A Bicol Journey - MB

As you read this, you only have four days to plan a vacation. The Lenten retreat weekend arrives next week – the time of the year when a mass of urbanites escape the metropolis and the summer heat that leave EDSA and the malls surprisingly empty. And if you’ve entirely forgotten about planning any activity, you can drive to the usual pools in Laguna or Batangas or you can drive farther to Subic or the perennial favorite destination – Baguio. But I’m warning you – those destinations are sure to be packed with people that there’s a big possibility that you may see a colleague at a restaurant or be booked in the same hotel as your boss! How’s that for a vacation?


This year, I challenge you to awaken the “adventurous kid” inside you. No, this doesn’t mean that you have to try out an extreme sport or eat some exotic food. This is just a long drive that requires you to just have a reliable vehicle, a few thousand pesos, an updated road map, and of course, a great company – whether they are your family, relatives, officemates or friends.

Where to? One of the most scenic and easy long drives to take is a trip to Bicolandia. For those who will take this trip for the first time, Mayon Volcano is not the only attraction in the Bicol Region. There are beautiful churches, exotic resorts, refreshing nature sites – and more! Pasalubong shopping ain’t bad either. Most of all, it’s easy on the pocket and can be done from Thursday to Easter Sunday.

In this region, there are boundless adventures waiting to be explored. And if you don’t have any vehicle with you, Bicol is highly accessible via public transport.

For this trip, I recommend the region’s most popular destinations: Daet in Camarines Norte, Naga City, and Legazpi City in Albay. For this four-day journey, it’s easy to come up with a “functioning” itinerary to see and experience the most of the region.

An early departure from Manila is advisable for motorists, since the first stop, Daet, is around eight hours away by land. For those taking the bus, take the night trip, which will bring you to Daet by sunrise the following morning. For those bringing a vehicle, leave early morning, and make sure to assign at least two drivers who can alternate during the eight-hour drive.

Various bus companies offer transport to the region, among them Cagsawa Tours, Penafrancia, and Superlines. There is a terminal at the back of Ali Mall Cubao which offers bus trips to various locations including spots around Bicol. It is always advisable to reserve for your seats in advance – especially next week when the trips almost always get fully booked.

A day in Daet

Daet is a charming small town. Once there, you can take a tricycle along Bagasbas Road and get a breath of fresh air. If you have your vehicle, park somewhere along the Bagasbas shoreline. The seemingly endless beach stretch is popular among townsfolk and even visitors because of the powder-fine silvery sands and the strong waves that encourage watersports like surfing.

You and your companions can spend the rest of the day on the beach or you can do a rolling tour of Daet and the neighboring towns. Explore the town's old churches, parks, and other interesting spots. Daet's next-door neighbor, the town of Vinzons, is home to the ancestral house of Wenceslao Q. Vinzons – a brave hero who led the resistance against the Japanese during World War II.

For the history buff, Daet is the location of the first Rizal monument – an irregularly-shaped obelisk painted in white, with the name of Rizal highlighted in black. The monument was built in Dec. 1898, fashioned from mortars and boulders collected from the old Spanish jail in Daet which was later demolished. The monument, located at the foot of a bridge, can be found across the old Daet municipal hall.

Around Naga

About three hours away from Daet is Naga City. If you’re done with the tour of Daet, drive on and you will be guided by road signs to reach Naga. Or take the next bus with the “Naga” signboard and ride off to this city which is bustling with activity.

There are various hotels and resorts to choose from. Check the Internet now for your hotel of choice and book in advance. If you arrive in Naga by nightfall, you can check in to your hotel then go out again for dinner. There are a lot of restaurants to choose from. Also try the local delicacies in native-themed restaurants and be surprised by the legendary spicy Bicolano cuisine.

The following morning can be set for a rolling tour of the city’s famous churches, and there are many of them. Take time to reflect at the Metropolitan Church (the largest in Bicol), Penafrancia Basilica Minore, and the Our Lady of Penafrancia Church which is popular stop for pilgrims.

Naga City is also known as the gateway to CamSur’s Caramoan – the latest tourist hub in the Bicol Region. Be more adventuros and have some photo ops at the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC) in the town of Pili which offers wakeboarding facilities.

Caramoan has gained fame among Europeans as the site of the French version of Survivor called “Kohlanta” which was filmed in the islands. There are at least two boat trips to take before you can reach Caramoan, but upon arrival, you will be amazed to discover a world-class resort called Gota Village which is the jump-off point to an island hopping tour in this part of Bicol.

Legazpi leg

On your third day, drive to Legazpi City in Albay. This is the place where the famous Mayon Volcano and Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga are located.

Don’t forget your cameras. This is a perfect place to take lots of photos since the Mayon Volcano offers a perfect backdrop. It is also a convenient jump-off point to other tourist destinations in the region such as the Cagsawa Ruins, the upscale resort of Misibis, Donsol – the site of one of the world's largest annual migration of whale sharks and the white sand beaches of Sorsogon and Catanduanes (if you have more time).

There are a lot of places to visit around Legazpi. You can drop by the Albay Park and Wildlife, the Liberty Bell, the Magayon Art Gallery – found at the lobby of the Albay Provincial Capitol; Legazpi City Museum and the Albay Park and Wildlife, one of the best places to view Mayon Volcano and Legazpi City.

