LSS (Laag Sa South): #TeamLaagan Southern Cebu Adventure

The island of Cebu is home to numerous cities and municipalities, each of which has its own unique character. From historical sites to breathtaking sceneries, colonial architectures to modern structures, beaches to mountain resorts; Cebu is a true heaven for tourists and adventurers. Much about the Cebu that you know comes with the fun. But more than being a metropolis of fun and entertainment, Cebu is a place to explore history, nature and oneself. For our latest adventure, #TeamLaagan decided to take another uncharted trip to the southern strip of Cebu. Laag Sa South (LSS) was another memorable and enjoyable journey for the gang.

Carcar and its Museum

The City of Carcar is known for its delicious ampao (rice crispies). Carcar which is considered as one of the four heritage cities in the country is home to various architectures originating from the American colonial era. One of these structures is what houses now the Carcar City Museum. The building was once used as a public bath during the American occupation and was later used as an infirmary and a prison during the Japanese occupation and the reigns of WW2.

The museum is an eloquent structure principally in white. It is a two storey building with the remnant of the old pool still seen at the back of the museum. Inside, you will see artifacts, old documents and pictures which showcase the rich cultural history of the city. After a short stroll and picture taking, we decided to move forward to our next destination, the Saint Michael the Archangel Church in Argao. But before this, we dropped by to the public market to buy the famous ampao and chicharong baboy.

Saint Michael the Archangel Church and Argao Nature Park

After the short stop in Carcar, we headed to our next destination, the Saint Michael the Archangel Church of Argao. Just a few kilometers from Carcar, Argao is combination of coastal plains and mountainous terrains. We took a 25 pesos PUJ ride from Carcar to Argao and were dropped on the street connecting the Church to the national highway. The Saint Michael the Archangel Church has stand for almost two centuries now. Folklore says that during an attempted bombing of the church, the canons were not able to shot since something has blocked them. It is said that it was Saint Michael himself who protected the church from destruction.

     

After the visit to the iconic Saint Michael the Archangel Church, we decided to check Argao Nature Park. The park has been in existence for a couple of years now but it still gets a relatively small number of visitors. The park houses a huge replica of Mary holding a huge rosary. There is a manmade lake, a hanging bridge, caged animals, a recreational center, Blind massage and other stuff. We visited Argao Nature Park because we wanted to try the hanging bridge and zipline. Sad to say, these two facilities were under maintenance when we went there. We simply enjoyed our stroll at the park. It was relaxing and the place is really good.

     

Dalaguete’s Obong and Luyang Spring

     

After the short stop in Argao, we went straight to Dalaguete to take a dip at the famous Obong Spring. The spring which is found near the shore has varying salinity throughout the day. When it is high tide, the water tastes more salty and it is easier to float. When the tide is low, the spring’s water is really cool and is less salty making it a more tedious to swim. The spring is found in Barangay Obong. There is a huge signage along the national road on the entrance towards this natural pool. Entrance fee is 5 pesos and tables and cottages are available for as low as 100 pesos. There is also a grilling station for those who are sinugba lovers. As the place is quite known already, it can sometime get crowded. The best time to visit is early in the morning or late in the evening when most visitors would have left already.

     

There is also a smaller spring which is not so know called Luyang. It is still in barangay Obong. You can ask the locals for direction as you have to walk towards it as there is no road for vehicles to pass. The spring actually has the same outlet as Obong. You can even traverse from Obong towards Luyang which I believe would be fun.

     

Tingko Beach of Alcoy

     

After the soothing dip in Obong spring, our group decided to visit another affordable destination. That is Tingko Beach in Alcoy. We actually rode on the tricycle with our wet clothes. The trip from Obong to Tingko is around 20 minutes. Tingko boasts a stretch of white sand. If you want to experience a mini boracay that is close to Cebu, you can always try Tingko. There are also more expensive beaches along the stretch where water sports and other activities are being offered. They also also have accommodations. If you are actually planning to go Oslob for whale watching but finds the room rates there too expensive, then you can stay here as a good alternative.

     

At home in Dalaguete

After Tingko, we decided to stay in the house of a friend in Dalaguete. We did not inform them that we will be staying there so it was actually a gamble. Thankfully, we were welcomed and allowed to stay. We spent the night in Dalaguete and traversed to Luyang spring in the morning to take a short dip. After that we went to the last part of our journey which is to visit the famed Osmeña Peak.

     

Osmeña Peak

      

Osmeña Peak is the highest elevation of Cebu. It is found in Mantalungon, Dalaguete. The barangay is actually dubbed as the vegetable basket of Cebu. On your way to the peak, you’ll be seeing farms planted with vegetables of all assortments. The view is relaxing to the eyes and if you have spare time, you can always buy fresh harvest and cook it for a sumptuous “utan bisaya”. Arriving to the foot of the peak, you will be asked to register. There is no entrance fee. If you want also to make your journey easier, you can have a guide to help you. We actually tapped the help of a guide and asked him to lead us to what he referred as a much treacherous path towards the peak.

