*steps inside the thread*

*walks in while looking at the right, left, up and down*

*sees nobody*

*stares in to nothingness*

*walks back*

*opens door*

*went out*

*closes back the door*

*sigh!*

Here's a picture (taken earlier today) of our geothermal plant in Valencia, providing electricity to Negros, Panay, and some of Cebu. :)

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/481/puhagan7ho.jpg

Hey, I hear Julio Sy had a stroke last week. He started to recover, but lately his condition worsened. He's in Manila right now.

yep ritch, ur right!.. no less than tito Lance Gokongwei will be coming this June 23, Friday.. but he will not be here for his upcoming Robinsons Mall.. instead, he will be on hand to grace the inaugural flight of his new purchased Cebu Pacific airbus A319 that will replace the smaller Cebu Pacific DC9 model.. the new bigger plane will fly Dumaguete - Manila route in view of the increasing air traffic..

Hey, I hear Julio Sy had a stroke last week. He started to recover, but lately his condition worsened. He's in Manila right now.

*hoping for his quick recovery...;)* GB to him!

Hey, I hear Julio Sy had a stroke last week. He started to recover, but lately his condition worsened. He's in Manila right now.

well hoping for his quick recovery. i think he still has a lot of commitments...he could still bring a lot investments to dumaguete...

By Victor L. Camion
SunStar Dumaguete, Tuesday, June 20, 2006

MORE countries have signified their interest to participate in the 2nd International Rondalla Festival, which the province of Negros Oriental will host on February 19 to 25 of next year at Macias Sports and Cultural Center.

Governor George Arnaiz confirmed the music festival would push through and that the Provincial Government has initially allotted P2 million for the event.

Arnaiz told a press conference at the provincial tourism office Wednesday morning that he would have augmented the budget for the festival but was optimistic it would draw many sponsors.

In the same press gathering Provincial Board Member Mariant Escaño-Villegas said a number of big business corporations in the country have committed to sponsor the event.

Dr. Ramon Santos, project director of the University of the Philippines College of Music, who was also at the conference, said two groups each from Mexico and Australia and a group from Russia have confirmed their participation.

Santos said he is also expecting a group each from Hawaii and Spain and had invited other artists from the United Arab Emirates, China, Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, India, Singapore, Norway, Iran, Cambodia, the USA, and Israel.

The event will carry the theme, Cuerdas sa Panaghiusa or String of Unity.

It is a flagship project of the National Music Committee of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, in cooperation with the Musicology Society of the Philippines and the province of Negros Oriental.

Miss Silliman Beauties

Here are the contestants from last year's Miss Silliman which was flavored with international beauties as there are lots of foreign students in Silliman.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183561_3c4d5f8164_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183565_61ef161934_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183563_7775551ef1_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183564_da043078b4_m.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183562_18af840e65_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36186262_f29c9c7e96_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183560_39c4ebe680_m.jpg

Excerpts from the original letter addressed to all Sillimanians:

June 8, 2006


Dear Fellow Sillimanians,

"Dr. Malayang began his term preferring a 5-year Plan for Silliman stressing Christian Witness, Academic Excellence, and National and Regional Reach and Relevance. This plan is now being looked into by different units of the university, with a view of making their own suggestions so that it become eventually a “university plan” rather than merely Dr. Malayang’s plan...

"We would like you to know that Silliman is still the leading school in Accountancy and Nursing. The 2006 released results of the licensure examinations have shown that Silliman University is the No. 1 performing school in Accountancy and Nursing. Five Sillimanians were in the Top 10 in the Nursing Board Examinations. Our College of Law also gave an impressive performance by producing 18 new lawyers and stands as among the Top 10 Law schools in the country. Other glories in board examinations came from Physical Therapy, Agriculture and Education.

"The Silliman University Debate Society also brought home victories from national and international events, the team was adjudged the Visayas Champion of the Office of the Ombudsman Inter-Varsity Debate Championship. The Silliman archery team lorded the Philippine team with 3 golds during the Southeast Asian Games. The Silliman Stallions, our varsity basketball team, successfully defended their championship title in the Oriental Negros Governor’s Cup. Our dance troupe, now known as the Silliman University Kahayag Dance Troupe, after a remarkable show at the Cultural Center of the Philippines has been chosen to represent the Philippines in the 10th International Youth Dance Festival in Macau, China on July 8-14, 2006...

Thank you and may God bless you!

Sincerely,

Jocelyn “Jong” Somoza de la Cruz
Director

cc: President Ben S. Malayang III

Dominique Cimafranca

June 13, 2011--If you're looking for the history of change in the sixth most competitive city in the Philippines, you need look no further than the permanent photograph exhibit of the Dumaguete City Museum. Pictures dating back to the late 1800's chronicle the city's evolution from a sleepy agricultural village to a bustling university town and finally to the acknowledged technology services hub in Western Visayas that it is today.

Looking at the pictures, you'll note a curious thing. Through most of its hundred year history, the changes in Dumaguete have been most evident its architecture: nipa-thatched roofs of the Spanish period giving way to art deco structures of the American period, finally in turn giving way to the modern glass-and-steel buildings today. Yet in the last ten years there's been a more subtle change that's not reflected in the city's edifices. The Dumaguete in the pictures is not quite the Dumaguete that you experience in the streets, and you can't tell why.

And then it hits you: it's the people that have changed.

The pictures depict scenes indistinguishable from small-town Filipiniana: laid back people in perpetual summer wear, mismatched t-shirts, tight-fitting jeans or beach shorts or pedal pushers, and loose-fitting flip-flops, whose monthly highlight perhaps is the next town fiesta. Even the still shots convey the unmistakable feeling of unhurried langour.

All this is a marked change from the Dumaguete that you see today, or from other small towns its size. Dumaguete is clearly a young person's city now, and they move with confidence and determination. To be sure, they're still a friendly bunch -- after all, Dumaguete is still the City of Gentle People -- but beneath this cheer is an undercurrent of urgency and responsibility. These are young people going somewhere to do something important.

So meet the 'Duppies', Dumaguete's own brand of young professionals. They are the driving force behind the emergence of Dumaguete as the center for e-services in the Visayas, outpacing Bacolod and going head to head with Cebu. It's a workforce 7,000 strong, and one with a global reach. They work in professional tasks as varied as customer contact, software design, electronic publishing, system administration, and legal and financial consultation for customers from the United States to Europe to the Middle East to Korea and Japan.

It's amazing to see how Duppy culture has penetrated and transformed the city over the past few years. Take the bustling 24-hour entertainment centers, for example. Though their shiny offices are evenly distributed along Dumaguete, Valencia, Sibulan, and Bacong, Duppies congregate in hip places like Claytown Central, Calindagan Metro, and the Rizal Boulevard Baywalk in between shifts to unwind. Such places, old-timers say, would have been unthinkable five years ago when the city shut down as early as eight o'clock.

Lest the thriving entertainment centers be dismissed as a frivolous concession to Duppy tastes, think again: tourism to Dumaguete has actually shown a 30% year-on-year increase over the past three years because of the appeal of the barhop row. Roughly 75% of tourism is of domestic origins, and most importantly, about 40% of those local tourists -- young Filipino professionals and artists -- eventually decide to relocate to the city and find jobs among the seven big e-services companies here.

The upshot of all this is a professionalization of local services within the Dumaguete area. Housing, hotels, health care, security, sanitation, telecommunications, and other local infrastructure are already ranked among the best in the country, yet another reason for the influx of new talent into the city. Admittedly, housing costs have become steep in the areas nearby offices, but that's being addressed by real estate development in Dauin and Tanjay.

Roughly three quarters of these support services in Dumaguete have come from entrepreneurial ventures and franchises originating outside of Dumaguete. Sadly, the casualties of the rapid development of the city have been local businesses left in a daze by the sudden demand for competent, customer-oriented, and professional services.

For a while it almost seemed that this local services bottleneck would leave Dumaguete in the lurch, were it not for the timely entrance of opportunity-hungry entrepreneurs from outside the city. Poor performers eventually found themselves culled from the market, and the survivors learned to adjust to the new vagaries of a customer-oriented culture. Go to any local establishment now and you'll be treated to first-class customer service from cheerful, confident, and intelligent sales people eager to please. As they say, you can't get better service than Dumaguete service.

Yet another aspect of this transformation is the dynamic between the burgeoning e-services empire and the school system. Dumaguete, as the residents like to remind visitors, still has its roots as the Philippines' only university town, and it's a crown they're not planning on relinquishing anytime soon.

As would be expected in locations where industry and academe are in close proximity, industry relies on schools to turn out the graduates that it eventually absorbs; the schools, in turn, rely on grants and research exchange programs provided by the industry to keep its programs relevant. To a large extent, this symbiosis is happening within Dumaguete.

But whereas you'd expect the primary interaction to occur between universities and industry, Dumaguete's model is unique. For one thing, the influence of industry can be seen in the city's high schools and even as early as grade school. IT literacy among teens and pre-teens in Dumaguete is the highest in the country, as is their English, math, and science proficiency.

In the last couple of years, the city has seen the rise of professional trade schools that run side by side with the more traditional universities. The trade schools are a finishing school focused on one thing: getting their students employed in the e-services industry. This model has been successful in supplying people for low-level outsourcing work such as application programming, transcription, contact centers, and copyediting. The professional schools have become the avenue of choice for lower-income youths eager for their first job.

Where the professional trade schools hit their limit, and where the universities come in, are for the outsourcing jobs that require a higher degree of analytical work and industry-specific proficiency, such as software engineering, electronic design, human resources, industrial design, and legal and financial consulting. These positions require a considerable amount of training, expertise, and even research work, something that falls squarely in the purview of the universities. Industry partners have been more than willing to provide grants and mentors for these programs.

At first glance, this delineation between professional schools and universities might seem disadvantageous to the local universities. Why would people opt for the longer and more intensive university programs when they already find faster employment with the professional schools? Surprisingly, that isn't the case. Statistics have shown that roughly half of professional school graduates eventually opt for a full degree with the universities with the expectation of more serious responsibilities and higher pay. As a result, enrollment in the universities here showed a 15% increase for undergraduate programs and 10% in graduate programs last year, the highest in recent memory. University officials are optimistic with the trend.

A curious but happy side effect of this industry-focused approach in the universities is the artistic backlash. Too much focus on business process outsourcing, cried the different faculties of the arts not more than three years ago. Jarred from their complacency, the colleges set about upgrading their programs and inviting prominent artists to professorial chairs, going so far as to establish inter-university programs dedicated to the resurgence of literature, music, dance, and the visual arts. The result has been a renaissance of the arts in the city and a friendly ongoing rivalry with the more practical disciplines.

Even then, it's a rivalry with positive consequences. Studies have shown that graduates exposed to literature and philosophy become better legal consultants; similar correlations have been made between music and engineering and between visual arts and industrial design. Industry and the arts may be competing on the surface, but at least two e-services companies have provided generous grants to several arts programs.

Ultimately, none of this would have been possible without the astute vision and active participation of the local city governments of what comprise Metro Dumaguete, the governments that the Duppies helped elect. Pivotal for Dumaguete was the hotly contested 2007 mayoral election, the year when the then 2,000-strong BPO workforce in the city was a crucial player. Despite opposition from the solid bloc of pedicab drivers, what is called the BPO vote carried the win for Mayor ----

At this point, my Internet connection timed out as the temporal glitch corrected itself like a stretched rubber band suddenly released from tension. I hit the reload button several times, unfortunately coming up with a 404 error each time. Sadly, this is all that I've managed to download.

I advise caution against too much credulity on this report; the events narrated herein are too fantastic to be believed. Dumaguete, after all, is a small town too set in its ways to change so much in ten years, much less five. Am I right?

Duppies, indeed!

:cucumber: :cucumber: :cucumber: GO GO DUMAGUETE!!!...:cucumber: :cucumber: :cucumber:

Miss Silliman Beauties

Here are the contestants from last year's Miss Silliman which was flavored with international beauties as there are lots of foreign students in Silliman.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183561_3c4d5f8164_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183565_61ef161934_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183563_7775551ef1_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183564_da043078b4_m.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183562_18af840e65_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36186262_f29c9c7e96_m.jpghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/36183560_39c4ebe680_m.jpg



of course, these gals look much prettier in person!!.. pheeewww...

who will be the 60th miss silliman??? lets all find out this august!!!!... it's definitely a must see event!!!... its the longest running beauty pageant in the world!!..

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping


TWIN LAKES (Lake Danao and Lake Balinsasayao)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid181/pc1a0ce109d2e51607cde397cfdffabf1/f2d8d637.jpg

Twin Lakes

Balinsasayao and Danao Twin Lakes, which are in barangay Villanueva, Sibulan, Negros Oriental, are a haven of pristine flora and fauna. There are two routes to the Twin Lakes that are accessible only with 4WD vehicles and dirt bikes. On the way, you’ll be greeted by the sincere and warm smiles of the accommodating natives who are active and instrumental in protecting the lake against exploitation. Once here, you will not only behold the beauty of the lakes, but will also enjoy its cool and clear waters.

While here, you can: go kayaking on the clear waters. As you paddle quietly around the sparkling lake, you’ll see and hear many wild birds sing their beautiful songs; go fishing with lines and hooks for tilapia and carp in the lake – a true joy especially when you’re with our native friends; mountain climbing to get an aerial view of the Twin Lakes, which is only separated by a narrow ridge. In these surrounding forests you’ll see rare flowers, orchids, and birds; stay overnight – either in the cottage (for 10 to 15 people) or in tents. Either way, you’ll have a rustic and native experience you’re sure to want to experience again. And when it’s time for you to leave this wondrous and magnificent place to head back to the city, the beauty and serenity of Twin Lake’s will be forever etched into your hearts.

other photos c/o sassy40s of dgte.org

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/sassy40s/DSC00205.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/sassy40s/DSC00210.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/sassy40s/DSC00221.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/sassy40s/OntheBancaLakeBalinsasayao.jpg

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b172/sassy40s/DSC00201.jpg


I went to this place twice already. The first time, we had to climb to the mountain for 4 hours as these lakes were situated near its apex. Notice how near are the peaks and the clouds in the picture. And mind you, the lakes are so huge. These are just some of the hidden treasures of Negros Oriental that even some Negrenses weren't able to visit or even heard about.

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

Casaroro Falls
Valencia, Negros Oriental

The most photographed waterfall in Negros Oriental

http://www.geocities.com/sualumnicebu/casaroro1.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/sualumnicebu/casaroro3.jpg

A 100 meter tall single column of water dropping into a swimming basin of very cold water that is surrounded by steep rock walls.The site is a very popular excursion site. Access to the falls is currently being improved to accommodate the young and old alike.

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

Antulang Beach Resort
Siaton, Negros Oriental

Paradise lost...... now found.



Nestled 40 kilometers south of Dumaguete City, Philippines, ANTULANG BEACH RESORT is proud to be the only resort in Negros island with private pool villas as well as suites and cottages equipped with heated outdoor jacuzzis, satellite TV, DVD/audio players and mini-bars. Suspended on seven sprawling hectares of sheer cliffs peppered with bright-colored bougainvilleas, swimming pools and premium rooms are positioned right at the cliffs’ edge, ensuring guests a commanding view of an endless sea, while winding staircases lead directly to the half a kilometer stretch of isolated white sand beach. Activities such as diving, kayaking, horseback riding and rappelling are offered along with scheduled cruises to famed Apo Island and nearby Tambobo Bay. An added highlight for our guests: Although sunrise and sunset are both visible from the resort, at certain times of the year one can marvel at Antulang’s sunset and the simultaneous rising of a full moon.

If there's one thing we take pride in, it's the beaches of Antulang. White and pristine against the beckoning turquoise-blue seas, few guests have resisted its allure. Take a walk down a winding staircase from your cottage on the cliff and stroll along the shell-cluttered, secluded beach as you welcome the sunrise. And keep an eye on the water, you just might see a jumping sailfish or a glimpse of a resident spinner dolphin!

Manta rays, hawksbill turtles, groupers and a multitude of marine life await the most discriminating diver. Our night dives come highly recommended--guests swear it's like diving in your very own private aquarium! And if snorkeling is more up your alley, Antulang's shallow corals are home to colorful clownfish, butterfly fish, eels and the occasional octopus.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p819d911a851c923d5284c9825b770e98/f0405192.jpg
Yachts and sailboats from around the world dock at nearby Tambobo Bay

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pab4e6c1c138b7686e9df907a542b28e8/f04051b0.jpg
The Borna Quatro, a visiting sailboat from Coruña, Galicia (Spain) anchors at the resort

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pb7d78bf4e82bdf309007939b73d85909/f0405185.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p7c29bc538caa55b66ef9cbe61fc3b468/f0405187.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p94c1c0a5e9356e1bed59dfa1eff33a73/f040518e.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p2e8840d97b4f167b362aa62d7b21784d/f0405193.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p51ab05f7bb368c87a244c11e2f813300/f0405195.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pa03095fcb338a2b74fc225f0ffc35e2c/f0405199.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/ped01da91d03341c05e9f992ad93fcdf3/f040519c.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p303d53ed857eb8e5c195f9e88ab6057f/f040519d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p745ca5e54dd7eae0052811784cb5fd3c/f040519f.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pcdfb54e311ecb60a962416d825585708/f04051a1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pd9f02cb3090cabc7a44875b17f63bb55/f04051a4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p9d69e1ed8455874deec9fb40202a58f5/f04051a6.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/pc11c3cf68dad446342a84172da19d184/f04051ab.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p6af94aa1a97b48d8093ca2b313b048f7/f04051b6.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid200/p6606af648097b2a170f21c5e54a8f45f/f04051c1.jpg

for more pictures and information, log-on to www.antulang.com

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping


APO ISLAND
Dauin, Negros Oriental

Philippine Pride, World Reknowned Diving Paradise

Apo Island is a tiny bit of paradise in the central Philippines. Its beautiful reef teems with colorful schooling fishes, sharks, sea turtles and, of course, hundreds of kinds of corals. Residents make a good living from fishing as well as from other trades and crafts.

But it was not always so. More than 20 years ago, the reef was nearly fished out. Desperate fishermen used cyanide, dynamite and weighted nets to force scarce fish out of the corals — while destroying the habitat the fish depended on. As their reef collapsed, fishermen had to travel greater distances in small boats to find enough fish for their families to survive.

Then biologists from nearby Silliman University proposed an unheard-of plan to the people of Apo: Stop fishing in one-quarter of the island's waters. Let the fish find sanctuary — and breed and mature — in this no-fishing zone, and they will replenish the surrounding waters where fishing with nondestructive methods is allowed. But the most daring proposition was that the people of Apo would create and manage the sanctuary themselves.

With little to lose, the islanders agreed to try the plan. Within a few years, they saw amazing results as their waters once again filled with fishes. At the same time, the people learned other livelihoods to take some burden off the reef as their main source of income. Today the entire Apo Island reef is a community-managed marine reserve that includes the fish sanctuary. It is a model for other Philippine fishing communities as well as a tourist destination.




Apo Island might not have the beaches of Boracay but it is what's beneath the surface that makes people from all over the world come and wanting to witness the beauty of this underwater paradise.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pdd40a738c81aeffe8531f81bdaa0ff83/efd02b03.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p9ec90ee72800c69830eab47e8e0eeb0d/efd02aed.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pd841ef782c7464a7f4b4ff2ff9a5edaa/efd02afb.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pf625b4553c4584081469039c506ba6de/efd02af4.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/paf3536a5721101fbf9f5e71f2ba45dc2/efd02ae6.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pabe86705fac3d39751f36c83f688b66c/efd02ad8.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p02f6c48a7ef20d7a5399b99869dbcdb9/efd02ace.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/pfba6c85a9045d31e95c6f15dc94ab52e/efd02ac3.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p0fbf2e84c5fb2ba70381abe5f117abf0/efd02ac1.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid182/p08f8a7efc02d6bb5131ee06f2c5b12cd/f2c49c3a.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid182/p5cb71e95a677f9c0569b1cfe6e82b2ce/f2c498ca.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid182/p59628655d3c8b619825ab544be0aa4f3/f2c4963c.jpg


DID YOU KNOW?

