After a day in Cebu, we woke up early the next morning to catch the early schedule of fast craft in Pier 1 of Cebu City. We purchased ticket the afternoon to lessen the hassle that morning.
We rode MV StarCraft, and left Pier 1 at 6 am. We reached Tagbilaran Port at 8 am. We decided to take the Cebu-Tagbilaran route so that we could catch our flight on Sunday at 1 pm. We will be leaving Bohol through Tubigon Port, which is just an hour away from Cebu. Fastcrafts en route Cebu at Tubigon leave as early as 6 am, unlike fastcrafts at Tagbilaran leave at 8 am.
At Tagbilaran port, we hired a van which will take us to the tour at Bohol. It cost us 4,500. Our first stop was at Blood Compact Site.
Afterwards, we dropped by at one DTI-accredited souvenir shop where we bought pasalubongs.
We visited old churches which were damaged by the strong earthquake in 2013. Then, we took lunch at Loboc River Cruise. We paid 450/head, tantamount to a sumptuous buffet while cruising the emerald green colored water of Loboc River.
Then, we went to Loboc Adventure, where we rode a cable car. The view was just breathtaking.
Afterards, we headed to Loboc Tarsier Conservation Park and had close encounter with the Tarsiers. Then, we dropped by at the Hanging Bridge at Carmen, and went to The Butterfly Garden.
Our last stop was the viewing deck of the Chocolate Hills. Watching the sunset over the deck was simply amazing!
Upon arrival at Tagbilaran Port.
Baclayon Church
Renovation of Baclayon Church.
Breathtaking view of the Loboc River
Remnants of Loboc Church after the aftermath of a massive earthquake in 2013
It was on the 13th of November 2014 when my colleagues and I booked a flight to Cebu. We decided to have a 4-day break from our very busy work schedule.
We had a direct flight from Legazpi Airport to Mactan International Airport, scheduled at 2:45. The flight lasted for about an hour from Legazpi.
Afterwards, we headed to our hotel located at the heart of Cebu City. We checked in at Sampaguita Plaza Suites, which is just a few meters away from Magellan's cross and about one and a half hours drive from the airport.
Heading back to the hotel after dinner at SM City Cebu
The next day, we rented a van that would take us to the different tourist spots in the City. We spent about P 4,000 pesos for the whole day as rent for van service.
Our itinerary are as follows:
-Basilica del Santo Nino
-Basilica del Santo Nino Museum
-Fort San Pedro
-Heritage of Cebu Monument
-Yap-Sandiego Ancestral House
-Taoist Temple
-Lunch at CNC LEchon
-Mactan Shrine
-Alegre Guitars
-Sky Experience Adventure
This is for the person who filled my whole year with superb happiness. You know who you are.
Before you came, I didn’t know what I was missing. I had a few heartbreaks which almost made me forget that I am capable of loving and of being loved. I admit that at first, I doubted your intentions. I thought you were this typical guy who could break any girl’s heart when he would wish to do so. But then, you proved me wrong, and for that I call myself lucky.
There are a lot of things for me to thank you for, but I am araid that this blog entry would not be enough to accommodate everything I want to utter, nonetheless,I will try as much as I could.
Thank you for spicing up my mundane life. Before, life seems so ‘run of the mill’- so commonplace and boring, but when you came, I got excited to welcome each day with a genuine smile and glistening eyes.
Thank you for proving that everything could be taken slowly and that one should wait for things to fall into their proper places. You proved me that love means waiting and that waiting isn’t a tedious thing at all when it involves the one you care for.
Thank you for your listening ears whenever there are things- may it be problems or trivial issues I want to talk about. Your views and opinion are very much appreciated.
Thank you for making me smile and laugh all the time. Whenever we are together, pressure and anxiety just vanish. You are my best ‘de-stressor’ ever.
Thank you for the love, care and attention. We may not be together always but you never fail in making me feel that I am truly loved and missed no matter how busy we are both.
Thank you for all the respect. You are one perfect gentleman. You always make me special.
Thank you for boosting my confidence, for believing in my capabilities though I doesn’t believe in mine anymore. You always inspire me to push harder. Thank you for being my number one fan.
Thank you for telling me I am pretty though I believe otherwise especially during my bad days. Echosero ka talaga kuya!.hehe =)
Thank you for the memorable bus rides. I always look forward into going home with you. Coz when I go home alone, the ride seems so boring I almost doze off.
Thank you for being my boyfriend, my bestfriend and my big brother in one. There’s nothing more I could wish for.
