Last week was the final week for the voter's registration period nationwide. So it has been expected that during this time, the place (City COMELEC Office) will be crammed with a lot people.
I went to the office to register myself here in Cagayan de Oro City. And the place was packed! People from outside the office were crammed in a line which I don't understand what kind of line they were trying to form. There was one door, and the people outside were forming lines like it were the rays of the sun as drawn in the Philippine flag. Clearly, it was just the lack of staff to manage the crowd which gave the yearning voters this kind of experience.
I went to the City COMELEC Office (which is located at Burgos-C. Taal St.) around 9:00 in the morning, and got myself registered finally only in the afternoon, right after the lunch break which is from 12:00nn to 1:00pm. The whole time was spent standing outside the office on the street under the scorching heat of the sun, waiting for my name to be called. The heat was really intense. The umbrella wouldn't be of any use. A better option would be to find a shade under a tree or a wall perhaps. It was so hot that even during lunchtime, when I went to Jollibee (Lourdes College branch) to cool myself off, I still feel feverish. When I touched my head, I can still feel that it's hot.
As you can see, people are crammed on the street just outside the office. This one is taken from the right side of the office. This is the line where people would get their registration forms. And the line moves slowly.
Also here are the people scattered, waiting for their names to be called for the picture taking and the thumb printing.
Outside the office, one can see a lot of stalls selling different varieties of food and drinks. A good sight to see there is the buko juice vendor under the shade of the tree. Out of the current circumstance as of that moment, that was the only sight that neutralized the heat of the sun. Other vendors one will see are the ones which sell tempura, fishballs, kwek-kwek, peanuts (both cooked, and the one with it's shell still intact), and even spaghetti. For the local treats, there were also shakoys, buchi, and the local maja. Along with those, mineral water are also scattered within the vicinity. And there are always mini-stores around the area if you want cold softdrinks or other usual stuff found in mini-stores.
Here's one boy (locally known as the takatak boys) just sitting his time away waiting for people to buy cigarettes or candies from him.
There were people here reported to have collapsed due to the very hot temperature in the area. While I was already inside the office, I saw one woman taken to another part of the office, layed down on the chair, and was given water to drink. Some people outside couldn't bear it anymore and broke away from the line. People there are shouting. One staff at one time got mad and shouted at people to move back because people are pushing in, hoping they could get their registration forms passed. With this situation, people inside find it very difficult to go out. One alarming scene there is seeing women carrying infants and the senior citizens trying to get registered on a scenery like that. If people who are in the primal age find it difficult and very uncomfortable in this kind of situation, how much more people in the extremes of the age bracket?
Some of the elders in the area commented that, why not make the registration available on every baranggay? Why do they have to do everything in just one location? It does make sense. Every baranggay has an office, so why not make the registrations available there instead of pushing every people in the city inside one office? I don't know the reason why the people in the COMELEC office in the city never implemented that. But I hope next time, they will try to implement that.
These I noticed: There were only two computers available inside the office; they lack staff--there was no one outside who could manage to make the people fall in line; there was one security guard though who was standing near the door; and I think they are still resorting to the stone age process of handling files with the use of paper. I have seen bulks of paper inside the office in which I think are the registration forms. Not sure though what other files are included in the pile. Why not make everything computerized? The government could set aside a budget for computers inside the office. And they could always hire people to manage all the relevant data. There are a lot of capable people in the city who could do that. But we don't really know; maybe it's that hard for the office to request a budget for that goal. Also, to be able to get a registration form, you should fall in line first to get a priority number. But what happened was, once you get your priority number, there was no staff who would be calling the numbers. What people did there, was they went in line again leading to the office door to get their registration forms. In other words, the priority number was of no use. It just added up to the burdens of registering. It was pretty stupid actually.
I'm waiting for the time when voter's registration and voting perhaps will become a luxury that every people will enjoy. One day, I hope it will come to that.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Final Week for Voter's Registration @ The City COMELEC Office (Cagayan de Oro City)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Back On Track by Small Time Only Promotions
Yet another gig that's free. Small Time Only Promotions (STOP), one of the local music productions existing in the city, is setting up a gig this coming Saturday, October 31, at Mandex Bar, Velez-Nacalaban St., Cagayan de Oro City. This would just be near Medical Hospital, besides Tapsi Time.
