Manila Guide Online

Boracay is famously known as the best white beach in the country. I would like to disapprove sometimes. Still, Boracay holds on of the high relates of tourist to visit the island. There are several things you can do upon reaching to Boracay. Aside from the obvious of the beach, the night life is also surreal. It has different bars, and restaurant which caters anyone who would like to taste the.  Most of them are owned by foreigner. They also have goods, or “pasalubong” sections wherein you can buy them to remind you of Boracay. Some people are even fond of getting henna upon visiting the site, or getting their hair braid.

In 2007, Boracay Island topped the list of the World’s Most Popular Beach according to Yahoo! Travel.

Boracay is an island of the Philippines located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. In 1990, it was voted by the BMW Tropical Beach Handbook as one of the best beaches in the world and again in 1996 by British publication TV Quick as the world’s number one tropical beach.

Story also said that Boracay, was a well-guarded secret, almost possessively so that only a few knew of its existence. It was only in the 70s when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally “discovered” this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveler, ‘Jens Peters’ book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world. Although some of this stories might not be true, bt still, its good to know.

There are also lists of the resorts you can stay, and right now there are different promo’s to choose from on having a 3 day break. To summarize it all, Boracay is still one of the best beaches in the country and contine

In the recent events in our country, another tragedy has hit us. Just weeks ago were the killings of 57 innocent lives. Although, there are already some leads to the bizarre incident, families of the victims continue to file candidacy.

At Ampatuan a politician whose wife and love ones were among the 57 people massacre in the southern part of the country.

“Only death can stop me from running,” said Ismael Mangudadatu, escorted by soldiers, a police commander and a senior army general. He submitted his documents to the Elections Commission in the Maguindanao province capital of Sharrif Aguak.

The people who were massacred were dumped in mass graves last Monday, and kept everyone in fear as to who may take responsibility of this brutality.

The main suspect in the slayings, Andal Ampatuan Jr., a scion of the clan that has ruled Maguindanao unopposed for years, turned himself in Thursday under threat of military attack against his family’s compound. He is expected to be charged in the slayings later Friday. He maintained his innocent.

During his small parade to inform everyone about his candidacy, he and others wore red striped T-shirt and denim jeans to symbolize freedom

About a 1oo supported him and cheered for himoutside the elections. “Allahu Akbar!” was shouted by most of the supporters,which means God is great.

About 100 supporters applauded and cheered him outside the elections office, shouting “Allahu Akbar!” or God is great.

Mangudadatu, vice mayor of Buluan township, did the unthinkable when he decided to run in May 2010 elections. Having received death threats, he sent his wife, sisters and other female relatives Monday to submit his papers, hoping that women would be spared the kind of violence that regularly reigns in the region.

It really saddens me to hear about this, and we are all happy that slowly people are getting stronger. It is also clear that Gods works in so many ways to enlighten us and to give us justice.

Just like any other town in the country, it holds one of its old historical locations. In Boljoon, is a church that is very old and is still standing from this moment. I went to the Church last summer and discovered the marvels of rich history and melodious sounds of the waves near the beach.

Boljoon Church shows old and intricate carvings and bass relief. It is in a pseudo-baroque rococo style. The interior is decorated beautifully. It has a main nave, a transcript, and twenty-eight pillars which support the walls. The walls are as thick as the pillars which are two meters thick and made of mortar and lime. A communion rail with ornate silverworks was stolen from the church.

The Boljoon Church is the oldest remaining original stone church in Cebu. In 1999, the National Historical Institute declared it a National Historical Landmark. The following year, the National Museum declared it as a National Cultural Treasure.

