1. Be aware of travel-heavy season. Expect a long line of people waiting to buy tickets on long holidays, such as the Holy Week, Christmas and other long weekends. You should also take note of the start and end of school semesters. Students usually flock to and from Metro Manila during these times.

2. Book your bus early. It’s good practice to get travel reservation at least two days before your travel to Cagayan Valley. This way, you are sure of your seat in the bus. If you are always a “chance” passenger, you might sit at the rear-most seats of the bus. The worst case scenario is that you will not be able to secure a seat! It happened to me a lot of times already.

3. Bring a jacket and/or a blanket when you travel. The bus can get really cold! Better be safe than sorry. Bring your jacket and a comfy malong or blanket with you. When your bus gets to Bulacan an hour after leaving Manila, you might feel the chill to your bones! So bring out those blankets and stay warm.

4. Florida Bus is probably the best bus company if you ask me! They have a lot of buses. They have penetrated major towns and destinations in the Cagayan Valley region. And they have different kinds of buses—the regular airconditioned bus; the De Luxe bus (with on-board restroom); the Super De Luxe bus, with only three seats in one row (really spacious!) and the Sleeper Bus. You can literally lie down as if you’re on your own bed.

5. Know other bus lines. If you ever run out of seats from Florida Bus, there are several alternatives you can try.

Victory Liner. They have a station in Kamias, Quezon City, which is very near the intersection of EDSA and East Avenue. They also have one near P. Noval Street in Sampaloc, in front of UST.

Dalin Liner. Sorry, I don’t know where their terminal is. But it is also near the terminal of Florida Bus. They also have a terminal in Quezon City near the Dagupan Bus Terminal.

Autobus. Same terminal area in Sampaloc.

Nelbusco. Yup, it is still alive with two buses traveling each night. Terminal is along Lacson Avenue closer to Espana Blvd. than the Florida Bus terminal.

Northstar. This one used to be the EMC bus line, or so I was told. They have one terminal in Sampaloc along Espana Blvd. very near the train station in Espana. They have another terminal in Lagro, Quezon City along Quirino Hi-way.

Dagupan Bus Line. If you have a really tight budget and you can let go of some comforts, you can go to Dagupan Bus Line. Their buses are ordinary—meaning, they don’t have airconditioning. They do not have reclining seats. And five people are seated in each row. The fare to Isabela is roughly fifty percent cheaper than that of AirCon buses. Terminal is also in Cubao.

Baliwag Transit. Baliwag buses also travel to Tuguegarao and other places in Region 2. Terminal is in Cubao, a few blocks away from Aurora Blvd.

Do let me know if I missed anything. I’m pretty sure that other smaller bus players are operating in the Cagayan Valley region.

image credit

Sectors in Cagayan are now looking into methods to cushion the impact of the unrelenting dry spell. Small water reservoirs are already being used in the province and are easing the effects of the El Niño phenomenon for fish farmers. Built like small dams or pits, these reservoirs were constructed by the provincial governments of Cagayan and Isabela. These man-made ponds serve as a reserve water supply and also as aid in controlling the erosion of water channels.

Fish breeders have also benefited from these reservoirs. The Liwan Norte Irrigators Association (LNIA) in Enrile, Cagayan, has harvested more than 700 kilos of fish since November. The Liwan Norte reservoirs cover 50 hectares. In a report, LNIA secretary Rolando Maneja said that they mainly breed tilapia, selling these for Php 65 a kilo.

The regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducted a demonstration on the use of fish cages. Other individuals have caught on the technology and installed fish cages in these water impoundments. The NLIA charges fees from these fish cage operators. To prevent overfishing, only the hook and line contraption may be used for harvesting.

According to a report, BFAR Assistant Regional Director Severina Bueno said, “Small water impoundment projects and small farm reservoirs are ideal for fish production given their semi-confined feature, which minimizes the threat of floods and strong water current in case of bad weather.” She said that since 2009, about a million tilapia and carp fingerlings have been stored in 104 irrigation facilities. For every hectare, 5,000 fingerlings are stocked.

Jack Enrile, Cagayan senior economic adviser, advised the multiple use of water systems. He recommended that multi-purpose reservoirs should be used to efficiently utilize water from upper catchments and estuaries. Officials from the northern area of the province have already decided to set off the multiple use of their water systems. Enrile said in a report, “Proper water management is the key in easing the impact of drought. Even if irrigation systems have been designed for field crops, they can also be used for cattle or backyard irrigation.”

