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Friday, March 27, 2009
According to stories passed on from generation to generation, the name of the town was derived from an abundantly-growing plant in the area, known locally as “Sali-argaw”. Extant records pertaining to the establishment of Argao as a town go only as far as the middle eighteenth century, when the Augustinians started building the church in Argao, later named after St. Michael the Archangel. According to church records, the church of Argao was founded on October 16, 1733. Another source says that Argao began as an encomienda and that the Argao parish was founded on May 17, 1734. The first town executive during the American regime was Capitan Juan Lucero.
The main poblacion of Argao remains one of the reminders of Spanish influence in Cebu. The old municipal building is also made of the same structure as this old house, and indeed this structure is perhaps one of the remaining old municipal buildings in the province of Cebu. The following buildings and structures are places one can visit if doing a tour around the pueblo:
San Miguel Archangel Parish Church and Convent. Argao became a parish in 1703, which prompted the construction of a beautiful rococo-baroque church structure in 1734 and was completed in 1788. A good number of religious artifacts have remained in the church. The altar (retablo) of the church is still the original. The church was renovated for its bicentennial celebration in 1988, and its outer walls were scraped. Despite some renovations and modernizations done to it, the San Miguél Archangel Parish still remains one of the richly furnished churches in the South. The unique ceiling of the Church. Its church is with unusual ceilings of canvass painted all over with religious motifs.
The Pipe Organ of Argao. The Church of Argao is possessed of one of the remaining 14 Spanish era pipe organs, and is one of the three towns in the whole Cebu province to still have this instrument. The pipe organ of Argao, though today no longer useable, is estimated by many historians to have been built between the 17th to the 19th century. Organs built in this period were of typical Spanish Baroque style except for the ones built during the last part of the 19th century which are Neo Gothic in style. It is a great possibility that Argawanons took a great part in building their pipe organ along with Spanish or Mexican Organ-builders. Professional organ makers describe Argao’s organ as having “windchests constructed from a massive solid wood. Three towers are separated with flat field of pipes. Unfortunately, no records in the church exist to show who played the organ, though according to some residents, after the 2nd World War Mr. Juan Calledo played the instrument and a certain Noy Ino was tasked to pump the organ.
The Argao Museum. Through the initiative of one of Argao’s most loved residents, Monsignor Elias Matarlo, the Argao Museum was constructed in 1999 in order to house what was left of the church’s priceless antiques, and also to showcase the religious artifacts and icons of families who have decided to let the museum safe-guard their family heirlooms. Church Plaza,
The Site of the Former Palacio, Morgue/Chapel. Visible also in this area is the former “Palacio”, the temporary residence of church dignitaries from Manila or Cebu City who came to Argao to visit. Also, sadly located at the back of the Kintanar Memorial Hospital, is the Church morgue, a very old structure that was build around the early 1800’s.
Boljoon is 103 kilometers from Cebu City to the southeastern part of Cebu Province. The name of the town is derived for the local word "Bolho" which means springs of water.
The town is centuries old. According to oral tradition, pilgrims from as far as the town of Dalaguete visit the Virgin of Bolhoon during her annual feast to attend mass in the town's Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic parish of Patrocinio de Santa Maria is located in the town of Boljoon, Cebu. The forty-third parish priest of the Boljoon Parish Church in his list of Religiosos Agustinos Calzados Y PP Clerigos dated July 15, 1881 maintained that a church was previously erected in Boljoon 1599 under the administration of the Augustinians. Some ecclesiastical historians believe that the Boljoon Parish was originally founded as a visita of Carcar. Records of the private council of the Augustinians on June 23, 1599 referred to Boljoon as a "convent and parish to Siaro (Carcar)". (Archives of the Augustinian Province of the Philippines, File no. 5 page 118
The Parish of Boljoon was returned by Jesuits in exchange for "Liloan", Cotcot and Maraling", the last Augustinian Parish Priest of Boljoon, Fray Leandro Moran, OSA, turned over the administration of the parish to the Archbishop of Cebu on July 1, 1948. It was not clear as to reason for the delay when the last Augustinian Parish priest of Boljoon. Fray Leanfdore Moran, OSA, turned over the administration of the parish to the Archbishop of Cebu on July 1, 1948.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Long time ago, there was a popular place in town called “Bolocboloc”. The place was called Bolocbol because of its existing spring located beneath the shoreline at the foot of the barangay. The flow of the water was so strong as if the water was boiling which can still be seen at this present time.
