Bicol Region

[kevinb]

Originally Posted by bonixx

Sorsogon Municipal Bldg.

Emerson, Sorsogon is now a city.

[bonixx]

SORSOGON: WHALE SHARKS MAKE DONSOL TOURISM HUB

DONSOL, SORSOGON, JUNE 1, 2006 (STAR) (AP) Cocooned in rural seclusion, this placid little town long kept a big but unintended secret: in the first half of the year, the sea swarms with the world’s largest fish.

Whale sharks — some as big as a bus — put on an annual show for local folks for generations, roaming close to shore and seemingly unafraid of humans, who left the fish alone.

Then in 1997, a group of visitors got wind of the creatures, known locally as "butanding." The visitors were enthralled by the sharks’ gentleness, swimming like gigantic dolphins, Donsol Mayor Salve Ocaya says.

Word got round, helped by the Internet, and before long tourists began descending on laid-back Donsol, tucked amid coconut groves and hills away from the main road in Sorsogon.

Then-US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and a few other diplomats visited last year. President Arroyo came in April and left ecstatic after a 20-minute encounter with a mammoth whale shark.

"The whale sharks brought us to the limelight," Ocaya said.

The town is still adjusting.

"We’re trying to cope with the arrival of so many visitors, many of them from as far as Europe. But we don’t have enough resorts," the mayor said.

"And have you seen our bridge?" the mayor asked, referring to a long, narrow span that can handle only one car at a time crossing a mangrove-lined river to the village of Dancalan, the staging area for boat trips to watch the whale sharks.

Donsol is among the latest to organize in-water viewing of the big fish — a sometimes nerve-racking attraction offered in a few places like Australia’s Ningaloo Reef, Belize in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Seychelles.

Whale sharks, which can grow as long as 54 feet and weigh up to 34 tons, are an eye-popping sight up close. But they don’t eat meat, surviving by sucking seawater into their gaping mouths and sieving plankton and tiny crustaceans on their gill rakers, marine experts say.

Little is known about the nature of whale sharks, which roam warm tropical seas. They congregate in Donsol’s murky waters from January to June, probably because of the abundance of plankton, says the local branch of the conservation group World Wildlife Fund.

For the Philippines, which is struggling to lure foreign tourists amid law-and-order problems, Donsol has become a surprise draw.

Just 900 tourists visited the town in 1998, the year after word of the sharks got out. Last year saw 7,600 visitors — a third of them foreigners, said Donsol’s tourism officer, Salvador Adrao Jr.

On a recent day, SUVs rumbled down a muddy hillside road in palm-lined Dancalan and disgorged dozens of tourists at the small, government-run visitor center, which collects boat rental and guide fees and arranges daylong expeditions. Villagers rented snorkels and rubber fins and peddle souvenirs. Police armed with M-16 rifles watched over the early-morning bustle.

A motorboat set out with five tourists laden with life vests, snorkels, dive masks and fins, a whale shark spotter perched atop a pole, shading his eyes from the sun. After about an hour, he yelled, "There! There!" pointing to what looked like a small, gray submarine just under the waves.

The boat erupted in sudden commotion as the boat maneuvered close to the whale shark.

Carlos Pendor, a stocky, sunburned guide, cajoled two jittery tourists to jump off the boat. He dragged them to the side, yelling "Look down!" A 23-foot whale shark, its gray-green back dotted with faint lines and pale-white spots, swam tranquilly, its flat head and body gently swaying.

At close range, the whale shark was so huge it was hard to see in its entirety. But by the time the tourists grabbed a breath of air, it was gone.

Twenty-three other boats bobbed in the waters off Donsol. Most sputtered back to shore by lunch, each encountering five to 10 whale sharks.

"It was sort of scary because out of nowhere came this huge, square face," said Eliot Bikales, a housewife from Hamden, Connecticut.

"It was like ‘Jaws,’" her 10-year-old daughter, Maral, butted in. But she said that after her fears eased, "It was OK. It felt like they were my friends."

Sid Lucero, a young Filipino actor, said facing such a huge creature nearly moved him to tears.

"It hit me straight in the heart," he said. "Looking at this huge creature reminded me that there is a higher being."