-that Apo Island is the first successful community managed marine sanctuary which has served as a model for other marine sanctuaries in this country and in other countries

-Philippines can take pride as a giant replica of Apo Island is permanently exhibited at the World's Largest Aquarium; Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p82fa33bf8ed6ba4dc68cf6fb48b13439/efd016bc.jpg

http://www.sheddaquarium.org/wildreef/tertiary_template.cfm?article=32


APO ISLAND ONLINE INTERACTIVE GAME
Did you know also that there's an online game about Apo Island? Just follow this link: http://www.sheddaquarium.org/SEA/interactive_module.cfm?id=9


MYSTERIES OF APO ISLAND

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid202/p8cb933d0cdc3cee8fc0c718cc407dfc0/efd016b7.jpg


Foreigners travelled even from afar just to have a first hand account on the enchantment of this place. Now, it is high time for Filipinos to discover also the other natural wonders in this country.

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

DOLPHIN AND WHALE WATCHING
Bais City, Negros Oriental

Sunday, February 02, 2003
Wind-blown in Bais
By Jeneen R. Garcia

It was an overcast day in December, and we should have stayed at Silliman University’s Alumni Hall where we were billeted, or at least somewhere equally stable. But our group of environmental journalists was determined to visit one of Negros Oriental’s more popular conservation sites, Tañon Strait, famous for dolphins and migratory whales.
Besides, the calm waters of Bais Bay, almost like a lake by the way a thick mangrove forest hid the sea from view, gave no clue to the ride ahead.

We took two boats, aptly named M/BCA Dolphin I and Dolphin II. The bigger boat, seating 20 people, cost P3,000 for a day’s use. Fishermen and floating fishing villages met us as we sailed out of the bay. The farther out to sea we went, the rougher the waters became. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep our balance onboard.

Still, it had been an hour’s drive north of Dumaguete city and people couldn’t help but be hopeful. Everyone stood on the deck, straining their eyes for those elusive dorsal fins, until the waves eventually drove us back to the middle of the boat where it was dry. Because of the wind, it was hard to distinguish the dolphins from the surf.

“It’s really difficult to sight dolphins during this season because of the amihan (northeast monsoon wind),” the boatmen said, “The sea is calmer from March to October, and that’s when the dolphins appear.” True enough, I had gone dolphin-watching in May the year before and there were dolphins literally at my feet, racing with the boat. It was spellbinding watching them dive deep into the clear waters and then leap gracefully out of the sea. There was no problem keeping the boat upright then, unlike now.

The boatmen assured us that since these were boats owned by the Bais City government, there were definitely enough life jackets for everyone. They themselves had also undergone training in sea rescue operations before being allowed to handle the boats.

We were nearing Cebu when we finally spotted about five fins side by side in the distance, riding a wave. By the time we got nearer, they had already sped away. We had no choice but to turn around and go back to Negros.

Another Bais attraction is a seven-kilometer long white sandbar in the middle of the sea. Overnight cottages have been built there for visitors, and it is an ideal place for lunch and snorkeling after dolphin-watching. But since the tide was already too high for a sandbar picnic, we chose to have lunch on the boat. We anchored at a floating fishpond near the mangroves.

It was a curious enterprise. There were several “ponds” made of nets and bamboo tied to a floating shed. The shed, just big enough to house one person, had solar panels on its roof. I learned that it was a project of the Central Visayas Polytechnic College. They bred bangus and tilapia, and sold the fingerlings to farmers who also wanted to breed them. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell fish for lunch. Fishermen in the place, though, sell straight from the sea.

After lunch, the boatmen gave a short talk. They shared that the most common dolphins sighted are the spinner dolphins. Four other dolphin species and five whale species, including the pygmy killer whale, also pass through these waters. Dolphin-watching tours, they said, were started in 1995.

Tourism has become an alternative livelihood in Bais since Tañon Strait became part of the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas). This means that only activities specified by the Protected Area Management Board (Pamb) are allowed in the area.

One boatman noted, though, that despite the area’s protected status, marine life in this body of water between Negros Oriental and southwest Cebu continue to dwindle due to poor law enforcement.

It was mid-afternoon when the group headed back for dry land, just in time for an audience with the Bais City mayor. The hills of Bais, staunchly protecting the bay from strong westerly winds, were a welcoming sight. It turned out that the next stop was Bahia de Bais, a hotel sitting atop one of these hills. It was a quaint hotel with wooden floors and large capiz windows, but its greatest beauty lay in the vantage point it offered.

From the lobby, I could see the whole length of the Talabong mangrove forest. It was a bird sanctuary, Mayor Hector Villanueva explained. A bamboo walkway had been built through the forest so tourists could watch the wildlife, such as the endemic Philippine mallard (wild duck) and the migratory giant heron from Australia. Tours could be arranged with the Bais City Tourism Office.

The trip back was a relaxing one. The setting sun shone mutedly through the clouds on rows and rows of fields along the road from Bais to Dumaguete. The stalks, swaying to the dance of amihan, seemed to be saying, “Come back, come back when the wind blows west. When the sun is golden, the sea reveals its treasures.” I couldn’t have agreed more.




There are certain times in a year when the whales will appear as these species are migratory. Some came all the way from Japan and would stay in the Tanon Strait where the seas are warm. Unlike whales though, the dolphins could be seen whole year round.

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

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/MI-Tour-bais.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/Dolphin-Watching-Bais-Duma.jpg

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

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/2284342.jpg

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


Pictures from a Tourist

Look how close one can get with these mammals.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/55.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/51.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/39.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/37.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/33.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/23.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/21.jpg


These species are protected and it is the initiative by the locality itself to protect them. It's nice to know that these playful animals could be seen on their natural habitat and not on sea worlds performing some crazy tricks. free as a dophin.....

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

SANDBAR
Manjuyod, Negros Oriental


So, how is it that you are able to stand in the middle of the sea to take this picture? Interestingly there is a large sand bar in the area.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/1974885-ever_wanted_to_walk_on_wate.jpg



It is a 7 kilometer strip of white sands that appear and disappear with the the tide. Gleaming like a mirage in a desert, Sandbar is an unbroken stretch of white sand in the middle of the sea that appears only during low tide. But there’s nothing illusory about this piece of land. From the Aroma Beach Resort, you can arrange a visit to a bamboo hut situated in the middle of the ocean, at least a half hour away from shore. Once the boat docks, tourists disembark and frolic under the sun. Cottages on stilts provide temporary refuge for fatigued sun-worshippers and beachcombers. You can rent one of the three huts just for an afternoon, i.e. if you just want to enjoy swimming and lunch, or you can also stay overnight if you are looking for a romantic getaway. One can spend the night secluded with no electricity but only the petroleum light and the stars beaming the night.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/DumagueteNov2005143.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/29223598_f651e74b4f.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/29224105_c2ff170023.jpg


During low tide, you can jump off the bamboo hut, go for a swim, and stand up on a few elevated parts of the sandbar. Talk about interesting. Bring a snorkel and a mask along with you. There's a lot of interesting sea life underneath the bamboo hut. There are thousands of starfish that dwell here, and you can entertain yourself by playing with them. If starfish are too boring for you, go chase some fish underwater.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/29221085_8ce5900827.jpg


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/mnjyds05_thmb.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/mnjyds04_thmb.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/mnjyds03_thmb.jpg



Arrange with a resort to have lunch at the isolated bamboo hut. They can cook a huge, typical Filipino meal, and transport it on the boat with you to the hut. Enjoy a huge meal of rice, crab, fish, shrimp, pancit, lumpia, adobo, pineapple, coconut, etc. This has to be the most unique location to date. You can enjoy a not so typical adventure. This is a great compliment with the dolphin and whale watching on a nearby Bais City.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/1974876-lunch_in_the_sea-Manjuyod.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/29220871_d141250ee5.jpg
HIGH TIDE

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/18473263.jpg
LOW TIDE


HAPPY FACES
(taken from some blogs)

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/Dumaguete20Nov20200520156.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/0519-2.jpg http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y30/reyboy/1.jpg

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

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.

suroy-suroy
visayan word for tripping

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.

BY RENE GENOVE

The Bayawan City government has set the wheels turning for its so-called "eco-governance program". And Bayawan Mayor German Saraña said the program "will shoot not only two, but three birds with one stone".

Saraña explained that the LGU's "eco-governance program" is in response to the calls of the national government for the country to be less dependent on imported fuel, thus Bayawan is planning to develop underutilized areas that will be planted to jatropha, provide a sustainable market-led agricultural development and produce alternative energy.

Under its eco-governance program, Bayawan has already planted 30,976 jatropha seedlings currently thriving in 15 nurseries as of May 2006, Bayawan City agriculturist Luis Sumalpong said.

Jatropha, locally known as "tuba-tuba", is a plant capable of producing bio-diesel fuel. Aside from jathropa, Bayawan City is also embarking on a rubber plantation project which Sumalpong said they hope to launch by the first week of July.

He disclosed that they already have about 300,000 seedlings being planted along a 60-hectare stretch in a watershed area under the supervision of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office.

The city government, however, has no plans of stopping there and is looking at expanding the rubber and jatropha plantations on a larger scale, Saraña disclosed.

To encourage the 28 barangays to take part in the eco-governance program, Saraña is offering an incentive to village officials.

For the barangay that can plant 350 hectares of jathropa, the city government will acquire a jatropha oil extraction machine for them that costs about P100,000, said Sumalpong.

"The mayor also ordered the schools to establish jathropa nurseries within their campuses," he added. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earlier revved up two national programs that can stem poverty and hunger in the countryside, at the core of which is the cultivation of jatropha as a diesel substitute in the government's energy conservation program.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, together with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Reform, have identified more than 700,000 hectares for agro-forestry and biofuel cultivation nationwide.

Primary among the agricultural products being pushed by the President is jatropha, a drought-resistant perennial shrub whose fruit can be processed into oil and refined into diesel or burned in home stoves.

Found throughout the Philippines, jatropha has an economical life of up to 35 years and can live for 50 years.

A readily available and renewable fuel, jatropha grows fast, with little or no need for maintenance and can reach a height of three to eight meters.

Based on extensive testing done in India, three kilos of jatropha seed can produce a liter of crude jatropha oil.*

BY JUANCHO GALLARDE

Mayor Agustin Perdices said the city government is considering the Philippine Ports Authority's recommendation for it to adopt the alternative plan of Palafox, an established developer, in the implementation of the multi-million peso Dumaguete port terminal building.

However, Perdices said, they still have to do a further study on the Palafox proposal, which will cost the PPA only about P50 million, as opposed to the P89 million project cost proposed by the city government.

Last week, Gov. George Arnaiz returned from Manila with a perspective of the Palafox plan from the PPA, which he turned over to Perdices for review. The governor said he will leave it up to the mayor to decide on the PPA recommendation.

Perdices said the city will still need to study the details of the plan, although he believes that the alternative plan would also come out well as Palafox is a respected architectural office, locally and internationally.

Perdices admitted that he realizes if the city government will insist on its plan instead, it could be delayed for another one or two years, considering rigid government processes.

But he said if PPA has a ready budget of P50 million for the project, and they approve it just like what they did in Bataan, "it looks like I could say that we will accept it, but we would like to see more details of the building".

Perdices said he is happy to know the PPA has already included in its budget this year the Dumaguete port terminal project, but expressed apprehension it could be affected due to Congress still deliberating on the 2006 national budget.

"I hope the absence of a national budget this year will not impact on the Dumaguete port project, especially because we are still re-enacting on last year's national budget", he added.

But Perdices said that Dumaguete should just look on the positive side and be thankful that PPA has already included the city port in its list of projects for the year.

The concreting of Flores Avenue seems to be pretty much done. I passed through there today, and all that remains to be done (it seems) is to get rid of some extra rocks and dirt they have piled up at the side.

And the site of the Portal Building in Silliman is now surrounded by blue tarp, so I assume there's some construction going on there now. I see some heavy equipment.

^^ I love dumaguete!!! especially the night life!!!! Ill have to go back there more... :colgate:

Palafox for the terminal??.. wow.. thats good.. as far as i know, most of SM malls are designed by that architectural firm.. i just hope the teminal wont be looking like a box.. ;)

Palafox Associates, instead of the design of a US-trained architect...Well, well, I'd go for that. And besides, it can save the national government more than P30 million.

@Nicko: Any updates on the construction of the Robinsons mall?

updates?.. hehe.. im not updated either.. havnt passed by the site for quite a while.. ive been quite busy in school.. but a friend who is living down south said its already starting with the digging.. she also said teletech is 90% done.. when are you coming back, ritch?

guys, ill be coming over for the weekend. any advice for a nice place to stay? :D

btw, i wud like to thank Miguel for that wonderful "suroy-suroy" articles!! its really great to have those here.. hope u guys cud post them on other threads..

guys, ill be coming over for the weekend. any advice for a nice place to stay? :D

.. as far as i know, everything is nice here..;) hehe.. u wont have a problem looking for a good place.. but anyway, what kind of a place are you looking for and how much are you willing to spend?..

^^ somewhere nice but doesnt cost much. hehehe.

if u want to stay on water front hotels, try honeycomb, bethel, or la residencia almar.. these places may cost much but u will have a very good view of the boulevard, the sea, siquijor, some yachts, and siquijor island.. bars and restaurants are just by those hotels' door steps and downtown area is just a walking distance.. sorry but i dnt have their rates, the internet will be of good help if ur on scout for their rates..;)

there are also hotels / pension houses in the middle of dowtown.. thre is worldview hotel (where bea alonzo and the guys stayed for their movie, "close to u" when they were here.. hehe.. la lang) C&L suites inn, Plaza Maria Luisa, OK pension house, el oriente, and many many more.. cant name them all.. and if ur on for the resort types, there is south seas hotel, hotel de el oriente, sta. monica beach club, the forest camp, sea forest, and many more.. although, they are a bit distant from the city..

dnt worry, cost of living here is much cheaper compared to other places so u wont have to spend much when ur here..

bsta, for me, mas nice if u look for them urself when ur here na..

enjoy ur stay buddy!

^^ ei thanks a lot bro. ill check those hotels that you mentioned. but i think i will stay in one of those water front hotels. i will be leaving for siquijor on sunday.

Thnx again budz.

no problem buddy..;)

when are you coming back, ritch?

that would be a surprise...but when am there, am there...all i can say is that soon...

http://sketches.kom.ph/albums/dream%20park%20in%20sibulan.dir/p1010001.jpg

http://sketches.kom.ph/albums/dream%20park%20in%20sibulan.dir/p1010012.jpg
Photos courtesy of www.sketches.kom.ph

http://sketches.kom.ph/albums/bais%20christmas.dir/p1010006.jpg

http://sketches.kom.ph/albums/bais%20christmas.dir/p1010017.jpg

http://sketches.kom.ph/albums/bais%20christmas.dir/p1010019.jpg
Photos courtesy of sketches.kom.ph

just passing by...whoa, where are you people from dumaguete?

Palafox for the terminal??.. wow.. thats good.. as far as i know, most of SM malls are designed by that architectural firm.. i just hope the teminal wont be looking like a box.. ;)

Uh, SM Malls are boring huge shoe boxes. Don't think it is good to have Manila based firms design buildings for us here in Negros. We have proven that Negrense Architects are better than Tagalog architects. Remember Leandro Locsin? How about Arch't Saratan? Yulo? Coscolluela? They are all Negrense Architects and it would be better if we support our own architects.

palafox designs are good.. i dnt know y they designed SM malls like shoe boxes.. thats y im hoping our terminal wont be looking like a shoe box.. it wud be very boring..

btw, there is a construction going on on bethel's right side wall.. dunno what will it be..

ngkadghan nsad ang billboards dri.. wew..

i heard bethel is expanding by 16 more rooms...i dunno if they are also putting hotel rooms in their soon-to-be constructed department store (or mall) in daro...

where in daro?? has construction starterd?

i dunno...

silliman university
founded 1901
http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/175/suportalsbyhall5iq.jpg


silliman by the sea
http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/9455/suportalsbysea5al.jpg


silliman university amphitheater
with the old occidental hall built in the 1920s
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8031/suamphitheater4ku.jpg


silliman university hibbard hall
built in the 1930s
http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/8946/suhibbardhall9oi.jpg


road along hibbard hall
http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3246/suhibbardroad0vp.jpg


and of course, silliman church
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/2114/suchurch021uc.jpg


-- digital photos courtesy of my good friend, karlo enrique..

dumaguete lovers in europe.. oops.. in dumaguete lang din pala..;) background is la residencia almar..

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3393/dumaguetelovers4bn.jpg


-- wla lang...;)

wew.. very nice shot!

The concreting of Flores Avenue seems to be pretty much done. I passed through there today, and all that remains to be done (it seems) is to get rid of some extra rocks and dirt they have piled up at the side.




And it seems the boulevard expansion will start......but when?

guys, ill be coming over for the weekend. any advice for a nice place to stay? :D


Welcome to Dumaguete Markiiboi, hope u hav lots of pics of the city and siquijor. Hav it post here, hope u will dude. :cheers2:

dumaguete lovers in europe.. oops.. in dumaguete lang din pala..;) background is la residencia almar..

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3393/dumaguetelovers4bn.jpg


-- wla lang...;)

hey, i know this couple...they are both from st. paul u, right?

By Tina Arceo-Dumlao

Published on page B8 of the June 26, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

JUST WHEN ONE THOUGHT the Philippines had too many malls, more are coming up.

Encouraged by more rosy projections on the economy and the growing remittances from overseas Filipino workers that fuel domestic consumption, retail chains are betting their money on further expansion.

Inquirer features here some of the leading names in the mall industry and how they plan to compete given the ever stiffening competition for the mall goers' peso...

SM group
The SM group that operates the SM supermalls across the Philippines remains on an aggressive expansion mode.

For this year, the SM group has already opened the SM City Santa Rosa with a gross floor area of 88,000 square meters, SM City Clark, 98,824 square meters, and finally the SM Mall of Asia, arguably the biggest in Southeast Asia with 386,000 square meters.

More will be opened later this year: SM Supercenter Frontera Verde, 28,602 square meters; SM City Lipa, 77,682 square meters and finally, SM City Bacolod, 59,023 square meters.

SM vice president Millie Dizon says the SM group remains optimistic about the prospects in the retail industry because there are areas outside the capital of Metro Manila that are rapidly developing, thus, putting up a mall makes sense.

"Our management believes that if we can serve more people and be of service to as many Filipinos as we can, then we will be OK," Dizon says.

The SM group is, understandably, most excited about its Mall of Asia project, not only because of its size but also because of the design.

While other SM malls have been criticized for looking the same, the Mall of Asia, which recently opened along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Parañaque, has a design that takes full advantage of its view of the famous Manila Bay sunset.

The Mall of Asia is organized around four blocks: a large central mall, two side parking buildings with the department store and a hypermarket and the entertainment block facing the bay.

It boasts of an IMax theater, the first in the Philippines, an Olympic-size ice skating rink and 800 shops.

Though some analysts have raised their concerns on the viability of such a large mall, Dizon says the group was unperturbed, rather, remains steadfast in its belief that it will succeed, just like the others.

"We have our track record and our experience," she says. "We have always beaten the odds."


Robinsons
Robinsons Land Corp., part of the Gokongwei group of companies and owner of the Robinsons malls, does not take a cookie cutter approach to putting up malls.

This means that one mall is not build to look just like the other, because it believes that each mall should be designed and built around what the community and the market require.

Cornelio S. Mapa Jr., general manager of the commercial centers division of RLC, explains further that by having the flexibility to "play" with the size and design of the mall, Robinsons becomes an intrinsic part of the community around it.

Robinsons counts on its tenant mix as one of its competitive advantage.

"There used to be a time when people just build malls, fill it up with goods and then expect market to just come," Mapa says.

He says that kind of thinking does not apply anymore considering that the market has become more discerning. Customers are now looking for a mall that he or she can be comfortable with and loyal to.

RLC is putting up its Robinsons in Sucat, Parañaque, a suburb in Metro Manila; Lipa, Batangas, a progressive province south of Metro Manila, and Dumaguete, Oriental Negros, a province in the Visayas region, in central Philippines.

"These won't be your regular malls," Mapa says but declined to give details.