At present, the place is now known as Nigad (a name of a tree). The place is named Nigad because of the existing tree that grew in the place which is seldom seen to grow in the shoreline. From the name Nigad the word “Oslob” was born due to the misunderstandings between the native couple and the two guardia civil (civil guards) in the year 1785. While the said couple were taking a rest under the tree and were eating their brought boiled bananas soaking it with vinegar and salt, the two guardia civil suddenly appeared with the words, as if they were asking: “Como se llama esto pueblo?” – which if translated in English would mean:”What is the name of this town?”.
The couple was astonished for they were not able to comprehend what the civil guards were saying. Since, the couple, at that time, were then soaking bananas with the vinegar and salt, they thought that the civil guards were asking them as to what they were doing, and thus, the couple answered in unison saying ”Toslob”, which means “soaking”. After hearing the word “Toslob”, the civil guards kept on repeating the word “Toslob” in the thought that the said word was the name of the town. This has been the start of the word “Toslob” which was later changed to “Oslob” due to the passes of time.
Until now, the flowing of the water at Nigad was still there quenching the thirst of the many people of the place including the nearby inhabitants specially when there is a shortage of water.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
One day after Halloween, in the year 1327, four children slip away from the cathedral city of Kingsbridge. They are a theft, a bully, a boy genius and a girl who wants to be a doctor. In the forest they see two men killed.
As adults, their lives will be braided together by ambitions, love, greed and revenge. They will see prosperity and famine, plague and war. One boy will travel the world and come home in the end; the other will become a powerful corrupt nobleman. One girl will defy the might of the medieval church; the other will pursue an impossible love. And always they will live under the shadow of the unexplained killing they witnessed on that fateful childhood day.
World Without End is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth. However, it doesn't matter which you read first. The second book is set in the same town, Kingsbridge, but takes place two hundred years later, and features the descendants of the original characters.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder, Aliena, the noblewoman, Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge, Jack, the artist in stone and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.
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In fact, Europe in the year 1000 was one of the world's more stagnant regions—an economically undeveloped, intellectually derivative, and geo-politically passive backwater.
Three short centuries later, all this had changed dramatically. A newly invigorated cluster of European societies revived city life, spawned new spiritual and intellectual movements and educational institutions, and began, for reasons both sacred and profane, to expand at the expense of neighbors who traditionally had expanded at Europe's expense.
Ken Follett has filled memorable details as he unfolds this story.
The novel treats medieval society: the warrior aristocracy of knights, castellans, counts, and dukes; the free and unfree peasants whose work in the fields made the existence of medieval society possible; and the townspeople, the artisans and merchants who represented the newest arrivals on the medieval scene.
It examines the intellectual and religious history of early medieval Europe. You study monks and the monastic life, charismatic preachers, and theologians. You examine the lives of those who found themselves outside the religious mainstream, especially the heretics and Jews of early medieval Europe.
Also it discusses partly the major political developments and events between 1000 and 1300, including the First Crusade, the Norman Conquest of England, and the granting of Magna Carta.
When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15 year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. The two begin an unexpected and passionate affair only for Hanna to suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Eight years later, Michael, now a young law student observing Nazi war trials, meets his former lover again, under very different circumstances. Hanna is on trial for a hideous crime, and as she refuses to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes his boyhood love may be guarding a secret she considers to be more shameful than murder....
Thursday, February 19, 2009
riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten
1 comments Posted by Vince at 9:01 PMSome talk has been devoted to whether the Mumbai terror attacks and the $1bn accounting scandal t Satyam Computers in India will affects growth in BPOs in the country.
I could only imagine now the companies that have exposure in those locations are now looking aggressively to mitigate their risks and therefore considering at countries like the Philippines. But much of the growth comes from the size of the market, not so much the market shares. We don't know if we'll benefit from that. Nobody wishes a terror attack anywhere and any negative report on the industry affects everyone because it's global industry.
Another problem is Barack Obama, as a candidate, had pledged to create jobs that cannot be outsourced and tax policies to discourage American companies looking to bring jobs abroad. It's Obama's fiscal policy versus the whole outsourcing equation and I think the realities of the global economy will take over.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Satyam scandal has shocked India. It has brought into question the levels of corporate governance in the country, and has cast an ugly shadow on the once shining image of Indian industry overseas.
Satyam shares plummeted on the news by 75%, dragging down India's main stock market by 7%. This will put the spotlight on Indian companies, and overseas investors will be wary of putting their money here without taking a good, hard look at the company's books.
