Participatory tourism

I coined the title just to strike a point.

While waiting for a ride out from SM City Davao last Wednesday, I sat in in one of the meetings held at the mall’s Entertainment Plaza in time for the tourism week celebration.

That’s when I heard an officer of the Filipino Communities Association of Australia addressing the general assembly of the Davao City Tourism Council.

He spoke of involving the communities in tourism planning so they will not be left out and be out of synch in attending to tourists coming their way. Read this report on MindaNews.com for more details.

Another way of looking at it, however, is to engage the communities as partners and not just as sit-in guests in meetings just to receive tourism briefings.

BizTalk: Shaping up to cut cost

I haven’t covered the Mindanao Shippers’ Conference in June but in the sidelines I heard one of the organizers talk about the high cost of freight as among the bigger concerns there.

I was reminded of this when I interviewed Maritine Industry Authority officer in charge Virgillio Armonia last week.

He said small shippers should pool their cargo to minimize freight cost as shipping lines charge by container van.

Armonia stressed that the practice for now is costly because most of the shippers are not organized, as this report on MindaNews.com presents.

What’s the significance of this? The small shippers referred to are mostly growers and marketers of fruits and vegetableproducts. Many of them consolidate ouput from small to medium scale farmers in countryside communities.

Microview: Military abuse in Ecoland terminal

Where you’re supposed to be safe, you are not.

KB’s presentation in his blog of a passenger’s ordeal with a soldier detailed at the Ecoland Bus Terminal in Davao City is comical.

His style is light and it made use of youtube-famed monicker to appeal for a common touch.

The story he revealed, however, no matter how common, is far from light and comical. It is a type of the excesses committed by those in uniform —-and armed.

In his account, the passenger figured in a spat with the soldier who is a member of the bus terminal security team. The scene was in the entrance to the terminal where soldiers hold passengers for frisking. Read his account here.

Key actions: Loud voices, defiance, arrogance …the list goes on. The outcomes: passenger complained to the soldier’s unit and alerted the media about it. Soldier will be reassigned to god knows where.

Blogging for freedom in Burma

It is an inspiring thing to do and probably one that could become a worthy study of the usefulness of blogs.

BBC reported on how Burma cyber-dissidents crack censorship to report on the protests and definance of saffron-robed monks in the military ruled country.

I’m sure some of them are inside Burma right now, but those who have greater leeway are those based in other countries who have sources of both image and text reports from inside.
It is such a relief that they went past the military junta’s severe censorship. It takes a lot of courage and skills, too, to pass through all the blocks and censors.

Among the people we need to thank for the reports we get from inside Burma are the bloggers. It is such a good way to illustrate the power of the blogs, if used for purposes above self. (Photo grabbed from BBC website)

What is ASEAN’s take on Burma now?

The European Union, the British and US governments, and the United Nations have initiated moves (mostly talks for now) to address the present crisis in Burma.

But what about the Association of South East Asian Nations? What plans does the regional grouping have now?

Quite near, Sec. Neri

THAT WAS CLOSE. Reports and reactions to the testimony of former socio-economic chief planner Romulo Neri at the Senate hearing Wednesday show he bears rays of light about what was happening in the ZTE controversy.

From his answers, the score is slowly taking shape —a bit clearer to the empty-handed public. Watching the hearings from Mindanao, which oftentimes carry the brunt of decisions and to a large extent problems imported from Manila, I felt much of the gaps remained unfilled.

Two things for sure from Neri in the hearings: he has accused Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos of offering bribe and that he told President Arroyo about it. The President accordingly told him not to accept it.

But the moment Mr. Secretary invoked executive privilege, it changed the picture. He left more questions hanging and the public guessing. Of course, the senate hearing is stuck in wonderland as the inquiry did not really get the facts.

All eyes on Burma’s monk power

No other country in South East Asia interests me more than Burma. My interest is keener now with what is unfolding.

We have learned of tens of thousands of monks’ recent peaceful street protests challenging the decades old rule of the military junta. The internet brought us images and stories about the events.

