I Want My Deschooled, Reluctant and Unassuming Self

First stop of this journey: Hanoi, Vietnam

I found this unfinished blog entry I wrote last December entitled "All I Want for Christmas is My Deschooled, Reluctant and Unassuming Self" which I was supposed to publish as my official year ender post. It is new year now but I believe this musing is never too late to translate into actions.

Wishing to be deschooled, reluctant and unassuming, I am NOT the type of person who is about to give up at any rate now. As a matter of fact, I am still in the ball games. Perhaps I just want to lie low a bit and live life simply as it comes.

I want to deschool my self, just learning things out of natural curiosities rather than being pressured to the usual "learn something new" piece of advice. I want to just explore and discover any thing that piques my curiosity most at the moment.

I want to play reluctant. There is nothing wrong with being self assured as a person, but I would rather want now to just observe people and things rather than join the the bandwagons and their hooplas. I want to reserve to my self my thoughts about them and learn out of observing them. 

I want to remain unassuming. I want to deal people and mean things just the way they are. I want to be objective with situations and emotions. No assumptions and judgements. Just pure and simple thoughts.

We all have fair share of being deschooled, reluctant and unassuming once in our lives. I am bringing back mine this time for good.

Faith in Humanity Restored

What I love most about traveling is there is just so much to learn, not only about different cultures, but also about humanity.

One time I was on my way back to Singapore from an all day island hop. I was in the waiting lounge of the ferry terminal and looking confused about which gate for which shipping company. An old Singaporean woman, after probably observing my confusion, came close and asked to check my ticket. She said we would be on the same ferry and assured me. I wanted to stay with her but the seats beside her were occupied, so I sat a few chairs away. When it was time to get aboard to the ferry, passengers stood up in unison and I saw her come my way to ensure that I would go with her.

On my other trips, I have experienced such simple but wonderful acts of kindness many times either that Thai who does not speak the international language but gestured to take me picture after seeing I was alone; a Macanese who translated what I wanted to say to the vendor in the market; a Malaysian who helped me book a bus ticket during a peak day; a Chinese who was off to work but took time to accompany just to ensure that I reach my destination; a group of Japanese teens who offered free hugs in the street; an old Indonesian couple who were too kind to treat me like their grandchild; or any body who made the world a little brighter by just giving a smile.

Strange but these experiences made me feel inspired that there is still hope in humanity... that we are never too old, too poor, too stranger to be good to others.

I will definitely love more of you, world!

Falling in Love with George Town, Malaysia

I feel brave and creative after my recent side trip to this UNESCO World Heritage Site of George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is not popular for many travellers to hop to this underrated colonial village. Maybe also because I am just one of those few weird culture junkies who love old structures and is willing to endure long, long distance travels and searches just to see an old grandeur! 

It was morning of the next day when I arrived in George Town after twelve hours of bus ride crossing the borders between Singapore and Malaysia. I did not catch some good sleep while seated in the bus the whole time but I felt my adrenaline rushed as I saw and heard the bustle of the old town coming near! I just heard my inner self scream: I am finally in George Town!

I have read about the famous street arts scattered around the old city, but my original interest really was exploring the old structures that wonderfully make up the city. However, after some strolls, I did not expect that these old structures are not as old as I expected. They sure are every where but most of them were built only as recent as 1930s, much like those old buildings in Singapore.

I know that comparing Vigan and George Town is useless like comparing apple and orange because each of them is uniquely beautiful by the virtue of their own cultures and histories. But since I have been both to these quaint colonial cities, I am indulging myself to placing them side by side for some good reasons.

I can say that Vigan gives that wonderful vibe of a classical colonial charm. The horse drawn carriages, cobbled stone paths and gleaming street lamps simply add elegance and vibrance to Vigan. George Town, on the other hand, is a colourful blend. One can see Bhuddism, Hinduism, Muslim and Christian influences in the style of its houses and other structures. 