The construction of the new malls will go hand in hand with the redevelopment of existing properties as part of the group's thrust to continue reinventing itself.

"The economy is growing and also, there will be an upgrading of the retail experience," he says. "There will be a growth in modern retail and we have all the elements to capture that growth."

Ayala malls
The Ayala malls have earned for the Philippines the distinction of having the best designed mall--the Greenbelt mall in the Makati central business district.

Projects in the pipeline include the retail portion of the Ayala group's Serendra real estate development in the Fort Bonifacio Global City with 6,000 square meters of retail space.

Rowena Tomeldan of the Commercial Centers Group of Ayala Land Inc. says that because the retail space here is small, it will have carefully selected tenants to give consumers a reason to go there.

"It will be a feast for the senses," Tomeldan says of the project which will be in operation by the first quarter of next year.

Then there's the bigger retail area of the Bonifacio Global City itself with 14,000 square meters, which will be anchored by a 40-meter wide and 400-meter long activity park for events, fairs and other activities.

And the bigger Triangle North of Manila project in Quezon City where the Light Rail Transit III line ends, with 200,000 square meters.

Tomeldan describes Trinoma, which should be in place by July next year, as a super regional mall which will bring in the best of retail and entertainment in the Ayala malls to the Quezon City market.

http://www.negroschronicle.com/final/current/lds.jpg

hopefully, those trikes will be "game over" soon with political will from the city's dads...

http://dgte.net/images/photos/whatsnew01.jpg

http://dgte.net/images/photos/whatsnew02.jpg
Photos courtesy of dumaguete.net

You can see all these in December...and more as Dumaguete becomes a lively town from November, all the way to December!!!

http://images.world66.com/ph/ot/o_/photo_galleryfull1696

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtG6-zx9fC8"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtG6-zx9fC8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

I'm sorry if this is way out of topic but please support this petition for Philippine churches. :)

Thank you very much.

Although we will continuously be collecting signatures for the petition, we will be printing and officially submitting the petition to the CBCP on Monday, July 3 in order for it to be discussed during their semi-annual conference on July 9. So for your signature to be included in the one that will be submitted to the CBCP, please sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/cbcp/ on or before June 30.

Please pass this to all your friends. A Filipino society that values and preserves its cultural heritage in order to instill pride of place and strengthen Philippine national identity... we can all make a big difference in our fight to preserve our cultural heritage!

hey, i know this couple...they are both from st. paul u, right?

yep.. they are from st. paul university..

http://dgte.net/images/photos/whatsnew01.jpg

http://dgte.net/images/photos/whatsnew02.jpg
Photos courtesy of dumaguete.net

You can see all these in December...and more as Dumaguete becomes a lively town from November, all the way to December!!!

the owner of thet house is a family friend.. Dr. Absin.. we're constant visitors.. that pic is just a view from the outside.. the house inside is more than what u expect.. its like ur in a christmaslandia, santa's toy factory, a christmas museum, north pole, disneyland or whatever u want to call it.. u guys know wat i mean..

http://www.newsflash.org/pictures/00000333.jpg

Apo Island, Negros Oriental, July 6, 2003 By Julie Cabatit-Alegre (STAR) Apo Island, south of Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, is said to be one of Asia’s most successful marine life conservation areas with its rich variety of large corals, groupers, surgeonfish, jacks, clownfish, anemones, and giant clams, among others. The island, with its distinct rock formations, surrounded by a crystal-clear, azure sea, is also internationally famous as an ideal site for scuba diving and snorkeling.

Motorized outriggers will take you there from any one of several take-off points. If it happens to be a Wednesday, you might choose to get your ride from Malatapay in the coastal town of Zamboangita, where the weekly open-air market, the only one of its kind in Negros, is held. The locals from Apo and the surrounding mountains congregate here every Wednesday to trade their livestock, fish, fruits and vegetables, as well as household items and handicrafts like hand-woven mats and native bags. It is a unique experience, to mingle with the locals as they go about their marketing chores, either as sellers or buyers.

The first things you notice as your boat approaches Apo Island are the huge boulders and rock formations that stand like welcome markers just off the island’s shore.

You also notice the graffiti. At the top of one tall pile of large boulders, someone managed to etch his sobriquet, "Thunder". The beach has creamy white sand with finely crushed shells and tiny white pebbles, a handful of which, when gently rubbed on the skin, could make a perfect natural exfoliating agent. You could find a recess underneath one of the boulders near the shore, park yourself in the shade and, with the sandy body scrub and salty sea water, enjoy an instant natural spa treatment. But the real beauty of Apo Island is not so much what you find above it but rather, its treasures under the sea – its rich coral gardens and diverse marine life. It’s a thrilling experience to swim with a small school of fish seemingly unmindful of the human intrusion.

While eco-tourism is being developed on the island, environmental awareness and protection is also promoted. The barangay administration would like to limit organized dives on the island to eight per day, and in the marine sanctuary, managed by Silliman University in cooperation with the local community, to only about 15 divers per day.

As you walk through the barrios, you notice that there are no motorized vehicles, although the pavement is cemented. In the vicinity of a public school, large garbage bins are clearly marked for waste segregation. There is no air-conditioning in the cottages and rooms for rent, relying on natural ventilation instead, while beds are protected by mosquito nets which add to the island’s quaint and rustic charm.

The ride to and from Apo Island normally takes about 30 to 45 minutes. But it can happen that the propeller of your motorized boat crashes into some rocks as it maneuvers to a docking spot on the island. Then on the way back, you will have to drift with the current and it can take you as long as three hours to reach your destination. This was our experience, which was totally unplanned and unexpected. It gave us more than enough time to enjoy the sea breeze, fall into a long siesta, catch a glimpse of some dolphins at a distance, and feel the sunset as its rays stretched and warmed our wet side of the boat. By the time we reached Atlantis Dive Resort in Dumaguete, where we were to spend the night, there was just enough time to change and get ready for a hosted dinner at Lab-as, a popular fresh seafood restaurant in the city, where members of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) from Manila had a lively interaction with the local tour operators and tour guides.

Dumaguete City, the provincial capital, is known as the "City of Gentle People", which adequately conveys an image of the local folks’ unhurried lifestyle. To many from Manila, Dumaguete is better known as a university town, with Silliman University as the centerpiece, where the prestigious Writers Workshop is held annually. Founded in 1901 the first university outside Manila and the first Protestant school in the Philippines occupies a 37-hectare area within the city along the sea. Its library is the biggest in Asia, with an extensive Filipiniana section. The Luce Auditorium is architecturally patterned after the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. The Silliman campus is also one of the few places in the country where a good number of buildings representing American colonial architecture have survived. With its majestic acacia trees dotting the expansive campus, the entire site has been declared a bird sanctuary. Its modern and fully equipped marine laboratory houses the second largest collection of marine mammal (whales and dolphins) bone skeletons in the world. A variety of marine specimens and live organisms are on display. Giant clams are cultured in water tanks and there are breeding areas for groupers as well as crocodiles.

Dumaguete’s first fast food is said to be Silliman Cafeteria, opened in 1920, where the students enjoyed Dumaguete’s favorite snack, budbud kabug, a suman look-alike made of bird seed or dawa, a kind of millet. Today, Greenwich has arrived in Dumaguete and so has Chowking; Jollibee can’t be too far behind.

A brisk tour of Dumaguete City should include stops at the historic Cathedral Bell Tower, circa 1811, which was used to warn natives of marauding pirates centuries ago; the bustling Public Market with its well-stocked wet and dry sections; as well as the pottery and piña-weaving cooperatives for their handcrafted piña cloth and earthenware. The Ecological Park and Aviary, a model dumpsite, has won for the city the "Galing Pook" award.

South of Dumaguete City is the town of Bacong where you’ll find the oldest church in Negros Oriental, the century-old Bacong Church, and the Bacong pipe organ.

A perpetual adoration chapel of more recent vintage was added at the side of the church. Just a stone’s throw away is the Negros Oriental Arts and Heritage (NOAH) stone craft factory and showroom where exquisite Philippine jade and other semi-precious stone products such as necklaces and bracelets, jewelry boxes, coasters and hotplates as well as wind chimes are on sale. A drive southwest and upland through tree-lined highways brings you to the interior town of Valencia and Forest Camp, a picnic and camp site with natural and man-made springs, river-fed pools and waterslides, a hanging bridge and tree house, set amidst a lush forest setting.

North of Dumaguete City is the municipality of Sibulan where its young mayor, Antonio D. Renacia, has initiated a character-building program patterned after its twin city, Tagaytay. Different virtues are assigned to each month, such as dependability for June and cleanliness for July, which the local residents are encouraged to observe. Sibulan is where the "beauty of nature and people complement," the tourism leaflet claims.

Twenty kilometers west of the municipality of Sibulan, in barangay Villanueva, are the twin lakes of Balinsasayao and Danao. Situated 1,000 meters above sea level, the inland bodies of water nestled amidst thick virgin forests are accessible only with a 4WD vehicle which the mayor’s office graciously made available for our use. Cementing of the road is ongoing and there is a short stretch of dirt road that you have to trek to get to the site. Your reward is a breathtaking view of the placid lake, Balinsasayao, which is separated from its twin, Danao, by a ridge. What is it about a land-locked body of water that is so captivating? Is it the stillness that allows you to catch up with yourself? Or is it the sense of inner calm which you walk away with, the lake’s offering and gift of itself?

We spend the night at the Bahia-Days Hotel in Bais, north of Sibulan. We await the next day with great expectations since we are scheduled to go dolphin-watching in the deep waters of Tanon Strait, between Negros Oriental and Cebu. Commonly found in these waters are the bottlenose, melon-head, and spotted dolphins.

An overcast sky ushers in the morning and we set off to the open sea with much trepidation. Dolphins appear only when the water is calm, we were told, as we cruised the choppy sea. We stop at the Talabong Island Mangrove Forest, which covers an area of about 217 hectares. Although a cement walk had replaced the former bamboo boardwalk, the mangrove appears neglected. The wild monkeys have abandoned the place since the deterioration of their natural habitat. The rehabilitation of the mangrove will surely be a boon not only to visitors but more importantly to its natural inhabitants.

It starts to drizzle and the spray from the sea is a bit chilly. Then, we’re surprised with our first sighting. Dolphins at a distance leaping out and then back into the water. Then, dolphins nearer the boat. A dolphin swimming alongside and then under the boat. Dolphins to the left of the boat. Dolphins to the right.

Dolphins straight ahead. They seem to be responding to our whistles, our clapping and squeals of delight. They respond by giving us a show. Someone, who starts counting the sightings, stops at 15. Many more follow. The dolphins caress the sea, ride the waves, glide and cruise the water. Finally, just as we’re about to leave, a trio glide one more time alongside the boat while another dolphin crosses from one side to the other, passing underneath the boat. They are so close, you can almost touch them. Such gentle creatures of the sea. You sense a connection and you send a telepathic message of thanks. You’re not disappointed.

One more surprise awaits you at Bais Bay where the Campuyo White Sandbar is said to stretch out to a couple of kilometers at low tide. Your boat drops anchor and the group enjoys a barbecue picnic lunch on board, but the sandbar is nowhere in sight. No matter, this does not discourage you from taking a dip in the shallow waters. Someone ventures farther away from the boat and we are delighted to see that the water reaches only way below his knees the farther he goes. Soon, the sandbar reveals itself. What else is there to do but to find your spot where you can stretch out on the sand, feel the sea run its fingers along your back while the noonday sun warms your face. This is life. A couple of starfish makes an appearance. Welcome to our home, they seem to say.

Negros Oriental occupies the southeastern portion of Negros Island in the Visayas, with Negros Occidental occupying the other half of the island. Currently, a one-Negros policy is being encouraged. Culturally, Negros Oriental appears closer to Cebu, with most of the people who inhabit the coastal towns speaking Cebuano. With its rich marine resources, fishing is the main source of livelihood in the coastal areas. Also, since the whole eastern part enjoys a mild climate that is typhoon-free year-round, agriculture is the main activity of the people with rice, corn, coconut, and sugarcane as principal products. Interesting would be a tour of an old hacienda where archaic trains still run on ancient rail tracks, as well as an annotated tour of a sugar central such as the Universal Robina Sugar Milling Co. in Manjuyod north of Bais, where you learn all about the different stages of sugar refining.

Tanjay, which lies south of Bais, is one of five component cities of Negros Oriental, the others being Canlaon, Bais, Bayawan, and the capital, Dumaguete. What do people do on a Friday night in Tanjay? Congregate at the plaza for some ballroom dancing, what else? When they learned that we were coming that Friday night, they moved the venue to the Sports and Cultural Center, since they did not want their visitors from Manila to get wet in case it rained.

The Sergio S. Salma Jr. Sports and Cultural Center is impressive in its size by provincial standards. When we arrived, there was a basketball game going on between the home team and a guest team from a neighboring town. The electronic scoreboard showed the home team winning by a ten points margin. The Friday night we were there was also the night the seven finalists for the Miss Tanjay City 2003 title were presented. And of course, there was the ballroom dancing which went on until the wee hours of midnight, with the city mayor, Baltazar T. Salma, and his gracious wife watching, pleased as punch, in the sidelines.

If dancing is not your idea of a Friday night out, there is always the night market, right outside the cultural and sports center, where you can find a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables for sale at prices unheard of in Manila, such as the sweetest mangoes for P10 a kilo and garlic for P28 a kilo. They also have their version of the ubiquitous ukay-ukay. You can take a snack at a bakeshop named Birdie’s where you can get your hopia, baboy or mongo, still hot from the oven. And you know you are getting more than your money’s worth with the generous filling of coco jam in your pan de coco.

It’s past midnight by the time we check in at the Baybayon Beach Resort in Cangmating in Sibulan. It does not take too long for us to fall into deep slumber, with the lullaby of raindrops on the roof. The next morning, we drive back to Dumaguete City. Our Air Philippines flight back to Manila is scheduled past noon, leaving us with just enough time to do a bit of what the locals like to do – enjoy the city’s waterfront promenade.

Rizal Boulevard, the picture-perfect tree-lined promenade along the bay, is popular among the residents of Dumaguete as a safe place where they can jog, take leisurely walks, or simply relax and enjoy their tempura bought from rolling carts, their own version of Manila’s ubiquitous fishballs vendors. The boulevard was named after our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who is said to have strolled along its 780 m. stretch during a stopover on his way to Manila from his exile in Dapitan. He also stayed in a two-story house at the corner of Legaspi St. and the boulevard which later became the first building occupied by the Silliman Institute. The house was set on fire by the Japanese during Liberation.

A number of hotels and restaurants now line the boulevard, such as the Coco Amigos Restaurant and La Residencia Al Mar. With its charming Hispanic architecture, La Residencia, a pioneer hotel owned by the Escanos, is said to have housed the governor of Negros Oriental at one time in the past. The "Gates of Opportunity" of Silliman University’s oldest building face the boulevard, and on their far end is the port of Dumaguete. RORO operations ply the nautical highway from Cagayan de Oro to Manila via Dumaguete.

Some would like to see Negros Oriental as the next Bohol – whose success story in its promotion as a tourist destination is something to emulate– or the next Boracay or the next Cebu. But Negros Oriental is a place like no other. It has its own provincial charm that you cannot begin to appreciate unless you’ve been there. When you visit Negros Oriental, it is best to leave your expectations behind. Instead, be prepared to be surprised.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7881/pano7ey.jpg
25 June 2006

Parts of the Cathedral, Belfry and Grotto


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1039/dsc02395copy5oz.jpg


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/9391/dsc02396copy3pb.jpg


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1075/dsc02384copy9xd.jpg


http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/4207/dsc024036ff.jpg



The Baywalk


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/4610/dsc02409copy9ia.jpg


http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/5517/dsc02414copy7ts.jpg


http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8097/dsc02415copy0pw.jpg

nice pctures markiiboi!.. postcard qualities.. iluv em all!..

^^ thnx nick :)

____


Mano-A-Mano (Pacquiao vs. Larios) preview just across Jo's Chicken :rock:


http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/8295/untitled2copy9us.jpg http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3351/untitled1copy6xb.jpg http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/952/dsc025413rr.jpg


http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/9990/untitled3copy3xj.jpg http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/340/untitled4copy8tv.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8097/dsc02415copy0pw.jpg[/CENTER]

i knew its going to be very good shots. thanks markiiboi, your first picture shows your staying at C&L suites inn.

^^ Thnx bro! Yep i stayed at C&L.

hehe, diin man to nag away mark? abi gyud nako ikaw to :D. pwede na iheadline sa news paper...hehe

^^ just across Jo's Chicken beside Siliman Univ bai. ang kana ga yellow kay worker sa jo's. :D

^^ thnx nick :)

____


Mano-A-Mano (Pacquiao vs. Larios) preview just across Jo's Chicken :rock:


http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/8295/untitled2copy9us.jpg http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3351/untitled1copy6xb.jpg http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/952/dsc025413rr.jpg


http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/9990/untitled3copy3xj.jpg http://img453.imageshack.us/img453/340/untitled4copy8tv.jpg

Hey, a very unique promo there by Jo's Chicken Inato. Free ringside seats to a boxing match while eating a sumptous meal of broiled chicken. Now that's what I call Brawl and Broil!! :rock:

Nice pics!! :okay:

Chronicles of a Passerby
impressions made by visitors and tourists


from the blog LUCIDINTERVAL
http://shapor.wordpress.com/

Dumaguete
Thursday May 18th 2006, 8:07 am
Filed under: Lakwatsa

I didn't expect to fall in love with Dumaguete but this city is so homey and modern at the same time. It is so much like Manila because it has enough entertainment and dining options to keep your gimmick-hungry selves sated but it is better than Manila because it has less pollution, kinder people and a more laid-back atmosphere. It is where Silliman University and a couple of other Southern universities are located so the place is multi-cultural and has a dynamic and youthful vibe to it.

NATURE SPOTS

Beautiful beaches, lakes and magnificent falls are just an hour's ride from the city. There are the Balinsasayao Twin Lakes which used to be the crater of a now extinct volcano. You don't have to pay anything to swim in the cool waters and hike in the dense vegetation connecting the two lakes, life vests and cottages are even provided for the guests free of charge.

Forty minutes from the city is Kookoo's Nest beach. This bay with calm waters only has 5 cottages so there is no chance of overcrowding which makes a trip to the beach stressful. There is a buffet at night in the open-air dining hall where guests can mingle with the American owners and lounge before going to sleep. The night we were there, we were the only Filipino guests. The nipa huts range from 500 to 800 pesos while the buffet costs 250 pesos per person. These rates include the ride to the resort and back to the city. The snorkeling area is just several meters from the white sand shore so there is no need to rent a boat to go to another island.

If you're one who is heavily into hiking, you can walk all the way to Casaroro Falls from the main plaza of Valencia without paying the 100 peso fee for a habal-habal (motorcycle) ride. The old rusty bikes can fit four people, two sitting behind the driver and one in front. To get to Casaroro Falls, you will have to descend almost a hundred steps down and walk a good five minutes along a stream. The entrace fee is only 10 pesos.

FOOD

Because I am a confessed foodie, dining options in a place is a major factor for me. The multi-cultural demographics in Dumaguete could have resulted to the myriad food choices in the city. But who wants to know the real reason anyway, my foodie soul certainly isn't complaining.

If you crave Persian cuisine, there is the Persian Palate restaurant on San Juan St. The food is superb and there are a lot of cute Iranian soccer boys hanging around, perfect for boy watching while you're waiting for your food. Incidentally, Silliman University records show that Iranian student comprise highest number of enrollees last year.

If you're a sucker for Italian food, you can go to Chicco's on Rizal Boulevard. It is a deli/restaurant which serves surprisingly affordable but definitely delicious pizza and pasta. By the way, did you know that Rizal Boulevard in Dumaguete is named as such because it is said that Jose Rizal actually walked down the boulevard and spent time contemplating there before going to Dapitan?

If you had too much to eat from the different restaurant peppering Rizal Blvd, post-dinner coffee or tea can be taken at Memento Cafe. The place is owned by an artist so the cafe' interiors is lined with stunning photographs and quirky stuff. The ambience is perfect for smoking a couple or a whole pack of cigs and hanging out. They also offer a mean dumaguete sling. The only disadvantage is that they close at 10pm. So sad.

