109th Philippine Independence Day?

Its another historic move for Pres. Arroyo for making June 12 as working holiday. As expected, there's a scarcity of attendees for the yearly parade at the Luneta Grandstand. Even the Flag raising ceremony at Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite City was said to be done by a civilian. Does it mean that Filipinos now doesn't care more about its Independence?

The 109th Independence Day celebration was noteworthy even for its short parade and small crowd. But some who who did attend the said affair said they saw no significance in the day itself. Even the leaders of our Congress were noticeably absent in the invitation. Students were also invisible unlike the previous years.

Well, time is passing by and I just don't like remembering dull moments. I usually went there to cover the event specially if its holiday. But now, because of the declaration of Pres. Arroyo to move the holiday on the 11th, I missed the celebration and instead i just prefer to go to the office and be more productive.

I just browse some files in my digital back-up and cherish the colorful celebration at least in pictures.:)

Destination: Eagle's Point

Pinoy Explorer is on the go again. Recently, I was able to visit the fabulous resort of Eagle Point in Batangas. Local residents in this area called the place "Bagalangit" which means "Almost Heaven". It has something that they can be proud of, clean sea air, pristine waters, perfect for scuba divers and fantastic sunset view by the bay.

The place is located on the tip of the Calumpang Peninsula and just two and a half hours drive from Manila but actually we had reached the place form Manila almost 5 hours. That includes a stop-over in Lipa, Batangas . This privately-owned haven is one of the biggest and best resorts so far in Anilao-Mabini area.

The place is simply amazing because it has scenic islands that is perfect relaxation place for people who want to escape the congested metropolis. Being booked in this resort, we are entitled to go boating to its island called Maricaban and enjoy Sepoc Beach's pristine blue water. My colleagues have fun playing volleyball while I chose to go kayaking with my ninong to its nearby islets. There's also a hill that we hike through a concrete-made pathway and get a panoramic view of the island.

There's a snorkeling site called Canyon land, it is considered as one of the protected areas and boat operators are prevented from anchoring to protect the coral reefs. So, we snorkel our way just a half- kilometer from our boats.

The waves got rough at 2:00 PM so we decided to proceed back to our villas. We got a 25-min thrill ride as our boat is being tossed from time to time. Adrenaline as they call it can be enjoyed by all thrill-seekers like me.

Again, when we were back to the Eagle's point, we try another thrill swimming and snorkeling with sharks. Yes, this time with "baby shark " in a man-made pool with coral reefs and different species of fish to simulate our sea experience. It was really fun and everyone had made its first time encounters with the shark.

This resort is amazing and and truly a Paradise Philippines so to speak. It has something unique to offer that we can seldom found in other beaches in the Philippines. We are blessed with a beautiful day and was so lucky to have a cloudy blue sky that is so perfect for my landscape shots.

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