NAGA CITY: The Heart of Bicol

Even before the coming of the Spanish colonial government, Naga, which was then a flourishing village off the riverbanks of the storied Naga River, was already a thriving community. As pointed in the book of Prof. Danilo M. Gerona, a local historian, Naga was then a premier village with a comparatively sophisticated weaponry and surprisingly advanced technology. The name “Naga” derived its origin from the narra trees, which were then in abundance. Thus, in 1573, when the Spanish Troops arrived led by Capt. Juan de Salcedo, the colonizers were amazed to find a community with a fairly well advanced culture. In 1574, Captain Pedro de Chaves founded Ciudad de Nueva Caceres in honor of Don Francisco de Sande, then governor of the province and native of the City of Caceres in Spain. Naga, the premier native village and then a Spanish pueblo, formed part of the Spanish colonial city. Nueva Caceres remained the capital of Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent component city of Naga under the Philippine Republic. Naga’s birth as a chartered city formally took place on December 15, 1948 by virtue of Republic Act No. 305. Rep. Juan Q. Miranda sponsored this legislative act which put flesh into the city’s bid to become among the only few independent component cities in the country.

CIUDAD NIN NAGA has been for hundred of years a center of trade, education and culture, and the seat of governmental and ecclesiastical jurisdiction.

In 1573, on his second expedition to this region, the great conquestador, Juan de Salcedo, discovered here a flourishing Bikol Village called Naga, because it is said, of an abundance of Narra (naga in Bikol) trees about the place. In 1575 (200 years before the start of the American Revolution), Capt. Pedro de Chavez, the commander of the garrison left behind by Salcedo, founded on the site of the present business center (across the river from the original Naga) a Spanish city which he named Ciudad de Caceres, in honor of Francisco de Sande, the governor general and a native of the city of Caceres in Spain. It was still by this name that it was identified in the papal bull of August 14, 1595 that erected the See of Caceres (together with those of Cebu and Nueva Segobia) and made it the seat of the new bishopric.

In time, Spanish city and native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Caceres, obviously to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines.

With the advent of the American rule, it was reduced to a municipality. In 1919, it lost its Spanish name, when, by law, it became officially known as Naga. It acquired its present city charter in 1948, and its city government was inaugurated on December 15 of the same year.

The bishops of Caceres occupied a unique place in the Philippine Catholic hierarchy during most of the Spanish regime. By virtue of the papal brief of Gregory XIII, ecclesiastical cases originating in the Spanish Indies, which ordinarily were appealable to the Pope, were ordered to be terminated there and no longer elevated to Rome. Decisions of bishops were made appealable to the archbishop and those of the latter to the bishop of the nearest see. Thus, in the Philippines, the decisions of the archbishop of Manila were subject to review by the bishop of Caceres whose jurisdiction then extended to the province of Tayabas. In this sense, bishops of Bikol were delegates of the Pope and could be considered primates of the Church of the Philippines.

This was the reason why bishops of Caceres and archbishop of Manila were sometimes engaged in interesting controversies in the sensational Naga case and in such issues as canonical visitation and the secularization of the parishes.
As papal delegate, Bishop Francisco Gainza, then concurrently bishop of Caceres, sat in the special ecclesiastical tribunal which passed upon the civil authorities' petition to divert Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora of their priestly dignity. Gainza did not only refuse the petition but also urged their pardon.

Situated at the center of the Bikol peninsula and surrounded on all sides by rich agricultural, forest and fishing areas, Naga is also at the confluence of the Naga and Bikol Rivers. Thus, it has always been an ideal place for trade, and as center for schools and church and government offices.

In downtown Naga, just opposite Naga's tallest structure, the Holiday Hotel, you will see a park situated between Peñafrancia Ave. and Elias Angeles Street, and right in the middle of it the lofty monument to Bikol's Quince Martires. Actually, Bikol's martyrs of freedom number in the thousands but these fifteen have been specially singled out as symbols of the rest because on January 4, 1897, just five days after Dr. Rizal was executed, eleven of them were likewise shot at Bagumbayan field in Manila. The others died for country in exile or in prison.

They were avenged, however, at the Peñafrancia Fiesta, September 18, 1898 for corporals Elias Angeles and Felix Plazo convinced their fellow members of the guardia civil not to allow the same fate to befall them as had befallen the Daet patriots. So on the night of the fiesta they attacked the Spanish officers' quarters, routed them and then did battle with the rest of the Spanish community who had established themselves in the convento of the historic San Francisco Church (just opposite the Quince Martires monuments, its old bell tower can still be seen). When word of this startling defeat reached Partido, Legazpi, Sorsogon and Catanduanes, all Spanish forces and governmental men withdraw to Iloilo.

Sad to say, in January 1900, the American imperialistic forces invaded Camarines Sur and headed for Naga. However, Naga resident General Ludovico Arejola, organized a large guerilla army and fought the Americans at Agdangan, Baao. Afterwards he set up a camp in the mountains of Minalabac and held out for a full year and two and two months more, until rampant sickness forced the surrender of himself and his men in a formal ceremony in Naga on March 31, 1901. In late December 1941, Naga was again put under another foreign power, Japan, but once again on May 1 and 2, 1942; the combined guerilla forces of the province smashed their way into Naga. Their main purpose in doing so was to liberate the 30 American prisoners in the provincial jail. At the risk of their own lives and those of their relatives and neighbors not only freed, but also sheltered their former colonizers in the mountain.

On April 9, 1945, a large number of Major Juan Q. Miranda's guerillas again attacked the Japanese forces in Naga. American planes also heavily bombed the city. The American army arrived finally on April 27. Naga became a chartered city in 1948.

On the first decade of 1700's the first chapel to the Virgin Mary of Peñafrancia was constructed just above the city and along the banks of Naga River that is the avenue upon which the image is triumphantly borne from downtown Naga on the afternoon of Peñafrancia Saturday. This devotion is an authentic regional fiesta and the population of the city more than doubles on those days as pilgrims come from all over the six Bicol provinces as well as many from Manila and other distant places to share in this great religious experience and festival.

Three (3) of the most venerable institutions and structures in Naga are clustered together along the upper part of Elias Angeles Street. They are the Cathedral that begun in the year 1816, the Holy Rosary Seminary and the Colegio de Sta. Isabel. Founded in 1793 as both a college and a seminary, The Holy Rosary Seminary is one of the oldest schools in the republic. It educated literally thousands of the sons of all the leading families from as far north as Mauban, Quezon, and as far south as Leyte. In 1925, the laymen’s department was separated from the seminary and became the Camarines Sur Catholic Academy, which in turn, in 1940 became the Ateneo de Naga. Naga Parochial School took over the training of the elementary boys in 1948.

In 1868, the first normal school for women in the entire Orient was established in Naga as the Colegio de Sta. Isabel. Each parish in Bikol was required to send at least one pensionada to study there that they might be trained to run the parochial school in their own home place. The colegio’s present day population of more than 5,000 shows the appreciation of the Bikol people for its century of work for Bikol youth.

The University of Nueva Caceres, adjacent to Naga’s Centro, is the first university in southern Luzon. Over 9,000 students are being trained “non scholae ser vitae” in its halls. Students come from as far south as Zamboanga to attend its law, engineering, commerce, liberal arts courses. Its Bicol Museum is the best in the entire Peninsula.

Naga has a multitude of other fine schools: Naga College Foundation, Camarines Sur National High School, Bicol College of Arts and Trade, Naga City Science High School, St. Joseph School, Hope Christian School, Philippine Union College and many energetic business and fashion academies.

Naga City in Pictures


Naga City Public Market
What meets the eye when crossing the Tabuco bridge is the hubbub of traders and marketgoers at the Naga City Public Market, one of the largest supermarket in Southeast Asia.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/4/4_20030903162529.jpg

Bichara Mall
The Bichara Mall in General Luna street is a convenient haven of shoppers and on-lookers for today's latest fashion trends.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/4/4_20030903132305.jpg

Balogo Beach
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/contrib.approved/6_20030923154511.jpg

Peñafrancia Basilica Minore
In 1985, a new bigger house was built for Ina in barangay Balatas to accommodate the increasing number of devotees who come to thank and pay homage to the Virgin.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/4/4_20030912101426.jpg

Naga: A Rising Metropolis
The busy south entry point shows heavy volume of inward traffic cutting through a bustling commercial area along General Luna Street in Naga City.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/6/6_20030922132731.jpg

Naga City in Pictures


Milaor Church and Tower
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/contrib.approved/4_20030923154425.jpg

Walls of Colors
Gurit Bikol, a Naga-based group of artists recently launched a campaign to grace the vacant walls of the city through colorful paintings of varied subjects. This to counteract the growing fondness for vandalism and redirect the energy of the youth to more worthwhile activities.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/4/4_20040107191532.jpg

Plaza Quezon
The newly built Plaza Quezon standing proud at the heart of Naga's bustling commercial area treats constituents and visitors with various spectacles and cultural presentations.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/6/6_20040826140408.jpg

Yuletide Landmark
The giant christmas tree in the middle of the busy commercial strip at Plaza Quezon stands bright and beautiful to greet Nagueños with holiday cheers this season.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/6/6_20031216111508.jpg

Above and Beyond
Space adventure at the refurbished Bicol Science and Technology Centrum adds perk to curious visitors. Impressed by the life size wallpaper space shuttle, this space enthusiast takes a closer look at what goes above and beyond.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/6/6_20040126164855.jpg

Naga City in Pictures


Mt. Isarog at Sunrise
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/contrib.approved/1_20050606092427.jpg

Pedestrian Crossing
With the newly painted and more visible pedestrian lanes at the old business district, unruly drivers don't have any reason not to give way to the passersby especially during traffic clogged rush hours.
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/7/7_20031216111312.jpg

Our Lady of Peñafrancia Fiesta
http://www.naga.gov.ph/gallery/photos/5/5_20050927105506.jpg

hwow!!! HAHAHAHA...may thread 4...Salamat na dakulaon Sinjin...

^^ Ayan, I'm done. No prob! :okay:

The 4th thread is already open and available for posting:

Legazpi City and Bicol Region Thread IV (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=303894)

But, this thread should be full first. :)

EDIT.

^Wow, nice introduction. Very informative and pleasing. :applause:

^^ Sinjin - thanks for the wonderful intro!!! :applause: :applause:
Here...have a drink for me: :cheers:

^^ ey steve minor pa yan si sinjin.. milo nalang o di kaya ovaltine ang pa-inom mo sa kanya.. haha

great job sinjin

Congratulations on your 4th thread! Four claps for Villa Pacifica de Miguel Lopez de Legazpi! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

and one for Mayon. :applause:

^^ ey steve minor pa yan si sinjin.. milo nalang o di kaya ovaltine ang pa-inom mo sa kanya.. haha

great job sinjin

ooops sorry nakalimutan ko minor nga pla si Michael hehe - just pretend this is juice or a fruitie :cheers:
cheers Michael & good luck with your studies!

Yup lets fill this up before we flood the 4th thread. Cheers...gotta run to work...

Old news, but still funny:




4th BATTERED 'ORAGON', SAYS NURSE
'Macho lover' beaten
up by wife in Tabaco City
Posted: 2:37 AM (Manila Time) | Jun. 30, 2003
By Job Belen
Inquirer News Service

TABACO CITY-It seems that women known for being demonstrative, in this city known for the deadly tabac (machete), are no longer content with banishing misbehaving husbands from their beds.

Now they pick up arms and beat 'em black and blue.


Never mind that in this country, Bicol is the acknowledged cradle of the oragon (macho lover) culture, in which pedicab driver Danilo Braga was apparently raised.

Braga, 40, was rushed to the Ziga Memorial and District Hospital, sporting fresh cuts, bruises, scratches and welts inflicted by his wife Evelyn who, he told police, had attacked him with fists and fingernails, and an iron pipe. It was not the first time it happened, he said.

Emergency room nurse Jocelyn Codorniz could not help noting that Braga was the fourth "battered husband" she had attended to in recent months.

His wife had hogtied him as well, Braga said, and then resumed hitting him until he fainted inside their home in Barangay Quinale at the height of fiesta celebrations on Tuesday.

Actually, he could have passed out as much from drunkenness as from distress. Codorniz recalled that all the battered husbands had reeked of alcohol, and never stopped begging their wives for forgiveness while being treated.

Braga said his wife was enraged because he had come home drunk and penniless. The village tanod (guard) who brought him to the hospital had a more complete story.

The tanod said Braga had left early in the morning of June 24, feast day of the city's patron saint San Juan Bautista. But instead of plying his pedicab route as he told Evelyn he would, he joined a neighborhood drinking spree.

"When he went back home in the afternoon," the tanod said, "his family had not eaten lunch."

Evelyn would not be stopped once she started beating him up, Danilo told police investigators.

"I pleaded with her, but did not fight back because I'm a man and she is a woman. Only the tanod managed to pacify her."

In any case, he said, he was inclined to sue his wife for maltreatment.

Dr. Ma. Gina Vera, the attending physician, suggested that Danilo stay in the hospital for a while, since Evelyn had done a pretty good job of expressing her displeasure.

He refused. What would his oragon pals say?

whats up doc.

whasshap Matt? i'm just finishing up this thread - we need 7 more posts....

Do you know how to copy paste tables Matt? I'm trying to but it ends up being all jumbled up and weird...

i aint mat, but heres my idea; print screen, save it as a jpeg in paint :D

hmmm i haven't thought of that yet Tigs...I better stick to simple posts hehe or maybe I'll wait till Mr Sinjin is up - he's a prodigy - this should be easy for him

Capitol building, Pili, Camarines Sur

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/pilicap.jpg

^nice building

hmmm i haven't thought of that yet Tigs...I better stick to simple posts hehe or maybe I'll wait till Mr Sinjin is up - he's a prodigy - this should be easy for him

no prob.

Good Morning! Unofficially locked. :lock:

^^ Merge this with the other thread that kiretoce made.

^^Yeah, I just noticed Kiretoce made another one by accident - hehehe

i'm not sure about the tables, doc. but yea you can do what Tigi suggested.
hey dyou see those kittens? cute.

Sorry guys! I didn't notice this thread when I made the other one. That's what I get for being too efficient and helpful! :lol:

^^ di bale: your punishment is to put on those rollerblades in NY and start dancing for us. Maybe put on some 70s clothes too, to complete the "effect".

@Guys. how do I merge threads? Any mods out there pls? I think we better merge the new Bicol threads coz ppl are getting confused and are continuing to post in the different versions of Bicol IV.

First posted 03:49am (Mla time) Jan 11, 2006
By Gil Francis Arevalo
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A16 of the January 11, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEGAZPI CITY—THE P10.7 million fine, among other fines, and the strict conditions imposed on Lafayette Philippines Inc. by the Pollution and Adjudication Board (PAB) will adversely affect the company’s operations in Rapu-Rapu, Albay, according to Rey Juan, Mines and Geosciences Bureau regional director.

With Lafayette’s operations already suspended after the mining spills late last year, Juan stressed that the ruling would further set back the company’s timetable.

“Well, there’s no one to blame here except Lafayette, which had admittedly overlooked putting up the necessary technologies needed in the continuous gold milling operations,” he said.

Tough decision

Rod Watt, Lafayettte country manager, said in a phone interview that the firm would study the penalties and fines imposed on it as well as all the other conditions and requirements that his company was asked to comply with.

“It’s kind of hard for us but we humbly submit to the dictates of Philippine
laws. That’s what the law says and we are going to abide by it,” he said.

Watt added that he could not further comment on the fines imposed on Lafayette since the company has yet to receive the copies of the PAB ruling.

“The thing is, we are always cooperative with the Philippine government. Right now, our initial plan is to schedule a dialogue with the PAB to discuss all the mentioned conditions. Other than that I cannot make any statement,” Watt said.

The P10.7 million total amount of fines and other penalties that have yet to be paid in connection with the Oct. 11 and Oct. 31 mine spills in the island-municipality of Rapu-Rapu in Albay are considered to be the biggest fine ever imposed by the government on a company in violation of the Clean Water Act.

Juan said Lafayette is still determined to continue its operations despite the ruling, but it may take some time before the company gains its momentum since it will have to take into consideration all the new conditions.

Resources

“Just imagine that amount of money, the pressure to comply with all the conditions in the soonest possible time, and the clamor of the local folk. This is indeed a make or break case. It only shows that our government means business here, especially with regard to the Mining Act of 1995,” Juan said.

Lafayette is strictly required to rehabilitate its settling, polishing and event ponds to ensure that these can hold mine wastes and effluents from the project before it can resume operations.

WE are told that the external manifestation of religion is the practice of rites, and pre-Hispanic Bicolanos employed quite a few of them. The early Bicolanos had a special rite for the Gugurang, one of their gods, that they called Atang [sacrifice]. The Atang was offered as an act of thanksgiving for a favor received. It consisted basically of singing, eating, dancing and drinking many times to excess.

The site that they used for their offerings was the "gulang-gulangan," a kind of spacious and wide shed made of bamboo and palm leaves that lasted only as long as the act that motivated its construction or until a strong wind came and destroyed it totally.There were no idols representing the Gugurang, or any that had been found at the time Retana wrote his observations in the Archivo del Bibliofilo Filipino. Bicolanos did have some statues that they called "lagdong," representing ancestors. Among the Agtas there were images, made of wood or carved in relief, representing the male figure.

The rites were of various types according to whether they were directed toward the Gugurang, the Asuang or the Anito [ancestral spirit]. The Atang was the most sublime of the rites asking the Gugurang for a good harvest or giving thanks for favors received. The rite consisted in offering the best of the fruits of the soil called "himoloan," which was consumed after the offering in noisy festivities.

The steps of the celebration were as follows: A table of bamboo called "salagnat" and used only on these occasions was prepared. Dozens of viands of all kinds were placed on top of it and after the "baliana" recited secret supplications and intoned the Soraque, a religious song dedicated to the benevolent Gugurang was sung in chorus by women invited for that purpose. Once the song was over, the various viands were distributed and these were eaten merrily as the finale to the festivities. But sometimes this rite would terminate in fights, quarrels or bloody wars between tribes.