Indian's main stock exchanges have announced they are removing Satyam Computers from their indices as of January 12 because of the stunning revelations. But caution alone may not be enough to convience international investors that Indians companies are serious about cleaning up their governance. Many of Satyam's customers were persuaded to get into business with the company because of Mr. Raju's suave, professional image. The Western educated MBA graduate was one of the poster boys of India's new economy.
According to Mr. Raju's statement, about $1bn of the cash on the company's books was made up---and analyst say it was the manipulation of the cash flow which could have been one reason why the deceit was undetected. Many analysts also say that the chase for huge profits and the desire to keep up with the breakneck speed of India's $50bn outsourcing industry's growth rates that may have been behind Mr. Raju's motivation in fudging the accounts at his firm.
But trying to get any answers from Mr. Raju since his confession letter is proving to be impossible---he has disappeared.
Friday, February 13, 2009
We walked on the 7km white sand beaches that separated the crystal blue waters and the lush hilly landscapes. We'd Jonah's and Jony's famed fruit shakes while sauntering under the sun. Along the beach, Doug decided to try the masseuse under the coconut trees and I'd mine inside the hotel. They can give you a very relaxing massage in your hotel room or even right there under the sun. The massages are very affordable as well.
Nightlife in Boracay is ushered in with a panoramic sunset. Suddenly the beachfront is alive with bar music, dining, and drinking. We'd dinner and bar at Nigi Nigi Too located in the very center of White Beach. They served us with some of the fresh seafood and disturbingly we're told that these are sourced as far as southern Mindanao. What had happened to the sorrounding seas? Why it couldn't give us seafood? To my mind it somehow answered the 50 pesos environment fee collected per guest at the quay.
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18 Suck-It-Up Moments that Pack a Serious Payoff
THEGUYLIST compiled by the Men's Health Staff
- Returning a wallet. With all the dough. Witnessing the owner's delight is worth more than money.
- Abstaining. If the Starbucks line snakes out the door, thou shalt not whip, frap, steam , cream, or half-caf. When time is of the essence, take it like a man: straight up.
- Weaving. Your entire hand, not just the middle finger. Thousands die each year in aggressive driving-related accidents. Showing up five minutes late to work is better than showing up 6 years early to your funeral.
- Stopping at second base on a first date. Especially when she's waving you in from third. Settling for a stand-up double almost guarantees fireworks next time, when you put it over the fence.
- Donating platelets. One apheresis session yields the same amount of clotting factor as six standard transfusions---and provides crucial help for burn victims, cancer patients, and organ-transplant recipients. Whose life have you saved today?
- Fighting a bogus ticket. The day we're too tired to fight even the smallest of insults is the day the bureaucrats break out the tattoo needles and bar codes.
- Voting. Did you do it last month? If you didn't weigh in, you don't measure up.
- Holding your tongue. Every man possesses a simple superpower: silence. Too few flex it on a regular basis.
- Dancing. Especially if you can't. No woman can resist a man who puts her pleasure ahead of his ego.
- Laughing. At that humorless "joke" your dad trots out before family reunion meals.
- Not laughing. When yur boss ponders what his secretary might do in a closed room with a clown. And in a wading pool. And with Joe Lipa. Standing up for your beliefs doesn't always require a lecture. See number 8, "Holding your tongue."
- Cashing in your chips. In a perfect world, the dealer would continue to bust and the Mavericks would be a lock at +. But Lady Luck is a fickle lover. Take the money and run.
- Donating to charity. Anonymously.
- Ordering salad in a steak house. So what if your buddies are biting down on 24-ounce porterhouses and taunting you mid-chew? Your payoff comes at the beach; theirs vanishes with a belch.
- Wearing blinders. When the attractive lady with the heaving chest and tiny tank top bends over. So what if she wouldn't notice, or wouldn't mind: You gain more power by exercising restraint when sin comes in the form of 42DD cleavage. To wit...
- Forgoing. As in "Thanks, but I think I'll pass out on that tap dance."
- Putting it in writing. It's too easy to dismiss a casually uttered "thanks" or "sorry." If you really mean it, commit it to paper.
- Concealing your connections. At least at first. Sure, mention your father's first frat days with the mayor and you might score the job. But saving it until you're already n board earns you respect.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Cal realizes that once this book is published that he may become the most famous hermaphrodite in history, and he names a few of the other historically famous hermaphrodites. Cal then goes into an argument that he is a better case to study because he was born with a brain chemistry of a male but raised as a girl. Therefore, his situation is a great study of nature versus nurture.