Thanks to the new tourism, the sharks have created about 1,000 seasonal jobs in Donsol, a poor farming and fishing town of about 40,000 people once said to have been a communist rebel stronghold.

A construction boom fosters a new sense of hope.

On what used to be a barren beach stand five small inns. But their 50 rooms are inadequate for the hundreds of tourists who flock in the peak months of March and April, prompting plans for construction of a hotel, along with a concrete road to Dancalan. There is talk of a small airport.

Donsol, however, is wary about damaging the pristine conditions that lure the sharks. Projects like a pier have been junked. Only 25 dive boats — down from nearly 50 — are allowed at sea at one time, the mayor said.

The town is also waging war against poachers, helped by the World Wildlife Fund and USAID. Poachers hunt the sharks for lucrative Asian markets like Taiwan, where there is a strong demand for pricey shark fin’s soup.

Although Donsol has been designated a sanctuary, whale sharks face danger when they slip beyond its waters. Villagers say they have seen sharks with spear wounds and slashed fins or tails. One — dubbed "Lucky" — has a long nylon rope dangling from its tail, indicating it may have escaped from poachers.

Dancalan’s seaside visitor center has become a conservation outpost. "The whale shark has only one natural enemy — your appetite for shark fin’s soup," a sign says. Tourists are required to watch a video about whale shark protection before going out to sea.

The whale sharks, however, seem to be their own best ambassadors. Many visitors return to shore transformed into advocates.

"They are national treasures that need to be protected," said Bikales, the Connecticut housewife.

[bonixx]

Originally Posted by kevinb

Emerson, Sorsogon is now a city.

yes i know the municipality of Sorsogon and Bacon ajoining to become a city of sorosogon. i just love the pic.im sorry about the name of the building.

[bonixx]

"Butanding"





Donsol Sunset

[bonixx]

SORSOGON CITY — At least 725 indigent students in Sorsogon province will benefit from the government’s Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) during the summer vacation.

This was learned from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Sorsogon provincial head Jose Banda who said local government units (LGUs) and some private establishments in the province have committed to provide summer jobs to the students in support of the SPES.

Banda said that the DOLE has allotted some P1,165,574.28 covering the 40 per cent of the wages of SPES beneficiaries, while the remaining 60 per cent will be shouldered by the hiring LGUs and private establishments.

Breakdown of the SPES beneficiaries to be accommodated by different offices is as follows: Provincial Government with 178; LGU Sorsogon City, 180; LGU Donsol, 12; LGU Pilar, 23; LGU Castilla, 55; LGU Juban, 21; LGU Irosin, 22; LGU Bulan, 72; LGU Matnog, 20; LGU Barcelona, 45; LGU Gubat, 75; LGU Prieto Diaz, 13; while Annunciation College in this City and Saint Anthony Credit Cooperative in Gubat town will be hiring 5 and 4 students, respectively.

Banda said that regular SPES workers, who have been already employed in the previous SPES program, will have a contract of 30 days up to a maximum of 45 days while the new entrants will be hired for 20 days.

“SPES workers can earn from P168 up to P200 per day from the LGUs depending on the area of their employment and as much as P182 per day from the private employers,” he added.

[bonixx]

Bulan, Sorsogon

Bulan is a 1st class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 82,688 people in 15,683 households.

Major export of this town are from its coastal waters, agricultural lands produce Copra, abacá fiber.

Most of the revenues come from the fishing port of Bulan and businesses.

There are three commercial banks in Bulan with one ATM. These are the Philippine National Bank, the Metropolitan Banking and Trust Co. (with ATM), and the Allied Banking Corporation. Bulan has a branch of the Banco Sorsogon and Rural Bank of San Jacinto, Masbate.

Bulan has fixed landline phones from Digitel and PLDT. Mobile or cellular networks that are present include Globe and Smart.

There are a lot of computer and Internet cafes downtown.

The Primary Education in Bulan are divided into two Districts, The Bulan North District comprising all the Barangays towards the North coastal Barangays, to the interior land locked northern Barangays. The Bulan South District comprises the southern Coastal Barangays.

