Great video showcasing the beauty of the remarkable places & people of the Philippines set to the music of Freddie Aguilar’s “Bayan Ko”, which sometimes gets mistaken as the Philippines National Anthem because of its popularity.

Here is the translation to the lyrics of this moving song.

“Bayan Ko (My Country)”

My country the Philippines
Land of gold and flowers
With love in her palms
She offers beauty and virtue.
And of her modesty and beauty
The foreigner was attracted
O, my country, you were enslaved
Mired in hardship.

Even birds that are free to fly
Cage them and they cry,
Much more a beautiful country
Shall long to be free.
Philippines my beloved,
Cradle of my tears and poverty
I’ll aspire,
To see you truly free.

***Tagalog Lyrics***

Ang bayan kong Pilipinas
Lupain ng ginto’t bulaklak
Pag-ibig na sa kanyang palad
Nag-alay ng ganda’t dilag.
At sa kanyang yumi at ganda
Dayuhan ay nahalina
Bayan ko, binihag ka
Nasadlak sa dusa.

Ibon mang may layang lumipad
kulungin mo at umiiyak
Bayan pa kayang sakdal dilag
Ang di magnasang makaalpas!
Pilipinas kong minumutya
Pugad ng luha ko’t dalita
Aking adhika,
Makita kang sakdal laya!

Great job by pnaymommy3

View of Anawangin cove from Hilltop

After almost 1 year of waiting, all were set to head for Anawangin Cove. We’re all very excited . It was like a dream come true. We saw Anawangin Cove last year when our department planned to go hiking as part of our team building. But due to unavoidable circumstance, our plan did not push through. Plan already in place – we leave Manila Saturday  10PM and depart Zambales Monday noon. We’re 15 all in all; Jojo (Me), Lyna, Erwin, Carol, Jolly, Jason, Sonny, Jasmin, Sheryll, Leslie, Connie, Marjorie, Rachel, Meanne and Ellen – all excited.

Everything went according to plan. We left our meeting place at 10PM; stop by Ministop to by some ice and finger foods we can eat during our long hours of travel. I’ve never been to Zambales before, they say it take 4 to 6 hours to get there depending on your speed. Our route will be NLEX – San Fernando Exit – Olongapo-Gapan Road.

Our meeting time with our boatman, Manong Ed, is six in the morning and it was only 4AM when we reach the town of San Antonio . It took us around 6 hours of travel probably because Olongapo-Gapan road is under rehabilitation and we had to take Florida Blanca-Dinalupihan instead. We’re still lucky because that was the only interruption we had, others we’re planned stop-over at San Fernando and Olongapo where Jason, a colleague, who’s driving our pick-up had some rest. We stayed at San Antonio town proper until sunrise, had some breakfast and rest.

Pundaquit Beach - Waiting to aboard

Pundaquit Beach. Sunrise.  The sea is calm, sky is blue and the sun is perfect, nothing to worry about rain spoiling our trip. Lots of boat ashore, waiting for tourist going to Anawangin, Capones or Camarra. All three were our destination. First, we camp at Anawangin and stay there overnight. Then, we head for Capones Island to visit the abandoned light house the next morning and finish off at Camarra Island.

We sailed for thirty minutes from Pundaquit Beach to Anawangin. The sand is not as white as we expected. It’s fine though, finer than most beaches I’ve been. The place is perfect for camping. No electricity, no phone signal. There’s a free and paid/secured campsite on the right and left of respectively facing the beach of Anawangin. We decided to put up our camp at the secured camping area across the river. Php100.00 per head overnight.  Secured campsite is less crowded compared to free one. There were many campers at the free campground though it doesn’t look too crowded because the place is big enough to accommodate them.  There were public toilet and poso (drilled well) but don’t expect lavish toilet and bath. They were there just for your personal hygiene.

After setting up our tents. All boys decided to stroll, assigning the task of preparing our lunch to the girls. We strolled by the river, enjoying the green environment. The river is almost dry. Only the tide of ocean is providing water to it. We went to the beach front and dip. The water was neither cold nor hot. Just right for a sunny day swim. Very few people we’re  dipping at the beach. Probably because it was almost high noon – Ilang lang kaming Hapet J; or the high tide . After few minutes of enjoying the beach we returned to our campsite. Our timing was near perfect for lunch. We just waited for few minutes and the lunch was served already. Good Job girls… Good Job.