Cal then rewinds the story once again to the summer of 1922. The story begins on the slope of Mt. Olympus in the Asia Minor with Cal's grandmother Desdemona. While working in her silkworn cocoons, she is sure that she feels her heart skip a beat. This feeling will be the genesis of her always feeling ill inside a perfectly healthy body.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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(Click for more pictures here).
Boracay, the three-syllable word is said to have come from the local word borac, meaning cotton, an obvious reference to the beach sand's color and texture. When Doug and I went there, it was few weeks before the typhoon Frank hit the island, sometime between June and October. During this time the resort and restaurant prices are cheaper than at peak season that starts early November and ends around May, and the island is at a more relaxing pace.
They said that it is dumb bell-shaped, perhaps they've seen it from above but for us who were traveling and sailing, it was several buses and ferries ride from Toledo to Kalibo, motor cab to Caticlan jetty, from there it takes 15 to 20 minutes, to get to Boracay.
At the jetty, we're hustled by fixers of the over 300 beach resorts who chanted the same spiel, theirs is located at the White Sand Beach. Thanks to this lady fixer, she billeted us at Alice in Wonderland Resort, non-beachfront, between Station 2&3, main White Sand Beach. The resort offers 35 well appointed air-conditioned cottages with queen sized bed and pull-out couches, private toilet and bath, your own veranda with a hammock awaiting your arrival. In the middle of its well-groomed grounds is a quaint two-story tree house. It has a swimming pool and an area for the guests to play table table tennis, billiards, chess and darts. One could sit at the bar and restaurant and enjoy the freshest seafood 24 hours while looking at the sea before you.
Doug wonder at this last detail after reading the resort's brochure. How could we ever look at the sea? We're across the road before the beach inside the resort compound! That's a joke, a roaring starter for our stay in Boracay.
Friday, February 6, 2009
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Monday, February 2, 2009
We traveled 1.5 hours more to Balingoan, and took M/V Yuhum, the hourly scheduled ferry crossing the channels of Mindanao Sea, and later docked at the port in Guisiliban. It was lunchtime when we landed in Camiguin, and we decided to nourish ourselves at the nearby eatery. Doug and I ordered in Cebuano, since it is spoken freely inside the eatery, sutokil (a combo of fishes grilled, souped, and soaked in vinegar), kan-on (Valencia rice), and ginamos (salted fish) as side dish. There was an old couple at the next table talking ancient language that I assumed they're natives of the island. I asked them for Mambajao, the capital town, which they told us to be at the northern part. After we had our orders, and surprisingly in a snap, we hired a motor cab to Mambajao.
We're booked at the Paras Beach Resort, the most popular accommodation, just a short ride from the travel agency in Mambajao. The rooms are fully air-conditioned and with private shower and bath. We chose a room closest to the beach, to watch a breathtaking sunset, and not to be missed also the swimming pool at the middle of the resort. Our dinner wasn't a problem, the resort has an in-house resto that is open from 6am to 12mn.
If it wasn't for Lent that we went there, we could have avail of the fun tours they offer. Among the choices are the whole day island tour of volcanoes, and the white sandbar (a three minute boat ride from the Resort), and sightseeing the waterfalls, island hopping, and snorkeling in the Sunken Cemetery---this I've second thought, if given the chance. They also have water activities such as jet-ski, banana boat, para-sailing, and scuba diving.
Waking up to a fine April sky was perfect for Panaad, the first thing in our itinerary. We hired a motor cab, the common transport available in the island, to visit the old ruins of San Roque church, convent and belfry in Gui-ob. These are the remnants of the eruption of Old Vulcan Daan in 1871 that almost wiped out the entire town of Catarman. The thick century old walls that partly exposed the ruins are also remainders of the second Spanish settlement in 1697. When we came back from the ruins, we stopped at the beach besides the road to look at the towering cross in the sea that marked the Sunken Cemetery.
The next would be climbing the Old Vulcan Daan, it is the landmark of Panaad, the volcano with stiff drop-off of 7,080 meters above sea level. At the foot, we're told to buy 14 candles appointed for the stations above, and we've seen also novelty shops for buying souvenirs later. The Via Cruses is trekking the old volcano slope. The 14 Stations of the Cross have life-sized statues, depicting the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ, that dotted the trail to the peak. At last, we crested the fourteenth station and found a sepulcher carved out of volcanic rocks, where they usually held mass for the Lenten season. The view was impressive. A thousand feet below lay Mambajao capital town of Camiguin, but that was about it. The ascent was Christ-like, as if the whole ordeal in Golgotha was happening to us. However, praying from sepulcher, we staggered down and bought our souvenir t-shirts and some Vjandep pastels, these are soft buns stuffed with sweet cream of different flavors.
