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Once a year, the province of Palawan, the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, celebrates its biggest festival, Baragatan sa Palawan, from June 1 to 30, 2010. Baragatan which is derived from the Cuyonon word, bagat, which means “to meet,” is a gathering of people, culture, traditions and resources celebrating the beauty and bounty of the province. It is a grand celebration where one can experience Palawan under one roof, so to speak.

It is a festival of Palawan’s natural and cultural heritage showcasing the beauty and bounty of the province in its people, agricultural crops, arts and crafts, tourism destinations, and environment. People from all walks of life including expatriates who have made Palawan their home, tourists and visitors are part of the Baragatan sa Palawan.

According to the Baragatan Executive Committee headed by Ferdinand S. Dilig as Chairman, the festivities will begin on June 1 with a soft opening of month-long fairs such as the Garden Show, featuring Palawan’s greenery, blooms and other exotic plants, collectors’ items; Caraenan sa Baragatan is a food fair offering delicious and delectable meals, and for those searching for native souvenir items there’s the Technology Livelihood and Development Center Trade Fair featuring food products, arts and crafts of local manufacturers.

The grand opening of the festival is on June 21 featuring the colorful Float Parade, Pantiguan sa Baragatan, a dance parade participated in by local officials of different municipalities, showcasing the festival in their respective localities and the officials. Also expected to add color to the grand opening is the streetdancing presentation participated in by officials and employees of the Provincial Government of Palawan.

Cuyonon, the predominant culture in Palawan, will be highlighted on June 22 and 23 with the Cuyonon Day and Cuyono Rock respectively. The Cuyonon Day will feature Cuyono music, songs, poetry, dances and delicacies while Cuyonon Rock will showcase modern versions of Cuyono songs and Cuyonon translations of Pinoy Rock. As Gov. Joel T. Reyes once said, “We have to continue promoting and preserving Cuyono culture because this is our identity and our heritage and our way of manifesting our patriotism and love for Palawan.”

The festival also coincides with the 108th founding anniversary of the establishment of the civil government of Palawan on June 23. The anniversary will be highlighted with a Eucharistic celebration, the Governor’s Award, an award-giving body recognizing outstanding groups, institutions and individuals who have contributed significantly to the development and progress of the province, and The Best of the Best of Palawan Talents.

Baragatan sa Palawan will culminate with the much-awaited Saraotan sa Dalan or streetdancing competition, tribute to former Provincial Government of Palawan officials and employees on June 27 and the Search for Mutya ng Palawan with the talent night on June 28 and the coronation night on June 30.

These are all exciting and colorful events that Palaweños want to share to the country and the rest of the world. So come and visit Palawan and be part of the Baragatan sa Palawan festival.

Baragatan sa Palawan 2010 which will start on June 1, 2010 will be highlighted by the streetdancing competition known in the Cuyonon as Saraotan sa Dalan. This year’s participants will once again regale spectators with the colorful streetdancing competition. Shown in photo is the contingent from the municipality of Coron, 2nd prizewinners in the 2009 Baragatan Saraotan sa Dalan. In full blue bodypaint, the dancers wore costumes made out of native mats and coco shells and carried clay pots whose equivalent term in the native tongue is the origin of the name of the municipality.

Narra, a municipality in southern Palawan considered as the province’s rice granary won the grand prize in the 2009 Baragatan Float Parade. The float is a replica of the rice-field showcasing the agricultural abundance of the place.

Shown in photo is the float of the municipality of Taytay, second prize winner in the Baragatan Float Parade competition in 2009.

One of the highlights of the yearly Baragatan sa Palawan Festival is the employees and officials streetdancing performance. Photo shows Palawan Governor Joel T. Reyes (left) and Vice Governor David Ponce de Leon with Kokkoy Pikoy, the official Baragatan mascot, in last year’s Baragatan employees streetdancing.

Photo shows the contingent of El Nido, the grand prize winner of the 2009 Saraotan sa Dalan, depicting the balinsasayaw or swiftlets that produce the noted egg nest or nido, known for its medicinal and culinary value.

