An adventure to the Buglasan Festival of Negros Oriental

Buglas is the name of Negros Island many years back...this refers to the buglas reeds which is said to be predominant vegetation at that time, another version means 'to cut off' , it is believed that the island of Negros use to be part of a large mass of land that has been cut off due to continental drift.

Today, Buglasan is the festival of all festivals in Negros Oriental. As Trent of the Lonely Planet 2012 edition has written, Negros Oriental is the more famous one in terms of Tourism - because of the dive sites, proximity of the mountain and the seas, and a lot of foreign tourist has become residents of the island.

I practically grew up in this side of Negros, studied in Silliman University and Saint Louis School-Don Bosco in High School and earned a degree in Mass Communication in College at then 'School of Communication', Silliman University.

In Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental you call all the friends of your parents Tita and Tito, kissing friends and family on the cheek is natural as a sign of greetings, the language is Cebuano in a sing song and very malambing level. 

You know you are in Dumaguete when you say 'lami-a pod' to something delicious or 'pachada' to something nice,  breakfast is 'pamahaw'. lunch is 'pani-udto', coffee break is 'painit', dinner is referred to as 'pani-hapon' .

In my childhood, I would run around the Piapi to Bantayan area with friends and take a dip into the clean Piapi or Silliman beach, we would bike around connecting villages passing through coconut trees to friends houses, a Sunday walk to the 'First Baptist Church' , or simply sit on a kamalig, eating green mangoes while watching the helper swing from one branch to the other , getting more mangoes for me and dear friend Aries.

At the backyard in Amigo Subdivision, we also had a mango tree and Felix Gaudiel would climb up the tree and shake the branches with Ryan Del Carmen and I  catching falling mangoes.

Trying on your friend  Alex Abregana's  motorcycle and end up crashing on a post because dogs were running after you...after seeing a crush ...lol.

If you needed Red Roses, just walk to Tita Flory and Tito Junior Paralejas' house and you can pick as many roses as you can. Elaine and I would go to the bodega and look for books to read.

As we grew older, cuzn Christine and I would take a pedicab to the market and buy fish, pork , veggies, and yes 'uyap' for the pinakbet and the gabbi for the humba...the best tasting recipe of Tita Virgie and Uncle Bebe. Thanks to Ate Chinky for cooking humba for me during the Buglasan Festival.(tsk tsk i still owe her big time Napoleones...the one that doesn't expire)

Buglasan before was celebrated on the first week of January. In college, I had to come home for the new year to cheer for my friend Gay Quindo who joined the Miss Negros Oriental representing Bayawan, she was first runner up during her time-well with trainor then girly law student Earl Bracamonte now transformed to a real man.

Dumaguete Festival King and Queen

Recently, I was invited to take part in the 2012 Buglasan Festival as judge in so many competitions---Festival Dance Showdown, Street dance, King and Queen, and the Best Booth Competition, plus the 2-night Fireworks Display. Just cant say NO to dear friends Myla and Raffy...and of course-Governor 
Degamo.

with Governor Degamo, Myla Abellana, Janeth , Maritoni and Raffy

Day 1 was fun having lunch with the National Media and Governor Degamo, a very cool and charming Governor, who pats you at the back and wears a big smile all the time-very approachable.

Maritoni and Bebsy were very efficient in  taking care of the judges...with me were Rodel, Janeth Joseph of La Carlota City, Joe Alingasa of San Carlos, Tita Cora of Davao, Marichu Tellano and Franco Velas of the NCCA and Josette of Siquijor.

Rodel and his plate at Pasta King

at Pasta King

We had a four course meal at Pasta King...we had superb host like  Hukad, Moon Cafe, Bethel Guest House, Sunburst Fried Chicken, and many more...it was a mix of  Filipino, Mexican,  Italian and Chinese  food. When in Negros Oriental dont miss puto and tsokolate in the morning at the painitan in the Dumaguete City Public Market, Budbud from Tanjay, Makilings Chicharon and Sylvanas at Sans Rival.

puto and tsokolate

Negros Oriental Convention Center

We were billeted at the Negros Oriental Convention Center Hotel with very nice rooms...and soon to function under private sector management.

