The blog offers a breezy invite to my hometown and my birthplace. In this blog, you will learn the story of the place where I have been raised and molded into the man that I am today. Prepare as well your backpack as we embark on a never-ending journey to some of the world’s most exciting destinations – places around the world I wanted to visit. ENJOY READING MY BLOG!
Western Visayas is the cradle of Malay civilization in the Philippines. It is in the island of Panay where the first Malayan settlement was established. The region is composed of the island of Panay and the province of Negros Occidental. Panay is divided into five provinces namely Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo. Negros Occidental is the western part of the Negros island. The eastern part, which is Negros Oriental is already a part of the Central Visayas region.
Western Visayas has a total land area of about 2,022,300 hectares or 20,625.9 sq. km which makes it the sixth largest island in the Philippines. Negros Occidental, which comprises 30% of the total land area of the region, is the largest province of the region. Iloilo comes next followed by Antique, Capiz, Aklan and Guimaras, respectively. The smallest province, Guimaras lies between the islands of Panay and Negros. It is separated from Panay by the Iloilo Strait and from Negros by the Guimaras Strait.
One could appreciate fully his cultural heritage only if the tangible aspects of his culture are accounted, unraveled and appreciated. The material aspects of one’s culture include the land, water, natural resources and tourist spots. These physical evidences of our material culture are so concrete so familiar and trivial such that scanty resource materials and references could be found, if any, which contained the data needed in writing this article. Perhaps this seemingly muted if not listless attention given to the patrimony of our region could be attributed to the misconception that what are found in the region could similarly be found anywhere else in other regions. It is hoped, however, that what are revealed in the following articles, insufficient they may be, can help deepen our awareness and heighten our appreciation of our region’s rich natural resources and endowments which could equal if not surpass those of other regions.
Our region is blessed with countless scenic and historic tourist destinations whose beauty could cause viewers to marvel, drool and dumbfounded and whose historic significance could evoke in one’s memory our glorious past. Included in the later articles are profiles of those destinations found only in the printed pamphlets and other reading materials published and compiled by the regional office of the Department of Tourism in Iloilo City. Sadly, however, these references are found wanting in accurate, compete and definite descriptions of the different places of interest mentioned therein.What is most noticeable in the published materials compiled and disseminated by the Department of Tourism is that more emphasis and attention are given to the already popular tourist destinations to the detriment and disadvantage of the less famous though equally attractive ones. It is there, expected that with the following articles those obscure and unnoticed tourist destinations will receive the proper attention they deserve.
Iloilo City, Philippines - Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet 2011 opened last Sunday, March 20, 2011 in a simple ceremony and a 30 minute fireworks display. More than 3,000 athletes, coaches, sports officials, Department of Education and government officials attended the ceremony. This annual gathering of potential young athletes across the region converged in Iloilo City to see who's the best who will later compete at the national finals to be held in May in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.The sports competition is divided into two levels: elementary and secondary level boys and girls.
The WVRAA 2011 Literary Musical Contest was held last March 19, 2010 at the Cinema 6 of the SM City Iloilo Mall. Here is the official result of the concluded 2011 WVRAA Meet Literary Musical Contest. The result here only shows the champion or 1st place because I could not find the runners up info online and also I could not find some contest piece information but I only included the contest piece of some I know.
Elementary Level:
English Declamation - Danelle Rose Ampunan
(West Visayas State University - Integrated Laboratory School - Elem., Lapaz, Iloilo City) Iloilo
Vocal Solo (Classical) - Ann Mariel Salazar (Libacao Elementary School, Libacao) Aklan
Vocal Solo (Pop) - Lirah Lin Paz Bermudez (Pres. Roxas SPED, Roxas City) Capiz
Folk Dance - Pavia Elementary School, Pavia - Iloilo
Contest Piece: Kiriwkiw
Secondary Level:
English Declamation - Japhet Khid Dueñas (Maayon National High School, Maayon) Capiz
Filipino Declamation - Laires Jan Sobremente (Pavia National High School, Pavia) Iloilo
Contest Piece - Tataro
Impromptu Speech - Augil Marie Robles (Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Binalbagan) Negros Occidental
Vocal Solo (Classical) - Merrel Mei Secondes (Don Felix Serra National High School, San Joaquin) Iloilo
Contest Piece - Mutya ng Pasig
Vocal Solo (Pop) - Dorothy Joy Siy (Capiz National High School, Roxas) Capiz
Folk Dance - Colegio de la Purisima, Roxas Capiz
Contest Piece - Bilaskogay
Click the link to Listen online for the live coverage of the 2011 Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet. WVRAA 2011 Meet Live Coverage
Iloilo City, Philippines - We are happy to say that Iloilo City, Philippines and Yulin City, China are now the so-called "TWIN CITY" after a sisterhood pact was signed yesterday, March 3 by Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Yulin City Vice-Mayor Jiang Guo Cheng, who was the head of the Chinese delegation who arrived in the city days ago for the agreement and to have a city tour. Among the places the Chinese delegation visited is the South East Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo, the leading fishery study and breeding center in Southeast Asia. According to a Chinese official the visit is a good opportunity to learn how to put up and maintain a fish facility in their native city, Yulin since they do not have any facility on fish breeding yet. In exchange, they would like to share their knowledge about their progressive agriculture industry to the city and province of Iloilo. Yulin is the second largest city in the Guangxi Province, China.