The Augustinian Friars built the church of Patrocinio de Maria in the 18th century. The church and convent still uses clay roof tiles for its roof. The complex was a fortress church. With in the complex are; block house at the front left side of the complex served as a watch tower, a school at the left rear side built in the 1940’s, series of wall ruins, and an 18th century cemetery. Numerous church artifacts are intact. The ceiling painting was done by local painters in the 1920’s. The church walls are made of coral stone. The façade is ornamented with ecclesiastic symbols. A pipe organ was installed in the 19th century at the choir loft. Church complex of Patrocinio de Maria, Boljo-on (Cebu)

The Augustinian Friars built the church of Patrocinio de Maria in the 18th century. The church and convent still uses clay roof tiles for its roof. The complex was a fortress church. With in the complex are; block house at the front left side of the complex served as a watch tower, a school at the left rear side built in the 1940’s, series of wall ruins, and an 18th century cemetery. Numerous church artifacts are intact. The ceiling painting was done by local painters in the 1920’s. The church walls are made of coral stone. The façade is ornamented with ecclesiastic symbols. A pipe organ was installed in the 19th century at the choir loft. UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List

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One of the medieval locations at Cebu is in Argao. It actually has a castle standing in the forest that is open to the public every day. There are dungeons, round tables, wells, and a pub. The best thing about their castle is the pool. Yes, their castle has a pool. The entrance fee was around 60 php around June of 2009, and 60 php/ head for pool usage.

The municipality of Argao is located at the southeastern portion of the province of Cebu, approximately 68 kilometers from Cebu City. Argao is exactly between Cebu City and the southern tip of the island (Santander). It is approximately 26km from Carcar, from Alcoy, and from Loon which is across the Bohol Strait. The rectangle that is Argao (approximately 20 X 40 km) is bounded, clockwise, in the west by Badian, Alcantara, Ronda, and Dumanjug; in the north by Sibonga; in the east by the Bohol Strait; and in the south by Dalaguete.

This was porouslogs testimonial about the place:

“The Riverstone Castle Resort was founded in April year 2002 by the Galeos brothers, Edgar and Edsel. Heace it was conceived during a holy week family reunion on hilly farm of Edgar with two foreign nationals Mr. Rune Sande, a Norwegian married to an argawanon and Mr. Raphael Lemmens a belgian national triff-off by a beautiful scenery and enjoying the comforting companionship in a drinking spree Edsel Galeos a civil engineer and a successful general contractor suggested to develop a family children’s park at this instance, shooting of flawless development ideas were casted by some reckoning about a month later the family agreed to have it developed.

The Riverstone castle corporation was formed with Edgard land and Edsel the owner of E.Gand I. construction corporation as the developer.

As you gaze with wonder at the lavishly tropical castle resort designed by Mr. Rapahel Lemmens a Belgian national.”

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Just like Bohol’s man made forest, Davo also blooms its own nature park which is manmade 95 %. It offers leisure, garden fields and exciting packages for the entire family.

From their website:

A mountain resort 3,000 feet above sea level, Eden Nature Park is 95% man-made! It is a great model of how we can re-create nature and rebuild a lost environment.

Discovered sometime in 1971, the resort used to be a logged-over area covered only by a blanket of wild grass. Its potential was, however, readily seen by the owners as the property provided an imposing view of Davao City and the Davao Gulf.

Not long after, terraces were carved out of the mountain slope, and thousands of pine tree seedlings were planted. As the pine trees grew, they provided canopies allowing other trees and plants to grow and creating a secondary forest. Today, there are over 100,000 pine trees spread throughout 80 hectares, providing a refreshing backdrop to the various attractions in Eden Nature Park.

Eden Experience

In our quest to provide you a time of your life when you visit Eden, we make sure that every bit of chance you take would be through its offered experiences!

Become acquainted with nature and indulge in an authentic mountain experience – marked by cool crisp mountain air while enjoying the spectacular views of pine trees which exquisitely blend well with its background.

How many new adventures can you experience over a lifetime? What number would you give it? The answer is indefinite, given the infinite possibilities within this 80-hectare resort and your imagination, for you to explore.

Eden invites you to take it easy in a private leisure where you can savor quality and intimate moments with family, catch up on your reading or simply sit back and entertain your thoughts.

Beyond street dances, arts and festivals, Tinubdan presents a window to take a peek of the lives lived by our Mindanaon ancestors. Tinubdan gives you entirely new appreciation of cultural treasures.

Food found in abundant flavors in the careful preparation of natural fresh raw ingredients, in the specialties of this extraordinary marriage between local and international recipes.