For Enrile, the management of these water impounding projects still needs reinforcement. “While water for agriculture is essential, we will also activate the multiple uses of this scarce resource for home gardens, poultry and livestock raising, aquaculture and rural enterprise among others,” Enrile said in a report. He added that in cases of El Nino, irrigation structures are the main water providers. As farmers cannot afford these services, they are among the worst hit by the climate change.

In Nueva Vizcaya, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is already looking into possible alternative crops for farmers that are severely affected by the dry spell. After the declaration of the state of calamity, government agencies identified areas that are seriously suffering from the drought at a regional planning workshop held in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. Suffering from crop losses amounting to around Php 900 million, the provincial government declared Cagayan under the state of calamity last February 15.

Fidel Ballesteros, operations division head and officer-in-charge of the agriculture office in Nueva Vizcaya suggested that farmers plant crops that are able to weather dry the season to lessen their financial losses. Among these crops is the mungbean. He added that these can also provide “soil conditioners” for their land.

Cagayan Valley Agriculture Executive Director Andrew Villacorta estimates the damage of the crops to around P3 billion. Palay, corn and vegetables are among the plants that have dried up because of the dearth in water for irrigation.

The government has resorted to periodic cloud seeding but so far, these have barely produced any rainfall since the operations began last month. The provincial government of Cagayan has promised Php 5 million as assistance to affected famers. In a report, Villacorta said that 1,000 water pumps are being prepared for lending to farmers who are near water sources. He also proposed that 40-50 liters of gasoline for every water pump be subsidized.

Nevertheless, long-term solutions should be looked into to ensure that our agricultural sector would fare better in the coming dry seasons. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Danggayan Dagiti Mannalon ti Cagayan Valley (Danggayan-CV) have blamed the Arroyo government’s policies for the massive crop damage in the region. The privatization of the Magat Dam means that its owner, SN Aboitiz, is in full control of water that the groups believe, should be “communally owned and used.”

According to a report, mining and logging have lowered water levels in watersheds and the Magat dam. The report cited farmers, who said that these operations are the main causes for flash floods in the wet season and the drying up of water irrigation sources during the dry season. Kalinga Governor Floydelia Diasen stressed that the government and the private sector need to cooperate to avert more losses for farmers. She said that denuded watersheds and forests should be fervently reforested to normalize the water levels in river systems.

For further reading:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/185186/cagayan-eyes-multi-water-source-system-to-taper-effects-of-drought

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/14/10/cagayan-farmers-bank-success-cloud-seeding-rain

http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=2&fi=p100212.htm&no=11&date=

http://balita.ph/2010/02/18/cagayan-valley-da-office-conducts-planning-workshop-on-el-nino-phenomenon/

http://kilusangmagbubukid.org/press/290

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/184436/cagayan-valley-benefits-from-small-water-reservoirs-amid-el-nio

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/184070/cagayan-under-state-of-calamity-due-to-el-nintildeo

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/16/10/state-calamity-declared-cagayan-due-dry-spell

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/244617/cagayan-valley-reports-p3-billion-drought-damage

image credit: Fr. Jessie

In a fitting formal program, the P8.5 million private ward, garden of wellness or healing garden and the P2.8 million administrative building were blessed and attended by provincial, municipal and barangay officials of the province and health representatives from the regional and provincial levels.

The newly-acquired ambulance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office(PCSO) was also blessed.

Governor Luisa Cuaresma said the recent developments in the NVPH are part of the provincial government’s vision of bringing appropriate, modern and affordable health services to the people specially among the poor sector.

She said they have included in their 2010 budget the construction of additional charity wards since NVPH’s patients are growing.

“There is a need for the establishment of additional Intensive Care Units(ICUs) and tender loving care for our patients,” she said.

Vice governor Jose Ganbito said the new improvements of the NVPH serves as a symbol that the government is serving its inhabitants specially the poor.

from PIA Information Services

Here are a number of news features released by various news outfits from all over the world.

‘I have never seen a storm like Pepeng’ from Inquirer.net

Director Prisco Nilo of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said he had never seen a storm act so erratically.

“In my 26 years in PAGASA, I’ve never seen a storm like this, staying over land for so long,” Nilo said.

Agriculture loss to floods in Philippines tops 5 bln pesos from Xinhua.net

MANILA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) — Rains brought by tropical depression Parma which hovered above the northern Philippines for over a week had destroyed crops and farm products amounting to 5 billion pesos (about 108 million U.S. dollars), the government reported Monday.

