Philippine Economic Briefing, March 2010

A Year-end Philippine Economic Briefing was recently held at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel. The activity was meant to apprise the local people of the current situation in the country and what government has been doing.

The economic team who visited Cebu for the briefing included Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Director Zebo Abenoja, Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Preceles Anzano, Department of Finance Secretary Gil Beltran and Department of Energy Undersecretary Mary Rose Crisostomo.

Neda Central Visayas was represented by Regional Director Marlene Rodriguez while Regional Director Asteria Caberte represented Department of Trade and Industry.

Malabago Beach Resort in Asturias

Aaaah, this one I like very much! Malabago beach resort is a quiet, peaceful, clean place; perfect for meditation and relaxation.

The resort also has this healing clay massage. There is also springwater flowing at the side of the beach.

Malabago resort is a what you would call a "mom and pop" small resort. Entrance fee is Php 10.00. Prices of cottages / rooms are reasonable (starting at Php Php 500.00 for basic cottages to Php 3,000 for a whole house complete with living room, bedrooms and kitchen).

To get, there take a habal-habal from the terminal at barangay Sta Lucia in Asturias. A V-hire
with the Ayala-Tuburan route will take you to Sta. Lucia.

Molobolo Springwater in Tuburan

This may appeal to some people so I'm posting photos of the Molobolo springwater and sea in Tuburan in the northwestern part of Cebu.

The place is naturally beautiful. The cool springwater flows out to the warm open sea. Moreover, there is no entrance fee and swimming in its waters cost only Php 5.00.

However, the large crowd and the loud karaoke music in the background turns me off. And there are only open cottages. No closed cottages for privacy.

To get there, I rode a van for hire at Ayala terminal for Php 130. Then took a habal-habal (motorcycle for hire) at Tuburan proper (fare is Php 30.00). The trip took me around 2 hours from Cebu City.

GL Highland Resort

I finally took a dip at the springwater pool of GL Highland Resort.

Although I was there at noon on a bright, sunny day, the water remained cold. I enjoyed the swim though. I was assured that it was chemical free since it is moving water.

Not many people know about the pool (I was the only one there at that time). No wonder, it is well hidden by trees and shrubs. And it takes more than two hundred steps to get there. Getting back up the side of the mountain is another hurdle. This is one activity that is definitely not for people who have arthritis or heart problem.

It takes less than an hour to get to GL Highland Resort in Gaas, Balamban from Cebu City. Resort entrance fee is Php 20.00. Pool use is Php 50.00. If you don’t have a car, take a van-for-hire GT Express at the Ayala Terminal. Ayala-Balamban Fare is Php 100.00.

There is something fiendishly pleasurable about being among the few to know about this pool. I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face until now.

Transcentral Highway

It is a long winding highway that stretches across the mountains of Cebu City and Balamban. It is a significant engineering feat meant to provide the farmers an easy access to the market in the lowlands. It has also accelerated development in the mountain barangays of Cebu City and Balamban.

Although locals are constantly complaining of landslides and collapsed sections (due to the type of soil in the highlands), the transcentral highway remains a remarkable engineering work. The scenery is breathtaking all the way. One of the best places to hike.

Traffic is light at the highway day or night, barely any vehicles pass at dusk because of the descending fog that makes it difficult to see ahead.

I thank the visionary and the implementer of the project because it has provided me and the rest of Cebuanos a convenient and easy way to momentarily escape the travails in the city.

JVR Island in the Sky Resort

Barangay Gaas in Balamban is known as the "little Baguio" of Cebu. Its cool mountain temperature is similar to that of Baguio. The JVR "Island in the Sky Resort is located along the Transcentral Highway that traverses from Cebu City to Balamban where I usually take my weekend hike.

At the JVR resort, the fog is very visible even during noontime. Actually that was the first time I've seen a fog coming towards me. And there was an added attraction called the zip line. The management also plans to install a cable car sometime this year so guests can just ride the car towards the pool below the mountain.

The slopes and terrain of the Transcentral Highway is good for cardiovascular exercise, according to my doctor, aside from its relatively cleaner air (there are few vehicles passing the area) as compared to the downtown area.

With its lush greenery, cool breeze, and scenic sights, hiking at the transcentral highway, is my favorite exercise, it beats the gym treadmill and stepper everytime.

In going there, I take the GT Express, a van of hire (Php 100 fare), at the Ayala Center terminal.

