Davao City will be celebrating her 75th Araw ng Dabaw festival in the middle of March 2012.

Here are the mechanics covering the competition:

1. The 75th Araw ng Dabaw BLOG COMPETITION is open to all Dabawenyo bloggers. Registration will commence on the kick-off event at SM City Davao, 11 February 2012, at 1:00pm.
2. Each participant can only submit 1 blog entry. In the event that more than 1 entry is submitted, only the latest entry will be considered. The blog can be published in any blog website. The participant is required to send an email to this address after the blog post has been published. The email should contain the following:
   • Subject : Official Entry to 75th Araw ng Dabaw Blog Competition
   • Content : URL of the Blog Entry and Name of Participant
3. The blog article should be written guided by the theme of the current Davao Tourism Campaign, “Davao : Life Is Here!”. The blog entries should be tagged with the following keywords: Davao, Araw ng Dabaw, Davao Life is here, Davao Tourism, and Araw ng Dabaw Blog Competition. The following footer is compulsory to identify it as a blog entry:
   <p style="text-align:center;"><img src="http://davaotourism.com/wp-content/themes/DavaoCTOO/images/ctoologo.jpg" alt="Davao life is here" /><br /><strong>Submitted as an entry to the 75th Araw ng Dabaw Blog Competition</strong></p> <p>
4. The blog can be written in English or Tagalog or Cebuano or a combination of the three.
5. The competition will start on 11 February 2012 and will end at midnight of 29 February 2012. Winners will be announced on 13 March 2012 during the Mayor & Vice-Mayor’s Appreciation program.
6. The blog entry must have a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of 1,000 words. Images can be added to accentuate the blog article.
7. The blog entry, including accompanying images, must not in any way violate any intellectual property right. Anyone found to have violated this right in his/her blog entry will automatically be disqualified and will be required to delete the blog article.
8. The blog must have a feedback/comment module. Part of the criteria for judging is the total number of unique feedback/comments received by the blog article.
9. The decision of the board of judges is deemed final.
10. All blog entries shall become the property of Duaw Davao Festivals Foundation,Inc. As such, the foundation has the right to copy, adapt, transmit, distribute, publish, and display the blog entries in part or as a whole.
11. Blog entries must always be in published mode in the duration of the competition.
12. The criteria for judging are as follows:

    Relevance to the theme:	40%
    Content:	25%
    Organization, Flow of Thought, “Easy Reading”:	25%
    Unique Count of Comments & Feedback received:	10%

13. Winners will receive the following:

    1st Prize	₱20,000
    2nd Prize	₱15,000
    3rd Prize	₱10,000
    Consolation Prizes (5)	₱5,000 each

14. The Duaw Davao Festivals Foundation and the City Government of Davao or any of the institutions/agencies involved in the implementation of the Blog Competition shall not be held liable for any copyright infringement committed by the participant. Any other negative results coming from the participant’s failure to follow the rules and regulations will not be the responsibility of the foundation.
15. Duaw Davao Festivals Foundation employees are not eligible to participate in the competition.
16. All inquiries should be addressed to Duaw Davao Festivals Foundation. Please call 286-4103 or email them here.

(Now, item #10 above might raise a few eyebrows — including mine — because blog entries, being published in the bloggers’ sites, are naturally owned by the bloggers. Maybe what the contest organizers should have stated was that they reserve the right to make use of the blog competition entries without the need for prior consent from the bloggers. But, that’s OK. I’m sure this blog competition is being conducted in good faith.)

Bloggers of Davao! Let’s support this initiative by our city government to promote tourism and business. We should be happy that more and more people in the administration are becoming aware of the power of our voices.

[Media Release]

The U.S. Embassy in Manila invites everyone to take part in a photo contest, dubbed “Sakay Na! Jeepney Photo Challenge“. We invite the public to submit their best original photos featuring Philippine Jeepneys to compete for a chance to win prizes.

