Destination: Eagle’s Point

Pinoy Explorer is on the go again. Recently, I was able to visit the fabulous resort of Eagle Point in Batangas. Local residents in this area called the place “Bagalangit” which means “Almost Heaven”. It has something that they can be proud of, clean sea air, pristine waters, perfect for scuba divers and fantastic sunset view by the bay.

The place is located on the tip of the Calumpang Peninsula and just two and a half hours drive from Manila but actually we had reached the place form Manila almost 5 hours. That includes a stop-over in Lipa, Batangas . This privately-owned haven is one of the biggest and best resorts so far in Anilao-Mabini area.

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Pinay Heroes on Everest

Philippine Flag has been raised again at the top of Mt. Everest for the second time. The first is when three Filipino mountainers (Leo Oracion, Pastour Emata and Romi Garduce) successfully reached the summit last year during the 1st Philippine Mt. Everest Expediton and now, three Filipinas made their historic feat as the first ASEAN women to reach the highest mountain on Earth.

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Pahiyas: Feast of San Isidro Labrador

May is a month of fiesta in the Philippines and mostly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Countless Flores de Mayo are being held in various barrios throughout the country where flowers are being offered by children and Santacruzan are for young ladies who vie for the Reyna Elena status.

But the month of May is also about celebrating the feast of their patron saints. To all of us, May 15 is just an ordinary summer fiesta but to many religious believers, its more than a celebration for it comemmorates the feast of San Isidro Labrador, the saint of the farmers.

Today, He is considered as the number one choice as Patron Saint of Churches in the Philippines not because of any religious congregation established in his honor but he was chosen based on the number of terms the churches honoring him as patron saint.

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My Wife’s Day

I was at home reading a Sunday paper and I throw a glance at my wife with my2 year old kid watching the photos during our last year’s vacation in baguio. My son was so happy enumerating names of those what he sees on the photo slides on the computer monitor. He giggles and he was very smart calling his mother’s attention to turn the photos in portrait mode. He already able to identify what is correct in his vision.

As i watch them, there’s a spot in my heart that says, “You must be fortunate to have a family like that.” I can also tell that that my son was contented, enjoying his life as a kid and was raised with the loving hands of his parents. Two years had passed and I can’t really imagine that my son is growing fast and smart. He can already recite his ABCs and other nursery rhymes that his mom had taught every night. He can already mimic some TV commercials and dance some of its tunes.

I seldom recognized my wife’s effort for all these years and I want to commend her for being so patient with me and being understanding. Aside from that, I want to be thankful for her nurturing love to our beloved son, for her caring and affection, guidance and for teaching him to be smart.

I turned the pages and I see a half-page ad. Its Mother’s Day and I almost forgot. The election fever is making its headlines and I almost missed the importance of this day. I have kissed my wife and whisper ….”That’s a kiss for being the best mom for Chad” Let us all greet all mother’s with a KISS! Happy Mother’s Day!

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Photos Led to Boracay’s Discovery

We are surprised by its awesome beauty. We enjoyed the powder-like white sands and breathtaking sunset. But do you have any idea how this beautiful island called Boracay was discovered?

It was my second time in Boracay and I was not here for any ordinary outing experience. I was here in search of Boracay’s history, art and culture. But the truth of the matter is, this island does not have much of a history and it’s quite challenging to find out its past.

I began my work early morning strolling down the 4- kilometer stretch of the beach shore, even if I was a bit tired from the party the night before with my officemates. I went to the southern part and found myself in the unexplored haven of Brgy. Manoc-manoc. Though the place has a few sprouts of establishments already, it is not overcrowded. The sand is also refined but not as first-class white that you can found in Stations I and II. The harbor is quite a scenery and
fresh air can be felt for it has a bountiful of forest reserves which are still unspoiled.

I had the privilege to talk with a certain Manong Ruben while he was busy unrooting wild grasses around his mango tree. He told me that there’s a lot of stories about Boracay but he only gave me a few. He said that there were early settlers who inhabited the island and fishing was their primary source of income.

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Uncovering the Beauty of Miag-ao

I really don’t know much about Miag-ao but I often heard it from my colleagues about its historical importance. So, when the opportunity came, I took the time to make the most out of the place.

I have been to Iloilo City when I was in college but I had never been to Miag-ao. I just came here now to visit our branch office. I added as part of my itinerary the Spanish-old church of Miag-ao. Though some of my officemates decided to cancel our Miag-ao trip because of the intense heat this summer, I pushed with my plan and went along with my 6 other officemates.

We travelled about 40 kms south-west of Iloilo City by a hired jeepney and we reached this famous religious gem of the south about 45 minutes. The Santo Tomas de Villanueva church which was listed in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the oldest baroque churches in the country built more than 200 years ago.

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When banks stole your money

Have you experienced being stolen by your bank?

Well, it’s about time to be wary and vigilant as you put your card in any convenient ATM machines because you never know, one day, you might also experience what I had been through.

Last December, it has become a tradition for me and my wife to go to Divisoria in preparation for the Christmas season. We go there without cash in hand as long we had our precious ATM card with us. We just scout for any available ATM machine inside or outside the mall. This time, we chose Equitable Bank because it is an affiliate of the BPI and the only available bank that’s not been offlined yet. We waited patiently even if there was a long line of people waiting for their turns. To our dismay, no money was dispensed from the machine. And an error said that the “machine was unavailable.”

I have a suspicion that the machine went offline. So I went to another bank to verify my account while I let my wife stayed in front of the ATM machine for the hope of having the machine dispensed the money I’ve withdrawn. When I verified, I proved that I was right. I was debited with PhP2,000 pesos.