Embrace each other amidst the luxury of romantic balcony rooms, feel miles away from all your daily worries and cherish time with the one you love.

Experience it all at Eden.

Isnt it beautiful to think that more and more people are getting closer and one with nature.

Filipinos are well known for their religion and beliefs, especially to their devotion to the patrons and saints. Held every year are feast of saints that are celebrated with glorious and colorful displays.

http://rcam.org held out some intriguing facts about the feast of the Black Nazarene.

The feast of the Black Nazarene on January 9 is considered one of the most spectacular religious events that take place in the Philippine history.

Every year thousands of devotees from all walks of life come to the district of Quiapo to take part in the procession as a way of strengthening their faith or fulfilling their “panata” (vow) to Lord.

The Black Nazarene is the patron saint of Quiapo, a small but well-known part of Manila, a hub of trade and commerce because of the Quiapo market and the many stores located there.

The life size image of the Black Nazarene shows a “black” Jesus Christ carrying a cross. The statue has been housed at the Saint John de Baptist Church in Quiapo, Manila also known as the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene since 1787. The image of the Black Nazarene is brought out in procession on its feast day and Good Friday.

The statue was brought to Manila by a Spanish priest in 1607 aboard a ship. The ship caught fire, burning the image and thus came to be known as the Black Nazarene. Though the image was burnt, the people decided to preserve and honor it. Since then, miraculous things have been reported to those who touch the image.

The celebration starts as the huge door of Quiapo Church opens and the image of the Black Nazarene is within sight. The ocean of devotees start to yell “Viva Señor” while some wave white towel high in the air along with the scripture of the Black Nazarene.

The statue is placed in a gilded carriage for the procession. As the procession starts, procession participants garbed in maroon tops grab two long ropes and pull it to make the carriage move. Many will attempt to touch the image while some throw their handkerchiefs and towels in the air. People who join in the procession walk barefooted as a sign of humility.

The devotion to the Black Nazarene is long time practice of the Filipino Catholics and they believe that through their faith with Jesus Christ, there will be peace and harmony among families, long life and good health among people, deliverance from all calamities and disasters, and prosperity, joy and love among nations.

Like everyone else, we hope for a more peaceful and happy environment together with  our saints.

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Mindanao like any other islands in the Philippines is blessed with bountiful beaches and long stretches of powdery white beach. City of Zamboanga (Chavacano de Zamboanga/Spanish: Ciudad de Zamboanga). Zamboanga is a corrupted word for the Bahasa Sug jambangan, which means garden. The highly-urbanized city is located on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. It is one of the first chartered cities and the sixth largest in the country. Zamboanga City is also one of several cities in the Philippines that are independent of any province, though it is usually grouped with Zamboanga del Sur for statistical purposes.

Zamboanga has a pink sand beach that would make you fall inlove and stay there for eternity. It is really unique since its quite different from others. It has pink sand which is found in just a few continents.

Base from ironwulf’s experience.

“Even before Boracay and Puerto Galera got its fame as some of the most popular beaches in the country, there was the Great Santa Cruz Islands and its famous rare pink sand beach stretching three miles across the island shores. An old coral vendor on the island reminisced the days when they would get a large number of tourist in the area and they would get considerable profits selling some of their wares. But since the kidnapping and abduction incidents in the nearby areas, people are now scared to visit the island and its popularity went downhill from there.”

Don’t you just love the beach and diving? As much as I have mentioned in some of my blogs, I will never grow tired of having to sit at the beach watching the sun go down. It clears away problems and keeps your breathing easy. The sun invigorates you and leaves you breathless. Today I will share to you one of my favorite place in my hometown. The Pescador Island and Moalboal.

Pescador Island is an island located in the Tañon Strait, a few kilometres from the western coast of the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It is governed by the municipality of Moalboal, Cebu.