The ancient social structure of the Bicolanos consisted of three divisions: "dato," "dulujan," and "oripon." The "dato" was the chief, the "dulujan" a day laborer, and the "oripon" a slave acquired in war or bought or enslaved by debts. Among the "dulujan" were the ministers of the religion called Asog.

The Asog were effeminate men who wore necklaces and earrings. For cult functions, they would don feminine clothes and act like women, including the manner of speaking. They would also at times entertain people with their jokes and witty remarks, causing much hilarity. It was the custom among them not to marry in order to be free to carry out their ministry when called or possibly because they had no inclination to do so. Circumcision was known and practiced.

There were also women priests called "baliana" who officiated at sacrifices. These were generally the most astute women, loquacious, cunning, always fluent and possessed of a sagacious manner. It was their livelihood to listen to the cares of others, intercede for them and invoke the Anito, or ancestral spirits, for which they received generous presents. They lived among the people, serving as their consultants on all matters of importance especially those related to illness and sufferings. The "baliana" certainly gave the early Catholic ministers a lot of work. The priests had to employ strong and powerful measures to convince the people of what they considered were the deceitful ways of the "baliana."

None of these early songs, like the Soraque, had been preserved, as far as Retana could ascertain. One can deduce from the friar chronicles that there were many and that the natives were gifted poets, experts in speaking and writing in verse since this was one of the means utilized by the same missionaries to achieve their fast and rapid conversion, putting in verse the principal mysteries of our religion. Their toasts called "abatayo" during their feasts were famous for their sharp, short and sparkling wit.

Even in the 19th century, there was no lack of poets during fiestas who could improvise with much grace and could, with their jokes, entertain the audience for long hours and even whole nights. It was also known that in the olden days, there were itinerant poets resembling European troubadours, who traveled along the regions with their "codyapi," relating the battles and wars of the towns, the deeds of some new hero and even phenomena of seismic or geologic nature such as a strong earthquake, the explosion of a volcano or some devastating and imposing typhoon.

The "codyapi" was a kind of guitar that was in popular use. It was made of cane and had five abaca strings. The talent and disposition of the Filipinos for poetry was great, and it is to be regretted that due to the transitory nature of the material used for writing (such as cane and palm leaves), none of the olden poetry was saved.

Retana had heard of a blind man in Ligao who was honored with the distinctive name of "Homer of Ibalon." The man was an author dedicated to singing of the terrible and horrible explosion of Mayon Volcano on Feb. 1, 1814. It was a poem worthy to be read for the sweetness of its expressions and the nobility of the sentiments expressed.

(W.E. Retana, Archivo del Bibliofilo Filipino, 1895)
http://www.inq7.net/globalnation/sec_fea/2004/feb/05-03.htm

THE RITES offered to the Asuang were performed regularly as expiation because of the pre-Hispanic Bicolano's belief that he was an evil spirit (and the prime reason behind all the harm and troubles that befell them). It was not strange, then, that the Asuang had to be placated, using all available means (including according to Retana, though I have not been able to verify it from another source, human sacrifice).

The Hidhid was a species of exorcism. When a public calamity such as locust infestation, pestilence or destructive typhoon befell a region, the "baliana" would then perform the Hidhid for deliverance, cursing the Asuang harshly, commanding it imperiously to leave.

If the Hidhid was performed over a sick person dominated by the spirit of the Asuang, the "baliana" would begin by placing a poultice made of macerated betel nut leaves on the head of the victim and then dance around the sick person, turning and gesticulating, entreating the Asuang to leave. If the victim got well they would attribute it to the efficacy of the prayers, but if he died, it was because the Asuang wanted to take him to the Gagamban to suffer the pains of the damned.

The Hogot was another sacrifice made to the spirit of evil. When a "dato" or important person died, they believed it was because of vengeance exacted by the Asuang who wanted to satisfy his voracious hunger with the entrails of the deceased. To prevent this, they would kill the slave dearest to the "dato" and offer his or her entrails to the Asuang hoping the "dato" would be spared.

The cult of the Anito, or the soul of an ancestor, was the most common of all the cults, and the one best adapted to their customs and beliefs. The Anitos were gods of the homestead; their statues were installed in small caves called "moog" or in the most public places frequented by the settlers, depending on the standing of the deceased and the wealth he left. There were different categories; they could be classified with the name Tagno if the Anito was a domestic god or with Parangpan if he was a guardian or benevolent public god.

When one of the "maguinoo" or rich persons died, they would perform the ceremony called Pasaca, consisting of embalming the cadaver by extracting the intestines with a sharp and slender stick (taking care that these entrails would be deposited in a well guarded place by slaves and dependents to prevent the Asuang, from finding them unguarded and eat it). They would then wrap the body between two big pieces of the bark of odorless "daod" and in this manner the body would be preserved for a long period of time. This was necessary so that the corpse could lie in state while the preparations were underway to conduct funeral obsequies with proper pomp and show. The funeral rites included an abundant banquet served to the whole tribe.

At the time Retana's account was written, the Agtas from Asog still followed the custom of keeping the cadavers of their kinsmen and parents unburied for three or four months.

The Basbas, or washing of the cadaver, was the first rite observed in honor of the deceased. It was their belief that anyone who died left this world stained with the marks of their illnesses, and with the need to atone for their sins. It was therefore necessary that they cleanse themselves or else be subjected to suffering great torments at the hands of the Asuang. Cleaned and purified, the dead would avoid humiliating oppression and horrible captivity.

To clean the corpse, the baliana would make a poultice with leaves of the aromatic Lucban and, wetting it with water, they would begin to strike the air over the cadaver, sprinkling the corpse forcefully and singing the "cotumba" at the same time. This continued until, exhausted from their efforts, they would fall to the floor in a faint. It was believed that at this moment the corpse was purified and cleansed and the Anito freed from the cruel tyranny of the Asuang. It could now wander freely through the delicious open country or the dense thickets of the forests.

If some notable disgrace befell them (which happened frequently since they were always at war with each other), the first thing they did was to ask help from their most celebrated Anito, invoking him with great respect and veneration, bursting out with doleful ayes and shouts. To obtain the object of their supplications more quickly and efficiently, they would do the Dool, an act to abstain from certain foods as penance for the disgrace that tormented them.

If one had a beloved son who was sick, to rid him of the malediction of the Asuang, they would perform the Yocod , a sacred offering to their ancestors. They would carry the child in their arms, passing him rapidly from one part of the house to another with the intent of escaping from the Asuang. In this manner the boy would be freed and under the protection and guardianship of his ancestors.

Data from W. E. Retana, Archivo del Bibliofilo Filipino, 1895
http://www.inq7.net/opi/2004/feb/07/opi_blharper-1.htm

Nice find, Rusell - I have to say I've never heard of these gugurangs and yocods! :laugh:

Nice Pics!!!

:okay:

Gracias Felix - ¿Qué tal?

Muy bien..gracias
estoy muy contento porque me han recibido aca de una manera muy amable y ademas, porque he descubierto que las Filipinas son un pais con muchas bonitas..no como el mundo a veces piensa...es hermoso..y espero algun dia conocerlo :)

Saludos y el foro colombiano tambien es tu casa :)

ALBAY ASTRODOME
Capt F. Aquende Drive, Legazpi City 4500
For reservations contact: Provincial Administrator’s Office
Tel: (52) 480-4388

Maximum seating capacity: 4,000

Rental rates:
= Conventions/Seminars - P 40,000.00 (8 hours only)
= Ballroom dancing - P 20,000.00 (5 hours only)
= Play and Cultural Shows - P 20,000.00 (4 hours only)
= Sports Activities - P 40,000.00 (whole day) - P 20,000.00 (half day)
= Charitable Institutions - P 10,000.00 (4 hours only)
= Paid Concerts - P 30,000.00 (4 hours only)
= Religious organizations - P 15,000.00 (4 hours only)
= Private/ government schools
exclusively for Commencement
exercises - P 15,000.00 (4 hours only)

= Other activities which do not fall
under any categories above - P 4,500.00 per hour
= Fractionable of one (1) hour - P 4, 500.00
= Basketball or any sports activity (N/AC) - P 500.00 per hour

* Lessee shall have a complement of four (4) hrs for rehearsals, set-up and scenery fit.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/astrodome.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/albayastrodomeintr.jpg

First posted 11:59pm (Mla time) Jan 14, 2006
By Nino Jacinto
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on page D2 of the January 15, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

“AYAN!” shouted the whale-shark spotter.

We hurriedly put on our snorkels and waited to jump from the bangka for our first encounter with whale sharks, the gentle giants of Donsol.

A small coastal town in Sorsogon, Donsol is a 12-hour drive from Manila (another way is to fly to Legazpi City and travel by taxi for an hour).

Townsfolk say they have been seeing the whale sharks (locally known as butanding) for decades, but it was only starting in 1998 that butanding sightings in Donsol were publicized. Since then, tourists had flocked to Donsol to see the marine creatures. In the two days we were there, we met Poles, Irish, Swedes, Germans, Brazilians and Dutch.

Though called “whale shark,” it is not related to the whale, a mammal. Butanding is a fish with gills. Like other sharks, it has several gill slits and a skeleton made of cartilage (not bone).

The word “whale” is used simply because of its size. It can grow up to 15 meters in length and weigh up to
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15 tons, making it the largest fish in the world.

Vegetarian

Despite its size, a whale shark eats mainly plankton (microscopic organisms floating in the sea). The presence of whale sharks in Donsol may be due to an abundance of plankton.

But the fish’s massive size and placid nature make the whale shark an easy target for hunters. It is hunted for its meat and fins that are in demand in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

In 1998, the Philippine government enacted laws to protect whale sharks. Though no accurate figure of whale shark population is available, scientists agree the number is very low. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) considers the fish a “vulnerable” species.

As I waited to jump, I looked for signs of the presence of the whale shark. Some 20 meters from the boat, a dark shadow moved just below the surface.

As it drew near, the Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) shouted, “Talon!” I followed the BIO and after about 10 seconds he stopped, looked down and pointed at something. I followed the direction of his finger but saw nothing.

Then the whale shark emerged, its blunt, flattened head about 1 ½ meter wide. I dove and swam about a meter away from it. The whale shark cruised leisurely, its tail gracefully moving. It did not seem to be bothered by six humans swimming around it.

Although it could have easily swatted us away with its huge fins, it allowed us to swim so closely that we could almost touch it.

Odd creature

I took a close look at one of the most oddly designed animals. Most of the fish’s body was covered with a grid-like pattern. Inside each square of the grid was a white dot, giving its back the look of a checkerboard.

Rising to the surface, I looked at the whale shark from the top. It was truly huge. Its long pectoral fins (the fins located on both sides) looked like airplane wings. Its body was about eight meters long and 2 ½ meters wide at the mid-section.

Through the combined efforts of the community, local government, international donor agencies and concerned citizens like Carina Escudero, a dedicated environmentalist and underwater cinematographer, the butanding seemed to have been rescued from the brink of extinction.

Now the sight of the butanding can be enjoyed almost every day from November to May. During our trip in early February, we had 15 sightings in just two days.

In fact, Time magazine, in its Nov. 22, 2004 issue, said Donsol was “The Best Place for an Animal Encounter” in Asia.

E-mail the author at ninojac@pldtdsl.net

The Australians’ white knight is really a Pinoy.

The big news in business is the entry of Carlos Dominguez, former environment and agriculture secretary, into troubled Lafayette Mining, the company that operates the Rapu Rapu Island polymetallic project off Legazpi City in Albay province.

According to a press release from Australia-based Lafayette, Dominguez’ entry signifies “the strengthening of the company’s operational management team with the introduction of a Filipino partner to oversee operational and administrative activities in the Philippines.”

Sonny Dominguez’ resumé does qualify him as a business whiz. Apart from the Cabinet positions that he held during the administration of current Black-and-Whiter Cory Aquino, he was former chairman, president and CEO of Philippine Airlines; and former chairman, president and CEO of the Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corporation (Pasar).

This last post is a definite plus in his new incarnation as chairman, president and CEO of Lafayette’s operational arm, Lafayette Philippines Inc. Sonny also brings his former Pasar team with him to Rapu Rapu, led by respected professional metallurgist Manny Agcaoili.

According to Lafayette — and here’s another indication of Dominguez’ real role in the company — Dominguez also “heads a group of international investors who will invest a minimum $1 million Australian in Lafayette Mining Ltd. through a placement of 10 million newly issued shares at 11 cents a share.”

“We are pleased to secure the direct financial interest of Mr. Dominguez and his associates as a substantial shareholder as well as the services of a successful management team led by Mr. Dominguez,” the statement said. “Mr. Dominguez brings considerable expertise and experience to our local management team, and he adds a Filipino perspective to our Board. He has an outstanding track record of achievement in the Philippines and across Asia.”

So far, so good. Now for the stuff Lafayette only hinted at in its press release.

One of the major reasons Lafayette is bringing in Dominguez is his mojo with the government. As former DENR secretary, Sonny — the Aussies believe — can make their troubles with the government regulatory agencies go away.

Everyone now knows that Lafayette has run afoul with DENR, which found cyanide in the water on the island. Cyanide is an important chemical agent to extract the gold from the ore dug up in the mine.

The mine has been slapped an indefinite suspension, something the cash-strapped company can ill afford at this time. The government also ordered Lafayette to pay a fine of more than P10 million, representing a penalty of P200,000 a day from Oct. 11 to Dec. 26. The fine just keeps on getting bigger with every day that cyanide is found at the mine site. The last water sample taken from a stream nearby — just last Jan. 6 — also tested positive for cyanide, so that’s more trouble for the Australians.

* * *

Right now, Lafayette needs an ISO 140001 certification, which will prove that it complies with international environmental standards. But getting the certificate takes time, time that the company doesn’t have at this point.

The second reason for bringing in Sonny Dominguez is his ability to raise financial war chests for big corporate projects. Locally, this means the Alsons group of the cash-flush and politically well-connected Alcantara family. The Alcantaras already have a foothold in the resurgent local mining industry, maintaining an option to buy 10 percent of the ore-rich Tampacan mine in South Cotabato that is controlled by Tony Robbins’ Indophil.

The investors that Lafayette talks about could also be the Canadian group he brought in to deal with the Licaros family to fund mining projects in Palawan.

It could also be Glencore, the Swiss firm that hired Dominguez to run Pasar. It could even be the sultan of Brunei, whom people believe Sonny fronted for to build the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.

Scuttlebutt has it that Dominguez would bring in the Alcantaras as soon as he gets an idea of the viability of Rapu Rapu, which could be soon. If the family passes on the project, he could bring any number of his foreign “associates,” as Lafayette calls them.

Fact is, Lafayette is really in dire need of a big financial infusion from anywhere. The company reportedly raised $10 million recently in the Australian stock market by offering new stocks (sold at 14 cents a share) to investors there in the wake of closure order. They needed the money, sources say, just to fund its operations while the mine was shut down temporarily.

At present, Lafayette is deep in debt with the banks, to which the company owes $35 million. It also had to bring in the Kores Group of Korea, which gave Lafayette $10 million in exchange for the rights to buy up all the copper produced by Rapu Rapu.

To its credit, everyone agrees that the Rapu Rapu project is financially very viable if Lafayette can get its act together and operate the mine commercially.

In the meantime, the Australians are pinning their hopes on Sonny Dominguez. As they say, abangan!

(jojo.robles@manilastandardtoday.com)

Congratulations on your 4th thread! Four claps for Villa Pacifica de Miguel Lopez de Legazpi! :applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

and one for Mayon. :applause:

What a large name, as many spanish cities.

I like the pictures.

What a large name, as many spanish cities.

I like the pictures.

You should check out the older threads...(in my signature) you can see there why "Miguel Lopez De Legazpi" asked that this city be named after him...the one thing that captured his eyes on his way to the city...

i wonder where drfeelgood is.........

Yeah, what happened to @drfeelgood? Yoohoo... drfeeeeelgoooodd!! Me and Matty are looking for you by the windowside. We have the wineglasses ready. :)

You should check out the older threads...(in my signature) you can see there why "Miguel Lopez De Legazpi" asked that this city be named after him...the one thing that captured his eyes on his way to the city...
Thank you

Settlers take final bend to PNR land ownership

First posted 02:12am (Mla time) Jan 19, 2006
By Gil Francis Arevalo
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A15 of the January 19, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

AFTER over 50 years of struggling to own land abandoned by the Philippine National Railways (PNR) in Legazpi City, thousands of families are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The state-owned PNR has agreed to sell its property to the city government for a housing project that will benefit the Legazpi City Slumdwellers Federation Inc. (LCSFI), which is composed of 19 organizations of informal settlers in 17 barangays.

“We’re thankful something like this happened as many families do not yet have security of tenure in the areas they occupy,” said Jun de la Torre, who acted as the settlers’ representative in the series of dialogues with PNR board directors.

The LCSFI considers the agreement a breakthrough in realizing the aims of Presidential Proclamation No. 40, which was signed by President Macapagal-Arroyo on May 7, 2001. The proclamation deems suitable for housing sites PNR land that has been occupied by settlers for the past 50 years.

Citing

Section 8 of Republic Act No. 7279, the President said government-owned land left idle for many years are best sold and made into sites for socialized housing.

Proclamation No. 40 covers idle and abandoned PNR properties in Legazpi and in the towns of Camalig, Bacacay, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo, and in Tabaco City, all in Albay. The lands, comprising a total area of 46.6 hectares, are presently occupied by 4,700 families.

The city and the PNR agreed to make Lot 1728 of Barangay 33 (PNR Looban) the pilot area for a socialized housing project. The 1.2-ha lot is occupied by 200 families.

“For the last three decades, we have followed up PNR-Manila’s intention to sell the land,” De la Torre said.

Since the proclamation was issued, the settlers had to wait for four more years until the housing agreement was forged due to kinks in the technical plans sent by the LCSFI to the local government and the PNR.

