got this from my friend...obviously the city's main attraction
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/boulevard.jpg

nick, isnt teletech had an agreement with the city that no other call center will be allowed in dumaguete for 2 or 3 years? correct me if im wrong... anyway 3 neighboring towns are ready for a call center im sure for valencia, bacong and sibulan. :) 3 call centers, 1 for each town..hehehe.

^^ That shot of the Boulevard would look so awesome with more mid-rise buildings beside the sea. But downtown Dumaguete is already quite congested... if they're going to continue developing the downtown area they should also find ways to widen the roads and sidewalks as new buildings spring up. And add more parking too. :)

there are already plans to put up a "new dumaguete" with 6-lane, 30 meter wide roads. have you heard of the proposed superhighway from sibulan to bacong passing thru dumaguete's interiors? the plan is to preserve the old dumaguete and to open new business districts along that 6-lane superhighway which will integrate the metro dumaguete towns and city.

and the boulevared will be extended northward, from el camino down silliman beach, to rovira road. there are also plans to open diversion roads in dumaguete's interior areas.

^^ That shot of the Boulevard would look so awesome with more mid-rise buildings beside the sea. But downtown Dumaguete is already quite congested... if they're going to continue developing the downtown area they should also find ways to widen the roads and sidewalks as new buildings spring up. And add more parking too. :)

Wish the bandera building is located beside the sea...:)
Downtown is really congested... i think dumaguete really needs the master plan(road widening and so so...) otherwise the city would be chaotic like manila. too bad the present mayor thrashes it. :(
put robinsons in the south(calindagan is good) and sm at the north(probably near the airport), downtown would probably be not too overcrowded and traffic not so messy. :) a "new dumaguete", thats cool, and thats big!! metro dumaguete rising!:):)

there are already plans to put up a "new dumaguete" with 6-lane, 30 meter wide roads. have you heard of the proposed superhighway from sibulan to bacong passing thru dumaguete's interiors? the plan is to preserve the old dumaguete and to open new business districts along that 6-lane superhighway which will integrate the metro dumaguete towns and city.

and the boulevared will be extended northward, from el camino down silliman beach, to rovira road. there are also plans to open diversion roads in dumaguete's interior areas.


Wow, that's great to know that there are big plans like that. I've heard some vague things about this Bacong-Sibulan highway... it sounds like a great plan, though I hope they can muster the funds and the ambition to pull it off properly.

How do you know all these things? And how do you know Dominique? :) I noticed you mentioned him in another thread..

yeah ritch.. how do u know so much things about dumaguete's plans and whatnots?.. and ur not even staying here.. sounds really cool..

those plans really sound big.. i hope the plans be implemented asap.. hehe..

plus, if the cable car system in valencia will push through, it wud be a really good attraction for both local and foreign tourists.. also when the cabins/hotels in lasks balinsasayao and danao will be done, its another plus factor for oriental negros..

ritch, what else do u know?

Here's a lovely picture of a fence I took this morning.

More importantly, behind this fence is the construction on Julio Sy's land in Calindagan. You can't see that much, but well, there it is.

http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/5543/calindagan0zd.jpg

^^ what;s under construction there?

^^

According to the Negros Chronicle:
"ON this 5-hectare lot near St Louis School will soon rise a modern commercial complex, possibly a branch of Robinsons Mall nationwide, and initially the site of the first call center in Dumaguete, the Teletech Call Center who (sic) will lease a portion. This complex area is owned by the Buglas, Inc, which has business tycoon Jullo Sy as the majority holder."

The building being constructed there right now... I'm not sure what that is. Nicko says it's a building of Julio Sy, my friends insist it's the building of TeleTech, so... I just don't know.

@coffee, is there still a ferry from dumaguete which can take me straight to dipolog?

i'd say, i'm well connected with the policy makers and the planners in dumaguete. dominique cimafranca is a very good friend.

@ritche, are you part of the steering committee of the visayas area business conference?

no. i just happen to know the organizers...they didn't even know am campaigning for them.

post more info on the sessions please. also, do you know anyone in One IPC or NOCCI?

@coffee, is there still a ferry from dumaguete which can take me straight to dipolog?

there are a lot actually...at least 2 ferry boats, and a fast craft.

yes i know many of them. i'll post them later this day...

Wish the bandera building is located beside the sea...:)
Downtown is really congested... i think dumaguete really needs the master plan(road widening and so so...) otherwise the city would be chaotic like manila. too bad the present mayor thrashes it. :(
put robinsons in the south(calindagan is good) and sm at the north(probably near the airport), downtown would probably be not too overcrowded and traffic not so messy. :) a "new dumaguete", thats cool, and thats big!! metro dumaguete rising!:):)

altec, are you a silliman student?

there are a lot actually...at least 2 ferry boats, and a fast craft.
fast craft is supercat? or something else?

btw, are u based in dumaguete?...a student?

You could actually post your queries about the Visayas Area Business Conference here (http://www.investoriental.com/contact.html)...I'll add some information later.

fast craft is supercat? or something else?

btw, are u based in dumaguete?...a student?

i think it is ocean jet? supercat temporarily suspended dumaguete trips pending acquisition of new vessels. but there are newer fast crafts serving the dumaguete route...

am working for an international organization near manila...but before working here, i was extensively involved in research to make dumaguete one of the country's IT hubs. in fact, my master's thesis dwelt on IT.

but hope to come back soon in dumaguete either to start my own business or to be an employee of one of the multinational corporations there...

Why did Supercat suspended their operations?.......puno man kanunay ang Supercat every time I go to Dumaguete.....when will they resume their operations?

Hopefully they will resume soon before the Visayas Area BizCon

Why did Supercat suspended their operations?.......puno man kanunay ang Supercat every time I go to Dumaguete.....when will they resume their operations?

Hopefully they will resume soon before the Visayas Area BizCon

As far as I know they retired their old fast crafts and are in the process of acquiring new fleets. but they also suspended their Tagbilaran trips. Anyway, there are newer fast ferries such as ocean jet, Weesam (yes, the one serving zamboanga), Rovi, etc. there are fast crafts in dumaguete and sibulan as well.

From Today's Visayan Daily Star:

Mall construction to push through
BY ROMY AMARADO

Dumaguete City Administrator Dominador Dumalag denied reports that the construction of a huge mall in the city by prominent mall owners in the country will not push through.

Dumalag said the coming of Robinson's to the city is on, saying, the Gokongweis had already bought a six-hectare lot in Barangay Calindagan from one of the biggest businessmen in the city.

The area is part of the 20-hectare lot owned by the family of Julio Sy, which Dumalag said, is due for development. In fact, he said Teletech, the first call center to operate in the city is now constructing its building on the lot.

With the development, Dumalag said business prospects in the city are getting brighter.

He added that one of the landmarks of the city, the Park Building, will also be transformed into a mall. Also, he said the PO's Marketing is now constructing a new commercial building, with a pension house in the corner of Vicente Locsin and Perdices streets.

The old building occupied by Po's Marketing and other business establishments in the area got burned a few months ago.

The construction of other business establishments in the city is also going on, he said.

Dumalag said studies have shown that the city can support the operation of two big malls like Robinson's, citing a survey that shows that Dumaguete at present has more than 400,000 population during daytime.
Daytime population, according to Dumalag, refers to all the people converging the city during the day, that include shoppers, students, visitors and others who are not necessarily residents of the city.*RA

These are the rankings of the world's largest callcenters, according to Bloomberg. Teletech, the callcenter in Dumaguete, is at number 2 in terms of market capitalization. If Epixtar were the first to come in to Dumaguete, we could have been having problems with a less-stable company operating here. The good thing: Teletech was able to get in first. Convergys, the largest callcenter company, is in Cebu. I hope the next time callcenters are allowed to come in Dumaguete, we will be able to catch also the largest fish, hehe :) .

http://www.sketches.kom.ph/uploads/Sketches/contactcenterranking-sm.jpg
Courtesy of Dominique Cimafranca

those are very very very GOOD news, ritch!!!!..

how about the port development???.. its very pathetic we still dont hav a very good sea port!!.. we need a very good port! ritch, any info??

i'd say, i'm well connected with the policy makers and the planners in dumaguete. dominique cimafranca is a very good friend.

Ah... I'm a friend of Sacha, and I've met Dominique before.

And that article you posted is great, cleared up a lot of things I was wondering about:
- The Park building will be transformed into a mall. I assume it's something similar to Ever Mall.
- The new Po's Marketing building will also include a pension house.
- The construction in Calindagan really is TeleTech.
- And best of all... Robinson's is going to push through with a "huge mall". :)

wow... Lots of good news for dumaguete. Lots of development yet to be seen in Negros(occidental&Orriental). Both province need to help each other more for the development of Negros Island. rather done dividing it us more with the occidental-orriental thing.

@coffee: sacha, yes...i've known her only through the cyberspace.

@nicko: the government is aware of the port situation. i guess it is thinking about that. in fact there was already a blueprint for the port development (and it's beautiful with the belltower similar to that of the belltower found at foundation university because it was designed by the US-trained architect dean sinco, unlike many other ports in the philippines), but am not sure why it's not being implemented until now. there is a plan for billions of pesos to be invested in an international port in bais, a port will also be put up in siaton (it's posted somewhere in this thread), as well as in bayawan-sta. catalina area. in fact the provincial government is floating up the idea of coming up with a Negros Island Port Authority to handle the port activities in Negros Island, separate from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). This would be like the Cebu Ports Authority. Which only means that the local governments here are having grand plans for port systems to be put up around oriental negros, and not just here, but in occidental side as well.

By Doris C. Dumlao
Inquirer
Editor's Note: Published on page A11 of the April 25, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

DUMAGUETE -- The Philippines’ first integrated production complex for ethanol, an alternative fuel highly in demand across the globe because of skyrocketing oil prices, will rise in the sugar-farming province of Negros Oriental using P2 billion in fresh investment.

In a chance interview, Rep. Herminio Teves said the pioneering integrated plantation and distillery for ethanol using sugarcane would be operational within two years on a 24,116-hectare government property. The complex will be located in the third district of Negros Oriental spanning the municipalities of Sta. Catalina, Siaton, Valencia and Sibulan.

Aiming to replicate the success of other countries like Brazil in the commercial production of ethanol using sugarcane, Teves said the Philippines could maximize its vast agricultural lands to produce this sustainable fuel.

“You can’t introduce any system for the production of oil because it’s God-given but in the case of sugarcane, we can increase the volume for ethanol,” Teves told visiting reporters from Manila, during the lawmaker’s 86th birthday celebration held here Sunday night.

In pipeline
The ethanol project, an initiative by Teves, is now in the pipeline through a newly incorporated company called Tamlang Valley Development Agricultural Development Corp. Thirty-five percent of the company is owned by the government while 65 percent is owned by a private sector consortium controlled by alcohol distillery Tau Commodities and Teves’s own family.

“The corporation is only worth P100 million but the total investment could go up to P2 billion, for the purchase of the equipment and overall project, including the distillery,” he said.

The corporation recently signed the lease for the idle government land and is now negotiating with European and Brazilian suppliers to buy the necessary equipment. A purchase deal is expected within the next three months.

Foreign investment
“There are also foreign investors wanting to come in,” Teves said.

The congressman said ethanol production could be rolled out into a nationwide initiative to reduce reliance on imported crude oil -- whose price has gone up to a record-high $75 per barrel -- by converting vast idle properties in Mindanao into sugarcane plantations.

Teves said he suggested to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that in order for the model distillery to work, the plantations must be devoted to ethanol production so as not to compete with sugar produced for food consumption.

Prices of sugar in the global market have likewise risen since Brazil pioneered the commercial production of ethanol using sugarcane.

“In the Philippines, sugarcane is the easiest crop to produce. But considering the world market price for sugar, it will be prohibitive for us to convert existing sugarcanes into ethanol. We have to venture into new areas of sugarcane production in order to separately produce ethanol for the purpose of blending with gasoline,” Teves said.

Prices to remain high
He predicted that sugar prices would remain high in the next five years because many countries were converting sugarcane plantations into ethanol production sites. He noted that 50 percent of sugar plantations in Brazil had been converted to ethanol plantations and distilleries, 30 percent in Thailand and more than 20 percent in Australia.

With the shift to ethanol, he said sugar prices would be buoyant due to the reduction in the sugarcane supply for food consumption.

“Ethanol would be competing with the price of sugar unless we develop an area only for ethanol,” he said. “That’s why I thought of putting up a corporation for the plantation of sugarcane for ethanol in order to have a distinct land area for ethanol.”

Lots of development in the city and the province really...from malls, pension houses, call centers and an ethanol plant... i smell a 'new dumaguete' here :)

about the port development, is that about the proposed terminal? or more expansion of the port? the city needs a nice convenient clean very good port terminal as more fast crafts are coming.

altec, are you a silliman student?

im a sillimanian from EC up to HS...

from tommy schultz.... downtown dumaguete...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/perdices-st-cabs.jpg

...a former 2-way street now becomes 1-way(during daytime only) dominated by, well, tricycles...congested? imagine a pedicab dominated 6-lane superhighway in the future 'new dumaguete' :)

there's a proposed port terminal which looks very beautiful on the blueprint...quite different from other port terminals in the philippines, i should say, as it incoporates the architectural elements of buildings currently found in dumaguete. i don't know why it is not yet implemented until now.

http://static.flickr.com/45/134578422_4c992f6144.jpg?v=0
A branch of scoobys, i don't know where this is located (probably in Tanjay), for the benefit of xxxboybleauxxx...

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2134.JPG
Another Scoobys outlet in Daro...

We are starting a "One Negros Island Thread (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=342739)". People from Negros, post it away...

Hey, here's some more good news. Today I went to Dumaguete to return a movie to Video City. I was going to park in that open parking area at the left of Hibbard Hall in Silliman, but there was straw rope layed out on the ground there so I parked at the right of Hibbard Hall. I supposed that perhaps they were going to cement that area to make it a good proper parking lot. I asked the guard at the gate what they were going to do with that area... his answer: NATIONAL BOOKSTORE. :)

hey, that is the long-delayed Portal West Building, Silliman's glass-facade mini-mall...NBS is an anchor store, and if am not wrong, McDonald's...

Acsat building...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/acsat.jpg

hey guys! check this out!!..

dumaguete park theater during the japanese occupation
http://img272.imageshack.us/img272/583/dgteoldpark6ir.jpg

http://img290.imageshack.us/img290/8148/dgteoldpark024uf.jpg


dumaguete park theater at present
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1088/dgtenowpark0uv.jpg



provincial capitol during the japanese occupation
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/3899/dgteoldcapitol2zb.jpg

provincial capitol at present
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/7597/provcapitol8uh.jpg


a shot of silliman university taken from the old port during the japanese occupation
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/7837/dgteoldsilliman7aq.jpg

same.. but many many years after.. 2006
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/3455/boulevard2dy.jpg

http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7564/dgtenowsilliman3yg.jpg



... if anyone of u can post this to other appropriate threads, plz do so do so.. hehe.. dba naay thread about the past then present philippines??..

some of dumaguete's best beach resorts..


atlantis beach resort

http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/9413/atlantisdgte6kp.jpg

http://img283.imageshack.us/img283/3043/atlantisdgtecabin6wv.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/2939/atlantisdgterum9oq.jpg


santa monica beach resort

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6985/dgtesntamonica6dv.gif


pura vida beach resort

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/5001/puravidadgte4np.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9687/puravidadgtejacuzzi7wq.jpg

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/8026/puravidadgterum1yr.jpg


nice??..

some of dumaguete's best beach resorts..


atlantis beach resort

http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/9413/atlantisdgte6kp.jpg

http://img283.imageshack.us/img283/3043/atlantisdgtecabin6wv.jpg

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/2939/atlantisdgterum9oq.jpg


santa monica beach resort

http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/6985/dgtesntamonica6dv.gif


pura vida beach resort

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/5001/puravidadgte4np.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9687/puravidadgtejacuzzi7wq.jpg

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/8026/puravidadgterum1yr.jpg


nice??..

Excellent! :)

Also the ACSAT building now was suppose to be a hotel before. Construction didnt finished at that time(dont know what happened)but it was a skeletal building. ACSAT did finished it, but it still looks like a hotel to me at present. :)

Also the ACSAT building now was suppose to be a hotel before. Construction didnt finished at that time(dont know what happened)but it was a skeletal building. ACSAT did finished it, but it still looks like a hotel to me at present. :)

Yes, ACSAT is actually an abandoned hotel purchased by the Sias. For a time, the integrity of the ACSAT building was doubted because it was standing there idle for a long time already and the steel concrete bars rusting. But the rust proved only to be very superficial, and what's below were very intact and strong. Now, the ACSAT Building is as sturdy as the years that the building has withstood the elements, and it is one of the most "high-tech" edifices in Dumaguete...

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2426.JPG
Citi Hardware

http://static.flickr.com/47/131268153_7f0e0ac24c.jpg?v=0
Mart One Center, mid-sized mall in downtown Dumaguete with Pizza Hut and Expressions as anchor stores

I didn't know that Ceres is a national liner. Hehe :)

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2423.JPG
Here's another pic of a Ceres bus going to Cebu from Bayawan City. Ceres has now trips from Cubao, Quezon City to Iloilo...at one time it has the most number of buses among bus companies in the Philippines.

What's with the uh? Hehe :)

How many call centers are now operating in Dumaguete?

The IT Industry in Dumaguete is made up of one callcenter (Teletech), one BPO (SPI Technologies), 2 software companies (Ryte Solutions, Nestwood), back office (SEAT IT Network), etc. As there are a lot of companies not reached by our "radar", I suspect there are already about a dozen, more or less, IT outfits operating in Dumaguete...

put robinsons in the south(calindagan is good) and sm at the north(probably near the airport)

good suggestion, but as far as i know sm is actually looking at purchasing land at the south or southwest part of the city...going towards valencia, if not opposite robinsons in calindagan...

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2236.JPG
Ship bound to Cebu, Zamboanga and Malaysia passes by the Boulevard...

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2250.JPG
The ship now docks at the Dumaguete port...

http://www.mydumaguete.com/gallery/images//Dumaguete/PICT2423.JPG
Here's another pic of a Ceres bus going to Cebu from Bayawan City. Ceres has now trips from Cubao, Quezon City to Iloilo...at one time it has the most number of buses among bus companies in the Philippines.

