Palawan Trip 2

On our first night in Palawan, the PIA-7 and MIMAROPA team was included in a dinner with Puerto Princesa mayor Edward Hagedorn hosted by the city to notable visitors that have arranged the visit with the city tourism office.
It was a big event with over 100 foreign and local tourists.
The dinner is a way of welcoming visitors and promoting Palawan.
Audio visual and PowerPoint presentations were so informative and well-thought of. Hagedorn's presentations, we were told are his own. He himself selects the information, photos and prepares the PowerPoint.
Mayor Hagedorn was very spontaneous and candid in all his presentations but one thing was very clear, he was a staunch environmentalist that he has managed and sustained the environmental protection and development of Palawan.
Hagedorn said, at the early stages of his leadership, it was hard to persuade people to care for the environment .
Palawan then reeled with problems on muro-ami, illegal logging, kaingin, waste disposal and poverty.
By sheer determination and wide community involvement, he was able to reverse the situation. He encouraged barangays to clean and keep stock of their surroundings.
He was very strict in enforcing environmental laws, Palawan is the first province in the country to craft its own environmental laws.
Palawan is a hall of famer in the cleanest and greenest contest in the country and it is also adjudged as the only province in the world with zero carbon footprints, safest place to live according to scientists that monitor the environmental health of a place.
Listening to the mayor, I thought if all mayors in the country are like him , the PHL would be a safer, greener, cleaner and more peaceful place to live.
There will be more blogs related to my Palawan trip experiences. Until my next blog.

Palawan Trip 1

The PIA-7 team arrived in Puerto Princesa on July 27 on a Cebu Pacific flight-227 @ 12:10 p.m.
At the Puerto Princesa airport we were like confused but happy children on their very first out-of-town trip.
I didn't realized that Puerto Princesa a airport is very small, too small for a province that caters to over 4T tourists daily.
Puerto Princesa mayor Edward Hagedorn said from 2 flights/day, it now has 22 flights; Zest air, Cebu Pacific & AirPhil.
Hotel transfers are ready to take their guests--Legend Palawan vans rolled us to the hotel where we would be staying until July 31.
The team arrived at Legend Palawan and was met with a welcome drink.
Cheers! The team toasted to wonderful possibilities and beautiful events to come!
The Mid-year Program Review & Joint Staff Dev Training Workshop was to start at 2pm at the Busuanga hall with the MIMAROPA region & Region 7 staff--25 of us.
The first activity was a workshop on "The Future You Choose." Participants were divided according to their plantilla items; Managers, writers, admin, AVTech, others.
Part of the workshop is for them to answer the questions (a) What is your future with PIA based on your item & as you are.
The 2nd activity was for them to create a regional organizational staff complement based on their respective choices, existing manpower & future considerations as well as their choice of a regional director.
The next workshop was goal setting and management based on the "One Minute Manager" concept.
I gave inputs on the "Power of Our Amazing Brain."
According to studies the brain control 5% of the conscious mind while 95% is controlled by the sub-conscious and we have 70T thoughts daily.
We capped the first day in Palawan with good night's sleep and a relaxing massage.

Siquijor, a shimmering Island

I always love to come back to Siquijor Island because there's something eerie, healthy, fresh and healing about the island.
According to stories of old, when the Spaniards came to the island they saw it glowing & so they called it "Isla del Fuego" or Island of Fire.
Some though believed that the island glowed with fireflies that swarmed the place because of its mangrove trees all over the island.
Siquijor is composed of six towns, Siquijor, Larena, San Juan, Enrique Villanueva, Maria & Lazi with Siquijor town as the capital.
It has white sandy beaches in San Juan, Maria & in Enrique Villanueva.
It's flora changes in color as seasons change.
During summer, it's trees turn gold, red, greenest green and golden brown and Its cloudless skies are so blue.
In 1994-1996, I spent my time there as manager of a provincial information center.
I took every opportunity to explore the island. I've done spelunking of about
15 caves. There are over 48 caves in Siquijor.
Spent time swimming, listlessly walking, & scouring the beaches and shorelines of the island looking for seashells and finding myself.
I have captured the sunrise, sunset, seasons, people, and lifestyle of Siquijor in my canvass and through my lenses.
I had stared for hours end the glittering night skies of Larena when the stars came out from dusk to wee hours of morning.
I caught fireflies swirling in my room at the Siquijor State College campus where I used to stay.
Slept through the lulling sound of the ocean and the fishermen's shrill as they caught fish at late dusk.
The underwater world of the Island is equally a wonder!
Colorful fishes, corals, seaweeds and shells abound in Siquijor.
I remember dolphins, baby dolphins swimming with the banca that brought me to Dumaguete early dawn .
My memories of Siquijor were vivid and it was in this Island that I found my peace, my life, my serendipity.
I will always call Siquijor, a shimmering Island!