Crocolandia

The kids enjoy themselves in this one hectare conservation center aptly named Crocolandia.

True to its name, the park has around 24 crocodiles and alligators. However, almost 50 percent of their animals are birds. Others are snakes, deer and ostrich. The Crocolandia Foundation, as I recently learned, is a first of its kind in Central Visayas. Aside from a walk-around learning experience, the park offers a playgroudn for kids and a picnic area.

Crocolandia is located in Biasong, Talisay, Cebu. Entrance fee is Php 80 for adults and Php 40 for kids.

I went by KMK bus (Php20 fare) to Tabunok Gaisano and then took a motorized tricycle (Php50) to Biasong.

Rizaliana Museum at USPF

According to the curator, the Rizal Museum at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation is actually the biggest collection of Rizal’s artifacts outside Manila.

The University has in its possession the original checkered winter coat and overcoat of the hero, the same one you often see Jose Rizal wearing in his famous photos. Other Rizal belongings include two evening white shirts, checkered winter pants, winter vest, cotton blue-stripped summer pants, a cotton collarless white shirt, and undershirt, cotton shirt cuffs, two pairs of socks and horse-riding breeches.

I still can’t get over Rizal’s waist measurement, it’s definitely smaller than mine. Jose Rizal’s height, as shared by a student guide, was around 4’11” – 5 ft. and 2 inches, definitely short by today’s standard. However, he was blessed with a sharp intellect and artistic talent as indicated by the sketches, literary and sculptural works he produced.

I also saw photographs of Rizal's family (Saturnina is the best looking sibling), a copy of Rizal and Trinidad's school report cards ( Rizal had excellent grades while Trinidad was average) and Josephine Bracken's letters (reminds me of the quaint English used by Conan Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories).

Sorry, I wasn' t allowed to take photos of the artifacts. As explained by my guide, these artifacts are light sensitive. I merely took a photo of the framed composite photos of artists trying to replicate the clothes of Rizal for the mobile museum.

The personal belongings of Rizal were donated by Doña Trinidad, Rizal’s younger sister to the University. Her niece, Concepcion Herbosa, the daughter of Mariano Herbosa and Lucia Rizal was married to the former USPF Vice President Escolastico Duterte. She promised to donate the personal belongings of her brother when she visited USPF on February 11, 1951. Doña Trinidad wanted to give her niece the cherished possessions of our national hero. I bet you didn't know that fact.

I asked the guide whether there are any relations left of Jose Rizal in Cebu. She told me that Concepcion Herbosa, who taught at the USPF, and Escolastico Duterte had no children.

If you want to visit the museum, you have to book in advance. You may contact Mr. Lucio Pulmones of the USPF Student Affairs Office at tel. nos. 4148773 loc. 122.

Cebu Zoo

I wanted to check-out the Cebu Zoo one lazy afternoon. And considering that this is the year of the tiger based on the Chinese calendar, I decided to pay a visit to Bogart, a Bengal tiger.

Bogart as you can see in the photograph was then taking a nap. Casper and Snow White, two cross-bred poodles of the zoo, endeavored to wake him up but Bogart stubbornly refused to open his eyes. I guess Bogart was too tired from constantly entertaining visitors that the noise from the puppies didn't bother him. He even didn't bother to eat his chicken snack.

I don’t favor having animals in cages but for those ones that are lethal like the cobra, I would be amenable to having them in a safe enclosure. The zoo keeper said that one crocodile was friendly and would agree to be patted on his back, but looking at the size of his fangs, I decided to keep my hands to myself.

I’ve posted photos of the other usual zoo animals. One animal that strikes me as more than the ordinary is this local "Bisaya" dog that walks at the top of three cages. I asked he caretaker whether he ever goes to down to take his lunch or dinner. He said that the dog prefers to eat and sleep on top of the cage. In fact, the little Bisaya dog doesn’t know how to properly walk on the ground. As for the python snake, he prefers human company. … probably the cobra wasn’t a good neighbor….ha..ha..ha. The doves are also roaming free since they only leave a place when there is strife according to the caretaker.

The Cebu Zoo has recently signed an agreement with a private party to develop a few hectares of the Kalunasan area. I hope to see a bigger and better zoo next year. Meanwhile, go visit or donate; the local zoo certainly needs your help. The Cebu Zoo is located at the Capitol Hills, near Camp Marina.