A night out in Dumaguete can set you back 500 pesos, tops. That amount already includes a sumptious dinner, decent coffee and a full-blown inuman session at Patag that will leave you wasted at night and nursing a hang over the morning after. But I've learned that a self-inflicted puke (read in English please) marathon session before you sleep on said drunken night prevents the hang-over hehehe.

PEOPLE

The people in Dumaguete are sincere and very friendly. I guess living in a multi-cultural hub has taught the people to be open and accommodating. Getting around the city is easy because they're always ready to help.

Of all the places I have been to, this is the only one I seriously considered relocating to during a serious life-changing point in my life. Maybe because the place has a vibe similar to UP and anything as warm and welcoming as UP is home to me hehehe.

@markiiboi, i'll be back in dumaguete soon. hope you'll be back many times soon. and if you'll be in dumaguete, let me know because maybe we could also hang out...

markiiboi, notice that we have so may motorcycles here??.. there are actually more or less 35,000 motorclycles registered this year here..

hmmm.. what can i say??.. dumaguete is the motorcycle city of the philippines....;)

just passed by the baywalk.. there were lots of tourist vans parked and lots of caucasians and koreans were feasting there eyes on the beautiful view.. too bad, its cloudy and the sea looks a bit muddy due to the heavy rains.. but i think they liked it by the look of their faces..

Hey, a very unique promo there by Jo's Chicken Inato. Free ringside seats to a boxing match while eating a sumptous meal of broiled chicken. Now that's what I call Brawl and Broil!! :rock:

Nice pics!! :okay:


i thought they were just fooling and playing around.. murag ga drama.. check out the security guard.. murag choreographed.. hehehehe.

Siliman University

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/6555/dsc02505copy6co.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/7239/dsc02491copy7kz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1628/dsc02506copy4ju.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4097/dsc02507copy22cu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/8412/dsc02518copy1pc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Baywalk


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/8135/dsc02552copy9iu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/8577/dsc02560copy8gt.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/1561/dsc02569copy7ti.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/8844/dsc02576copy9nc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)



Capitol


http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/333/dsc02584copy5pw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2153/dsc02590copy1zf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Airport

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/2762/dsc02601copy6kz.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

niceeeee!! superb!! excellent!! more than the usual!! extraordinary!! deng! im speechless.. very good shots!.. r u a professional maniniyot markiiboi? hehe..

by the way, what were u doing here markiiboi? i was just around town and in school june 25..

^^ thnx nick! not really a professional maniniyot bro, hobbyist lang. hehehe.

ang maniniyot naa abot ug dumaguete para maniyot.. hehe

mga punuo-an man lagi imo gipang picturan mark.. hehe

MarkiiBoy, Didn't get to Bais or Mabini? Good.

That means you must come back for another visit and take more of your great pictures. We look forward to seeing more of your work, pictures of Cebu and Dumaguete. Have a pleasant trip home.

have u gone inside silliman church markiiboi??.. nice sad if imo na kuhaan pic.. the inside as well is photogenic..

very nice indeed, markiiboi...

here's a good shot of st. catherine of alexandria church..

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/5036/dgtecathedral7fu.jpg

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/691/dumaguete048qz.jpg

from tommy schultz..

next week na daw mag-start ang construction sa portal west building?

i love these shots!.. from markiiboi..

the capitol
http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/6048/dgtecapitol017hf.jpg

su amphitheatre benches with a cute little sparrow..;) (silliman has been a bird sanctuary campus ever since.. thanks to the 300+ acacia trees around the campus!!..)
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3294/suamphibenches0yb.jpg-- im using this as my desktop wallpaper now.. hehe

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/2537/picture0047ru.jpg

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9385/picture0033ps.jpg

next week na daw mag-start ang construction sa portal west building?


actually, ga start na cya.. too bad.. they have to cut some trees and trim some of the acacia trees around hibbard parking area.. but its ok.. thats the price of development..

Dumaguete Connection, Alex Pal
Published at the Visayan Daily Star, July 27, 2006

The high cost of education and the not-so-good economy,

aggravated by the momentary incapacity of pre-need companies to fulfill their obligations, is taking its toll on the education sector these days. On the other hand, the teachers have to get salary increases each year, as provided for by their collective bargaining agreement. I've been told that the teachers automatically get an increase when enrolment increases. The question is, what happens if enrolment drops?

A report given by former National Economic and Development Authority director general Cielito Habito the other day said that private schools are experiencing a huge drop in enrolment and their students are transferring to public schools, where the tuition fees are understandably cheaper.

Now, more than ever, private schools are facing a dilemma. Should tuition be increased and forced on the already suffering parents or are there other available means of funding?

Hopefully by next year, another building will be completed in Silliman University that is envisioned to help subsidize tuition fees. To rise at the west side of the famous Portals (gates of knowledge) at the corner of Hibbard Avenue and Perdices Streets, this new building will be called the Portal West building.

This will be a three-storey building which will have a total gross floor area of 4,326 square meters while its total net rentable space covers 2,375.70 square meters.

Construction of this building will start next week, or after the construction permits shall have been obtained, and the building is scheduled for completion ten months later.

It would have been nice if the American billionaire Warren Buffet would give part of his $37 billion fortune, representing 85 percent of his wealth, which he would donate to charity. But this building, which is estimated to cost at least P50 million, will be funded "by faith". This will primarily be funded out of donations from Silliman alumni from all over the world.

Spearheading the fundraising drive for this building is the Silliman University Alumni Council for North America or the SUACONA.

But of course, this does not mean that alumni in the Philippines, or friends of the University, are not encouraged to donate towards this cause. In fact, potential lessees or those interested to lease portions of this building are invited to submit proposals on how they could help in completing this building. This could mean putting their money into the building now and paying a smaller rent the moment they shall be occupying the building.

"This will be a purely business venture," President Ben Malayang III announced. Already, many businesses have signified their interest to transfer to this prestigious address. Among the features that this building will have is that it will have ample parking space, be environmentally friendly, will make use of the fiber optic network of the University, have a captive market of around 8,000 students and other Dumaguetenos and many more.

I remember when former Congressman Mike Romero, as he was still on his way to the top in his law practice, said it was necessary for businesses or aspiring professionals to be situated in the commercial district. "Even if it's just a hole in the wall," he said. Well, that strategy paid off for Mike. Proposals from prospective lessees are being accepted at the office of Dr. Cleonico Fontelo, the vice president for finance.*

http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/2537/picture0047ru.jpg

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/9385/picture0033ps.jpg

haha.. nice one ritch!!!..;) theres a very big difference.. wow.. i cud now imagine how dumaguete wud look like without those hanging in-your-face wires all around the city!!..

Silliman University street and costume party at hibbard avenue this week!! c u all there!

if only all the dumaguete streets could be "photoshopped", meaning all the wires removed, then dumaguete would be the nicest place on earth...

MarkiiBoy, Didn't get to Bais or Mabini? Good.

That means you must come back for another visit and take more of your great pictures. We look forward to seeing more of your work, pictures of Cebu and Dumaguete. Have a pleasant trip home.

Hopefully in the coming weeks ill be back. Thnx! :D


have u gone inside silliman church markiiboi??.. nice sad if imo na kuhaan pic.. the inside as well is photogenic..

I thought its closed. Cge next time ill take a peek inside. ;)


very nice indeed, markiiboi...


Thnx ritche! :D

http://www.geocities.com/dumaguetecitydotcom/dumaguetecity.jpg

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/309/dumaguetecity6mz.jpg
Dumaguete City boulevard, photoedited...

http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/8803/dsc02602copy7se.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7553/dsc02366copy8er.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6342/dsc02371copy4km.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

dumaguete lovers in europe.. oops.. in dumaguete lang din pala..;) background is la residencia almar..

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/3393/dumaguetelovers4bn.jpg


-- wla lang...;)

hmmm..... sila na diay?? it's surprising... :lol:

http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/8803/dsc02602copy7se.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7553/dsc02366copy8er.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/6342/dsc02371copy4km.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


Nice to see a glimpse of my hometown. Which by the way, I've noticed that in the picture of the town plaza, the roof of the kiosk has been removed. Probably it will be renovated. Thanks Mark.

hmmm..... sila na diay?? it's surprising... :lol:

I read in Ian Casocot's blog that that guy...........

Chronicles of a Passerby
impressions made by visitors and tourists


from the blog: creating a space 101
http://creatingaspace101.blogspot.com/2003/09/looking-back-on-dumaguetes-shore.html

(this piece is quite lengthy yet emotional as the author relishes her stay in Dumaguete... as the cliche goes "when you're in Dumaguete, the hardest thing to do is saying goodbye")


Wednesday, September 10, 2003

looking back
On Dumaguete’s Shore: Homebound
By Christine A. Ongpin

I will be leaving Dumaguete soon. In a span of one year and a half, I have found a home in this city cradled by the sea. To write about my stay here, my life here, would be like the writing of a poem: a gathering of memories, carefully choosing the right words to move into some higher form of experience; an elevation of the soul. No word could ever be perfect, though. I remember, one evening at the sea wall, when I asked a friend how to describe the sound of the waves. When I asked that question, I knew there really was no answer. I shall forever be left groping for those elusive words, as memories of Dumaguete shall transform themselves into waves, lapping at the shore of my mind.

Going to Silliman’s graduate school was a lame excuse. I could have certainly gone to any of Manila’s universities. Yet I had chosen to come to this strange place all by myself because I wanted to be far from the din of the city, the dizzying lights at night, the restlessness of the people. And then again there was the sea. I already had an idea of how it was like in Dumaguete even before I had set my foot here. There were the innumerable stories of writers who have come and left with the same promise in their hearts: to return to this city again and again. And so in June of last year, I have found myself standing in the Sibulan airport with huge duffel bags and a lost look on my face. As I waited patiently for my sundo, I looked around me and saw students—who I surmised—have spent their vacation in Manila, with their families and friends welcoming them back. Dumaguete had a deep, strange way of welcoming me: I surely did not feel at home; the sights and scent were altogether unfamiliar to me. And the sound, the sound! I could hear everybody speaking in a language I never knew, never thought I would be uttering too.

It was raining hard when I left Manila and I was surprised at the sunny morning that greeted me here. It was as if Dumaguete was behind the change of seasons. True enough, I soon discovered how perfect it is here. The rains would fall only late at night until very early in the morning. It was strange to hear that in some parts of the country, typhoons were on a rampage while here, the people are all clad in their most comfortable clothes; one would be drenched with sweat not with rain. There was a time when it was drizzling and I brought with me my umbrella and my dorm mates laughed at me: “dili man mi mag-umbrella kung ga-taligsik”. We don’t use the umbrella when it’s drizzling. One chance of drizzle that they get, they make sure it would be worth the experience.

It saddens me now that I have to talk about Dumaguete like I am already far from it and all the scenes are just playing on my mind. Nevertheless, I have to admit that this is my way of thanking Dumaguete, my way of paying homage. Barely a month from now, I will be going home—but this is home to me now! I have made my own life here; have directed my once too puny boat into a coast of strangeness. Here, I have met sailors of my kind, and we have all sailed on together. There’s Ayvi who is also a Thomasian; funny that it is only here that we have met when we were in fact, both Literature majors only that she was two years my senior. I know I am going to miss her. We tell people that we are sisters except that her father is Japanese and mine is Chinese. I have already said goodbye to her because I know I will have to soon. My meeting with Ayvi would perhaps speak of the magic of this city. Strangers who come from the same place find each other standing along the same shore and often, they end up sitting on the sand sharing stories about where they have come from and where else they intend to go.

As for now, I do not want to miss even a single moment of running along the boulevard in the morning, with people who are strangers to each other. The sea and the sun peeping somewhere across the island comfort us and send us forth through the entire day. After my morning jog, I would go home and prepare myself for school where I have learned to redefine friendship, giving that word a completely new meaning because we do not share the same language. I may not have been able to have a lot of friends here like I do in Manila but those few faces are the ones whose names I would always carry within me. Friendships are not difficult to build here. I remember telling Kaye that Sillimanians share a beautiful tragedy: they come to Dumaguete from different areas of the country, meet friends, share lives together only to eventually part ways.

****

Friday is fly day. Going out on a Friday night is probably the highlight of the week, a simple pleasure that we all take part in. Our shotting sessions in El Amigo can never be forgotten. It is a place frequented by students who seem to have one thing in common: the zest for life, the individuality, the soul. It is a favorite bar-restaurant among students of Silliman. Murals of friends with arms entwined around each other’s backs are painted on its walls, depicting the place’s name. Reggae music is a trademark of El Am’s. I had my very first dinner there and I was stunned at the prices of the food and drinks. At that time, a barbeque plate cost only twenty-six pesos. With fifty pesos in your wallet, you would already satisfy your gustatory craving and would still have something left for beer.

Conversations over bottles of beer usually vary. At times, we would simply sit there, after having dinner at, say, Manang Siony’s and kid around, beer bottle in hand. There would also be nights when the mood is serious as if we crave for some cosmic realization to dawn on us. After our drinking session, we would usually go to the Boulevard to eat tempura—the Dumagueteños’ version of the quequiam. A promenade along the Boulevard follows. It’s amazing how people of all ages go out at night on weekends to simply sit on the sea wall; and by the looks on their faces, they are really having fun. The City of Gentle People is what Dumaguete is. One could roam the streets sans the worry of what one usually experiences in bigger cities. The quaintness of the place adds to the bohemian magic of the people’s lifestyle.

Being a university town and a favorite among tourists, it is quite amazing to see so many young people in the streets. Almost everybody knows everybody. It’s not surprising when I’d walk into a café and would find tables occupied by friends; or while waiting for a pedicab, a friend driving a motorbike would invite you for a ride. Some nights would find us heading to the beach, perhaps to drink or just talk. I recall the days when I was still staying in a dormitory inside the campus. There is a strict curfew at nine-thirty in the evening and just minutes before it, students will be seen scurrying off to beat the time. For us who still want to go on with whatever we were doing before the curfew—drinking perhaps— we would put bottles of iced cold beer and food in our backpacks. After the nightly bed-check, one room would “sponsor”, that is, being the “venue” for the night.

A few weeks ago, Ayvi, Karen, Eric, Mark, Rex and me went for a drive to the Escaño Beach—Dumaguete’s version of the CCP breakwaters. We bought, what else, beer and food and packs of cigarettes and parked beside the seawall. Mark had his car doors open and jazz music played softly from the radio station somewhere in Cebu. The moon was up that night, illuminating the silky surface of the sea. I could still hear Ayvi crying in awe as she pointed out to where the gentle light of the moon fell: they are here, the silver dolphins! Indeed, the waves looked like silver dolphins playing, bobbing up and down, in time with the waves. The tides were not yet up and Karen and I decided to wade. The water was cool and we shrieked in delight every time the waves came to the shore. We were like two little girls playing, unmindful of the gradual rising of the tide. Karen kept giggling, reminding me not to stray too far; the corals and rocks might hurt my feet, she said. Wanting to feel nothing but the softness of the sand in my toes, I waded farther into the deeper part of the sea. Had they not called me back, I would have swam, clothes and all. Yet inasmuch as I love the sea, my fear of it is overwhelming. In my head, it was the sea’s undertow that made me go back to the shore.

Sundays in this gentle city are far more different in Manila. All the shops downtown are closed, most of the food establishments included. The Dumagueteños’ notion of a family day is that they go to church in the morning probably, then have lunch together at home or at some restaurant that would be open for the day. The Silliman campus would be deserted too except for some students who would opt to go to the library or take walks in the acacia-lined campus. Ayvi and I have our own Sunday ritual. No matter how busy and occupied we had been throughout the entire week, our Sundays would be for the two of us. We begin our day with me picking her up at the Davao cottage, the faculty dormitory she is staying in, and would then walk to wherever we have chosen to have lunch. Afterwards, we would see if one of us has to go to Lee Plaza, Dumaguete’s bigger department store, to buy some provisions we need. If not, we would go for a walk along the Boulevard, sit down and talk over nilagang mais or dirty ice cream; at late, the conversation would be followed by silence, a comforting silence, and we would stare at the sea, and off to the island of Siquijor.

At nights, we would often hear our names being called by our little friends who sell boiled peanuts, green mangoes and balut in the streets of Dumaguete. The smile on their faces tell us that work is not really work to them but a game made more exciting when we stop and talk to them. It’s both funny and amusing how we try to speak each other’s language. Ayvi and I being Tagalog, we talk to them in Cebuano; but since they know we are not from Negros, they speak to us in Tagalog. And so, there we are, trying to merge two completely different worlds, shared with stories and laughter. One moment I would never forget is the night when Ayvi and I were at the Boulevard, passing time before we’d have dinner. I had just finished shooting for a documentary I was working on and I still had my camera with me. That was the first time little Franco came to us, a boy of seven, a plastic basket of peanuts, mangoes and chicharon in hand, a scarf tied around his head. I remember how he had caught my attention. A man was teaching him what to shout as he sells his goods, but he kept forgetting it. Little Franco would always yell, “manî, chicharon, manî!” But his older friend would correct him, “dili, ingon ana! Manî, chicharon, mangga! Naa man ka’y gibaligya’g mangga, ayaw kalimti!” Apparently, Franco kept forgetting that he was also selling his mangoes. Ayvi and I were amused but went on walking. Not long after, Franco approached us and asked if we wanted to buy from him. Instinctively, I turned on my camera and started talking to him. He seemed to have liked it, as he went on and on talking about himself, asking us questions, playing tricks and making faces as I take a footage of him. Soon, Franco’s friends joined us, cavorting for a chance to be on video. And then the most beautiful thing happened. Franco and his friends jumped down the sea wall, as the tides were very low, and made a bonfire along the shore. They shouted at Ayvi and me, dancing around the fire, laughing, pushing each other away so as not to be blocked away from my camera’s view. It was perfect. And before they let us go for the night, they made us promise to come back.

It’s time for me to go back to Manila. Days from now, I will start packing my things, returning them into the boxes they had come from when I first arrived here. As always when I travel, the most important of my belongings are kept in my backpack. Now I shall not only have the essentials—my wallet, my favorite book, photos, letters, the plane ticket—kept there; I shall have my backpack full of memories too. These memories shall be my compass—directing me always, always, to where home is… tintin!

Chronicles of a Passerby
impressions made by visitors and tourists

(true again to the cliche "when you're in Dumaguete, the hardest thing to do is saying goodbye", here's another one)


from the blog: spreading the sky
http://spreadingthesky.blogspot.com/

LET US START WITH GOODBYE

I have just returned home from the National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete, and am currently suffering from the infamous Post-Dumaguete Syndrome. I feel lucky though because the other fellows in our batch have it really bad. At least for me, i had some form of proper closure upon leaving the city. I was sitting on my favorite bench along the boulevard, and was just watching the sea for the last time. In my mind, I kept pushing back the inevitable instant when I would stand up and walk away from the sea. After much lingering, I unconsciously told myself "I think it's about time we headed back." Instantly, I felt goose bumps all over my body because those were the exact words of Luis, one of the characters in a short story I submitted to the workshop. The whole situation struck me with such poignancy, because Luis was sitting in front of the sea, just like I was. Luis also said goodbye to a fanciful sea-girl (a metaphor for his childhood), as I was saying goodbye to Dumaguete.It is rather ironic that my blog should start with a goodbye; a goodbye to the boulevard, a goodbye to the lamps, a goodbye the sea, and a goodbye to the whole Dumaguete dream. But what really got me thinking is whether my goodbye to Dumaguete (like my character Luis' goodbye to his sea-girl) was also a goodbye to my childhood.It has been said many times that Dumaguete is a rite of passage for all young writers in the Philippines. As for me, i feel that it was my own coming of age story, not just as an aspiring writer, but as a person. Does that mean i am now mature? Does that mean i am now an adult? I really do not know. But one thing I do know is that when my plane landed in Manila, I sincerely felt that I left something behind, something that I can no longer retrieve. It is to that something, whatever it may be, that I ultimately bid goodbye.

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AMKxuGZK08o"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AMKxuGZK08o" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5HaJuEHBA2s"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5HaJuEHBA2s" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

I read in Ian Casocot's blog that that guy...........

