April&May2013_digital

VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2

US$

balikbayan April & May 2013 5 4 balikbayan April & May 2013

6 balikbayan April & May 2013

BALIKBAYAN MAGAZINE VOLUME IV ISSUE NO. 02

“In 2012, the Bicol Region posted a total of 3.7 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 8% from the previous year.”

12 TRAVEL GUIDE

THIS PAGE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MISIBIS BAY

COVER BEFORE SUNSET AT MISIBIS BAY

14

“The Asian modern-minimalist themed resort unfolds before your very eyes, blending into the natural environment and plants indigenous to the area. Earth tones complement the lush greenery enveloped by the blue sky and the blue waters.”

14 DESTINATION

8 PUBLISHER’S NOTE

“These are just some of the memories that I cherish and long to recreate whenever summer is upon this tropical country of 7,107 beautiful islands.”

30 ESSENCE OF PLACE

“I never planned to visit the Philippines. Every Filipino American I have known had left to find a better life elsewhere. But when my husband’s client invited us to take a two-week tour, I learned that this land of more than 7,000 islands was more than the teeming streets of Manila.”

32 BALIKBAYAN JOURNALS

“The only place in the metropolis that satisfies your night-out demands. Whether it’s fine dining, a relaxing night with family or friends, or an intoxicated time alone or with your pals, Buddha-Bar has it all covered.”

38 EAT & DRINK


P!"#$%&'( ) CEORoger L. OrielP('%$*'+, ) C--P!"#$%&'(Cora M. OrielV$.' P('%$*'+, for B!%$+'%% D'/'#-01'+,Raphael John C. OrielV$.' P('%$*'+, for A*/'(,$%$+2Noel O. GodinezV$.' P('%$*'+, for S3#'%Sharon Ann Bathan-San PedroV$.' P('%$*'+, for M3(4',$+23+* S0'.$3# E/'+,%, P&$#$00$+'%Vince F. SamsonM3+32$+2 E*$,-(Jane Francis S. QuinaboA%%-.$3,' E*$,-(Stephen Norries A. PadillaC-+,($"!,$+2 E*$,-(%Ruben Nepales Nickee de Leon-Huld, Malou Liwanag-Bledsoe, Prosy dela Cruz, Momar Visaya, Cynthia de Castro, Dymphna Calica-La Putt, Billy De La Cruz C-+,($"!,$+2 W($,'(%Christina M. Oriel, Claudia Viek, Sti!any Adanza,Joseph Pimentel, Dan Nino, Monico LetargoC-+,($"!,$+2 P&-,-2(30&'(%Leandro Medrano, Andrew Tadalan, Noel Ty, Noki Villanueva, Victor Ursabia,Fernan Nebres, Rex Romero Ding Carreon, Andy Tecson, Boy Daluz A*/'(,$%$+2 E5'.!,$/'Kimberly T. delos SantosM!#,$1'*$3 D'/'#-0'(%Nicole Marie P. Alvaro, Desiderata M. PasionG(30&$. D'%$2+'(James Christer C. FranciscoA..-!+,$+2 M3+32'(%Victoria C. Fabro, Gemma C. Fabro, Joseph Mark T. CamiringC$(.!#3,$-+ M3+32'(Arthur SibulangcaoA*1$+Salve M. Tomines

BALIKBAYAN MAGAZINE is published by Asian Journal Publications, Inc.2/F Units D&E Fort Palm SpringCondominium, 30th Street corner, 1st Avenue,Bonifacio Global City, Taguig1634 Philippines Tel. (+632) 856-1661USA A*/'(,$%$+2 O66$.'%Los Angeles: 1150 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, San Francisco: 841 San Bruno Avenue West,

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No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage of retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Asian Journal Publications, Inc. regrets that

no responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited material, which will be returned only if stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed.Printed in the Philippines. Distributed in the Philippines for newly arrived balikbayans at Duty Free Philippines, as well as at select hotel rooms, resorts, restaurants

and cafes, major bookstores and magazine distributors. Circulated at special events and through subscription in the United States of America.

CONTENTSAPRIL & MAY 2013

42

032' 78“...At the core of the success of

Philippine tourism is the Filipino people. The language barriers that

are prevalent in other Asian countries is near to nothing in the Philippines

because of the high English literacy rate of the country.”

-Department of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.

032' 9:“...We treat each and every one of our

customers like a distinguished guest in my home,” says Bruno Serato, the award winning chef, CNN Hero and

face of Anaheim White House. Bruno Serato, deservedly, may get all the glitz and glamour in the media; but little is known about a Filipino man named

Alfredo Ibay, who helped the Italian’s journey to success.”

-The Pinoy Behind the Anaheim White House

BALIKBAYANMAGAZINE.COM CHECK OUT OUR PHOTO ESSAYS ON THE

HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL IN CLARK AND OTHER EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

44

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KEEPING A JOURNALAPRIL & MAY 2013

To kick o! the summer season, Balikbayan features Misibis Bay,Southern Luzon. We point you to Bicol’s hidden treasure as this year’s most promising summer haven. Apart from

the magni"cent Mt. Mayon, other worthy activities are sure to make your vacation there memorable, from a fusion of adventurous

day with sessions of meditation and scrumptious food. And if you still have a moment to spare, try scuba diving to see the wonders of

terrain vehicle, or go to Sorsogon and swim with the whale sharks.We have proven time and again in past issues that indeed it is

more fun in the Philippines. But how is the Tourism Department’s campaign faring in the United States? Our editors there will tell you more about the activities being conducted by Tourism Directors and Consul Generals to promote the Philippines in the land of milk and honey. Here’s a spoiler: #ey, too, agree that it’s more fun!

Balikbayan Magazine also celebrated Chinese New Year by sponsoring #e King and I show at the Newport #eater of Performing Arts in Resorts World Manila. Friends, colleagues, business partners, families, and guests all enjoyed a few hours of great music and stellar performances in a world-class venue.

Let us all embrace the heat and enjoy summer, Pinoy-style.Roger Lagmay Oriel

Publisher & CEO, Asian Journal Publications, Inc.



smallest edible "sh, the sinarapan, can be found just a few nautical miles away, in Lake Buhi, Camarines Sur.

Considered to be one of the friendliest and most hospitable people, Bicolanos can concoct the sweetest deserts made from the popular pili nut to the spiciest of dishes cooked in coconut milk and siling labuyo like laing, pinangat and the region’s

It is where one can "nd some of the countries oldest churches and heritage sites, but also boasts of the most modern amenities, and state of the art sporting facilities found in its new world class destinations like the CWC or Camarines Sur Water Sports

Bagasbas Beach in Daet Camarines Norte is a paradise for sur"ng beginners, while the Caramoan Islands, known for its powdery white sand beaches are becoming more and more popular.

in the region. Choose between an adventure with gentle "re$ies in Sorsogon, and an underwater interaction with giant manta rays in Masbate.

Currently, an international airport is being constructed in Daraga, Albay. #e new international gateway to the south is

to eat, pray, play and love lava in Bicolandia.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW TADALAN

TRAVEL GUIDETHE BICOL REGION

lbay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes,

Philippines that comprise one hot, if not smoldering,

South of Luzon, is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the country.

In 2012, the Bicol Region posted a total of 3.7 million tourist arrivals, an increase of 8% from the previous year. #e resurgence of the region as a major tourist destination is boosted by how it has kept its iconic tourism spots, geological and geographical

destinations and activities for local and foreign tourists.

#e region has much to o%er when it comes to natural wonders and beautiful scenery. Mountains, rock formations, volcanoes, boiling lakes, hot springs, underground and limestone caves, rivers, waterfalls, white sand beaches, black sand beaches, corals, and a diverse and abundant marine life.

Being part of the Paci"c Ring of Fire, the provinces are dominated by the towering peaks of Mt. Isarog, Mt. Asog, Mt. Malinao, and two active volcanoes, Mt. Bulusan and the most popular of them all, Mt. Mayon, famous for its almost perfect cone and symmetry.

It is a region of superlatives—the world’s biggest "sh or the whale shark, can be found in Donsol Sorsogon; while the world’s

ASTORY BY STIFFANY ADANZA I PHOTOGRAPH BY NOKI VILLANUEVA

STORY BY STIFFANY ADANZA I PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREW TADALAN

TRAVEL DESTINATIONYOUR LUXURY ISLAND PLAYGROUND


and plants indigenous to the area. Earth tones complement the lush greenery enveloped by the blue sky and the blue waters.

EXTRAORDINARY THOUGHTFULNESS he resort has 53 garden view rooms and 37 villas, with

views of either the beach, or the lagoon pool. Most

few other celebrities have stayed. Nonetheless, all the villas are spacious, with high ceilings, endless windows, and terraces, and are equipped with a daybed, LCD TV, iPod dock, DVD player, hair dryer, in-room safe, multi-line telephone, refrigerated private bar, tea or coffee maker with complimentary

thoughtfulness is evident, similar to how a mother would prepare a room for her child. Every little thing that you might

maja blanca and palitaw on the dining table, and the handy but very stylish hand woven bayong, which is absolutely free!

Food is served at the Spice Market. You can choose to stay in the air-conditioned area or dine al fresco. Sous Chef Tournant Jeffrey Martin makes sure that the guest varied palates and preferences are catered to. Asian cuisine is infused with Bicol’s native dishes, and the different buffet stations provide more

T

xponential” is the word that can best describe how the tourism business of Misibis Bay in Cagraray Island, Bagacay, Albay has grown since it opened three years ago. What is the mystery behind this

5-hectare island resort that makes local and foreign celebrities, the affluent, even royalty want to visit? Balikbayan Magazine discovers the bliss that is Misibis.

Misibis Bay is a tropical hideaway, and hidden, indeed it is. The travel from the airport to Cagraray Island is a long and winding road that takes you from city to towns, from towns to nipa houses getting scarcer and scarcer by the minute. The solar panel street lamps are an assurance that we have not gotten lost

“Eyet, although I somehow lost myself in the alternating views of the water, mountain, water, volcano, hill, ocean, from the left window to the right…it’s like a tennis match, I completely forgot that it has been an hour until the façade of Misibis Bay became visible.

Entering the gates, anticipating paradise, it is obvious that

Further down the road, birds fly from one tree to another as traditional Ibalong music can slowly be heard. Soon we are welcomed by a traditional Ibalong dance, cold towels, and fancy drinks. The Asian modern-minimalist themed resort unfolds before your very eyes, blending into the natural environment


smallest (commercial) fish, beautiful caves, beaches, boiing lakes. You can go diving, ride the ATV, take a chopper tour.”

On the beach and within Cagraray Island, await more challenging activities for the adventurous ones. There are many water sports and outdoor activities to choose from. The resort can also arrange integrated tours through the

out the whole day, do the activities, get wet, get muddy, and

the resort ’s Essenses Spa, which offers body treatments, and other packages.

SUNNY DAY GUARANTEEhe resor t offers a one-of-a-kind guarantee for guests who come in during the country ’s rainy

that from the months of June to September, it is stil l summer season in Bicol, for the balikbayans , it works quite well. For people who are hesitant to go, our packages come with a sunny day guarantee, - if you did not do any activity during your stay, we’ l l be glad to give your money back, or give you a GC (gif t certificate) for your future stay, but mind you, we’ve never had to use it

Tis that famous Bicolano dishes are ever present, especially the

Adjacent to the restaurant is the Dela Playa Beach Grill and Tapas Bar, where cocktails are served and only closes until the last customer has left.

PLAYTIME BESIDES THE LUXURIOUS ROOMSesides the luxurious rooms and the delectable food,

resort is Sitio, an indoor activity area, where one can play billiards, darts, foosball and table tennis. For the kids,

there’s the kiddie pool, and a playroom complete with Wii,

more. There’s also a fitness center, and a library. The resort also houses the only casino in the region, which opened recently.

is probably the only real integrated resort in the country. We are the only one who has land, sea and air adventure activities in one widespread geographical area,” begins Mr.

the worlds most perfect volcano, worlds largest fish, worlds B


TBALIK:BUY:AN

he resort has had guests who stayed for 3 weeks. Thankfully, if one chooses to never leave Misibis Bay, here’s the good news - Misibis Bay is also a residential

use residential property. We have about close to 600 lots in the first phase, about 85 percent has been sold, a lot of course to balikbayans. We are opening up additional phases, those who bought in early, like back in 2004, they’ve actually had just an idea of what it would become, for those who haven’t come back, they’ll be very surprised.”

