Daraga Church now a historical treasure

Here’ s something to treasure here in Albay. The 17th century church in Daraga is now recognized as one of the Philippine’s treasures. This was announced by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines last week.

The historical marker that will officially label the church as such was unveiled last October 16. This church is a popular one in the province, thanks to its unique location since the church is nestled on top of the hill, at the heart of the busy Daraga town. This church was built by the Franciscans missionaries in 1773 and this church is known for its baroque architectural designs. National Historical Institute Ambeth Ocampo was the guest of honor at the unveiling of the marker and the marker was handed down to Legazpi diocese Apostolic Vicar Lucilo Quiambao. The Daraga Church contains archaelogical relics of saints and other rare seals that are engraved on the volcanic rocks that can be seen on the facade which includes the belfry.

I’ve been here once when I was a kid, and all I remembered was the many steps you need to take before you can reach the church. Need to visit this as well soon. Here’s something for pop culture. This church was featured in an old Pinoy movies in the 90s, for that movie centered on Albay and its abaca fiber industry. The movie stars Agot Isidro, Alice Dixon, Vina Morales, Charito Solis and I forgot the rest. Do you know that movie?

Nem, Embarcadero?

Nem..? My friend keeps on searching about many things about Embarcadero  and what he gets are more questions than answers. So what now, Embarcadero? When will you be operational and what kind of jobs are open, and what companies are opening there? When the news was known that Embarcadero is setting shop here in Legazpi, the un-employed world was all abuzz. The excitement was fanned by many posts about the plans and the possible benefits of having Embarcadero in the city.  Could this be the case of over-eagerness, and over-hyping? I’m waiting..

Bright future for Albay entrepreneurs- Salceda

It’s a welcome news to know that our entrepreneurs here are getting all the right support. One supporter of our entrepreneurs here is Governor Salceda who sees bright future for the province’s top of the line products. He made this observation even as he encouraged the entrepreneurs to improve on the quality of their products. Ask any entrepreneur out there and they will tell you that funding is one of their problems.

And the government understands this problem and the Governor added that the local government is always on the lookout for funds that can help the entrepreneurs. The Governor added that the program of the Department of Trade and Industry will help the cause of the local entrepreneurs. This program is known as the One-Town, One-Product. The program is simple, a town is encourage to find their own product, develop it and market. This is what I’m trying to zero-in as well as the need to nail the comparative advantage of one location. As expected, most of the products of the towns in this province is related to abaca and abaca handicrafts. Tiwi has its clay and Camalig has its pinangat produce.

By the end of December I should be doing this…

Make my own table tennis: Check

Bought a notebook: Check. Now before the end of the year I should have my own mountain bike as well. My friends have their own bikes and motor bikes, well not the expensive ones of course. But the good thing is that they have something that they can use whenever we travel. For long distances, my friends have their ‘Raiders’ and ‘Wind 125′ and I don’t have my own. For short-distance travels, they have their old yet reliable bikes, and I don’t have one. But by the end of the year, I should have my own as well. This is a reliable ride when we check out the outdoors and the sceneries of the province. The road going to Tabaco via Sabloyon is a perfect trail for biking. The sweeping view of Mount Mayon, the ricefields and the rivers that flow on the side are great views that can make our biking experience memorable. But first thing first; I need to raise enough money to buy my own bike. Calling buyers. I need more writing gigs. Hehe.

All 29 officers at Oas relieved for re-training

I just heard from my mom last night that a hold-up occurred at nearby Oas town.  Well when I checked out the latest news, I learned that all the 29 policemen in the town including its chief was relieved for further training. The hold-up the other day left two security guards killed. Oas is a small town and the public market is just a few hundred meters away from the town center. The question being asked by people here is that how come the police was slow to respond to the hold-up in broad daylight, well not exactly broad day light since the hold-up happened a quarter before 7pm.