^^

Indeed, boy. tomorrow the capitol sugbo tv crew will take pictures of all trees and old houses that are covered by the widening. i estimate about 25 trees x P9 million each, that would total to 225 million pesos. compare this with the cost of widening which would be about 150 million.

DPWH might as well find another place to open a new highway and leave this old carretera of the Spanish period alone.

Bobit Avila is right in his column. A by-pass road should be cut somewhere.

^^

Indeed, boy. tomorrow the capitol sugbo tv crew will take pictures of all trees and old houses that are covered by the widening. i estimate about 25 trees x P9 million each, that would total to 225 million pesos. compare this with the cost of widening which would be about 150 million.

DPWH might as well find another place to open a new highway and leave this old carretera of the Spanish period alone.

Bobit Avila is right in his column. A by-pass road should be cut somewhere.

^^

Indeed, boy. tomorrow the capitol sugbo tv crew will take pictures of all trees and old houses that are covered by the widening. i estimate about 25 trees x P9 million each, that would total to 225 million pesos. compare this with the cost of widening which would be about 150 million.

DPWH might as well find another place to open a new highway and leave this old carretera of the Spanish period alone.

Bobit Avila is right in his column. A by-pass road should be cut somewhere.

Dako bitaw ang cantedad maayo unta dili ni mao ang rason

^^

Indeed, boy. tomorrow the capitol sugbo tv crew will take pictures of all trees and old houses that are covered by the widening. i estimate about 25 trees x P9 million each, that would total to 225 million pesos. compare this with the cost of widening which would be about 150 million.

DPWH might as well find another place to open a new highway and leave this old carretera of the Spanish period alone.

Bobit Avila is right in his column. A by-pass road should be cut somewhere.

Dako bitaw ang cantedad maayo unta dili ni mao ang rason

for sure, they would love the hefty price, considering it's DPWH! Hahahaha

for sure, they would love the hefty price, considering it's DPWH! Hahahaha

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9198
DPWH to avoid cutting down century trees
3/23/2011
By Edison A. Delos Angeles, Correspondent

OPTIONS will be evaluated to spare the centuries-old trees and heritage houses that line up the roads from Naga to Carcar cities, the 2nd engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday.

Engr. Suzette Wanaka of the DPWH 2nd engineering district said these trees and heritage structures won’t necessarily be cut down or demolished to give way to the road-widening project in southern Cebu.

“As much as possible wala gyud tay hilabtan nga mga (we won’t touch any) heritage buildings or trees. What we’re doing now is a survey to determine who will be affected along the right of way,” she said.

Wanaka, assistant 2nd district engineer, said among the options they are entertaining are earth balling, construction of a bypass road and converting areas occupied by the trees into a center island.

Earth balling consists of uprooting the entire tree and transferring it into a new location.

Wanaka said this is similar to what was done with the Plaza Independencia trees affected by the coastal road tunnel construction.

She also said a bypass road may be built near the coastal barangays of Carcar City from Villadolid to Poblacion to avoid the centuries-old trees that stand along the existing national highway.

Wanaka said only P27 million was set aside to fund a feasibility study, pay owners and spend for the removal of structures to be affected by the planned road-widening project.

The road-widening project will be implemented along the Naga to Carcar section of N. Bacalso Avenue.

She said a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for this purpose was already issued to DPWH.

Wanaka said their survey will initially look into structures and trees located within the 20-meter right of way. Ideally a national road should have a 30-meter right of way.

“But our survey is only looking into 20 meters right of way. But this may change in the future if the (road) project is implemented because that’s the ideal distance,” she said

Wanaka said funding for implementation of the road project is still unavailable.

“We are still on the planning stage,” she told CEBU DAILY NEWS.

Based on their survey result, Wanaka said they have identified 966 structures that will be affected by the road-widening project.

But she said they would only demolish portions of the structures like gates and fences that are located within the 20-meter right of way.

Wanaka said a DPWH appraisal committee is assessing how much would be paid to the house owners.

She said they will request an inventory of the centuries-old trees to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

A separate request may later be sent for permission to cut a tree along the project site.

She said they would also have to inquire what to do with very old trees that are about to fall and already serve as road obstruction.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9198
DPWH to avoid cutting down century trees
3/23/2011
By Edison A. Delos Angeles, Correspondent

OPTIONS will be evaluated to spare the centuries-old trees and heritage houses that line up the roads from Naga to Carcar cities, the 2nd engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday.

Engr. Suzette Wanaka of the DPWH 2nd engineering district said these trees and heritage structures won’t necessarily be cut down or demolished to give way to the road-widening project in southern Cebu.

“As much as possible wala gyud tay hilabtan nga mga (we won’t touch any) heritage buildings or trees. What we’re doing now is a survey to determine who will be affected along the right of way,” she said.

Wanaka, assistant 2nd district engineer, said among the options they are entertaining are earth balling, construction of a bypass road and converting areas occupied by the trees into a center island.

Earth balling consists of uprooting the entire tree and transferring it into a new location.

Wanaka said this is similar to what was done with the Plaza Independencia trees affected by the coastal road tunnel construction.

She also said a bypass road may be built near the coastal barangays of Carcar City from Villadolid to Poblacion to avoid the centuries-old trees that stand along the existing national highway.

Wanaka said only P27 million was set aside to fund a feasibility study, pay owners and spend for the removal of structures to be affected by the planned road-widening project.

The road-widening project will be implemented along the Naga to Carcar section of N. Bacalso Avenue.

She said a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) for this purpose was already issued to DPWH.

Wanaka said their survey will initially look into structures and trees located within the 20-meter right of way. Ideally a national road should have a 30-meter right of way.

“But our survey is only looking into 20 meters right of way. But this may change in the future if the (road) project is implemented because that’s the ideal distance,” she said

Wanaka said funding for implementation of the road project is still unavailable.

“We are still on the planning stage,” she told CEBU DAILY NEWS.

Based on their survey result, Wanaka said they have identified 966 structures that will be affected by the road-widening project.

But she said they would only demolish portions of the structures like gates and fences that are located within the 20-meter right of way.

Wanaka said a DPWH appraisal committee is assessing how much would be paid to the house owners.

She said they will request an inventory of the centuries-old trees to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

A separate request may later be sent for permission to cut a tree along the project site.

She said they would also have to inquire what to do with very old trees that are about to fall and already serve as road obstruction.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9192
Reservoir celebrates 100th year
Butterfly sanctuary, water catchment system launched in Buhisan watershed
3/23/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

It’s all about learning a thing or two from nature.

The lush 360-hectare forest of indigenous trees that is the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve now boasts a variety of eco-tourism offerings for the nature enthusiast.

Yesterday, new projects were inaugurated in the reserve in celebration of World Water Day and the 100th anniversary of the Buhisan reservoir.

Architect Socorro Atega, executive director of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, led visitors on tour of new projects in the watershed like a garden for butterflies endemic to the Philippines, including the Jumalone butterflies only found in Cebu.

“ The Buhisan forest is a natural butterfly sanctuary,” she said.

The Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve Nature Center, which is in the middle of the trees, will house the historical and ecological facts about the watershed.

Behind the center is a two-level pond that will save rainwater runoff. Atega said that they would also put tilapia fish in the pond.

A nursery for seedlings sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress will house indigenous tree species to be planted in the area.

CEBU DAILY NEWS publisher and acting editor in chief Eileen Mangubat, who chairs the PBSP Cebu Hillyland Development Committee, said they wanted to plant indigenous trees to bring back the native fauna.

“In a few years, we will hear more birds chirping,” Mangubat said in a speech during the recognition of watershed donors.

Among the indigenous seedlings in the area are Mabolo, Tipolo, Banilad, Dakit and Cebu Cinnamon.

The track from the center to the pond near the dam is lined with mahogany, teak, and germelina trees as old as 50 years.

Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) general manager Armando Paredes said that they wanted to attract more visitors to the forest reserve who will be taught the importance of forest preservation.

“Every sector of society should be conscious in protecting and preserving nature,” Paredes said in an interview.

The MCWD, together with the Cebu City governemnt, PBSP and CUSW were among the organizations that united for the Save the Buhisan Watershed Project.

The project was launched in 2008 in response to the United Nation’s Millenuim Development Goals to provide eco-friendly livelihood and development to communities and rehabilitate the environment.

The project has generated more than P5 million from donors for environment and livelihood projects.

They provided alternative livelihood for nearby residents like vermi composting, planting of crops and raising livestock as alternatives to illegal logging and charcoal making.

The residents also helped provide the seedlings for the reforestation of the watershed.

Paul Fluty, president and CEO of the Lexmark International Philippines Inc., said 40 percent of residents in Buhisan are poor and should be given sustainable livelihood.

“We wanted this to be a sustainable, eco-cultural tourism destination,” Fluty said in a speech.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9192
Reservoir celebrates 100th year
Butterfly sanctuary, water catchment system launched in Buhisan watershed
3/23/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

It’s all about learning a thing or two from nature.

The lush 360-hectare forest of indigenous trees that is the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve now boasts a variety of eco-tourism offerings for the nature enthusiast.

Yesterday, new projects were inaugurated in the reserve in celebration of World Water Day and the 100th anniversary of the Buhisan reservoir.

Architect Socorro Atega, executive director of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, led visitors on tour of new projects in the watershed like a garden for butterflies endemic to the Philippines, including the Jumalone butterflies only found in Cebu.

“ The Buhisan forest is a natural butterfly sanctuary,” she said.

The Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve Nature Center, which is in the middle of the trees, will house the historical and ecological facts about the watershed.

Behind the center is a two-level pond that will save rainwater runoff. Atega said that they would also put tilapia fish in the pond.

A nursery for seedlings sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress will house indigenous tree species to be planted in the area.

CEBU DAILY NEWS publisher and acting editor in chief Eileen Mangubat, who chairs the PBSP Cebu Hillyland Development Committee, said they wanted to plant indigenous trees to bring back the native fauna.

“In a few years, we will hear more birds chirping,” Mangubat said in a speech during the recognition of watershed donors.

Among the indigenous seedlings in the area are Mabolo, Tipolo, Banilad, Dakit and Cebu Cinnamon.

The track from the center to the pond near the dam is lined with mahogany, teak, and germelina trees as old as 50 years.

Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) general manager Armando Paredes said that they wanted to attract more visitors to the forest reserve who will be taught the importance of forest preservation.

“Every sector of society should be conscious in protecting and preserving nature,” Paredes said in an interview.

The MCWD, together with the Cebu City governemnt, PBSP and CUSW were among the organizations that united for the Save the Buhisan Watershed Project.

The project was launched in 2008 in response to the United Nation’s Millenuim Development Goals to provide eco-friendly livelihood and development to communities and rehabilitate the environment.

The project has generated more than P5 million from donors for environment and livelihood projects.

They provided alternative livelihood for nearby residents like vermi composting, planting of crops and raising livestock as alternatives to illegal logging and charcoal making.

The residents also helped provide the seedlings for the reforestation of the watershed.

Paul Fluty, president and CEO of the Lexmark International Philippines Inc., said 40 percent of residents in Buhisan are poor and should be given sustainable livelihood.

“We wanted this to be a sustainable, eco-cultural tourism destination,” Fluty said in a speech.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9192
Reservoir celebrates 100th year
Butterfly sanctuary, water catchment system launched in Buhisan watershed
3/23/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

It’s all about learning a thing or two from nature.

The lush 360-hectare forest of indigenous trees that is the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve now boasts a variety of eco-tourism offerings for the nature enthusiast.

Yesterday, new projects were inaugurated in the reserve in celebration of World Water Day and the 100th anniversary of the Buhisan reservoir.

Architect Socorro Atega, executive director of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, led visitors on tour of new projects in the watershed like a garden for butterflies endemic to the Philippines, including the Jumalone butterflies only found in Cebu.

“ The Buhisan forest is a natural butterfly sanctuary,” she said.

The Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve Nature Center, which is in the middle of the trees, will house the historical and ecological facts about the watershed.

Behind the center is a two-level pond that will save rainwater runoff. Atega said that they would also put tilapia fish in the pond.

A nursery for seedlings sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress will house indigenous tree species to be planted in the area.

CEBU DAILY NEWS publisher and acting editor in chief Eileen Mangubat, who chairs the PBSP Cebu Hillyland Development Committee, said they wanted to plant indigenous trees to bring back the native fauna.

“In a few years, we will hear more birds chirping,” Mangubat said in a speech during the recognition of watershed donors.

Among the indigenous seedlings in the area are Mabolo, Tipolo, Banilad, Dakit and Cebu Cinnamon.

The track from the center to the pond near the dam is lined with mahogany, teak, and germelina trees as old as 50 years.

Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) general manager Armando Paredes said that they wanted to attract more visitors to the forest reserve who will be taught the importance of forest preservation.

“Every sector of society should be conscious in protecting and preserving nature,” Paredes said in an interview.

The MCWD, together with the Cebu City governemnt, PBSP and CUSW were among the organizations that united for the Save the Buhisan Watershed Project.

The project was launched in 2008 in response to the United Nation’s Millenuim Development Goals to provide eco-friendly livelihood and development to communities and rehabilitate the environment.

The project has generated more than P5 million from donors for environment and livelihood projects.

They provided alternative livelihood for nearby residents like vermi composting, planting of crops and raising livestock as alternatives to illegal logging and charcoal making.

The residents also helped provide the seedlings for the reforestation of the watershed.

Paul Fluty, president and CEO of the Lexmark International Philippines Inc., said 40 percent of residents in Buhisan are poor and should be given sustainable livelihood.

“We wanted this to be a sustainable, eco-cultural tourism destination,” Fluty said in a speech.

nindot pud unta nga i tie ni nila with an agricultural school para pud kay kulang kaayo ta ana nga kadako paman intawon anang sugbo apan wala ma utilize ang ubang areas kay wala man tay mga tao nga interesado niining aspect of human endeavor. atong mga colleges and universities nag patuyang man lang ug produce anang nursing nga curso nga man gani matrabahan sa atong kaulingon nga lugar. pero naay daghan walay trabaho but wala man tay agricultural skills sa usik kaayo ang atong yuta.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9192
Reservoir celebrates 100th year
Butterfly sanctuary, water catchment system launched in Buhisan watershed
3/23/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

It’s all about learning a thing or two from nature.

The lush 360-hectare forest of indigenous trees that is the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve now boasts a variety of eco-tourism offerings for the nature enthusiast.

Yesterday, new projects were inaugurated in the reserve in celebration of World Water Day and the 100th anniversary of the Buhisan reservoir.

Architect Socorro Atega, executive director of Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, led visitors on tour of new projects in the watershed like a garden for butterflies endemic to the Philippines, including the Jumalone butterflies only found in Cebu.

“ The Buhisan forest is a natural butterfly sanctuary,” she said.

The Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve Nature Center, which is in the middle of the trees, will house the historical and ecological facts about the watershed.

Behind the center is a two-level pond that will save rainwater runoff. Atega said that they would also put tilapia fish in the pond.

A nursery for seedlings sponsored by the Philippine Business for Social Progress will house indigenous tree species to be planted in the area.

CEBU DAILY NEWS publisher and acting editor in chief Eileen Mangubat, who chairs the PBSP Cebu Hillyland Development Committee, said they wanted to plant indigenous trees to bring back the native fauna.

“In a few years, we will hear more birds chirping,” Mangubat said in a speech during the recognition of watershed donors.

Among the indigenous seedlings in the area are Mabolo, Tipolo, Banilad, Dakit and Cebu Cinnamon.

The track from the center to the pond near the dam is lined with mahogany, teak, and germelina trees as old as 50 years.

Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) general manager Armando Paredes said that they wanted to attract more visitors to the forest reserve who will be taught the importance of forest preservation.

“Every sector of society should be conscious in protecting and preserving nature,” Paredes said in an interview.

The MCWD, together with the Cebu City governemnt, PBSP and CUSW were among the organizations that united for the Save the Buhisan Watershed Project.

The project was launched in 2008 in response to the United Nation’s Millenuim Development Goals to provide eco-friendly livelihood and development to communities and rehabilitate the environment.

The project has generated more than P5 million from donors for environment and livelihood projects.

They provided alternative livelihood for nearby residents like vermi composting, planting of crops and raising livestock as alternatives to illegal logging and charcoal making.

The residents also helped provide the seedlings for the reforestation of the watershed.

Paul Fluty, president and CEO of the Lexmark International Philippines Inc., said 40 percent of residents in Buhisan are poor and should be given sustainable livelihood.

“We wanted this to be a sustainable, eco-cultural tourism destination,” Fluty said in a speech.

nindot pud unta nga i tie ni nila with an agricultural school para pud kay kulang kaayo ta ana nga kadako paman intawon anang sugbo apan wala ma utilize ang ubang areas kay wala man tay mga tao nga interesado niining aspect of human endeavor. atong mga colleges and universities nag patuyang man lang ug produce anang nursing nga curso nga man gani matrabahan sa atong kaulingon nga lugar. pero naay daghan walay trabaho but wala man tay agricultural skills sa usik kaayo ang atong yuta.

Here's some brief report about our meeting between DPWH Regional Director Herrera and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, together with DENR officers, Mayor Val Chiong of Naga, V-Mayor Miko Canoy (my cousin, incidentally) of San Fernando and Mayor Nice Apura of Carcar:

The governor requested the DPWH to consider the line of trees on one side (either the left or the right side of the road) as the center island or line of the future road widening, thus retaining all trees along the canopies that are formed in Naga, in San Fernando and, most especially in Carcar (Perrelos).

She also instructed DPWH to work with DENR and the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to immediately carry out an inventory of all heritage structures and trees that will be covered in the widening and to propose solutions to avoid cutting the trees. The heritage houses may also be transferred to better locations, using conservation methods, if it is no longer possible to prevent their removal.

During the meeting, a letter of support from Archt. Augusto Villalon, head of ICOMOS Philippines, was also read by the governor.

Here's some brief report about our meeting between DPWH Regional Director Herrera and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, together with DENR officers, Mayor Val Chiong of Naga, V-Mayor Miko Canoy (my cousin, incidentally) of San Fernando and Mayor Nice Apura of Carcar:

The governor requested the DPWH to consider the line of trees on one side (either the left or the right side of the road) as the center island or line of the future road widening, thus retaining all trees along the canopies that are formed in Naga, in San Fernando and, most especially in Carcar (Perrelos).

She also instructed DPWH to work with DENR and the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to immediately carry out an inventory of all heritage structures and trees that will be covered in the widening and to propose solutions to avoid cutting the trees. The heritage houses may also be transferred to better locations, using conservation methods, if it is no longer possible to prevent their removal.

During the meeting, a letter of support from Archt. Augusto Villalon, head of ICOMOS Philippines, was also read by the governor.

Here's some brief report about our meeting between DPWH Regional Director Herrera and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, together with DENR officers, Mayor Val Chiong of Naga, V-Mayor Miko Canoy (my cousin, incidentally) of San Fernando and Mayor Nice Apura of Carcar:

The governor requested the DPWH to consider the line of trees on one side (either the left or the right side of the road) as the center island or line of the future road widening, thus retaining all trees along the canopies that are formed in Naga, in San Fernando and, most especially in Carcar (Perrelos).

She also instructed DPWH to work with DENR and the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to immediately carry out an inventory of all heritage structures and trees that will be covered in the widening and to propose solutions to avoid cutting the trees. The heritage houses may also be transferred to better locations, using conservation methods, if it is no longer possible to prevent their removal.

During the meeting, a letter of support from Archt. Augusto Villalon, head of ICOMOS Philippines, was also read by the governor.

This is great news, Jobers! I guess I don't have to add my two-cents word then to this unspeakable scheme of the DPWH.

Are you in San Rem now? Good luck and happy digging!

Here's some brief report about our meeting between DPWH Regional Director Herrera and Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, together with DENR officers, Mayor Val Chiong of Naga, V-Mayor Miko Canoy (my cousin, incidentally) of San Fernando and Mayor Nice Apura of Carcar:

The governor requested the DPWH to consider the line of trees on one side (either the left or the right side of the road) as the center island or line of the future road widening, thus retaining all trees along the canopies that are formed in Naga, in San Fernando and, most especially in Carcar (Perrelos).

She also instructed DPWH to work with DENR and the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council to immediately carry out an inventory of all heritage structures and trees that will be covered in the widening and to propose solutions to avoid cutting the trees. The heritage houses may also be transferred to better locations, using conservation methods, if it is no longer possible to prevent their removal.

During the meeting, a letter of support from Archt. Augusto Villalon, head of ICOMOS Philippines, was also read by the governor.

This is great news, Jobers! I guess I don't have to add my two-cents word then to this unspeakable scheme of the DPWH.

Are you in San Rem now? Good luck and happy digging!

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9216
SAVING heritage trees
3/25/2011
‘Resurvey road from Carcar to Naga’–Gwen
By Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent

A joint survey will be made to find out what trees and buildings will be affected by the proposed widening of the national road from Naga to Carcar Cities in south Cebu.

Results of the survey to be ready for discussion on April 14 should help ensure that none of the century-old acacia or rain trees lining the road will be cut down, said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

This was agreed in yesterday’s meeting at the governor’s office.

The joint survey will be done by the Cebu provincial engineer, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units of Carcar and Naga.

In the meeting at the Capitol, DPWH Regional Director Pedro Herrera Jr. said the agency would avoid cutting the century-old raintrees, but other trees may be cut down for the road-widening.

Garcia suggested that DPWH make the trees part of center islands and have separate lanes around it with one road close to the sea and another closer to the hills.

The trees near the hills could be part of a sidewalk.

Jose Eleazer Bersales of the Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council said at least 108 trees and five heritage houses would be affected by this project.

Bersales said each tree is worth at least P9 million in terms of “heritage value” and that cutting them would be a big loss to Cebu’s heritage.

An earlier survey by the DPWH 2nd Engineering District showed that 966 structures would be affected.

But Herrera said they will only demolish part of the structures like gates and fences within a 20-meter right of way.

Last Wednesday, the Carcar Heritage and Conservation Society led by its president Zarah Castro started a signature campaign for a letter urging President Benigno III and concerned officials to stop the cutting of the trees.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=669584&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Road widening survey set
By Gregg M. Rubio/LPM (The Freeman) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - A survey will be conducted within three weeks on how to widen the south road without cutting the century-old trees and destroying the heritage houses along the national highway of Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City.

The survey team will be composed of representatives of Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Engineering Office, Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council and the concerned local government units.

There are more than 100 century-old trees, mostly acacia, and at least five heritage houses that would be affected in the road widening project. Capitol consultant on heritage and museum affairs Jojo Bersales said that each tree has a heritage value of P9 million.

In a meeting called yesterday by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia with DPWH, DENR and local officials, it was agreed that the trees would be on the center island of the four-lane road.

The existing two-lane road will be expanded into four lanes. The other two-lane road will divert from the old trees, which will make the highway very unique, according to Garcia.

DPWH-7 director Pedro Herrera, Jr. said that during the survey, he would check the original width of the road and review the plan where to divert the other lane.

Garcia, who is set to call a meeting after the survey on April 14, has opposed the cutting of century-old trees and destruction of heritage houses affected by the road expansion.

Garcia earlier commended Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas’ assurance to spare the century-old trees and heritage houses from destruction. — (FREEMAN)

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png?1286170363
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/03/25/capitol-open-road-widening-trees-kept-center-island
Capitol open to road widening with trees kept in center island
By Rizel S. Adlawan
Friday, March 25, 2011

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said Capitol and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will have a joint survey on the road widening project in San Fernando town and the cities of Naga and Carcar.

Also joining the survey are the mayors and representatives of the tourism and heritage council and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The governor reminded DPWH 7 Director Pedro Herrera Jr. that the goal of the joint survey is not to cut trees.

Herrera explained they are not yet implementing the project, but Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong informed the governor that representatives from the second engineering district visited their office and requested him to meet with stakeholders.

Garcia met yesterday with the mayors of the three local government units, as well as representatives of DPWH and DENR to discuss how to avoid cutting trees in implementing the road widening project.

Acacia row

She suggested the center island concept to save the trees.

From the existing two lanes, the row of acacia trees will be converted into a center island. From there, another two lanes will be constructed.

“That's why they need to re-survey,” she said in Cebuano.

She said the joint survey is expected to be finished on April 14.

Herrera said the mayors should also impose their authority against illegal structures and implement the five-meter set back along national highways.

Mayors can also do a preliminary layout plan of the road widening and inform the DPWH head office about it.

Garcia told Herrera he needs to coordinate with the mayors and with her upon implementation of the project.

Heritage value

Jojo Bersales, Capitol consultant on heritage, said the heritage value of one tree is around P9 million. He said there are around 38 acacia trees in Naga and more than 70 trees in Carcar.

Bersales said the P9 million is the value that people derive from looking at it.

“Mahal pa sa dalan (It’s more expensive than the road),” he told reporters.

Garcia reiterated that unlike structures, old trees can't be re-built.

Bersales said the International Council on Monuments and Sites wrote a letter to Garcia, supporting her on the Province’s stand not to cut trees.

“They are willing to help us to do this as painlessly as possible,” he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 25, 2011.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9216
SAVING heritage trees
3/25/2011
‘Resurvey road from Carcar to Naga’–Gwen
By Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent

A joint survey will be made to find out what trees and buildings will be affected by the proposed widening of the national road from Naga to Carcar Cities in south Cebu.

Results of the survey to be ready for discussion on April 14 should help ensure that none of the century-old acacia or rain trees lining the road will be cut down, said Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.

This was agreed in yesterday’s meeting at the governor’s office.

The joint survey will be done by the Cebu provincial engineer, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units of Carcar and Naga.

In the meeting at the Capitol, DPWH Regional Director Pedro Herrera Jr. said the agency would avoid cutting the century-old raintrees, but other trees may be cut down for the road-widening.

Garcia suggested that DPWH make the trees part of center islands and have separate lanes around it with one road close to the sea and another closer to the hills.

The trees near the hills could be part of a sidewalk.

Jose Eleazer Bersales of the Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council said at least 108 trees and five heritage houses would be affected by this project.

Bersales said each tree is worth at least P9 million in terms of “heritage value” and that cutting them would be a big loss to Cebu’s heritage.

An earlier survey by the DPWH 2nd Engineering District showed that 966 structures would be affected.

But Herrera said they will only demolish part of the structures like gates and fences within a 20-meter right of way.

Last Wednesday, the Carcar Heritage and Conservation Society led by its president Zarah Castro started a signature campaign for a letter urging President Benigno III and concerned officials to stop the cutting of the trees.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=669584&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Road widening survey set
By Gregg M. Rubio/LPM (The Freeman) Updated March 25, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - A survey will be conducted within three weeks on how to widen the south road without cutting the century-old trees and destroying the heritage houses along the national highway of Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City.

The survey team will be composed of representatives of Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Engineering Office, Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council and the concerned local government units.

There are more than 100 century-old trees, mostly acacia, and at least five heritage houses that would be affected in the road widening project. Capitol consultant on heritage and museum affairs Jojo Bersales said that each tree has a heritage value of P9 million.

In a meeting called yesterday by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia with DPWH, DENR and local officials, it was agreed that the trees would be on the center island of the four-lane road.

The existing two-lane road will be expanded into four lanes. The other two-lane road will divert from the old trees, which will make the highway very unique, according to Garcia.

DPWH-7 director Pedro Herrera, Jr. said that during the survey, he would check the original width of the road and review the plan where to divert the other lane.

Garcia, who is set to call a meeting after the survey on April 14, has opposed the cutting of century-old trees and destruction of heritage houses affected by the road expansion.

Garcia earlier commended Cebu first district Rep. Eduardo Gullas’ assurance to spare the century-old trees and heritage houses from destruction. — (FREEMAN)

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png?1286170363
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/03/25/capitol-open-road-widening-trees-kept-center-island
Capitol open to road widening with trees kept in center island
By Rizel S. Adlawan
Friday, March 25, 2011

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said Capitol and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will have a joint survey on the road widening project in San Fernando town and the cities of Naga and Carcar.

Also joining the survey are the mayors and representatives of the tourism and heritage council and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The governor reminded DPWH 7 Director Pedro Herrera Jr. that the goal of the joint survey is not to cut trees.

Herrera explained they are not yet implementing the project, but Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong informed the governor that representatives from the second engineering district visited their office and requested him to meet with stakeholders.

Garcia met yesterday with the mayors of the three local government units, as well as representatives of DPWH and DENR to discuss how to avoid cutting trees in implementing the road widening project.

Acacia row

She suggested the center island concept to save the trees.

From the existing two lanes, the row of acacia trees will be converted into a center island. From there, another two lanes will be constructed.

“That's why they need to re-survey,” she said in Cebuano.

She said the joint survey is expected to be finished on April 14.

Herrera said the mayors should also impose their authority against illegal structures and implement the five-meter set back along national highways.

Mayors can also do a preliminary layout plan of the road widening and inform the DPWH head office about it.

Garcia told Herrera he needs to coordinate with the mayors and with her upon implementation of the project.

Heritage value

Jojo Bersales, Capitol consultant on heritage, said the heritage value of one tree is around P9 million. He said there are around 38 acacia trees in Naga and more than 70 trees in Carcar.

Bersales said the P9 million is the value that people derive from looking at it.

“Mahal pa sa dalan (It’s more expensive than the road),” he told reporters.

Garcia reiterated that unlike structures, old trees can't be re-built.

Bersales said the International Council on Monuments and Sites wrote a letter to Garcia, supporting her on the Province’s stand not to cut trees.

“They are willing to help us to do this as painlessly as possible,” he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on March 25, 2011.

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http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110324-327565/What-a-week-for-heritage#
Past Forward
What a week for heritage!
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 10:53:00 03/24/2011

After writing last week’s article about the fate of those acacia or rain trees lining Naga to Carcar as well as the Spanish era balay nga bato, some readers texted me to start a campaign to stop their destruction.

Thankfully, my own paper,CEBU DAILY NEWS , quickly went for the punch and took the cudgels to expose the issue head on, splashing its front page with a picture of the trees along Perrelos, letting their elegant green and lush canopy speak for itself. And, by getting Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to speak with a resounding “No way!” immediately thereafter, the die was cast, as it were. Now everyone is scrambling to also say their nos and no ways. Those who stood by the wayside waiting for the outcome are now compelled to also express their nays, their opposition, their vehemence.

Perhaps it is time to wonder why no one ever spoke about the public hearings conducted by the DPWH in February. In Cebuano, “Wa gyuy kisaw maski gamay.” Not even a whisper. Judging from the week that just passed, even media was not aware that such public hearings had been carried out.

More to the point, the DPWH has a representative that sits in the Committee on Sites, Relics and Structures, a body I co-chair under the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council. Why on earth was the committee––and the governor––left in the dark regarding these public hearings and the possible cutting of trees? Why did it have to come from an anonymous Facebook message that I had to learn about it?

Maybe it was out of inadvertence or maybe someone just forgot to mention it to the governor and the committee. Nonetheless, such a very important issue runs smack into something so dear to the heart of the governor–– tourism and heritage––which would surely have been undermined by whatever fate awaited those trees and the balay nag bato. And it is a wonder why no one ever thought of sending her or her staff any notice about those public hearings. But now that the governor has spoken and put her foot down firmly, we eagerly await the response from the national office of the DPWH.

* * *

The 2011 Annual Archaeological Field School of the University of San Carlos (USC) Department of Sociology and Anthropology officially opens today at the public beach of San Remigio. On Monday, 15 students enrolled in the Introduction to Archaeology class, which I handle, will begin to learn how to survey, map, excavate, measure, clean and accession artifacts, with the help of Dr. Ame Garong, a recent graduate of archaeology from Kyushu University. Dr. Garong, still in her 20s, heads the National Museum component of the dig, which will run till April 16. She was also the one who brought samples of teeth from the burials in Boljoon for analysis in Japan (more of this in the coming weeks). Also with her are my longtime archaeological support and technical staffers, Jose G. Santiago (chief scientific illustrator) and Dante C. Poasadas, technical assistant.

The dig is funded in part by both SoAn Department, chaired now by Zona Amper, and USC Museum, under the curatorship of Malou Samson. The Committee on Sites, Relics and Structures of the provincial government, which also collaborates with the project as part of its mandate on heritage sites, will be providing important logistical support in the form of accommodation and transportation of personnel and artifacts. Special thanks to Archbishop Jose Palma and Fr. Fritz Malinao for permitting the excavation of a portion of the churchyard and to Mayor Jay Olivar for allowing the dig on the public beach. Dig San Remigio!

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110324-327565/What-a-week-for-heritage#
Past Forward
What a week for heritage!
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 10:53:00 03/24/2011

After writing last week’s article about the fate of those acacia or rain trees lining Naga to Carcar as well as the Spanish era balay nga bato, some readers texted me to start a campaign to stop their destruction.

Thankfully, my own paper,CEBU DAILY NEWS , quickly went for the punch and took the cudgels to expose the issue head on, splashing its front page with a picture of the trees along Perrelos, letting their elegant green and lush canopy speak for itself. And, by getting Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to speak with a resounding “No way!” immediately thereafter, the die was cast, as it were. Now everyone is scrambling to also say their nos and no ways. Those who stood by the wayside waiting for the outcome are now compelled to also express their nays, their opposition, their vehemence.

Perhaps it is time to wonder why no one ever spoke about the public hearings conducted by the DPWH in February. In Cebuano, “Wa gyuy kisaw maski gamay.” Not even a whisper. Judging from the week that just passed, even media was not aware that such public hearings had been carried out.

More to the point, the DPWH has a representative that sits in the Committee on Sites, Relics and Structures, a body I co-chair under the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council. Why on earth was the committee––and the governor––left in the dark regarding these public hearings and the possible cutting of trees? Why did it have to come from an anonymous Facebook message that I had to learn about it?

Maybe it was out of inadvertence or maybe someone just forgot to mention it to the governor and the committee. Nonetheless, such a very important issue runs smack into something so dear to the heart of the governor–– tourism and heritage––which would surely have been undermined by whatever fate awaited those trees and the balay nag bato. And it is a wonder why no one ever thought of sending her or her staff any notice about those public hearings. But now that the governor has spoken and put her foot down firmly, we eagerly await the response from the national office of the DPWH.

* * *

The 2011 Annual Archaeological Field School of the University of San Carlos (USC) Department of Sociology and Anthropology officially opens today at the public beach of San Remigio. On Monday, 15 students enrolled in the Introduction to Archaeology class, which I handle, will begin to learn how to survey, map, excavate, measure, clean and accession artifacts, with the help of Dr. Ame Garong, a recent graduate of archaeology from Kyushu University. Dr. Garong, still in her 20s, heads the National Museum component of the dig, which will run till April 16. She was also the one who brought samples of teeth from the burials in Boljoon for analysis in Japan (more of this in the coming weeks). Also with her are my longtime archaeological support and technical staffers, Jose G. Santiago (chief scientific illustrator) and Dante C. Poasadas, technical assistant.

The dig is funded in part by both SoAn Department, chaired now by Zona Amper, and USC Museum, under the curatorship of Malou Samson. The Committee on Sites, Relics and Structures of the provincial government, which also collaborates with the project as part of its mandate on heritage sites, will be providing important logistical support in the form of accommodation and transportation of personnel and artifacts. Special thanks to Archbishop Jose Palma and Fr. Fritz Malinao for permitting the excavation of a portion of the churchyard and to Mayor Jay Olivar for allowing the dig on the public beach. Dig San Remigio!

This is great news, Jobers! I guess I don't have to add my two-cents word then to this unspeakable scheme of the DPWH.

Are you in San Rem now? Good luck and happy digging!


Thanks, mam loy. yes, i am now in san rem with my team. my students will join me on monday. see you here!

This is great news, Jobers! I guess I don't have to add my two-cents word then to this unspeakable scheme of the DPWH.

Are you in San Rem now? Good luck and happy digging!


Thanks, mam loy. yes, i am now in san rem with my team. my students will join me on monday. see you here!

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=670937&publicationSubCategoryId=109
Heritage trees
FIGHTING WORDS By Kay Malilong Isberto (The Freeman) Updated March 29, 2011 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/NewPhilstar/www/image/columnistPhotos/Kay-Malilong-Isberto.jpg

Everyone concerned about the fate of the rain and acacia trees and heritage houses along the national highway in Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City heaved a of relief when it was reported that no cutting and no demolition would be done until a survey is conducted and solutions found on how to widen the south road without cutting the century-old trees and destroying the heritage houses.

Representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Provincial Engineering Office, the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council and the concerned local government units will take part in the survey that is due to be completed by mid-April this year.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and feel hopeful that the trees and heritage houses in southern Cebu will be saved. I do know, however, that this will not be the last time that the issue of whether or not heritage trees should be cut for the purpose of widening roads and for other projects done in the name of progress and development.

Because of an unhappy experience when my neighbors cut down trees in the compound where I lived, I put together a file on how to save trees in private land. Presidential Decree No. 705 or the Revised Forestry Code provides that any person who shall cut, gather, collect, or remove timber from private lands without any authority under a license agreement, lease, license or permit, shall be guilty of qualified theft under the Revised Penal Code. In People v. Merida (G.R. No. 158182, June 12, 2008), the Supreme Court ruled that cutting a tree in private land for timber without a permit from the DENR was punishable under this provision.

This led me to conclude that threats of jail might work to convince those who want to cut down trees to first get a permit from the DENR. Maybe the hassle of going through red tape would stop them. It also made me realize that the solution may be found in the DENR. If this agency became stricter about issuing tree-cutting permits (and prosecuting those who cut trees without permits), people would not be so casual about the issue.

DENR regulations and local ordinances might help, too. In 2009, the DENR piloted a Heritage Tree Program in the National Capital Region. Under DENR-NCR Memorandum Order No. 1, series of 2009, the program was launched “to intensify mitigating and adaptation measures to avert the effects of climate change while enhancing biodiversity in the urban forest ecosystem.” A heritage tree is defined as any healthy native or endemic, exotic, rare, threatened and endangered tree with a minimum girth of 100 cm (measured at one-half meter above the ground). The aesthetic, historical, cultural, social and educational significance of the tree will also be considered.

Under this program, trees located in both public and private areas may be nominated as Heritage Tree by groups or individuals who will serve as the tree’s adopter. If the tree is selected, the tree will be provided with a marker and the area at least 5 meters from the edge of the tree crown considered as the tree protection zone. The DENR will provide technical assistance for the care of the tree. Pruning, cutting or removing the tree as well as any work conducted near the tree will require DENR permission. Over a hundred trees have been identified as Heritage Trees under this program. I think that the program should be adopted nationwide.

That the public reacted strongly to the news that the century-old trees in Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City would be cut assured me that there is greater awareness about the importance of these trees as heritage and their role in cleaning the air (a single mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, according to the DENR memo). Let’s hope that this awareness translates to more trees saved and inspire us to plant and care for new ones.

* * *

Email: kay.malilong@gmail.com

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=670937&publicationSubCategoryId=109
Heritage trees
FIGHTING WORDS By Kay Malilong Isberto (The Freeman) Updated March 29, 2011 12:00 AM
http://www.philstar.com/NewPhilstar/www/image/columnistPhotos/Kay-Malilong-Isberto.jpg

Everyone concerned about the fate of the rain and acacia trees and heritage houses along the national highway in Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City heaved a of relief when it was reported that no cutting and no demolition would be done until a survey is conducted and solutions found on how to widen the south road without cutting the century-old trees and destroying the heritage houses.

Representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Provincial Engineering Office, the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council and the concerned local government units will take part in the survey that is due to be completed by mid-April this year.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and feel hopeful that the trees and heritage houses in southern Cebu will be saved. I do know, however, that this will not be the last time that the issue of whether or not heritage trees should be cut for the purpose of widening roads and for other projects done in the name of progress and development.

Because of an unhappy experience when my neighbors cut down trees in the compound where I lived, I put together a file on how to save trees in private land. Presidential Decree No. 705 or the Revised Forestry Code provides that any person who shall cut, gather, collect, or remove timber from private lands without any authority under a license agreement, lease, license or permit, shall be guilty of qualified theft under the Revised Penal Code. In People v. Merida (G.R. No. 158182, June 12, 2008), the Supreme Court ruled that cutting a tree in private land for timber without a permit from the DENR was punishable under this provision.

This led me to conclude that threats of jail might work to convince those who want to cut down trees to first get a permit from the DENR. Maybe the hassle of going through red tape would stop them. It also made me realize that the solution may be found in the DENR. If this agency became stricter about issuing tree-cutting permits (and prosecuting those who cut trees without permits), people would not be so casual about the issue.

DENR regulations and local ordinances might help, too. In 2009, the DENR piloted a Heritage Tree Program in the National Capital Region. Under DENR-NCR Memorandum Order No. 1, series of 2009, the program was launched “to intensify mitigating and adaptation measures to avert the effects of climate change while enhancing biodiversity in the urban forest ecosystem.” A heritage tree is defined as any healthy native or endemic, exotic, rare, threatened and endangered tree with a minimum girth of 100 cm (measured at one-half meter above the ground). The aesthetic, historical, cultural, social and educational significance of the tree will also be considered.

Under this program, trees located in both public and private areas may be nominated as Heritage Tree by groups or individuals who will serve as the tree’s adopter. If the tree is selected, the tree will be provided with a marker and the area at least 5 meters from the edge of the tree crown considered as the tree protection zone. The DENR will provide technical assistance for the care of the tree. Pruning, cutting or removing the tree as well as any work conducted near the tree will require DENR permission. Over a hundred trees have been identified as Heritage Trees under this program. I think that the program should be adopted nationwide.

That the public reacted strongly to the news that the century-old trees in Naga City, San Fernando and Carcar City would be cut assured me that there is greater awareness about the importance of these trees as heritage and their role in cleaning the air (a single mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, according to the DENR memo). Let’s hope that this awareness translates to more trees saved and inspire us to plant and care for new ones.

* * *

Email: kay.malilong@gmail.com

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110331-328561/Tales-of-looting-in-San-Remigio
Past Forward
Tales of looting in San Remigio
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:40:00 03/31/2011

San Remigio, Cebu––Why am I not surprised? As we began the 2011 Annual Archaeological Field School at the municipal beach of San Remigio late last week, I was once again regaled by stories of pre-colonial treasures looted and carted away in the 1970s and then again in the 1980s. All this within earshot of the old municipal hall (and presumably its police station) which at that time was abutting the beach a few paces from where we were about to attempt the near-impossible: locate remnants of San Remigio’s glorious, or better still, golden past.

If we go by the stories here, the white-sand beaches of San Remigio served as burial grounds in precolonial times, with tradeware ceramics, incised and beautifully crafted earthenware pottery and gold aplenty. These were simply washed away to the sea as the tides began claiming the beach, following the disastrous and unmitigated quarrying of the town’s beach sand in the 1980s and ’90s for use as paving material for the national highway. Now, all that is left is this narrow strip of white sand.

To think that these archaeological treasures were supposed to be what remained of the looting that ravaged San Remigio’s shores in the early to late ’70s! And yet, as the tides started claiming the beaches after the scouring by backhoes and dumptrucks then, more of these artifacts were still floating away a decade after the looting ceased. At least one municipal laborer, a high school student in the 1980s, recalls simply waiting for the tides to come and wash the sand of its hidden treasures, right at where we are now, where an old high school building used to stand. Another one told me of how he observed looters from another town simply dig behind the same high school building in the 1970s. Even the gold-decorated teeth or bansil of those buried here did not escape the unscrupulous. No one seemed to care to stop them. It is quite sad really, considering that to date, there is only one specimen of a skull bearing gold-studded teeth excavated from a site in Central Philippines––that of a skull from Bantayan Island on display at the University of San Carlos Museum.

Fortunately, hope springs eternal. It seems that this old high school building was a Department of Agriculture extension office in the 1960s and that its building may have predated the looting. The other day, my students began unearthing a section of a floor with its red moralo still sticking out, barely 20 centimeters from the beach sand. Everyone is crossing his or her fingers that this floor, said to form a “T,” is the one housing the DA office later converted into four high school classrooms. This would mean that the site may yet yield its secrets to my 15 archaeology students, who are here with me and the National Museum to recover what is left of the pre-colonial dignity and prestige of the old settlement of Kanghagas, now San Remigio.

Already we are finding evidence of that glorious past: decorated earthenware shards, a piece of worked shell waster, a few fragments of blue and white ceramics. On our fifth day of this four-week excavation, morale is still high that we will find something worthy of this town’s past. And we have plenty of people telling us depressing stories of the massive looting of the past as they, too, stood by or even participated in it.