Valencia's booth

Amlan

The booths were decorated and well lighted, there was the cave, a heritage house, a bar, a coffee shop, a furniture display, a restaurant, and lots and lots of souvenir items. I like the agricultural side tho, showing organic food and handicraft.
The Buglasan Festival was a success . Kudos to the very strong public and private partnership of tourism stakeholders including the academe under the leadership of Governor Roel Degamo.

with Tourism Officers of Dumaguete,Mabinay, Tayasan, Siaton
Siquijor, La Carlota, Bayawan and Negros Oriental

My Negros Oriental Tourism Family is fun to be with , be it a meeting, training or festival, I am always at your service.

This is my second time to be a part of the Buglasan, the first was in 2010 ...they are very efficient host and you are treated like a queen.

All I can

 say is Good Luck on the hosting of the 2013 Palarong Pambansa!

Negros Cycling Adventures

(Re-post of Island Adventures, September 3-9, 2006,Sun Star Weekend)

One fine morning as the sun rose, its rays covering the sheets of my bed while the rooster outside began his daily vocalizing, singing the ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ little Aimee jumped into my bed and pointed out to the window saying ‘Mom, it’s already 15!’ (At the age of three, she still can’t tell the exact time but relates the number 15 with morning as she has begun to learn how to count up to 20.) Stretching here and there, the orange bicycle outside the window caught my attention as if sending a message to remind me how long it has been there near the chair all week.

 

I can still remember my first bike, actually, it was a trike and I shared this it with my sister when I was about Aimee’s age. Then, as I grew, the trike became a bike with balancer on both sides. At the age 10, during summer vacation in Dumaguete, my friends Joseph Raymond and Aries Alvarez would drive their BMX bikes with me along Silliman beach towards the farm and back to our house every morning. Driving around was easy then, not so much cars, there were small alleys where only our group would know where to drive passing through coconut trees, with fresh air and its cool breeze, we wouldn’t even mind driving faster every time dogs run after us.

This orange mountain bike has brought my son to places where the best trails are…he would drive with his dad on his side to the mountain on weekends and he would brag about how fast he could go uphill and how far he has reached even downhill. One day, I took the challenge and drove his mountain bike, it was fun driving along the highway in Granada where bikers do the same as early as five in the morning, passing through sugarcane fields, a cemetery, the Boy’s Home, a school and even a stop for ‘butong’ to quench our thirst---the destination ---Barangay Alangilan.

There has always been bikers in groups of five, ten and sometimes fifteen whom we would meet along the road some waving and others trailing. I even wondered if they had a club. Then, I realized that there is a federation of cyclist or bike enthusiast here in the province with about 22 member clubs. The Negros Cycling Federation headed then by Mr. Hernane Castro of MedTrek (composed of doctors, medical representatives, and their workforce) of which my specialist Dr. Moreno is part of the group. NOCFED was formed in 2001 with member towns and cities like San Carlos ( San Carlos Asso. of Mountain Bikers), Cadiz Cycling Team, SICAD (Silay Cycling Adventure), Taklad Bikers of Silay, Bago City Cycling Club, Menlo Mountain Trekkers of Talisay, Negros Outdoors, Cauayan Cycling Group, the Metro Bacolod Mountain Bikers, Saravia Mountain Bikers, Negros Bikers Association, Team Bokal and many more.

The various groups are composed of professionals like doctors, medical representatives, businessmen, and our children with about 99% dominated by males aged 15 to 65 years old who are mostly health buffs. Hernane Castor then  said that ‘ cycling is best for resistance from stress and develops stronger lungs, knees and heart and the best thing is cyclist are kept away from vices such as smoking, drinking liquor wherein one becomes more conscious with regards to maintaining proper diet.’