I must agree though that what makes both charming is its people. Everyone I rubbed elbows in George Town was just welcoming. The moment I arrived in George Town, the lady who drove me to my hotel was very helpful. She even helped me buy ticket back to KL. The man I asked in the street was also very informative. He guided me which museum to go. I saw sunshine in every nook I go as people were just smiling.

Meet my new Malaysian friends!

But perhaps the most exciting activity indeed in George Town is art hunting. And mind you these art pieces adorning the streets and alleys of the city are no ordinary paintings. These murals were installed in 2012 by a Lithuanian artist with the help of Penang government council. What makes the paintings unconventional for pretty amazing reason is the fact that selected parts of the art pieces are real objects – some props set up against the wooden door, window or wall!

Some of my favorite art pieces aside from the Brother and Sister on a Swing featured in the picture above are: Little Children on a Bicycle, The Real Bruce Lee Would Never Do This, Boy in the Bike, Reaching Up, Children Playing Basketball, I Want Pau, Skippy Comes to Penang, and a lot more! If you are interested to check my own trail of musings to these artistic objects, kindly visit my album here.

I must confess that, after side tripping to George Town, I fell deeply in love not only with its rich culture, but also with the creativity and tenacity of its people. There are a few cities in the word that maintains its old character as much as George Town does. It continues to reinvent itself but without altering its old self. On a more retrospective thought, I can only hope that George Town is much like we to our old selves.

Terima kasih for the wonderful experience, George Town! This is not the last visit surely, I vow!

There is Something about Sunset that He Likes

A beautiful sunset taken in Central Java, Indonesia.

Papers are waiting for him - journal critiques, desk reviews, annotated bibliographies, research proposals, and data analyses. No dramas.

A Twist in My Indonesian Trip: Tracing the Malay Roots of Philippines

How can I thank "words" for giving our minds and hearts the expression of thoughts and emotions? And for reconnecting our heritage?

I must confess though that I am a Hispanist. I have leaning on associating Filipino towards Spanish - architecture, language, music, fashion, cuisine. When it comes to language, just think about Filipino words related to kitchen items, clothing articles, school materials, family names, technical jargons, and even curses! Chance would be they are mostly Spanish loan words. 

But my recent trip mainly to Indonesia with side stop in Malaysia and another sojourn in Brunei illuminated my cultural understanding. It was a trip not only to the ancient Borobudur Temple or the majestic Sultan Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque but to the distant and almost forgotten connection between Philippines and the Malay world.

A Malay commoner :)

I disclaim to be a linguist as I have long abandoned my undergraduate discipline, but my personal observations of languages - Filipino and Bahasa Indonesia - led this reflection that Spanish may have clothed us or named us, but the Filipino soul will always be Malay in core.

One would feel at least at home in Indonesia reading and hearing familiar words virtually in every nook and cranny of Indonesia. A friend later informed me that a study did identify at least 300 related Filipino and Indonesian words. This statistics, I believe, could be higher. Based on my personal encounters, here are some of those words I amusingly discovered.

Filipino and Indonesian words with the same words and meanings:

right - Fil. kanan; Indo. kanan    child - Fil. anak; Indo. anak
sky - Fil. langit; Indo. langit        white - Fil. puti; Indo. puti
cheap - Fil. mura; Indo. mura    sickness - Fil. sakit; Indo. sakit
eye - Fil. mata; Indo. mata

Filipino and Indonesian words with slight variations but with the same meanings:

push - Fil. tulak; Indo. tolak        open - Fil. bukas; Indo. buka
stone - Fil. bato; Indo. batu        kitten - Fil. kuting; Indo. kuching
year - Fil. taon; Indo. tahun        enter - Fil. pasok; Indo. masuk
door - Fil. pinto; Indo. pintu

Filipino and Indonesian words that are false friends, the same words but different meanings:

bunga - Fil. fruit; Indo. flower
manok - Fil. chicken; Indo. bird
halaman - Fil. plants; Indo. park

Because I also speak Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Ilocano, I discovered these some interesting words same or similar to Indonesian:

street - Ceb. dalan; Indo. jalan
wall - Hil. dingding; Indo. dingding
food - Iloc. makan; Indo. makan

I recall there were instances when we proudly counted in Filipino much to the delight of our Indonesian friends! They told us that we could learn Indonesian in a month and survive in Indonesia!