We have plenty of people to thank but as we go about our next few weeks here in San Remigio, let me thank Archbishop Jose Palma and Fr. Frtiz Malinao for allowing us to excavate a portion of the church grounds. I also wish to thank both Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia and Mayor Jay L. Olivar for providing us with the necessary logistics in terms of accommodations and transportation for our equipment and personnel as well as the tents that help keep us less darker than we ought to be by now. My personal thanks also to Darwin Hagnaya and Ruth Hermoso, both of the San Remigio municipal government for helping us settle and adjust so easily in this beautiful and scenic town.

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http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110331-328561/Tales-of-looting-in-San-Remigio
Past Forward
Tales of looting in San Remigio
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:40:00 03/31/2011

San Remigio, Cebu––Why am I not surprised? As we began the 2011 Annual Archaeological Field School at the municipal beach of San Remigio late last week, I was once again regaled by stories of pre-colonial treasures looted and carted away in the 1970s and then again in the 1980s. All this within earshot of the old municipal hall (and presumably its police station) which at that time was abutting the beach a few paces from where we were about to attempt the near-impossible: locate remnants of San Remigio’s glorious, or better still, golden past.

If we go by the stories here, the white-sand beaches of San Remigio served as burial grounds in precolonial times, with tradeware ceramics, incised and beautifully crafted earthenware pottery and gold aplenty. These were simply washed away to the sea as the tides began claiming the beach, following the disastrous and unmitigated quarrying of the town’s beach sand in the 1980s and ’90s for use as paving material for the national highway. Now, all that is left is this narrow strip of white sand.

To think that these archaeological treasures were supposed to be what remained of the looting that ravaged San Remigio’s shores in the early to late ’70s! And yet, as the tides started claiming the beaches after the scouring by backhoes and dumptrucks then, more of these artifacts were still floating away a decade after the looting ceased. At least one municipal laborer, a high school student in the 1980s, recalls simply waiting for the tides to come and wash the sand of its hidden treasures, right at where we are now, where an old high school building used to stand. Another one told me of how he observed looters from another town simply dig behind the same high school building in the 1970s. Even the gold-decorated teeth or bansil of those buried here did not escape the unscrupulous. No one seemed to care to stop them. It is quite sad really, considering that to date, there is only one specimen of a skull bearing gold-studded teeth excavated from a site in Central Philippines––that of a skull from Bantayan Island on display at the University of San Carlos Museum.

Fortunately, hope springs eternal. It seems that this old high school building was a Department of Agriculture extension office in the 1960s and that its building may have predated the looting. The other day, my students began unearthing a section of a floor with its red moralo still sticking out, barely 20 centimeters from the beach sand. Everyone is crossing his or her fingers that this floor, said to form a “T,” is the one housing the DA office later converted into four high school classrooms. This would mean that the site may yet yield its secrets to my 15 archaeology students, who are here with me and the National Museum to recover what is left of the pre-colonial dignity and prestige of the old settlement of Kanghagas, now San Remigio.

Already we are finding evidence of that glorious past: decorated earthenware shards, a piece of worked shell waster, a few fragments of blue and white ceramics. On our fifth day of this four-week excavation, morale is still high that we will find something worthy of this town’s past. And we have plenty of people telling us depressing stories of the massive looting of the past as they, too, stood by or even participated in it.

We have plenty of people to thank but as we go about our next few weeks here in San Remigio, let me thank Archbishop Jose Palma and Fr. Frtiz Malinao for allowing us to excavate a portion of the church grounds. I also wish to thank both Gov. Gwendolyn F. Garcia and Mayor Jay L. Olivar for providing us with the necessary logistics in terms of accommodations and transportation for our equipment and personnel as well as the tents that help keep us less darker than we ought to be by now. My personal thanks also to Darwin Hagnaya and Ruth Hermoso, both of the San Remigio municipal government for helping us settle and adjust so easily in this beautiful and scenic town.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=672273&publicationSubCategoryId=111
Remembering Tres de Abril
By Junald Dawa Ango (The Freeman) Updated April 02, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Last year, April 3 fell on a Black Saturday.

But who remembered that the day was twice an important occasion for Cebuanos? Certainly not many. I scanned the newspapers after Holy Week last year and saw a lot of news about the upcoming May 2010 elections and a few articles on the recently concluded Lent, but not a single story recalled the Tres de Abril Uprising—the beginning of the Cebuano’s participation in the Philippine revolution.

A few days later, on April 9, we celebrated the Araw ng Kagitingan. The historic event was commemorated with a national holiday, newspaper articles, radio plugs, and a marathon tracing the 102-kilometer Death March. That day reminded us of the courage and sacrifices, even death, of Filipino soldiers who fought to defend our country.

I hope we could also remember, even in a much simpler way, the same courage and sacrifices of the Cebuano Katipuneros who also fought in our defense during the Tres de Abril.

Can you remember them who died during the uprising?

Do you recall a certain Januario Gabrillo? He was the first martyr of our revolution: he died of torture in a dark cell in Fort San Pedro. Have you heard of Gregorio Salazar and Titoy Saceda who were killed during the battle of Tres de Abril, and Eugenio Gines, Arsenio Cabreros, and Dionisio Abellar, who were wounded?

How about Frisco Abreu, Toefisto Cavan, and Florencio Gonzales? These three Katipuneros were shot together, without trial, somewhere near the site of the present Cebu Technological University. While Olimpio Regis, Emilio Regis, and Candido Padilla were executed in Carreta. All six died along the road, which was later called Los Martires Street in their honor. That street, however, had been renamed for someone else’s honor decades ago.

Jose Abelgas, Luis Abellar, Crisogono Bermejo Franco, Fortunato Gonzales, Raymundo Jurado, Luciano Machacon, Nicomedes Machacon, Solomon Manalili, Precioso Padilla, Simplicio Sacedon, Tranquilino de los Santos, and Crispulo Valderrama, according Dionisio Sy’s book on Cebu’s revolution, were some of those arrested and summarily executed by the vengeful Spaniards and fanatic loyalists after the Tres de Abril Uprising, but other names would be permanently forgotten.

At the intersection of the Tres de Abril Street and V. Rama Avenue is a decaying stone marker stained dark brown by nature, time, and neglect. On its face are written a few lines describing what occurred on April 3, 1898: “Ang Madugong Linggo ng Palaspas” (The Bloody Palm Sunday).

Tres de Abril will fall on a Sunday this year; I hope we could make a better commemoration than the last. (FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=672273&publicationSubCategoryId=111
Remembering Tres de Abril
By Junald Dawa Ango (The Freeman) Updated April 02, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Last year, April 3 fell on a Black Saturday.

But who remembered that the day was twice an important occasion for Cebuanos? Certainly not many. I scanned the newspapers after Holy Week last year and saw a lot of news about the upcoming May 2010 elections and a few articles on the recently concluded Lent, but not a single story recalled the Tres de Abril Uprising—the beginning of the Cebuano’s participation in the Philippine revolution.

A few days later, on April 9, we celebrated the Araw ng Kagitingan. The historic event was commemorated with a national holiday, newspaper articles, radio plugs, and a marathon tracing the 102-kilometer Death March. That day reminded us of the courage and sacrifices, even death, of Filipino soldiers who fought to defend our country.

I hope we could also remember, even in a much simpler way, the same courage and sacrifices of the Cebuano Katipuneros who also fought in our defense during the Tres de Abril.

Can you remember them who died during the uprising?

Do you recall a certain Januario Gabrillo? He was the first martyr of our revolution: he died of torture in a dark cell in Fort San Pedro. Have you heard of Gregorio Salazar and Titoy Saceda who were killed during the battle of Tres de Abril, and Eugenio Gines, Arsenio Cabreros, and Dionisio Abellar, who were wounded?

How about Frisco Abreu, Toefisto Cavan, and Florencio Gonzales? These three Katipuneros were shot together, without trial, somewhere near the site of the present Cebu Technological University. While Olimpio Regis, Emilio Regis, and Candido Padilla were executed in Carreta. All six died along the road, which was later called Los Martires Street in their honor. That street, however, had been renamed for someone else’s honor decades ago.

Jose Abelgas, Luis Abellar, Crisogono Bermejo Franco, Fortunato Gonzales, Raymundo Jurado, Luciano Machacon, Nicomedes Machacon, Solomon Manalili, Precioso Padilla, Simplicio Sacedon, Tranquilino de los Santos, and Crispulo Valderrama, according Dionisio Sy’s book on Cebu’s revolution, were some of those arrested and summarily executed by the vengeful Spaniards and fanatic loyalists after the Tres de Abril Uprising, but other names would be permanently forgotten.

At the intersection of the Tres de Abril Street and V. Rama Avenue is a decaying stone marker stained dark brown by nature, time, and neglect. On its face are written a few lines describing what occurred on April 3, 1898: “Ang Madugong Linggo ng Palaspas” (The Bloody Palm Sunday).

Tres de Abril will fall on a Sunday this year; I hope we could make a better commemoration than the last. (FREEMAN)

yAA4vEvL4Ak

yAA4vEvL4Ak

OT.

Larissa Smith, who worked with Laura Lee Junker, will have do an ethno-archaeological studies on the Ata tribe of the Philippines..

further reading:
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=14294

OT.

Larissa Smith, who worked with Laura Lee Junker, will have do an ethno-archaeological studies on the Ata tribe of the Philippines..

further reading:
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=14294

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9336
Pottery dating back to Metal Age found in Cebu town
4/5/2011

A TEAM of archaeologists from the University of San Carlos (USC) and the National Museum unearthed ancient pottery they believed to be dated back to the Philippine Metal Age at the grounds of the parish church in San Remigio town, Cebu.

In a press statement, the university said the expedition led by Prof. Jobers Bersales and Dr. Ame Garong of the National Museum discovered the earthenware pottery in three burials off the grounds of the San Remigio Parish after 10 days of test excavations.

The team also includes 15 archaeology students from USC.

They said the pottery's designs bore resemblance to other finds in the country that were dated in the Philippine Metal Age period, between A.D. 900 and 500 B.C.

The team said this may mark the first time that a Metal Age site was uncovered in Cebu.

Other significant finds include a large Philippine Melon shell (Melo diadema) crafted into some kind of scoop and plenty of red-slip pottery fragments.

Another excavation unit on the municipal beach right across the church has also yielded a midden or trash full of broken pottery, shells and clay net sinkers.

Prof. Bersales and Dr. Garong said they believe the site to have burials that at least date to about 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

But they cautioned that only radiocarbon dating of some bone samples in the United States may provide the absolute date for the site.

They said the absence of Chinese and other Asian tradeware ceramics also helped provide a date much older than those found in Boljoon as well as Plaza Independencia.

Bersales said the site appears unlooted and is certain to provide important information on the culture of Cebuanos before the arrival of Asian and Arab traders.

The USC-National Museum team will continue to conduct excavations until April 16. They will return to the site on June 4 with a joint team from USC, University of Guam and the University of the Philippines.

Funding for the excavations was proviced through a grant from the University of San Carlos with logistical support from the Cebu provincial government.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9336
Pottery dating back to Metal Age found in Cebu town
4/5/2011

A TEAM of archaeologists from the University of San Carlos (USC) and the National Museum unearthed ancient pottery they believed to be dated back to the Philippine Metal Age at the grounds of the parish church in San Remigio town, Cebu.

In a press statement, the university said the expedition led by Prof. Jobers Bersales and Dr. Ame Garong of the National Museum discovered the earthenware pottery in three burials off the grounds of the San Remigio Parish after 10 days of test excavations.

The team also includes 15 archaeology students from USC.

They said the pottery's designs bore resemblance to other finds in the country that were dated in the Philippine Metal Age period, between A.D. 900 and 500 B.C.

The team said this may mark the first time that a Metal Age site was uncovered in Cebu.

Other significant finds include a large Philippine Melon shell (Melo diadema) crafted into some kind of scoop and plenty of red-slip pottery fragments.

Another excavation unit on the municipal beach right across the church has also yielded a midden or trash full of broken pottery, shells and clay net sinkers.

Prof. Bersales and Dr. Garong said they believe the site to have burials that at least date to about 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

But they cautioned that only radiocarbon dating of some bone samples in the United States may provide the absolute date for the site.

They said the absence of Chinese and other Asian tradeware ceramics also helped provide a date much older than those found in Boljoon as well as Plaza Independencia.

Bersales said the site appears unlooted and is certain to provide important information on the culture of Cebuanos before the arrival of Asian and Arab traders.

The USC-National Museum team will continue to conduct excavations until April 16. They will return to the site on June 4 with a joint team from USC, University of Guam and the University of the Philippines.

Funding for the excavations was proviced through a grant from the University of San Carlos with logistical support from the Cebu provincial government.

The City of Cebu is rapidly becoming a city that can stand up and be proud of itself before the world. The growth of several modern towers, influx of investment, and development of many modern, world-class districts in the city are testimonies to this. In fact, in several ways, Cebu has eclipsed Manila, the country's capital.

With all these changes however, Downtown Cebu, the oldest part of this historic city, and i daresay, the nursery where the seeds of all this development were first planted and nurtured from many centuries past, is in a state of neglect and disrepair. How many proud Cebuanos are there who would show the narrow, congested, and shabby streets of Downtown Cebu to a visiting foreigner? Won't they rather show the visitors the shiny new buildings and modern super-malls, and pretend that the old city does not exist?

Now that Cebu is inching ever closer to the center stage, let us not forget where this great journey in city building began, and together, driven by dreams and visions for an ever greater city, let us restore our downtown area to make it worthy of the name 'Cebu'

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207625_10150140964163644_672713643_6766043_1602941_n.jpg

This diagram, if that's what i can call it, is a map of Downtown Cebu, indicating certain points and areas that could use redevelopment, and includes pictures of buildings and places from other world cities, showing how it would look like in my vision for a revitalized downtown area.

A - Freedom Park - a large public square that would serve as the city's living room and center for culture. it would be host to various events and celebrations that would showcase and promote the development of Cebuano arts and culture.

B - The Cebu Museum - a modern museum complex right in the heart of the city. one wing would hold a museum of natural history, while another would be home to a gallery of classical and contemporary art. the centerpiece however would be a gallery housing exhibits on Cebuano history and culture, and a great hall where statues and portraits of great Cebuanos will be enshrined.

C - The Mall - a large rectangular plaza adjacent to Freedom Park, akin to, but a smaller version of Washington DC's National Mall; it would be unique in the world due to the fact that it would have a large underground complex, which would be the new site of the present Carbon Market, the city's largest marketplace.

D - Humabon's Palace - a large, modern building made of glass and steel; it would incorporate various designs taken from Southeast-Asian architecture, and archeologists' and architects' concepts of what Rajah Humabon's Palace might have looked like, and will be built in Pasil District, the traditional site of the ancient village of Sugbo. This building would function as a convention center and a center for performing arts.

E - Pahina River Park - its waters have once sustained the ancestors of the Cebuanos, and its currents have shaped our culture; thus, it is but fitting to give this stream the dignity and honor it deserves by transforming it into a world-class park.

F - Sugbo Village - a modern recreation of the village of Sugbo, to complement the nearby Humabon Palace; it would be a revitalized Pasil, where residents would have top-notch dwellings, and an area for tourists to shop and learn about traditional Cebuano culture.

G - Lapu Lapu Monument - dedicated to the greatest Cebuano hero, it would occupy a place of honor at the eastern end of The Mall.

H - Compania Maritima Terminal - Downtown Cebu's main transit terminal, housed in a restored colonial period building; it would be the main downtown station for the city's transit system, and would be linked to a future terminal for the commuter ferry to Mactan Island and Cordova

The City of Cebu is rapidly becoming a city that can stand up and be proud of itself before the world. The growth of several modern towers, influx of investment, and development of many modern, world-class districts in the city are testimonies to this. In fact, in several ways, Cebu has eclipsed Manila, the country's capital.

With all these changes however, Downtown Cebu, the oldest part of this historic city, and i daresay, the nursery where the seeds of all this development were first planted and nurtured from many centuries past, is in a state of neglect and disrepair. How many proud Cebuanos are there who would show the narrow, congested, and shabby streets of Downtown Cebu to a visiting foreigner? Won't they rather show the visitors the shiny new buildings and modern super-malls, and pretend that the old city does not exist?

Now that Cebu is inching ever closer to the center stage, let us not forget where this great journey in city building began, and together, driven by dreams and visions for an ever greater city, let us restore our downtown area to make it worthy of the name 'Cebu'

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207625_10150140964163644_672713643_6766043_1602941_n.jpg

This diagram, if that's what i can call it, is a map of Downtown Cebu, indicating certain points and areas that could use redevelopment, and includes pictures of buildings and places from other world cities, showing how it would look like in my vision for a revitalized downtown area.

A - Freedom Park - a large public square that would serve as the city's living room and center for culture. it would be host to various events and celebrations that would showcase and promote the development of Cebuano arts and culture.

B - The Cebu Museum - a modern museum complex right in the heart of the city. one wing would hold a museum of natural history, while another would be home to a gallery of classical and contemporary art. the centerpiece however would be a gallery housing exhibits on Cebuano history and culture, and a great hall where statues and portraits of great Cebuanos will be enshrined.

C - The Mall - a large rectangular plaza adjacent to Freedom Park, akin to, but a smaller version of Washington DC's National Mall; it would be unique in the world due to the fact that it would have a large underground complex, which would be the new site of the present Carbon Market, the city's largest marketplace.

D - Humabon's Palace - a large, modern building made of glass and steel; it would incorporate various designs taken from Southeast-Asian architecture, and archeologists' and architects' concepts of what Rajah Humabon's Palace might have looked like, and will be built in Pasil District, the traditional site of the ancient village of Sugbo. This building would function as a convention center and a center for performing arts.

E - Pahina River Park - its waters have once sustained the ancestors of the Cebuanos, and its currents have shaped our culture; thus, it is but fitting to give this stream the dignity and honor it deserves by transforming it into a world-class park.

F - Sugbo Village - a modern recreation of the village of Sugbo, to complement the nearby Humabon Palace; it would be a revitalized Pasil, where residents would have top-notch dwellings, and an area for tourists to shop and learn about traditional Cebuano culture.

G - Lapu Lapu Monument - dedicated to the greatest Cebuano hero, it would occupy a place of honor at the eastern end of The Mall.

H - Compania Maritima Terminal - Downtown Cebu's main transit terminal, housed in a restored colonial period building; it would be the main downtown station for the city's transit system, and would be linked to a future terminal for the commuter ferry to Mactan Island and Cordova

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9336
Pottery dating back to Metal Age found in Cebu town
4/5/2011

A TEAM of archaeologists from the University of San Carlos (USC) and the National Museum unearthed ancient pottery they believed to be dated back to the Philippine Metal Age at the grounds of the parish church in San Remigio town, Cebu.

In a press statement, the university said the expedition led by Prof. Jobers Bersales and Dr. Ame Garong of the National Museum discovered the earthenware pottery in three burials off the grounds of the San Remigio Parish after 10 days of test excavations.

The team also includes 15 archaeology students from USC.

They said the pottery's designs bore resemblance to other finds in the country that were dated in the Philippine Metal Age period, between A.D. 900 and 500 B.C.

The team said this may mark the first time that a Metal Age site was uncovered in Cebu.

Other significant finds include a large Philippine Melon shell (Melo diadema) crafted into some kind of scoop and plenty of red-slip pottery fragments.

Another excavation unit on the municipal beach right across the church has also yielded a midden or trash full of broken pottery, shells and clay net sinkers.

Prof. Bersales and Dr. Garong said they believe the site to have burials that at least date to about 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

But they cautioned that only radiocarbon dating of some bone samples in the United States may provide the absolute date for the site.

They said the absence of Chinese and other Asian tradeware ceramics also helped provide a date much older than those found in Boljoon as well as Plaza Independencia.

Bersales said the site appears unlooted and is certain to provide important information on the culture of Cebuanos before the arrival of Asian and Arab traders.

The USC-National Museum team will continue to conduct excavations until April 16. They will return to the site on June 4 with a joint team from USC, University of Guam and the University of the Philippines.

Funding for the excavations was proviced through a grant from the University of San Carlos with logistical support from the Cebu provincial government.


You may visit the blog of the excavations at this site:

http://archaeosanremigio.blogspot.com/

and this facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107654&id=1333444797&l=44b0c393f3

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9336
Pottery dating back to Metal Age found in Cebu town
4/5/2011

A TEAM of archaeologists from the University of San Carlos (USC) and the National Museum unearthed ancient pottery they believed to be dated back to the Philippine Metal Age at the grounds of the parish church in San Remigio town, Cebu.

In a press statement, the university said the expedition led by Prof. Jobers Bersales and Dr. Ame Garong of the National Museum discovered the earthenware pottery in three burials off the grounds of the San Remigio Parish after 10 days of test excavations.

The team also includes 15 archaeology students from USC.

They said the pottery's designs bore resemblance to other finds in the country that were dated in the Philippine Metal Age period, between A.D. 900 and 500 B.C.

The team said this may mark the first time that a Metal Age site was uncovered in Cebu.

Other significant finds include a large Philippine Melon shell (Melo diadema) crafted into some kind of scoop and plenty of red-slip pottery fragments.

Another excavation unit on the municipal beach right across the church has also yielded a midden or trash full of broken pottery, shells and clay net sinkers.

Prof. Bersales and Dr. Garong said they believe the site to have burials that at least date to about 1,000 to 2,000 years ago.

But they cautioned that only radiocarbon dating of some bone samples in the United States may provide the absolute date for the site.

They said the absence of Chinese and other Asian tradeware ceramics also helped provide a date much older than those found in Boljoon as well as Plaza Independencia.

Bersales said the site appears unlooted and is certain to provide important information on the culture of Cebuanos before the arrival of Asian and Arab traders.

The USC-National Museum team will continue to conduct excavations until April 16. They will return to the site on June 4 with a joint team from USC, University of Guam and the University of the Philippines.

Funding for the excavations was proviced through a grant from the University of San Carlos with logistical support from the Cebu provincial government.


You may visit the blog of the excavations at this site:

http://archaeosanremigio.blogspot.com/

and this facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107654&id=1333444797&l=44b0c393f3

The City of Cebu is rapidly becoming a city that can stand up and be proud of itself before the world. The growth of several modern towers, influx of investment, and development of many modern, world-class districts in the city are testimonies to this. In fact, in several ways, Cebu has eclipsed Manila, the country's capital.

With all these changes however, Downtown Cebu, the oldest part of this historic city, and i daresay, the nursery where the seeds of all this development were first planted and nurtured from many centuries past, is in a state of neglect and disrepair. How many proud Cebuanos are there who would show the narrow, congested, and shabby streets of Downtown Cebu to a visiting foreigner? Won't they rather show the visitors the shiny new buildings and modern super-malls, and pretend that the old city does not exist?

Now that Cebu is inching ever closer to the center stage, let us not forget where this great journey in city building began, and together, driven by dreams and visions for an ever greater city, let us restore our downtown area to make it worthy of the name 'Cebu'

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207625_10150140964163644_672713643_6766043_1602941_n.jpg

This diagram, if that's what i can call it, is a map of Downtown Cebu, indicating certain points and areas that could use redevelopment, and includes pictures of buildings and places from other world cities, showing how it would look like in my vision for a revitalized downtown area.

A - Freedom Park - a large public square that would serve as the city's living room and center for culture. it would be host to various events and celebrations that would showcase and promote the development of Cebuano arts and culture.

B - The Cebu Museum - a modern museum complex right in the heart of the city. one wing would hold a museum of natural history, while another would be home to a gallery of classical and contemporary art. the centerpiece however would be a gallery housing exhibits on Cebuano history and culture, and a great hall where statues and portraits of great Cebuanos will be enshrined.

C - The Mall - a large rectangular plaza adjacent to Freedom Park, akin to, but a smaller version of Washington DC's National Mall; it would be unique in the world due to the fact that it would have a large underground complex, which would be the new site of the present Carbon Market, the city's largest marketplace.

D - Humabon's Palace - a large, modern building made of glass and steel; it would incorporate various designs taken from Southeast-Asian architecture, and archeologists' and architects' concepts of what Rajah Humabon's Palace might have looked like, and will be built in Pasil District, the traditional site of the ancient village of Sugbo. This building would function as a convention center and a center for performing arts.

E - Pahina River Park - its waters have once sustained the ancestors of the Cebuanos, and its currents have shaped our culture; thus, it is but fitting to give this stream the dignity and honor it deserves by transforming it into a world-class park.

F - Sugbo Village - a modern recreation of the village of Sugbo, to complement the nearby Humabon Palace; it would be a revitalized Pasil, where residents would have top-notch dwellings, and an area for tourists to shop and learn about traditional Cebuano culture.

G - Lapu Lapu Monument - dedicated to the greatest Cebuano hero, it would occupy a place of honor at the eastern end of The Mall.

H - Compania Maritima Terminal - Downtown Cebu's main transit terminal, housed in a restored colonial period building; it would be the main downtown station for the city's transit system, and would be linked to a future terminal for the commuter ferry to Mactan Island and Cordova

Ang galing ng Cebu. Go Cebu.

The City of Cebu is rapidly becoming a city that can stand up and be proud of itself before the world. The growth of several modern towers, influx of investment, and development of many modern, world-class districts in the city are testimonies to this. In fact, in several ways, Cebu has eclipsed Manila, the country's capital.

With all these changes however, Downtown Cebu, the oldest part of this historic city, and i daresay, the nursery where the seeds of all this development were first planted and nurtured from many centuries past, is in a state of neglect and disrepair. How many proud Cebuanos are there who would show the narrow, congested, and shabby streets of Downtown Cebu to a visiting foreigner? Won't they rather show the visitors the shiny new buildings and modern super-malls, and pretend that the old city does not exist?

Now that Cebu is inching ever closer to the center stage, let us not forget where this great journey in city building began, and together, driven by dreams and visions for an ever greater city, let us restore our downtown area to make it worthy of the name 'Cebu'

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/207625_10150140964163644_672713643_6766043_1602941_n.jpg

This diagram, if that's what i can call it, is a map of Downtown Cebu, indicating certain points and areas that could use redevelopment, and includes pictures of buildings and places from other world cities, showing how it would look like in my vision for a revitalized downtown area.

A - Freedom Park - a large public square that would serve as the city's living room and center for culture. it would be host to various events and celebrations that would showcase and promote the development of Cebuano arts and culture.

B - The Cebu Museum - a modern museum complex right in the heart of the city. one wing would hold a museum of natural history, while another would be home to a gallery of classical and contemporary art. the centerpiece however would be a gallery housing exhibits on Cebuano history and culture, and a great hall where statues and portraits of great Cebuanos will be enshrined.

C - The Mall - a large rectangular plaza adjacent to Freedom Park, akin to, but a smaller version of Washington DC's National Mall; it would be unique in the world due to the fact that it would have a large underground complex, which would be the new site of the present Carbon Market, the city's largest marketplace.

D - Humabon's Palace - a large, modern building made of glass and steel; it would incorporate various designs taken from Southeast-Asian architecture, and archeologists' and architects' concepts of what Rajah Humabon's Palace might have looked like, and will be built in Pasil District, the traditional site of the ancient village of Sugbo. This building would function as a convention center and a center for performing arts.

E - Pahina River Park - its waters have once sustained the ancestors of the Cebuanos, and its currents have shaped our culture; thus, it is but fitting to give this stream the dignity and honor it deserves by transforming it into a world-class park.

F - Sugbo Village - a modern recreation of the village of Sugbo, to complement the nearby Humabon Palace; it would be a revitalized Pasil, where residents would have top-notch dwellings, and an area for tourists to shop and learn about traditional Cebuano culture.

G - Lapu Lapu Monument - dedicated to the greatest Cebuano hero, it would occupy a place of honor at the eastern end of The Mall.

H - Compania Maritima Terminal - Downtown Cebu's main transit terminal, housed in a restored colonial period building; it would be the main downtown station for the city's transit system, and would be linked to a future terminal for the commuter ferry to Mactan Island and Cordova

Ang galing ng Cebu. Go Cebu.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iqvXKIUfKRM/S8Zu-_J_7dI/AAAAAAAACek/pUlTvwJ3DRQ/S660/andalltheangelsandsaints1.jpg
http://andalltheangelsandsaints.blogspot.com/2011/02/53-cebuano-sculptor-gains-stature-from.html
Saturday, February 26, 2011
53, Cebuano Sculptor gains STATURE FROM HIS STATUES
The Sunday Times Magazine, January 9, 1966

By D. M. Estabaya

Fidel Araneta and Flash Elorde have many things in common. Both are from the town of Bogo, Cebu. As youngsters, they were so poor they ran away from home and staked out a living in Cebu City. And both packed talent in their hands: Flash with his boxing gloves and Fidel with his carving knife.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7l8O8RH_C8M/TWoFpoVDSTI/AAAAAAAAD9U/ooSAaeT6OJ4/s400/Araneta%252Ceskultor.jpg
Sculptor Araneta hacks away at the wooden image of the “Sleepy Santo Niño”. The piece evoked praise during the centennial exhibit in Cebu last April. Many ordered copies.

Today, at 51, Fidel Araneta is easily the top-ranking commercial sculptor of Cebu City. His sculptural works are found everywhere in the Visayas and Mindanao. His patrons are mostly priests, secular and missionary, from as far away as Jolo. He has lost count of the munipalities in the South which have placed orders for statues from him.

Sculptor Araneta is a product of the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In school, he was a medalist every year. However, his family was so poor he had to quit school for good in his senior year.

As a child, Fidel never tired of shaping miniature objects from adobe clay, called ‘manggol’ in Cebu. He made fishes, elephants, lions—and whatever else his young, imaginative mind took a fancy to.

In grade school, he had a never-ending fascination of the portrait of Rizal. He used to take along a lump of ‘manggol’ to class and shape it into a bust of Rizal. He became so proficient with the face of the hero, that upon graduation from elementary school, he was able to give the principal a miniature bust of Rizal. For years, it adorned the cabinet of the principal’s office.

In the Cebu High School, Fidel turned up the undisputed artist (he’s also good at pen-and-ink sketches). The American principal suggested that his father send him to Manila for an art education. Upon Araneta’s return to Cebu City shortly before the War, he opened a sculptural shop of his own. Shortly after, he became known as Cebu’s most outstanding sculptor.

In Cebu today, it is likely that the religious or civic statue you point to with admiration is Fidel Araneta job. Even in Mindana provinces, his sculptural works are everywhere. During the Rizal Centennial in 1961, he could hardly cope with orders for Rizal statues for public plazas. The Dapitan City Knights of Rizal commissioned him t do a life-size concrete statue of the hero for the public plaza. Araneta’s work is the best to rise in the historic Rizal place of Mindanao.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYYUGt_iG8U/TWoFtmFeWcI/AAAAAAAAD9c/tHCqqkWmya0/s400/Araneta%252CSleepingNino.jpg

However, it is in the field of religious sculptural renditions that the Cebu artist makes his living. It is the rule, rather than the exception, that the altars and altar objects in Cebu’s 49 towns and four cities are Araneta creations. Araneta’s statues of saints come out in wood, plaster of paris and concrete. Recently, an Italian priest ordered from him a cubistic Madonna and Child. His Christ on the Cross in the posh Redemptorist Church of Cebu Cityis regarde by many as his masterpiece.

A religious man (he has a son studying for the priesthood in Canlubang and is himself a 4th degree K of C),he puts up a large elen, or crèche, ever Christmas season with the help of his wife. The objects are his works.

In the 50s, Araneta used to submit entries for the national sculptural tilt held yearly in Manila. His wooden bust of then U.S. President Eisenhower in 1953 won first prize. The Cebu artist likewise won a major prize for his bust of former President Osmeña. He donated several busts of great Filipinos to the national museum.

In 1961, he did a wooden bust of President Kennedy for a client n Manila. Early in 1963, the owner complained to the artist that a fissure or crack appeared on the temple of the bust. A few days later, JFK was shot dead on the same spot. A newspaper played up a big photo of the bust’s phenomenal damage.

Young hopefuls consider it a privilege to work under Araneta. A former Araneta apprentice, Napoleon Abueva, is a famous sculptor now. (Recently, Abueva visited his art mentor).

During the 4th centennial fete of Christianity in Cebu this year, the sculptor and his eight assistants had to work day and night to meet orders. Moreover, Araneta was tapped to put up an art work for the national art exhibits at the Cebu Normal School in connection with the centennial celebration.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSKJMHiJNCc/TWoQCz0LoFI/AAAAAAAAD90/O8QKg9_WZX0/s400/SleepNino%2Bcopy.jpg

His rough-hewn piece evoked the lavish admiration of art lovers. It was a wooden Santo Niño in an unorthodox stance: reclining wearily on an oversized orb. (The sculptor titled it, “The Sleepy Santo Niño after 400 Years”). Many centennial visitors ordered copies.

Also during the Centennial Week, the Papal Legate, Ildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti, unveiled an oversized statue of Lapulapu at Camp Lapulapu, Lahug, for the Third Military Area Command. It was a work Fidel Araneta did upon the specifications of the Commanding Brig. General Silvino R. de Goma who made researches on the Mactan hero.

People in Cebu City today are saying the likeness is “closest” to the real-life Lapulapu. The Cebu City government supported the project and the unveiling was done last April 27, the 444th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan.

Posted by alex r. castro at 11:59 PM

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iqvXKIUfKRM/S8Zu-_J_7dI/AAAAAAAACek/pUlTvwJ3DRQ/S660/andalltheangelsandsaints1.jpg
http://andalltheangelsandsaints.blogspot.com/2011/02/53-cebuano-sculptor-gains-stature-from.html
Saturday, February 26, 2011
53, Cebuano Sculptor gains STATURE FROM HIS STATUES
The Sunday Times Magazine, January 9, 1966

By D. M. Estabaya

Fidel Araneta and Flash Elorde have many things in common. Both are from the town of Bogo, Cebu. As youngsters, they were so poor they ran away from home and staked out a living in Cebu City. And both packed talent in their hands: Flash with his boxing gloves and Fidel with his carving knife.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7l8O8RH_C8M/TWoFpoVDSTI/AAAAAAAAD9U/ooSAaeT6OJ4/s400/Araneta%252Ceskultor.jpg
Sculptor Araneta hacks away at the wooden image of the “Sleepy Santo Niño”. The piece evoked praise during the centennial exhibit in Cebu last April. Many ordered copies.

Today, at 51, Fidel Araneta is easily the top-ranking commercial sculptor of Cebu City. His sculptural works are found everywhere in the Visayas and Mindanao. His patrons are mostly priests, secular and missionary, from as far away as Jolo. He has lost count of the munipalities in the South which have placed orders for statues from him.

Sculptor Araneta is a product of the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In school, he was a medalist every year. However, his family was so poor he had to quit school for good in his senior year.

As a child, Fidel never tired of shaping miniature objects from adobe clay, called ‘manggol’ in Cebu. He made fishes, elephants, lions—and whatever else his young, imaginative mind took a fancy to.

In grade school, he had a never-ending fascination of the portrait of Rizal. He used to take along a lump of ‘manggol’ to class and shape it into a bust of Rizal. He became so proficient with the face of the hero, that upon graduation from elementary school, he was able to give the principal a miniature bust of Rizal. For years, it adorned the cabinet of the principal’s office.

In the Cebu High School, Fidel turned up the undisputed artist (he’s also good at pen-and-ink sketches). The American principal suggested that his father send him to Manila for an art education. Upon Araneta’s return to Cebu City shortly before the War, he opened a sculptural shop of his own. Shortly after, he became known as Cebu’s most outstanding sculptor.

In Cebu today, it is likely that the religious or civic statue you point to with admiration is Fidel Araneta job. Even in Mindana provinces, his sculptural works are everywhere. During the Rizal Centennial in 1961, he could hardly cope with orders for Rizal statues for public plazas. The Dapitan City Knights of Rizal commissioned him t do a life-size concrete statue of the hero for the public plaza. Araneta’s work is the best to rise in the historic Rizal place of Mindanao.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XYYUGt_iG8U/TWoFtmFeWcI/AAAAAAAAD9c/tHCqqkWmya0/s400/Araneta%252CSleepingNino.jpg

However, it is in the field of religious sculptural renditions that the Cebu artist makes his living. It is the rule, rather than the exception, that the altars and altar objects in Cebu’s 49 towns and four cities are Araneta creations. Araneta’s statues of saints come out in wood, plaster of paris and concrete. Recently, an Italian priest ordered from him a cubistic Madonna and Child. His Christ on the Cross in the posh Redemptorist Church of Cebu Cityis regarde by many as his masterpiece.

A religious man (he has a son studying for the priesthood in Canlubang and is himself a 4th degree K of C),he puts up a large elen, or crèche, ever Christmas season with the help of his wife. The objects are his works.

In the 50s, Araneta used to submit entries for the national sculptural tilt held yearly in Manila. His wooden bust of then U.S. President Eisenhower in 1953 won first prize. The Cebu artist likewise won a major prize for his bust of former President Osmeña. He donated several busts of great Filipinos to the national museum.

In 1961, he did a wooden bust of President Kennedy for a client n Manila. Early in 1963, the owner complained to the artist that a fissure or crack appeared on the temple of the bust. A few days later, JFK was shot dead on the same spot. A newspaper played up a big photo of the bust’s phenomenal damage.

Young hopefuls consider it a privilege to work under Araneta. A former Araneta apprentice, Napoleon Abueva, is a famous sculptor now. (Recently, Abueva visited his art mentor).

During the 4th centennial fete of Christianity in Cebu this year, the sculptor and his eight assistants had to work day and night to meet orders. Moreover, Araneta was tapped to put up an art work for the national art exhibits at the Cebu Normal School in connection with the centennial celebration.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSKJMHiJNCc/TWoQCz0LoFI/AAAAAAAAD90/O8QKg9_WZX0/s400/SleepNino%2Bcopy.jpg

His rough-hewn piece evoked the lavish admiration of art lovers. It was a wooden Santo Niño in an unorthodox stance: reclining wearily on an oversized orb. (The sculptor titled it, “The Sleepy Santo Niño after 400 Years”). Many centennial visitors ordered copies.

Also during the Centennial Week, the Papal Legate, Ildebrando Cardinal Antoniutti, unveiled an oversized statue of Lapulapu at Camp Lapulapu, Lahug, for the Third Military Area Command. It was a work Fidel Araneta did upon the specifications of the Commanding Brig. General Silvino R. de Goma who made researches on the Mactan hero.

People in Cebu City today are saying the likeness is “closest” to the real-life Lapulapu. The Cebu City government supported the project and the unveiling was done last April 27, the 444th anniversary of the Battle of Mactan.

Posted by alex r. castro at 11:59 PM

from Cebu City & Province Thread:

Osmeña Blvd. facelift needs P50M (http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9366)
By Doris C. Bongcac, Reporter
Cebu Daily News April/7/2011

Imagine Osmeña Boulevard transformed into a Spanish-era walkway with brick sidewalks and colonial lamps.

But before this could be done, the Beautiful Cebu Foundation needs to raise at least P50 million in donations to fund the Osmeña Boulevard Revitalization Project.

“We have to tap everybody’s help because we only have one goal. We all love Cebu,” said Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, the foundation’s chairperson.

She presented the plans yesterday in a meeting at the social hall of Cebu City’s Legislative Building where they agreed to solicit support from business establishments along the main road.

Architect Tessie Javier said upgrading the 2.5-kilometer sidewalk would cost P20,000 per meter or about P50 million.

At present, Osmeña Boulevard has sidewalks that are three 3 meters to seven meters wide although the ideal span is is seven meters, she said.

“We will have a sidewalk with details reflective of Cebu’s heritage, something that would show what Cebu was like during the Spanish rule,” Javier said.

Also in the meeting were foundation vice chairperson Margie Lhuillier, lawyer Christina Garcia-Frasco, Javier, Bankers Club president Chito Cabaero, businessmen Bunny Pages and Efrain Pelaez and Ted Locson of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Yeung pledged to donate P1 million to the foundation while Pages pledged P100,000.

Yeung, a mutual friend of Mayor Michael Rama and Gov. Gwen Garcia, said the foundation would like donations from business entities to be tax deductible to encourage more participation.

“But the proposal is still subject to the approval of the mayor,” she said.

The foundation will launch its fund-raising activity and campaign to revitalize Osmeña Boulevard on May 2.

Although she’s a registered voter in Bogo City, Yeung owns a house in Cebu City where she operates her businesses and engages in philanthropic activities.

from Cebu City & Province Thread:

Osmeña Blvd. facelift needs P50M (http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9366)
By Doris C. Bongcac, Reporter
Cebu Daily News April/7/2011

Imagine Osmeña Boulevard transformed into a Spanish-era walkway with brick sidewalks and colonial lamps.

But before this could be done, the Beautiful Cebu Foundation needs to raise at least P50 million in donations to fund the Osmeña Boulevard Revitalization Project.

“We have to tap everybody’s help because we only have one goal. We all love Cebu,” said Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, the foundation’s chairperson.

She presented the plans yesterday in a meeting at the social hall of Cebu City’s Legislative Building where they agreed to solicit support from business establishments along the main road.

Architect Tessie Javier said upgrading the 2.5-kilometer sidewalk would cost P20,000 per meter or about P50 million.

At present, Osmeña Boulevard has sidewalks that are three 3 meters to seven meters wide although the ideal span is is seven meters, she said.

“We will have a sidewalk with details reflective of Cebu’s heritage, something that would show what Cebu was like during the Spanish rule,” Javier said.

Also in the meeting were foundation vice chairperson Margie Lhuillier, lawyer Christina Garcia-Frasco, Javier, Bankers Club president Chito Cabaero, businessmen Bunny Pages and Efrain Pelaez and Ted Locson of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Yeung pledged to donate P1 million to the foundation while Pages pledged P100,000.

Yeung, a mutual friend of Mayor Michael Rama and Gov. Gwen Garcia, said the foundation would like donations from business entities to be tax deductible to encourage more participation.

“But the proposal is still subject to the approval of the mayor,” she said.

The foundation will launch its fund-raising activity and campaign to revitalize Osmeña Boulevard on May 2.

Although she’s a registered voter in Bogo City, Yeung owns a house in Cebu City where she operates her businesses and engages in philanthropic activities.

^^see, being in the high society does not guarantee good taste.

^^see, being in the high society does not guarantee good taste.

http://www.artfixdaily.com/images/newsfeed/Nov16_louvre600x467.jpg?1289969602

I saw an article online about the Mechlin Statue acquired by the Louvre Museum. Mao na kaha ni ang kapareha sa atong Sto. Nino de Cebu? considering it was sculpted around 1500 with dimensions almost exactly the same. I saw one a photo of the original Sto.Niño without the golden gloves and it is exactly the same hand form of the above...

http://www.artfixdaily.com/images/newsfeed/Nov16_louvre600x467.jpg?1289969602

I saw an article online about the Mechlin Statue acquired by the Louvre Museum. Mao na kaha ni ang kapareha sa atong Sto. Nino de Cebu? considering it was sculpted around 1500 with dimensions almost exactly the same. I saw one a photo of the original Sto.Niño without the golden gloves and it is exactly the same hand form of the above...

from Cebu City & Province Thread:

My two cents' worth: I wonder why the Spanish period will be the theme of Osmena Blvd when this entire strip after Juan Luna was designed in 1912 by the American architect William E. Parsons to mimic Champs Elyssee and The Mall in Washington DC.

The Spaniards never made any development, housing or otherwise, beyond Sanciangco because everything beyond was hills and hills. The best you could find there would be carromata trails and all cogon grass.

Perhaps it would be best to establish the American-era look because that would also be easier to copy.

This is going to be a mismatch seeing Fuente Osmena and Capitol as well as the Rizal Memorial Lib, three very American colonial looking structures, amidst Spanish-era facades and walkways.

The better thing to do would be to cut down those ugly looking indian or candle trees watchamacallits so that the visual field between fuente and capitol remains unobstructed.

The sidewalks can then be lit with American colonial era Dietz lamps lookalike, now sporting environment-friendly bulbs, because these were the very lamps used at the time the thoroughfare led to Fuente pa.

If I were America, i would protest the subtle retelling of the story of that boulevard and erasing the American colonial character of that section.

If Spanish is the intention, then the restoration should be done within the old Spanish quarter and not at this section.

You cannot even find this street or boulevard in Spanish-era maps.

paet.

from Cebu City & Province Thread:

My two cents' worth: I wonder why the Spanish period will be the theme of Osmena Blvd when this entire strip after Juan Luna was designed in 1912 by the American architect William E. Parsons to mimic Champs Elyssee and The Mall in Washington DC.