Why MM to Iloilo? How about to Bacolod or Dumaguete? Well, I guess that would be alright if they do that to really think of it. It would lessen the demand for air traffic to Panay and the money would go to Negros anyway! Nice strategy. I just hope that someday, Vallacar Transit would build a nice high rise HQ in Bacolod where they are based. It's a good thing that Dumaguete is building a Convention Center there with a 400 room hotel in the future. I am really happy to find the rest of Negros' cities moving forward. Could you guys post renderings of the proposed Robinson's, call centers and Convention Center here on the thread?

I just hope that someday, Vallacar Transit would build a nice high rise HQ in Bacolod where they are based.

Like that of Victory Liner in Baguio wherein they constructed a hotel?...

Like that of Victory Liner in Baguio wherein they constructed a hotel?...

Nah, I'd rather see a Vallacar transit Corporate HQ in Bacolod and maybe something like what you mentioned in Dumaguete.

Nah, I'd rather see a Vallacar transit Corporate HQ in Bacolod and maybe something like what you mentioned in Dumaguete.

that would be nice...

good suggestion, but as far as i know sm is actually looking at purchasing land at the south or southwest part of the city...going towards valencia, if not opposite robinsons in calindagan...

SM and robinsons in one area... imagine a hundred thousand or more people flocking in these malls, and heavy traffic too... hope the city could open more roads and more parking spaces.

hope you guys could post a pic of the proposed seaport terminal... love to see its 'different' design. its good that its going to be unique just like what davao did to their airport. :)

A resort and realty business corporation is proposing to develop the white sand bar in Manjuyod, a town about 54 kilometers north of Dumaguete City, into a world class eco-tourism facility.

In its proposal to Oriental Negros Gov. George Arnaiz, the Phil-Suns Resorts and Realty Development Corporation, said unique characteristic with its inherent natural, marine attraction of the Campuyo sand bar has the potential to equal, if not surpass, the more established and widely-known destinations of similar category.

The company, represented by its president Othello Gamallo, offered to provide funds for the development. The plan is now being studied by the office of Arnaiz.

Earlier, the governor said the white sand bar is oozing with potentials in tourism because of its unique features, and that, the province will find ways to develop the area into a first-class tourist destination.

Vice Gov. Jose Baldado, who initiated some improvements in the sand bar when he was still mayor of Manjuyod, said he wants the place to be developed.

He emphasized, though, that the environment must not be destroyed by the development.*RA

Visayan Daily Star, April 27, 2006

halu, akong mama taga Bais city. ^___^
daghana man diayg yuta ni Edna Lhullier sa Bais noh..
anyway, kudos sa negros oriental sa pag renovate sa Tampi.
It's so clean and very welcoming especially to tourists.
Nindot na gyud.

Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines
Dumaguete City

If you were able to visit Dumaguete City, a sight of the most common mode of transportation that would most likely greet you are the motorcycles. Most of the households probably own atleast one motorcycle. Motorcycles are so popular that Dumaguete City has become known as the "Motorcycle Capital of the Philippines." In fact during the last Buglasan Festival, a Guiness World Record attempt was made for the largest motorcycle parade. Here are some pictures taken from Tommy Schultz's website and from fellow posters.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/d25.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/ritchemotor2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/ritchemotor.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/guiness-motorcycle2.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/guiness-motorcycle6.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/guiness-motorcycle7.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/guiness-motorcycle5.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/activities_tours_motorbike.jpg



*******************************

NegOr to break Guinness record in largest motorcycle parade
FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2005

DUMAGUETE CITY, July 1 (PNA) - Close to 30,000 motorcycles owners are raring to participate in the forthcoming 2005 Buglasan Festival here in a bid to break the Guinness Book of Record for the largest motorcycle parade in the world.

In a meeting Thursday afternoon, Buglasan Motorcada '05 chair Prodi Sirilan there are about 29,000 motorcycle units registered with the Land Transportation Office (LTO) in Negros Oriental for the past year alone.

Although still on the drawing board, organizers of the motorcycle parade said the affair will boost tourism in Negros Oriental as the province is aiming to become the "motorcycle capital" in the Philippines.

Only private motorcycles, including "big bikes", moto-cross and off-road models, and the more popular lightweight and small-engine "Econopower" units, that are officially registered with the LTO can participate in the motorcycle parade.

Awards and prizes are to be given to the participants, such as the youngest driver, biggest contingent, best-dressed driver, and most colorful group, among others.

Organizers said the motorcycle parade will traverse a large portion of Dumaguete City's road network and will culminate in the afternoon at the Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park fronting the Capitol.

A firework display competition will highlight the closing ceremonies of the Buglasan Festival at the Perdices Memorial Coliseum.

The Buglasan Festival, which reels off on Oct. 12 to Oct. 23, is an annual cultural activity to promote the province of Negros Oriental and its 20 towns and cities as the next tourism hub in the Visayas. (PNA)


*****************

Sunday, September 18, 2005
Buglasan Festival motorcade
By Adrian Sedillo

THE Provincial Government is prepared to shoulder the costs of bringing officials of the Guinness Book of World Records to Negros Oriental over Capitol's bid to breach the record for the longest motorcycle motorcade.

Governor George Arnaiz declared this during the formal launching of the event Thursday at the provincial tourism office.

The governor was reacting to media questions doubting the interest of Guinness to enter the motorcade in its prestigious records.

Arnaiz said he has ordered the tourism office to inquire about the needed requisites to qualify for the title.

The event, dubbed as Motorada, will be held on October 16 at the height of Buglasan Festival and will feature thousands of motorcycles that had earned the province the title of motorcycle capital of the Philippines.

Land Transportation Office (LTO) records show 60,000 motorcycles registered in Negros Oriental, 23,000 of which are in Dumaguete City.

Janine Flores of the LTO here and member of the provincial tourism council, said the organizers are targeting a minimum of 5,000 participating motorcycles to enter the Guinness list.

Registration to join the event is free. Those interested can register themselves in their local Philippine National Police (PNP) stations, the LTO, schools, clubs, or at the provincial tourism office.

DUMAGUETE CITY- The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) board of Management has approved the proposed construction of a port in Siaton town in Oriental Negros.

The proposed roll-on, roll-off (Roro) port in Barangay Bonbonon, Siaton town is among eight major ports development projects in the country that has been approved by the PPA Board, said provincial spokesperson Oliver Lemence.

Lemence said Gov. George Arnaiz received a letter from the PPA board last week informing him of the approval. Estimated to cost some Php240 million, the proposed Siaton Ro-ro port is expected to shorten the travel time from the province to Dapitan City in Dipolog and Zamboanga City.

The other other approved port projects are: Matnog, Sorsogon; San Ricardo, Southern Leyte; Lipata, Surigao del Norte; Arorong, Masbate; Pilar, Sorsogon; Taytay, Northern Palawan, and San Jose, Mindoro. (PNA)

Manila Bulletin, April 27, 2006

SM and robinsons in one area... imagine a hundred thousand or more people flocking in these malls, and heavy traffic too... hope the city could open more roads and more parking spaces. :)

We hope SM and Robinsons in Dumaguete won't be built opposite each other, just like in other places, to spread out development, and to maintain healthy competition, and not one mall will suffer from the competition...

ODLOMAN CAVE
(and other Mabinay caves)
Mabinay, Negros Oriental

The 2nd longest and 6th deepest cave in the country.

Negros Oriental is not only blessed with beautiful beaches and mountains…but with awesome caves that you must also see!

The Odloman Cave, found here in Mabinay is the second longest and the sixth deepest cave system in the country. With a length of 8 kilometers and 870 meters, the cave was explored by the Dutch, Belgian and Philippine Caving expedition in 1989 but weren’t able to fully explore its entirety. Although the exploration was incomplete, existing records revealed that it has five entrances that have been connected and the cave system comprises a mix of large and small galleries with some active streamway.


Glimpses of Odloman Cave and other Mabinay caves:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cavingmabinay4.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cavingmabinay3.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cavingmabinay2.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cavingmabinay1.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave36.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave22.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave35.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave34.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave14.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/cave7.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/Picture20254.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/Picture20257.jpg
Light reflecting in the stalactites makes it look chandeliers glowing in the dark.

Spelunking in Mabinay
Roel Hoang Manipon

After more than two hours ride, we reached Mabinay, an upland town 87 kilometers northwest of Dumaguete City, the capital of the province of Negros Oriental. It is almost in the middle of the island of Negros. Furthermore is the town of Kabangkalan, the last town before reaching another province, Negros Occidental. Aside from the coastal route from Dumaguete to Bacolod City, the capital of Occidental, one can take the ride that passes through Mabinay, which the Mabinay people say, is the preferred route.

Since the interior of the island is made up of mountains, straddling across it like a backbone or ridges on the back of a turtle physically dividing the island into two provinces, one Cebuano-speaking the other Hiligaynon-speaking, the route undulated, liking driving through a series of hills. Sometimes, the ride felt like being in a boat amidst the verdure of vegetation veiling the inclines and declines.

Thus, we arrived in the province’s second largest town, a largely rustic enclave with a population of more than 64,000 and an annual revenue of about four million. Nestled on a track of land blanketed by grass, which seemed to be tended only sporadically, was the municipal hall, almost hidden by tall Gemelina trees, which bore small oval fruits that profusely littered the cemented path leading to the building. We kept squashing them under our feet, leaving brown, sticky smudges riddled with seeds that looked like bird poop, as we went up to pay the mayor a visit.

The municipal hall was a modest affair of concrete and wood, much like the nondescript houses usually found in the provinces. Only, this one was bigger. The wooden parts showed the detriments of humidity and inclement weathers, and the cement and hollow blocks were stained green with moss.

The mayor, Enozario T. Baldoza, was equally unassuming. He might as well be a farmer, or one of the simple townsfolk, rather than a suave politician. The swarthy mayor proved to be inarticulate, answering our questions in short, clipped sentences. Maybe he was not used to having visitors, especially a motley group of journalists from Manila, the girls donned in shorts and tank tops and the boys seemed all gay, who were rather boisterous and readying themselves for the next activity by passing around a bottle of insect repellent lotion and lathering it on their bodes while having audience with a government official and asking questions on tourism and the state of the municipality like rapid gun fires.

While still rubbing a dab of lotion on my arms, I was already poking around nearby tables and cabinets to see if I can find any interesting information about the place. Browsing through an old souvenir program of their fiesta, I chanced upon a legend telling the origin of the town and its name. Ah, yes, the mayor said and gave us a very succinct account.

It is said that the town of Mabinay is named after a beautiful girl who became a spring. The town legend tells of a beautiful lady named Binay who was much loved by the people. Then one day because of grief over a lost love, she disappeared, swallowed by the earth. In the place she disappeared there appeared a spring, which was named after her: the Mabinay Spring. The spring became the center of life and people began gathering around it.

Such was the birth of the town of Mabinay. In 1960, the souvenir program said, Mabinay officially became a municipality.

The Mabinay legend, however, shares striking similarities to other legends about springs like the Tiwi Hot Springs in Bicol, the Salinas Salt Spring in Nueva Vizcaya, Mambucal Springs in Negros Occidental and Sibul Spring in San Miguel, Bulacan.

After that short session, the mayor introduced to us our guide. We were here to check out the caves, which the town is said to have many of and to be famous for. Beam Libo-on is a member of the South Negros Speleo, a group of cave enthusiasts. The thirty-something, mustached Libo-on is actually an engineer or technician at the Philippine National Oil Company and has picked up an interest on caves He seemed to be the most reliable resource person about Mabinay caves.

He said that there are about a hundred of them. I was rather incredulous. If he was right, the whole town would be sitting on something like a giant ant colony with its networks of tunnels underneath the façade of ordinariness. Mabinay could be the single place that has the most caves that I know.

So far, 45 caves have been explored and documented. From 1989 to 1990, a group of Belgian and Dutch researchers and adventurers came to explore and document the caves of Mabinay. The venture was called the Belgian Dutch Philippine Caving Expedition. Two copies of the research and documentation were given to the town. However, these were neglectfully lost, a lamentable but not surprising thing for a country that cares little about preservation of knowledge and heritage and knows little about their value. But of recent, as interest in caves and spelunking burgeoned infected by new appreciation for the environment and exploration, interest groups also sprouted. As there are mountaineering groups, there are spelunking groups, which now serve, however makeshift, as a resource of information on caves in an area and spelunking. Many have come to offer services such as providing guides and tours. And this area, one can rely on the South Negros Speleo.

The South Negros Speleo (SNS) offers and arrange package tours for a group of about thirty, which includes transportation from Dumaguete to Mabinay and then back, guides, meals and entrances. The fees for a day’s activity include P800 minimum for a guide (and there should be two guides); P150 for transportation per person; P170 for meal, which includes breakfast and lunch; and P5 per person for entrance to the cave. For rentals of equipment, the safety helmet with headlamp, batteries and belt bag cost P75 and the over-all suit costs P100.

Mabinay is where you can find the second longest cave in the country, the Odloman Cave System. It is also the sixth deepest cave. The longest, of course, is Saint Paul Cave in Bahile, Palawan with a length of 15,000 meters, and it is famous for its subterranean river. The Odloman Cave System has a length of 8870 meters and vertical range of 82 meters. Five entrances have been connected and the system consists of a mix of large and small galleries with some active stream ways. Exploration of this cave, however, is still incomplete.

It is also in Mabinay where you can find the eight longest cave in the country, which is Cayaso Cave with a length of 2,222 meters. We would not be going to those caves however. They are for experienced spelunkers. What we would explore were beginners’ caves.

We waited for Beam, who was joined by another guide named Jonathan, as he loaded the gears into a beat-up pick-up truck. It seemed like a good day to go spelunking, if there was such a thing. The rays of the morning sun shot through the gaps between the leaves of the trees drying up the dews still clinging on the grass. We occupied ourselves by squashing Gemelina fruits. Jonathan said that you could rub the juice of the fruit to your hair and it has a bleaching effect. I tried it on Totel, one my companions. It did not work. We thought he was pulling our legs.

Before we attempted another hair bleaching session, we hit the undulating roads of Mabinay on the way to our first cave of the day, the Panligawan Cave. We only stopped when there was no road suited for our van to go through. We had to walk the rest of the way. In a place hemmed by fields on one side and a copse of shriveled trees on the other, we donned our gears provided for us. A pair of knitted gloves was very helpful as we were to hold on to branches and sharp rocks. We wore hardhats with headlights and their batteries were in a belt bag. Attired in adventure couture, we felt like ready to rough it up.

The dirt road was strewn with pieces of cracked limestone, which made the trek a tad arduous. But the seemingly uninteresting litter of rocks could yield surprises. If you are observant and lucky enough you might chance upon a fossil as I did. I found a petrified clam shell to my delight.

Then the trek got more difficult. We had to get off the road and climb down a ravine where the cave was. The vegetation, which consisted mostly of hardy bushes, the kind that had more twigs than leaves, got thicker, and their stubborn twigs kept poking and scratching us. Beside the fossil, I made another delightful discovery. I chanced upon a millipede inching its ways around a moss-covered rock. The round, smoothly segmented insect, whose innumerable pairs of legs gracefully undulated while it walked, was the biggest I’d ever seen—about five inches long and a centimeter in diameter—and it is said to be endemic in the area. They may look icky but they are peaceful creatures, squirting a purplish liquid, which can stain your skin, when disturbed. I still have to understand how staining can protect it from its enemies.

Seeing my interest in the insect, Jonathan told me that there was an American researcher who regularly went into the forest to study millipedes. He was told that he was studying the effect of a kind of parasitic lice that is infesting the millipedes. And millipedes play a very important role in the ecosystem of the area.

Leaving behind the millipede and after working out a sweat, we arrived at Panligawan cave, which looked like a big gaping hole on the group. And we descended. The cave was a short one but it was cavernous. In the middle was a skylight.

After that, we visited a nearby cave called Pandalian, which also looked like Panligawan. By the way, Panligawan, as the rusty, vine-clad sign said and our guides informed us, is an Ata word meaning “courtship” and Pandalian means “marriage.” The Atas, an ethnic group belonging to larger group of people we commonly refer to as Negritos or Aeta, are the first inhabitants of Mabinay and other parts of Negros. It is said that Ata men brought women in Panligawan to court them and then to Pandalian to propose marriage. I don’t know if this is folk story or historically real. Panligawan sounded like Tagalog to me. But if what the sign and our guide said was true, we could be reading the vestiges of a dying language. The Ata people, which is only found in this town, only numbered nine or more families, and that was according to a 1973 study. Their Western Malayo-Polynesian language is near extinction.

Our third cave remained to be most spectacular. On an asphalt road, one would not expect a ravine because of the bushes and trees that hid it, much less a big cave with stunning formations. Congregating at the shoulder of the road, we descended one by one. It was a steep climb with thicker vegetation and more crawling, large millipedes for squeamish girls to shriek at. The entrance of Crystal Cave was unassuming, just a wide, open crack on the ground. The climb down was a little slippery as this cave is often wet. But after a few slips and scratches, we were rewarded with a shimmering spectacle of stalactites and stalagmites looking like little glacial turrets and pillars of salt. And they riddle the place. One cannot go in and out without breaking off a stalactite. But breaking a stalactite or stalagmite is greatly discouraged. Even touching them is discouraged. You might contaminate them, they say. Indeed, the sight of broken-off stalactites scattered around can be dismaying. Many of the formations are blemished with mud. These things took thousand of years to shape, drop by painstaking drop, only to be shattered by a clumsy step.

It is only now that Mabinay is taking note of the tourist potential of its caves. Exploration of the caves by non-researchers or spelunkers is not yet regulated. A designated path for spelunkers to follow seems necessary in Crystal Cave so that they would not lumber around and breaking off stalactites. Aside from the stalactites and stalagmites, the Crystal Caves had columns, a formation where a stalactite and a stalagmite meet making a pillar. It also had draperies, which looked like wavy curtain hanging from the ceiling, and flowstones, which looked like draperies but were thicker and adhered to the wall of floor.

Crystal Cave was longer, the darkness could get thick, and the floor treacherous as it is alternatingly muddy and craggy. It has a length of 209 meters and depth of 5 meters. It had a BCRA grade of 3, which I presumed to be the difficulty.

Much of our day in Mabinay was spent visiting three caves. There were still forty-three to go! But we had our fill of caves enough to last for a month or so.