Important to note is the significant impact of Misibis Bay on the community of Misibis itself. It has partnered with the Misibis Bay Coastal Care Foundation and has committed to protect the environment and to improve the livelihood of the local community. The resort supports 3,000 scholars, and directly affects the lives of close to 500 families. The give-away native bags found in the villas are handcrafted by the women

The resort’s growing popularity has revitalized tourism

destination always first, choose your inspiration, choose your adventure of how you interact with nature, choose your comfort. With the right resources you can make a resort anywhere in the world, but you cannot make a perfect volcano, you cannot build the world’s largest fish, you cannot put all these white sand beaches and beautiful scenery all around in one place. Misibis Bay is just the preferred resort of choice in this area.”

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MISIBIS BAY


THE "PLAY #GROUND RULES!n this age of gadgets, playing has almost been redefined by finger swiping, tablet tapping, and clicking on phones

time, playing meant going outdoors, running under the heat of the sun and getting sweaty. Step out of your comfort zone, get out, gear up and play in the biggest playground South of Luzon—Misibis Bay.”

In the vast and diverse terrain of Cagraray Island, Misibis Bay combines environment and ingenuity, the old and the

to play. This IS the ultimate playground for all generations— the perfect venue to get out, gear up, and to step out of one’s

for the inevitable clicking of cameras to capture the fun moments.

of ways: there’s the segway—a two-wheeled battery operated vehicle that ’s very easy to maneuver. Just find your equilibrium, a little weight here, pull back there, find your balance easily

much as one step.For the more adventurous ones, the resort ’s all terrain

vehicles or ATVs can take you through the Eco-energy Park for sunrise or sunset watching on the Hill Top. It ’s quite easy to operate, but riding it while traversing rocks and slopes is a

Ibit of a challenge. One has to learn to trust the vehicle, that it is not called an all terrain vehicle for nothing. Once you’ve managed to get the feel of how the ATV can withstand any kind of bump or hump, then the adrenaline rush begins. You can also choose to ride another off road vehicle, the dune buggy. The journey is as breath taking as the destination. Once you’ve reached the hill top—the 360-degree view of Cagraray island, plus the Albay Gulf, Pacific Ocean and the neighboring islands of Catanduanes, Batan, and Caramoan make you realize that the ride is all worth it.

the sea.What about one’s need for speed? First in the Philippines,

and only here in Misibis Bay is the luge—an adrenaline pumping ride on a one-seater sled that will take you through 700 meters of curved roads and downhill slopes!

Other activities include horseback riding in the equestrian field, paintball, climbing in the high ropes course, and there’s also a camping area. In the works are biking and hiking trails for those who want to challenge their strength and endurance.

All these activities can be booked at the Sitio reception, the Lobby, or with any of the friendly staff members of Misibis Bay.

IT DOESN’T GET ANY WETTER THAN THIS!Swim, splash, sail and scuba dive in the waters of Misibis Bay.

part from the 9 swimming pools located within the perimeter of Misibis Bay, there is of course, one more area where one can’t get any wetter - the beach. Along the coasts of Misibis Bay, various water sports

are offered for aquatic adventures. With a little sun block and a lot of energy, water activities

blue waters of the Pacific Ocean form a partnership that is hard to resist for those who want to swim, splash, sail or scuba dive.

Double kayaks are available for those who want to paddle along the coasts of the bay. Others may want to choose the newest form of surfing and kayaking combined—the stand up paddle surfing—an easier way to ride the waves.

For those who have upper body strength and balance, take on the challenge of windsurfing and ride both the waves and the wind. Instructors and guides are on hand for those willing to learn how to harness the wind.

island of Cagraray aboard a hobie cat

movie Waterworldguide transforms into Kevin Costner’s character. Watch him read the direction of the wind and adjust the sails just like

in the film. There’s also the fun, fast, seawater-spraying-on-your-face,

popular group ride—the banana boat. High-powered jet skis are also available.

Perhaps the only things that can rival these aquatic activities on the waters of Misibis Bay are the adventures beneath them. A short 3-minute golf ride from the resort ’s Sitio Reception will take you to the marina. The underwater marine life in the Albay Gulf is a journey into a whole new world…with living and breathing coral reefs, an abundance of underwater creatures, and even a secured giant clam garden.

The resort offers introductory dives and diving courses for first time divers. Complete equipment is provided, and activities are supervised only by highly trained and

(PADI) dive masters.

shapes, and sizes of aquatic life deep in the marina, where sightings of different species have been reported from the cute clownfish to moray eels, to ghost pipefish and devil scorpion fish, sea cucumbers to saw tooth barracudas.

And finally, what could be more fun than chasing the sun? With comfortable beach beds along the shoreline, just face the horizon and take in every bit of beauty that the skyline of Misibis Bay has to offer. Bask in the view of the sun kissing this part of the Pacific Ocean.

A


Describing the ride as bumpy is an understatement. It did not help that the rains started to pour, but it made the journey more fun. Occasionally, the trail would be blocked by cows nonchalantly feeding on the grass leaving us no choice but to steer the ATVs unto the side of the trails to get past them.

Getting muddy and wet is unavoidable, but like the rain, we liked it! It made being one with nature more authentic. After about an hour’s drive, we stopped at a base camp, parked the ATVs, met with local guides, and were treated to fresh buko juice.

A steep climb follows, and once on top, the scene was just overwhelming. This was the fury of Mt. Volcano. This was where she let out her steam—along with the lava and everything else she can cough up. Before the volcano turned this into a lava wall, this area used to be a coconut plantation—now it is an 80 foot wall of pyroclastic materials alternatively baked by the sun, and soaked by the rain, for the past 3 years.

Walking through the wall makes you realize how powerful Mayon Volcano is. Boulders abound, some parts of the wall are solid as a rock, and some can be easily crushed into powdery bits. It is massive, rivaled only by the volcano that made it. What’s more nerve-wracking is that the lava wall is within 6 kilometers from the volcano’s tip or crater—we were in the danger zone. While trekking trough it, we noticed that ferns were already growing amidst the rock formations. It was like seeing the birth of a coral reef, only we were not submerged in water, but were actually 5 stories above the ground.

The trip would have been perfect if Mt. Mayon did not hide, or should I say, was not hidden by the clouds. All in all, this kind of adventure takes you to a place where, as a human being, you nod and acknowledge nature’s power. Seeing a tangible effect of a volcanic eruption, standing on what used to be its path of destruction, you are humbled by its might, and amazed at the masterpieces it can create.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOKI VILLANUEVA

I CAN BE STRONG…OUT HERE ON MAYONart of Misibis Bay being an integrated resort and true special tours it can arrange for its guests. Among these are: a city tour that will take you around Legazpi City.

Another is the whale shark interaction tour, which takes you from Legazpi City to Donsol, Sorsogon. A chopper tour can be also arranged for an aerial journey over Bicol. There are

visit, we opted to take the special tour that would take us to Bicol’s most iconic symbol —the Mt. Mayon.

It takes a lot of courage to even think of going near the country’s most active volcano, but as it is temporarily sleeping, we could not pass up on this chance to get up close, but not too

The Balikbayan Magazine team, along with our tour guide, Nokki Villanueva, traveled from Misibis Bay to Barangay Pawa

Pin Legazpi City, where the adventure begins. There, at the foot of the volcano—our ATVs or all terrain vehicles were waiting for us. The destination—the lava wall in Bonga Gully—made from pyroclastic and lava flows spewed by Mt. Mayon during its last eruption in 2009.

After a thorough briefing on dos and don’ts while on the trail and on how to maneuver the ATV, we geared up and spared a few minutes for practice driving. And when everything was set, a convoy of 3 ATVs, carrying a party of 5 started on the journey towards the lava wall.

The trail is not for the faint of heart, but it is manageable if you maintain your focus while coursing through sand, rocks, and even a river. The 9-kilometer route presents a breath taking view of the foot of Mt. Mayon—the flora and the fauna, the terrain, and the thriving life that the volcano cradles. We passed by local folk, who would readily give a friendly smile or wave, and kids would run up to us and give us high fives.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NOKI VILLANUEVA


at the center, and a view of both the Bahi Cove, and Mt. Mayon complementing each other.

are 100 percent yeses.” Says Misibis Bay General Manager

unlimited options to chaoose from.”As if a perfect venue is not enough, the resort can go all out

in fueling the $ames of passion. Proposals can happen not just on land. We’ve had proposals via chopper, people who go on diving and pop the question, some while kayaking” One can also propose aboard one of the resort’s private boats while on a sunset

crazy as you want, and we support that,” concludes Mr. Varona. So make your plans, "nd your perfect spot, and be one of the

many couples who started their forever in a day at Misibis Bay.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MISIBIS BAY

HOW TO GET THEREMisibis Bay may be reached via a 50-minute flight from Manila to Legazpi,

then a scenic travel by land (45-minutes), by a private helicopter (15 minutes), or by a fast watercraft (30 minutes).

For inquiries, please call (63 2) 6618888, (63 917) 5991590, or email [email protected]

START FOREVER IN A DAY AT MISIBIS BAYest and recreation are two essentials when one goes

to that—romance. Within the resort are a number of areas that just stimulate production of endorphins and

ignite passion among couples. Supplementing that is the many arrangements one can make with the resort itself when planning to pop the question.

A candlelit dinner, upon request, can be set up anywhere within the grounds of Misibis Bay, or, take love on a higher ground—there’s the Sta. Maria Chapel—perched on top of a hill, gleaming with its grandiose architecture and solemnity, and choose to

Rpropose with a 360-degree view of the ocean and the islands.

With the sunset or the sunrise in the background, one can also choose to start forever on the Hill Top and view deck, with the cool Paci"c Ocean and Albay Gulf breeze brushing through. All these set against a majestic backdrop that is the Mount Mayon.

But why settle for just one volcano? An ATV ride through the resorts Eco-energy park can take you to a summit that is called

"ve towering peaks that dot the Bicol Area—Mt. Mayon, Mt. Malinao, Mt. Masaraga, Mt. Iriga and Mt. Isarog.

And there’s also the amphitheater—a masterpiece, not unlike a beautiful painting, with a replica of the mysterious Stonehenge



The jeepney casually rolls on the highway, sandwiched by wide stretches of farmlands, while the wind softly blows on my face and the sun slowly rises in the east. For me, seeing this scenery is like seeing the face of God.

Traveling for more than an hour is never easy for a kid that

or two away, I would stare at the sceneries outside. If that, too, became boring, I’d stretch my hand out of the window of the moving vehicle and wave to nobody in particular. It always gave me an ecstatic feeling whenever someone from a passing car or van would wave back to me. That never failed to put a smile on the other person’s face and on mine.

But the best is yet to come. Once we have arrived at our destination, everybody would seem reenergized even after waking up early and traveling for a relatively long period of time by land. The sound of the waves crashing to the shore was always a welcome noise, and it ’d be hard for any one of us to ignore the blue waters that shine like diamonds with every kiss of the sunlight.

cottage or grilling that bangus and other seafood delights or applying sunscreen, I would be one with the other kids in running freely to meet the waves. Soon enough, my mother, father, aunts, uncles, and grandparents would join us in the cool waters, ready splash away the summer heat.

The whole day would be filled with echoes of laughter and

or old trying to learn or relearn how to swim, storytelling about

and many other small things that make life worth living.It is in these trips that I learned valuable life skills like

swimming, or seemingly irrelevant knowhow like building sand castles. It is also through these outings that I discovered how lucky I am to be in a country that is rich in marine biodiversity and blessed with so many beautiful beaches . But above all this,

kin to prove that time and time again.Summers come and go every year and beaches remain aplenty

in the Philippines, but I know I will have just one family.

f you ask me what my childhood was like, I would probably

that I had gone through in my province. Outdoor games like moromoro and patintero with my friends. Afternoon

siestas missed to catch dragonflies outside of our home. Kite-flying with all the other kids from neighboring villages. Halo-Halo topped with leche flan and ube as refreshment. These are just some of the memories that I cherish and long to recreate whenever summer is upon this tropical country of 7,107 beautiful islands.

