Just three houses from across ours, she lived a full, frugal and celibate life. She spent her most productive years at the Calabanga Central Division Pilot School in barangay San Francisco, on the other side of the twin roads.
Viewed by the ricefields at the back of our house, Kanibag hill is a balding mound of soil, a geological anomally, perched on the shoulders of Mount Isarog.
While the combined local and national election brings a cacophony of promises from candidates addressed to all the voting and non-voting people of the land, I wondered what promises are hollowed ideas and concepts that may just fade in thin air once elected.
A boat ride is one way in getting to the city of Masbate and the island province of Masbate from the Bicol peninsula.
What can the alliance of dream, determination, cooperation, faith, hope, charity, hard work, perseverance, community organization and vision accomplish and build?
A parish church and pious Catholic community in the sub-hilly part of Calabanga’s village in Paolbo.
Beside the gate of the public Calabanga central division pilot school is its massive, proud, yet paint-fading marker signage.
People watching people at the bay. Many times I do engage in people watching just for the joy of it. But how do I know I am not the object/ subject of another’s curiosity?
The “Octagon” is a squat building that occupies the municipal lot which used to be an open space with a basketball court. It was there we watched various village teams compete for the championship trophy during the summer night games.
Twenty one year old Bicol lass Maria Venus Raj from the town of Bato here in the province of Camarines Sur, bested twenty three other beauty contestants.
At 6:28 in the evening, stalls at the only public market in the town start turning off lights one by one.
The nipa (pronounced neepa, as in long e) palm or nypa fruticans is an unusual tree that thrives abundantly on the creek at the back of our house. Obviously it is the perfect and natural breeding area which is muddy and wet ground.
I hate goodbyes. It pricks the innermost recesses of my heart and pour tears on my eyes. It makes me sad and switch to a somber mood. I am very sentimental. I hate goodbyes.
The parish church of Our Lady of La Porteria, one of the six in the town, gets the much needed roof renovation.
When bank and store credit was eased even to low income singles and families, the first option was to get one motor bike for ease in mobility. A very affordable monthly, some weekly, financing plan enticed one too many in our region; an effective sales drive that spread like wildfire not only in urban centers but also in suburban areas. Add to that the prospect of more savings on daily gas expense, and there should be no second thoughts but walk into the bike store and grab one.
Our town offers a distinct opportunity for local cycling enthusiasts to prove their prowess and grit by trekking to the hillsides and the rural country which is literally straddling the broad shoulders of mighty Mt. Isarog.
This is a sky photo taken during our visit of the village of Balongay here in Calabanga.
It’s been more than two weeks now (and counting), the evacuees of about forty seven thousand people are huddled in designated safe centers in the province of Albay. The “former” residents who called their home the slopes of restive, almost perfect-coned Mayon volcano, spent their first Christmas and New Year, in cramped and crowded surroundings.
A new Catholic parish was canonically erected last October in the town of Calabanga by the Archdiocese of Caceres. The parish of St. Peregrine of Laziosi with its seat at barangay Sto. Domingo, is the 79th of the archdiocese. The new church is under the vicariate of Our Lady of La Porteria. Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi, OP, DD, himself installed Fr. Joseph Collada Olin as the first parish priest during the mass held at the Union elementary school.
On June 11, 1978 the Philippine national historical commission by virtue of presidential decree 1505 declared the baroque-inspired Quipayo church as a national historical landmark.
Residents of barangay Salvacion have to walk roads in disrepair, with asphalt washed away by flood and strong rains the past few months, a prevailing situation many times common to areas in the region.
How “bad events” struck twice in a row is a story so true and experienced by a good religious family in Daraga town, province of Albay. The first was brought about by the wrath of nature, the second by negligence and human error.
Let’s spend an afternoon, and perhaps wait for the sun set, at the Rompeolas of Sorsogon city.
We were at the town’s only public Catholic cemetery yesterday and visited our dear departed. Here in our place, as in the whole country, November 1st is designated by the church and the government as All Saints day.
With the creation of a new congressional district in the province, our town is now in the third, well, the whole old second district was renamed new third district. It took effect when Republic Act 9716 was signed into law October 12th this year which reapportioned the first district of […]
The rural town of Manito is opening up to the influx of tourists brought about by the eco-tourism drive of the government. While it is home to the 160-megawatt Manito-Bacon geothermal plant, the site is being developed to cater to tourists.
There are arrivals and changes that are welcome but make drastic contrast in memories stored in our mind. Take for example the recent conversion of the Camarines Sur State Agriculltural College (CSSAC) into the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) system last October 12, this year.