The Spaniards never made any development, housing or otherwise, beyond Sanciangco because everything beyond was hills and hills. The best you could find there would be carromata trails and all cogon grass.

Perhaps it would be best to establish the American-era look because that would also be easier to copy.

This is going to be a mismatch seeing Fuente Osmena and Capitol as well as the Rizal Memorial Lib, three very American colonial looking structures, amidst Spanish-era facades and walkways.

The better thing to do would be to cut down those ugly looking indian or candle trees watchamacallits so that the visual field between fuente and capitol remains unobstructed.

The sidewalks can then be lit with American colonial era Dietz lamps lookalike, now sporting environment-friendly bulbs, because these were the very lamps used at the time the thoroughfare led to Fuente pa.

If I were America, i would protest the subtle retelling of the story of that boulevard and erasing the American colonial character of that section.

If Spanish is the intention, then the restoration should be done within the old Spanish quarter and not at this section.

You cannot even find this street or boulevard in Spanish-era maps.

paet.

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

haha...I will cal Archt. Javier and tell her. And perhaps even Madame Mariquita. They're friends of mine. And Mike is someone we need to support in this beautification.

you can post my views there. i won't be able to react, though.

my burials here in san remigio are coming out faster than we expected.

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

haha...I will cal Archt. Javier and tell her. And perhaps even Madame Mariquita. They're friends of mine. And Mike is someone we need to support in this beautification.

you can post my views there. i won't be able to react, though.

my burials here in san remigio are coming out faster than we expected.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110407-329870/Finding-the-Metal-Age-in-San-Remigio
Past Forward
Finding the Metal Age in San Remigio
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News

First Posted 09:48:00 04/07/2011

The media reports, both on TV Patrol as well as this and other newspapers this week, have whipped up a kind of mini-storm in San Remigio, much like the gusts of wind underneath the ABS-CBN helicopter that brought my friend and archaeology supporter Rico Lucena to our excavation site the other day.

I am now swamped with all kinds of questions about the four burials, the five or six different-sized potteries and the four iron daggers and spearheads that we have recovered so far. A steady flow of people from the town as well as nearby Bogo City have trickled to our excavation site behind the parish church asking all kinds of questions, some bordering on the ignorant (“Are these humans?”) to the more informed (“How old are these burials?” “Who buried them?” “Are these our ancestors?”). Let me therefore spend time in this column to explain our hypothesis about what we have found here.

What is the age of these burials?

The burials are most probably of the Iron Age or what is formally known as the Philippine Metal Age, roughly dated to between 500 BCE (or BC) and 900 CE (or AD). The absence of Chinese or any other Asian tradeware ceramics (porcelain and stoneware) as well as gold ornaments and glass beads are indicative of this period, which is way before the time when our ancestors began bartering our gold, cotton, rice, etc. for porcelain and other ceramics from China, Vietnam, and Thailand. It was probably the Chinese and Arab traders, who started arriving around 900-1200 CE and who influenced our ancestors to think that gold is precious and can be worn as jewelry. Before this, gold was present in our rivers but our ancestors probably barely took notice of this or did not see this as an important personal or funerary object.

Another important evidence of the period is the presence of earthenware ceramics of two kinds: one for ritual (or perhaps funerary purposes), the other for use in domestic life. The ritual pots are usually present in burials and show no sign of having been used for cooking (no soot left on the bottom, mouths are too narrow to be able to cook “inun-unan” or “utan kamunggay” with ease). Sometimes they carry incised decoration on the neck and body in the form of chevrons, ropes, shell tips or just plain zigzag lines.

Oftentimes it is the shape and form that helps to relate the pottery to other existing sites that have long been determined to date to this period. The most important of these is the Kalanay Pottery Complex, a set of earthenware pottery shapes and forms derived largely from excavations of the Kalanay Cave in Masbate by Dr. Wilhelm Solheim II in the 1950s. Solheim’s systematic excavation and subsequent publication of the hitherto unlooted cave yielded a typology of different sets of earthenware potteries that are still used by archaeologists today to compare their own with the ones he found. This is where we are most certain of the similarity between the potteries in San Remigio and those of the Kalanay Caves.

It is important to note that Solheim pushes the Philippine Metal Age further to 1,000 BCE and refers to the Philippine Metal Age as the Philippine Iron Age. H. Otley Beyer, known as the Father of Philippine Anthropology, however, calls it the Philippine Metal Age because of the presence of bronze in some burial sites of the period, hence the term “metal” in lieu of “iron.”

Indeed, in other sites in the country, bronze tools have been recovered but there has never really been any tin and copper mining in Philippine prehistory, whereas iron was mined and smelted into tools. The suspicion is that these bronzes were recycled out of outworn or broken bronze gongs brought in from Vietnam towards the latter part of the Metal Age.

One final point I wish to make is that only absolute dating techniques will provide certainty about the age of the burials we have recovered. And for this, we await the arrival of the team from the University of Guam, who will excavate jointly with the University of San Carlos (USC) at the same site from June 4 to 24. It is through them that a bone sample can be radiocarbon dated in the United States for this purpose. The costs is quite prohibitive at $2,000 per sample. Some of the soil we have also kept for sampling purposes are also awaiting funding support.

Please be a “fan” on our Facebook community page (The 2011 USC Archaeological Fieldwork in San Remigio, Cebu) and our blog (sanremarchaeo.blogspot.com) for more details about our excavations and the finds we are recovering every day.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110407-329870/Finding-the-Metal-Age-in-San-Remigio
Past Forward
Finding the Metal Age in San Remigio
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News

First Posted 09:48:00 04/07/2011

The media reports, both on TV Patrol as well as this and other newspapers this week, have whipped up a kind of mini-storm in San Remigio, much like the gusts of wind underneath the ABS-CBN helicopter that brought my friend and archaeology supporter Rico Lucena to our excavation site the other day.

I am now swamped with all kinds of questions about the four burials, the five or six different-sized potteries and the four iron daggers and spearheads that we have recovered so far. A steady flow of people from the town as well as nearby Bogo City have trickled to our excavation site behind the parish church asking all kinds of questions, some bordering on the ignorant (“Are these humans?”) to the more informed (“How old are these burials?” “Who buried them?” “Are these our ancestors?”). Let me therefore spend time in this column to explain our hypothesis about what we have found here.

What is the age of these burials?

The burials are most probably of the Iron Age or what is formally known as the Philippine Metal Age, roughly dated to between 500 BCE (or BC) and 900 CE (or AD). The absence of Chinese or any other Asian tradeware ceramics (porcelain and stoneware) as well as gold ornaments and glass beads are indicative of this period, which is way before the time when our ancestors began bartering our gold, cotton, rice, etc. for porcelain and other ceramics from China, Vietnam, and Thailand. It was probably the Chinese and Arab traders, who started arriving around 900-1200 CE and who influenced our ancestors to think that gold is precious and can be worn as jewelry. Before this, gold was present in our rivers but our ancestors probably barely took notice of this or did not see this as an important personal or funerary object.

Another important evidence of the period is the presence of earthenware ceramics of two kinds: one for ritual (or perhaps funerary purposes), the other for use in domestic life. The ritual pots are usually present in burials and show no sign of having been used for cooking (no soot left on the bottom, mouths are too narrow to be able to cook “inun-unan” or “utan kamunggay” with ease). Sometimes they carry incised decoration on the neck and body in the form of chevrons, ropes, shell tips or just plain zigzag lines.

Oftentimes it is the shape and form that helps to relate the pottery to other existing sites that have long been determined to date to this period. The most important of these is the Kalanay Pottery Complex, a set of earthenware pottery shapes and forms derived largely from excavations of the Kalanay Cave in Masbate by Dr. Wilhelm Solheim II in the 1950s. Solheim’s systematic excavation and subsequent publication of the hitherto unlooted cave yielded a typology of different sets of earthenware potteries that are still used by archaeologists today to compare their own with the ones he found. This is where we are most certain of the similarity between the potteries in San Remigio and those of the Kalanay Caves.

It is important to note that Solheim pushes the Philippine Metal Age further to 1,000 BCE and refers to the Philippine Metal Age as the Philippine Iron Age. H. Otley Beyer, known as the Father of Philippine Anthropology, however, calls it the Philippine Metal Age because of the presence of bronze in some burial sites of the period, hence the term “metal” in lieu of “iron.”

Indeed, in other sites in the country, bronze tools have been recovered but there has never really been any tin and copper mining in Philippine prehistory, whereas iron was mined and smelted into tools. The suspicion is that these bronzes were recycled out of outworn or broken bronze gongs brought in from Vietnam towards the latter part of the Metal Age.

One final point I wish to make is that only absolute dating techniques will provide certainty about the age of the burials we have recovered. And for this, we await the arrival of the team from the University of Guam, who will excavate jointly with the University of San Carlos (USC) at the same site from June 4 to 24. It is through them that a bone sample can be radiocarbon dated in the United States for this purpose. The costs is quite prohibitive at $2,000 per sample. Some of the soil we have also kept for sampling purposes are also awaiting funding support.

Please be a “fan” on our Facebook community page (The 2011 USC Archaeological Fieldwork in San Remigio, Cebu) and our blog (sanremarchaeo.blogspot.com) for more details about our excavations and the finds we are recovering every day.

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

Wolfranz, i just had a call from Archt. Javier and she said she never mentioned Spanish. She was very emphatic that there are no Spanish houses nor buildings in the area so how could she say Spanish. All she said was that the design should reflect the colonial character of the Capitol as well as Fuente Osmena.

clearly then she was misquoted, just as I suspected. she told me she will call sunstar to have the matter corrected.

:banana:

^^Thank you sir. Finally I am not alone with this lamentation. Perhaps your CDN column? :)

P.S. You could check over Cebu City and Province Thread and see how I got grilled for my two cents. Paet gyud.

Wolfranz, i just had a call from Archt. Javier and she said she never mentioned Spanish. She was very emphatic that there are no Spanish houses nor buildings in the area so how could she say Spanish. All she said was that the design should reflect the colonial character of the Capitol as well as Fuente Osmena.

clearly then she was misquoted, just as I suspected. she told me she will call sunstar to have the matter corrected.

:banana:

^^
:banana:

So it is after all the fault of our misinformed media. I've always thought that she was misquoted, 'cause it's very unlikely that Archt. Javier, who has had a lot of heritage-related projects with the Provincial Government, could say such a mistake. How stupid, just because she said "colonial" gi-assume man dayon nga Spanish. What kind of journalism is this? :bash::ohno:

Anyway, I wish all the best for this project. :cheers:

^^
:banana:

So it is after all the fault of our misinformed media. I've always thought that she was misquoted, 'cause it's very unlikely that Archt. Javier, who has had a lot of heritage-related projects with the Provincial Government, could say such a mistake. How stupid, just because she said "colonial" gi-assume man dayon nga Spanish. What kind of journalism is this? :bash::ohno:

Anyway, I wish all the best for this project. :cheers:

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=675190&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Chac on Lorega cemetery: Marker and housing can co-exist
By Garry B. Lao/JPM (The Freeman) Updated April 11, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - The Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) could not yet establish if the Lorega Public Cemetery is indeed 100 years old or whether it is worth declaring as a historical landmark.

An urban poor group, Kamansi Lawis San Roque Pahantom Association (Kalapasa) headed by their president Patricio Georgua, had asked the Cebu City Government to declare the Lorega-San Miguel cemetery as a historical landmark saying that it would be 100 years old next year.

The KALAPASA also continues to oppose the closure of the cemetery to pave way for the construction of a three-storey building with residential units.Georgua pointed out that the government should preserve the historical landmark in their barangay instead of converting it to socialized housing.

But the CHAC, however, clarified that a historical landmark and a housing project can co-exist in the area as giving respect to the dead and giving dignity to the living do not have to be a conflict.

CHAC Commissioner Erlinda Alburo said that before the site will be declared as historical landmark, there should be proof of a historic event that happened in the cemetery.

Alburo, the director of the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos, said there is no proof that a historical event took place in the area.

The cemetery was established in 1936, before the Second World War. Before that, it was already the graveyard of the oldest cadaver, buried in 1912.

By the start of the 1970s, however, it has become home not only to the dead but also to the living.

Georgua said it is proper for the City to install a historical landmark there because its revolutionary leaders and prominent personalities were buried in the area.

According to the group, the Lorega San Miguel Public Cemetery was where Don Vicente Sotto and General Arcadio Maxilom were first buried before their remains were transferred.

But based on the investigation and verification of CHAC, nobody could pinpoint as to where exactly these historical figures were buried.

In a separate interview with The FREEMAN, City Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmena assured the KALAPASA that a marker reflecting the names of the historical figures who were buried in the cemetery can be installed once they could locate the exact site.

The proposed socialized housing project is being funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund of former congressman Raul del Mar. The amount was P10 million plus additional funds from non-government organizations amounting to P3 million. — (FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=675190&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Chac on Lorega cemetery: Marker and housing can co-exist
By Garry B. Lao/JPM (The Freeman) Updated April 11, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - The Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) could not yet establish if the Lorega Public Cemetery is indeed 100 years old or whether it is worth declaring as a historical landmark.

An urban poor group, Kamansi Lawis San Roque Pahantom Association (Kalapasa) headed by their president Patricio Georgua, had asked the Cebu City Government to declare the Lorega-San Miguel cemetery as a historical landmark saying that it would be 100 years old next year.

The KALAPASA also continues to oppose the closure of the cemetery to pave way for the construction of a three-storey building with residential units.Georgua pointed out that the government should preserve the historical landmark in their barangay instead of converting it to socialized housing.

But the CHAC, however, clarified that a historical landmark and a housing project can co-exist in the area as giving respect to the dead and giving dignity to the living do not have to be a conflict.

CHAC Commissioner Erlinda Alburo said that before the site will be declared as historical landmark, there should be proof of a historic event that happened in the cemetery.

Alburo, the director of the Cebuano Studies Center of the University of San Carlos, said there is no proof that a historical event took place in the area.

The cemetery was established in 1936, before the Second World War. Before that, it was already the graveyard of the oldest cadaver, buried in 1912.

By the start of the 1970s, however, it has become home not only to the dead but also to the living.

Georgua said it is proper for the City to install a historical landmark there because its revolutionary leaders and prominent personalities were buried in the area.

According to the group, the Lorega San Miguel Public Cemetery was where Don Vicente Sotto and General Arcadio Maxilom were first buried before their remains were transferred.

But based on the investigation and verification of CHAC, nobody could pinpoint as to where exactly these historical figures were buried.

In a separate interview with The FREEMAN, City Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmena assured the KALAPASA that a marker reflecting the names of the historical figures who were buried in the cemetery can be installed once they could locate the exact site.

The proposed socialized housing project is being funded by the Priority Development Assistance Fund of former congressman Raul del Mar. The amount was P10 million plus additional funds from non-government organizations amounting to P3 million. — (FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/347/freeman1hires.jpg
Paz Español, 74, sits outside her house in Camotes. Paz is the granddaughter of the original owner of this heritage house untouched by renovations since it was completed in 1919. The house is one of the points of interest in the latest Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo. REYNAN VILLENA

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/347/freeman1hires.jpg
Paz Español, 74, sits outside her house in Camotes. Paz is the granddaughter of the original owner of this heritage house untouched by renovations since it was completed in 1919. The house is one of the points of interest in the latest Suroy Suroy sa Sugbo. REYNAN VILLENA

You may visit the blog of the excavations at this site:

http://archaeosanremigio.blogspot.com/

and this facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107654&id=1333444797&l=44b0c393f3

Jobers,

Kudos to you and your team for the great find! I have just gone through the blog and I continue to be amazed by the significance of the discovery. I am looking forward to the results and interpretations of radiocarbon data. By the way, can you point out the approximate location of the site or sites using the church as a reference point below? If you have previously posted this information, then I must have missed it. I used Google maps to try and guesstimate the general location of the digs based on information I obtained from the blog. I am trying relate the location of the site(s) with the broader geography of the region, and as usual, looking at how plant-based foods might have been procured or grown. Salamat!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_e81a5qkbywg/TaQCt84K3UI/AAAAAAAABqU/hP41zpRJK0k/s912/sanremigio.GIF

You may visit the blog of the excavations at this site:

http://archaeosanremigio.blogspot.com/

and this facebook link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=107654&id=1333444797&l=44b0c393f3

Jobers,

Kudos to you and your team for the great find! I have just gone through the blog and I continue to be amazed by the significance of the discovery. I am looking forward to the results and interpretations of radiocarbon data. By the way, can you point out the approximate location of the site or sites using the church as a reference point below? If you have previously posted this information, then I must have missed it. I used Google maps to try and guesstimate the general location of the digs based on information I obtained from the blog. I am trying relate the location of the site(s) with the broader geography of the region, and as usual, looking at how plant-based foods might have been procured or grown. Salamat!

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_e81a5qkbywg/TaQCt84K3UI/AAAAAAAABqU/hP41zpRJK0k/s912/sanremigio.GIF

thanks.

the site is exactly where the "N" in Nepomuceno is on this google map. good thing you have this. will try to extract it and pots it on our blog. thanks,

thanks.

the site is exactly where the "N" in Nepomuceno is on this google map. good thing you have this. will try to extract it and pots it on our blog. thanks,

Can i ask the lyrics of the song which used for Via Crucis or for Holy Week ... the cebuano version? :)

Can i ask the lyrics of the song which used for Via Crucis or for Holy Week ... the cebuano version? :)

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/community/view/20110418-331862/Storytellers-hone-craft-museum-workers-learn-value-of-stories
Storytellers hone craft; museum workers learn value of stories
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:19:00 04/18/2011

The Culture and Heritage unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), organized a two-day training workshop titled “Capacity Building for Local Storytellers and Museum Personnel” last March 31 and April 4 at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

The program, which had 37 participants, aimed to improve the writing and presentation skills of storytellers and enable local museum personnel to appreciate the importance of documenting and sharing stories about Cebu’s culture and heritage.

Dr. Erlinda Alburo, Louella Alix, Haidee Palapar and Ma. Victoria Beltran were the resource speakers.

The Capacity Building Program is a component of this year’s “Gabii sa Kabilin,” the award-winning annual night tour of museums organized by Rafi with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries, Inc.

This year, “Gabii sa Kabilin” will be held on May 27.

The first day of the capacity building featured sessions where storytellers wrote and performed. They discussed the role of public relations for museums and museum staff wrote museum memories. The second day featured exercises on the lessons of the previous day.

After the workshop, storytelling techniques and writing skills were improved. The best stories will be published in this year’s “Gabii sa Kabilin” magazine while the best storytellers will perform in museums during the “Gabii sa Kabilin.”

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is managed by Culture and Heritage, one of five focus areas of Rafi’s comprehensive approach to elevate lives and communities, believing that a confident community begins with a strong sense of identity. Other focus areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance and Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Citizenship, and Education.

For more information about the “Gabii sa Kabilin” or for ticket reservations, call 418-7234 loc. 703 and look for May Sanchez.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/community/view/20110418-331862/Storytellers-hone-craft-museum-workers-learn-value-of-stories
Storytellers hone craft; museum workers learn value of stories
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:19:00 04/18/2011

The Culture and Heritage unit of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), organized a two-day training workshop titled “Capacity Building for Local Storytellers and Museum Personnel” last March 31 and April 4 at the Cathedral Museum of Cebu.

The program, which had 37 participants, aimed to improve the writing and presentation skills of storytellers and enable local museum personnel to appreciate the importance of documenting and sharing stories about Cebu’s culture and heritage.

Dr. Erlinda Alburo, Louella Alix, Haidee Palapar and Ma. Victoria Beltran were the resource speakers.

The Capacity Building Program is a component of this year’s “Gabii sa Kabilin,” the award-winning annual night tour of museums organized by Rafi with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries, Inc.

This year, “Gabii sa Kabilin” will be held on May 27.

The first day of the capacity building featured sessions where storytellers wrote and performed. They discussed the role of public relations for museums and museum staff wrote museum memories. The second day featured exercises on the lessons of the previous day.

After the workshop, storytelling techniques and writing skills were improved. The best stories will be published in this year’s “Gabii sa Kabilin” magazine while the best storytellers will perform in museums during the “Gabii sa Kabilin.”

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is managed by Culture and Heritage, one of five focus areas of Rafi’s comprehensive approach to elevate lives and communities, believing that a confident community begins with a strong sense of identity. Other focus areas are Integrated Development, Micro-finance and Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Citizenship, and Education.

For more information about the “Gabii sa Kabilin” or for ticket reservations, call 418-7234 loc. 703 and look for May Sanchez.

thanks.

the site is exactly where the "N" in Nepomuceno is on this google map. good thing you have this. will try to extract it and pots it on our blog. thanks,

There is an almost a page full of VERY nice editorial sa Sunstar in support of you and the things you do. (Monday April 8, 2011 editorial)

Had a look see again sa imong Cebu southern churches episode sa kabilin last week. 2 questions
1. You mentioned Gesso on saints is no longer used. Around what year was the use Gesso on the santos went out of fashion. Around what time did they stop using this.
2. The use of glass as eyes of saints. Were these santos with glass eyes crafted in the Philippines. Were there santos's with glass eyes made in the Philippines? Would you have some idea when they stop using glass as eyes

thanks.

the site is exactly where the "N" in Nepomuceno is on this google map. good thing you have this. will try to extract it and pots it on our blog. thanks,

There is an almost a page full of VERY nice editorial sa Sunstar in support of you and the things you do. (Monday April 8, 2011 editorial)

Had a look see again sa imong Cebu southern churches episode sa kabilin last week. 2 questions
1. You mentioned Gesso on saints is no longer used. Around what year was the use Gesso on the santos went out of fashion. Around what time did they stop using this.
2. The use of glass as eyes of saints. Were these santos with glass eyes crafted in the Philippines. Were there santos's with glass eyes made in the Philippines? Would you have some idea when they stop using glass as eyes

^^

Speaking of Santo, here's a realistically rendered San Juan.

I think this was sculpted by a Filipino carver.


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5395724905_fc56e19327.jpg

^^

Speaking of Santo, here's a realistically rendered San Juan.

I think this was sculpted by a Filipino carver.


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5395724905_fc56e19327.jpg

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=677938&publicationSubCategoryId=107
CPA helps BOC recover 'Malacañang' building
By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (The Freeman) Updated April 19, 2011 12:00

CEBU, Philippines - Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu district collector Ronnie Silvestre said yesterday the Cebu Port Authority is helping them reclaim or recover Malacañang sa Sugbo building, which used to be the custom’s office until former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo converted it into the President’s official residence.

Silvestre said CPA wants them to vacate its building that they are currently occupying.

“CPA is helping us reclaim the Malacañang sa Sugbo,” he said, adding the CPA however did not give them a deadline as to until when they can use its building.

CPA general manager Dennis Villamor, in his letter to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, stated that considering the old BOC office, which was converted into Malacañang of the South, is now lying idle without any visible public use or benefit, they think it is high time and will be more advantageous to the government if BOC-Port of Cebu returns to its old office.

The BOC is renting the building owned by CPA for P50,000.00 per month.

However, based on the memorandum of agreement signed between two parties dated September 30, 2005, such rental was waived. The MOA already expired last September 30, 2010 and there was no renewal being made.

Villamor stated that as of this time, the Cebu International Port is congested with containers so they need to utilize every square inch of the port for cargos’ storage and other operational purposes.

Villamor added that their lack of storage areas for their voluminous files has been a perennial problem and one solution that they see to address the same without incurring additional government expenses is to use the building currently occupied by BOC.

It can be recalled that President Benigno Aquino III, during his visit in Cebu last September, said he has no plans to return the Malacañang sa Sugbo or Malacañang of the South to the BOC.

Aquino said he may convert the building into a museum to boost Cebu’s cultural/historical heritage or he may used it as his quarters in his future visits here.

The BOC building was converted into the President’s official residence in 2004 when Cebu gave former Arroyo a resounding majority of over one million votes during the 2004 national and local elections.

During her frequent visits to Cebu, she usually stayed overnight at MSS together with her entourage instead of staying in expensive hotels. (FREEMAN NEWS)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=677938&publicationSubCategoryId=107
CPA helps BOC recover 'Malacañang' building
By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (The Freeman) Updated April 19, 2011 12:00

CEBU, Philippines - Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu district collector Ronnie Silvestre said yesterday the Cebu Port Authority is helping them reclaim or recover Malacañang sa Sugbo building, which used to be the custom’s office until former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo converted it into the President’s official residence.

Silvestre said CPA wants them to vacate its building that they are currently occupying.

“CPA is helping us reclaim the Malacañang sa Sugbo,” he said, adding the CPA however did not give them a deadline as to until when they can use its building.

CPA general manager Dennis Villamor, in his letter to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, stated that considering the old BOC office, which was converted into Malacañang of the South, is now lying idle without any visible public use or benefit, they think it is high time and will be more advantageous to the government if BOC-Port of Cebu returns to its old office.

The BOC is renting the building owned by CPA for P50,000.00 per month.

However, based on the memorandum of agreement signed between two parties dated September 30, 2005, such rental was waived. The MOA already expired last September 30, 2010 and there was no renewal being made.

Villamor stated that as of this time, the Cebu International Port is congested with containers so they need to utilize every square inch of the port for cargos’ storage and other operational purposes.

Villamor added that their lack of storage areas for their voluminous files has been a perennial problem and one solution that they see to address the same without incurring additional government expenses is to use the building currently occupied by BOC.

It can be recalled that President Benigno Aquino III, during his visit in Cebu last September, said he has no plans to return the Malacañang sa Sugbo or Malacañang of the South to the BOC.

Aquino said he may convert the building into a museum to boost Cebu’s cultural/historical heritage or he may used it as his quarters in his future visits here.

The BOC building was converted into the President’s official residence in 2004 when Cebu gave former Arroyo a resounding majority of over one million votes during the 2004 national and local elections.

During her frequent visits to Cebu, she usually stayed overnight at MSS together with her entourage instead of staying in expensive hotels. (FREEMAN NEWS)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKGVVB7pJ4XrCcKSFZlFLJwN1v6eiJz86FTyXqxkyOya6I98M1cppKOA
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=28542
Archdiocese of Palo hosts Church Heritage national convention
PIA Press Release
Wednesday, April 20, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY Leyte, April 20 (PIA) – The Archdiocese of Palo is set to host the 7th Biennial National Convention of Church Cultural Heritage Workers and Practitioners on May 9 to 12, 2011.

Reverend Father Gilbert Urbina, president of the Leyte-Samar Heritage Society and Parish Priest of the Peter and Paul Parish in Ormoc City, said that this undertaking is under the Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (PCCHC) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

About 100 delegates are expected to attend from the different archdiocese/diocese, parish commission heads and committee members for church cultural heritage, Fr. Urbina informed. The convention is also open to curators, heritage advocates and enthusiasts, students of cultural heritage studies, heritage conservators and other parties interested in preserving our church cultural heritage.

Keynote speaker of the 4-day assembly is CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar while Reverend Msgr. Jaime C. Villanueva, Palo Archdiocesan Administrator, and the Honorable Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, the Leyte Governor, will deliver the welcome remarks on behalf of the archdiocese and the provincial government.

Topics to be discussed cover the different cultural heritage typology, and will be elaborated by nine speakers that include Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus A. Dosado, C.M., Architect Clarissa Avendaño, Fr. Brian Brigoli, Fr. Gilbert Urbina, Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P., Architect Michael Manalo, Prof. Ferdinand Bautista, Msgr. Lope Robredillo, and Atty. Jo Aurea Imbong.

Convention venues are the Arcivu Hall in the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral compound, the Balyuan Convention Centre, and Sto. Niño Parish Church, both in Tacloban City.

On May 11, the convention participants will travel to the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, for a heritage pilgrimage passing by the historic parish churches of Basey and Balangiga.

The Guiuan church was declared a national cultural treasure in 2001 by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The biennial national conventions began in 1996 at the initiative of the CBCP-PCCHC, currently chaired by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Julito Cortes, to serve as a forum for the priests and lay collaborators assigned to take care of the cultural patrimony assets of the particular Churches.

These assemblies have also effectively become an informal “school of church heritage” to serve the continuing formation program of both priests and lay faithful who devote their time to the conservation of the ecclesiastical cultural goods in their respective pastoral jurisdiction by mandate of their bishops. (PIA 8)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKGVVB7pJ4XrCcKSFZlFLJwN1v6eiJz86FTyXqxkyOya6I98M1cppKOA
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=28542
Archdiocese of Palo hosts Church Heritage national convention
PIA Press Release
Wednesday, April 20, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY Leyte, April 20 (PIA) – The Archdiocese of Palo is set to host the 7th Biennial National Convention of Church Cultural Heritage Workers and Practitioners on May 9 to 12, 2011.

Reverend Father Gilbert Urbina, president of the Leyte-Samar Heritage Society and Parish Priest of the Peter and Paul Parish in Ormoc City, said that this undertaking is under the Permanent Committee for the Cultural Heritage of the Church (PCCHC) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

About 100 delegates are expected to attend from the different archdiocese/diocese, parish commission heads and committee members for church cultural heritage, Fr. Urbina informed. The convention is also open to curators, heritage advocates and enthusiasts, students of cultural heritage studies, heritage conservators and other parties interested in preserving our church cultural heritage.

Keynote speaker of the 4-day assembly is CBCP president and Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar while Reverend Msgr. Jaime C. Villanueva, Palo Archdiocesan Administrator, and the Honorable Carlos Jericho L. Petilla, the Leyte Governor, will deliver the welcome remarks on behalf of the archdiocese and the provincial government.

Topics to be discussed cover the different cultural heritage typology, and will be elaborated by nine speakers that include Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus A. Dosado, C.M., Architect Clarissa Avendaño, Fr. Brian Brigoli, Fr. Gilbert Urbina, Fr. Isidro Abaño, O.P., Architect Michael Manalo, Prof. Ferdinand Bautista, Msgr. Lope Robredillo, and Atty. Jo Aurea Imbong.

Convention venues are the Arcivu Hall in the Palo Metropolitan Cathedral compound, the Balyuan Convention Centre, and Sto. Niño Parish Church, both in Tacloban City.

On May 11, the convention participants will travel to the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, for a heritage pilgrimage passing by the historic parish churches of Basey and Balangiga.

The Guiuan church was declared a national cultural treasure in 2001 by the National Museum of the Philippines.

The biennial national conventions began in 1996 at the initiative of the CBCP-PCCHC, currently chaired by Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Julito Cortes, to serve as a forum for the priests and lay collaborators assigned to take care of the cultural patrimony assets of the particular Churches.

These assemblies have also effectively become an informal “school of church heritage” to serve the continuing formation program of both priests and lay faithful who devote their time to the conservation of the ecclesiastical cultural goods in their respective pastoral jurisdiction by mandate of their bishops. (PIA 8)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=677938&publicationSubCategoryId=107
CPA helps BOC recover 'Malacañang' building
By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (The Freeman) Updated April 19, 2011 12:00

CEBU, Philippines - Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu district collector Ronnie Silvestre said yesterday the Cebu Port Authority is helping them reclaim or recover Malacañang sa Sugbo building, which used to be the custom’s office until former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo converted it into the President’s official residence.

Silvestre said CPA wants them to vacate its building that they are currently occupying.

“CPA is helping us reclaim the Malacañang sa Sugbo,” he said, adding the CPA however did not give them a deadline as to until when they can use its building.

CPA general manager Dennis Villamor, in his letter to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, stated that considering the old BOC office, which was converted into Malacañang of the South, is now lying idle without any visible public use or benefit, they think it is high time and will be more advantageous to the government if BOC-Port of Cebu returns to its old office.

The BOC is renting the building owned by CPA for P50,000.00 per month.

However, based on the memorandum of agreement signed between two parties dated September 30, 2005, such rental was waived. The MOA already expired last September 30, 2010 and there was no renewal being made.

Villamor stated that as of this time, the Cebu International Port is congested with containers so they need to utilize every square inch of the port for cargos’ storage and other operational purposes.

Villamor added that their lack of storage areas for their voluminous files has been a perennial problem and one solution that they see to address the same without incurring additional government expenses is to use the building currently occupied by BOC.

It can be recalled that President Benigno Aquino III, during his visit in Cebu last September, said he has no plans to return the Malacañang sa Sugbo or Malacañang of the South to the BOC.

Aquino said he may convert the building into a museum to boost Cebu’s cultural/historical heritage or he may used it as his quarters in his future visits here.

The BOC building was converted into the President’s official residence in 2004 when Cebu gave former Arroyo a resounding majority of over one million votes during the 2004 national and local elections.

During her frequent visits to Cebu, she usually stayed overnight at MSS together with her entourage instead of staying in expensive hotels. (FREEMAN NEWS)


God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=677938&publicationSubCategoryId=107
CPA helps BOC recover 'Malacañang' building
By Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (The Freeman) Updated April 19, 2011 12:00

CEBU, Philippines - Bureau of Customs Port of Cebu district collector Ronnie Silvestre said yesterday the Cebu Port Authority is helping them reclaim or recover Malacañang sa Sugbo building, which used to be the custom’s office until former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo converted it into the President’s official residence.

Silvestre said CPA wants them to vacate its building that they are currently occupying.

“CPA is helping us reclaim the Malacañang sa Sugbo,” he said, adding the CPA however did not give them a deadline as to until when they can use its building.

CPA general manager Dennis Villamor, in his letter to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, stated that considering the old BOC office, which was converted into Malacañang of the South, is now lying idle without any visible public use or benefit, they think it is high time and will be more advantageous to the government if BOC-Port of Cebu returns to its old office.

The BOC is renting the building owned by CPA for P50,000.00 per month.

However, based on the memorandum of agreement signed between two parties dated September 30, 2005, such rental was waived. The MOA already expired last September 30, 2010 and there was no renewal being made.

Villamor stated that as of this time, the Cebu International Port is congested with containers so they need to utilize every square inch of the port for cargos’ storage and other operational purposes.

Villamor added that their lack of storage areas for their voluminous files has been a perennial problem and one solution that they see to address the same without incurring additional government expenses is to use the building currently occupied by BOC.

It can be recalled that President Benigno Aquino III, during his visit in Cebu last September, said he has no plans to return the Malacañang sa Sugbo or Malacañang of the South to the BOC.

Aquino said he may convert the building into a museum to boost Cebu’s cultural/historical heritage or he may used it as his quarters in his future visits here.

The BOC building was converted into the President’s official residence in 2004 when Cebu gave former Arroyo a resounding majority of over one million votes during the 2004 national and local elections.

During her frequent visits to Cebu, she usually stayed overnight at MSS together with her entourage instead of staying in expensive hotels. (FREEMAN NEWS)


God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...

Towards the end of my Radio Show in Bantay Radio, yes i am with Bantay Radio Already. Last Wednesday, i got a txt message asking what happened to the artifacts that were unearthed in San Rem, the texter made mention of Gold Belt was amongst the Artifact uncover and worried about its whereabout.

Although i was not able to follow what had been had been happening in Sam Rem Dig, for was busy with a lot of other things.

I give my listener assurance:

That whatever had been unearthed in Sam Rem, are documented and can be accounted.

That Sam Rem have the curatorial rights to the artifact.

That the Dig was supervised by the National Museum.

That even the smallest fragment of the artifact are labelled, recorded, and cataloged.

That with Bantayanon in Sam Rem, a Museum is not far fetch..

I spend about 15 minutes of airtime explaining and assuring my listener of the importance of the Scientific Archeo Dig in knowing where do we came from...


I just hope that in my little way i can help, to educate people about it, and prevent them from looting the graves...

Towards the end of my Radio Show in Bantay Radio, yes i am with Bantay Radio Already. Last Wednesday, i got a txt message asking what happened to the artifacts that were unearthed in San Rem, the texter made mention of Gold Belt was amongst the Artifact uncover and worried about its whereabout.

Although i was not able to follow what had been had been happening in Sam Rem Dig, for was busy with a lot of other things.

I give my listener assurance:

That whatever had been unearthed in Sam Rem, are documented and can be accounted.

That Sam Rem have the curatorial rights to the artifact.

That the Dig was supervised by the National Museum.

That even the smallest fragment of the artifact are labelled, recorded, and cataloged.

That with Bantayanon in Sam Rem, a Museum is not far fetch..

I spend about 15 minutes of airtime explaining and assuring my listener of the importance of the Scientific Archeo Dig in knowing where do we came from...


I just hope that in my little way i can help, to educate people about it, and prevent them from looting the graves...

^^^^


Thanks, Ka Bino. Please tell the texter, he or she assumes too much that we found a gold belt.

We brought a book about the gold at the Bangko Sentral Museum so that we could compare with the stories people there told us about the gold they excavated.

The gall of the ignorant texter ha to accuse us of getting gold when we only found earthenware more precious than gold in terms of the information they contain.

Oh, well, an earthworm can end up becoming a snake as people pass its story around.

Stupid, ignorant and uninformed. This is very sad for a country in the 21st century and it speaks volumes about the state of cultural knowledge and information dissemination in this country.

thanks for helping clarify our work.

please text the texter to visit our blog:

archaeosanremigio@blogspot.com

and tell him the Iron Age is called as such because there is no gold to be found in the burials, or else perhaps archaeologists would have called it the Gold Age tsk tsk tsk!

:lol:

^^^^


Thanks, Ka Bino. Please tell the texter, he or she assumes too much that we found a gold belt.

We brought a book about the gold at the Bangko Sentral Museum so that we could compare with the stories people there told us about the gold they excavated.

The gall of the ignorant texter ha to accuse us of getting gold when we only found earthenware more precious than gold in terms of the information they contain.

Oh, well, an earthworm can end up becoming a snake as people pass its story around.

Stupid, ignorant and uninformed. This is very sad for a country in the 21st century and it speaks volumes about the state of cultural knowledge and information dissemination in this country.

thanks for helping clarify our work.

please text the texter to visit our blog:

archaeosanremigio@blogspot.com

and tell him the Iron Age is called as such because there is no gold to be found in the burials, or else perhaps archaeologists would have called it the Gold Age tsk tsk tsk!

:lol:

God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...

i hope not.. mababoy jud ning buildinga..nindot na baya unta kaayo

God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...

i hope not.. mababoy jud ning buildinga..nindot na baya unta kaayo

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png?1286170363
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/feature/2011/04/20/candelaria-exhibit-casa-gorordo-151407
Candelaria exhibit at the Casa Gorordo
Wednesday, April 20, 2011

EVERYONE will still have until the end of this month to watch the Lenten exhibit at the gallery of the Casa Gorordo Museum.

Organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), the exhibit entitled, “Candelaria and Holy Week Traditions,” is open to the public.

The exhibit showcases the images of Veronica and Jesus Nazareno, and presents a short historical background of Semana Santa and the practices of the Gorordo family, which gave color to the Lenten celebration.

Four generations of the Gorordo family lived in the Casa Gorordo until 1980 when the house was acquired by Rafi.

This structure was never a house of any religious order but the people who lived there were deeply rooted to the religious piety of their time.

The original owners may have left the house but their religious traditions and devotions are kept alive by the present museum administration.

When Rafi acquired the house to be opened as a museum, the foundation committed to continue the time-honored traditions.

These traditions include unveiling of the Belen during the Christmas Season, Sinug sa Casa Gorordo after the Sinulog, and Pista ni San Juan during the fiesta of Parian, among others.

The candelaria tradition of the Gorordos is on Feb. 2, which marked the end of the Christmas season and set the penitential mode of the season of Lent.

The Gorordos, being the camareros of the images of Veronica and the Jesus Nazareno, were active participants of the Semana Santa procession of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

For more information about the Candelaria exhibit, one may contact 418-7234 local 703 and look for Karl Damayo.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 20, 2011.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png?1286170363
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/feature/2011/04/20/candelaria-exhibit-casa-gorordo-151407
Candelaria exhibit at the Casa Gorordo
Wednesday, April 20, 2011

EVERYONE will still have until the end of this month to watch the Lenten exhibit at the gallery of the Casa Gorordo Museum.

Organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), the exhibit entitled, “Candelaria and Holy Week Traditions,” is open to the public.

The exhibit showcases the images of Veronica and Jesus Nazareno, and presents a short historical background of Semana Santa and the practices of the Gorordo family, which gave color to the Lenten celebration.

Four generations of the Gorordo family lived in the Casa Gorordo until 1980 when the house was acquired by Rafi.

This structure was never a house of any religious order but the people who lived there were deeply rooted to the religious piety of their time.

The original owners may have left the house but their religious traditions and devotions are kept alive by the present museum administration.

When Rafi acquired the house to be opened as a museum, the foundation committed to continue the time-honored traditions.

These traditions include unveiling of the Belen during the Christmas Season, Sinug sa Casa Gorordo after the Sinulog, and Pista ni San Juan during the fiesta of Parian, among others.

The candelaria tradition of the Gorordos is on Feb. 2, which marked the end of the Christmas season and set the penitential mode of the season of Lent.

The Gorordos, being the camareros of the images of Veronica and the Jesus Nazareno, were active participants of the Semana Santa procession of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

For more information about the Candelaria exhibit, one may contact 418-7234 local 703 and look for Karl Damayo.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 20, 2011.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110421-332412/The-indult-of-Bantayan-A-Lenten-reflection
Past Forward
The indult of Bantayan: A Lenten reflection
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:54:00 04/21/2011

We are in Bantayan today and tomorrow to witness what must appear to be both a blessing to the local parish as much as a burden it has to carry. For tomorrow, while the rest of Christendom will forego eating red meat at all costs and in all manner of cooking (or even the absence thereof), the town will host thousands of visitors and tourists not just here to witness the annual Good Friday procession but also to eat lechon, caldereta, humba and all the gustatory delights of red meat, on the unfounded allegation that it is allowed by the Catholic Church.

The reason behind this is found in a document, called an indult, issued in Rome by the Office of the Holy Inquisition in 1843. The document exempts the people of the parish from certain religious obligations, foremost of which is the prohibition against eating meat during the Semana Santa or Holy Week. The half-page piece of paper, now kept at the Bantayan Parish Museum and Archives, was purportedly issued only for Bantayan because its fishermen refused to go out to sea during this week due to some beliefs and practices.

But wait. The indult was lost for over a century until historian Trizer Dale Mansueto chanced upon it, folded and termite bitten at the edges tucked inside one of the ancient canonical baptismal books of the parish. Written in Spanish, the indult has, in fact, an expiration date! The exemption would last for only 10 years or until 1853, or a full decade before the completion of the coral stone church one sees today in Bantayan.

I do not wish to spoil the fun of eating lechon in Bantayan today and especially tomorrow but, all things considered, if no other document can be found to show that the indult was renewed, then it would be best to think twice before taking that big bite.

There is, of course, no biblical source behind the abstinence from meat on Fridays during Lent, which is why Protestants and other non-Catholic Christians do not practice it. The tradition apparently began during the first millennium of Christianity as a way to remind the faithful about the day of Christ’s death, a Friday. It must have been quite effective because the practice has survived today, a simple yet profound kind of sacrifice that has become increasingly noticeable in the modern world where everyone’s daily diet is dominated by red meat.

So, given that the indult lasted for only a decade (1843-1853), why the resilience in practice? I agree with Trizer in his observation that it has become a tradition already, taking a life of its own so that even the Catholic hierarchy, though it frowns on this very obvious violation of Catholic teachings, has had to find other ways to redirect the people’s faith and devotion on this day here. That has come, among others, in the form of the procession of pasos, life-size images in tableau form depicting the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

There is so much social capital behind this procession in Bantayan that one does not perceive as much in other towns all over the country. Families spend thousands, even hundreds of thousands, just to mount their own version of any of the stations of the Cross, for example, much to the delight of tourists and visitors. It has, in a sense, become a kind of status symbol for old Bantayan families, a kind of provenance of their long line of pedigree, as it were, mounting these processional images for scores or decades now. For many of these pasos have been here for over a century or more already, giving way to the controversial question of whether some were originally owned by the church and were just placed in these families for safekeeping. Given the years that have passed, this is now something that is difficult to ascertain (except in the parish inventories) and is quite a sensitive issue best whispered in private.

Incidentally, Msgr. Tony Medida, head of the Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul is but the latest in a line of parish curates who have made a point to remind everyone that Good Friday is not the feast day of the parish, albeit the surge of people, both the curious and, I assume, the devotees far outweigh the annual fiesta, which happens in June yet.