The LCSFI said unscrupulous persons claiming ownership of the lands had surfaced and tried to pressure the occupants to leave, especially from the PNR areas in Tabaco, Bacacay and Sto. Domingo.

P7-million tab

The pilot housing site will cost about P7 million. The PNR and the city government have agreed to sell the subdivided lots to settlers at P550 per sqm, an amount they deem just and reasonable, considering the current demand for such property.

On June 6, 1994, the city’s appraisal committee came up with a price valuation of Lot 1421-B in Purok 7 and Purok 8 of San Roque and pegged the figure at P120 per sqm. De la Torre said the city government promised to pay for the land and to immediately draw up procedures for its sale to the occupants.

Other areas being considered for socialized housing are in Barangay 33, Lot No. 1521 (605 sqm) and Lot No. 1517 (916 sqm); Barangay 32-San Roque, Lot No. 1421 (28,870 sqm), Lot No. 1124 (1,494 sqm) and Lot No. 513; Barangay 39-Bonot, (17,000 sqm); Barangay 42-Rawis (30,000 sqm); and Barangay 46-San Joaquin.

Engineer Jose Varquez of the PNR Real Estate Department, speaking in behalf of PNR General Manager Jose Ma. Sarasola II, expressed support for the LCSFI and the city, now that the pilot area for socialized housing had been determined.

“That’s why we’re also explaining to them all the technical aspects they have to consider, especially in presenting their development plans for the area,” he said.

Long quest

As early as 1950, the Manila Railroad Co., forerunner of the PNR, abandoned a portion of lines that extended to the port of Legazpi. It had offered train services only up to its main southern terminal on Peñaranda Street.

Later, the firm also stopped—and eventually scrapped—its popular train service to then Tabaco town, leaving its vast tracts of land idle. That provided informal settlers an opportunity to occupy the area, which has come to be known as Looban and extended up to San Roque.

It was only in 1970 when the settlers in Looban and San Roque were organized by the Parish Ecumenical Council for Community Organizing and their group became a member of the LCFSI. They began to negotiate with the government-run railway firm to realize their dream of owning their lots.

On Dec. 9, 1992, former PNR General Manager Jose Dado met with LCSFI officers and expressed willingness to sell the property to qualified residents. On March 4, 1993, the city’s appraisal committee was established to determine the fair market value of the property.

Appeal for help

For four years, the LCSFI did not receive any word from the PNR. On Feb. 25, 1998, it decided to write to then Transportation Secretary Josefina Lichauco and appealed to her to hasten the disposition of the abandoned PNR lots.

On July 15, 1998, the group sought the help of Karina Constantino David, then chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) in asking then President Joseph Estrada to issue a proclamation declaring the PNR lots as socialized housing sites for the urban poor.

On Aug. 11, 1998, HUDCC Director Ronald Fontanillas agreed to assist the LCSFI in negotiating with the PNR to finalize the intent to sell, appraise and price the lots. Fifteen days later, the city endorsed to the PNR-Manila the disposition of Lot No. 1728 in Barangay 33 of PNR Looban.

Twist

In a strange twist of events, the PNR presented on June 26, 1999 a controversial proposal to sell 90 percent of its unused properties to informal settlers, provided they would agree to a reblocking. The remaining land would be excluded as a commercial area to be titled in the name of Bicol Produce Corp. and developed to subsidize the low selling price of the main property.

The LCSFI pointed out that delineating the commercial area would be problematic.

On May 7, 2001, Ms Arroyo issued PP 40, but it took another four years before the PNR decided to enter into a new agreement with the city.

“We have remained vigilant all these years, for we know that we are continuously struggling,” said De la Torre. “But we’re hopeful that someday, thousands of people occupying PNR abandoned lots will live in peace for there is an assurance of security of tenure.”

One of the issues that the LCSFI discussed with the PNR-Manila was its declaration last year that Barangay 39-Bonot (17,000 sqm)—where 600 families occupy Lot Nos. 9724, 9728 and 618—was not part of the lots that the company had wanted to sell to the present settlers.

In 1996, these were declared among the properties that the PNR would sell to the actual occupants. “We don’t know where all these people will go, for all of the PNR abandoned lots are now occupied by actual residents,” said De la Torre.

The railway firm, however, stressed that the lots were part of the P48.93-billion project to rehabilitate and reconstruct the PNR Mainline South and the Sorsogon extension project, which will start this year and be completed in 2008.

I think what they should do here:

Make the Daraga PNR Terminal the final terminus for Legazpi & Daraga area. Then the land Occupied by the tracks from Daraga to Legazpi be converted to a Highway to alleviate the traffic now being experienced in the main Rizal Street. What do you guys think....Doc...Matt? By the way where have you guys been... seems our thread is simmering down abit...just an observation...hope to see you guys here soon again...

MYSTERY OF THE PNR GHOST TRACK SOLVED!


Proclamation No. 40 covers idle and abandoned PNR properties in Legazpi and in the towns of Camalig, Bacacay, Malilipot and Sto. Domingo, and in Tabaco City, all in Albay. The lands, comprising a total area of 46.6 hectares, are presently occupied by 4,700 families.

As early as 1950, the Manila Railroad Co., forerunner of the PNR, abandoned a portion of lines that extended to the port of Legazpi. It had offered train services only up to its main southern terminal on Peñaranda Street.

Later, the firm also stopped—and eventually scrapped—its popular train service to then Tabaco town, leaving its vast tracts of land idle. That provided informal settlers an opportunity to occupy the area, which has come to be known as Looban and extended up to San Roque.

@Olineil, I think this solves the riddle of the "missing railway track" we spotted in the Japanese-era pic of the Legazpi PNR.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/legww2.jpg

The railway crossing in the pic must have led right through the port area, as the paragraph above explains, with one line branching off at San Roque and leading to Tabaco. :)

I think what they should do here:

Make the Daraga PNR Terminal the final terminus for Legazpi & Daraga area. Then the land Occupied by the tracks from Daraga to Legazpi be converted to a Highway to alleviate the traffic now being experienced in the main Rizal Street. What do you guys think....Doc...Matt? By the way where have you guys been... seems our thread is simmering down abit...just an observation...hope to see you guys here soon again...

I think they're only talking about the long-abandoned portions of track to Tabaco and the port-area - it looks like they will keep the main terminal on Penaranda St. The whole thing is certainly good news for the long-suffering slum dwellers - I just hope it won't give the government an excuse for further delaying and/or cancelling the upgrade of Southrail by arguing that the Bicol stretch is redundant anyway....

As for easing the Daraga-Legazpi traffic, what about the Tahaw road and the other one that goes all the way to Bonot? Aren't these already being used for that purpose? We could always do with more roads, I suppose.

i wonder where drfeelgood is.........

Yeah, what happened to @drfeelgood? Yoohoo... drfeeeeelgoooodd!! Me and Matty are looking for you by the windowside. We have the wineglasses ready. :)

Hey guys the doc was sick himself - with tonsilitis!!....I had to abstain from kissing anyone for 5 whole days...and no one to comfort me on my bedside :no: ....can you imagine - such deprivation!
Well I'm back to business now - anong wineglassess -let's get the champagne glasses out! :cheers:

welcome back doc. good to know you're fine now and feeling much better.
yap olineil, 2 days ago the thread wasnt even in page 1 of the list! hehehe.

yea, whats with tahao road now anyway? isnt it being used as the alternate route? how many lanes nga pala ang tahao road, Oli?

by the way, singapore is on the banner today

hmm..not sure if I like their banner - the dusk background to the skyscrapers is nice - but unless you're from Singapore yourself, the pic doesn't really scream Singapore at you.

hmm..not sure if I like their banner - the dusk background to the skyscrapers is nice - but unless you're from Singapore yourself, the pic doesn't really scream Singapore at you.
yea isnt olineil in singapore

Yeah im in singapore. Its very true...singapore skyline has nothing very distinct to offer to be easily recognaizable as singapore. Unless u'v seen it yourself or currently singapore, then you will recognize it.

Hey Doc...sad to hear you got inflicted with tonsilitis, but happy to hear that ur back... Cheers...

"Invite GMA to see its sorry state"
By Florencio P. Narito

http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2006/jan12/pictures/calisin.gif
Vice Gov. Jesus Calisin (Cool Huh!)

LEGAZPI CITY – Albay Vice Gov. Jesus B. Calisin, chairman, Committee on Public Safety and Emergency of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, has sponsored a resolution requesting President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to allocate P250 million for the immediate repair and rehabilitation of the Bicol portion of the Quirino Highway now known as the CALISIN Rolando Andaya Sr. Highway.

After requesting Provincial Board Member (PBM) Felipe Berces to act as temporary presiding officer, Calisin took the floor to convince his colleagues to pass the urgent measure because it will benefit not only the people of Camarines Sur but also the people of Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Catanduanes and travelers to and from Visayas and Mindanao.

Earlier last Tuesday, Calisin held a committee hearing in the SP session hall. One of the resource persons, Regional Director Orlando Roces of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said his office needs at least P250 million to pave the 33-km Quirino Highway and the 66-km Andaya Highway.

“We can invite the President to come to Bicol and pass through the Quirino and Andaya Highways to see for herself the sorry condition of the national highway. Before, it took me only one hour to drive along the 99-km. national highway. Now you need at least three hours to negotiate the same distance,” Calisin said.

The vice governor further said he was informed by Director Roces that the President has a plan to visit Bicol but the date has been kept under wraps for security reasons.

But PBMS Raul Borejon, Jose Saribong and Felipe Berces questioned the propriety of inviting the President to pass through the bad road for her to get a first-hand information.

PBM Ralph Andes asked why the fund has not been released considering that the present chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations Congressman Rolando Andaya Jr. is the son of the late Congressman Rolando Andaya Sr. after whom the highway has been named.

After the passage of the internal resolution, Calisin said he would handcarry the resolution to Malacañang when he meets the President on Jan. 14.

He also urged the Bicol vice governors to pass a similar resolution requesting the President to release the fund for the repair and rehabilitation of the Quirino and Andaya Highways.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
And why is cam sur and cam norte not doing anything to help fix-up Quirino Highway. I even hate they changed it to Rolando Andaya Highway, o c'mon he didn't even do anything to help make that highway a reality. He is also one of the most corrupt officials is cam sur. Hayyy...

You can see what I mean here...how corrupt Andaya is...and they have the balls to name it under his father...damn!

PAGING Camarines Sur Cong. Rolando Andaya and Quezon Cong. Lorenzo Tañada III!

More motorists are cursing your names everytime they travel by the mangled condition of the Calauag-Del Gallego portion of the so-called Maharlika Highway.

Last week, husband and wife Sol and Doods Santos homed in their angry outburst via a Letter to the Editor in the Philippine Daily Inquirer and labeled that patchwork of potholes and craters as the “boulevard of broken dreams” that all of the corrupt politicians have made of the Quirino highway.

The other day, the shameful state of the highway which the Andayas proudly christened as the “Andaya Highway” was again echoed by no less than Inquirer Motoring section columnist Al Mendoza who wrote that calling the road in bad shape is an understatement. “They are not bad – they are ‘just’ the most terrible roads I have ever traversed in any highway in the world.”

The road condition is so terrible that a brand-new car cruising it could come out like a battered 5-year old, if it should survive the ordeal, Mendoza added.

The Santos couple who has been commuting between Manila and Naga for the past 30 years wrote: “Rep. Rolando Andaya is in charge of appropriations. How can he bear to leave that rutted stretch in Camarines Sur, named after his late father, unattended? How can Rep. Lorenzo ‘Erin’ Tañada III, dishonor his late grandfather’s name with huge billboards announcing a Tañada as being in charge of the repair and rehabilitation of the worst roads in Quezon in the last 30 years?”

The Santoses challenged Pres. Macapagal-Arroyo to take the road trip to Bicol and feel for herself the real state of the nation’s roads.

Doesn’t her son, Dato, who’s a transient resident of Naga for whatever purpose only he knows, take that road, too?, irate Bicol travellers asked in shock and bemusement.

PURURAN BEACH, CATANDUANES
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/puraran.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/catanduanes_reef.jpg

whoa whats that?

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/29_2.jpg

whoa whats that?

That's a coral reef in Catanduanes - which is also famous for surfing and diving. :)

oh nice! i thought it was a big big rock from... somewhere.. from the outer space :lol:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/legcoast.jpg

coastal scenery - northeast Albay

^^oi that's very nice.

^^That'll be my private island hehe

very nice!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/legcoast.jpg

coastal scenery - northeast Albay

Beautiful island. Look at those, brilliant white sands. Look like the island from :LOST tv series...only smaller.

Lunes, Enero 23, 2006 10:15:08 AM

The longest bridge to be built under the President's Bridge Program would be inaugurated in Legazpi City next week.

Simon Pankhurst, director and general manager of the United Kingdom-based Balfour Beatty Power Networks Ltd., bared this following a call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo this afternoon at the Music Room of Malacanang.

Balfour Beatty, in a joint venture with the Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd., was contracted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to implement modular bridge technology in the Philippines under the President's Bridge Program.

"We've been discussing with the President and the DPWH the President's Bridge Program Phase 2, which is a UK-assisted work in progress from 2002 to early 2007," Pankhurst said.

Also present during the call were DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Secretary Joey Rufino, British Embassy Charge d' Affaires Robert Fitchett, and Balfour Beatty director for Asia-Pacific Grahame Coles.

Pankhurst said the longest of their project is the 96-meter Basud Bridge located in the outskirts of Legazpi City, which is up for inauguration next week.

Rufino said the Basud Bridge would be vital in the efficient transport of goods and other supplies in and out of the Bicol region, particularly during calamities such as typhoons and erratic eruptions of the active Mayon Volcano.

Last November, Pankhurst said, Ebdane and the British ambassador inaugurated the 100th bridge constructed under the project in Murcia, Negros Occidental.

Realizing the significant role of bridges in national development, the government in recent years has deemed it urgent to undertake a nationwide bridge rehabilitation and replacement program.

Phase 2 of the President's Bridge Program from 2002-2007 consists of the replacement of existing temporary or weakened bridges with permanent, cost effective and low maintenance bridges.

Pankhurst said the project requires the construction of 247 bridges nationwide for a total cost of P2.5 billion.

-- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Balita MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

First posted 01:59am (Mla time) Jan 22, 2006
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the January 22, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEGAZPI CITY—The new management of Lafayette Philippines Inc.’s Rapu-Rapu (Albay) project will conduct its own inquiry into the two mine spills last year, starting with a water chemical analysis.

Water samplings in Rapu-Rapu will be taken by Lafayette’s team on Monday in a parallel test with an independent team led by the University of the Philippines and the Department of Science and Technology.

Lafayette chair and president Carlos Dominguez immediately agreed and promised full cooperation when asked by Sorsogon officials if the UP-DOST team could go to the Rapu-Rapu project to get water samples.

He held a series of meetings with government and Church officials, and private sector representatives of Sorsogon and Albay earlier this week.

A key advocate of the Bantay Dagat program, which he pushed when he was still agriculture secretary during the Aquino administration, Dominguez asked the officials to give him time to address the concerns of the communities.

He said he wanted to know what really happened and why and who were accountable so he could make the proper decisions to prevent their recurrence and protect the surrounding communities.

Water samples off Sorsogon facing Rapu-Rapu island-town will also be taken to help resolve issues about fish being killed as a result of mercury contamination.

Lafayette does not use mercury in its operations, Dominguez stressed.

He said it is important to settle this issue so accountability could be properly established and preventive measures be taken in case the mercury is traced to other sources.

“We cannot be the convenient whipping boy for everything that ails the communities. We need to be guided by scientific tests to make the right decisions. We will help in these tests and whatever the findings, we will help the fishermen who have been affected,” he said.

Dominguez asked the officials to keep an open mind and hold their judgment until the results of the chemical analysis have been released.

Leaders of the Lakas ng Maliliit na mga Mangingisda ng Bicol (Lambat-Bicol) and its parent federation—the militant fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Saturday, however, rejected Dominguez group’s takeover of Lafayette, accusing local businessmen of acting as local dummies for the Australian mining firm. Gil Francis Arevalo, PDI Southern Luzon Bureau

:::Why would they investigate their own mishap. Isn't it Bias? Geez!

I don't want to mess up this thread since we already have a "then and now" thread, but I had to post this pic with the more recent one that had appeared in here in the archived section:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/NatGeoMayonLegazpi.jpg

although the angle's not exactly the same, it come close for now:
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c211/hawayano/Legazpiharborfrontwall.jpg

Lafayette Mine
Rapu-Rapu, Albay

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayette.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayette2.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayetet3.jpg

Legazpi City, 1945

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/oldlegaspi.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/oldlegaspi2.jpg

Nice pics Matt & Hawayano - thanx! The second pic that Matt sent looks like Rawis beach or the one near Sto Domingo. I'm having trouble identifying exactly where the first pic was taken.

Lafayette Mine
Rapu-Rapu, Albay

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayette.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayette2.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/lafayetet3.jpg

It's the first time I've seen pics of Rapu-Rapu - the bottom pic looks like a resort. I hope all the mining doesn't ruin the island. :)

Beautiful island. Look at those, brilliant white sands. Look like the island from :LOST tv series...only smaller.

could be another Misibis waiting to be discovered! :)

Nice pics Matt & Hawayano - thanx! The second pic that Matt sent looks like Rawis beach or the one near Sto Domingo. I'm having trouble identifying exactly where the first pic was taken.

im thinking the church looking structure on the right looks like st raphael church, but im not sure. i duno if the church had been there as early as 1945

^^That's what I was thinking - I've always wondered what the Old San Rafael looked like - any help, Rusell?

From Mateo's posting:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/oldlegaspi.jpg

Wow! They really butchered this town--this is the first time I've ever seen a picture of Legazpi's war damage. Pretty shocking to see so much devastation!

by the way, this is where i found those:
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/14180.htm

here's another one:

Bomb damage of Legaspi, Luzon, P.I. following saturation bombing request by Nellist Team, March 1945.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/legaspiwar.jpg
www.alamoscouts.org/ photo_archives/190_199.htm

^^ see.. even a not so significant town like early 19th cen. Legazpi was not spared from the destruction. What was the Nellist Team? Americans?! they were really after cultural/architectural genocide of the whole Fils to the remotest barrios.