Iloilo City, Philippines - Dinagyang Festival 2011 has been a tremendous success highlighted with the announcement of the result. A record breaking 1.5 million visitors trooped to Iloilo City this week to witness Asia's best festival 2011 up from 1.2 million visitors last year 2010. This year it has been officially declared Dinagyang Festival as the "Queen of Philippine Festival" and also making Maria Elena "Ballsy" Aquino Cruz, the current president's sister as the adopted daughter of Iloilo thus a double celebration. Dinagyang Festival is the only Philippine festival to travel around the world to perform. This year's winner will go to New York City, USA to perform for the Philippine Independence Day organized by the Filipino community in New York.
On the other hand, this will be the last year that Kasadyahan Festival, a separate event that add color to Dinagyang, will be held in January. Next year, it will be separated and will take place in September in time for Iloilo City Charter Day.
Watch the winning performances of different tribes from Kasadyahan and Dinagyang Festival 2011 in youtube.
Here is the official result of the Kasadyahan and Dinagyang Competitions just announced tonight at 9:00pm:
Opening Salvo (January 15, 2011)
Street Dance Special Awards:
Best in Performance - Tribu Paghidaet
Best in Discipline - Tribu Bola-bola
Best in Costume - Tribu Mandurriao
Kasadyahan Festival (January 22, 2011)
Special Awards:
Best in Music - Tribu Tultugan (Municipality of Maasin)
Best in Costume - Tribu Binanog (Municipality of Lambunao)
Best in Streetdance - Tribu Pagdihon (Municipality of Dingle)
Best Choreographer - Ramil Huyatid, Tribu Pantat
Best in Choreography - Tribu Pantat (Municipality of Zarraga)
Best in Performance - Tribu Kasag (Municipality of Banate)
Major Awards:
4th runner up - Tribu Tinuom (Municipality of Cabatuan)
3rd runner up - Tribu Pagdihon (Municipality of Dingle)
2nd runner up - Tribu Binanog (Municipality of Lambunao)
1st runner up - Tribu Kasag (Municipality of Banate)
Champion - Tribu Pantat (Municipality of Zarraga)
Dinagyang Festival (January 23, 2011)
Special Awards:
Best in Streetdancing - Tribu Paghidaet
Best in Head Dress - Tribu Paghidaet
Best in Discipline - Tribu Bola-bola
Best Costume Designer - Jobert Molina, Tribu Paghidaet
Best in Costume - Tribu Paghidaet
Best Musical Director - Ryan Velez, Tribu Salognon
Mr. Dioscoro Gil, the ever dynamic principal of this school, Mrs. Marina Paredes, my mentor and present head of the Academic Department, Mr. Armando Paredes, head of the Vocational Department, members of the administrative staff, honored graduates, dear parents, guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you for that very kind introduction. I would like to take note that of all the kind words mentioned during the introduction, I savored most the thought that I am a daughter of a grand educator of this school. I and my family are proud to say that my late father’s effort did not go in vain in guiding and providing me with an impressive opportunity available during those times. Furthermore, to speak before this audience on this very momentous occasion is a profound honor and privilege on my part. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you, dear parents. As a parent like you, I can very well understand the sacrifices that you went through in order to provide these handsome and beautiful graduates with education that will help them cope with challenges in life. Likewise, my greetings go to the dedicated and committed teachers, school administrators and staff who made this afternoon’s memorable event possible. And most of all to you, dear graduates, Today is your day, a very memorable day in your life. You are the most important characters of this show. You made us extremely elated as well as proud to be a part of this very momentous event in your life. This reminds me of my own high school graduation when I was at your age, seated exactly at a place where you are now. At that very moment, never did I think that someday I will be invited to deliver a commencement speech. Given this task, I feel so flattered and privileged. Commencement days are always fun… until the keynote speaker arises to remind you that commencement is “the time of beginning,” and so far, as duties and responsibilities are concerned, you haven’t really lived at all yet, and all the marvelous challenges and opportunities are still before you. Yes, dear graduates, after working so hard and so long for that diploma, the last thing in the world you want to hear anybody tell you is that the road is going to get rougher, up ahead. However, I am not here to scare you, or to overwhelm you with what lies ahead. My task as I see it is to further inspire you to become a more successful person. I am sorry; I don’t have a magic potion for that. There are so many books that will reveal