Pawikan Festival

I haven’t seen a live pawikan yet.  If they were in the zoo when I was a little kid, then maybe I already had.  Still, I love them.  Probably because of some little facts I have learned from a training I had a few years back.

I am not from Bataan.  I don’t even have relatives or close friends there (as far as I know).  I just want to post here and share to the world that hey, we have a Pawikan Festival in the Philippines! (I received this invitation through my e-mail as I contacted them months ago — for work.  Cool.  Hehe.)

So check this:

THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF BATAAN

in cooperation with

BATAAN TOURISM COUNCIL FOUNDATION, MUNICIPALITY OF MORONG, BANTAY PAWIKAN, INC. and ROCKED

invites you to the 

PAWIKAN FESTIVAL 2007

November 29-30, 2007

Pawikan Conservation Ceneter

Brgy. Nagbalayong,

Morong, Bataan

Introduction:

Established in September of 1999, the Community-based Pawikan Conservation in Bataan, Philippines depicts a picture of how big a small community effort translates development – man working for nature for a healthy co-existence not only for the present but for the future.  A community of poachers and turtle egg collectors now transformed into marine turtle conservation advocates is continuously taking on the challenge of protecting and conserving the remaining Olive Ridley species, the smallest of the eight species in the world.  For a long period, eggs of these endemic marine turtles were collected while some nesters were poached that served as one primary source of livelihood for the community.  The meager income provided by the trade helped them to send their kids to schools, buy food, pay their debts among many others notwithstanding the damage they were inflicting to the balance of the marine biodiversity.  Over time, nesters became fewer and the nesting season became shorter.

Now, after a few years of the project framed in an in-situ conservation scheme and highlighting the importance of community participation after a comprehensive capacity building work, the endangered turtles are slowly flourishing.  This time, their fate lies in the hands of the people who use to exploit them now equipped with the awareness of their importance in the marine ecosystem, the community’s most important life-support base.  Since 1999, the Bantay Pawikan had released more than 40,000 hatchlings back to the sea.

The Pawikan Festival

For the past years, the Bantay Pawikan, Inc. and the Morong local government unit have been conducting the Pawikan Festival during the last week of November. Now on its third year, the Bataan Tourism Council Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with the Provincial Tourism Office, had organized series of activities that aims to generate awareness and gather funds for the continuous development and rehabilitation of the conservation center. This symbolic celebration will hopefully bring sustainable progress to Bataan in terms of safeguarding the natural environment and unify people from all walks of life under the preservation program.

 

 

DAY 1 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

  

7:00AM–12:00NN    STREET DANCE COMPETITION     

                                      Morong Town Plaza                                                                

                                                                       

9:00 AM                 VOLLEYBALL   (Elimination)                                                       

9:00 – 10:00 AM        NATURE’S CAMP                             

2:00 – 3:00 PM           (Lecture & Film Showing)                    

3:30 – 4:30 PM           

7:00 – 11:00 PM       PAWIKAN PATROLLING                 

 

 

DAY 2 SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

 

                                                                       

5:00 AM    ”SAVE THE PAWIKAN”  WALK FOR A CAUSE  (Nagbalayong      Highschool to Pawikan Center)                                                                    

8:00 AM   RELEASING OF PAWIKAN HATCHLINGS   

9:00 AM   KITE FLYING COMPETITION 

9:00 AM   BEACH VOLLEYBALL COMPETITION (Finals)

9:00 AM   SAND SCULPTURE COMPETITION                                     

9:00 AM   PADDLE PAINTING CONTEST                                

10:00 -11:00 AM    NATURE’S CAMP                             

2:00 – 3:00 PM       (Lecture & Film Showing)                    

4:00 – 5:00 PM       Pawikan Conservation Center                                                   

                                                                                               

3:00 PM                  BODY PAINT CONTEST                  

                                                                                               

7:00 PM                 BEACH CONCERT featuring the CHILLITEES, SOUND and other MANILA ARTISTS           

  

For any queries pls. contact the Provincial Tourism Office/ BTCFI Secretariat at (047) 237 4785/ 237 4476/ 0919 481 3959 or email: tourism_bataan@yahoo.com,  and look for Ms. Rochelle R. Palaypay.