PNR Southern Line

From Lucena City...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlucena.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlucena2.jpg

...to Naga City...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrnaga.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrnaga2.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrnaga3.jpg

...to Iriga City...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnririga.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnririga2.jpg

...to Ligao City...

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrligao.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrligao2.jpg

..to Legazpi City:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlegaspi.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlegaspi2.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlegaspi3.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlegaspi4.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pnrlegaspi5.jpg


^^ looks real scary but I would totally ride, just cause it looks like it's so much fun to.

i would, after it gets rehabilitated. :)

hehe i remember seeing several railroad crossings in quezon everytime we go to camarines norte. they sure look scary.. how many trips are there everyday? those come from manila right?

SM to build mall in Naga CBD ll
By Ulysses E. Israel

ANOTHER shopping mall soon to be built in the heart of Naga City will bolster the perception that indeed Naga City is poised to become the center of commerce in the entire Bicol Region. This time it’s coming from the country’s premiere shopping mall developer - the ShoeMart (SM) Group.

Observers see the entry of SM Group into Naga City as a “positive/ development”, though it may have short term negative effects to local retailers; but in the long run the consumers, the local producers and economy of Metro Naga and neighboring towns will benefit from this development.

Nicolas Beda Priela, PCCI Governor for Bicol, said that at present in Naga City only LCC Mall can be classified as a shopping mall, others can be categorized as arcades and department stores. To the local retailers and producers, it opens the door to new opportunities as they will benefit from becoming stall owners inside the mall and suppliers to the requirements of the mega-store, he said.

A reliable source has revealed to the Bicol Mail that the SM Prime Holdings, Inc., developer of SM Malls, has entered into a lease contract with the New Site Realty and Property Ventures, Inc. to lease the property of the latter in the Central Business District (CBD) II in Barangay Triangulo, Naga City.

Earlier, the SM Group was reported scouting for a place in Naga City where it could build its shopping mall. The New Site Realty Group offered its property in CBD II to the SM Group and negotiations resulted to the signing of a lease contract between the two parties.

The SM Group has leased the property of the New Site Realty Group headed by Romeo Tan for a period of fifty years. The construction of the mall, the source said, will start in 2007.

According to Priela, the entry of big shopping mall developers into Naga City such as the SM Group and the Pacific Mall should not cause apprehension among local retailers for fear that they may be displaced in the process. Rather, it should be viewed as opportunities and therefore should adapt to the changes.

The presence of the big malls, he explained, will cause a “clear delineation of segments” in the market as shopping in the malls has a corresponding premium to it. The malls may be offering convenience, better services, air conditioned commercial spaces but all these will be factored in their pricing so the competitive price advantage of stalls in public market will prevail.

Retailers should learn from the experiences of local restaurant operators like Biggs, Graceland and others who have learned to cope with the challenges posed by the coming of nationwide food chain outlets such as Jolibee, McDonald, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Chowking and the like, he said.

Significant net effect of the coming of big establishments into Naga City is that the quality of products and services offered has improved thereby putting a pressure on the local businesses to improve their own offerings in order to survive and compete, he said. Resiliency, competitiveness of the local business will be tested in food, garments, households sectors, he said.

These service-oriented business have also created employment opportunities for the local populace, especially the new graduates and the unemployed, he said. In addition, the local producers of goods stand to benefit as they could become suppliers to the supermarket and to the various retail outlets that will be established in the shopping mall. The producers should now strengthen their production capabilities: quality-wise and volume-wise. They should start to find their respective niche, Priela added.

On the part of the consumers, shopping or buying of their day-to-day necessities and requirements will be made more convenient as the SM Malls tend to house everything that consumer wants under one roof.

Economists also view the onrush of shopping malls as one significant economic activities that stimulate domestic spending. Households will have less savings but the increase in domestic demand will stimulate production and manufacturing.

Priela said what drive the big mall developers to set up their business here in Naga City are prevailing economic indicators proving that the demand here is sufficient enough to warrant investments be put into place the soonest time possible. He cited the average household income in Naga City is higher than the national average. The amount of taxes being generated by the local and national governments also represents economic growth and market size. These factors attract investments in due time, he explained.

http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2006/jan19/sm.html

^^ ^^ Good for Naga...Hopefully they eventually buid 1 in Legazpi too...Uswag Naga!

^^ I hope SM build one in Legazpi too - but I'm pretty sure the owners of LCC and PM would try their very best to prevent such a move! LOL

i would, after it gets rehabilitated. and then i can come home to my island beach in bondoc peninsula in euro fashion. :)

Huh? YOUR island beach ? -wow galing talaga ni Juan! :)

^^ looks real scary but I would totally ride, just cause it looks like it's so much fun to.[/QUOTE]

Yeah but at the same time these pics are a bit depressing coz it shows the extent of the neglect and delapidation that the Southern PNR has suffered - I can't wait till the whole thing is regenerated! :bash:

^^ looks real scary but I would totally ride, just cause it looks like it's so much fun to.

Yeah but at the same time these pics are a bit depressing coz it shows the extent of the neglect and delapidation that the Southern PNR has suffered - I can't wait till the whole thing is regenerated! :bash:[/QUOTE]

Me too! That would be a landmark in Bicol history if the PNR is rehabilitated and upgraded to run like Japan's railways (after all, that's what contributed to their national development during the Meiji Period, di ba?).

I remember reading a creepy 1960s account by an Aussie journalist describing two brothers who went whacko on board the original "Bicol Express" (not the food, but the train) back in those days and hacked to death a number of passengers...can anyone verify that?

Yeah but at the same time these pics are a bit depressing coz it shows the extent of the neglect and delapidation that the Southern PNR has suffered - I can't wait till the whole thing is regenerated! :bash:

Me too! That would be a landmark in Bicol history if the PNR is rehabilitated and upgraded to run like Japan's railways (after all, that's what contributed to their national development during the Meiji Period, di ba?).

I remember reading a creepy 1960s account by an Aussie journalist describing two brothers who went whacko on board the original "Bicol Express" (not the food, but the train) back in those days and hacked to death a number of passengers...can anyone verify that?[/QUOTE]

Hmmm...thats really creepy. But i've never heard of that story. If it was during the 60's...most probably poeple already forgot.

^^It could just be one of those "urban legends" that circulate every now and then...I remember hearing several "news reports" in the 80s that Boy George "had died" and that Pops Fernandez was "kidnapped and raped" by the Enriles...none of which proved to be true - just goes to show how sensational "news" can get back home.

so i come across this Legazpi City port pics online.
was wondering what this was.
are they constructing something here, or is this that bay boulevard something that they have over there now.

oli, what u think?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m23big.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m24big.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m22big.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m21big.jpg

one of those restaurants side of the capitol, right olineil?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/303163163iJvtIr_ph.jpg

^^ I think the pic of Legazpi port was before the broadwalk was constructed - I think the whole area is paved over now, with streetlamps.

:)

one of those restaurants side of the capitol, right olineil?

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/303163163iJvtIr_ph.jpg

Yeah I acan see the reflection of the Capitol Building in the glass panels. Nice Al-fresco dining...hehehe sosi!

wonder whatever happened to Pacific Mall Naga, and weren't they supposed to have Robinson's, too?
anyone know? Oli?

oh man, bummer:

LEGASPI MAYORAL POLL PROTEST

Rosal out; Imperial in
By Florencio P. Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – The Commission on Elections 2nd Division has declared former Councilor Michael Victor C. Imperial as the winner in the May 10, 2004 local elections for mayor of Legazpi City.

The Resolution, dated Jan. 23, 2006, also ordered incumbent Mayor Roel E. Rosal to vacate his office upon the finality of the case.

In the May 10, 2004 elections, Rosal (a reelectionist) was declared winner by the board of canvassers, after garnering 44,792 votes as against Imperial’s 33,747 votes on a lead of 11,045 votes.

Atty. Roseller B. Abad, chairman of the city board of canvassers, proclaimed Rosal as the reelected mayor of Legazpi City on May 31, 2004.

Alleging irregularities in the conduct of the mayor polls, Imperial later filed a post election protest with the Comelec, Manila.

The Comelec ordered a recount of the poll results and ordered the City Election Officer to bring the contested ballot boxes to the Comelec, Manila.

The dispositive portion of the Comelec resolution said: “In sum, protestant Michael Victor C. Imperial garnered a total of 30,517 votes thus protestant leads protestee by 2,143 votes for mayor of Legazpi City, in the May 10, 2004 local elections.

“Wherefore, premises considered, Michael Victor C. Imperial is hereby declared the winning candidate for mayor of Legazpi City, Albay in the May 10, 2004 national and local elections.

“Protestee Noel F. Rosal is hereby ordered to vacate the Office of the Mayor of Legazpi City and to peacefully turn over the same to the protestant.

“Let copies of this resolution be furnished the Secretary of the Sanguniang Panlunsod of Legazpi City, Albay, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Chairman, Commission and Audit (COA) and the office of the President upon the finality thereof.

“Signed: Mahol Sadaim, presiding commissioner, and Florentino Tuason Jr., commissioner, Comelec, 2nd Division.”

Michael Imperial is the nephew of Congressman Carlos R. Imperial of the second district of Albay.

anyone have pics of or around Aquinas Uni?

go to www.aquinas-university.edu

its got some in there

oh man, bummer:

LEGASPI MAYORAL POLL PROTEST

Rosal out; Imperial in
By Florencio P. Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – The Commission on Elections 2nd Division has declared former Councilor Michael Victor C. Imperial as the winner in the May 10, 2004 local elections for mayor of Legazpi City.

The Resolution, dated Jan. 23, 2006, also ordered incumbent Mayor Roel E. Rosal to vacate his office upon the finality of the case.

In the May 10, 2004 elections, Rosal (a reelectionist) was declared winner by the board of canvassers, after garnering 44,792 votes as against Imperial’s 33,747 votes on a lead of 11,045 votes.

Atty. Roseller B. Abad, chairman of the city board of canvassers, proclaimed Rosal as the reelected mayor of Legazpi City on May 31, 2004.

Alleging irregularities in the conduct of the mayor polls, Imperial later filed a post election protest with the Comelec, Manila.

The Comelec ordered a recount of the poll results and ordered the City Election Officer to bring the contested ballot boxes to the Comelec, Manila.

The dispositive portion of the Comelec resolution said: “In sum, protestant Michael Victor C. Imperial garnered a total of 30,517 votes thus protestant leads protestee by 2,143 votes for mayor of Legazpi City, in the May 10, 2004 local elections.

“Wherefore, premises considered, Michael Victor C. Imperial is hereby declared the winning candidate for mayor of Legazpi City, Albay in the May 10, 2004 national and local elections.

“Protestee Noel F. Rosal is hereby ordered to vacate the Office of the Mayor of Legazpi City and to peacefully turn over the same to the protestant.

“Let copies of this resolution be furnished the Secretary of the Sanguniang Panlunsod of Legazpi City, Albay, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Chairman, Commission and Audit (COA) and the office of the President upon the finality thereof.

“Signed: Mahol Sadaim, presiding commissioner, and Florentino Tuason Jr., commissioner, Comelec, 2nd Division.”

Michael Imperial is the nephew of Congressman Carlos R. Imperial of the second district of Albay.


what????! I smell a plot here....what do you think guys? I guess it helps if you have an uncle as a congressman - typical Philippine politics - nothing ever changes! :bash:
The last time the Imperials were in power, Legazpi stagnated - this can't be good news! These guys were major Marcos cronies!

@esteban ancestral island lang but its still pretty much undeveloped. we have a bahay kubo resthouse there tho. parents insist that we don't sell it to any investor til the market value goes up as the sand (and the rocks) turn whiter and finer to sedimentation(?) in time (ocean current is eating up portions of it therefore turning the coasts to beach). but i insist we don't sell it at all, or just sell the inland portions. bondoc is in between quezon and camarines therefore we're neighbours. :)

naks naman, may "ancestral island" ka pa. So you're waiting for it to turn into a mini-Boracay? LOL It looks like it could take some time Juan...in the meantime, I'd say enjoy and make the most of you're private paradise! :cheers:
between quezon and camarines...so in the vicinity of Marinduque, right?

anyone have pics of or around Aquinas Uni?

Did you go to Aquinas yourself? I went to the Science High School before I left for London.

oh man, bummer:

LEGASPI MAYORAL POLL PROTEST

Rosal out; Imperial in
By Florencio P. Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – The Commission on Elections 2nd Division has declared former Councilor Michael Victor C. Imperial as the winner in the May 10, 2004 local elections for mayor of Legazpi City.

The Resolution, dated Jan. 23, 2006, also ordered incumbent Mayor Roel E. Rosal to vacate his office upon the finality of the case.

In the May 10, 2004 elections, Rosal (a reelectionist) was declared winner by the board of canvassers, after garnering 44,792 votes as against Imperial’s 33,747 votes on a lead of 11,045 votes.

Atty. Roseller B. Abad, chairman of the city board of canvassers, proclaimed Rosal as the reelected mayor of Legazpi City on May 31, 2004.

Alleging irregularities in the conduct of the mayor polls, Imperial later filed a post election protest with the Comelec, Manila.

The Comelec ordered a recount of the poll results and ordered the City Election Officer to bring the contested ballot boxes to the Comelec, Manila.

The dispositive portion of the Comelec resolution said: “In sum, protestant Michael Victor C. Imperial garnered a total of 30,517 votes thus protestant leads protestee by 2,143 votes for mayor of Legazpi City, in the May 10, 2004 local elections.

“Wherefore, premises considered, Michael Victor C. Imperial is hereby declared the winning candidate for mayor of Legazpi City, Albay in the May 10, 2004 national and local elections.

“Protestee Noel F. Rosal is hereby ordered to vacate the Office of the Mayor of Legazpi City and to peacefully turn over the same to the protestant.

“Let copies of this resolution be furnished the Secretary of the Sanguniang Panlunsod of Legazpi City, Albay, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Chairman, Commission and Audit (COA) and the office of the President upon the finality thereof.

“Signed: Mahol Sadaim, presiding commissioner, and Florentino Tuason Jr., commissioner, Comelec, 2nd Division.”

Michael Imperial is the nephew of Congressman Carlos R. Imperial of the second district of Albay.



NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

naks naman, may "ancestral island" ka pa. So you're waiting for it to turn into a mini-Boracay? LOL It looks like it could take some time Juan...in the meantime, I'd say enjoy and make the most of you're private paradise! :cheers:
between quezon and camarines...so in the vicinity of Marinduque, right?

i can see it from there, yes. :)

Sama mo ako Juan. :)

oo naman Lili. nakakatakot nga lang minsan yung boat ride to the island, kase maalon pero adventure talaga sya. :okay:

hey i wanna come too

oo naman Lili. nakakatakot nga lang minsan yung boat ride to the island, kase maalon pero adventure talaga sya. :okay:

Basta ba may katig at saka lifesaver. Marami bang pating doon? Malapit sa Marinduque, mukhang maraming pating.

Basta ba may katig at saka lifesaver. Marami bang pating doon? Malapit sa Marinduque, mukhang maraming pating.

unless they're of the "friendly" whale-shark variety, Lili :)

hey i wanna come too

Hey Matt, just wanted to ask you, where did you find that Noel Rosal story? I've been wanting to read more and tried googling, but found absolutely nothing related to the mayoral recount! There ARE stories about Legazpi/Bicol but nothing at all on Rosal..kinda strange considering how important this is!?

hey i wanna come too

Ok. vamonos a la isla de Don Juan, Matt y Lili
Lesh go!! LOL

Hey Matt, just wanted to ask you, where did you find that Noel Rosal story? I've been wanting to read more and tried googling, but found absolutely nothing related to the mayoral recount! There ARE stories about Legazpi/Bicol but nothing at all on Rosal..kinda strange considering how important this is!?
i found it in this week's edition of bicol mail www.bicolmail.com

im starting to question this site's credibility though hehehehe
they seem to be very leaned towards cam sur only.
ive come across articles written by them wherein they belittle other provinces, especially albay, while lifting their province to the highest heavens

I will check their attitudes towards other areas. I did not pay particular attention to their neighborly outlook.

Did you go to Aquinas yourself? I went to the Science High School before I left for London.


nah gf ko...been to Legaspi 4 times na...so im kinda really at home when there...when we visit Phils every yr i go to Legaspi as well....im pretty comfortable around town....sana lang ayusin nila top ng legaspi tourist in its nice for taking photos of mayon and the town...kaso lat time di nakita si Magayon...the clouds were too low so nagpunta nalang ako sa wharf...

nah gf ko...been to Legaspi 4 times na...so im kinda really at home when there...when we visit Phils every yr i go to Legaspi as well....im pretty comfortable around town....sana lang ayusin nila top ng legaspi tourist in its nice for taking photos of mayon and the town...kaso lat time di nakita si Magayon...the clouds were too low so nagpunta nalang ako sa wharf...

Woow! Do you have photos of the wharf? Share naman....I would like to see the Legazpi Wharf from eye level. Sadly I haven't been there, never got the chance to go the area when I went home few years back.

^^ Neither have I - it wasn't completed yet, last time I went back. I'm beginning to wish that Rosal story is a big hoax LOL coz, like him or not, he has been behind a lot of improvements in Legazpi, including that wharf, if I'm not mistaken!

nah gf ko...been to Legaspi 4 times na...so im kinda really at home when there...when we visit Phils every yr i go to Legaspi as well....im pretty comfortable around town....sana lang ayusin nila top ng legaspi tourist in its nice for taking photos of mayon and the town...kaso lat time di nakita si Magayon...the clouds were too low so nagpunta nalang ako sa wharf...

The roof of Hotel Casablanca also has a good vantage point, as well as Mayon Imperial. :)

I will check their attitudes towards other areas. I did not pay particular attention to their neighborly outlook.