Pardon me for being nostalgic, but there is one activity every summer that I truly miss doing. It ’s having outings to a nearby beach with my family.

When I was young, my family and several relatives would plan weeks ahead on a road trip to a beach in neighboring

south of Metro Manila. This meant hiring a driver and a jeepney, since we didn’t own a car or a truck. My grandmother would also be busy thinking of what food to bring and, in the night before the trip, preparing for a day’s worth of meals

for the entire clan. My mother and aunts would also occupy themselves with things like what clothes to bring or bottles of sunscreen to purchase.

As for kids like me, all we did then in preparation for the

My siblings, cousins, and I would already imagine ourselves out in the sun with the sand beneath our feet, running towards the inviting waves of the ocean. And as the day inched closer, we would be restless in our sleep, tossing and turning in our beds like the princess and the pea.

On the day of the outing itself, all of us would be awake by three in the morning. Every one in the family would check his/her bag for the very last time, making sure that the toiletries were there. Food was always number one on the list, so the ladies in the family would make sure that the rice, water and utensils were not left behind. Then we would all stuff ourselves into the rented jeepney and finally head to the beach.

Part of the joy in this day tour was the two or so hours of land travel. My favorite part would always be that when

ESSENCE OF PLACETO BRING BACK A CHILD’S SUMMER

ISTORY BY STENO A. PADILLA I PHOTOGRAPHS BY LEANDRO MEDRANO


the baby Jesus dressed in red velvet with long brown curls and soft brown Filipino features.

After an informative and unusually frank tour of historic sites by our guide, Raymond Fernandez , we were whisked away to Plantation Bay Resort with its 11 plus hectares of man-made lagoons, swimming pools, and two-storey lodgings. The General Manager, Efren Belarmino, personally greeted us and suggested an unusually delicious Japanese and Filipino inspired feast, including Tanigue, fish and jumbo shrimp tempura. It was only because we were too full that we were able to resist the allure of the lovely Mogambo Springs spa, with its glimmering pools and foliage.

the town of Lapu Lapu was another study in contrasts—the

children toddling alone. I was made even more aware of how we were living at the very top of the food chain.

Pandan town, on Panay Island, provided an entirely

at Lagen to the hard-core poverty in Manila, the Pandan Beach Resort was an oasis that bridged these two worlds. It was created by the Bautista family who raised their nine children while operating a small store in town. Eventually the family moved away to Manila and the United States. They all did well and are now returning to live and create new businesses in their cabatan.

classrooms in the local primary school and supports students through high school and college. One daughter funds a small band of elderly musicians. Another daughter operates the Pandan Beach Resort, a nine-unit building of hard wood with simple and colorful furnishings. You can even climb aboard a floating pagoda they provide to watch the gorgeous sunset while fishermen haul in their evening catch and the anchovy fish leap like tiny dolphins over the shining waters.

Many tourists will still prefer Bali or Tokyo or Hawaii, but if you want it all in one country, the Philippines is the place!

never planned to visit the Philippines. Every Filipino American I have known had left to find a better life elsewhere. But when my husband’s client invited us to take a two-week tour, I learned that this land of more than 7,000

islands was more than the teeming streets of Manila.

of my life. Dr. Mary Jane Torres, the owner, was gracious and professional. We were limp noodles and it was only noon!

off in the elegant little airport set up to shuttle guests to El Nido, a group of small, mountain-islands off of Palawan. Nothing prepared us for the raw, formidable physical beauty of this area. As we approached Lagen Resort, the forbidding black cliffs morphed into a sense of protective coziness, reinforced by the warm welcome from the staff. Lagen and the other two resorts in El Nido are designed as ecotourism sites and therefore all the flora and fauna are protected, including the shells on the beach.

It ’s the perfect spot for affluent honeymoon couples—with or without kids!

Because my own work involves promotion of micro businesses, I was personally impressed by the owner’s efforts to stimulate micro enterprises among the villagers, including supplying the resort with organic vegetables and weaving attractive sandals and beach bag burris for the guests.

Lagen allows you to slow down and completely surrender to

required a gearing up again to civilization and the huge, elegant, urbane Radisson Blu hotel which abuts the also huge SM

warm hos pitality, attention to detail, and concern for beauty. Our room overlooked the busy harbor, but in the distance was moored the ghostly, white hulk of an abandoned cruise ship.

Magellan in 1521, and settled by the Spanish since that time, despite their initial loss to the island rebel Lapu Lapu. The 17th century Santo Niño Cathedral houses a very old effigy of

I

BALIKBAYAN JOURNALSWELCOME TO THE PHILIPPINES

STORY BY CLAUDIA VIEK


amous for its moniker as the Tuna Capital of the country, visitors to

activities within the area. Magandang GenSan lets visitors enjoy several beaches in the area, which range from the bountiful Sarangani Bay,

the black sand beaches of Dupalco and Maharlika, to the sugar white sands of Gumasa. Your family and friends will de"nitely have memorable bonding moments in these seaside paradises as they enjoy an ambience miles away from the hustle and bustle of the metro.

After enjoying the sights and sounds of the province, continue the rest of the fun-"lled weekend at Microtel Gensan. Its three-level building o%ers 65 well-appointed guest rooms surrounded by trees nearby and some lush greenery and landscaping. It also has conference facilities on the second $oor where seminars, meetings, and conventions, and other special events can be held to accommodate up to 150 persons. Conveniently located 30-minutes away from the airport and sits snugly within walking distance of, not only its

from the business area where banks and other establishments are within reach.

away into the province’s culture and natural sights, guests will never be short of things to do and sights to see. Have a fun-"lled vacation and avail of the weekend getaway package for P 2,499 net/night valid Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 31, 2013.

Aside from Gensan, Microtel is present in key destinations such as Acropolis QC, Baguio, Batangas, Boracay, Cabanatuan, Cavite, Davao, Mall of Asia, Puerto Princesa, and Tarlac and soon to open in U.P. Technohub, QC and Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Microtel by Wyndham is an international chain of hotels under the Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest lodging franchisor. Worldwide there are 300+ Microtel properties open and under construction in US,

managed by Microtel Development Corporation, the hospitality arm of the Phinma Group. Microtel "lls the growing demand for cost-e&cient business and leisure travel and is fast becoming a standard in Philippine lodging.

For inquiries and reservations, log on to www.microtelphilippines.com or email [email protected],

[email protected] or call (63 2) 899 7171 or (63 2) 917 888 1800

#e 10th Microtel by Wyndham® property in the Philippines recentlyopened in booming General Santos City. Shown in photo during the

ribbon cutting ceremony are (L-R): Ricardo Floirendo (SVP, An$ocor),Hon. Darlene Antonino-Custodio (Gensan Mayor), Antonio Floirendo Jr.

(Chairman, An$ocor), Doña Nenita Floirendo (An$ocor), Hon. Lualhati Antonino (Secretary, Mindanao Dev’t Authority) and

Jose Mari Del Rosario (President, Microtel Philippines). Joining them are the Floirendo siblings, Maricris and Marissa.

F

Double Room (with two queen-sized beds)

Aerostar function room can accommodate up to 120 persons

Hotel Lobby

Dining area for breakfast

HOTELSSPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

A Weekend Getaway at Microtel General Santos


one are the days of long hours at the airport where you wait for your boarding time only to find out that it ’s delayed. The time is up for waiting in long queues for a bus ticket because the company does not accept

reservations. Forget about spending the first day of your much awaited vacation in a cramped seat and with not much to do

2Go Travel, a super-brand resulting from the merging of Negros Navigation Inc. and Aboitiz Transport System, is a unified passenger brand that offers comfortable travel to and from several destinations in the country. What’s better is that, once you set foot in the ship, your vacation begins.

2Go Travel offers a variety of accommodations that guests can use during their stay onboard. These accommodations vary per vessel, but everything is guaranteed to suit the needs of its guests.

rooms with either a family bed or two full-size beds. It has its own private bathroom and television; linen and basic toiletries are also provided. Cabin Rooms are private rooms with a bathroom and two-channel television. Bed amenities could be single beds, a double bed, or four bunk beds.

Then there’s a Tourist Class accommodation, composed of double bed bunks enclosed in a semi-private partition. It can include four to 14 guests, depending on the number of occupants. Mega Value accommodations have double bed bunks in an air-conditioned area of the vessel. The most affordable offering is the Super Value, a budget-classed accommodation that offers double bed bunks in the non-air-conditioned area of the ship.

The Tourist Class, Mega Value, and Super Value accommodations have shared bathrooms, with linens made available for rent for a cheap price.

The facilities of 2Go Travel is also top of the class. Dining areas are both chick and modern, which also doubles as entertainment venues for guests during their meals. Some vessels also have a ballroom that is retrofitted to become a disco or a large meeting area that is equipped with state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. You can also find a convenience store, a spa and salon, a medical clinic, and a chapel within the ship premises.

At 2Go Travel, guests get more than what they pay for by offering a new way to arrive at your destination. Be it Bacolod, Butuan, Cebu, Caticlan (where Boracay is just five minutes away), Batangas, Calapan in Mindoro, Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete, Dipolog, General Santos, Iloilo, Iligan, Ozamiz,

only domestic cruising can provide.

conventional ways of travel, but a new way to begin a vacation and to see the country in a very affordable and comfortable way. Create memories onboard with family and friends, enjoy the feel of the sea breeze with your lover, and just live life the way you want.

2Go Travel is not just a ship—it’s an adventure waiting to be

For more information about 2Go Travel, you can visit their website at www.2go.com.ph

2GO TRAVEL: WHERE VACATION STARTSSPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

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balikbayan April & May 2013 41

his Asian-inspired hot spot originally came from Paris and has attracted celebrity clienteles like Paris Hilton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Heidi Klum, Eva Mendes, and even Lady Gaga. Thanks to Ambassador Amable Aguiluz V, Buddha-

Bar has reached the Philippine shores and is now ready to welcome everyone; from the most sophisticated guests to just about anyone

that is both inviting and pensive. Once you enter through its majestic doors, the soothing aroma of a secret herb or scent permeates the entire venue. How’s that for a welcome remark? The warm lights and the low sofas are too comfortable in the eyes that you cannot but help yourself to indulge and stay there for as long as you wish.

Its massive interior is punctuated by carroty chandeliers, plus the combination of gold, fuchsia, and turquoise for its throw pillows gives that Asian feel, which is simply perfect for Buddha-Bar. And when you witness the 11-foot golden Buddha niftily situated on the second floor, as if someone watching over the guests to make sure they’re having a good time, you can be sure that enlightenment is just around the corner.

To fully liberate yourself, start with the refreshing Buddha-Bar Iced Tea. Don’t be fooled by what you’ll see. It may seem mundane

touches your taste buds, feels like a smack of tropical ocean breeze. You may find it queer to be served with a goblet of tea with two plastic straws. Well, there’s a reason for that. The other one may be used for stirring, but it ’s more romantic to know that the other straw is a sweet gesture for you to share your drink with a special someone.

That drink shouldn’t go to waste. Start with the Pink Lady to

with avocado and cucumber, topped with surimicrunchy rice shrimp jalapeno are best served with unagi, or their signature Buddha-Bar sauce.

Now you’re done with the appetizers. It ’s time for the main course. How about some boneless chicken wings and sea bass tamarind? Both cuisines are bursting with that distinct Asian flavor. Curry prawns, black pepper beef, and many others are just some of the Japanese, Thai, and Indian fare in the menu. What ’s a good meal without dessert? Top it all off with a little serving of trio of crème brulee, a classic French custard in vanilla, coffee, or chocolate flavors, and the must-try chocolate sesame bars. In one word, this is heavenly.

said Chef Soc Santos.But then again, Buddha-Bar Manila is still a bar. So if you want

to have your fill of alcohol, then spoil yourself. Walk a few steps to

fresh grapes, cinnamon syrup, pineapple juice, vodka, port wine, and a bit of soda. Or you can go Japanese by trying Raspberry Saketini, a blend of sake, raspberry puree, pineapple syrup, pineapple juice, and crème de cassis.