On a more retrospective side, I wonder how Philippines has grown apart and differently in many aspects with its cousins from the rest of Malay archipelago. But thanks to these wonderful words as they serve as immortal evidences to our Malay heritage connection.

Terima kasih, Indonesia!

Living Like A Shadow: An Inward Journey

The Shadow at Manila Bay :)

I have been experimenting myself how to travel differently. This May break, instead of heading outside my comforts, I wanted to have more of an inward journey. At the last minute right after I aced all my school requirements, I decided to go back home in Mindanao, but this time I wanted a more low key vacation. It was not I was hiding for someone or something; I just wanted to take rest from all "mandatory calls" of friendships and works.

Some insightful thoughts at this point:

• It is not always about my journey. The world cannot care less about my own joy, success, worries or frustrations, so I just watch it go on its own course.
• Some best moments are best shared with closest people. Having "unannounced" vacation gave myself a slack to spend more meaningful conversations and moments with my intimate circle.
• While I was assuredly feeling that I am home, I felt more than happy to be just a shadow amidst the busy crowd and the pulse of this city. I window shopped any where I wanted or sipped coffee alone in a corner.

Japan Spring: A Celebration of Things Old and New

A celebration of things old and new - this is the insight that made a significant mark to my mind soon after my Japan trip for eleven days. I think that it is an appropriate phrase for a sojourn to heritage places -  a symbol for things old; for a journey on spring time - a symbol for things new.

One of the most exciting part of our trip was seeing the famous cherry blossoms or sakura, especially when we are about two weeks late from the blooming season. Luckily and delightfully, we found some last cherry trees that bore flowers abundantly - pink, white and green. Every time we found one, our company swarmed around these natural beauties and take many photographs. 

I have not lived in Japan long enough, but I think that when cherry trees bloom, they are the most beautiful on earth. And when they do, they only bloom so for a certain short period. As what some romantic poets have celebrated on spring, cherry blossom is the best reminder that life is wonderful but only momentary.

Celebration of spring!

I also appreciate how Japanese people are passionate about for their culture. Japan is a testament that a country can go forward to progress without disregarding culture. Going to some of their cities, we found their ancient castles, temples and other historical landmarks exceptionally well preserved. One could see how love is written all over these old structures.

One time, we visited the quaint Kintai Bridge. I was touched about the past story behind the old bridge. I learned that locals once built protective structure around the bridge to save it from the raging typhoon one time. However, the bridge did not survive; locals tearfully watched the it get washed away by the great flood. But in a short span of time, the locals amazingly rebuilt the bridge piece by piece as a remembrance to the old heritage.

Japanese culture is also famous for the origami, the ancient art of paper folding. Japanese children learn origami early at the lap of their mothers. While some people may think it is just a plain paper folding, it actually reflects the ingenuity and aesthetics of Japanese culture. This is a unique art of living – a reminder of patience, resilience and discipline - values which are written and reflected all over Japan. 

This art forms a part of Japanese curriculum. Aside from integrating a uniquely Japanese trademark to their education, I am amazed how actually paper folding does cognitive advantages for learners. Aside from developing fine motor skills, origami is a pictorial learning through repeatable actions, and by transforming a flat piece of paper into a three dimensional crane, it is also a cognitive stimulation of spatial reasoning. Now, I wonder not why Japanese are very good in mathematics and science!