For vacationers, exploring caves can be an exciting alternative from going to the beach and mountain climbing. But this is not an altogether leisurely activity, but exploration has its own kind of pleasure that is somewhat profound. It is the thrill of discovery, the reward of knowledge and experience, among others.

For beginners, a guide is very helpful and even necessary. One must begin with beginners’ cave to acquaint oneself with the underground experience and the nature of caves. This may involve simple trekking and climbing. Advance caving goes into complex caves and involves crawling, squeezing into tight places and swimming on underground rivers.

Before visiting caves, there were some guidelines that were given to us: Never go alone; go with somebody who is familiar with caves; use PPE (personal protective equipment) like skull guards or helmets with headlamps, over-all, hand gloves, proper shoes, etc.; take at least three flashlights and other sources of light (candles, matches, lighters); also take extra batteries and flashlight bulbs; make sure people know where you are; get the cave owner’s permission before visiting the cave; and do not go into caves when it is raining or when it might rain (caves can flood in a short time). And of course, try to educate yourself with caves, its formations, flora and fauna, history, etc. Knowledge widens your horizon and hones your appreciation.

Anyway, after three caves, I suggested that we see Mabinay Spring, as I took a liking for “legendary” places. Ensconced in a growth of trees through which a wide muddy road ran though, the Mabinay Spring showed rudimentary and even incongruous development. The embankments of the spring itself were cemented, and concrete steps were built leading bathers into the water. A wall beside the steps has an opening where water spews forth clear and clean. People who live around the area fetch their water here for drinking and other uses. The spring was made into a low-end resort of sorts. Concrete benches and tables and picnic areas had been put up but had become barely conspicuous among overgrown grass and rambling vines. That day we saw groups of students having picnics and a swim. The spring cascades into a stream disappearing into a forest. Further on, our guide said, was another cave.

We bathed in the clean and fresh waters from which the town originated. Mayor Baldoza came over in a van, set up a little table and a couple of benches and drank Fundador with his kumpares. He waved at us and invited us for a drink. We declined, but accepted a plate of green mango and guava wedges sprinkled with rock salt.

A resort of the high-end variety is the Tirambulo Highland Resort in the barangay of Paniabonan, where we had our lunch. The owners, the Tirambulos, are said to be the richest family in the town. The resort is a sprawling area of lush grass and robust trees. In the middle is a man-made lake called Lake Cristito Tirambulo. One can rent one of the cottages that scattered over the sloping area. Cottage for two costs P800 per day; for four, P1,400; and for seven, P1,500. Aside from Tirambulo Highland Resort, Mabinay has no hotels or inns for tourists. As for now, staying with a local family is suggested.

As we depart, there was a drizzle that concluded into a brief downpour. I was riding at the back of the pick-up, savoring the wind that contrasted to the dank air of the cave and getting used to the up-and-down rhythm of the ride. The cold raindrops salved the scratches and bruises on my skin and refreshed the dried mud stains on my shirt and feet, souvenirs of my brief visit. And, together with the clam fossil and the memory of seeing large millipedes, represented my images of Mabinay, rough and rustic, and also surprising and fascinating.

Another shipping company applies for berthing space at Dumaguete port


DUMAGUETE CITY - The Philippine Ports Authority has confirmed the application of Weesam Shipping for a berthing space at the port of Dumaguete, says local PPA port manager Noeme Calderon.

Calderon admitted a slight decrease in the passenger volume of the port of Dumaguete due to the presence of cheaper motorboats plying the Sibulan (Oriental Negros)-Liloan (Cebu) connection.

However, with more fastcrafts plying the Dumaguete-Tagbilaran-Cebu route, she is optimistic passenger volume at the Dumaguete port will pick up.

Ferdinand Rivera, operations manager of Weesam Express Shipping Corporation is in Dumaguete to finalize preparations for their maiden voyage on May 10 this year.

Rivera said, the company will field a temporary vessel while waiting for the arrival of a new acquisition from abroad.

Rivera said Weesam shipping has gotten a special permit to operate the Dumaguete-Cebu route following the request of City Mayor Agustin Perdices.

He said the company can only offer its best service and an alternative to existing fastcrafts.

It has a total of eight fastcrafts plying the routes Ilo-ilo to Bacolod, San Carlos to Toledo, Cebu to Dumaguete via Tagbilaran, Zamboanga to Tawi-tawi-Jolo-Bong-ao and to Sandacan, Malaysia.

Calderon admitted a slight decrease in the passenger volume of the port of Dumaguete due to the presence of cheaper motorboats plying the Sibulan (Oriental Negros)-Liloan (Cebu) connection.

I hear the Ocean Jet to Cebu costs over P800 now... it's getting too expensive, I think my next trip to Cebu will be by bus.

C&L Suites Inn
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/cl.jpg

Dumaguete City Development Bank...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/Picture002.jpg
...a glassy(and classy?)building. Teletech is temporarily using the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor while its own new building is still under construction in calindagan.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/Hypermart.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/hypermart.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/dumaguetecity.jpg

Nice pictures! Too bad the glassy building's view is devastated by the wires (and the chaos is doubled when the wires are reflected in the glass!).

And nice pictures of Hypermart too. Especially that first one. You can't get a clear picture of the Hypermart building like that anymore now that there are those things for shade in the parking lot.

cant wait for robs!! wen will construction start?

Nice pictures! Too bad the glassy building's view is devastated by the wires (and the chaos is doubled when the wires are reflected in the glass!).
And nice pictures of Hypermart too. Especially that first one. You can't get a clear picture of the Hypermart building like that anymore now that there are those things for shade in the parking lot.

Thanks..Looks like those wires are no longer safe...too crowded too ugly and i think some wires are no longer used and are left hanging. Hypermart is nice to shop for goods...it is spacious, only one floor.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/dumaguetecity.jpg

hmmmm....

Calindagan area.... that place is familiar, tabok sa tulay er the Banica Bridge?.....thats near the bus terminal near Citi Hardware...if Im right

going to Bacong?

I think that would be a nice spot for commercial development :)

hmmmm....

Calindagan area.... that place is familiar, tabok sa tulay er the Banica Bridge?.....thats near the bus terminal near Citi Hardware...if Im right

going to Bacong?

I think that would be a nice spot for commercial development :)

You are right sir :) The proposed mall and the new teletech building is behind the ceres bus terminal. The place is wide enough and maybe two malls can accomodate it. :)

welcome sir boybleauxx...whew!!! haven't been foruming for the past few days...just came back from a trip...

wow that space must be big enough for a two mall.

pero would it be better if instead of two in just one particular area.....they will be putting it at the borders at Sibulan near the airport....in that way, these malls built at the North and South of the city will serve as future nucleus of urbanization or expansion in these directions.

welcome sir boybleauxx...whew!!! haven't been foruming for the past few days...just came back from a trip...

ritche

thanks sa Scoobys picture diay ha...

though its not the one near Lee's the photo ached my heart...

I can always remember....tagbo tagbo sa Lee's.....then suroy suroy ug loving loving sa Rizal Blvd.....tapos kaon...kaon sa Scoobys then mag motor hatod sa Claytown samtang nangatulog na tanan.... sigh....

Pastilan kung pwede pa lang mubalik :)

ayaw lang ko tawagi ug sir...kay bagets pa man ko gamay

ur right...hehehe, i actually came from baguio, and while there, i was learning a lot...like i was very amazed because sm baguio use airconditioning very sparely saving them a lot of money for electricity, the purchase of airconditioning units, and maintenance...hehe makes good sense, that's why they were able to construct an sm that looks upscale, in contrast to other sms which resemble as middle-class malls, taking into account good architecture, unlike other sms that look boxy. the roof resembles a giant parasol (umbrella) - or was that a roof at all? that's the reason they won last year's mall of the year award...

ritche...paki post naman ng picture sa Bethel House and that tall hotel near sa pantalan along Rizal Blvd.

then favor pod....kana ganing marker sa rizal avenue pod....

daghan na ko favor...maikog nako :)

k, maybe somebody who is in dumaguete may do that...nicko, coffee, kindly...hehehe...people, kindly watch for announcements sa robinsons...whew, hope to be in my hometown this june...

i actually have contact before with somebody inside robinsons, she was working with suncellular when i knew her, and it was her who broke to me the news that robinsons was seriously considering building a mall there. first, it was supposed to be just a "Big R" hypermarket two yearas ago, but then people from Dumaguete demanded a mall, so their coming in was postponed, until now.

when i last met her, she was working as a freelance leasing consultant for robinsons and other big malls, in fact she worked with island city mall in tagbilaran and jy square mall in cebu, and she told me she's involved with the cebu boardwalk mall when it was yet conceived two years ago...she's connected also with sm people and it was her who told me that sm was looking for a land in dumaguete...

all the cellphone numbers of robinsons corporate guys that i used to have are all gone since i changed my sim...

ritche...paki post naman ng picture sa Bethel House and that tall hotel near sa pantalan along Rizal Blvd.

then favor pod....kana ganing marker sa rizal avenue pod....

daghan na ko favor...maikog nako :)

BTW, Bethel House has been purchased by an Australian businessman. I stayed there May-June 2005. If I am not mistaken, Bethel's new name is COCO GRANDE.

Strangely, I took pics of every nook and corner of my 21st trip to Dumaguete. But I was unable to take picture of the hotel.

I'll probably transfer some of my non-digital Dumaguete photos to my computer when I visit Manila later this year.

that was the former Habitat, not Bethel...Bethel is expanding by 16 more rooms, and Cang's Inc., it's Department store sister company is transferring to a bigger building at the national highway in orchids, according to my sources.

oops. my apologies. thanks for the correction. i always interchange the two.

thanks.

...Cang's Inc., it's Department store sister company is transferring to a bigger building at the national highway in orchids, according to my sources.

Cang's is transferring out of it's building on Perdices Street? That seems like a really valuable location to walk away from. Do you know what they plan to do with the current Cang's building?

i've heard McDonald's will be occupying the old Cang's Dept store building.. well, at least, thats what i've heard..


@boybleauXx, just go to the previous pages of the the thread.. there are lots and lots of pictures there.. all that ur asking for are all there..

is it true about what i heard that a private hospital will be soon be in orchids??.. infront of gimmik resto.. the vacant lot there.. its gna be DUmaguete Doctor's Hospital.. any1 heard about this?

http://suprfile.com/src/1/smvfck/tiempo.jpg
Dumaguete's treasures: National Artist for Literature Edith Tiempo and her late husband, fictionist Edilberto K. Tiempo of Silliman University

http://suprfile.com/src/1/smsupg/moses atega.jpg
Silliman icon and alumni affairs officer Moses Atega (A.K.A."Kuya Moe")

http://suprfile.com/src/1/smy8pl/3532.jpg
Breathtaking view of Tanon Strait from a hill in San Jose (fronting Sibulan and Dumaguete). Cebu could not be included since it is located towards the left of the view.

http://suprfile.com/src/1/smzvj3/negros.jpg
Negros Oriental

http://suprfile.com/src/1/sn1zqw/a462.jpg
View of Dumaguete's fabulous boulevard from the 2nd floor of Silliman Hall; CAP Building is partly seen on the right side.

is it true about what i heard that a private hospital will be soon be in orchids??.. infront of gimmik resto.. the vacant lot there.. its gna be DUmaguete Doctor's Hospital.. any1 heard about this?

If thats true its good news... Hope we still have enough doctors and nurses. Would that be a good location for a hospital? What do ya think dudes...:)

its a good location for me.. its along the national highway.. but guys, i just heard that from our econ teacher..

wow that space must be big enough for a two mall.

pero would it be better if instead of two in just one particular area.....they will be putting it at the borders at Sibulan near the airport....in that way, these malls built at the North and South of the city will serve as future nucleus of urbanization or expansion in these directions.

boybleauXx, you are right dude and I agree with you...spreading out the development(as what ritche says) really has more advantages. the city downtown is congested and the streets are narrow...imagine people and vehicles flocking in a little downtown.

its a good location for me.. its along the national highway.. but guys, i just heard that from our econ teacher..

that would be fine, but i rather have it beside the GSIS building fronting the provincial hospital. the lot has a concrete fence with fighting cocks inside... it would be nice to see a mid rise hospital than a place full of fighting cocks!

ok sad but i think the area there doesnt need a hospital.. NOPH is already there... its more appropriate if it is placed there in daro..

we cud use the area where the cocks are presently occupying for some commercial building.. a bar wud certainly be nice..

Here are pics of resorts I've been to in Negros

Dumaguete Resort
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7584/dsc006781tq.jpg
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9666/dsc006678iu.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8485/dsc006822yb.jpg
I don't remember where exactly this is but I passed by the peir to get here

Dauin Resort - Pura Vida
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/425/dsc007222mo.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9191/dsc006979yz.jpg
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/9468/dsc007259jl.jpg

I was shocked to see so many white people living in Dauin, Americans, Canadians, and people from Europe live there. I don't know why Dauin is so attractive to them. The beach is not white, the roads are not paved (except the ones near the church an resorts) and the only modern building is the Petron Station

is it true about what i heard that a private hospital will be soon be in orchids??.. infront of gimmik resto.. the vacant lot there.. its gna be DUmaguete Doctor's Hospital.. any1 heard about this?

that's the cooperative hospital to be put up by some prominent dumaguetenos...i heard they have raised up some capital from european sources, and that lot near gimmick was donated by the chius for the hospital, and i heard a mall will also be put up in that area...BTW, La Salle was also considering buying that large area at the back of Gimmick, but I don't know what are the developments so far...i think that area is good for an SM mall, but it's very near the downtown area making that place very conducive to congestion, and the price is quite high...

yeah, that fenced area in front of the NOPH was once considered for the Robinsons mall or hypermarket in Dumaguete 2 years ago...

I was shocked to see so many white people living in Dauin, Americans, Canadians, and people from Europe live there. I don't know why Dauin is so attractive to them. The beach is not white, the roads are not paved (except the ones near the church an resorts) and the only modern building is the Petron Station

It's because of the ambience and the quality of life in the area, where they can purchase lands at very low prices...and besides many of them have probably married a Filipina residing in Dauin or any area near Dumaguete. It is a fact that Dumaguete and nearby areas have one of the most number of foreign expats in the Philippines because of the genteel lifestyle of the area, and the ability of the populace to understand the English language well...and also because of the presence of universities and colleges in the area.

And besides, there are also good beaches (there are white beaches in Oriental Negros!) nearby such as Antulang, Bais, Guihulngan, and further south in Bayawan, and even in the Occidental side...

Here are pics of resorts I've been to in Negros

Dumaguete Resort
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7584/dsc006781tq.jpg
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/9666/dsc006678iu.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8485/dsc006822yb.jpg
I don't remember where exactly this is but I passed by the peir to get here



a00556425, this is the South Sea Resort Hotel in Bantayan. :)

Great Pics. You should visit Antulang. :)

A total of 18,000 hectares have been identified in Oriental Negros as possible areas for the planting of Jathropa, locally known as "tuba-tuba," in place of coco oil for the production of bio-diesel.

Of the number, 500 hectares are located in Valencia, and the rest are distributed in different areas within the 13,000 hectare-reservation area of the Philippine National Oil Company from Dauin to Amlan.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had earlier directed PNOC to look for alternative fuel due to rising prices of oil in the world market.

Instead of removing the 2 percent additional value added tax, the government is bent on reducing its tariff and PNOC has put up P1 billion for biodiesel production as part of its mitigating measure.

In an interview with the DAILY STAR, PNOC president Paul Aquino said they would start with the experiment in six months to determine what variety of "tuba-tuba" will be planted in the Southern Negros Geothermal Production Field.

Aquino said they already have in their laboratory a pilot plant on how to make coco mythyl esther out of coco oil.

With the high prices of copra nowadays, PNOC is considering Tuba-tuba as an alternative because it grows in marginal and cogonal lands. Aquino said three kilos of "tuba-tuba" seeds could produce one liter of oil, one of the main ingredients in the production of bio-diesel.

In Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, the Dacongcogon Cooperative is planting "tuba-tuba" in a 500-hectare lot with D1 Oil of England. PNOC is presently negotiating with a giant American company, which name Aquino refused to divulge at this time, on the survey and experiment of tuba-tuba.

Aquino said that to substitute the diesel requirement by 100 percent would be impossible, because it will need about 5 million hectares of Jethropa or "Tub-Tuba."

He, however, said 10 percent substitution is feasible with 500 hectares of tuba-tuba, 18,000 of which are in Oriental Negros.*

Visayan Daily Star, May 1, 2005

post more info on the sessions please. also, do you know anyone in One IPC or NOCCI?

You can find here the directory (http://www.buglas.com/dir.html) of officials and key people in Oriental Negros...

By: Muffet Dolar_Villegas

http://www.negroschronicle.com/final/april_30/yacht_club.jpg

The sun is about to set. Red and crimson fill the skies. High above the cliff, where profusion of bougainvilleas are cascading along the shoreline of Antulang Beach Resort, a long winding stairway leads to the pristine white sand below. Spending time in this resort, gives one an opportunity to go cruising to two most beautiful and exotic places in the Philippines today.

Along the shore, Annabelle Lee waits placidly on the clear blue waters. The summer breeze begins to cool off our skin, as we board the trimaran for a short cruise along the Tambobo Bay, where the famous Cuckoo's Nest is located.

Yachts and sailboats are all over the bay. It reminds me of famous impressionist paintings. The change is from European to exotic setting, with palm trees and lush vegetation adorning the shores. From a distance, the tall and majestic mount Talinis stood against the backdrop of crimson skies.

As the boat glides smoothly on the cool blue waters, friendly greetings came from different nationalities on board those yachts. I learned that they come as far as Australia, Spain, Japan, Korea, Israel, France, Italy, England and Hongkong.

For those who takes pleasure with underwater gardens, Annabelle Lee with the latest addition of another boat, named Don Joaquin, can cruise near the world famous Apo Island, where the scuba divers all over the world explore the abundance of marine life that only Philippine waters offer.

But really, as Nikki Danika wrote, ?this is only one of the many things that are uniquely Antulang. Heavenly place, Antulang (Resort Hotel) is endowed with a graceful stretch of powdery white sand dotted here and there with a myriad of shells depicting the intricate patterns of beauty.

Retreat yourself into their airy restaurant pearched neatly on the long stretch of sheer cliffs and bless your bellies with delish dishes.