I approached a bank personnel of Equitable bank and reported the matter. He advised us to report what happened to BPI through its hotline number, 89-100. So we called up BPI and they gave us a sort of a reference number that will be recorded by them so we will be able to follow up our complaint. We called them after a week but the phone attendant told us that nothing had been debited from my account and instead file our complaint directly to Equitable bank in Divisoria branch where we used the ATM machine.

I was a bit mad for that conversation because for me, it is their responsibility to follow-up the incident with their partner bank and verify the matter for further investigation. In the first place, we reported the matter to them immediately so that they can make possible actions on it. The solution should be in their hands already but unfortunately, nothing has happened yet.

After almost 5 months, we are still following up the matter through 89-100 and they only gave us the same feedback over and over again that the company is still verifying the incident. It’s been months and my wife got her blood pressure on a scale talking with these operators who kept on repeating the same lines. They couldn’t even give other suggestions on how they could speed up the process. They just reassuring us of nothing.

ATM or Automated Teller Machine was invented to facilitate the public with easy banking service. But with this type of scenario where debited account was no longer in the vocabulary of these banks was really a violation of public trust and consumer’s rights. And it’s a bit alarming. What If you withdraw a big amount of money, will it make a difference?

These and many more questions hounded me. This only reflects of how some companies do their businesses. They never took care of its loyal customers, they are only after the money that you can give and the quality of service is at stake. It’s only a small amount of money but we felt that we’ve been stolen.

So Beware…you might be their next victim.

Related Links

* ATTN: BPI ATM acct holders (FYI)
* ATM Machine Monster!!!

technorati tags:divisoria, bank, stolen, money, atm, machine, debited

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Camarines Sur: Home for Xtreme Sports in Asia

I have been to Bicol region just recently and the talk-of-the town there was about the new sport complex that is still being developed by the provincial government. It is a world-class facility that will house extreme sports such as dirt biking, skateboarding and the now popular cabled-waterskiing.

The Cam Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) was the first world-class facility in Asia located inside the Provincial Capitol Complex or commonly known as “Kapitolyo.” The concept was patterned in Florida, USA who led the popularity of extreme watersports all over the world.

“Kapitolyo” is also the place of the regional government office. It has facilities for all sorts of public recreation. I remembered during my high school days when we regularly visited this place for our outing. I also brought my wife here before we get married three years ago.

This 6-hectares of reclaimed land has 6-point cable ski system that has become a favorite destination spot of sport enthusiasts all over Europe, Australia and the United States. It has a 700 meter long manmade lake constructed for wakeboarding or surfing. Aside from sports, the lake invites visitors to have a swim or bath under the sun.

Cable skiing as the name suggest, is a sport wherein a skier is being pulled by an overhead cable suspended 8 to 12 meters above water surface by specifically designed pylons. It is the same with the water ski being pulled by a motorboat. The cable travels continuously and run counter clockwise with an estimated speed of 20 to 65 kph.

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technorati tags:wakeboarders, camarines, watersports

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Pieces of Hope in Albay

Cagsawa Ruins, the famous landmark of Bicol region are still intact and are spared from the ravaging flash floods brought by typhoon Reming last year. It resulted to more than a thousand deaths from various municipalities surrounding the Mt. Mayon in Albay province.It is contrary to the reports made by foreign and local media who covered the fiasco and said that it was washed away and half buried by pyroclastic materials from Mt. Mayon. Local residents said that mediamen were not able to reach the Cagsawa ruins because roads leading to it were impassable and full of boulders and sand that reaches up to 20 ft. high.

November 30, 2006, four months after the strong typhoon, I visited this place again and witnessed the real condition of the people and the landmark. The roads that led to it were already cleared but you can see the 20 feet wall of sands in both sides. Some houses were abandoned and was half-buried in the mud.

I saw construction-owned trucks passing back and forth loading boulders and sands from the former Busay river. It was devastated and now cleared with pyroclastic deposits, sands and boulders. Some folks are still trying to catch fish in this almost dried-up river.

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Related links:
• Albay: One month after super typhoon Reming
• Rummaging through the ruins of typhoon Reming
• Family struggles to survive in Padang lahar siteRelated News:
• Bicol region faces dark Christmas
• Slow Recovery for Albay Residents

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A Time to Reflect

In the Philippines, the Holy Week culminates the solemn observance of Christians faith. Countless “Cenaculos” and “Pabasas” reciting and re-enacting the passion and death of Jesus Christ will again be traditionally observed. This rituals became one of the tourist attractions during the Lenten Season.

Last Sunday, April 1 marks the Palm Sunday. It signifies and highlights the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago. In Sto. Domingo church alone where I usually attends mass was full of vendors with their palm branches reaching people who will attend the mass.

Truly the world is turning so fast and here comes another year for us to reflect on what we have done so far. We, at the big city sometimes forgot about these festivities and usually go the beaches and relax. Yes, I have also been there few years back and I have experienced how the crowd enjoys the Boracay and Puerto Gallera’s party even if its Good Friday. Commercialism has crept us the observance of Holy Week which may have been helped along by the lack of understanding of the Paschal mystery and our faith.

Are we still the Christians that our forefathers expect on us? Do we still live by our christian faith? Well, you have the answer.

I still don’t have any religious plans this holy week because I will be going home to my hometown in Bicol to visit the destruction of our province brought by the recent typhoons and at the same time to be with my ailing father.

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