con't... (message board
13)
Name: Joni Bonifacio
Address: Abesamis Store,
Allen Ave., Catbalogan,
Samar 6700, Philippines
Email: trexplore@yahoo.com
Date:
May 26, 2005
SPELUNKING IN CALBIGA
JUNE 10-12, 2005
THE
LANGUN-GOBINGOB
CAVE
CALBIGA
SAMAR PHLIPPINES
Dear fellow cavers,
Are you type of person who
wouldn't dream of littering, exploiting endangered species of animals,
offending your environment and natural heritage, or type of person who
simply enjoy the breath taking sceneries and take pictures with different
extra ordinary rock formation, or just enjoy being in the wilderness that
momentarily get away from buzzling life in the city?
Why not join the 2nd
SPELUNKING IN CALBIGA sponsored by the Trexplore Adventure Club featuring
the country's biggest cave, the
Langun-Gobingob
Cave in Calbiga, Samar to held on June 10-12, 2005 (Friday-Sunday).
Our goal is to promote the
great potential in the ecotourism of
Samar's caves at the same time, our awareness to conserve and
protect its archaeological importance.
Maximum of 30 participants
only nationwide first come first serve bases of discipline mountaineers,
cavers and environmentalist including young professionals, nature lovers,
teachers and even government employees.
For these 3 days cave
exploration and 2 nights inside the cave, a total of P800 per person will be
collected by Secretariat upon registration to cover expenses including your
souvenir certificates, caving kits, transportation within Samar. Entrance
fees, Mayors permit, lantern ,Calbiga local tour guide and trexplore
explorer guide.
We would like you to
shoulder your own food for the duration of the trip. Bring also with you
caving equipments like caving helmets, caving suits or clothes, headlights,
flashlights, extra batteries and bulbs, camera and camping equipments like
tents, sleeping mat and sleeping bags., camping stove and cookset, trekking
shoes and trekking sandals etc...
Please informed the
Secretariat by mail or by telephone your confirmation and for your
reservation. Our office is located at Rm.No.6 2nd Flr. Abesamis Bldg., Allen
Avenue, Catbalogan, Samar. Tel no. (055)-251-2301. Deadline of payment for
reservation will be on June 8, 2005
You can call or text also at
09192943865 (For Joni) and 09155592233 (For Hanhan) or email us at
trexplore@yahoo.com or
trexplore2@yahoo.com
DISCOVER CALBIGA SAMAR THE
LANGUN-GOBINGOB CAVES
Location: Calbigan Samar, 52
kms. from Tacloban, the cave is 6 kilometers away from the town proper,
accessible by foot. The Philippines' biggest karst formation and one of the
second largest in Southeast Asia, the 2,968-hectare cave system is composed
of 12 caves with wide underground spaces, unique rock formations and sub-terreanean
water course. The surface area of Calbiga Caves has a "mid-mountain forest"
forest which is the habitat of some threatened wild species like bats, cave
crickets, eyeless shell fishes.
It was first scientifically
explored in 1987 by an eight-man team of Italian speleologists who believed
there are still several hundred of kilometres of galleries waiting to be
explored. The karst has an estimated total surface area of 900 sq. km. The
main cave in Langun, has a chamber that could be easily fit in three
football fields. The other big caves are Gobingob and Bitong Mahangin.
WHAT ARE U WAITING FOR COME
AND JOIN US....FIRST COME FIRST SERVE 30 PAX ONLY NATIONWIDE...
Name:
Adelbert S. Batica
Address: 207 West 31st Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55404, USA
Email:
abatica@hotmail.com
Date:
May 26, 2005
Mano Profesór –
(Buenos Aires, Argentina) - Right on! Go to Tierra del Fuego,
where you think there are no Pinoys. But are you sure? Di ka gad ada batid
hit abilidad hit Pinoy - basta may buhó, matago didto. Paru-pareho na kita
hini hit tungaw, nga makagtikang na ngani hit biyahe, tipakadto iton hiya,
ngadto, ngadto, ngan di gud iton natunga kon diri aadto...didto. Ngan
pag-abot ngadto - nakaradto-kadto pa gud. Agidaw, ano - nga perestihon!