Ten bands will be playing. Most of the bands I know on the line-up have their own original compositions, and most probably will be playing them. So in order for you to see what these guys have in store for the city, go and watch the gig. It's for free anyway--but drinks are not.
I noticed that there are a number of gigs putted up around the city that's free of charge for two consecutive weekends now. This will be opportunities for people in the city to check out what Cagayan de Oro's bands have to offer without spending for the entrance fee. From the looks of it, it seems like the city is trying to revive the local music scene like it once had 2-6 years ago. I hope these groups, small as they can be, will be able to proliferate the flame that the city potentially has.
Gig starts exactly at 8pm. So you guys best be there before that time. And to all the photographers around the city, you guys are warmly invited to take shots at the gig.
Retrofest at Chaibodia Bistro Cafe
Retrofest--this was a gig that happened on the night of October 24 along with the Project Lifeline gig (a tribute to the victims of the typhoon Ondoy) that happened near Rotunda in the new Bridge at Macasandig. Retrofest was a beneficiary gig to some missionary program by a certain Meling Abuga-a. I do not really know the details (I failed to ask due to fatigue), but I was able to talk to one of the persons who collected donations about what the program was all about. She said that it was raised for feeding programs and other things of the like and this will be headed by Meling Abuga-a (if I heard it right, she is active in the local Arts scene inside the city). For that, I was compelled to donate my little P30.00.
For the details of the event, some of the local bands in Cagayan de Oro City took part in the gig. These bands played acoustic versions of their songs, as well as some of the 60's and 70's song they were covering for that night. We were also able to see some of the old faces in the local music scene of Cagayan, as well as new ones.
To top it all, the gig was for free. They accepted donations, but basically, it was for free. You have to pay for your drinks of course. And the place served grilled food and others, so the place was worth going to.
A little trivia: the name Chaibodia was taken from the owner's name, which is 'Chai', and 'bodia' which is something that pertains to Buddhism. Seeing the owner of the cafe, I didn't expect her to be that young. She's probably on her mid-20's, if I may get it right.
Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3 Conclusion
The Mindanao Bloggers Summit took place last Saturday (Oct. 24) at Pearlmont Inn Hotel here in Cagayan de Oro City. There were a lot of bloggers who participated in the event. Bloggers from Davao City, General Santos City, Zamboanga City, Iligan City, and even some not from Mindanao like Manila, and Baguio I guess. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Yes, bloggers from places as far as those came all the way here in Cagayan de Oro City to join the said event. I am sure it was an honor for Cagayan de Oro City to be hosting such an event.
Major sponsors to the event were: Nokia Ovi, Smart Communication, Havaianas, Ultracraft, 1st Rafting Adventures, Cong. Rolando "Klarex" Uy, and the Cagayan de Oro City Govt. Among the minor sponsors were: Syntactics, OLX Classified Ads, MakatiAve.com, Province of Misamis Oriental, Magnet Advertising, Del Monte, The Site, Majesty Sales Center, Clara's Shoppe, RG&K Construction, Pagua's Cottages, The Pacifica.com Companies, Asterisk Event and Communications, and Loretos Bar and Grill.
The theme of this event is "Mindanao Bag-uhon ang Panan-aw". This as a 2 day event, actually. The first day took place on a Saturday, and the next one happened on the following day. The main event happened on the first day, while the second day, which is either the City Tour or the White Water Rafting Adventure depending on the package chosen, would be an opportunity for fellow bloggers to get along and know each other better.
The first day was packed with a lot of lectures from different personalities--both from the political field, and the blogging community. The morning was filled with talks about how significant the bloggers' impact is on the image of a hometown--in our case, Mindanao. Important people who attended and gave a talk were Mayor Tinnex Jaraula, DCM Leslie Bassett, Atty. Adel Tamano, and Agusan Rep. Rodolfo "Ompong" Plaza. Mr. Bloggie Robillo also gave the introductory presentation for the summit. At the end of the presentation, he showed an inspiring scene of the map of Mindanao with all the major locations hopefully mushroomed with Blogger Groups on the area.