While they have proved their world leadership when it comes to technology and economy, I am amazed as well to know that they have maintained their communion with nature. I think that Japanese people are one of the few most passionate people about living with nature as we all are from nature and forever interconnected to nature.

Visiting some cities, I marveled at how organized are the spaces. Just a few kilometers from the urban center, one would feel like being transported to a completely different place because the outer villages still maintain their rural vibes. Trees are well taken cared and animals, like deer, turtle and bird, live in harmony with people.

This article is not enough to vicariously contain all the wonderful memories I gained but personally, Japan will always be a special place in the world being a perfect blend of heritage and progress... of environment and culture... of old and new....

Sayonara, Japan! Until I see you again!

My Macau and HK Sojourn

No, I have not finally decided to convert this online space into a practical travel weblog after I got hooked on trips abroad recently; there are just too many online travel blogs which I thankfully used as my travel guide. Therefore, don't expect me to share about my favorite places in this post. I still want to keep this space sound personally and hopefully more reflective. What brought this writing into introspection are my personal insights as I went in this journey.

Anyway, every friend back home and each stranger I met abroad always find this trip surprising as I traveled solo. Yes, I traveled SOLO and abroad! And take note, these are Chinese territories where English is scarce both in print and spoken. As a matter of fact, I experienced some locals shooing me away like a fly once they hear me speak. Thankfully there is a huge presence of Filipino workers in these territories I could ask help when finally lost.

It takes balance between the elements of preparation and excitement. Of course, as preparation, I had to research all these better ways to visit the tourist destinations, but the detours actually led to more wonders and surprises. I must tell you that I did not accomplish all my trip plans right; the rest were mistakes, but definitely great! It reminds me that is important that we lay the cards of our desire open but still we must be receptive to grander plans above.

This trip also changed my perspective in a way  that not every one who wanders is lost but is actually found. Others may think about it as just some fancy thoughts they hear from showbiz people. But hey, I am serious!  I think that I learned about myself better in the emotional aspect such as the realization that I can be happy with wonderful thoughts alone. It was the first time I felt genuinely happy because I found and learned a better aspect of myself through this travel.

Reflecting on this whole trip, I realize much as other people said that it was very brave of myself to ever travel alone in these distant and foreign places. Indeed, gone are the nights as a kid when I had to fight the monsters under my bed and in my head. I realized I have grown up that I can wrestle with the real challenges in life. I felt as though no valleys and aches can stop my dreams, are there? This should inspire more outward sojourns in the future.

Serene and contented. Pictures taken at Hong Kong Disneyland
and Ruins of St. Paul Cathedral in Macau. 

At the end of this trip, I can only thank God for the traveling mercy and for all the learned things. Travels, indeed, are teachers that impress valuable lessons meaningfully.

Tall Orders and New Journeys

If I will describe the immediate past year, the title of this post would best capture it all. It was the year of turning points, characterized by tall orders that I needed to conquer bravely and new journeys to an exciting spectrum of experiences. I can only look back at all those memories with a smile at this moment, knowing that such events made me a better person today.

Here are my six tall orders and new journeys last year that I will forever cherish as part of my summer years:

Getting my Ph.D. Curriculum Studies in UP. When I was removed by destiny from the comforts of home away to a "foreign land", all I could muster were a sigh of shock. I was shocked that all of a sudden I had to get out of my comfort zone out to the unknowns. I never expected this scholarship too soon and I started packing my things and emotions early last year. But I thought about the confidence of my university to my capacity, the prayers of my family and friends, and my passion for the profession that I share with the humanity. Voila!

Learning the ropes of curriculum. An advantage when you are in a top university is the access to knowledge. When I was teaching a course in curriculum development in the college, I have always wondered how is curriculum developed from scratches. Books would tell the theories and principles but not the process based on the experience. Being a curriculum apprentice, I learned the process of planning the curriculum considering the different sources and influences. I got the chance to learn from reading books in curriculum development, workshops in our classes and frequent observations in the curriculum reviews of my program adviser. "Kung babalik ka na sa MSU, marunong ka na gumawa ng curriculum," my program adviser once told me. But honestly I am not still very confident that I feel there is still really so many things to learn out there. More!