Explore the resort amidst the dizzying labyrinth of staircases and retire into one of their comfortable and luxurious stately villas with its own private pools and jakusies to rid yourself of all that big-city grime.

Owner Boy Lee, businessman, entrepreneur and a visionary in his own right, loves the good life, and is now a made man. Boy tells my editor that at first he just wanted a private hideaway from the city jungle. This was then a place for hunting birds in Siaton. But when his guests came, they wanted more. Looking westward, one cannot ignore the majestic seas, the magnificent sunset and the fresh aroma of poignant memories start to seep into the mind of every first timer.

Thus, Mr Lee thought of sharing the experience to people here and around the world. And came they did. Koreans and Europeans specially, honeymooners, high-end business executives, conferences, and strategic planners make their way to Antulang.

Just call: 035-225-8899 / 422-2600/ email info@antulang.com, make sure you meet Anabelle, the manager and daughter of Boy Lee, or her in-house keeper Bernice, everything will become easy and exciting.

http://suprfile.com/src/1/smsupg/moses atega.jpg
Silliman icon and alumni affairs officer Moses Atega (A.K.A."Kuya Moe")



Hehe :) Kuya Moe (or Mong)...

EDIT (May 2, 2006) -- Here are links to all of the pictures posted in the first 15 pages of this thread.

Maybe we can come up with a collage or a mosaic of the pictures found here as a banner for the Dumaguete/Oriental Negros thread?

wew.. cant help but get excited with all the developments.. makes me more proud of dumzville!!..

btw, renovation of park is very fast.. i was able to take a look at it when i passed by.. i never thought the interior of the place is quite spacious..

from hospitals, to hotels, resorts, fuel companies, to department stores, new national bookstore, to malls, and another mall, and another one mall.. hmmm.. thats quite a lot..

Lets start with Dumaguete airport...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/airportaerial.jpg

the sea port and flores avenue...can you spot the ceres bus?
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/floresaerial.jpg

the beautiful Perpetual Church...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/perpetualaerail.jpg

the Hypermart...can you spot it?
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/hyperaerial.jpg

the city public market...looks like an sm mall to me :)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/marketaerial.jpg

of course, the Silliman medical center...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/medicalaerial.jpg

see those well lined acacia trees? thats silliman university campus! :)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/norecoaerial.jpg

view of Saint Louie Subdivision... hypermart is very visible...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/stlouieaerial.jpg

Now, wheres the police station...hahaha...you should know where it is...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/policeaerial.jpg

thats all folks. post mor pics.

Wow, these are great! Where did you get these pictures?

nice pics altec...am glad dumaguete looks very green from above. where did you hire the helicopter? or do you have access to satellite imaging? hehe :) .

the city public market...looks like an sm mall to me :)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/marketaerial.jpg


Dumaguete Public Market = One of the Cleanest Public Markets in the Philippines... :)

But there are areas in Dumaguete that are a bit crowded with buildings...the "new Dumaguete concept" should be vigorously pursued by the City Government and surrounding local governments...and new business districts opened up...

nice pics altec...am glad dumaguete looks very green from above. where did you hire the helicopter? or do you have access to satellite imaging? hehe :) .

Wow, these are great! Where did you get these pictures? .

:) hehehe Im not a millionaire and not even a spy:) wish i am..hehehe

you can get it here (http://judaline.multiply.com/photos/album/12) dudes.
you can find lots of pics there, i havnt posted them all, internet here is snail speed.

Bagacay has plenty of empty lots... its time for new business going 'uptown'. :)

That's a great idea, taking those aerial pictures. Always wanted to do that but like Altec, neither could I afford renting my own personal aircraft. (Ironic that, with my title and all... :))

Taking aerials from a commercial plane is not very convenient and I could never figure out which part of the city I'm looking at anyway. :)

Now let's hope someone took (or could find) aerials of the neighboring towns of Sibulan, Bacong, and/or Valencia. :D

http://static.flickr.com/50/140711772_6e9956d0ff.jpg?v=0
Dumaguete Freedom Park aerial.

http://static.flickr.com/46/140711773_3ebd40b069.jpg?v=0
Ceres Terminal viewed from above...

thanks to Judy Flores...

seems to be a very nice town, with a better boardwalk than any other city in the country.

a university town in the tradition of the american university towns, quite unlike other philippine cities...because of the americans who put up silliman university, one of the country's premier universities. it has one of the biggest community of foreign expats, and is emerging to be one of the country's technology centers because of its well-educated wokforce. world-class IT infrastructure (it can even rival that of bangalore, india's IT infrastructure in terms of bandwidth capacity but not yet fully exploited by investors), not much poverty, and the city is one of the cleanest in the country...nice boulevard and vibrant urban living.

in fact, manila's present boardwalk was said to be patterned after dumaguete's boardwalk...

I hear that SM is going to build their mall in Mangnao, where the Mangnao Elementary School currently is. The school will be rebuilt somewhere else.

I heard this from a friend, who heard it from her mom, who heard it from her friend that owns some land in Mangnao.

Radyo lakad :bash:

dont get so excited, you know the power of chismis :runaway:

gusto ko punta ng Apo island, maganda daw doon?

Sand Bar - Manjuyod
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/sand_bar.jpg

Silliman University facing the boulevard
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/Silimanbythesea.jpg

Rizal boulevard again...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/palm-trees.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/boulevardsouth.jpg

gusto ko punta ng Apo island, maganda daw doon?

Welcome to Apo island...

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/Apo-Island.jpg
Apo rock formation(photo by Tommy Schultz)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/stormy-coast.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/apo-rocks.jpg
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/Apo-Sanctuary-Island-Negro.jpg

as viewed from the lighthouse at apo island...facing mindanao sea(photo by Tommy Schultz)
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/apo-sunset2.jpg

Apo island underwater photo by Tommy Schultz...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/skunks.jpg

its more nice when your really there...

^^i agree!! very beautiful place :okay:

Nice.. I've been to this place already! It was low tide then..



http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/sand_bar.jpg

while on ur way to that place, u wud also be treated with a show of dolphins and whales playing around ur boat..

THE SOUTHERN BEAT By Rolly Espina
The Philippine Star 05/09/2006

Oriental Negros is gearing up for the cultivation of 18,000 hectares to jetropha as an alternative bio-diesel fuel.

The Philippine National Oil Corp. (PNOC) is reportedly ready to cultivate jetropha in 500 hectares of land, initially in 50 hectares in Valencia town. The rest will be distributed within the 13,000-hectare PNOC reservation areas in Dauin and Amlan towns.

The government has reportedly allotted P500 million for jetropha cultivation. The PNOC will reportedly put up P1 billion for bio-diesel production.

Dubbed in Luzon as tuba-tuba, jetropha is better known locally as kasla.

PNOC president Paul Aquino said they will start an experiment to determine which variety of kasla will be planted in the PNOC-EDCS Southern Negros geothermal production field in Valencia.

He said they are readying a pilot plant on how to make coco methyl ether from coco oil.

One liter of oil can be produced from three kilos of kasla.

In the Cadongcogon Cooperative in upper Kabankalan City, they have already planted 500 hectares to kasla in cooperation with D1 Oil of England.

Meanwhile, the Biofuels International Phils. Inc. has started a two-hectare kasla nursery in Hacienda Biritin, Murcia town.

Meanwhile, a Japanese firm has reportedly expressed interest in investing in a bio-ethanol plant on Negros Island. Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (fifth district), on the other hand, also said another Brazilian firm involved in ethanol production has expressed willingness to invest as much as $1 billion in a similar venture in southern Negros Occidental.

In short, based on current developments, pending the approval of the National Bio-Ethanol bill, there has been a flurry of activities all eyeing the possibility of bio-ethanol and bio-diesel.

If things pan out right, Negros may soon become the alternative fuel center of the Philippines.

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/3318/visayasareabusinessconference2.jpg

Officials eye Rizal Boulevard widening:
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2006/May/09/negor2.htm

I'm sure this is good news, but I'm a bit confused by the article... isn't the road through Piapi and Bantayan called Flores Avenue?

As I said, the City and Provincial Government is extending the boulevard all the way to Rovira...

a university town in the tradition of the american university towns, quite unlike other philippine cities...because of the americans who put up silliman university, one of the country's premier universities. it has one of the biggest community of foreign expats, and is emerging to be one of the country's technology centers because of its well-educated wokforce. world-class IT infrastructure (it can even rival that of bangalore, india's IT infrastructure in terms of bandwidth capacity but not yet fully exploited by investors), not much poverty, and the city is one of the cleanest in the country...nice boulevard and vibrant urban living.

in fact, manila's present boardwalk was said to be patterned after dumaguete's boardwalk...

Dumaguete patterned after an American University town and Bacolod designed by American urban planners. Seems like the Americans had a very big influence in Negros Island and perhaps Panay to some extent.

the boulevard going for expansion?? niceeeeeee..;) go dumzville!

yes, but it is more pronounced here...well they have it in iloilo, but not as influential as in dumaguete...oriental negros hasn't joined the development bandwagon in the past, choosing instead to be silent and to share our reosurces with others. but not anymore now. we still share resources with others, and probably we have more resources than panay or cebu...the two provinces are in dire need of electricity that we have in abundance, while the latter is doubly in need with its lack of water resources....

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/floresave.jpg

the map...
http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/dumagueteexpansion.jpg

this is great... i hope it would be a better landscape...more palm trees and grass(the grass at the present boulevard is slowly becoming bald :( is it over used?).

and for the "lovers lane" at the bantayan area, this is good news too! :)

yeah.. its overuseD!!.. pretty sad.. the city is also planning to brick the pathway.. say goodbye to the old and cracked cement pathway..

guys, take a look at out port.. wat can u say about it??.. wew.. no proper passenger's terminal.. i wud hav loved to see it the way it was originaly planned.. reclaimed appropriately with the right facilities on it.. its sad.. i think wer the only visayan capital who does not hav one..

well, there was already a blueprint for that...you people there in dumaguete should follow-up ppa why its implementation is delayed. or maybe they have a better plan. but they're building a nice port in siaton, probably with marina for yachts...

by the way i have seen at the negros chronicle that they are renovating the old port terminal with new chairs, and hopefully, airconditioning units...

well, there was already a blueprint for that...you people there in dumaguete should follow-up ppa why its implementation is delayed. or maybe they have a better plan. but they're building a nice port in siaton, probably with marina for yachts...

by the way i have seen at the negros chronicle that they are renovating the old port terminal with new chairs, and hopefully, airconditioning units...

Are there any plans for a new airport in Dumaguete? The present airport is just too close to the city and every time we get to Dumaguete, we make sure there are no incoming planes before we cross the stretch of road at the end of the runway? Which airlines continue to fly to Dumaguete?

cebu pacific, air philippines...there was a plan to extend the present runway to the sea like what they did in japan - using steel platform. i don't know the present developments...there are plans to build an international airport in bais, but they hit a snag in buying the lands for the proposed airport. there is a plan for an international airport in bayawan, although there is an existing airport in basay, the next door town to bayawan, which is bigger, longer and wider than the dumaguete airport. the runway is still intact, and i suspect, it will not cost a big amount to rehabilitate that airport owned by the former cdcp mining and turn it into an international airport...the only thing is that it is located in the middle of nowhere, it's in the middle of a rainforest...

cebu pacific, air philippines...there was a plan to extend the present runway to the sea like what they did in japan - using steel platform. i don't know the present developments...there are plans to build an international airport in bais, but they hit a snag in buying the lands for the proposed airport. there is a plan for an international airport in bayawan, although there is an existing airport in basay, the next door town to bayawan, which is bigger, longer and wider than the dumaguete airport. the runway is still intact, and i suspect, it will not cost a big amount to rehabilitate that airport owned by the former cdcp mining and turn it into an international airport...the only thing is that it is located in the middle of nowhere, it's in the middle of a rainforest...

ive heard that many people(environmentalists and silliman) opposed for extending the runway to the sea at dgte airport...some say it might disturbed the sea current and marine life. and also the seaport terminal, many people also are against it. i think dumaguete folks are too conservative for development... this is what drags the growth of the city. we have no decent sea port terminal til now. i hope the blue print would now be a reality 1's and for all.

hey, ive noticed that every city now wants an international airport... this sounds good but once they have it, can it really survive? imagine maintaining these airports, this means big bucks. building airports is a waste of PESOS if it is just "deserted". its better to build special economic zones so that more jobs comes! :)
dumaguete aiport can not be an alternate international...it is below the standards(a have a friend working at ATO). if we want an international airport, id say it would be in siaton, for me its the best location, an hour ride from dumaguete and also from bayawan city. :)

one more, cebu pacific is slowly trashing its DC-9 planes and replace it with airbus A319's and A320's. they say these brand new planes need longer runway...i hope dumaguete airport is ready for this...

dumaguete is ready for an airbus plane...and one more, there's a plan for an export processing zone to be put up in valencia, although people from dumaguete would rather not talk about it at this point in time while it's still on the planning stage...there are already investors, though.

yeah.. its overuseD!!.. pretty sad.. the city is also planning to brick the pathway.. say goodbye to the old and cracked cement pathway..

Brick pathway....this is cool! plus a better landscape and of course 'badjao' free boulevard. I hope they will just put bricks on the old boulevard instead of grasses...it is very over used.

the reason why they put up bayawan and other cities...what i don't like about the conservative attitude is it is dragging down development...but on the other hand, it also preserves dumaguete, like if they just let progress go on uncontrolled, maybe the environment in dumaguete could have been worse by this time...i think all these things like the international airport, international harbors, etc. will be put up in due time...dumaguete has enough resources and connections not to be left behind by other cities, and as i see it, it will be in a big way, as they say...

by the way i have seen at the negros chronicle that they are renovating the old port terminal with new chairs, and hopefully, airconditioning units...


i think thats the answer... just renovating it.

http://www.bahura.com/images/pic_bahura.jpg

http://www.bahura.com/images/pic_bahura.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/67/160683473_81ee3a4348.jpg?v=0

Their website is found at www.bahura.com (http://www.bahura.com/)...

http://www.eldoradobeachresort.com/pool.jpg

This is their website: http://www.eldoradobeachresort.com/index1.htm.

the reason why they put up bayawan and other cities...what i don't like about the conservative attitude is it is dragging down development...but on the other hand, it also preserves dumaguete, like if they just let progress go on uncontrolled, maybe the environment in dumaguete could have been worse by this time...i think all these things like the international airport, international harbors, etc. will be put up in due time...dumaguete has enough resources and connections not to be left behind by other cities, and as i see it, it will be in a big way, as they say...

These days, its quite prevalent to have large metropolitan areas where the core city is just a core city with nothing more. This means that the airports, seaports, large high wealth residential areas, and some commercial areas are located in the suburbs. So there is really no need to crowd them all in Dumaguete because Dumaguete has one of the smallest land area for an urban center. It is in fact a bit smaller than its counterpart in Panay.

I believe that Dumaguete has an equally bright future as Iloilo City due to its resources and educational facilities. All Dumaguete needs is a concerted effort to promote it and its environs. And I believe this forum is just a beginning.

<img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/d.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/u.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/m.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/z.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/v.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/i.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/l.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/l.gif"><img alt="www.Bigoo.ws" border="0" src="http://content17.bigoo.ws/letters/style26/e.gif">

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This company, Southtravels.com (http://www.southtravels.com/aboutus.html), is located in Dumaguete...

:)

These days, its quite prevalent to have large metropolitan areas where the core city is just a core city with nothing more. This means that the airports, seaports, large high wealth residential areas, and some commercial areas are located in the suburbs. So there is really no need to crowd them all in Dumaguete because Dumaguete has one of the smallest land area for an urban center. It is in fact a bit smaller than its counterpart in Panay.

I believe that Dumaguete has an equally bright future as Iloilo City due to its resources and educational facilities. All Dumaguete needs is a concerted effort to promote it and its environs. And I believe this forum is just a beginning.

Bayawan is a promising city in oriental negros. i think it will over run conservative dumaguete with developments in the future. and so is bais city too. but dumaguete will supply them with quality graduates/workforce. :)

this is just my opinion...

Siaton, Tambobo Bay to build pier for tourists

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/tambobo.jpg

A HAVEN FOR DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN YATCH, Tambobo Bay is now fast becoming crowded with visitors coming and going on board. Plans are afoot to build a mini pier or even a Marina for these luxury crafts to land, plus docking fees.

from The Negros Chronicle---May 7, 2006

Hey, that silly overpass at Hibbard Avenue is now finished and open to the public. Just as I feared, painted in prominent letters on both sides of the overpass is the name of APEC Rep. Madamba. Anyway, pics:

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/2150/a9vl.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7213/b6ei.jpg

Views from the overpass.

Looking north:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/227/c8lp.jpg

Looking south:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/9467/d2tm.jpg

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/b6ei.jpg

The overpass really looks nice and clean(of course its new) but take a look at the arrow wer it points... not enough budget huh... :) looks like its going to fall.

....w/o classes, this 'landmark' doesnt look busy and useful at all. but its nice to stroll around. :)

on the national highway(at public market, prov. hospital, st. paul, Norsu...) this is useful.

The overpass really looks nice and clean(of course its new) but take a look at the arrow wer it points... not enough budget huh... :) looks like its going to fall.

....w/o classes, this 'landmark' doesnt look busy and useful at all. but its nice to stroll around. :)

Yeah, it wasn't very busy on that street at all when I took the pictures yesterday. In fact, in the few minutes that I was there, I saw three people cross the street with the pedestrian lane right beside the overpass. Perhaps people will use it when the street is clogged with vehicles around dismissal time... traffic there gets horrible around that time.

Still, I can find many much more efficient ways to spend P6 million.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/b6ei.jpg

The overpass really looks nice and clean(of course its new) but take a look at the arrow wer it points... not enough budget huh... :) looks like its going to fall.