After lunch, Erwin, Carol and Jasmin decided to stroll while Jason, my wife and I decided to take a nap. Other’s decided to stay at our campsite chit-chatting. Laughter’s  interrupted my short sleep when the entire group made fun of Rachel, they were playing truth or dare and asked her to get some information of one cute guy from other campers .

The three had not yet returned. The group then decided to play “123 PASS”. I’m having a grin at the back of my mind – We travelled 100 miles away from Metro Manila just to play “123 PASS” when we should be swimming at the beach, I joined them nonetheless. I must say I also enjoyed the game, besides, that’s one of the reasons why we’re there – To have some bonding moment. Just after we’re finished playing the card game. Erwin, Carol and Jasmin had returned and Jason was already awake. They will now be watching our area while we swim.

Perpect timing again – It was already low tide. We just swam for a short time before we decided to go the rocky beach part, foothill, at the far side of Anawangin for picture taking. The water deep is now steady, just below my neck even approximately thirty meters away from the beach. The water is cooler compared earlier. Soon after our picture taking at the rocky beach, five of us decided to hike the hill where can we view the full beauty of Anawangin Cove while the girls decided just to stay at the beach and continue their photo-session.

We reach the hilltop in less than an hour. Hiking was not hard aside from forgetting to bring water to recharge our energy. We were really exhausted, we have no water to drink. Jolly carved our initials to the sole pine tree there. Shortly, another group of hikers reached the top, we descend, head straight back to our place. Going down was a lot easier except for Jason who’s really afraid on tumbling down the hill. His sweat shows and he don’t deny it – LOL. He by the way was the reason why we ascend and descend  was slow.

Almost dusk – the girls had already return to our campsite and preparing for dinner. Sonny grabbed his guitar and songbook and we sang. Shortly after, we gathered firewood  for our bon fire throughout the night. Unfortunately, we did not gather enough firewood – run out of itby 9PM. It spoiled our camping. We had no choice but to look for a Lantern-for-Rent. There goes our night.

Morning. We had quick breakfast and pack-up our things and sailed for Capones Island. Another twenty minutes of Sailing, we were drop off at Capones Beach. Capones Beach was nicer than Anawangin Beach because the water is crystal clear, calm and pebbles in place of sand. The only problem is that it doesn’t have poso, toilet and changing area.

Erwin, Jolly and I

Only seven of us proceeded to abandoned lighthouse, eight stayed to enjoy the beach of Capones. I really enjoyed our visit there. The view was great. You can clearly see the Wide-Blue Ocean and green mountains of Zambales.  Exhausting but satisfying. Beware though cause there was nothing enjoyable about abandoned lighthouse if you’re really not into visiting places and views. If you enjoy swimming more than it, you’ll see abandoned lighthouse as an exhausting trip with nothing to gain. I suggest you stay at the Capones Pebbled Beach as my colleagues also acknowledge the beauty of it.

Our last destination – Camarra Island. We did not bother stopping by Camarra, we just passed through it.  Just an excess baggage, an additional Php50.00 per head to your trip. We depart Pundaquit at Eleven AM and had our lunch at Andok’s in Olongapo. We were back to Manila by 5PM.

Conclusion. I enjoyed our Tip to Anawangin. There was nothing special about the beach. I’m the type of person who enjoys camping, trekking, views and places more than swimming. This is probably the best Anawangin can offer. Sailing, hiking and visiting places in one destination. We will be revisiting anawangin again – maybe trekking for six hours next time but only god knows when.

View Anawangin Cove Photo Gallery

MANILA – Filipino teen Grandmaster (GM) Wesley So (with an ELO rating of 2640) advanced to the third round of the World Chess Cup by knocking out Ukrainian Super GM Vassily Ivanchuk (ELO 2739) Wednesday in Russia.

The 16-year-old chess whiz kayoed Ivanchuk, 1.5-0.5, by holding him to a draw in their second match at the Khanty-Mansiysk Festival of Arts.   So earlier beat his Ukrainian foe in the first game of their match after 39 pushes of a French duel using the black pieces.

The draw (46 moves of a Queens Pawn Game using the white pieces) spurred So’s progress to the third round where he will face defending World Chess Cup champion Super GM Gata Kamsky (ELO 2695) of the United States.

Kamsky eliminated Filipino GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio, Jr. (ELO 2574) in the first round and Chinese GM Zhou Weiqi (2603) in the second round.