Hi BMX! Are you from Bicol too? Warm welcome to you! :cheers:

By Florencio P. Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – Albay Vice Gov. Jesus B. Calisin has sponsored a resolution in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan requesting Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban to transfer the regional offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) from San Agustin, Pili, Camarines Sur to the Government Regional Center at Barangay Rawis, Legazpi City.

After designating Board Member Felipe Barces as temporary presiding officer, Calisin took the floor to explain why the DA and the BFAR regional offices should be join other government offices at the Government Regional Center.

He said that in 1999 he had sponsored Resolution No. 006-99 imploring then Agriculture Secretary William Dar to establish the BFAR Regional office in Legazpi City because it would be accessible to its clientele from the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Catandunes.

At present, only clients of the BFAR regional office from Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte are benefited by the proximity and accessibility, he added.

Calisin pointed out that the main reason for transferring the DA and BFAR regional offices to Legazpi City is Presidential Proclamation No. 1676, dated Oct. 8 1877, made by then President Ferdinand Marcos declaring Legazpi City as the regional center of Bicol.

He said the other reason why Legazpi City was chosen as the government regional center is because it is the hub of business and government and it is strategically located at the center of the region.

Calisin bewailed the fact that while RA 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fishery Code of 1998, was enacted to strengthen and consolidate the fishing industry, the BFAR regional office is not accessible to its clientele from the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate and Catanduanes.

He cited other advantages of having the BFAR regional office in Legazpi City: 1) its clientele can avail themselves of the one-stop-shop strategy in soliciting the services of the different linkage offices such as the PNP Maritime Command, the Philippine Navy and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). These agencies are active players in the implementation of RA 8550, he added.

The SP resolution was passed unanimously. Copies of the resolution were sent to President Macapagal-Arroyo the Senate and the House of Representatives and to Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban.

^^ Neither have I - it wasn't completed yet, last time I went back. I'm beginning to wish that Rosal story is a big hoax LOL coz, like him or not, he has been behind a lot of improvements in Legazpi, including that wharf, if I'm not mistaken!

Yeah, im really against the Imperials grabbing power again. Do you know that in Daraga, in every election imperial candidates are always "ZERO" in poll counts. Thats why the imperials hate Daragueños so much. I've met Micheal Imperial face to face before. He is young, but I still felt the coño corrupt aura in him that bares in the family. This family always do the old school tactics of "hakot boto" during elections, specially those who hail from far flung barangays of Legazpi. And the old guy imperial whom they call "Papay" has a stupid radio campaigner blinded by money; "Ariel Aique" of DZGB.

LEGAZPI CITY – A total of P915.25 million worth of projects in Bicol was identified by the Board of Investment (BOI) as a result of the “Domestic Roadshow on Investment Generation” conducted in December last year.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bicol regional director Jocelyn L.B. Blanco disclosed that 27 companies have signified either to expand or set-up new businesses and consequently avail of the BOI incentives. “Of the 27 companies, seven are in the information technology and communication (ITC) sector, 10 in manufacturing, five in services sector, and another five in the agribusiness sector.”
The ITC sector has a total of P233 million pesos worth of projects, manufacturing sector has P288.5 million, the agribusiness sector has P16.10 million, while the services sector has P378 million worth of projects.

The lines of business in the ITC sector included data processing, web development, content writing, call center and medical transcription. While for the manufacturing sector are ice manufacturing, coco coir processing, bakery, tea processing, concrete blocks, abaca handicrafts, and fine and fashion jewelry.

Piggery, feedmil, palay and corn business and organic farming are the line of business for agribusiness while the services sector has hospital, resort and hotels for its line of business.

The province of Albay registered the highest number of businessmen who wanted to avail of BOI incentives with 13 applicants; followed by the province of Sorsogon with 7 and Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur with 3 applicants each.

The biggest project for registration was worth P300 million while the lowest project cost was worth P600,000. The rest of the projects fall under the cost range from P1 million to P150 million.

Incentives given by BOI include income tax holiday, additional deduction for labor expenses, duty-free or duty reduced import of capital equipment and unrestricted use of consigned equipment.

Other incentives include tax and duty-free importation of spare parts and supplies, tax and duty-free importation of breeding stocks and genetic materials, tax credit on domestic breeding and genetic materials and tax credit on raw materials and supplies.

Moreover, additional deduction from major infrastructure works located in less developed areas (LDAs) is given by BOI. Exemption from wharf age dues, employment of foreign nationals and zero-rated value-added tax are still some of the perks that a BOI registered company can avail of.

Blanco bared that a company in Naga City that intends to put up a project worth US$10 million and a manufacturing company in Albay, are both seeking partners for joint venture. DTI and BOI are still in the process of matching these two

Yeah, im really against the Imperials grabbing power again. Do you know that in Daraga, in every election imperial candidates are always "ZERO" in poll counts. Thats why the imperials hate Daragueños so much. I've met Micheal Imperial face to face before. He is young, but I still felt the coño corrupt aura in him that bares in the family. This family always do the old school tactics of "hakot boto" during elections, specially those who hail from far flung barangays of Legazpi. And the old guy imperial whom they call "Papay" has a stupid radio campaigner blinded by money; "Ariel Aique" of DZGB.

I was wondering why the imperials were so popular with the "tagabulods" hehe
worst of all, Legazpi stagnated economically during the reign of the Imperials, so I wouldn't want a replay of the past! I hope we can move on despite this piece of bad news (pls Matteo, tell us this is a hoax!) :bash:

I was wondering why the imperials were so popular with the "tagabulods" hehe
worst of all, Legazpi stagnated economically during the reign of the Imperials, so I wouldn't want a replay of the past! I hope we can move on despite this piece of bad news (pls Matteo, tell us this is a hoax!) :bash:
yea, hopefully it isnt true.
im not familiar with that rosal dude though.
but even if its true and the imperials rule the land, i think the people of that city is wiser and better now than before. so if they see something they don't like, they will speak up. well hopefully hehehee

what i have are mmostly video's...ok din sa wharf....im gonna ask kung san place na kumain kami yung outdoor setting tapus may floating huts sa ponds then may mga koi's and goldfishes...just outside Legaspi...


dapat pumunta ako sa rapu rapu....sabi nila....may tour boat daw dun...

btw whats a buringkantada?....lagi ko naririnig yun

hi!im new..weheheh.. :)

what i have are mmostly video's...ok din sa wharf....im gonna ask kung san place na kumain kami yung outdoor setting tapus may floating huts sa ponds then may mga koi's and goldfishes...just outside Legaspi...


dapat pumunta ako sa rapu rapu....sabi nila....may tour boat daw dun...

btw whats a buringkantada?....lagi ko naririnig yun

That restaurant sounds like La Roca...I will ask my sister.

hi!im new..weheheh.. :)

Hi Kevin - welcome! :)
Are you from Bicol too?

hi!im new..weheheh.. :) Hello there! Welcome to SSC...Bicolano too?

We're in sync Olineil! altogether now!! LOL

First posted 06:53am (Mla time) Jan 30, 2006
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the Jan. 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay -- The Commission on Elections Second Division on Jan. 23 ordered Mayor Noel Rosal “to peacefully vacate the mayor’s office the soonest possible time.”

The resolution said 2004 mayoral candidate Michael Victor Imperial had 2,143 more votes over Rosal, making Imperial the winner in that election.

Rosal said “I have my right to judicial remedies.” Michael Jaucian, PDI Southern Luzon Bureau

So I guess its true...But to HELL with the imperials! They've got nothing for the benifit of Legazpeños. For me they are one of the most corrupt families in the Philippines. They were once the biggest cronies of the Marcoses during his reign. Go Mayor Rosal...fight for Legazpi, our People deserve better!

helo. hows everybody doin. i missed you guys hehee

Hey Matt! Hows things? We need more of you're great posts! :)

what i have are mmostly video's...ok din sa wharf.
video's are ok too. mind if you share 'em? :)

Hey Matt! Hows things? We need more of you're great posts! :)
whats up doc. what are you talking about??
you guys post more interesting stuffs than i do! hehehe

So I guess its true...But to HELL with the imperials! They've got nothing for the benifit of Legazpeños. For me they are one of the most corrupt families in the Philippines. They were once the biggest cronies of the Marcoses during his reign. Go Mayor Rosal...fight for Legazpi, our People deserve better![/QUOTE]

I agree - that's terrible news! I still can't believe it. Imperial was a disaster for Legazpi - look how Bicol became one of the poorest regions during the Marcos era, thanks to the collaboration of TRAPOS like him!

hmm no exception ba kay michael imperial?

hmm no exception ba kay michael imperial?

Hmmm...I want to give him the benifit of the doubt. But the imperial name is already so tainted to me. What do you get when you breed to genes (Carlos Imperial is a corrupt power hungry father and his mother is a former whore). Get what I mean?

This is from a powerpoint presentation that poster fundraiser originally posted in the Tsada Cagayan De Oro thread.

Wala lang, just our little city made the list.
This was their 2003 survey.

Sorry if they show up big:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/3.jpg

http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/10%20Phi...ness%202003.ppt

*** thanks much fundraiser

LEGAZPI CITY - Six days after the Commission on Elections Second Division ordered Mayor Noel Rosal of Legazpi City to vacate his post in favor of Michael Victor Imperial, the former filed a motion for reconsideration of the decision.

Delfin Chua, cousin of Imperial, told The Times that supporters of his cousin were happy about the COMELEC order.

"I’m willing to step down if there’s a final decision from the COMELEC en banc and Supreme Court," Rosal said.

The Times tried to reach Imperial for a reaction, but a family member said he was out of town.

In May 2004 the City Board of Canvassers proclaimed Rosal as the winning candidate with 44,792 votes against Imperial who had 33,747 votes.

Noting the difference of 11,045 votes, Imperial filed in July 2004 an election protest, alleging misappreciation of ballots, substitute voting, disenfranchisement of voters and ballot switching.

In September 2004 Rosal opposed the protest arguing that Imperial’s allegations were flimsy. But the COMELEC did not rule in his favor.

After the recount, the commission found out that Imperial garnered 32,660 votes while Rosal garnered 30,517 votes.

"The case is another classic example of iniquity which was clandestinely perpetrated," COMELEC Commissioner Florentino A. Tuason, Jr. said in a concurring view.

"Spurious ballots were discovered during the revision proceedings," he disclosed.

With the political battle brewing between the two camps, residents of this city are hoping the controversy would not cripple the city government’s basic services. Rhaydz B. Barcia

This is really a sad news. I just wish these trapo Imperial comes to accept the fact that their family is no longer regarded by the people. Legazpeños are now educated. You could have ur reign in the stone age Legazpi, but not today! Pisss off Imperial!

HEY oli!!! whats up how you doin. i missed you man hehehehe

HEY oli!!! whats up how you doin. i missed you man hehehehe

Hey! Im doin fine. Been BZ holidayin' for the past 4 days. Chinese New Year holiday here in SG. But still managed to post a few items here and there. How bout u?

This is from a powerpoint presentation that poster fundraiser originally posted in the Tsada Cagayan De Oro thread.

Wala lang, just our little city made the list.
This was their 2003 survey.

Sorry if they show up big:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/3.jpg

http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/10%20Phi...ness%202003.ppt

*** thanks much fundraiser

Nice to see Legazpi coming out in every aspects of the survey...is it a survey? :sly:

yea, some kind of survey.
wonder how the city did in the 2004 and 2005 ones

Sleeping Lion Hill

I'm thinking the shot was taken from the other side of the hill

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/sleepinglionback.jpg

yea, some kind of survey.
wonder how the city did in the 2004 and 2005 ones

Definitely better...Question is...hows the city gonna do for 2006...if this polical row continues! Hayyyy....

Trapo talaga...pag-maganda na sitwasyon...tsaka makiki-sawsaw.

This is really a sad news. I just wish these trapo Imperial comes to accept the fact that their family is no longer regarded by the people. Legazpeños are now educated. You could have ur reign in the stone age Legazpi, but not today! Pisss off Imperial!


YES!!! Time for this old oligarchy to bow out gracefully (actually too late to do it in that manner). Nonetheless, "Imperial-ism" will not help Legazpi move forward in the best interest of the populace.

(Sorry to be so politicized! It's just my own personal gripe with Papay's clan!!) :bash:

yea, some kind of survey.
wonder how the city did in the 2004 and 2005 ones

Hey Matt!
Yeah, we seem to do very well in the following areas:
linkages and accessibility (coz of airport I guess...)
human resource training
responsiveness of LGU
dynamism of local economy
infrastructure

and not so well in
cost of doing business (I'm guessing due to high electricity costs, despite the fact that most of Luzon's electricity comes from Albay)!! :bash:

yap. 2003 survey.
didnt they have a Bicol energy Summit or something couple years ago?
supposedly to lower energy rates in bicol.. or something like that

^^ Never heard of this summit Matt - I hope if it did take place it would have a real impact on Bicol's energy rates.

ok once i get my cam corder back i'll try and upload and share some pics

Donsol, home of the whale sharks




This place at the southern tip of luzon recently made a huge break on the country’s falling tourism when hundreds of whale sharks were spotted congregating in the muddy but plankton-rich waters of Donsol. Whale shark spotting in sorsogon became a word of mouth passed on to every tourist exploring the Philippines. As thousands of visitors arrive each season to swim and witness their friendly behavior, the unknown town of Donsol, in which its economy initially is reliant to fishing and cottage industry alone, now benefits from higher revenue brought by the presence of these giant fish locally called "Butanding".

These gentle giants arrive from as early as November but the official season starts from February and runs until end of May, where the sea of Donsol is at its clearest and calmest. Local tourism officials and professional divers have established guidelines on proper whale shark watching intended to maintain safety and to defend the creatures from over exploitation.

The town of Donsol is 1 hr drive from Sorsogon and slightly similar if you would be coming from Legazpi City. These two cities are jumping-off points to Donsol: both have decent accomodations, and transporting facilities. Lodging in Donsol can be fussy and rental shops for snorkeling equipments are still scarse. It is recommended to bring your own gears and packed lunch if staying there for the day.

Upon reaching the area, directly proceed to the Tourism Office for registration, orientation and arrangement of boats, guides and whale shark spotters. Prepare some cash (as credit card is yet not facilitated) for registration, boat fee and assistance. At this time, a boat accomodating 5-7 persons costs 2,500 Php which can be shared individually and registration is 300php each person. Be sure to be there before eight in the morning to avoid delays of procedures, and be aware that during this time sea water is smoother and calm. Thus, the calmer the water, the more whale sharks get close to the surface and there are more chances of interaction.
A whaleshark close encounter.

Best time to go is in March or April when these creatures are most present. It is guaranteed to witness minimum of 8 to 10 whale sharks in two hours. So take your time, swim with them and enjoy more of their sociable behaviour. Only cameras without flashes are allowed to use.

Because of their mysterious congregation, the once "never heard" town of Donsol became a common word of mouth relayed to every tourist arriving in the country.

To get there, PAL has regular flights from Manila to Legazpi City and Philtranco Bus Co. has routes bounded for Sorsogon.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/d11jf.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/d10jf.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/d2km.jpg

Fishing for whale sharks

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/sharkhunt.jpg

This reminds me of JAWS :)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/Donsol_20040423-11_00_02.jpg

This is what the poor guy saw

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/whaleshark5.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/Donsol_20040729-05_52_45.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/butanding.jpg

By Mark Rodriguez and Ed Bandol

LEGAZPI CITY- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will inaugurate today, two multi-million pesos worth of bridge constructed under the President’s Bridge Program along with the opening of other government vital projects for Bicol and will personally assess the mangled condition of the Calauag-Del Gallego portion of the Andaya Highway.

The President will formally open to motorists the Basud Bridge worth P65.8M linking the 1st district of Albay to the island province of Catanduanes and Quinale bridge worth P25 million linking the municipality of Libon and Polangui and other arterial networks and highways (DPWH) Regional Office 5 Director Orlando B. Roces informed newsmen.

These bridges are part of the President’s bridge projects which aims to provide structurally sound permanent bridge along all national roads that serves as a major link in promoting and sustaining regional-socio economic activities and development in the area, Roces said.

The President will also personally inspect the much publicized condition of the 64 kilometer Andaya highway along Del Gallego and Ragay, Camarines Sur.

We are hoping that the personal inspection of the President will have positive results. We at RDCC have already spearheaded a resolution requesting our President to allocate and release the much needed funds for the immediate rehabilitation of Del Gallego portion of the highway, Camarines Sur Governor L-Ray Villafuerte said.

We know the hardships encountered by motorists so, we are really focusing our attention to have the necessary funds releases for the repairs, Villafuerte added. We will need P24 million for the complete rehabilitation of the Bicol portion of the high way, Camarines Sur DPWH 1st Eng’g. District Engineer Alfonsito Padua affirmed.

Included in the presidential visit in the ground breaking ceremonies for the P350 million Pio Duran-Ligao road construction project programmed by Albay Congressman Joey Salceda.

It will be a great opportunity for Albayanos to have the President as guest for the groundbreaking of another infra project that will serve the needs of the majority of our people, Cong. Salceda said.

Regular commuters from Bicol to Manila and vice versa have already homed their angry outburst via different media outlets.

We just hope that the president will notice the patch work of potholed and craters along the highway so that she can do something since this highway benefits not only the people of Bicol Region but also travelers to and from Visayas and Mindanao, several motorists comments.

^^ At long last, the President seems to be taking notice. No wonder buses tend to break down in the Cam Sur part of the highway - the roads are sooo bad there!

waaaaa ganda ng mga pics mo steve... magkano kaya ang isang whale shark? :D

Hi Kevin - welcome! :)
Are you from Bicol too?

yup!!
from naga city..
btw,,SM prime has oledi signed contracts w/ naga city to build its first mall in bicol..
also pacific mall,,but rumors has it that pacific mall is afraid of being bankrupt bcoz of SMs presence..
dunnow really.. :dunno:

and also,,the phil chamber of commerce and industry is urging the natl govt to enhance the naga and legazpi airports into international facilities..
i just dont know if the govt would do that..