 

Truly, it drained my energy and it was really a relief when we were able to reached the top. Kapoy! Super Kapoy! Going to the top is really fun (specially if you choose the difficult path) and the beauty of being on top of the world este of Cebu is a moment of success that you will surely savor. The beauty up there is just spectacular.

#TeamLaagan Southern Cebu Adventure was Awesome!

LSS was another fun adventure for #TeamLaagan. On top of that, we were able to explore much of Southern Cebu without spending that much. After LSS, we are back to square one. We are now on our planning board and are thinking of where to go next. You have any suggestion? Let me hear them in the comments. 

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Curses of Yolanda: Politics, Good Governance and the Aquino Administration

Yolanda (Haiyan) gave the Philippine Government one of the biggest tests of its capability and its efficiency. By focusing on underlying issues that have caused delays in the rehabilitation efforts, a synthesized overview of how in a way the government is extending and prolonging the burden Yolanda has brought to the Philippines. This paper presents a pragmatic discussion on the different factors responsible for the underperformance of the Philippine Government in its post-Yolanda Rehabilitation Plan. An evaluation on how politics and good governance contributes to the inadequacy is provided by delving deeper into the underlying issues and factors influencing the current state of governance of the Aquino Administration.

Two years have passed since one of the strongest typhoons in the recorded history of the world, Yolanda, devastated the Philippines. Yolanda (Typhoon Haiyan) was like a nightmare that left a huge wound to the flawlessly advertised nation that is claimed to be progressive and efficiently managed. After two commemorating anniversaries, the curse of Yolanda is still haunting the Philippines. As if a testament of its magnanimity, the devastation it has brought to the country is still evident in the Visayas region where it claimed more than six thousand lives. This paper brings a pragmatic discussion on what went wrong after Yolanda and why we are still bounded to nowhere when it comes to the rehabilitation efforts. In particular, it anchors on how the issues of politics and good governance are causing the inefficiency and inadequacy of the Philippine Government in mitigating and perhaps eradicating the adversities brought by this wrath of nature two years ago.

Yolanda which hit the Philippines on November 8, 2014, was classified as a Super Typhoon with maximum sustained winds of 195 miles per hour. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on its last published bulletin on Yolanda revealed that the typhoon has affected 16.1 million individuals in nine provinces of the Philippines, the typhoon has displaced 4.1 million people, claimed the lives of 6,300 individuals and left unknown the fate of 1,061 who were declared missing (1). Furthermore, NDRRMC (1) claims that the total worth of damages is 89.5 billion pesos with the social sector claiming 61% of the said amount.

It is unarguably correct to say that Yolanda was a devastating disaster for the Filipino people. More importantly, it did pose a great challenge to the Aquino administration on how efficient its mechanism is when faced with such a huge crisis. It also put NDRRMC and all related agencies to the test of how they can perform their mandate. While it is of no doubt that the government has done exhaustive effort for the relief operations, there are so many loopholes and shortcomings that have not been addressed even up to now. The government is not left alone in doing recovery works for the Yolanda victims, international organizations like the United Nations and many countries have extended a helping hand in mitigating the impacts of the typhoon. With so many resources, with enough funding approved and with the enormous amount of donations and pledges; local and foreign observers are left wondering why up to now the government is just halfway through as it claimed to be when it comes to the rehabilitation efforts.

Politics and Yolanda

Right after Yolanda took its wrath on the islands of Samar and Leyte, news about the toll of death has reached all corners of the world and perhaps including Malacañang. The storm left the city of Tacloban needing the most immediate help after storm surges, which the weather bureau PAGASA admittedly said the public was not properly informed and educated through its typhoon advisories, rendered the most of the city destroyed and left dead bodies decay among the rubbles and rubbish. International media which visited Tacloban noticed how few or limited help is coming to the City. The city mayor of Tacloban, Mr. Romualdez, claimed that he asked for more help from the DILG Secretary. Nonetheless, as if it was not a matter of immediate concern, Sec. Mar Roxas made him go through technicalities and legalities which could have been bypassed as a state of calamity was declared already throughout the country. On an uploaded video, the secretary is even allegedly heard saying “You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino.” (2) True or not, it is evident that politics is a major concern here. Whether it was Mayor Romualdez’s camp who is playing politics with the release of the video or Sec. Roxas’ camp trying to involve politics in a very urgent and critical situation, the underlying notion is the same. Politics is one of the reasons why post Yolanda efforts are sluggish.

According to an article published by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (3), Aquino got roughly 33% of the total votes in Tacloban and was bested by the former president Erap Estrada with 41% in the 2010 elections. On the other hand, Roxas who was a vice-presidential candidate got 25.86% far-flung from the 51% that Binay got. Could this be the reason why observers claim that the Aquino administration is not that fond of setting foot in Tacloban and perform an inspection on the current status of rehabilitation and as well as why they have overlooked the invitation to attend the anniversary of the tragedy? The same article hopes that politics is left out of the context when it comes to doing the rehabilitation. It even ended with a statement from Praveen Agrawal, Country Director in the Philippines of the World Food Programme, “When calamity hits, it does not look at political parties, religion, ethnicity,” he points out. “I would hope that a crisis like Yolanda should (have people) rise beyond that.” Moreover, in a paper by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), one of the reasons pointed out by the Yolanda victims as to why they have not accessed or received help from the government is their political affiliation (4). This proves that even at the Barangay level and with simple citizens involved, politicking is a major hurdle that is blocking the rehabilitation programs that are currently being implemented.

