Sometimes, as a writer, a title for an article pops in my mind before I write the piece. And that was the case when I went to the “Himala sa Buhangin” event of the provincial government at the Paoay Sand Dunes last May 10.

It was not just that there were a lot of activities that day: a sand castle building contest, 4×4 race, zorb ball rides, installation art, sand boarding, fire and belly dancing, a free concert featuring Up Dharma Down and Wolfgang, and endless stargazing up the sky and down the sandy earth where celebrities set foot. It was the way the activity was conducted and its magnitude.

There were free rides to and from the venue. Portable toilets were available and sufficient. Security was well maintained. Stalls served delectable food. And more. I felt that preparations were really painstaking and were executed with a lot of class and much love. That’s it, dear karikna. That is what makes the difference in any event. When you feel loved and valued by the people behind it… when you feel that they went the extra mile. It was the same feeling I had in Bohol each time I went to their tourist sites’ comfort rooms that were air-conditioned and spic and span.

Capitol Media Head Jun Gudoy put the crowd at 3,000-5,000 though I could believe there was more. I observed that 70 to 80 percent of those who attended the event were local government officials and employees, barangay and SK officers, and students who were doing summer jobs in government offices. Around 20 to 30 percent, many of whom are from Paoay, went there on their free will, and that, of course, includes me and two of my cousins who were on vacation from Manila.

Cultural activist Carlos Celdran was there. And he was amazed at how much the people were enjoying the activity. He said “Himala sa Buhangin” was a true festival of the people, unlike meaningless festivals that have sprouted left and right. He offered an interesting insight, “If it is good for the people, then it must be good for the tourists,” the famous tour guide said. And I agree. Any festival must have its own people in mind. If tourists come, it must only be because they are drawn to partake in a revelry that has evolved to celebrate what is best about their community. Of all the activities organized by the province, Himala sa Buhangin has, so far, the best potential to beef up arrivals. We are gifted with a beautiful desert which we find some use for only once in a while when filmmakers shoot movies. Now, we have seen its promise. And wow!

The PBA All-stars, who added glitter to the event, surely enjoyed every bit. And the masses had a field day meeting their favorite cage players, both the veterans and the upstarts. My personal favorite was Arwind Santos who I have come to know since his FEU days. Even with fame and fortune, he has remained humble and courteous. “Very cute at mabango,” was how my niece Tintin found the beefcake. She also had a photo with ace model Borgy Manotoc.

Speaking of meat, one of the night’s surprises came from the Fort Ilocandia Chinese Restaurant booth where food was sold at insanely low prices: chicken feet (8 pcs.), one of their specialties, was priced at only 50 pesos; dumplings at 35; sushi and maki, 55; two pieces siopao, 35, and other delicacies and breads that would normally cost an arm and a leg at the five-star hotel. Plaza del Norte’s Mongolian Rice, priced at 50, was also a good deal, given its generous portions of seafood and spices.

And there was beer. It’s good when cold, and even better when free. My former student, Pinili Vice Mayor Rommel Labasan, who was in a group of officials from their town, extended me a warm handshake and a bottle of SanMig Light. Later that night, Bombo Radyo boss Tony Casimiro and officers of our local chamber of commerce headed by New India’s Dilip Mansukhani, also invited me to their table for barbecue.

Wholesome families came, too, like that of eyebrow goddess Shirley Felipe who was with her lovely kids Crystal, Edward, and Dominic. I am sure karikna loyalist and bff Tita Lita Chestnut would have enjoyed the night, too.

Governor Imee Marcos thus has all the reasons to be happy. Himala sa Buhangin was a smashing activity. In our brief chat, she joyfully mentioned her Moroccan inspiration (She studied studied French and Dialectical Arabic in Morocco) which showed in how the tents were ornately and magically designed. It was like a dream… a dreamy Arabian night.

So, we tried to take pictures at the tent’s couches occupied hours earlier by PBA players. It was already empty by then. We were having a fun time just silently taking pictures with our creative poses. But, oh, some things were too good to be true. Police officers arrived and shooed us away. It was quite embarrassing because it felt like we were doing something illegal, and in public. No, I did not do a Claudine or a Raymart, we just silently left. By providence, though, the governor happened to pass by and instructed the men in uniform, “Hayaan niyo sila, dun lang kayo sa gilid.” And then she even suggested that I lay on the couch like a sultan, which I did.

We would later learn that the police came under the instructions of a non-elective Capitol officer whose first name is similar to that of a feisty lady senator and whose surname means grass in Filipino. Some Capitol people say the lady really has some air and a tendency to be rough, mainly because she has been a powerful fixture for a long time.

But that was a forgettable incident. Still, my only regret is that I only have two thumbs, four including my toes, for I would have given ten thumbs up, or more, for that event that was really, really something.

Walang Himala?