To complete the adventure, you should have the basic requirements such as jersey, cycling shorts, gloves, backpack, eye wear, hand pump, vulcanizing kit, alen wrench, water bottle and of course cycling shoes.

The trails in Negros is great and in Martin Langevoord and Jens Funk’s Cycling in the Philippines, trails are classified as Easy Trail (paved roads or wide rough roads and is easy even on rainy days, then there is Fun Trail where there is a rough road or easy single trail, and on rainy days the road might become slippery and difficult to manage.  Mountain bikers’ dream – it’s all single trails, river crossing, muddy sections, and trails are very technical.

Negros is classified as the trail with the highest FUN factor and top three in nicest trails and the most challenging with Kanlaon Circle and the nicest coastal rides in the Philippines.

Iloilo ...Rediscovered (part 1)

It's just  4 am...still dark, feeling so cold in my  room , I pulled the sheets to cover my feet...couldn't sleep...tried to get up  however, i decided to try and sleep again. It was around five in the morning  when  I finally got up  , took a shower, put on some make-up...grabbed a shorts, sandals and a white shirt...I was so excited for the  trip...at 6:45 in the morning   i arrived at the Ocean Jet Ferry Terminal.

 

Artie , my fellow tour guide was ahead of me...we were all set for the one hour boat trip to Iloilo -the I guides (Iloilo guides) headed by Melanie Ortega and Mario will be our guides with Atty. Helen Catalbas of DOT providing for our van for the whole day tour . My first time after 17 years in tourism to experience a guided tour in the heart of the Philippines- Province of Iloilo.

Oh yes, the Negros Tour Guides will play tourist for six days, and our tour has just began.

Ocean Jet had a promotion, for P345.00 one can avail of a free return trip if you purchase the RT fare...of course , you dont expect a world class terminal , the trip was fine except for my return when i experienced a filthy and very hot  terminal in Iloilo.

Tour Guides Accreditation ID

Artie, Maricar, Sir Rene Cortum, Mario, Bambi and Me

First stop:  The Department of Tourism Region 6 office for our certificates and renewed ID's. Tour Guides undergo training for 20-26 days, and are encouraged to get a permit from the City before processing for the online-accreditation with other requirements such as NBI Clearance and Health Certificate and a minimal fee of  P180.00 .

We visited the Miagao Church and the Hablon and Loom Weaving  Center...to me it was a feast of different kinds of shawls...just couldn't resist and bought an orange shawl this time.  The last time I came i had blue, black, green and pink plus cloths for my clothes which I wore in Singapore for the two-weeks training I attended with participants from other countries- all of my classmates did ask about the wardrobe and i proudly told them i got all these from the Miagao , Western Visayas, Philippines.

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My Bloodline...Getting to be a Royal Experience

      Suddenly i can feel my fingers trembling...heart beat thumping faster...vision is blurred...and i feel so weak and fatigue...ooops this must be hypoglycemia,  i tell my friend ...COKE PLEASE DO IT FAST!!!

Oh yes, this must be diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disorder characterized by abnormalities in fuel metabolism, including glucose, lipids and amino acids.

     In the past five years, I've had lots of laboratory test, uric acid, sgpt, creatinine, ionized calcium, high pressure liquid chromatography, stress test, urinalysis,  blood sugar from fasting to regular daily test - thanks to my mom for providing testers - it also has evolved from painful needles to the smaller ones and now its also a talking tester.  Some, I gave  for being so blessed, sometimes if i have extra strips( P30-P40 each) , i bring extra needles and strips to the office and share blood sugar testing with my office mates.


    Diabetes have complications like stroke, heart disease and worst peripheral gangrene - a friend of mine had to have her lower leg cut because of this, my other uncle is diabetic as well and i just learned that he is now into dialysis for kidney failure due to the big D - he even joked that he is now on extended warranty and that it has been very costly to be dialyzed.