....w/o classes, this 'landmark' doesnt look busy and useful at all. but its nice to stroll around. :)

on the national highway(at public market, prov. hospital, st. paul, Norsu...) this is useful.

the pedestrian bridge is devoid of foot traffic, and the street below has a very scant vehicular flow.

maybe our good congressman should have used the money more wisely to more pressing tourism related infra, such as increasing the budget allocation further in enhancing the seafront beyond the port area near Silliman...sadly this million worth of concrete is used obviously just to banner his name

the pedestrian bridge is devoid of foot traffic, and the street below has a very scant vehicular flow.

maybe our good congressman should have used the money more wisely to more pressing tourism related infra, such as increasing the budget allocation further in enhancing the seafront beyond the port area near Silliman...sadly this million worth of concrete is used obviously just to banner his name

But I must say that it could be the best and cleanest pedestrian bridge in the whole of P.I. I haven't seen one with ceramic tiles at all anywhere else. Now, would people consider this a tourist attraction in itself???

will dumaguete be featured in abs-cbn's travel show, "Trip na Trip?" its hosts franzen and catherine de castro and i think the show's producer were in shakey's for the restaurant's anniversary..

i dnt think so really.. its an eyesore if i may say so.. its a scar on dumaguete's face.. a scar to mother nature's beautiful face.. that piece of concrete is useless there in SU.. wud u allow the old grannies who wait for there grandchildren to climb there?? how about nursery and kindergarten kids who carry heavy bags or bring along with them their strollers?.. wew.. wat a waste of money.. it could hav been used to build 20 or more houses in Gawad Kalinga..

that overpass could be really useful sumwer in donbosco, st pauls univ or in the public market..

yeah.. hav to agree.. its just a "banner".. im not gna be surprised if one of these days there will be vandals on the reps name.. just like wat happened before it was constructed.. the design posted was smothered with black paint..

but infairness, its a nice structure..

I do like the design of the overpass though. It's nice and clean... I especially like how the walls of the overpass are just bars, so hopefully we won't have people urinating up there or making it their home.

The road is really too narrow for the overpass to be very useful. Without much traffic, there's no problem crossing the road. With lots of traffic, it's easy to cross the road weaving between the slow-moving cars....
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/227/c8lp.jpg

But if the road was wider...
http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7282/hibbard3os.jpg

That second image I made in Photoshop (and I'm quite proud of it!). They actually seem to have enough space at the sides of the road to expand it comfortably to a four-lane road with ample space for sidewalks and perhaps some greenery.

I don't think we'll see this sort of road widening any time soon though. There are acacia trees in the way, and I doubt Silliman would do anything to put them in danger. Plus, once the Flores Avenue concreting is done perhaps more traffic will be diverted there rather than through Silliman.

I went home to Sibulan only once every month while working here in Cebu. I found out that there's a construction going on at the perdices ballfied. It's the convention center that I heard before that is going to be constructed and I believed also that a government owned hotel will soon rise up in that place. The Palarong Pambansa will be held in Dumaguete next year so I hope the track oval and ballfield will be renovated with rubber tracks just like the ones here in Abellana.

Could anyone tell me what's that building being constructed in daro (sorry im not too sure if i remember the exact location? If you will ride a multicab routing to Sibulan, you could pass by at that building. Hmmm, looks like Dumaguete is going nowhere but up.

NEGRENSE

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/edithtiempo.jpg

Edith L. Tiempo
National Artist for Literature

Founder of Silliman Writers Workshop (now known as Dumaguete National Writers Workshop)
"The pioneer and oldest running creative writing workshop in Asia"


On Edith Lopez Tiempo

By Lakambini A. Sitoy
Originally published in Woman Today, 15 March 2000


Edith Lopez Tiempo was declared a National Artist in December of 1999, a fitting culmination to a lifetime of words, of nurturance and of creativity. Born 22 April 1919 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Tiempo, poet, fiction writer, teacher, wife, mother, spent most of her childhood and early adolescence in Manila, Surigao and Samar. She was quite a beauty, and at age 18, ventured into the movies. But her show biz career was shortlived: her family did not approve. Just as well Philippine literature in English would have been very different otherwise.

That same year, 1937, she began a correspondence with Edilberto K. Tiempo, a writer teaching in Maasin, Leyte, whom she finally met the following year through her eldest sister. They married in 1940 the start of a fruitful partnership that would last a lifetime.

The couple moved to Silliman University, in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, a school that had been founded by American missionaries and was at the time one of the best in the country. They had two children, Rowena, now a professor of English at the University of Iowa, and Danny.

Edith’s education was interrupted by the war years, but in 1947 she did graduate, magna cum laude, from Silliman. She and her husband joined the school’s faculty. In succeeding years they traveled to the United States to further their education, Edith earning an MA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from the University of Denver, prestigious schools then as now for the study of literature.

Edith’s life career has involved two fields teaching and writing. Her poetry and fiction had seen publication as early as 1939; throughout the Fifties and Sixties, she continued to write and be published, in the Philippines and abroad, earning recognition for beautifully crafted work that sought the abstract and metaphysical in things as everyday as coaxing violets to grow. Edith’s body of work would probably have been enough to earn her the National Artist Award she received in December last year, but it has been her role as co-director (with her late husband; Ed Tiempo passed away in September 1996) of the National Writers Workshop, which they founded in 1962, that has made her an indispensable part of the Philippine literary scene.

After retirement from classroom instruction, she says, I concentrated, very happily, on writing. It is in this latter field where my late husband and I were privileged to help our young writers for over 30 years, and I continue to do so through the National Writers Workshop, which is now in its 38th year of operation.


Writers' haven

Some 40 years ago, before the Tiempo workshop was founded, there was no way for a budding writer to hone his or her skills or meet up with others similarly inclined. Creative writing talent was either buried in diaries or underwent prosaic transformations in language-dependent fields like journalism or law. Literary studies prepared young people for teaching careers or contributed to the battery of accomplishments expected of young women before they could be married off.

My experience as a teacher of English and literature showed me the need for developing a more properly comprehending reader-audience; the National Writers Workshop, together with the classroom teaching, worked to that goal, Tiempo says, by way of explaining her career choices.

Shipping anywhere from 12 to 20 workshop fellows and panelists (usually senior writers and/or teachers) from all over the country to Silliman University in Dumaguete City, housing and feeding them for three weeks each summer, and conducting daily afternoon sessions, was no laughing matter. For the Writers Workshop, the main problem was funding, and still is, Tiempo says.

Even when the workshop was conducted under the auspices of Silliman University, the two Tiempos and their colleagues worked on a shoestring budget and constantly searched for money. When university administrators voted to drop funding in the early 1990s, the Tiempos were pleased to find it had supporters in the business world, particularly the College Assurance Plan conglomerate, as well as a number of government agencies, and the Creative Writing Foundation, set up by prominent workshop alumni.

Despite the decades-old movement for Tagalog-based Filipino to be accepted and used as the national language, the Tiempo workshops have always been conducted in English, the language of choice of Edith and her late husband. Initially, she reveals, the promulgation of Pilipino as the national language was a deterrent in the teaching of English and literature. Matters improved over the years as the academic system also improved the teaching procedures of Pilipino in the curriculum.

They had no problems finding writers who wanted to train in the Writers Workshop. There has always been an abundance of Fellowship applicants, even those from disparate fields like engineering, medicine, the seminary, the law (we have had two appellate Justices in the Workshops so far), and from related fields like humanities and the arts.


Dumaguete became home of the oldest (and still running) creative writing workshop in Asia, the Dumaguete National Writers Workshop, patterned after the Iowa workshop which Edilberto and Edith Tiempo attended in the 1930s. A cursory look at the list of fellows who have trained or paneled in the workshop is a proverbial Who's Who of Philippine letters -- from Kerima Polotan to Lakambini Sitoy, from Krip Yuson to Angelo Suarez, from Nick Joaquin to Conrado de Quiros.

NEGRENSE

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/romero.jpg

Eddie S. Romero
National Artist for Film



Eddie Romero: A Genius in Philippine Cinema
By Pepper Marcelo

"I cannot separate being an artist from being me. It's an extension of what I am," says Eddie Romero, one of the true geniuses in Philippine cinema, whose bountiful filmmaking career has produced more than 70 films and 20 screenplays, many of which are widely regarded as classics.

Encompassing a variety of styles and genres, from lavish historical epics to low-budget horror movies, Romero has garnered a reputation of crafting high-quality mass entertainment. He is also one of the few directors to break through overseas and work in Hollywood, directing the likes of Jack Nicholson, Burgess Meredith ( Rocky ), and Pam Grier ( Jackie Brown ). Last year, he received the National Artist Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), a fitting tribute for one of the greatest filmmakers this country has ever produced. "The problem before, is that they felt most of my life's work was American, and this is Filipino," he says. "I'm glad to get awards, it's very gratifying, but I don't put too much weight on it, because it's bad for you."

Edgar Sinco Romero was born in Dumaguete City on July 7, 1924. His initial ambition was not in the realm of cinema but in journalism and writing stories, contributing many pieces to the Philippines Free Press . So impressive was the quality of his work that he caught the attention of filmmaking legend Gerardo "Gerry" de Leon, who would direct such classics as the film adaptations of Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo , and in 1981, be named National Artist himself.

De Leon commissioned young Eddie to write a screenplay for him, though there was a slight hitch: Romero, then as now, had difficulty speaking and writing Tagalog. "He told me that was okay," Romero says. "He knew Filipino, he can translate the script." The first screenplay he wrote, Ang Maestra , became a box-office hit, thus beginning a successful partnership that would last several decades. What would have been Romero's first directorial project (at the tender age of 18), on a film entitled Margarita , would unfortunately be postponed due to the outbreak of war in the Pacific. For a short period, Romero abandoned movies, dabbling in writing and editing projects.

Upon his return to movies after the war, Romero was invited, once again by De Leon, to write screenplays. His first taste in directing came in a Sampaguita Pictures project entitled Mameng, Iniibig Kita , which he had to finish because De Leon was in the process of switching film studios. Finally, in 1947, he made his debut as a solo director, on a project called Ang Kamay ng Diyos , which led to him directing 14 more features for Sampaguita. After a brief detour in London, England (where his father served as ambassador), Romero came back and directed Ang Princesa at ang Pulubi , for which he was named Best Director at the first Maria Clara Awards.

During the late 50's, as the Philippine film studios collapsed due to loss of funds, Romero left Sampaguita Pictures and, along with mentor/partner Gerry de Leon, moved to Hollywood to work in American-Filipino co-productions. Their first foreign project was titled The Day of the Trumpet . Romero then teamed up with former American G.I. and aspiring movie mogul Kane W. Lynn to create Hemisphere Pictures, which produced and distributed various horror, war, and exploitation movies, most of which where shot in the Philippines and utilized the country's low-budget rates. Many of Hemisphere's releases, including The Blood Drinkers , The Brides of Blood Island , and Mad Doctor of Blood Island , have been released on DVD (and features new interviews with Romero himself). "Those are some of the worse pictures Gerry and I ever made," he says. "But they've become cult [films]. I don't understand, but I'm glad. I'm very gratified." Though dismissed as cheap imitations of their higher-budgeted, foreign counterparts, these films showcase Romero and De Leon's distinct, signature styles and have garnered a sizeable following both here and abroad. No less then celebrated American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino ( Pulp Fiction , Kill Bill ) lists Romero's "blaxploitation" flick Black Mama, White Mama , as an influence. Other films, such as Walls of Hell (a.k.a. Intramuros ) and Women in Cages , have been available on DVD for quite sometime.

Despite having a career abroad, Romero has always viewed himself as the consummate outsider. "I was never part of the Hollywood scene," he says. "I would walk into 20 th Century Fox, AIP (American International Pictures), or [producer] Roger Corman, with a project, with American partners. That left us free, more or less, to come up with whatever we wanted to do. Of course in keeping with what the market was looking for."

In the 1970's, the breakout of innovative filmmaking talents like Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Mike de Leon signaled a new Golden Age for Philippine Cinema with their socially-relevant, critically-acclaimed works. Romero would return and contribute his own masterpiece to this illustrious era: Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon? , a sprawling historical epic, which details the country's struggles in establishing its cultural identity dating from the Revolution against Spain until the Philippine-American War, as seen through the eyes of a provincial young man. Unanimously celebrated by audiences and critics alike, Ganito Kami Noon was chosen as Best Picture of the Year by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, and was eventually cited as one of top ten films of that impressive decade. In 2002, it was selected as one of the best films of the past 30 years. Other notable film projects Romero directed in the wake of Ganito Kami Noon include Sinong Kapiling, Sinong Kasiping; Aguila ; and the P100-million Filipino-Chinese co-production Hari sa Hari, Lahi sa Lahi , a stunningly complex, historical period piece set during the 14 th century.

"I see myself as a story-teller, I just want to direct," Romero says, who, still going strong at 79, currently has a project in development. Unlike other filmmakers, Romero never found himself pigeonholed to one specific genre, making numerous classic films in an assortment of narrative categories. His philosophy is to simply create characters and craft stories that interest him and could entertain people, and to not be conscious of limitations. "My perception is that artists can do anything."

********

Biography of Eddie Romero

Birth name: Edgar Sinco Romero

Hometown: Dumaguete City

Education: Finished his grade school in Silliman University in 1936, high school in 1940, and some years in college as a liberal arts student

Mentor: Gerardo de Leon.

Son of Pilar Sinco, a school teacher, and José E. Romero, a former congressman, Secretary of Education, and Philippine Ambassador to Spain.
Married to Carolina Gonzales. They have three children, including film director Joey Romero. Actress Chanda Romero, is also a niece.

Major influences in his filmmaking style were Gerardo de Leon, and Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu.

Has won five screenplay awards from the Film Academy of Movie Arts & Sciences (FAMAS) for the films Buhay alamang (1952), Aguila (1979), The Passionate Strangers (1966), Durugin si Totoy Bato (1979) and Padrino, Ang (1985), elevating him to the FAMAS "Hall of Fame."

He made many international films for Hemisphere Productions, including Day of the Trumpet, aka Cavalry Command (1963), and Terror Is a Man (1959).


His movies have said to have influenced other directors including the famed Hollywood director, Quentin Tarantino. Refer to Kill Bill (http://www.tarantino.info/wiki/index.php/Kill_Bill_References_Guide/american). Also in an interview (http://news.inq7.net/entertainment/index.php?index=1&story_id=69934), he said that "I heard that Quentin Tarantino cast Pam as lead in 'Jackie Brown' because he saw 'Black Mama' as a kid." This is in reference to Pam Grier, one of the actresses of his 1972 international flick "Black Mama White Mama."

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g29/alteclint/b6ei.jpg

The overpass really looks nice and clean(of course its new) but take a look at the arrow wer it points... not enough budget huh... :) looks like its going to fall.

....w/o classes, this 'landmark' doesnt look busy and useful at all. but its nice to stroll around. :)

on the national highway(at public market, prov. hospital, st. paul, Norsu...) this is useful.

ur definitely right coffee...this overpas should have been put up elsewhere, and not here first. but it's finished. all we can do is rejoice that this is placed here...maybe they can add more in the places you mentioned, especially at the soon-to-rise business district in calindagan...by the way, i admire your father for spending his own money in going to southeast asian countries to observe what's going on in these places...

I went home to Sibulan only once every month while working here in Cebu. I found out that there's a construction going on at the perdices ballfied. It's the convention center that I heard before that is going to be constructed and I believed also that a government owned hotel will soon rise up in that place. The Palarong Pambansa will be held in Dumaguete next year so I hope the track oval and ballfield will be renovated with rubber tracks just like the ones here in Abellana.

Could anyone tell me what's that building being constructed in daro (sorry im not too sure if i remember the exact location? If you will ride a multicab routing to Sibulan, you could pass by at that building. Hmmm, looks like Dumaguete is going nowhere but up.

i heard that cang's is transferring in daro, near the orchids area because mcdonalds will occupy their present building...

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7282/hibbard3os.jpg

That second image I made in Photoshop (and I'm quite proud of it!). They actually seem to have enough space at the sides of the road to expand it comfortably to a four-lane road with ample space for sidewalks and perhaps some greenery.

I don't think we'll see this sort of road widening any time soon though. There are acacia trees in the way, and I doubt Silliman would do anything to put them in danger. Plus, once the Flores Avenue concreting is done perhaps more traffic will be diverted there rather than through Silliman.

by the way things are going, i think valencia will become a city in no time at all...i would support valencia being converted into a city as this will increase the budgetary allocation of the place, transforming it into "Tagaytay of the visayas" (since canlaon is said to be the "baguio of the visayas")...this will help dumaguete, espcially metro dumaguete because dumaguete, with its small area and small monetary allocation, cannot think of big infrastructure projects unless aided by the provincial government...with valencia turning into a city, more big infrastructure projects could be thought of, and the "metro dumaguete" realization more possible.

will dumaguete be featured in abs-cbn's travel show, "Trip na Trip?" its hosts franzen and catherine de castro and i think the show's producer were in shakey's for the restaurant's anniversary..

were you there at the shooting of "close to you?" some people swear that i was seen on tv at the cba building when the bubble gang crew was shooting there more than a year ago...but i didn't see myself there while watching the 2 episodes of bubble gang in dumaguete last year...

http://static.flickr.com/49/146629884_7d72075114.jpg?v=0
The modern patrol speed boat donated by the Province of Oriental Negros to the Philippine coast Guard. Bayawan City also has two (2) speed patrol boats, and Bais is also acquiring to acquire patrol boats. Together, these hi-tech patrol boats should send shivers to the Abu Sayyafs and other bandits planning to attack the shores of Oriental Negros...illegal fishers as well.

http://static.flickr.com/50/146629882_9859675be0.jpg?v=0
One of the modern Coast Guard SAR ships docked at the Dumaguete port.

were you there at the shooting of "close to you?" some people swear that i was seen on tv at the cba building when the bubble gang crew was shooting there more than a year ago...but i didn't see myself there while watching the 2 episodes of bubble gang in dumaguete last year...

yep.. i was there.. bubble gang and close to you.. i both checked them myself.. although i really did not stay too long.. franzen and catherine's attendance at shakey's was published in metro post.. maybe they will feature dumaguete soon..

i checked teletech's construction and its pretty fast.. but it does not look like any building.. its like a gymnasium.. weird.. like hypermart when it was still under construction.. low-rise and it has this iron roof framings.. pretty much like hypermart.. is that their idea of a call center? hehe.. its not yet finished though..

btw, patricia evangelista and her friends and colleagues were also present in LITERATURA.. the Dumaguete National Writers Workshop.. saw her walking around silliman and downtown.. she's pretty.. many do not know her.. she has this show in ANC.. and she was the champion in the world public speaking competition in europe.. she wrote an article on it in PDI yesterday.. i think she likes dumaguete.. she also wrote sumthing about dumaguete when close to you was hitting the silverscreen..

hehehe...your father should be busy now...i liked his stance on the case when he was almost imprisoned, together with atty. lagahit, i think that was because of the lotto issue...