to you the secret of success. But if there is one thing I want you all, dear graduates to learn from me, is… TO TAKE PLEASURES IN LIFE DAILY TREASURES. It is the most important thing I have discovered about measuring success. Sometimes we thought that happiness is being “on top” that we miss to appreciate the beauty around us and the love and company of our loved one, our parents, and friends. We take them for granted. In our desire to be at the “top”, we sacrifice the joy of today, like the ecstasy of waddling in the pool of water, to savor the taste of an ice cream, or appreciate the smell and beauty of a rose. It is not bad to be on top, like a mega star, or being on top of the graduating class. My friends, what is bad is if in the process of getting there, we hurt or push other people, if we go to the extent of cheating or doing bad things to others. To give you a clearer example, let me tell you the story of “Stripe, the Caterpillar.” One day Stripe finds his normal routine dull and meaningless so he crawls off to discover the secret of life. He come across other caterpillars who don’t seem to know more about life than he does, but he joins a group of them who all saw to be crawling in the same direction. Soon they come upon a towering column of squirming, wriggling caterpillar’s pillar that seems to rise forever into the clouds high above. The caterpillars seem to be desperately trying to crawl and wriggle over one another to reach the top of the pillar, and Stripes get excited. Perhaps the top of the pillar is where he will find what he is looking for. “What’s at the top?” asks Stripe as another caterpillar wriggles by. The fellow caterpillar isn’t sure, but it must be awfully good because everybody’s rushing to get up there. So Stripe begins fighting his way up the column, being stepped on, and stepping on others, as he climbs toward the top. While Stripe fights his way up, he realizes that he can’t get to the absolute top unless he gets rid of those who displaced by the ones next in line. He is only a few wriggles from the top when he hears a whisper “there’s nothing up here after all.” Stripe gets very frustrated and begins to fight his way back down the pillar. There, he learns how to spin his own cocoon and emerged a lovely butterfly. So you see, ladies and gentlemen, in our desire to go on the top, sometimes we became cruel, insensitive, ruthless person. Besides, we miss to see and appreciate the beauty of the other person and enjoy a hearty laugh with them. Remember, from the start, you are already a winner, important and valuable. Nobody is better than the other. You are respected as a child of God with your unique God-given gift. For example, Nena may not be academically excellent, but she is somebody who can outdo Regine Velasquez when it comes to singing. Being able to sing beautifully is a gift from the Lord. To our educators and parents, it is worth noting that one of the healthiest discoveries of recent times is the understanding that intelligence is much more than which is measured by standard IQ test. Our ability to affirm children is strengthened when we open ourselves to the possibility that their intelligence is expressed in different ways from our own. The more we know about the diversity of intelligences in the world, the better equipped we are to help our children tap into their particular strengths, share up any relative weaknesses, and become more well-rounded individuals. These are important resources as they progress through the school years. A child may excel in any of these areas: Verbal/ Linguistic which is the ability to use words and language effectively and creatively in writing, reading, speaking and listening. Or in Logical/ Mathematical which is the ability to think abstractly, to recognize patterns, and to see connections between separate pieces of information. However, those with the ability to form images and pictures in the mind and to work effectively with patterns, shapes, and physical relationships, and colors possess Visual/Spatial intelligence. Likewise, those with the ability to use the body to express emotion (as in dance to play or game as in athletics), or to create (as in making a new invention) has Body/Kinesthetic Intelligence. Those with Musical/Rhythmic Intelligence have the ability to recognize and direct rhythmic and tonal patterns in creative ways. Interpersonal Intelligence is the ability to deal effectively with others in relationships and communication. The child with strong interpersonal skills will excel in activities that require working with others, being sensitive to others and leading others. Lastly, a child with Intrapersonal Intelligence has the ability to reflect upon the self and understand one’s own feelings and emotions. Most often, ladies and gentlemen, when we see others who are smarter, cleverer, or better looking, the