You always tell me you are so lucky you have me. But you know what? I plead to disagree. I believe I am much luckier for having you around. =)
FYI. I am not a board placer, so dont raise your eyebrows as you read along the succeeding paragraphs. I am just overwhelmed and I feel I have to blurt this all out. Yes, I admit I dreamt of placing the board exams, but sadly I was just really not “made” into becoming one. Oh, let me correct my statement, I just did not push myself to deserve the prestigious title. Now, that fits better.
I can vividly remember, when I was in my last year in high school, becoming an accountant barely crossed my mind. We had accounting lessons during the fourth grading period and geez, I really can’t understand a single detail. It made my head ache all the time. I had failing scores in almost all quizzes, and it almost made me curse accounting!
With Karen, a former dormate and April before the start of the oathtaking ceremonies at Fiesta Pavilion, Manila Hotel
My mother and I after the ceremonies. =)
I was really persistent that I would take either Electronics and Communications Engineering or Civil Engineering. I dreamt of conquering fields where men excel. See, Accountancy was not even included in my top two choices. However, fate knocked along the way, and made me traverse another path. And to make it short, I chose one of the most hated courses, BS Accountancy. Yes, I said most hated. I am one of those die-hard haters. It was never easy! I am glad I made it through, and I consider it a miracle!But what I consider as a greater miracle is when He helped me make my name three letters longer.
I was seated beside Kieth, a former classmate and a friend.
Obtaining those three big letters was never easy. It was roller coaster along the way, and I bet all accountancy graduates and cpa’s would agree with me if it could be likened into going to hell and back (even though no one actually knows how it feels like.hehe)
I was afraid then of going to Manila for the formal review. I did not know what lies ahead, but carrying in my heart that burning desire to put the last touches on my chosen path, I gathered all the strength and confidence I can draw together to fortify me for the long dreaded months of being away from the people,places and things I got used to. It was really one BIG SACRIFICE. There were times when I almost found myself at the verge of giving up, but I was lucky enough to have companions and people who had been my source of inspiration.
I posed at a giant christmas tree at the main lobby of the hotel.
They say that not everyone is destined to pass. It is only for the people who exerted blood and sweat from day one- from the moment they chose accountancy. My efforts may have failed at some point, but I was fortunate enough to regain my composure and continue the battle until the end.I was truly lucky for having been included in the 4,066 passers out of the 8,525 who took the country’s ‘toughest licensure examination’ as dubbed by Mr. Elrey T. Ramos, our guest speaker during the induction ceremonies. I am glad God saw my efforts. What was even more rewarding is to see the smile and tears of joy in the faces of people who felt double my apprehension and glee.
I have learned that all the blood, sweat, tears, stress, and sleepless nights will all get unnoticed once you attain your big goal, and by that time, it will be over shadowed by a genuine smile on your face and on the faces of the people who feel double the exhiliration you feel, all because of your one sweet victory. After all, your sorrows and your happiness are are also the sorrows and happiness of the people who truly love you. =)
Its been such a
while since I had a good try in putting something spectacular out of my mighty
pen. It’s an endeavor I have been missing for months now. I bid goodbye to it
for less than a year ago when I graduated from college and welcomed 5 long
months of sacrifice for my CPA board exams formal review. But now that the
sacrifice paid off, I realized that writing is something I would not want to
get rid out of my system. I would like to embrace it and would love to make it
part of who I truly am.
A few weeks ago
I got interested in blogging. Actually, it’s through my boyfriend’s blog. I
have been so hooked in reading his writings once in a while.Then,he encouraged me to give blogging a good
try. So I did and here I am. =)
As
i have said, writing is my passion. And i can’t get it out of my whole damn
system. I believe I started my passion for writing since I was a kid. I would
remember getting a pencil and a piece of paper and try to scribble words into
short poems.Then I had my little diary too. In grade school, I would love
english and filipino writing classes because we were asked to write our own
essays and poems. I pour my heart in it, and would take pleasure whenever I get
good grades and positive commentaries from my teachers. Then I became part of
our school organ and underwent several trainings. I did not just learn how to
write essays, but I learned the rubrics of news writing and editorial writing.
I would reach other places to compete, meet other school journalists,and make
friends. It gave me good memories and made my childhood years worth looking
back. My enthusiasm for writing continued during high school and college where
I became part of the school publication.
Campus
journalism gave me deeper sense of maturity and responsibility- in words, in
thoughts, in actions. It gave me sagacity that every word I write should be
accurate and objective.It opened my eyes to every heartbreaking reality. It
helped me strengthen my awareness to every issue that concerns my country and
myself. It helped me form my own intelligent opinion on every matter. It made
me realize that nonchalance for every issue that concerns your beloved country
is tantamount to treachery.
