White Beach, Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera is the northwesternmost municipality in the province of Oriental Mindoro. It is noted for its fine beaches and many snorkeling and diving spots. White Beach is one of those. It was a trip arranged by the CvSU Development Cooperative in May 2006. Good to have Amyel and Cyril with us on this trip. 

White sand. Clear waters. A lot of fun activities. We were brave enough to try the banana boat. It was thrilling to be riding on a float that is being pulled by a speedboat and dumped on the sea after a quick turn. Unfortunately, a child who joined our banana-boat trip had her lips accidentally hit by the boat. We had to pacify her and convince her that there would be no dropping anymore. So, we just had to contend ourselves with the ride.

Camarines Norte

I was still in the Planning Office of the university when we had our trip to Camarines Norte State College (CNSC) in Daet and Mercedes, Camarines Norte in May 2006. Dr. Lasap, who was working as a consultant in CNSC, invited us to the place.

We met some faculty and staff involved in planning and related activities. Then, we were free to explore the area. I can't forget the meal we had in the fish port of Mercedes. After the bulungan, which is the term for bidding for a load of freshly caught seafood, we had a hearty meal of inihaw na isda and fish sinigang. Kamayan style. Burrp!

Butuan, Agusan del Norte

I was fortunate to be given the chance to officially attend the 56th Annual PSAE Convention and 4th International Agricultural Engineering Conference in Butuan City in April 2006.

We stayed in the Balanghai Hotel which was also the venue of the convention. During breaks, we toured the city and visited the museum. Butuan and Agusan province are historic. Balanghai came from the word balangay, the Butuan boat, which was used during the old times when the place was the center of trade and commerce in the Philippines. There were a lot of artifacts found in the vicinity supporting this claim.

During the last day, we were brought to the Filipinas Palm Oil Processing Plant in Agusan del Sur. I did not know that we would pass by the town of San Francisco where my college friend was residing. We did not see each other there but she went to the hotel to see me before I left. She gifted me with a watercolor painting by her architect-husband.

Marinduque, 2005

It's my third time going to Marinduque but this one is memorable.

I joined my fellow officers of the Philippine Society of Agricultural Engineers - Southern Tagalog Chapter on our trip to Marinduque in December 2005. We were going there to conduct a consultation meeting with the professional AEs in the province and give a seminar related to our field.

We did not make it to the 4:00 am trip on the ferry but because of our commitment, we decided to hire a motorboat to beat the schedule. The sea was calm but as we rode in the open sea, we got wet. Really, really wet.

With no spare clothes to change into, we proceeded to the venue. Our team was warmly welcomed by the group. Before we left, we told them our story and they wished us well as we hurried to go back to the boat and sail to Lucena.

About five kilometers from the shore, our boat was in trouble. The propeller got detached and dropped to the bottom of the sea and we were floating right there in the middle. Good thing, a ferry just left the port. We were rescued and brought to Lucena for safety and some questioning by the Coast Guard officers. Never do it again, we were told. Unofficial vessel. No lifevests and other safety gadgets. Heard it, loud and clear.

Ocean Adventure, Subic

In June 2005, the CvSU Development Cooperative conducted its annual summer trip and we joined the other members to the Ocean Adventure in Subic. We watched the dolphin show in the morning. The bottlenose dolphins and false killer whales were really amazing as they interacted with their trainers in doing the stunts. We enjoyed it as we watched the volunteer from the audience who got wet because of the dolphins. After the exhibition, there was another show that featured the sea lion marine patrol on the 3Rs of waste management: reduce, reuse and recycle. Funny but informative. Then we toured the museum and souvenir stalls in the park.