“We see the Jeepney as a symbol of U.S.-Philippine friendship,” said U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Robin Diallo. “The earliest Jeepneys were constructed from jeeps brought to the Philippines by the United States during World War II, but since that time, they have evolved in beautiful and creative ways.”

Jeepneys express the unique culture of the various regions of the Philippines, as they differ in style and design from place to place. Given the historical connection of the Jeepney to the United States, the U.S. Embassy is launching the Sakay Na! photo contest to celebrate this unique and colorful cultural icon.

Winning submissions will receive a Kodak Pocket Camcorder and an invitation from the U.S. Embassy to a special event. In addition, the winning photographs will be part of a special exhibit at the U.S. Embassy.

To enter the contest, visit the U.S. Embassy Manila Facebook page, click on the “Sakay Na! Jeepney Photo Challenge” link, and follow the instructions. The contest is open to anyone residing in the Philippines who is at least 13 years of age. Deadline for submissions is Thursday, February 19. We will be inviting the public to vote via Facebook for the top three entries during the voting period from February 20 to February 25. Join us in celebrating the Jeepney, and send us your photos from around the Philippines! ###

Have you thought of working or migrating abroad ? Have you tried applying for work, visit, or migration, but got stuck?

Then this is one information session you shouldn’t miss.

Licensed New Zealand Immigration Adviser Carlo Santos and the Former Manager of the New Zealand Embassy’s Immigration Section, Rainier Sales, are set to deliver a FREE information seminar this Saturday, 3 December 2011, from 9:00 am to 12 noon at the Metropolis Suites Hotel, J.P. Cabaguio Avenue, Davao City.

The seminar, entitled “Work, Study, and Migrate to New Zealand”, is the most comprehensive seminar series on New Zealand to ever reach Davao’s shores.

The seminar discusses options for everyone, for instance:

Nurses from all disciplines, including Nursing Students and Fresh Graduates, will discover the different pathways enabling them to find work in or apply for migration to New Zealand.

If you are a Nursing Clinical Instructor 44 years old and under, come to the seminar and find out how you can qualify for the migration stream with a 99.9% chance of selection.

Business Management graduates, Tourism graduates, Marketing Experts and graduates of any Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree can either find work or apply for immigration to New Zealand. Creative professionals such as graphic designers, web designers and animators also have tremendous potential for lucrative careers in New Zealand.

Jobs in the skills shortage list include Teachers, University Professors, Healthcare Professionals, IT Experts, Hotel and Restaurant Managers, and Chefs.

Find out how you can IMMEDIATELY bring your family with you to New Zealand and how, with the help of Uniwide Technical Services and Focus NZ, you can use existing policies to enable you to settle with your family in New Zealand within one year.

Made possible by the synergistic partnership of Uniwide Technical Services, Inc. (a POEA-licensed agency) and Focus New Zealand, the seminar is a rare opportunity to come face-to-face with experts and ask them questions about your career opportunities in New Zealand.

Furthermore, you can be assured that, as an agency of good standing with the POEA and with the New Zealand Embassy, Uniwide Technical Services will not sign on applicants unless your application has a very good chance of success.

The seminar is open to the public. Three easy ways to register:

• Text Smart mobile (920)908-6978 with your name and indicate that you want to be registered for the seminar;
• Email your résumé to events[at]uniwide.com.ph;
• Look for UTSI Makati on Facebook and send us a message to confirm your attendance.

Unfortunately, it is also under threat from such activities as destructive fishing and improper waste disposal.

Last July, thousands of runners came to the aid of the gulf, converging in Davao City for the PLDT-Smart 10-Miler Run. Organized by the country’s leading telecoms provider, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), the event — consisting of 3k, 5k, 10k and 10-mile categories — sought to raise awareness of the conditions at the gulf.

In addition, Smart has also partnered with WWF-Philippines to launch the international environmental group’s first-ever SMS-based micro-donation service called Text to Donate (TTD). Smart subscribers anywhere in the Philippines can use their cellphone and airtime load to make a donation by simply texting WWF <amount> to 4483. Valid amounts (in pesos) are 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 and 1000.