Less than two years since its launching last November 24, 2007, the
Bicol Wikipidya, an alternative choice and online reference source now has 4.654 articles and increasing.
Where in some advanced countries Krill fishing is so elaborate, modern, organized and well-funded to fill the appetite of factories that churn the tiny, minuscule organism into pet food, or extract its oil content for commercial purposes, our town fishers do it simple and still environmentally friendly, and most of all not saturating its population.
Much of the krills harvested in San Miguel bay are destined for human consumption. Depending on the volume, a fisherman would either bring his catch home or sell to a middleman.
With its towering height of 8,077 feet (2,462 meters), the almost perfect-coned volcano is the main tourist attraction of the province and the regions’ natural wonder.
But don’t be guiled with its beauty and charm, for it has erupted times too many since its first recorded activity in 1776. The most destructive was in 1814 when the town of Cagsawa was buried under its mudflows and only the church belfry was left standing. The town was later relocated into what is now the bustling trade center of Daraga.
Just a few meters from the rocky shoreline by the breakwater, this Sabang fisherman is making the most out of his early morning hours, scouring the shallow waters catching for the tiny, tiny shrimp-like marine orgnisms which thrives in San Miguel bay.
This is Mt. Isarog, a dead volcano nestled at the heart of Camarines Sur province, the highest forested peak in the southern portion of the island of Luzon with a height of 1,966 meters (6,450.13 feet) above sea level.
By the ricefield. The simple joy of living in a rural area.
We tend to our rice farm and look up to the sky for rains to come at times.
Very popular among the folks on small towns is this means of transport where gas is not required to make it go the distance. It feeds on pedal power, endurance and foot strength of the trike operator. The three wheeled pedal trike’s popularity is all over that from the town […]
Calabanga is a small speck of dot as seen on the map of the province of Camarines Sur, down the region and peninsula of Bicol in southern Luzon, the Philippines.
The once white, thick puffy clouds hovering above turned darker in due time, cool air sweep the area and then tiny droplets of crystal water began to pour from above.
One way we can learn about the the town is by wandering at the market. And on this our particular stroll, we came upon this makeshift-stall selling new and second hand clothes.
San Pablo is a small village of Calabanga town, one of the few that comprises its poblacion or urban center. Actually, it is just a one-street affair with both sides cramped with residential structures of varying designs defined by the financial well-being of the residents.
Calabanga marks its 260th year of townhood July 15th since it was created into a municipality in 1749. As a community of over seventy three thousand people, however, the town traces its history from the earliest days of Bicol when natives crossed rivers and seas and climbed mountains to settle in places where the soil looked rich, and nature kind.
A new Catholic parish was canonically erected last October in the town of Calabanga by the Archdiocese of Caceres. The parish of St. Peregrine of Laziosi with its seat at barangay Sto. Domingo, is the 79th of the archdiocese. The new church is under the vicariate of Our Lady of La Porteria. Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi, OP, DD, himself installed Fr. Joseph Collada Olin as the first parish priest during the mass held at the Union elementary school.
Why a second airport in CamSur will rise in San Jose. Can’t get enough good airport in the province of Camarines Sur? Perhaps, this is why another airport project is coming up. The Partido area in the province of Camarines Sur is getting its own airport.
Viewed by the ricefields at the back of our house, Kanibag hill is a balding mound of soil, a geological anomally, perched on the shoulders of Mount Isarog.
