Into the Light

I have immersed myself into Photography. I am not good, not yet.  But I am getting there. I will get there.

To showcase my outputs and develop my portfolio, I created another blog:

http://lettersandlightphotography.blogspot.com/

I had an online photo portfolio before but I don't know what happened I could not access it. I'd like to hear from you, give me feedback. Thanks.

Vibrant, Vibrating Kadaywan 2012

Kadayawan is the biggest yearly festival celebrating the bounty of the 10 tribes in Davao City, Philippines.

This year, unfortunately I was just able to cover one event: The Sayaw Mindanaw, a contest showcasing the vibrant Mindanao culture.  Among the masterpieces showcased in the school and open categories included stories of the local justice system, the indigenous peoples experience with the monkey devastating their farms, the fatal attack of "banakon" or the King cobra, the effect of the abusive utilization of our marine resources.

So here are some of the moments, emotions and dance drama I've captured.

Jellyfish Attack

Celebrating bounty

A song for the gods

A friend in nature died

Tulong tulong sa pagsulong

Color Taxi in Davao City

If New York in United States has the famous yellow cab, Davao City in the Philippines has yellow, white, blue, orange, lavender and would you believe black taxi!

Though unusual, it's fun to look at this unconventional taxi splurge of colors dotting the streets of the city.

So, when in Davao City ride all taxi colors and tell me what color suits you best. :D

I'd like to credit other Davao-based blog for the pics, just Googled them.:D

King of Fruits is the Furit for All Season

If Durian were a local artista it would have been Fernando Poe, Jr. and Vilma Santos combined.

Durian is called the King of Fruits but recently technology has made it the Fruit for All Season. Before, Durian season is around August to September but nowadays it's a fruit the whole year-round.

On our way to Caraga Region, we passed by this fruit stand in Panabo City laden with the Durian of various variety.

Sold to Durian.

Davao City: Ilaw ng Kalinaw

San Pedro St. is an iconic and historic street in Davao City. It has seen the city's major transformation from the old to the new. The city's seat of government power, City Hall, and the seat of religious Catholic power, San Pedro Cathedral are anchored on its soil. Though I live in this city I seldom visit San Pedro St. When I happen to walk this old street, recently, few dots of changes and landmark surprised me. Here stand, between the City hall and the cathedral, the fitting totemic tower of Ilaw ng Kanilaw.

I don't have idea who the artist was/were but I want to congratulate him/her/them for a job well done: artsy-craftsy piece. I wonder how many beautiful things are there in this city that remained unnoticed, if only we look close and appreciate. -----


It's been a while since I posted. It feels good to be back.

Bankerohan market, Davao City

Nang Edna


Packing


Unloading

Poor Service

More often than not, I accompany my wife to a beauty salon. And for vanity and personality improvement sake, this happens specifiable times in a month. We usually go to salons in Davao City.

However if my wife feels the need to visit is urgent, we go to Panabo City the nearest city where we live.

Now, she doesn't have a particular choice of salon in this city so we just chose according to its name's popularity. There was this newly opened Carlo Reyes Beauty Salon (noticeably this salon has been sprouting all over Mindanao nowadays maybe franchising is cheap and salon services are in-demand.)

We went straight to the salon. Opened the glass door holding its silver handle. A gay (beautician I suppose) who has an unfortunate face in full contrast to his job description greeted us with an ersatz smile. We smiled back wryly and turned to the lady in the counter.

My wife discussed with lady the services she wanted. While, I quietly found a place in the corner to sit and schemed through some old, crumpled and lousily cared for magazines.

And so everything has settled.

One thing i noticed, this salon is extraordinarily noisy. Yeah, in salons people talk. the beauticians to their clients, vice versa, beautician to beautician, or client to clients.

But this salon is extra noisy. My wife once told me that aside from beauty beautifying herself, salon makes her feel relax. But in this case, no one, I say absolutely no one can relax. What with the boisterous laughter, the seeming-holler talk using gay-language, the annoying FM radio jokes coupled with terrible music from an old and barely breathing sound system.

What an awful Carlos Reyes branch.

Despite the scorching summer heat, I decided to go out and grabbed snacks. Now that made me feel better.

Everything was done, we paid and excused ourselves. My wife mysteriously smiled.

When we were already on our way to the mall, she told me that that unfortunate-looking-supposed-beautician gay backbit us using gay language without me knowing it (i don't understand gay lingua franca). The unfortunate-looking-supposed-beautician gay was referring whether we gave tip or not. Well, we did not.

Tip are supposed to be given when your satisfied with the services rendered to you. But in this case at Carlo Reyes Pabano branch we were disgruntled and fully unsatisfied with how the handle their customers.

Business franchising is easy to acquire. But I supposed what are franchised are not only the equipment, the shop's name but also the standards upheld by the original owners of the shop.

Now my bothered soul rests.