Naga City: The Heart of Bicol

Naga City is a city in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. It is the only independent city in Bicol region. It is an important commercial and cultural center in the region. The city is also a center of education in Bicol due to numerous schools, including three universities: University of Nueva Caceres, Ateneo de Naga University, and Universidad de Santa Isabel.

According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 137,810 people in 26,317 households.


Culture
The city hosts the Feast of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the patron of the Bicol Region, every second week of September. The start of the feast, which is the largest Marian devotion in the whole country, is signalled by a procession (called Traslacion) which transfers the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary from its shrine in the Basilica Minore to the Metropolitan Cathedral. Coinciding with nine-day prayers in the cathdreal, the city celebrates with parades, pageants, parties, and other activities. Finally, on the third Saturday of September, the image is returned to the Basilica Minore via a fluvial procession on the Naga River.

Cheap access to the internet, television, and an increasing number of local radio stations keep residents entertained and well-informed.

The city is also a center of Roman Catholicism, mainly because of several influential Catholic institutions, from universities to grand churches and cathedral.

NAGA CITY--BICOLANO ace columnist Conrado de Quiros of the Philippine Daily Inquirer will be the guest of honor and speaker when the 5th Luzonwide Higher Education Press Conference (LHEPC) opens on Feb. 9, Thursday, at the Ateneo de Naga University, here in Naga City.

Naga City Mayor Jesse M. Robredo, CHED Regional Director Dominador Peralta, Jr. Tourism Regional Director Maria ‘Nini’ Ravanilla, and Ateneo de Naga President Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J. will each deliver their welcome messages before 700 campus writers who will vie for top honors in various disciplines of campus journalism.

De Quiros will be coming home to his old campus at the Ateneo de Naga where he graduated high school valediction to articulate on the press conference’s theme: “Committed Campus Journalism: Advocate of Truth, Social Justice and National Stability.”

The press conference is an annual competition that aims to promote campus journalism among college students and determine the best campus writers and campus papers in the entire Luzon. The participating students will come from various colleges and universities in Ilocos, Cagayan, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol and Cordillera regions.

A mass at 7:30 a.m. at the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral will be held for the delegates and participants, to be followed by the formal opening rites at the Ateneo’s Xavier Hall and a motorcade around the city’s principal streets, Prof. Jose Van Galvo of the Mariner’s Polytechnic Colleges here said.

All contests will be held at the Naga Regent Hotel in downtown Naga City from 1:00 p.m. of Feb. 9 until the awarding and closing program on Feb. 11, 2006.

There will be a short break on Feb. 10 when all participants will be fetched by at least 10 buses for a sightseeing trip to Mt. Mayon in Albay.

Prof. Galvo, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bicol Association of Tertiary Schools Publication Advisers, Inc. has been designated Project Chairman of the big event for campus writers that Naga City is hosting.

whats up kevinb how u doin

yea whatever happened to pacific mall naga?
also wasnt there a robinsons supposed to open?

can we have a separate Naga City thread....I think the city is culturally and economically distinct from that of neighboring Legaspi...

go Naga !

^^ You can always create one if needed. :)

i'll create one.. :)

whats up kevinb how u doin

yea whatever happened to pacific mall naga?
also wasnt there a robinsons supposed to open?

weheh..
u can call me kevin..

some ppol say that pacific mall(PM) naga is afraid of SM..
PM should be starting to construct its mall there by this time..
well,i think they think that they cant catch up when SM is already there..
besides,,SM has an established credibility already..
but they have a very beautiful plan for their mall in naga..
not only a mall but a central business district..
it's a 12-hectare CBD with a 5.5-ha mall plus other establishments inside it..
bout robinsons,,it's just a supermarket anchor of a local mall there..
and i think they will be opening this feb,,if im not mistaken.. :)

waaaaa ganda ng mga pics mo steve... magkano kaya ang isang whale shark? :D

$10,000 - special discount for the friends of dakoykoy! :)

yup!!
from naga city..
btw,,SM prime has oledi signed contracts w/ naga city to build its first mall in bicol..
also pacific mall,,but rumors has it that pacific mall is afraid of being bankrupt bcoz of SMs presence..
dunnow really.. :dunno:

and also,,the phil chamber of commerce and industry is urging the natl govt to enhance the naga and legazpi airports into international facilities..
i just dont know if the govt would do that..

Hi Kevin,


Maybe it's hard for two big malls to compete in medium sized cities like Naga and Legazpi. If we were talking about Bacolod or Iloilo it wouldn't be a problem as the market is big enough to support several competing malls. It could be due to local politics too - I heard LCC tried to prevent SM from establishing in Legazpi.
They have been talking about upgrading the Legazpi airport to international for about 5 years now, but as usual, nothing definite yet.
Btw,
My grandparents were from Naga too. Our "ancestral house" is located somewhere in Barlin Street. :)

hi kevin :D
kamusta ang mga pating natin

This is from a powerpoint presentation that poster fundraiser originally posted in the Tsada Cagayan De Oro thread.

Wala lang, just our little city made the list.
This was their 2003 survey.

Sorry if they show up big:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/3.jpg

http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/10%20Phi...ness%202003.ppt

*** thanks much fundraiser

I wonder how they arrived at their rankings and how the survey was conducted.

This is quite a useful instrument in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a local government unit.

^dont worry Math, i like to read in big fonts, nicely done here my friend:
all i can say are responsiveness, resources and ranking

^^ hehe thanks Teegee.
im just glad to hear our little city is kinda doing ok.
it may not be as metropolitan as them other ones but it's the place i call home hihihi
i miss it

Legazpi mayor appeals Comelec ruling

First posted 11:38pm (Mla time) Feb 01, 2006
By Gina Rodriguez
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A16 of the February 2, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEGAZPI City Mayor Noel E. Rosal has appealed the decision of the Second Division of the Commission on Elections declaring mayoral rival Michael Victor Imperial as winner by about 2,000 votes during the May 2004 elections.

Rosal questioned the Comelec’s decision to invalidate 14,067 votes from his original votes of 44,277 votes that resulted in 30,210 votes for Rosal and 32,085 votes for Imperial.

The Comelec’s Second Division is composed of Commissioners Florentino A. Tuason Jr. and Mehol Sadain.

Rosal said he wondered how, all of a sudden, 14,067 of his votes were invalidated. He claimed there was no technical examination made on the questioned ballots to determine whether these were really spurious.

Instead, he said, what was done was a summary procedure.

“The Comelec apparently failed to consider the 110 affidavits of teachers certifying that most of the ballots recounted no longer bore their original signatures,” Rosal added.

He said it would be hard to manipulate election returns as they bore the signatures of the representatives of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the National Movement for Free Elections, party representatives and teachers as board chairs.

Rosal filed a motion for reconsideration while Imperial filed a writ of execution of Comelec’s decision.

Rosal also said during the recount, he got 39,601 votes while Imperial had 39,058 votes.

The Legazpi Board of Canvassers declared Rosal winner with 44,277 votes against Imperial’s 33,275 votes.

Go Mayor Rosal!!! We are behind you on this. Evil will not prevail...

^Yes Viva Rosal!!

Thursday, February 02 2006 @ 09:05 PM GMT

Provincial

02 - Government sets privatization of Legazpi Airport and convert it into international airport

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told Bicolanos today that the Legazpi City Airport will be privatized to pave the way for its conversion to an international airport, as part of the government’s tourism and economic development program for Bicolandia.

Speaking at the launching of key infrastructure projects here, the Chief Executive said the upgrading of the Legazpi City Airport will bolster foreign and domestic tourism and the overall economy of the Bicol region.

"The upgrading of the Legazpi Airport will cost P5 billion. What we will do is privatize the present Legazpi Airport so we’ll have the new Legazpi International Airport. That’s what we will do next to speed up the development of Albay, Sorsogon and the entire Bicol region," she said.

Among the popular destinations in Bicolandia frequently visited by tourists are Misibis Island, Sula Channel, Cagbubulacao, Pototan, Nag-Aso, Cagraray, Joroan, Donsol, Vera Falls, Mayon Volcano and the Bulusan Lake.

In 2005, Region V posted a 19 percent increase in foreign, and 6 percent local tourist arrivals for an estimated P35 million contribution to the Philippine economy.

The President said she had discussed the privatization plan of the Legazpi City Airport with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza. At the same time, she has ordered the facilitation of the approval of the financing scheme for the project under Official Development Assistance (ODA) package.

With the President during the simple program were Albay Governor Fernando Gonzalez, Albay 3rd District Representative Joey Salceda, and Polangui Mayor Jesus Salceda.

The President also thanked the people of Albay’s third district for voting heavily for her in the 2004 elections. In the entire island of Luzon, Albay was the second province, after the President’s home province of Pampanga, to give her the biggest winning margin in the 2004 polls.

"Dito sa Albay, ako ay nasisiyahan na hindi lang paglilingkod kundi pagmamahal sa akin…I am very happy to be able to serve the people of Joey Salceda’s district," she added.

Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) General Manager Robert Dean Barbers said the airport privatization plan will not only attract more tourists to Region V but help the overall development of the entire Bicol region.

Hi Kevin,


Maybe it's hard for two big malls to compete in medium sized cities like Naga and Legazpi. If we were talking about Bacolod or Iloilo it wouldn't be a problem as the market is big enough to support several competing malls. It could be due to local politics too - I heard LCC tried to prevent SM from establishing in Legazpi.
They have been talking about upgrading the Legazpi airport to international for about 5 years now, but as usual, nothing definite yet.
Btw,
My grandparents were from Naga too. Our "ancestral house" is located somewhere in Barlin Street. :)

i dont think it's that hard for 2 malls to compete in a mid-sized city..
actually there are already 4 mid-sized malls in naga now wherein e-mall,the robinsons supermarket anchored mall,has recently opened..
another one will open in this feb,avenue square mall..
it's sort of an alabang town center,,it's just small compared to the real thing..weheh..
actually,,SM has long been eyeing naga for its 1st mall in bicol..
but small businessmen were objecting before..
i dont know what happened but last sept2005,SM and naga already signed contracts with the planned SM city naga..
the mall is planned to be built in the 2nd CBD of naga,,near the central bus terminal and the naga city coliseum.. :)
i just hope pacific mall will still put up a mall in naga..

i dont know what happened but last sept2005,SM and naga already signed contracts with the planned SM city naga..
the mall is planned to be built in the 2nd CBD of naga,,near the central bus terminal and the naga city coliseum.. :)
i just hope pacific mall will still put up a mall in naga..[/QUOTE]

That's a great location - convenient too! :)

[QUOTE=olineil]Thursday, February 02 2006 @ 09:05 PM GMT

Provincial

02 - Government sets privatization of Legazpi Airport and convert it into international airport

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told Bicolanos today that the Legazpi City Airport will be privatized to pave the way for its conversion to an international airport, as part of the government’s tourism and economic development program for Bicolandia.

Speaking at the launching of key infrastructure projects here, the Chief Executive said the upgrading of the Legazpi City Airport will bolster foreign and domestic tourism and the overall economy of the Bicol region.

"The upgrading of the Legazpi Airport will cost P5 billion. What we will do is privatize the present Legazpi Airport so we’ll have the new Legazpi International Airport. That’s what we will do next to speed up the development of Albay, Sorsogon and the entire Bicol region," she said.

Among the popular destinations in Bicolandia frequently visited by tourists are Misibis Island, Sula Channel, Cagbubulacao, Pototan, Nag-Aso, Cagraray, Joroan, Donsol, Vera Falls, Mayon Volcano and the Bulusan Lake.

In 2005, Region V posted a 19 percent increase in foreign, and 6 percent local tourist arrivals for an estimated P35 million contribution to the Philippine economy.

The President also thanked the people of Albay’s third district for voting heavily for her in the 2004 elections. In the entire island of Luzon, Albay was the second province, after the President’s home province of Pampanga, to give her the biggest winning margin in the 2004 polls.

"Dito sa Albay, ako ay nasisiyahan na hindi lang paglilingkod kundi pagmamahal sa akin…I am very happy to be able to serve the people of Joey Salceda’s district," she added.

At last we're finally reaping the benefits of this! :cheers:
I hope they start building this new airport soon!

Gov't sets privatization of Legazpi Airport
by MS Arguelles

POLANGUI, Albay (8 February) -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Thursday told Bicolanos that the present Legazpi City airport will be privatized to pave the way for its conversion to an international airport as part of the government's tourism and economic development program for Bicolandia.

Speaking at the launching of key infrastructure projects in Bicol, the Chief Executive said the upgrading of the Legazpi City airport will bolster foreign and domestic tourism and the overall economy of the Bicol region.

The upgrading and modernization of the Legazpi airport to meet international standards is estimated to cost P5 billion. "What we will do is privatize the present Legazpi Airport so we'll have the new Legazpi International Airport in Barangay Alobo in Daraga , Albay that would speed up the development not only of Albay, Sorsogon but of the entire Bicol region," she said.

The President said that she had discussed the privatization plan with Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza. At the same time, she has ordered the facilitation of the approval of the financing scheme for the project under the Official Development Assistance (ODA) package.

With the President during the simple program were Albay Governor Fernando Gonzalez, Albay 3rd District Representative Joey Salceda, and Polangui Mayor Jesus Salceda.

Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) general-manager Robert Dean Barbers said the airport privatization plan will not only attract more tourists to Region V but help the overall development of the entire Bicol region.

In 2005, Bicol posted a 19 percent increase in foreign and 6 percent local tourist arrivals for an estimated P35 million contribution to the Philippine economy.

Prior to the Polangui interaction President Arroyo inaugurated two major bridges in Albay province with a combined cost of P90.52 million.

The two bridges are the P65.88 million Basud Bridge in Sto. Domingo town in the outskirts of Legazpi City, and the P24.64 million Quinale bridge in the municipality of Polangui.

With the President during the inaugural drive through the Basud bridge were Albay Governor Fernando Gonzalez, Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, Sto. Domingo Mayor Herbie Aguas and British Charge d'Affaires and Chief of Mission Robert Fitchett.

The longest span built under the British-assisted President's Bridge Program, the 96-meter Basud bridge forms part of the eastern backbone of the Albay road network. It is a vital link between the northeast Bicol municipalities, including Sto. Domingo, and the province of Camarines Sur.

From Basud Bridge, the President motored to Polangui, Albay to inaugurate the Quinale Bridge, also a British government-assisted project, which is a vital link between the municipalities Polangui, and Libon to the national highway.

The 66-meter and two-lane, single span steel-truss bridge plays a big role in the promotion and development of industries and agricultural activities in the area.

The President said that she will be back in Bicol in March this year to inspect the on-going construction of the Ligao-Pio-Duran road in the province of Albay.

In an interaction with local media, President Arroyo said that "we are bold in the pursuit of infrastructure projects because we have the revenues. The road to progress is paved with the good intentions of honest taxpayers".

She stressed that public infrastructure is dependent on taxes. "Tax evaders as well as smugglers must go."

I wonder how they arrived at their rankings and how the survey was conducted.

This is quite a useful instrument in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a local government unit.


how come walang cities na nakalista na nagsisimula sa letter B?

how come walang cities na nakalista na nagsisimula sa letter B?
kuya, small cities category lang po yung pinakita ko dun kasi small city daw ang legazpi city.
but click on the powerpoint presenttion link and you'll see baguio, butuan, and butchukoy city sa complete list

butchukoy city? are u joking me?

how come walang cities na nakalista na nagsisimula sa letter B?

Bacolod and Batangas are both on the list.

Rosal is still Legazpi mayor,
Comelec stays Imperial plea
By Florencio Narito

LEGAZPI CITY – The Commission on Election (Comelec) 2nd Division has deferred action on the motion for execution pending appeal filed by former Councilor Michael Victor C. Imperial who is contesting the reelection of Mayor Noel E. Rosal pending the replacement of Commissioner Mehol Sadain who retired last Feb. 2, 2006.

The Comelec had given protestee Noel E. Rosal three days (from Feb. 1) within which to file his opposition to Imperial’s motion but the poll body could not act on both motions for lack of quorum.

It will be recalled that on January 23, 2006, Commissioners Mehol Sadain and Florentino Tuason Jr. of the Comelec 2nd Division had issued a resolution declaring protestant Michael Victor Imperial as the winner in the May 10, 2004 mayoral race in the City of Legazpi.

According to the resolution penned by Sadain, Imperial garnered 32,660 votes as against Rosal’s 30,517 votes or a 2,143-vote lead in favor of protestant.

But Mayor Rosal cried foul because in the May 10, 2004 national and local elections, Atty. Roseller B. Abad of the Comelec, chairman of the city board of canvassers, had proclaimed him winner after garnering 44,792 votes while Imperial garnered only 33,747 votes or a wide margin of 11,045 votes in favor of protestee.

Rosal, in a radio interview, said that Imperial and his lawyers were in a hurry to get the issuance of the motion for execution pending appeal because Sadain was retiring on Feb. 2 this year.

Secondly, they were apprehensive that the Supreme Court might ask Rosal to present his evidence that there were no irregularities committed in the May 10, 2004 mayoral election in the City.

If asked to present his evidence, the mayor said he would present the 110 public school teachers who served as members of the board of election tellers to deny the allegations of widespread electoral fraud in Legazpi City. These teachers had already executed a joint affidavit confirming Rosal’s claim that there were no election anomalies in the city.

At the same time, Rosal vowed to prosecute the culprit a City Hall employee loyal to the Imperials who had allegedly tampered with the official ballots by making it appear that the teachers had committed irregularities.

Rosal was given a hero’s welcome by some 1,000 loyal supporters upon arrival from Manila at the Legazpi City Airport last Feb. 2. The mayor and his supporters marched all the way from the airport to the City Hall. Some of the mayor’s supporters carried placards and streamers which read: “Mayor Rosal is the legitimate mayor Legazpi City” and “We love you, Mayor Rosal.”