A final word is in order. As we all partake bravely and with much remorse on that tasty lechon and the dinuguan that goes with it, let us not forget the suffering of Christ and look forward to the promise of resurrection and redemption. For penance, may I suggest not just prayers but also active vigilance in the protection of the cultural heritage of the churches and the treasure they contain in our midst.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110421-332412/The-indult-of-Bantayan-A-Lenten-reflection
Past Forward
The indult of Bantayan: A Lenten reflection
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:54:00 04/21/2011

We are in Bantayan today and tomorrow to witness what must appear to be both a blessing to the local parish as much as a burden it has to carry. For tomorrow, while the rest of Christendom will forego eating red meat at all costs and in all manner of cooking (or even the absence thereof), the town will host thousands of visitors and tourists not just here to witness the annual Good Friday procession but also to eat lechon, caldereta, humba and all the gustatory delights of red meat, on the unfounded allegation that it is allowed by the Catholic Church.

The reason behind this is found in a document, called an indult, issued in Rome by the Office of the Holy Inquisition in 1843. The document exempts the people of the parish from certain religious obligations, foremost of which is the prohibition against eating meat during the Semana Santa or Holy Week. The half-page piece of paper, now kept at the Bantayan Parish Museum and Archives, was purportedly issued only for Bantayan because its fishermen refused to go out to sea during this week due to some beliefs and practices.

But wait. The indult was lost for over a century until historian Trizer Dale Mansueto chanced upon it, folded and termite bitten at the edges tucked inside one of the ancient canonical baptismal books of the parish. Written in Spanish, the indult has, in fact, an expiration date! The exemption would last for only 10 years or until 1853, or a full decade before the completion of the coral stone church one sees today in Bantayan.

I do not wish to spoil the fun of eating lechon in Bantayan today and especially tomorrow but, all things considered, if no other document can be found to show that the indult was renewed, then it would be best to think twice before taking that big bite.

There is, of course, no biblical source behind the abstinence from meat on Fridays during Lent, which is why Protestants and other non-Catholic Christians do not practice it. The tradition apparently began during the first millennium of Christianity as a way to remind the faithful about the day of Christ’s death, a Friday. It must have been quite effective because the practice has survived today, a simple yet profound kind of sacrifice that has become increasingly noticeable in the modern world where everyone’s daily diet is dominated by red meat.

So, given that the indult lasted for only a decade (1843-1853), why the resilience in practice? I agree with Trizer in his observation that it has become a tradition already, taking a life of its own so that even the Catholic hierarchy, though it frowns on this very obvious violation of Catholic teachings, has had to find other ways to redirect the people’s faith and devotion on this day here. That has come, among others, in the form of the procession of pasos, life-size images in tableau form depicting the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

There is so much social capital behind this procession in Bantayan that one does not perceive as much in other towns all over the country. Families spend thousands, even hundreds of thousands, just to mount their own version of any of the stations of the Cross, for example, much to the delight of tourists and visitors. It has, in a sense, become a kind of status symbol for old Bantayan families, a kind of provenance of their long line of pedigree, as it were, mounting these processional images for scores or decades now. For many of these pasos have been here for over a century or more already, giving way to the controversial question of whether some were originally owned by the church and were just placed in these families for safekeeping. Given the years that have passed, this is now something that is difficult to ascertain (except in the parish inventories) and is quite a sensitive issue best whispered in private.

Incidentally, Msgr. Tony Medida, head of the Parish of Sts. Peter and Paul is but the latest in a line of parish curates who have made a point to remind everyone that Good Friday is not the feast day of the parish, albeit the surge of people, both the curious and, I assume, the devotees far outweigh the annual fiesta, which happens in June yet.

A final word is in order. As we all partake bravely and with much remorse on that tasty lechon and the dinuguan that goes with it, let us not forget the suffering of Christ and look forward to the promise of resurrection and redemption. For penance, may I suggest not just prayers but also active vigilance in the protection of the cultural heritage of the churches and the treasure they contain in our midst.

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679056&publicationSubCategoryId=531
Sto. Niño is "Most Esteemed"
By Liv G. Campo (The Freeman) Updated April 24, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

CEBU, Philippines - On the 446th anniversary celebration of the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño or "Kaplag," the Philippine Navy on April 28 will bestow on the Holy Child the title "Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas," or the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

Based on history, the icon of the Sto. Niño was discovered on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, inside a nipa hut in Cebu, the same spot where the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño now stands.

The icon is believed to be a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years before it was discovered in that shack.

According to Fr. Tito Soquino of the Basilica, on Thursday (April 28), the Kaplag will be commemorated with the usual Mass (6 a.m.) and re-enactment, plus the highlight which is the naval honors for the Santo Niño in recognition of his rank as the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

After the Holy Mass at the Basilica, the Santo Niño will be fetched by naval officers from the Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN) and in a solemn El Camino del Capitan General march, the holy image will be brought to the Malacañang sa Sugbo where a naval vessel will be waiting.

From the Malacañang sa Sugbo, naval and coast guard vessels will render passing military honors to the Capitan General as He makes His way to Naval Base Rafael Ramos pier through the Cebu Channel.

Maritime tradition requires all vessels to dip their flags as a sign of respect.

Blowing of horns and gun salutes will also be part of the rites.

According to Soquino, this tradition of giving military honors to the Señor Santo Niño as Capitan General as celebrated by Spanish forces in the Philippines is likened to the Our Lady of La Naval fluvial parade until the turn of the century.

The La Naval is still being celebrated by the Navy.

This will also be the first time that the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will be flown by a Philippine Navy ship, he added.

Also, another foot procession to the Navy Chapel from Naval Base Rafael Ramos pier inside the Navy compound in Mactan at 9 a.m. of that day.

The event will be followed by a Holy Mass in honor of the Capitan-General to be officiated by the Military Ordinary, His Excellency, Leopoldo S. Tumulak, D.D. concelebrated by Augustinian Friars and Military Chaplains inside the Base for all seafarers and protectors of the sea.

A public veneration will be allowed at the Navy Chapel from 10am to 3 p.m.

After which the Navy will bring back the Capitan General to the Basilica via Cebu Channel.

The Santo Niño is expected to arrive at the Malacañang sa Sugbo pier shortly after 4 p.m.

A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers will greet the Santo Niño as it heads back to the Basilica. This is called the Tornaviaje del Santo Niño.

The Kaplag Mass at 5:30 p.m. will follow as the Santo Niño arrives in the Basilica.

After the mass, the re-enactment of the Kaplag will be interpreted by the San Diego dancers at the Pilgrim Center grounds.

Soquino explained that the sobriquet Capitan General of the Señor Santo Niño is highlighted in this year's Kaplag Festival by the Augustinians to remind the public that as Capitan General the Señor Santo Niño serves as a protector of all seafarers, mariners and the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

Soquino said they will also formally launch on that day this year's Duaw Santo Niño where the Santo Niño will be going to the islands and coastal municipalities to promote maritime security, safety and protection of environment.

Soquino is president of the Knight-Stewards of the Sea, Inc. (Seaknights), an environmental group of scuba divers.

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679056&publicationSubCategoryId=531
Sto. Niño is "Most Esteemed"
By Liv G. Campo (The Freeman) Updated April 24, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

CEBU, Philippines - On the 446th anniversary celebration of the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño or "Kaplag," the Philippine Navy on April 28 will bestow on the Holy Child the title "Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas," or the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

Based on history, the icon of the Sto. Niño was discovered on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, inside a nipa hut in Cebu, the same spot where the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño now stands.

The icon is believed to be a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years before it was discovered in that shack.

According to Fr. Tito Soquino of the Basilica, on Thursday (April 28), the Kaplag will be commemorated with the usual Mass (6 a.m.) and re-enactment, plus the highlight which is the naval honors for the Santo Niño in recognition of his rank as the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

After the Holy Mass at the Basilica, the Santo Niño will be fetched by naval officers from the Naval Forces Central (NAVFORCEN) and in a solemn El Camino del Capitan General march, the holy image will be brought to the Malacañang sa Sugbo where a naval vessel will be waiting.

From the Malacañang sa Sugbo, naval and coast guard vessels will render passing military honors to the Capitan General as He makes His way to Naval Base Rafael Ramos pier through the Cebu Channel.

Maritime tradition requires all vessels to dip their flags as a sign of respect.

Blowing of horns and gun salutes will also be part of the rites.

According to Soquino, this tradition of giving military honors to the Señor Santo Niño as Capitan General as celebrated by Spanish forces in the Philippines is likened to the Our Lady of La Naval fluvial parade until the turn of the century.

The La Naval is still being celebrated by the Navy.

This will also be the first time that the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will be flown by a Philippine Navy ship, he added.

Also, another foot procession to the Navy Chapel from Naval Base Rafael Ramos pier inside the Navy compound in Mactan at 9 a.m. of that day.

The event will be followed by a Holy Mass in honor of the Capitan-General to be officiated by the Military Ordinary, His Excellency, Leopoldo S. Tumulak, D.D. concelebrated by Augustinian Friars and Military Chaplains inside the Base for all seafarers and protectors of the sea.

A public veneration will be allowed at the Navy Chapel from 10am to 3 p.m.

After which the Navy will bring back the Capitan General to the Basilica via Cebu Channel.

The Santo Niño is expected to arrive at the Malacañang sa Sugbo pier shortly after 4 p.m.

A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers will greet the Santo Niño as it heads back to the Basilica. This is called the Tornaviaje del Santo Niño.

The Kaplag Mass at 5:30 p.m. will follow as the Santo Niño arrives in the Basilica.

After the mass, the re-enactment of the Kaplag will be interpreted by the San Diego dancers at the Pilgrim Center grounds.

Soquino explained that the sobriquet Capitan General of the Señor Santo Niño is highlighted in this year's Kaplag Festival by the Augustinians to remind the public that as Capitan General the Señor Santo Niño serves as a protector of all seafarers, mariners and the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

Soquino said they will also formally launch on that day this year's Duaw Santo Niño where the Santo Niño will be going to the islands and coastal municipalities to promote maritime security, safety and protection of environment.

Soquino is president of the Knight-Stewards of the Sea, Inc. (Seaknights), an environmental group of scuba divers.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9522
Archeological diggings set for May
4/25/2011
By Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent

The Boljoon Heritage Foundation is hoping to conduct another archeological excavation in the Boljoon Church plaza this May.

Lindzey Romero, president of the Boljoon Heritage Foundation, told Cebu Daily News on Thursday that they were halfway on their request to the Archdiocese of Cebu for another digging within the grounds of the Patrocinio de Maria Church in Boljoon town.

Romero said she was optimistic that Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma would approve their request because the excavation would help further tell the exact history of Boljoon.

She said the foundation had made already five archeological excavations in Boljoon town where pre-Hispanic archeological artifacts were recovered.

These include potteries and a meter-long gold necklace.

In its fifth excavation in 2009, Japanese ceramics were unearthed from the excavation site. These include a blue-and-white double gourd jarlet, a red overglaze bottle and a very large shallow bowl or charger with enamel designs copying those found in chinaware.

Romero said she believed that unearthing more of these artifacts would confirm their theory that Boljoon was once a center of trade in Southeast Cebu before the arrival of the Spaniards.

“As Boljo-anons among ma-trace nga ang geographical landscape was one of the favorable place nga maka-dock,” Romero said.

Romero said the next excavation would justify that Boljoon was already an old settlement before the Spaniards came.

With further excavations, Romero said that this will prove that Boljoon town was one of the biggest “baluarte” (bailiwick) in the Visayan Region during 1813 when Boljo-anons (people of Boljoon) fought against the invasion of Moros.

“Baluarte” is a Spanish term for a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle.

Romero said the structure of the Boljoon church and its surrounding structures were a manifestation that this was built as a telegraph system.

This telegraph system was used for people to be aware of the Moro piracy during those periods.

In his lecture at the Cebu Cathedral Museum in 2008, Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal said that the interest in treasures unearthed in Boljoon is “not only the concern of the academe and the Church. It is everybody’s concern.”

Some of the archaeological finds are on display at the Cebu Cathedral Museum.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9522
Archeological diggings set for May
4/25/2011
By Carmel Loise Matus, Correspondent

The Boljoon Heritage Foundation is hoping to conduct another archeological excavation in the Boljoon Church plaza this May.

Lindzey Romero, president of the Boljoon Heritage Foundation, told Cebu Daily News on Thursday that they were halfway on their request to the Archdiocese of Cebu for another digging within the grounds of the Patrocinio de Maria Church in Boljoon town.

Romero said she was optimistic that Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma would approve their request because the excavation would help further tell the exact history of Boljoon.

She said the foundation had made already five archeological excavations in Boljoon town where pre-Hispanic archeological artifacts were recovered.

These include potteries and a meter-long gold necklace.

In its fifth excavation in 2009, Japanese ceramics were unearthed from the excavation site. These include a blue-and-white double gourd jarlet, a red overglaze bottle and a very large shallow bowl or charger with enamel designs copying those found in chinaware.

Romero said she believed that unearthing more of these artifacts would confirm their theory that Boljoon was once a center of trade in Southeast Cebu before the arrival of the Spaniards.

“As Boljo-anons among ma-trace nga ang geographical landscape was one of the favorable place nga maka-dock,” Romero said.

Romero said the next excavation would justify that Boljoon was already an old settlement before the Spaniards came.

With further excavations, Romero said that this will prove that Boljoon town was one of the biggest “baluarte” (bailiwick) in the Visayan Region during 1813 when Boljo-anons (people of Boljoon) fought against the invasion of Moros.

“Baluarte” is a Spanish term for a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle.

Romero said the structure of the Boljoon church and its surrounding structures were a manifestation that this was built as a telegraph system.

This telegraph system was used for people to be aware of the Moro piracy during those periods.

In his lecture at the Cebu Cathedral Museum in 2008, Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal said that the interest in treasures unearthed in Boljoon is “not only the concern of the academe and the Church. It is everybody’s concern.”

Some of the archaeological finds are on display at the Cebu Cathedral Museum.

^^

wrong report.

first, lindzey is a he not a she hahahahah!

second, the foundation is not the one doing the dig but we always get their support.

third, wala pa gani mi makapangayo og permit ni archbp. palma. kuyawan na hinuon ko if maglibog siya kung kinsa gyud ang mag-excavate.

but this much is clear:

the project is funded by Sumitomo Foundation
it is to be carried out by USC and the National Museum.

finally, we are crossing our fingers that this will push through, given the overkap between this and the join excavations back in San Remigio in June between USC, the University of Guam and some Luce Fellows from the Univ. of Hawaii.


:banana:

^^

wrong report.

first, lindzey is a he not a she hahahahah!

second, the foundation is not the one doing the dig but we always get their support.

third, wala pa gani mi makapangayo og permit ni archbp. palma. kuyawan na hinuon ko if maglibog siya kung kinsa gyud ang mag-excavate.

but this much is clear:

the project is funded by Sumitomo Foundation
it is to be carried out by USC and the National Museum.

finally, we are crossing our fingers that this will push through, given the overkap between this and the join excavations back in San Remigio in June between USC, the University of Guam and some Luce Fellows from the Univ. of Hawaii.


:banana:

In case anyone is interested, please join us for the launching of this book:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/abellanabook.jpg


The details are shown below on this invitation:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg


the book will sell at P300.00 each.

In case anyone is interested, please join us for the launching of this book:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/abellanabook.jpg


The details are shown below on this invitation:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg


the book will sell at P300.00 each.

^^^^


Thanks, Ka Bino. Please tell the texter, he or she assumes too much that we found a gold belt.

We brought a book about the gold at the Bangko Sentral Museum so that we could compare with the stories people there told us about the gold they excavated.

The gall of the ignorant texter ha to accuse us of getting gold when we only found earthenware more precious than gold in terms of the information they contain.

Oh, well, an earthworm can end up becoming a snake as people pass its story around.

Stupid, ignorant and uninformed. This is very sad for a country in the 21st century and it speaks volumes about the state of cultural knowledge and information dissemination in this country.

thanks for helping clarify our work.

please text the texter to visit our blog:

archaeosanremigio@blogspot.com

and tell him the Iron Age is called as such because there is no gold to be found in the burials, or else perhaps archaeologists would have called it the Gold Age tsk tsk tsk!

:lol:

Sad but true, daghang taho mo jump into conclusion with out asking questions or investigating thing..

mao nga i used the tools at my disposal in informing the uninformed

i hope that absolve me from not fulfilling my promise to visit your San Rem Dig...

Haha my southern bias in action

^^^^


Thanks, Ka Bino. Please tell the texter, he or she assumes too much that we found a gold belt.

We brought a book about the gold at the Bangko Sentral Museum so that we could compare with the stories people there told us about the gold they excavated.

The gall of the ignorant texter ha to accuse us of getting gold when we only found earthenware more precious than gold in terms of the information they contain.

Oh, well, an earthworm can end up becoming a snake as people pass its story around.

Stupid, ignorant and uninformed. This is very sad for a country in the 21st century and it speaks volumes about the state of cultural knowledge and information dissemination in this country.

thanks for helping clarify our work.

please text the texter to visit our blog:

archaeosanremigio@blogspot.com

and tell him the Iron Age is called as such because there is no gold to be found in the burials, or else perhaps archaeologists would have called it the Gold Age tsk tsk tsk!

:lol:

Sad but true, daghang taho mo jump into conclusion with out asking questions or investigating thing..

mao nga i used the tools at my disposal in informing the uninformed

i hope that absolve me from not fulfilling my promise to visit your San Rem Dig...

Haha my southern bias in action

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679655&publicationSubCategoryId=531
"Kaplag" to mark 446th anniversary
By Janice G. Emate, NORSU MassComm Intern (The Freeman) Updated April 26, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

CEBU, Philippines - The Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu and the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation, Inc. (SNAF) will celebrate the 446th anniversary of 'Kaplag' on Thursday focusing on Señor Santo Niño as the El Capitan General (Lord Admiral of the Sea).

The event will be held in collaboration with the Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club, and the office of Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña.

The 'Kaplag' commemorates the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in a nipa hut in Cebu.

Today, the basilica stands on the very same spot where the hut once stood.

It is also believed that the image was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years ago.

The event is commemorated with the usual early morning mass followed by a short procession to the Malacañang sa Sugbo.

The public is expected to experience traffic disruption around the basilica.

A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers will acknowledge the Santo Niño as the image heads back to the Basilica in the afternoon.

The day-long activity will include the naval honors for the Santo Niño as recognition of its rank as the most esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

For the first time, the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will travel on a Philippine Navy ship.

Specifically invited are the navy, Coast guard, ports police, maritime police and the heads of bantay dagat in the whole region.

The festival will also be an occasion to formally launch this year's 'Duaw Santo Niño'.

The image will be going to the islands and coastal municipalities to promote maritime security, and safety and protection of the environment.

The highlight of this year's 'Kaplag' Festival is the sobriquet Capitan General of Señor Santo Niño to remind the public that as Captain General, the Santo Niño serves as a protector of all seafarers, mariners, and the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=679655&publicationSubCategoryId=531
"Kaplag" to mark 446th anniversary
By Janice G. Emate, NORSU MassComm Intern (The Freeman) Updated April 26, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

CEBU, Philippines - The Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu and the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation, Inc. (SNAF) will celebrate the 446th anniversary of 'Kaplag' on Thursday focusing on Señor Santo Niño as the El Capitan General (Lord Admiral of the Sea).

The event will be held in collaboration with the Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club, and the office of Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña.

The 'Kaplag' commemorates the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in a nipa hut in Cebu.

Today, the basilica stands on the very same spot where the hut once stood.

It is also believed that the image was a gift from Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years ago.

The event is commemorated with the usual early morning mass followed by a short procession to the Malacañang sa Sugbo.

The public is expected to experience traffic disruption around the basilica.

A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers will acknowledge the Santo Niño as the image heads back to the Basilica in the afternoon.

The day-long activity will include the naval honors for the Santo Niño as recognition of its rank as the most esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

For the first time, the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will travel on a Philippine Navy ship.

Specifically invited are the navy, Coast guard, ports police, maritime police and the heads of bantay dagat in the whole region.

The festival will also be an occasion to formally launch this year's 'Duaw Santo Niño'.

The image will be going to the islands and coastal municipalities to promote maritime security, and safety and protection of the environment.

The highlight of this year's 'Kaplag' Festival is the sobriquet Capitan General of Señor Santo Niño to remind the public that as Captain General, the Santo Niño serves as a protector of all seafarers, mariners, and the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

In case anyone is interested, please join us for the launching of this book:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/abellanabook.jpg


The details are shown below on this invitation:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/invitation.jpg


the book will sell at P300.00 each.

Niadtong Abril 9 pa diay ni sir? Is that the accurate date on the invite?

In case anyone is interested, please join us for the launching of this book:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/abellanabook.jpg


The details are shown below on this invitation:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/invitation.jpg


the book will sell at P300.00 each.

Niadtong Abril 9 pa diay ni sir? Is that the accurate date on the invite?

Im excited to see Sugbo TV's feature on Bantayan's Semana Santa.

@Sir Jobs, tagai unya kog DVD copy ha. Thanks!

Im excited to see Sugbo TV's feature on Bantayan's Semana Santa.

@Sir Jobs, tagai unya kog DVD copy ha. Thanks!

God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...


Correct ma baboy na.

If the Bureau of Customs will get back the building (Malacanan sa Sugbo) here's what will probably happen:

1.) Carenderias will be sprouting within the vicinity of the building;

2.) A carenderia will sprout inside the building;

3.) Window-type airconditioning units will appear in the windows and in the balconies;

4.) The walls of the building will be plastered with posters, notices, faces of politicians, campaign posters, etc.;

5.) A basketball court will rise beside the building;

6.) Dilapidated government vehicles will be parked right in front and at the sides of the building thereby destroying the plants, the landscape, etc.

7.) An expansion or an extension of the building will be built; worst if the extension will look like a shanty, kanang dinaginot kaayo ba.

8.) Sand and Gravel plus other construction materials kay itambak sa kilid even if wala nay gamit just like what I see in other government buildings.


tsk..tsk..


.

God forbid... no!!! Otherwise, ma-baboy na pud ni nga building. Give them another building nga puwede baboyon. Kanang puwede ra butangan ug window-type aircon wherever they want, or they can board up whatever window they want, or dangle ugly electrical wiring...


Correct ma baboy na.

If the Bureau of Customs will get back the building (Malacanan sa Sugbo) here's what will probably happen:

1.) Carenderias will be sprouting within the vicinity of the building;

2.) A carenderia will sprout inside the building;

3.) Window-type airconditioning units will appear in the windows and in the balconies;

4.) The walls of the building will be plastered with posters, notices, faces of politicians, campaign posters, etc.;

5.) A basketball court will rise beside the building;

6.) Dilapidated government vehicles will be parked right in front and at the sides of the building thereby destroying the plants, the landscape, etc.

7.) An expansion or an extension of the building will be built; worst if the extension will look like a shanty, kanang dinaginot kaayo ba.

8.) Sand and Gravel plus other construction materials kay itambak sa kilid even if wala nay gamit just like what I see in other government buildings.


tsk..tsk..


.

Niadtong Abril 9 pa diay ni sir? Is that the accurate date on the invite?

sus, ako secretary sent the wrong file. this is the correct one:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg

Niadtong Abril 9 pa diay ni sir? Is that the accurate date on the invite?

sus, ako secretary sent the wrong file. this is the correct one:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg

Im excited to see Sugbo TV's feature on Bantayan's Semana Santa.

@Sir Jobs, tagai unya kog DVD copy ha. Thanks!

sure. we plan to air it this saturday at the latest or monday next week...

Im excited to see Sugbo TV's feature on Bantayan's Semana Santa.

@Sir Jobs, tagai unya kog DVD copy ha. Thanks!

sure. we plan to air it this saturday at the latest or monday next week...

sus, ako secretary sent the wrong file. this is the correct one:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg

Naay Book Signing with the Author :lol:

sus, ako secretary sent the wrong file. this is the correct one:


http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i150/jbersales/booklaunching-invitation.jpg

Naay Book Signing with the Author :lol:

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680018&publicationSubCategoryId=107
No more vendors allowed in Plaza Independencia
By Garry B. Lao/BRP (The Freeman) Updated April 27, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Ambulant vendors who used to sell inside the Plaza Independencia will be barred from displaying their wares there with the opening of the renovated park this coming May 8.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the plaza will be strictly off-limits to vendors in order to maintain cleanliness.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, chairman of the Parks and Playground Commission, also said the opening and closing hours of the plaza will also be regulated to preserve the plants and save electricity.

Cabrera said the plaza will be open Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. For weekends and holidays, it will be open until midnight.

Visiting foreign and local tourists as well as people who want to stroll in the plaza should observe cleanliness, Cabrera said. She said that Cebu City Ordinance 1361 will be strictly observed and there shall be no spitting, littering and urinating inside the plaza.

Smoking inside the plaza is also prohibited.

Cabrera said that organizers of any activity, whether government or non-government organizations, should secure a permit from the Cebu City Parks and Playground Commission to use the area.

According to Cabrera, there will be more security personnel to be assigned to the plaza to make it sure that cleanliness is being observed.

The renovation cost was pegged at P16.9 million.

Formerly called Plaza Libertad, Plaza Independencia was renovated to afford visitors a view of the nearby Malacañang of the South and the Cebu harbor.

The plaza was the site of the old Gobierno Provincia (provincial government) and was dominated by the obelisk of Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. –(FREEMAN)

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680018&publicationSubCategoryId=107
No more vendors allowed in Plaza Independencia
By Garry B. Lao/BRP (The Freeman) Updated April 27, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Ambulant vendors who used to sell inside the Plaza Independencia will be barred from displaying their wares there with the opening of the renovated park this coming May 8.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said the plaza will be strictly off-limits to vendors in order to maintain cleanliness.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, chairman of the Parks and Playground Commission, also said the opening and closing hours of the plaza will also be regulated to preserve the plants and save electricity.

Cabrera said the plaza will be open Monday to Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. For weekends and holidays, it will be open until midnight.

Visiting foreign and local tourists as well as people who want to stroll in the plaza should observe cleanliness, Cabrera said. She said that Cebu City Ordinance 1361 will be strictly observed and there shall be no spitting, littering and urinating inside the plaza.

Smoking inside the plaza is also prohibited.

Cabrera said that organizers of any activity, whether government or non-government organizations, should secure a permit from the Cebu City Parks and Playground Commission to use the area.

According to Cabrera, there will be more security personnel to be assigned to the plaza to make it sure that cleanliness is being observed.

The renovation cost was pegged at P16.9 million.

Formerly called Plaza Libertad, Plaza Independencia was renovated to afford visitors a view of the nearby Malacañang of the South and the Cebu harbor.

The plaza was the site of the old Gobierno Provincia (provincial government) and was dominated by the obelisk of Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi. –(FREEMAN)

Naay Book Signing with the Author :lol:

atay oi...the author's children na lang intawn.

:ohno:

Naay Book Signing with the Author :lol:

atay oi...the author's children na lang intawn.

:ohno:

^^

wrong report.

first, lindzey is a he not a she hahahahah!

second, the foundation is not the one doing the dig but we always get their support.

third, wala pa gani mi makapangayo og permit ni archbp. palma. kuyawan na hinuon ko if maglibog siya kung kinsa gyud ang mag-excavate.

but this much is clear:

the project is funded by Sumitomo Foundation
it is to be carried out by USC and the National Museum.

finally, we are crossing our fingers that this will push through, given the overkap between this and the join excavations back in San Remigio in June between USC, the University of Guam and some Luce Fellows from the Univ. of Hawaii.


:banana:

I wonder how the interview was done? By phone? Because the reporter clearly does not realize that Lindzey Romero is a HE. She keeps quoting Romero about what a baluarte is and what the rest of the structures in Boljoon signify. Murag karon pa gyud siya kabalo ani nga mga butanga.

She should have perused the Balaanong Bahandi copy of CDN or at least borrowed Eileen's copy.

I would like to vehemently comment that the Boljoon artifacts are NOT in the Cathedral Museum of Cebu!!!!! Pangita-an unya mi sa mga taga Boljoon.

I find it sad that most media reporters do not research before writing a story.

^^

wrong report.

first, lindzey is a he not a she hahahahah!

second, the foundation is not the one doing the dig but we always get their support.

third, wala pa gani mi makapangayo og permit ni archbp. palma. kuyawan na hinuon ko if maglibog siya kung kinsa gyud ang mag-excavate.

but this much is clear:

the project is funded by Sumitomo Foundation
it is to be carried out by USC and the National Museum.

finally, we are crossing our fingers that this will push through, given the overkap between this and the join excavations back in San Remigio in June between USC, the University of Guam and some Luce Fellows from the Univ. of Hawaii.


:banana:

I wonder how the interview was done? By phone? Because the reporter clearly does not realize that Lindzey Romero is a HE. She keeps quoting Romero about what a baluarte is and what the rest of the structures in Boljoon signify. Murag karon pa gyud siya kabalo ani nga mga butanga.

She should have perused the Balaanong Bahandi copy of CDN or at least borrowed Eileen's copy.

I would like to vehemently comment that the Boljoon artifacts are NOT in the Cathedral Museum of Cebu!!!!! Pangita-an unya mi sa mga taga Boljoon.

I find it sad that most media reporters do not research before writing a story.

I wonder how the interview was done? By phone? Because the reporter clearly does not realize that Lindzey Romero is a HE. She keeps quoting Romero about what a baluarte is and what the rest of the structures in Boljoon signify. Murag karon pa gyud siya kabalo ani nga mga butanga.

She should have perused the Balaanong Bahandi copy of CDN or at least borrowed Eileen's copy.

I would like to vehemently comment that the Boljoon artifacts are NOT in the Cathedral Museum of Cebu!!!!! Pangita-an unya mi sa mga taga Boljoon.

I find it sad that most media reporters do not research before writing a story.

lindzey daw went to these three writers who were taking advantage of the wi fi across boljoon church.

they did not interview him. he just volunteered information.

i asked why he never mentioned usc or national museum because these are the only ones who can carry out excavations, not the foundation. wa byay pundo and wa pod permit for the foundation.

oh well. that's called grabbing the headlines hahahah!

editorial mistake ang she. i think the copyeditor, wa kaila ni lindzey, thought nga sayop ang writer. so he became she.

lesson to be learned: ayaw angkon sa gimbuhaton nga dili pa klaro.

wa pa gani mi kakuha og permit sa archbishop. paet.

bahala na if wala mamention ang usc or ako. at least embargo unta the news first until finalized na.

still, we will be working with the foundation and i will make sure next time that media releases are clearly defined and designated.

I wonder how the interview was done? By phone? Because the reporter clearly does not realize that Lindzey Romero is a HE. She keeps quoting Romero about what a baluarte is and what the rest of the structures in Boljoon signify. Murag karon pa gyud siya kabalo ani nga mga butanga.

She should have perused the Balaanong Bahandi copy of CDN or at least borrowed Eileen's copy.

I would like to vehemently comment that the Boljoon artifacts are NOT in the Cathedral Museum of Cebu!!!!! Pangita-an unya mi sa mga taga Boljoon.

I find it sad that most media reporters do not research before writing a story.

lindzey daw went to these three writers who were taking advantage of the wi fi across boljoon church.

they did not interview him. he just volunteered information.

i asked why he never mentioned usc or national museum because these are the only ones who can carry out excavations, not the foundation. wa byay pundo and wa pod permit for the foundation.

oh well. that's called grabbing the headlines hahahah!

editorial mistake ang she. i think the copyeditor, wa kaila ni lindzey, thought nga sayop ang writer. so he became she.

lesson to be learned: ayaw angkon sa gimbuhaton nga dili pa klaro.

wa pa gani mi kakuha og permit sa archbishop. paet.

bahala na if wala mamention ang usc or ako. at least embargo unta the news first until finalized na.

still, we will be working with the foundation and i will make sure next time that media releases are clearly defined and designated.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110428-333416/Jovito-Abellanas-Agony
Past Forward
Jovito Abellana’s Agony
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:23:00 04/28/2011

He survived World War II and lived for another 50 years carrying with him the burden of memory, one that he began to put into writing even as the war was still raging on in his midst. This Saturday, those memories, packed in a 258-page book, will be launched by the University of San Carlos Press appropriately at the Gregorio and Jovito Abellana Special Gallery at Museo Sugbo, the Cebu Provincial Museum, at exactly 10 o’clock in the morning.

“My Moments of War To Remember By” took all of 61 long years to finally see the light of day. Alas, some five years after the passing of its author who devoted his postwar years to pursuits in history, cultural heritage and the arts at a time when it was not fashionable to do so and where only a handful saw the need to preserve Cebu City’s dwindling reminders of its past.

The four months of torture, of seeing his fellow Cebuanos slowly wilt and die before his eyes, are but—as the title he chose suggests—mere moments in his life. But I warn the reader to prepare for an assault on the senses as page after page graphically chronicles the harrowing experiences of men and women who were caught while fighting for freedom during the Japanese Occupation in Cebu.

While Jovito Abellana did find later a very kind Japanese soldier named Jiro Mizuguchi whom he befriended (the two became long-time friends after the war), there is no praise in this book for the Kempeitai, the Japanese Secret Military Police, and their Cebuano spies or “undercovers” as they were called then. Jovito wrote his book not just to expose the frailty of the human spirit in general when the violence of war descends on civility but also to specifically expose those fellow Cebuanos, some of them his pre-war friends and acquaintances, who turned bestial and chose the path of collaboration with the enemy.

But more than his personal agony, “My Moments of War” is in itself a retelling of what happened inside Cebu City and its outskirts throughout the war. It in a way complements Col. Manuel Segura’s “Tabunan” and the “Koga Papers” – precious pioneering books on the guerrilla war and the resistance in Cebu – in that Abellana provides detailed descriptions of civilian life.

There is, thus, very little in the book about the activities of the guerrilla movement simply because this was not Abellana’s milieu. He was an everyday man trying as hard as he could to raise his family of eight in a city that was increasingly becoming dreadful by the day and terrifying by night, where husbands or sons who would not return home one day would be found inside the Kempeitai torture chambers at the basement of the Cebu Normal School (today, the Cebu Normal University).

Had not war intervened, Abellana would have been happily staking coal mining claims for Don Gil Garcia, the late owner of the Visayan Electric Co. His very early days in the war were in fact lived out in one of the coal mines he established in Danao. But his cousin Gov. Hilario Abellana had other plans for him, plans that eventually brought him into the vortex of violence and torture as the Japanese Kempeitai eventually saw through his connections with the governor, who was put to death by the Japanese and whose body, like those of Gov. Jose Leyson and Paulino Gullas, has never been found.

There is so much that remains unknown about life in Cebu City during the Japanese Occupation. But with Jovito Abellana’s book, a large part of this gap has finally been filled. If you want to know why, then it is prudent to get a copy of the book, which will sell at only P300.00 each, a cheap price to pay to know more about the war. If you want to be present at the launching, please call Tina or Anita at 2531000 loc. 175 for more details. USC Press wishes to thank Bobit Avila for providing the all-important Foreword of the book, and to Dr. Erlinda Alburo for copyediting the entire manuscript.

* * *

Museo Sugbo, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Ateneo Art Gallery will host “The Cebu Art Forum” today from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Art and Changing Gallery of the museum. Artists from Cebu and Manila will be on hand to assess the state of Cebuano art. Admission is free but seats are limited. The lecture is part of the opening of an art exhibition at Casa Gorordo sponsored by RAFI and the Ateneo Art Gallery.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110428-333416/Jovito-Abellanas-Agony
Past Forward
Jovito Abellana’s Agony
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:23:00 04/28/2011

He survived World War II and lived for another 50 years carrying with him the burden of memory, one that he began to put into writing even as the war was still raging on in his midst. This Saturday, those memories, packed in a 258-page book, will be launched by the University of San Carlos Press appropriately at the Gregorio and Jovito Abellana Special Gallery at Museo Sugbo, the Cebu Provincial Museum, at exactly 10 o’clock in the morning.

“My Moments of War To Remember By” took all of 61 long years to finally see the light of day. Alas, some five years after the passing of its author who devoted his postwar years to pursuits in history, cultural heritage and the arts at a time when it was not fashionable to do so and where only a handful saw the need to preserve Cebu City’s dwindling reminders of its past.

The four months of torture, of seeing his fellow Cebuanos slowly wilt and die before his eyes, are but—as the title he chose suggests—mere moments in his life. But I warn the reader to prepare for an assault on the senses as page after page graphically chronicles the harrowing experiences of men and women who were caught while fighting for freedom during the Japanese Occupation in Cebu.

While Jovito Abellana did find later a very kind Japanese soldier named Jiro Mizuguchi whom he befriended (the two became long-time friends after the war), there is no praise in this book for the Kempeitai, the Japanese Secret Military Police, and their Cebuano spies or “undercovers” as they were called then. Jovito wrote his book not just to expose the frailty of the human spirit in general when the violence of war descends on civility but also to specifically expose those fellow Cebuanos, some of them his pre-war friends and acquaintances, who turned bestial and chose the path of collaboration with the enemy.

But more than his personal agony, “My Moments of War” is in itself a retelling of what happened inside Cebu City and its outskirts throughout the war. It in a way complements Col. Manuel Segura’s “Tabunan” and the “Koga Papers” – precious pioneering books on the guerrilla war and the resistance in Cebu – in that Abellana provides detailed descriptions of civilian life.

There is, thus, very little in the book about the activities of the guerrilla movement simply because this was not Abellana’s milieu. He was an everyday man trying as hard as he could to raise his family of eight in a city that was increasingly becoming dreadful by the day and terrifying by night, where husbands or sons who would not return home one day would be found inside the Kempeitai torture chambers at the basement of the Cebu Normal School (today, the Cebu Normal University).

Had not war intervened, Abellana would have been happily staking coal mining claims for Don Gil Garcia, the late owner of the Visayan Electric Co. His very early days in the war were in fact lived out in one of the coal mines he established in Danao. But his cousin Gov. Hilario Abellana had other plans for him, plans that eventually brought him into the vortex of violence and torture as the Japanese Kempeitai eventually saw through his connections with the governor, who was put to death by the Japanese and whose body, like those of Gov. Jose Leyson and Paulino Gullas, has never been found.

There is so much that remains unknown about life in Cebu City during the Japanese Occupation. But with Jovito Abellana’s book, a large part of this gap has finally been filled. If you want to know why, then it is prudent to get a copy of the book, which will sell at only P300.00 each, a cheap price to pay to know more about the war. If you want to be present at the launching, please call Tina or Anita at 2531000 loc. 175 for more details. USC Press wishes to thank Bobit Avila for providing the all-important Foreword of the book, and to Dr. Erlinda Alburo for copyediting the entire manuscript.

* * *

Museo Sugbo, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. and Ateneo Art Gallery will host “The Cebu Art Forum” today from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Art and Changing Gallery of the museum. Artists from Cebu and Manila will be on hand to assess the state of Cebuano art. Admission is free but seats are limited. The lecture is part of the opening of an art exhibition at Casa Gorordo sponsored by RAFI and the Ateneo Art Gallery.

"Kaplag" Festival 446th anniversary
April 28, 2011

The Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu and the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation, Inc. (SNAF) commemorates the 446th anniversary of 'Kaplag' focusing on Señor Santo Niño as the El Capitan General (Lord Admiral of the Sea).

The 'Kaplag' commemorates the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in a nipa hut in Cebu.
Today, the basilica stands on the very same spot where the hut once stood.

In collaboration with Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club, and the office of Cebu City Councilor

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/1954/42833552.jpg

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/2230/10628451.jpg

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/4429/85310450.jpg

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9664/45519430.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/544/20995609.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4040/81164490.jpg

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1475/97896948.jpg

http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/3323/39266475.jpg

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/7081/94278571.jpg

http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8080/57402881.jpg

For the first time, the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo
Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will
travel on a Philippine Navy ship.
Specifically invited are the navy, coast guard, ports police, maritime police and the heads of bantay dagat
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The Fluvial Procession to Mactan Island.
1st time to visit the island of Mactan as every Sinulog Feast, it will only pass by the
Mactan Channel but never had a procession in the island.
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"Kaplag" Festival 446th anniversary
April 28, 2011

The Basilica del Santo Niño de Cebu and the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation, Inc. (SNAF) commemorates the 446th anniversary of 'Kaplag' focusing on Señor Santo Niño as the El Capitan General (Lord Admiral of the Sea).

The 'Kaplag' commemorates the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi in a nipa hut in Cebu.
Today, the basilica stands on the very same spot where the hut once stood.

In collaboration with Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club, and the office of Cebu City Councilor

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For the first time, the coat-of-arms of the Celentisimo
Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas will
travel on a Philippine Navy ship.
Specifically invited are the navy, coast guard, ports police, maritime police and the heads of bantay dagat
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The Fluvial Procession to Mactan Island.
1st time to visit the island of Mactan as every Sinulog Feast, it will only pass by the
Mactan Channel but never had a procession in the island.
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http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9574
Navy honors Sto. Niño as captain
4/29/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

Naval honors were presented to Señor Sto. Niño as “protector” of the sea in yesterday’s 446th anniversary of the rediscovery or “Kaplag” of the Holy Child’s image in Cebu.
Maritime authorities venerated the image in acknowledgment of Jesus Christ’s lordship over seafarers, mariners and the marine ecology.

The celebration recognized the Santo Niño’s historic title as Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas or “The Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines,”officials of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City said.

Members of the navy carried in a procession from the basilica.

The Holy Child’s image was encased in glass on an andas or platform decorated with yellow, red and orange flowers.

The procession passed by the Malacañang sa Sugbo. Ships blew horns to salute the image as it arrived at the pier with a throng of devotees.

The image was taken aboard the naval ship Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo 140 for a fluvial parade. The coat-of-arms of the Santo Niño travelled on a Philippine Navy ship for the first time.

Flanked by a private yacht and tugboats, the ship passed through the South Road Properties before docking at the Philippine Navy pier in Mactan Island.

Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate presided the Holy Mass.

In the afternoon, the image was returned to Cebu City where dancers welcomed the image with a Sinulog dance.

The celebration was concluded by a foot procession of the image that ended with a Mass in the basilica, where a reenactment of the rediscovery of the image was also performed.

The Kaplag festival commemorates the rediscovery of the image of the Child Jesus in a nipa hut in the then village of Cebu on April 28, 1565, by Juan Camus, a soldier of explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The image was the gift of Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521.

The celebration was spearheaded by the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation Inc. in collaboration with the Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club and the office of Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680766&publicationSubCategoryId=531
Navy honors Holy Child
Navy honors Holy Child
By Liv G. Campo (The Freeman) Updated April 29, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Navy yesterday morning gave the Sto. Niño military honors as the boat carrying the image passed by Pier 5, in acknowledgment of the Holy Child's rank as Capitan General.

The ceremony was part of the highlight of yesterday's commemoration of the anniversary of the finding of the image of the Holy Child 446 years ago in a hut where the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño now stands.

The holy image was brought to the Naval Based Rafael Ramos in Lapu-Lapu City where it stayed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for public veneration.

Commodore Zybil Carlos of the Philippine Navy said the event was "significant" for the navy considering that among the reasons why the Basilica held such activity is to call on the Sto. Niño to continue protecting the country's sea fearers, fishers, the sea wardens, and the people in the navy.

Fr. Tito Soquino, in his homily during the mass at the Basilica before the Sto. Niño was taken to the Malacañang sa Sugbu for the fluvial parade, said there have been "lots of maritime accidents" in the country as it is an archipelagic nation, hence "we call Him to protect us…"

As a sign of respect to their Captain General, several boats sounded their horns when the navy ship carrying the Sto. Niño passed by.

The event was not only significant for the navy but also for the people of Mactan Island.

Soquiño said it was the first time in several years that the Sto. Niño had set foot in the island since typically the holy image would only traverse the island's waters during the traditional fluvial procession in January, a day before His feast.

Carlos said the event might be marked every year.

Based on history, the icon of the Sto. Niño was discovered in April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The icon is believed to be a gift of Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years before it was discovered in that shack.(FREEMAN)

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/04/29/let-us-relish-nino-s-tales-priest-152630
Let us relish Niño’s tales: priest
Friday, April 29, 2011

AS it commemorated the 446th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño yesterday, the Church spread the message that the Sto. Niño serves as protector of all seafarers and mariners.

“Ang ilang tinuod nga commander-in-chief dili tawhanon nga heneral (The seafarers’ true commander-in-chief is not a human general),” said Fr. Tito Soquiño during the early morning mass at the Basilica yesterday to commence the day-long Kaplag festival.

The Kaplag is an annual commemoration of the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 in a nipa hut in Cebu, where the the Basilica del Sto. Niño stands
today.

