Bantayan - Here I Come Again

The largest swimming pool in the world is in Sta. Fe, Bantayan, Cebu. If you have any doubts then see it yourself. The island is worth to visit again and again.

We have lots of fun swimming into the coolest crystal clear water with its pearly powdered sand. The place is my paradise and is almost heaven. It's the best place to relax and unwind that I totally ignored the harsh summer sun smiling over me.

I promised to describe the experience in details on my previous blog but what can I write? The feeling is indescribable. Yes, I need to redo the experience again to fullfil that promise.

Bantayan... till next summer.

Feeding Program of Yushi...

It was a blessing to accompany people with kind hearts on their quest to feed the children of Pangan-an, Olango Island in Cebu. Thanks to Yushi for pushing me into this activity. I nearly miss this fruitful activity as I am bound to cancel it on the last minute.

At first, the thought of going all the way to a secluded island to conduct a feeding program raised my eyebrow. There are lots of unfortunate children in the neighborhood waiting for our care and attention so going far is not practical. But after seeing these children, I realized that they too deserved to be visited. In our world of poverty, we need more people to be instruments of graces and blessings to our children.

The travel to the island is tedious. The trip requires a small boat as there are shallow areas on the way to the island. In the middle of our travel the boatman has to stop the engine and has to paddle carefully along the shallow area. His assistant was his son named Clark. Clark was just a small boy and looked frail but he was tasked to maneuver the front rear of the boat loaded with more or less twenty people and cargoes. Good thing that one of us took the dirty job from him and he then sat gladly on the front edge.

Good job Renz! You’re the man of the hour.

Upon arrival, the group has been occupied with their invididual task except me. They were well organized and dedicated in making it happen. What about me? I have no idea on what I am doing there so I roamed around and talked to some children while taking few photos.

After packing the meals, the group conducted games and awarded prices to the winner. At first there were only few children but as the sun grow more fiercer the number of children and mothers multiplied. Wow! These people enjoys the sun’s hot rays.

At lunch time, when these children and their mothers were all hungry with the fun games they had, the team distributed the packed lunch and juices. Seeing the excitement on children’s faces while holding their share was nourishing to the soul. No wonder why this group has been super dedicated, super persistent and super passionate on this endeavor.

In the end, we came home renewed and changed. I still believe in teaching a man to fish rather than giving him a fish. But showing these children the virtues of sharing, charity and generosity may somehow shape their character for good. They can be givers in the future and not the recipient anymore… Lets just hope and pray for them. Amen.

More Fun in Bantayan

Welcome to Bantayan… finally its a touchdown.

I’ve turned down invitations from friends before on their Bantayan escapade. My father did not want me to go because he heard so many stories about shipwreck or should I say boatwreck on the way to the island. Plus the place is also known for black magic and poisoning strangers for a living. But my main reason of turning them down was actually due to lack of spare funds for the travel.

Now its different as my father had travelled with me for several occasions and he had seen than I am able to manage our travel quite well. He learned to appreciate local tourism and to love travelling. He now reminds me that travelling is a good learning experience.

With my officemates @Lear, I visited Bantayan for the first time. We shared plenty of precious moments all the way to Bantayan and on our way back home. We were all glad of what we had built together. Our commaraderie had grown up to an intimate level and its super cool.

I had a memorable conversation with the daughter of one of my officemates during our short walk inside the thick mangrove forest in Bantayan. She kept asking her mother if there were animals living in the swamp. I interrupted and told her that there are lots of crocodiles in the area. She asked about their whereabouts and I told her that they are hiding underneath the mud. She asked again on why they are hiding and I simply replied that its because of daylight and they do not want to be seen because they are ugly. They will only go out at night to hunt for food. She then concluded that they were hiding as people may see them and may freak out. She amazed me with the way she process the information I gave and with the way she concluded. She will grow up to be a smart lady someday. I also cannot stop myself laughing at my stories. I should stop writing.

I just hope that she will forget that conversation in time. I do not want her to remember me fooling around her innocence. Forgive me baby because I am just my father’s well trained daughter. But after that she told her mother that I am knowledgeable and really knows the answers. Hopefully she will remember me that way. Haha!

Bantayan is famous for their dried fish production. With the vast mangrove plantation that I’ve seen, no doubt that plenty school of fishes have abounded the sorrounding seas. Drying these fishes under the fierce heat of the sun is the cheapest way of preserving them. Hmm… the picture of it makes me more hungry as I have not taken my breakfast yet.

Now here comes the most awaited part. Sunbathing over the powderly white sands. Okey, the best part is swimming into the sea but unfortunately I was not able to do that. I will be back just to do that and I will let you know in details on how will it felt like…

Quiros Clan - The Reunion (May 26, 2013)

In our barrio, there are only two clans. Therefore a local can either be from clan Quiros or clan Aguilar or both. Though not obvious, I am part of the Quiros clan. I had no idea of such fact until I received an invitation to join the Quiros Clan’s reunion fourteen years ago. The clan named me as an awardee. I wondered how I became part of the list. Fortunately, I now know the story and here it goes:

Clemente Quiros, a Spanish enterpreneur from San Fernando in Pampanga, landed on our shores during the 1700. He met a beautiful island girl, felt in love and got married. They both lived happily ever after on our serene locality around three hundred years ago.

