Tag Archive: Iloilo

Dec
15
2011

Alternative Airports to Visayas’ January Revelry

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December 15, 2011

Flying Away for the Revelry this January?

While December and Holy Week is considered as peak season for Philippine air travel, January is the month of the big festivities: The Black Nazarene of Manila, Ati-Atihan of Kalibo and the rest of Aklan Province, Sinulog Festival of Cebu and Dinagyang Festival of Iloilo. As expected, thousands of festival lovers, tourists, devotees and the curious take their pilgrimage in the annual revelries all throughout the archipelago. If you like to dance with the crowd and be merry this January without the pain in your wallet for the airfare, here are some alternatives that you may seek in hunting the cheapest fares for your next fiesta. I’ll be particular with the three big Visayan festivities since going here really requires some effort.

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Tags: airport, AtiAtihan, bacolod city, Cebu, Dinagyang, Festivals, Iloilo, Kalibo, Philippines, roxas city, Sinulog, travel, Visayas

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/12/15/alternative-airports-to-visayas-january-revelry/

Mar
14
2011

From Iloilo to Sendai with Compassion

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by Berniemack Arellano

March 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.

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Tags: airport, disaster, Iloilo, infrastructure, Japan, JICA, ODA, opinion, Philippines, reflection, Sendai, Tsunami 2011

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/03/14/from-iloilo-to-sendai-with-compassion/

Mar
10
2011

First Day On a New Perspective: My Dinagyang Experience

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by Berniemack Arellano

March 10, 2011

Few days before Sinulog, I was scrambling to get a way to Iloilo for the Dinagyang Festival. For the moment, I thought I wouldn’t be pushing through with my las celebraciones grandes de enero—a feat which I last made in 2007 when I celebrated both grand festivals in a year. Then I was informed, something beyond what I was expecting…the Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation asked me to become one of the judges for street dancing competition! I was speechless and to be honest, it is beyond what I have been expecting for. My original plan was just to cover Dinagyang the way I cover it for the past few years. Yes, I took the offer as an honor for my service for my beloved banwa (hometown). I was placed on a different perspective…from appreciation to decision-making. This Dinagyang season changed the way I see Iloilo’s grandest fiesta.

The good news is, after weeks of rain in the Visayas, Haring Araw was there to say hello all over the weekend!

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Tags: calle real, Dinagyang, Dinagyang 2011, Iloilo, Iloilo Airport, Iloilo City, Kasadyahan, personal reflection, Philippine events, Philippine festivals, Philippines, Visayas

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/03/10/first-day-on-a-new-perspective-my-dinagyang-experience/

Feb
09
2011

Hala Bira Tugs-Tugs at Dinagyang!

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by Berniemack Arellano

February 9, 2011

Look at the picture below:

People in front of the giant speakers...listening and just staring

That’s my favorite subject for my photo shoot in Calle Real. The International House (S.Villanueva Building as according to ICCHCC catalogue) at the corner of JM Basa corner Aldeguer Street. The symbol of Iloilo’s glorious past. Yet I won’t be talking heritage here, but I like to share a common scene during the city’s largest festival, the Dinagyang.

It’s all about those people staring blankly at sound systems which are playing in full volume!

Play this video below (or the next page). I apologize for the annoying voice that I have…pasensyahan na lang tayo, malakas kasi patugtog.

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Tags: Dinagyang, festival, fun, giant sound systems, Iloilo, Iloilo City, music, Philippine culture, Philippines, speakers

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2011/02/09/hala-bira-tugs-tugs-at-dinagyang/

Aug
10
2010

Sat Siri Akal: Spice and Prayers at Iloilo’s Nanak Darbar Temple

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by Berniemack Arellano

August 10, 2010

Iloilo Nanak Darbar Sikh Temple

For so long, I have been looking for an authentic Indian food in Metro Manila. Authentic yet affordable. However, it seems that international cooking here in the nation’s capital is equivalent to dollar rates! I have to prepare at least P300 to P400 just to satisfy my craving for international food–and one of them is from the Indian sub-continent.

Good thing though, my dad brought masala chai from India. However, my craving didn’t diminished. One night in Iloilo (on a short weekend vacation) my friend Tara and the rest of her barkada invited me for a short “cultural immersion” in Mandurriao District. Curious, when she said that we’re going to Nanak Darbar Temple–the Indian Sikh temple in Ciudad Iloilo!

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Tags: food, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Indian, Nanak Darbar, Philippines, Punjabi, Sikh, Sikh temple

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/08/10/sat-siri-akal-spice-and-prayers-at-iloilos-nanak-darbar-temple/

May
30
2010

Panubli-on will be back

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by Berniemack Arellano

May 30, 2010

Arroyo Fountain, the logo for Panubli-on

After several years of dormancy, Panubli-on: The Iloilo Heritage Blog, will come back. To bring Iloilo’s rich cultural heritage and history into the cyberspace. Sharing the legacy of Iloilo’s glorious past and for a brighter future. Soon, we’ll be adding up articles, activities and a whole lot more. For now, a bit of tweaking in the blog is needed.

So, who says history and heritage are boring and for the elite?

Para sa Ilonggo, para sa Pilipino, para ini sa tanan!Maayong adlaw kag Mabuhi ang Panubli-on sang Iloilo!

Tags: blog, culture, culture advocacy, heritage, heritage conservation, Iloilo, panublion, Philippines

Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/05/30/panubli-on-will-be-back/

Apr
08
2010

Craving Oysters in Iloilo

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by Berniemack Arellano

April 8, 2010

Steamed Talaba (Oysters) for only P30 per order

Oysters have been one of my favourite foods since college. Growing up deprived with eating talaba, I started eating it when I relocated in Iloilo not so long ago. I fell in love with it. Later on, I’ve got obsessed with it. I always go out with my family, classmates or barkada during free time or dinner time for one small batya of talaba for only PhP25! That’s incredibly cheap! Oysters are very cheap in the Visayas, particularly in Panay, since it is one of Panayanon’s staple seafood. When I moved back to Manila, oysters seemed to be more of a luxury rather than a staple. Known to have aphrodisiac properties, steamed oysters are offered in every town in Panay. They say, it’s a nice food to eat before “making love.”

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