Historic day for RP chess

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. lauded So’s performance in the World Chess Cup.

“Anuman ang mangyari kay Wesley sa third round kontra kay Kamsky ay malaking karangalan na ang hatid niya sa bayan… Pero [I] hope makalusot din sana si Wesley sa third round,” said Pichay.

Former Olympian national master (NM) Glenn Bordonada remarked: “As a friend commented, this is a historic day for Philippine chess. It recalls to mind Torre’s win over Mikhail Tal in Leningrad.”

International arbiter and national master Erwin Carag also praised So: “Wesley So beating Vassily Ivanchuk is just like Manny Pacquiao beating Oscar de la Hoya, a legend.”

“Now, Wesley against Gata, will be like Pacquiao vs Hatton or Pacquiao vs Cotto? My feeling is Wesley can topple Kamsky. Pag white si Kamsky, paghandaan ni Wesley ang London System. Tinalo dati ni late IM chess artist Ruben Rodrgiuez si Kamsky,” commented Carag.

American GM Susan Polgar, meantime, commended the Filipino chess prodigy. “The more games the talented Wesley plays against world class opponents, the better and more confident he gets.”

The former prodigy added: “Well done, Wesley! With proper training, experience, and opportunity, I have no doubt that he will be an elite player for years to come.” – By Marlon Bernardino

The recognition was given to Peñaflorida at the third annual “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” held at the Kodak theater in Hollywood  Saturday night. The event honoring the top 10 Heroes of 2009, featured stars and award-winning actors and actresses including, Kate Hudson, Pierce Brosnan, Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Underwood and Leona Lewis.

After seven weeks of online voting, Peñaflorida was hailed the victor with more than 2.75 million votes.

“Our planet is filled with heroes, young and old, rich and poor, man, woman of different colors, shapes and sizes. We are one great tapestry,” he said upon receiving his honor. “Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.”

He also addressed the youth by saying, “My message to children of all races, please, to embrace learning and love it for it will embrace and love you back and enable you to change your world.”

He was granted US$100,000 and said in a previous interview that 90 percent of the cash incentive will be used to aid the DTC’s projects and the remaining 10 percent will go to the A Blessed Church in Cavite City.

Peñaflorida, who grew up in Cavite city, is an advocate of education. He brings education to deprived street children armed with his Kariton Klasrum and the determination to give every child the chance to be better. In 1997, he established a group that encourages children to learn instead of joining gangs and fraternities. The group is called the Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). The group brought education to children in the form of a mini-library with teaching aids carried by a kariton, thus spawning the present day Kariton Klasrum. 

Among the selected top 10 CNN Heroes with Peñaflorida are, Brad  Blauser with his Wheelchair for Iraqi Kids program; Roy Foster who provided life-changing help for almost 900 struggling homeless veterans; and Andrea Ivory, a breast cancer survivor who provides door-to-door free screening for uninsured women in Miami, Florida – By MALORIE D. MAGSUCI mb.com.ph

Now called the town of San Jose, the 29 square-kilometer big island that is divided into five villages retained it sobriquet, Carabao Island. The waters that surround it are the Sibuyan Sea on its eastern coast and Tablas Strait on its western side.

Its downside is that being geographically isolated from the rest of Romblon,san Jose is one of the most depressed municipalities of the island province famous for its world-class marble. Its upside though is, due to its distance from the rest of Romblon, Carabao Island is still inits pristine condition, with powdery, white sand beaches comparable to that of Boracay’s famous west coast.

Its advantage over its world-renowned island neighbor though, is that Carabao Island’s talc-fine sandy beaches are 4.3-km. long on its east coast vis-à-vis 3.5 kilometers in the island “paradise” of Boracay, plus another 2.5-km. of the fine, white stuff on the west side of San Jose aka Carabao Island, whose fine terrain is characterized by lowlands in the northern and eastern sections, and by rolling hills in the central and southern part of the islands. What’s more it is three separated by a 3-km channel south of Carabao.

“I conceptualized an international airport at Carabao Islandd as an alternative to the small Caticlan Airport in the town of Malay in Aklan way back in 1989, but started negotiating for the land acquisition totaling 120 hectares only in 2004,” says Steve Tajanlangit, one of the pioneer resort hotel developers in Boracay Terraces Hotel on the northern end of White Beach.

