Jose P. Rizal (1861-1896)

Philippine physician, poet, author and patriot practised medicine in 1891-92 in a clinic which once stood on this site

What I find very interesting is that it seems that this marker has changed positions at least two times. It appears that the stores in front of Century Square Building change or renovate far too often that it involves reinstallation of the marker. Right now the marker is installed on top of a red wall. In December 2008, this marker was in the same position but installed higher up as can be seen in the bottom two photos on this page from the Philipping Consulate in Hong Kong. In 2007, the marker was in a more conspicuous location as seen on a photo on tutubi’s blog.

535 Morrison Hill Road

2011-03-06T15:34:51Z

I came from a Hong Kong family vacation this weekend, and to share my experiences—the Vista Pinas way—I will do a 3-part series about three Philippine-related sites in Hong Kong (similar to the 3-part series I did for Cory Aquino). The first site I will feature is 535 Morrison Hill Road in the Wan Chai district in Hong Kong.

This address was where the first Philippine flag was sewn by Marcela Agoncillo, her daughter Lorenza, and José Rizal’s niece Delfina Herbosa de Natividad in 1897. Marcela’s husband, Felipe Agoncillo, a lawyer and diplomat, went on a self-exile to Hong Kong when he was tagged by the Spanish authorities as a subversive. Marcela and her children followed afterwards and their residence at Morrison Hill Road became a safehouse for other Filipino revolutionaries. Gen. Aguinaldo himself came to this place after the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and there he gave Marcela the designs for a national flag. The rest is history.

To mark this occasion, a marker was installed by Hong Kong’s Antiquities and Monuments Office at the site where the residence used to stand, which is now part of the Morrison Hill Road Playground. Shown below is a photo I took of the red oval marker’s location in the playground. (That’s my younger sister, looking at the marker, by the way.) The blue arch is the back entrance of the playground along Oi Kwan Road and you can see the other side of the entrance in this Google Street View (the marker is behind the bushes to the left).

Shown above is the marker itself and on it is written the following inscription in both Chinese and English:

In May 1898, In this vicinity, the first Philippine national flag was sewn by hand by Dona Marcela Agoncillo, wife of Felipe Agoncillo, the first Filipino diplomat, assisted by her daughter Lorenza and Mrs. Delfina Herbosa Natividad, niece of the Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. This flag, which became the rallying symbol of unity for the Filipino people during the Philippine revolution, was officially unfurled during the proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite.

This marker is installed to commemorate the historical role of Hong Kong in the Filipino people’s struggle for independence.

I’ve been wanting to feature this site for years now, but I had a hard time doing research about this historically significant site back then. Fortunately, when I was learning about Hong Kong for my trip, I found this sort-of press release by the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong about the three sites I am featuring now. The pictures accompanying the article provided me with a visual to look for. But it was this blog article by Tutubi giving me the very important clue that 535 Morrison Hill Road is now in a playground. From there, it was extremely easy to find the place in Google Maps. Thanks Tutubi! :-)

Mak-Ban Geothermal Power Plant

2011-02-27T23:16:32Z

I’ve already featured one geothermal power plant before and that is the one at Tiwi, Albay. Well, if you want to visit a geothermal power plant and you find Albay too far, the nearest one to Metro Manila is the Mak-Ban Geothermal Power Plant located primarily in Bay, Laguna and with facilities also in neighboring Sto. Tomas, Batangas and Calauan, Laguna. The name Mak-Ban comes from the two dormant volcanoes nearby: Makiling and Banahaw, though the power plant is much, more closer to Makiling than it is to Banahaw.

According to this very technical article from the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines, Mak-Ban harnesses the geothermal energy located in the Bulalo Field, which is associated with Mt. Bulalo and Mt. Olilia, two smaller peaks located on the southeast flank of Mt. Makiling. (Mt. Bulalo can be seen on this map while Mt Olilia is the smaller peak to the southwest of Bulalo.)

Photo taken from the NAPOCOR website

Mak-Ban all in all has 6 plants: Plants A and B with two 63-MW units each, Plant C with two 55-MW units, Plants D and E with two 20-MW units each, and a binary plant with five 3-MW and one 0.73-MW units. The satellite image thumbnail shows the largest facility of the power plant and where the transmission lines originate from. By panning around in Google Maps, you should be able to see the other plants and facilities scattered elsewhere. I wasn’t able to find a map of the facilities so I have no idea which building corresponds to which plant. :-p

The power plant was first commissioned in 1979 and used to be under the Napocor. But because of the power generation assets privatization effort of the government, Mak-Ban and Tiwi were both auctioned off as a single package in 2008. AP Renewables, Inc., a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, won that bid. Aboitiz is in charge of the power generation, while the supplied steam generation is under Chevron Geothermal Philippines Holdings, Inc. Basically, Chevron is in charge of the drilling and the steam while Aboitiz uses that steam for the turbines that power the electricity generators.

If you’re interested, there’s a Facebook album showing a group of students’ field trip to the the Chevron steam generation facilities at Mak-Ban.