Five years after opening its gates to the first batch of students from the surrounding communities in barangay Sta. Salud of the municipality of Calabanga, the co-educational institution still thrives and is thriving well and good. We refer to the La Salud Family Farm School, the only one of its […]
We share a short video taken in one of our visits at the shoreline of Sabang in the town of Calabanga. It took some time before we had the juice at putting together the video which at one occasion was thought to be of no good use. While we took […]
Albay governor Joey Salceda just called the power blackout that inconvenienced constituents for eight days and eight nights as “Bitano Massacre”. Adding that the hapless occurrence which highlighted the seervice of the Albay Power and Energy Corporation, a creation of the San Miguel Enenergy Corporation, may have made residents firmer […]
The Catholic and many Christian denominations nears the completion in the commemoration of the Holy Week in the Philippines and around the world. Below sharing vigils from Manila and Vatican, and more. The livestream vigil at Vatican, below (w/ English commentary). Livestream with English commentary. Naga Metropolitan Cathedral and Parish […]
This is Part 2- Road Tour of thoroughfares in Albay province. We take note of road traffic and road condition, too. This portion covers the section of Pan Philippine Hi-way that connects the towns of Oas, Ligao, Guinobatan, Camalig and Daraga. Plus catch a quick glimpse of Mount Mayon along […]
In a seemingly desperate but obsessed dream of guiding Daet into becoming a city, the local officials are into a frenzy of proposed redevelopment projects. According to mayor Tito Sarion, “… we are presently in the process of implementing large-scale facelift projects such as the P30-million local government center, P30-million […]
FERNANDEZ HERNANDEZ Post 2: On March 11, 1869, Eulogio, one of the scions of the #FernandezHernandezCalabanga clan was born in the vast town of Quipayo, in the village somewhere within the current territory around barangay San Jose (now Pagatpat). In some baptismal records during that era, the place was also […]
LEGAZPI CITY, April 18 — Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda is facing a P47 million malverzation charge filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) before the Office of the Ombudsman. Unfazed Salceda on Thursday said he is ready to face the charge for alleged ghost deliveries of relief […]
Here is the unofficial financial data about the Philippine provinces on tax revenue for fiscal year 2009. Tax revenue include real property, tax on business and other taxes. Of the 80 provinces, 11 collected property tax over P155M. The list is topped by Pangasinan with collection of P437,984,080; followed by […]
Bicol netizens fired up with mall constructions in Naga and Legazpi Bicol netizens on social media sites are so fired up with the news and non-news of mall constructions, etc., in and around the cities of Naga and Legazpi. Hurling each other with verbal abuse, unbecoming of a Bicolano, when […]
Typhoon “Glenda” left behind with majority of electric cooperatives, power retailers, in the Bicol mainland and other areas powerless, as noted by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). In the NGCP’s 7:00 a.m. update Wednesday, identified these cooperatives as the Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc. (ESAMELCO), Samar Electric […]
We cannot help but raise two thumbs up for that endearing and commendable efforts shared by the educational community of Central Bicol State University of Agriculture in Calabanga. On August 26th this year, the Technology Department moved its staff, instructors and students for a fun clean-up drive about the town working hand-in-hand with the local government officials of Calabanga.
Tomorrow, we go to the polls, for the third time in a row in one year. First was the national election last May, then the Comelec-bungled barangay election last month. But tomorrow will be the selection of board of directors of the Camarines Sur II electric cooperative for resident-consumers of the nine towns of Siruma, Tinambac, Calabanga, Bombon, Canaman, Magarao, Milaor, Minalabac, Pili and Naga city.
The proposed rehabilitation of Camsur’s Camaligan fish port met a stumbling block with the withdrawal by its funding source. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has withdrawn as it rechannels funding at home in the aftermath of overwhelming devastation brought about by the earthquake and tsunami last March.
Juban, Sorsogon (PNA) — A German agency is providing a flood warning system along a major river that serves as flood path of rain water coming from the slope of Mt. Bulusan. To be put up along Cadac-an River, which stretches from the lower slope of the volcano and traverses […]
Rush Transcript: Cbanga360 News and Public Affairs’ Bicol Headline News with Ginger, August 17, 2013 edition. Lupi Camarines Sur was listed among the beneficiaries of the P900 million Malampaya fund, supposedly given to farmer-beneficiaries under the Department of Agrarian Reform. The fund is part of the alleged, P10 billion government […]
LEGAZPI CITY — Fresh from her triumph in the Tokyo pageant, that definitely capped the year’s unprecedented haul of various international beauty titles ever, the newest Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago will be home in the Bicol region before the year ends. Bea Rose will mark her homecoming with […]
Officials of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said in a briefing that Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon in Region 5; and Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite and Rizal in Region 4, Bataan in Region 3 were all cut off from the grid as of 8:00 P.M., […]
Ayala invests P1-billion in Legazpi mall project development. City mayor Noel Rosal said on Saturday evening during a social event celebration held at the city motorpool compound that the Ayala Corporation has invested P1-billion for the construction of a mall right at the heart of the city. Ayala took over […]
VIRAC, Catanduanes, March 20 — Can a bridge connect Catanduanes to the mainland Bicol and facilitate land travel bothways? Cantanduanes governor Araceli Wong made her thoughts ring loud and clear dreaming of the mega infrastructure now called the Friendship-Tourism bridge. Ambitious as it is, the 10.8-kilometer concrete bridge will traverse […]
Fish farms in Lake Buhi suffered another fishkill, just after the heavy rains brought by Typhoon “Lando.” The heavy rains dumped resulted in the upswelling at the bottom of Lake Buhi, causing a fishkill estimated at P14.5 million worth of cultured tilapia in fish cages, according to the Bureau of […]