Bulan is politically subdivided into 63 barangays.

A. Bonifacio
Abad Santos
Aguinaldo
Antipolo
Zone I Pob. (Bgy. 1)
Zone II Pob. (Bgy. 2- Ilawod)
Zone III Pob. (Bgy. 3- Kanipaan)
Zone IV Pob. (Bgy. 4 - Bay-bay)
Zone V Pob. (Bgy. 5)
Zone VI Pob. (Bgy. 6)
Bical
Beguin
Bonga
Butag
Cadandanan
Calomagon
Calpi
Cocok-Cabitan
Daganas
Danao
Dolos
E. Quirino
Fabrica
Gate
Benigno S. Aquino (Imelda)
Inararan
J. Gerona
Jamorawon
Libertad (kalye-putol)
Lajong
Magsaysay
Managanaga
Marinab
Nasuje
Montecalvario
N. Roque (Rizal)
Namo
Obrero
Osmeña
Otavi
Padre Diaz
Palale
J.P. Laurel (Pon-od)
Quezon
R. Gerona
Recto
M. Roxas
Sagrada
San Francisco (pulot)
San Isidro
San Juan Bag-o
San Juan Daan
San Rafael
San Ramon
San Vicente (project)
Santa Remedios
Santa Teresita
Sigad
Somagongsong
G. Del Pilar (Tanga)
Taromata
Zone VII Pob. (Bgy. 7- Iraya)
Zone VIII Pob. (Bgy. 8- Loyo)

[Mond87]

Fast facts:

*Don't you know that Sorsogon is the most literate province in the Bicol Region? Yup. It's true. It has a literacy rate of 87%.

*Eastern coasts of Sorsogon is home to some of the finest white-sand beaches in Bicol region. Its popular Rizal Beach is located on an eastern town --> Gubat.

*The first ever Christian Mass in Luzon island is at Gibalon, Magallanes, Sorsogon.

*The southernmost town of Luzon is Matnog, Sorsogon, a jump-off point for Visayans entering Luzon.

** Thanks, bonixx for creating this thread for Sorsoganons! My mom's parents grew up in Sorsogon. Aside from this province's natural beauty, my roots are particularly the reason why I LOVE THIS PROVINCE.

[bonixx]

Originally Posted by Mond87

Fast facts:

*Don't you know that Sorsogon is the most literate province in the Bicol Region? Yup. It's true. It has a literacy rate of 87%.

*Eastern coasts of Sorsogon is home to some of the finest white-sand beaches in Bicol region. Its popular Rizal Beach is located on an eastern town --> Gubat.

*The first ever Christian Mass in Luzon island is at Gibalon, Magallanes, Sorsogon.

*The southernmost town of Luzon is Matnog, Sorsogon, a jump-off point for Visayans entering Luzon.

** Thanks, bonixx for creating this thread for Sorsoganons! My mom's parents grew up in Sorsogon. Aside from this province's natural beauty, my roots are particularly the reason why I LOVE THIS PROVINCE.

WOW Sorsogon is one of the best kept of Bicol Region, WC and my pleasure! the things that i cant forget in Sorsogon is its Natural Beauty,Ambience i cant Explain but it was so Different than Other Places ,the Fresh Air, Bacon town now a District, Solemly Quietly relaxing,Angd i hope il do some whale shark watching..

[Mond87]

Originally Posted by bonixx

WOW Sorsogon is one of the best kept of Bicol Region, WC and my pleasure! the things that i cant forget in Sorsogon is its Natural Beauty,Ambience i cant Explain but it was so Different than Other Places ,the Fresh Air, Bacon town now a District, Solemly Quietly relaxing,Angd i hope il do some whale shark watching..

It's like the 'Batangas' of Bicol... heheh... we have the same observation of Sorsogon...

[bonixx]

Originally Posted by Mond87

It's like the 'Batangas' of Bicol... heheh... we have the same observation of Sorsogon...

absolutely a Great Province in the great region of Bicol ,tol u can also post some Pic and news about Sorsogon and bicol. Welcome tayong lahat dito.