    The worst thing that happened to me with diabetes was a miscarriage on the 4th month of pregnancy. I had doses of insulin to lower my sugar level, it was increased every week and i was told that it was too risky to be pregnant when diabetic - I never missed any check up with my ob gyne and diabetologist ...we were so excited and my kids had mix feelings of the pregnancy. Until one day, the baby lost its heartbeat and so i had to undergo a D and C.

    I even asked  my mom when she came  , Why did  you give me the most expensive gift in my lifetime...worth more than a million- Diabetes.??? She LOL . Of course, I was just kidding, its all my fault after all ---too much of anything can kill.

    The food we take can be controlled but the stress you undergo from home to work and events taking place in your life should be managed properly. Life has just began for me, there are so many opportunities in government service and the academe. A few semesters ago, I wanted to work from 8 to 8 Monday to Friday- doing two jobs,  Saturday 8-6 for my graduate studies. I earned enough to pay for my bills, medicines and travels. On the other hand, it was a bit stressful physically. Now, I have priorities and had to give up teaching to finish my studies and have more time with family.

   Recently, I won a magnum ice cream for betting on Bradley while my children were for PacMan. The ice cream and its sweetness surely gave you the royal experience and sugar reading went as high as  200. Yesterday, my friend gave me two chocolate bars - i only took a bite...my sugar is now back to 147.
Whew!!! I have started a new weight loss coffee drink yesterday (thanks to  my mom in law) . Im trying to lose weight and exercise at home by doing lots of domestic work .

    When you are in the sweetest province in the country , has a job that attends to festivals and special events in all 32 towns and cities whole year round the past 17 years - - -i bet the temptation is just irresistible.

    The secret is --- do all things in moderation.

114th Philippine Independence Day

'The flag of the Philippines shall be red, white, and blue, with a sun and three stars, as consecrated and honored by the people...' - The Philippine Consitution  Article XIII, Section 1'

 

It is written in   Merci Melchor's book on the Story of the Philippine Flag, that the flag we use today was designed by General Emilio Aguinaldo in 1897 during his exile in HongKong. In May 1898 before boarding the ship McCullough, bound for Manila- he was given the flag by Marcella Agoncillo, who also  sewed the flag with the help of  her daughter Lorenza and Jose Rizal's niece Delfina Natividad .

On June 12, 1898, the flag flew in Kawit Cavite during the declaration of Philippine Independence as Aguinaldo and his men defeated the Spaniards at the Battle of Alapan.

This flag today is a comibination of the Katipunan flags and blue stands for peace, truth and justice; red, for patriotism and valor; and white , for purity and equality. The three stars symbolize the island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The eight rays represent the eight provinces of Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna , Batangas and Cavite who first rose in revold against the Spaniards.

Normel, Mimi and Raymond

I remember former Gov. Joseph Maranon, at one time told employees of the Provincial Capitol to display a flag on their tables. From then on, I made use of my former boss' mini flag pole until I found one last year- proudly displayed on my table day by day. Perhaps to remind me and my fellow civil servants that the flag is not just a piece of cloth, it is a symbol of our hopes, dreams of a free and sovereign people.

Today, we bring our flags as a symbol of our pride specially in the field of Sports, Culture and the Arts.

This Pledge of Allegiance should be in our hearts and minds:

Ako'y nanaumpa sa watawat ng Pilipinas, at sa Republikang kanyang  kinakatawan. Isang bansang pinapatnubayan ng Diyos, buo at di mahahati, na may katarungan, kalayaan para sa lahat.

 

It is important for us to know that flags are to be flown with the blue strip on top only to be inverted at times of war.

In a vertical hanging position, the flag is hung with the white triangle also called the union on top, the blue strip to its left.  When flown with other flags, this should be positioned higher than the rest or to the right of other flags, and when on a parade it should be in front of the other flags. 

Let us not forget, the Philippine flag should not be allowed to touch the ground.

