Duplicating Puerto Galera

A suggestion I received a week ago, from a foreigner wishing to see a Puerto Galera style tourism development in our island. It's a good idea to start with because we have an almost similar geographic features with Mindoro.

Puerto Galera is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. It is the northwesternmost municipality in Oriental Mindoro.

This coastal town is well known among tourists for its numerous pocket beaches and many snorkeling and diving spots. The area was designated a Man and Biosphere Reserve of UNESCO in 1973 and has some of the most diverse coral reef diving in Asia. The marine environment has benefited in recent years from the influx of tourist dollars. This has seen a huge reduction in the number of fishermen in the area, as they gain higher revenue from tourists.

Puerto Galera is a listed by the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays In The World, and is the only bay in the Philippines to be listed there.

Among the famous beaches in Puerto Galera are Sabang Beach and White Beach, which have an active nightlife with numerous bars and restaurants. Both beaches also have an array of first-class and economy-class accommodations.

Sabang beach is the main destination for foreign tourists, while White Beach remains popular with local travelers. Since 2001 White beach has seen uncontrolled development. New restaurants and places to stay are rapidly encroaching on the beach itself and little remains of the once charming beach. Puerto Galera town is a pleasant but sleepy Philippine town with few attractions. It has a large central catholic church and a Pier area, with a selection of bistros and cafes.

Behind the beaches are the huge and generally unexplored mountain ranges of central Mindoro. A particular local attraction is the nine hole golf course perched on the hillside above White Beach which commands spectacular views over Puerto Galera's natural harbor and the Verde Island Passage. Mangyan tribes are scattered over the mountains sides - some of the more remote tribes have no contact with the outside world. Of the eight tribes on Mindoro, the Iraya are the largest. They are based in the Puerto Galera area.

Puerto Galera has become the top diving destination in the Philippines. Excellent diving is found less than 5 minutes from the Sabang area. The diving generally focuses around the areas either side of Escarceo Point which is famous for its current rips. Strong currents are a feature of the diving in Puerto Galera and it is good advice to employ the services of an experienced local guide or dive centre. There are upwards of thirty dive sites all within a 5-10 minute banca ride from Sabang Beach. Marine life is highly diverse. 180+ species of nudibranchs are found in the area and most species of fish can be seen A variety of wrecks have been sunk over the years in addition to the one genuine wreck of an engine of a WWII Japanese patrol boat.

Puerto Galera is also one of the main (technical diving) destinations in Asia. Technical Diving International - (TDI) has many dive centers in the area, offering the full range of TDI courses from Basic (nitrox) to Advanced (trimix).

RELATED LINKS:

• Japanese Retirement Village in the Philippines - The Philippines is being eyed as a prime medical, health care and retirement destination for Japanese. According to studies, one out of four people in Japan will be aged 65 by 2020...
• Must-See Sights in Catanduanes - Popular travel destination among local and foreign travelers.
• Sights in the Northern Part - Lesser known attractions located in the northern Catanduanes.
• Usual Sights Around the Island - Rural activities captured by visitors around the island.

Post Retirement Blues

There were many stories about our beloved school teachers being harassed or verbally abused by GSIS personnel.

In 2002, I confronted a desk personnel at Legazpi branch for being rude when I asked her to explain over an issue that I don't understand. What she did was, she gave me a copy of R. A. 660 and asked me to read it. Whew... I left instead and sent an email to their head office in Manila and immediately their Vice President clarified the matter to me.

When I speak to her again, she was apologetic, restless and perspiring profusely inside the air conditioned room. Her superior came over and asked for the documents. And within a week time my transaction was over.

Rural Public School Teachers Score GSIS "Harassment"

Business Mirror
Written by Manly Ugalde / Correspondent
Tuesday, 18 November 2008 00:51

VIRAC, Catanduanes—Public- school teachers here assailed the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) for alleged cheating, harassment and negligence over their alleged unfounded accountabilities.

GSIS members who have recently retired or are in the process of retiring complained that the state pension fund has been warning them to settle their alleged unpaid salary loans that they have paid in full.

Others said they were not paid the full amount of their matured policies allegedly because they have still unpaid loans that they also did not apply for.

Oscar Uchi, a newly retired high- school teacher at the Tambogñon National High School in the coastal town of Viga, said the GSIS claimed that he has not paid his salary loan of P84,200 showed in the GSIS database when his pay slips, as well as records of the Department of Education, show that his salary deductions had been remitted to the GSIS.

Uchi explained that the GSIS does not also approve succeeding salary loan applications unless the old loan has been settled.

Another teacher of the same school, Gregorio Villaray, lamented that he is retiring by January next year but the GSIS is forcing him to pay his salary loan of P74,500, which his records showed has been paid in full.

Maria Salome Tosic and Maria Filipina Liveta, also teachers of the said school, claimed they had not obtained loans from the GSIS but when their policies matured, the pension fund refused to pay them alleging that the proceeds due their policies were made to cover for their loans.