Waray pa kami igkita hin mga Pilipino didi. Tama ka ada, waray ada mga
Pilipino didi, kay mahilig man kita hit nga speaka da english. Kundi di la
kita maaram nga damo nga mga Latino-Americano it nahingyap ha aton, an
nawawara nira nga bugto. Kundi kay na-brainwash naman kita ni Uncle Sam,
aw, pasensiya nala.
Now it's confirmed - we are
making a brief visit to
Uruguay,
even if it's not to Montevideo. Sunod nala it capital, kay sering pa man ni
James Bond, "Never Say Never Again". Dirpur, ay will agin next time, ka
maagin-agin la ini nga lakwatsa.
We had a very relaxing
evening, as we went to a Tango show cum dinner. Pastilan, Mano Profesór, ka
magkarit ngay-an hit mga tawo didi nga na-tango. Of course, this is the
birthplace of the tango, which originated in the Barrio of San Telmo, about
2 miles from our hotel. The tango was a working class dance, the elite of
Argentina used to frown on it - until it became so popular and became
identified with the entire country. We were given free tango lessons before
dinner, to increase our appetite. Pastilan, baga-baga ak hin nahilangit kay
masyado hin ka magkarit han mga instructor. Ngan damo an mga talusi nga
mag-upay nga na-tango.
Ay la, kay umabot ngani it
patron hit Basaynon Katig-uban, mapakita kami hin mga pasos nga
magpakalilisang. He, he, he! We can't possibly be bland during this trip,
we have to enjoy. And I don't feel guilty about dancing the tango, after
all, it has very proletarian origins. Bilib na ako hit Buenos Aires, kon di
ka nala maghihinuna-huna hit kapobrehan, enjoyable gad unta.
Kundi...may gihapon mga
homeless didi, damo gihap it nakaturog dida ha bangketa. Their sidewalks
are wide and empty, as there are no sidewalk vendors - except for those
newsstands. Some parts of the city look like Avenida Rizal in Manila,
except that the sidewalks are only for the walkers, not the sidewalk
vendors. Ngay-an, mientras na-gallivanting, na-interview gihapon hit mga
ordinario nga tawo, sugad hit mga taxi driver. A taxi driver here averages
40 pesos a day, working a 12-hour shift. 40 pesos is about 12 dollars, more
than a thousand Philippine pesos. However, a kilo of beef here is about the
same price as a kilo of beef in the U.S. (almost $7/kilo). Takay maplete pa
hin balay, mapa-escuela pa hit kabataan, agidaw - ano, nga perestihon. Asya
la gihap nga equation. Factory workers earn even less, less than 10 dollars
a day. Sanglit, marisyo it Buenos Aires, sugad hit Manila - kon may nim
kuwarta.
Like Filipinos, Argentinians
don't have a high regard for their Congress. In fact, our taxi driver told
us, when we passed by the Congress "That's the University for Argentina's
thieves." Kay pulong niya, bisan pa kon Mr. Clean it tawo nga nasulod,
paggawas - batid na hin kurakot. An ak naman baton - Di gad man sugad it
Congreso hit Pilipinas, di gad it mga congresista mangangawat...KAY WARAY
NAMAN KAWATON, BANCARROTA NAMAN IT NACION. Sanglit, Mano Profesór, di nala
ak ma-ambicion ka congresista, kay bis pa ak dumaog, kawang la - kay waray
naman makakawat.
Our taxi driver thought that
the Philippines got hit by the tsunami, to which I replied - "We got hit by
a different tsunami - corruption." Pastilan, intawon, an iya tawa. Agi ini,
nga kalibutan - hin ka makuri, kay bisan gud kita diin siplat, may
nakurib-kutib hit kaban. Nga perestihon. Buwas, mamingaw ada kami, kay ma
city tour na liwat. Kundi ayaw la pagturaw, kay bangin pa gad ako makasagap
hin mga noticia. Seguro, kon mag-iiro-iha ak didi, bangin ak magribok.