Right after lunch break, another set of lectures were delivered by different blogging personalities who are successful in the blogging industry. Among these were Ms. Aileen Apolo, Mrs. Janette Toral, and Mr. Lyle Santos. Then after that, updates about what bloggers from the different areas have been doing were presented in the most likely fassion. First to deliver were the Davao Bloggers, then the GenSan, Zamboanga, and then CDO. I can't jot down down as of the moment the details of the lectures and the presentation on this post. Probably on future posts.
Overall, the event was fun. I learned a lot from the lectures. My urge to write up more about my beloved Mindanao was hoisted on top of the flagpole. The lectures about monitizing through blogging was very informative. And that was just probably half of the iceberge for me. The other half would constitute the meeting of a lot of fellow bloggers. Literally, everyone in the venue were bloggers; except of course for some media men who came and a few more sponsors to the event. Among the people I have personally met were Davao bloggers: Kevin Paquet, Ms. Dulce Lada, Tammy Sulit, and Pearl Dy. From Iligan is Mrs. Arlene Collado. Here in Cagayan de Oro are the ever accomodating: Mrs. Phebie Anne Normandia, Eleanor Aguilar, and Elaine Pagunsan. These are the lovely ladies I got to be with throughout the whole event. Other CDO bloggers I met are friendly bloggers: Jane, Pangit ster, Ms. Chique Montes (the lively organizer of the event), Shane, etc. I will edit this post in the future with the links to their blog site as soon as I find everyone on the web. There were still others I could not get the names because I haven’t look them up yet on various networking sites. I will add them to this list when I can.
I will probably disclose the details of the event and my experiences on it in another article. As of now I guess this will be enough. Links will come later.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Nature Tripping at the Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village
All you nature lovers out there, I know you're expecting most places in the world to have at least one ecological park or anything similar to that. So here's one here in Cagayan de Oro City.
The Gardens of Malasag is one of the spots here in Cagayan which is constantly promoted by the government. Go to the City Tourism Showhouse, and you're likely to be pointed towards this place (The Gardens of Malasag is currently 2nd in the list at Cagayan de Oro City's official website), and for a good reason.
Photo in courtesy of http://www.cagayandeoro.gov.ph
One Sunday afternoon, I decided to take a visit to this getaway. To get there, I have to take two rides from the city: a jeepney ride towards Malasag which costs me only P10.00, and another ride by motorcycle (called habal-habal in the dialect) going uphill (locals there say fare only costs P6.00, but I usually give them P10.00).
Just one advice when riding the habal-habal, take note of the muffler's location and go down the opposite side--after that ride, I had a minor accident wherein my right leg touched the burning muffler. It was painful, of course. After that, lesson learned.
On the entrance, you have to pay for the entrance fee. The prices will be attached at the end of this article.
The first thing that greeted me at the entrance were the friendly smiles of the natives dressed in their colorful costumes, and a music so beautiful played by some natives using flutes and percussions. The music sounded so attached to these beautiful people's culture, and at the same time it felt like it reminded me of the presence of nature. I believe in music culture they call this World Music. Below are some of the natives parading inside the venue's streets. They do this around 4-5pm everyday. Not all of them were taken though--I was only using a phone camera while taking this.
Some Observations
The place showcases some of the country's resources that affirms the country's richness. From plants to trees, butterflies to birds, from lizards to several types of snakes, and other several types of animals—you'll find them here.
Of course, how would I forget the beautiful ethnic groups that are living there to showcase the rich and colorful culture that Mindanao nests even before the foreign colonizers of Philippines' history has reached these shores. Ethnic groups such as the Subanons, the Higaunons, the Talaandigs, and many more are very welcoming. You are free to go and make some interviews, check out their livelihood products, arts, or just have a chat with them. I myself had conducted a couple of interviews with the different tribes in the place during different times, and still they remain as hospitable as they were the first time.
