WikiPilipinas: The Summer Getaway 2008

Summer 2008 is here and the Philippine beaches for sure is the perfect destination to most Filipinos. This year, PinoyExplorer goes on the road for a Northern Adventure this summer, this time not with my fellow photogs, not with my family and friends but with the WikiPilipinas Team. You're right WikiPilipinas goes north for their summer getaway.

This blog will be a series of posts (hopefully :) ). This will give you a day to day updates of WikiPilipinas itinerary as it simulates the Philippine Tour Guide of the North. As a refresher, WikiPilipinas- the Philippine encyclopedia has a Philippine Tourist Guide inside its pages. Check it out so you can have a glimpse of your favorite destinations. And if you think you have something to add on, start writing.

As part of the itinerary, WikiPilipinas hopefully be visiting Tarlac, Pangasinan, la Union, Vigan and finally the white beach of Pagudpud. As you have known, the month of May is not just for fiestas but also a cultural heritage month. So, historical and cultural sites is for sure will be the highlights of the tour. WikiPilipinas gives importance on this and it adheres to the need of the Filipinos to know more about their local histories, be written and be told.

PinoyExplorer also believes that we really need those stories. Usually, we visit places but we fail to tell their stories. When we go to places like Pampanga or Vigan, we always look at it as a place for good pasalubong. WikiPilipinas sister site Filipiniana.net's LAHI and PinoyExplorer believes that we can offer more than just pasalubong. We can give them a "pasalubong" that can last long to their memories and can be shared to others. I am talking about stories, these are unique in every place and are still undocumented. As Wikiboy and Gus had said "In order for our history to be told, its should be written."

So, to those who love to write and has knowledge on their local history, its about time for them to be told. WikiPilipinas is the Philippine repository of everything about Pinoy and we should took advantage of it.

And lastly, to those volunteers who live in the area of WikiPilipinas Tour, you can catch them on the road, historical areas or in resto may be and you can come to have a personal chat with the founder and its team. They will be glad to see you and enjoy the summer worth while.

Palawan: Host of Palarong Pambansa 2008

April 23, 008

Given the scarcity of time while in a conference session, I manage to sneak few moments of my time to visit the Palarong Pambansa being held here in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.

As per the tricycle driver who acted as my guide, the venue of the events are in various places and giving him my choice of sport would be easy for him to bring me to the exact destination point. Instead, I have requested him to bring me to the nearest event venue regardless of sports.

The Palawan Coliseum is my first stop though its been late already still, what I can do is to have my occular visit and see the facility at the same time. The venue is for gymnastics and for the championship event for basketball. Gymnastics participants are practicing and Its on my advantage 'coz I will given a close encounter with the athletes while being trained by their respective coaches. It was amazing to see participants as young as 7 years old. I have seen them in their acrobatic moves that can be at par with their grown-up counter part doing triple loop in mid-air.


The following day after our lunch, I sneak again and proceeded to the main venue- The Ramon Mitra, Jr. Sports Complex and seen the basketball and volleyball event. The venue is just 15 minutes drive from our host in Brgy. San Jose. Tricycles there are mostly rented since more people are going to the sports complex.

The venue is huge with a standard Olympic size oval complete with figure statue of our favorite international sports superstar. I just don't know the relevance of these foreign sports figures to the current event. We are presenting our own common games and I can be pleased if I see Pacquiao's life-size figure.




Anyway, the local government of Puerto Princesa is really prepared for the event. They even spent less than P20 million to resurface their oval. Medical terminals are also being constructed in all competition venues to assure that athletes and officials will be taken care of during the tournament. Large billboards can also be seen to spell-out the highlight of the event.

The following are the list of the event.

• April 11, 2008 - Start of Screening of Athletes
  Venue: Billeting Quarters of the Regional Delegations
• April 16, 2008 -Arrival of the Technical Management & Administration
  Venue: Palawan State University
• April 17-19, 2008 - Search for Mr. & Miss Palaro 2008
  Venue: Puerto Princesa City Coliseum
• April 17-18, 2008 - Refresher Course for Technical Officials
  Venue: Palawan State University
• April 19, 2008 - Solidarity Meeting
  Venue: Puerto Princesa Coliseum
• April 20, 2008 - Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Palarong Pambansa
  Venue: Puerto Princesa
• April 21-26, 2008 - Competition Proper of the 2008 Palarong Pambansa
  Venue: Different Playing Venues
• April 23, 2008 - Special Games
  Venue: Puerto Princesa Sports Complex
• April 26, 2008 - Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Palarong Pambansa
  Venue: Puerto Princesa
• April 27, 2008 - Homeward bound safe and sound
  Venue: City Sports Complex
  

The Department of Education, which is organizing the Palaro with technical support from the Philippine Sports Commission, has allotted P60 million for the national tournament for athletes 18 years and below.

next.. city of palawan

Palawan: My Adventure series

April 22, 2008

This summer, its work with pleasure :) and its nice to be given this rare opportunity to visit the last frontier of the south- Palawan.

I will be spending my 4 days here and hope to share with you something memorable experience that any adventure traveler like me would like to know. This week Puerto Princesa City is hosting the 2008 Palarong Pambansa at the Ramon V. Mitra Jr. Sports Complex from April 20-26 and for sure this would be my first stop to get a glimpse of the 10,000 strong contingents of the said sporting event.

Wes and I aboard the plane via Air Philippines bound for Puerto Princesa by 9:15 am and its my first time to travel by plane in day time. I'm glad that I got an advantage corner (beside a window) and got a wonderful shot of fractus culumus cloud formation while flying in 25000 ft above sea level. The sight is really breathtaking and its feels like your at the middle of a giant cotton white candy less the white angels that sings alleluyah... alleluyah.. :).

The bird's eye view of Palawan islands is also magnificent, as you can see in these photos, its very clear that the government of Palawan under the leadership of Mayor Edward Hagedorn, had done so much to preserve its natural beauty and protected its marine ecosystem.




When we land 55 minutes later, we were greeted by a military band. The tarmac is small but its clean and surrounded by lush green forest. Puerta Princesa is really booming as a tourist haven. Welcome banners promoting their rich natural wonders scattered all over the airport, its main thoroughfare and not to mention the banners welcoming the delegates of the Palarong Pambansa.

I'm not here for the sports but rather for a Librarian event where our projects WikiPilipinas and Filipiniana.net will be presented over 200 delegates for the Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarian (PAARL) Summer Conference tackling the theme: Finding the Library's Place in the 2.0 Environment: Providing for interactive, collaborative and web-based technologies, resources and services.

We have no "sundo" that's why we have rented a 100 peso tricycle ride going to "St. Ezekiel Moreno Spirituality and Development Center" a sort of a retreat house. Hotel's are fully booked maybe because of the occasion that prompted the organizers to held its venue here. Anyway, the place is cool and really have to relax for a while.

More for tomorrow...