Tag Archive: reflection

May
27
2012

A Tale of Two Cities (Iloilo): A New Day Has Come

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May 27, 2012

Iloilo Domestic Port. My Port of Call a decade ago

This is the beginning of my personal journey between two cities (localities), that I call home. Both south of Manila, one in the middle, the other one at extreme south. Each has different characters, each has a story to tell about my life. This is part of the series, A Tale of Two Cities.

Chapter 1: May 6, 2002 - A New Day Has Come…

I’m not supposed to write personal stuff here on my travel blog, but this day, a decade ago, was one of the most significant dates that happened in my personal life. It was the day that I arrived in Iloilo, hoping to start a new beginning, a new life—and it did. My move south a decade ago had made one of the most lasting legacies that made me who I am now, and what HabagatCentral is all about.

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May
27
2011

The Mindanao Saga Reminisced

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May 27, 2011

Kulintang--distinctly Mindanao (from MSU-Gensan Museum)

I grew up in Greater Manila for most of my childhood life. Eat, sleep, talk and think as a city boy. Although I frequently visit the provinces because my parents are provincianos and my dad has a lot of out-of-town projects, which is a nature of his work. However, when I stepped into college, have chosen myself as Ilonggo and hometown at Iloilo, it was the time that I was reintroduced and reoriented with my parent’s birthplace…the “Land of Promise” down south, Mindanao. The fascination and the sojourns have changed my life forever.

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Mar
14
2011

From Iloilo to Sendai with Compassion

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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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Nov
17
2010

Simple Living Has its Price: An Ode to Nagtaluntong of Lobó Batangas

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November 17, 2010

My family and I went back to Lobó in Batangas province to have a break from the urban jungle and my dad’s inspection on the project site at one of the mountain barangays of the town. We went on to one of the most isolated towns in this part of Southern Tagalog region. Protected by rugged mountains and bordered by the Verde Island Passage, it seems that the town has been encapsulated in time by nature herself! When before, I had a brief visit to Malabrigo Lighthouse, this time I went off the beaten track and return to the placed I was enamored when I was in Grade 6 and a realization of an uphill countryside struggle for survival.

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Jun
19
2010

The 112th Philippine Independence Day Celebrations at Luneta: A Reflection

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June 19, 2010

A century and 12 years later, the Republic of the Philippines celebrated its freedom from the Spanish Empire with a float, performance and parade gala at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta, Manila. Since this is the last year of the outgoing president Gloria Arroyo, the government allotted PhP10 million for the whole programme. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (Yes, another name change. It was National Historical Institute) was the main organizer of the programme “Kalayaan 2010″ (Freedom 2010). I wasn’t able to see the traditional flag raising at Aguinaldo’s House at Kawit (its too early! Good luck at baka trapik sa Binakayan galing dito sa Imus!) so I went to Luneta that afternoon for the civic and military parade.

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Permanent link to this article: http://habagatcentral.com/2010/06/19/the-112th-philippine-independence-day-celebrations-at-luneta-a-reflection/

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