For only P1,500, you can enjoy hanging out at Buddha-Bar’s roof deck with its magnificent view of the Makati City skyline. Have a summer party with a glass of vodka or rum in your hand, while satisfying yourself with hefty servings of grilled items on their buffet table.

with more than 16 flavors to choose from (watermelon, orange, mango, apple, pineapple, lemon with mint, grapes, cola, cocktail, chocolate, grapes with mint, peach, vanilla, bubblegum, melon, and mint). Oh, and don’t worry about sharing the pipe because you will be provided with four mouthpieces.

DJs take you to paradise with their easy-listening tunes. Close your

energy music. Think of Ravi Shankar on steroids. And as the night gets deeper, the lights dim and the music goes more upbeat. How’s that for a perfect night out?

T

Buddha-Bar Manila is at Picar Place, Kalayaan Avenue, Makati City. For inquiries and reservations, call

(02) 856.6719 or (02) 856.6859 or visit www.buddhabarmanila.com, www.facebook.com/

BuddhaBarMNL, www.twitter.com/BuddhaBarMNL, and www.instagram.com/BuddhaBarMNL

Arianne Aguja, Marketing Manager Buddha-Bar Manila

Soc Santos, Executive Chef

Buddha-Bar Manila

EAT & DRINKSPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

If you want everything under one roof for an experience that is well worth the price, head to Buddha-Bar Manila. The only place in the

dining, a relaxing night with family or friends, or an intoxicated time alone or with your pals, Buddha-Bar has it all covered.



consider my skin color because I was darker. #ere was just love there. I think that was the key thing. I was actually more worried about how her family would react to me, if they were going to accept me. I’m darker but they all loved me. I think when you start talking and they see how you are and how you talk that fear went away.”

gets together when they have parties, it’s similar to Filipino families,” he adds. After a one-year courtship, the two married and he brought her back to the US.

Stella was totally culture shocked; having to not only adapt to living in the US but also away from her close-knit family. It was a tough transition, says Ibay.

down. #ey blended their unique cultures and background together and passed it on to their two children - Catherine and Sylvano, Filipino-Italian-Americans -

children are $uent in Italian and understand Tagalog, he says.

worlds. #e culture is so similar to one another.”In the early 1980s, Bruno Serato was like most immigrants, hungry to succeed

and willing to do whatever it takes. He eyed the United States to make his mark.

Bruno was highly motivated. He came from a poor family, he says. His parents moved from their home in Italy to the Northern region of France after WWII to pick potatoes and beets. Italy was completely decimated after the war, with those who stayed su%ering from famine, daily riots, and an unstable government. Most left for America. #e Seratos could not a%ord the ticket.

In France, Bruno remembers, his mother wouldn’t allow him to attend schools when it snowed because there were holes in his shoes. It was too cold to walk and frostbite meant losing your toes. #ey borrowed clothes from neighbors and dinner consisted of bread, milk and co%ee, he says.

co%ee milk and bread it was still food. Now, I know kids who are starving and have no food.”

Bruno arrived to the US with $200 in his pocket. He started as dishwasher at La Vie En Rose, a french restaurant in Los Angeles, and moved up to become the general manager within "ve years. In 1987, he ventured to start his own restaurant.

we saw what was then called #e White House at the time. It was a building like the White House in Washington DC with a huge lawn. We liked it so much we put all of our money together and bought it.”

Like most new businesses, the early years were tough. It took a few years before the restaurant became popular and well known. Soon celebrities and other high pro"le personalities began to $ock to the restaurant thanks to one of Ibay’s old Army buddies, Joe Funicello, a talent agent for ICM who represents Jodie Foster and Hollywood’s other elites. Customers and positive reviews followed.

Now, Anaheim White House is listed as one of the best "ne dining restaurants in Southern California. It is not only known for its décor and its unique $avors inspired by Italian, French and Japanese cuisine but most importantly, it’s known their charity work.

In 2005, Bruno Serato started Caterina’s Club, a non-pro"t organization named after his mother that serves children who live in motels around Orange County. To date, Bruno and his sta% have served more than 500,000 meals since starting the program. #ey serve 300 children a day at a local Boys & Girls club.

its top ten heroes in 2011.

says Ibay, who serves as a part-time day manager at the restaurant.! #e CNN Heroes award sits in the front waiting area for guests to see.

So when you hear about the Anaheim White House, just remember that a

says it jokingly but Ibay knows how everything came together when he and his wife met in Italy more than 40 years ago.

of them happened I don’t know what my life would be. I know it would have been

WWW.THECATERINASCLUB.ORG

STORY BY JOSEPH PIMENTEL, AJPRESS

alking inside the Anaheim White House is akin to being inside a museum with dining tables.

Italian frescos don the wall, crystal chandeliers hang overhead, and bronze cupids sit on top of the "replace leering romantically at

diners. #e outside is just as impeccably designed as the inside décor. In front of

statues welcoming guests inside.#is is the Anaheim White House, a former two-story mansion built in 1909

turned "ne-dining establishment, a historical landmark tucked in the heart of Orange County, just minutes away from Disneyland.

With all of its European elegance and $air, it would be hard pressed for anyone to see any Filipino in$uence.

But it’s there.From the chefs in the kitchen to its general manager and maître d’, the Anaheim

White House is a celebration of a Filipino-Italian family, a perfect blend of two cultures, who value none other than welcoming and serving guests into their home.

my home,” says Bruno Serato, the award winning chef, CNN Hero and face of Anaheim White House. Bruno Serato, deservedly, may get all the glitz and glamour in the media; but little is known about a Filipino man named Alfredo Ibay, who helped the Italian’s journey to success.

Filipino originally from San Fernando, La Union, Philippines. He is also Bruno Serato’s brother-in-law. It was Ibay’s marriage to Bruno’s sister that gave the chef a reason to come to the United States and eventually launch his career.

Ibay’s role could be seen as a minor or even major depending on how you

while stationed in Italy during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s. After serving in the US Army and "nishing as a sergeant, Ibay brought his new bride to the United States where they settled in sunny Southern California. Several years later, an intrepid Bruno, came to visit his older sister in the US. And with $200 in his pockets, a hunger to learn English and realize the American dream, Bruno set forth his path and eventually become the success he is today, a CNN Hero, and one of the most highly decorated chefs in the world.

EAT & DRINKTHE ANAHEIM WHITE HOUSE

Would Bruno have achieved everything he is today, if his sister hadn’t happened to marry Ibay and come over to the US?

Possibly. But it’s fun to speculate Ibay’s major/ minor role. Most importantly, it makes us believe that we all have a special place in this world and that everything that we do has a certain reaction or an in$uence on someone else.

Ibay’s story starts in San Fernando, La Union where he was born. His father was a member of the US Army serving under General Douglas MacArthur during World War II. In 1952, the Ibay’s immigrated to the US. #ey literally arrived

three weeks to go to San Francisco by boat. We then went to Los Angeles where we settled and lived.”

A little more than a decade later, just as he was entering college, Ibay, a naturalized US citizen, was drafted into the US Army to "ght in the Vietnam War. It was a scary time, he says. #e Vietnam War was raging and US military were drafting young men to "ght for their country. Rather than being shipped directly

serve for three years rather than the mandatory two years required for drafted men in the military.

being stationed in Maryland and from there I was part of the Southern European task force in Italy.” #ey stationed him in Vicenza, Italy. He never set foot in Vietnam.

sign.” And the good signs were only beginning.During his time in the Army, a young, fair-skinned, blonde-haired, beautiful

Italian woman was working as a secretary in the base. Every day she would see a man outside her window walk back and forth. She found him intriguing.

skinned Filipino, there’s no way this blonde girl would be interested in me.”She was very interested, he later found.

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In my hometown, there is a village adjacent to ours called

When I went recently to Mt. Province in Northern Luzon, I saw a village there called ‘Sabangan,’ and it ’s situated near the Chico River. In Puerto Galera (Oriental Mindoro) and Puerto Princesa (Palawan), there are villages, too, called ‘Sabang,’ and both of which are near the ocean. I’m no linguist, anthropologist, archaeologist, or geographer, but this isn’t rocket science either. It ’s fairly easy to deduce that these villages have a strong connection to a body of water.

This closeness to a river or ocean should not come as a big surprise.

History taught us that early civilizations settled in areas near

the ocean or river when they discovered agriculture; hence, they stopped from their nomadic ways of living. The case is no different in the Philippines. Many of our ancestors chose to build their homes in coasts, riverbanks, lake shores, etc. Simply try to take a window seat on a plane and look at the geography of our islands during your flight. You’ll see what I mean by people settling near bodies of water.

As the cliché goes, water is life. For many people, it is a source of food and livelihood, but many of us don’t understand

at the smallest unit of government in our country: the barangay.Barangay came from the word ‘balanghai’ or ‘balangay.’

Also known as the Butuan Boat, it is a plank boat, about 15 meters long and 3 to 4 meters wide, propelled by sail of buri or nipa fiber or padding. It can carry 60 to 90 people. This Pre-Hispanic watercraft is a testament that early Filipinos are a people of the sea. They use the balanghai for fishing, trade, travel, communication, piracy, warfare, and, most importantly, residence.

Although most of us are now land dwellers and these ancient

thrive in the sea. In Mindanao, a major island in the south, an indigenous group called Sama or Badjao, popularly known as

City folks and other lowlanders often depict them as beggars, but this is such a great dishonor, considering that they are living proof of our pre-colonial identity.

Nowadays, we also hear news on territorial disputes between and among countries in the West Philippine Sea over small pieces of rock protruding from the water, and we hear about China’s 9-dash rule, which claims the entire South China Sea and everything that’s in it. I’m not going to gloss over this issue, but what we can learn from here is that water has already become a commodity. Water now has a price tag.

It ’s funny how emerging economies and world superpower

waters have been here all along, just going with the flow (pun intended).

What we fail to understand here is that water, just like earth, is not a piece of property that anyone can simple own. It was here before we were born, and it will remain to be here long past our death. I have lived near a river—swam in it, dipped in it, stood in it—for as long as I remember, but that doesn’t make me its rightful owner. The oceans, rivers, lakes, falls, streams, ponds, creeks are not one’s possession. The sea doesn’t belong to us, precisely because we are the ones who belong to the sea.

Darwin’s evolution proved it. Our history proves it.It had served as our ancestors’ partners in their own quests.

The vast ocean, along with other water forms, was our forefathers’ crib, business, playground, highway, employer, school, church, cemetery, and address.

It ’s sad how colonialism took away our maritime consciousness. Imagine a country surrounded by a great deal of stunning beaches, yet most of its citizens are afraid of the water. Many Filipinos don’t even know how to swim! I can name a number of friends and relatives to prove that. Worst of all, we are made to believe in school that our rich archipelago is a group of islands surrounded or divided by water.

Well, I think this is not entirely false, but why can’t we use the lens our ancestors used to see that the beautiful 7,107 islands of the Philippines are, in reality, connected by water?

ike our national hero Jose Rizal in a popular story about his childhood, I, too, lost my slipper in the river when I was young. It was a family vacation, and instead of hitting the beach we decided to have a picnic in the

stony banks of a nearby river in Bulacan. But, unlike him, I

in high hope that a poor fisherman will find the slippers and give these to his son.

The fact that this incident is indelibly inked in my mind only goes to show how much I treasure quality time with my family. More than this, I’m fascinated by my awareness that rivers, or any body of water, play an important role in my life. It ’s quite

HISTORYTHE SEA THAT CONNECTS US

STORY BY STENO A. PADILLA I PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SEA-EX

about my past and present connections with water.

Collectively, we are called Filipinos, but in reality we are a nation composed of several groups of people. I, for one, am a Tagalog. Using my grade school lessons in Sibika at Kultura, it is not difficult to see that the term ‘tagalog’ is actually derived from a much longer word, which is ‘taga-ilog’ or river dweller.

In the province, our house is located in a village that is just a stone’s throw from a river in the east, and to the west is another stream, which is mainly used for irrigating farmlands. Here in Metro Manila, I rent an apartment together with a few friends, and it ’s only a few blocks away from the once pristine Pasig River.

L


Since 2009

LOCAL INSIGHTS. INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE.

balikbayan April & May 2013 51


yun, magkakaintindihan kayo. Diba?”