Funds raised through this service will be used by WWF-Philippines to rehabilitate and preserve the fisheries within the Davao Gulf and to protect its endangered dugongs and sea turtles.

In its website, the Davao Gulf Management Council notes the variety of mangroves, seaweeds, sea grasses and coral that enrich the gulf’s ecosystem and sustain several marine species, especially tuna. Dolphins, whales, and shorebirds are also found in the area.

The gulf is best known as home to rare species of sea turtles and sea cows, more popularly known as dugong.

Thousands of people living along the Davao region shoreline benefit from the gulf. Its coast runs from the southernmost tip of Davao del Sur through to Davao City and Davao del Norte and continues on to Compostela Valley and Davao del Sur.

Certain activities of marine-related industries, however, have caused the degradation of the gulf, threatening its marine life and its ecosystem in general. (Please read this article — and others on that site — to see some of what’s been happening in the Davao Gulf.)

The council has cited the incidence of illegal and destructive fishing, biophysical deterioration of mangrove, seagrass and coral habitats, as well as the presence of domestic and agro-industrial wastes among other threats.

The WWF further reiterates that ports, oil depots, factories and other industries are perceived to put pressure on the quality of the water, the natural habitats and the productivity of the gulf’s fisheries.

Thankfully, local government units, non-governmental organizations and even private entities are joining hands to protect and preserve the gulf.

“We are glad to have led this event that rallies not only Davao residents but anyone from all over the country to combine their passion for running with their desire to help protect one of the country’s richest yet highly threatened marine ecosystems. Participants gladly did it for a worthwhile cause.”
Atty. Jane Paredes
Public Affairs Senior Manager (Visayas & Mindanao)
Smart Communications

The advocacy run and the TTD project are part of the environmental initiatives of Smart’s corporate social responsibility and community service program, Kabalikat sa Kalikasan.

Remember, you can do your part anytime, anywhere! Text WWF <amount> to 4483 today and help secure the future of the Davao Gulf.

After dinner on my first day, Ramon and I had a few beers. I’m happy to report that Bongao Town has SanMig Light (usually ₱30/bottle). Red Horse and Pale Pilsen are available almost anywhere, too.

After the nightcap, I went out to the seawall to try and talk the sea into letting me dive the following day. The waves were angry and sporadically splashed salt water onto the road, but did not touch me where I stood. Silently, I implored the raging sea to calm down so I could descend to her depths. When I turned around to head back to my room, a spray of sea foam stroked my cheek.

Day 2

I woke up early on Saturday to find the waves even angrier. Then dark clouds rolled in and within minutes sheets of rain dashed all hopes of seeing Tawi-Tawi underwater.

But I was in Tawi-Tawi, and I consoled myself with that achievement.

After a light breakfast, I tried connecting to the Internet via my SmartBro dongle, which had given me quite a good 3G signal the previous day. No luck this time — probably due to the heavy rain. The locals say, though, that they get good Internet connectivity in town. (Smart Communications is the better mobile network out here.)

When the rain let up around noon, I hired a tricycle to take me around. I needed to buy a jacket because I didn’t think of bringing one (I was going to the beach after all). Then I gorged myself on local sweets (again) at the market, but this time along the old pier. After walking around a bit and chatting with some friendly marketplace hawkers, my driver-cum-guide gave me a joy ride across town.

We went up a hill where I thought stood a majestic mosque. Turns out it was Tawi-Tawi’s provincial capitol. The proud structure overlooks the governor’s mansion and new housing developments on Bongao Island.

Upon returning home, I met up with Ramon again and we had a grand time swapping diving stories. He has much more, of course, and I was growing more and more eager to experience those Tawi-Tawi dive sites he was so colorfully describing.

He told me about Sitangkai Island, which is dubbed the Venice of the Philippines, and how he never tires of diving that site. He and Engr. Reyes have seen great pelagics there, and sharks, and huge schools of different types of fish. Sitangkai is the outermost island of Tawi-Tawi and is a stone’s throw away from Malaysian Borneo. The thing is, if you do go to that remote island, you’d have to plan for an overnight, because the ferry does only one roundtrip a day.