I knew who they are and I know everything about it... that's why I'm surprised but I assume it's just mere publicity... :)

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

go Shane... Nanagko na ang tiyan... heheheh :)

I knew who they are and I know everything about it... that's why I'm surprised but I assume it's just mere publicity... :)


i know u guys know about them.. i do know them too.. and at least, somthing about them.. lets not discuss it here coz it will already be going in to there private lives.. i was just posting the pic just because i love it.. i love the background and i like the shot.. nothing more, nothing less..

i cud still remember Cueshe.. they were always playing in El Camino Blanco before they had their album.. they used to play RnB when they still had their female vocalist.. knda dead-ma lang na cla before dri.. but look at them now.. wew..

hello dumzville! post naman kayo sa top three favaorite steets in your city thread... thanks :D

http://jasm.daa.jp/Tour/t74.jpg
CAP Building, Dumaguete

http://jasm.daa.jp/Tour/t7.jpg
Dumaguete Public Market

http://jasm.daa.jp/Tour/t46.jpg
Dumaguete Public Plaza

hmmmm.. knda mingaw..

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/V075wxEqkM0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

pwede pa la mag you tube sa SSC:eek2:

LAKE BALINSASAYAO-LOOK ALIKE, a fully developed lake resort somewhere
in Europe. This foto should inspire our TOURISM leaders and stakeholders to
work harder until we reach this stage of development. What is important in this photo is the message that: IT CAN BE DONE, if there is enough political WILL among all of us.

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/639/fonta3oi.jpg

THE more than 500-meter Looc bypass road will soon be renamed Don Carlos Gothong Avenue to acknowledge the Gothong family who donated a major portion of their property to pave the way for the opening of the widest road in Dumaguete City under former Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo.

Mayor Agustin Perdices said the development followed a decision of the Gothong family to withdraw their court case against the City Government over the extra property, which they said they did not donate but was included in the building of the road.

The mayor said the family has agreed to withdraw their demand to the city to pay the excess 705 square meters valued at P2.1 million and donate it instead.

At the start of the controversy in 2001, the City Government offered to pay only the cost of 473 square meters of the extra property or P1.4 million.

The Gothong family refused and instead settled for 600 square meters. Out-of-court settlement failed and the family elevated their complaint to the court.

However, Perdices revealed he received a telephone call last week from the Gothong lawyer telling him the family was withdrawing the complaint and would donate the controversial excess land to the city.

Perdices said he was surprised at the turn of event and believed the Gothong family was not after the money.

He said 705 square meters was "very small" compared to the family's holdings.

Perdices added that Gothong would benefit from the bypass road because of its easy access to the city's port.

SunStar Dumaguete
(July 2, 2006 issue)

@nicko, what's the latest from dumaguete?

guys, the new design for our passenger terminal has already been released.. the publication is on today's metro post issue.. i does look good.. way much better than the previous designs.. and it only costs 50 million.. thanks to Palafox Associates in Manila..

cant find the picture on the net.. maybe u guys can find it and probably post it.. its definitely a must see.. its not that big but it has that marina appeal.. doesnt look like boxy at all considering that the designer is Palafox.. hehehe..;)

wow, that would be good...well, if there are elements lacking, they may just add on that later...but meanwhile the city government MUST accept the design of Palafox...

yeah.. they MUST.. if they dont, the city wud have to wait for 2-3 more years for them to gather 30 million for the 80 million previous design made by dumaguete top architects.. PPA has only 50 million on their pockets.. good thing Palafox made made somthing that is worth exactly 50 million..

in fairness, the 50 million present proposal looks much better than the 80 million previous proposal.. there is only a slight difference on the total land area..

if it is smaller, then the city government or the ppa might just construct additional buildings later such as a port mall or a bus terminal? btw, what's included in the design of palafox?

yep.. ur right.. i dnt know what wud be included coz it wasnt indicated.. and added to the marina appeal, it also looks like a sea side mall.. pretty impressive..

wow...can't wait to see it...btw i heard from a friend na marami daw talaga construction sa dumaguete ngayon, kahit saang dako...dumaguete is really booming, hah? but i hope people will continuously be vigilant to preserve dumaguete's pristine environment.

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UfPN2i-hO2I"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UfPN2i-hO2I" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Streethood 2005 Breakdance Competition, Lamberto Macias Sports Center

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TAKOevyL6Ls"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TAKOevyL6Ls" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
All-University Cheering Competition, Silliman University

THE more than 500-meter Looc bypass road will soon be renamed Don Carlos Gothong Avenue to acknowledge the Gothong family who donated a major portion of their property to pave the way for the opening of the widest road in Dumaguete City under former Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo.

Err... Dumaguete's widest road is named after the people that donated the land for it? I can't help but feel that there are more significant people in the city's history that the street could be named after. Anyway, I'm glad that the legal issues are being ironed out.

wow...can't wait to see it...btw i heard from a friend na marami daw talaga construction sa dumaguete ngayon, kahit saang dako...dumaguete is really booming, hah? but i hope people will continuously be vigilant to preserve dumaguete's pristine environment.

Yeah, it's exciting with all the construction and developments going on. Lots of things to look forward to. Just off the top of my head...
- TeleTech in Calindagan
- Hotel and Convention Center beside the Perdices Coliseum
- Park Building renovation
- Po's Marketing rebuilding
- Portal West building
- Uymatiao extension thing

And in the long term we can look forward to...
- Robinson's Mall
- Sea port passenger terminal
- Boulevard expansion

http://jasm.daa.jp/Tour/t68.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/72/175272510_9361e494b1.jpg?v=0
Where is this?

http://static.flickr.com/47/140548279_0130a8e492.jpg?v=0
Yachts in Tambobo Bay

http://static.flickr.com/53/156318954_f3e6073e29.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/47/156318556_a96fc92c79.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/48/138079764_7fb7f20717.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/54/138079536_138099ef14.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/51/138079390_54fa7961ea.jpg?v=0

http://static.flickr.com/48/129424578_aabbeec77a.jpg?v=0

http://jasm.daa.jp/Tour/t68.jpg


The guy is cute... yummyyyyyyyyyyyy... :)

http://static.flickr.com/72/175272510_9361e494b1.jpg?v=0
Where is this?


Could this be going to Casaroro Falls? I went there together with some mountaineers around 5 years ago..

Err... Dumaguete's widest road is named after the people that donated the land for it? I can't help but feel that there are more significant people in the city's history that the street could be named after. Anyway, I'm glad that the legal issues are being ironed out.



Yeah, it's exciting with all the construction and developments going on. Lots of things to look forward to. Just off the top of my head...
- TeleTech in Calindagan
- Hotel and Convention Center beside the Perdices Coliseum
- Park Building renovation
- Po's Marketing rebuilding
- Portal West building
- Uymatiao extension thing

And in the long term we can look forward to...
- Robinson's Mall
- Sea port passenger terminal
- Boulevard expansion

hey, ur totaly forgetting sumthing. PHCCI Building!.. its 90% done and it wud
soon be dumzville's tallest.. few meters taller than Bandera Building.. i always pass by there and i cant even see the tops of it.. hehehe.. although its not the skyscraper type thats really really tall but its at least tall and it has good architechture.. y dnt u take a pic of it..

another in downtown is the renovated Park Building.. soon to ba a mall or whatever.. i dnt know wat to expect from it.. its been repainted.. its now turning into a lively orange and blue structure..

plus, still in downtown is a hotel.. dnt know wat is it but it sure looks so tropical.. the one where PS bank is located on its ground floor.. i think its done but i think its still filling up the hotel rooms..

og dghan pang uban!!!,,,

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TAKOevyL6Ls"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TAKOevyL6Ls" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
All-University Cheering Competition, Silliman University



yay!!! we won!! hahaha.. viva CNAHS!!,, heheheh.. nice stunts!!.. pang international yan..

lets all buckle up for this year's SU Founder's Day CelebrationS!!... and the 60th Ms Silliman!!

(guys, wont be able to go on line 'til june 6.. cruznet is upgrading their systems.. and yeah.. im a cruznet user.. sad.. im not even at home now.. just in the cyber lib.. but ok lang.. at least, there is an upgrade going on!.. .) wala lang.. woohehehe...;) peace!!!

Oh yeah, I forgot about that PHCCI building! I don't think about it often because that's not a road I often pass by... but whenever I do I'm wowed by the progress that's being done with the construction. Maybe I'll take a picture of it one of these days when I have the chance. :)

http://www.negroschronicle.com/final/current/tourism.jpg

Countryside Renewal: Tomorrow’s TOURISM

As less developed countryside emerge within the growing rural property boom, it is inevitable that waterfront lifestyle should be Oriental Negros’ obsession, not surprisingly as the beach gives the most perfect setting that a countryside could want.

Blessed with beautiful beaches and scenery, Oriental Negros is primed for hotel and resort development. This resort-hotel industry is a good indicator of tourism's growth.

Midtown Beach resort (see photo as visualized by CARLOS & ANTIQUE ARCHITECTS) could very well play that role. It is an 8,000 square meter tourism resort that will be redeveloped off the coast of Tinayunan Beach in Guihulngan, Oriental Negros.

The existing resort will be retrofitted to delicately thread through natural contours and vegetation. The resort's facilities will be a 15- room hotel, 27-car parking slots, reception hall, restaurant, caf鬠 general store, conference and seminar rooms, tennis court, badminton court, swimming pool, kid's playground, wedding gazebo, single-detached cottages, wooden boardwalk, and a causeway. The architectural expression will be 'Filipino vernacular' using roof shingles, saw-texture and stained timber in various beach and earthly color.

Midtown Beach is a resort development that will attempt to go beyond basic commercial concerns and to provide for a notion of retreat and relaxation in a vernacular sense.

ritche, what are the other good resorts to visit in dumaguete apart from antulang?

yay!!! we won!! hahaha.. viva CNAHS!!,, heheheh.. nice stunts!!.. pang international yan..

lets all buckle up for this year's SU Founder's Day CelebrationS!!... and the 60th Ms Silliman!!


It seems that CNAHS is the new powerhouse. Before, it was contested between CBA, AS, and Engineering.

Cheering has always been special and memorable to me even I am not directly involved into it. I was a member of the props committee of CBA for 3 years; 1998, 1999, and in 2000 which even though I was already a graduate but still I volunteered to be part of the team.

Most memorable was in 1999 when CBA swept all major awards; best squad, best squad leader, best cheerleaders, and eventually the championship trophy. I don't know if that feat was replicated. CBA had to call its graduating class to join the competition, as by tradition the freshmen were the ones who will participate, but in that year few were interested. The seniors, who were then freshmen in 1996, were the last batch to win the trophy (perpetual trophy to be exact when in '94 and '95 CBA also won, making it 3 in a row).

As for the props committee, we were the pioneer in using the backdrop (the large painted cloth used as background). I could still remember the “wows” when the “We've Got It All” backdrop with painting of skyscrapers on a night sky was raised to add effect. It really sends shivers everytime I remember that. 1998 was also the year when face and body painting became popular, as long as I could remember, we were the first to paint the entire face. I really enjoyed cheering especially with those behind the scenes; hardwork, drama, camaraderie, and joy of winning.

Hey, Founder's Day is approaching. Why not schedule for a meet huh?

Chronicles of a Passerby
impressions made by visitors and tourists

(Dumaguete got its name from the Visayan word "dagit" meaning being kidnap, taken, or snatch. This was in the early centuries when marauding Muslims from nearby Mindanao raided the island and kidnapped its women. A bell tower is still standing today as witness to those incidents which it was used to signal the incoming marauders. Presently, Dumaguete is still true to its name, it still kidnaps, snatches, and takes away, but no longer the physical body but the hearts... a strange kind of attachment.)

from the blog: landing on terra firma
http://holypatola.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_holypatola_archive.html

Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Auf Wiedersehen, Dumaguete

And so it's ended, those three lovely weeks in Dumaguete. And I don't know what to say, except maybe this: that I didn't want to leave at all, and that if I had a choice, I would have remained there until I got sick of the place.

But the 1st Semester calls. I need to graduate so sorely. I'm overstaying in college, and it's not something I'm happy about.

Upon arriving here in Manila, I contracted some sort of condition, which I will call the Post-Dumaguete Blues (PDB). Suddenly, everything about Manila was execrable, everything was hackneyed and trite. All this blasted traffic, all these porma kids, all these skyscrapers. God, it's the same old yarn.

My sister met me at the airport, and the word Dumaguete was becoming such a fixture in my vocabulary, it was making both of us pretty sick. Dumaguete this, Dumaguete that. Classic symptoms of PDB, if you ask me. I spent my first night here in Manila just moping in the flat, smoking fag after fag, and kicking things around in the most desultory way, if only to do something. The sister asked me, "Oy, what's eating you?"

"I don't want to be here, I want to go baaaaaack. I want to go back to Dumaguete. I don't wanna be here."

Another manifestation of PDB, how you become nauseatingly repetitive. My sister must have gone deaf just listening to me whine about being back in Manila. Why, even I've gone deaf just listening to myself. Jesus christ.

Since my arrival, I've also been comparing one city to the other: it's suddenly Dumaguete vs. Manila for me. And always, always, always, Dumaguete ends up the more favored spot. Predictably enough.

Walking around Cubao's Ukay section with my sister the other day, I kept on pointing at cosmopolitan phenomena as though they were the strangest things one could happen upon in this city. "Look at that," I would say accusatorily, one hand gesturing at the traffic, at the homeless supine on their cardboard mats, or a hillock of garbage gathering outside a commercial building. "Will you look at that," I would repeat, and this time, a little more dramatically.

"What? What?" My sister would say, completely innocuous.

"That." There would be some triumph in my voice, as though I had won some small prize in a spelling bee. "That is the kind of thing I've never seen in Dumaguete. Can you believe that? I mean, it was such a purdy city. What a shame that I had to leave it."

My sister would look at me, nonplussed, and resume walking to an Ukay store. I didn't mind that she was inattentive - I was being a pain in the ass, after all.

A couple of friends of mine who've been previous fellows in the Dumaguete Workshop reassured me that I would bounce back to normalcy within a period of a week or so. "Oh, that's normal," J said, after taking a swig of his beer. "Nobody wants to leave Dumaguete. And Manila really is ugly after that kind of experience."

"Did you come back to Dumaguete, though?" I asked him.

"Yup. A couple of years ago. And it felt different the second time around. It didn't feel so magical anymore."

Well, that settles it, then. Already, my co-fellows and I are planning to come back next year in time for the 2006 Workshop. Recapture some of the old spirit, if it's still there at all. By then, we would have gotten over our own Workshop, we would have assumed our normal lives, and we wouldn't be so despondent when we finally leave for Manila once more. I wouldn't be looking for the boy on the motorbike. Things change. I like that.

BY JUANCHO GALLARDE
Visayan Daily Star, July 5, 2006

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has designated a parcel of land in Dumaguete City, Oriental Negros, as an Information Technology Center.

Proclamation 1087, dated June 8, 2006, declares the 7-hectare lot where the Teletech building was constructed in Barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete as an IT center. The designation of the area was recommended by the board of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

City Administrator Engr. Dominador Dumalag Jr., said the purpose of Proclamation 1087 was to use the designated area solely for information technology, and the privilege is given to the lot owner and not to Teletech.*

ritche, what are the other good resorts to visit in dumaguete apart from antulang?


there are actually plenty...you have the white sand bar in Bais, KooKoo's Nest near Antulang, the bahura resort and spa, the white sand beaches in apo island, the golden sand beaches in bayawan-basay area, el dorado beach resort, oriental village resort, wuthering heights...just plenty, not to mention the beaches of siquijor which is just 45 mins from dumaguete.

BY ALEX PAL
Visayan Daily Star, July 5, 2006

Wherever you buy your coffee in the Philippines, you can be sure it's made from imported coffee beans. That's because the Philippines imports half of the coffee that it drinks.

Joel Lumagbas said there is an urgent need for the country to increase its coffee output because Filipinos are fond of coffee.

"Only 50 percent of our annual domestic consumption is grown in the Philippines," Lumagbas, vice president of Nestle Philippines, said at a briefing during a meeting of the League of Corporate Foundations in Dumaguete City last week.

Lumagbas added that the said current domestic consumption of coffee is around 60,000 metric tons and is growing at a minimum of three percent per year. By 2015, the total domestic consumption is projected to reach 78,000 metric tons, he said.

In contrast, the Philippines produces only 28,000 metric tons of coffee per year and buys from other countries, notably Vietnam, at the cost of P1.5 billion.

Because of this, his company is encouraging farmers to plant coffee and jatropha, which are complementary crops that can be grown side by side. "Coffee and jatropha both last for 50 years from one planting and both are in great demand," he said. Jatropha is a source of energy for lighting, heating and fuel for machineries and vehicles.

Jatropa oil sells for .40 cents per liter in the world market. "And that's based on US$70 per barrel price of crude oil. You could imagine the price when crude oil shoots up to US$100 per barrel," Lumagbas said.

Oriental Negros is positioning to be a major coffee grower in the country that will soon be known by it own brand of coffee.

Board Member Mariant Escano Villegas revealed that this dream could be made possible with the support of Lumagbas company.

Lumagbas told some 100 government and non-government representatives from Oriental Negros and Negros Occidental who attended the forum at Bethel Guest House that they will soon set up a coffee buying station in Dumaguete.

But the Occidental guests said they were surprised to learn that the buying station that would be set up in Dumaguete will be coming from Bacolod City.

"We realized that the coffee we were buying in Bacolod were coming from Oriental Negros," Lumagbas explained.*AP

@miguel, et al...cge, let's all meet, together with all dumaguete forumers, sillimanians or non-sillimanians...

wher are the forumers from dumaguete? finally am back to my hometown, and the developments are quite impressive...yeah, plenty of constructions going around, and hey, a lot of foreign students...just finished eating at sted's and at my back were fil-americans, iranians and koreans in one table...hey, it felt like multinational...it felt good to be back home...however, i could not yet post the pics that i took with my cellphone here as the netopia near silliman has no infrared...sayang.

hey, the phcci building is quite impressive...very modern, and i don't how to say it...basta it's just very nice. this just highlights that dumaguete is not behind in terms of architecture...too bad i can't load the pics here.

hi ritch.. hehe.. sory, wasnt able to meet u up. knda busy with school stuff.. i just came from school and im quite exhausted.. im drowning myself with tea.. anyhoots, meeting up with the gang is a nice idea.. i wont have any problems with it as long as it wudnt hurt any of my class sched.. hehehe.. its nice to come back here.. but pretty dismayed that gamay lang ang posts.. i was expecting like we are on the 400 posts.. but no biggie!!!..

It seems that CNAHS is the new powerhouse. Before, it was contested between CBA, AS, and Engineering.

Cheering has always been special and memorable to me even I am not directly involved into it. I was a member of the props committee of CBA for 3 years; 1998, 1999, and in 2000 which even though I was already a graduate but still I volunteered to be part of the team.

Most memorable was in 1999 when CBA swept all major awards; best squad, best squad leader, best cheerleaders, and eventually the championship trophy. I don't know if that feat was replicated. CBA had to call its graduating class to join the competition, as by tradition the freshmen were the ones who will participate, but in that year few were interested. The seniors, who were then freshmen in 1996, were the last batch to win the trophy (perpetual trophy to be exact when in '94 and '95 CBA also won, making it 3 in a row).

As for the props committee, we were the pioneer in using the backdrop (the large painted cloth used as background). I could still remember the “wows” when the “We've Got It All” backdrop with painting of skyscrapers on a night sky was raised to add effect. It really sends shivers everytime I remember that. 1998 was also the year when face and body painting became popular, as long as I could remember, we were the first to paint the entire face. I really enjoyed cheering especially with those behind the scenes; hardwork, drama, camaraderie, and joy of winning.

Hey, Founder's Day is approaching. Why not schedule for a meet huh?



hmmm.. emote ha.. hehe.. but now, its CNAHS that has become the university's powerhouse.. grand champs of the university intrams last yr and the over-all champion just at the recent founder's day.. the college got the perpetual trophy.. three consecutive years of being the champs..

i dnt know what will be the fate of CNAHS this year.. who knows?? maybe another college will snatch of that marble perpetual trophy!..

meeting up is a good idea.. the alumnis here should sponser it.. hehehe..;)

Food Trip

Here is a refreshment that is uniquely Dumaguete.