Nope, meron. I went to one last May 10.

Manuel L. Quezon III

Malacañang Communications Undersecretary Manuel Quezon III, grandson of the Commonwealth president, is coming to the province on May 4 for a couple of engagements. Himself a blogger, he wishes to meet Ilocos Norte bloggers in the afternoon. I am helping his staff identify participants, and I have so far listed twelve, aside from myself.

1. Tina Tan – blauearth.com
2. Edwin Antonio – ilocandiatreasures.com
3. Ericke Tan – surprisinglykitsch.com
4. Shermon Cruz – ilocosfutures.wordpress.com
5. Guien Garma – guiengarma.wordpress.com
6. Marianne Pasion – maryaneeephotography.blogspot.com
7. Tricia Domingo – triciadomingo.blogspot.com
8. Sherene Ruiz – mylifeneverbeeneasy.blogspot.com
9. GD Baltazar – iamthesupergd.wordpress.com
10. Jonas Paul dela Cruz – simplejonas.wordpress.com
11. Peter La Julian – pedroblogspotcom-peter.blogspot.com
12. Ritchelle Blanco Dejolde – resurrectingtheilocanospirit.wordpress.com

I have met Manolo Quezon on several occasions, especially when I was still teaching at Colegio de San Juan de Letran, the alma mater of his illustrious lolo. At the Intramuros school, the Quezon family always graces the August birthday celebration of the Ama ng Wikang Pambansa. I am a fan of The Explainer, his television show where issues are discussed with great detail and insight. Also, he is supportive of the Philippine Blog Awards where I have been a national finalist three years in a row in the society, politics, and history category. I really look forward to May 4.

This is the first time bloggers here are coming together, and I am thinking of finally initiating the Ilocos Norte Bloggers Commune. In other parts of the country, bloggers have long organized their respective societies which allow them to initiate activities and write for common causes and advocacies. Now is time to do it here.

Do you know of any other serious blogger who might be interested to join the activity?

Six Hundred Eighty Thousand—that, the provincial government says, is the number of tourists who flocked to Ilocos Norte during the Holy Week.

Many think the figure is bloated, and I am trying to understand why. That number, plus the province’s population of around 600,000 combines to 1.28-M. With the country’s population at 92-M, that means 1 of every 77 Filipinos were in Ilocos Norte during the week. It is simply unimaginable, some say, although ‘unimaginable’ could be something positive. Even with a most generous margin of error of, say, 20 percent, the figure is still huge. Boracay, for instance, only usually has around 800,000 tourist arrivals for an entire year, and we know the figure is credible because there is a proper headcount at the Caticlan Port en route to the famous beach.

Personally, I think the method by which they arrived at the statistic is rough at best. Capitol tourist staff counted occupancies in hotels, lodges, and home stays, and, in addition, also data from traffic and tourist centers. The duplication in headcount was thus very possible.

But don’t get me wrong, dear karikna, I honestly believe, and know for sure, that there was indeed a dramatic rise in tourist arrivals here, and I am happy with this development. Living near La Elliana Hotel, La Preciosa Restaurant, and other tourism-related establishments gives me a layman’s feel of how things are going on for tourism.

 “Major restaurants and small time carinderias noted the dramatic increase of tourists this year. Customers who wanted to taste Ilocano cuisine like bagnet, longanisa, empanada and miki had to line up in queues for them to get served,” says a Capitol press release which also reported that “All hotels and transient homes with a capacity of 2,600 rooms were booked and spillover went to private houses to homestay and others set up tents around the major destinations.” It cited Texicano Hotel which has only 50 rooms but received 468 guests during the week.

Sounds sweet, though this is both an accomplishment and a wake-up call. Officials admit that tourists had to wait for at least two hours to get a decent meal, half a day to get billeted. You know how stressful that could be for people who just want to have fun. Good thing there were very few, really few, foreign tourists.

The Capitol admits it did not expect that volume of tourists and that it was overwhelmed. On hindsight, we really attracted more than what we could really properly accommodate. They came, but we were not ready with their magnitude.  I sincerely hope ‘word of mouth’ (which is a very potent form of advertisement) about our lack of facilities will not jeopardize our chances of attracting more tourists.

Still, I am sure many visitors also felt our eagerness to really give them a great experience here. Helpful tourist kiosks were set up, free tours were organized, and peace and order was well maintained. Governor Imee Marcos was the usual hands-on leader during the long vacation. And the staff of the Capitol’s tourism and media offices, respectively headed by the dynamic duo of Ianree Raquel and Jun Gudoy, all worked under stress round the clock during the week when all the rest of us were on vacation. I am sure they didn’t mind though. For one, the influx of tourists serves as a vindication for what they have been working very hard for.