Looking ahead, the PDOT-LA sees a greater e%ort for the push for Philippine tourism because of the upcoming Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Directors’ Tour of the Philippines, or the ACGTDT program.

#e ACGTDT is a tour of the Philippines that is unlike any other. It is

the North America market. Open to Filipinos, their families, and friends, tour participants will be able to enjoy Manila in a way that cannot be replicated by other tour packages from other travel agencies and booking services.

#e ACGTDT will feature a basic tour package of Manila for only $1933 per person. #e basic tour includes roundtrip air fare from Los Angeles to Manila via Philippine Airlines, three nights stay at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel in Ortigas Center, meals and entertainment, historic tour stops at the Rizal Park, Intramuros, and Malacanang Palace, spa and salon treats, studio tours, and an out-of-town day tour to Tagaytay City.

But the single thing that makes the ACGTDT a widely sought-after

with President Aquino and a special luncheon at the Heroes’ Hall of the Malacanang Palace.

Considering current airfare rates and accommodation costs, ACGTDT

worth.Tour participants can choose to go on optional post-tour packages,

which will commence right after the basic tour. Destinations include Laoag-Vigan, Cagayan de Oro-Camiguin, Southern Luzon Golf Tour, Davao, Cebu-Bohol, Iloilo-Bacolod, Kalibo-Boracay, Puerto Princesa, and CamSur-Legazpi.

that there will be more people from the LA area because of the positive feedback that people have been hearing from past tour participants.

Furthermore, Cuevas reported that LA-based Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega has been very proactive in promoting the ACGTDT. During the tour’s launch at the Philppine Consulate in LA, De La Vega told the Asian Journal that now is the best chance to bring back Filipinos to the Philippines so that they will see for themselves the new Rising Tiger of Asia.

not been to the Philippines,” De La Vega pointed out.Director Cuevas noted that because of the combined e%orts of the

tourism o&ce and the consulate in LA, and the positive comments

join in this year’s ACGTDT iteration.

con"rm their attendance as the May 31 deadline draws near. Cuevas reported that in the Tourism O&ce’s promotional event in San Diego, as many as 15 individuals con"rmed their participation in the tour right on the spot. Needless to say, seats are really $ying fast for the ACGTDT.

Given the high rate of interest that Filipinos are showing in the program, Cuevas said that the Tourism O&ce still plans on going to di%erent states within their jurisdiction to promote the tour. Aside from Southern California, these areas include Southern Nevada, Arizona, New

Aside from the ACGTDT, another tour called the Bayani Tour is also being o%ered. It targets second-generation Filipino Americans, who will be toured to Gawad Kalinga sites in the Philippines, aside from the usual tourism destinations that include scenic Palawan.

Consul General De La Vega, for her part, said that she "nds the

and committed.”De La Vega noted that because the Consulate in LA serves the largest

Filipino community outside of the Philippines, it has a high volume of responsibilities and consular work to ful"ll. In this light, De La Vega noted that the partnership between the Consulate and the PDOT-LA o&ce is highly valuable.

increase international understanding of Philippine culture and fostering closer relations with the ever-growing Filipino-American community in Southern California,” De La Vega told Balikbayan Magazine via email.

the PDOT-LA does well in representing the Philippine Department of Tourism in promoting and encouraging the development of tourism as a major socio-economic activity.

According to Cuevas, despite the sheer amount of work that she has to do as chief for PDO T-LA, she still feels a certain sense of accomplishment in bringing Filipinos back home to the Philippines.

go to the Philippines at least once, they will keep on coming back,” Cuevas admitted.

coming back. Que Filipino yan, que Amerikano yan, kahit anong kulay pa. (Laughs.)”

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF PDOT'LA DIRECTOR ANNIE CUEVAS

with Secretary Ramon J. Jimenez

With!Jessica Sanchez!during the visit of H.E. Benigno S. Aquino in Los Angeles

#e Philippine Pavilion at the

show in Las Vegas

irector Annie G. Cuevas, a 17-year veteran of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT), is one of the few high ranking o&cials that one can easily warm up to. Maybe it’s just part of her job to promote Filipino hospitality, or maybe just her own personal

disposition, but Director Cuevas is one of the most approachable o&cials in the Philippine bureaucracy in Los Angeles.

Whatever the case may be, her friendly disposition and enthusiastic approach to everything is a perfect match to the DoT’s latest tourism campaign: It’s More Fun in the Philippines.

Cuevas, who has worked with the Philippine Department of Tourism in Los Angeles (PDOT-LA) for quite some time now, sat down with Balikbayan Magazine to talk about the ongoing e%orts of her o&ce to promote Philippine tourism, the immediate plans for the future, and the rewarding feeling of being able to bring a kababayan back home to the Philippines.

In 2012, the DoT made big strides as it launched the highly-acclaimed It’s More Fun in the Philippines campaign. Here in LA, the PDOT-LA worked hard to launch its own wave of promotions for the said tourism campaign.

Cuevas revealed that among the notable e%orts that the PDOT-LA pursued last year, it was their outdoor advertising that caught much of the attention—and praises from Filipinos and even non-Filipinos.

According to Cuevas, the tourism o&ce placed outdoor ads and billboards in strategic locations in LA to promote the campaign. #ese strategic locations include the Tom Bradley International Airport, or more famously known as the LAX, and the Los Angeles Convention Center, among others.

Cuevas said that she speci"cally selected those places because of events that coincided with the implementation of the ad campaign.

to Los Angeles. #e Tourism O&ce took advantage of this opportunity to capture the attention of as many as a thousand Filipinos who came to

LAX to welcome the president as he arrives at LA. According to Cuevas, as many as half a million Angelenos were reached by the one billboard that the Tourism O&ce installed at the LAX area.

#e LAX billboard, which was placed in a major transportation hub, depicted a person riding a banca going through the rocky isles of Palawan

It was also an instant hit for thousands of netizens that came through LAX. Across the Internet, users were posting photos of the LAX billboard, sharing it on di%erent social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Needless to say, the actual reach of that one single billboard cannot be measured by only the raw number of people passing through LAX.

Aside from the LAX billboard, the PDOT-LA also placed hundreds of It’s More Fun ads across Los Angeles. From high tra&c places like the LA Convention Center, to bus shelters, to actual bus stills, the campaign itself reached as far as Orange County.

preparation before it was launched in LA. Although the images were already ready from those taken in the Philippines, the PDOT-LA team had to go through a thorough selection process in choosing which photos would go into the LA ad campaign. Aside from that, the actual production of the billboards also took a considerable amount of time to be printed out.

In its o&cial launch last year, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. spoke to Fil-Ams and talked about how he believed that the campaign would be e%ective and would work to the Philippines’ advantage.

that would lead to the campaign’s success. At the core of the success of Philippine tourism is the Filipino people. #e language barriers that are prevalent in other Asian countries is near to nothing in the Philippines because of the high English literacy rate of the country.

THE PHILIPPINES & TRAVELLOS ANGELES

IT’S MORE FUN CAMPAIGN MAKES WAVES IN LASTORY BY MICO LETARGO, AJPRESS

D

DEMA (DIVE EQUIPMENT AND MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION) SHOW IN LAS VEGAS 2012


ith over 7,100 islands, beautiful beaches and the warm hospitality of its people, the Philippines can be easily seen as a top tourist destination. However, there are

Consul General Marciano A. Paynor, Jr. of the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco simply believes that it is all about perception.

I’ve talked to them about it, but they said it’s (the) management’s prerogative.”#is is one of the reasons why the Ambassadors, Consul

Generals and Tourism Directors’ (ACGTD) Tour was founded, to assure Fil-Ams and foreign tourists that the Philippines is a safe place to travel.

With a military background, Paynor has been in Foreign

Washington, Gabon, Budapest, Manila, Rome, Israel, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He also served as Chief of Protocol and President Assistant on state and foreign visits. #e idea of bringing in Fil-Am students to the Philippines

came to Paynor sometime in 2002, when he was the Consul General for Los Angeles. Working with the Filipino community, they pushed for the white sands of Boracay, at a time when the political situation in the Philippines was shaky. #at time

cancelled.#e ACGTD came into fruition in 2004, conceptualized by all

Foreign Service Posts in the US and Canada, and the Department of Tourism; headed and launched by then Philippine Ambassador

to Washington and now Secretary of Foreign A%airs Ramon del Rosario. #e Philippine Consulate in San Francisco’s jurisdiction goes

beyond Northern California, as it also covers Northern Nevada, Washington State, Oregon, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Alaska. Since the ACGTD program’s launch, their area has brought in an average of 60-70 travelers annually. #e lowest number of travelers was in 2009, which was attributed to the failing US economy. #is year, the ACGTD is scheduled for July 9-12 and Paynor

gives credit to the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) untiring

are seeing a signi"cant number of tourist arrivals. It’s paying o%,”

stable and safe,” Paynor reiterated. Aside from showing the beautiful sights, Paynor also shared

that they want Fil-Ams to be reconnected to the Philippines.

especially the 2nd and 3rd generation (Fil-Ams). We have to

problem of diminishing (dollar) remittances,” he said. With the Philippines now largely dependent on remittances

to do is to replace that with investments from Fil-Ams and small

cannot put walls. Instead of doing it somewhere else, why not do it in the Philippines?”

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS

STORY BY MALOU LIWANG-BLEDSOE, AJPRESS

THE PHILIPPINES & TRAVELSAN FRANCISCO

W

Consul General Marciano A. Paynor, Jr.!talks about the ACGTD program and e%ort to change our views about the Philippines.

eing the Tourism Director for the Philippines in San Francisco for 10 years now, Rene De Los Santos can give you more than a hundred reasons why the Philippines

perception about the country from sensationalized news headlines and vague travel advisories about safety and security, he bluntly

he said. However, potential travelers in the United States are

to educate the travelers. We want them to (be) aware that our country is a fun and safe place to go to.”

In 2004, De Los Santos gave a presentation about the potential of the Philippines as a tourist destination. However, that time there were only a few tour operators giving travel packages to

Consul Generals and Tourism Directors (ACGTD) tour was created. Over the years, the program has managed to bring in an average of 500 tourists to the Philippines.

the ambassadors, tourism directors and consul generals will be the tour guides. It gives them some semblance of security and con"dence,” De Los Santos said. #e tour of course, has much to o%er other than having these distinguished o&cials take you around.

these Fil-Ams have the travel patterns of mainstream Americans.

Americans to discover their roots,” De Los Santos said. Of course, they still would like to invite more foreigners, but

De Los Santos is happy that the tour has been successful over the

Rene De Los Santos, Director of the Department of Tourism in

has a brand in itself. In fact a lot of you have talked to the people who joined the tour, marami sa kanila will tell you that they had a

With the thrust of the Aquino administration focused on agriculture, tourism and infrastructure, De Los Santos reiterated that the country’s airports, roads and seaports should be improved and updated. However, he believes that it is only a matter of time before traveling to and in the Philippines will reach its all-time high.

there’s a need to develop a fast and e&cient railway system to connect Clark to Manila.”#ere’s a lot more to the Philippines than the beaches and De

Los Santos believe that travelers may "nd other things that may interest them. For one, the Department of Trade and Industry works with the DOT to promote doing business in the country. Tour participants can also attend seminars on how to set up a business, a franchise or joint venture, as well as join site visits to factories and certain industries.

For retirees and/or empty nesters, they can visit model homes or units of di%erent property developers. In fact, a number of participants of the tour have bought condominium units these past few years, to use either for retirement or an investment.

Again, De Los Santos emphasized the importance of creating awareness and educating potential travelers about the Philippines.

campaign and its growing success. Now that there is already an increasing awareness on what

the Philippines is all about, De Los Santos has no doubts that the DOT’s e%orts to market the country to potential travelers is

time for its conversion as a travel destination.”

THE PHILIPPINES & TRAVELSAN FRANCISCO

YOUR NEXT BEST DESTINATION: The Philippines

STORY BY MALOU LIWANG-BLEDSOE, AJPRESS

B

(From left to right) Philippine Tourism Director in San Francisco Rene De Los Santos with his sta%, Tourism Assistant Maria #eresa Bautista, PRO Debbie Gallano and Administrative Assistant Juan Gabriel Agcaoili.