Many see the development as a turning point of Burma’s history.

Is this show of monks’ power bound to follow the Philippines EDSA people power and Indonesia’s student power?

We shall see. The world is watching closely. Even from Mindanao, thousands of miles away, the view is clear. There’s going to be long, turbulent, and historic days ahead.

Spray planes grounded

Airplanes used by banana firms to spray chemicals over plantations were grounded following the Davao City Regional Trial Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the city’s aerial spray ban ordinance.

The judicial clearance left no more blocks to execute the ordinance passed since six months ago.

Banana growers have alerted the media of an appeal at the Court of Appeals citing they have prepared for the worst.

Earlier, they have warned that the implementation of the ban would cause serious implications to the banana export industry.

Read the report on MindaNews.com.

Housing project in protected area thumbed down

A business proposition was subordinated to an environmental check at the City Council on September 25.

Housing project developer Robinsons Homes, Inc. gets a smack from Davao City’s legislators when the latter disapproved RHI’s application to reclassify an area from protected area-low density residential zone to protected area-medium density.

Density is an issue here. The city is tolerant of mixed zoning, but not allowing to upscale the density of residents given a unit area. The developer has applied for a clearance to build around 60 houses, instead of just 20, in every hectare of their 15-hectare property in Bago Gallera in Talomo.

They vowed to build it with safety nets. But the councilors did not buy the idea, along with many other considerations.Read the report on MindaNews.com.

Legal battle over spray ban goes to higher court

The verdict is out: the court has upheld as valid and constitutional the city ordinance banning aerial spraying in plantations. In a decision dated September 22, Judge Renato Fuentes of Regional Trial Court Branch-17 junked the petition of the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) questioning the constitutionality of the ordinance, the Interface for Development Initiatives Inc. said. Read the rest of the story on MindaNews.com.

But the banana growers, standing in a legal defeat after being favored with a preliminary injuntion three months ago, will appeal the case in the Court of Appeals Branch in Cagayan de Oro City, insisting the ordinance is unreasonable and invalid.

PBGEA said they have prepared for the worst and have rallyied lawyers to prepare for the appeal as soon as possible. Read the rest of the story on MindaNews.com.

Other sectors hailed the decision, read reaction here.

Survival Tips in Traveling Around Mindanao

By Penelope C. Sanz / MindaNews / 5 November 2005
(Republished with permission from the author)

A FEW MONTHS BACK, I wrote about the snorer, spitter, smoker, and pukers in a bus ride. This time, despite needing to pass an academic requirement, here I am writing about how to survive traveling in Mindanao. After a recent trip to Butuan City, I figured I have to sift through my old journals and collate the dos and don’ts of traveling I have listed down at least over 10 years of running around this ‘promising island’.

For starters, the must haves in your survival kit: a shawl, flashlight, loose change or coins, white flower, a plastic bag, a bottle of water, some candies, alcohol, tissue paper.

Never leave home without a shawl. It protects you from dust and the UV rays when you’re on a long habal-habal (motorcycle) ride to nowhere. It is also useful to cover yourself when you need to pee in the middle of nowhere. Shawls also keep you warm when traveling at nighttime especially in airconditioned buses. Bus drivers would tend to turn it on full blast to keep their seats cool because it is where the machine is throbbing.

Hello World!

Welcome to the new Istambay sa Mindanao.

There are many reasons why I call it a new blog, apart from the new theme and header. I hope to share more about it at the right time.

Just a few things about the photo in the header. I took it in December 2005 along the highway in Kumalarang town, in Zamboanga del Sur. I was asked to document the Local Health Program in the town.
As I visited a barangay for interviews, I saw the boy crossing the highway.

I asked for his name. I took it down in my notes but I will never be using it anywhere. I will just call him Jonas. This photo is captioned “Jonas’ feet”.

The choice of photo is very personal. In fact, the reason why I took the photo is because Jonas and I shared almost the same kind of makeshift toy when I was his age.