This morning at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon grounds, civic groups joined provincial and national government employees in the flag raising ceremony. Governor Alfredo Maranon turned over P500,000.00 assistance for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines-Negros for the repair of their headquarters. He made mention in his message that we must not forget the OFW's considered as the heroes of our generation for the remittances and being number one contributor in the economy of our country. Indeed as a product of OFW parents, I  agree, they are our unsung and modern day heroes.

 

 Today , we were singing  the national anthem with  pride ...for being  born and raised a Filipino ,  I always try to be a Filipino in thoughts, words and deeds coz, indeed I am independent and I am free.

HAPPY 114TH PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY!

     BoyScouts

 

 

Road Trip to the other side of Negros

Summer is never complete without a visit to the

 other side of Negros Island!

The month of May is the best time of the year, school is out-kids are at home, the summer festival in Negros Occidental just ended and most of us are in vacation mode.

with CBRT participants in Calatrava

butong, anyone?

Normel

It was just a couple of weeks ago when I flew to Surigao on an all expense paid trip this summer and take part as a judge in the beauty pageant for the fairest in the province of Surigao del Norte.  Then,  the following  week when I had the chance to attend a two-day workshop on cultural writing at the museum, an invitation came for me to speak on Community Based Rural Tourism in the town with the friendliest monkeys in the country-Calatrava. So off we went early one morning along the eco-tourism highway passing through the town of DS Benedicto, the view was great, no bumps at all-thanks to Mayor Araceli's driver for the smooth drive . it is a passion of mine to speak in the native tongue with locals, brgy. captains esp. on TOURISM

with SINATO

at Go Hotel with SINATO

sunrise at the boulevard

I checked in at the municipal guest house with friend and office mate Normel, the air conditioned room had three double deck beds, a bathroom and comfort room -so clean and cozy. We walked around the town wearing our 'I LOVE NEGROS' t-shirts , people then would stare at us obviously as we looked like tourist carrying with us our cameras.

Saint Peter Apostle Parish

diversion road

We visited the church by the beach. It was 3 am the next day when we were brought back to San Carlos City, at the terminal we were able to take the regular bus to Dumaguete, we left at 4am, and took the left side window seats- for a better view of the sunrise and   the sea as we were passing through the coastal route. Indeed it was a refreshing and beautiful site that made me sing 'morning has broken , like the first morning...blackbird has spoken, like the first bird-Praise for the singing, Praise for the morning...' . 

We arrived in the City of Dumaguete at around 9 in the morning, took a pedicab to Go Hotel, just at the back of Robinson's Place.  The rest of the tourism officers from Siquijor, and towns and cities in Negros Oriental were also billeted in the same hotel. 

with Dumaguete City Mayor Sagarbarria

It was bonding time with SINATO the tourism officers association of Negros Oriental...i always feel at home with them, they are like family to me on this side of  Negros. We came to Dumaguete to support the SantaCruzan Summer Festival with Dumaguete Tourism Officer RR Maquiling. Joe of San Carlos also came with the whole Pintaflores Festival contingent as guest performer. It was indeed fun here in Dumaguete, as we joined the parade walking along the main streets with Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria and the other officials. Surprisingly, i never saw a body guard tagging along,  indeed i can say Dumaguete is the City of Gentle People.

Dinner at El Camino on a Saturday night was fun, it was by the beach and a stretch of bars along- so memorable, when i was young we called this place piapi beach, we would walk from grandmas house to swim early morning or late in the afternoon.

So many friends to meet and so little time, thats what i can say for this trip- but when in the city I always drop by my close friends house even for an hour or two...there we bonded with Stella and Ariel, she gave me two strawberries to grow and her latest berry tomatoes fresh from the garden- my next project for an organic garden at home.

Never leave Dumaguete without a visit to Sans Rival for the famous sansrival cake  and the sweet, cold and chewy sylvanas- it comes in butter and chocolate flavor and very affordable.

A few days from now, my girl will be back in school ---and surely, i can say Summer 2012 was fun and complete.

parade in dumaguete with Siquijor and Bayawan TO's

with Siaton and Mabinay TO'S

with bff Myla my counterpart STOO