Avelino Tumala, also a teacher, said his P60,000 GSIS insurance policy has matured but he was informed by the GSIS that its proceeds were used to pay his unsettled loans.

“I don’t have a single unpaid loan,” Tumala said.

The teachers said despite the problems confronted by public school teachers with the pension fund before are nothing compared to their problems now. If at all, there were minor problems before, the teachers added.

Salvador Manlangit, a retired agriculture technician at the Gigmoto local government, said he was required by the GSIS to fill out forms for his e-card at the GSIS extension office in the capital town of Virac in June and was assured that he would receive the e-card in 15 days.

Until now, Manlangit said he has not received the e-card which is the instrument for the withdrawal of his monthly pension. “Kelan darating iyong pension ko? Kung patay na ako?” Manlangit lamented.

GSIS members here also complained that even the educational policies for their children could not be collected when their children reach college. They said some beneficiary-students have already graduated and the GSIS policies remain uncollected.

Uchi said his salary loan of P84,200 obtained in 2003 was settled fully in 2006. He said, however, that his insurance policy of P75,000, which matured this year was found to have been wiped out when its proceeds were used by the GSIS to pay his already long full-paid loan.

The teachers appealed to the government and the GSIS to save teachers from this kind of mess, saying poor as they are, and yet they are retiring poor only to become victims of injustices from the state-owned GSIS. This is double jeopardy, the teachers said, adding that their counterparts in the private sector never encountered similar injustices from the Social Security System.

RELATED LINKS:

• 2008 Wishlist - Suggestions to Catanduanes local executives for rural development initiatives.
• We Also Want Change - Change is the law of life and those who only look in the past or present are certain to miss the future.
• 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.

Have You Ever

This promotional video was taken by World Team missionary Bryan Martin from California, USA and now based in Panganiban, Catanduanes.

World Team exists to glorify God by working together to establish reproducing churches focusing on the unreached people of the world.

Second Look At Tidal Power Development

For several months now since I posted a blog about tidal power development in our province. I noticed that there were a number of visitors on my site coming from the tidal power industry and enthusiasts. As well as fellow Catandungans of course, whom many of them are working and residents of US and UK, where the concern for environment is high.

Tidal power is one cheap source of energy that is sustainable and renewable in the long run. Many would ask how can it be sustainable when the cost of putting up a tidal power plant would cost million of dollars? Well, we need to look at other alternative industries that relies heavily on power to operate, like a cable transport system and cold chain facilities. With a stable supply of power we can operate a cable car system that would run from the bicol mainland up to the northernmost town of Pandan only in a few hours, to bring in and take back passengers, tourists and cargoes. No need to construct a very expensive bridge just to link us to the bicol mainland that would take years to be built.

The tidal power alongside with a cable car system and cold chain facilities would boost our island economy and create enough employment in tourism, deep sea fishing and aquaculture.

RELATED LINKS:

• Energy Dep’t Finalizing Deal to Develop Deep Ocean Power - DoE data indicate 16 possible sites in the country for ocean power development, including Davao Oriental, Camarines, Northeastern Samar, Bataan, Surigao, Catanduanes, Siargao, Tacloban, Ilocos Norte, Babuyan Island, and San Bernardino Strait.
• Catanduanes Skyway - Wild suggestion to connect Catanduanes to mainland Bicol through cable cars.
• Catanduanes Gets a Break from Wind - The provincial government of Catanduanes plans to harness “nasty winds” for power generation, according to a solon.

Tourism: The Catandungan Way

In less than two months from now, will be the start of year 2009 and in three months, will be the onset of summer in the Philippines. At this time of year would be a good start to review our tourism goals of promoting Catanduanes as an alternative destination.

Everybody knows that our island have a number of tourist attractions; surfing, beaches, resorts, rainforest, hotels, lodging houses, rivers, old churches, seafoods and friendly people.

What we probably lack then are, marketing, coordination and logistical capabilities to run our tourism industry like a well-oiled machine.

For marketing, we can advertise and sell our tourism destination online because obviously our provincial tourism council have no budget to buy an airtime in the national television. We can capitalize on our local talents to do a music video.

We can also capitalize in our student and alumni organizations as marketing arm by giving out flyers, leaflets and through social networking sites. In return, the organization with the highest number of tourist invited, will be given a reward and citation.

As to lodging, the council should start issuing an accreditation to some locals who wish to rent out their bedrooms and bathrooms as an alternative for backpackers. They can also provide a designated and secured boot camp in the 11 municipalities for those who wish to sleep on tents and sleeping bags.

Finally, the council should also issue stickers to accredited vans, boats, tricycles and public vehicles to prevent overcharging of fares, which would tarnish our image for a long time. Without much ado, let's do tourism the Catandungan way.

RELATED LINKS:

• Making Catanduanes a Tourism Destination - Suggestions to tourism development in Catanduanes.
• Int'l TV Channel to Produce Documentary on Catanduanes - Living Asia Channel to produce documentary on Catanduanes
• First Half of 2009 Tourism Destinations - Catanduanes made it to top 15 tourist destination during the first semester of 2009