Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/06/18/don%e2%80%99t-tell-my-mom-that-i-was-in-maguindanao/
Mar
18
2011
The official yet may not be the final logo of Pilipinas Tara Na
At first glance, I thought it was some sort of a Grade 1 to 4 textbook cartoons. Second, it does look like Batibot or some sticker from the 1980s. But look closely, its Department of Tourism’s “Pilipinas, Tara Na” (en. Philippines, let’s go! | es. ¡Vamos Filipinas!) official logo! Lo and behold, after the failed “Pilipinas Kay Ganda” fiasco, it seems that we have another logo going down the drain!
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/03/18/give-that-pilipinas-tara-na-logo-to-deped-instead/
Mar
14
2011
Sendai Airport CCTV capturing the tsunami engulfing its tarmac (video courtesy of Russia Today)
On March 11, 2011, the world was shocked and awed again with nature’s raw awesome power as Japan’s Tohoku region was rattled by a magnitude 8.9 earthquake, and after that–the sea gobbled up cities, towns, farms and people — seven meter tsunami has changed the Japanese psyche and landscape forever. The aftermath was devastation and death. Japan’s worst crisis since the end of World War II.
Iloilo Airport was brought by the cooperation between the Japanese and the Filipinos
What I couldn’t believe was that even Sendai Airport was like a sitting duck in nature’s fury as its runway was submerged in sea water of debris and destruction. Come to think of it, the airport is already located more than a kilometer away from the coast (the tsunami was reported to have reached as far as 10 kilometers inland!) In a way, Sendai Airport reminds me of Iloilo Airport…however its far from the coast line and was constructed with Japanese backing and aid.
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/03/14/from-iloilo-to-sendai-with-compassion/
Mar
11
2011
Finally! Thank goodness Philippine Airlines (PAL) has a new flight safety instruction video! Yes, they are finally replacing that decade old, “telenovela-ish” and seemingly obsolete flight safety instruction video that PAL has been using on its flights.
Synchronized PAL's Flight Attendants, hehe!
Produced by Ambient Media (the same people behind the movie “RPG Metanoia”) and directed by Ianco dela Cruz, PAL’s new flight safety instruction video deviates from the usual boring routine that the flight attendants must perform (or inform to the passengers). Adding humor, creativity, the use of CGI special effects has given a lighter tone for a serious ritual before the flight.
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/03/11/mabuhay-pal%e2%80%99s-new-flight-safety-video-is-here/
Dec
26
2010
Binintiang Malaki -- Taal Volcano's most photographed cone/crater
It was Christmas Day, well a lot of urban-dwellers of Manila and its suburbs like to spend some time with the company of family and friends. My family though decided that we go to Tagaytay and pass by Pink Sisters then head on to one of the last “shack cottages” overlooking Taal Volcano and Batangas Province. It was cold and was drizzling when we went there. Tagaytay as expected would be crowded on a long weekend, but we never expected such mass exodus that would unfold later that day.
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/12/26/tranquil-talisay-divisoriang-tagaytay/
Oct
31
2010
Faro de Punta Malabrigo
It was very unexpected that I’ll be going to the town of Lobó in Batangas province with my dad for his routine trip for his work. It was my first time there, and it was the Barangay Elections Day all throughout the country. However, that old Spanish lighthouse is the ultimate destination that I like to go — Malabrigo Lighthouse or Faro de Punta Malabrigo. Since I haven’t been to Cape Bojeador lighthouse in Ilocos or even Malabrigo’s sister in Calatagan, Batangas, this was my opportunity to see that lonely sentinel perched on a hill overlooking Verde Island Passage. After convincing my dad, I’m off to Malabrigo!
Situated some seven kilometers away southeast of Lobó’s town proper, Malabrigo is a barangay that seemingly being edged by the mountains to the sea. Yes, it reminds me of Cebú or even Barangay Ilijan in Batangas City. The faro is situated on top of the hill. A steep climb for vehicles and for the tricycles that serve town proper-Malabrigo route. If you’re commuting, better disembark at the Malabrigo Resort gate and ascend towards the lighthouse on top of the hill. Malabrigo is one isolated community in Batangas–seemingly defying the notion that the province is easily accessible from the great metropolis of Manila!
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/10/31/faro-de-punta-malabrigo-perched-between-man-and-elements/
Oct
10
2010
The 400 Years of Maritime Expedition Monument of Mexico and Philippines
While most of the people focused on the landing of Galeón Andalucia in Manila last week, my friend Gibb and I stumbled on this area that seemed to have been forgotten by time (and perhaps some maintenance too) itself. Called as Plaza Mexico, this place–the banks of Pasig River in Intramuros Manila–has been the original port of call of the fabled galleons of the past. Indeed, the 270 years of galleon trade that became one of the Spanish Empire’s economic machinery and an event that triggered globalization into a whole new level.
Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/10/10/plaza-mexico-a-little-forgotten-spot-in-intramuros/
Jun
18
2011
Don’t Tell my Mom That I was in Maguindanao
by Berniemack Arellano
June 18, 2011
November 23, 2009, the Filipino nation and the international community were shocked with the killing of 50+ victims in what is now known as the “Maguindanao Massacre”—the worst election-related violence at that time. Brought up by rivalry of powerful families that ruled the Cotabato basin, the supposedly peaceful convoy for filing candidacy was turned into bloodbath when armed men allegedly belonging to the ruling family intercepted the convoy and mercilessly killed, mutilated and hastily buried the victims in the hills of Maguindanao—leaving their lifeless bodies, crushed cars and a backhoe bearing the name of the ruling clan. Most number that was killed were journalists, same as with the wife of the opposition leader, his relatives, and some who weren’t part of the convoy at all. The event has left a lasting imprint to every Filipino psyche regarding Maguindanao—armed, lawless, deadly and violent. As of the time of writing, the province of Maguindanao, now under the then-opposition leader’s rule, is still under state of emergency.
Somewhere over those hills, the howling and the wailing of the dead seeking justice
Personally, I myself was stunned by the event. That same highway that I passed in 2005 (read my article on my 2005 trip at Maguindanao) was the same highway that the convoy was intercepted. I got numb when some of Tacurong City Hall people, whom have helped me in my thesis in college, was also murdered point blank–despite their non-involvement at the convoy. It was unbelievable that such cold-blooded act happened in this modern day and age—barbaric and devoid of civility. Then the opportunity came in, I was to visit Cotabato City when I went to GenSan—no other choice but to pass by Maguindanao once more. This time, I face Maguindanao on a different light, a different era…
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Tags: Cotabato, maguindanao, Maguindanao massacre, Mindanao, News, Philippines, road, security, Shariff Aguak, Tamontaka, travel