Having mentioned about their livelihood products, yes, the place is packed with souvenirs. And I would recommend every tourist or local visitors to set aside some extra cash and grab some souvenirs when you get there. It's worth the few pesos. As for their price, well the price varies depending on the material. But I would say a P100.00 is more than enough for a small souvenir that would last a lifetime of wonderful memories on your visit to that place.
PricesEntrance Fee Day Night Adult 30.00 50.00 Children 20.00 30.00 Swimming Pool Adult 50.00 50.00 Children 40.00 40.00 Camping Fee: (Overnight stay at the campground) Children or Adult 100.00 per person Fixing Fee or Tent (irrespective of size) 100.00 per tent
These are the prices as of the time this article is written. Prices may slightly change any time after this, but usually it won't be as much as P5.00. During my elementary days (that was more than 10 years ago), entrance fee for children was P15.00. Eight years after that, it only increased P5.00.
The place also has cottages available for people planning to stay there for the night. For the rates, check out this site: http://www.philtourism.gov.ph/ecom_rates.html.Just Hanging Out at the Restocafe
A magnificent view of Macajalar Bay and Camiguin Island.
Monday, July 27, 2009
State Of the Nation Address--No Classes?
Today is the State Of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. People of the Philippines, have you watched it? I haven’t. I know I’m supposed to, but because of other pressures from school, I missed the chance to do so.
So, what do the people do here in Cagayan de Oro City? I’m pretty sure that some people in the political arena were tied up to their seats listening to what President Arroyo has to say. Most of the adults probably were, as of that moment, preoccupied of looking for a television to watch where they could listen to the SONA being aired locally. The question of, how much people were watching, that I could not tell. The last time I saw people getting interviewed by a local daily news program here in the city, many people don’t have much to say about the President’s SONA during that time. But there were many other people who gave their comments about the event; even some students.
Having said that, I myself as a student have observed that many students (I’m not saying most) have been so far apathetic about such events. The only question that comes into their minds would be (and I admit I’m part of this society sometimes), "Okay, so are there any classes today?" Funny as it is, but, yes, sometimes (or probably many times) students like me do tend to be that apathetic towards the Country’s events such as these. But who could blame us? Sometimes, it’s just so realistic to believe that as students, we can’t do anything to serve the purpose of SONA (whatever that is) or anything for that matter to be able to help the country by listening to the moment’s State of the Nation Address. (Pardon my immaturity, but please just let me live my age for a moment. *grin* ) So, what do we kids in the city have to say? Well simply, COOL, NO CLASSES AGAIN!
As students, times like these could be compared to Manny Pacquiao’s bouts. That’s not because the streets during that time are typically deserted (and I doubt it will ever be with a SONA), but more likely because it gives us that feeling that someone important (and yes, Manny Pacquiao has somehow been considered now as someone important) is on the spotlight at the moment and that somehow gives us the feeling that the streets are deserted because we know that a lot of people will be watching the airtime. At that moment, we students (not everyone, of course) are then triggered to think about what we can do for that day. If classes were suspended and a lot of students were not aware of this and were able to go to school at that day, usually, students would flood internet cafés (for the younger generation that is). Other students would go to places like Park Café, Dunkin Donuts (referring to students from a particular university located at Divisoria near to these establishments), or malls and hang out with their friends. And of course, others would go home.
So, have any of these taken place this day’s State Of the Nation Address? Well, that would be if classes were suspended today. And that would have been a blast. Too bad the priests in this university didn’t give us the chance to enjoy today’s event. Haha. But yeah, I was just trying to illustrate here what could have happened on a day like today, and if classes were indeed suspended in timing with the event.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Unwind . . Get a Dose of Music @ Gigs
Music—the language of the world. No city in the world (or any place for that matter) can do away with it. This would neatly bring me to one of my pastimes here in 
Nights could never have been more boring (for people around my age bracket, that is) without getting that dose of escape brought about by immersing oneself into music. And nothing could be more enjoyable than to sink into the sound around all those lights, drowning volume, and a lot of other people who seem to be enjoying it as much as you do.
Are you in to bands? Do you occasionally go to local gigs in your hometown to check out what some of the bands there have to offer for that night? Well, if you enjoy doing that, then you're never going to miss home when you're here in Cagayan de Oro City.