“The ideal place to develop an international airport to expand the Boracay corridor is at Carabao island,which was mentioned by GMA in her SONA in 2006, as one of her major airport projects, together with Busuanga and San Vicente in Northern Palawan, because Carabao is located between Boracay and Tablas Island in Romblon, which has its own attractions, like a big lagoon, which can be developed into a yacht marina,” explains the Ilonggo tourism visionary who, as early as 1979, saw Boracay as a major tourist destination in the near future when small groups of backpackers descended on the pristine island whose grain of white sand is a mere 500 microns in size, making its 3.5-km white beachcomfortably cool even during high noon.

“From Carabao, a group of beautiful islands in Antique is just 30 minutes away, and beyond them, you’ll reach another new tourist destination, Coron in Northern Palawan.”

The envisioned P5-billion Carabao Island International Airport, with a runway 3.7-km. is long, enough to accommodate wide-bodied jetliners like the A-330. When finished in 2012, it will be much bigger than the present Iloilo airport-already considered the biggest in the Visayas, with the exception of the Mactan Cebu International Airport. The flight from Manila to Carabao Island will only be 40 minutes by plane, and 30 minutes from Cebu.

“Right now, Caticlan airport’s existing runway is only 900 meters, not long enough for even a 72-seater turboprop ATR passenger plane used by Cebu Pacific in its missionary routes,” says the vice chairman of the Boracay Property Holdings, Inc., the main proponent of the Carabao airport project.” Even if you level the hill (blocking the runway’s northeastern tip), you can only have an additional 800 meters or a total of 1.6-km,” points out Tajanlangit.” But, an international airport needs a 3.5-km runway.

“That’s why Carabao is an ideal alternative, considering that the area being considered for an airport development is flat,” avers the swarthy real estate developer. “We can promise, due to its favorable terrain, that we can have an airport by 2012, which comprises the P3-billion phase one, which includes the runway, tarmac and passenger terminal that can accommodate 2 million passengers a year,” he continues. “then, we implement the P2-billion phase 2, that is to expand the terminal further as the need arises.”

Considering that Caticlan can only accommodate 2,000 passengers daily, it can only fill in 1,000 hotel rooms (at twin sharing) in the island. But, Boracay at present has more than 7,000 rooms and this will balloon, with the continous expansion of resort hotels in the island, to 10,000!

“In 2012, we can bring in big planes to Carabao loaded with tourist from China, Korea, Japan, even people from Hongkong, who can have a nice weekend in Boracay,” says tajanlangit. “More tourists will come if we already have Carabao airport because at present, if a foreign tourist is going to Boracay, it’s a big hassle for him to fly in to NAIA then transfer to the Domestic Airport, then fly to kalibo, take a 1-1/2-hour bus trip to Caticlan, then a 15-minute ferry boat transfer before reaching boracay, wasting almost a day of unnecessary travel.

“When the Carabao airport is finished in 2012, we can pump up economic activities not only in Boracay, but also in Aklan, romblon, where Carabao is, Antique, southern Mindoro Oriental, and even Marinduque,” state Tajanlangit, who also operates the 7107 Islands Cruise liner that plies the so-called ‘tourism golden triangle’-that starts from Batangas City to Coron in Busuanga and on to Boracay, and vise versa.

“We can now compete with other major tourist destinations in Southeast Asia like Phuket in Thailand and Bali in Indonesia; which can accommodate one million tourists while we are just dependent on Boracay,” concludes the Ilonggo tourism expert. “So, how can we attract 12 or 15 milllion tourist a year, the Carabao airport when it’s finished will attract that much visitors due to direct flights from their respective countries to our tropical paradise, and beyond.”

The multibillion-peso Carabao International Airport project will be modern and state-of-the-arts as envisioned by its developers. It will be designed by the same company that designed some of the best airports in the world. Fifteen hectares of  the land will be devoted for terminal facilities alone. A component infrastructure of the Carabao airport is a modern port that will serve twin-hulled catamarans and other big, fast craft that will ferry tourists and from Boracay.

“Vietnam is hitting 5 million a year, while we could barely get 3 million,” explains director Reynaldo dela Rosa of the Boracay-based Eminent Persons Group (EPG), a government agency under the Office of the President tasked to oversee the sustainable development of tourism in the island and has the rank of undersecretary in the Department of tourism (DOJ). “With the right tourism master plan for Carabao Island, we can compete with any destination in the region because our beaches here are better than those in Bali.”