Hala, upaya nala anay niyo, ngan ayaw niyo hingalimti hi "El Cóndor" (an
agnay ha akon han mga tawo ha
Peru).
Name: Lemuel Vacal
Address: Blk8 Lot4 V&G, Tacloban City,
Leyte 6500, Philippines
Date: May 26,2005
Hi there Mano Ray I’m one
of the student of Samar College
who just graduated, I was also a part of the barkadahan who sometimes
standby in your former house near Samar College and I would like to say that
this is a cool thing that you had set up!!! Keep up the good work.
And also I would like to
send this message to my kabarkada there in Catbalogan that any where I go
kayo pa rin ang the bestest mga kabarkada....!!!! batch 2004-2005.and to Che
hi!!!!
Name:
Adelbert S. Batica
Address: 207 West 31st Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55404, USA
Email:
abatica@hotmail.com
Date:
May 26, 2005
Mano Profesór –
Buenos Aires, Argentina - We had a full day today,
even if we had a late start, beginning with breakfast at close to 12 o'clock
noon. Today is the 25th of May, national holiday - Revolution Day. After
"breakfast", we hiked to the Plaza de Mayo, which is only 5 blocks from our
hotel. There were no parades or ceremonies to mark this memorable day, only
a silent vigil conducted by the relatives of the "disappeared", the whole
Plaza de Mayo was crawling with cops. Many brought small white crosses with
the names of the disappeared inscribed on them. To date, the Argentinian
has not made a full and complete accounting on the fates of those who
disappeared during the "Dirty War".
The Casa Rosada, Argentina's
Malacañang - is right across the Plaza de Mayo, and it's closely guarded,
just in case.... There's a barricade, again, just in case... There were
also protest marches today, people are protesting policies that have been
dictated by the IMF in exchange for the debt "rescheduling". I take it that
the majority of the citizens are not too hot about "privatization" of many
industries, which, while on the surface make these industries look more
"efficient", nevertheless make their products and/or services less
affordable to everyday, ordinary citizens. In addition, it has also
resulted in many losing their jobs, casualties of the "efficiency"
campaign. Since the debt issue is like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the
country, the budget for social services and education has also suffered
cutbacks. In short, people who were tightening their belts are being asked
to tighten even more.
The Casa Rosada does look
impressive, glowing in its majesty. It was from the balcony of the Casa
Rosada where Juan and Evita Peron hypnotized millions of Argentinians in
their heyday. Fast forward to 2005 - President Kirchner is also on a
propaganda offensive, reassuring citizens that better days are still ahead.
Yeah. When Peron was in power, Che Guevara (then a medical student) led
protests. If he were alive today, he would still say the same line he loved
to deliver in the old days: "Instead of help, what we get is a crowd, and
instead of a government, what we have is a stage." En vez de gobierno, lo
que tenemos es un entablado. I guess the same thing can also be said about
La Gloria's media offensive and other "pa-pogi". What kind of future does a
country have, if its leaders do nothing but turn it into a stage?
Speaking of stage, we
visited the Recoleta cemetery in this afternoon. Recoleta is the final
resting for Argentina's elite. Evita Peron's remains were buried there in
1952, over the objections of the oligarcy. When Peron was overthrown a few
years later, the generals dug up Evita's body and hid it, in fact, the body
disappeared for 17 years (it was actually buried in a secret tomb in
Rome). Evita's remains were re-interred and some devotees
still visit it. Well, her mausoleum is still one of the most visited at
Recoleta, it's become a tourist attraction. The Perons did some good things
for Argentina's poor,
but just not enough (and some of it was for show, but only a few - like Che,
could see through some of the mumbo-jumbo).
If Che had not been forced
out of Argentina, he would have ended up as an unknown. But thanks to
Peron, Che was forced to cross the Rio de la Plata into Uruguay, then to
Brazil, then to Guatemala and Mexico, and eventually - to becoming a legend
and a cultural icon. I can honestly say that I've visited the final resting
places of two protagonists - Che and Evita. However, Che's mausoleum in
Santa Clara
does look impressive - it has a parade grounds in front of it.