It is an island were fishermen spear fish exhaustively the entire reef. All proceeds from sales of the entrance tags and tickets are managed by the Municipality of Moalboal and Moalboal Dive Center Association (MDCA) and government officials and villagers from the Municipality of Moalboal. The Municipality of Moalboal and Moalboal Dive Center Association (MDCA) and government officials and villagers from the Municipality of Moalboal will utilize these funds to finance a number of high priority conservation programs in the Municipality, including patrols and enforcement to abolish destructive fishing, village improvement programs within the Municipality, collection and disposal of plastic and other wastes entering the Municipality waters, marine conservation education of village children and adults and reef and mangrove rehabilitation.

The waters of Moalboal Marine Park are extremely deep and possessed humid temperatures and the harbor are some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world.

xtending as a peninsula in the Southwestern tip of Cebu, Moalboal is bordered to the west by the Tañon Strait. From the western shoreline, the island of Negros can be seen. Moalboal is located 89 kilometers from Cebu City, about 2.5 hours by bus.

Moalboal is nestled between the towns of Alcantara and Badian. From the tulay, an unfinished bridge located in Moalboal’s town proper, Badian Island can be clearly seen, as well as the popular tourist attraction, Pescador Island.

All this can be found only at Cebu.

Cebu has many small islands were you could stay and enjoy the relaxing beaches. There are so many things to look forward to upon reaching cebu. Just minutes away from the airport is a resort that has beautiful sceneries and cheap finds. The Cordova Reef  in Mactan Island,which is owned by a Filipino Family is a wonderful spot to visit upon reaching Cebu.

Benthel Resort Hotel Corp. is a Filipino owned company which owns, operates, and markets its two resort-hotel destinations in Cebu, Philippines – Cordova Reef Village Resort and Island and Sun Beach Resort.

The market niche that the company was created for is that exclusive segment of travelers who recognize quality and require luxurious accommodations in a tranquil, natural environment.

In its desire to provide the ultimate guest experience, the company continuously upgrades and introduces new facilities, which have been meticulously designed, as they are integral components of the overall development plan.

Individually, Benthel Resort Hotel properties are unique on their own. However, both hotels evidently share a distinct character that is expressed through its special attention to quality, excellent food and wine, elegant and luxurious accommodations, personalized service, preservation of the natural environment, and an atmosphere of absolute privacy and exclusivity.

Cordova Reef Village Resort Villa Rate Per Night All Villas are fully air-conditioned and are equipped with telephone, entertainment system, 220 voltage outlet, fully-stocked mini-bar and refrigerator. The Marbled bathroom has separate shower and toilet facilities, bath amenities plus hot & cold water and hair dryer. Each Villa has a private terrace for lounging.

The place is really beautiful and is Filipino owned. Enjoy and visit Cebu for more places.

Check out their site at http://www.cordovareef.com/.

Museums and historical events play a vital role in our lifestyle. It is what shaped our past to what we are today. Like many other places, Cebu holds many historical sites to discover.

The Rizalinana Museum situated in Cebu displays a collection of artworks of the Cebuano painters and artists. It’s a pride of the University of Southern Philippines Museum managed and maintained by USP President Dr. Ronald Duterte, this museum displays original personal belongings of Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. His Cerrada coats of 1890s, summer clothes, polo shirts, pants, socks, undershirts including a classic sketchbook displaying Josephine Bracken as Rizal’s model were all kept on display. These were donated by Dona Trinidad Rizal on her first visit to the USP-Mabini section in 1951. This museum also had an original KKK Flag gifted by Dona Marcella Agoncillo. The other priced collections in this museum are original letters of Josephine Bracken-Rizal including a report card of Dona Trinidad Rizal. This museum also has a collection of 1899 and 1900 editions of the classic books Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo inclusive of the original receipt by the Chofre Printing Company. The other antiques consist of a unique and final set of 1906 Jose Rizal Memorabilia postcards, a 1906 handkerchief with the lyrics of the song ‘Canto Patriotico de Maria Clara’ printed on it, while you also get to see the photographed manuscripts of Noli and El Fili. To enjoy the celebrity collections of this museum visit Rizaliana Museum at Salinas Drive in barangay Lahug.

The museum is a very important as we try discovers our roots and beholds those who have done a major role in the society.