automatic conclusion is that others deserve the best. Though we all tend to compare ourselves with others, the happiest people in life know that they don’t really compete against each other. They are happy for doing their best, based on their GOD GIVEN GIFT. So, instead of achieving or performing to impress the world or your peers, seek to do something that is beautiful, excellent, and heartwarming. Suppose, for example, you set to sing. You practice hard and long, doing it for the sheer excitement of doing your best. You need no one else to measure you or your skill. Your judge is GOD and your own self-respect. My dear graduates, your Alma Mater has provided you with necessary values and a very impressive academic foundation that will equip you to face more challenges that will come your way as you enter the tertiary level of education. I’m pretty sure you’ll miss your teachers and classmates. Though many will luckily be able to proceed to college, some due to some personal reasons may not be fortunate. However, keep in mind that wherever you are, your Alma Mater will remain to be a strong bond that will keep you together. You have gathered a lot of good and happy memories during your stay here. Keep them with you, treasure them, cherries them. These are your priceless possessions in life. I must leave you, now, and I can’t think of nothing better way than saying: “Being the best is no more, no less, than doing the best, giving the best shot, and being the best in everything you do. This is your best offering to our Lord.” Again, thank you for this privilege and Congratulations.
Honored guests, parents, Mr. Dioscoro G. Gil Jr., faculty and staff of Alimodian National Comprehensive High School, members of the Graduating Class, friends, ladies and gentleman, good afternoon. Welcome to the 52nd Commencement Exercises of Alimodian National Comprehensive High School. Today, we come together to witness the most memorable event in our high school life, the long cherished dream – our Graduation. This is the end of four long years of struggles and sacrifices but the new beginning of another rocky road of educational journey. As we proceed to another difficult task ahead of us, we feel a mixed feeling of joy, excitement, fears and anxieties. But we do hope that our four long years stay in this institution will arm us against difficulties and obstacles that await us. Today, we are here to receive the fruit of our sacrifice. We are here to reap laurels – the prize of our hard work. But all of these are impossible without those who have supported and guided us. Fellow Graduates, let this moment, be a time of praising and thanksgiving. Above all, let this be the very moment to thank Him our Almighty Father, for the blessings He has given us. I personally owe him for what I am today. “Thank You, Dear God.” Let us also be grateful to our dear parents, who gave us love, support and guidance. The patience you’ve given us, awaken our minds to feel a deep feeling of guilt in every wrong deed we have made. We know, you’ve done your best to make us better individuals. I am grateful for this privilege to thank personally my parents. You have sacrificed so much for me; for such, I offer you my success today. Without you, maybe life would be meaningless for me. Thank you very much for your never ending support. You are always behind me in whatever hardships and shortcomings in our family. What I’ve experienced will inspire me as I move on to the challenging roads of college life. I also extend my gratitude to our dear teachers for their patience, their untiring efforts in helping us learn and become better citizens of tomorrow. I owe you the knowledge and great foundation to battle the different challenges I’ll encounter in the future. To you, I am forever grateful. Maybe your names would be forgotten but your precious guidance will stay forever in our hearts. Fellow Graduates, we are happy for the achievement we’ve gained, but a moment from now, we have to say goodbye. We have to start another phase of education. As we proceed, let us be thankful to our dear ALMA MATER, the Alimodian National Comprehensive High School, which has truly equipped us with knowledge and moral values. These will lead us in our search for other fields of endeavor. Thank you dear ANCHS, wherever we are, whatever we may become, we promise that we always uphold your name and reap more laurels in the future. We leave you with heads up high for we have a great foundation to support the blocks piled on our shoulders. We are now strong to carry them and survive the walls that may hinder our paths along our journey. With God’s grace, we will trudge the yellow brick road and follow the end of the rainbow because surely the pot of gold awaits us there. To all of you who share your precious time with us today, Thank you and Welcome to our Day of Celebration!