UN sends expert from Manila Bulletin

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) has sent an official to assess the situation in typhoon-devastated areas in the Philippines.

UN-OCHA Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes will be in the country Monday and Tuesday to assess the damage in areas devastated by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” and confer with government officials handling disaster response and relief activities.

Holmes’ visit was announced by UN Development Program resident representative Jacqueline Badcock during the Manila launch of the UN Flash Appeal for the victims of Ondoy last October 7.

Magat dam still spilling water from ABS-CBN News Network

Typhoon “Pepeng” may have left the country but residents in the provinces of Isabela and Cagayan on Sunday continue to worry as water levels in Magat dam remain critical.

Two of the dam’s gates were earlier opened to continuously release water.

Edwin Paison, dam and reservoir division’s engineer, said says residents should not be alarmed since there has been no heavy rains in the past days to trigger floods.

As of 1 p.m. Sunday however, the state weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said only 1 gate of the dam was spilling and at 551 cubic meters per second.

We just hope that the Rebuilding process would proceed right away to help the families whose lives were devastated by the typhoons that recently hit the Philippines.

The aim of the project is to address the decline in coconut production in the Philippines. This trend is inimical to the expanding domestic coconut market, especially in view of the demand created by the Biofuels Act of 2006. PCA Director Evangelista said that the National Coconut Productivity Program (NCPC) will boost coconut production by as much as 3.08 million metric tons in 2010.

According to the release from the Philippine Information Agency, “the components of the NCPC are the Participatory Coconut Planting Project (PCPP), Salt Fertilization Project (SFP), and the Plowable Intercropping Project (PIP).”

Cagayan Valley Connect is dedicated to featuring the best of Region 2: Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino. If you have any interesting article about tourist spots, latest news and updates, business and anything concerning Cagayan Valley, don’t hesitate to submit them to CagayanValleyConnect.

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As much as possible, we would like submissions in English. But if you have submissions in Filipino and Ilocano, please send them to us and we will also accommodate them.

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The articles we accept are mostly news, feature and editorials. If you have any literary submissions, please submit them to us but we will refer your article to another website of literary significance in our network.

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When you submit your articles, please include short information yourself. Your name, your organization, school or company, where you are from, and any other information relevant to your article.

You have two ways of submitting your articles. One is by sending us an email at magatswimmer@gmail.com.

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The students compete in different fields of campus journalism in preparation for the regional and the national schools press conference. The contests include Editorial, News, Feature and Sports Writing, Editorial Cartooning and Copyreading and Headline Writing in both English and Filipino mediums. Radio Broadcasting is another contested event, which most of the participating schools prepared for.

Isabela Schools Press Conference

For more pictures during the event, please visit: IamMighty Multiply Page.

The DSPC is also a means to hone the campus journalists’ talents, get together with campus journalists from other secondary schools and present the level of skills they already have.

“Champions do not become champions at the ring, they are merely recognized there,” so goes an old adage. The same way goes for the participants of the Isabela Division Schools Press Conference. The students, coaches and schools who prepared well for the event really made waves!

The Internet has changed that. Geographical location does not matter in the Internet. A Filipino accessing the Internet from the United States or the Middle East can get information about Cagayan Valley with a few clicks. Through the Internet, it is now easier for the OFWs to connect with their loved ones and learn what is going on in the Valley.

The youth of today are also very much attuned to the Internet. They play online games, check their Friendster accounts and send emails to anyone in the world. They already have an idea of how powerful the internet is.

Companies and businesses in major cities also realize the power of blogging and websites. That is why they organize events for bloggers and webmasters so they can promote their products and services.

For these reasons and more, CagayanValleyConnect was born.

CagayanValleyConnect.com seeks to promote Cagayan Valley to the world and highlight the emerging trends in the areas of business, tourism, technology, education, and the best of the Internet for the use of students, professionals, businesses, and even government agencies in the region. To do this, we engage in the following goals.

1. Monitor events, news and other noteworthy achievements and happenings in Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya.
2. Promote the scenic spots in Cagayan Valley to encourage tourism and stimulate business.
3. Be a venue for professionals and small- and medium-scale enterprises to promote their products and services online.
4. Advocate information technology (internet, blogging and video) literacy among the youth.

To accomplish these goals, we have established our website, www.cagayanvalleyconnect.com. It features diverse stories and articles about Cagayan Valley. As the website grows, it will feature businesses, government agencies, personalities, events, and other topics of great interest to the residents of the region and to the rest of the world. In addition to the website, the following activities will also be undertaken.