Since this itinerary is very flexible, you also have the option of switching the spots per day. You can first proceed to Legazpi and from there work your way through Naga and Daet as the days pass. Just make sure to check the bus schedules and book your hotels in advance. If you’re driving back to Manila, expect a back-breaking trip. But with great company, the long drive will feel short since you have lots of things – and new memories – to talk about!

By JOHANNES L. CHUA
April 3, 2009, 2:48pm

source: mb.com.ph

Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia

If one is to ask what title of the Blessed Virgin Mary is famous in the Bicolandia, we can definitely say that it is the Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia, aside from the doctrinal titles of the Virgin such as Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Assumption. “Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia”, fondly called as “INA”, has gained enormous fame throughout the region due to the devotion that began in the year 1710 at the Metropolitan church, the Archdiocese of Naga. The then Vicar General Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarubbias brought the devotion to Naga, when he was ordained priest for the Diocese of Naga by Bishop Andres Gonzales, OP, by erecting a shrine to Our Lady of Peñafrancia, a promise that he made to the Lady for the cures and miracles he received from her.

The original image of Our Lady of Peñafrancia was found by a French hermit named Simon Vela in “Peña de Francia” (rocky mountain along the Via Frances) in the village of San Martin de Castañar, Salamanca, Spain in the year 1434. The hermit, born on 1401 in the city of Paris, France, from a well off family, gave all the properties he inherited from his family and decided to live a celibate life dedicated to the Lady and serving in a Franciscan convent in the city.

During his meditations, the Lady appeared to her many times, sending him to Peña de Francia, a place unknown to him, to search for the image of the Lady. After a long and arduous journey from Paris, France to Salamanca, Spain, and only after some heartbreaking experiences and conquered hopelessness he did finally find the image of the Lady in the said rocky mountain. The devotion to the image then began there in Peña de Francia, a mountainous region between two Spanish provinces of Salamanca and Caceres.


From that village of San Martin de Castañar where Peña de Francia is located, the family of Fr. Miguel Robles de Covarubbias originated. His parents migrated in 17th century to Manila where Fr. Miguel took his religious and priestly formation under the tutelage of the Dominicans. From the cover picture of his book of devotion to the Lady, he asked a local sculptor to copy the picture by carving a statue of the Lady and put it in a new shrine made of straws and local materials in the place where the present Basilica of the Peñafrancia is located.

The Holy Image was canonically crowned and declared as Patroness of Nueva Caceres and the Bicol Region on September 2, 1924. The feast of the Lady was transferred from the first Sunday of July to the third Sunday of September. The feast is usually preceded by a Traslacion, the procession of the image from Basilica to Naga Cathedral, and then the novena masses and followed by a fluvial procession of the image from the Cathedral back to her Basilica. Today, the devotion to Ina has grown not only region-wide but also worldwide that the city of Naga becomes overcrowded by devotees and tourists during the whole Peñafrancia festival.

Written by Rev. Fr. Orly Mendoza

We Also Want Change

In a few days from now President-elect Barrack Obama will be taking oath as the 44th US president. Inheriting an economy in disarray, termed by many as "financial meltdown".

Looking back at Bush's presidency, we can recall that he won in a close controversial election not based on popular votes but on electoral votes. Eight months after his presidency, terror attacks on World Trade Center, the icon of US economic might.

Invaded Afghanistan to hunt down terrorists and eventually Iraq supposedly in search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) based on the information gathered by US intel agencies and found none. It was exposed afterwards that the intel documents were falsified.

Under his administration, US failed to be a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol to address the growing concern for greenhouse gases (GHG). Ignoring the warnings made by climate scientists from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

As I see it, Bush decisions were made to protect the american way of life and big business. And in many ways, made effort to prime-up and quick-fix the faltering US economy but backfired too soon. Just like his father, providing a military solution to an economic problem.

Americans voted Obama because he promised change, likewise, we Catandunganons also want change.

RELATED LINKS:

• 2008 Wishlist - Suggestions for rural development of Catanduanes.
• Where Are You From? - Our province is undergoing a difficult period but eventually we will be someday be proud of Catanduanes in its true self and not as a copycat.
• CSC Ranks No. 1 in Bicol, No. 8 Nationwide in NDLE - For producing 26 new licensed Nutritionist-Dietitians (ND), the Catanduanes State Colleges (CSC) here ranked first in Region V and ranked eighth nationwide

Pantomina Lyrics And Music

Pantomina is Spanish for pantomime, movements imitating the courtship movements of the rooster and the hen.


Ang mga babaye
Kung mayo pa nin agom
Maugay nin aga maugay nin hapon
Alagad kung sinda igua na nin agom
Maugay Octobre, Disyembreng sunudon.

Ica palan, Nenang ang pinagsasabi
Magayon na burac sa lugar na ini
Magayon ang tindog malinig ang pisngi
Arin pa daw ang puso ang dai mawili.

Can ica sadit pa sadit pa man aco
Si satuyang cawat magkudot-kudotan
Kinudot mo aco kinudot ta ca man
Sabi mo sa saco luhayluhaya man.

Ang mga lalake
Hudyan sisaboot
Ang pinagsasabing ngarang pagcamoot
Kundi ang babayeng iyo minahilod
Akong minahiling can mga pangguyod.

RELATED LINKS:

• Is There an English Equivalent Word for Pantomina? - Thoughts...
  
• Music Museum - Boses nin Catandungan - Fund Raising for victims of typhoons in Catanduanes