If our plans don't miscarry,
we should be in Uruguay
on Friday. We won't have time to visit
Montevideo, the capital. It looks like a more in-depth visit to
Uruguay lies ahead, in the
future. If you are looking for action,
South America is the place to be.
Bolivia is also brewing, all
roads leading to La Paz, the capital, have been blocked by protesters who oppose the
"privatization" of the country's hydrocarbon supply. More than block roads,
the protesters actually want the president to resign.
Like I said before, the way
to make the military nervous is to turn out the crowds in the streets.
That's why there were no major celebrations or parades in Buenos Aires
today. Instead, most of the parades and celebrations were held outside the
capital. The police and military were scared that if there were parades and
the like, protesters would only ride on those events. Still, many
protesters were still able to block many streets leading to the Plaza de
Mayo and the Casa Rosada. One group of protesters was the association of
retirees, who have been demanding that the government social security system
pay them their due benefits. But of course, how can the government pay,
when the system is near bankruptcy?
I'm still hoping that no
major upheaval takes place while we're here, otherwise we will get stuck.
However, if it happens - then I'll try to cover it as much as I can. Who
knows, a few years from now, I might be able to write a book - "Turbulent
Days in Buenos Aires".
Name: Jun Manuel
Address:
PO Box 10482, Dammam 31433,
KSA
Email: jsmanuel_1220@yahoo.com
Date: 25/05/2005
To all my batchmates in SSAT
1982, you can keep in touch to our website
http://ssat1982.blogspot.com created by Mr. Manuel Abejo for us to have
a common port of communication (aside from samarnews.com which is a great
site for all warays, thanx to Mr. Ray Gaspay).
Update your files in our
database and check out some pictures of our batchmates. Lastly, I want to
say Hi! to my troops idap T25, butz, dodie, jude and orlan. Hain naman liwat
an meeting?
Name: Verna de la Cruz
Address:
North Carolina, USA
Email: evo_cruz@hotmail.com
Date: 5-25-05
Hmmm I like the website..Hi
to all Guiuananons!! Miss you all..
Name:
Adelbert S. Batica
Address: 207 West 31st Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55404, USA
Email:
abatica@hotmail.com
Date:
May 25, 2005
Mano
Profesór Torres –
Agidaw, ano - nga na dika-
Frente Amplio ka dida! I just set foot in Buenos Aires a couple of hours
ago, in the land of the world champion coup plotters. However, the generals
have gotten tired of staging coups, so they are lying low right now. And for
good reason - anybody who wages a decade-long Dirty War ought to get tired.
But the country, and especially the Mothers of the Disappeared still feel
the pain. Up to now, they haven’t received a full disclosure from the
Argentinian military on the thousands of disappeared, some of whom were
pregnant mothers whose babies were taken away from them.
Bangin it Filipinas
nahikasubad hit Argentina, kay padayon manla gihap it kurakot ngan ka purdoy
hit nacion. Cuidado, kay diri marasa it kabutang hit Argentina yana. They
also have many poor, mga katsila pa liwat it mga nawong, kundi nagtitirok
hin carton, papel nga ipatirimbang. Poverty is an equal opportunity
offender, it doesn’t respect ones race or color of skin. Yes, they also have
their own version of Payatas over here.
Speaking of Frente Amplio,
now that Uruguay is only across the Rio de la Plata, we just might cross
over to Uruguay just to get a feel for things. Bangin ha sunod nala it
pagbisita ngadto ha Montevideo, pakigkirita hit mga ex-Tupamaros. Agidaw,
ano - nga perestihon, hin ka dako hin ambición. But it’s not an impossible
dream. If I could get here, making it to Montevideo is all the more
possible...in the future.
Don’t worry, I wont forget
the Philippines while I am here, Argentina has many things in place that
would remind me of our poor, hapless, and bloody land. Don’t Cry for me,
Argentina - because I am already crying for the
Philippines.