Philippines. He said his main goal is boost awareness of the Philippines and increase respect for the country.

enhancing information on our people, on our country,” the

if we give good service to our people, they tend to get behind the government in terms of supporting the programs.”

Indeed, a great number of Filipino-Americans in the Midwest

including its e%orts to promote tourism, Morales noted.#is helpful community also includes the Filipino-American

media which serve as a powerful platform for the Tourism o&ce’s

us over the years,” Morales said.#e tourism director said her o&ce regularly disseminates

news releases that discuss Philippine tourism campaigns or local programs in the Greater Chicago area and as well as in the Midwest states they cover. #ese regular statements come from either her o&ce or the Tourism Department in Manila. Photo releases about recently-concluded events, meanwhile, are also

regularly distributed to media.Aside from media, photos and news statements are also farmed

request them to pass on the word to everyone in their database,” she also said. Her o&ce’s own database include travel, trade and cultural centers.

Morales said her o&ce also accepts most invitations from various Filipino-American events where she and her sta% set up booths dedicated to promoting travel to the Philippines.

In addition, they also contact these organizations, as well as mainstream groups, so they can participate in travel and other tourism-related events.

initiative, we don’t usually just wait,” Morales also said.It is in these mainstream events that the Tourism Director,

with her team, gets to promote the Philippines to non-Filipinos.

SHOWCASING “FUN” IN THE PHILIPPINES. Philippine Department of Tourism Director Vernie Velarde-Morales shows the fun in travelling to the Philippines to very interested travel agents during the Midwest Travel Supplier

Association (MTSA) roundtable presentations held last March 6, 2013 at Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

8TH ACGTDT LAUNCH. Tourism Director Vernie Velarde-Morales informs an attentive audience about the forthcoming 8th Ambassadors, Consuls General, and Tourism Directors Tour (ACGTDT). #e event gathered several Fil-Am community leaders and media to the Philippine Consulate General on

FUN DIVE IN THE PHILIPPINES. Philippine Department of Tourism Director Vernie Velarde-Morales with OWU Seminar SpeakerTony Gramer,

Certi"ed PADI Divemaster and president of Silent World Information Masters, Inc. (SWIM) who visited the Philippine booth after his presentation on the

Dumaguete and Subic Bay during the recent Our World-Underwater Show held last at the Donald Stephens Convention Center.

Among the highlights of this year’s Tour are the meeting & photo opportunity with President Benigno S. Aquino, and

a lunch & "esta activities at Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay.

iven their culture of “community involvement,” Filipino-Americans from the Midwest are in$uential partners of the Philippine government in promoting tourism.

Typical Filipinos who live in Midwestern US states are

Vernie Morales, tourism director at the Chicago Philippine Consulate General observed.

potential partners,” she said, typifying them as highly-educated and very involved in the community.#e tourism director, whose o&ce promotes Philippine tourism

in nineteen states in the Midwest, said their campaign targets the

more mainstream,” she told Balikbayan magazine.

advertise what non-Filipinos do not know about the Philippines. #e popular program has become instantly popular in social media due largely to Filipinos both in and outside the Philippines who spread the message.

In much the same way, Morales noted the e%ectiveness of the

THE PHILIPPINES & TRAVELCHICAGO

STORY BY DYMPHNA CALICA LA-PUTT, AJPRESS

local Filipino-Americans in the Midwestern area in promoting the Philippines.

Aside from Illinois, the Midwest states covered by the Chicago Tourism o&ce include Arkansas, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee,

Within this vast jurisdiction is scattered many Filipino-Americans. As such, o&cials of Philippine Consulate General in Chicagoare always on the move as it reaches out to these populations.

Consul General for Chicago Leo Herrera-Lim himself, makes it a point to regularly visit each one of the Midwest states, noted a local university publication in Chicago.

Being mobile and visible to both Filipino-American and mainstream communities in the Midwest is part of the Consul

Philippine tourism.In an earlier interview, Herrera-Lim told local publication

Medill Reports, that he wants to increase tourism to the

SPREADING THE FILIPINO FUN IN THE MIDWEST

G

FUN LAUNCH OF THE AMBASSADORS TOUR. Attendees during the February 12th launch of the 8th Ambassadors, Consuls

Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim and Tourism Director Vernie Velarde-Morales. #ey are all shown in the photo and joined by Deputy Consul General Orontes V. Castro and Vice Consul Alena Borra. Attendees mingled with the Consulate and Tourism o&cials, sta% before and after the

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF CHICAGO TOURISM DIRECTOR


recently showed the audio visual presentation and ads at a travel show in Florida and we received so many good feedbacks afterwards. They found (the Philippines to be) really impressive

community. The ads and visuals are catchy and the photos speak

Dy still gets surprised that there are still people who do not know where the Philippines is, and when she faces those

She finds it rewarding to be able to let possible future tourists to the Philippines know more about the country.!

Among the many destinations that the country has to offer, Dy shared that there are places that stand out among tourists.!

For tourists who want more adventure beyond the beaches of Palawan and Boracay, Dy is more than happy to share other off-the-beaten-path destinations.!The thing is, with 7,107 islands, chances are people will find something they want to do, whether it is a secluded beach, eco-tourism, interacting with nature or culture. There is something in store for everyone in the family.!

For the adventure junkies, Siargao is the place to be. From beautiful beaches to majestic waves for surfers, the place pulsates with activities. If you intend to go diving, your head will spin from the many diving destinations that the country has to offer.!

is still under the radar but we should all work into making sure

Dr. Michael Castellano is an American physician in New York, who is married to a Filipina. He and his family also joined the tour last year. He has nothing but good words about their

beauty queen and fashion designer from Miami, and hundreds

Dr. Castellano said during a gathering in New York to launch

The doctor also praised the organizers for coming up with a

as both amazing and fascinating.!As an American, Castellano said it was also important for him to learn Philippine-American history from the perspective of the Philippines.!

tour. We got to learn about the history of the Philippines.

The ACGTD tour is a project that can go on and on as long as there is support and cooperation from the three departments involved: Departments of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Tourism. Replicating it in other countries across the globe can also be done, particularly in Europe where there have been inquiries as well.!

of the diplomatic posts in Europe and elsewhere. !If there is that

said.

Consul General Mario L. de Leon, Jr. (second from right) and DOT NY O&cer-in-Charge Mitchelle Dy (right) led the community launching of the 2013 ACGTD held at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center in New York.

#ey were joined by (from left) Deputy Consul General Tess De Vega, Dr. Michael Castellano,

PHOTOGRAPHS BY REX ROMERO

FILIPINOS MAKE PH MORE FUNhe Ambassadors, Consuls General and Tourism Directors Tour of the Philippines is now on its eighth year and there are no signs of slowing down.!

Balikbayan Magazine recently sat down with Consul General Mario de Leon, Jr. and Mitch Dy, officer-in-charge of

barrio fiesta in Cavite, a new component of the tour which was started last year. The DOT has worked with the local government and the regional office to give the visitors a taste of an authentic fiesta.!

us in this tour, through meetings and launches. I think the

ConGen de Leon said.!Also this year, participants will be billeted at the EDSA

Shangri-la in Ortigas Center.! Then, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Rizal Park, while en route to Malacañang

Hall. Highlight of this day will be a photo opportunity and a quick chat with President Benigno Aquino III.!

Last year, around 50 participants from New York and New Jersey joined the festivities.!One of them was 77-year old Lumen Castañeda, who also joined the tour in 2009.!

breakfasts and dinners, the shows and the socials, is that I was able to meet new people, new friends. I met fellow Filipinos

Castañeda shared.!

THE PHILIPPINES & TRAVELNEW YORK

Last year, Castañeda brought her 15-year old grandson to the tour, and she was happy to have done that because he immensely

where they saw relics from World War II.!Because of the popularity of this one-of-a-kind tour to the

homeland, organizers have capped the participants to about 500 in order to make it more manageable.!

The tour happens in July because the DOT also targets families.!

up here will be able to join us and have a three-day immersion to

From what the organizers noticed, most of the tour

dates allocated.!

have in the tour are packed with activities that most of the

so, especially since there is a host of post-tour vacation packages

Among these packaged tours are visits to Laoag/Vigan, Cagayan de Oro/Camiguin, Cebu/Bohol, Iloilo/Bacolod, Kalibo/Boracay, CamSur/Legazpi, among others.!

As the DOT representative in New York, Dy has been traveling all over the East Coast, including Toronto and Montreal in Canada, to promote travel and tourism in the Philippines. As

STORY BY MOMAR VISAYA, AJPRESS

T

Lumen Castaneda, a community leader in the tri-state area, has participated in the ACGTD tours twice and she recommends the tour to everyone she knows.!


FESTIVALSHOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL, CLARK FREEPORT ZONE, PAMPANGA #e Hot Air Balloon Festival is an annual event that occurs between January and February

for three to four days. Considered as the biggest aviation sports event in the Philippines, it features colorful hot air balloons and hundreds of pilots from around the world.!

PHOTOS BY NOEL TY


FESTIVALSPANAGBENGA FESTVAL IN BAGUIO CITY, BENGUET


ARTS & CULTUREBALLET PHILIPPINES

t is hard to judge something where you have no claim of expertise, but seeing Ballet Philippines perform for the "rst time at the country’s art frontier, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, makes me feel like I have known them for far too long, only I have taken

them for granted for not recognizing their bravado all along.When Ballet Philippines took a gamble in presenting A Midsummer

Night’s Dream for their Valentine’s presentation, all I could think of

interpreted a million of times in the past, it was a delightful surprise to see an all-Filipino production giving it a fresh approach by weaving the elements of magic and love into a loud, raucous, and undeniably graceful pattern.

Hong Kong-based Filipino choreographer Carlo Pacis was de"nitely

convergence of twists, turns, lifts, hand movements, and even Gangnam style (to my amusement) was simply a work of genius.

Dancers seem to come out of nowhere, and when they dance in chorus, you see magic happening on the stage even with the absence of the quintessential fairy dusts. As the colorful and playful fairies pop in and out of the stage in $uid magni"cence, you can only say that this piece is done by someone who really knows what he is doing.

Worth mentioning is the brilliant performance of Puck, whose

without the $ashy lights or the attention-seeking solo performance. Pacis could remove the ballerina who played the Love-in-Idleness Flower, and—I believe—Puck would have pulled it o% nonetheless. (#is is not to say that the ballerina was not that good. She is perfect!)

#e interactive multimedia (now becoming a staple in stage acts) plus the carefully planned lighting and musical accompaniment were also

tenderness to the rough, and occasionally hilarious, choreography.At "rst look, the set design could be thought of as wanting of grandeur

or even of a speck of magical touches typical in a Disney production, but Ricardo Cruz knew better than that. When he created the set for the ballet performance, I thought he was doing something light or minimalistic in order for his art not to interfere with the art of ballet dancing, which is the focus of the show.

#is humility in a masterpiece is often taken for granted not just by lay people, but by art a"cionados, too, which leaves the artist struggling in the evaluation of his or her own creations. But Cruz could only be praised for the simple and elegant design he made for Midsummer in order to bring about a more e%ective delivery of grace and beauty, as seen in the lucid interpretation of the story.

Here is a bit of a spoiler. #e forest, which was achieved by placing white slanting poles all over the stage in di%erent layers, was bland in itself, but when the ballet dancers appeared all of a sudden in their bright, festive costumes, the whole set turned into an enchanted space where no mortal dared to enter at the risk of losing his or her mind.

And there is one person I should be thanking for those valuable costumes. #e name is Eric Pineda.

To put it simply, it was a magical success. All the elements were in the right place, at the right time. #e choreography was undoubtedly di&cult and sophisticated, but it was a sight to behold. #e storytelling was impeccable, that even without words, one could surmise what was happening. #e lights, sound, set and costumes were all very accommodating, and this masterful coordination made the show worth seeing again and again.

But through it all, I could not let pass the one thing that put Midsummer in the ranks of masterpieces I have seen in the past. #e true fairy dust in this act was none other than love.

#e topsy-turvy intricacies of love in Midsummer, as seen in its brilliant characters Oberon, Titania, Lysander, Demetrius, Hermia, and Helena, was its underlying theme. But more importantly, it was the love from the show’s cast and crew that made it magical.