Fried Ice Cream
original creation of Panda Ice Cream

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p316ae9fd6322befd860a8e71887e1314/ee22bda7.jpghttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p8127dd79c9e59b2151f17f2bba6b3ae5/ee22b085.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p58a5fc4567261687687e69950249e4d3/ee22bda8.jpg

Along Rizal Boulevard, you can find Panda Ice Cream which is famous for their original and unique specialty.... FRIED ICE CREAM.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pafbaa90f2ba114774f46103b89ff348f/ee22bdab.jpg

Dumaguete Sunrise

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pccc66d190cba26dceb226c283d9f6dd5/ee22652d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pd830490f7fe7b10dc5aaf26c030499b8/ee226529.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pf343a4248fade70c368c84159e5d499b/ee226506.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pb7a44648d6d2255d227205b3888d48d6/ee226504.jpg

Catching the beautiful sunrise is best viewed right at the beach boulevard. The acacia and coconut trees lining Rizal Blvd. partly covers the sun rising giving a glare control for that make-it-quick rare sunrise photo-op.

The big number of people gathering in the baywalk stretch as early-morning promenaders best defines the charm of Dumaguete Sunrise. That makes Dumaguete one of the few cities that has a perfect setting to view the beauty of the sun rising - surely gives a jolly mood to start the day.

Dumaguete Sunset

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pf9dfdfce7b381be7878b659e75c8a49b/ee2264fe.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p72f9aa691061401c16ad7f1c7b9118c7/ee22650e.jpg

Poets and storytellers from all over the country have come to this place just to be inspired and in order for them to create their obra maestra. I know now the reason why.

suroy-suroy
Visayan word for tripping

Forrest Camp
Valencia, Negros Oriental

Forrest Camp is located in the highlands of Valencia. It is a resort with lots of amenities and is very much in close contact with nature. The cottages are surrounded with trees and running nearby is a river. There is no need for an aircon as the place is situated on a high altitude. Some business have their conferences here. They have a conference hall, tree house, cottages and areas for seminars plus some pools. Wonderfully cooked native dishes are all available from the cafe onsite. One can have their lunch, which includes beautiful grilled marlin plus a huge selection of different pork, chicken and seafood dishes, catered in an area overlooking the river.

While you are here, make sure you order the Halo Halo which is a young coconut filled with crushed ice and various fruits and icecream. Heavenly yummy yummy perfect for a hot day. There are souviner tshirts available at the cafe make sure you pick one up.

If you want to be in harmony with nature, this is the place to be.


http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pab3a2a722352077eb0627a370fe43a9c/ee225d36.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pa02a056937a932f0a043738dac5d6576/ee2260c0.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pcaa9400dbbc1aa950b18f108b41a26f3/ee225d34.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pe152998cadc2d5b348530ce947c6387d/ee225d3a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p8b5f6635d47d2c01f21a0635525d93b5/ee2260b6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p3a9295f09e9f50973b470efa878c4523/ee2260c3.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p8cc7b91823858edfe8ec13ddd88e0c4b/ee2260bc.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pa592d9cd21e5e20804de48a3d140f500/ee2260b4.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p8aaf2277ba778e72d03ac4bf3f814173/ee225d46.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p2eed3dc49234f4c96c35d4944b2c37b5/ee225d42.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p2a2e8096c29610550e010445047f917d/ee225d40.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pe152998cadc2d5b348530ce947c6387d/ee225d3a.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p50661b6d1cacd5b49c32e6b52bee7fe9/ee21dbbd.jpg

Chronicles of a Passerby
impressions made by visitors and tourists


taken from: "Dumaguete In My Mind" a Dumaguete City Travel Page by askaparati
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/b7a67/756/0/

Dumaguete In My Mind
by askaparati - last update: Jun 20, 2006

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p099e5b31c0752f9e640c338a489f92b7/ee226516.jpg
Silliman in the dark

First impressions don't last...
Silliman University was always the first thing that came to mind when I would hear of Dumaguete City. As early as my high school years, I had entertained romantic notions of Silliman U, the campus being the famed poets' haven... I thought then, that Dumaguete was only famous for that one place, the second University outside Manila, and the first protestant university in the country.

I was able to visit Dumaguete briefly, en route to Siquijor Island, and I was proven wrong. Dumaguete was awe- so lovely! I fell in love with the city at first step... and I would love to go back... again, again and again... =)

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pda863816e2fa43f66f4c4ab1a47ab48f/ee22650f.jpg
Heavenly burrito, quesadillas and iced coffee...

Memento, Coffee and the Sea
With a free afternoon ahead of me, I rode a tricycle from the place I was staying and three minutes and six pesos later, I was downtown. Despite the language barrier (my Cebuano vocabulary is limited to only a few phrases), I instantly felt familiar with and secure in the quaint Dumaguete downtown area. I merged anonymously with the crowd, and kept my eyes open for unique sights and signs...

From Silliman University, I crossed the street and took a turn to the left, where I tried to find a cozy place to sit and just savor my Dumaguete experience. Near the end of the street, I found my first piece of Dumaguete heaven... sigh...

Cafe Memento ushered me in like a best friend welcoming a long-lost amiga to the warm haven of her arms... The Cafe was warm, cozy, and offered an interesting view of the Dumaguete shoreline and the similarly interesting view of shiny, happy people. The music was reggae-ish the time I was there and complemented the upbeat yet relaxing ambiance the place had.

I ordered a burrito, quesadillas and macadamia coffee... yummy... I could still feel the macadamia aftertaste of the coffee and imagine the yellow sticky rice, shredded tomato bits, juicy beef, and creamy cheese peeping out of the soft burrito tortillas... ooohhh...

Over my heavenly meal, I patiently sat by and wrote my thoughts. My two-hour stay there was peppered by snippets of conversations I overheard from the Cafe's mostly college-aged patrons. I was also lulled to my private dreamland by the relaxing view of the sea meeting, mating with the afternoon clouds...

For QC people familiar with Likha Diwa sa Gulod, the Memento ambiance is just like Likha's... except of course for the lovely coastal view and the nostalgia aroused by the knowledge that you are embraced by the quaintness and warmth of the old Dumaguete town.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p72f9aa691061401c16ad7f1c7b9118c7/ee22650e.jpg
Sunset in the rain

Sunset sensations
I sat by the boulevard the first afternoon I was there. Occasional pellets of rain played on my skin as I sat by the clean, well-maintained boulevard, and I felt all signs of stress leave my body as I the rain seeped in and as I savored the lovely sunset-in-the-rain.

I was again awe-struck by the beauty and simplicity of my surroundings and a rush of emotions enveloped my being... I was filled with reverence and suddenly believed, in that instance that there was indeed a God who made such wonderful creations; I waxed poetic and sentimental and wished that I had someone to share the beauty with; and I wished to return to Dumaguete even if I hadn't even left yet....

Awe...Dumaguete. Such a beautiful place.

Pros:"Superb food, refreshing sights, and shiny, happy motorcycle-riding people"In A Nutshell:"Duma-gateway to paradise!"

Amazing thread of Dumaguete. I've never been to your beautiful city but judging from the photos and articles posted, I find Dumaguete as a vibrant, clean and beautiful urbanized city in the Visayas. I find also no reason why Dumaguete is an underrated city. Definitely this city ROCKS!!

Amazing thread of Dumaguete. I've never been to your beautiful city but judging from the photos and articles posted, I find Dumaguete as a vibrant, clean and beautiful urbanized city in the Visayas. I find also no reason why Dumaguete is an underrated city. Definitely this city ROCKS!!


those photos don't even give justice to the real place..;p hehehe

Lots of construction ongoing....lots of people coming. :) According to my cousin who just came from Florida, Dumaguete is different 10 yrs ago...it is growing, so much people from other places come in the city. But still, he hates tricycles. He was a victim of over charging. :(

Dudes, there is so much tricycles in the city, its noisy and making our roads much smaller... havent you noticed that most of them over charge and chooses passengers?
Remember, our city is so small and they charge high fees... imagine and compare that to cebu.

They are the so-called experts in the sustainability watch network of non-government organizations (NGOs) who are monitoring the Philippine government’s efforts to
achieve the millennium development goals which is part of an international effort initiated by the Danish group ’92.
Impressed by the city?s so-called intellectual community, during an experts? meeting on sustainable development held at Silliman University, they also commented about their impressions of the city and people. They said that foremost in their observation is a very bad traffic of over-proliferation of tricycles plying very narrow city roads. Its chairwoman Elizabeth Roxas (center at foto) said that it is easier to cross the road in Makati than in Dumaguete city! The other members of the group commented that the city should now expand to the suburbs so that the present city site will not be over crowded and prone to many consequences.
They said that among these are increased criminality. When a city grows, the livelihood opportunities decrease, thus, there are more desperate people who are crime-prone.
Second, police expertise is wanting because of poor system of assignments of policemen who are not familiar with the terrain being from other places.
Third, they cited the lack of effective communications to the mases in that good programs do not sink into their minds because there is a poor system of communicatons.
They also opposed charter change as a self-serving effort of the present administratioin. But when asked in an interview over DYEM ENERGY FM , for them to rank the last five Presidents as to who is the best, to the worse, in terms of their capabilities, integrity, honesty, and effectiveness, they would not do so, short of merely criticizing the incumbent. The group represents the civil society counterpart council for sustainable development.
They claim to focus on the National Focal Point in facilitating communications, networking, advocacy and lobbying fo Suswatch Philippines.
They absolutely favor the privatization of the government accounting departments especially of agencies claimed to be flagships of corruption, namely, the DPWH, the DepEd, Customs and BIR.
They said that if private accounting firms will just run the government accounting office, the government can save a lot from what is perceived to be 40% of the peoples? money going to corruption.
Guests during the DYEM interview were Ms. Roxas, Ramon Fernan III, Roger Birosel of the office of the President; Isagani Serrano, Kim Williams of Capetown, South Africa and Marione Akiteng of Nepal.

--from Negros Chronicle 7-2-2006

Oh yeah, I forgot about that PHCCI building! I don't think about it often because that's not a road I often pass by... but whenever I do I'm wowed by the progress that's being done with the construction. Maybe I'll take a picture of it one of these days when I have the chance. :)


Its going to be glassy... :) I like its stairs...

Lots of construction ongoing....lots of people coming. :) According to my cousin who just came from Florida, Dumaguete is different 10 yrs ago...it is growing, so much people from other places come in the city. But still, he hates tricycles. He was a victim of over charging. :(

Dudes, there is so much tricycles in the city, its noisy and making our roads much smaller... havent you noticed that most of them over charge and chooses passengers?
Remember, our city is so small and they charge high fees... imagine and compare that to cebu.


yep.. i hate them.. i dnt want to see dumaguete still having theses tricycles 10 yrs from now.. there were options before to "phase out" these trikes in exchange of easy rides.. it wud have been implemented but the tricycle operators just went ballistic over the idea.. i dnt know if the city still has plans for these trikes.. wats worst is, some of them feels like they own the road.. they just swerve wenever they want.. uhrrghh.. i hate it.. plus, the charges.. wew..

Meron bang taxi dyan sa Dumaguete?

@ali, meron taxi pero konti lang...they won't survive much because most of the people here have their own transportation.

but maybe with the upsurge in tourism activities taxi companies will again be interested to put up more units in dumaguete...

ok, it's confirmed: the awkward-looking building in calindagan is not yet teletech, but the workers there told me that it's "primary"...maybe some kind of switching system for the IT equipment and facilities for the IT Park (remember the Asiatown IT Park where they have the building housing the fiber optics switching system, etc.). but the foundations of the teletech building is still rising...

i heard that aside from the port terminal, palafox also has another project in dumaguete. it could be the robinsons mall, or the teletech building. i still couldnt confirm which another ongoing project is being undertaken by palafox...

so these are the major construction projects in dumaguete right now:

1. Teletech Building
2. Robinsons mall
3. Portal west building (3-storey glass facade with national bookstore as the anchor store)
4. Silliman medical center building (4-storey)
5. renovation of park theater
6. port terminal designed by palafox, and it will not just cost 50 million, according to MetroPost, but maybe more than the 80 million initial budget...
7. PHCCI building, very modern and glassy...
8. convention center and sports complex at the capitol area
9. hotel and commercial center at the former po's marketing
10. there are a lot of fuss about the just-finished overpass, but it's there and people should rejoice that it is well-done and well designed...as to it's being useless as an overpass, maybe they should convert that into a tourist area or a cafe...hehehe. by the way, 5 more overpasses will be constructed in various parts of the city.
11. bethel guest house adding 16 more rooms
12. extension of the rizal boulevard northward...

aside from these, there are just a lot of construction going around i could not name them all...maybe you dumaguete forumers know some of them and just add more to the list that i have...

and i noticed that many buildings are newly painted, and they are very colorful...and i like their colors...

by the way, people, can you advice me which is the best internet service to get for my house...am thinking of getting globe broadband or mozcom cable broadband, but cruztelco can also be considered...my considerations are cost, speed and reliability.

yep.. i hate them.. i dnt want to see dumaguete still having theses tricycles 10 yrs from now.. there were options before to "phase out" these trikes in exchange of easy rides.. it wud have been implemented but the tricycle operators just went ballistic over the idea.. i dnt know if the city still has plans for these trikes.. wats worst is, some of them feels like they own the road.. they just swerve wenever they want.. uhrrghh.. i hate it.. plus, the charges.. wew..

i also want these tricycles to vanish forever...but it would be a political suicide for the mayor to do it considering that pedicab drivers are just too many voters...

i also want these tricycles to vanish forever...but it would be a political suicide for the mayor to do it considering that pedicab drivers are just too many voters...

On my own point of view, I want these pedicabs to remain. One of the advantages of pedicabs compared to multicabs is that they don't travel in routes, or in simple comparison, these are "cheap taxis". Multicabs travel on specific routes. What I would just like to point out here is convenience. For example, if someone would fetch a ride in Camanjac going to Calindagan, that would probably take two rides if there are routes to follow. Aside from time, additional fare would be dispensed.

I have similar experience here in Cebu as jeepneys travel here by routes. The destination is not really that far but since there are no jeepneys that would traverse there directly, I have to take two rides, and with the traffic, it costs me some time and additional expense. That's the time how I wish there are pedicabs that would directly take me there. Cebu's situation is different though as it is a big city hence speedier vehicles are needed but in Dumaguete's case, it is a small city. Smaller vehicles are fine enough to maneouver the streets and fast enough to arrive on lesser span of time. Taxis won't do since it costly and the place is just too small, unless it would be an out of town.

Regarding harassed drivers, I'm sure one or two drivers don't speak to all. These few might have tainted the reputation but I'm pretty sure there are more drivers who cared the safety of their passengers and most importantly for themselves. Also few years ago, there's a city ordinance that once a passenger has already sitted, the driver could no longer refuse which place did he/she intended to go.

I think the most apt solution is to regulate the tricycles. Issuance of franchise should be halted to prevent over proliferation and congestion of the city streets. One dismal observation also by a city official is that there are no traffic enforcers to manned the streets. There's no one to oversee for the smooth flow of traffic. Reeducating the drivers of their responsibilities might be of help and creating awareness to the public of their rights as passengers is definitely be a much bigger help.

On a far side note, Dumaguete tricycles are better than those from other places that I have been to. It is wider and the seats are more comfortable. Try to ride a Lapu-lapu City tricycle especially when it is raining and then one could really spell the difference.

suroy-suroy
visayan word for "tripping"

Mt. Talinis
Valencia, Negros Oriental

"Best Kept Secret"


I was browsing the internet and stumbled upon these pictures. I've noticed that these are the sceneries of Carancho, a valley located near the apex of Mt. Talinis. This is the same place where we had our Physics field trip (mountain climbing to be exact) back in college. We camped there overnight and first time in my life that I wasn't able to sleep because it was so cooooooolllllddd. To those who didn't know, Mt Talinis is one of tallest mountain in the country, and with abundance of fora and fauna.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pb08fdb52de1547316233bfdf4d07d2cd/ee14f432.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pf8ef894af9b90b2827e7ad075403b2c9/ee14f428.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/peb5830868f5ae20955e2117f38572f68/ee14f427.jpg
notice how near the clouds are

I thought that the best kept secret tourist spot of the province was the Twin Lakes of Sibulan but with the improvement now of the roads, accessibility is no longer a problem. So my newest "Best Kept Secret" is Mt. Talinis (Carancho and its surroundings).

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p689e6b66d8e1cd94e21077367acd6b69/ee14f425.jpg

Those are sulphur, which has burned the trees. A small volcano erupted some years ago and has become dormant since then. One of those who discovered that volcano was our Physics teacher, Prof. Leonel Chiong, and that volcano was named after him and with two other co-discoverers. I forgot the name of that volcano though.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/pc653271735e2cfc6a17154e929b23fc1/ee14f423.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid209/p62e38565c5ab5f8de0c68fbadbd41fc0/ee14f421.jpg

Those are the two waterfalls that are facing each other. The place is so beautiful, a sight to behold. The good thing is that has not been modified yet with very few people visited or even knew of that place. It is still on its "virgin state". For me that place is the "best kept secret" and is waiting for others to explore.

@ali, meron taxi pero konti lang...they won't survive much because most of the people here have their own transportation.

but maybe with the upsurge in tourism activities taxi companies will again be interested to put up more units in dumaguete...

ok, it's confirmed: the awkward-looking building in calindagan is not yet teletech, but the workers there told me that it's "primary"...maybe some kind of switching system for the IT equipment and facilities for the IT Park (remember the Asiatown IT Park where they have the building housing the fiber optics switching system, etc.). but the foundations of the teletech building is still rising...

i heard that aside from the port terminal, palafox also has another project in dumaguete. it could be the robinsons mall, or the teletech building. i still couldnt confirm which another ongoing project is being undertaken by palafox...

so these are the major construction projects in dumaguete right now:

1. Teletech Building
2. Robinsons mall
3. Portal west building (3-storey glass facade with national bookstore as the anchor store)
4. Silliman medical center building (4-storey)
5. renovation of park theater
6. port terminal designed by palafox, and it will not just cost 50 million, according to MetroPost, but maybe more than the 80 million initial budget...
7. PHCCI building, very modern and glassy...
8. convention center and sports complex at the capitol area
9. hotel and commercial center at the former po's marketing
10. there are a lot of fuss about the just-finished overpass, but it's there and people should rejoice that it is well-done and well designed...as to it's being useless as an overpass, maybe they should convert that into a tourist area or a cafe...hehehe. by the way, 5 more overpasses will be constructed in various parts of the city.
11. bethel guest house adding 16 more rooms
12. extension of the rizal boulevard northward...

aside from these, there are just a lot of construction going around i could not name them all...maybe you dumaguete forumers know some of them and just add more to the list that i have...

and i noticed that many buildings are newly painted, and they are very colorful...and i like their colors...



so do u have any idea when will those two major projects (Teletech and Robinsons) officially start their construction??..

and btw, will the PHCCI building surpass Bandera Building in terms of height?..

so have u guys seen the design of the terminal??.. what can u say about it?

guys, guess what i heard from the grapevine today. It confirmed what coffee posted before: that sm has bought a lot in mangnao, in the former mangnao elementary school...

i have seen only the rough sketch of the terminal building, and it looked promising...hmmm, let's see regarding the phcci building. but even if it does not surpass the height of the bandera building, it is already one of the nicest structures around. the portal west building is looking good in the drawing board with its glass facade, and i hope it will be nicer when finished... robinsons, if it is indeed designed by palafox, should easily be one of the best-looking structures in the city when finished, along with the soon-to-rise port terminal building.

the foundations of teletech are rising...the lot purchased by robinsons is now being cleared to give way to the construction of the mall...

btw, chowking will be opening 24 hours starting this saturday, and greenwich will be opening another branch soon...i heard chowking is looking for another area to lease. maybe they will add another branch here in dumaguete.

- I passed by to take a look at the PHCCI building. It's nice looking and tall, but based on what I saw it still looks like the Bandera Building is taller.