[habagatcentral1]

Correct me if I'm wrong but is it Sorsogon City the venue of the Pili Festival? That ambrosiac nut that I love so much that I missed the taste.

How is the Matnog Ferry Terminal? Back then when we went to Mindanao in Xmas 1996, we stayed there for more than a day because buses are prioritized first before private cars.

I never saw Sorsogon in broad daylight except Matnog. Im willing to go back there.

[kevinb]

Originally Posted by berniemacksouthcentr

Correct me if I'm wrong but is it Sorsogon City the venue of the Pili Festival? That ambrosiac nut that I love so much that I missed the taste.

Yep. That's it.

[bonixx]

well u should try JOVY'S pili nuts -banana Chips -cashew nuts etc available in robinsons ,SM,South,Metro Gaisano,sta. Lucia supermarkets, warehouse located at bgy.San Isidro,Bacon,Sorsogon City.

[Mond87]

Originally Posted by berniemacksouthcentr

Correct me if I'm wrong but is it Sorsogon City the venue of the Pili Festival? That ambrosiac nut that I love so much that I missed the taste.

How is the Matnog Ferry Terminal? Back then when we went to Mindanao in Xmas 1996, we stayed there for more than a day because buses are prioritized first before private cars.

I never saw Sorsogon in broad daylight except Matnog. Im willing to go back there.

U should... This is a wonderful province. I love going back here again and again...

[bonixx]

sorsogon city main street reminds me a cleaner version of morayta cor Epanya in manila showing a cathedral bell tower rising above the city skyline

[bonixx]

SORSOGON CITY

[Mond87]

Sorsogon folk honor Magsaysay awardee

First posted 06:03am (Mla time) Oct 30, 2006
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on page A18 of the October 30, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


SORSOGON CITY -- Proud province-mates, friends and family members feted Eugenia Duran Apostol, the first and only Sorsogon native to have received the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, in a testimonial dinner on Saturday evening here.

The dinner, hosted by the Kasanggayahan Foundation Inc. (KFI), should have been part of the culminating activity of the Kasanggayahan festival, an annual celebration marking the foundation of the province.

But after Typhoon “Milenyo” ravaged the province, the festival was cancelled.

The simple dinner was attended by local personalities from the church, civic, business and local governments led by Bishops Arturo Bastes and Jesus Varela, KFI chair Monsignor Francisco Monje, business and civic leader Loida Nicolas-Lewis, Jovic Duran and Bobet Lee.

In her message, Apostol thanked her province-mates for the honor as she recalled an incident which could have totally altered her life.

Had it not been for the kindness of an unknown bus conductor who guided her home when she got lost when she was just about 5 years old, her family had almost given up on her that time.

A daughter of Sorsogon’s former representative to the National Assembly, Apostol received the prestigious RM award for journalism, literature and creative communication arts in recognition of her effective use of mass media for the benefit of the general public.

Apostol courageously published Mr. and Ms. magazine, which was critical of the Marcos dictatorship during the martial law period.

She is the prime mover of the Save our Sorsogon (SOS), which raises funds for the victims of Milenyo, and a benefactor of the Sorsogon Museum now being built at the old provincial hospital.

Apostol founded the Inquirer in 1986. Bobby Labalan, Inquirer Southern Luzon

Source: http://news.inq7.net/archive_article...story_id=29494

[bonixx]

wow,natatanging Anak ng Sorsogon.

[Mond87]

Town dreams of riches in pearl farms

First posted 01:01am (Mla time) Nov 02, 2006
By Bobby Labalan
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on Page A15 of the November 2, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


DAVAO and Palawan will soon face a stiff competitor in pearl production once a pearl farm started four years ago in Castilla town, 25 kilometers from Sorsogon City, goes on full operation.

Castilla Mayor Renato Laurenaria said the municipality had forged a memorandum of agreement with the Bicol University for the implementation of a more thorough and scientific study and implementation of pearl farming, which, he hoped, would generate more income for its people.

As part of the agreement, the BU Research and Development Center would be established in Barangay Cogon.

“If other provinces can, certainly we can do it also here,” Laurenaria had said in pushing for the establishment of the pearl farm in the village before the municipal council.