But if the road was wider...
http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/7282/hibbard3os.jpg

That second image I made in Photoshop (and I'm quite proud of it!). They actually seem to have enough space at the sides of the road to expand it comfortably to a four-lane road with ample space for sidewalks and perhaps some greenery.

I don't think we'll see this sort of road widening any time soon though. There are acacia trees in the way, and I doubt Silliman would do anything to put them in danger. Plus, once the Flores Avenue concreting is done perhaps more traffic will be diverted there rather than through Silliman.

Surely we need a traffic light in this kind of road. And of course, if dumaguete roads are all like this, im sure all dumaguete folks supports the "madamba" overpass construction. This is cool coffee, i like the greeneries too. And ur right, our narrow roads tends to slow vehicles and people can easily cross.

the overpass is nice, at least we have it, of course for safety reasons.
i hope and i hope that the overpass is not a temporary resident or a motel for badjao's.... we really hate to see that. look at manila overpasses, some are a haven for badjao's or beggars. its time for dumaguete that it can have the cleanest overpass in the whole PI....

i checked teletech's construction and its pretty fast.. but it does not look like any building.. its like a gymnasium.. weird.. like hypermart when it was still under construction.. low-rise and it has this iron roof framings.. pretty much like hypermart.. is that their idea of a call center? hehe.. its not yet finished though..

it probably looks like the convergys building in cebu....i hope it would be a glass-aluminum-concrete combo like the new du ek sam building(hope u guys could post a pic). I like to see these kind of buildings in dumaguete, modern and looks "light weight" to me....:)

there r still wooden business/commercial building in the city...i hope these are still 'safe'

hehehe...your father should be busy now...i liked his stance on the case when he was almost imprisoned, together with atty. lagahit, i think that was because of the lotto issue...


thanks.. he had been into many situations such as that before..
he's been always busy.. and he's just not so into gambling and stuff..

talking about safety, i think its high time for dumaguete engineers to make sure public buildings here are safe and making sure the incoming new ones will be, too.. i know u guys are noticing lee super plazas shaky condition.. its scary.. hehe..

its because it is quite high, well for dumaguete...imo lee plaza is structurally sound.

whew! the present developments at dumzville makes me wanna go home by santacruzan time...

peepz, i think our thread is productive enough...coffee, we are looking forward to reaching the 500th post soon, and beginning a new thread! let's congratulate ourselves for this feat (considering that this is our first thread, and we will soon be reaching the 500th). can somebody prepare great pictorial collage for our soon-to-be 2nd thread?

these just show that dumaguete has all the potential to become a great IT hub since we have proven it by this achievement...of nearly reaching now the 500th post...and please invite your friends to post and do foruming here :)

kudos to u guys! to us! to dumaguete! cheers!!!.. ritch, dumzville is waitng for u..;) dumzville is waitng for everyonE.. lets continue posting..;)

Surely we need a traffic light in this kind of road. And of course, if dumaguete roads are all like this, im sure all dumaguete folks supports the "madamba" overpass construction. This is cool coffee, i like the greeneries too. And ur right, our narrow roads tends to slow vehicles and people can easily cross.

the overpass is nice, at least we have it, of course for safety reasons.
i hope and i hope that the overpass is not a temporary resident or a motel for badjao's.... we really hate to see that. look at manila overpasses, some are a haven for badjao's or beggars. its time for dumaguete that it can have the cleanest overpass in the whole PI....

good day altec...i hope we'll have that traffic light soon, especially at the st pauls junctions...and also at the real st.-silliman ave. junction.

are traffic lights appropropriate and necessary for our small city?

are traffic lights appropropriate and necessary for our small city?

maybe soon wen we can hav wider roads.... or the areas/streets that are busy, but some of roads here turns 1-way during daytime..

but i think the city needs to open more roads..

talking about safety, i think its high time for dumaguete engineers to make sure public buildings here are safe and making sure the incoming new ones will be, too.. i know u guys are noticing lee super plazas shaky condition.. its scary.. hehe..

the city's tallest, the bandera bldg is shaky too... according to my bro.


hey, r there any plans for a new city hall? banilad or bajumpandan is a great place for me. its time for the city to put a gov't center on the southern part.
presently, it looks like the city hall is part of the school or a principals office...:)

http://static.flickr.com/46/147880439_6dfdd3fd88.jpg?v=0
Official website of the Dumaguete National Writers' Workshop here (http://www.geocities.com/nwwdumaguete/)...

@nicko: Patricia Evangelista is one of the fellows at the National Writers' Workshop this year...

http://static.flickr.com/50/147884722_db5a5bdc58.jpg?v=0

Here's the complete list of this year's fellows:

Michellan Kristine Sarile
Andrea Teran
Darwin Chiong
Ana Escalante Neri
Patricia Evangelista
Noel Pingoy
Antonio Adrian Habana
Erika Jean Cabanawan
Douglas James Candano
Larissa Mae Suarez
Dominique Cimafranca

Some of the biggest names in the country's business scene will grace the 2006 Visayas Area Business Conference. To mention some: Hon. Margarito Teves, Dept. of Finance Secretary, Lance Gokongwei of JG Summit, Ernest Cu of SPi, and Samie Lim of PCCI...Most of the activities will be held at the Silliman University campus...there will be golf fellowship and business matching activities.

Here's the Complete schedule of the 2006 Visayas Area Business Conference (http://www.vabc2006.buglas.com/calendar.html)

maybe soon wen we can hav wider roads.... or the areas/streets that are busy, but some of roads here turns 1-way during daytime..

but i think the city needs to open more roads..
Altec,

Those were great pics you posted in the Provincial/City Halls thread. Would have been better though if had you taken night shots with the fountain being lit by the submerged, multicolored lights.

By the way, talking about traffic management, I think Dumaguete needs more low maintenance cruiser motorbikes. One time I visited, there was this motorist who made an illegal U-turn and all the traffic aid could do was smile sheepishly after repeated futile attempts to warn off the offender with his whistle. The poor guy didn't even have a bicycle to give chase with.

I'm thinking Kawasaki Barakos equipped with digital cameras. Equipped with a 175cc 4-stroke engine, the Barako should give the cop ample chasing power, and should command enough respect from would be offenders. While a 125cc 2-stroke enduro or Moto-x bike may easily outrun a Barako in skillful hands, a radio-coordinated chase should pretty much bring the advantage back to the traffic enforcers.

hey, r there any plans for a new city hall? banilad or bajumpandan is a great place for me. its time for the city to put a gov't center on the southern part.
presently, it looks like the city hall is part of the school or a principals office...:)

there was a plan to transfer the whole city hall to bajumpandan or banilad (im not quite sure) last administration, but many did not like the idea. some folks would like to preserve the Philippine tradition of having the cathedral, the city park, and the city hall near each other or like parallel to each other.. transferring the city hall would perhaps ruin typical filipino set-up of the three most important places of a city..

the city's tallest, the bandera bldg is shaky too... according to my bro....:)

aside from it being shaky, u guys notice that its a bit tilted mediolateral to the right?.. im not surprised y its top floors are not being occupied.. sayang..

there was a plan to transfer the whole city hall to bajumpandan or banilad (im not quite sure) last administration, but many did not like the idea. some folks would like to preserve the Philippine tradition of having the cathedral, the city park, and the city hall near each other or like parallel to each other.. transferring the city hall would perhaps ruin typical filipino set-up of the three most important places of a city..

I'm also quite fond of the quaint little set-up we have, with the city hall and church and park all lined up nicely. City hall does look like a school though. :p If they plan to build a new city hall, I'd prefer they just build it at the same location.

aside from it being shaky, u guys notice that its a bit tilted mediolateral to the right?.. im not surprised y its top floors are not being occupied.. sayang..

Oh? I didn't notice any tilt... that's scary. :uh:

Altec,

Those were great pics you posted in the Provincial/City Halls thread. Would have been better though if had you taken night shots with the fountain being lit by the submerged, multicolored lights.

By the way, talking about traffic management, I think Dumaguete needs more low maintenance cruiser motorbikes. One time I visited, there was this motorist who made an illegal U-turn and all the traffic aid could do was smile sheepishly after repeated futile attempts to warn off the offender with his whistle. The poor guy didn't even have a bicycle to give chase with.

I'm thinking Kawasaki Barakos equipped with digital cameras. Equipped with a 175cc 4-stroke engine, the Barako should give the cop ample chasing power, and should command enough respect from would be offenders. While a 125cc 2-stroke enduro or Moto-x bike may easily outrun a Barako in skillful hands, a radio-coordinated chase should pretty much bring the advantage back to the traffic enforcers.

Thanks 60DegreesC.S.... i guess i'll hav just to wait for buglasan festival again and hope i could hav a digital cam for a nice night shots at the capitol and the fountain with multi-colored lights.. capitol right now is conserving bills for electricity....well just have to wait. and maybe dgte forumers here could also hav a nice good night shots of the capitol.

and for the traffic aides, did you know before that they hav mountain bikes? :) traffic aides are using it before... i hope not for chasing.
dumaguete is really small. roads are narrow and thats why motorcycles are prefered choice and also dominates the streets with drivers w/o even having helmets(it its not comfortable when your just in the heart of the city). sad to say that traffic aides in the city dont have or lacks cruiser bikes to chase hard headed offenders.

I'm also quite fond of the quaint little set-up we have, with the city hall and church and park all lined up nicely. City hall does look like a school though. :p If they plan to build a new city hall, I'd prefer they just build it at the same location.


or better move the school to another location. but it looks like the school has undergone renovation and will stay forever.
Does city hall needs major "make-up"? what do ya think dudes...

or better move the school to another location. but it looks like the school has undergone renovation and will stay forever.
Does city hall needs major "make-up"? what do ya think dudes...

that could be an option. but where?.. we wont hav city central elem school na if that happens.. i think its ok to hav the school there.. but i really do think our city hall needs a major renovation.. or at least hav its facade emphasized, extend it, and hav it to hav the modern or perhaps, the turn of the century look effect.. that wud be nice..

The oldest stone church in the whole of negros island.. built in the 16th century.. got burned in the 1800s.. was rebuilt in the early 1900s renovated last year.. St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish..

Its facade taken from quezon park
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9625/dgtecathedral1jo.jpg

This skylight in the Dumaguete Cathedral gives a green glow to the altar area. I was impressed by it's kaleidoscope-like shape.
http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/8716/dgtecathedralglass0gs.jpg

The Dumaguete Cathedral is the oldest stone church in Negros. It was originally built in 1754, reconstructed in 1885 and extended in 1936. Since then, many modern touches have already been incorporated into the cathedral's interior and exterior. Despite the changes, the cathedral still remains a beautiful sight to behold.
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/7547/dgtecathedralinterior1wn.jpg

Blue Glass: This skylight is found directly above the center crucifix of the Dumaguete Cathedral. This glass, combined with the circular skylight (also found on this page) gives a distinct blue and green glow to the altar area.
http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/5696/dgtecathedralblueglass5wh.jpg

The altar facade (pardon for the pic.. got this from istockphoto)
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4819/dgtecathedralaltar3dl.jpg

its BELFRY: Dumaguete City's Spanish belfry is one of the city's most memorable landmarks. It was built in 1811 to warn the citizens of attack.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/3081/dumaguete145vv.jpg
http://img419.imageshack.us/img419/7112/dgtebelfry9jr.jpg

This statue is an example of the various decorations that can be found in Quezon Park, which is in front of the cathedral.
http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6560/dgtequezonstatue6jg.jpg


-- photos by roytc

Aside from being a college town and a tourist destination for people from all over the world, Dumaguete is also the capital city of Negros Oriental. The American colonial influence is evident once again in the design of the capitol building.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/5327/dgtecapitol0go.jpg

---- what do u guys think?

Oriental Negros has been listed the second most peaceful province in the country today second only to Siquijor, according to the provincial office of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Provincial director Melvin Ramon Buenafe, in a television interview, said the rating is based the PNP's monthly statistics report in Camp Crame.

Buenafe said the situation was the main reason why investors were putting up business in the city and foreign and domestic visitors continue to arrive to see other places in the province.

City police chief Deonardo Carlos, who appeared in the same program, admitted that crimes in Dumaguete were increasing but that most of them were petty crimes.

"Kadalasan dyan ay pagnanakaw," said Carlos.

He stressed that in a booming city, like Dumaguete, an increasing population also meant increasing number of thieves exploiting opportunities.

"Merong iba dyan kung saan-saan iniiwan ang gamit at kung saan-saang lugar nagtetext na nagsisilbeng tukso sa mga magnanakaw," said Carlos.

Both police officials agreed that the leadership in both the city and provincial governments have been cooperative in the campaign against crimes.

Businessmen, they said, have also been helping the police force more so to sustain the number 2 position in the list of peaceful places in the country.

Carlos said the city PNP has been distributing leaflets containing tips on how to secure their properties and regularly erecting check points and 'choke points' to discourage crimes.

So far, he said, both measures had led to the arrest of snatchers, cell phone thieves, hold-uppers, and other criminals.

Carlos said the city's PNP intelligence unit was looking into the possibility that 'some cell phone repair shops' could be syndicates for cell phone thefts.
"Imposible kasing dumami ang nakawan ng cell phone na walang kasabwat na siyang bumibili ng nakaw na cell phone," he said.

Meantime, both men believed killings in the city were isolated cases on personal conflicts and illegal drug-related.

Carlos and Buenafe also ruled out the presence of any vigilante group reportedly behind the killings of illegal drug personalities.

"Kung wala kang kaaway at wala kang kasalanan sa batas, wala kang dapat katatakutan," said Buenafe with a smile.

SunStar Dumaguete, April 23, 2006

Aside from being a college town and a tourist destination for people from all over the world, Dumaguete is also the capital city of Negros Oriental. The American colonial influence is evident once again in the design of the capitol building.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/5327/dgtecapitol0go.jpg

---- what do u guys think?

a US white house in oriental negros...

santacruzan opening last night.. it was nice.. the fireworks were good.. i think a lot of money was spent over it.. it had four sets and it was lit over the sea.. few meters from the baywalk.. it was great.. my friends from mindanao were amazed how dumaguete spends much on santacruzan.. they enjoyed a lot.. saw patricia evangelista enjoying the celebration, too and then she stopped by cafe memento. i think she pretty much likes dumaguete since i always see her here.. judy ann was here last weekend. many saw her in town but people here were deadma.. dumaguete people is just like, "oh, she's a celebrity? oh ok.." and like "hey, thats judy ann, right?.. wat is she doing here?" last month, i saw a celebrity from abs-cbn.. i did not know her but she was very familiar.. deadma lang ghpon and people dri..

wala lang.. hehehehe.. (trying to build posts.. hehehe) dumzville rocks!!!!

a US white house in oriental negros...

-- dude, hi 5! hehe..

santacruzan opening last night.. it was nice.. the fireworks were good.. i think a lot of money was spent over it.. it had four sets and it was lit over the sea.. few meters from the baywalk.. it was great.. my friends from mindanao were amazed how dumaguete spends much on santacruzan.. they enjoyed a lot.. saw patricia evangelista enjoying the celebration, too and then she stopped by cafe memento. i think she pretty much likes dumaguete since i always see her here.. judy ann was here last weekend. many saw her in town but people here were deadma.. dumaguete people is just like, "oh, she's a celebrity? oh ok.." and like "hey, thats judy ann, right?.. wat is she doing here?" last month, i saw a celebrity from abs-cbn.. i did not know her but she was very familiar.. deadma lang ghpon and people dri..

wala lang.. hehehehe.. (trying to build posts.. hehehe) dumzville rocks!!!!

damn i miss the fireworks, i pass by the baywalk last night from work. pipol from other places slowly flock over the area. the city is vibrant! wish the boulevard expansion starts!

-- dude, hi 5! hehe..


nindot unta kun gi pa-andar ang fountain migo...

hi 5 dude! great pics of the cathedral and the park too.

btw, is roytc means Roy T. Cang?

nindot unta kun gi pa-andar ang fountain migo...

hi 5 dude! great pics of the cathedral and the park too.

btw, is roytc means Roy T. Cang?

maybe...

nindot unta kun gi pa-andar ang fountain migo...

hi 5 dude! great pics of the cathedral and the park too.

btw, is roytc means Roy T. Cang?


my apologies but i hav no idea.. :)
i got the pics from a flickr.com user.. hehe.. i hope its not illegeal.. the user is a photographer, a traveler.. and he came to dumaguete.. i liked the shots so i got it..

"these pictures does not even do justice to this heavenly place.."

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/5018/antulanggift4vw.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/6762/antulangflowers1yk.jpg

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7933/antulangcurtain8ej.jpg

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/5287/antulangcliff6jv.jpg

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6888/antulangpool3es.jpg

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/5307/antulanginfinity7el.jpg

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/1089/antulangsummer3nv.jpg

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/6560/antulangwaves0qo.jpg

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/184/antulangsea2dj.jpg

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/5457/antulangporch8sn.jpg

http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/2724/antulangpeninsula4md.jpg

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/1180/antulangfalls8ce.jpg

(pics from royTC)

NEGROS Oriental State University (Norsu) ranked third among top performing schools nationwide with at least 50 examinees and successful passers in the May 2006 Criminologist Licensure Examination.

Norsu scored 32 passers out of 59 candidates who took the examination.

Except for Norsu, the top-ranking schools are in Luzon namely, University of the Cordilleras (68 out of 78 examinees); University of Baguio (60 out of 90); Mountain Province State Polytechnic College-Bontoc (45 of 93); University of Manila (20 of 58); and Cagayan Colleges of Tuguegarao (62 of 202).

The ranking, Norsu president Dr. Henry A. Sojor said, shows that Norsu ranks No. 1 in the criminologist examination this year in the entire Visayas and Mindanao.

Norsu graduate Edward Maglucot of Tanjay City landed 5th in this year's licensure examination with a rating of 85.5 percent.

No. 1 topnotcher was female criminologist, Sherri Ann Barredo Untalan, a graduate of ICCT Colleges Foundation of Cainta, Rizal. Her rating was 88.5 percent.

The Professional Regulation Commission said 1,130 of the 3,720 examinees passed the examination given in Manila, Baguio City, Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu City, Davao City, Iloilo, Lucena City, Tacloban City, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga City.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2006/05/21/life/norsu.3rd.top.performer.in.nat.l.criminology.exam.html

@ nicko... nice pics of Antulang.