Saturday breezed damply by and then it was nighttime again. I was going to fly out on Monday morning, so any chance of diving had altogether evaporated for me.

Day 3

Sunday, 6:00am. The sky was clear, with only wispy clouds, and the waves were tranquil! Knowing how strict Ramon was about scuba rules, I didn’t think they’d let me dive anymore, because my flight was going to be less than 24 hours hence.

At around 7, Engr. Reyes and his family picked me up from Beachside Inn and told me to bring my diving gear. My host informed me that we wouldn’t go deep and stay less than an hour underwater. I was ecstatic!!

But first, we were to climb Bongao Peak. I was about to protest, but I suddenly recalled a local myth about the mountain. Some of the inn’s staff who kept me company the previous night had told me about paying one’s respects atop Bud Bongao. They said that, before doing anything adventurous in Tawi-Tawi, one has to climb the province’s highest peak first. (I don’t know how high it is, but it took us a little over an hour to climb it. Maybe 1,500 feet or so?)

Bud Bongao is famous for its resident monkeys. At about the halfway point, these furry troops start to emerge out of the trees and demand a pass-through fee of bananas.

Near the top, there are two Muslim tombs that are regarded as shrines. You can enter one of them and pay your respects. It is said that people who enter the shrine can ask for forgiveness for all transgressions.

Since it was raining the previous day, the way up was muddy and slippery. The last leg of the ascent had cemented steps all the way near the top, but that didn’t make the climb any easier.

But the view from the summit — it will take your breath away and at the same time fill your lungs with joyous fresh air!

My host was telling me that, on really clear days, you’d be able to see Borneo to the south. Sitangkai Island was thinly visible then, but a few errant clouds were hovering over the horizon.

I almost forgot all about scuba diving up there… but then the scintillating blue waters beckoned.

Diving Bongao

It took me half the climb time to go descend Bud Bongao, I was just too excited to finally be able to dive Bongao! When the whole party was at sea level, we proceeded to Engr. Reyes’ beach resort, called Mountain View, to prepare for the dive. My host’s nephews were in town from London, Manila and Zamboanga, and they were also planning on doing intro dives.

The waters of Bongao did not disappoint. After two days of pining for the sea, I was finally rewarded with my first dive! And then another one. Read about my scuba adventure in Bongao here.

I can’t wait to go back to Tawi-Tawi! Three days there certainly weren’t enough. The next time I’m back, I’ll be sure to visit Sitangkai, the turtle sanctuary, the dive site off Sanga-Sanga Island, the Napoleon Wrasse nursery, and so many more…

I’d like to thank my host and dive master, Engr. Rosendo Reyes and Ramon Tañgon, Mr. Lando Lim of Beachside Inn, and Airphil Express for having made my first trip to Tawi-Tawi a memorable and exhilarating adventure!

Magsukul & As-Salaamu `Alaykum!

Sadly, except for a few people, the first thing out of the lips of friends and relatives who found out about my trip to Tawi-Tawi was “Is it safe there?”

I’m no expert in national defense situations, but as a private citizen I can positively say it’s safe in Tawi-Tawi. As safe as any city or town could be, I would imagine. The moment I arrived at the airport, I could see how relaxed people were. There were military personnel outside, but then I realized it was because a ranking officer had arrived on the same plane. And during my entire stay, I didn’t sense anything untoward or unusual. All I could feel the whole time was a sense of newness, but at the same time a feeling of familiarity — I was still in the Philippines after all.

Not counting my visits to Kuala Lumpur, Tawi-Tawi was the second place I’ve been to that has a largely Muslim population (the first was Basilan). That’s what my friends and family were referring to when they cautiously asked about the safety condition in the deep south. The perception that Muslim areas in the Philippines are dangerous still prevails, even among Mindanaoans. Allow me, then, to show you what I experienced in Tawi-Tawi (or at least the parts of it that I was able to see).

