Catanduanes Province

[kaniguan78]

Here's an interesting take on development in Catanduanes

The Price We Have To Pay for Progress (and Pride)
by Alvin Ravalo on FB

The island has been hungry for development for so long. With a people that suddenly turns Tagalog once the steel plank (andamyo) slams on the Tabaco pier concrete, the erection of a mall with Jollibee at the forefront seems like an answer to our floundering island pride. We can now shout out that we have Jollibee in Catanduanes. )

The opening of Jollibee Virac was awaited with eager anticipation and patronized with whole-hearted enthusiasm. It was a well-timed launching on an island that has been hungry for such an establishment, physically, mentally and psychologically. So during the holiday season when almost everyone makes it a point to come home and get together with family members, it wasn’t much of a surprise if its first day sales almost hit the P1million peso mark.

Catanduanes has been promoted as the land of the howling winds, at times as Bicol’s best kept secret (a reflection of poor marketing). It is known for its laid back atmosphere, its laid back people and its laid back way of living. The first time I set foot on this island back in 1990, I noticed that a lot of people were walking on the street because there were no pedicabs and not many people owned cars or motorcycles. In fact there were only two motorcycle dealers, each with not more than 3 bikes on display.

There was no TV or radio station. The radios that people listened to got their signal from mainland Bicol (Senior Paulo Estaccato, Sofie Ayala, Doble A). The TV shows that people watched were rented VHS (and Betamax) tapes from Henry Avila's video rental store (Eat Bulaga, Salo-salo Together, and Okay Ka Fairy Ko, the precursor of Enteng Kabisote). The most commonly used toothpaste brand was Colgate (or Maxam). The only burger you could get was Babe’s. And the finest fine dining you could get was dinner at the penthouse of the Catanduanes Hotel where you could find the cats sharing your entrée if you took a leak in the bathroom a few meters away.

Meriendas at home consisted of baduya, kalingking (our version of the modern French fries), pansit bato, kaloko, balisongsong, or garyang with water as drinks. Travel by sea consisted of sitting on a cot with a blackened headrest (from the other people’s dirty heads) if you were on the upper deck, but meant sitting with the chickens, pigs and sacks of rice on the lower deck. And if the passengers on the upper deck failed to get a plastic bag for seasickness, you could expect their barf to seep through the flooring and drip on your head. Finally, upon reaching your destination, you had to do a “tightrope act” on a foot-wide plank to go ashore. And as if that wasn’t hard enough, the rare travelling vehicle used the same plank. Two of them. One for the left wheels and one for the right.

Today, twenty-two years later, we have AM & FM radio stations on the island, we have cable TV, we have DSL and WiFi internet connections, and we can dine with “bowtie” waiters, without having to worry about stray cats climbing on to your table when you look away.

Meriendas at home, however, have come to include cheeseburgers, pizza, potato chips, and ice cream sundaes. With the 5 Ro-Ro Ferry Boats going back and forth to Tabaco, the island is now teeming with Monteros, Fortuners, CRVs, and Patrol Safaris. And with the more than 5 motorcycle dealers in Virac, almost everyone knows how to drive a motorbike, including 10 yr olds.

Twenty-two years ago, the only blood chemistry test commonly done in Catanduanes was that of blood sugar. Today, we have a wide array that includes cholesterol profile, kidney and liver function tests, electrolytes, ultrasounds, and even echocardiography. We even have a hemodialysis center in the offing. Unfortunately, together with this improvement in the delivery of health services is a corresponding “industrialization” of the nature of our illnesses. Quite expected after all the changes we have gone through.

Diabetes now accounts for a large part of patient consultations, something expected with the proliferation of sugar-spiked drinks and the exponential decrease in the islander’s physical activity. We are witnessing an increase in the frequency of vehicular accidents, a trademark of a mobile population. And the streets are now starting to resemble the streets of Metro Manila with the ubiquitous plastic bag littering every curb and every corner, never mind the twin canisters labeled “nalalapa” and “dai nalalapa”.

The island has been hungry for development for so long. With a people that suddenly turns Tagalog once the steel plank (andamyo) slams on the Tabaco pier concrete, the erection of a mall with Jollibee at the forefront seems like an answer to our floundering island pride. We can now shout out that we have Jollibee in Catanduanes.

But together with this progress that we have long yearned for are the extra perks that come with it. Robbery. Theft. Drugs. Rape. Murder. Twenty-two years ago, Joe Vargas, the tricycle driver that drove me around town told me, beaming with pride, “Pwede ka maglakad-lakad dito nang mag-isa kahit hatinggabi.” Wala nga raw trabaho ang mga pulis dito. No crimes to report, no criminals to apprehend. Today it is slowly getting to be the opposite. News of rape and murder is slowly becoming commonplace that Joe might as well swallow whole what he told me.

