06 December 2005
OPINION: December affairs
SmorgasbordLiway C. Manantan-Yparraguirre
(First and foremost, I would like to thank the publisher for giving me the privilege to write a column in this weekly paper that reaches and touches the world. I choose Smorgasbord as title because I intend to impart bits and pieces of information on what’s going on around us, leaving the reader the choice what to nibble at and what to munch on. )
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SOME say Christmas this year is bleak because of high prices of commodities and all. But in some places in Pangasinan, December is enlivened by fiesta celebrations and sports activities.
In Mapandan town, there is the ongoing Mayor’s Cup Challenge which started on November 12. The sporting events being played are boxing and junior basketball. The cheer-dance competition and marathon were held during the opening day.
Mayor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim Jr. said the fiesta-like awarding ceremony is scheduled on December 18. All the winners will receive their cash prizes and trophies that evening.
The top five winners in the cheer-dance competition will showcase their winning performances. Oh, yes, the event was ruled by the cheer-dancers of Barangay Aserda who will receive a whooping P15,000 cash. Second to fifth runners-up were barangays Baloleng, Torres, Poblacion and Apaya. They will also receive corresponding cash prizes.
The marathon event was ruled by Cyril Prado of barangay Golden. First and second runners-up were Gary Mendoza of barangay Baloling and Hermogenes Dulay of barangay Sta. Maria.
Mayor Ferdie said the Mayor’s Cup is sort of a prelude to the Mapandan Town Fiesta and 4th Pandan Festival which will be held on April 3-9, 2006.
In Mapandan town, there is the ongoing Mayor’s Cup Challenge which started on November 12. The sporting events being played are boxing and junior basketball. The cheer-dance competition and marathon were held during the opening day.
Mayor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim Jr. said the fiesta-like awarding ceremony is scheduled on December 18. All the winners will receive their cash prizes and trophies that evening.
The top five winners in the cheer-dance competition will showcase their winning performances. Oh, yes, the event was ruled by the cheer-dancers of Barangay Aserda who will receive a whooping P15,000 cash. Second to fifth runners-up were barangays Baloleng, Torres, Poblacion and Apaya. They will also receive corresponding cash prizes.
The marathon event was ruled by Cyril Prado of barangay Golden. First and second runners-up were Gary Mendoza of barangay Baloling and Hermogenes Dulay of barangay Sta. Maria.
Mayor Ferdie said the Mayor’s Cup is sort of a prelude to the Mapandan Town Fiesta and 4th Pandan Festival which will be held on April 3-9, 2006.
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OVERNIGHT AT 100 ISLANDS, TRY IT. Care to stay overnight in one of the three major islands at the Hundred Islands Park? Yopu can now do so.
City Mayor Hernani A. Braganza said it is safe to stay at the islands as environmental policemen and caretakers are deployed there. There are nipa huts where funlovers can sleep in, with basic amenities such as comfort rooms and tap water for bathing/washing. The banca which ferried the guests will also stay overnight
Moreover, the Quezon, Children’s and Governor’s Islands are now lighted.
Impossible to source power from the mainland, and with no solar apparatus to store solar energy, City Mayor Hernani A. Braganza said it is practically Filipino ingenuity at work in the islands.
“We are basically using car batteries. Its dependable, it can last for seven nights, and it’s rechargeable,” he remarked.
Braganza said staying in the island overnight is fun specially when there is moonlight as visitors can see different kinds of fishes that now thrive here. One can try stargazing, or simply relax and enjoy the serenity of the island.
When the Braganza was first elected as mayor, he mapped out the plan to claim authority to manage the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) from the Philippine Tourism Authority.
At the same time, the city government of Alaminos embarked on an all-out marketing campaign to lure foreign and domestic tourists back to the world famous Hundred Islands.
Last June 22, 2005, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order 436 transferring management, administration and maintenance of the park to the city government.
Formal turn-over was held last September.
Meantime, this writer gathered from the City Tourism Office they have recorded 4,000 guests, 10 percent of which are foreigners. They posted an earning of P170,000 for the month of October. These came from entrance ticket sales and rentals of tables at the islands.
The mayor said they are surprised with the continued arrival of visitors despite the lean season. Most of their foreign guests are Koreans, Americans, Britons, Japanese and other nationalities.
Miguel Sison, city tourism consultant said entrance fees at present is pegged at P20 per head for adult and P5 for children below five years old. Tables are being rented out for P100 (daytime only) and P150 (overnight). Motor boat rental (inclusive of island tour) is P600 for small boat (1-5 capacity), P800 for 6-10 capacity, and P900 for a motorboat that can accommodate 10-15 persons. Additional P200 will be charged if the tourists request island hopping.
For the more adventurous, there are also kayaks for rent. Sison said rental for a two-seater kayak is P250 per hour while a single seater kayak is being rented out for 150 per hour.
City Mayor Hernani A. Braganza said it is safe to stay at the islands as environmental policemen and caretakers are deployed there. There are nipa huts where funlovers can sleep in, with basic amenities such as comfort rooms and tap water for bathing/washing. The banca which ferried the guests will also stay overnight
Moreover, the Quezon, Children’s and Governor’s Islands are now lighted.
Impossible to source power from the mainland, and with no solar apparatus to store solar energy, City Mayor Hernani A. Braganza said it is practically Filipino ingenuity at work in the islands.
“We are basically using car batteries. Its dependable, it can last for seven nights, and it’s rechargeable,” he remarked.
Braganza said staying in the island overnight is fun specially when there is moonlight as visitors can see different kinds of fishes that now thrive here. One can try stargazing, or simply relax and enjoy the serenity of the island.
When the Braganza was first elected as mayor, he mapped out the plan to claim authority to manage the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) from the Philippine Tourism Authority.
At the same time, the city government of Alaminos embarked on an all-out marketing campaign to lure foreign and domestic tourists back to the world famous Hundred Islands.
Last June 22, 2005, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Executive Order 436 transferring management, administration and maintenance of the park to the city government.
Formal turn-over was held last September.
Meantime, this writer gathered from the City Tourism Office they have recorded 4,000 guests, 10 percent of which are foreigners. They posted an earning of P170,000 for the month of October. These came from entrance ticket sales and rentals of tables at the islands.
The mayor said they are surprised with the continued arrival of visitors despite the lean season. Most of their foreign guests are Koreans, Americans, Britons, Japanese and other nationalities.
Miguel Sison, city tourism consultant said entrance fees at present is pegged at P20 per head for adult and P5 for children below five years old. Tables are being rented out for P100 (daytime only) and P150 (overnight). Motor boat rental (inclusive of island tour) is P600 for small boat (1-5 capacity), P800 for 6-10 capacity, and P900 for a motorboat that can accommodate 10-15 persons. Additional P200 will be charged if the tourists request island hopping.
For the more adventurous, there are also kayaks for rent. Sison said rental for a two-seater kayak is P250 per hour while a single seater kayak is being rented out for 150 per hour.
At the Quezon island, a docking area was erected for the convenience of the guests (easy disembark) and to prevent boats from docking at the beach area. Braganza said they would like to avoid the situation in Boracay where boats are scattered everywhere destroying the view of the pristine beach.