Cagayan de Oro City occasionally gives birth to young talented 
Gigs—in the local lingo we call it tukar. Gigs aren't new in the city's premises. 
Gigs that happen in the city don't follow a fixed schedule and they don't have a fixed venue. What usually happens 
Some of the bands that made it to the mainstream started from these small gigs. And I tell you, how they play prior their way to the pop scene isn't much different compared to when 
Here are some of the notable bands that made it to the mainstream: (Click on their names to open a window directing to their homepages)
and a lot more.
So if you are somewhere around the city, watch out for the events happening for the night. You won't regret spending P50 - P100 for a night floating on music. These guys are just amazing.
*First, second and fourth photos in courtesy of Pancho Trinidad.
*The rest of the photos in courtesy of Corridor Music Group.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Enjoying Kwek-Kwek on the Streets
Enjoying life in the city can be as simple as eating fishballs on the sidewalk. 
Kwek-kwek is a local treat not only present here in the city, but scattered around the country as well. It is sold in moving stalls put up by local entrepreneurs around the city after the sun sets. Lately, I’ve been seeing already a number of mini-stores selling kwek-kwek as their main product. 
One of the biggest factors that make kwek-kwek sell is its affordability. Depending on the vendor, it’s either sold at P10.00 or P8.00. Another factor that made it sell is it being sold with drinks (soft drink or buko juice) that ranges from P5.00 to P7.00. It’s really very affordable. With P25.00, I feel like I’m already having dinner. I guess that’s also one of the factors why many people enjoy eating kwek-kwek. It’s really amusing seeing yourself being able to buy a lot with just a little amount of money.
I don’t know about everyone else, everyone has distinct tastes; but I really enjoy the feeling of eating out on the streets at night with that cold ambiance and all those colors that light up the streets. So if you enjoy that, too, then I guess you’ll enjoy your stay here in this city.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Cooling Down at The Malls in CDO
Of course, how could a city be a city without a mall? There are a few exceptions though, but a city just doesn’t seem to be complete without a mall, right? Anyone beg to differ?
Scattered around the city are the malls people in the city herd in order for them to do the usual activities that people do in any mall on any country—activities such as doing the grocery, 
On a Saturday, you’ll typically see groups of teenagers scattered about inside the malls. There’s this, sort of, schedule on who goes to the mall on a particular day in a week. On Sundays, this would be family day—the scene inside the mall would most likely be groups of families strolling around. 
Back in high school, I and my friends used to go to malls on a Saturday to go “bird hunting.” By bird hunting I mean spotting cute and gorgeous girls coming from different campuses, tossing their hair like shampoo commercial models, putting that glow on their faces as if each of them are actresses from different TV programs. They would just melt our hearts out. But of course, that was before. I barely do that now, or maybe, I might not have even done it anymore. It’s not appropriate for my age anymore. Today would be younger generation’s time to do that. About what my generation does now, that would be the content for one of my next posts on this blog. Going back to the topic, yes, I don’t do it anymore, and neither do my friends, but the same rule still applies. 
Nowadays, every time I feel stressed from all the headaches that school gives us, I would think of having a stroll at one of the malls. A sip of coffee would be fine. Or they have these pearl coolers sold around the mall. That would be a good choice, too. Doing this for about an hour or an hour and a half would be enough to cool down my brain from thinking too much about school work.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Strolling Around Night Café at Cagayan de Oro City
It was a Friday night, and I just woke up from an exhausting day. Earlier in the morning, me and my partner in my final project two semesters ago (1st sem, 2008-2009) just passed our final output to our instructor. It was a product of a couple of months with sleepless nights trying to make our computer program to work. And it was hell. I have to ceaselessly read a whole book for two weeks straight trying to learn a computer language that I have encountered for the first time. It was like torture; considering we were given a time period enough only for us students to learn the advance topics in database that we were covering in class during that time; that is in my opinion of course (my apologies to readers not in the computer science field). Anyway, as I said before, I woke up that Friday night exhausted from all the things I’ve been through during that semester. I got up, took a drink from the fridge, and felt like I wanted to treat myself out. I wasn’t thinking of anything fancy; I just thought of giving myself a break from all the stresses I’ve been having for the past few months without spending a lot of money. I looked at the calendar, which was hanged just behind the fridge and remembered, hey, it’s a Friday night. How about strolling around Night Café?
