Travel: Trip to Cebu Part 2

Well, here is the second part of our family travel in Cebu.  Sorry it took me some time to update my blog.  I have been busy lately with other personal matters.  Anyway, here it goes! 

We woke up quite early on our second day in Cebu and the bright morning sun greeted us in our rooms’ windows.  We prepared a bit to start our day on the beach and to enjoy the pool.

*picture, picture!!!*

 

9:00am came so we went up to get ourselves dressed for breakfast.  After eating, my dad told us an unexpected news.  My cousin called my dad because he found out that we are in Cebu.  Apparently, he is in the place as well.  He invited us for a free tour!!!  He would be in charge of whatever place he would want us to see.  Yey!  No more “Manila-like” mall tour! Haha!

 

This is the new long bridge in Cebu to get to its city.

 

This is what a jeepney looks like in Cebu.  It is not actually called jeepney; they call it multicab.
(Sorry I just got the rear view of this green multicab and the front view of the red multicab on the left.  I had several attempts to take a photo of the multicabs but I just got blurred pictures.  For you to get a clear view of what a multicab looks like, just click on this link.)

 

First Stop:  MAGELLAN’S CROSS: The Birth of Christianity in the Philippines  (Click on this link to learn more about Magellan’s Cross)

 

Second Stop: BASILICA MINORE DEL SANTO NIÑO: The First Church and Monastery in the Philippines  (Click on this link to learn more about Basilica Minore del Santo Niño)

 

Ok, this post has become quite lengthy again.  Haha!  There’s more so stay tuned again for part 3! 

Travel: Trip to Cebu Part 1

My family and I had our first ever major outing in Cebu last June 18 – 20, 2011.  That was my first time to ride an airplane as well.  Haha!  We bought tickets from AirphilExpress so that is the first airline service that I have tried.

That silhouette in the picture above… That’s me eagerly waiting for our turn to start boarding. 

The plane took off… landed… we’re already in Cebu!

For the whole duration of the trip of 3 days and 2 nights, we had our accommodation in Mövenpick Resort & Spa Cebu.  It is located in Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island.  This hotel is quite near the airport so this is an ideal place if you would like to immediately check in rather than having to travel again for a farther accommodation.

After we have done arranging our things in the hotel, we went out to eat lunch at Sutukil.  The place is like what we call “Dampa” here in Manila.  It is where you would buy fresh seafood from the market and the vendors would serve them according to how you would like them cooked.

By the way, that lady in the picture above is my older brother’s girlfriend.

After having our lunch, it rained so we just went back to the hotel to take some rest.  Two hours later, the rain stopped and the sun slightly appeared so we took the opportunity to head to the beach…

… and the hotel’s pool.

After enjoying the water, we went up to our rooms to get ready for dinner.  We had our dinner at AA Barbecue.  If Sutukil is for seafood, AA Barbecue is for meat.  We bought raw and marinated chicken and pork cuts and told the vendor how we would like them cooked.

I got the picture above from this blog.  Sorry we were not able to have a picture in this restaurant.

Dinner’s done so we head back to the hotel to rest.  My mom told me that for the next day, we would go to Ayala Center and SM Cebu.  I was quite disappointed though since I don’t intend to visit a place which is like that of Manila.  However, there’s no one available to give us a free tour so I just went to bed thinking that we will go to the mall the next day.

I would end my story here for now.  This post has become quite lengthy already.  Haha!  Stay tuned for part 2!

Commendable Philippine Companies: Aboitiz Power Corporation

Our electric bill proves how essential electricity is.  The total amount that appears in our monthly bill shows the relation of how much electricity we have used.  So, the higher the usage of electricity, the higher our total bill goes as well.  This is why we have to be aware that we need to save on our electricity consumption.

However, another factor that contributes to the usage of electricity is the source of energy where it comes from.  There are different ways to produce electricity but the most ideal way would be to get it from clean sources of energy.  For this post, I would like to introduce another Philippine company that helps in the sustainability of the environment by providing its clients electricity through renewable sources of energy.  This is none other than Aboitiz Power Corporation.