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Summer is still here and you still have time to go out of town on a competitive budget. If you are a group of five or maximum of twenty, or if you are a team who just want to have team building on a mini out of town trip, Hide Away Resort is the place to be.

If you are coming from Manila, this place is around three hours travel. Count in the heavy traffic in the entry of South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). To get there, just head on to SLEX and exit on the last tollway down south, go further until the end of the SLEX, that road will take you to the National Highway of Calamba. At the intersection ahead turn right, that is the highway going to Pansol. The home of private hot spring resorts in Laguna.

We went here last weekend for a team building/bonding activity of the group. We were total of 16, three cars, and an individual contribution of P835 per head. Total rent of the place was pegged at P8,000.00, the excess cash went to the food, utensils, drinks and to the props used in the team building.

The place has two swimming pools, one kiddie and the other that is 5 feet hot spring pool. It has three rooms, the bigger one has A/C and the rest has electric fans. Inclusive in our payment is the use of the entire facility; the rooms, kitchen, videoke unlimited. The best of all, it is exclusive only to us.

Mang Nanding owns the place, and for more information you can contact him at +63 0926 696 4633.

There is a separate post here and some photos of the place.

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Canyon Cove Residential Beach Resort is located in Nasugbu, Batangas. It is a two and a half drive away from Manila via South Luzon Expressway on an ordinary day. Expect to add another hour on your travel time though, especially on a weekend where traffic is sometimes heavy southbound.

Bringing your own food is strictly prohibited inside the resort and the security guards are searching the guests’ bags upon arrival.

The resort doesn’t look big on the outside and it’s not until you get past the entrance hall/building that you get to see the entire view of the resort and the beach.

They have a huge main pool which is partitioned into two to cater to adults and children and a secondary pool just meters away. In between the pools are the shower rooms and a beach volleyball court. You can also find a mini-bar and children’s playground beside the pool. A number of lifeguards are always on monitor by the poolside.

The resort has a number of villas/condos offering a panoramic view of the beach which is perfect for sunset viewing. Unluckily we were only on daytrip so we weren’t able to check out the rooms.

The beach’ white sand and clear water is likeable, though swimming just a few meters away it already gets rocky. If you don’t like to swim, you can go kayaking, jetskiing or snorkeling.

Food is ordinary and a bit pricey and customer service is average.

Although the resort and its facilities are bigger than the usual resorts, It is more ideal for company or group outings and team buildings. If you are looking for a more private and relaxed ambiance, you can try checking on other resort destinations.

Canyon Cove website

Click here for more photos

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In anticipation of the extended summer season and in response to a lot of guests’ clamor for water attractions at this time of the year, Enchanted Kingdom, and BiKiWorld of South Korea have agreed to set-up the first and only world-class inflatable water park in the country, the EK BiKi Waterworld.

EK BiKi Waterworld has a variety of six giant inflatable pools with water slides, games and rides that families can enjoy in a safe and hygienic water environment. The site inauguration coincided with the Ms. Earth-Philippines 2010 Talent Competition at Enchanted Kingdom.

From April 18-30, enjoy EK Biki Waterworld’s pre-grand opening promo rate of only P250 per person. Starting May 1, 2010 admission rate is P350.

Enjoy a “twicket” (twin ticket) of an EK Good-Same-Day and EK Biki Waterworld Regular Passes for only P700 from May 1until June 6, 2010. Guests are required to come in proper swimwear complete with swimming caps. EK Biki Waterworld is open from 2PM to 9:00PM.

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Summer is now in full blast! Its time for the whole family to pack their bags and hit the beach. Ocean Adventure could be your best destination. First, its just three (3) hours or less drive from Manila, just take the SCTEX otherwise your blood pressure might shoot up if you take the old route. FYI – there are road constructions in the old route, the San Fernando – Bataan road.

Going there can be a lot of fun, you don’t just go for the swimming but there are educational shows. Good for the kids on vacation, also for the photography enthusiasts like like me.

Here are some contact details should you decide to check them out.