- I saw the port terminal design in the Metro Post. It looks funky and cool, but I don't think I can judge it properly based on that small grainy sketch. I'll just be happy that they're finally gonna build a passenger terminal. :)

- The Park Building renovation must be further along than I thought, because it's already being painted. Not just white anymore, it'll be fresh and colorful. From what I could see, the new colors looked nice. :)

-edit-

i toured a friend from UP today...he will be staying in my house while working as a consultant to the pnoc in valencia...that he felt in love with dumaguete can be visibly seen in his face...some of my friends from UP are thinking of relocating here... :hahaha: hahaha nadagit sila sa dumaguete...when all the structures and the developments are finished, there won't be much difference between dumaguete and manila, only the absence of pollution, traffic and stress...so in the end, dumaguete will get the better of the competition... :bash:

On my own point of view, I want these pedicabs to remain. One of the advantages of pedicabs compared to multicabs is that they don't travel in routes, or in simple comparison, these are "cheap taxis". Multicabs travel on specific routes. What I would just like to point out here is convenience. For example, if someone would fetch a ride in Camanjac going to Calindagan, that would probably take two rides if there are routes to follow. Aside from time, additional fare would be dispensed.

I have similar experience here in Cebu as jeepneys travel here by routes. The destination is not really that far but since there are no jeepneys that would traverse there directly, I have to take two rides, and with the traffic, it costs me some time and additional expense. That's the time how I wish there are pedicabs that would directly take me there. Cebu's situation is different though as it is a big city hence speedier vehicles are needed but in Dumaguete's case, it is a small city. Smaller vehicles are fine enough to maneouver the streets and fast enough to arrive on lesser span of time. Taxis won't do since it costly and the place is just too small, unless it would be an out of town.

Regarding harassed drivers, I'm sure one or two drivers don't speak to all. These few might have tainted the reputation but I'm pretty sure there are more drivers who cared the safety of their passengers and most importantly for themselves. Also few years ago, there's a city ordinance that once a passenger has already sitted, the driver could no longer refuse which place did he/she intended to go.

I think the most apt solution is to regulate the tricycles. Issuance of franchise should be halted to prevent over proliferation and congestion of the city streets. One dismal observation also by a city official is that there are no traffic enforcers to manned the streets. There's no one to oversee for the smooth flow of traffic. Reeducating the drivers of their responsibilities might be of help and creating awareness to the public of their rights as passengers is definitely be a much bigger help.

On a far side note, Dumaguete tricycles are better than those from other places that I have been to. It is wider and the seats are more comfortable. Try to ride a Lapu-lapu City tricycle especially when it is raining and then one could really spell the difference.

its overproliferation, sinagulan pod ug politics(voting power)..... a city so small with so much of these vehicles...its a mess(and getting worse). drivers also refuse if passengers wont give much pay. a friend of mine says "basta silliman imo destinasyon, mahal plete tricycle." She payed 10pesos from public market to silliman university(with that distance?).

anyway im also a victim, same with my friends. i say its time for a better transport.... easy rides are good, more comfortable, small and fits the city roads, and not that noisy. a little better than trikes...and regulate it well. its my own point of view too.

With a growing city, tricycles may not be the effective means of transportation in the long term. In the near term perhaps (within 5 years), tricycles may still serve the purpose.

But the city has been growing lately. I only go home once or twice a year and there have been many changes. One thing I noticed, traffic is definitely a lot worse. I agree with Altec's observations. Even when I was still in college, coming from S.U. or the downtown area, it would be very difficult to hail a pedicab going to the southern part of the city, e.g. to don bosco or tabuc-tubig, calindagan areas. Some, if not most wouldn't want to go beyond the public market.

I'm not that updated though about how the traffic system is run these days. how about allowing fixed route roving easy rides ply major thoroughfares, e.g. real, perdices, rizal boulevard? Meantime, let the city gradually reduce the number of tricycles, like no new applications or a cap on the number of cabs operating. I recall there used to be an easy ride that goes around pulantubig, bantayan, downtown, larena drive,etc. although the route was quite a long one.

Definitely, it will take political will if the city decides to phase out the tricycles. The drivers have voting power.

I don't want the tricycles to be phased out completely, since they do still serve an important purpose. But there's just way too many of them. They're dirty, polluting, noisy, they clog the streets, and hardly obey traffic rules. They're constantly clogging Perdices Street waiting for passengers in front of Jollibee right at the sign that says "Don't stop here". If the drivers only had the sense to follow directions and keep moving, we'd have a whole extra lane there.

it makes sense not to phase out the trikes completely...though it would be good to restrict them along the main thoroughfares...

was talking to the workers of the former park theater which was already purchased by unitop, a chain of supermarkets in western and central visayas (which i presume originates in iloilo), and they said that mcdonald's will locate in the area formerly occupied by itti, including the second floor of the same area...yes, the former park building will become a mini-mall with a hypermarket and mcdonald's.

i also passed by the area near gimmick, and i noticed a billboard there that says a big restaurant will rise in the area...hmmm, looks like dumaguete will be full of restaurants and eateries in a few months...

Just look at all those tricycles (Taken from the Ever Theater balcony about a month ago):
http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/9836/perdicesstreet40yq.jpg

PHCCI Building (Taken yesterday):
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/6044/phccibuilding9gn.jpg

Construction at the Po's Marketing site (Taken yesterday):
http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/9681/smarketingconstruction6dl.jpg

Park Building renovation (Taken yesterday):
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/554/parkbuildingrenovation5jn.jpg

very nice new buildings up there ^^ :okay:
any robinsons lot/construction pics?

Just look at all those tricycles (Taken from the Ever Theater balcony about a month ago):
http://img468.imageshack.us/img468/9836/perdicesstreet40yq.jpg

PHCCI Building (Taken yesterday):
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/6044/phccibuilding9gn.jpg

Construction at the Po's Marketing site (Taken yesterday):
http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/9681/smarketingconstruction6dl.jpg

Park Building renovation (Taken yesterday):
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/554/parkbuildingrenovation5jn.jpg

The PHCCI building looks good. What does PHCCI stand for? Those trikes give me the creeps whenever I'm in Dumaguete. I always get some new dents on my car everytime we visit Dumaguete. But Dumageute is worth taking that risk. What's a few thousand Pesos these days anyway. But I hope they can get rid of those polluting trikes.

Maybe they could have a competition of the best looking and oldest trikes. They buy off the winning trikes and put them up in a new museum. Maybe they could also have some international VIP's take a spin on those trikes to add some historical value to it when it is displayed... heheh... They could then detach the sidecars from the rest and sell them off as junk. But the government should help those trike drivers get decent new vehicles for their living.

PHCCI Building (Taken yesterday):
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/6044/phccibuilding9gn.jpg


so much for the trikes dudes......Perpetual Help Credit Cooperative Incorporated (PHCCI) is modern, i love to see more of these buildings in the city. look at those stairs, walls will definitely are of glass!

the new du ek sam building is modern too.

can anyone post du ek sam building??.. the building always remind me of UC banilad.. they are similar.. hehe..

guys, what are ur reactions on the new traffic scheme at hibbard avenue?? the traffic management has made it a one-way street going north every rush hours...
(7-9, 11-1, 4-6) mostly silliman students really are pissed off with it.. those coming from the north have to pass by the looc diversion road and pass by the boulevard then turn back by cafe memento.. layo na kaau.. it had made a very bad traffic condition when it was first implemented.. many students were late.. and whats worse is that elementary pupils and high school students have to walk by the dangerous sidewalks from openas toward the school of basic education every morning.. wew.. i dnt find it disturbing since i come from the south.. but when i go home, i still have to make a big turn towards SMC road or through the diversion road.. its quite a hassle especially if ur in a hurry.. i dnt see any difference..

it makes sense not to phase out the trikes completely...though it would be good to restrict them along the main thoroughfares...

was talking to the workers of the former park theater which was already purchased by unitop, a chain of supermarkets in western and central visayas (which i presume originates in iloilo), and they said that mcdonald's will locate in the area formerly occupied by itti, including the second floor of the same area...yes, the former park building will become a mini-mall with a hypermarket and mcdonald's.

i also passed by the area near gimmick, and i noticed a billboard there that says a big restaurant will rise in the area...hmmm, looks like dumaguete will be full of restaurants and eateries in a few months...

i saw that billboard too.. i thin its going to be an outdoor kind of resto.. it looks refreshing..

hmmm.. ive been waiting for mcdonalds.. at last.. luv ko to!..

new branch for greenwhich?? where will it be??

and btw, it sm has purchased the area where mangnao elem school is presently located.. the question is, are they going to demolish the public school to make way for their mall??.. i think thats not going to be right..

PHCCI Building (Taken yesterday):
http://img481.imageshack.us/img481/6044/phccibuilding9gn.jpg


so much for the trikes dudes......Perpetual Help Credit Cooperative Incorporated (PHCCI) is modern, i love to see more of these buildings in the city. look at those stairs, walls will definitely are of glass!

the new du ek sam building is modern too.


what i like about this building is not just the glassy facade with the clear view of the zigzagerring stairs.. i also like the slanted effect on its walls if u try to c it from the glassy part of the building.. nyseee.. hav u guys noticed it??..

and yeah.. hotel palwa is opening soon.. the one with palm trees painted on its wall.. its very attractive.. the yellows and the maroons mix well.. very tropical! plz post its pic sad guys.. hehehe..

Negros organic
industry given boost
BY CARLA GOMEZ

The bid of Negros Island to join the fast-growing multi-million dollar organic food industry got a further boost from the Department of Agriculture yesterday.

At the start of the 1st Negros Island Organic Farmers Festival in Bacolod City, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban assured DA help in advertising and marketing the island's organic products and said he is giving Negros a drier for the processing of its produce.

Earlier, the DA gave the Negros Occidental and Oriental provincial governments P5 million each for their joint organic venture.

Organic food is in great the demand in the world market and Negros is the first in the country to go organic island-wide, he said, "which is worth the support of the national government".

Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes congratulated Negros Island for going organic, saying it is "the wave of the future".

"I urge everyone to pursue organic farming," he said.

Oriental Negros Gov. George Arnaiz said yesterday's launching of the organic festival heralds the entry of Negros Island into the organic food market.

"It serves as a springboard towards making our presence felt in the international community and in our participation in the International Farmer's Congress in 2010," Arnaiz said.

He noted that the demand for organic food is growing at a remarkable rate.

Consumers want organically-produced food because of their higher quality, taste and texture, he said, and the market is limited by the availability of supply.

"That is why we in Negros aim to make our entire island the organic food bowl of Asia," he said.

"We have also bound ourselves to prohibit the entry of genetically-modified plants and animals in the island," he said

Arnaiz added that use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers should be minimized and eliminated in the long term.

Arnaiz, who noted that the level of interest in organic farming in Negros has grown, stressed the need for farmers to maintain high standards no matter how great the demand for their produce is.

"We must all be vigilant in protecting what has been achieved, by ensuring that the organic sector has no room for the 'get rich quick' mentality, nor for second-rate produce," he said.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said the island wide organic venture will strengthen the relationship between the two Negros provinces.

The second Negros organic festival will be held in the oriental side next year, he said.

Marañon said the response of the private sector to organic farming in Negros has been fantastic.

This is very good because the worldwide l volume of organic food sales is $25 million annually and increasing by 10 percent every year, he said.*CPG

I think the one-way scheme at Hibbard Avenue is a good idea. Surely something needed to be done, since traffic becomes absolutely unbearable and slows to a crawl during rush hours. It's natural for people to be pissed off about it (along with the bad traffic situations of the past week) when it's first implemented... I'm sure it was the same when the implemented the one-way scheme at Perdices Street and Real Street. I still think the ideal solution would have been to drastically widen the road, perhaps making it four lanes. They have enough space at both the sides. Well... they had enough space, until that overpass was built.

The only thing I don't like about the new scheme it becomes one-way at three different times during the day, which can become very confusing if you don't keep diligent track of the time. I'd prefer that it just be one long period of one-way time, just like they have at Perdices Street and Real Street.


As for Mangnao Elementary School being demolished to make way for an SM mall... Though that sounds bad, I think that the school would be rebuilt somewhere else nearby. I hear from people that the school is in pretty bad condition anyway.

As for Mangnao Elementary School being demolished to make way for an SM mall... Though that sounds bad, I think that the school would be rebuilt somewhere else nearby. I hear from people that the school is in pretty bad condition anyway.


is this for real, SM purchased the lot? :runaway:

i also passed by the area near gimmick, and i noticed a billboard there that says a big restaurant will rise in the area...hmmm, looks like dumaguete will be full of restaurants and eateries in a few months...


dumaguete folks before noticed the entry of more banks in the city, today restaurants/eateries are sprawling! :cheers:

yes, sm's coming is for real...but these stories are not official, though. it's good to wait for official statements. i heard somewhere that robinsons here would be one of the biggest robinsons malls.

yeah...phcci is really nice. but wait when portal west is up. it also has a nice design...

i also like the design of palwa hotel...

greenwich, i think, will open at the under-construction hotel/commercial complex at the former po's marketing...uhmmm, chowking will be 24 hours open starting tonight. was passing by boulevard a while ago and there is a stand for live band. i think they will have live band tonight.

bwt hibbard's traffic.. i think people are getting used to it.. ok na..

can someone post the design of the portal building?.. im curious about it..

btw, there were suggestions made by officials that if the hibbard overpass wont be of good use, it will be turned into a coffee shop with food stalls.. i think its a very good idea..;) and steds is very willing to transform it into one.. hmmm.. interesting..

tonight is coco amigo's national beer drinking contest.. there were lots of foreign yuppies.. their opening was heralded with a very good fireworks display by the boulevard.. very nice......

I drove around Dumaguete today, taking pictures of things through the windshield.

One of Dumaguete's better roads, Rovira Drive:
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/4117/roviraso4.jpg

This nice-looking building has been around for a few months... anyone know what it's for?
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2238/poincarexm7.jpg

Avon:
http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/8654/avonux3.jpg

Silliman Portals:
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/4486/portalslo3.jpg

Silliman Hall:
http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/9913/sillimanme5.jpg

nice pics coffee!

nice pics guys...that "poincare" building was supposed to be a hotel...i didn't know why they push through with that. maybe that will be an office building.

guys, the unitop thing is looking great. hope somebody could take a pic of that one...

grrr!!! we're nearing our third thread. great job guys!!!!

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Shakey's%20Pizza%20photo.jpg
Shakeys

http://www.sea-explorers.com/pics/dumaguete1.jpg
Pura Vida Beach Resort

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Fhu%20Chinese%20photo.jpg
Fhu Garden

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Dunkin%20Donuts.jpg
Dunkin donuts when Mart One was not yet there (excuse my "hasty" english)...

yeah, park is lookin good.. i stopped by for a while yesterday by the site and just checked a bit of its interior while waiting for the rain to stop.. at last, mcdonalds!

Hey guys can anyone post the picture of the manananggal in dumaguete? HAve you guys heard of it?

60th miss silliman coming up!.. the su main library exhibit this month is all about its glamorous history.. pictures of the first miss silliman (before known as the "miss popular" or sumthin like that, which usually took place at the su amphiheater 60 yrs ago = the oldest running beauty pageant in the world.. oldr than miss universe..) to the latest miss silliman (last yr) is exhibited at the main lobby! hope sum1 can take a pics of it and post it here..

Hey guys can anyone post the picture of the manananggal in dumaguete? HAve you guys heard of it?


huh? naa diay? hehehe.. the last time i heard of such was when my uncle told me about a mananggal flying around my room.. and uhh.. that was i think eons ago.. maybe i was like 5 or 6 years old.. i was scared to death!..

hmm.. interesting though.. post dyon mo!.. hehehe..

hehehe...naay mananaggal pero modern. maybe foreigners ang manananggal sa dumaguete.

guys, the renovated freedom park is looking good. even vintage inn is being repainted and its nice.

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bh0aFJaOfyA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

CENTRAL PHILIPPINES
‘Super region’ infra to cost P300 billion


By Irene R. Sino-Cruz
Inquirer
Last updated 03:01am (Mla time) 07/17/2006

Published on Page A21 of the July 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

CEBU CITY—Infrastructure requirements for the five-year development of Central Philippines could reach P300 billion, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri.

Neri, who was interviewed after the joint Regional Development Council (RDC) and Cabinet meeting held on July 7 at the Malacañang sa Sugbo here, said part of the amount would come from the government and the rest from the private sector through a build-operate-transfer scheme.

He could not say, however, how much of the amount would come from the government. The key infrastructure projects for Central Philippines include construction or rehabilitation of roads, ports, airports, power, irrigation and flood control projects, Neri said.

During the opening of the joint RDC-Cabinet meeting, President Macapagal-Arroyo identified Central Philippines—composed of the Visayas, Bicol, Palawan and Romblon, Camiguin and the Mindanao islands of Dapitan and Siargao—as the tourism center of the Philippines.

The President said the government must increase investments in education and infrastructure to make Central Philippines the tourism hub.

“To their competitive advantage, we will bolster education, invest in infrastructure and encourage greater tourism investments and business process outsourcing in Cebu and its immediate neighbors, like Dumaguete,” Ms Arroyo said.

During the RDC-Cabinet meeting, Neri said the national government identified several strategies for Central Philippines.

These include harnessing the vast coastal and marine resources and addressing the small islands’ fragile ecosystem; linking the islands through efficient transportation and communication facilities; promoting the Southern Tourism Center; developing the potentials of agribusiness, export and small and medium enterprises; pursuing responsible mining and quarrying; optimizing power potentials and ensuring adequacy and sustainability of the supply; and enhancing social services.

During a presentation on Central Philippines, Neri noted that the region accounted for 39 percent of the country’s total coastline. It has several rich fishing grounds, such as the Visayan Sea, Lamon Bay, Lagonoy Gulf, Romblon Pass, Bohol Sea, Sibuyan Sea, Iloilo Strait, Tañon Strait, Samar Sea and Leyte Gulf.

The Central Philippines’ share in the country’s total fish production is 37 percent.

The government is also proposing the establishment of mariculture parks in the super region. Mariculture is the cultivation of marine organisms for food.

In addition to the 10 existing parks, the government plans to set up mariculture parks in Samar, Camotes Island in Cebu, Bohol, Negros and Palawan.

Central Philippines also contributes 20.8 percent of gross domestic product, he added. Its growth centers include Metro Naga, Metro Legazpi, Metro Tacloban, the cities of Puerto Princesa, Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete and Tagbilaran, and Metro Cebu.

The national government also plans to improve the linkages of the existing nautical highway by developing or rehabilitating lateral roads that connect to existing or proposed ports with roll-on, roll off facilities.

The implementation of the various infrastructure projects is expected to reduce travel time from Mindanao through Visayas to Luzon, and vice versa, by 10 hours.

Can someone inform me of the different schedule of activties for the Founder's Day celebration.. Thanks in advance...

i dnt think the schedule is already available as of the moment.. wait lang sa ta..;)

Ey guys, I've been to Negros but on the west side and I'm planning to go East side this time. How much is it from Cebu-Dumaguete?

July 12, 2006


Dear Silliman Band Family Members,


Peace-filled greetings!

Once again, Silliman University will celebrate its Founder's Day on its 105th year of teaching students a Christ-centered education. Come August 2006, among the highlights of the celebration is the Centennial Anniversary of the Silliman University Band.

Organized in 1906, SU Band has graced us through a hundred years of excellent live performances, parades and tours. Sillimanians and Dumagueteños consider the sound and colors of SU Band as one endearing feature that never fails to give the much needed festive moments on special occasions. As it holds true in the streets, so as in the concert halls -- the SU Marching Band has grown to become a concert band whose music include classic marches, Philippine folk medleys, ballroom, broadway and movie themes played during concerts and tours. The SU Concert Band's performances continue to bring worthwhile experiences to the fascinated audiences around the country.

As band alumni, we deeply understand in our hearts that we have shared a memorable part of our lives with the band. This is what we hold dear and shall truly be one enduring LEGACY. With this legacy, we carry the sentiments of our stories that ought to be told.... the music we play that is worthy to be heard... and the jokes we share that bring smiles to delighted faces!

On August 25-28, let us meet again with our dear friends and rekindle the stories we still treasure in our hearts. Let us come to celebrate our Grand Centennial Reunion! Relive the stories and hear the lovely melodies of our music playing again!