BY STENO A. PADILLA

Magic and Love in Ballet Philippines’

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

IPHOTOGRAPHS BY VICTOR URSABIA

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DATELINEUSAFROM THE AJPRESS NEWS TEAM ACROSS AMERICA

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

JAN

w w w. a s i a n . c o m

“SEE you at the United Nations,” Malacañang told China last Jan. 23 after the Chinese Embassy in Manila made a belated appeal to settle their territorial dispute in the West Philip-pine Sea (South China Sea) through bilateral negotiations.

China said that the Philippines’ going to the United Nations for ar-bitration would only complicate the dispute and reiterated that the Philip-pines is occupying islands in the sea “illegally.”

It is unclear how the UN arbitral tri-

bunal can help. While all its decisions are binding on countries concerned, it has no power to enforce them.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the world body would provide “technical and professional assis-tance.”

But the issues should be resolved primarily by the “parties concerned,” Ban said.

Told about Ban’s comment, Presi-dent Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing in Malacañang that he was confident the

by TARRA QUISMUNDO AND TJ BURGONIOInquirer.net

UN arbitral tribunal would take cog-nizance of the Philippine case chal-lenging China’s claim over most of the West Philippine Sea.

China’s appeal too lateLacierda said the Philippines had al-

ready filed a notification and statement of claim in the United Nations, and it would be logical for the world body to ask China to respond to the Philippine challenge.

That’s why China’s appeal for a negotiated settlement of the dispute, made through the Chinese Embassy in Manila, came too late, Lacierda said.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Fred T. Ko-rematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education recently announced that Filipino World War II veterans and Filipino-American civil rights leaders Philip Vera Cruz and Larry Itliong are among the sixteen civil rights heroes the organization will be honoring at the Fred Korematsu Day Heroes Cel-ebration on Sunday, January 27. The event will take place at San Francis-co’s Herbst Theatre, before an audi-ence of up to 900 people.

This historic gathering will bring together Asian American and Pacific Islander honorees for the first time in history.

Filipino WWII veterans will be hon-ored for their valiant and courageous efforts fighting the Japanese forces but were later denied US military ben-efits. Veteran Alberto Saldajeno will represent their group at the event.

Fil-Am Philip Vera Crus was a la-bor leader, farmworker and leader in the Asian American civil rights move-ment. The co-founder of the Agricul-tural Workers Organizing Committee (which later merged with the National Farm Workers Association to become the United Farm Workers), he worked to umprove the working conditions for migrant workers. He was born

FilVets, civil rights leaders to behonored atKorematsu DayHeroes celebration

by MALOU LIWANAG-BLEDSOEAJPress

MANILA—More than 4 million foreign visitors arrived in the Philippines in 2012, the highest number posted in the country’s tourism history.

The Department of Tourism said that a total of 4,272,811 visitors arrived in the country last year, 9.07 percent higher than the 3,917,454 posted in 2011.

Leading the list of the country’s top visitors are South Ko-reans, who supplied a total of 1,031,155 visitors or 24.13

percent of the total volume. South Korea was the first to sup-ply more than a million visitors to the country, reflecting an 11.45 percent growth from 2011 figures.

This was followed by the United States, which accounted for 625,626 visitors or a 15.27 percent share. Japan ranked third with 412,474 visitors or 9.65 percent of the total in-bound traffic, DOT said.

PH tourism sets record with 4M foreign visitors in 2012

TWO esteemed scholars from the United States are coming to Ma-nila next week to speak at a roundtable discussion on Electoral Reform to be hosted by the Angara Center for Law and Economics on January 29.

Dr. John V.C. Nye of George Mason University will present research on the automation of Philippine elections, while Dr. Alberto Simpser of the University of Chicago will present a paper on electoral fraud across the globe.

They will be joined by Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Bril-lantes Jr., National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections chairman Corazon de la Paz-Bernardo and Social Weather Stations President Mahar Mangahas, who will participate in the discussion.

“Electoral reform is a very timely and relevant issue and one where we need to do plenty of work as a country,” said Dr. Emerlinda Roman, former president of the University of the Philippines and current head of the Angara Center Board.

“As we continue to modernize the practice of Philippine elections, we must remember to couple this with careful research and study. Look-ing into the experience of other countries and tapping the expertise of

US, PH election experts gather in Manila

THE death of 100-year-old Filipino-American veteran has sparked anew calls for the gov-ernment to immediately recog-nize the services of soldiers who fought for the US during World War II.

Silverio Cuaresma Sr., long-time resident of Las Vegas and poster child of veterans who are fighting for recognition and compensation from the US gov-ernment, has passed away last Sunday, Jan. 20.

“I intend to honor his memory by working to see his dream of recognition for the denied Fili-pino veterans become a reality,” US Rep. Joe Heck told Asian

Death of 100-year-old Filipino veteran renews call for WWII compensation

by DYMPHNA CALICA-LA PUTTAJPress Journal.

“We have a moral obligation to continue the fight to ensure that Filipino veterans, like Mr. Cuaresma, are honored for their sacrifices,” US Sen. Dean Heller, meanwhile, said in a statement.

Both Heck and Heller had filed separate bills last September in a bid to expedite the release of compensation to Filipino veter-ans who rendered services dur-ing World War II.

Last Sept. 12, Heller intro-duced to the senate the Filipino Veterans Fairness Act that will allow veterans “to work with military historians so they can receive proper benefits for their service.”

Study revealsimportance of ethnic mediato Asian Americans

LOS ANGELES—A study revealed that nearly half of Asian Americans relied on the use of ethnic me-dia for community and political commentary, during the lead up to last year’s Presidential election where President Barack Obama was re-elected.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) last Jan. 17 found that about 48 per-cent of Asian Americans kept up with the election’s latest happenings by using English and/ or Asian lan-guage ethnic media.

“Ethnic media is the voice of the community. They know and write about what’s most important in that specific community,” said Glenn Magpantay, De-mocracy Progam Director for AALDEF to the Asian Journal.

The survey, the largest of its kind, encompasses several issues about Asian American voters and their habits.

The survey comes at a time when politicians and candidates are trying to find ways to attract Asian American voters --regarded as one of the fastest growing electorates in the nation.

WASHINGTON, DC—Families of the Filipino casualties of the November 16 oil rig blast in the Gulf of Mexico disassociated themselves from the ‘series of actions’ that were organized by a New York-based organization, who claimed to advocate for the workers’ welfare.

On January 15 and 16 respectively, Consul Elmer G. Cato of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC posted on his Facebook account two statements from Mrs. Eva de Guzman Estrella-Dominguez and Mrs. Joanne Malagapo.

Each of the two statements said that their fami-lies are not involved in any activities to air griev-ances on the matter.

Joanne, wife of oil rig worker Jerome Malagapo (who was one of the fatalities) said that their family would not be participating in the “series of actions facilitated by a certain Filipino group, which they said would start by January 16, 2013.”

Eva, wife of the injured Renato Dominguez, said that the accident was very tragic for their family.

She pleaded to “anyone out there” to “please

Oil rig blast victims’families not involvedin ‘series of actions’

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Volume 24 - N


UN adopts PH resolution on int’l interfaith understanding

CA Filipino honored 5 years after heroic death

Gov’t bares rules toexpedite immigration of

US citizens’ relatives CES unveils big TVs with ‘ultra-high de!nition’

School sets up memorial fund for Daly City crash victim

THE Philippines has asked China to explain its deployment of a patrol ship to guard disputed territory it claims in the South China Sea, saying the move has sparked new tensions over the po-tentially oil-rich waters, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said.

Del Rosario said, last Jan.9 that Chinese diplo-mats have previously said that Beijing will only assert its claims, including by possibly intercept-ing foreign ships, in waters off its southernmost province of Hainan. But China also claims that most of the South China Sea falls under Hainan’s jurisdiction, he said.

The Philippines has asked China to specify the limits of the territory it will guard, del Rosario said.

“Everybody’s hot and bothered,” del Rosario told reporters. “That’s why we’re saying, define, please define for us, but they’re not answering.”

The Chinese patrol ship, equipped with a helipad, left the southern city of Haikou for the South China Sea on Dec. 27, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported late last month.

Chinese officials established last year what they called Sansha city on a remote island 350 kilometers (220 miles) from Hainan to administer hundreds of

thousands of square miles (kilometers) of offshore territory and islands that are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Sansha is administered by Hainan.

The Philippines, a US treaty ally, has described China’s move as unacceptable. Vietnam called it a violation of international law. Washington has also criticized China’s formal establishment of Sansha city and a military garrison there, saying the move risked an escalation in tensions.

Although China and the Philippines have taken steps to patch up relations that were strained by

LAS VEGAS— The race to make TVs larger and larger has created a colossal problem for manufacturers: As screens grow, picture quality worsens — unless the viewer moves farther away from the screen.

The issue is playing out in cozy dens and family rooms around the world. To get the full benefit of a large high-definition screen, viewers must move back from their sets. Because the ideal viewing distance is no closer than three times the height of your screen, or about one and a half times the di-agonal length, big TVs have literally forced many families’ backs against the wall.

This year, TV makers are doing their best to give huge-screen fanatics more breath-ing room. New “ultrahigh-definition” sets were shown off Monday by LG Electronics Inc., Sharp Corp., Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. at the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas.

Consumers tend to buy a new set every seven years or so, and television manufac-turers are hoping the technology will give consumers a reason to upgrade.

A PHILIPPINE-sponsored resolution seeking interfaith and in-tercultural understanding and cooperation around the world has been adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said last Jan. 7.

The resolution, with Pakistan as main cosponsor, was adopted during the UNGA’s 57th plenary session on Dec. 18 and was sup-ported by 51 member states, the DFA said.

Libran Cabactulan, the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations, said in a statement that the world body’s adop-tion of the resolution demonstrated “the importance attached by the region and other partners around the world to this important global initiative by the Philippines.”

The Philippines, Cabactulan said, was in a distinct position to lead the effort given its “experience and expertise” in pushing for global cohesion as a multicultural society thriving on the diversity of our peoples’ faiths, cultures and traditions.”

The document, according to the foreign office, improves on earlier UN resolutions seeking to promote greater tolerance and

PH backs US claim drone !red in Guam 4 months agoTHE United States last Jan. 8 said a US drone found floating by fishermen

off Masbate province was actually fired four months ago during American naval exercises off Guam, even as some legislators and Filipino activists called for an investigation.

The US Embassy knocked down speculation that the drone was launched within Philippine air space—which militant groups said would have consti-tuted a violation of national sovereignty.

The United States has repeatedly shown the power of its drones, as its unmanned aerial vehicles are called. On Tuesday, a US drone strike killed eight people in northwestern Pakistan, reportedly including a foreign tactical trainer for the al-Qaeda terror group.

On Monday, retired US Gen. Stanley McChrystal said in New York that drones had helped American troops but were hated around the world and that their overuse could jeopardize US security.

WASHINGTON—Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano an-nounced on Wednesday, January 3, the details of a ‘final rule’ that will allow undocumented immi-grants, who are immediate relatives of US citizens to have an easier time in obtaining visas, in or-der to become lawful permanent residents of the United States.

According to a statement on the US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) website, this ‘fi-nal rule’ that Napolitano announced ‘establishes a process that allows certain individuals to apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver before they depart the US to attend immigrant visa inter-views in their countries of origin.’

Secretary Napolitano explained that this rule would greatly reduce the time that US citizens are separated from their immediate relatives who – in seeking legal status – must go back to their native countries to attend to visa application interviews.

As current law mandates, those who are staying in the US illegally but are immediate relatives of Americans must first return to their countries of origin where they will undergo the legal process of immigration application, a process that has – before now – taken months, even years to ac-complish.

by MICO LETARGOAJPress

WRIGHTWOOD—In 2007, forty-one-year old Claro Claridad was celebrating Christmas Day with his family playing in the snow at Jackson Lake in Wrightwood, when two children not re-lated to the Claridads fell into the frozen lake.

Claro, a US Army veteran, apparently walked out on the ice to help the two kids get out of the water. However, Claro himself broke through the ice and went under the surface.

