When going to Dapitan City, one should not miss to visit the relief map of Mindanao which is just across the St. James Church. The map has a total land area of roughly 900 square meters done by Dr. Jose Rizal with the assistance of Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, S.J. It was intended as a motivating device for teaching history and geography to townsfolk.
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Dapitan City is again celebrating its Handuraw Festival. Handuraw Festival aims to remember the life of Dr. Jose Rizal's life while being exiled in Dapitan from 1892-1896. Unfortunately, I have scheduled commitments during the said celebration so I cannot get some photos and footage of the events. However, if your near Dapitan, try to join the events. Below is the schedule of events:
Opening Parade - Parade of Floats on the Legacies of Dr. Rizal in Dapitan;
Opening Programs of Handuraw 2007; Opening Program of Seminar Workshop; Launching of the Book "The Dapitan Correspondence of Dr. Jose P. Rizal and Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt" Compiler: Former Congressman Romeo G. Jalosjos; Opening of the Booths of 'The 10 Anchor Destinations' ( One Barangay, One Product);
Opening of the Visual Arts Exhibit;
Start of the On the Spot Painting Lecture on "Rizal as an Artist" Lecturer: Mr. Christopher A. Rollo of the National Commission of Culture and Arts;
Mutya sa Handuraw 2007;
Day 2 (Friday, December 28) - Continuation of the Seminar/ Workshop; Dr. Jose Rizal In Dapitan;
Fluvial Parade;
Chorale & Rondalla Contest;
Day 3 (Saturday December 29) - Closing Program Seminar/Workshop;
Display of Paintings;
Street Dancing;
Showdown; Balak;
Initiation of New Members of the Knights of Rizal;
Fireworks.
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The plaza and city hall of Zamboanga is adorned with colorful lights. If you come to visit the place, you will forget that you are in Zamboanga. It resembles the bright lights in Paris and the festive atmosphere of Mexico.
Christmas in Zamboanga is celebrated by friends and families regardless of religious background. I can remember my college years when my classmates and I used to exchange gift and celebrate our Christmas party at a Muslim home.
This picture was taken during my recent trip to Dapitan City. The City Goverment of Dapitan started decorating the place in preparation for the Christmas season. A lot of local and foreign tourists are expected to visit the city in December. In a rotonda in Lawaan, they constructed a huge replica of a galleon. When this picture was taken, the carpenters were still finishing the construction. I assume that this galleon is already finished and lighted. In my next trip back to Dapitan, I will post a picture of the finished galleon.
PS: The galleon is only several meters away from our house. :)
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I agreed to serve as an examiner for the entrance examination for Ateneo de Zamboanga University. For this trip, I had to travel from Zamboanga to Dapitan (my hometown) and conduct an exam in Dipolog last November 19, 2007. After a day, I had to go to Molave, Zamboanga del Sur for another set of exam.
Since it was my first time to go to Molave. Let me take you to my trip to the friendly municipality in Zamboanga del Sur.
5:00 AM- The Sergio Osmeña route was nearer to Molave, yet it is dangerous as it is prone to landslides. Due to the continuous pouring of rain in the region for days now, I was forced to take the Ozamis route to go to the Municipality of Molave. Since the bus for Ozamis passes by Dapitan, I just waited along the road near our house.
8:00 AM- I arrived in Ozamis City. My impression about the place is good. I liked the wide streets and big bus terminal.
I was anxious since I was already late for the Entrance Exam in Molave and I was informed that the examinees were already waiting.
9:45AM- I arrived in Molave and rushed to Molave Vocational Technical School. Tricycles are not popular in the place. Therefore, I was forced to ride a "sikad-sikad" which is a cart attached on a bicycle. I was very apologetic when I arrived at the testing site. Fortunately, the test coordinators and examinees understood the situation.
12:45 PM- The Entrance Test was finished and I rushed to a nearby restaurant to take my "brunch". After taking a meal, I immediately went to the bus station. I wished I could have more time to spend in Molave. My first impression about the place is good. There are a lot of business establishments in the place and it looks progressive and it maintains to protect its environment. I was already heading back to Zamboanga City. This time, I decided to take the Pagadian route as advised by the staff of the transit. During my ride to Pagadian City, I observed that a lot of schools in the Zamboanga del Sur embrace the concept of a "Child-Friendly Environment" (CFE). I was reminded of a video documentary I edited for DSWD. I haven't seen any other province in the region who takes the CFE program seriously.
3:00 PM- I arrived in Pagadian City. I was amazed with their tricycles. It was my first time to see a tricycle cart that is so inclined as if it faces the sky. :) I was informed that their tricycles are designed in that way because Pagadian is a plateau.
4:00 PM - I boarded in a bus going to the Municipality of Ipil. Most of the time, I was asleep. The bus stopped over a certain place for dinner. I didn't have the appetite to take a meal but went down the bus to pee. Unfortunately, I stepped on a mud pile which I thought was a wet rock. I had to clean my mud-soaked shoe.
8:00 PM- I arrived in Ipil and transfered to a bus going to Zamboanga. I ate 2 boiled eggs. Again, I was asleep most of the time.
11:30 PM- I finally arrived in Zamboanga City.
One thing I didn't like about the travel is the quality of restrooms that are provided by the bus terminals. The PhP2 to PhP3 fee that they ask is not worthy. All of the restrooms that I was able to used are very dirty and stinky. Another thing is the implementation of the No Smoking policy of the bus company. The staff of the transit allows passengers to smoke on board their bus. Hopefully, these problems can be solved to provided customers a better experience. :) However, in general, I enjoyed the ride as it gave me a lot of firsts.
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If you are interested in visiting the pink sand beaches of Zamboanga City, you can contact the Zamboanga City Tourism Office at (062)992-3007 or you can visit them at Sunken Garden J.S. Alano Street Zamboanga City. The office is near the City Hall of Zamboanga.
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Right after the test in Dipolog, I'll be going to Molave, Zamboanga del Sur. It's going to be my first time in the said municipality. I've made several research about the place. During my previous trip home, the bus driver informed me that it is around 3 to 4-hour trip from Dipolog. According to Wikipedia, Molave is a 1st class municipality with a population of 45,082 people in 8,470 households.
I am looking forward to be in Molave. I hope that I will be able to discover something new from the place.
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