So, in 2012, the heart-shaped Carabao Island will start throbbing to give life to the still slumbering and undiscovered scenic islands with alabaster beaches in Northern Panay, Southern Mindoro, Romblon, and northern Palawan, which will complement tourist arrivals in Boracay, the philippines’ diamond in its crown jewels of island tourist destinations. – Randy V. Urlanda – Philippine Panorama – Nov 7 Edition

As a first-time visitor to Iloilo City, my knowledge about the place is practically zero except for the fact that chicken inasal and batchoy are delicious food that supposedly came from that place. So when the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation Inc. invited the media for a 3-day familiarization tour of the city, I was raring to go, eager to discover what Iloilo is all about.

 Iloilo is about food.

Iloilo as I would come to discover is really about food. The Lingoes love to eat, nay they live to eat. For them eating is a way of life. Unlike in Manila where we often wolf down our meals to get on with our other activities, in Iloilo, meals are relished and seen as a social event among family and friends — a time to catch up on each other’s lives over servings of binnacle and nasal. During our lunches and dinners, we (writers from Manila) would already be getting our desserts while our Lingo friends seemed to be just getting warmed up. Our tour guide Eugene Tamerlane shares how it is in their house during weekend lunches — they would linger on the dining table way after lunch sharing stories, that before they realize it, they’d already be having marina, then later after that supper. He adds that in Iloilo they rarely use the sala to entertain guests, instead they just whisk them off into the dining room for a sumptuous meal or maybe a marina of sumac dipped in muscovite and home-made hot chocolate (made from tableau or cocoa tablets and endlessly stirred with a batgirl).

Another thing that makes Lingo cuisine different from other places like Manila became more evident on our third meal. I just realized none of our gracious hosts served us anything that’s fried, only broiled, steamed or grilled. Yes, the Lingoes love their food grilled. While grilling is something we do at home during special occasions, in Iloilo they grill on a daily basis. The grill, whether it’s a Hibachi or just an old chicken wire on top of rocks, is an integral part of the Lingo dirty kitchen. From fish to clams to the ubiquitous chicken inasal that can be found in restaurants on every block, the Ilonggos like them smoked and browned to perfection. Speaking of which, the Ilonggos are crazy about chicken too — more than pork or beef. Stands to reason that while in Manila Andok’s Lechon is but a small kiosk selling take-aways, in Iloilo it’s a huge semi open restaurant that’s always packed with people come dinner time. And not to mention that Mang Inasal, now easily the most popular and biggest grilled chicken restaurant chain in the country originated from Iloilo.

Other original Ilonggo specialties that have gained national popularity are pansit molo from the district of Molo and La Paz batchoy from the district of La Paz. Try Deco’s version of batchoy together with puto for a truly satisfying merienda. While there, you can also get your pasalubong from their store next door where you can choose from a wide array of Ilonggo pastries and delicacies.

For authentic chicken inasal, try Tatoy’s Manukan where they use only native chicken and is one of the more popular restaurants frequented by politicians and celebrities. Just a few meters away is Breakthrough which specializes in seafood specialties such as lobsters, blue crabs and various clams and shellfish that are mostly found in this region. It is situated along the beach so you’ll be dining amidst the sounds of the waves and the scent of the sea breeze, enhancing your tropical dining experience.

If fine dining is more your taste, visit Al Dente restaurant at the Sarabia Hotel for their boneless take on chicken inasal and the hearty Binakol (chicken soup with coconut meat and water) served inside a fresh coconut. On the cheap end, there is a small fast food restaurant called Roberto’s that is famous for its halo-halo and jumbo “King” siopao that is one of Iloilo’s best kept secrets.

They know how to have a good time

If you think Iloilo has nothing to offer like Manila by way of nightlife, you’d be surprised. Though the Ilonggos appear to be simpler and more conservative than the Manila folks, it does not mean that they don’t know how to have a good time.

Head over to Smallville, their smaller version of Eastwood City to sample the food and entertainment provided by the different restaurants and bars that make up this hip and happening complex. From dining, to disco, to videoke or live bands, you only need to walk around to find the place that’s up your alley. The place is crawling with families, students, and employees every night and closes later on weekends.

There is no Starbucks here, but they have their own Iloilo – based Coffeebreak which is not only cheaper but has the ambiance and taste that will give the franchised coffee shops a run for their money. Coffebreak along with the other restaurants in the same area are the brainchild of restaurateur whiz Johnny Que who is also behind Waffle Time which started in Iloilo and is now 423 outlets strong all over the Philippines.