While the two children were rescued by the adults at the scene, Claro was not so fortunate.

GLENDALE AND SAN BRUNO, CA—A memo-rial fund has been set up for the Filipino family of an 11-year-old who was killed along with his cousin on Christmas day.

Our Lady of Mercy School (OLM) in Daly City and members of the community have set up the Kendrick Ng Memorial Fund to help with funeral and medical expenses, after a car crash claimed the life of one of its brightest students.

Kendrick Ng, 11 of Daly City and his cousin Tracey Noelle Ong Tan, 25 of Glendale were killed on Christmas day, when the minivan they were

In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila on Tuesday said the drone re-covered off Masbate on Sunday was actually fired during the Guam exercises last September and was washed ashore in the Philippines.

Embassy spokesperson Tina Malone said the “unarmed target drone that washed ashore off the coast of Masbate Island is an expended BQM-74E Aerial Target drone … launched from the USS Chafee during exercise Valiant Shield 2012 on Sept. 19, 2012, off the coast of Guam.”

“It appears that ocean currents brought the drone to where it washed ashore last week off Masbate Island,” Malone added.

Malone earlier said the drone also was not used for surveillance.Live fire exercisesDepartment of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez appeared to

support the US Embassy explanation.

L O S A N G E L E S

MIDWEEK EDITION



MANILA – The earthquake in the Visayas in February 2012 proved to be a harbinger of things to come in 2012, which more than lived up to its Chinese zodiac character marked by tumultuous life-changing events fraught with political high jinks.

Fatalities were minimal in the towns of Guihulngan and La Liber-tad in Negros Oriental, but the im-ages of roads cracked open in the hinterland towns suggested that doomsday and potential tsunamis could not be that far off.

And just as there was the usual end of world scare late in the year owing to the Mayan calendar, the

strongest typhoon in decades hit Mindanao, resulting in more than a thousand dead and perhaps just as many missing. “Pablo” was a virtual reprise of “Sendong” that also hit in December a year ago, in the same unfortunate region.

Thus two natural disasters sand-wiched serial diplomatic contre-

Exit the dragon: A troubled, troublesome year

MANILA – President Aquino urged Filipinos to “paddle in the same direction” and work for national unity as he led the annual ceremonies on December 30 commemorating the execution of national hero Jose Rizal.

The ceremonies coincided with the reenact-ment of the transfer of Rizal’s remains to the monument set up in his honor in Manila’s Rizal Park.

Speaking in Filipino, Aquino reminded the people that the day “is also the occasion when we celebrate the birth of our national lan-guage.”

Dec. 30 is also the 75th anniversary of the na-tional language, apart from the centennial of the event when his remains were transferred from

Binondo to the monument in Luneta in 1912.Sen. Loren Legarda also urged Filipinos to

celebrate Rizal Day by upholding our national heroes’ core values of integrity and nationalism in everyday life.

“Dr. Jose Rizal was an unparalleled vision-ary whose thoughts and actions have forever changed the landscape of our identity as Filipi-nos,” Legarda said.

She said Rizal’s ideas “began the revolution that earned us our freedom, and his integrity and nationalism continue to inspire new gen-erations.”

“Today, we have a collective opportunity to pay our respects to him through reexam-ining our lives and evaluating how we have contributed to the betterment of our country,” Legarda said.

ON THE 116TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF DR. JOSE P. RIZAL

‘Let’s paddle in the same direction’ – Aquino

by AUREA CALICAPhilstar.com

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by CHRISTINA MENDEZPhilstar.com

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by JUANIYO ARCELLANAPhilstar.com

MANILA – The government wants to ensure inclu-sive growth benefits for every Filipino in 2013 through job generation and pro-poor programs to carry through the people’s optimism, Malacañang said on December 29.

A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that nine out of 10 Filipinos were looking for-ward to 2013 with hope.

President Aquino’s net satisfaction rating, however, dropped by 12 points but still remained “very good” in December, another SWS survey showed.

The President’s net satisfaction score dipped to 55 u

HAWAII – Filipino-American Hawaii State Senator Donna Mercado Kim (D-Moanalua, Aiea, Kalihi Valley) has been selected as the new sen-ate president of the Ha-waii legislature.

The state’s upper house reorganizes, after the death of long-time Filipino champion and US senator Daniel In-ouye.

Kim, the former vice president of the senate, will now preside during the 27th Hawaii State Legislature in January, replacing Senator Shan Tsutsui, who was sworn in as Lieutenant Gov-ernor.

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercombrie chose former lieutenant governor Brian Schatz as In-ouye’s successor to the US Senate.

“We are solidified in dealing with the pressing

Fil-Am selected as Hawaii’s senate president

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MANILA – He is home.Fr. James Reuter, SJ, the revered and and well-loved Amer-

ican priest and honorary Filipino, passed away Monday from lung and heart failure, the Ateneo de Manila University com-munity has announced.

He was 96.Reuter, academic, communicator, singer, athlete, artist and

political activist, died at 12:51pm Monday at the Our of Lady

Legendary Jesuit dies at 96Reuter: 1986 Edsa ‘Bandido’

by TARRA QUISMUNDOInquirer.net

LOS ANGELES – Dr. Carlos Estian-dan is a Filipino-American physician who was recently the subject of a Los Angeles Times special report. Esti-andan was described in the report as a ‘diminutive man with a cheerful demeanor’ whose medicine general practice was ‘thriving.’

He was a real family man, and a re-tired colonel from the US Air Force Reserve.

However, the kindly-mannered doc-tor would be embroiled in a case so huge, that it involved four govern-ment agencies: the Medical Board of California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff, the US Drug Enforcement Agency, and Medi-Cal.

In the four-year span of the medical board’s investigation into Estiandan’s case, eight of his patients had already died from drug overdose and related causes, based on the Times’ probe into the coroners’ files and court re-cords.

By the time that he was stopped from giving prescriptions, it was al-ready too late for the ill-fated patients. Medi-Cal also suspected him of fraud-

Fil-Am doctor released after being convicted for illegal prescription

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WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hill-ary Rodham Clinton is under observation at a New York hospital after being treated for a blood clot stemming from the concussion she sustained earlier this month.

Clinton’s doctors dis-covered the clot Sunday while performing a fol-

low-up exam, her spokesman, Philippe Reines, said. He would not elaborate on the location of the clot but said Clinton was being treated with anti-coagulants and would remain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital for at least the next 48 hours so doctors can monitor the medication.

“Her doctors will continue to assess her con-dition, including other issues associated with her concussion,” Reines said in a statement. “They will determine if any further action is re-

Hillary hospitalized due to blood clot

LOS ANGELES MIDWEEK WEEKLY, WEDNESDAYS

ORANGE COUNTY WEEKLY, FRIDAYS

NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY WEEKLY, FRIDAYS

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEEKLY, THURSDAYS

LAS VEGAS WEEKLY, THURSDAYS

LOS ANGELES WEEKEND WEEKLY, SATURDAYS

L O S A N G E L E S

WEEKEND EDITION



WASHINGTON – Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano an-nounced on Wednesday, January 3, the details of a ‘final rule’ that will allow undocumented im-migrants, who are immediate relatives of US citi-zens to have an easier time in obtaining visas, in order to become lawful permanent residents of the

United States.According to a statement on the US Citizenship

& Immigration Services (USCIS) website, this ‘fi-nal rule’ that Napolitano announced ‘establishes a process that allows certain individuals to apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver before they depart the US to attend immigrant visa interviews in their countries of origin.’

Secretary Napolitano explained that this rule

PROVISIONAL UNLAWFUL PRESENCE WAIVER

SACRAMENTO – The deal in Washington to avoid the “fiscal cliff” will bring a reprieve to California’s slowly rebounding economy, but uncertainty remains in part because Congress delayed action on federal spending cuts.

The agreement helps California avoid sliding back into recession, H.D. Palmer, finance spokesman for Gov. Jerry Brown, said Wednesday. But economic forecasters said the two-month delay on the seques-tration cuts could lead businesses to delay hiring or investments.

“To the extent that this agreement averts a national recession – and the revenue loss associated with it -- then we will have dodged a bullet,” Palmer said a day after Congress reached the deal.

One immediate benefit of the agreement is about 400,000 jobless Californians will receive extended unemployment benefits. The legislation also stops a

Fiscal cli! deal brings some relief to California

GLENDALE AND SAN BRUNO, CA – A memorial fund has been set up for the Filipino family of an 11-year-old who was killed along with his cousin on Christmas day.

Two suspects expect to be arraigned on Jan. 7MANILA – The American lawyer of al-

most 10,000 martial law human rights victims has applauded plans to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Gov-ernment (PCGG).

Robert Swift said the PCGG and the gov-ernment are the greatest obstacles to their collection of a $2-billion award against the Marcos estate.

MANILA – The government has conced-ed to the unconstitutionality of a provision in Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, according to a lawyer who is challenging the law.

UP law professor Harry Roque Jr., one of the petitioners questioning the legality of the controversial law before the Supreme Court (SC), confirmed this on January 4 ahead of the scheduled oral argument on

the consolidated petitions on the case on Jan. 15.

He said they received a document from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) specifically agreeing to their argument that Section 19 of the law, which gives the Department of Justice (DOJ) the power to “take down” websites without the need for court order, violates the constitutional right to due process as it is tantamount to prior restraint.

“The OSG has conceded on this is-

PH gov’t concedes to unconstitutionality of Cybercrime law provision – lawyer

WRIGHTWOOD – In 2007, forty-one-year old Claro Claridad was celebrating Christmas Day with his family playing in the snow at Jackson Lake in Wrightwood, when two chil-dren not related to the Claridads fell into the frozen lake.

Claro, a US Army veteran, apparently walked out on the ice to help the two kids get out of the water. However, Claro himself broke through the ice and went under the surface.

While the two children were rescued by the adults at the scene, Claro was not so fortunate.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Depart-ment responded at 3:09pm, after receiving

Pinoy from Wrightwood honored 5 years after heroic death

LOS ANGELES – The economic landscape in the US ended on a good note with Congress averting the “fiscal cliff” and the latest report revealing steady but moderate job growth in December.

According to the monthly US Bureau of La-bor Statistics report, employers added 155,000 jobs in December with health care, food ser-vices, construction, and manufacturing indus-tries leading the way. The unemployment rate remained at 7.8 percent.

In 2012, employment growth averaged

Economists hopeful job growth will accelerate in 2013

School sets up memorial fund for crash victims

American lawyer of Marcos victims lauds plan to abolish PCGG

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by EDU PUNAYPhilstar.com

by JOSEPH PIMENTEL AND MALOU BLEDSOEAJPress

by RAINIER ALLAN RONDAPhilstar.com


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THROUGH THE LENSMOUNT MAYON

STORY BY JANE FRANCIS S. QUINABO I PHOTOGRAPH BY NOKI VILLANUEVA

ayon Volcano, or Mt. Mayon, is an active volcano located in the southeastern part of Luzon in the Philippines. Although internationally famous for its almost perfect symmetrical cone shape, many Filipinos still do not

know the story behind its name.According to ancient folklore, there was a beautiful princess

from the Kabikulan area named Daragang Magayon, which translates to beautiful lady. She fell in love with Panginorin or Ulap (cloud), who was the chief of a Tagalog tribe. They fell in love with each other and decided to get married.

Yet, like any other love story, there are always complications, and theirs came in the name of Pagtuga (eruption), a hunter who wanted the beautiful princess for himself.

Upon learning that his beloved will be wed to someone from out of their tribe, Pagtuga waged a war against Ulap, who later on won the fight.!As Daragang Magayon rushed towards Ulap

in a celebratory embrace, she was hit by a stray arrow, killing her instantly. Ulap was devastated by the loss. As he was mourning

spear at Ulap. He was dead before he hit the ground.The two lovers were buried together by the townspeople.!Years later, the people started to notice that the ground

where they buried Magayon and Ulap was rising. A few more years passed and it became a huge mountain. Earthquakes and other rumbling sounds could be heard from within. The people

princess.!On the site where the two lovers lay now stood one of

one from the many admiring glances from spectators.So get on a plane or hop on a bus and see for yourself the

legendary Mt. Mayon (and Ulap).

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