One factor that contributed to the upsurge of arrivals is the provincial government’s tourism campaign ‘PaoayKumakaway!,’ which, at first, I was silently skeptical with. I thought that it was confusing having to associate the whole province to just one town. And Ialso thought the ‘bigote’ confuses people even more as very few realize that it is Juan Luna’s. I have been tempted to write against it but I restrained myself, and I am happy I did for this is one occasion your karikna is happy to be proven wrong.

It delivered, so it must be good. PaoayKumakaway reached out to millions through TV commercials and through billboards showcasing Ilocos Norte’s finest tourist destinations along the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, train routes, and airport terminals. The campaign featured the wonderful attractions of our province—our magnificent churches, rock formations, historical structures, sand, beaches, and other beauties.

I mainly stayed at home during the Holy Week, not wanting to compete for space and resources with tourists, and while doing my usual web surfing, I was delighted to see “Pagudpud” as the number 5 trending topic in Yahoo! Philippines. This is really something.

But trending for what? Pagudpud is a gift we have not really worked on enough. Though the wonderful coastal town has been in the national consciousness for decades for having one of the finest beaches in Asia, it remains a disappointment in terms of services and facilities.

And there are very few establishments which offer good food in Pagudpud. Even Saud Beach Resort and Hotel (touted as one the best there), where I brought a close friend from abroad on an off-peak season, is disappointing in terms of services. For instance, my friend specifically requested that the bacon in her BLT Sandwich be made crispy.  When it came, the bacon was as soggy as a pre-Viagra centenarian’s you-know-what. It was the same story when I told the waiter how I wanted to have my eggs done. And, yes, though we stayed in their most expensive suite, there was a nasty cat in the attic that deprived us of a good rest. Oh, did I say the place is owned by the town mayor?

Why is Pagudpud still behind its counterparts like Boracay, Puerto Galera, or El Nido? A major reason is that their local leaders lack vision and foresight, for if they did, tourist activity could be more bullish in the town, and there would have been less disappointed visitors.

The upsurge of tourist arrivals in Palawan was far more dramatic on account of the Underground River being hailed as one of the Seven Wonders of Nature, but they were ready, and were quick to augment their facilities. Construction activities, left and right, are being done there even as I write this.

What to do with Pagudpud?

All said, dear karikna, fact remains that things are looking up for tourism in Ilocos Norte, and here’s wishing we sustain it.

]]> http://riknakem.com/2012/04/13/bloated-and-overwhelmed/feed/ 3 riknakem http://riknakem.com/2012/03/16/torpedo/ http://riknakem.com/2012/03/16/torpedo/#comments Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:58:55 +0000 Herdy La. Yumul http://riknakem.com/?p=2065 Continue reading →]]> (Ano po ang maipapayo natin sa letter sender?)

Hayaan niyo naman akong mag-share. At pasensya na sa lengwahe. Baka hindi niyo magustuhan, pero parang gusto ko lang makipag-usap sa isang kaibigan at ganito ako makipag-usap sa isang kaibigan.

Binuklat ko kasi ang lumang diary ko nu’ng nakaraang araw at muli ko na namang naalala ang isang bahagi ng aking buhay na pilit ko nang ibinaon sa aking kamalayan.

I really loved her so much and adored her. I had other girlfriends before pero wala sila compared to this person. Nu’ng high school e we would talk on the phone nang kay tagal. More than two hours, ganun. I would even record the conversations on cassette tape at papakinggan nang paulit-ulit kapag nami-miss ko siya.. Top student siya sa school nila at ganun din naman ako sa amin kaya nagkakasama kami sa mga interschool activities at competitions.

She was very simple and that was what I liked about her. Walang arte. At ang sarap niyang kausap. Talagang may connection kami.

Nu’ng nag-college kami pareho sa Manila, we went to different schools, siya sa UP Diliman, ako naman sa isang Catholic school. Bago kami mag-college e sabi ko bibisitahin ko siya sa UP. Sabi niya huwag, conservative kasi ang family niya at very religious, as in. At naintindihan ko naman na gusto niyang mag-focus sa pag-aaral. So I respected that. Nag-uusap naman kami paminsan-minsan sa landline sa dorm. And we would also write letters to each other by mail kasi hindi pa masyadong uso ang text noon. Kakatuwa nga e, kasi nasa Quezon City siya at sa Manila din lang naman ako pero by snail mail ang communication namin. Subalit iba talaga ang feeling kapag sariling penmanship niya ang binabasa mo. Parang sasabog ang puso ko sa galak tuwing bubuksan ko ang kanyang liham.

Basta, I respected yung sinabi niya na huwag akong dadalaw. Miss na miss ko siya palagi. Kapag sembreak at umuuwi kami dito sa Laoag ay mas mahaba ang usapan namin, we try to catch up.