You could also visit our website   http://www.bataan.gov.ph/ for downloadable forms and details. 

Explore…Experience… and Enjoy… Bataan

Soft Spot

Browsing a bit, reading some travel blog sites, I have just realized that I still have a soft spot for Philippine tourism.  I want to promote the beauty of my country!

The Anawangin Trip

Finally, I got so much time to write about our camping trip to Anawangin.

Anawangin is a beach/mountain in Pundaquit, San Antonio, Zambales.  I live two towns away from San Antonio, yet I have heard about it only recently, courtesy of Donald.  According to him and based on stories he’ve heard, the place has been “discovered” only about a couple of years ago.  Thanks to my mountaineer friend (yeah), I have enjoyed the grandeur of that far-flung place.

To get there, one can trek around the mountain starting from Pundaquit, which is a baranggay/beach in the area.  There are local guides there, but I’m not really sure how that works.  I did not welcome the idea of hiking for five to six hours, which is apparently only two to three hours for experienced hikers.

Only two towns away and with private vehicles to get me from my home to any point in Zambales, I don’t know how to get there via a public transportation.  Let me guess: from my home in Castillejos, ride a mini bus or a Victory Liner bus until San Antonio, then ride a tricycle to Pundaquit.  How much?  I don’t know.

From Manila, take a bus from any Victory Liner terminals except the one in Kamuning/Kamias (buses there only travel to Tuguegarao).  Ride the “Iba or Sta. Cruz Zambales” bus and alight in San Antonio, costing more than P200.00.  Or take an “Olongapo” bus for less than P200, then ride another Zambales bus.  Hahaha.  For people with a sense of direction, what I’ve written must make sense, okay?  The national road route from Manila to Zambales traverses through (1) North Luzon Expressway; (2) exits in San Fernando, Pampanga; (3) passes by Guagua and Lubao; (4) enters Bataan; (5) takes a right turn in Layac to Dinalupihan, Bataan; (6A) straight on, turns left in Tipo Road to enter SBMA for private vehicles or (6B) straight on the zigzag road until Olongapo City proper for public utility vehicles; (7) leaves SBMA or continue with another zigzag road; ( enter the province of Zambales from Subic, Castillejos, San Marcelino, and finally San Antonio.  Whew.

Anyway, from Pundaquit, my friends and I had a boat ride.  The boat was arranged prior to our travel - Donald knows somebody there.  I actually looked like the stranger in that area, not him.  Haha!  It cost us P1,000, however.  Bad or good deal, it doesn’t matter anymore.  Apparently, Mang Florante didn’t expect a group of five people with lots of bags and foods with them.  His boat was small, so we had two boat rides from Pundaquit to that isolated place.

There were many campers in Anawangin, especially it was a long weekend.  There was even a family who camped with little kids to look after!  According to the caretaker there (sorry, I already forgot his name), campers were usually from Manila as well (oh, I didn’t look like a frequent visitor of Pundaquit hahaha).

The camp site was set up by Donald, with his many inexperienced alalays :)   Though we had to move due to some not so beautiful smell.  With the hammock, of course.  

But before that happens, we went to the beach first to enjoy the clean waters of Anawangin.  If you happen to dislike rocks in a beach as I do, move away from the mountain.  Then we ate our packed lunch.  Hmm, as I recall I was so hungry that I initiated lunch.  Ha!  Then what happened?  I can’t recall.  Anyway, as we were moving the tents (one tent courtesy of Sherjo, thank you Sherjo :)), the rain threatened to pour heavily, but it was just a teaser rain hehe.

Anyway, pictures at the beach:

 

More pictures:

By the way, Bebang told me that Sherjo commented why there were so many pictures of us, and very very few pictures of our surroundings.  Well, my favorite subject is people, where Bebang is of a particular interest (if you’d notice here :)).  So there, I just made the pictures that somehow highlight the atmosphere in Anawangin larger even if they weren’t so good. Ayt?

On another note, it is very fortunate for us that the caretaker told us about a batis in the area (Was that a batis?  And what is batis in English?  Haha!).  Donald said it wasn’t there the first time he went to Anawangin.  That was summer.  Again, another fortunate thing is that our trip wasn’t in summertime.

