YOUNG AND dynamic bloggers in South Cotabato, General Santos City and Sarangani Province met yesterday for the 1st planning workshop in preparation for the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit, which will be held in GenSan on October 25.
Sir Hecky (left) facilitated the workshop, Sir Avel (right) provided the venue and snacks, and I (center) provided the bulk of the participants-slash-volunteers-slash-my students.
FOUR DAYS after, you can still feel the agony caused by the flood to more than 600 affected families. The following are pictures taken at Purok Maharlika, on the way to our school. According to a friend who works at the Provincial Capitol told me that the flood had caused greater damage in Ladol, a coastal village.
IT HAPPENED again after almost eight years — only, it’s stronger this time.
I thought it wouldn’t rain as hard as it did yesterday. When we arrived from Marbel at about half past three yesterday, the sky was not really dark. After my last class, it started to drizzle. Then the wind started to blow. Soon after, the sky darkened and a heavy downpour followed.
The students who were getting ready to go home started to worry. There were only few vehicles on the school grounds so some of them started walking under the rain out of fear that the rain would not stop until nightfall.
I told my co-teacher that it was the strongest rain I have seen in years. She told me that it was just normal. But I had a gut feeling that if it would last for half an hour more, a flashflood of the same magnitude of the one that took place on November 1, 2000, would hit our town.
I WATCHED the Sunday morning show on ABS-CBN Davao this morning and glad to see that the white sand beach resorts of Gumasa in Glan, Sarangani Province were featured and the place was actually compared to Boracay.
Photo from http://www.sarangani.gov.ph
However, the shots taken did not show the beach in its best shape. Driftwoods were very prominent against the bright white of sand that one would think that the beach is dirty. In private beach resorts and hotels, though, the shore is clean.
The feature appeared to me like a wake up call to the tourism authorities in Sarangani–that they have a great load to do about promoting Gumasa as one of the county’s top destinations.
The panorama of Sitio Pait is saddening.
FINALLY, I was able to acquire copies of pictures of our Earth Day Eco-Walk and Tree Growing Activity held on April 25, 2008, for the benefit of the Calminda Watershed, which covers the areas of Barangays Alegria, Bagacay, and Paraiso, Alabel, Sarangani Province.
The protection of the Calminda Watershed is one of the top priorities of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) of Alabel. In cooperation with the DENR Provincial Office of Sarangani and the Local Government of Alabel, the office designated portions of the watershed for the different schools in the municipality, the different departments of the LGU, and other organizations to rehabilitate and maintain.