Day 1

I arrived on Friday, 5 August 2011, at 8:00am from Zamboanga City via Airphil Express flight no. 2P 243. (The airline pioneered this route and now flies between Asia’s Latin City and Bongao, the municipal capital of Tawi-Tawi, four times a week.) I was already scheduled to be in Zamboanga for a speaking engagement, so I took the opportunity to visit the country’s southernmost province from there.

On the plane before touchdown, the alluring coastlines and sparkling sapphire and emerald waters were a sight to behold! The province is made up of 107 islands and islets, including the fabled Turtle Islands. I couldn’t wait to get underwater!

The people at Sanga-Sanga Airport behaved as any group of people would in any airport (although this one is small and looks more like a warehouse from the outside). There were expectant relatives and well-wishers outside and the whole setting had a business-as-usual atmosphere. I was met by my host’s driver, who then brought me to the Beachside Inn where I would stay for the next 3 days. It was about a fifteen-minute drive on cemented roads from the airport to the inn. (Most roads on Bongao and Sanga-Sanga Islands are cemented.)

The Beachside Inn is untrue to its name only because the expansive beach is actually in front of the property. It’s in a sprawling compound, with about 22 or so rooms after the owners finish constructing the new wing. They have meetings facilities and a kitchen that can whip up a mean escabeche and tinola.

The rooms, while really basic, are air-conditioned and also outfitted with electric fans for when they’re using the generator (which is super silent). Scheduled power outages are common; on the flip side, Bongao’s water is good and reliable.

When I was there, the tail-end of a storm was threatening to ruin my stay, but from the inn it was awesome to watch the waves slam into the breakwaters and spray foam into the air. I was witnessing the rage of the Celebes Sea — a far cry from even the worst weather in the Davao Gulf.

My main objective in Tawi-Tawi was to go scuba diving, so the looming bad weather was very worrisome for me. I didn’t want to have come all the way here and not be able to dive…

Long before the trip, I had myself introduced via email to Engr. Rosendo Reyes of the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, thanks to my instructor at the Carabao Dive Center, John Neri. When I finally met Engr. Reyes and two other club members (dive master Ramon Tañgon and Mr. Lando Lim, who owns Beachside Inn), I was instantly put to ease because the first thing Ramon asked me was to see my c-card. That showed their professionalism and concern for my safety as a diver. Still, it didn’t assuage my growing fears of not being able to dive due to the inclement weather.

In the afternoon, Ramon brought me to town on his motorbike. The main mode of personal transport there is the motorcycle, and tricycles are the best way to get around if you don’t have one. Although, Japanese- and Korean-brand sedans and SUVs are also present.

Too bad I wasn’t able to take a photo, but there’s a good-sized Catholic Church (complete with belfry) sitting right across the street from a mosque. I don’t know how reliable this figure is, that Christians comprise 30% of the total population of Bongao. Judging by what I’ve seen, it could be quite accurate. What I found interesting, though, is that Christians in Tawi-Tawi observe some Muslim traditions, like touching one’s chest after a handshake. Also, they speak the Tausug dialect, even among themselves.

Near the mosque and church is a relatively new mini-mall called Midway Plaza. It’s about one-fourth the size of Gaisano South in Davao, but it’s pretty self-sufficient: it has a grocery, a pharmacy, appliance store, clothing shops, a computer sales outlet.

Other things I spotted around town: internet cafés; schools (the Notre Dame of Bongao is in this area, while the other notable tertiary school, Mindanao State University at Bongao, is on Sanga-Sanga Island); banks (I can only remember seeing Metrobank, but I’m sure there are others); dress shops; repair shops. Except maybe for the calls to Islamic prayer that can be heard early in the morning, at noon and just after sunset, Bongao felt like any other town to me.

At around 4:30pm, we went to the public market to buy fish and have it cooked at the inn. It was astounding the innumerable varieties of fish and other seafood that were being traded at the mercado! I found it really difficult choosing which fish to have for dinner that day, but I settled for a rabbitfish (a.k.a. danggit).