Where's Koronadal? So we'll be expecting Koronadal to boom in the near future. ;)

huh ???? ^^ sinjin what you talking about dude?

thats in south cotabato right?

^Yeah, because I saw it in post #161 of this thread.

Misibis Residential Resort, Albay

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m5.jpg

Rosal is still Legazpi mayor,
Comelec stays Imperial plea
By Florencio Narito



At the same time, Rosal vowed to prosecute the culprit a City Hall employee loyal to the Imperials who had allegedly tampered with the official ballots by making it appear that the teachers had committed irregularities.

I was wondering why these allegations came almost out of nowhere - it's because they were cooked up as usual!

Rosal was given a hero’s welcome by some 1,000 loyal supporters upon arrival from Manila at the Legazpi City Airport last Feb. 2. The mayor and his supporters marched all the way from the airport to the City Hall. Some of the mayor’s supporters carried placards and streamers which read: “Mayor Rosal is the legitimate mayor Legazpi City” and “We love you, Mayor Rosal.”

Yes, go Rosal!! :cheers:

^ Thanks for the new resort pics, Matt !

Rosal is still Legazpi mayor,
Comelec stays Imperial plea

At the same time, Rosal vowed to prosecute the culprit a City Hall employee loyal to the Imperials who had allegedly tampered with the official ballots by making it appear that the teachers had committed irregularities.

Rosal was given a hero’s welcome by some 1,000 loyal supporters upon arrival from Manila at the Legazpi City Airport last Feb. 2. The mayor and his supporters marched all the way from the airport to the City Hall. Some of the mayor’s supporters carried placards and streamers which read: “Mayor Rosal is the legitimate mayor Legazpi City” and “We love you, Mayor Rosal.”


I told you guys...EVIL will not prevail... :nuts:
:dance:

REDEFINING VALUES-Baby boomers abroad / S.E. Asia a haven for retirees

The Yomiuri Shimbun

This is the fourth installment of Part II of the "Redefining Values" series, which looks at issues such as abolishing the retirement age system, participation in politics by middle-aged and elderly people and measures to utilize the elderly to help fill gaps in the workforce caused by a declining birthrate.

In the summer of 2004, Kazutami Shiga made a proposal to Jose Marcelo, then deputy general manager of the Philippine Retirement Authority.

"If you want to attract more Japanese retirees, you may need some kind of a support system for them," Shiga, 59, told him at the authority's office in Manila.

Shiga used to work for JGC Corp., a Yokohama-based plant construction firm. He was a corporate soldier who had six years of experience serving as president of the company's Philippine subsidiary.

After leaving the company at 55, Shiga applied for a Special Resident Retiree Visa issued by the Philippines. He returned to the country in 2002.

The visa is part of government efforts to stimulate the economy by attracting Japanese retirees. But Japanese retirees were not offered any official assistance when they arrived in the Philippines, and many became victims of fraud or robbery soon after arriving.

This lack of proper assistance led Shiga to bring up the issue directly with the Philippine government.

His firsthand experiences of life in both Japan and the Philippines made Shiga a convincing advocate for change. Marcelo agreed to his proposal and two months later launched the Japan Desk to handle inquires and concerns of Japanese retirees.

Shiga soon volunteered to take charge of the assistance desk. Since then, 1-1/2 years have passed.

"After retiring, my only hobby in Japan was playing pachinko," Shiga said. "But now, I'm having a great life by applying my knowledge."

In other Southeast Asian countries, people like Shiga have contributed to establishing better systems to help Japanese looking to settle down abroad.

Yasuhiko Sakamoto, 71, who lives in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, is one such person.

Sakamoto emigrated to Malaysia with his wife in 2000 after serving as the managing director of Sumitomo Corp. He has since spent his time advising Japanese retirees on how to enjoy a successful retirement there.

He provides local information useful to Japanese retirees on his Web site. He also acts as a consultant for those seeking immigration to the country, and provides assistance to the Malaysian government program for Japanese retirees.

Sakamoto said he dreams of making the country a haven for elderly seeking nursing care.

For Japanese retirees, Southeast Asian countries are places where they can live a comfortable life without spending a fortune. According to a 2004 survey by the Tokyo-based Long Stay Foundation, Malaysia ranked second as a place of choice for extended stays overseas. Thailand and the Philippines came in fifth and 10th, respectively.

Southeast Asian countries, therefore, have depended on retired Japanese businesspeople to use their abilities to help attract other retirees.

Shiga dreams of building a village for Japanese retirees at the foot of Mt. Mayon, a 2,462-meter-high volcano in the southeastern part of the island of Luzon. He runs a 33,000-square-meter farm near the mountain, which resembles Mt. Fuji.

"I think it would be great if Japanese gathered around here," he said.
(Feb. 12, 2006)

wassup dudes!!!
anyway, albay website is now up: www.albay.gov.ph

wassup dudes!!!
anyway, albay website is now up: www.albay.gov.ph

Thanx for the new link Matt - hows things? :)
The new website looks good - a bit thin on data & info though....

Income of Select Philippine Cities (2004)

Quezon City P6,505,295,046.38
Cebu City P1,653,751,231.76
Cagayan de Oro P1,005,150,424.83
Iloilo City P768,443,327.75
Butuan P628,350,345.07
Legazpi P318,453,056.99

Source: Commission on Audit

^ What do you think, Matt, Olineil? Are you (pleasantly) surprised by these figures, or disappointed? Or is this what you expected?

Philippine Business Magazine: Volume 9 No. 1- Geographics
Big on Service
A big student population, shopping and service establishments drive business in Legazpi City
By Delma L. Peyra

Need a place to launch a fast food empire? You don’t have to set up in Manila right away – not if you want to do like what Legazpi City’s homegrown Bigg’s – touted by Entrepreneur magazine as the next Jollibee – did it. Despite the presence here of McDonald’s and Jollibee’s four outlets, Bigg’s remains a popular 24-hour hamburger deli in Legazpi City. Perhaps its round-the-clock service is proof that this city (population: 157,010) in fact may be in the league already of those that no longer sleep.



Legazpi City At a Glance
Population
157,010 (as of May 2000)

No. of households:
30,612

Annual growth rate:
2.63

Air transport:
Daily flights between Manila and Legazpi City; airport can accomodate medium range jet planes and light planes for commercial, military, and cargo operations

Land transport:
Regular bus trips to and from Metro Manila (approximately 10 hours); bus and ferry trips from Mindanao and the Visayas via a ferry terminal at Matnog, Sorsogon

Rail tranport:
State-owned Philippine Railway operates regular trips to and from Manila

Water:
Commercial vessels regularly to lock and unload cargoes at Legazpi port

Telecommunications:
Bayantel and Digitel are the two major phone companies; cable and internet services are widely available

Financial institutions:
26 banks, 9 investment/financing firms, 47 insurance companies, 148 lending institutions, 67 registered cooperatives

EDUCATION
Elementary:
40 public and 11 private schools
Secondary:
2 public (with 5 annexes) and 11 private
Tertiary:
1 public and 12 private

It also appears that youth brings dynamism to a region virtually unknown for many years except for its typhoons and Mayon Volcano’s eruptions. The city is old, and traces its foundation to the Spanish era – but it has a predominantly young population. In particular, thousands of college students study in its universities and spend, shop, eat and drink, bringing good business to a lot of establishments.

The newly-elected City Mayor, Noel Rosal, at 37 years old is also young and appears not to be sleeping at his job, too. He’s fired up with plans. He relates he’s just been to Manila to meet with the Chair of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on talks to improve the city port – an ambitious P500-million undertaking. And before nine o’clock in the morning, Rosal has started to meet with people pitching a P12-million Geographical Information System (GIS) that he says in serious tones would help the city efficiently gather taxes and revenues. With this, City Hall, he says, targets P300 million in annual revenues.

“We want to be known as a service city” volunteers Rosal. Legazpi City has no large scale industries or manufacturing facilities. Instead, in this city (534 kilometers south of Manila) surrounded by rolling hills and guarded coolly by the beautiful Mayon Volcano, big business spells the 3S: shopping, studying, and spending.

Mall and Business Park
In December 2001, Pacific Mall — the centerpiece of Landco Pacific’s Landco Business Park in Legazpi — opened to enthusiastic response from residents not only from the city but from towns in surrounding provinces as well. Mall retailing and its attendant services such as dining and entertainment in Legazpi have a ready and huge market potential of almost four million from the surrounding towns in the province of Albay, as well as other provinces such as Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte.

Developer Landco, a Metro Pacific company, took a gamble in the city when it launched its Landco Business Park-Legazpi in 1995. Today, almost 80% of the prime lots within the planned business park is sold. Landco is converting the area into a classy commercial hub, housing retail stores, wholesales stores, showrooms, and service establishments. A zoning plan keeps a special area for hotels and designated row for restaurants and bars.

Before Pacific Mall, Legazpi already had its homegrown Legazpi Commercial Center or LCC, now a huge retail giant with branches in Naga City and Tabaco City. Shopping taps the consumerist bent of the youth population, all the more fired up by the advent of cable television and the Internet.

Schools and Brainpower
Legazpi City is home to two universities. One is the state-owned Bicol University, one of the country’s biggest, acknowledged as an engineering powerhouse and also known for its agricultural/fisheries research. Another one is the Catholic-run privately-owned Aquinas University.

Together with about a dozen other colleges, the city is virtually kept alive, economically by thousands of students coming from the different provinces of the Bicol region. Boarding houses, fast food outlets, clothes shops, and service establishments thrive because of the high demand from students and the young people.

“We produce more than 30,000 graduates a year,” says Rosal, mostly in the field of Information Technology, Engineering, and the professions. Don Bosco Technical and TESDA have recently put up branches here to meet the high demand for education.
This rich minefield of brainpower made New York-based, multinational firm Innodata put up a data conversion center in the city last year – employing 600 local graduates of the city. The center currently operates in three shifts, seven days a week, and thirty days a month.

Areas for Investments
Tourism is another area where Legazpi City and the province of Albay can further benefit from. Mayon Volcano is of course famous, but the city may need to improve the packaging or promotion of its tourist attractions which could include the province’s beaches and caves, as well as its festivals such as the Ibalong Festival held every October and the Magayon (meaning “beauty / beautiful”) Festival held every May. “We also want to build a world-class golf course here,” adds Rosal.
The City government is accelerating improvements so that the “service city” will be true to its name. Among these is the improvement of airport facilities.

To further boost the image of a shopping capital in the region, Legazpi will build another mall which will cater to the lower-income bracket and will be patterned after the successful Tutuban Mall at Divisoria in Manila.

hey doc.
im doing alright.
yea youre right, the site is a bit thin on more important stuff
i still like naga's better

^ What do you think, Matt, Olineil? Are you (pleasantly) surprised by these figures, or disappointed? Or is this what you expected?

Its actually abit low... the highest Legazpi City generated was Php800,000,000++ i think 2002 or 2003.

Are those the final figures for that year. Doesn't seem to add up to me.

^ I actually got it from Coke's post, which he says comes from the Commission on Audit - maybe they're half-year figures...

(Business World (Philippines) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Twenty Philippine cities have been chosen the best investment sites in the country following a survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Policy Center.

Five metropolitan, five mid-sized and 10 small cities were tagged as having business environments deemed favorable by investors under the Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2005.

The survey, the fourth by the AIM Policy Center, ran from June to October 2005 and took into consideration the cost of doing business, linkages to major urban and growth centers, dynamism of the local economy, human resources and training, infrastructure adequacy and quality, the responsiveness of the local government to business needs, and quality of life.


Results were one third based on statistical analyses and two thirds based on qualitative criteria, or the perception of businessmen.

Each city was given scores for each of the seven drivers, and the best investment sites were chosen on the basis of overall scores. The AIM, however, only provided the rankings of the cities by criterion, and did not reveal their overall scores.

The survey covered 65 of 117 Philippine cities. The AIM did not give an overall ranking for the cities, veering away from its previous practice of choosing the overall best investment site.

"We want to foster competition, but not unhealthy competition, so for this year we decided not to rank the cities," AIM Policy Center Executive Director Federico M. Macaranas said.

The AIM also divided the participating cities into three categories according to size - metropolitan, mid-sized, and small.

For the metropolitan cities category, AIM Policy Center chose five - Davao, Las Pinas, Makati, Marikina and Muntinlupa - from the 13 that participated in the survey. Metropolitan cities are those in Metro Manila, which has 14, Metro Cebu which has four, and Metro Davao, which has one.

Marikina was ranked number one in terms of infrastructure, responsiveness of local government, and the quality of life, the survey showed.

Davao, the only Mindanao city that made it to the top five metropolitan cities this year, ranked the highest in the cost of doing business. It was second in terms of dynamism of the local economy as well as in linkages and accessibility, and third in infrastructure.

Makati, meanwhile, ranked first in terms of human resources and training and second in infrastructure, while Las Pinas, which did not top any of the seven criteria, had the second most responsive local government.

Muntinlupa, voted the most improved metropolitan city for this year, also did not top any criteria but was ranked third in terms of responsiveness of the local government and third for human resources and training.

For the mid-sized cities category, or non-metro cities that have more than 200,000 inhabitants, five were chosen from 15 contenders. These were Bacolod, Batangas, Iligan, Iloilo, and San Fernando, Pampanga.

Bacolod was top in terms of infrastructure and quality of life while Batangas was top in terms of linkages and accessibility, and responsiveness of its local government to business needs.

Iligan, which failed to top any of the criteria, ranked second in cost of doing business and infrastructure, while Iloilo was first in terms of human resource and training. San Fernando, Pampanga ranked second in terms of quality of life.

Zamboanga, which ranked the highest in terms of cost of doing business, and dynamism of local economy, failed to make it to the top five, as it placed low on infrastructure, responsiveness of the local government to business' needs, and human resources and training.

For the small cities category, or those with a population of less than 200,000, 10 were cited: Dagupan; Koronadal; Legaspi; Naga; Olongapo; San Fernando, La Union; Sta. Rosa; Surigao; Tagbilaran; and Tagum.

Tagbilaran scored the highest in terms of quality of life, while San Fernando, La Union topped the linkages and responsiveness of local government criteria.

Sta. Rosa ranked highest in terms of dynamism of local economy, while Dagupan scored the highest in terms of human resources and training.

In terms of island groups, Mr. Macaranas said Luzon was the most competitive, with a total score of 6.05 out of 10. The Visayas was second at 5.94 out of 10, while Mindanao scored 5.75 of 10.

None of the cities were able to hit scores of eight to 10 which indicate high competitiveness. The most the cities got, Mr. Macaranas said, was between six and seven, which indicate above average competitiveness.

Among the lessons learned during the survey, he said, was the need for the National Government to accelerate support, particularly in terms of infrastructure and capital investments.

"The National Government should also enhance the legal and political framework for collaboration at subregional and regional levels and rationalize and streamline fund release mechanisms."

Local governments, meanwhile, need to promote cooperation with private enterprise and neighbors.

"You cannot function as an island," Mr. Macaranas said.

He added that small and medium enterprises should adopt a proactive stance in policy making.

The City Competitiveness program was established in 1997 to help urban centers cultivate competitive industries, promote healthy communities and maximize their potential.

Related airport news:

Friday February 10, 8:21 AM
Arroyo Orders Development of Legazpi Airport

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/legazpiarrival.jpg

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb 10 President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the development of an airport of international standard at Barangay Alobo, Daraga, Albay.

According to Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzalez, the President has instructed Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza to commence the feasibility study for the proposed project that was endorsed by the Regional Development Council.

With a budget of P3.4 billion (US$65.6 million), the proposed airport has been included in the 2005-2010 Philippine Medium-Term Development Plan for implementation next year, the governor said.

Its development is expected to be completed in seven years, he added.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/507981224wfoRwF_ph.jpg

In an interview Wednesday, Gonzalez said that the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has particularly been contained under the immediate need category.

As this developed, City Mayor Noel Rosal said that once the development of the new airport takes place, the Legazpi Domestic Airport here would either be turned into an economic zone or up for sale to partly pay for the loan from where the new airport would get its funding.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/dsci0016.jpg

The mayor disclosed that the national government has allocated a budget of P500 million for airport development throughout the country, a portion of which could be utilized to develop the proposed airport in Albay.

Rosal said that the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has initially found the proposed airports site as the cheapest and technically the best in the Bicol region.

- source: http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/060210/16/3ylw5.html

Suggestions for future use of the old airport:

- retail/business park (poss location of SM?)
- special economic zone
- a new downtown, possibly a plaza with skating rink
- turn the old runway into an attractive boulevard, with trees, fountains, to ease traffic in other parts
- residential area

any other ideas? :)

- a new downtown, possibly a plaza with skating rink

^^ kuya, :lol: that is so not filipino. why naman skating rink? pustahan, either they're gonna set up a basketball court there or build a casa for the sabong instead. :lol:

:bash: Sabongan.?! ..over my dead body!!!
They have a mega one in Catanduanes. That will do for Bicol.
What I would really love is an ice-skating rink, so Bicolanos can have a taste of winter wonderland. :)

O sige, bibili muna ako ng Loto tickets.

:bash: Sabongan.?! ..over my dead body!!!

What I would really love is an ice-skating rink, so Bicolanos can have a taste of winter wonderland. :)

O sige, bibili muna ako ng Loto tickets.


:hilarious: hahahhaahaha welcome back Steve. hahaha

^ My uncle used to keep 300 chickens in his backyard in Legazpi, so I have a slight aversion to them.

- a new downtown, possibly a plaza with skating rink

^^ kuya, :lol: that is so not filipino. why naman skating rink? pustahan, either they're gonna set up a basketball court there or build a casa for the sabong instead. :lol:

Peñaranda park in fron of Albay Capitol used to be the Biggest Roller skating rink in the Philippines during the early to late nineties till they decided to redevelop the are to a commercial establishment for festival purposes. That was a big hit then specially to the teens, roller bladers, and skate boarders.

Yep the runway can actually be converted to a Daraga Legazpi Expressway (DLE). with major exit and entry ramps for daraga, old albay district, legazpi port district.