Meeting my maternal relatives in Abra. There was another point in my journey away from home: to meet my relatives in my mother side. Some people are nostalgic about sciences; others about cultures. Are there people like me who are nostalgic about family relationships? It was truly a wonderful time finally meeting people I have never seen in my life but are people who belong to my "family". Xoxo!

Organizing international conference in curriculum studies. It is nice to rub elbows with people who are passionate about their discipline. This year, I am truly grateful for having the opportunity to head one of the committees of the 1st Asia Pacific Conference on Curriculum Studies and Instructional Designing. I learned so much about my discipline as it is one of a kind conference that is solely dedicated to discuss trends in curriculum studies. I knew great people like Dr. Murray Print who was our keynote speaker and actually the author of Curriculum Development book. The conference also opened opportunities to learn from the curriculum researches of presenters. And most of all, valuable lessons from event as organizers are well taken to experience. Longlive!

Sitting on two ancient civilizations in Thailand and Cambodia respectively.

Conquering borders of Thailand and Cambodia. I have always been a culture junkie but I really have not traveled abroad to experience the culture of the world. Our travel to Thailand and Cambodia was a blast to consider that it was a single journey but hitting two countries. My favorite historical place in Thailand includes the Grand Royal Palace located just right at the heart of the city. It boasts of old palaces and temples that show the culture of Thailand. When in Cambodia, it is like never having been to Cambodia without roaming around the ancient complex of Angkor Watt. It is big complex of cities that depict the history of the country and perhaps of the region. Traveling is education!

Moving on and a closure. Late last year, I finally had the guts to talk to the former love of my heart. Moving on from that person is one thing but I will admit that I have not really moved on from the affair. I think time and distance have their own ways of healing broken hearts, and it did to mine. After a lot of heavy ruminations on nights I spent alone, I have forgiven the person and importantly myself in that journey that had to end. The light feeling over our serious conversation recently must be a sign that I am in the right path of my emotional state. Alas!

For all these things, I thank God for all His goodness to my life and the lives of the ones I dearly love. My fervent wish for everybody is very simple that:

May our new year be filled with wonderful dreams and good madness. I wish we travel to places, hug people who think we are awesome, and read good books and stories of inspiring people. And I hope to hear surprises from everyone. 

Thank you for everything! Keep the new year awesome as you are!

Of First Times and Some Times

Our brief sojourn for our outreach activity will remain as one of the most unforgettable experiences living a life of a student here. It was especially special because I had memories of some first times and probably throwbacks of some of my related  experiences in the past.

It was not simply the first time that I set foot in San Narciso, Zambales but it was also my first time to see Aeta tribe right under my nose. I was quite surprised though because they are not as what the part of my “book educated” mind expected them to look like physically. I have always read in books that they are short and dark skinned with curly hair, thick lips and pugged nose. I saw that Aeta people nowadays especially in Zambales have been assimilated to the mainstream society and have intermarried with other tribes.

Observing the rice paddies side by side as we entered the sitio, I felt I instantly had a taste of life of our own province. They use water pumps as source of water. However, water pumps are public properties as they are shared by several families. As we passed by, we saw also farmers use the concrete road to dry their crops. It is mainly an agricultural community and people survive mainly by farming. The single motorcycle is also reminiscent of the barrio life. It is the common mode of transportation, if not the kalesas!

It was my first time though to engage in an outreach activity in which the focus is health. I believe it is a timely theme since health is a basic service but most of the time a concern in remote places. I enjoyed how our respective activities closely revolved around health concepts and I learned a lot also from my fellow facilitators. We did the children things like playing different games. We we’re lucky as well that the children taught us how to dance their native dance! I enjoyed participating because that is one way of showing the hosts that we accept them and their culture. It was truly a first time!