I've been there 3 yrs ago, and there's a significant improvement

Hey.. anybody have an idea on the status of the proposed Portal Building (two buildings) of Silliman U.

this is from a resort in Tanjay...
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i176/vanvin/IMGP1029.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i176/vanvin/IMGP1042.jpg

Nice pictures all. Tanjay, Valencia, Antulang (Siaton?), Mabinay now have good tourist facilities and have certainly progressed together with the rest of the nation.

Btw, are there any more aerial photos of Dumaguete and/or surrounding towns? It would be great to see how these places correlate topographically. I mean, in the few chances I get to fly in and out of Dgte, I could never figure out what island, city, or cluster of dwellings/establishments it is that I'm looking down at. It would be great if we could somehow have an idea of what these places actually look like from the air.

this is from a resort in Tanjay...



this must be brand new... what could be its name? any1?

im planning to visit antulang and tambobo bay. is the place really has white sands?

my apologies but i hav no idea.. :)
i got the pics from a flickr.com user.. hehe.. i hope its not illegeal.. the user is a photographer, a traveler.. and he came to dumaguete.. i liked the shots so i got it..


it sounds like its Roy Cang....:) anyway great pics.

Nice pictures all. Tanjay, Valencia, Antulang (Siaton?), Mabinay now have good tourist facilities and have certainly progressed together with the rest of the nation.

Btw, are there any more aerial photos of Dumaguete and/or surrounding towns? It would be great to see how these places correlate topographically. I mean, in the few chances I get to fly in and out of Dgte, I could never figure out what island, city, or cluster of dwellings/establishments it is that I'm looking down at. It would be great if we could somehow have an idea of what these places actually look like from the air.

a also would like to see aerials dude... especially aerial shots of the city by night!...the apo island, tambobo bay, manjuyod white sands and the boulevard in time for the santacruzan! are you a private pilot 60DegreesC.S.? because if you do, i'll fly with you and circle the city to get aerial shots. i have a cam on standby... :)

any1 else would like to fly with us? hehehe

a also would like to see aerials dude... especially aerial shots of the city by night!...the apo island, tambobo bay, manjuyod white sands and the boulevard in time for the santacruzan! are you a private pilot 60DegreesC.S.? because if you do, i'll fly with you and circle the city to get aerial shots. i have a cam on standby... :)

any1 else would like to fly with us? hehehe
I wish I was, man. But if I had been, I'd likely still get in trouble with my boss with that.

Coincidentally, there's currently a brain drain in the aviation industry here in the country, and I like to dream about getting enough hours to get a commercial pilots license...if only I could afford the rental fees. :D

I hear Japan has a great aerial nightscape--apparently they don't use sodium lamps like most of the world does.

By Patricia Evangelista
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the May 21, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE sea is blue and green, and scattered with a thousand diamonds, but right now I’m sitting inside a coffee shop, a full block away. I tried to write by the sea, I really did, but melting under a scorching summer sun with the concrete pavement roasting my backside to a crisp isn’t quite as inspiring as I thought it would be.

There are 11 of us here for the Dumaguete National Writer’s Workshop led by Dr. Edith Tiempo, who is “Mom” to half the writing community in the country. We sit wide-eyed, soaking in wisdom, learning literary lore, discouraged one moment and encouraged the next. If there’s anything I’ve learned, and learned well, it’s that I know very little, and that I have a long, long way to go. No wonder so many writers have gone mad—how can anyone stay sane working in a world where a misplaced comma can spell doom?

I read somewhere that the Chinese character for “crisis” is wei-ji, represented by two symbols: danger over opportunity. I’m beginning to think of writing as walking a thin line—cannons to the right of you, cannons to the left of you, and the voice of Mom, authoritative in the background: “Don’t disappoint me.” I’m guessing everyone has someone’s voice somewhere in the back of their heads.

I’ve found that there’s a certain freedom that comes with being here, a sort of sovereignty over self. In Manila, I’m the girl who cannot sing, cannot dance and cannot swim. I tried to sing once for a class musical of “Aladdin” in second year college. The play was over when my friend JP went up to me and asked, “Why didn’t you sing?” I was annoyed—I sang, I told him. I sang twice, and he should know. He looked confused. “I thought you were reciting a poem.”

Here in Dumaguete, I’ve sung in tricycles, in the shower, at the dining table, sometimes alone, sometimes in chorus with the rest of the writing fellows. We’ve run the gamut of the Beach Boys, Aegis and Smoky Mountain. The other night, at Mom’s glass-walled home, somebody brought out soda and vodka. I don’t think it was the alcohol that had us singing for a good two hours—without the benefit of music, microphone, or anything resembling melody. Writers, they say, teeter on the edge of madness. I think some of us fell off. Someone would ask “Do you remember Moon River?” and we’d burst into song. Whenever we forgot the words—which we usually did—there was still Doc Noel’s rich voice to carry on while we scrambled to catch up.

Fiction literally means illusion, fantasy—an invention of the mind. Poets and fictionists can create worlds and change realities, non-fictionists never. Truth, always truth—but there’s a way out for non-fictionists like me: memory is a tricky thing. Some things we choose to forget, or have forgotten, or remember in the strangest of ways. When I leave, there are things I’ll remember—and things I’d seriously hope to forget. I’ll remember giggling and sighing with the other girls over Dr. Gemino Abad—Sir Jimmy—the poet whose love for literature has him pounding the table and practically erupting out of his seat in his attempt to express that love. I’m told that girls (and boys) from every batch of Dumaguete fellows fall a little bit in love with Sir Jimmy—the gentleman whom even Mom Edith claims she can fall in love with. I’ll remember Krip Yuson’s resounding delivery of his beautiful poetry, and his unstinting generosity to penniless young writers—but will attempt to forget the sight of his black-and-white snake print swimming trunks. I’ll remember I danced laughing in the rain at two in the morning, and try to forget the fact that I slipped on a puddle a minute later, slid down the sidewalk, fell sprawling butt-first into a canal and was pulled up dripping, barefoot and half drowned.

The minutes are going, going, going and then it’ll be over. Just one more week left until reality takes the driver’s seat. All of us have had so many firsts. First time to ask for a boy’s number. First time to dance on top of a bench in the middle of a blackout. First time to eat tempura on a sidewalk, at three in the morning. First time to get drunk on laughter and cheap beer. First time to see the sunrise. First time to walk barefoot in the rain. First time to lie on a sidewalk and count stars.

Yesterday, I was talking to Sir Sawi—poet Cesar Ruiz Aquino—when he told me a story that accounts for why so many writers, artists and poets have called flying into Dumaguete “coming home.” Legend says that hundreds of years ago, whenever the rainy seasons came, the wily south wind would blow pirate ships into the island’s port. Villagers would send up a thousand prayers to the sky in despair. Marauders would swoop into the villages to steal away the beautiful daughters of Dumaguete. It is said that this is why the island became known as Dumaguete—from dagit, meaning “to take”—in memory of how the pirates of old took beauty from the island.

Now it’s Dumaguete that takes. People find themselves walking down the shore one moment, the next moment stunned by the realization that the island has taken hold of their souls. They sit and they stare—at the clouds scudding across the sky, at the yellow sun beating down on the asphalt ledges, and at the edge of the world, the place where nobody knows where the sea stops and the sky begins.

im planning to visit antulang and tambobo bay. is the place really has white sands?

white pebbles, not really white sands...

Hey.. anybody have an idea on the status of the proposed Portal Building (two buildings) of Silliman U.

i guess they will start construction soon as it was reported by coffee that the area was already enclosed with some obstacles...

Nice pictures all. Tanjay, Valencia, Antulang (Siaton?), Mabinay now have good tourist facilities and have certainly progressed together with the rest of the nation.

Btw, are there any more aerial photos of Dumaguete and/or surrounding towns? It would be great to see how these places correlate topographically. I mean, in the few chances I get to fly in and out of Dgte, I could never figure out what island, city, or cluster of dwellings/establishments it is that I'm looking down at. It would be great if we could somehow have an idea of what these places actually look like from the air.

we are anticipating a real estate boom in dumaguete...cb richard ellis, international property consultants, is setting up shop in dumaguete. so what does that mean? an international real estate company will not waste time setting up in a place with no future...

this is from a resort in Tanjay...
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i176/vanvin/IMGP1029.jpg
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i176/vanvin/IMGP1042.jpg

i've been to this place during their opening day where they held a bikini contest...whew, the contestants, especially the female ones, were hot!

so wat exactly will mr. richard elis be building?

so wat exactly will mr. richard elis be building?

this is a well known property consultants...try searching in the internet about CB Richard Ellis, and you will know...

This is the right time to buy lands and lots in dumaguete...prices are going up soon!!!

btw, am more engrossed to go home as the days pass by...i hope somebody will sponsor me to go home to dumaguete soon...

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/5893/boulv66lj.jpg

a also would like to see aerials dude... especially aerial shots of the city by night!...the apo island, tambobo bay, manjuyod white sands and the boulevard in time for the santacruzan! are you a private pilot 60DegreesC.S.? because if you do, i'll fly with you and circle the city to get aerial shots. i have a cam on standby... :)

any1 else would like to fly with us? hehehe

:) i'd like to, hehehe...

count me in..;)

The government of Dumagute and Oriental Negros are seriously persuing a project to widen the Rizal Boulevard to 70 meters by reclaiming the portion of the shoreline going north of the city...

it will be widened by 50 meters for landscaping and 20 meters for road widening...

i have seen filling materials including boulders now stocked at Escano Beach..

if completed, i think it will surely boost the tourism program of the city and provonce.. plus, it may ease the traffic congestion aside form creating business opportunities..

..;)

APEC Party-list Representative Sunny Madamba plans to build five more pedestrian overpasses in selected traffic congested areas of Dumaguete City.

Madamba turned over last May 12 to the City Government of Dumaguete his P5 million completed pedestrian overpass in front of Silliman University High School along Hibbard Avenue.

The five sites are Saint Paul University highway, Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital highway, Negros Oriental State University highway, and Perdices and Real streets.

Madamba said he was studying further his plan to avoid any controversy that marred the building of the Hibbard avenue overpass.

At the moment, he said, he was busy with allocating funds from his congressional initiative to build school buildings in selected sites in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental.

Madamba said the Hibbard Avenue project was planned by the SU alumni batch of 1963 to prevent traffic accidents.

SunStar Dumaguete, May 20, 2006

party people!.. watch out for DumzviLLE's party week!!! (these are just some of the activities i know)

May 19:
summer madness and santacruzan opening at the Rizal Boulevard
- Food and Beer street party
- from Bethel Guest HOuse to ChinLoong Chinese Cuisine stretch..
- Food and Beer Kiosks from Mamia's Bar to Coco Amigos Mexican Place
- featuring Banda Mangga
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4954/dumaguete067jw.jpg

May 20:
Lua Hawaiian Party at Payag sa Likod (boracay inspired bar)
- Hot hunks and babes from cebu, bacolod, manila, and dumzville..
- Fire Dancers
- Banda Mangga
- Drum Beaters
- Beer, beer, beer, and more beer!..
- cocktails and pina coladas!
- sands, sands, sands and torches!
http://img452.imageshack.us/img452/3334/buglasanfireworks1ow.jpg

May 22:
Cueshe live at LM Entertainment Center

May 24:
- Fashion Party at El Camino Blanco
- Fashion freaks, designers
- Drop dead gorgeous models
- PARTY!

May 25:
- Budoy and Jr. Kilat at Hayahay Treehouse bar and Viewdeck
- Reggae Madness feat ENCHI!
- Fire Dancers
- Tribal Heat

May 26:
- Parokya ni Edgar at Rizal Boulevard
- Street Party from Shakey's to Wakagi Japanese Resto stretch!
- Kooh Fellas, Enchi, and more!
- Food and Beer Festival
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4009/boulevard27an.jpg

--- see u all here!

more overpasses?.. nice idea.. but it better be in appropriate places..

more overpasses?.. nice idea.. but it better be in appropriate places..
Over- and underpasses should help smooth traffic especially in school zones. For instance, in Hibbard Avenue where SUHS and SUES traffic ends up clogging the road during rush hour, an overpass could be built to span the entire length from Katada St. up to Gate 3(?)(Channon Hall/Chapel of the Evangel). Furthermore, a left-bound underpass could also be dug under the intersection at Hibbard and Gate 2(Katipunan Hall entrance) to eliminate the need for Luce Auditorium/Main Lib traffic to stop and wait to turn.

26 posts more hehehehe. :applause:

am very impressed by the progress made by dumaguete these days, from the time that i left, and viewing it from the outside.

A Robinsons mall, a call center, a BPO company, ethanol plants in Tamlang Valley, a port in Siaton, etc. For a long time, Dumaguete hasn’t had these many economic activities. Perhaps Dumaguete is mirroring the economic pathway of the country? And are these reflective of a sustainable economic growth or just a one-time growth spurt which last for a short time and gone afterwards?

Philippines, an economic laggard no more?
With a population growth rate down to 1.95% per year, exports earnings rising to 5-year high and stock market rising to 7-year high, and a host of positive economic news including a possible upgrade in its credit ratings, the Philippines seems to be out of the woods in so far as its economic scenario is concerned. Add to this is a healthy IT sector brought about by a high demand for its English-speaking workforce which has close affinity to the American and western cultures.

Yet months ago the country was rocked by political instabilities, the latest of which is the declaration of the President of the state of emergency, prompting the international community to label the country’s political situation as unstable.

Another sad reality for the country is the fact that millions of its workers go out abroad to earn money for their families. For many, this situation is a lonely and risky sacrifice, yet continue to persist because Filipinos can speak the English language well and are known to be “good natured,” according to Richard C. Paddock in his article “The Overseas Class” published at the Times magazine last April 20, 2006. President Arroyo labeled the overseas Filipino workers as the “backbone of the new global workforce” and “our greatest export”, to borrow the phrases of Paddock.

Dumaguete is in no better situation when it comes to its labor force. I have a lot of friends, most of them nurses, who are now working in the United States and Europe. This situation is more pronounced if you look at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital. In the same article, the plight of the health care workers at the NOPH was among those singled out. Paddock wrote that the doctors at the NOPH are studying to become nurses. Patients are confused because in the morning they see the doctor doing rounds for their patients, while in the afternoon they see the same face assisting the doctors as a nurse intern. So severe is the situation that two rural hospitals here have to be closed, and a third may soon follow.

Dumaguete – a booming economy?
In just a matter of a year and a half, two multinational corporations have set up shop in Dumaguete. Teletech, one of the world’s largest call center companies, currently has more than 100 workers and will grow to more than 500 once its building in Calindagan is finished. SPI Technologies, one of the world’s leading BPO companies with operations in Europe, Asia and North America, is also set to grow to more than 600 workers. Robinsons Land Corporation, one of the leading operator of mall chains in the country, is putting up a 6-hectare mall in Calindagan.

Are these portents of greater things to come?

While we are seeing these positive economic developments, many Dumagueteños are leaving their city for good. It doesn’t, however, mean that those leaving don’t love their city, but many of them are wrapped in desperation. There are just few opportunities here to earn big money and to sustain a decent family. This attitude could be summed up in the words of Dr. Eileen Macias: “I love the Philippines, but it will always be a Third World country.”

I can’t blame those who are leaving Dumaguete. Even the highly educated here cannot earn enough money to sustain schooling of their children to schools like Silliman which is now charging very high to sustain its operations. The businessmen maybe are making good with the booming economy, but there are only a few enterprising individuals here. And it takes a lot of money to start a good business. The bottomline is business in a small city like Dumaguete is good only for those who have prior business background.
So there are actually just two kinds of people in Dumaguete, and this is also true in the entire Philippine society – the rich and the poor, because the middle class is leaving abroad. In the words of Ms. Doris Magsaysay Ho, owner of Magsaysay shipping which is sending thousands of Filipinos abroad to work in large shipping fleets: "We have a middle class, but they don't live in the Philippines."

Dumaguete and Oriental Negros is supposed to be very rich in resources, natural and man-made. We own the geothermal power plant that supplies electricity to Cebu, Panay, and the rest of Negros. And it is said in the website of the Oriental Negros Investment Promotions Center (One-IPC) that the very backbone of the Philippine fiber optics system is located here. And yet, we are very much behind Iloilo and Cebu, provinces that do not have as much of these resources which are very necessary to industrialize.

This is actually reflective of our country’s richness in natural resources. But according to an economist, our wealth of natural resources has become a curse to us.

The recent trends in outsourcing, however, present good prospects for a city like Dumaguete. If they are enterprising enough, residents of the city can take advantage of its excellent IT infrastructure and do outsourcing business for companies in the United States and Europe.

Let’s be realistic
While we are seeing a booming economy here, there are still a lot of things that need to be fixed. In the latest Cities Competivenes Survey done by the Asian Institute of Management, Dumaguete was so far behind in the over-all tally. Used to be top in Human Resources, now it is relegated to number 7 in this category.

And sadly, many Dumagueteños do not feel the improving economic picture at all. Thousands of Dumagueteños are still leaving their city every month.

Indeed, there are still a lot of things that need to be improved. But there are good prospects for Dumaguete looming in the horizon. However, the high income that Dumagueteños get from working abroad as health care workers, educators and helpers just wouldn’t keep them from venturing outside the city and the province of Oriental Negros. I would love to see one day a prosperous Dumaguete City wherein the middle class doesn’t have to look for high-paying jobs in other places to sustain their families.

u the one who wrote that, rich?..;)

hmmm...

??

APEC Party-list Representative Sunny Madamba plans to build five more pedestrian overpasses in selected traffic congested areas of Dumaguete City.

Madamba turned over last May 12 to the City Government of Dumaguete his P5 million completed pedestrian overpass in front of Silliman University High School along Hibbard Avenue.

The five sites are Saint Paul University highway, Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital highway, Negros Oriental State University highway, and Perdices and Real streets.

Madamba said he was studying further his plan to avoid any controversy that marred the building of the Hibbard avenue overpass.

At the moment, he said, he was busy with allocating funds from his congressional initiative to build school buildings in selected sites in Dumaguete City and Negros Oriental.

Madamba said the Hibbard Avenue project was planned by the SU alumni batch of 1963 to prevent traffic accidents.