Politicking is indeed a major issue in the Philippines. The post-Yolanda relief efforts will never work out if public servants will continue such menace. As what the Congressional Research Service of the United States said in its paper “Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines” said, the recovery of the Philippines after Yolanda relies on whether how much  limitations will decentralized governance (including its underlying consequences) and corruption have on the stimulus efforts (5).

Good Governance

A few days after Yolanda did a rampage in the Philippines, the blame game among officials resonated to a tremendous media frenzy. Local Government Units blamed the National Government for its lack of support. On the other hand, the National Government points out that the bureaucratic laws of the land say that the LGU is given the greater burden on disaster management response. With the exchange of blames comes the sad reality of how good governance is rarely observed in the country. As how local executive lamented, “That’s the beauty of the kind of government we have. It’s a beautiful system, but people don’t know it.” (4)

Indeed people don’t know it. How can you expect them to know it if even the public servants they have entrusted their welfare to don’t really understand what their position requires them and to what extent their power can go (3)? Well, if one talks of this “beautiful system”, that person can actually say that a decentralized form of governance is good for an archipelagic country like the Philippines. The problem is that most local authorities don’t have the training and capacity needed to perform their duty. There is also the lack of studies on how local authorities can contribute to building durable solutions. As such, for a typhoon of superb magnitude as Yolanda the function of the LGU should be supplemented by the National Government.

According to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), 51 percent of the programs under the Yolanda Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan has been completed or is currently being implemented (6). The figure alone is enough proof that the various agencies involved in the rehabilitation are underperforming. Yes, placing the blame on the magnanimity of Yolanda is valid one but it is never an excuse. If President Aquino wants to save the face of his administration on how ill-managed it did in performing the Yolanda recovery, he must be firm in his ideals of the “Tuwid na Daan”. Lest he must be reminded, his allegedly made infamous remark of “buhay pa naman kayo” (7) was a big blow to his claimed management and leadership skills which should include empathy. 

           

Conclusion

The Philippine government under the Aquino administration has done tremendously in terms of the post-Yolanda Rehabilitation Plan. There are laudable efforts but then there is a big gray area where the administration must show and apply political will and good governance in order to be effective. Two years have passed and the Philippines is still far beyond halfway in the efforts to fix what the storm has destroyed. So much is to be done. The Aquino administration did great on some aspects of handling the effects of the typhoon yet it was never enough. With the upcoming 2016 presidential elections, the challenge to the next president is clear. Erase the wounds and scars Yolanda has left in the Philippines and in the heart of the victims. Build permanent dwellings and distribute them as soon as possible. Victims have suffered much already. They have been waiting for too long and may the next president not fail them. Yes, Yolanda is a tremendous disaster that resonated to a very heavy burden that no one would wish to bear. Whether he admits it or not, President Aquino as the steward of his administration did not do enough. The next leader should become more proactive, practice political will and ensure good governance. After all, that’s what presidents of the Republic of the Philippines promised as they took an oath and bind themselves with the Constitution of the country.

References

1. National Disaster Rist Reduction and Management Council. Updates re the Effects of Typhoon "YOLANDA" (HAIYAN). NDRRMC. [Online] April 17, 2014. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.ndrrmc.gov.ph/attachments/article/1329/Update_on_Effects_Typhoon_YOLANDA_(Haiyan)_17APR2014.pdf.

2. WATCH: Mar telling Tacloban mayor 'You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino'. Philstar. [Online] The Philippine Star, December 10, 2013. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.philstar.com/news-videos/2013/12/10/1266468/watch-mar-telling-tacloban-mayor-you-are-romualdez-and-president.

3. Mangahas, Malou. Politics and disaster, a bad mix. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. [Online] January 14, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://pcij.org/stories/politics-disaster-a-bad-mix/.

4. Sherwood, Angela, et al. Resolving Post Disaster Displacement: Insight from the Philippines After Typhoon Haiyan. Geneva : International Organization for Migration, 2015.

5. Lum, Thomas and Margesson, Rhoda. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines Disaster. Washington D.C. : Congressional Research Service, 2014.

6. Schnabel, Chris. Super Typhoon Yolanda recovery halfway done – NEDA. Rappler. [Online] November 5, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/111835-super-typhoon-yolanda-rehabilitation-update-neda.

7. Cheng, Willard. PNoy didn't rebuff Tacloban businessman: Palace. ABS-CBN News. [Online] August 8, 2015. [Cited: November 22, 2015.] http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/08/06/15/pnoy-didnt-rebuff-tacloban-businessman-palace.

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