Locals don’t usually buy fish on a per-kilo basis — each fish or squid or what-have-you is sold at a certain price, depending on the vendor. Of course, haggling is expected. (Due to the increased entry of buyers from Zamboanga, however, more and more Tawi-Tawi traders have already started selling their goods by weight.)

Ramon also introduced me to local delicacies, which were in abundance then, thanks to the observance of Ramadhan. During this holy month of fasting, Muslims break their daily fasting with sweets and sticky-rice treats after sunset. There’s the tamparan, or the local hot cake but much bigger, served with sweetened grilled coconut meat. I also liked the pitis (looks like suman, filled with sweet toasted coconut meat) and the pasong (a cone of delicately flavored sticky-rice cake).

Back at the inn, we had the rabbitfish (about 1.5 kilos) stuffed with onion, tomatoes, garlic and other spices, and grilled in a banana leaf. I believe this preparation is called pinaputok in Tagalog. It was heavenly! (And so did the other meals prepared for me at the inn.)

Beachside Inn Hotel & Restaurant is in Barangay Pasiagan, Bongao Municipality. Tel. +63(68)268-1446. Room rates: ₱700~1,000 per night.

To contact the Tawi-Tawi Divers Club, get in touch with Ramon Tañgon via his mobile phone: +63(918)699-2822.

Next up: Day 2 & 3 in Tawi-Tawi...

This year’s festival director, Lisette Marques, showed the logo to me a few days before it was publicized, and I told her right then and there: it’s going to get a lot of negative vibes. And it seems I was right. Like many later on, I asked her then why the logo needed to be changed. In her best estimation, she said the decision to change the logo came “from the top” and most probably had to do with the city’s current branding efforts.

I remember back in 2008, the original logo was modified to give it a more updated look — but even that failed because the result looked like a half-baked effort at making the festival branding fly.

The aforementioned branding efforts, unfortunately, might suffer a major blow if Kadayawan 2011′s festivities are tainted by an ill-received symbolic image. Many of those who answered “I don’t like it” in the facebook survey lament the logo’s lack of festiveness, its bland appearance, the complete departure from its purpose of making the Kadayawan sa Dabaw a recognizable event in the country. Others expressed disillusionment, and still others conveyed confusion over the unexpected mutilation of the 20-year-old festival’s banner.

Sun•Star Davao, in its 29 July 2011 editorial, brands the switcheroo an unnecessary political gambit by the local powers-that-be. “How insecure to paint an already popular festival with the color of politics as if the present mayor needs the popularity of Kadayawan to prop up her own.” The paper was alluding to Mayor Sara Duterte’s notoriety (or popularity, if you think the mayor’s violence was acceptable), acquired from the very start of this month.

I personally have no knowledge whether the new logo’s particular hue of green simply coincided with the Duterte campaign color, or it was intentional. Either way, “the logo sucks,” to quote a Dabawenyo facebook user.

And what about the new tagline?

Kadayawan sa Dabaw used to be tagged “the festival of festivals”. Now it’s being touted as “the king of festivals”. Several people seem to like it, possibly because they believe Dabawenyos should aim high. On the other hand, some feel that the claim is a bit too much. Especially with a new logo that’s far from being kingly.

My personal view, which was formed and has not changed since I saw the logo for the first time, is this: It is completely unacceptable as a representation of the Kadayawan sa Dabaw festival. It lacks creativity and fails to inspire pride among Dabawenyos. I’m afraid it’s not one that will attract visitors to celebrate the festival with us at all.

Allow me to say, however, despite my deep disappointment, I trust that the vibrant colors of this year’s festivities will more than make up for the drabness of this monochromatic logo.

Inquirer News article, 9 July 2011

The news article itself was far from being the result of shoddy reporting, but the headline and the sub-head were very damaging, and moronic. The article was by-the-book reportage, stating how the judge interviewed by the reporter viewed the unfortunate handling by court sheriff Abe Andres of the 1-July demolition order of squatters’ homes in Barangay Soliman, Agdao, Davao City.