1. Establish partnership with schools, colleges and universities to train young journalists in using blogs and other platforms available in the Internet.

2. Conduct seminars and conferences that promote internet literacy among youth, professionals and other interested sectors.

Richie Jackson T Padilla, CPA Board Exam Topnotcher

Kudos to Richie Jackson T. Padilla from the University of St. Louis in Tuguegarao City in the Cagayan Valley for being the Topnotcher of the CPA Board Exam. The results of the board exam were just released on October 21, 2008 and we’re really happy that universities from the Cagayan Valley are making waves and showing to the world that Cagayan Valley folks can compete with the rest of the country.

Richie Jackson T. Padilla is a fresh graduate of BSA. There were 6,663 who took the exam and 2,442 of them passed the CPA Examination given by the Professional Regulation Commission’s Board of Certified Public Accountants. Richie got a total rating of 92.71%, just a few points ahead of the second placer.

Here’s the Top 10 passers of the CPA Board Exam:

1. RICHIE JACKSON TAGUINOD PADILLA
UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LOUIS-TUGUEGARAO 92.71

2. ZIFF CALVIN RIGOR MARABILLO
SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY 92.14

3. JOANES ALBERT BATALLA DE VERA
FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY-MANILA 92.00

4. RICHELLOU JAMAICA ORTEGA LENON
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN 91.86

5. HAZEL ANGELINE QUIAPOS ABENOJA
BICOL UNIVERSITY-LEGAZPI 91.57

6. MHARK ALMARIO SERATO
DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-MANILA 91.43

7. KRISTINE JENNIFER DISCAYA CHUA
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN 91.29

8. ADRIAN HIZON BAJADOR
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN 91.14

9. RAYMUND CHRISTIAN SAYCO ONG ABRANTES
ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY 91.00

TEEJAY TAMAYO BANAL
JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY (JRC) 91.00

APPLE AMATORIO CANAYA
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-VISAYAS-ILOILO CITY 91.00

JESSICA MADRIAGA DELOS REYES
ADAMSON UNIVERSITY 91.00

MELODY JADE FIGUEROA QUILANA
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN PHILIPPINES-VIGAN 91.00

LEOMAR GABON VELEZ
POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-MAIN-STA. MESA 91.00

10. EDISON RAMIREZ BAUTISTA
WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-CABANATUAN CITY 90.86

MARK JERSON RODRIGUEZ PULOHANAN
UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-VISAYAS-ILOILO CITY 90.8

Isabela Socio Cultural Awareness Week (ISAW) Celebration 2008

Here’s the explanation for the theme as quoted from the 2008 ISAW brochure:

For many years, ISAW has been a tool in establishing a cultural identity that Isabelinos can proudly claim and strongly associate with. This year’s ISAW Celebration shall focus on promoting Isabela cultural identity and emphasize the significant role of the youth in unifying an apparently culturally diverse Isabela.

The Province of Isabela is home to an assortment of cultures from all different directions and in all shapes and sizes. The problem is not so much the existence of these different cultures or the lack of connection between them, but that the link is yet to be identified and/or recognized.

ISAW aims to find the “bridge”, the invisible thread that links these cultures — a common ground — and use it to uncover the foundation of what we know as Isabela cultural heritage.

The youth — with their ardor, enthusiasm, and wisdom — are still believed to be the hope for the future. What the youth seems to lack now is the proper motivation and driving force to trust that they can make an impact in society and influence decision-making.

ISAW hopes to cultivate within its participants the urge for active civic involvement backed by a genuine appreciation of Isabela cultural heritage and a clear picture of its future; to empower the youth to take part, to affect change towards a unified Isabela.

I was part of the organizers for the first ever ISAW when I was just in first year college. It was fun and we knew that we were doing something good for the development and appreciation of Isabela’s culture among the students of Isabela. Ten years after, the program is still alive and I am really glad for it.

ISAW 2008 features several contests for high school students: Poster-making, Logo Design, Impromptu Speech, Cultural Show, Quiz Show, Essay-writing and Debate. High school students from all over the province of Isabela will have a chance to showcase their intellectual prowess with their peers and learn about trends and issues facing Isabela.

There will also be a State of the Province Address to be delivered by the Governor Grace Padaca, lectures about issues affecting young people and students in Isabela, and film showing among others.

Isabela is one of the provinces of Cagayan Valley in Northern Luzon.