EDSA Shrine

2011-02-25T15:04:41Z

Today is a milestone for the Philippines as the country celebrates the silver anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution. Twenty five years ago, Filipinos took to the streets and staged a peaceful protest on EDSA to support the defectors of the Marcos dictatorship. The nearly bloodless mass action led to the downfall of a strongman and the installation of a humble housewife as President. Today, it’s quite fitting that the housewife’s only son is now President of this great nation (though it’s a testament to democracy that there are people who freely disagree!). :-)

Even now, we see the fruits of that historic revolution elsewhere in the world as people stage protests against dictators and oppresors who have clung to power for decades. In Tunisia and Egypt, the citizens held mass rallies and protests. The result? President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who held Tunisia in his grip since 1987, has fled the country. Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s dictator for almost three decades, has resigned. Other countries are following suit and I hope that these will all be resolved peacefully, unlike what is going on right now in Libya, whose dictator, Muammar al-Gaddafi, is trying to avoid his two neighboring countries’ fate by resorting to extreme violence.

Photo by Jimmy Hilario. (CC)

In honor of the People Power Revolution milestone, I’m featuring the EDSA Shrine located at the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue. Most Filipinos are religious and many believe that the Virgin Mary interceded and helped the country in 1986. Thus, we have a shrine to Mary to commemorate the event. (For the secularists and non-believers, we also have the People Power Monument further north along EDSA, and which I have featured here on Vista Pinas three years ago.)

Officially named the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA (official website), this landmark was contructed in 1989 and functions as a church where daily masses are held. The shrine, which is under the Archdiocese of Manila, features a large sculpture of the Virgin Mary on top of the building. This was created by the late Virginia Ty-Navarro. (Read more about the shrine’s history.) In addition, the shrine is the location of the first station of The Way of Mary, the last project of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin. Eighteen other similar stations are located along Ortigas Avenue towards Antipolo City and the twentieth and last station is located at the Antipolo Cathedral.

Incidentally, two days ago marked the fifth year of Vista Pinas. It was on February 23, 2006 that I wrote the very first article. Yay! I decided to mark that milestone by blogging about the more important People Power Revolution milestone. :-)

White Rock Beach Hotel

2010-10-19T15:55:45Z

Well, here’s a resort in Subic Bay that seems to be trying to be everything: White Rock Beach Hotel. It’s basically a beach resort with all the usual amenities for leisure and team-building (like an open field and a wellness center) and facilities/equipment for water sports (like for jet skiing and water skiing). Aside from those usual stuff, the resort also has some sporting facilities like a bowling alley, billiards tables, and a gym, but what I find slightly weird is that the resort is also a waterpark with not just one, but two, wave pools! I guess Subic Bay itself isn’t wavy enough? Hehehe. They should add giant waterslides to complete the site!

Photo from the website.

Maybe it’s just me but if you heard the name “White Rock Beach”, you can’t help but think of a white-sand beach, right? Well, it’s quite obvious from the satellite image that the beach is far from white. But if I’m not mistaken, there is indeed a white rock on the resort’s northern beach: there’s a white thing that’s quite visible in the satellite image. I wonder if that is naturally white or if it was just painted? :-)

Anyway, if you want to learn more about White Rock, then check out their website, which like their wave pools, they apparently have two of: whiterock-beach-resort.com and whiterock.com.ph.

UP Fair

2010-10-10T15:57:37Z

While I prefer blogging about mostly permanent structures here in Vista Pinas, I have, on rare occasions, featured ephemeral stuff especially if they’re interesting and lucky to have been caught on satellite camera and then subsequently selected by Google to be included in Google Earth and Google Maps. Two of these are the 2007 World Light Expo, and the visible effect of El Niño at the San Roque Dam.

Since I’m a UP Diliman alumnus, I’ll feature another one: the very popular UP Fair. This event, which happens every February during the Valentine’s Day week at U.P. Diliman, is organized by the University Student Council (USC). The organizing of the program for each particular day (almost always a rock concert) is auctioned off to various student organizations, of which the majority of the winners are fraternities. The fair usually runs for the whole seven nights of the week and the most popular nights are Friday, Saturday, and Valentine’s Day itself. As far as I can remember, the fair grounds has always been set up at the Sunken Garden inside the Academic Oval and contains a stage for the nightly concerts, numerous retail booths, and the occasional carnival ride.

Photo by Maxi Adrian San Agustin. (CC)

The UP Fair is probably the biggest student-organized event in UP Diliman. It is also probably the most notorious event with numerous incidents of violence marring the festivities. The combination of UP Diliman’s open nature (though the campus security has been tightened in recent years) and the nightly rock concerts have attracted plenty of youth from the lower classes of society. Thus, there have been numerous incidents of gang violence as many of these youth try to get inside the fair grounds or encounter rival gangs.

The satellite imagery (thumbnail above) was taken on February 13, 2007 and so we’re seeing the fair grounds as it was three years ago.

Anyway, I’ve only been to the UP Fair a few times during college and I’ve never been back there since I graduated. I can still remember getting on stage at the UP Fair one time as part of a campaign sortie when I was running as one of my department’s representatives for the College of Engineering Student Council. That night’s sponsor fraternity is affiliated with my party and they had us candidates go on stage to lay our platform. Thankfully, it was not as embarrassing as I feared. :-)

How about you? Have you been to the UP Fair and have you got any interesting stories to tell?