The best way to resurrect the aching muscles would be a relaxing dip at the Ardent hot spring. It is a natural Jacuzzi at 400 Celsius. Here is very interesting information, the heated pool is collected water running down the vents of Hibok-Hibok volcano, and this you wouldn't mind. It has therapeutic effects on our aching muscles. The place has picnic huts and tables in the beautifully landscaped gardens, and there is also a resto that catered to our already famished stomachs.
The province is a pear shaped volcanic island in the northern tip of Mindanao. The island is said to be "born of fire." It has seven volcanoes unmatched in the world that eruptions have created wonders and historic ruins. Its pristine and rustic setting marked it as one of the top 25 tourist destinations in the country, and the seventh diving spot in the world.
I should say, it is a tiny island of lush forests as evidenced by its eternal hot and cold springs, the splendid Catarman ruins, and the idyllic life. It is a virtual paradise, a beauty entirely locked in eternal embrace of the sea, an unfazed by the pressures of today's hurried way of life. The experience we had in Camiguin was never enough that someday, Doug and I promised to go back there to re-discovery this island of fire.
Bloggers, mostly newbies like me, often think that blogging is easy stuff. But now that I'm into it I would say it isn't. When I started, I was confronted right away with what to post in my blog. Not to mention that writing is one of my frustrations, I've a hard time writing down my thoughts, or whatever is upthere in my brain. This can't be called writer's block since I haven't written any. But I prevail! When you have nothing to do, you're out of job, blogging is an alternative.
It doesn't only win over your difficulty in writing but it is said to give you money! Very well then! This is what I badly needed at this time. But it isn't as easy as expected, I need to attract more readers into my blog, and beg them to give me those precious backlinks, so that the advertisers would notice traffic for their products and lastly monetized the whole process.
But this doesn't end here, some advertisers don't pay as promised by their campaigns, at the rate of being called stupid. They set their standards more often as the weather, their easy is clincher for me though. I would've second thought for this one! I think I'm fair with my deals.
My blogging experience isn't as easy as I expected but this doesn't mean it is same with others. To each his own!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The purpose of this documentation is to amplify the interplay of realities presented, met and subsequently addressed by the Upland Development Programme in its struggle to facilitate the embankment of its mission to the lives of upland folks in southern Philippines.
After eight years, UDP has threaded the dreams of improving lives in remote terrains found in mountainous topographies. Despite the many pitfalls and setbacks, it continues to struggle and reach out to better the lives of the upland folks and communities. This is its story woven and entangled by the challenges, failures and successes of true people engaging to make a stake at progress...
Pictures of upland realities in yesterdays struggle
The traces of the past are essential tools in dealing with the future. It is the memory of lives spent hurdling with difficulties. Sometimes it posts barriers for improvement, making its trail strongly felt to burden the present in the struggle to reach a better future. The upland is practically the most difficult road to traverse. Its remoteness may prove to be unfriendly and hard to transgress...most of the time; it is left out and hardly awakens by progress.
This is an attempt to unveil the past pictures of upland communities…the struggle of its people on the road to rehabilitation and positive changes.
An abstract of the lives of eight villages scattered in the hilly and mountainous terrains in southern Philippines will somehow paint a replicating picture of common realities lived by and survived by upland folks. Let us try to imagine the lives of people resplendent with mediocrity, simplicity, and scarcity by journeying into the flashes of their past before the UDP and other key players for progress started working on the new pictures of their struggles…
Synchronizing goals through community formation
another facet of this documentary is snapshots of realities found in the many faces of upland lives when the UDP started its journey in the realm of its mission and goals.
We will attempt to immerse and become acquainted with the endeavors of initiating little changes in communities as a means of staking bigger and more practical schemes for development. The upland folks are the major stakeholders of progress who are rarely afforded the opportunity to grow beyond the confines of their ordinary and customary day-to-day struggles. Yet when the UDP alternative and more systematic stance against all forms of scarcity became felt in their communities, motivating changes gradually beat common insecurities and apprehensions.
The Stories:
- hustling over veggies
- the rape of a forest
- going bananas
- striptease to progress
- nuts over rats
- a climb to flourish
- the tale of two villages
- the rope of life