Ginoo ko, tubtub san-o pa ini nga pag-antos hit aton makalolooy nga nasud?
San-o pa dawla an aton katalwasan? Sering pa hadto ni Rizal, ¡Ora por ti
que veas tu redención final!
Ig-ampo nala naton an aton
katalwasan.
Addi
Name: Sita Macandili
Address: Barangay Ulango, Tanawan,
Batangas,
Philippines
Email: laspinasmanila@yahoo.com
Date:
May 22, 2005
Bago ang lahat komusta man
kamo mga taga Samar. Yong mga Student sa Leyte Colleges, Tacloban City noon
daw sa year of the 70's and if you know Saul Baliclic please email me at:
This is a friend of mine request.
AGAIN: Mga Samarenos we've
this site which is good. If you have a chance once again Please have a quick
stop at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/samarandvisayangroupconnection/
Name: Cesar Torres
Email: Cesar1185@aol.com
Date: 21 May 2005
If the 10,000 NPA guerillas
will desist from the armed struggle, what happens to them and what they are
fighting for?
I believe that one
organization which can provide some answers is Atikha. Please visit their
website at
http://www.atikha.org/
The visit of Atikha's
Executive Director, Mai Anonuevo to
California
has created a lot of excitement among concerned Filipinos. In
Southern California,
the publisher-editor of Manila US Times, Johnny Pecayo, drove them around.
So did Mr. Ernie Delfin, founder of PTAG and Katipunan USA. Bobby Reyes,
forgot his ongoing tournament with the NAFFA and Perry Diaz so that he could
interview Mai Anonuevo. Even the Consul General in Los Angeles met with her.
Mai is an alumna of the UP
College of Nursing. She has worked in Germany, but came back to the
Philippines to work on Atikha.
In Northern California, the
Anonuevos were guests of OFW-MBC CEO, Nes Duldulao and his wife, Ceny
Duldulao, past president of a UP Alumni Association. A special forum was
organized at Goldilocks, Concord last Sunday where Ms. Anonuevo captivated
the close to 30 "movers and shakers" of the Filam Community, which included
the Consul General of San Francisco, Ma. Rowena Mendoza Sanchez.
Some very revealing
information that she shared with us include: (1) Akbayan giving Atikha a
grant of P1 million, (2) the City of San Pablo in Laguna giving them a
20-room building, (3) the CIDA of Canada funding Atikha, (4) the interest of
a US-based foundation, ICF to work with Atikha, and (5) the Northern
California-based OFW-MBC's expressed desire to work with Atikha.
Then on Wednesday, there was
a formal courtesy call on the Consulate where Ms. Anonuevo, accompanied by
Nestor Duldulao and UPLB Professor August Anonuevo, discussed how Atikha,
the OFW-MBC and the Consulate can collaborate in providing greater economic
opportunities to our communities in the Philippines. The Consul General also
showed them around the
Consulare
Building.
There are massive renovations that are going on now. Even this building of
the Republic of the Philippines is humming with a lot of activity.
Then they drove over to the
Office of Ms. Ma. Roseni M. Alvero, Trade Commissioner for the Western
United States. They were joined by Filam Livewire of the Silicon Valley,
Loreto Quevedo Dimaandal and her 8-year daugther Rebekah, who configures PC
and Macs which are donated to the Philippines.
Another heartening info -- a
lovely UP Mass Comm alumna with an MBA is working as a volunteer in this
office, of course, gratis et amore.
It was raining cats and dogs
in the San Francisco Bay Area, but our hearts were aglow with the good news
coming from Atikha and the interest shown by Filipinos to work with them.
The San Francisco Consul
General, the Honorable Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez, offered them a room at
the official residence of the Consulate for the night. And of course, we can
assume that during breakfast with tinapa, fried rice, and perhaps fried
eggs, and barako coffee, they continued to talk about Atikha and the
Philippines.
Plans, plans, plans for
Atikha and for the Filipino people. But one thing good. A young, cheery
Filam, Ms. Chelsea Rillo, will be assisting the coordination of Atikha's
return to California in August-September. I begged Chelsea to study marine
biology. And when she is done, I am begging her to come to Samar and help
Tandaya rehabilitate Maqueda Bay.