It was very cool (literally and figuratively)! Yey. Here are the pictures, taken with my Motorola W510 (another cool gadget hehe):

 

 

Finally, there was no need to rinse in the bomba at the other side of the camp site.  Hihi.

Meryenda time, cards time.  Pusoy dos.  And some site.  Sexy lady.  (Some hidden language here).

Then frisbee time.  I’m just not fit to last in that game, and it wasn’t even ultimate frisbee.  Then the sunset.  Our camera (Canon Ixus whatever model) couldn’t stand our group of picture happy people.  Or I didn’t charge the battery well.  Whatever, at sunset it was already low in battery.  Still, I have managed to take these shots (of course, some photos were taken by either Bebang or Jerome, can’t recall)…

 

 

Frisbee moments, featuring Donald, supported by Bebang and Jerome:

 

Then night fell…

Notice the Tanduay Rhum?  We weren’t able to taste Zha’s concoction of that famous rhum. She mixed it in that red jug.  Then it rain that night.  Some twists of events.  The rhum spilled over Donald’s tent.  Smelled delicious.  Sayang.  Whoever did it?  Let me just say that some force did not want us to drink that night.  For even the few drops left of that jug, which Zhazha and Jerome tried to pour over a cup went to waste.

Zhazha did an enormous job of cleaning up the mess in the tent.  Surprisingly, the smell of the rhum was gone when we slept.  Awesome

On Bebang… I just love Bebang hehe.  She ate again before finally sleeping.  Hmm… Canned century tuna, rice, the delicious ensaladang itlog na pula of Zhazha, yummy.

The next morning… I enjoyed the warmth of the beach that morning.  So nice!  I really love the beach in the early morning.  Anawangin’s beach is just weird, however.  It seems that the cold water and the warm water didn’t “mix” really well.  You can easily notice sudden coldness in the water.

Before some picture moments, this just have to get the attention it deserves:

The hammock with a shade above it.  Lovingly “crafted” or “arranged” by Donald.  A place where he should have slept.  But the coldness of the night was so intense that he had to seek the comfort of a tent.

So here it is… Breakfast… Packing time… Some final picture moments in that beautiful place called Anawangin…

 

 

Time to go home…

 

 

Only in Pundaquit were we able to have our group picture.

 

 

Oh, before I forget, here’s a reminder for everyone:

Have fun! :) 

All photos hosted by Flickr.

Anawangin 2007

 

Last week, we went to Anawangin - me, Donald, Bebang, Jerome and Zhazha. Lots and lots and lots of fun!  It was my first time to camp.  It was my first time to go there despite the proximity from my home.  It was a totally different experience.

I am so excited to post here whatever memories I had in that trip.  However, there was work.  Still, I got to upload our pictures - our hundreds of beautiful pictures.  Yebah!

All pictures were originally uploaded in Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/11774511@N08/sets/72157602423289910/.

Environmentalists oppose Cavite project

The Philippine Star  

Local News

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 05:34 PM

TERNATE, Cavite-Environmentalist group Kalikasan Foundation and the Ternatenios Against Land Fill is set to conduct tomorrow a rally to go up against the proposed landfill in the province.

Carmela Boren, Director of Kalikasan Foundation said that the group together with other non-government organizations will join the rally that will converge at the patio of Santa Nina church here at around 7:30 a.m.

Boren said that the propose landfill will contaminate the underground basin for fresh water reserve of ternate and will affect other neighbouring towns of Naic, Maragondon and Tanza. Arnell Ozaeta

 

Kate:

I love the environment.  I don’t want pollution.  I want to preserve the beauty of nature.  I don’t want to live in a world where technology takes over the environment.

However, reality must come into play.

I am not against the planned landfill in Cavite, provided that it is designed correctly and that it meets whatever requirement that our law stipulates (yes, we have a law pertaining to solid waste management - RA 9003).  Metro Manila has a very bad waste management problem.  Other cities and provinces must act now before it’s too late to address what is inevitable - wastes.

I just hope that the local government is ready for a real landfill, and not some ordinary dumpsite pretending to be capable of handling the huge amount of wastes generated by its people.  There’s a difference.  There lies the difference.  For if it would just be another dumpsite, then count me in as another person to oppose that proposed project.