The article, however, assumed that the judge was allying himself with the violence-prone mayor. Far from it. The judge in question merely stated his informed legal opinion that the demolition order was not implemented according to lawful practices. On the other hand and in spite of this, he stood up for the sheriff in a way that nobody has ever considered in this whole unfortunate mess: the judiciary and the executive branches of government are necessarily autonomous.

The title that the Inquirer came up with, therefore, was an oxymoron to the article. Why in the world would a news article, which clearly portrays a judge defending a court sheriff, have a heading that reads “Davao judge ‘shoots’ the sheriff”?!?

What makes matters worse is the factual error on the part of this news organization. The judge interviewed for the article is the city’s executive judge, Isaac G. Robillo II. The sub-headline of the article reads “Demolition was illegal, says judge who ordered it”. Judge Robillo did not order the demolition. The writ of demolition, as everyone who’s been following this knows, was issued by Judge Emmanuel Carpio.

To be fair to the Inquirer, the people behind their social media efforts did respond quickly to our call to attention on Twitter. My cousin, Michael Aquino, shares the curated tweets here. One thing, however: those same people blamed their Mindanao Bureau (which they erroneously called the “Davao bureau”) for the factual error. Wrong. The article per se was more or less factual. It was the headline and sub-head that were blatantly and stupidly sensationalist. My source says that Inquirer news headlines are written by headline writers in Manila.

I must disclose that Judge Robillo is my uncle, my father’s older brother. However, this does not in any way influence my unbiased view of what is proper reporting and what isn’t. I have always pushed for more conscientious coverage of Mindanao news by national agencies. And for this, I was once invited to participate in the nation’s annual forum of decision-makers in the news industry, Media Nation.

To tell you how much of a straight arrow my uncle is, allow me to relate to you a story that broke my heart several years ago.

A young friend of mine, Harold, who was then a bubbly, wide-eyed fresh graduate of a Japanese-language course, went through living hell. I’d heard he’d been retained by a manpower agency to be their examiner for their in-house language classes. Turns out it was a recruitment outfit with illegal activities, and one day their office was raided by the police. Harold was there during the raid, because he was evaluating their exam papers. He was not hired by the agency, and he absolutely knew nothing of their operations — all he was asked to do was conduct the Japanese-language examinations for their recruits. But the police arrested Harold along with the agency’s owners. Despite the owners’ attesting to Harold’s non-involvement in their operations, the police still hauled him to jail.

It was almost seven days before I found out, but I rushed to the police barracks right away, and managed to sweet-talk the police to let my friend visit with me outside the cramped cell. I could barely contain my tears as Harold answered me when I asked him why he was craning his neck to see out the window. He had not seen the sun for a week. You would feel damaged, too, if you knew Harold: a hopeful, fun-loving, eager-to-learn young man who came from lowly beginnings but never let that limit his dreams.

Right after that, I went straight to my uncle to try and plead with him to intervene for Harold. Short of shooting me down, Judge Robillo did not even let me talk to him about the case. The first hint he got that I was going to talk about a pending court case, he asked me gently but very firmly to not discuss it with him. The case wasn’t even in his docket.

Harold stayed in jail for three months. I almost hated my uncle for that. But knowing him, and knowing how my family has always valued integrity, I understood completely why he could not, and did not, interfere with the law.

My uncle is well aware of the flaws in the law, or in the way the law is implemented. He is keenly aware of how “due process” poses many difficulties for Filipinos. But Judge Robillo has always exercised sound judgement in upholding the law, and will continue to champion it as Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Courts of Davao City.

In behalf of my family, I call on the Inquirer to publish an erratum and an apology to Judge Isaac G. Robillo II.

Celdran with new tour guides

Carlos Celdran provided valuable input to the local tourism industry when he visited Davao City from 6 to 9 July 2011. On the 8th, the Department of Tourism – Region 11 arranged a powwow for Carlos and a new batch of graduates of DOT-11′s tour guiding program.