Activities at the Night Café are not only limited to food, accessories, and the likes. There are also a lot of happenings aside from those. One I failed to mention was the nightly live band happening at the city Kiosk. While people, families, and other groups have their appetizing dinners, they are also serenaded by the city’s local bands. And if you’re lucky, you might end up jamming with the country’s top bands such as Bamboo, and the likes.
So if you’re somewhere around the city for a couple of days, make sure you reach at least a Friday or start your week here on a Saturday.
Here are two more photos taken during the Night Cafes:
This photo is in courtesy of jarqz at langyaw.com.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Early Morning Walk at Cagayan de Oro's Beach
Waking up early at dawn, at around 5:30 in the morning, I found myself outside my grandparents’ house wondering what I could do on an early morning without any computer to tap at or anyone to talk to. It was still cold, and the sky just turned from purple to red. Standing outside, I took a deep breath to savor that fresh morning air that one could only scent during that time of the day. The air was fresh . . . and kind of salty. That sort of gave me an idea on what to do that morning. How about taking a walk at the beach?
From where I was standing, the beach was just a good 2.6 km away. I got my running shoes in my room that day, and there was nothing else to do that morning. So, what was I waiting for?
Beaches are one of the places where people love to go during a hot summer day. Families, friends . . . most often than not, beaches are almost always part of their list. And yes, Cagayan de Oro City has beaches to fill in that list.
Going to the beach during the day, usually around lunchtime, is when most of the locals and tourist would be most convenient to go. But during those jogging activities that I have had, I would recommend experiencing the beach on a pristine morning just about when the sun would pull itself up the mountain looking at the East direction when facing the water. It’s an experience one would incessantly savor. And pretty stress relieving, too.
Below is a photo taken from the beach in Opol, Misamis Oriental, which is just a part of Cagayan de Oro. This was taken when the sun was already up though. Click on the photo and it will open a new tab leading to the original website where I got this photo.
This photo is in courtesy of Panoramia.com.
Here is a better scene of that sunrise I was talking about. This was taken around 5:30 in the morning at Marvilla Beach Resort.
What I usually do after a brief jog going to the beach is once I get there, I would go on an extra walk without my shoes on. Feeling the sand beneath my feet, inspiring that fresh, dawn breeze, listening to the frisky ruffles of the water brushing the sand, and indulging on to the awesome sight of the sun rising up the hills—it’s one of those experiences I just couldn’t trade off.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Mindanaoan Prologue
Here I will try to show in this whole blog how one enjoys life in the city, well, in my point of view that is. This I write in the context of living in a city situated here in one of the major islands in the Philippines—Mindanao. This blog can also be thought of as a travel guide for tourists who wishes or plans to visit the Philippines, particularly Mindanao. Or maybe for people from other parts of the country who were thinking of visiting the south side of the country but does not know what to expect from the place, they can make this their first step in coming to the shores of Mindanao. But perhaps it would be safer to say to people planning to do that kind of endeavor not to make this blog the sole basis of their travel guide. Here I just give the reader an idea of what it is like living in the cities of Philippines, particularly in Mindanao, and in the context of a young adult’s mind. I present this in the fashion of recounting the events that took place in cities here in Mindanao where I have resided or spent a considerable amount of time. Here I present a picture of the places and events with an eye deprived of bias. Here on this blog I will try and religiously paint a picture of people, situations, and places that made Mindanao an endearing home to me.
I am currently residing in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. As you can see in the map below, she is situated at the bay area in the Northern part of Mindanao. This means that beaches are just a ride away! That would be about 20% of the allowance given to an average student like me. Economists say that this city is an economic hub: people who travel from the North to the south or vice versa, have to pass by Cagayan de Oro City.
Anyway, I guess that would be enough for now. On the next blogs to come, I will slowly introduce to the reader the shores of a place I call home—Mindanao.