Telephone Nos. +63 (47) 252-9000, +63 (47) 252-5885
Fax No. +63 (47) 252-5883

Or try their Manila office at 706-3344 to 46

There are more photos of the Dolphin show here.

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Batangas is one of the most visited provinces in Luzon every summer, more so during long week-ends and holidays. This Holy Week, scuba diving is one leisure activity that’s hot among a lot of resorts in Batangas.

One such place is Batangas that’s always a hot spot among divers is Anilao. Actually, it’s been a consistent location for a lot of divers whole year long.

Dozens of resorts specialize in scuba diving in Anilao, Batangas and one of the newer ones offer more than the usual over-night accommodations. The Bambu Villa Resort is about a couple of kilometers into the coastline from the Anilao port. It’s just newly constructed so a couple of the amenities are not yet completed.

For one, their rooms are not yet retrofitted with the usual TV sets and cable. The management says they are in the process of furnishing each rooms with one very soon. The Bambu Villa is a 2-floor building made mostly of concrete, bamboo and other hard wood. This is mostly for thematic accents that plays with the name of the resort.

Another building beside it is the dining and entertainment hall. The resort offers accommodation with four buffet food servings a day for Php2,800 per head on a quad-sharing arrangement (Php3,000 for triple sharing). If customers prefer to order their own meals, the room rates are Php4,800 which is good for 2 persons (additional Php1,000 for extra persons).

The buffet rates are actually affordable considering you get four meals a day with that. The ala-carte meals are a bit more expensive.

The place also has a small swimming pool up front and over-looking the beach and gives it an infinity pool look. There’s also a viewing deck down the hill where visitors can relax and watch the ocean as well as an entrance into the beach for snorkeling or scuba diving. They also have WiFi there but it’s not strong enough to reach the guest rooms. They’ll probably fix that and expand to the entire place anytime soon.

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Cebu Pacific is doing a seat sale for flights to Jakarta, Indonesia. The ticket price has been dropped by 40% to just Php2,499.

The special Php2,499 seat sale is available now until March 19, 2010, for travel from June 1 to August 31, 2010.

Cebu Pacific is also offering Cebu-Clark seats for only Php499, which is 61% less than the lowest-year round fares for this route. Its thrice weekly Airbus flights are up for grabs starting now until March 19, 2010, for travel from May 1 to August 31, 2010.

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We recently went on a over-night stay at the Shangri-la Boracay Resort and Spa. It is one of the newest resorts on the island of Boracay and probably the biggest one so far.

The resort is nothing short of spectacular. Combine the ambiance and expertise of the Shari-la Hotel with the breathtaking natural settings of Boracay island and what you get is this:

The place is so big they’ve placed golf carts all over the place to bring visitors around the resort. But the best of all, you get the pampered treatment from the hotel staff that makes you feel you own the island.

Of course, all these pampering comes with a price tag — at least $200 a night and up to $1,500 a night for the hill-top villas.

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Cebu Pacific is running special Valentine Seat Sale for as low as Php788. Celebrate the love month of February with a special domestic and international seat sale starting now until February 15, 2010.

For the ‘Go Lite’ seat sale fare of only P788, you can give trips as gifts to destinations from Cebu to Bacolod, Butuan, Clark, Dumaguete, Dipolog, Iloilo, Legazpi and Caticlan; and from Davao to Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Cebu and Zamboanga for travel from March 1 to 31, 2010.

There’s also Hong Kong and Singapore ‘Go Lite’ seats from Cebu on sale for only Php1,499.

From selected Visayas and Mindanao destinations, avail of free connecting Cebu flights for the seat sale of P1,499 to Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as the Php1,999 seat sale fare to Incheon and Busan in South Korea. These are for travel from May 1 to July 31, 2010.

The same rate of P1,999 is also available for passengers from Cebu to Incheon and Busan, for travel from April 1-July 31, 2010.

Fly from Manila to Guangzhou for P1,499, and Manila to Incheon and Shanghai for P1,999, valid for travel from April 1-June 30, 2010. Lastly, Manila to Osaka seats on sale for the ‘Go Fare’ of only Php2,999.

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