I have to admit that writing paved many
opportunities for me, opportunities I never imagined.I have been sent here and
there to attend workshops from the country’s top caliber journalists. I
competed with the journalists from the country’s top universities. It paved way
for achievements and recognition from my comrades, professors, my university
and private organizations. However, there came a point when my grades were
dwindling, I considered putting a halt to writing which I considered my life.I
had a hard time in managing my academics and my publication affairs. I thought
that it would be a hindrance into fulfilling my dream of becoming a Certified
Public Accountant. However, because of divine intervention, I chose to stay.
Now that I am
already a CPA, I can say that I made an excellent choice, and I do not have any
regrets choosing writing over having all the great time in the world to get
unos in my transcipt of records and graduate on top of my batch. Responsibility
(which journalism has developed in me in the first place) prevailed over self-interest.
And i know i really cannot bid goodbye to my first love. I may just forget
about writing once in a while just like what I did during my months of formal
review, but i know I would get back to my feet once again, grab a pen and paper
and say hello to writing once again. =)
Written during the 48th National Rizal Youth Leadership Institute Conference
Teachers Camp, Baguio City, 16 to 19 December 2010
It was late evening, on December 29, 1896. Rizal was alone in his murky detention cell in Fort Santiago. By a small lantern, he was writing his last poem when I got the chance to talk to him.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Angeli, Sir, a Filipino youth,” I replied.
“Where are you from?”
“I am from the year 2010, Sir. I got the chance to travel on a time machine,” I retorted.
His eyes glistened.
“Interesting. Come, sit beside me and tell me about the state of the Philippines, 114 years after my death,” he said.
I responded to his request, and gave him my truthful account. I never dared to lie.
Suddenly, he was short of breath, tears welled in his eyes, he was saddened by my stories.
Instantly, he said: “I am leaving with this belief . . . for as long as there are among us who share the same vision for the Philippines, a unified archipelago that is progressive in all sectors, the sun and the stars of our flag will never lose their luster. Our country may have experienced a lot of downfalls but it can never deny this fact: that there is a hero in all Filipinos. Young lady, there is a hero in you.”
Then, I left Rizal, about to die, carrying in my heart his last words to me that there is a hero in each Filipino, in me. We just have to search for it deep within the deepest core of our heart.
It is year 2010 and I'm back to reality. I realize that Rizal was right, that our shared vision for the Philippines is not impossible to achieve—if, and only if we'll unleash the heroes within us. We should not just dream. Rather we should wake up from our deep slumber and make our shared dream for the Philippines a reality. As the saying goes, “A vision without an action is merely a dream. An action without a vision just passes the time. A vision with an action can change the world.”
We should emulate what Rizal did in Dapitan. There, he practiced medicine by charging the rich and giving medicine gratis to the poor. He prescribed local medicinal plants to poor patients who could not afford imported medicines. He established a school where he imbued his students with the knowledge that each youth deserves. He taught new methods of agriculture, he established the cooperative association of Dapitan farmers to improve farm products which could be bought at moderate prices. He erected the first lighting system using coconut oil lamps. He established a system of waterworks using a system of canals made of bamboo. He drained the marshes to prevent the breeding of malaria carrying mosquitos. He invented a cigarette lighter he called ‘sulpukan’ and a machine for making bricks.
Truly Rizal was an initiator, an innovator across sectors!
“Young lady, there is a hero in you,” his words still ringing in my ears, I felt a pang in my chest. It made me reflect, would I be able to establish my own Dapitan?
Then, I realized that somehow, Rizal and I have something in common: a clamor for a social reform through the use of the mighty pen.
I am a writer. I have been following my passion for writing ever since I was in elementary years. In writing, I feel that I'm able to ventilate my clamor for a more unified, more mature citizenry.
The primordial role of a writer, or of a journalist is to be the vanguard of truth in every sense, to use the power of words and the pen to educate, to influence, and to mobilize a magnitude of people. A journalist is able to reveal the truth, without undermining any person. He is objective, unbiased, and truthful.
As a campus journalist, I feel that I have created my own Dapitan too, a Dapitan full of people who face reality and fight for truth. In my own way, I'm able to exemplify my own brand of leadership - in my organization, in my school, and in my community. In my own way, I too am able to emulate Rizal's way of innovating across sectors.
Fellow young bloods, we can build a beautiful future, if we contribute our own time, energies and efforts towards realizing our shared dream for the Philippines, a united archipelago progressive in all sectors.
We must not remain as idle stones forever scattered on a muddy ground, we should be a part of that edifice we call progress. We should harness our skills to reach the zenith of our own potentials. If we do this, we will become ripple-causing ‘stones of change.’
Compatriots, one Rizal cannot save the country. Even a few Rizals would not be enough. Our country needs us all to achieve its most sought progress.