Salagdoong Beach Resort, Maria Siquijor

I was here in 1995 and the beach was still pristine then. No structures but the natural contour of Salagdoong crags w mangroves on them.
Now, the place is developed into a resort run by the local government of Siquijor.
There are now buildings & cottages atop those craggy hills and on the beach shore itself.
The restaurant is privately owned & managed by a local business, food is available @ 7a.m. until probably 8p.m.
Bring some food & water with you just in case you arrive late in the evening.
With the present facilities, Salagdoong could be a profitable tourism potential if managed well.
Travelers want comfort, good food, & local hospitality at all times of their stay in the place.
What do you get, or what do you do while you are in Salagdoong?
The beach is ok but not spectacular . Maybe in the evening, you can catch fireflies--there were swarms of them 15 years ago! I'm not sure now.
It's quiet here. Nothing much you can do but swim, walk, run/jog, stare at the horizon ruminating.
If you the adventurous kind, this isn't your place!
If you are contemplative & living a complicated life, perhaps you need Salagdoong.
If you just want to spend sometime, say a few hours, okay come & swim relax & hit the road to another destination.
By the way, renting a motorcycle from Siquijor to Salagdoong will cost you P500-- local tourism approved rate.

Cancelled trip

I am earlier than my schedule because the 830am fastcraft for Tagbilaran City was cancelled.
I had to get another ticket from another fastcraft that leaves @ 9am.
Traveling in the PHL is still wanting in comforts & convenience. But we Filipinos are resilient that anything we do we consider it fun notwithstanding the inconvenience.
This is how the Weesam terminal looked @ 734am today!
The only cafe inside the terminal was also lethargic in its service this early...
I have corned beef, egg, rice & coffee for breakfast (even if I don't like corned beef) because I was really hungry. I'm a breakfast person, I become cranky if I can't eat breakfast.
Well, as they say make roses out of anything. (make roses out of corned beef?) LOL!

Apple Pie

My husband's own recipe for apple pie! Made of green apples, eggs, custard...

My dinner

I brought home a kilo of seedless grapes tonight and ate them with brown organic rice and veggies salad.
I was just experimenting on my food and I discovered an exotic taste.
My British husband laughed at my concoction while our helpers joined me with the salad & bread toasts as their side dish.
Two days ago we had ginata-an green leafy veggies--kalamunggay,string beans & squash for dinner with brown rice.

Social Media

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, blogging, google+ email, all these are practically on your fingertips!
You can actually link all of them. Your twitter can be linked to your FB; Instagram to twitter, FB, email, tumbler, 4square.
Your blog can also be linked to your google+, twitter & FB accounts.
The beauty of this sharing is it can be done in seconds On your cell phone.
Lately, I did my blog entry on my iPhone and it was instantly linked to my google+ account.
News makers must have the latest mobile units that will enhance information delivery to as many people as possible in seconds!
The speed of information creates a literate digital generation today.
Do we still need schools?
Where do we go from here?

Durano's Antiquity

Antiquities inside the beautiful house resort of VM Ramonito Durano in Danao City, Cebu, Philippines.  I had a wonderful chance to visit the place when the PIA-7 covered the President's visit there on July 7 during the birthday of VM Durano and the signing of coalition between the Liberal  & the BAKUD parties in preparation for thelocal elections next year.

Coverage

It was a hectic day today because my PIA staff went to cover the President's visit in Cebu at Danao City. We started at 7am from Cebu and arrived at RD Hills resort of the Durano's.
Over 650 people were invited composed of LP members, supporters barangay officials, & the media.

A few of my favorite things

A few of my favorite things. My paint brushes haven't been used for about 15 years now. I miss this hobby! The coin basket is full of one-centavo coins that I've saved from shopping since the 1980's I can't seem to throw it away, it brings me good luck. Those old books that I still want to re-read...and my scalar quantum pendant that represents body "chakras."

My workplace...

For creative writers some kind of an office, a nook, an area or even a whole room is a sanctuary where they can spend eternity to produce stories or sketches of life. My own nook is the office I have at Gorordo Ave., 3rd floor of Machay building. 

 It's facing east to give me sunbeams in the early mornings. When the weather is gloomy, I see the rains on my window panes and feel the winds thru the murmurs of the huge acacia tree outside the building. Here, I can observe traffic at Gorordo Ave. and the goings and comings of people around the neighborhood. 

 It is also the venue of forums, presscons, meetings and other gatherings. I enjoy working in my office. I will surely miss it when I bow out of service next year. Meantime, let me invite you in to my workplace.