“Let us relish these stories, let us make these stories part of our lives,” said Fr. Soquiño of the tales behind the discovery of the Holy Infant, the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

Fr. Soquiño called upon the Sto. Niño to continue to protect seafarers and the environment as “El Camino Del Capitan General: Lord Admiral of the Sea.”

Activities

During the mass, Fr. Soquiño enumerated the different activities during the day-long celebration, including the procession, honoring ceremony, and the public veneration.

Devotees crowded for the short foot procession as officers from the Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) fetched the Child Jesus and carried Him to the Malacañang sa Sugbu after the mass. From there, the Sto. Niño made His way to the Rafael Ramos Naval Base pier through the Cebu Channel.

The Child Jesus was then brought to Mactan for a public veneration at the Navy Chapel from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. yesterday, as parishioners from the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and Cordova town were allowed inside the base.

Military Ordinary Leopoldo Tumulak officiated the Misa En Honor del Capitan Heneral, or mass in honor of the Captain General, which was concelebrated by Augustinian friars and military chaplains inside the base for all the seafarers and the protectors of the sea.

Navy, coast guard, ports police, maritime police and heads of the Bantay Dagat in the region were invited for the mass.

Honors

Military Naval honors were also given to recognize the Señor Sto. Niño as the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas, or the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

By 3 p.m., the Navy brought the Sto. Niño back to Cebu, and the party arrived at the Malacañang sa Sugbu port area shortly after 4 p.m. A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers greeted the Navy.

Another mass was held at 5:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The Kaplag reenactment interpreted by the San Diego dancers at the Pilgrim Center grounds that concluded yesterday's activity. (FAITH MARIE L. SUMALINOG CNU BA Comm Intern)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 29, 2011.

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http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9574
Navy honors Sto. Niño as captain
4/29/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

Naval honors were presented to Señor Sto. Niño as “protector” of the sea in yesterday’s 446th anniversary of the rediscovery or “Kaplag” of the Holy Child’s image in Cebu.
Maritime authorities venerated the image in acknowledgment of Jesus Christ’s lordship over seafarers, mariners and the marine ecology.

The celebration recognized the Santo Niño’s historic title as Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas or “The Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines,”officials of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City said.

Members of the navy carried in a procession from the basilica.

The Holy Child’s image was encased in glass on an andas or platform decorated with yellow, red and orange flowers.

The procession passed by the Malacañang sa Sugbo. Ships blew horns to salute the image as it arrived at the pier with a throng of devotees.

The image was taken aboard the naval ship Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo 140 for a fluvial parade. The coat-of-arms of the Santo Niño travelled on a Philippine Navy ship for the first time.

Flanked by a private yacht and tugboats, the ship passed through the South Road Properties before docking at the Philippine Navy pier in Mactan Island.

Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak of the Military Ordinariate presided the Holy Mass.

In the afternoon, the image was returned to Cebu City where dancers welcomed the image with a Sinulog dance.

The celebration was concluded by a foot procession of the image that ended with a Mass in the basilica, where a reenactment of the rediscovery of the image was also performed.

The Kaplag festival commemorates the rediscovery of the image of the Child Jesus in a nipa hut in the then village of Cebu on April 28, 1565, by Juan Camus, a soldier of explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The image was the gift of Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521.

The celebration was spearheaded by the Santo Niño de Cebu Augustinian Social Development Foundation Inc. in collaboration with the Naval Forces Central, Philippine Coast Guard-Cebu District, Cebu Ports Authority, PNP Maritime Group, PNP Regional Police Office, Ocean Care Foundation, Cebu Yacht Club and the office of Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680766&publicationSubCategoryId=531
Navy honors Holy Child
Navy honors Holy Child
By Liv G. Campo (The Freeman) Updated April 29, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - The Philippine Navy yesterday morning gave the Sto. Niño military honors as the boat carrying the image passed by Pier 5, in acknowledgment of the Holy Child's rank as Capitan General.

The ceremony was part of the highlight of yesterday's commemoration of the anniversary of the finding of the image of the Holy Child 446 years ago in a hut where the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño now stands.

The holy image was brought to the Naval Based Rafael Ramos in Lapu-Lapu City where it stayed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for public veneration.

Commodore Zybil Carlos of the Philippine Navy said the event was "significant" for the navy considering that among the reasons why the Basilica held such activity is to call on the Sto. Niño to continue protecting the country's sea fearers, fishers, the sea wardens, and the people in the navy.

Fr. Tito Soquino, in his homily during the mass at the Basilica before the Sto. Niño was taken to the Malacañang sa Sugbu for the fluvial parade, said there have been "lots of maritime accidents" in the country as it is an archipelagic nation, hence "we call Him to protect us…"

As a sign of respect to their Captain General, several boats sounded their horns when the navy ship carrying the Sto. Niño passed by.

The event was not only significant for the navy but also for the people of Mactan Island.

Soquiño said it was the first time in several years that the Sto. Niño had set foot in the island since typically the holy image would only traverse the island's waters during the traditional fluvial procession in January, a day before His feast.

Carlos said the event might be marked every year.

Based on history, the icon of the Sto. Niño was discovered in April 28, 1565 by Juan Camus, a soldier of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

The icon is believed to be a gift of Ferdinand Magellan to Queen Juana 44 years before it was discovered in that shack.(FREEMAN)

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png?1286170363
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/04/29/let-us-relish-nino-s-tales-priest-152630
Let us relish Niño’s tales: priest
Friday, April 29, 2011

AS it commemorated the 446th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Sto. Niño yesterday, the Church spread the message that the Sto. Niño serves as protector of all seafarers and mariners.

“Ang ilang tinuod nga commander-in-chief dili tawhanon nga heneral (The seafarers’ true commander-in-chief is not a human general),” said Fr. Tito Soquiño during the early morning mass at the Basilica yesterday to commence the day-long Kaplag festival.

The Kaplag is an annual commemoration of the discovery of the image of the Child Jesus on April 28, 1565 in a nipa hut in Cebu, where the the Basilica del Sto. Niño stands
today.

“Let us relish these stories, let us make these stories part of our lives,” said Fr. Soquiño of the tales behind the discovery of the Holy Infant, the patron of maritime environment and ecology.

Fr. Soquiño called upon the Sto. Niño to continue to protect seafarers and the environment as “El Camino Del Capitan General: Lord Admiral of the Sea.”

Activities

During the mass, Fr. Soquiño enumerated the different activities during the day-long celebration, including the procession, honoring ceremony, and the public veneration.

Devotees crowded for the short foot procession as officers from the Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) fetched the Child Jesus and carried Him to the Malacañang sa Sugbu after the mass. From there, the Sto. Niño made His way to the Rafael Ramos Naval Base pier through the Cebu Channel.

The Child Jesus was then brought to Mactan for a public veneration at the Navy Chapel from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. yesterday, as parishioners from the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and Cordova town were allowed inside the base.

Military Ordinary Leopoldo Tumulak officiated the Misa En Honor del Capitan Heneral, or mass in honor of the Captain General, which was concelebrated by Augustinian friars and military chaplains inside the base for all the seafarers and the protectors of the sea.

Navy, coast guard, ports police, maritime police and heads of the Bantay Dagat in the region were invited for the mass.

Honors

Military Naval honors were also given to recognize the Señor Sto. Niño as the Celentisimo Capitan General de las Esfuerzas Españolas en Filipinas, or the Most Esteemed Captain General of the Spanish Forces in the Philippines.

By 3 p.m., the Navy brought the Sto. Niño back to Cebu, and the party arrived at the Malacañang sa Sugbu port area shortly after 4 p.m. A festive welcome led by the Basilica Sinulog dancers greeted the Navy.

Another mass was held at 5:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon. The Kaplag reenactment interpreted by the San Diego dancers at the Pilgrim Center grounds that concluded yesterday's activity. (FAITH MARIE L. SUMALINOG CNU BA Comm Intern)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on April 29, 2011.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=680747&publicationSubCategoryId=107
"Viva Senyor" wins 5th Huniño
By Janice G. Emate /JPM (The Freeman) Updated April 29, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - The fifth Huniño original songwriting contest was held last Wednesday evening at the Basilica del Santo Niño Pilgrim Center.

The event also included the re-launching of the Basilica del Sto. Niño pipe organ played by the organ director of Las Piñas, Professor Armando Salarza, with the renowned University of the Visayas Choral.

The Huniño or the Huni Halad Alang Kang Senyor Santo Niño is an annual activity organized by the Augustinian community of the Basilica del Sto. Niño.

Fr. Raymundo Alcayaga, OSA, the Huniño project director, stressed that the main purpose of the event is to intensify the campaign and to promote the devotion to the Sr. Sto. Niño through songs.

“Viva Senyor” came out as the winning piece among the over 100 entries from all over the country.

According to Fr. Alcayaga, there were 15 songs in their final list. This was more than the number of songs chosen annually in the past four years, at 12 songs.

The winning song “Viva Senyor” was composed by Dr. Felynn R. Tampon, with its lyrics written by Janice H. Warnack.

Monica Vashti Casquejo, Jhesidy Thea Alberca, Fibern Christian Estenzo, Lorielyn Gantuangco, Alvin Gantuangco and Rodelyno Lapni gave life to the song which took home the P50, 000 cash prize and a trophy.

It was followed by the piece “Santo Niño Luwasa Ako” by Russel Alejado, who won P30, 000 and a trophy.

“Ako’y Iyo, O Señor Santo Niño” written by Niño James won third place with a trophy and P20,000-cash prize.

Jay-Arr, the composer of the song “Make Me Follow You” won as Best interpreter with cash prize of P5,000.

Non-winners also received P7, 500 each.

Fr. Alcayaga said all songs, which are a tribute to the Sto. Niño, will be placed in CDs for everyone to avail of.–(FREEMAN)

cont...
"KAPLAG"

Welcome to Mactan Island "El Capitan General Sr. Santo Niño de Cebú"

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The first procession foot procession El Capitan General Sr. Santo Niño de Cebú in Mactan Island...
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St. Peter and Paul Chapel of the Naval Forces, Central Visayas
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cont...

"KAPLAG"

The last part: Fluvial Procession back to mainland Cebu, the re enactment and fireworks display...

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=681471&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Book on World War II launched
By Carissa Mae R. Quillo, NORSU Masscom Intern/JPM (The Freeman) Updated May 01, 2011 12:00 AM

Written by Jovito Abellana, Cebuano artist and leader who died six years ago

CEBU, Philippines - A tribute to the late Jovito Abellana, a Cebuano writer, artist and political leader was made yesterday as the University of the San Carlos Press launched a book that he wrote about his experiences during the second world war.

“My Moments of War to Remember By” depicts the outskirts of Cebu City throughout the Japanese occupation, as well as provide details on this “period of supreme sacrifice when the nation demanded loyalty, courage and patriotism in exchange for suffering, torture and even summary execution.”

“In my conscience, animosities against (the Japanese) are no longer harbored. I only hope that what I am telling you in this book will never be forgotten,” wrote Abellana in the introductory part of the book.

Abellana died six years ago. He was a sculpture, writer, playwright, Cebu city councilor under Mayor Vicente del Rosario immediately after the war, heritage advocate and a coal miner of the Visayan Electric Corporation owned by the late owner Don Gil Garcia.

In 1944, Abellana was arrested and tortured by the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, for supporting guerilla activities. He was later released and started writing his ordeal. He completed his initial manuscripts for this book in 1949.

The book contains his everyday life during imprisonment and how he was tortured by the Japanese police. He retells the events in Cebu City, presenting a sad and gruesome tale of the civilians during the Japanese Military Administration in Cebu.

The book also mentioned notable men who died and sacrificed for our country, including governor Hilario Abellana and lawyer Paulino Gullas.

Families of Abellana attended the book launching yesterday at the Museo Sugbo - his three sons Jovito Abellana Jr., Gines Abellana, Victor Abellana and their own families.

One of the galleries at the Museo Sugbo is named the Gregorio and Jovito Abellana Special Gallery, where the launching was held.

One of his grandchildren, Gina Marie Crucio, said she is thankful to the University of San Carlos for seeing the value of her grandfather’s work and manuscripts.

Gina added that this is the second published work of her grandfather.

The first one was on the pre-Hispanic history of Cebu which was published by the Cebu Normal University. (FREEMAN NEWS)

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Museum fees
5/1/2011
BARANGAY officials of Parian are asking the Cebu City Council to create an ordinance authorizing the barangay to collect fees from visitors of the heritage monument in the barangay.

The Parian barangay officials led by barangay captain Jeremias Nuñez passed a March 5 ordinance for the collection of a P10 fee from visitors who visit the monument.

Barangay officials said that Parian which is known as one of the country's “tourist hub” secures, cleans and maintains the monument, thus the need for a visitors fee.

“The barangay deems it necessary to prescribe a fee for the purpose of maintaining the security and the cleanliness of the area,” said the barangay council resolution.

The resolution further states that the barangay would be assigning a caretaker to collect said fee and placed this in a “sealed box”.

Collections are to be remitted to the barangay treasurer ones every week. The treasurer would then issue a receipt to signify receipt of said cash.

The City Council referred the barangay ordinance to the Committee on Laws and the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission for review. /Correspondent Edison A. delos Angeles

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=681466&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Cebu Heritage Monument: Parian wants to charge viewing fee on tourists
By Jessica Ann R. Pareja/BRP (The Freeman) Updated May 01, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Barangay officials in Parian agreed to impose a fee on tourists who want a closer look at the Heritage Monument of Cebu located within their jurisdiction.

In Barangay Ordinance No. 2011-02 submitted for approval at the city council, the barangay proposed to collect P10 per tourist who will enter the premises of the heritage for viewing purposes.

Officials said that the collection will be used to maintain the cleanliness and peace and order within the vicinity of the monument.

“The barangay is in charge of securing the area to be conducive for tourists and at the same time, the maintenance of cleanliness of the area as well as its beautification. The barangay deems it necessary to prescribe a fee for the purpose of maintaining the security and the cleanliness of the area,” the ordinance read.

During last Wednesday’s regular council session, the ordinance was jointly referred to the committee on laws headed by Councilor Edgardo Labella and to the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission for their comments.

In order for the barangay ordinance to be effective, it must first earn the approval of the city council.

If approved, the barangay will then hire a caretaker to be assigned to the area to collect the fees from tourists. The caretaker shall be appointed by the barangay captain.

The heritage monument in Parian underwent intensive restoration and preservation which was completed in April 2010.

It was a P2-million project of the Department of Tourism which it later turned over to the Cebu City government and the barangay for maintenance and preservation. The heritage monument is purposely built in barangay Parian which had a major share in the history of Cebu. It was once an enclave of wealthy families in Cebu during the Spanish Period. Parian was also a Chinese business district.

The Monument is a tableau of renowned historical figures such as Rajah Humabon, Jose Rizal and Pedro Calungsod who are all recorded in Cebu’s rich history.(FREEMAN)

What on Earth is that?? I have to pay P10 to view an open-air monument that's even struggling to attract tourists! What were they thinking?

^^They are thinking of money... :)

Next thing we'll know is that Plaza Independencia will also impose entrance fee... :D

The Monument is a tableau of renowned historical figures such as Rajah Humabon, Jose Rizal and Pedro Calungsod who are all recorded in Cebu’s rich history.(FREEMAN)

apil diay si jose rizal diha? karon pa ko.

very nice pics and articles on the Kaplag/ the Señor Santo Niño and World War II in Cebu/ Jovito Abellana. Thanks Thanks :)

So the birthday of Jovito Abellana was 15 Feb 1907. My grandma was born 17 Feb 1908...

Is it too late?

I think it is. :ohno: :bash:

Another church succumbs to reckless postmodernism.

A horrendous dome will now sit at the crossing.


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t20/wolfranz/47173_106815252711002_100001475843558_53319_1126562_n.jpg
from the fb page of Balamban Church

another photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorensgibb/748241818/

This renovation was not submitted for approval to the Archdiocesan Commission.

very nice pics and articles on the Kaplag/ the Señor Santo Niño and World War II in Cebu/ Jovito Abellana. Thanks Thanks :)

So the birthday of Jovito Abellana was 15 Feb 1907. My grandma was born 17 Feb 1908...

Here's the full coverage of the "Kaplag"... :okay:

DY3OXzdDAR4

Is it too late?

I think it is. :ohno: :bash:

Another church succumbs to reckless postmodernism.

A horrendous dome will now sit at the crossing.


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t20/wolfranz/47173_106815252711002_100001475843558_53319_1126562_n.jpg
from the fb page of Balamban Church

another photo here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorensgibb/748241818/

This renovation was not submitted for approval to the Archdiocesan Commission.

the roof of the old church was just plain and simple corrugated steel nga gitaya na. adding a dome will enhance the look of the church. ang facade raman ana ang mora ug duna gyud nga distinct architecture pero ang luyo ordinary ra gyud nga hollow blocks nga gipalitadahan ug ang ceiling pud ana kay plain plywood. how do i know that. my father made the baptismal font right at the entrance of the churchug sige mi ug saka2x anang bell tower when i was still a kid.

^^

That is not the problem. The problem is about the unchecked renovation. Renovation is always an option but it should be done properly with people who thoroughly understand the architecture of the building.

The dome is never necessary and it only made the church look tacky. There is no logic in its design (read your classical architecture).

Don't worry. Dugay nang nasugdan ang renovation.

About the "Compaña Maritima" building/ruins, wasn't it explained in Lucy Urgello-Miller's book that the building is actually the Shamrock Hotel, and Compaña Maritima is only a leasee at the ground floor of the building?

^^

That is not the problem. The problem is about the unchecked renovation. Renovation is always an option but it should be done properly with people who thoroughly understand the architecture of the building.

The dome is never necessary and it only made the church look tacky. There is no logic in its design (read your classical architecture).

Don't worry. Dugay nang nasugdan ang renovation.

na tacky na hinuon nga gi ilisdan ang atop ug gidugangan ug dome nga ni match sa arhitecuture sa facade niya. look at the details of the belltower diba dunay small dome.

i dont have to read architecture books kay engineer man ko lol
para naku the dome ug ang tisa nga atop will enhance the general appeal of the church kon tan-awon sa layo. its about time the balamban parish will spend money on the church kay sa adto ra pari maka kurakot. i know parish priest diha sa una nga gidala iyang asawa2x konuhay maid sa comvento. dunay sab pari diha nga dunay majongan chismiss na ato rani ha lol

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=682104&publicationSubCategoryId=107
City, province set meeting over Fuente rotunda ownership
By Rene U. Borromeo/BRP (The Freeman) Updated May 03, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama has scheduled a meeting with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia or her representatives to reach a possible settlement of the Fuente Osmeña rotunda ownership.

Rama required both Cebu City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete and City Legal Officer Joseph Bernaldez to be present during the meeting either with the governor or her consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda.

According to Rama he already talked with the governor over the issue about the ownership of the Fuente Osmeña rotunda, but the mayor refused to elaborate whether the governor was amenable to consider his plan to take over the public plaza.

The lot where the Fuente Osmeña rotunda is located is among the 210 parcels of lands that the Capitol donated to Cebu City in 1964, although some of the donated lots were recalled by the Cebu Province ten years later.

It was learned that on March 4, 1965 the city council passed Ordinance 522 authorizing former mayor Serging Osmeña Jr. to sell the donated lands by public auction.

After the city successfully sold some of the donated lots, the Capitol officials through former governor Rene Espina filed a complaint before the court seeking the nullification of the donation.

On June 25, 1974, the officials of Cebu City and Cebu Province agreed to enter into a compromise agreement for the amicable settlement of the issue that prompted the Regional Trial Court in Barili to issue a judgment on July 15, 1974.

In that compromise agreement, the provincial government agreed that the city would return some of the lots previously donated, excluding those being used by the city as parks, shrines and roads.

Rama said he explained to the governor that whoever owns the Fuente Osmeña lot, the best thing to do is to preserve the place as one of the historical landmarks of the city.(FREEMAN)

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=682092&publicationSubCategoryId=109
Keeping tabs on local legacy
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AS IT APPEARS By Lorenzo Paradiang Jr. (The Freeman) Updated May 03, 2011 12:00 AM

Nowadays, it’s seldom for one to find an almost anonymous wartime hero, unknown to most local contemporary folk. Perhaps, it’s because of his innate simplicity and humility. On the first question as to which Cabahug lineage does he belong to, Sgt. Uldarico “Ikoy” Perez Cabahug shyly demurred that theirs was the “pobreng” Cabahug, “duol-duol” to Mano Tiyong Cabahug’s side – father of Atty. Inting Cabahug – used to be a simple barber.

Earlier acquaintance with Mano Ikoy was during Mayor Boy Cortes’ time when he was barangay captain of Ibabao-Estancia. Other than a passing impression that he is a Cebu guerilla veteran, no further reference to his “Bronze” medal and “Purple Heart” medal awarded in 1958 by the United States government through its Armed Forces.

It’s no small wonder that since his enlistment into the Cebu resistance movement at age 16 until now, Sgt. Cabahug’s sharp memory hasn’t failed him despite going on 87. He still remembers wartime encounters against the Japs and Filipino “undercover” quislings, say, the one aiming a pistol at him in close range, which he boldly disarmed. He still bears the scar on his upper right arm as “souvenir.”

Assigned to “H” Co., 87th Infantry Bn., Cebu Area Command, Northern Cebu area, with camp in Lugo, Borbon, the young soldier’s fearlessness had been backed by his unit leader, Lt. Pedro Potot of Opon, Cebu and his guerilla colleagues, and participated in every combat mission in the north. While not as epic as the Battle of Guila-guila, the firefights in the North, like the 1943 assault of the Medellin Japanese garrison led by Col. Joven Almendras, the Lugo firefight where Sgt. Capungan was a casualty, or the Tabuelan attack of thousands of Japanese in place, or the Ginatarcan Island raid capturing 7 enemy machine guns, and other guerilla-type “hit-and-withdraw” skirmishes, he recalls with fondness.

In fact, on the second-day of the Battle of Guila-guila led by Mandauehanon Major “Ingko Bian” Sanchez, other units came to reinforce the defenders who were running on short ammo. But on foot from Lugo, the “H” Co. reached the battle site when the defenders had already withdrawn for lack of bullets, after inflicting some 800 Jap casualties.

Mano Ikoy readily recalls other Mandaue guerilla fighters, like, Vicente Ramirez, Jr., Jose Perez, Jr., later Atty/Councilor Magno Dionson, the Cinco brothers – Pardonio (Pard), Catalino (Tali) and Jesus (Susing) – and their cousin Lt. Momoy Cinco who was killed by “undercovers” after visiting his virgin-faced sweetheart, Pepang Tagalog of Estaca, Compostela.

The highest U.S. combat medal is the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry and bravery beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Alvin York of WW I fame, and Lt. Audie Murphy, reel and real-life hero of WW II were both recipients. Next is the Distinguished Service Cross for exceptional heroism.

The next is the Bronze Star for heroism in ground combat, followed by the Purple Heart for the wounded or killed in action. Mano Ikoy was awarded both, and also the WW II Victory Medal, US Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and Combat Infantry Badge. In spite of their priceless value, he selflessly turned them over to the Museo Sugbo/Cebu Provincial Museum, for posterity.

While Mano Ikoy has been honored already, this tribute is not just for him that he richly deserves. One hopes for the Mandaue folk and officialdom to create a legacy or heritage memorial for deserving Mandauehanons, in such fields of history, culture, arts and letters, sports, intellectual achievements, and the like, other than crass politics.

Offhand, Mandaue has had two Bar topnotchers, namely Atty. Eugeniano Perez, Jr. – victim of Harry Fenton – and Atty. Gregorio Batiller, Jr. One knows two “King of Engineers,”namely Engr. Zoilo M. Cortes, Jr. and Engr. Jacinto Rafanan, now a Mandauehanon by choice. In literary fiction, there’s Gilda Montayre, in the movies there’s Caridad Sanchez, and Jose “Joe” Logarta in journalism. In sports, like basketball as the premiere sports of Mandaue, there was Atty. Cesar Cabahug of then champion Visayan Institute, his son Eddie “Skipper” Cabahug as the best Filipino cager, and Eddie’s son Elmer.

Some others who now skip recall, also deserve the heritage memorial for Mandaue achievers and their achievements annually, and regularly. Will the CHEST Foundation Inc. pick up the cudgels?

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=682091&publicationSubCategoryId=109
Celebrating National Heritage Month
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FIGHTING WORDS By Kay Malilong Isberto (The Freeman) Updated May 03, 2011 12:00 AM

“Why should government promote and protect cultural heritage? Doesn’t it have more pressing problems like lack schools and decent homes for poor Filipinos?”

My husband asked these questions when he saw me reading articles about cultural heritage. I glared at him before I realized that he was teasing.

“You should have good answers to these questions. Not everyone understands your cause,” he added.

He was right, of course. Shortly before that, my cleaning woman told me about the lack of electricity in the relocation area she now lives in several months after they moved there. There was a murky “baki” system where the site developer got electricity and distributed it to members of the community who were issued sub-meters. Under this system, the failure of some people to pay their share meant everyone else getting no electricity as the developer refused to pay the bill in full. She described how difficult it was to get ready for work in the dark. They do not have running water either. What could I possibly say to convince her and her neighbors that cultural heritage is important?

In 2003, President Gloria Arroyo issued Proclamation No. 439 declaring the month of May of every year as National Heritage Month. Its first whereas clause states that “there is a need to create in the people a consciousness, respect and love for the legacies of Filipino cultural history and to raise material support for the protection of tangible and intangible heritage.” I imagined Filipino elementary school children being lectured that they should love their country. I figured that my cleaning woman and her neighbors must have been taught this at some point. My cleaning woman is a high school graduate but I don’t know about her neighbors.

The second whereas clause states that “there is a need to strengthen the people’s awareness of cultural heritage sites, structures and landscapes, and encourage their participation in the preservation of these cultural legacies through various activities such as performing arts at these sites and/or visual art and fashion exhibits, thematic culinary events, as well as popular folk food fairs, design retrospectives and competitions, media and literary events, and homage to living traditions and intangible heritage.” This makes me uncomfortable. How could I expect my cleaning woman and her neighbors to want to participate in these activities if they spend a lot of their time at home wilting in the heat and lining up to fetch water from the artesian well? They probably need fare money to get to the venues for the celebrations. At least the cause-oriented groups that made them join rallies picked them up and paid them for attending.

I continue to read about the role of cultural heritage in development, about how institutions like the World Bank are finally seeing the importance of culture in assessing countries it has projects in.

Cultural tourism is often cited as an example of how cultural heritage can be used for development. It still does not answer my question of what I’d say to my cleaning woman and her neighbors to convince them to protect and promote cultural heritage. I like to tell myself that cultural heritage is about gathering stories that are meaningful to Filipinos as a group. These stories can be found in old buildings and structures as well as in traditional methods of cooking, healing and other activities.

Forgetting these stories could mean forgetting about the more wonderful things that bind us in common, making us see only the more obvious ones: being poor, not having access to basic services like water and electricity, being disappointed with the government.

It is an answer I am satisfied with as I sit in an air-conditioned room, enjoying coffee and pastries, unmindful of the May heat. I don’t know if it will be good enough for my cleaning woman and her neighbors.

na tacky na hinuon nga gi ilisdan ang atop ug gidugangan ug dome nga ni match sa arhitecuture sa facade niya. look at the details of the belltower diba dunay small dome.

i dont have to read architecture books kay engineer man ko lol
para naku the dome ug ang tisa nga atop will enhance the general appeal of the church kon tan-awon sa layo. its about time the balamban parish will spend money on the church kay sa adto ra pari maka kurakot. i know parish priest diha sa una nga gidala iyang asawa2x konuhay maid sa comvento. dunay sab pari diha nga dunay majongan chismiss na ato rani ha lol

^^

That is not the problem. The problem is about the unchecked renovation. Renovation is always an option but it should be done properly with people who thoroughly understand the architecture of the building.

The dome is never necessary and it only made the church look tacky. There is no logic in its design (read your classical architecture).

Don't worry. Dugay nang nasugdan ang renovation.

the roof of the old church was just plain and simple corrugated steel nga gitaya na. adding a dome will enhance the look of the church. ang facade raman ana ang mora ug duna gyud nga distinct architecture pero ang luyo ordinary ra gyud nga hollow blocks nga gipalitadahan ug ang ceiling pud ana kay plain plywood. how do i know that. my father made the baptismal font right at the entrance of the churchug sige mi ug saka2x anang bell tower when i was still a kid.


For me, the dome is okay as long as they execute the design properly.

Perhaps they should hire an architect from Rome to do it.

I still don't trust our local architects when it comes to this kind of architecture. I still prefer the Europeans or the Americans to do it.



.:.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=682417&publicationSubCategoryId=107
Buot Taup wants name change
By Garry B. Lao (The Freeman) Updated May 04, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of Barangay Buot Taup are now lobbying to change the name of their barangay, saying residents have been living “in silent anguish and uneasiness” about the name of their place.

Buot Taup Barangay Captain Rosalina Callino yesterday went to see Cebu City Councilor Joey Daluz III, who is their district councilor, to craft a measure that will change the name of their barangay.

“Kung imohang tagsa-tagsaon og pagsabot, lahi gyud buot ipasabot (If you really think about it, the name connotes something negative),” Callino said, adding that the council has adopted in 2000 a resolution that would change the name of its barangay from Buot Taup to Barangay Pedro Calungsod.

Buot Taup was named as such because the barangay, a low-lying area amidst mountains and hills, is located between Mt. Samburio and Mt. Buot.

“Taup” in Cebuano means “deeply embedded.”

The council, according to Callino, in 2002 adopted the name of a Filipino martyr because Pedro Calungsod was beatified in that year.

While she admits the name Buot Taup is significant to them, she said meaning of words have evolved over the years and now, the mere mention of their barangay brings to mind something vulgar and indecent it makes some residents, especially the girls, blush with embarrassment.

Buot is a kind of root crop that grows in the wild. Spiny but edible, the crop is not easy to reap, according to Callino.

Folklore has it that when harvesting the “buot” it must be done in silence. Noise tends to push the rootcrop even more deep into the ground and thus becomes deeply embedded or “taup.”

The “buot” was also a source of food during the World War II.

In 1927, the Americans opened a mine pit, the Cebu Coal Mines because the mountain ranges of the barangay had rich mineral ore. It was in the mid-1980s that the mining activities were stopped as the mountains had gradually become depleted.

The mountain barangay has a total land area of 933 hectares and has rivers. On its borders are barangay Bonbon in the north, Talisay City in the south, the barangay Pamutan in the east and barangay Sinsin on the west. –/JPM (FREEMAN)

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http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20110503-334296/The-slaughter-of-trees
The slaughter of trees
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:11:00 05/03/2011

THIS IS in reaction to the news on the plan to cut age-old acacia and narra trees to widen the road from Naga town to Carcar. (Inquirer, 3/21/11)

Some years back, my Manila-based Cebu Theresian classmates and I rallied to save heritage houses in Carcar, whose continued existence was threatened by a road-widening plan. Together with other like-minded citizens, we successfully sought the help of media and pressured Cebu officials to save these heritage sites.

Now some short-sighted regional authorities are taking on those silent and majestic sentinels of God’s creation. If anyone of you has had the rare privilege of driving through a cool green canopy of age-old trees, you must have experienced a heavenly, refreshing and exhilarating feeling.

Why do we have to destroy natural and historical treasures in our so-called “path to progress”? Cutting those trees strikes at our national soul and robs future generations of a heritage.

While the rest of the civilized world has put environment concerns on their main agenda and deliberately conserve their heritage, we insist on destroying Mother Earth and our patrimony. We have already witnessed countless times the awesome power of Mother Nature when she punishes mankind for its excesses. Progress can and must co-exist with the environment and our heritage. We must maintain a reverence for what came before us. If looking for alternative roads requires more brain work and expense, think how much more irreplaceable and costly in time and money it is to grow even a single tree for 100 years!

Progress—as in widening the road to accommodate more polluting vehicles—does not warrant in any way the slaughter of benevolent and giving trees that are powerless to help themselves. Public officials admit there are viable alternative routes between Naga and Carcar. If the trees’ long-term benefits for present and future generations are taken into account, any of these alternative roads, provided it is untainted by corruption, would come up much cheaper.

Vietnam, which has rebuilt from the rubble of war, recognizes the value of its natural heritage. Age-old trees abound in that country. And at least in one of its cities, every tree (big and small) that line its streets are numbered and monitored. Are our own heritage trees of less value?

To even suggest the cutting of such trees in this day and age is unthinkable. It runs counter to President Aquino’s National Greening Program, which encourages children to plant trees for the future.

The trees in Cebu may still be saved because of public uproar. But we hope that when the noise shall have died down, our public officials will remain true to their word that no trees and heritage houses shall be sacrificed ever again in any part of our country, in the name of progress.

—TERESA DE VEYRA-MONTILLA,
excelsiorhs65@yahoo.com

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/lifestyle/2011/05/03/lovely-trees-153364
Lovely as the trees
By Arch’t. Karl A.E.F. Cabilao, UAP
Tuesday, May 3, 2011

THERE is just something about trees that make poets like Joyce Kilmer compare literary masterpieces to these woody specimens of nature in her poem entitled Trees.

Just like historical buildings and structures, trees, especially those that have lived beyond centuries, are also treasures of local heritage. These are silent witnesses to historical events and beautiful backdrops to the daily activities of the people who lived before us.

All over the world, many heritage advocates have extended their attention beyond old houses and history-rich ruins and into the natural world. In Seattle, Washington, for instance, a group called Plant Amnesty collaborated with the city government to launch the Heritage Tree program back in 1996.

According to its website, trees that were considered were those of “exceptional size, form or rarity.” Some of these trees may have associations with a historical structure, person or event. Others were considered as community landmarks or known for their “notable grove, avenue or other planting.” These trees are properly identified with a plaque and its owners are given a “tree care manual.”

In a book entitled Public Spaces, Urban Spaces (by Carmona, et. Al.), there are five dimensions in urban design. One of them is visual dimension and trees have important roles in enhancing such.

Trees and other landscaping elements unite the built and natural environments. In countries where there is more variety in their seasons, trees also enhance the temporal dimension of a town or city. You’ll know it’s autumn when its leaves, especially those of the deciduous types, changes color.

In Carcar, the centuries-old acacia trees are more into maintaining the informal yet breathtaking rural effect of the place as most of the travelers going south of Cebu pass the green-canopied road of Perrelos. The trees reinforce a feeling of being enclosed by nature while you are driving through or walking along the road. It is like going on a nature trip through memory lane.

Taking note of the age of these trees, one can relive the experiences the locals went through while doing their daily chores in the countryside several years ago.

It strengthens the character and identity of the place that has already deeply endeared itself with not just the people living there but also those who have constantly used this road. “The South road would never be the same without those trees,” says one of my colleagues in our yahoo group discussion.

Just like any other natural creation, trees are heavenly boons to man. In Kilmer’s poem, the last line may have said, “Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree,” but it does not mean that one has to be a literary master to appreciate the value of these leafy elements of nature.

Let us start our nature-defending advocacies in this era of high urbanization and climate change by taking care and preserving our beautiful heritage trees.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 04, 2011.

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http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110505-334707/Marking-and-tour-guiding
Past Forward
Marking and tour guiding
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 07:53:00 05/05/2011

Mayor Ronald Guaren of Oslob is to be congratulated after the town entered the record books as the first in Cebu (and maybe in the entire country?) to have put up official historical markers in two of its many cultural and natural heritage resources, namely: the Oslob Cuartel and the Baluarte or watchtower, structures that form part of the Oslob Heritage Park. I understand that the unveiling of the markers, made of wood and fiberplast, also coincided with the unveiling of the planned Oslob Museum.

I missed yesterday’s unveiling by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia because I was in a meeting with the heritage council members of 22 southern towns. We were all in the Capitol to finally put into a guidebook the Southern Heritage Trail, one of the clusters under the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo program of the governor, which has brought tourism to the countryside. We were also there to finalize the nominations for the provincial heritage registry markers that will be submitted to the governor and the Provincial Board for their approval.

It may be good to recall that in 2008, the Provincial Board created a mechanism to register and mark the remaining natural and cultural heritage resources of Cebu in order to protect and preserve them. The marking will begin in August during the celebrations for the 442nd anniversary of the province.

It is also important to note that the other day, the governor met with representatives of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) in the province’s desire to protect and preserve American-era school buildings called Gabaldon Schools, which were designed by the American architect William E. Parsons. A preliminary meeting was in fact attended by Architect Veronica Dado of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (formerly National Historical Institute) in Manila who brought along the national guidelines for the restoration of these schools. (She e-mailed me a copy of the guidelines and those who wish to ask for it, may simply send me an e-mail message.)

Things are moving fast in the tourism front also as the different towns and cities under the jurisdiction of the province have already been clustered after attending a seminar on the packaging of tourism destinations last March 30 and again a week later. No longer will local government units be just silent partners in the tourism business largely dominated by the private sector, they too will now promote their own destinations and synergize with adjacent towns to provide visitors with different kinds of tourist experiences. After all, I am sure the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo phenomenon has taught them a lot of lessons in terms of preparing for visitor arrivals and providing the necessary facilities.

* * *

My heartfelt condolences to the family of the late Vice-Gov. Greg Sanchez who passed away last Friday at the age of 68. I never had the chance to know the vice governor personally but I have friends who knew him and were quite close to him especially in Tuburan. I am sure he will be sorely missed.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/05/06/capitol-build-oslob-museum-153839
Capitol to build Oslob museum
By Rizel S. Adlawan
Friday, May 6, 2011

OSLOB's antique items will have a common home after the Province promised to build a town museum within the Cuartel Heritage Park.

The design was unveiled yesterday by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and her father, Rep. Pablo Garcia (Cebu, 2nd district).

Provincial Planning and Development Chief Adolfo Quiroga said he has a budget of P500,000 to complete the entire construction.

As one of the heritage frontiers in Southern Cebu, Oslob is the only town that celebrates their heritage through the park, said Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren.

The mayor considers the celebration, now on its third year, a way of developing the love and pride of their rich history dating back to the Spanish era.

Preservation, pride

He said the museum can help them preserve their history and instill pride among their residents.

With the museum, the town can better keep its collection, he said.

Booths were set-up in the park, showcasing the various heritage items of each barangay, including an 18th century mourning gown, Maria Clara gowns, jars from the 20th century called tibod, a radio phonograph from the 1950s, a grandfather clock, and some farm equipment.

Nueva Caseres Barangay Captain Nenita Filosofo displayed the silver gown of her relative worn during a wedding anniversary in 1925. She said they have a small museum in their barangay where they store the items.

A 16th century yahong (bowl) was also displayed in her booth.

Carmelita Cabanlit, barangay secretary of Pungtod, said they have asked their residents to contribute to their booth so that the younger generation can take a glimpse of their town's past.

Governor Garcia tried one of the booth's tuba or coconut wine.

In her speech, she said Oslob's heritage items and historical landmarks like the cuartel, an unfinished naval barracks, are irreplaceable and it's important to protect them as “our very soul.”

The Spanish cuartel is now an outdoor museum, after Capitol developed it. The operations and management of the project will be undertaken by the municipality of Oslob, which signed a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Government last Wednesday.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 06, 2011.

^^ this is so nice! :)

kanang old building nga orange atbang sa santo nino kay giguba ang sulod, hope ipabilin ang facade...

‘Binisaya’
By Michael Tan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:47:00 04/28/2011

I WAS just in Cebu to give the commencement speech at our UP campus there. I thought that readers—whether Bisaya or not—might be interested in some parts of the speech where I talked about the history and languages of the region.

For today’s column, I want to focus on the language aspect. There is a tendency, among non-Visayans, to think of “Bisaya” as one language when in fact there are at least 16 languages listed by the Summer Institute of Linguistics’ Ethnologue as spoken in the Visayas alone. The largest ones are Cebuano, Ilonggo (or Hiligaynon) and Waray, but besides these three there are several others like Capiznon and Kiniray-a. One language, Karolanos, is spoken only in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.

Some of these languages have been dwindling, in part because of the larger languages tending to take over—for example younger Kiniray-a shifting to Ilonggo. But even the larger languages like Cebuano have suffered because of the way “Bisaya” in general is always being put down. The tendency for Cebuanos especially is to protest and to refuse to use Tagalog, but in the process, they (the upper and middle classes especially) end up using English.

It’s time to “rebel” by using local Visayan languages. With the Department of Education’s mother language policy, which requires the use of the main local language in all public schools up to Grade 3 as the medium of instruction for all subjects, we will see a revival of many of these languages, which will actually enrich Philippine culture as a whole.
Despite this linguistic diversity, in the many years that I worked with health and development programs in the Visayas and Mindanao, I’ve come to recognize that there is a “Binisaya” culture that transcends language, and I’m hoping a restored pride in Binisaya—in language, arts, cooking, architecture—will contribute to our being Filipino.

‘Bisaya,’ Filipino

I urged the new graduates to go back and read the Spanish Jesuit Ignacio Francisco Alzina, whose “Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas” (History of the Islands and Indios of the Visayas) was first published in 1668, and of which the English translation has been published as well over the last 10 years by the UST Press. It has three volumes of fascinating materials about the Visayas, describing its rich natural resources, as well as the culture.

That early, Alzina already noted that the “Bisaya” were not just in the Visayas but also in Mindanao and Luzon—suggesting that early Philippine culture was strongly Bisaya. To the north, he mentioned the gold mines of Paracale, Camarines Sur, which belonged to the “Bisayan natives.” To the south, there were the mines of Caraga (in Alzina’s time, the provinces of Surigao and Agusan) also described as belonging to the Bisaya. This Caraga region impressed the Spaniards because of its gold reserves and the gold craftsmanship.

Again, I referred our new graduates to the Ayala Museum’s new publication, “Philippine Ancestral Gold,” which documents the lavish gold ornaments from the Visayas and Mindanao. By lavish I mean almost extravagant, maluho in Filipino. Imagine draping the shoulders with a 4-kilogram gold ornament as an indicator of social status. You will see that ornament, called a “caste cord,” in the Ayala Museum.

Let me save a longer review of Ayala Museum’s book for a future column and get back now to Alzina. This prolific Jesuit writer had an interest in languages and praised Visayan languages for their “extensiveness, variety and preciseness,” even suggesting the languages as being equal—in richness—to Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

As an example of this richness, he marveled at how “Bisaya” (probably Waray, because he spent most of his missionary life in Samar) had so many words for washing. While in Spanish there is only “lavar,” he said the Bisaya had specific words for washing pots and pans (hugas), washing fish and meat (lawsaw), washing the entire body (parigus), washing the feet (pamusa), washing the hands (hunay) and, being a priest, he just had to mention “washing the most secret and hidden parts of the body.”

Sensual
Likewise, he observed that while the Spaniards had only one word, “desabrido,” for tasteless food, the Bisaya had “more than twenty words, even thirty” to express tastelessness or displeasure. Alcina said Bisaya had an abundance of metaphors, and had compiled some 600 proverbs.

One quick digression: It’s not just the Visayan languages that are so “sensual.” Philippine languages generally have many adjectives that relate to the senses, especially smell and taste. Just think of the Tagalog terms for foul smells, everything from spoiled food to perspiration. Conversely, we have all kinds of positive or pleasant metaphors for smells, for example, “amoy baby,” smelling like a baby.

Back to Alzina. The Jesuit did observe the absence of “po” in Bisaya, but had this to say about the Tagalogs’ use: “…they are accustomed to insert as many po’s, which is a heap of courtesies.” Alzina was not impressed though, observing that the Tagalogs tended to use “po” too much, in a way that “they become nothing but coarse commonplaces and even vulgarisms.” He said the “po” is like the Spanish “señor” (translated as “sir” in the UST book). His example of how this “heap of courtesies” sounds goes this way: “I have come, sir, to see you, sir, and to give you, sir, something to eat, sir, etc.”

Alzina’s observation struck me because Tagalogs do sometimes put down people from the Visayas because of this lack of “po,” accusing the Bisaya of being impolite. Yet, Alzina correctly observed that courtesies were “never lacking” among the Bisaya, who expressed politeness through “bodily gestures.”

I wanted to end today’s column on a light note, referring to the way “binisaya” is used, to mean things local or “native.” It’s this usage of “binisaya” that tells me there is this Bisaya identity that transcends all the different languages.
I first encountered the term when, fresh out of college, I was assigned to work on medicinal plants. In the Visayas and Mindanao, the plants were always being referred to as “binisayang tambal,” literally Visayan medicine, a way of differentiating these medicines from western medicine.