They had eight wonderful children and each headed a tribe. The oldest child, Claudio, was known as “Teniente Alao”. He established Maslog, our barrio, as balangay and for that he became the first "teniente del barrio"

of Maslog. My father told me that he was super strong and the man with the loudest voice. He used to carry coco fruits using bamboo stems with twenty pieces on his left and another twenty on his right. His voice was like a thunder and can be heard from Sitio Tabunok to Sitio Pasil (two kilometers away). He sounded like a legend and if I was a kid, I would think of him as our clan’s superhero. More or less, to me he is still a hero. Not because of being an extraordinary but because of being ordinary yet able to lead us to where we are now.

I used to believe in legends. That is why I cannot ignore the feeling of being proud that a drop of his blood is circulating in my viens.

Claudio’s youngest child is Anunciasion. Fondly called as “Lola Anun”. She married Tereso Tacumba, a native from Liloan, Cebu. So here goes my surname... Tatay Tereso was the “teniente del barrio” of Maslog for more than twenty years. He started the “Moro-moro” (a famous stage play featuring the victories of Christians in their wars against the Muslims) which is still played until today during our fiesta celebration.

I was so surprise with these facts as our family is no longer prominent in the area. How can that be? Well I guess that is another blog entry.

My grandfather, Luis Tacumba is the son of Lola Anun and Tatay Tereso. Lolo Luis was not as active in politics as his forefathers but to me he was my “wonder Lolo”. He gave me my first lessons in geometry, geology and language. He spoke to me in spanish, english and chinesse. If only Lola Anun had not died early and Tatay Tereso had not drown to misery, Lolo Luis should have continued their legacy.

Luis Tacumba married Felixberta Curpos (with typo error on her birth certificate).  Their eldest son is my father.

It feels good to unleash part of your history. How I wish I could trace more.

 We will be joining again the reunion this coming May 26, 2013. This is going to be big and hopefully I can share that event here…

My Reflection

I was born with nothing…

Yet someone,

Saw me as a blessing.

Protecting me from defeat,

They gave me clothes to wear;

Shared to me their shelter,

With good food to eat.

They let me grow,

In their loving arms;

They draw color,

To my personal values...

Yet, the greatest gift,

Is the gift of faith;

To our Lord Jesus,

Who died on the cross.

I am not yet complete…

As some places,

Still have open spaces.

My Personal Vision, Mission and Core Values

Personal Vision:

To equip my mental, physical, spiritual and aesthetic aspects and use them as my survival suit in my journey into this world.

To share the wisdom gained and leave them as my legacy to this world.

To enjoy my life’s journey to the fullest; to smile whatever my circumstances are; to find a positive spark in every situation; to be of help as much as possible; to appreciate nature everyday; and to hold on to life as long as I can

Personal Mission:

I will continually develop my mental faculties and abilities through reading, listening, writing and teaching.


I will maintain an able and happy body by engaging into sports and eating a balance diet.

I will strive to know more our Creator, strengthen my faith and improve my personal relationship with Him by reflecting on His words, spreading love to the people around me and nourishing my aesthetic nature.


I will share the wisdom gained to others and use it to nurture their positive outlook in life.

Core Values:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith

Know more about my Creator

Bestow my trust and confidence unto Him

Believe in the goodness of mankind

Trust that my wishes and my dreams will come true

That there will be light at the end of the tunnel

Love

Love unconditionally

Love God above all things

Give happiness, harmony and peace to my family and friends

Respect and show concern to my fellow human being

Conserve the environment and take care of the fauna and flora

Integrity

Stand, do and preserve what is right

Accept, amend and take accountability when wrong

Be self-reliant and responsible

Keep a good sense

Stay cool and composed

Payag

One stormy night, mama gathered all of us in our living room as she wanted us to sleep all together. She was so afraid that the huge tree in our backyard gives in and hit our house. We were all excited, 'though, about sleeping together as that meant endless story telling.

Mama told us that when she was a child, my grandfather used to gather them all in a "payag" (small nipa hut) during a storm. The payag had no floor so they had to sleep on the ground, and it was built so low so that wind will just pass over it. Grandpa told them that if the storm crushes the hut they can still survive because the materials were lighter compared to their house. It was, however, so cold inside the payag and with water coming in, they all got soaked.

My grandfather owned a lot of payags. One of them was built beside his house just like what my mother and her siblings own now. The rest of the payags were built in Grandpa's farms which were used as resting places after his hardwork in the farm. Grandpa was an excellent farmer such that most landowners in our barrio preferred to hire him over others. He had been farming all his lifetime so he had also built countless payags.

Payag is still part of our daily lives now. Owning a payag runs in the family. We all love to spend our summer afternoons in our cool payag. It is a place where the neighborhood gather together to chat, rest, play and feast... yes, feast! There are times when our neighborhood cook “otan” (vegetable soup). They gather all the vegetables they can get. Usually, they get banana hearts, coconuts, jackfruits and even bamboo shoots. There are also lots of green leafy vegetables available in our area which they can use in cooking otan. After cooking, they bring in dried fish, ginamos and bahaw to the payag. They all eat together with laughter and merriment.

We also do our chapel preparations in the payag from planning to execution.

My father, too, celebrates his birthdays in the payag. Actually, he has no choice. He wants to cook carabao meat on his birthdays but my mother did not like the smell of it. She did not allow father to cook it inside the house and even use our utensils. Good thing that our neighbors volunteered to cook it for father using their own utensils. All in all, the celebration ends up as a memorable bonding as it brings us more closer and united.