Immersing myself with the children, I felt like I had a throwback of my experiences in the past. I used to teach in a remote school in Mindanao for some time where my pupils are even poorer. They are children, so they naturally love to frolic. Some children exhibit vestiges of inferiority complex, so they are shy at the first time we approached them. But eventually, they participated in the activities. Who the kid would not want? We prepared a lot of exciting prizes! Children are always children. I miss teaching the most challenging age group in the world.

Interviewing the teachers and parents about community health and with human ecology in my mind, I systematically got to know the layers of contexts that interplay the health ecology of the Aeta children. Of all the interacting systems, I took note of some of the indigenous health knowledge and practices of the Aeta people. I was not so much surprise with the practice of going to the traditional healer and the use of herbs for healing. I was born in this time and space.

This is my personal illustration of the Health Ecology of children.

As seen above, the health ecology of the Aeta children consists of the child and the contexts. The center of the health ecology is the child. The contexts, consist of layers of interacting systems in a nested arrangement of structures, emanate outward from the center.

Microsystem. The first level in the health ecology is the microsystem. It is the relationship between the developing child and the health environment in immediate setting containing the child. The setting in this ecology is the place with particular physical features in which the child engages in particular activities in particular role as a son or learner.

Mesosystem. The mesosystem comprises the dynamic interactions among various microsystems containing the child. The mesosystem, essentially a collection of microsystems, for children could include interactions among parents and teachers, health environments such as the classroom, school and family.

Exosystem. The next level outward in the health ecosystem is the exosystem. It encompasses other specific social structure such as barangay health assistance, media portrayal of health, health related outreach programs, health concepts embedded in school curriculum and family socioeconomic status, that do not themselves contain the developing person but impinge upon the immediate setting in which that person is found.

Macrosystem. The macrosystem is the broadest level that is farthest from the center of health ecosystem. This consists of the overarching institutional patterns of the societal messages about diet, nutirion and lifestyle, the indigenous knowledge and practices related to health, political programs on community health, and the cultural understanding of people about health.

As I posted on social media, at the end of the day, we took away more than what we brought to them - especially all the memories of first times and some throwbacks that I took away home.

Abra in Time: Meeting My Family in the North

I never personally knew my maternal relatives. Back in my childhood, I only read them through snail mails that my grandmother shared with them and through her stories. But my hope of meeting them personally - to share stories of our family, to know how they are feeling - has never left me since then.

The drama of my UP journey came as a mission of many purposes. There was one important purpose: to personally meet my family in the North. And last Holy Week was indeed the perfect chance to finally get to know them although a few of them were home.

I did travel the roads of Ilocos Region three years ago, and passing again by that long, dry road made me realize how hard the journey of my grandparents was. As I posted, I saw harsh landscape of undulating plains, whipped by blistering winds... and this could probably describe also the journey of my grandparents many decades ago. That was the time when they had to leave the region in search for a place in Mindanao to build their new home... and their new dreams.

On the second bus that I took aboard, I was seated in front - a perfect spot that I was able to capture the iconic tunnel of the province of Abra. This welcomed my very first sojourn to the land where my forebears came. And it was just so amazing, knowing that finally I am home for the first time!

My Lolo Porcing, the youngest brother of my grandmother, waited for me in the capital of the province. I immediately recognized him, and I hugged his beautiful wife, Lola Norma. He looks like the handsome male version of my grandmother. We drove for about an hour before we reached the ancestral house where my great grandparents and grandmother once lived. "Ito ang bahay natin," said Lolo Porcing. It was so sweet.

I spent the three days with the family, talking about how life has been before the family migrated and how every one is doing in Mindanao now. I also lived with one of my uncles and his family, and we frequently bonded with my first cousins, Manong John and Jhey, who were there. Life is very laid back in the province, and these are the things that I missed most... the silence, the food, the home. I can never forget how they graciously made me feel a part of the family.