In his usual effervescent self, Carlos related to a rapt audience how he developed his signature tours of Old Manila, and gave the new tour guides insightful tips on how to conduct informative yet entertaining tours. Hopefully, he has planted seeds of innovative ideas in the minds of those present that day.

Artists All

Also quite well-known (or notorious, depending on who’s talking) for his advocacy to get Congress to pass the Reproductive Health and Responsible Parenthood bill, Carlos gamely welcomed questions about his legal tussle with the Catholic Church. He mentioned that he was delighted with Davao City for having had its own reproductive health ordinance for some years now.

As a token of appreciation, the group gifted Carlos with a framed abstract painting by Davao artist, Rey Aranda.

Serendipitous convergence

On 7 July, having dinner at Ronaldo’s on F. Torres St., I asked Carlos and his wife Tesa, DOT-11 regional director Art Boncato and About.com travel writer, Michael Aquino, if they knew a certain Michael Grosberg of Lonely Planet. Since we were all together to talk about the future of Davao tourism, it was but natural to bring up hearing about a popular travel publication, especially when one of its writers was in town. None of them knew Michael Grosberg, but I’d heard he was in Davao from Jackie Dizon (Maxima Beach House, Crocodile Park, etc.) and from my favorite dive shop that same day.

About the time when dessert was served, a man who had been having dinner alone in the restaurant approached our little group. Hearing your name bandied around by a party of chatty patrons, you’d be curious too. It was Michael Grosberg.

Dinner at Ronaldo's

What were the chances, right??

Our evening became even more interesting with the second Michael in the group. He had been sent to Davao to update the city’s entry on Lonely Planet, which I hope will include some of the tidbits we were able to share with him. For example, I explained to Michael why, on that street where we were, the row of restaurants is punctuated by a funeral home.

(F. Torres Street was a lonely road way back when, and as far as I can remember, the funeral parlor had been there forever. Filipinos being the way they are with funerals, the need for places to eat nearby brought about the mushrooming of food establishments in the area. Of course, it also helps that one of Davao’s culinary institutions, Harana, had also been on that street since time immemorial.)

It was an evening of memorable conversation and exhilarating exchange of ideas. Too bad, though, that I wasn’t able to bring Michael G. scuba diving. He did, however, go on a white-water run with Sonny Dizon the following day.

Next steps

Carlos & co.’s tour of Davao and Samal ended with a luxurious and sumptuous feast at the newly-reopened Café Marco on 8 July 2011. We were treated to a spectacular buffet that I’m sure people will be talking about for the next few weeks. Kudos to Marco Polo Hotel Davao for uplifting the city’s culinary experience!

Speaking with Director Boncato afterwards, we plan to follow through with some of Carlos Celdran’s ideas for Davao tourism. One of which is this: preserve the city’s history.

I’ve also promised to help the DOT in teaching the tour guides of the Davao region in using social media to level-up their chosen profession.

A couple months ago, my cousin had a brainstorm. Michael Aquino works for About.com as its travel writer for Southeast Asia, and he pined for an off-the-beaten-track type of sightseeing tour for Davao, akin to what Carlos was doing in Manila. Well, what better way to do that but to get the man himself on board!

The blogger with Carlos & Mike

Through Facebook and Twitter, Mike and I were able to pique Carlos’ interest in Davao, as well as solicit the support of the indefatigable regional director of Department of Toursim – Region 11, Art Boncato, Jr.

Davao City’s tourism, in my opinion, has remained unchanged for too long. We need something different here, we need to do something new in order to attract tourists to come to Davao and stay for a bit longer. From what I’ve observed, travelers come to the city and hie off to other places. While that’s also a good thing, on the other hand, I think they’re missing out on some truly Dabawenyo experiences.

Why did we bring Carlos Celdran to Davao? I believe it’s very good practice to listen to somebody from the outside, someone who has a fresh perspective, someone who might see what’s been under our noses all this time.

Kudos to DOT-Region 11 for putting together this familiarization tour! With Dir. Boncato at the helm, the Davao Region’s tourism industry is a sure winner.