But then again, you can’t have your bibingka and eat it too. Sabi ngani, “Masuripot daa an Kagurangnan”. You simply can’t have the best of both worlds. Well it’s getting dark now. And I’ll have to call it a day. Still have to go to Jollibee to buy dinner before it gets dark along the way. Be healthy. And be careful.

by Dr. Alvin Ravalo

[[dx]]

Pura-ran, Catanduanes
by Louie Arcilla

[hakz2007]

Gigmoto, Catanduanes
by Janette Orsolino

[hakz2007]

Gigmoto, Catanduanes
by Janette Orsolino

[kaniguan78]

Inauguration of Doppler Radar by HE PNoy in Catanduanes





Jose Salceda

[Kim Bol Jon]

The highest building in Bicol is in Catanduanes!

[kaniguan78]

Virac at Dusk



Alvin Ravalo

[Kim Bol Jon]

Pagasa: New Doppler radar will be spared from outages
By Mar S. Arguelles
Inquirer Southern Luzon
10:20 pm | Saturday, May 12th, 2012

LEGAZPI CITY—The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) assured disaster authorities the multimillion-peso Doppler radar in Bato, Catanduanes province, and all other weather monitoring equipment across Bicol would not be affected by threats of power outages.

Pagasa regional director Landrico Dalida Jr. belied earlier reports the newly inaugurated Doppler radar would be rendered nonoperational by brownouts currently occurring in Catanduanes province.

He said in a phone interview that the Doppler facility has its own generator set and enough fuel to run it even during prolonged brownouts.

The generator has enough power to run radar and monitoring equipment installed at the Doppler station, including its lighting facilities, he said.

Read more

[Kim Bol Jon]

Virac, Catanduanes

[Kim Bol Jon]

The Philippine Surfer's Paradise Perfect For Non-Surfers
by Kip Patrick
Huffington Post Travel
Posted: 06/07/2012 7:00 am

Unless you're a serious surfer, you've probably never heard of Catanduanes Island or its world famous surf break, the aptly-named Majestics, some 350 miles southeast of Manila, Philippines. Wave-riders in the know have been frequenting the remote spot since at least the early 80s, particularly during typhoon season from July through December when the big swells come in.

Yet, few international travelers take the time to visit this remote island. While you won't find anything close to five-star amenities, as my wife and I learned when we visited in May (most places don't have air conditioning, satellite TV, or wi-fi), you will discover more than enough to make up for any of the "modern necessities" of daily life on this rugged, stunning, and under-developed paradise.


Grasshoppers climb rice stalks to get a glimpse of sunrise over Catanduanes Island, Philippines.


The waitress asks, "The local kids caught some lobsters today. Would you like to try them?" Yes, please.


A time-lapse photo reveals the flight patterns of fireflies roaming the night sky.


A local surfer rips across the peak of a wave at Majestics on Catanduanes Island in the Philippines.


While known for its surfing, good snorkeling can be found just offshore, as noted from this clown fish at home in its green carpet anemone near Pururan.


Surf's up. This is the view from the front porch of your beach hut at Majestics Pururan Beach Resort.


A spear fisherman cleans his catch before delivering it to shore.


The sun sets over an empty beach on Catanduanes, Philippines.

Source

[Kim Bol Jon]

Bato, Catanduanes
image hosted on flickr

[Kim Bol Jon]

Bato, Catanduanes
image hosted on flickr

[kaniguan78]

Chicboy Virac soon to open at Youth Center Mall!





Chic Boy

[kaniguan78]

DBP Virac now open!

[Kim Bol Jon]

Chick-Boy Virac







fb Catanduanes Province

[kaniguan78]

Youth Center Mall Virac



WYC Architecture

[Maharlikans]

Inauguration of newly opened Development Bank of the Philippines Virac, Catanduanes Branch

[Maharlikans]

New Look -- Catanduanes Provincial Capitol







DIALYSIS CENTER



JOLLIBEE Virac Branch






Chic-Boy Virac Branch






Virac Youth Center Mall


Doppler radar in Bato, Catanduanes

[Maharlikans]

AIRLINES serving Catanduanes with DIRECT FLIGHT from MANILA - VIRAC vice versa

New Airline - Skyjet - flies Manila-Virac vice versa every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays



Zest Air flies from Manila to Catanduanes and vice versa daily.





Cebu Pacific - flies from Manila to Virac, Catanduanes vice versa every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday


image hosted on flickr

[dc88]

Originally Posted by Maharlikans

AIRLINES serving Catanduanes with DIRECT FLIGHT from MANILA - VIRAC vice versa

yaen n baya su mayon skyjet ta?bicol airways?