Aboitiz Power Corporation is one of the leading companies in the Philippine power industry.  They are involved in providing power generation and power distribution operations through hydroelectric, oil, coal, and geothermal power plants.  What makes them notable is that they encourage their clients to take on the option to go green when it comes to their power supply.

For clients to gain more knowledge about renewable sources of energy, Aboitiz Power Corporation has launched Cleanergy, the company’s brand name for their clean energy.   This focuses on the company’s hydroelectric and geothermal generation assets.  Those clients, who have closed the deal for getting Cleanergy as their source of energy, get a special recognition for choosing to be responsible in the sustainability of the environment.  Two of the Philippine companies that have been given this recognition are San Fernando Electric Light and Power Company (SFELAPCO) and SteelAsia Manufacturing Corporation.

Aboitiz Power Corporation did not only become a key player in the field of the power industry in the Philippines.  This company is also able to make other companies see the potential of renewable sources of energy and how it could help in protecting our planet.

Today is a time for BAD (Blog Action Day)!

I have a new blog badge about today’s environmental advocacy called “BAD” which stands for Blog Action Day.  Here is the badge:

After my previous post about saving our forests, now we save our seas.  Not only do our lands get exploitation threats but also our great bodies of water.

Considering that the Philippines is an archipelagic country, it has been blessed with diverse and amazing underwater natural resources.  There is no doubt that tourists would want to visit and see its beauty.  However, there are also people who take advantage of these resources by earning from them.  That is through harvesting, exporting, and selling corals, shells, turtles, and other marine life species that belong to the Philippine seas.

I have read a blog post from Anna Oposa.  This is where I found out how critical the current situation is.  There are really a lot of marine resources being removed from our seas to sell them online.  Add up this article from Philippine Daily Inquirer about the great number of smuggled shells and corals that could not fit into two 20-foot container vans.  Corals are considered as the “rainforests” of the seas.  They serve as breeding grounds and natural habitat for different fish species.  If the harvesting continues, soon enough our waters would be dead.  For sure, none of us would like that to happen.

This is the call of Blog Action Day.  We need to save and preserve the Philippine seas so that the dreaded situation of losing our underwater natural resources would not happen.  This is also for future generations so that they may enjoy and appreciate our waters.

I invite you to join this advocacy by spreading their website link and liking their Facebook page.  This is just a simple way to show our support in saving our natural marine resources before it’s too late.

Today is World Environment Day!

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) website,

“World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere.”

For this year’s WED event, the theme is FORESTS: NATURE AT YOUR SERVICE.

In relation to this day’s event, I would like to share with you some forest-related issues currently faced by the Philippines.

True enough, the Philippine forests has been blessed with a rich biodiversity.  As stated by Conservation International, the Philippines has been a natural habitat for a great number of unique flora and fauna that could only be found in this country.  Unfortunately, exploitation threatens our forests mainly due to commercial logging and mining.  This made the Philippines to be considered as one of the world’s most threatened ecological hotspots.

To address this environmental problem, President Noynoy Aquino issued Executive Order 23 (log ban all over the Philippines) and Executive Order 26 (nationwide tree planting and regreening program).  This has received a lot of cheers from environmentalists and conservationists considering the serious effort for the restoration of our forests.

Comments? Suggestions?

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this blog, feel free to click the Contact Me button in the menu located above the header.  I would be happy to hear from you!

That’s just it for now…

Hoping for a Safer Metro Manila for Non-Smokers

See that signage below?  Does it look familiar?  You can usually see this posted in public vehicles.

If you will read what LTFRB Memorandum Circular No. 2009 – 036 is all about, you will see what this policy wants to achieve:
“This policy aims to promote a healthful environment and to protect the public from second-hand smoke, to which there is no safe level of exposure.”

This is a good way to protect people who do not smoke.  I was actually relieved the first time I saw this posted in a jeepney.  This relief, however, did not last long.

I get to experience the same problem with the one who wrote this blog post.  I do commute going to work and going home.  Every time I ride a public vehicle, I see the same “no smoking” signage.  Apparently, even if this has already been posted inside public vehicles, people still do not comply.  The sad reality is that the primary violators are the drivers themselves.  They are just posting the signage for the sake of complying with the law but not really taking them into action.