Then there is “manok bisaya,” referring to the “native” chicken. The Tagalogs also have a similar term: “manok Tagalog.” People do complain that “manok bisaya” tends to be smaller and skinnier, but at the same time say it tastes better.

Sometimes, people in the Visayas will also refer to the smallest child in a brood as “binisaya.” It all reflects the way we think of things native and local as smaller. Perhaps, I told our UP Cebu graduates, we could retort that like the “native” chicken, we are “gamay pero lami,” small but tasty (oops), or small but terrible. But really, I still prefer much more of an assertion “bisdak,”—“bisaya dako,” “dako” as big, and let’s roll in sensuous, sensual and strong as well. Mabuhi Bisaya!
* * *

^^ Thanks for sharing bai.

& thanks to the Jesuits :D

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GABALDON BLDGS
5/8/2011

THE Cebu Provincial government plans to restore American-period school buildings called Gabaldon buildings in the province.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said on Friday in Pinamungajan town, western Cebu that she wanted to restore these buildings because she considers them heritage buildings.

Garcia said that the buildings were already considered heritage buildings during the time of the late President Corazon Aquino.

These buildings were built more than a century ago and were named after Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija, who sponsored Republic Act No. 1801, which allocated P1 million for the construction of these buildings to every municipality in the Philippines.

She said some of these buildings still stand today, but most had already been reduced to rubble or are dilapidated. /UPV Tacloban Intern Ana Asteria M. Erpe

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Cebu City opens renovated library
5/9/2011
By Fatrick R. Tabada, Correspondent

After being closed for years for renovations, three Cebu City heritage sites are finally open to the public starting today.

Plaza Independencia and Cebu City Public Library and Museum were reopened after improvements yesterday.

Plaza Independencia was affected in the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road two years ago .

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young cut the ribbon in the library and museum yesterday.

“Cebu City, and all of us, give meaning to art and culture. Cebu has a soul” Rama said in his welcome remarks.

On the second floor of the museum, 18 oil paintings by Cebuano artists depicting Cebu in the pre-Hispanic era.

Mariano Vidal painted the Battle of Mactan, Ariel Singson Sr. painted one of the ships that explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet used.

Paintings, though, will be replaced every three months.

City Librarian Rosario Chua said that today, they will open this week to the public from 8 a.m. to noon since they still have to update their collection of books. Next week they will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The library boasts 14,000 books, a reading place for children and computer access.

Storytelling will be held every week to encourage more researchers to use the city library, Chua said.

Chua said the city allocated P500,000 that they will use to buy more computers.

She said she private organizations will donate up-to-date books.

Cebu City allocated P13 million for the renovation of the city library and museum and almost P40 million for the rehabilitation of Plaza Independencia.

The plaza will be open from at 6 a.m to 10 p.m Mondays to Fridays and from 5 a.m to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/05/09/city-reopens-plaza-museum-154355
City reopens plaza, museum
Monday, May 9, 2011

THREE sites that form part of Cebu City’s culture and heritage were reopened to the public by the City Government yesterday — the Plaza Independen-cia, the city museum, and the city public library.

Two years after it was demolished to make way for the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road tunnel, the Plaza Independencia is now again open for public use.

Yesterday, the City unveiled the two markers of the newly renovated plaza and held the ceremonial switch-on of the plaza’s lights.

It was attended by Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Lourdes Ong, special assistant to the President, Councilor Nida Cabrera and other city hall officials.

Cabrera, who chairs the council committee on parks and playgrounds, hopes the plaza will attract tourists to the city.

“I hope this will awaken the interest of foreign and local tourists and will encourage them to make the plaza their top destination and landmark in the city,” she said.

Last year, the City appropriated P40 million for the park’s beautification and rehabilitation after it was damaged during the construction of the subway portion of the south coastal road.

The renovations include the installation of new benches and lampposts, the restoration of the fountain and the redesigning of the plaza’s walkway and landscape.

Also yesterday, the City inaugurated the Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, two years after it was closed for renovation.

Unlike before, the library is now well-lit and more spacious, and has new chairs and tables as well.

Books

Despite the facelift, however, a problem still lingers in the corners and shelves of the 71-year-old library: the lack of books and limited reading materials for students, teachers, and researchers.

“The library really needs books and reading materials. Our books also need updating,” said city librarian Rosario Chua.

Aside from the lack of books, Chua also said the library needs more librarians to attend to the needs of the different library users and researchers.

Currently, Chua said, the library only has seven workers when it is supposed to have 20 plantilla workers.

Chua said she will ask the mayor to hire more workers for the city library.

Rama said it is “heartwarming” to see the library opened again to the public.

“Di na ta mauwaw. Sauna bati kayo ni pero karon nindot na kayo (This place will not embarrass us anymore),” he said.

Rama appealed to the Cebuanos yesterday to help the City in preserving its culture and history.

“Because a city without culture is like a city without a soul,” he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 09, 2011.

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Cebu City opens renovated library
5/9/2011
By Fatrick R. Tabada, Correspondent

After being closed for years for renovations, three Cebu City heritage sites are finally open to the public starting today.

Plaza Independencia and Cebu City Public Library and Museum were reopened after improvements yesterday.

Plaza Independencia was affected in the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road two years ago .

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young cut the ribbon in the library and museum yesterday.

“Cebu City, and all of us, give meaning to art and culture. Cebu has a soul” Rama said in his welcome remarks.

On the second floor of the museum, 18 oil paintings by Cebuano artists depicting Cebu in the pre-Hispanic era.

Mariano Vidal painted the Battle of Mactan, Ariel Singson Sr. painted one of the ships that explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s fleet used.

Paintings, though, will be replaced every three months.

City Librarian Rosario Chua said that today, they will open this week to the public from 8 a.m. to noon since they still have to update their collection of books. Next week they will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The library boasts 14,000 books, a reading place for children and computer access.

Storytelling will be held every week to encourage more researchers to use the city library, Chua said.

Chua said the city allocated P500,000 that they will use to buy more computers.

She said she private organizations will donate up-to-date books.

Cebu City allocated P13 million for the renovation of the city library and museum and almost P40 million for the rehabilitation of Plaza Independencia.

The plaza will be open from at 6 a.m to 10 p.m Mondays to Fridays and from 5 a.m to midnight on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/05/09/city-reopens-plaza-museum-154355
City reopens plaza, museum
Monday, May 9, 2011

THREE sites that form part of Cebu City’s culture and heritage were reopened to the public by the City Government yesterday — the Plaza Independen-cia, the city museum, and the city public library.

Two years after it was demolished to make way for the construction of the Cebu South Coastal Road tunnel, the Plaza Independencia is now again open for public use.

Yesterday, the City unveiled the two markers of the newly renovated plaza and held the ceremonial switch-on of the plaza’s lights.

It was attended by Mayor Michael Rama, Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, Lourdes Ong, special assistant to the President, Councilor Nida Cabrera and other city hall officials.

Cabrera, who chairs the council committee on parks and playgrounds, hopes the plaza will attract tourists to the city.

“I hope this will awaken the interest of foreign and local tourists and will encourage them to make the plaza their top destination and landmark in the city,” she said.

Last year, the City appropriated P40 million for the park’s beautification and rehabilitation after it was damaged during the construction of the subway portion of the south coastal road.

The renovations include the installation of new benches and lampposts, the restoration of the fountain and the redesigning of the plaza’s walkway and landscape.

Also yesterday, the City inaugurated the Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Library and Museum, two years after it was closed for renovation.

Unlike before, the library is now well-lit and more spacious, and has new chairs and tables as well.

Books

Despite the facelift, however, a problem still lingers in the corners and shelves of the 71-year-old library: the lack of books and limited reading materials for students, teachers, and researchers.

“The library really needs books and reading materials. Our books also need updating,” said city librarian Rosario Chua.

Aside from the lack of books, Chua also said the library needs more librarians to attend to the needs of the different library users and researchers.

Currently, Chua said, the library only has seven workers when it is supposed to have 20 plantilla workers.

Chua said she will ask the mayor to hire more workers for the city library.

Rama said it is “heartwarming” to see the library opened again to the public.

“Di na ta mauwaw. Sauna bati kayo ni pero karon nindot na kayo (This place will not embarrass us anymore),” he said.

Rama appealed to the Cebuanos yesterday to help the City in preserving its culture and history.

“Because a city without culture is like a city without a soul,” he said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 09, 2011.

mao nay tinuod gyud nga blue blooded cebuano nga magdasig sa tanang sugbuanon sa pag preservar sa atong rich history and culture apil na ang atong kaugalingong pinulongan. basin daghan nasad mahadlok ani atong "the awakening of the cebuano identity"

National Geographic funds cave research 5/11/2011

By Mars G. Alison, Correspondent

An ongoing research into the underwater Marigondon Cave, a popular diving spot in Mactan Island, Cebu, is being undertaken by the National Geographic Society/Waitt Foundation in cooperation with the National Museum of the Philippines.
The research also done in coordination with the University of Guam seeks to uncover artifacts and evidence of megafauna or large animals in the Marigondon Cave, located 120 meters underwater and 75 meters away from the shores of the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa.
John A. Peterson, vice president of the Graduate Studies, Sponsored Programs and Research of the University of Guam, explained that the Marigondon Cave used to be located abovewater 12,000 to 18,000 years ago.
He said their research will hopefully uncover remains and tools that could explain how people lived in the area during prehistoric times.
Senior museum researcher Sheldon Clyde Jago-on of the National Museum's underwater archaeology section, said they will verify claims by researchers that elephants used to exist in the country 400 years ago.
Peterson said they are undertaking the first phase of an eight-month research with the first two weeks being spent underwater.
After eight months they will submit their reports to the National Geographic, which funds in part their research.
Effective technology
The results will determine how they will proceed with exploring the cave, Peterson said.
At present, Jago-on said they are conducting research just six meters from the mouth of the cave based on the terms of conditions and funding for the project.
The project has a US $50,000 fund grant. Also joining the research endeavor are noted environmental designer Joy Onozawa, Plantation Bay Resort and Spa and Philippine Airlines.
The research team is composed of 17 crew divided into two diving teams, which includes archaeologists and geologists.
They will take turns going down and digging up terrestrial sediments underneath the marine sediments that accumulated in the cave ever since the water rose to cover it.
The team also includes videographer Marissa Florendo to document every step of the underwater cave research.
“Right now we are in the process of looking for more effective technology to remove the marine sediments such as sand,” said Peterson.
He said they have maximized their team's time underwater by using a special mix of oxygen and nitrogen overseen by dive master Daniel Burgaud.
Expectations
Between the two teams, they get to dive just about three hours per day.
Jago-on said they started their research last Friday and will end on May 16.
He said the objective is to use the terrestrial sediments to determine if ancient humans had occupied the cave, how they lived there and what they ate.
He said the National Museum will be the curator of whatever remains or tools they might find in their current research.
Peterson said they chose the Marigondon Cave for research due to the implication of the study conducted by the University of San Carlos (USC) 20 years ago.
He also said that its location is also very convenient since it's not very far from the shore.
Aside from the archaeological and geological implications, the ongoing research could also bear relevance on the effects of climate change.
“What we can learn from the cave will help us in our expectations about climate change. It will help us to understand what to expect about the future,” said Peterson.
He cited studies that showed that sea level is expected to rise two meters by 2100 or sooner.
“At this point, there is no way to stop it. It'll take years to correct it so the next best thing is to learn how to adapt to it,” Peterson said.

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http://globalnation.inquirer.net/cebudailynews/opinion/view/20110512-336075/Gathering-heritage-workers
Past Forward
Gathering heritage workers
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 08:19:00 05/12/2011

What? A national convention of church heretics?” I could almost imagine my friend jumping from her seat as I explained to her over the phone where I was. Blame it on the winds battering Samar as typhoon Bebeng swept by. We are back here in Tacloban on our last day now of the four-day 7th Biennial National Convention of Church Cultural Heritage Practitioners.

And far from being heretics, nearly 200 Catholic bishops, priests, nuns and lay heritage workers have been busy tackling the problems and issues confronting the Catholic Church in terms of the tangible and intangible legacies of its long and multifaceted history in the Philippines. Akin to a pilgrimage, the convention has been moving from place to place in Leyte and Samar doubling as a cerebral gathering and a visual feast at the same time.

The opening was held in Tacloban where Fr. Brian Brigoli’s discussion on the recent renovation of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral was among the highlights. The following day, the delegates moved to the Cathedral of Palo where everyone was awed by the magnificently regilded grand Baroque altar retablo, closed off for now from the public as the Cathedral is undergoing renovation. This is the same cathedral where Cebu’s Archbishop Jose Palma came from before assuming the leadership of the church in Cebu. (I could not help but overhear most of the delegates commenting that the Jesus Christ on the retablo seemed quite robust as be mistaken for Santa Claus!)

At Palo, we were enthralled by architect Mico Manalo’s discussion of the Intramuros version of the hugely successful Escuela Taller that the Spanish government created in the 1990s to train artisans to restore many of its churches destroyed during the Spanish civil war of the 1930s. Escuela Taller is both a school and a workshop where young people, aged 16 to 25, learn skills in restoring heritage structures. Workshops on wood carving, stone masonry carving as well as other hands-on trainings have been carried out since 2009 in Intramuros by a team from the Philippines as well as from Mexico.

The Archdiocese of Palo installed an exhibition at the Cathedral sacristy for the occasion and showcased the unique practice of the “Penitentes” during Holy Week, where men don Ku Klux Klan-like hoods and robes in red, blue or white, as a form of penance, following the Spanish tradition in Sevilla. The evening was also highlighted by the Flores de Mayo procession unique to the area where a huge cross fashioned out of bamboo and covered with colored cellophane containing lighted candles. It was quite a sight to behold with the candles burning brightly while “caged” inside the cellophane covered interior of the cross.

Our third day was spent yesterday in the progressive town of Guiuan, where its church joined Boljoon among the list of National Cultural Treasures (NCTs) of the Philippines. On our way, we stopped by Basey Church with its beautiful ceiling paintings and fortress walls and then at Balangiga Church to listen briefly to its painful but heroic role in the Waray fight against American aggression during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1901.

It was my second time to be in Guiuan, the first one was in 1993 to observe and write about the coastal resource management projects on Calicoan and Manicani islands for a book. This time, the church was the main reason why I was there and like the rest of the delegates, it did not fail to enthrall and amaze me. Guiuan Church is the only one in the country with not one but three altar retablos, one at the center, two each at a recessed portion of the nave near the chancel. The wooden retablo dates to the 1700s and is clearly Baroque inspired, in a church that is cruciform with its arms containing side altars that are interesting because of the shells appliqués on its walls forming different patterns. These triple retablos and the shells are unique to Guiuan and made for a very interesting visit.

Today we are back in Tacloban for the closing ceremonies. All told, I can say with utmost confidence that the church heritage workers of Cebu are never behind in blazing trails in heritage work. In fact, all of the practices discussed or planned during the convention have already been done or about to be carried out by the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church. My congratulations then even as I eagerly look forward to the next biennial gathering.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/05/13/18-museums-plazas-participate-gabii-sa-kabilin-night-tours-155223
18 museums, plazas participate in ‘Gabii sa Kabilin’ night tours
Friday, May 13, 2011

TARTANILLAS, walking tours and night programs will return in the fifth Gabii sa Kabilin, night of museum tours, on May 27 at different heritage spots in the province.

The tour, organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc., has attracted the participation of 18 museums and plazas in the event, including new participants Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Plaza.

The other participating museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (Jesuit House), and Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery.

The heritage sites included in the event are Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

A recipient of the prestigious Anvil Award, Gabii sa Kabilin is designed not only to draw tourists but to reinforce the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture.

“We’d like to show that Cebu does not only offer sand and sea, but also heritage. By dedicating one night to educate the public of the treasures we have is already a cultural awareness,” said Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, Rafi Culture and Heritage unit executive director.

Started with only four museums for the night tour in 2007, Gabii sa Kabilin has expanded to accommodate various activities in each museum.

Among these activities are performances by out-of-school youth at Cathedral Museum, Santacurzan sa Parian Procession, cooking demo for “budbod kabog,” and tribal bands at Fort San Pedro.

New this year are walking tours to plazas, a photo exhibit of old and new Cebu, and Aboitizland’s food fair showcasing different delicacies at Plaza Parian.

Apart from generating revenue to the communities involved, the Gabii sa Kabilin will be a culmination event of the Philippine National Heritage Month and the International Museum Day.

The expected 5,000 visitors will be transported from one museum to another via tartanilla and bus rides.

Police Insp. Stanley Sabang assured the security of the heritage spots, where police officers will be deployed.

The event will start with a mass at Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral at 4 p.m., followed by an opening program in CNU. The tour is from 6 p.m. until midnight.

Tickets, priced at P150, cover multiple entries to museums and rides, and are available at participating museums and the Rafi office. (Mia M. Ali Faridoon, UP Mass Com intern)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 13, 2011.

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http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=685648&publicationSubCategoryId=107
RAFI adds more sites for "Gabii sa Kabilin"
By Garry B. Lao/FPL (The Freeman)
Updated May 13, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - Following last year’s successful staging of the “Gabii sa Kabilin” or Night of Heritage which showcases the rich cultural heritage of Cebu, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. has added more venues for the event this year.

Jocelyn Gerra, the executive director for Cultural and Heritage Unit of Rafi, said that from the original four participating museums and heritage sites when it started in 2007, the number has now grown to 18.

“The event is designed to draw foreign and local tourists, but most especially Cebuanos, to visit the museums,” Gerra said.

Gerra said the “Gabii sa Kabilin,” which is now on its fifth year, aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for understanding and appreciations of Cebuano history and culture.

The activity on May 27 will start with a mass at 4:00 p.m. at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral and ends as late as 11:00 p.m. at the Plaza Independencia. The opening program will be at the Cebu Normal University.

After a year, the Cebu Normal University Museum, the Cebu City Museum, the Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery and the Mandaue City Central Plaza joined the list of the historic sites featured for the Kabilin.

Gerra said that they are targeting 5,000 Cebuanos and tourists to join the activity.

Participants will be brought by a horse-drawn carriage locally known as “tartanilla” to the different participating museums like the Casa Gorordo Museum, Sto. Niño Museum, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral Museum, Fort San Pedro and the National Museum of the Philippines.

The tartanilla will be used as a medium of transportation for the participants to emphasize the rich Cebuano culture.

The Gabii sa Kabilin, according to Gerra, is patterned after the cultural event in Berlin, Germany called Lange Nacht der Museum or long night in the museums where museums and cultural institutions remain open at night. (FREEMAN)

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(Photo from RAFI website)

11 Participating Museums and 7 Heritage Sites

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is Cebuano for Night of Heritage, and patterned after the long night of museums in Germany and other European countries. The event is designed to daw foreign and local tourists, but most especially Cebuanos, to visit the museums. It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture. But beyond that it also discounts the stereotype o...f museums as mere repositories of “dead objects”; rather, as venues for live cultural activities.

The award-winning Gabii sa Kabilin is a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. It is also supported by the local government and private sectors. This year, the participating museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum, 1730 Jesuit House, Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza, and featuring heritage sites—Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

The only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia, the Gabii sa Kabilin opens the doors of participating museums beyond regular hours up to midnight on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May and culminating the International Museum Day.

http://rafi.org.ph/cms/mod/fileuploader/uploads/110512-023553.JPG
(Photo from RAFI website)

11 Participating Museums and 7 Heritage Sites

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is Cebuano for Night of Heritage, and patterned after the long night of museums in Germany and other European countries. The event is designed to daw foreign and local tourists, but most especially Cebuanos, to visit the museums. It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture. But beyond that it also discounts the stereotype o...f museums as mere repositories of “dead objects”; rather, as venues for live cultural activities.

The award-winning Gabii sa Kabilin is a program of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. in partnership with the Visayas Association of Museums and Galleries Inc. It is also supported by the local government and private sectors. This year, the participating museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum, 1730 Jesuit House, Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza, and featuring heritage sites—Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

The only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines and Asia, the Gabii sa Kabilin opens the doors of participating museums beyond regular hours up to midnight on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May and culminating the International Museum Day.

nganong wala mo apil ang usc museum ani nga mas extensive siguro ang collection nila kay one of the well established museum man ni as part of the university.

^^ i am definitely looking forward to this year's "Gabii sa Kabilin: :cheers:

^^ i am definitely looking forward to this year's "Gabii sa Kabilin: :cheers:

cebuanos should be proud kay its featuring our rich cultural heritage that we can claim our very own. kudos to the organizers of this exciting cultural event. :cheers:

archaelogue. Medyo excited lang. Any updates on the San Remigio dig/find.

BISAYANG KANO
n0ZaY5dHMAc

nganong wala mo apil ang usc museum ani nga mas extensive siguro ang collection nila kay one of the well established museum man ni as part of the university.

security reasons. the whole Main Campus will be open to visitors for the entire night. the collections are extremely valuable and spread in so many galleries as to make it impossible to monitor.

once the museum can find a better way to cordon off all the other offices and facilities in the Main Campus, then maybe it will join.

right now, the main door to the museum is also the main door to the entire campus.

archaelogue. Medyo excited lang. Any updates on the San Remigio dig/find.

The University of Guam team will arrive June 2nd. they will proceed to Boljoon to observe the excavations there. They will proceed to San rem only on june 4 and dig there up to June 22. I will be leaving my boljoon dig as a result in order to join them in San Remigio.

The team has been granted a sub-surface satellite imagery of the site, i think courtesy of NASA. they will also be bringing samples for radiocarbon dating afterwards.

An osteology (bones) expert will be with them to help in the identification of skeletal remains as to sexing, ageing and possible trauma or causes of death, if the evidence is retrievable.

There will be an exhibit of the finds we recovered last month to be held right there in the san remigio cultural center by USC Museum while the excavation is going on.

Then a scientific paper will be prepared for publication in one of the international journals, i think Asian Perspectives, which is based in Univ of Hawaii.

security reasons. the whole Main Campus will be open to visitors for the entire night. the collections are extremely valuable and spread in so many galleries as to make it impossible to monitor.

once the museum can find a better way to cordon off all the other offices and facilities in the Main Campus, then maybe it will join.

right now, the main door to the museum is also the main door to the entire campus.

kanang chapel sa main building open man intawon na sa tanang manimba during weekend sa una wala ra gani tu ali2x sa mga corridors. mga outsiders nga manimba kon gusto gyud mag binuang maglaroy2x sa campus pero wala raman sab intawon nahitabo.

kanang chapel sa main building open man intawon na sa tanang manimba during weekend sa una wala ra gani tu ali2x sa mga corridors. mga outsiders nga manimba kon gusto gyud mag binuang maglaroy2x sa campus pero wala raman sab intawon nahitabo.
Simba is in Day Time..

GSK is night time where security risk double if not quadruple

Simba is in Day Time..

GSK is night time where security risk double if not quadruple

simba is nite time but not very late

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2011/05/17/capitol-rafi-restore-old-school-buildings-155915
Capitol, Rafi to restore old school buildings
By Oscar C. Pineda
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

AT LEAST 28 towns in Cebu will soon have new school buildings. Apart from these, all Gabaldon-type buildings in schools in the province will also be restored.

These undertakings are projects of the Department of Education (DepEd), the Provincial Government and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi).

Last week, DepEd-Division of Cebu Province conducted the bidding for nine cluster school buildings.

This week, a post- qualification of bidders for the project’s 44 clusters will be made, Cebu Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Gregorio Cyrus Elejorde said.

Bidders

Next month, winning bidders will start working on the P162.74-million project that aims to construct 64 new school buildings in 28 towns in Cebu, which are all funded by DepEd Central Office.

Elejorde said these will be completed in 90 to 120 days, depending on the size of the structure.

Minglanilla town, for example, has four clusters and five construction sites- two in Barangay Lipata and the rest are in Campo 7, Barangay Vito and Barangay Calajoan.

Elejorde said he hopes the new buildings can be used by the end of this year.

Elejorde, who also serves as chairperson of the bids and awards committee, said the Provincial Government is also doing its share.

As of January this year, Capitol completed 420 two-classroom school buildings, with a total cost of P303,988,165.64.

Restoration

Meanwhile, a project on the restoration of the old school buildings or Gabaldon-type buildings in schools is under negotiation between the Capitol and Rafi, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said.

Gabaldon-type buildings are heritage school houses in the country designed by architect William Parsons, which were built during the American era.

DepEd Undersecretary for finance and administration Francisco Varella met with Garcia last week.

DepEd, Capitol, Rafi and concerned local government units (LGUs) will soon enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the restoration of the Gabaldon schools.

The MOA will cover the restoration and insurance of the Gabaldon-type buildings.

Capitol offered to pay the insurance premium.

“On the understanding that the province must have an insurable interest on the buildings,” Garcia said, adding that the buildings must be recognized as assets of the province.

Varella assured to take this up with the DepEd higher officials.

At present, all LGUs in the province have been tasked to identify three existing Gabaldon-type school buildings in their areas.

Scheme

Once these buildings are identified, Rafi and the Capitol will come up with a sharing scheme to pool their resources and fund the project.

Initially, at least 155 Gabaldon-type structures have been identified. Garcia aims to restore all these buildings.

Some of the buildings are built in mountain villages, where during that time there was no road leading to the place.

Garcia said guidelines have to be followed by the beneficiaries to preserve these heritage structures.

These structures, Garcia said, even served some of the national leaders in their early years.

They were named after Nueva Ecija assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of the 1907 Philippine Assembly.

Garcia said these buildings were declared heritage buildings by the then National Historical Institute, which is now called the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

She said there was a call to restore the Gabaldon-type buildings, but there was no “road map” on how to do it.

“So now, Cebu is leading the way,” Garcia said.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 17, 2011.

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http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/318407/preserving-oslobs-heritage
Preserving Oslob's heritage
By MARS W. MOSQUEDA JR.
May 16, 2011, 12:13pm

http://www.mb.com.ph/sites/default/files/bal_2.jpg
Baluarte Built in 1788, the Baluarte was one of the seven watchtowers built along the coastline of Oslob. The locals also referred to the structure as watchtower.

MANILA, Philippines -- The southern town of Oslob, located 125 kilometers off Cebu City, is working doubly hard. As a heritage town, it is working to preserve its antique items and various heritage sites spread around the town to keep these from further destruction and to allow future generations to catch a glimpse of the town’s early settlers.

Oslob will soon have its own museum that will house various antique items, from 18th century gowns, 20th century jars, farm equipment, religious statues, and a lot more. The museum will be constructed within the Cuartel Heritage Park, just a few meters away from Oslob’s picturesque church.

The pronouncement on the construction of the town’s museum was made by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who officially unveiled the design of the facility as part of Oslob’s celebration of Heritage Week, the only town in Cebu that celebrates such occasion.

“As one of the heritage frontiers in Southern Cebu, Oslob is the only town that celebrates its heritage through the park,” said Oslob Mayor Ronald Guaren. The mayor considers the celebration, now on its third year, as a way of developing the love and pride for its rich history dating back to the Spanish era.

Guaren said the museum can help them preserve their history and instill pride among their residents. With the museum, the town can better keep its collection, he said.

During the Heritage Week, booths were set-up in the park, showcasing the various heritage items of each barangay, including an 18th century mourning gown, Maria Clara gowns, jars from the 20th century called tibod, a radio phonograph from the 1950s, a grandfather's clock, and some farm equipment.

Nueva Caseres Barangay Captain Nenita Filosofo displayed the silver gown of her relative worn during a wedding anniversary in 1925. She said they have a small museum in their barangay where they store the items. A 16th century yahong (bowl) was also displayed in her booth.

In her speech, Garcia said Oslob’s heritage items and historical landmarks like the cuartel, an unfinished naval barracks, are irreplaceable and emphasized the importance of protecting them as “our very soul.”

The Spanish cuartel is now an outdoor museum, after the Capitol developed it. The operations and management of the project will be undertaken by the municipality of Oslob, which signed a memorandum of agreement with the Provincial Government.

The Spanish cuartel, built in 1899, served as the barracks of the Spanish armies and was built from coral stones from the remnants of the collapsed floor of the church bell tower.

Another interesting heritage site is the Baluarte, which was built in 1788. It was one of the seven watchtowers built along the coastline of Oslob. Just across is the 182-year-old Oslob church, which was reconstructed two years ago after a fire in 2008 destroyed majority of the structure and the nearby convent.

A few meters away from the church is the Prayer Room that was built in 1847. It was also called the “waiting chapel” during the Spanish Era as it was used to house those who had leprosy and were awaiting blessings from the church.

The Provincial Government has been assisting municipalities and cities around Cebu in putting up their own heritage parks, beginning with the Oslob Cuartel and Heritage Park. Next week, the Moalboal Heritage Park will be formally opened to the public, to be followed by the heritage parks of Alegria, Dumanjug, Boljoon, Borbon, and Sogod.

“These are all efforts towards all of us Cebuanos embracing and appreciating our heritage and culture,” said Garcia.

salamat sa update


The University of Guam team will arrive June 2nd. they will proceed to Boljoon to observe the excavations there. They will proceed to San rem only on june 4 and dig there up to June 22. I will be leaving my boljoon dig as a result in order to join them in San Remigio.

The team has been granted a sub-surface satellite imagery of the site, i think courtesy of NASA. they will also be bringing samples for radiocarbon dating afterwards.

An osteology (bones) expert will be with them to help in the identification of skeletal remains as to sexing, ageing and possible trauma or causes of death, if the evidence is retrievable.

There will be an exhibit of the finds we recovered last month to be held right there in the san remigio cultural center by USC Museum while the excavation is going on.

Then a scientific paper will be prepared for publication in one of the international journals, i think Asian Perspectives, which is based in Univ of Hawaii.

Forum on "Sacred Heritage of the Church: Tangible and Intangible" tomorrow, May 19, 2011, 10AM-12NN at the USC CAFA Main Theater. Resource Speaker is Archt. Melva R. Java, FUAP.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/lifestyle/2011/05/17/celebrating-our-heritage-156071
Celebrating our heritage
By Jenara Regis Newman
Tuesday, May 17, 2011

“GABII SA KABILIN,” roughly translated to “night of heritage,” on May 26 is the culminating activity in Cebu of both National Heritage Month, May, and World Museum Day, May 18. This is the fourth [sic] year Cebu celebrates “Gabii sa Kabilin” where participating museums are open until midnight.

This year, there are two additional museums participating in the event: the Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum and the newly opened Cebu City Museum. Also participating are five plazas: Parian, Hamabar, Plaza Sugbo (fronting City Hall), Plaza Independencia and Mandaue City Plaza.

The main reason for this activity, says Dr. Jocelyn Gerra of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, which is spearheading the event, “is to increase public awareness of the role of museums in society.” Being a repository of objects found in a particular place, it is thus a memory bank of “craftsmanship, material, art, history, embodying the material and tangible heritage of a people, weaving the story of that people, letting us appreciate who we are, and using this as a springboard for charting our future.”

For this year’s event, there are 18 participants, which makes one night too short a time to see all of them. Here is a guide of what the places offer so one can choose which place to visit:

Casa Gorordo will feature the Children’s Orchestra of Marigondon Public School, plus soprano Izarzuri Vidal. It will also have food from Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa available “at popular prices” and lechon.

The Cathedral Museum of Cebu will have storytelling, and performances by the youth.

Fort San Pedro will offer the music of a tribal band, and a movie on Cebu history, and cultural dances.

Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House will reenact Santacruzan sa Parian, and will have dinner for a cause as well as a cultural show of folk dances.

Cebuano “Sayaw” will highlight the presentation of Museo Sugbo, as well as a cooking demo (budbud kabog) and weaving demo (hablon).

Night Market of Colon vendors will be at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Rizal Museum, plus a book fair and some performances by the USPF orchestra.

Cebuano songs and a harpist performance will be heard at the Museo Parian sa Sugbo, otherwise known as the 1730 Jesuit House.

Sacred Heart (Church) Alternative Museum will have an art fair, performance art by Russ Ligtas, and portrait sessions (there is a modest fee).

The World War II Memorabilia is the highlight of the CNU Museum.

The Cebu City Museum will have a painting exhibit depicting the history of Cebu, plus cultural dances and a lecture on the battle of Tres de Abril by Dionisio Sy.

At the Mandue City Plaza will be cooking demos of Mandaue delicacies, and a presentation of the Mandaue School for the Arts.

Plaza Independencia will have fire dancers, a fiesta band and a trivia night while Plaza Parian will have a food fair and a photo exhibit from Aboitizland on Cebu “then and now.”

The Santo Niño is the focus of the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño

To make it easy for the museum goer, there will be only one ticket that will entitle the ticket holder to enter any of the museum he fancies. It will also entitle him to ride a bus or a tartanilla to go from one museum to another, except in Parian, which will be a walking tour of Casa Gorordo, Plaza Parian, the Heritage Monument, the Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, the Museo Parian sa Sugbo, the USPF Rizal Museum, Plaza Hamabar and the Cathedral Museum.

“Gabii sa Kabilin” is the cheapest cultural celebration one can have in the city. To appreciate it better, one must decide where to go, what to see, for the night is too short for all that it has to offer.

The hope of the organizers is that this will be an eye opener of what the museums and heritage places have to offer, to make people more aware of the rich cultural heritage that we Cebuanos have.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 18, 2011.

1st Visitor(?) to Boljoon Dig 6

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150184757616263.303537.608471262&l=e82affabae

Hi,

Naa lang ko panguta sa inyo tanan:

Is there such thing as "binukot" in the concept of Central Visayas, particularly ancient Sugbuanon or Bol-anon? I was asking this since there is a new programme of GMA 7 called "Amaya" which the princess would be portrayed by Marian Rivera. The show proclaimed that they have its history verified by the professors in UP Diliman. However, it is better to confirm this, especially from the experts of Cebuano history and society, if there is such thing as "binukot" in ancient Cebu or Central Visayas.

Thanks in advance. :)

1st Visitor(?) to Boljoon Dig 6

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150184757616263.303537.608471262&l=e82affabae

yes...and first to buy our shirt on site!!! congratulations! and good luck with that taxi driver.

Hi,

Naa lang ko panguta sa inyo tanan:

Is there such thing as "binukot" in the concept of Central Visayas, particularly ancient Sugbuanon or Bol-anon? I was asking this since there is a new programme of GMA 7 called "Amaya" which the princess would be portrayed by Marian Rivera. The show proclaimed that they have its history verified by the professors in UP Diliman. However, it is better to confirm this, especially from the experts of Cebuano history and society, if there is such thing as "binukot" in ancient Cebu or Central Visayas.

Thanks in advance. :)

There is a tradition of women who were "binukot" in Cebu in the olden times. These women were not allowed to go out of the house, they were blanketed over - binukot. In Cebuano, to "bukot" is to wrap a thing, a person as in "mag bukot ko ug habol" (I will wrap myself with a blanket).

I still have to research why they were treated in such a manner. Maybe they were very special for one thing.

‘Binisaya’
By Michael Tan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:47:00 04/28/2011

I WAS just in Cebu to give the commencement speech at our UP campus there. I thought that readers—whether Bisaya or not—might be interested in some parts of the speech where I talked about the history and languages of the region.

For today’s column, I want to focus on the language aspect. There is a tendency, among non-Visayans, to think of “Bisaya” as one language when in fact there are at least 16 languages listed by the Summer Institute of Linguistics’ Ethnologue as spoken in the Visayas alone. The largest ones are Cebuano, Ilonggo (or Hiligaynon) and Waray, but besides these three there are several others like Capiznon and Kiniray-a. One language, Karolanos, is spoken only in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental.

Some of these languages have been dwindling, in part because of the larger languages tending to take over—for example younger Kiniray-a shifting to Ilonggo. But even the larger languages like Cebuano have suffered because of the way “Bisaya” in general is always being put down. The tendency for Cebuanos especially is to protest and to refuse to use Tagalog, but in the process, they (the upper and middle classes especially) end up using English.

It’s time to “rebel” by using local Visayan languages. With the Department of Education’s mother language policy, which requires the use of the main local language in all public schools up to Grade 3 as the medium of instruction for all subjects, we will see a revival of many of these languages, which will actually enrich Philippine culture as a whole.
Despite this linguistic diversity, in the many years that I worked with health and development programs in the Visayas and Mindanao, I’ve come to recognize that there is a “Binisaya” culture that transcends language, and I’m hoping a restored pride in Binisaya—in language, arts, cooking, architecture—will contribute to our being Filipino.

‘Bisaya,’ Filipino

I urged the new graduates to go back and read the Spanish Jesuit Ignacio Francisco Alzina, whose “Historia de las islas e indios de Bisayas” (History of the Islands and Indios of the Visayas) was first published in 1668, and of which the English translation has been published as well over the last 10 years by the UST Press. It has three volumes of fascinating materials about the Visayas, describing its rich natural resources, as well as the culture.

That early, Alzina already noted that the “Bisaya” were not just in the Visayas but also in Mindanao and Luzon—suggesting that early Philippine culture was strongly Bisaya. To the north, he mentioned the gold mines of Paracale, Camarines Sur, which belonged to the “Bisayan natives.” To the south, there were the mines of Caraga (in Alzina’s time, the provinces of Surigao and Agusan) also described as belonging to the Bisaya. This Caraga region impressed the Spaniards because of its gold reserves and the gold craftsmanship.

Again, I referred our new graduates to the Ayala Museum’s new publication, “Philippine Ancestral Gold,” which documents the lavish gold ornaments from the Visayas and Mindanao. By lavish I mean almost extravagant, maluho in Filipino. Imagine draping the shoulders with a 4-kilogram gold ornament as an indicator of social status. You will see that ornament, called a “caste cord,” in the Ayala Museum.

Let me save a longer review of Ayala Museum’s book for a future column and get back now to Alzina. This prolific Jesuit writer had an interest in languages and praised Visayan languages for their “extensiveness, variety and preciseness,” even suggesting the languages as being equal—in richness—to Greek, Latin and Hebrew.

As an example of this richness, he marveled at how “Bisaya” (probably Waray, because he spent most of his missionary life in Samar) had so many words for washing. While in Spanish there is only “lavar,” he said the Bisaya had specific words for washing pots and pans (hugas), washing fish and meat (lawsaw), washing the entire body (parigus), washing the feet (pamusa), washing the hands (hunay) and, being a priest, he just had to mention “washing the most secret and hidden parts of the body.”

Sensual
Likewise, he observed that while the Spaniards had only one word, “desabrido,” for tasteless food, the Bisaya had “more than twenty words, even thirty” to express tastelessness or displeasure. Alcina said Bisaya had an abundance of metaphors, and had compiled some 600 proverbs.

One quick digression: It’s not just the Visayan languages that are so “sensual.” Philippine languages generally have many adjectives that relate to the senses, especially smell and taste. Just think of the Tagalog terms for foul smells, everything from spoiled food to perspiration. Conversely, we have all kinds of positive or pleasant metaphors for smells, for example, “amoy baby,” smelling like a baby.

Back to Alzina. The Jesuit did observe the absence of “po” in Bisaya, but had this to say about the Tagalogs’ use: “…they are accustomed to insert as many po’s, which is a heap of courtesies.” Alzina was not impressed though, observing that the Tagalogs tended to use “po” too much, in a way that “they become nothing but coarse commonplaces and even vulgarisms.” He said the “po” is like the Spanish “señor” (translated as “sir” in the UST book). His example of how this “heap of courtesies” sounds goes this way: “I have come, sir, to see you, sir, and to give you, sir, something to eat, sir, etc.”

Alzina’s observation struck me because Tagalogs do sometimes put down people from the Visayas because of this lack of “po,” accusing the Bisaya of being impolite. Yet, Alzina correctly observed that courtesies were “never lacking” among the Bisaya, who expressed politeness through “bodily gestures.”

I wanted to end today’s column on a light note, referring to the way “binisaya” is used, to mean things local or “native.” It’s this usage of “binisaya” that tells me there is this Bisaya identity that transcends all the different languages.
I first encountered the term when, fresh out of college, I was assigned to work on medicinal plants. In the Visayas and Mindanao, the plants were always being referred to as “binisayang tambal,” literally Visayan medicine, a way of differentiating these medicines from western medicine.

Then there is “manok bisaya,” referring to the “native” chicken. The Tagalogs also have a similar term: “manok Tagalog.” People do complain that “manok bisaya” tends to be smaller and skinnier, but at the same time say it tastes better.

Sometimes, people in the Visayas will also refer to the smallest child in a brood as “binisaya.” It all reflects the way we think of things native and local as smaller. Perhaps, I told our UP Cebu graduates, we could retort that like the “native” chicken, we are “gamay pero lami,” small but tasty (oops), or small but terrible. But really, I still prefer much more of an assertion “bisdak,”—“bisaya dako,” “dako” as big, and let’s roll in sensuous, sensual and strong as well. Mabuhi Bisaya!
* * *

Thanks for sharing this! I always liked reading Michael Tan. Honestly, I didn't know he's a Cebuano.

Just an observation: we may not have the word "po" in our language but we can be the most respectful people there is just by our body language and the way we address our elders or superiors - with out being obsequious.

There is a tradition of women who were "binukot" in Cebu in the olden times. These women were not allowed to go out of the house, they were blanketed over - binukot. In Cebuano, to "bukot" is to wrap a thing, a person as in "mag bukot ko ug habol" (I will wrap myself with a blanket).

I still have to research why they were treated in such a manner. Maybe they were very special for one thing.

I see. Are there any instances that these women are of a higher status in the olden society, like the Western concept of a "princess?"

Thanks again madame Loi. :)

Hi guys! Finally i was able to search on this kind of forum. I'm pretty much interested and excited to be part of it. I hope you can help me with some of my queries:

*can a 60 year old house can be considered part of a heritage or something?
*our family got a pile of old pictures, which some of it we're not so sure where in cebu taken, also the people on those picture..
*and finally the renovation of the old convent in Mabolo Parish. I'm afraid they're doing it the wrong way..

Hope to hear from you guys! thanks!:cheers:

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/7121/the-search-is-on
Past Forward
The search is on
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
9:17 am | Thursday, May 19th, 2011

Boljoon—Our joint University of San Carlos (USC) and National Museum team of archaeologists arrived here yesterday to begin the sixth phase of excavations.

We are back, this time with funding from the Sumitomo Foundation of Japan, which has provided a generous facility to look for more Japanese ceramics dating to the 1600s and publish the results in both scholarly and popular format. In 2009, you see, the fifth round of excavations recovered for the first time in Philippine history not one but three intact and complete ceramics that were clearly made in the Hizen kilns in what is now Saga prefecture in Japan.

How these ceramics reached Boljoon, south Cebu, when they would have been destined for the lucrative markets in Mexico and the New World during the Manila Galleon Trade, needs to be explained fully. For now, archaeologists are here to look for more evidence of these ceramics because before Boljoon, only a few broken fragments were recovered in the Philippines, on a site in Intramuros where such ceramic wares were loaded onto galleons bound for Acapulco, Mexico.

Those very ceramics we unearthed in 2009 here in Boljoon are now on display at the Boljoon Parish Museum. And next week an expert from Arita Folklore and History Museum, Dr. Takenori Nogami, who identified these ceramics himself, will join the dig. It was Dr. Ken, as he is fondly called, who also identified the shards from Intramuros (recovered during an excavation conducted by the National Museum).

Today, we begin opening a unit we closed off in 2009 because we ran out of time and funds. We unearthed only the feet of the burial. We hope that during this current dig, the entire burial will be fully exposed as a good beginning to what we hope will be another promising first for Boljoon. More on this next week.

* * *

Cognratulations to my professor and dissertation adviser, Dr. John Peterson, on the successful conduct of underwater excavations in Mactan. This is the first-ever underwater dig in the country to be funded by National Geographic and Cebu is doubly proud that this was carried out here.

Dr. Peterson is head of the Micronesia Area Research Center (MARC), University of Guam (UOG) and is the new editor of the Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, the social science journal published by the University of San Carlos Press since 1970. He is also married to a Carcaranon. John has written a lot about the archaeology of Cebu but this excavation is the most ambitious yet not just for him but also for Philippine archaeology. We therefore await with bated breath the results of this seminal work.

We also await with excitement the upcoming joint excavations of NM, USC, UOG and UP in San Remigio. So much is going on in Cebu archaeology right now that this province is surely the envy of others. Kudos to all!