The mayor said that after the 2001 elections, he learned that Davao and Palawan pearl farm operators were sourcing out their oysters, locally known as “pisay,” from his town.

“Why allow the raw materials to be taken out from our seas when we can also study pearl farming and give our people additional income?” he challenged the shell gatherers who supplied the bivalve mollusks to the other provinces.

Castilla is a third-class municipality (average annual income: P21 million-P27 million) with a population of about 49,000 and a land area of 18,000 hectares.

Good quality

Ronel Dioneda, a marine biologist and head of the research center, said the oysters that abound in Cogon were of good quality and very ideal for pearl production.

According to him, two kinds of pearl oysters are found in the municipal waters, which are part of the Sorsogon Bay: The white-lipped (Pinctada maxima) and black-lipped (Pinctada margaritifera). “The former is better than the latter in terms of production,” Dioneda said.

Before the local scientists came in about a year ago, he said, the oyster farming practice was more of a hit-and-miss. The farmers had adopted the technique from past dealings with pearl farmers from Davao and Palawan.

But with the signing of the MOA, Dioneda and his team are introducing scientific methods to maximize production.

The marine biologist stressed that one good thing about the industry was that it was sea-based, which would compel the community to keep their seas safe from illegal fishing activities, like dynamite and cyanide fishing.

Initially, the BU team identified five barangays—Buenavista, Macalaya, Tomalaytay, Quirapi and Cogon—where farms could be safely established. One farm is already operational in Cogon.

‘Irritating’ oysters

Pearl production starts with the introduction of a foreign object, called an “irritant,” into the oyster, Dioneda explained. The oyster instinctively protects itself by expelling the object or, in most instances, by coating the foreign object with calcium carbonate or nacre.

Nacre is secreted by the epithelial cells of the mantle tissue of certain species of mollusk. It is continually deposited on the inner surface of the shell (the iridescent nacreous layer commonly known as the “mother of pearl”), both as a means to smooth the shell itself and as a defense against parasitic organisms.

Another farming method, Dioneda explained, was the implantation of a small oyster tissue in the gonad of the oyster which will induce secretion of nacre to cover the mantle and the implant. This method produces the best quality pearl, he said.

A good quality pearl is produced in 18-24 months and determined by the thickness of the nacre, the scientist said. Since it takes time to produce pearls, he said, the center would adopt the modular system to ensure production at least every month.

Each oyster is good for two productions of high quality pearls and has a life span of up to four years.

The BU team has already started research on the mass production of oysters to ensure continuous supply of stocks for long-term production. It had earlier conducted stock assessment and spat collection, Dioneda said.

All the information as well as the technology would be turned over to the local government and the community, as agreed upon.

Potential

Cogon barangay chief Manuel Pareja, a local pioneer in pearl production, said he saw good potential for the industry in Castilla.

He had been supplying pearl oysters to the Davao and Palawan farms for almost 20 years, until Laurenaria urged him to go into farming himself.

Pareja supported his children’s education through college by selling oysters to the farms. He buys live oysters at P140 per kilo. Some oysters weigh as much as two kilos each.

Divers get the shells from depths of up to 40 meters and the stocks had to be acclimatized to the shallow area, Pareja said.

At present, Cogon has more than 800 oysters; the produce are sold to jewelry makers in Manila.

Mayor Laurenaria explained that aside from the pearls, the community could derive other income from related industries like shell decor making, farm souvenirs, oyster meat production and ecotourism.

During the recent visit to Sorsogon of US Ambassador Kristie Kenney and Sen. Richard Gordon, Laurenaria gifted each of them with a souvenir oyster shell with a pearl implant made by the local community.

The BU team is expected to complete its research work by yearend and pearl farm production and expansion could go full blast by next year, he said.

“We need to have more income-generating programs for our people, lest they fall victim to the sweet nothings of the New People’s Army,” Laurenaria said. He is the only local official in the province who has declared an all-out war against the communist NPA.

source: http://news.inq7.net/archive_article...story_id=30065

[bonixx]

Wow Mon siguro mas lalaki pa ang local generated income ng Castilla pag nagkataon, magandang Balita para sa Bicol yan another trade Mark.