There was one time na pinipilit ako ng bestfriend ko na puntahan namin siya sa dorm nila on my birthday pero either ako’y masunurin talaga sa minamahal ko o isa lang talagang dakilang torpe, hindi kami tumuloy.

Then second semester ng second year e may course requirement kami sa theology. Questionnaire for girls we were interested in. Gusto ko sanang ipasagot sa kanya pero nawawalan na ako ng pag-asa. Christmas break noon at hindi ko na siya tinawagan ni minsan dahil nga pinanghihinaan na ako ng loob.

Pero nung Dec. 31, at 10:00 p.m., tumawag siya sa bahay. Mag-ingat daw ako sa pagpapaputok. Sabi ko naman, “Who cares anyway? Sabi niya, “I care.” Sobrang kinilig ako. Kaya naman nagkalakas-loob ako na banggitin ‘yung tungkol sa theo project namin.

Inutusan ko ‘yung pamangkin ko na dalhin sa bahay nila ‘yung questionnaire the next day, Jan. 1, kalakip ang isang white rose. The next day, because of a mistake in a pronoun I used, I found myself going to their house with three red roses and chocolates. Kinabahan ako sobra pero kinapalan ko na ang mukha ko. There was her father who was naturally protective of his youngest daughter, at nagkataon pang birthday ng kuya niya. She received me so warmly.

Pag-uwi ko ng bahay, dagli kong binasa ‘yung mga sagot niya. Part of the questionnaire ay ‘yung impressions niya about me. Nakakataba ng puso ang mga isinulat niya tungkol sa akin. Then, as to the question, “If he courts you, does he have a chance?” ang sagot niya ay, “Of course, but he has to wait. We have to finish college first.” Kaya naman nabuhayan talaga ako ng loob. January 2 ‘yan at pabalik na ako ng Manila. Pagbiyahe ko kinagabihan e nakangiti ako sobra. Ang saya-saya ko.

I invited her to our college fair later that month. Pumayag naman siya. Sinundo ko siya sa UP kasama ang tatlong high school friends niya na nag-aaral din ‘dun. Bago tumuloy sa school namin ay kumain muna kami sa labas. Para akong lumulutang sa alapaap.

Bago ang prusisyon at misa ay pumasyal muna kami sa fair grounds kung saan may mga rides. Takot ako sa rides, pero nu’ng nag-aya siyang sumakay sa ferris wheel e hindi na ako nagdalawang isip. I was overwhelmed na katabi ko siya. Sabi ko, “I can die now.” Napangiti siya. Ang saya. Pati nung prusisyon ay kami ang magkasama hanggang sa pag-uwi nila.

Then tuloy lang ang communication namin. Hanggang we got busy nu’ng third year na kami, lalo na nu’ng naging abala ako sa debate team at sumali kami sa iba’t ibang competitions dito at sa labas ng bansa.

Basta I was holding on to her promise na after college e pwede na. I was willing to wait. Kahit gaano katagal. I promised na siya na talaga ang gusto kong makasama habang buhay at sabi ko sa sarili ko na kung hindi rin lang siya e ayoko nang magmahal ng iba. Sobrang siya ang ideal girl ko at lahat e parang second rate na lang. At ayoko ng second rate.

Noong birthday ko nu’ng fourth year na kami, I was excited kasi sandali na lang at talagang full blast na ang panliligaw ko. So, I called her that night. Sabi ko e hindi ko naman hinihiling na sagutin na niya ako. Gusto ko lang tanungin kung meron ba talagang chance.

Natigilan siya. There was a long, defeaning silence. Then she said. Sinagot na daw niya si Ben (hindi tunay na pangalan). ‘Yung isang manliligaw niya na nauna pa sa akin.

Ouch! Sakit naman. I was devastated. SAKIT!

I asked her why. ‘Di ba promise niya na we will wait? Sabi niya e hindi din daw niya alam kung ano ang nangyari. Basta nangyari na lang and then there were times when he needed somebody and Ben was always there. I was not.

Ilang buwan ang nakalipas bago kami uli nagkausap. Sabi niya’y sadyang iniwasan niya ako kasi baka kapag nagkaproblema sila ni Ben e bigla siyang lumapit sa akin. Noong medyo stable na sila e saka niya inamin na nagustuhan din niya talaga ako, na naging mas matimbang ako kay Ben.

Pero huli na ang lahat.

At ako’y nalulunod sa kalungkutan.

I admire a top elective official of the Ilocos Norte provincial government for being so simple, down-to-earth, and jolly faced. He would go to the mall with no bodyguards and is sometimes only in his pambahay. You would think he is just an ordinary Joe, not one who belongs to one of the country’s top political clans. And, indeed, my sister-in-law Gina did not even recognize the official when we chanced at him at a pirated DVD store where he bought a couple of titles. The storekeeper says he is a constant customer.

Yes, he buys pirated DVDs, but I don’t care. Do you, dear karikna?