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=687988&publicationSubCategoryId=107
"Gabii sa Kabilin" to include Mandaue
By Flor Z.Perolina/JPM (The Freeman)
Updated May 20, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - It will be a night of festivities in Mandaue City on May 27 as the city joins the Gabii sa Kabilin, an event organized by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Incorporated.

Mandaue City consultant on culture and heritage Emilio Pascual, during a press conference yesterday, said that one of Mandaue’s highlights for the Cebuanos to visit is the “Bantayan sa Hari” or watchtower which was built between the late 18th century and early 19th century.

The Bantayan sa Hari was constructed so Mandauehanons would have a way of monitoring and preparing themselves against invaders.

From the Bantayan sa Hari, the visitors will then have a stop at the city’s heritage plaza in front of the then Mandaue Presidencia, now called the City Hall, wherein the group will have an opportunity to have their pictures taken with the winners of the Mr. and Miss Mandaue 2011 at the Rizal-Bonifacio Memorial Stage.

The city will also feature a Do-it-Yourself making of its delicacies, the “bibingka” and “tagaktak.”

A mini trade fair will be put up for the event, while the San Miguel Corporation will have an exhibit through a “photo wall” featuring the company’s history, its growth and partnership with the city.

Pascual is urging the 27 barangays in the city to send their delegations to the Heritage Plaza to match the delegation of 5,000 people from Cebu City who would want to know about Mandaue city’s culture and heritage. (FREEMAN)

Hi guys! Finally i was able to search on this kind of forum. I'm pretty much interested and excited to be part of it. I hope you can help me with some of my queries:

*can a 60 year old house can be considered part of a heritage or something?
*our family got a pile of old pictures, which some of it we're not so sure where in cebu taken, also the people on those picture..
*and finally the renovation of the old convent in Mabolo Parish. I'm afraid they're doing it the wrong way..

Hope to hear from you guys! thanks!:cheers:

here are my answers:

yes, a house that is 50 years or older is considered part of heritage. it depends, however, on whose heritage it is a part of as there are many levels of that. it can start with your own family. next would be if it was significant to your village, barangay or neighborhood (were there events of importance to the village, barangay, neighborhood that happened there? was your grandpa/grnadma a barangay official of distinction?), the next would be at the municipal or city level (was your house once a municipio? did a mayor live there? were there town events that were always held there? etc) and on to the province and then the region and then the national level.

the old photos are qutie interesting. you should scan them all or those you think are of cebu and post them here. who knows maybe someone will recognize them

as to Mabolo, i will inform the members of the church heritage commission. last i heard, the priest asked for the commission's help and approval. maybe something went wrong? ooooppps time?

here are my answers:

yes, a house that is 50 years or older is considered part of heritage. it depends, however, on whose heritage it is a part of as there are many levels of that. it can start with your own family. next would be if it was significant to your village, barangay or neighborhood (were there events of importance to the village, barangay, neighborhood that happened there? was your grandpa/grnadma a barangay official of distinction?), the next would be at the municipal or city level (was your house once a municipio? did a mayor live there? were there town events that were always held there? etc) and on to the province and then the region and then the national level.

the old photos are qutie interesting. you should scan them all or those you think are of cebu and post them here. who knows maybe someone will recognize them

as to Mabolo, i will inform the members of the church heritage commission. last i heard, the priest asked for the commission's help and approval. maybe something went wrong? ooooppps time?

Re Mabolo convent. As a member of the Archdiocesan Heritage Commission, I asked Fr. Brian re the renovation going on in the Mabolo convent. He told me that Msgr. Pono and Melva Java (who heads the Sacred Architecture committee of the Commission) already went there and talked to the priests. Maybe this is another case of a "runaway" renovation? Sadly,Mabolo seem to be the victim of this kind of fate of late.

I see. Are there any instances that these women are of a higher status in the olden society, like the Western concept of a "princess?"

Thanks again madame Loi. :)

I don't know about being a "princess". Please research further and share your findings with us.

simba is nite time but not very late

The GSK runs until 12 to 1 in the morning. So we can understand the hesitance of USC to open their museum for GSK.

yes...and first to buy our shirt on site!!! congratulations! and good luck with that taxi driver.

Jo, Fr. Brian and I will go to Samboan soon. Hapit unya mi sa Boljoon!

I don't know about being a "princess". Please research further and share your findings with us.
Thanks madame Loi. I just like to cross-verify the concept of binukot in what the teleserye Amaya is all about.

Jo, Fr. Brian and I will go to Samboan soon. Hapit unya mi sa Boljoon!

that's great...maluoy ka, bring me some salad and other good food that you cook pleeeeease!!!

but am not here on May 23 and May 27-29.

jobers

that's great...maluoy ka, bring me some salad and other good food that you cook pleeeeease!!!

but am not here on May 23 and May 27-29.

jobers

Ha ha ha will keep the dates in mind. And of course will bring food!:)

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http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=33625
A night of heritage tour in Cebu on May 27
by Minerva BC Newman
PIA Press Release
Friday, May 20, 2011

CEBU CITY, May 20 (PIA) - Eleven museums and seven heritage sites within Cebu City will open their doors to the public from 6 p.m. until midnight on May 27 for another ‘one-night only’ heritage tour dubbed as “Gabii sa Kabilin” (Night of Heritage).

On its 5th consecutive year, the Anvil awardee event "Gabii sa Kabilin" is also organized in celebration of the National Heritage Month and International Museum day in May.

According to the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), an NGO in Cebu that partners with the Visayas association of museums and the local government, the “Gabii sa Kabilin” is the only one of its kind in Asia.

It aims to foster understanding and to bring local art and culture closer to the public.

“But beyond that it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of 'dead objects;' rather, as venues for live cultural activities,” said Dr. Jocelyn Guerra, culture and heritage unit of RAFI.

This year, the heritage tour covers the museums at Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) - Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza.

The heritage sites that will be visited include Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument (Plaza Parian), Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

These museums and sites will feature various cultural attractions during the Gabii sa Kabilin, such as performances by Izarzuri Vidal and Children’s Orchestra Marigondon Public School at Casa Gorordo Museum; storytelling at Cathedral Museum of Cebu; tribal band at Fort San Pedro.

There will also be a Santacruzan sa Parian procession at Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House; Cebuano dances at Museo Sugbo and night market of Colon Street vendors outside USPF Rizal Museum.

Cebuano songs and harpist performances at the Museo Parian sa Sugbo; art fair at Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery; World War II memorabilia collections at CNU Museum; paintings at Cebu City Museum; and cooking demonstration of native delicacies of Mandaue at the Mandaue City Central Plaza.

This year’s Gabii sa Kabilin will also feature a walking tour of the participating plazas in Cebu City to be conducted by Ka Bino Guerrero.

For a Php 150 ticket, a visitor can already enter all the participating museums and heritage sites and avail of bus and tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) rides.

The PNP and Tanods from nine (9) barangays (Santo Niño, Tinago, San Roque, Tejero, T. Padilla, Cogon Ramos, Pari-an, Zapatera, and Day-as) will help secure the routes.

The barangays will also provide volunteers to man information desks and drive designated buses back and forth the selected venues. (PIA-7)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/7661/a-night-of-18-museums-heritage-sites
A night of 18 museums, heritage sites
By Cris Evert B. Lato
Inquirer Visayas
5:32 am | Saturday, May 21st, 2011

CEBU CITY, Philippines—For one night, local and foreign tourists in Cebu will have the chance to visit 18 museums and heritages sites.

Their doors will open up to midnight of May 27 during the fifth Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi).

“Gabii sa Kabilin is a platform to educate the public about our treasures. It aims to build a culture of visiting museums,” says Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of Rafi’s culture and heritage unit.

About 5,000 people are expected to register for the cultural event, more than double last year’s attendance of 2,000.

A registration fee of P150 will allow participants multiple entry to museums and free rides. They will show the ticket in every museum entrance. At the back of the ticket is a map, detailing the walking, tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) and bus routes.

They are encouraged to plan their routes in going around the 18 sites.

Patterned after the long night of museums in Germany, Gerra says the Gabii sa Kabilin reinforces the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture.

“Museums are not just repositories of dead objects but venues for live cultural activities. We aim to raise that awareness of our identity and culture,” she stresses.

Included this year are 10 museums and eight heritage sites, including the latest addition, Mandaue City Central Plaza.

The museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum and the recently reopened Cebu City Museum.

Aside from the Mandaue City Central Plaza, the heritage sites are Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, Plaza Independencia and Plaza Sugbo. The Gabii sa Kabilin started in 2007 with four museums and generated 200 visitors. But it has grown since and has encouraged barangays to play an active role in the organization.

Since the heritage sites are found in the barangays, Rafi with the support of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts have organized storytelling and writing sessions, as well as theater workshops, to equip the community with skills to preserve tales, stories and dances unique to the place.

“It is in consonance with Unesco’s call in making heritage activities as a source of economic activity of the community,” Gerra says.

For the Gabii sa Kabilin, Gerra says kucheros, who still make a living mostly at Carbon Market in Barangay Ermita, will be hired. “This way, we do not only uplift the economic condition of the kucheros but also bring back their sense of dignity,” she says.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=688315&publicationSubCategoryId=111
Gabii sa Kabilin 11
By Maria Eleanor E. Valeros
(The Freeman)
Updated May 21, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - You read it right! It's not about the number of stagings. It's counting how many museums and heritage sites will be toured, this year, for the annual "Gabii sa Kabilin" event – now, on its fourth [sic] year.

In celebration of National Heritage Month and International Museum Day, the Gabii sa Kabilin on May 27 will take history buffs to seven participating museums and four heritage sites in Metro Cebu. These are:

• University of Southern Philippines Foundation-Rizaliana Museum. It features a rich collection of memorabilia owned by the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal

• Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Gallery. The parish was founded in 1952. It houses a gallery designed for local artists to display their works.

• Cebu Normal University Museum. Established in 1902, CNU was once called the Cebu Normal School. The university has a museum which houses World War II memorabilia and old photos of the school.

• Cebu City Museum. The museum gives a clear glimpse of the history of Cebu from pre-Hispanic times to the Contemporary period.

• Mandaue City Plaza. Mandaue was founded in 1599 and became a city in 1969. Fronting the city hall is a wide plaza where the post office, among others, is located.

• Plaza Independencia. Considered to be the largest park of Cebu City, it has statues of some of the prominent figures in Philippine history.

• Casa Gorordo Museum. A Cebuano lifestyle museum which is formerly the 19th century residence of the first Cebuano Bishop Juan Garces Gorordo.

• Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The former rectory of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral now houses some of the treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Fort San Pedro. It is a fort built at the start of Spanish colonization to protect Cebu from Moro sea raids.

• Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. Built during the late 18th century, this house turned lifestyle museum is originally owned by a Chinese merchant named Juan Yap and his wife Maria Florido.

• Museo Sugbo. It is the Cebu Provincial Museum. Built in 1871, it was formerly the old Carcel de Cebu during the Spanish, American, and Japanese Occupation up to 2004.

• Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House). Built in 1730, it was formerly the residence of the Jesuit Superior in Cebu.

• Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Basilica del Sto. Niño. This church was later constructed on the purported site of the discovery of the Sto. Niño image/icon in 1565. Today, it is an important historical and religious landmark in Cebu.

• Sacred Heart Church. The church was originally dedicated to the Our Lady Queen of China and was finished in 1960 in time to celebrate its first Mass on Christmas Eve.

• Heritage of Cebu Monument. Located on the original Plaza Parian, it showcases significant and symbolic events in the history of Cebu.

• Plaza Hamabar. It features the statue of King Humabon, the king of Cebu when Magellan came to the islands and believed to be the first Christianized Filipino.

• Plaza Sugbo. Used to be called Rizal Plaza, it opened in 2008. The famous Magellan's Cross is located inside the plaza.

Patterned after the Lange Nacht der Museum (Long Night of Museum) in Germany and other European countries, the Gabii sa Kabilin (Cebuano for Night of Heritage) is designed to draw foreign and local tourists - most especially Cebuanos - to visit the museums.

"It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture," the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. which spearheads this event said in an official statement.

"But beyond that, it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of 'dead objects'; rather, as venues for live cultural activities," RAFI added.

Gabii sa Kabilin is the only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines, as well as in Asia. It opens the doors of participating museums and heritage sites beyond regular hours (or from 6 p.m. to midnight) on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May. It also serves as a culminating event to the observance of an International Museum Day.

This award-winning program is an initiative of RAFI in its culture and heritage focus area, in partnership with the abovementioned museums, Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort and Spa, and AboitizLand.

This year's activity carries the theme: "Museums and Memories (Touring Memory Lane)." For ticket inquiries, call (6332) 418-7234 loc. 703. (FREEMAN)

http://cebucity.gov.ph/templates/cebu_city_template/images/main/l_u.png
http://cebucity.gov.ph/news-announcements/chactivities/864-zoning-ordinance-amended
Zoning Ordinance amended
Thursday, 19 May 2011 09:01

(PIO CEBU CITY) - Conservation of Heritage sites is one of the main highlights of the Amendment of the Zoning Ordinance.

The Zoning Ordinance was started last August 2010 with the presentation scheduled this May. According to Engr. Alipio Bacalso, Head of the City Planning and Development Office, the ordinance must be amended every five years in order to conform to the needs of the city.

The ordinance includes regulation of building subdivision, in line with the development plan and heritage conservation.

It also aims to expand the Heritage Conservation, enforcing the renovation, demolition and preservation within the Heritage Core and to bring back the grandeur of Cebu City.

The heritage conservation covers the History town which is composed of the Old Cebu, San Nicolas, Old Downtown Area in Colon and heritage core within the Old Downtown Area specifically Paria-an.

(Dean P. Rios | Cebu Normal University SPES/PIO Intern)

^^
wow good news!!!

as to Mabolo, i will inform the members of the church heritage commission. last i heard, the priest asked for the commission's help and approval. maybe something went wrong? ooooppps time?

thanks for the response! with regard to the mabolo convent, i notice that some of the limestones where removed. that's why it got my attention when i passed by the church last week. will try to take some photos to show it here.

Can we just buy the tickets at CNU on May 27?

Ha ha ha will keep the dates in mind. And of course will bring food!:)

that's great...maluoy ka, bring me some salad and other good food that you cook pleeeeease!!!

but am not here on May 23 and May 27-29.

jobers

If ma-agi-an try the Balamban/Asturias Dawa Bingka. Its Bingka added with dawa, tastes much smoother and better than the usual bingka. If you cant seem to find any for sale on the streets, try that restaurant at the back of Balamaban gym and municipal Hall. (Eating one of my better natural talents :ohno:)

If ma-agi-an try the Balamban/Asturias Dawa Bingka. Its Bingka added with dawa, tastes much smoother and better than the usual bingka. If you cant seem to find any for sale on the streets, try that restaurant at the back of Balamaban gym and municipal Hall. (Eating one of my better natural talents :ohno:)

Boy, 1. dili tawn maagi-an ang Balamban or Asturias when we go to Samboan. We have to go South via Dalaguete down to Boljoon then to Santander then on to Samboan.

2. The Bibingkang Dawa of Asturias is nice but for me, ONLY the Mandaue Bibingka will do. OR Ferino's, the Tagalog version. ha ha ha grabe ka loyal!

3. What the great Jobers is asking for is food from MY kitchen. But he knows he's allowed to demand this owing to the fact that I think his brains are very necessary for Cebuano heritage. I will gladly support the longevity of that brain with my culinary efforts anytime! he he he

4. The restaurant of the Pilapils at the back of the gym in Balamban has been the refuge of C-CIMPEL volunteers since the first elections we served in 1993. The Dalupapa (giant squid) adobo here is very good. Their liempo eaten with Utan Bisaya is the proverbial unforgettable meal.
Nearby is the original maker of Balamban liempo which has been the bane of our collective knees and joints. (It never stopped us from eating, though!)

Note: The Adobo nga Nukos of the Northern towns (Bogo to Bantayan) remains undisputedly the BEST. I might praise the Dalu[papa adobo in Balamban, but there is no comparison between this and the Adobong Nukos in the North.

Note2: Notice how food behooves me to react with such length?

Can we just buy the tickets at CNU on May 27?

Tickets for GSK are available in all participating museums/galleries. The danger is that most tickets get sold out the day before the event.

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http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=33625
A night of heritage tour in Cebu on May 27
by Minerva BC Newman
PIA Press Release
Friday, May 20, 2011

CEBU CITY, May 20 (PIA) - Eleven museums and seven heritage sites within Cebu City will open their doors to the public from 6 p.m. until midnight on May 27 for another ‘one-night only’ heritage tour dubbed as “Gabii sa Kabilin” (Night of Heritage).

On its 5th consecutive year, the Anvil awardee event "Gabii sa Kabilin" is also organized in celebration of the National Heritage Month and International Museum day in May.

According to the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI), an NGO in Cebu that partners with the Visayas association of museums and the local government, the “Gabii sa Kabilin” is the only one of its kind in Asia.

It aims to foster understanding and to bring local art and culture closer to the public.

“But beyond that it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of 'dead objects;' rather, as venues for live cultural activities,” said Dr. Jocelyn Guerra, culture and heritage unit of RAFI.

This year, the heritage tour covers the museums at Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) - Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University (CNU) Museum, Cebu City Museum, and Mandaue City Central Plaza.

The heritage sites that will be visited include Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument (Plaza Parian), Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbo.

These museums and sites will feature various cultural attractions during the Gabii sa Kabilin, such as performances by Izarzuri Vidal and Children’s Orchestra Marigondon Public School at Casa Gorordo Museum; storytelling at Cathedral Museum of Cebu; tribal band at Fort San Pedro.

There will also be a Santacruzan sa Parian procession at Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House; Cebuano dances at Museo Sugbo and night market of Colon Street vendors outside USPF Rizal Museum.

Cebuano songs and harpist performances at the Museo Parian sa Sugbo; art fair at Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery; World War II memorabilia collections at CNU Museum; paintings at Cebu City Museum; and cooking demonstration of native delicacies of Mandaue at the Mandaue City Central Plaza.

This year’s Gabii sa Kabilin will also feature a walking tour of the participating plazas in Cebu City to be conducted by Ka Bino Guerrero.

For a Php 150 ticket, a visitor can already enter all the participating museums and heritage sites and avail of bus and tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) rides.

The PNP and Tanods from nine (9) barangays (Santo Niño, Tinago, San Roque, Tejero, T. Padilla, Cogon Ramos, Pari-an, Zapatera, and Day-as) will help secure the routes.

The barangays will also provide volunteers to man information desks and drive designated buses back and forth the selected venues. (PIA-7)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/7661/a-night-of-18-museums-heritage-sites
A night of 18 museums, heritage sites
By Cris Evert B. Lato
Inquirer Visayas
5:32 am | Saturday, May 21st, 2011

CEBU CITY, Philippines—For one night, local and foreign tourists in Cebu will have the chance to visit 18 museums and heritages sites.

Their doors will open up to midnight of May 27 during the fifth Gabii sa Kabilin (Night of Heritage) by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi).

“Gabii sa Kabilin is a platform to educate the public about our treasures. It aims to build a culture of visiting museums,” says Dr. Jocelyn Gerra, executive director of Rafi’s culture and heritage unit.

About 5,000 people are expected to register for the cultural event, more than double last year’s attendance of 2,000.

A registration fee of P150 will allow participants multiple entry to museums and free rides. They will show the ticket in every museum entrance. At the back of the ticket is a map, detailing the walking, tartanilla (horse-drawn carriage) and bus routes.

They are encouraged to plan their routes in going around the 18 sites.

Patterned after the long night of museums in Germany, Gerra says the Gabii sa Kabilin reinforces the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture.

“Museums are not just repositories of dead objects but venues for live cultural activities. We aim to raise that awareness of our identity and culture,” she stresses.

Included this year are 10 museums and eight heritage sites, including the latest addition, Mandaue City Central Plaza.

The museums are Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbo, University of Southern Philippines Foundation Rizal Museum, Museo Parian sa Sugbo (Jesuit House), Sacred Heart Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum and the recently reopened Cebu City Museum.

Aside from the Mandaue City Central Plaza, the heritage sites are Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, Plaza Independencia and Plaza Sugbo. The Gabii sa Kabilin started in 2007 with four museums and generated 200 visitors. But it has grown since and has encouraged barangays to play an active role in the organization.

Since the heritage sites are found in the barangays, Rafi with the support of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts have organized storytelling and writing sessions, as well as theater workshops, to equip the community with skills to preserve tales, stories and dances unique to the place.

“It is in consonance with Unesco’s call in making heritage activities as a source of economic activity of the community,” Gerra says.

For the Gabii sa Kabilin, Gerra says kucheros, who still make a living mostly at Carbon Market in Barangay Ermita, will be hired. “This way, we do not only uplift the economic condition of the kucheros but also bring back their sense of dignity,” she says.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.philstar.com/images/logo_Freeman.jpg
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=688315&publicationSubCategoryId=111
Gabii sa Kabilin 11
By Maria Eleanor E. Valeros
(The Freeman)
Updated May 21, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - You read it right! It's not about the number of stagings. It's counting how many museums and heritage sites will be toured, this year, for the annual "Gabii sa Kabilin" event – now, on its fourth [sic] year.

In celebration of National Heritage Month and International Museum Day, the Gabii sa Kabilin on May 27 will take history buffs to seven participating museums and four heritage sites in Metro Cebu. These are:

• University of Southern Philippines Foundation-Rizaliana Museum. It features a rich collection of memorabilia owned by the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal

• Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Gallery. The parish was founded in 1952. It houses a gallery designed for local artists to display their works.

• Cebu Normal University Museum. Established in 1902, CNU was once called the Cebu Normal School. The university has a museum which houses World War II memorabilia and old photos of the school.

• Cebu City Museum. The museum gives a clear glimpse of the history of Cebu from pre-Hispanic times to the Contemporary period.

• Mandaue City Plaza. Mandaue was founded in 1599 and became a city in 1969. Fronting the city hall is a wide plaza where the post office, among others, is located.

• Plaza Independencia. Considered to be the largest park of Cebu City, it has statues of some of the prominent figures in Philippine history.

• Casa Gorordo Museum. A Cebuano lifestyle museum which is formerly the 19th century residence of the first Cebuano Bishop Juan Garces Gorordo.

• Cathedral Museum of Cebu. The former rectory of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral now houses some of the treasures of the Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Fort San Pedro. It is a fort built at the start of Spanish colonization to protect Cebu from Moro sea raids.

• Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House. Built during the late 18th century, this house turned lifestyle museum is originally owned by a Chinese merchant named Juan Yap and his wife Maria Florido.

• Museo Sugbo. It is the Cebu Provincial Museum. Built in 1871, it was formerly the old Carcel de Cebu during the Spanish, American, and Japanese Occupation up to 2004.

• Museo Parian sa Sugbo (1730 Jesuit House). Built in 1730, it was formerly the residence of the Jesuit Superior in Cebu.

• Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. It is the ecclesiastical seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Cebu.

• Basilica del Sto. Niño. This church was later constructed on the purported site of the discovery of the Sto. Niño image/icon in 1565. Today, it is an important historical and religious landmark in Cebu.

• Sacred Heart Church. The church was originally dedicated to the Our Lady Queen of China and was finished in 1960 in time to celebrate its first Mass on Christmas Eve.

• Heritage of Cebu Monument. Located on the original Plaza Parian, it showcases significant and symbolic events in the history of Cebu.

• Plaza Hamabar. It features the statue of King Humabon, the king of Cebu when Magellan came to the islands and believed to be the first Christianized Filipino.

• Plaza Sugbo. Used to be called Rizal Plaza, it opened in 2008. The famous Magellan's Cross is located inside the plaza.

Patterned after the Lange Nacht der Museum (Long Night of Museum) in Germany and other European countries, the Gabii sa Kabilin (Cebuano for Night of Heritage) is designed to draw foreign and local tourists - most especially Cebuanos - to visit the museums.

"It aims to reinforce the belief that local museums are venues for the understanding and appreciation of Cebuano history and culture," the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. which spearheads this event said in an official statement.

"But beyond that, it also discounts the stereotype of museums as mere repositories of 'dead objects'; rather, as venues for live cultural activities," RAFI added.

Gabii sa Kabilin is the only cultural event of its kind in the Philippines, as well as in Asia. It opens the doors of participating museums and heritage sites beyond regular hours (or from 6 p.m. to midnight) on the last Friday of the Philippine National Heritage Month of May. It also serves as a culminating event to the observance of an International Museum Day.

This award-winning program is an initiative of RAFI in its culture and heritage focus area, in partnership with the abovementioned museums, Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort and Spa, and AboitizLand.

This year's activity carries the theme: "Museums and Memories (Touring Memory Lane)." For ticket inquiries, call (6332) 418-7234 loc. 703. (FREEMAN)

There it is again - the archdiocesan museum of Cebu is called The Cathedral Museum of Cebu. NOT Metropolitan Cathedral Museum. The logic behind naming the museum CATHEDRAL owes to the fact that CATHEDRAL here means SEAT of the Archdiocese. Most media people never check their facts.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/opinion/2011/05/21/sunstar-essay-dream-colon-156798
Sun.Star Essay: A dream of Colon
By Erma M. Cuizon
Saturday, May 21, 2011

IT has been years since Colon street was the kind of street Cebuanos went to for entertainment—where the moviehouses were (and nowhere else), or grocery stores, or Majestic Restaurant, or a bring-home of the favorite French bread from Elite bakery perfect for a midnight snack with the family. That was in the ‘50s, or way before the malls opened on all sides of the city.

Decades earlier, it’s said conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi designed the street in 1565 as he put up a Spanish settlement four decades after Spain’s “discovery” by Magellan of this archipelago southeast of the world, as recorded in the Legazpi letters to Felipe II of Spain in the 16th century.

Years later, Colon street stayed the same street, beloved and meaningful to Cebuanos, until the ‘80s, or earlier. Then there came stories about how unsafe the street is.

But no one should give up on an old street, says a Cebuana, Adelaida “Laling” Pages Javier, who won’t say goodbye to Colon street as a treasure to keep.

She is one of those who dream of a green and beautified Colon street. And it’s through the organization she leads, the Women International League-Hapsay Sugbo Foundation, Inc. (WIL), that she dreams of completing the 50 markers WIL has envisioned on the street for the Heritage Walk. It has helped put up the markers in Colon with the Cebu City Government and the establishments now occupying Colon, also with organizations willing to take care of the small gardens, like the Garden Club of Cebu.

Of the Heritage Markers now set up in some points of the street, each has a pocket garden and a lamp to go with a story marked, like those of old families who lived there centuries ago—an image of Cebuano history and culture.

WIL has been coordinating with the local government for this dream of Colon, also with the establishments now occupying the old street where old families, like the Osmeñas and the Escaños, lived or did business.

But first, says Laling Javier who is now in her 80s, WIL and the city government made a push for Colon street to be officially made into a historical landmark by the National Historical Institute—“Daang Colon.” The Historical Obelisk Marker was unveiled in May 1999. And there are now some of the other markers out front in some establishments, such as the Visayan Institute (now University of the Visayas), Southern Institute (now University of Southern Philippines), the old Vaño residence, Rallos residence, Doña Modesta Singson-Gaisano residence.

Take the marker where Teatro Junquera used to be, the oldest playhouse established in 1895 by Gen. Inocencio Junquera. There were performances shown here in the old days, like cinemas, operas, including the 1902 play in Cebuano, “Ang Gugma sa Yutang Natawhan” by Vicente Sotto.

These are stories of a people’s past kept safe for the next generations.

Still Laling Javier cannot sleep well because authorities could lose their guard. You can’t let Colon rot with an unwanted reputation today, says the octogenarian who taught in St. Theresa’s College for 20 years as a P.E. teacher and choreographed dances on her retirement, refusing to give up self-development at her age.

The problems, she says, are still there—sidewalks turned into vendors’ homes and garbage dump, marker lamps blocked, the pocket garden untended. Police visibility may be true now, except in a few cases of snatching, perhaps. But the ideal is that the spot for markers are cleared of vendors, its pocket garden cared for, the pedestrian areas well-lighted at night, sidewalk dwellers and drug users removed.

WIL as a group is dreaming of the “pedestrianization” of a part of Colon for walk tours, horse-drawn carriage rides, connecting museums nearby, as part of the Downtown Revitalization Project of the city.

You want a Colon dream tour along the markers, and to a Night Market? Ride a tartanilla, or bring your bike, or walk leisurely. This is a dream soon to become real, hopefully. Can the city make it safe, asks Laling Javier.

(ecuizon@gmail.com)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 22, 2011.

Boy, 1. dili tawn maagi-an ang Balamban or Asturias when we go to Samboan. We have to go South via Dalaguete down to Boljoon then to Santander then on to Samboan.

2. The Bibingkang Dawa of Asturias is nice but for me, ONLY the Mandaue Bibingka will do. OR Ferino's, the Tagalog version. ha ha ha grabe ka loyal!

3. What the great Jobers is asking for is food from MY kitchen. But he knows he's allowed to demand this owing to the fact that I think his brains are very necessary for Cebuano heritage. I will gladly support the longevity of that brain with my culinary efforts anytime! he he he

4. The restaurant of the Pilapils at the back of the gym in Balamban has been the refuge of C-CIMPEL volunteers since the first elections we served in 1993. The Dalupapa (giant squid) adobo here is very good. Their liempo eaten with Utan Bisaya is the proverbial unforgettable meal.
Nearby is the original maker of Balamban liempo which has been the bane of our collective knees and joints. (It never stopped us from eating, though!)

Note: The Adobo nga Nukos of the Northern towns (Bogo to Bantayan) remains undisputedly the BEST. I might praise the Dalu[papa adobo in Balamban, but there is no comparison between this and the Adobong Nukos in the North.

Note2: Notice how food behooves me to react with such length?

Are current Cebuano foods considered part of Cebuano Heritage? We might be out of topic discussing our shared inborn talents here :ohno:

Whichever bingka, they all taste great. Thing is the Balamban/Asturias version are harder to come by in Cebu City. Those would make great pasalubongs.

Regarding "ma-agi-an" was just thinking you might be passing along Naga - Toledo route.

So your passing by Carcar. The lechon with their free sinawod sold in their public market tastes so rich. The sinawd are drippings of the lechon that you can bahug on your rice. The taste of fats, salt, tanggad are all there :) ayaw lang palabi-i kay mokuba imong dughan inig human

The somewhat sweetened adobong nokos of Bantayan/Sta. Fe tastes somewhat different than the nokos nga may ata sa mainland north. But they both taste great. Perhaps this has something to do with the freshness of the squid.

"food from MY kitchen. But he knows he's allowed to demand this owing to the fact that I think his brains are very necessary for Cebuano heritage. I will gladly support the longevity of that brain with my culinary efforts anytime!" - Yes I would 100% agree.

Where is MY kitchen and what would be their specialty.

Are current Cebuano foods considered part of Cebuano Heritage? We might be out of topic discussing our shared inborn talents here. Yes, definitely. :yes: Heritage is Culture. Cuisine/ Cebuano food comprises a big part of Cebuano Culture. It is not OT from my POV. :colgate:

Are current Cebuano foods considered part of Cebuano Heritage? We might be out of topic discussing our shared inborn talents here :ohno:

Whichever bingka, they all taste great. Thing is the Balamban/Asturias version are harder to come by in Cebu City. Those would make great pasalubongs.

Regarding "ma-agi-an" was just thinking you might be passing along Naga - Toledo route.

So your passing by Carcar. The lechon with their free sinawod sold in their public market tastes so rich. The sinawd are drippings of the lechon that you can bahug on your rice. The taste of fats, salt, tanggad are all there :) ayaw lang palabi-i kay mokuba imong dughan inig human

The somewhat sweetened adobong nokos of Bantayan/Sta. Fe tastes somewhat different than the nokos nga may ata sa mainland north. But they both taste great. Perhaps this has something to do with the freshness of the squid.

"food from MY kitchen. But he knows he's allowed to demand this owing to the fact that I think his brains are very necessary for Cebuano heritage. I will gladly support the longevity of that brain with my culinary efforts anytime!" - Yes I would 100% agree.

Where is MY kitchen and what would be their specialty.


Boy, if culture as defined is the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group, then the culinary arts is part of our culture. Be not afraid to discuss food and its preparation. We are still in the realm of culture. he he he

The sweetish adobong Nukos with Ata is distinctively from the North, Bogo included. I was taught to cook nukos this way by my maternal grandmother who was a native of Bogo being an Araneta-Tequillo who married an Abao.

It is logical that people in Asturias would make Bibingka because they grow rice in Asturuias and in the neighboring Balamban. I will try to ask around when they started adding Dawa which is quite different from Kabog or millet.

Talking about Inasal (as lechon should properly be called in Cebu ), yes, you are right, the ones in Carcar is tasty. I always refuse to have that sinawod added to my inasal. In the first place, the liquid makes the crunch of the skin disappear. The most compelling though is the very reason you cited. Do you know that they put about 1 cup of vetsin into the cavity of the pig together with all the lamas? That's the one that makes you whoozy after eating inasal! So no sinawod for us.

As for your last question, ask Jobers - he'll tell you where MY kitchen is! ha ha ha

Yes, definitely. :yes: Heritage is Culture. Cuisine/ Cebuano food comprises a big part of Cebuano Culture. It is not OT from my POV. :colgate:

Thank you Mercato for your reply!:)

Thank you Mercato for your reply!:)welcome, and thank you for all those information about the local food scenery. I haven't tasted all those food for ages. :D

welcome, and thank you for all those information about the local food scenery. I haven't tasted all those food for ages. :D

Then you must be away from home! Where on earth are you, I wonder? I am sometimes unstoppable on the subject of food.:)

Then you must be away from home! Where on earth are you, I wonder? I am sometimes unstoppable on the subject of food.:)that's difficult to answer, it varies. but for now, in the nordic land of the vikings, copenhagen. but not for long though. :D
am quite content to lurk in the background, please do carry on with the food fest. :colgate:

that's difficult to answer, it varies. but for now, in the nordic land of the vikings, copenhagen. but not for long though. :D
am quite content to lurk in the background, please do carry on with the food fest. :colgate:

Thanks for this "please do carry on with the food fest" Since you mentioned you have not savored these food for so long, hoping you will drool some more with the topic. :) (joke lang)

Just a trivia. In Borbon and Catmon, the bodbod kabog are sold at P20 per bunch (4-5 pcs) Had seen in Manila a bodbod piece, not a bunch, at P20 each and nowhere as tasty as the ones sold in Borbon and Catmon.


Boy, if culture as defined is the total range of activities and ideas of a group of people with shared traditions, which are transmitted and reinforced by members of the group, then the culinary arts is part of our culture. Be not afraid to discuss food and its preparation. We are still in the realm of culture. he he he

The sweetish adobong Nukos with Ata is distinctively from the North, Bogo included. I was taught to cook nukos this way by my maternal grandmother who was a native of Bogo being an Araneta-Tequillo who married an Abao.


"The sweetish adobong Nukos with Ata is distinctively from the North, Bogo included." - Yes I do believe so. However Bantayan Island has these sliced nokos that they still call adobong nokos (comonly sold in Sta Fe pantalan and mga todlo-todlo restaurants. It has less ink and looks more like the adobong baboy. Other than labtingaw, this is the dish I always look for whenever I am in Bantayan.

Thanks for this "please do carry on with the food fest" Since you mentioned you have not savored these food for so long, hoping you will drool some more with the topic. :) (joke lang)

Just a trivia. In Borbon and Catmon, the bodbod kabog are sold at P20 per bunch (4-5 pcs) Had seen in Manila a bodbod piece, not a bunch, at P20 each and nowhere as tasty as the ones sold in Borbon and Catmon.




"The sweetish adobong Nukos with Ata is distinctively from the North, Bogo included." - Yes I do believe so. However Bantayan Island has these sliced nokos that they still call adobong nokos (comonly sold in Sta Fe pantalan and mga todlo-todlo restaurants. It has less ink and looks more like the adobong baboy. Other than labtingaw, this is the dish I always look for whenever I am in Bantayan.

I think I know what you mean. This was served to us in Kota Beach. I thought the adobo nga nukos just dried up from the heating. Bitaw, it was kinda dry and sweet.

The best labtingaw we ever had from Bantayan was made specially for an elegant old lady more known for her poultry. Bantayanons are very particular about their seafood - understandably so! Do you know that they only eat Bihod that comes from the roe of the Danggit fish? By the way, have you tasted Bihod sauteed with a handful of garlic,sliced tomatoes and green onions swimming in pork lard? This is the height of culinary heaven!

But what I really would like to know is how to cook Pintos To those who do not know about PINTOS. This is a bud-bud like concoction made from corn. I want to know if the corn used is mature or the young stage of the corn. How was it made before the advent of butter and condensed milk. Or is this a fairly recent invention?

The other one is Budbud Kabog. I'd like to know first hand how Kabog is harvested. Is it hulled?

Then finally, how Shrimp Ukoy is made crisp. Is this a Cebuano dish in the first place?

that's difficult to answer, it varies. but for now, in the nordic land of the vikings, copenhagen. but not for long though. :D
am quite content to lurk in the background, please do carry on with the food fest. :colgate:



This is not difficult to do at all ha ha ha!

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8044/kamarin
Kamarin
By Mardilena de la Cerna
Cebu Daily News
7:57 am | Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Last week I received a text message from a friend requesting me to verify the cause of strong reactions flooding Facebook that the old kamarin building in Luanluan, Carcar has been destroyed. I immediately contacted the president of the St. Catherine Alumni Association. He told me the bad news that the old kamarin was indeed destroyed by orders of the mayor to give way to a community college. The worse part was that the Carcar City Council did not even know about the destruction. A staff member had to visit the site in order to believe it and was so exasperated describing the damage done.

I met more Carcaranons in a baptismal affair and they showed me photos of the destroyed building. They reported how the residents were on the verge of tears watching the destruction. They were enraged when they learned that the very strong beams with engravings were sawed into small pieces. I could only echo what my late sister said upon visiting Cebu City in 1994 after being in Canada for 30 years, “What have you done to my city?” This had to happen in May, National Heritage Month!

The kamarin is one of the mute witnesses of Carcar’s economic, cultural, social and political history. Built by the Americans in the early part of the twentieth century, the kamarin was one of four kamarins so well-located in Luanluan, Poblacion, Carcar. The buildings surrounded by 20 or more giant acacia trees served as the town’s public market every Sunday until the public market was transferred to the heavily congested Rotonda, a decision that turned Carcar into a mess.

I was born and grew up in the vicinity of these buildings and acacia trees. My memories of them are so vivid. Whnn I was in senior high school, I used to call the place the Acacia Park and the kamarin the Luanluan Coliseum. It was a public market but it was very clean with only one janitor, Noy Daniel, religiously maintaining its cleanliness and orderliness so that tired residents would take their siesta on the lantays and the stalls during hot days. Gamblers who were always out of town during the year would spend the Holy Week resting on the lantays under the acacia tress. Market day was always fun with lots of goods coming from different places, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, entertainment as a form of product endorsement kept everyone awake in the afternoon. I used to wonder about the kinutil served early morning together with the puto and sikwate. I enjoyed the hot puso always kept in a basket covered with banana leaves and the delicious viands which we could sometimes get for free because we were children helping lola and mama and siblings in the little selling business.

The kamarin also provided the best venue for basketball in the province. It had built in basketball goals attached on the beams. In my childhood and teen years, Luanluan produced the best basketball players in the province. When there were no games, the kamarin used to be the venue for rehearsals of dramas and literary musical programs for the coming fiesta of the barangay’s patron saint, San Jose, in May. In the 1960s , Beatlemania also brought Cebu’s first bands to perform in the kamarin. Because it is located near the river, it was not spared from the vast floods that visited the locality but it has withstood the floods. During World War II, it was used as one of the Japanese extensions of their military operations. Yet it was spared from the Japanese bombs.

Constructing a community college does not justify the destruction of a century old building. There are laws regarding heritage buildings to be protected and preserved. There are creative ways of using old buildings to serve the purpose. I was told that the original plan was not to destroy the building but to put walls or cubicles to come up with five classrooms. The roof needed repair because the sheets have been damaged by the natural elements. Then they would connect the four buildings to complete a sort of a building complex. But all these will have to change. Most important is to consult the people of the community since the school to be built is a community college. I echo what every Carcaranon living outside of Carcar, What have you done to my city? My generation helped build Carcar’s heritage and would like to help rebuild, restore, retrieve what has been forgotten and taken for granted.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8044/kamarin
Kamarin
By Mardilena de la Cerna
Cebu Daily News
7:57 am | Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Last week I received a text message from a friend requesting me to verify the cause of strong reactions flooding Facebook that the old kamarin building in Luanluan, Carcar has been destroyed. I immediately contacted the president of the St. Catherine Alumni Association. He told me the bad news that the old kamarin was indeed destroyed by orders of the mayor to give way to a community college. The worse part was that the Carcar City Council did not even know about the destruction. A staff member had to visit the site in order to believe it and was so exasperated describing the damage done.

I met more Carcaranons in a baptismal affair and they showed me photos of the destroyed building. They reported how the residents were on the verge of tears watching the destruction. They were enraged when they learned that the very strong beams with engravings were sawed into small pieces. I could only echo what my late sister said upon visiting Cebu City in 1994 after being in Canada for 30 years, “What have you done to my city?” This had to happen in May, National Heritage Month!

The kamarin is one of the mute witnesses of Carcar’s economic, cultural, social and political history. Built by the Americans in the early part of the twentieth century, the kamarin was one of four kamarins so well-located in Luanluan, Poblacion, Carcar. The buildings surrounded by 20 or more giant acacia trees served as the town’s public market every Sunday until the public market was transferred to the heavily congested Rotonda, a decision that turned Carcar into a mess.

I was born and grew up in the vicinity of these buildings and acacia trees. My memories of them are so vivid. Whnn I was in senior high school, I used to call the place the Acacia Park and the kamarin the Luanluan Coliseum. It was a public market but it was very clean with only one janitor, Noy Daniel, religiously maintaining its cleanliness and orderliness so that tired residents would take their siesta on the lantays and the stalls during hot days. Gamblers who were always out of town during the year would spend the Holy Week resting on the lantays under the acacia tress. Market day was always fun with lots of goods coming from different places, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, entertainment as a form of product endorsement kept everyone awake in the afternoon. I used to wonder about the kinutil served early morning together with the puto and sikwate. I enjoyed the hot puso always kept in a basket covered with banana leaves and the delicious viands which we could sometimes get for free because we were children helping lola and mama and siblings in the little selling business.

The kamarin also provided the best venue for basketball in the province. It had built in basketball goals attached on the beams. In my childhood and teen years, Luanluan produced the best basketball players in the province. When there were no games, the kamarin used to be the venue for rehearsals of dramas and literary musical programs for the coming fiesta of the barangay’s patron saint, San Jose, in May. In the 1960s , Beatlemania also brought Cebu’s first bands to perform in the kamarin. Because it is located near the river, it was not spared from the vast floods that visited the locality but it has withstood the floods. During World War II, it was used as one of the Japanese extensions of their military operations. Yet it was spared from the Japanese bombs.

Constructing a community college does not justify the destruction of a century old building. There are laws regarding heritage buildings to be protected and preserved. There are creative ways of using old buildings to serve the purpose. I was told that the original plan was not to destroy the building but to put walls or cubicles to come up with five classrooms. The roof needed repair because the sheets have been damaged by the natural elements. Then they would connect the four buildings to complete a sort of a building complex. But all these will have to change. Most important is to consult the people of the community since the school to be built is a community college. I echo what every Carcaranon living outside of Carcar, What have you done to my city? My generation helped build Carcar’s heritage and would like to help rebuild, restore, retrieve what has been forgotten and taken for granted.

Another nail has been hammered into the bleeding hearts of heritage advocates. If it were left to local government officials, no old building will be left to remind us of our past. Our landscape will be littered with humongous cement sports complexes with no aesthetic value and American federal style buildings with faux bricks.

Carcar is a tragedy in the making. If we all do not rally behind them or work with them, these people and all the rest of the Cebuanos will lose their patrimony and any and all vestiges of our past will be targets of the wrecking balls of LGU officials. I cry with you Ms. Madz.

I think I know what you mean. This was served to us in Kota Beach. I thought the adobo nga nukos just dried up from the heating. Bitaw, it was kinda dry and sweet.

Then finally, how Shrimp Ukoy is made crisp. Is this a Cebuano dish in the first place?

"have you tasted Bihod sauteed with a handful of garlic,sliced tomatoes and green onions swimming in pork lard? This is the height of culinary heaven!" - Sometimes I try the bihod whenever my mother had one of those then. I am not much of a bihod person though.