Iloilo is more urban than you think

Iloilo City is a fast – growing metropolis fueled by the increasing number of Business Processing and Outsourcing (BPOs)/ call centers that have set up shop in the city. As the province’s educational hub, with 13 colleges and universities, Iloilo becomes an ideal investment site for skills-required and English-proficient job employments. Though Iloilo City may not have the high-rise buildings of Makati, it is not that far behind in terms of infrastructures, facilities, and standards of living either. In some aspects Iloilo is even better off. Iloilo City seems to have lesser traffic, wider streets, lesser potholes and garbage and a cleaner waterway. I did not find any shanties or squatters within the city either. With better infrastructures and a new coal – powered plant set for completion in 2010, Iloilo is poised to attract even more investors and visitors.

A jump-off point to Guimaras

With a modern airport in Sta. Barbara and the city being strategically located, Iloilo stands as a gateway and jump-off point to other tourist destinations. Just 15 minutes from the Iloilo wharf by boat is the island of Guimaras, known for its export quality mangoes, pristine beaches and scenic landscapes. Alubihod Beach in Nueva Valencia is the more popular resort known for its white sand and clear water ideal for swimming and other water activities. When in Guimaras be sure to drop by the Trappist Monastery where you can ask for the monks’ blessing and you can get dried mangos, jams, jellies made from fruits they grow and harvest themselves.

Iloilo’s rich cultural heritage

Iloilo’s rich cultural heritage can be best gleaned from the old churches, mansions, and buildings that are evidence of the city’s once glorious past of being the textile capital of the Philippines more than a century ago. Architecture students will have a field day studying the old buildings along Calle Real that retained the various design standards of the time: art deco, Spanish, European, etc. Nelly’s garden in Jaro is one of the finest examples of residential mansions owned by the most prominent families of the province. The mansion’s facade looks like it was cut out of a postcard and looks even better when lit up for Christmas. Jaro Cathedral and Molo Church are not only magnificent structures, with Jaro having its Belfry separate and across the street and Molo with its Neo-Gothic style, but they are also unique because Jaro Cathedral only houses male saint sculptures while Molo as its counterpart only has female saints.

While Iloilo is no longer known for weaving, there are still some locals who keep the tradition and art of the loom alive. One such place where you can buy quality sinamays or hablots is in a heritage house in Arevalo where you can find shawls and placemats made from the finest jusi or pinya fibers.

My first Iloilo City experience was a journey of discovery. I look forward to going back to experience the Dinagyang Festival in January as three days are not enough time to really know Iloilo… and there’s a lot more to discover.

(Cebu Pacific flies to Iloilo five times daily from Manila, 18 times weekly from Cebu, and daily from Davao.) – mb.com.ph

Some nine million Filipinos work overseas, annually sending home about US$17 billion, just a bit smaller than the value of our agriculture and fishery industries output.  Thanks to worker remittances, Balance of Payments, Gross National Product, income and employment, exchange rate, prices—all economic indicators in fact—are in fine shape.  Our unsung heroes keep the county’s economy afloat.

To be an OFW, one has to have a waiting job, a passport and working visa, and a plane ticket.  These require time, patience, and money.  Think birth certificate; NBI/police/barangay clearance; bio-data; evidence of education, training and work experience; medical exam; trade test; pre-departure orientation.

One could exhaust family (or clan) savings, sell property, borrow at sky-high interest, to raise the P60+ thousand needed to cover recruitment fee (maximum—one month’s salary), health insurance premium and costs supposed to be borne by the prospective employer (but are ultimately charged to the worker anyway), e.g., airfare, working visa fee, POEA processing fee, OWWA membership contribution, etc.

There are circling vultures.  Stories abound of people getting fake passport, visa and plane tickets, of those who find themselves illegal entrants.  Some people supposedly paid US$500 to cross each of three borders only to be caught and deported back to the Philippines.

Many live miserably, work for abusive employers, get little job satisfaction—licensed teachers working as nannies, doctors as nurses, lawyers as clerks, master carpenters as peons—suffering discrimination and daily humiliations.

Earnings are not always that great even with moonlighting.  After paying for board, lodging and incidentals, and after setting aside loan amortization, an OFW could be sending home not much more than US$250 a month.  Savings could be dissipated on pasalubong, balato, good time.