Peñaranda park in fron of Albay Capitol used to be the Biggest Roller skating rink in the Philippines during the early to late nineties till they decided to redevelop the are to a commercial establishment for festival purposes. That was a big hit then specially to the teens, roller bladers, and skate boarders.

I knew there was a rink but I wasnt aware it was the biggest in the RP! :runaway:
We definitely need another one then. The demand is certainly there - a business idea for you guys LOL.

I think the boardwalk is even better for rollerblading and skate boarding - better views too!

there's already a sabongan close to the airport there, called Gallera de Legazpi yata yun.
i would wanna see The Marketplace Mall by matteo be built there when the time comes ehehe

^ I can't wait to see your mall - sounds great.

ummmm... why is this thread now a sticky...???

Coz it's an interesting thread Matt LOL

hello doc.
what's the basis when you convert a thread into a sticky anyway.
i dont want them other city peeps to crap on us, you know :lol: heheh

^ I didn't convert it myself, Matt. So it must be one of the moderators, or maybe Sinjin....? Anyway, I'm not sure what the procedure is and how they decide on what's sticky or so on....
Btw...any more news on the wharf project?

Not lately doc.
I did read somewhere before that they launched some kind of Water Festival of some sort there. I'm thinking it was a good one.
Magayon Festival is coming up soon and I havent come across anything regarding the event at all, which sucks.
Compare it to Naga's Penafrancia where even to the minutest of detail is provided in the website.

anyway, here's St Gregory the Great Cathedral in Albay district.
i went to kindergarten in a little school next to this church heeeheeehee

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/305349289HsqGaE_ph.jpg

And here's Daraga Church in black & white:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a141/drfeelgood17/church.jpg

Hi guyzzz, anyone have pictures of Misibis??? Paki post naman...feature sya ngaun sa Manila Bulletin...

Junex, hope this doesn't irk anyone, but will be a repost of some photos from previous pages, but since you requested:

Misibis Resort, Albay

Destination to watch
Misibis Resorts, Estates and Spa, collectively known as Misibis, is a 60-hectare enclave which is dubbed as the country’s next world-class tourism destination. Misibis Land Inc., the developer of the resort, took pride in its extensive effort to make Misibis among the top 10 world’s most visited resorts.

Misibis makes itself distinct from other famous beaches in the country as it does not only feature a long stretch of fine white sand beach but also offers a complete package of Bicol’s eight natural wonders. The developer, Misibis Land Inc. stands proud in introducing Misibis to the rest of the world as it is even more captivating and alluring than the man-made beachfront resorts of Thailand, Indonesia, Mediterranean islands and other parts of southern Europe.

-from the Manila Bulletin article, click for full story-> http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2006021856640.html

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms4.jpg

Amalfi Condotels

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/condotel_vtype_b.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/condotel_ltype_b.jpg


Cable cars leading to the resort:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/cablec2jpg.jpg

www.misibis.com

Junex, hope this doesn't irk anyone, but will be a repost of some photos from previous pages, but since you requested:

Misibis Resort, Albay

Destination to watch
Misibis Resorts, Estates and Spa, collectively known as Misibis, is a 60-hectare enclave which is dubbed as the country’s next world-class tourism destination. Misibis Land Inc., the developer of the resort, took pride in its extensive effort to make Misibis among the top 10 world’s most visited resorts.

Misibis makes itself distinct from other famous beaches in the country as it does not only feature a long stretch of fine white sand beach but also offers a complete package of Bicol’s eight natural wonders. The developer, Misibis Land Inc. stands proud in introducing Misibis to the rest of the world as it is even more captivating and alluring than the man-made beachfront resorts of Thailand, Indonesia, Mediterranean islands and other parts of southern Europe.

-from the Manila Bulletin article, click for full story-> http://www.mb.com.ph/TOUR2006021856640.html

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/m4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms4.jpg

Amalfi Condotels

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/condotel_vtype_b.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/condotel_ltype_b.jpg


Cable cars leading to the resort:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/ms1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/cablec2jpg.jpg

www.misibis.com

wow!!this is great for bicol..
i just hope haciendas de naga would be finished so0ner..
so that there's a 1st class resort in legazpi and a first class golf course in naga..
soxal!! go bicolanos!!! :grouphug:

They are also planning to build a marina and wharf next to Legazpi fort to facilitate access to Misibis. At present, it can only be reached by road via, Sto Domingo, then cable car. I think Olineil has the pics of this project.
In addition, more cable cars are to be built connecting the marina with the "Sleeping Lion" hill, which will be promoted as a new tourist attraction, as it affords excellent views of Mayon.

Your views on the possible extension of the South Luzon Expressway to Bicol

Posts: 672 Quote:
Originally Posted by aUen
as a traveler, i dont like that idea because the views in quezon and bicol are stunning. a freeway would just make them less eye-catching (ie: baguio). but if im the driver, of course id like to drive in a freeway .

imo, a wider maharlika(?) in quezon and bicol is fine.



I agree that the views are stunning. However, the circuitous and long-winded detour through Camarines Norte adds an extra 3 to 4 hours' journey time. Currently, road travel takes 8-9 hours from Manila-Naga,10-11 hours Manila-Legazpi and up to 13-14 hours to Sorsogon. This lengthly journey time is mainly because of the mountainous stretch in Cam Norte, which includes numerous zigzags and is notoriously dangerous. Unsurprisingly, it the scene of most accidents and breakdowns.
IMO, if the SLEX were to be extended to Bicol, it should avoid mountainous Camarines Norte altogther. It's possible to travel from Quezon to Cam Sur directly, via the west coast of the latter province - this is in fact, roughly, the route that the PNR takes. That way we can save 3 to 4 hours journey time. It would also save a lot of money. I appreciate that the people of Camarines Norte might not like this. But they won't necessarily be left out. For example, travellers to Daet, could simply travel to Cam Sur and take a diversion road back to Cam Norte (around Libmanan, say). If anything, even this route would be quicker than the traditional zig-zag. I honestly don't think it will make a lot of difference in travel time to Daet, but it will certainly improve journey times to the rest of Bicol.

BTW, we can always keep the zigzag route for tourists and locals should they choose to travel by that route - absolutely fine by me.

What do the others think?

They are also planning to build a marina and wharf next to Legazpi fort to facilitate access to Misibis. At present, it can only be reached by road via, Sto Domingo, then cable car. I think Olineil has the pics of this project.
In addition, more cable cars are to be built connecting the marina with the "Sleeping Lion" hill, which will be promoted as a new tourist attraction, as it affords excellent views of Mayon.

Hi Kevin.
These photos had been posted in the previous installements of this threads but here, para sa 'yo: :)

Sleeping Lion Hill, Marina:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/wharf1.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/wharf2.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/wharf3.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/wharf4.jpg

all to be probably connected to the Boulevard Walk (I don't exactly know what they call it):

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/leg20wall_mayon.jpg

this is really a WOW for bicol!
thanks matteo.. :)

really nice Math, wait are you from albay or from naga, and misibis, is in Albay right

really nice Math, wait are you from albay or from naga, and misibis, is in Albay right

misibis is in albay,in legazpi particularly..
as for matt,im not sure if he's anywhere from bicol..heheh..

PORTA AZURE RESORT, Albay

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/55539-med-int08.jpghttp://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/55535-med-int04.jpg

Built in the 1980s, these beautiful Filipino Villas with Malay and Balinese influence were redesigned and refurbished in 2003.

A perfect example of Filipino ingenuity in quality design, its stark shades and colorful interiors make these villas an exhilirating experience.The breath-taking scenes offer a great escape to a world of natural wonders with the Mayon Volcano with its world famous perfect cone serving as an imposing backdrop to the refreshing vista. The inspiration for the concept of the property stems from the story of the fiery Mayon volcano that erupted and buried the nearby villages in 1883. Indigenious materials that are abundant in Bicolandia are mixed with a notable architectural design. The property is located south of Legazpi City with a 200 meter beach front facing Albay Gulf. One of its many amenities is its pool with a cascading waterfall carved out from the huge lava rocks from the Mayon volcano.

This property is designed by Internationally reknowned designer Ernest Santiago who has been featured in international magazines as well as CNBC news asia for his ingenuity in creating unique Filipino designs. The design is collaborated by Landscape Architect Dante Sayzon and the furnitures are designed by Santiago with Jun Listana, an exporter from Albay.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pa_image04.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pa_image05.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pa_image07.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pa_image08.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/pa_image10.jpg

http://www.asialeisureescapes.com/pa_intro.htm
photo credits: Lester Ledesma and Porta Azure website

^^^huh?!
ive been to legazpi lots of times but i dont know there's such a place..

Tell me about, I'm a Legazpi resident and I got to learn more about my beloved city here in SSC. :bash:

that's ok olineil..hehheh..

^^ Maybe it's too exclusive and open only to foreigner tourists. The designer Ernest Santiago of that resort -- didn't he use to be a couturier?

^^ Maybe it's too exclusive and open only to foreigner tourists. The designer Ernest Santiago of that resort -- didn't he use to be a couturier?

uhh..i dnt evn knw ernest santiago..lol!!

^^ :lol: that is just useless trivia.

Thanks Matteo....bicol is really a place to go...im also looking forward for some up-coming projects...GOOOO BICOL GOOO

^ I think the biggest project that is up and coming is the proposed upgrade of Legazpi airport to an international one. It would greatly benefit tourism in the region because at the moment Bicol is not very accessible (either a 8-12 hour bus ride from Manila, or 50-minute plane journey).
Another thing to watch out for is the new Marina at Legazpi port, which will be the launchpad for boats to Misibis resort.
Also in Naga, SM is planning to build a new mall.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1198-Jeepney_Legaspi_City-3.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1198-Jeepney_Legaspi_City-4.jpg
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/1198-Jeepney_Legaspi_City-b.jpg

Interesting miniatures, Matt. Where did you find these? They look like the early 1970s models I've seen in the 70s Manila thread.

any more news on the wharf project?

None at this time, doc.
But I found this photo of the boardwalk (?) - I don't exactly know what its called.
It's not a very nice photograph:

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/532838228towZzs_ph.jpg

Interesting miniatures, Matt. Where did you find these? They look like the early 1970s models I've seen in the 70s Manila thread.

Not sure doc, doc but this is where I found them:
http://f20.aaa.livedoor.jp/~toshimi/mc1166/1198-Jeepney_Legaspi_City.htm

I should've credited the previous photo post, sowee.

AFTER 50 years of waiting, the University of San Carlos Warriors (USC) finally secured a trip to the national championship after beating the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, 90-81, in the BAP 7 Zonal elimination at the Cebu Coliseum yesterday.

It was under the late Juan “Dodong” Aquino Jr. when USC got a chance to play in the nationals.

Yesterday, coach Mike Reyes helped bring the Warriors back to the big-time event, the 60th National Inter-Collegiate Championship in Legazpi City, which starts on Feb. 27.

The University of Southern Philippines (USP) Baby Panthers also won the secondary title after subduing the hard-fighting Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) Baby Skyblazers, 100-85, in the high school finals.

The USC-USJ-R contest was close except in the final minute when the defense of the Warriors wiped out the Jaguars.

Execution

“It’s just our good execution and the boys knew where to go in the final minutes,” said USC coach Mike Reyes after the game.

Shooting-guard Niño Ramirez and center Enrico Llanto started hot for the Warriors as they scored 25 of the team’s 26 points in the opening quarter. Llanto scored 10 inside the paint, while Ramirez connected five triples to put USC on a 26-21 lead.

The boys of coach Donald Duran rallied in the next quarter with Lindon Gudez and John Malinao taking the scoring cudgels to tie the game at 41-all at halftime.

USJ-R briefly controlled of the ball game in the third before the Warriors regained footing by shutting down the offense of the Jaguars for two minutes to lead, 61-60, entering the final period.

Outburst

The burly USJ-R center Arnel Lozano put his team on the lead briefly, 68-66, before USC took the driver’s seat with Vernini Tangarorang and Llanto scoring seven straight points for a 73-68 advantage.

Ramirez scored 28 and Llanto finished with 22 for USC, while Gudez scored 21 and Malinao added 15 for USJ-R.

In the high-school game, USP did not committ the same mistakes it had during its elimination game against SCSIT as the Baby Panthers started the game with a 34-22 blitz before closing the first half ahead, 59-40.

With Sam Jordan Hermosa leading the charge and Dennis Earvin Ferraren providing his usual scoring spurt, USP could do no wrong despite the 32-point production of SCSIT’s Gilbert Violango Jr.

USP (100) — Hermosa 25, Ferraren 19, Tiro 17, Muñez 10, Loon 8, Sabillo 6, Aligno 4, Dysam 2. SCSIT (85) — Violango 32, Diano 16, Canoy 12, Lawas 10, Getalaga 6, Villamor 4, Naag 3.

USC (90) — Ramirez 28, Llanto 22, Jueves 8, Sharma 7, Tangarorang 7, Tagalog 6, Padayao 4, Joven 4. USJ-R (81) — Gudez 21, Malinao 15, Pogoy 9, Lozano 8, Gabas 7, Maconocido 5, Ponce 5, Villahermosa 4, Justiniani 4, Lasko 1. (RCM)

Olineil, in your signature, what's "Visit Legazpi 2006" ?

This photo was taken by a good friend of mine, Junel Mujar.
We went to the same high school.
He's one hell of a photographer and designer.

Cagsawa Ruins

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/Cagsawa_Ruins_by_fibermarupok.jpg

http://www.fibermarupok.tk/

Olineil, in your signature, what's "Visit Legazpi 2006" ?

I got it from posting of Thomasian... he had a brochure of Legazpi City, the program name was "Visit Legazpi 2006". The prog included the wharf, misibis, mayon and such.

This photo was taken by a good friend of mine, Junel Mujar.
We went to the same high school.
He's one hell of a photographer and designer.

Cagsawa Ruins

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/MatteoMatt/Cagsawa_Ruins_by_fibermarupok.jpg

http://www.fibermarupok.tk/

Is Junel Mujar one of the Mujar's living in PNR site Daraga? Their family owns alot of Jeepneys? If yes then, he might be the brother of Jered Mujar which is a friend of mine.

PHIVOLCS raises Mayon volcano alert level


The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Tuesday placed Mayon volcano in Albay on alert level 2.

In an interview with ANC, PHIVOLCS director Renato Solidum warned the public not to venture within the volcano's six-kilometer danger zone.

Solidum said his agency has already advised the Albay provincial coordinating council to be on alert as the volcano's lava dome increases in size.

Solidum said the PHIVOLCS decided to maintain the alert level 2 raised over areas within the volcano's six-kilometer danger zone because tests have yet to ascertain if Mayon would erupt again. The volcano last erupted in July 2001.

Resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta said a low frequency volcanic quake was registered in their latest monitoring.

^ Another eruption? Mayon seems to be hyperactive these days! If I remember correctly there was an eruption as recently as 2001 and 2000! It used to erupt on average every 8-10 years, now it's more like every other year....

but it needs it to stay in shape right? hehe i mean the lava flow keeps the composite symmetry of the volcano.

Is Junel Mujar one of the Mujar's living in PNR site Daraga? Their family owns alot of Jeepneys? If yes then, he might be the brother of Jered Mujar which is a friend of mine.
not sure, olineil.
he lived in camalig before...

Ash rains down from Mayon; 147 quakes hit

MORE than a hundred quakes shook Mayon Volcano which sprayed ash across its slopes yesterday, triggering fears of a potential eruption.

As a result, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its alert and advised residents to stay out of a danger zone covering a radius of 6 km from the crater.

It said there was no need to evacuate Legazpi City*, home to 160,000 people, and nearby areas for the time being.

But the institute may suggest “further precautionary measures” if the activity persists on the 2,460-meter Mayon, one of the Philippines’ 22 active volcanos.

An ash column rose 500 meters above the crater of Mayon early yesterday, it said in an advisory.

Seismographs around the mountain detected 147 small “explosion-type” quakes during the past 24 hours, seismologists assigned to the site told Agence France Press. AFP

* Evacuate Legazpi City? - oh come on, maybe Barangays of Legazpi city that are in the danger zone but not the whole city. Sometimes news in our country are really too unreliable. Just take note bruhaha about the 50 lives that was supposed to have been saved in leyte. And the politicians were so quick in pagwapo sa media as soon as the rumor erupted.

By Mar Arguelles

LEGAZPI CITY — Two cities and three towns were told to be ready to evacuate as Mayon Volcano spewed ash 500 m above its crater and more than 20 tremors jolted the area yesterday.

The provincial disaster coordinating council has issued advisories to the cities of Tabaco and Ligao and the towns of Malilipot, Daraga and Camalig amid increased seismic activity, said action officer Cedric Daep.

Daep added that some 10 villages on the slope of the volcano would have to be moved once the volcano erupts.

In 2001, some 55,000 people had to be evacuated when the volcano erupted, Daep said.

The council yesterday reiterated its warning that nobody would be allowed within the 6-km danger zone around the volcano.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) at the Lignon Hill observatory here recorded 19 low-frequency tremors, one “explosion-type” quake and two high-frequency temblors.

Dr. Ed Laguerta, Phivolcs chief here, said the seismic count was much higher than the usual five quakes during “normal” times.

He noted that the steam emission from the crater remained weak, however.

Alert Level 2 is up in the areas surrounding Mayon, which means the volcano is undergoing a period of “moderate unrest.”

Phivolcs said the ash from Mayon drifted southwest and deposits were limited to the upper slopes. The institute expects similar ash explosions in the coming days as magma in the summit releases volcanic gases. With Jaime Pilapil

* Evacuate Legazpi City? - oh come on, maybe Barangays of Legazpi city that are in the danger zone but not the whole city. Sometimes news in our country are really too unreliable. Just take note bruhaha about the 50 lives that was supposed to have been saved in leyte. And the politicians were so quick in pagwapo sa media as soon as the rumor erupted.[/QUOTE]


I know what you mean! I was so happy when I first read about the 50 people "rescued" in Leyte....it turned out to be false!