We are very pleased to invite you in this occasion as we celebrate and enjoy the essence of being part of the SU Band on its 100th year. The centennial celebration's theme, “SU Band: Celebrating 100 years of Life, Legacy and Mission”, depicts the true Silliman spirit within us that lives on through a hundred years. As we celebrate this grand occasion, we would also like to invite you to see our very own SU Concert Band perform live on August 26, 2006 at Luce Auditorium featuring some of our beloved alumni in “Silliman Performs-- SU Band Through a Hundred Years”.

If you are interested to join the rehearsals of the Alumni Band Members please do visit the SU band room on Saturdays from 3-5 PM. You may bring your instrument with you and play familiar music with your old friends. If circumstances prevent you from coming to rehearsals, please contact any of the mentioned persons below; and if you so wish, we will send you copies of the repertoire for you to practice with.




Greg Anthony P. Buñol
Coordinator, SU Band Alumni Directorate
Mobile no: 09185675646

Diomar C. Abrio
Marketing/Souvenir Program Coordinator
Mobile no: 09106021385
Email add: d_abrio@mailcity.com



Marianne M. Sy
Chairman, Communications Committee
Mobile no: 09194485341
Email add: meilian28@yahoo.com

Nathaniel R. Bicoy
Vice Chairman, Comm Committee
Mobile no: 09154350126
Email add: nath_bic@mailcity.com




Arturo S. Povadora
President, SU Band
Mobile no: 09067874995
Email add: su_bandzone@yahoo.com

Wareen V. Ocon
Chairman, Program Committee
Mobile no: 09157844183
Email add: yen_f8@yahoomail.com




To make this occasion a success we would like to ask for your help and support to be a sponsor of the said event. Being so, you may purchase a page of our souvenir program. Attached herewith are the sponsorship package and the schedule of activities. You may send your confirmation through email, copa@su.edu.ph, or call us at (063) (35) 422-6002 local 250.
We are eager and excited of your coming. The concert halls of Silliman await you!

God bless you and your family!


Sincerely yours,


GREG ANTHONY P. BUÑOL
Coordinator, SU Band Alumni Directorate


Noted by:


JOSEPH B. BASA
Director, SU Band

Related File: SU Band Centennial Anniversary Schedule of Activities



--- From www.sillimanians.com

To access the list of activities, just follow the link below. Got it from S.U. website.

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY
105th Founders Day (Year 2006)

TENTATIVE CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES
(As of July 7, 2006)

Theme: "Sustaining our Christian Life and Mission"

http://su.edu.ph/fd2006/fdcalendar.html

Can someone inform me of the different schedule of activties for the Founder's Day celebration.. Thanks in advance...

just visit su.edu.ph for the FD activities..

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Shakey's%20Pizza%20photo.jpg
Shakeys

http://www.sea-explorers.com/pics/dumaguete1.jpg
Pura Vida Beach Resort

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Fhu%20Chinese%20photo.jpg
Fhu Garden

http://www.overseas-retirement-community.com/Dunkin%20Donuts.jpg
Dunkin donuts when Mart One was not yet there (excuse my "hasty" english)...

Uh, I don't like the name of that Chinese restaurant... Sounds like Poo Gardens...

haha..;) the food is not bad though..

This nice-looking building has been around for a few months... anyone know what it's for?
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/2238/poincarexm7.jpg



Looks like a modern airport terminal building...imagine wel place it in dumaguete airport...put some air bridges... whew, how nice!

u missed the hall of justice coffee...beside that huge building will be the proposed north bound bus terminal. :)

guys, what are ur reactions on the new traffic scheme at hibbard avenue?? the traffic management has made it a one-way street going north every rush hours...
(7-9, 11-1, 4-6) mostly silliman students really are pissed off with it.. those coming from the north have to pass by the looc diversion road and pass by the boulevard then turn back by cafe memento.. layo na kaau.. it had made a very bad traffic condition when it was first implemented.. many students were late.. and whats worse is that elementary pupils and high school students have to walk by the dangerous sidewalks from openas toward the school of basic education every morning.. wew.. i dnt find it disturbing since i come from the south.. but when i go home, i still have to make a big turn towards SMC road or through the diversion road.. its quite a hassle especially if ur in a hurry.. i dnt see any difference..


this will be a headache to foreigners driving... and to people not from the city.

Too much tricycle in the city has made the idea of one way traffic. It sounds good on the idea, but its a headache driven when implemented.

Looks like a modern airport terminal building...imagine wel place it in dumaguete airport...put some air bridges... whew, how nice!

u missed the hall of justice coffee...beside that huge building will be the proposed north bound bus terminal. :)


btw, and hall of justice, murag mall.. maypa mall to.. hehehe

Guys, Tri Edge Resources GLP (http://www.tri-edge.net/) is now hiring agents for their callcenter operations in Dumaguete and Manila. Its office in Manila is located in Ortigas Center, Pasig. This will be the second callcenter company in Dumaguete, and the seventh IT company to locate in Dumaguete (SPi, Teletech, Tri-Edge, Entheos IT, Nestwood, ACSAT Medical Transcription, SEAT Travel and Tours, Ryte Solutions, etc)...Whew, Dumaguete rocks!!!

BTW, I was not told where they will open but I suspect they will be locating in Bacong near SPi because they cannot open in Dumaguete. Teletech has a three-year first mover agreement (FMA) with the City Government of Dumaguete.

For more information about working at Tri-Edge Resources GLP you may contact the Alumni Affairs Office or the SPO of Silliman U.

I don't really like the design of that Hall of Justice building... The light blue-green paint reminds me of a hospital rather than a government building. The bars over the windows make it look like a jail. And the landscaping and design of the parking area didn't seem well done when I passed by there a few months ago. Oh well, I'll just appreciate it for how big and clean and expensive it is. :) I've never been inside.


And now for something completely different...

This render of the Portal West Building is from suacona.com:
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6412/portalwestxw1.jpg

Highlights from an article in the Weekly Sillimanian:
- Part of the Twin Portals Building Project (TPP)
- Construction is under way. Completion expected in 10 months
- Commercial and office space will be leased, though it's not sure yet what businesses will be allowed
- Estimated cost: Php43 million (subject to change)

Other info from suacona.com:
- Entrance to offices is through a two story lobby fronting Hibbard Avenue.
- Parking spaces both perpendicular to the road and inside the campus

There are more renders and designs of the Portal Buildings at suacona.com. :)

Kuya Moe told me that National Bookstore want to occupy that whole building. I don't know if Silliman will allow that. If that happens, there'll be no more coffee shop inside Silliman.

Additional info about Tri-Edge hiring here (http://www.callcenterdirectory.net/call-center-jobs/Call-Center-Reps-for-Tri-Edge-Resources-Phil-920.html).

Looks like a modern airport terminal building...imagine wel place it in dumaguete airport...put some air bridges... whew, how nice!

I talked to the City Tourism Officer this morning and she said that there is a plan for a modern international airport to serve Oriental Negros, and that this will most likely be realized once the super region, in which Oriental Negros is a part of Central Philippines, will be realized.

Kuya Moe told me that National Bookstore want to occupy that whole building. I don't know if Silliman will allow that. If that happens, there'll be no more coffee shop inside Silliman.


no more coffee shop coz national bookstore will want to occupy the whole area? hmm.. no biggie for me.. besides, any coffee shop can have occupancy in any of our buildings / places here.. it wont matter if its going to be near or far silliman.. bsta kay naa nta national bookstore, payts na!..

This render of the Portal West Building is from suacona.com:
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/6412/portalwestxw1.jpg
:)


i like it!!..;p

I first heard about the construction of these Portal Buildings (East and West) way back in 2003 when Board of Trustee, Ambassador Antonio Villamor, announced it during our monthly fellowship with the Silliman University Alumni Cebu Chapter. It's good to know that it has finally come into reality with the construction of the Portal West Building.

I really admired the efforts of the university administration to augment the university's funds without resorting to increase the tuition fees. For those who didn't know, Silliman University has not increase its tuition fee for 3 years now despite the rising costs of the commodities and with almost all of the other schools in the country have already increased their tuitions. 5 years ago, the school has become the most expensive university in the Visayas and Mindanao, like a Business Administration course would almost reached to P30K per sem. The university has an annual budget of close to P400 million, funds has to be secured.

The school population dwindled and was heavily criticized that it has already become an elitist school. Gone were the days when even though one is poor as long he/she got brains, he/she can still enroll in the university. So to counter this problem, the university initiated alternative means to generate income. Aside from the planned construction of mall type buildings (Portal Buildings), there was the construction of the Sun Cellular cellsite at the SU Farm, the Globe G-cash booth, and the controversial Jollibee.

Silliman University was declared as a national historical landmark by the National Historical Institute during its centennial in 2001 as being the oldest American founded university in the country and with the presence of old buildings, remnants of the early American architecture. Any modification on school's landscape must be approved first by NHI. The construction of a Jollibee store within the campus would then alter the early century look of the school. So to solve this, Jollibee modified its sketch plan and its building was patterned after Silliman Hall, the oldest building in the campus built in 1903. Now, the Jollibee store in Silliman is the most unique and very much different from its likes, probably the most beautiful Jollibee building in the country and it blended well with its surroundings.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid210/pc78f75e78228992c61a0db3c1a4d5b7c/ede7195f.jpghttp://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid210/pe64a989f94ec672d71732b90565c6f0a/ede71960.jpg

With the presence of Portal West Building and probably by next year the construction of Portal East Building will be on its way, hopefully there will still be no tuition fee increase.

The Arts

Live from Neverland

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1823/569/320/Image007.0.jpg

Paul Pfeiffer's impressive yet unusual resume cites his groundbreaking works in video, sculpture, and photography to dissect the role of mass media in shaping consciousness. It's an eclectic collision that results in art, specifically, pop art. But what is it about exactly?

"Live from Neverland," a joint presentation / performance by Pfeiffer and Silliman's Department of Speech and Theatre Arts, was an introduction of the uninitiated to the world of avant-garde video art. Held at the Luce Auditorium last July 14, "Neverland" featured samples of the Pfeiffer's work as well as a live recording of a speech choir for use in one of Pfeiffer's ongoing projects.

Pfeiffer's brand of art defies easy description because it doesn't fall into the traditional categories that many of us are used to. It's work that needs to be experienced firsthand even as the effect varies from one viewer to another. Pfeiffer's first presentation, "Pure Products Go Crazy," set the tone for what the audience was to expect for the rest of the evening.

"Pure Products Go Crazy" is a video of a half-naked man in briefs, face planted into a sofa, performing a wild epileptic dance. It goes on and on for quite a bit until one realizes that it's actually a short clip of Tom Cruise from the movie "Risky Business" run in an infinite loop. The effect is unsettling, so much so that many of the Luce audience burst out in nervous laughter, possibly unsure of how they were supposed to react.

Pfeiffer's other works follow the same spirit. "John 3:16" focuses on a basketball, and just the basketball, as it is passed from hand to hand. "The Long Count" is a triptych of famous Muhammad Ali fights, including "Thrilla in Manila" and "Rumble in the Jungle", in which the fighters are digitally erased, leaving only the ring and the audience. "Caryatid" features a floating Stanley Cup as its bearer is digitally removed, leaving just an adulating team. Another work also entitled "Caryatid" shows scene after scene of soccer players tripping and falling down. "Fragment of a Crucifixion," like "Pure Products," is a clip in infinite loop: it shows basketball player circling a small section of the ring in what looks to be agony or ecstasy.

These are samples of some Pfeiffer's earlier works, and they can be quite disturbing to watch. Pfeiffer removes the context in which the scene is being played, leaving the viewer gasping for some structure, any structure. Pfeiffer explains he likes to make the audience aware of themselves instead of being lost, as with traditional cinema, in the story and in the medium. In this he succeeds: owing to the lack of linearity, the viewers find themselves detached from the work yet affected by it.

Other aspects of Pfeiffer's work with his art are time and perception. A video sculpture displayed in the World Trade Center (prior to 9/11) depicted incubated eggs hatching into chicks which eventually grew into fledglings and then full-grown chickens. The video played in real-time, with a total run length of two-and-a-half months. It may sound like a kooky idea, but one has to view it from the perspective of its audience: busy Manhattanites catching a few seconds' glimpse at a time over a period of two months, and then, all of a sudden, the exhibit is gone.

Pfeiffer's artistic philosophy tracks the influence of pop culture and the mass media on the human psychology. Inasmuch as he uses contemporary icons familiar to everyone, the viewers become part of the canvas. Pfeiffer, who studied in Silliman as a child and continues to visit Dumaguete regularly, notes the unique effect this has on Filipinos who are primarily impressed by American-style media. "You are aware of it, you have an almost intimate knowledge of it," he says, "and yet you know that you're not really part of it."

His Filipino heritage makes its way into some of his works. His most ambitious project to date, an audio recreation of the England's 1966 World Cup victory in Wimbley Stadium, to be replayed in Wimbley Stadium, makes use of Filipino voices to supplement archive sound footage. Another project he plans to work on involves the Wowowee game show, digitally erasing the host, the dancers, the audience, and all other visual cues, leaving just the contestant.

"Live from Neverland" is another such experiment, one that the Luce audience was privileged to hear as part of a live performance. "Live from Neverland" references a 1993 interview with Michael Jackson, protesting his innocence and decrying the indignities he suffered at the hands of the police. The Speech Choir, a troupe of over 80 Silliman speech students directed by Dr. Eva Lindstrom, mimicked this speech, down to every pause, every inflection, every nuance.

Eighty voices speaking in near perfect synchronization is no easy feat to manage, and yet the Speech Choir pulls this off. It takes on an eerie quality as a mix of male and female voices match Michael Jackson's monologue, describing how he was made to strip and how they took photographs of his penis and his buttocks. Pfeiffer intends this to be a modern take on the Greek Chorus, where the actor becomes everyman. The voices will later be superimposed against the clip of the Jackson interview. In this way, we've made some small bit of history in Dumaguete.

Paul Pfeiffer's work won't appeal to everyone, at least not on the first go. Not only is it unconventional, it's also uncomfortable. But that seems to underlie the whole point of it: to take the viewer outside of the established boundaries. It makes one think and it makes one feel. Ultimately, that's art.

Paul Pfeiffer was born in Hawaii in 1966 but was raised in the Philippines. He spent part of his grade school and high school years at Silliman University. Pfeiffer relocated to New York in 1990, where he attended Hunter College and the Whitney Independent Study Program. He is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, most notably The Bucksbaum Award given by the Whitney Museum of American Art. He was also artist-in-residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and at Artpace in Texas.

i like it!!..;p


me tooo......

S.U. buildings will surely surpass the city buildings in terms of modernity and detailed designs(just my point of view). what a great sight if these two buildings will rise. but not much will be seen as giant acacia trees dominate the skies.

The hall of justice do look like a mall from a far distance. Get near, those windows looks like from a prison facility. They should put some details in it to make it more..."justice looking" :)

I talked to the City Tourism Officer this morning and she said that there is a plan for a modern international airport to serve Oriental Negros, and that this will most likely be realized once the super region, in which Oriental Negros is a part of Central Philippines, will be realized.


man, ill be on my retirement age in that time.:scouserd:
thats a good plan.

Guys, Tri Edge Resources GLP (http://www.tri-edge.net/) is now hiring agents for their callcenter operations in Dumaguete and Manila. Its office in Manila is located in Ortigas Center, Pasig. This will be the second callcenter company in Dumaguete, and the seventh IT company to locate in Dumaguete (SPi, Teletech, Tri-Edge, Entheos IT, Nestwood, ACSAT Medical Transcription, SEAT Travel and Tours, Ryte Solutions, etc)...Whew, Dumaguete rocks!!!

BTW, I was not told where they will open but I suspect they will be locating in Bacong near SPi because they cannot open in Dumaguete. Teletech has a three-year first mover agreement (FMA) with the City Government of Dumaguete.

For more information about working at Tri-Edge Resources GLP you may contact the Alumni Affairs Office or the SPO of Silliman U.


I wonder what other company will occupy the "IT park" in Calindagan in three years time... is the FMA limited only to call centers/BPO's?

is SPi renting the lot in Bacong? They are calling it SPi techno park.

Cross your fingers...There are plans for a lot of buildings in the Calindagan area such as hotels and condominiums...

The Park Building renovation is moving along nicely and looking great. :) I noticed something on the left side... apparently they knocked down the old exterior wall on the ground floor and replaced it by another wall about 2-3 meters inward. So I guess that means a few extra meters of sidewalk/road/parking space. :)

Pic taken today:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1236/parkek6.jpg

Compare it to this pic I took 10 days ago:
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/554/parkbuildingrenovation5jn.jpg

A view from the left side:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6707/park2up6.jpg

ummm.. wers mcdo? hehehehe..

The Park Building renovation is moving along nicely and looking great. :) I noticed something on the left side... apparently they knocked down the old exterior wall on the ground floor and replaced it by another wall about 2-3 meters inward. So I guess that means a few extra meters of sidewalk/road/parking space. :)

Pic taken today:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1236/parkek6.jpg

Compare it to this pic I took 10 days ago:
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/554/parkbuildingrenovation5jn.jpg

A view from the left side:
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6707/park2up6.jpg



its pretty interesting to note that this building is one of the oldest structure in dumzville.. built in the 1940s.. this building once housed several commercial stores on its sides and the first movie house in oriental negros..

its pretty interesting to note that this building is one of the oldest structure in dumzville.. built in the 1940s.. this building once housed several commercial stores on its sides and the first movie house in oriental negros..

Yeah... interesting to see the evolution of Park:

http://img272.imageshack.us/img272/583/dgteoldpark6ir.jpg
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/1088/dgtenowpark0uv.jpg
http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1236/parkek6.jpg

:)

i dont get it as to why we still use kawayan scaffoldings...

hmm.. yeah.. hehehe.. its cost-effective, though.. 'sing galing, pero d 'sing mahal..;p
and the space between the building and the road is very narrow.. if they wud have to use steel scaffoldings, it can take up much space.. basi maabot na sa road causing sidewalk traffic.. hehe

ummm.. wers mcdo? hehehehe..

Apparently, the contract for the opening of the McDo there was not yet signed so there's no construction yet at the area supposed to be the location of the giant American fastfood company. Let's wait and see and cross our fingers that they push through with that...

I also heard that Mercury Drug is applying for a 24-hour outlet at the Poincare Building in front of the Provincial Nursery. So this answers Coffee's query about the purpose of that modern building near the Provincial Hospital. This also makes sense because the location is near two large hospitals.
Aside from the NOPH, Silliman Medical Center is also nearby.

It's interesting to note that the ambience of Lee Plaza has also gotten better. They are preparing for fiercer comopetition in the months ahead. And hey, they are opening a Levi's boutique near the Nike place.

Tsk, tsk!!! So can we Dumaguete forumers meet soon? My suggestion initially to Coffee was to have it in Shakey's, but I guess Coco Amigos would be a better location. What do you think guys?

How about if we'll have it coincide with the opening of our third thread guys? That would be a celebration. HEHEHE...

i dont get it as to why we still use kawayan scaffoldings...

Even building constructions in HK use bamboo as scaffoldings...

Hey guys, the DGTech and the Penshoppe buildings are some of the modern buildings that are pciture perfect. I would like to see them posted here. Plus of course the Du Ek Sam building...Hey, the PHCCI building is almost finished. I like the rounded roofing on its lobby or groundfloor facade.

tanong lang...

does anybody know when is the exact date of this year's buglasan festival? i plan to drop by dgte during the festival competitions, before ako punta bacolod for masskara then iloilo and guimaras.


thanks

it usually starts on the second week of october and continues till the end of the month..

How about if we'll have it coincide with the opening of our third thread guys? That would be a celebration. HEHEHE...


lets go for it!..

Okay guys, tomorrow 4 pm at Coco Amigos? Hope to see you all there...

it usually starts on the second week of october and continues till the end of the month..

do u have any idea kung kelan yung competitions ng mga festivals?

id love to see that event.

daghangsalamt dgte! maayung hapon

Last year it was held in the first week of October? There are plenty of things to see...fireworks competition, street dancing, parties, etc., etc.