A new Duterte shines

Today's reading:

DAVAO CITY (PNA) – Mayor-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio has become one of this city’s major attractions, not just because she is the first female mayor here with a population of at least one million, but because she is more than her father’s daughter.
Dabawenyos rarely had a glimpse of City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter Sara when she was still in high school and even in college. However, some who saw her riding the “Big Bike” with her father were either intrigued or remained in awe as to how this “mestiza” – thanks to her German blood courtesy of her mom Elizabeth Zimmerman Duterte – could inherit not only her father’s tough stance but even his passion for “Big Bikes.”

Full Article:
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/258075/a-new-duterte-shines

WB cites DA-MRDP website

internet buzz: a newly uploaded website is attracting hits

The World Bank (WB) lauded the official website of an antipoverty program in Mindanao, barely six months after its launch.

The website, www.damrdp.net, of Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) was cited for promoting transparency, strengthening advocacy campaigns and spreading public information.
Jointly funded by the WB, the national government and the local government units, MRDP is a five-year program geared toward uplifting the lives of the poorest of the poor in Mindanao by increasing income of farmers, capacitating women and indigenous peoples, and enhancing local governance and environmental protection. The program is implemented through the Department of Agriculture.
WB rural development specialist Carolina F. Geron said the website has been very effective in terms reflecting of the programs activities as well as its policy.

“I congratulate the program for establishing its own website making the program and the Department of Agriculture transparent to the public and to all its stakeholders,” Geron said.

Further, WB procurement specialist Noel Sta. Ines added that the website leads other agencies in promoting transparency.

“I appreciate the (MRDP) website as there is an updated posting of projects for bidding and even the bidding documents are made available in a downloadable format. I hope other agencies follow suit,” Sta. Ines said.

Aside from available public documents, the website also highlights news and feature stories of the most recent activities and feats of the program, the performance of the regional coordinating offices as well as the accomplishments of participating local government units (LGUs).

It also contains anti-corruption hotline direct to WB headquarters in Washington, DC USE, projects status, downloadable brochures and other education materials and links to attached agencies.

“Since 2007, we’ve been wanting to establish our own website and we are glad that we have realized it and even happier with the feedback of its users,” deputy director Arnel de Mesa said.

“We hope to make a dent in making a government program like MRDP as transparent as possible to the public,” he added.

“The internet world is the new highway of information source and information exchange and we don’t want to be left behind of the fast-paced and modern mode of communication,” De mesa enthused.

The InfoACE (Information, Advocacy, Communication and Education) unit of the Program maintains the website.

Meanwhile, WB social development specialist Ines Bagadion also commended the InfoACE team for publishing documents, booklets and brochures that met the needs of the people’s organization as they carry-out various projects under the Program.

Deputy program director Arnel V. De Mesa urged LGUs and contractors to view the website for updates as business opportunities are posted in the website.

WB cites DA-MRDP website

The World Bank (WB) lauded the official website of an antipoverty program in Mindanao, barely six months after its launch.

The website, www.damrdp.net, of Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) was cited for promoting transparency, strengthening advocacy campaigns and spreading public information.
Jointly funded by the WB, the national government and the local government units, MRDP is a five-year program geared toward uplifting the lives of the poorest of the poor in Mindanao by increasing income of farmers, capacitating women and indigenous peoples, and enhancing local governance and environmental protection. The program is implemented through the Department of Agriculture.
WB rural development specialist Carolina F. Geron said the website has been very effective in terms reflecting of the programs activities as well as its policy.

“I congratulate the program for establishing its own website making the program and the Department of Agriculture transparent to the public and to all its stakeholders,” Geron said.

Further, WB procurement specialist Noel Sta. Ines added that the website leads other agencies in promoting transparency.

“I appreciate the (MRDP) website as there is an updated posting of projects for bidding and even the bidding documents are made available in a downloadable format. I hope other agencies follow suit,” Sta. Ines said.

Aside from available public documents, the website also highlights news and feature stories of the most recent activities and feats of the program, the performance of the regional coordinating offices as well as the accomplishments of participating local government units (LGUs).

It also contains anti-corruption hotline direct to WB headquarters in Washington, DC USE, projects status, downloadable brochures and other education materials and links to attached agencies.

“Since 2007, we’ve been wanting to establish our own website and we are glad that we have realized it and even happier with the feedback of its users,” deputy director Arnel de Mesa said.

“We hope to make a dent in making a government program like MRDP as transparent as possible to the public,” he added.

“The internet world is the new highway of information source and information exchange and we don’t want to be left behind of the fast-paced and modern mode of communication,” De mesa enthused.

The InfoACE (Information, Advocacy, Communication and Education) unit of the Program maintains the website.

Meanwhile, WB social development specialist Ines Bagadion also commended the InfoACE team for publishing documents, booklets and brochures that met the needs of the people’s organization as they carry-out various projects under the Program.