The personal and social costs of family separation are heavy and worrying.  Children grow up fatherless or motherless, undisciplined and unguided.  Lonely spouse, whether overseas or stay-at-home, finds a short-term love.  Special problems arise when both parents leave and children are left with grandparents or other relatives.  A mendicancy mind-set develops, with spouse and children simply waiting for a monthly check, whining with delay.

School administrators report how the relatively rich OFW children seem not to care about learning, content with coasting along and expecting an indefinite flow of support from absent parents.

There is increasing competition from other countries’ workers, but we will no doubt hold our own in terms of total workers deployed, total remittances received.  Many rich countries function smoothly only with workers from elsewhere.  We could therefore be okay from a macroeconomic standpoint, but zoom in on individuals and you could find parents with little income and no savings, untrained and aimless children.

It is sad that there are not enough jobs to keep our best people from leaving, tragic that many in the next generation are growing up in broken homes, growing up dependent. – WALA LANG : mb.com.ph

Of late, we have all witnessed nature’s onslaught – raging floods that killed thousands and left many homeless, tons of mud that buried people alive, catastrophic landslides and erosions, heavy winds that uprooted trees and toppled homes. All of these are Mother Earth’s response to the abuses we have made, and a very portentous and apparent caveat comes with this: We will all perish lest we do something about it.

This seems to be the message that the University of the Philippines (UP) Alumni Centennial Artists are trying to get across in their last exhibit at the Trade Hall of the Gateway Mall. The group exhibit is still part of the continuing art education of the UP Alumni Association. Although not entirely an offshoot of the Ondoy and Pepeng typhoons, the show dubbed as ‘Kalikasan’ hit home and came out very timely.

Poetic, colorful, and alive, the 113 artworks in the show depicted nature at its best. Wielded and rendered in different artistic expressions, the paintings remind us that the environment should be given the utmost attention and care for the very reason that it sustains us.  They tell us that Mother Earth is inherently good to us and gives us a stunning and picturesque escape when not left to man’s destructive devices. Central to the opuses in the exhibit are pristine falls, vast green fields, perennials, blooms, bodies of water, and wildlife among others.

According to group leader Romy Carlos, majority of the works have been made solely for the exhibit while others have been made several years back such as National Artist Jose Joya’s landscape of Zarraga, Iloilo made in 1980 and National Artist Cesar Legaspi’s pastel drawing of a hot summer day in Iloilo that was finished in 1976.

Notable and memorable pieces include Araceli Limcaco-Dans’ painting of a scene in Batanes titled ‘The Carabao,’ where several Igorots are walking an earthy pathway with a carabao in tow; Vincent de Pio’s almost abstract seascape done with thick impastos of black and with hints of fleshy and rosy tones; Roberto Duldulao’s Zen-inspired oeuvre; and Norly Membian’s artwork fashioned with gestural splatters of paint.

Two of the participating artists in the exhibit are Mar Bongalon and Manuel Gamboa. Known for being a figurative artist, Bongalon captured nature using an impressionistic technique. His works ‘Carillon Receding Light’ and ‘Carillon Sunset’ arrest the passage of time and transient light over a scenic view. Gamboa, on the other hand, painted his hideaway from the bustling metropolis for the show.

Billed ‘Secret Coves,’ the diptych has a childlike and effervescent quality. One can tell that it was done with a fervent passion for colors and play rather than with the rigid rudiments of form and structure.
Come December, Carlos said that they are mounting another Mother-and-Child-themed exhibit. The month will also see the core group of the Centennial Artists staging another show titled ‘Sining Saysay.’ It will coincide with the 50th anniversary of Araneta Center. The would-be suite of paintings will put into murals some of the country’s most significant historical events—from pre-colonial period up to Martial Law.

Works from this would-be exhibition will be hung around the Araneta Coliseum. UP Professor for art history and curator Ruben Defeo will be part of the overseeing committee for this project, said Carlos in a previous interview. Slated to participate aside from Carlos are National Artist BenCab, Janice Young, Gig de Pio, Tessie Duldulao, Eileen Lanusa, Cris Cruz, and Ding Hidalgo to mention a few.

So far, the group has produced six shows in just half a year.

For more information about the UP Alumni Association and the UP Centennial Alumni Artists and their works, contact Ang Bahay ng Alumni, Ramon Magsaysay Avenue, UP Diliman, Quezon City; 929-8327, or visit www.upalumni.ph