On the 19nth, the Anonuevos
had an early dinner at the picturesque restaurant, "Skates by the Bay", off
the Berkeley Marina which has a panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay and
the surrounding areas. They were brought there because the place is
reminiscent of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines. They were lucky to
witness the graduation of a lovely Filipina who delivered such an
impassioned graduation speech.
The undersigned was the
unofficial photographer and chronicler of Atikha's visit to Northern
California to provide hope for the Philippines.
Ms. Anonuevo is convinced
that Atikha can assist in providing a better quality of life to the 10,000
NPA guerillas if they desist from the armed struggle in the spirit of the "Frente
Amplio" in Uruguay,
where the Presidency, the Senate, and the Assembly are controlled by the
Frente. It would be hard. But it can be done, she firmly believes.
Name: Vanie
Address:
Bandar Seri Begawan 1518,
Brunei
Email: admin@ofw-connect.com
Date: 20-May-2005
Hi congrats for the
continuing success of Samarnews.com ... I just want to ask if it's possible
for me to republish your article located on this page
http://www.samarnews.com/arts.htm , which is abt "Don Sabarre RSM Golden
Jubilee awardee" to be featured on our website?
We'd like to feature it on
this page
http://ofw-connect.com/Overseas_Filipino_Workers_Articles/?q=philippines_tourist_destination
under "ABOUT FILIPINO PEOPLE"
OFW Connect is just a
non-profit / personal website but we are doing our best to promote the
Tourism on our country and as well as to introduce ourselves to other
culture on what really are as a Filipino.
Please visit our site, we're
also interested if you'd like to exchange links with us ...read more here
http://ofw-connect.com/Overseas_Filipino_Workers_Articles/?q=free_banner_exchange_links
That's all, More Power and
Thanks.
Name: Atty. Felipe B. Maglana, Jr
Address:
108 National Road,
San Policarpo, Calbayog City 6710, Samar, Philippines
Email:
fbmaglanajr@yahoo.com
Date:
May 19, 2005
Greetings to everyone!
What a marvelous job Ray
Gaspay and company has done to all Samarnons by creating this site! I salute
you you guys!
Ug kay aanhi na man la ako,
may I inform everyone that Christ the King College, Calbayog City,
Philippines, being administered by the Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans),
is celebrating this year their 100th Anniversary of giving a community
responsive education to the island of Samar and Calbayog City. As we know,
the Colegio de San Vicente de Paul, the forerunner of CKC, started in 1905
and administered by the Jesuits and the Archdiocese of Calbayog, then in
1953 the Franciscan Friars took over. Hence, this year's Centennial
Celebration of Christ the King College-Colegio de San Vicente de Paul that
will be on October, around the feast of the environmentalist Saint Francis
of Assisi.
Just like fiestas, there is,
naturally, a souvenir program committee chaired by Florita S. Calesa, Ed.
D., tasked to print and publish the same. The souvenir program will serve as
a historical memento of the occasion as it will also serve as a guide for
the various activities lined up to enliven the celebration and the noble
purpose of raising funds to defray the expenses of the CSVP-CKC Centennial
Celebration.
May I, therefore, ask all
civic minded Samarnons, Christeregians and Paulians to support this endeavor
by paying for or sponsoring a page or two, for greeting their classmates,
teachers and friends, and the whole region thru this souvenir program.
Aside from Dr. Calesa, you
may also write, see or call, Rev. Fr, Felix Jungco Jr., OFM, College
Treasurer (2093-626); Rev. Fr. Prisco A. Cajes, OFM, College President
(2091-289).
Let us unite in supporting a
pioneer educational institution that could have opted to establish itself
somewhere else in the country, yet, thru thick and thin, it has stayed in
Calbayog City, Samar.
"With beacon lights, uphold
your hand, your Christ the King will reign!" (From the Christeregians'
school hymn, composed by Jose Cinco Gomez)
God Bless!
Philip