"I want to know if the corn used is mature or the young stage of the corn." - the best pintos in Bogo is cooked by Pering in Dakit, Bogo. She uses whole anagon (young corn) ad-aron (not sure what is this cebuano word in english). Ad-aron is the same way of doing in using young corn for soup. Sort of scraping the corn from the cob with a knife.

The other pintos makers are mostly her neighbors. Often times they use tiktik (the finest of the milled corn). Tiktik has this funny aroma when cooked. The pintos made from tiktik is crumbly. The ones made of whole young corn stays firm and has a soft texture when cooked. Those for sale in Bogo streets are mostly made from tiktik. The whole young corn costs 2-3 times more than the ones sold along bus routes.

"How was it made before the advent of butter and condensed milk. Or is this a fairly recent invention?" - Funny thing I never bothered to ask about when it was first concocted I had been eating pintos since I could remember when. I had always thought it was there before I was born along with the conserva and tira-tira.

"The other one Budbud Kabog. I'd like to know first hand how Kabog is harvested. Is it hulled?" - sorry cant be nuch of a help here. I am more of the eater than the cook :)

"Then finally, how Shrimp Ukoy is made crisp. Is this a Cebuano dish in the first place?" - by this would you mean the shrimp as an ingredient to humba? If so, this is chinese and called hebi (not sure on spelling). These are dried like how they dry dangit.

Another nail has been hammered into the bleeding hearts of heritage advocates. If it were left to local government officials, no old building will be left to remind us of our past. Our landscape will be littered with humongous cement sports complexes with no aesthetic value and American federal style buildings with faux bricks.

Carcar is a tragedy in the making. If we all do not rally behind them or work with them, these people and all the rest of the Cebuanos will lose our patrimony and any and all vestiges of our past to the wrecking balls of LGI officials. I cry with you Ms. Madz.


I knew this Mayor of Carcar will do no good to his town's heritage when he expressed his position on the acacias of Perrelos.

CARCARANONS SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR HIM AGAIN.

Gabii sa Kabilin tickets are now on sale in The Cathedral Museum of Cebu!

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8044/kamarin
Kamarin
By Mardilena de la Cerna
Cebu Daily News
7:57 am | Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Last week I received a text message from a friend requesting me to verify the cause of strong reactions flooding Facebook that the old kamarin building in Luanluan, Carcar has been destroyed. I immediately contacted the president of the St. Catherine Alumni Association. He told me the bad news that the old kamarin was indeed destroyed by orders of the mayor to give way to a community college. The worse part was that the Carcar City Council did not even know about the destruction. A staff member had to visit the site in order to believe it and was so exasperated describing the damage done.

I met more Carcaranons in a baptismal affair and they showed me photos of the destroyed building. They reported how the residents were on the verge of tears watching the destruction. They were enraged when they learned that the very strong beams with engravings were sawed into small pieces. I could only echo what my late sister said upon visiting Cebu City in 1994 after being in Canada for 30 years, “What have you done to my city?” This had to happen in May, National Heritage Month!

The kamarin is one of the mute witnesses of Carcar’s economic, cultural, social and political history. Built by the Americans in the early part of the twentieth century, the kamarin was one of four kamarins so well-located in Luanluan, Poblacion, Carcar. The buildings surrounded by 20 or more giant acacia trees served as the town’s public market every Sunday until the public market was transferred to the heavily congested Rotonda, a decision that turned Carcar into a mess.

I was born and grew up in the vicinity of these buildings and acacia trees. My memories of them are so vivid. Whnn I was in senior high school, I used to call the place the Acacia Park and the kamarin the Luanluan Coliseum. It was a public market but it was very clean with only one janitor, Noy Daniel, religiously maintaining its cleanliness and orderliness so that tired residents would take their siesta on the lantays and the stalls during hot days. Gamblers who were always out of town during the year would spend the Holy Week resting on the lantays under the acacia tress. Market day was always fun with lots of goods coming from different places, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, entertainment as a form of product endorsement kept everyone awake in the afternoon. I used to wonder about the kinutil served early morning together with the puto and sikwate. I enjoyed the hot puso always kept in a basket covered with banana leaves and the delicious viands which we could sometimes get for free because we were children helping lola and mama and siblings in the little selling business.

The kamarin also provided the best venue for basketball in the province. It had built in basketball goals attached on the beams. In my childhood and teen years, Luanluan produced the best basketball players in the province. When there were no games, the kamarin used to be the venue for rehearsals of dramas and literary musical programs for the coming fiesta of the barangay’s patron saint, San Jose, in May. In the 1960s , Beatlemania also brought Cebu’s first bands to perform in the kamarin. Because it is located near the river, it was not spared from the vast floods that visited the locality but it has withstood the floods. During World War II, it was used as one of the Japanese extensions of their military operations. Yet it was spared from the Japanese bombs.

Constructing a community college does not justify the destruction of a century old building. There are laws regarding heritage buildings to be protected and preserved. There are creative ways of using old buildings to serve the purpose. I was told that the original plan was not to destroy the building but to put walls or cubicles to come up with five classrooms. The roof needed repair because the sheets have been damaged by the natural elements. Then they would connect the four buildings to complete a sort of a building complex. But all these will have to change. Most important is to consult the people of the community since the school to be built is a community college. I echo what every Carcaranon living outside of Carcar, What have you done to my city? My generation helped build Carcar’s heritage and would like to help rebuild, restore, retrieve what has been forgotten and taken for granted.

Bersales! Have you heard of this at all?! :bash: Please do something about this, Jo.

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/8044/kamarin
Kamarin
By Mardilena de la Cerna
Cebu Daily News
7:57 am | Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Last week I received a text message from a friend requesting me to verify the cause of strong reactions flooding Facebook that the old kamarin building in Luanluan, Carcar has been destroyed. I immediately contacted the president of the St. Catherine Alumni Association. He told me the bad news that the old kamarin was indeed destroyed by orders of the mayor to give way to a community college. The worse part was that the Carcar City Council did not even know about the destruction. A staff member had to visit the site in order to believe it and was so exasperated describing the damage done.

I met more Carcaranons in a baptismal affair and they showed me photos of the destroyed building. They reported how the residents were on the verge of tears watching the destruction. They were enraged when they learned that the very strong beams with engravings were sawed into small pieces. I could only echo what my late sister said upon visiting Cebu City in 1994 after being in Canada for 30 years, “What have you done to my city?” This had to happen in May, National Heritage Month!

The kamarin is one of the mute witnesses of Carcar’s economic, cultural, social and political history. Built by the Americans in the early part of the twentieth century, the kamarin was one of four kamarins so well-located in Luanluan, Poblacion, Carcar. The buildings surrounded by 20 or more giant acacia trees served as the town’s public market every Sunday until the public market was transferred to the heavily congested Rotonda, a decision that turned Carcar into a mess.

I was born and grew up in the vicinity of these buildings and acacia trees. My memories of them are so vivid. Whnn I was in senior high school, I used to call the place the Acacia Park and the kamarin the Luanluan Coliseum. It was a public market but it was very clean with only one janitor, Noy Daniel, religiously maintaining its cleanliness and orderliness so that tired residents would take their siesta on the lantays and the stalls during hot days. Gamblers who were always out of town during the year would spend the Holy Week resting on the lantays under the acacia tress. Market day was always fun with lots of goods coming from different places, fruits and vegetables of all kinds, entertainment as a form of product endorsement kept everyone awake in the afternoon. I used to wonder about the kinutil served early morning together with the puto and sikwate. I enjoyed the hot puso always kept in a basket covered with banana leaves and the delicious viands which we could sometimes get for free because we were children helping lola and mama and siblings in the little selling business.

The kamarin also provided the best venue for basketball in the province. It had built in basketball goals attached on the beams. In my childhood and teen years, Luanluan produced the best basketball players in the province. When there were no games, the kamarin used to be the venue for rehearsals of dramas and literary musical programs for the coming fiesta of the barangay’s patron saint, San Jose, in May. In the 1960s , Beatlemania also brought Cebu’s first bands to perform in the kamarin. Because it is located near the river, it was not spared from the vast floods that visited the locality but it has withstood the floods. During World War II, it was used as one of the Japanese extensions of their military operations. Yet it was spared from the Japanese bombs.

Constructing a community college does not justify the destruction of a century old building. There are laws regarding heritage buildings to be protected and preserved. There are creative ways of using old buildings to serve the purpose. I was told that the original plan was not to destroy the building but to put walls or cubicles to come up with five classrooms. The roof needed repair because the sheets have been damaged by the natural elements. Then they would connect the four buildings to complete a sort of a building complex. But all these will have to change. Most important is to consult the people of the community since the school to be built is a community college. I echo what every Carcaranon living outside of Carcar, What have you done to my city? My generation helped build Carcar’s heritage and would like to help rebuild, restore, retrieve what has been forgotten and taken for granted.


The governor summoned Mayor Nicepuro Apura last Monday, May 16, first thing in the morning when she received my info about this camarin.

I was at that meeting and the following day, on my way to Boljoon to start excavations, I met with the mayor and conducted an ocular inspection of the site.

True enough, one of the four market structures there had no more roof and the trusses were already being removed to give way to classrooms.

The mayor told me he called a public hearing on the plan sometime in February of March, not sure about this, and the only oppositor was from a claimant of the lot.

He said he did not hear from the local heritage society at all. I am not sure if the members were invited or were present.

Be that as it may, I advised the mayor and the city engineer to retain as much of the original structure as possible.

I was surprised that one of the owners of heritage houses there texted me only today about this destruction. It would thus seem that the governor and myself knew about this way ahead of the local heritage people there.

I was also told that there was already talk about this in April. So I texted back asking why the Capitol people in charge of heritage were not informed of this way before the start of this project? Had we been informed ahead, the governor would have been the first to put her foot down and prevent this destruction.

The local heritage society has to look into this and see whether it should have been more active and more proactive on this issue. I even advised the mayor to reach out to local heritage groups so that this will not happen again. So the question to ask is this: where were the members of the local heritage society? were they uninformed of events in Carcar?

The mayor has promised to retain the three other structures there plus one kiosk-like structure right at the gate (although he said he will move this one somewhere else). But it will take local heritage groups to work with him so that he gets guided along the way about what to do to preserve them.

If not for Madz calling me up on May 14, Saturday, about this destruction, I would not have known and would have been unable to inform the governor about it that same day.

Unfortunately, this is a city-funded project so apparently the city saw no need to inform Capitol about its plans.

The governor summoned Mayor Nicepuro Apura last Monday, May 16, first thing in the morning when she received my info about this camarin.

I was at that meeting and the following day, on my way to Boljoon to start excavations, I met with the mayor and conducted an ocular inspection of the site.

True enough, one of the four market structures there had no more roof and the trusses were already being removed to give way to classrooms.

The mayor told me he called a public hearing on the plan sometime in February of March, not sure about this, and the only oppositor was from a claimant of the lot.

He said he did not hear from the local heritage society at all. I am not sure if the members were invited or were present.

Be that as it may, I advised the mayor and the city engineer to retain as much of the original structure as possible.

I was surprised that one of the owners of heritage houses there texted me only today about this destruction. It would thus seem that the governor and myself knew about this way ahead of the local heritage people there.

I was also told that there was already talk about this in April. So I texted back asking why the Capitol people in charge of heritage were not informed of this way before the start of this project? Had we been informed ahead, the governor would have been the first to put her foot down and prevent this destruction.

The local heritage society has to look into this and see whether it should have been more active and more proactive on this issue. I even advised the mayor to reach out to local heritage groups so that this will not happen again. So the question to ask is this: where were the members of the local heritage society? were they uninformed of events in Carcar?

The mayor has promised to retain the three other structures there plus one kiosk-like structure right at the gate (although he said he will move this one somewhere else). But it will take local heritage groups to work with him so that he gets guided along the way about what to do to preserve them.

If not for Madz calling me up on May 14, Saturday, about this destruction, I would not have known and would have been unable to inform the governor about it that same day.

Unfortunately, this is a city-funded project so apparently the city saw no need to inform Capitol about its plans.

What a relief. At least these three were spared - for now! Maybe the heritage groups/group in Carcar were not informed about this. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, most LGUs, even the baranggays are known for not informing everyone their intentions.

I really hope that the mayor of Carcar will be open to work with the local heritage group though. And vice versa.

^^

Indeed, and I hope the Mayor will contact them or they will contact the mayor. I was also there to look at the plans for the redesign of the City Hall, mimicking the Carcar Museum (formerly the Carcar Dispensary).

I advised the engineer not to use the tile roof-like type of ceiling and instead use the corrugated type because the red roof now on the Dispensary/Carcar Museum was not of the American period and made it look more like Spanish period roof tiles when the original was simply corrugated. I hope he will listen to me. I also echoed the same to the mayor.

At the end of the day, it will take the local heritage groups to sit down with the mayor and work with him on his plans. If that won't work, then that is the time to protest what he plans to do next. But for now, it is always better for heritage to work with the LGU until the point of no return is reached, although hopefully not.

This has always been my mantra.

Ug ako pang Lola "Naghatag ug Sala"...

Makasala man ta sa ilang gipang buhat kay maka balikas mans ta sa "Mga Hinampak"

Og ngano jud nga dili man mag adoptive reuse sa mga aold but stable structures..

Mao nga nga "Diin man ka sa pagdagsang sa butig" mayora ka?

"Waa uroy ka madala sa kolera"

hahay, ato nalang hingut-an ang mga balikas nga atong nadungan sa katawhan.

diliba ang mga balikas sangkap man sad sa kultura..

ambot lang ang gatas nga na apil man sa balikas "leche"

Thanks for this "please do carry on with the food fest" Since you mentioned you have not savored these food for so long, hoping you will drool some more with the topic. :) (joke lang)

Just a trivia. In Borbon and Catmon, the bodbod kabog are sold at P20 per bunch (4-5 pcs) Had seen in Manila a bodbod piece, not a bunch, at P20 each and nowhere as tasty as the ones sold in Borbon and Catmon.




"The sweetish adobong Nukos with Ata is distinctively from the North, Bogo included." - Yes I do believe so. However Bantayan Island has these sliced nokos that they still call adobong nokos (comonly sold in Sta Fe pantalan and mga todlo-todlo restaurants. It has less ink and looks more like the adobong baboy. Other than labtingaw, this is the dish I always look for whenever I am in Bantayan. :drool: lami kaayo :drool: :colgate:[/FONT]


This is not difficult to do at all ha ha ha!I remember these Mandaue products... :D

The Tagaktak (w/ special appearance of the Bibingka pero common ni all throughout the province)
http://meeyanee.i.ph/photo/d/376-2/birth+002.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hBOOmTCmXMQ/TQxU7_dXZqI/AAAAAAAAA5c/L4Ff5NKyKLo/s1600/tagaktak%2B-%2Bmade%2Bin%2Bmandaue%2BCity%252Ccebu%2B%252820%2529.JPG

But I do know the ampao is the specialty of Carcar. :D
http://sugboguide.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/ampao-tagaktak-piniato.jpg

The Masareal

http://www.everythingcebu.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/masareal.JPG

http://www.cebu-tourism.techcellar.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/masareal3.jpg


The Pan de Regla is common throughout Cebu province. This was how my lolas and great grandaunts called this kind of bread. :D :D

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7uBC0kR5n74/TGbQ6rSirAI/AAAAAAAAC18/lR5nYgF0szA/DSC05400_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6h92yKZ5R1qaz18e.jpg

What a relief. At least these three were spared - for now! Maybe the heritage groups/group in Carcar were not informed about this. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyway, most LGUs, even the baranggays are known for not informing everyone their intentions.

I really hope that the mayor of Carcar will be open to work with the local heritage group though. And vice versa.


here is the historical backgrounder i gathered about this market building which i incorporated as part of my inspection report with recommendations, which i submitted to both Gov. Gwen and Mayor Nice:


1. According to the Quarterly Bulletin of the Bureau of Public Works, the ‘camarin’ or central building of the Carcar Public Market, the building in question in this report, began construction on November 8, 1912 under the supervision of BPW district engineer Claude Russell (BPW Quarterly Bulletin Vol. 3 No. 3 [1914], p. 15).

2. This was constructed under an Insular Loan of P40,000 granted to the municipality without local counterpart. The loan was probably made under Act Nos. 2083 and 2088, effective December 11, 1911 and December 12, 1911, respectively, which made the fund available for 10 years with interest not exceeding 3 percent per annum.

3. This is a Type D or San Carlos-Type market (after the first model constructed in 1910 in San Carlos, Pangasinan) and is considered the largest of the four types of market designs made by the BPW Consulting Architect William E. Parsons, the same architect who designed the Gabaldon schools nationwide as well as Southern Islands Hospital in Cebu City.

4. This main building measured 21 meters by 39.8 meters. It is marked by “a single bay consisting of two lines of columns supporting trussed roof with hip ends and a central monitor extending the full length between hips” (BPW Bulletin Vol. 2 No. 3 [1912], p. 14). It was built on four sides of an open court, the transverse section showing four sets of columns.

5. A similar building was added sometime after this first one and two more buildings, much smaller than the two but with distinct facades probably dating to the 1920s and 1930 were also added.

6. There is no specific date as to the abandonment of this market in favor of the one currently occupying the southeastern quadrant near the Carcar Rotunda. What is most certain is that this market, being near a river, was and still is regularly flooded, which may have been the reason why it was abandoned.

Another nail has been hammered into the bleeding hearts of heritage advocates. If it were left to local government officials, no old building will be left to remind us of our past. Our landscape will be littered with humongous cement sports complexes with no aesthetic value and American federal style buildings with faux bricks.

Carcar is a tragedy in the making. If we all do not rally behind them or work with them, these people and all the rest of the Cebuanos will lose their patrimony and any and all vestiges of our past will be targets of the wrecking balls of LGU officials. I cry with you Ms. Madz.

Well, the heritage law is already in effect, so . . . .

Well, the heritage law is already in effect, so . . . .

Not really. The heritage Law has been passed but they are still crafting the IRR or Implementing Rules and Regulations. So we still have to wait for that. A law is useless without implementing rules. Let's hope that will be available soon enough to save whatever is left of our patrimony.

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http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=34052
Feature: Revive Filipinos’ interest in own heritage
by Minerva BC Newman
PIA Press Release
Tuesday, May 24, 2011

CENTRAL VISAYAS, May 24 (PIA) – As the country celebrates the National Heritage Month in May, various heritage, cultural and arts activities are lined up all over the country.

Cebu for one, offers a ‘one-night-only’ heritage tour within Cebu City called “Gabii sa Kabilin” or Night of Heritage with various cultural and art presentations at the museums and at the heritage parks.

All these aim to bring understanding and local appreciation of arts, culture, museums and heritage to the public, specifically local culture and heritage.

With this, Senator Loren Legarda called on the government and Philippine culture and history enthusiasts to initiate and support efforts to revive the Filipinos’ interest in their heritage.

“It is quite a difficult task to make our people embrace our culture since many have long forgotten about it. But if they refuse to visit our history, we must let history visit them. Let us bring our culture closer to the people,” Legarda said.

Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities, explained that the various fiestas all over the country that celebrate every town or province’s history should be continuously enriched; while the conduct of exhibits on Philippine culture must be done regularly.

“I have organized a few exhibits at the Senate to raise our people’s awareness on our rich heritage. We can also do that in schools, office buildings, even in malls where everyone can see,” the senator added.

The Senator also explained that although technology threatens to overshadow national heritage, the products of progress can also be used as tools to bring Philippine culture into full bloom again.

She encourages the use of audio-visual presentations and internet in school that can make history a more interesting subject for students.

Legarda added the internet can also be a venue to showcase the richness of the Filipino culture through photo and short film contests with Philippine Heritage as a subject, and whose winners would be adjudged by online voters through various social networking sites.

Technology can actually be a friend of history. “We can use it to revive our citizens’ interest in our culture and help showcase Filipino culture not only to Filipinos but to the international community,” she pointed out.

In reviving our heritage we must make use of the talents passed on to us by our forefathers—ingenuity, creativity, resilience and resourcefulness – and at the same time make use of the tools and technology of the present, Legarda said.

“We must find a common ground in all our efforts and weave them together, creating one unbreakable fabric that is the Filipino soul,” Legarda concluded. (PIA-7with reports from the office of Senator Legarda)

:drool: lami kaayo :drool: :colgate:I remember these Mandaue products... :D

The Tagaktak (w/ special appearance of the Bibingka pero common ni all throughout the province)
http://meeyanee.i.ph/photo/d/376-2/birth+002.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hBOOmTCmXMQ/TQxU7_dXZqI/AAAAAAAAA5c/L4Ff5NKyKLo/s1600/tagaktak%2B-%2Bmade%2Bin%2Bmandaue%2BCity%252Ccebu%2B%252820%2529.JPG

But I do know the ampao is the specialty of Carcar. :D
http://sugboguide.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/ampao-tagaktak-piniato.jpg

The Masareal

http://www.everythingcebu.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/masareal.JPG

http://www.cebu-tourism.techcellar.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/masareal3.jpg


The Pan de Regla is common throughout Cebu province. This was how my lolas and great grandaunts called this kind of bread. :D :D

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_7uBC0kR5n74/TGbQ6rSirAI/AAAAAAAAC18/lR5nYgF0szA/DSC05400_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6h92yKZ5R1qaz18e.jpg

pan de regla kay mora ug gidogu. yikes pero lami kan-on dili ang gi dugo ha:lol::lol::lol:

here is the historical backgrounder i gathered about this market building which i incorporated as part of my inspection report with recommendations, which i submitted to both Gov. Gwen and Mayor Nice:


1. According to the Quarterly Bulletin of the Bureau of Public Works, the ‘camarin’ or central building of the Carcar Public Market, the building in question in this report, began construction on November 8, 1912 under the supervision of BPW district engineer Claude Russell (BPW Quarterly Bulletin Vol. 3 No. 3 [1914], p. 15).

2. This was constructed under an Insular Loan of P40,000 granted to the municipality without local counterpart. The loan was probably made under Act Nos. 2083 and 2088, effective December 11, 1911 and December 12, 1911, respectively, which made the fund available for 10 years with interest not exceeding 3 percent per annum.

3. This is a Type D or San Carlos-Type market (after the first model constructed in 1910 in San Carlos, Pangasinan) and is considered the largest of the four types of market designs made by the BPW Consulting Architect William E. Parsons, the same architect who designed the Gabaldon schools nationwide as well as Southern Islands Hospital in Cebu City.

4. This main building measured 21 meters by 39.8 meters. It is marked by “a single bay consisting of two lines of columns supporting trussed roof with hip ends and a central monitor extending the full length between hips” (BPW Bulletin Vol. 2 No. 3 [1912], p. 14). It was built on four sides of an open court, the transverse section showing four sets of columns.

5. A similar building was added sometime after this first one and two more buildings, much smaller than the two but with distinct facades probably dating to the 1920s and 1930 were also added.

6. There is no specific date as to the abandonment of this market in favor of the one currently occupying the southeastern quadrant near the Carcar Rotunda. What is most certain is that this market, being near a river, was and still is regularly flooded, which may have been the reason why it was abandoned.

Thank heavens for your swift action, Jo! It still amazes me how quickly you can retrieve these historical data. I wonder if the LGU in Carcar has an office with all these data? As a historic town/city, shouldn't they have one such office or personnel? I don't mean the local historical society, I mean an official one of the city/town of Carcar. In fact every town should have one, not just a Tourism officer.

^^
thanks, and yes, i agree with you wholeheartedly. with the IRR of the Heritage Law in place soon, maybe this will happen na gyud.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/sites/default/files/images/logo/sunstar-cebu.png
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/lifestyle/2011/05/25/utzurrum-gabii-sa-kabilin-museums-and-memories-157464
Utzurrum: Gabii sa Kabilin: museums and memories
By Chinggay V. Utzurrum
The scene
Wednesday, May 25, 2011

HEAR YE, hear ye!

The only cultural event of its kind in the islands and even Asia, unfolds tomorrow, May 27, Gabii sa Kabilin opens its doors to participating museums beyond regular hours, up to midnight on Friday. Opening time is 6 p.m. to 12 midnight.

Bigger, brighter, and better than last year, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi), in celebration of National Heritage Month and International Museum Day, will be presenting the following museums and heritage sites: Casa Gorordo Museum, Cathedral Museum of Cebu, Fort San Pedro, Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House, Museo Sugbu, Museo Parian Sa Sugbo (Jesuit House of 1730), USPF Rizaliana Museum, Sacred Heart Parish Alternative Gallery, Cebu Normal University Museum, Cebu City Museum, Mandaue City Plaza, Plaza Independencia, Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, Basilica Minore del Santo Niño, Sacred Heart Church, Heritage of Cebu Monument, Plaza Hamabar, and Plaza Sugbu.

There’s also the special participation of Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa and Aboitiz Land. We were recently given a sneak preview of four of these museums. First stop was the Cebu Normal University Museum, located on Osmeña Blvd. It was established in 1902 as a provincial normal school, a branch of the Philippine Normal School. It became an independent institution in 1924, a chartered college in 1976, and a university in 1998.

It is interesting, and a little tragic to know that it was also used as a garrison of the dreaded kempetai or military police of the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II. Survivors tell of their grim and harrowing experiences within its horrific dungeons. The city was finally liberated by the Allied Forces in 1945.

This probably explains why a rare collection of American relics of war are found here.

Also worthwhile seeing are paintings and sculpture by Carmelo Tamayo and sculptors Jovito Abellana and Ramon Abellana, a doctor.

The Cebu City Museum and Library gives the art culturist a glimpse of Cebu during the pre-Hispanic era up to the contemporary period, all these mostly through local artist’s artworks. Some of them are Mariano Vidal, Rudy Manero, Celso Pepito, Jesus Rona, Tony Alcoseba, etc.

The Museo Parian sa Sugbu is also known as the Jesuit House of 1730, which could be the oldest dated residence in Cebu, most possibly even the whole archipelago. Located between Calle Zulueta and a side street, Binakayan, the historic structure now houses the warehouse of Ho Tong Hardware, Cebu’s largest hardware chain.

Touring us around was Jimmy Sy, a scion of the Sy family, owners of Ho Tong. According to him, there were a series of owners until Don Jose Alvarez took over. In the ambience of a turn-of-the-century atmosphere, we could make out a collection of old photos on the wall of the Alvarez clan, ancestors of the Alvarezes, owners of Costabella Tropical Beach Hotel in Mactan.

Indeed, the age-old walls are of limestone and huge, rich wooden planks line the floor. In fact, the original entrance of the Jesuit house was on Binakayan St., a medallion of Our Lady, the Society’s IHS and St. Joseph are discernible at the portal.

Last but not least was the Casa Gorordo, a lifestyle museum that was formerly the 19th century residence of the first Cebuano bishop, Juan Garces Gorordo.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on May 26, 2011.

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http://www.usc.edu.ph/news_and_announcements/?news=448
Last Updated: (GMT+08:00) Thursday, May 26, 2011
Japanese Ceramics Expert Confirms Rare Boljoon Finds

An expert on Japanese tradeware porcelain of the 17th to 19th century has confirmed that the suspected Japanese ceramics recovered in Boljoon in 2009 are indeed from the Hizen and Yoshida kilns in Saga Prefecture, Japan. Dr. Takenori Nogami of the Arita Folk and History Museum arrived on May 23 in USC as part of the Sumitomo Foundation-funded Boljoon Archaeological Project Phase 6 conducted by the University of San Carlos in collaboration with the National Museum of the Philippines.

After conducting an inspection of the ceramics collection on storage at the USC Museum, Dr. Nogami proceeded to Boljoon to study the three Japanese tradeware ceramics now on display at the archaeological gallery there. These three make up the first intact Japanese tradeware ceramics to be discovered in the country today. Even Japanese museums do not have a complete specimen of the largest of these, a bowl with enamel overglaze designs, since only fragments or sherds have been recovered so far in Japan, making the Boljoon-excavated artifact the only one of its kind today.

http://www.usc.edu.ph/news_and_announcements/images/image429.jpg
Dr. Nogami begins doing scientific illustrations of the three ceramics in Boljoon

Dr. Nogami also searched among the ceramic sherds recovered from previous excavation phases to look for more evidences of Japanese ceramics. The search was not in vain as five sherds were determined to be of probable Japanese origin.

http://www.usc.edu.ph/news_and_announcements/images/image430.jpg
Dr. Nogami examines the small Hizen-type porcelain bottle with red overglaze enamel recovered in Boljoon in 2009

Dr. Nogami’s weeklong trip comes in the wake of a planned exhibit of Japanese tradeware ceramics at USC Museum and the Boljoon Parish Museum late this year and the writing of an article about these ceramics in Boljoon to be submitted to the Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society for consideration. These are all part of the project entitled “Japanese Ceramics Found in Cebu, Central Philippines: Further Excavations, Museum Exhibition and Publication” awarded by Sumitomo Foundation under its Japan-Related Research (see previous story) to Jose Eleazar R. Bersales, coordinator of USC Kabilin Heritage Studies Center.

Author: Ma. Cecilia Cabañes
25 / May / 2011

Wow! sounds interesting..I really like it so much..Thanks for the post..

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http://www.philstar.com/Category.aspx?publicationCategoryId=39&t=7-58-32
Liloan marks "Rosquillos Festival" today
By Jose P. Sollano (The Freeman)
Updated May 28, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines- Six barangays will show their stuff in today's street dancing as Liloan town marks "Rosquillos Festival."

Former Liloan town vice mayor Thelma Jordan, who leads the preparation of this year's festival, told The FREEMAN that barangays Cotcot, Jubay, Poblacion, Yati, San Vicente, and Tayud have received subsidies from the municipal government.

Jordan said the street dancing is one of the highlights that honor the town's patron saint, San Fernando Rey.

The winners of this year's festival will receive half a million pesos worth of projects, Jordan said.

When Mayor Frasco served as mayor in Liloan, he suggested that the festival "Parola" be changed to "Rosquillos Festival."

The municipal council then approved a resolution proclaiming "Rosquillos Festival" as the official festival of the municipality.

The resolution said that if there is one native delicacy whose culinary discovery is interchangeably associated with modern day Lilo-an, it is without doubt that wisp of a pastry commonly known as "rosquillos."

Among pastry lovers - they be children or adults - a mere mention of the name "Lilo-an" could send flashes of the great-tasting "rosquillos" to the mind, with as much the same effect that hearing the word "rosquillos" one is fondly reminded of the beautiful and scenic town of Lilo-an, the resolution said.

"No other local product has brought so much pride and popularity to Lilo-an than "rosquillos" - which for ages or a century hence has brought color and life to coffee tables and parties, becoming no less a favorite among households in Cebu and perhaps in the entire country;" the resolution said.

It further said that for its contribution to the local economy and for giving prestige to their beloved town, the Lilo-anons would do well if it dedicate its town festival to promoting "rosquillos" as its crown jewel of a product - a recognition though long overdue but is profound and fitting nonetheless;

The market for her unnamed cookie started with her neighbors and passersby who were offered the snack as a freebie for every purchase of a bottle of soda.

It was then Cebu governor Sergio Osmeña, who later became Philippine president, who gave it the name rosquillos after the Spanish word rosca.

As years passed, people going to northern Cebu have made it a habit to drop by the store to buy the rosquillos.

It is also a known fact that those who couldn't visit Cebu would ask friends who are in Cebu to buy some for them.

Rosquillos have become a household name, a product that is aptly celebrated in a festival that Liloan could call its very own.

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http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9906
Liloan’s Rosquillos festival draws crowd
5/29/2011

DESPITE a tight budget, the 4th Rosquillos Festival of Liloan town drew a sizable crowd with its street dancing participated in by six barangays.
Tribu Yatihanon of barangay Yati emerged overall champion in the contest, winning half a million pesos worth of projects for their barangay. It also won the best costume category.

Second place went to Banay Jubaynon of barangay Jubay while third place went to Tribu Cot-cot of barangay Cot-cot. Barangays Poblacion and San Vicente also joined the event.

Tribu Cot-cot bagged the best in street dancing award, considered as the highlight event during yesterday's festival.

Their presentation showcased the town's patron saint, San Fernando Rey. Liloan town Mayor Duke Frasco told Cebu Daily News that the Rosquillos Festival had evolved into a “trademark” festival of the town.

“We are very proud because it gets better and better every year,” Frasco said.

Frasco said the festival, named after the town's famous cookies “rosquillos,” helped Liloan become popular among foreign and local visitors.

The round cookie with flower-like edges has a hole in the middle.

The recipe for these ringlet cookies can be traced back to April 3, 1907, to then 21-year-old Margarita “Titay” Frasco.

Frasco first offered the cookies to her neighbors and passersby as giveaways for every purchase of a bottle of soda.

The cookies remained unnamed until the late Cebu governor and Philippine president Sergio Osmeña named it “Rosquillos” in reference to the Spanish word “rosca,” a round, doughnut-shaped cake or cookie. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9907
CAPITOL BEAUTIFICATION DRIVE
5/29/2011

The Capitol is willing to cover the expenses for Cebu City's beautification of a one-kilometer stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from Fuente Osmeña to the provincial government grounds.

“The Province of Cebu will do the beautification of this entire stretch,” Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said.

She said Architect Tess Javier showed her the overall plans of the project.

Sidewalk cracks will be fixed. The path will be transformed into a brick walkway.

Decorative lampposts will line both sides of the road. Lamps in the center island will be embellished.

The governor said she will raise funds for this purpose and hopes the project will be finished before August.

The Cebu Beautification Movement Inc. chaired by Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung will target “zero vendors” around the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda and along Osmeña Boulevard.

Last May 5, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Yeung and Garcia led a unity walk to kick off the P50-million beautification project.

Rama said several business establishments along the boulevard and around the park committed to redesign their facades for a Spanish colonial era look. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

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Ancient Japanese pottery in Boljoon town ( http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9919)
5/30/2011
By Candeze R. Mongaya, Reporter

A Japanese archaeologist confirmed the existence of 17th- to 19th-century Japanese ceramics in Boljoon town, southern Cebu, the first intact artifacts found in the country.

Dr. Takenory Nogami, a Japanese researcher from the Arita Museum of History, expressed excitement over the discovery of a large dish and a jarlet “emariware” or Japanese porcelain.

“The recovered pieces in Boljoon are unique because it is still intact in the aquare,” Nogami told reporters in the Museo sa Sugbo last Saturday.
The pieces were discovered in 2009 through an excavation project of the Sumitomo Foundation-funded Boljoon Archaeological Project conducted by the University of San Carlos (USC) with the National Museum of the Philippines.

The pieces were currently in display on the Boljoon Parish museum.
Dr. Nogami, who joined the team in phase 6 of their excavation, also searched recovered ceramic shards that were of Japanese origin.
The shards of large dishes recovered from the excavation site would serve as “evidence” on the occurrence of the trading activity back in the 16th century, Nogami said.

Nogami identified the shards by drawing the rest of the pieces to determine the shape of the artifacts.

He said the recovered pieces of Yoshida porcelain characterized by its narrow bottom and Anita type with its wider bottom.
T
he recovered intact large dish is a Yoshida porcelain, he said.


He said the Japanese porcelain looked “almost exactly” like Chinese porcelain since the Japanese potters used to import from China and eventually copied the designs of the porcelains.

But he said the style of “cooking” or manufacturing the porcelain by the Japanese was taken from the Koreans.

He said during the 16th century, the Japanese incursions brought many Koreans in Japan which set off the trade and export of pottery between the two countries.

Archaeologist Ame Garong of the National Museum of the Philippines said the recovered pieces may have been the offering of loved ones to their deceased family members.

The recovered porcelains were found next to the bones of a child, in an area that used to be a cemetery from the 17th to 18th century.
She told Cebu Daily News that the story behind the porcelain and the child in that area still remains a “mystery.”

The time period covers the onset of the Spanish civilization which saw an active trading civilization in the community.

Nogami said he is also interested to bring the recovered pieces for exhibition in Japan to celebrate the 400th year of history of the Arita porcelain by 2016.

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Capitol’s Fuente beautification (http://cdn.ph/news_details.php?id=9924)
5/31/2011

NINE contractors have signified their participation in the Capitol's beautification project that will cover the Capitol area down to Fuente Osmeña Rotunda following a meeting with Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday.

Duros, WTG, Socor, Orsamiento, Pragmatic, Barsteel, Rovilla, Maningo and Supreme ABF will provide materials and personnel to construct the nine blocks leading to the Fuente Osmeña Circle, Garcia said.

She said the pathway design would be American colonial period-inspired. Garcia said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will repair the drainage systems in the area.

“The Capitol will also pay for construction of the block near the Capitol,” the governor said.

Garcia said they want to complete the project on July 30, a few days ahead of the 442nd founding anniversary of Cebu province. /Correspondent Fe Marie D. Dumaboc

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Contractors to help province beautify Capitol-Fuente road (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=691598&publicationSubCategoryId=107)
By Gregg M. Rubio/WAB (The Freeman)
Updated May 31, 2011 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - After the Province of Cebu offered to do the entire beautification works of the one-kilometer stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from the Capitol building to Fuente Osmeña junction, at least nine contractors signified interest to help at their expenses.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia met nine contractors, who have been implementing several projects in Cebu Province, to ask for their support in the beautification project of Cebu City.

The governor earlier assured the beautification committee, headed by philanthropist Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, of the Capitol’s support.

Garcia said there is no need to use government resources as the funds shall be raised “in a most creative and innovative manner.”

According to her, when she met the contractors, they immediately get assigned respective block to do civil works, improvement of gutters and other works in accordance with the specifications designed by the committee.

The contractors are WTG Construction, Duros Construction, Socor, OR Sarmiento, Pragmatic, Barsteel, Rovilla Construction, Maningo Construction and Supreme ABF.

Garcia said the contractors showed the “true spirit and pride” of being Cebuanos.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will take care of fixing the drainage system, said the governor.

She will also be meeting the suppliers for the street lamps.

According to Garcia, the Province of Cebu will take care of the enhancement of the portion of Escario Street fronting the Capitol building, the design of which is inspired by American colonial period.

The contractors and the province may start anytime soon with target date of completion before the 443rd founding anniversary of the Province of Cebu on August 6, she added.

There will be one-look in architectural ambiance in the sidewalks and center islands of the entire stretch of Osmeña Boulevard from Capitol to Plaza Independencia.

The overall plan of the project includes fixing the sidewalk cracks and the path will be transformed into a brick walkway.

Both sides of the road will be lined with decorative lampposts to be embellished in the center island.

Business establishments along the boulevard and around the park were reportedly committed to redesign their facades for a Spanish colonial era look.

The Cebu Beautification Movement Inc. targets “zero vendors” around the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda and along Osmeña Boulevard. (FREEMAN)

^^nagkatawa ko sa inconsistency...

"According to Garcia, the Province of Cebu will take care of the enhancement of the portion of Escario Street fronting the Capitol building, the design of which is inspired by American colonial period...

...Business establishments along the boulevard and around the park were reportedly committed to redesign their facades for a Spanish colonial era look."

Naunsa naman tawn ning atong mga journalists ui...

^^Freedom of speech at it's best, which includes free to commit errors... :D

Thanks to our governor for the very quick response. :cheers:

^^nagkatawa ko sa inconsistency...

"According to Garcia, the Province of Cebu will take care of the enhancement of the portion of Escario Street fronting the Capitol building, the design of which is inspired by American colonial period...

...Business establishments along the boulevard and around the park were reportedly committed to redesign their facades for a Spanish colonial era look."

Naunsa naman tawn ning atong mga journalists ui...

this another case of news writers not thinking hard.

i once again called up archt. javier and once again she said this is once more a repetition of the error committed in the previous news item about two months ago.

there will be, according to her, no spanish colonial facades along that strip.

but then again, mistakes tend to get a life of their own. like the erroneous signage on the purported Magellan's Cross hahahah.

paspasa gud diay aning trabaho-a sa osmena blvrd...july 20 jud mahuman? nganong paspas man? from capitol to colon ba ni ang ilang humanon karong july 20? basin mahimong pinadagan og dili kayo polido ang pagkatrabaho ani...nganong kinahanglan jud itunong anang mga anniversary2x oi...mao pod tong nahitabo sa plaza independencia....bahalag dugay basta polido og limpyo ang pagkatrabaho...sa fuente circle baya nga sidewalk kay dili uniform ang elevation naay gahagdan, mas maayo moprovide silag ramps and i-uniform and standards sa street curbs and ramps.... i hope they would consider in their design the accessibilty law, para sa hapsay nga pag-agi sa atong mga igsuong buta og mga gawheelchair...:) sa pagtarong lang daan anang mga elevations and curbs sa sidewalk dako dako jud nang trabahoon..

:drool: lami kaayo :drool: :colgate:I remember these Mandaue products... :D

The Tagaktak (w/ special appearance of the Bibingka pero common ni all throughout the province)

But I do know the ampao is the specialty of Carcar. :D
http://sugboguide.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/ampao-tagaktak-piniato.jpg

Lami unta, ayaw lang i-apil ang langaw!

Mao ni ang Carcar "camarin" ?

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/camarin.jpg


The line of Acacia trees.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/camarin02.jpg




Train station at the back of the church, just sharing hehe..

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/station.jpg

^^

Regarding that station at the back of the church, I consulted Google Maps and you can still see the footprint left by the railway, hehehe..


http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/gogle01.jpg


Yellow line is where the railway traversed

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b396/arnoldsa/gogle02.jpg

http://www.frizberryyogurt.com/cebu_daily_news.jpg
PAST FORWARD
The Guam, Japan connections (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/11403/the-guam-japan-connections)
By Jobers Bersales
Cebu Daily News
8:26 am Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

Today begins a new day, as it were, for archaeology in Cebu. After years of helping resuscitate archaeology in Cebu following a decade-long hiatus, Dr. John Peterson, director of the Micronesia Area Research Center (MARC) of the University of Guam (UoG), returns with fellow archaeologist Dr. Stephen Acabado and a team of some 20 students. They are here to carry out joint archaeological fieldwork with the National Museum (NM), the University of San Carlos (USC), and the University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD).

Dr. Acabado heads the team that I will co-direct in what is Cebu’s first-ever joint Multinational Archaeological Field School carried out in collaboration with the Province of Cebu, through the Cebu Provincial Tourism and Heritage Council (PTHC). I say multinational because it is not just the Americans who will be here but also the Thais, Vietnamese and Cambodians who are Luce Fellows from the University of Hawaii. All will be staying from June 4 to 23 in San Remigio townto continue the work we started there and to survey sites nearby for future excavations.

But before they do so, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has invited them to a tour of the southeaster part of the province, where I will meet up with and join them here in Boljoon. Guam and Cebu (as well as Hawaii) have sister province/state ties and this is a good time as ever to strengthen them in the field of culture and heritage.

My USC-NM team that excavated in San Remigio last March and April this year will be exhibiting the surprising Iron Age finds we made while the excavations will progress there. This travelling exhibition will open at the San Remigio Cultural Center on Saturday, June 11, and will transfer to USC Museum and then Museo Sugbo once the excavations are finished.

For the San Remigio excavations, we have once again obtained the approval of Archbishop Jose Palma through the efforts of Msgr. Carlito Pono, chairman of the Archdiocesan Church Heritage Commission. The team therefore looks forward to working with the parish headed by Fr. Fritz Malinao and the municipal government headed by Mayor Jay Olivar.

* * *

Apropos to the visit of Dr. Takenori Nogami, foremost ceramics expert of Arita Folk and History Museum: Dr. Nogami found five sherds of Japanese wares from our previous excavations in Boljoon and 17 others from the Plaza Independencia salvage archaeology work. This puts Cebu firmly on the map insofar as the breadth and width of the trade in export Japanese porcelain wares from 1650 up to the end of Spanish rule.

* * *

My warm welcome to Dr. Lauara Junker of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and Dr. Eusebio “Bong” Dizon of the National Museum who will be visiting our excavation site in Boljoon on Saturday. We are deeply honored especially since both are well-published authors of scholarly works on archaeology in the Philippines and abroad. It is just too bad that I cannot be there to welcome them as I will be in San Remigio to accompany the UoG team. Laura and Bong are also busy carrying out the second in a five-year project to excavate the Late Iron Age site of Magsuhot in the municipality of Bacong, Negros Oriental.

This site was the subject of intensive study by Dr. Rosa C.P. Tenazas of USC and Dr. Rowe Candeliña with Prof. Rolly Mascuñana of Silliman University in 1970-71. It is simply amazing that so much is still left to discover and relearn at this site.