While traditionally it has been seven Catholic Churches that has to be visited during the Visita Iglesia on Holy Week, I’ll be featuring only two…yet these are the closest to both my heart and soul. The first one would be the Philippines’ first Catholic Church, a pilgrimage site, a historic site, and a bastion of devotion for millions—Basilica Minore de Santo Niño de Cebu.
Classes have ended and the long hot summer days are here in the Philippines. While a lot has been thinking of Boracay, we have 7,107 islands to explore…most of the beaches are relatively unknown to mainstream tourists. Recently however, Gumasa Beach in Sarangani Province has been making head waves being the venue of Mindanao’s largest beach party. Yet despite it being the center of this fiesta, during ordinary days (or even weekdays), Gumasa is one laidback paradise in this side of the country.
It is said that in Cebu, bird-watching is one of the reasons why photographers “flock” the island of Olango. However, its neighboring historical island of Mactan has a different kind of photographers or enthusiasts that takes photos of a different kind of birds, one that is man’s greatest achievements—the aircraft. And just yesterday, the “plane-spotters” visited the country’s second busiest airport to get a glimpse of the birds’ beauty in this resort city.
Two days to go before 2013, and it was also our last day in Sagada. Wouldn’t it be nice to symbolically embrace a new beginning by watching the sunrise in the Cordilleras, as the golden rays gradually touch the mountains while the clouds embrace the earth? The place to be? It is Kiltepan view point.
“Typhoon (insert name here) is estimated XXX kilometers east of Baler, Aurora…”
Most of us Filipinos have heard or read about this announcement every time there is an upcoming weather disturbance in the Pacific, and the capital town of Baler in Aurora Province is the reference point. PAGASA, the state meteorological agency of the Philippines, has a weather station in this laid back town, and is one of the town’s ‘must visit’ attractions.
It was my first sunrise after my birthday. I was in Mati City, Davao Oriental Province to accompany my dad for his project in the mountains of the province. That morning, I went to the beach that has been popular to backpackers and surfers alike—Dahican Beach. For surfers, it’s an alternative to Siargao Island. For travelers, it’s a paradise so close to this laidback city. (more…)