I thank God for this once in a lifetime opportunity. It feels so good that somewhere else in this world, you belong to a very wonderful family. I cannot even imagine until now that I trace my roots in this corner of the world, that  wonderful feeling of a place where a part of my humanity came from.

Clockwise: The Abra Tunnel; my Lolo Porcing and Lola Norma;
the old house where I stayed; and with Manong John and Uncle Chet.

On the day I was about to leave home, I hugged them with all my heart and with teary eyes. They told me to come back as often as I can, and I promised them that I will.

A City Frozen in Time

It is an irony that though I am a self confessed culture junkie myself, I have never been to many cultural places. So, when this summer road trip came, I took the liberty to witness at large the heritage treasures of our country that I have always wanted to visit.

We reached the world famous Spanish colonial town of Vigan on the third day of our road trip to the north. Vigan City was such a welcome twist from the nature adventure we had in Baguio City after five hours of butt burning travel.

Vigan was the seat of politics, religion, culture, economy and education in the north during the Spanish colonial times. As we entered the town, I felt I was transported back to the past with its cobbled stone streets, crumbling pillars side by side, and imposing house architectures. We were toured by a horse drawn carriage and everything just felt nostalgic.

We saw old houses, many of which were converted into hotels, restaurants, botiques and shops. The city government though has taken care of these treasures. According to a resident whom we had a small talk, any house repair by the owner has to secure permit and acquire design from the city. Thanks heavens for this kind of preservation efforts.

And although there are a number of modern Spanish inspired buildings around Vigan notably the fastfood chains like Jollibee, Chowking and McDonalds, there are a good number of authentic Spanish era houses dotting all over the city. The best preserved ones are those that are located in Calle Crisologo, a seemingly time frozen section of the city that tourists should never miss.

Aside from Calle Crisologo, another corner any visitor should never miss is the pueblo, a plan itself so characteristic of Spanish towns of the olden times. It is where the public plaza, the city hall, and the central church could be found. Until this day, this planning can be attested exceptionally conserved in this old city.

Well loved cultural and educational destinations in the city also include museums. The house of Father Jose Burgos, one of the three priest martyrs, and the mansions of famous illustrado families of Syquia and Quirino were converted into museums. It was only unfortunate for us to visit them late in the afternoon and they were closed for public.

We stopped a while at Bantay Church, another well preserved religious structure. At first I thought it was only a reconstruction of an original old church because its facade looked very intact, but viewing its colossal pillars I confirmed it was authentic. Beside the church, the iconic century old bell tower located on top of the hill is a must view.

It was dark when we went back to the downtown. What made Plaza Salcedo buzzing was the multitude of spectators and alike waiting for the spectacular dancing fountain show which I can only describe as world class.

Having toured the entire heritage city, I realized that its real charm is more than its material culture, but the tenacity of its people to safeguard a historical treasure that remains remarkably well preserved amidst the challenge of time.

Strange realization but that was how it felt Vigan for the first time, and I vowed it will not certainly be the last.

Stay Strong, Bohol and Cebu

After the Zamboanga City siege, another tragedy struck our country after a 7.2 earthquake devastated Bohol and some parts of Cebu, putting both tourism provinces in a state of calamity.

Photo Credit: gmanetwork.com.

Aside from the rising death toll, another thing that really saddened me is the destruction of several world famous historical churches, mostly in Bohol. I have never personally seen any of them  but I have been in deep interest about these cultural heritages that are living grand stands to our colorful past.

But since these living grand stands of our past have crumbled into pieces on the ground, will they also be just dead remnants now? I really hope that these once revered national treasures will be restored back to their old glories. We surely can't afford to lose them forever just that way.

Pray for the people of Bohol and Cebu. Naghinaot mi sa inyong usab nga pagbarog tunga sa mga pagtilaw sa kinabuhi. Ang Ginoo magatabang kaninyo.