SunStar Dumaguete, May 20, 2006


the mentioned sites are good....busy coz its in a national highway(norsu, st. pauls, noph and maybe in public market area).

i know that people in the city now realizes the importance of these overpasses. if only the first "madamba" overpass was built on a very busy street(like norsu), it would not be so controversial.

wel c more madamba overpasses in the future...

:) i'd like to, hehehe...


okay....now we need a plane. :)

does madamba know about the traffic condition in south road?.. i think it should be included in his priority list.. imagine, three schools in one road.. don bosco, cittadini, and city high school.. if u guys used to study in one of those schools before, u wud know wat im talking about.. i used to be a bosconian and traffic during rush hours is unmanageable.. i live sumwer in valencia road which wud suppose to to take me to my school for about 5-10 minutes.. but with the traffic, it cud go double and at times, triple.. it is also a national high way so huge trucks also pass there.. and soon, a new business district is rising where robinsons will be built.. i cnt imagine wat will happen.. three schools, a business district, one road.. an overpass will surely be of a very big help, although the street is not that wide but i think it cud be widened easily.. traffic there is much worst compared to hibbard avenue..

i think the owners of the soon-to-rise business district is thinking about that...in robinsons bacolod there is an overpass nearby...the road near don boscos should be widened...in fact widening should start from the bridge going to calindagan. and also going to valencia...i hope they will make the roads there concrete...

Luv ko to!!! BAY niyo dinaig ang Manila Bay :cheers: :cheers: :eek2: :cheers: :cheers:

ur manila baywalk was pattern after our baywalk..;)

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/3/33/Dumaguete_Boulevard.jpg

a larger view of dumaguete boulevard...

Jose Wendell Capili

Located west of Cebu, Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental is very much like an intricate plot. Twists and turns lead guests to the city. The city’s boulevard strip is marked with food establishments catering to people from all walks of life. Uniquely shaped trees along the coastline engage visitors to see manifestations of Zamboanga del Norte, Siquijor, Bohol and the Southern tip of Cebu on a clear day. Silliman University’s dynamic student population brings about an added fusion of fancy and imagination to the city’s unique landscape.

Silliman is Dumaguete’s foremost educational center and tourist attraction. The university’s towering portals are surrounded by roads lined with acacia trees. Founded in 1901 by American Presbyterian missionaries as an institute for boys, the small rented houses fronting the sea progressed into a 63-hectare campus of the oldest Protestant university in the Philippines. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently proclaimed Silliman as a Center of Excellence in Teacher Education and Nursing Education, and Center of Development in Physics, Biology, Marine Science, Mechanical Engineering, Business and Management Education. Furthermore, Silliman is home to highly acclaimed artists and scientists. Silliman resident artists, the late Edilberto Tiempo and his wife, National Artist for Literature Edith Lopez Tiempo founded the longest running National Writers’ Workshop here in 1962. Many Palanca, Cultural Center of the Philippines and National Book awardwinning writers launched their respective bids for literary permanence in Silliman.

Outside Silliman, Dumaguete becomes a chameleon city. Aside from being so close to the sea, the richness and vibrancy of Dumaguete can also be seen, felt and tasted by visiting the city’s chill out places. Recently, poetry, art and music have infiltrated these business establishments. Consequently, these bars and cafes have served as alternative gateways to Dumaguete city life. Notable among these are Silliman Avenue Café (SACS), Chin Loong, El Camino Blanco, Gimmick, Chez Andre, Lab-as and Hayahay.

Silliman Avenue Café (SACS), owned by Woodrose and Silliman-educated Arlene Delloso-Uypitching, is the city’s version of Starbucks and Seattle’s Best. SACS is situated near the boulevard on the left side of Silliman University. It certainly helped that Delloso-Uypitching was proclaimed Miss Silliman in 1993 (a title held previously by Palanca Awards Hall of Famer and prizewinning poet-fictionist-playwright Elsa Martinez Coscolluela in 1964). SACS is frequently visited by student leaders and artists, foreign students and local community leaders. Aside from devouring the usual coffee blends and light meals on the menu, campus writers scribble their initial attempts on their personal journals in SACS. By the window, young poets and fictionists read, dissect or reflect on each other’s early literary success (or failures). One afternoon, I caught Ian Casocot, 2002 Palanca prizewinner for the short story in English, discussing the aesthetics of contemporary literature with Chalk editor Romina Urra and Silliman alumni relations officer Moses Atega over house specialty crepe, panini and cappuccino frost.

Chin Loong, on the other hand is a family restaurant specializing in Filipino-Chinese cuisine. Because its proximity to the sea evokes that intangible quality that appeals to extra-sensory and sensory perception, it is a popular haunt for artists who visit Dumaguete for the first time. Among these artists are prizewinning writers Ophelia Alcantara Dimalanta, Gemino Abad, Joey Baquiran, Vim Nadera, Luna Sicat, DM Reyes, Felino Garcia, Jovita Zarate, J. Neil Garcia, Ronald Baytan, Ralph Semino Galan, Nerissa Guevara, Ramil Gulle, Carlomar Daoana and many others. For a modest price, these visiting writers often go for the restaurant’s Pata Tim, Crispy Pata, Miso Soup and Sizzling Tanguigue.

El Camino Blanco, without question, is the certified fun place for Dumaguete’s younger set. Almost nightly, the bar is surrounded by trails of cars, motorbikes and people. Many Manila-based bands and solo performers hold concerts here, much to the appreciation of an ecstatic, howling crowd in their tank tops, midriffs and rave party outfits. Frequent visitor Patrick Feliciano suggests that first-timers try the bar’s amazing Gambas and Chicken Liver Wrapped in Bacon. Lately, El Camino Blanco has become a training ground for musical performers who do stints here before they hit it big in Manila.

Gimmick, without question, is the most popular tambayan among the city’s college students. During weekends, the place offers chill-out music and sinfully served delicacies in their seafood bar. Hundreds of students also pass through this open-air restaurant to gobble the magnificence of Gimmick’s Chicken BBQ, Grilled Porkchops, Beef Tapa, Special Sisig and Grilled Isaw. Many heartbroken students are compelled to write poems, journal entries and letters upon seeing their crushes in the company of the city’s other eligibles. The place is a virtual beehive of food and music at very reasonable prices.

Sitting next to each other along Escaño Beach, Chez Andre, Lab-as, Hayahay are owned by young entrepreneurs Sandra, Sandy and Noelle Fuentes. Sandra, who took up Economics at UP Diliman, returned to her hometown with her sibling and sister-in-law to continue a long family tradition of good food, music and taste. Chez Andre is widely acknowledged for its gourmet pizza. Lab-as is known to be the place for delectable, home-cooked food. In fact, many poets, fictionists and playwrights attending the annual National Writers’ Workshop organize public readings in Lab-as before a delighted local audience. Hayahay serves Negros Oriental-style cuisine during dinner with great dance, rave, techno and alternative performances from Dumaguete’s rising young poets and musical artists who gorge on Lab-as and Hayahay’s baked talaba, sashimi, Bicol Express a la Dumaguete, various bangus dishes (their Lumpiang Bangus is to die for), Camiguin Express, Steamed Lapu-Lapu a la Negros Oriental, Prawns a la Lab-as, Kinilaw, Crispy Pata, Sizzling Gambas, and Lab-as’s venerable Grilled Blue Marlin. An added attraction is the presence of Dumaguete-based visual artists with who frequent the three establishments with their wares for a late nightcap.

Truly, the companionship of art in these chill out spaces accentuates Dumaguete's image as a city of culture.

You can find this article here (http://www.geocities.com/icasocot/capili_chillout.html) ...

hello all,


im new to this thread... im also a negrense, but i hailed from bacolod city, but now based in Makati.

may tanong lang ako.. when is the buglasan Festival 2006? im planning to go to bacolod this october, and possibly drop by dgte for the buglasan festival.

i've already seen festivals like the yagyag and the Tawo tawo festivals, but i want to see more of negros oriental.


thanks!

buglasan is celebrated whole month of october every year.. be sure to drop by!!..

KRIPOTKIN By Alfred A. Yuson
The Philippine STAR 05/30/2006

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/main/20060530/images/arts1.jpg

Last Friday, May 26, marked the final day of the three-week-long, 45th edition of the National Writers’ Workshop in Dumaguete. Over the weekend, the writing Fellows must have "broken up" rather bitter-sweetly, perchance lugubriously, no doubt with promises or threats of getting back together real soon.

They were a fine, tightly-knit bunch, too. Coming in on the middle week after Marj Evasco, Susan Lara, Danny Reyes and Tony Tan led off as visiting panelists for the first week, Jimmy Abad and I were told straightaway that the 11 fellows of Batch 2006 were an excellent lot in many ways.

No eccentric, loner, or malcontent, no problem diva in the making. They had bonded quickly, went around town together, became intimate with the same attractions offered by the City of Gentle People that previous batches of young writers had savored since 1962.

Well, fresh lures have certainly been added over the years, to replace the clip-cloppity, horse-drawn tartanilla that used to symbolize a once-sleepy town. A thousand other buzzing tricycles must have complemented the increasing legion over the past few years alone. For another, cyber sites have mushroomed all over town, assuring a diehard NBA Playoffs fan of live play-by-play website accounts in the event of a matinee game not enjoying a temporally faithful telecast.

As it turned out, however, we didn’t have to ask resident guru Sawi Aquino to show us the way to 24/7 Internet, as Jimmy and I caught all of the Cavs-Pistons games on cable TV over breakfast in the comfort of our poolside room at South Sea Resort, well before the workshop’s morning sessions.

Well, not exactly, at least in my case, since a couple of critical games had me rushing tardily (and feeling somewhat oxymoronic, if maybe without the oxygen) to catch up with late input on an already belabored poem. Thank the literary gods and muses however that nearly all the poems and stories taken up that week were already at a level of craft that only invited nitpicky evaluation.

Batch 2006 was well selected, I must say, and for this we have to thank the DULA Inc. (Dumaguete Literary Arts Service Group Inc.) president Ernesto Superal Yee, himself an accomplished poet-fictionist besides being a lawyer and a concert pianist; SEAWrite awardee Dr. Cesar Ruiz Aquino; and workshop director Dr. Edith L. Tiempo, our beloved National Artist for Literature and "Mom" to everyone.

Greatly appreciated as well was the funding support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), DULA’s numerous patrons, CAP College for the venue, and sponsors Dr. Jaime Laya, Senator Edgardo Angara and Senator Mar Roxas.

The 11 Fellows who enjoyed this Maytime’s blessings were Douglas "Doug" Candano, Dominique "Dom" Cimafranca of Dumaguete, Erica Jean "Erin" Cabanawan, Darwin Chiong, Patricia Evangelista, Antonio Adrian "Inno" Habana, Ana Escalante Neri from Cebu City, Noel "Doc" Pingoy from Gen. Santos City, Michelle "Mitch" Sarile, Larissa Mae Suarez, and Andrea "Drea" Teran.

One certain distinction for this summer’s batch of writer-initiates is that they must have been the most photographed lot thus far. Almost everyone carried a camera, with three or four of the group enjoying megapixel superiority and techie know-how. Thousands of shutter clicks and filed jpgs have all joined together in several caches that are to be kept private, indeed sacred.

It helped that they were also unarguably a most photogenic bunch. Maybe that’s why they liked to shoot themselves (never in the foot, while that foot was in anyone’s mouth). Frequently did they also get themselves into ideal shooting conditions, whether at a beach (like Bacong’s, where we took them for a picnic lunch of tuyok manok and puso or palm-sheathed rice), the inviting pool at South Sea over cocktails at magic hour, on the esplanade by Tañon Strait, at Hayahay for reggae nights on Wednesdays (where the Misses Congeniality introduced ledge dancing), or on a fabular/fabulous day trip to Siquijor one Sunday.

Frolicsome were the poses, languid the auto-models’ stare-backs, provocatively imaginative the stage-directed group shots, and raucous and rambunctious the general behavior of versifiers and storytellers out on a collegial lark. And yet these kids were a worthy lot, in character and talent. Formidable besides enjoyable, in fact.

Did I say kids? The "uncle" of the bunch was Dr. Noel Pingoy, whose creative non-fiction must be encouraged. I don’t recall ever raving as much as I did over a workshop entry as his "Of Babies, Bulbuls and Bonsai Trees." Here’s a laudable excerpt:

"Doctors dealt with the scientific and the epistemological, quacks concerned themselves with the mystical and the numinous. Evidence-based medicine was the order of the day. It was instilled in every trainee’s mind that each phenomenon should have an etiology, pathogenesis, pathology and therapeutics; otherwise, one must consider shifting to another specialty. Failure to abide by this mantra was like purchasing a ticket that books a guaranteed seat in the front row of the Science Hall, the surest place in this day and age to find gods congregating with mortals, dispensing sagacious truth in one breath and pronouncing a macabre affront in the next….

"As an oncologist who has just started practice, I sometimes forget that things may turn out differently despite one’s most fervent labors and best intentions. I sometimes wish oncologists had a moratorium on signing death certificates. But my father frequently tells me that dying is a doppelganger of living. That’s how the world renews itself, by ridding of the old and the diseased to make room for the healthy and the new. Even the wild flowers have destinies of their own and nobody can no more prevent them from withering in summer than one can cause them to bloom after the rains."

Dom’s speculative short fiction titled "Runeworld," Darwin’s poems "East of St. Louis" and "Tibak," Drea’s poems "Morning After" and "Yearning," the essays "Walang Katapat" and "The Scarlet Handkerchief" by Patricia and Michelle, respectively, and the stories "Sea Magic," "Black and White Squares" and "A Drawing of Hell" by Inno, Erin and Larissa, respectively, were all discussed with much enthusiasm on the part of both the panelists and the subject-fellows.

Doug’s wildly inventive, Rabelaisian/Tsinoy story "Dreaming Valhalla" establishes him as a potential rival to Sir Charlson Ong. It’s a wickedly funny story of an Ericsson Chua who inherits Pancitera Valhalla, introduces "baked quail on thin cellophane noodles, flame-toasted mutton on a spit, and liquidless turtle soup, which instantly became a bestseller, as much as a novelty…" as part of the menu, and eventually frames the chef in the poisoning by noodles of his own mother at her birthday party.

He then turns the family enterprise into the Valhalla Club that is patronized by Marcos-era cohorts who are "welcomed and entertained by the lovely, mysterious and eternally virginal blue-eyed Valkyries… Others even said that the Valkyries were Aetas that took an entirely different form inside the club because of drugs or witchcraft."

It is a marvelously imaginative tall tale, an endearing yarn that revolves around a memorable character whose "shoes appeared to have been made of fingernails" and who orchestrates "well-known incidents such as the Pussycat Orgy and the spread of cherub dust…" – all these before the Valhalla Club self-destructs and finally (or is it ever final?) morphs into the Church of the Nativity!

Ana’s poem "On a Night Boat to Dumaguete" may have captured the seductive essence of time/place invitations:

"I grasp none of your calculations/ nor the hours you said that would take me/ from a life rolled through a napkin ring/ to one loosened/ and unfurled/ like the pages in those bookshops/ you think the streets would reveal to us/ as easily as we would reveal ourselves to them/ and beneath, the sea is a map/ too creased to read/ I could be lost and not even know it/ just like I know little else apart from the motion/ sickness out of this slow/ but inescapable approach towards you."

And then of course there were the daily golden nuggets of grand mentor’s counsel from Mom Edith:

"Individual utterances apropos to what? It is the discerning reader who will penetrate the image that gave meaning, or something to refer to. What you can do is to inter-relate everything…"

At a dinner party at Mom Edith’s hillside place in Montemar, Sibulan, 20 minutes’ drive from the city, the kids had a special treat: a "loosening-up" session conducted by "Mom" herself, to help them prepare for their informal reading program. Sprawled on the sala’s marble floor, they were guided to respond vocally to a series of what sounded like kindergarten refrains.

Ana read the poem "Fly Me to the Moon" by her fellow Cebuano Gerard Pareja. Patricia read an excerpt about important measures from a story by Susan Lara, while Marj Evasco’s "Sagada" poem was read in appropriate, romantic-duo fashion by Mitch and Inno. And Jimmy Abad exhibited his prodigious memory by reciting poem after poem, as if he needed to further endear himself to all the young ladies as Sir Heartthrob.

After which, everyone moved up a notch for an increasingly boisterous sing-along, with Mom Edith, Dr. Sawi, and "Doc" Noel leading the way for the Irving Berlin and Cole Porter classics. Why, spontaneous dance numbers also capped the lovely evening.

Timeless has been the Tiempo workshop. Timeless will be the continuum of young writers taking that proverbial night boat to Dumaguete, and leaving unscathed but for the memory of morning sunlight and nocturnal camaraderie – as the latest revelers in and of a grand fellowship.

it only tells that dumaguete is not just the city of gentle people, not just all sun, sea and sand but also a place of intelligent folks! astig!.. keep posting!

...and soon to be one of the best.

SU Medical School Hallway
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/sums_3.JPG

Lecture Room
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/lectureroom1.JPG

Faculty Room
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/facultyroom1.JPG

Learning Resource Unit
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/lru_1.jpg

Basic Science Laboratory
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/bsl_2.jpg
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/basicsciencesroom.JPG

Silliman Medical Center
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/sumedicalcenter.JPG

Of course, the faculty and staff...
http://www.su.edu.ph/SUMS/faculty.JPG

buglasan is celebrated whole month of october every year.. be sure to drop by!!..


when's the street dance competition? thats one of the activities that i wanted to see...

Thanks...

when's the street dance competition? thats one of the activities that i wanted to see...

Thanks...

october also...

I miss you... dumaguete... kita ra unya ta sa Disyembre.... :)

I miss you... dumaguete... kita ra unya ta sa Disyembre.... :)

dumaguete will be very different by then...hopefuly robinsons shall have been almost finished, and many sturctures shall have been finished by then...

Teletech building is almost finished as its roofing is now being installed.. it really kinda looks like a gymnasium.. hehehe.. but its not bad.. its huge.

construction of the 5 additional madamba overpasses will already be soon. city officials are already studying the proposals and will soon be having contract signings..

Teletech building is almost finished as its roofing is now being installed.. it really kinda looks like a gymnasium.. hehehe.. but its not bad.. its huge.
you got pics, by any chance? :D we wanna see.
btw, when will robinsons start construction?

i'll see if i have time to take some shots coz usually i just pass be driving and just take a look at it and the road is always busy.. but i'll try..

i dnt knw when the construction is..