Last Sunday, I read an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer regarding another attempt of the government to protect non-smokers.  People will not anymore be allowed to smoke in public places.  These public places are bus and jeepney terminals, loading and unloading bays, pedestrian passes, schools, hospitals, youth recreation centers, government offices and those within the perimeter of Metro Manila’s major and secondary roads.  Violators will be fined Php500.00.  For those who cannot afford to pay, they will render eight hours of community service.

I am not so sure if this would turn out well since a lot of people would get annoyed due to having lesser options of places where they could smoke.  However, since I am a non-smoker, I am really hoping that this could be a good and simple start of having a cleaner air in Metro Manila.  In addition to that, there would be lesser cigarette butts being thrown around. 

The Light from the Sun through a Bottle

Light is an important part of our daily lives.  Count how many light bulbs you have at home.  You will realize how crucial it is to have lights in every room of your home.  You even replace those light bulbs that get busted.  Common scenario is that you get so uneasy whenever there is brownout/blackout in your area.  But for those who are less fortunate, light is a very scarce resource.

In the case of those people living in the shanties, daytime and nighttime could not be distinguished since the small houses are cramped together.  There is just a narrow alley wherein you could go from one house to another.  Light could barely pass through so the whole area remains dark inside.  If you are watching Philippine noontime variety shows (wherein the hosts would visit some random house to give gifts and money to those living in the shanties), you will get what I mean.  There are few residents who have electric lights installed in their houses.

Good thing a 1.5 liter soft drink plastic bottle filled with a simple formulation (water and bleach) could now give a solution to this problem.  How?  I read an article, written by Kara Santos, in Inquirer Sunday Magazine regarding the project of My Shelter Foundation called Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light).  It aims to provide eco-friendly solar bottle bulbs to people living in depressed areas.

The bulb is placed in the roof and when the sun hits the formulation inside the bottle, it gives a bright white light that is equivalent to 55 watts of electric light.  Aside from that, the formulation could last up to five years before it needs to be replaced.  This amazing invention was done by students of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  The bulbs are also being used in Brazil and Mexico and it is now being applied as well here in the Philippines.

To know more about the Isang Litrong Liwanag project, visit their website:  http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/.

Here is a picture of how the bottle is placed in the roof (photo courtesy of lifestyle.inquirer.net):

Here is another picture showing that the solar bottle bulb really works (photo courtesy of lifestyle.inquirer.net):

The Fairy has been Revealed

I don’t know in your case but whenever I try to write about myself, my mind just goes blank.  It seems like nothing comes out of my mind.  It is easier for me to write about someone or something else rather than describing myself.

If you have a blog, you are familiar with the counters of your blog statistics.  You will see there what links people visit in your blog and how many times they have been clicked.  I have noticed that once in a while, people click the link of my blog entitled, “Who is Ecologyfairy?“  Apparently, I have not written any information in it since I cannot really come up with my own personal write-up.

For this blog post, I would like to announce that you may now take a peek in the said page.  Somehow, you would know who I am.  Writing this page has been a challenge for me so don’t expect much.  Haha!

I, Ecologyfairy, would like to thank you, my readers, for taking the time to visit my blog.  It means so much knowing that people read what I write.  Again, thank you!

Maude’s Avenue of Thoughts Blog Anniversary Giveaway

My friend, Maude Maxine Rolle, is having a giveaway for her blog’s (Maude’s Avenue of Thoughts) anniversary.  I have been following her blog ever since she started her first ever post!  Right, Maude? Haha!

I could still remember when she was still thinking of a title for her blog.  She keeps on asking me for suggestions.  We were office seatmates back then.  Now that we belong to different projects, I rarely see her and I haven’t got the chance to tell her how good her stories are.  Her stories are very inspiring and they are definitely a good read! Keep it up, Maude!

Visit Maude’s Avenue of Thoughts for a chance to win a chic Celine bag!

By the way, here is a picture of her giveaway!