BATANGBALER

Noong ginagawa ang Baler-Bongabong Road nung dekada 20, may dalawang ginawang rest house para sa mga manggagawa ng kalsada at para sa mga dumadaan doon. Ang isa ay ang sa Villa Aurora at ang isa naman ay sa lugar na tinatawag nating Boundary. Mula sa Reminiscence ni Poppo Olag:

From the hamlet of Kalanan, a winding unpaved road zigzags dizzily along the curve of hazy-gray mountain cliffs to the scenic spot of Boundary. This demarcation site between the provinces of Nueva Ecija and northern Tayabas (Quezon), now Aurora province was developed into a resting station as sanctuary for the road builders. The development started in 1926 during the tenure of Manuel A. Gonzales, the ninth mayor of Baler in conjunction with the construction of Baler-Bongabong national road.

Boundary is located roughly about 68 kilometers west of the town of Baler on the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges overlooking the Pacific Ocean which stands some thousand meters above sea level. Its climate is airy and refreshing, phenomenally cool during the months of October through March, and marvelously pleasant from April through September. Because of its excellent climate, varieties of orchids grew luxuriantly in its surrounding, besides the evergreens that made the place mystically mesmerizing.

At the summit stands a rest house, and from its location the panoramic vista of the blue Pacific silhouetted by the Sierra Madre peels back with breathtaking sceneries. A slippery lane connects the rest house to the national road, and some hundred meters below is a swimming pool designed and engineered by Mother Nature. Shaded by giant ferns, towering trees, and impenetrable by sunlight, the pool is chillingly cold.

Pareho nang wala ang dalawang rest house na iyon. Pero ang binabanggit na swimming pool ay naroon pa at mahabang panahon na nalimutan. Ngayon ay na-restore na uli ang lugar. Pwede na uling pagpiknikan at paliguan. Di ito kaagad makikita dahil ito ay nasa bahaging ibaba ng daan. Ang makikita lamang ay isang billboard na nagtatanda kung nasaan ito.

Ito ang isang video ng lugar na nakita ko sa Youtube:

Napa TV na naman ang Baler kagabi. Ito ay dahil ayon sa PAGASA ay sa Baler ang landfall ng bagyo kaya sagsag na naman sila sa ating bagyuhing bayan para maka scoop ng maaring mangyaring sakuna. At kagaya ng madalas na mangyari, wala na namang nangyari. Umulan lang sa Baler at ang bagyong si Lawin ay nagpaleklek lamang sa Pacific Ocean at di bumisita. Narito ang video, baka may kilala kayo sa mga nakunan ng video.

Ang Singles for Christ Region 3 ay magkakaroon ng Regional Conference sa Baler, Aurora simula August 29 hanggang 31. Ito ay gaganapin sa Baler Central School.

Ayon sa wikipedia:

CFC-Singles for Christ was established in 1993 as a ministry to single, young professionals of Couples for Christ, headquartered in Manila, Philippines. Although it grew slowly at first, CFC-SFC gradually expanded into areas already established by CFC, and established its own SFC mission areas. By 2005, CFC-SFC had over 200,000 members worldwide. CFC-SFC now has a worldwide membership of 300,000.

Mula sa inquirer.net : ‘Lawin’ nears, to make landfall in Aurora

After making landfall in Aurora by Wednesday afternoon, the storm, which is moving west northwest at 17 kilometers per hour, was forecast to be over Baguio City on Wednesday evening, 340 kilometers west northwest of Baguio by Thursday evening, and 670 kilometers northwest of Baguio by Friday evening, it said.

Basahin ang kumpletong balita

Ayon sa PAGASA ay sa Baler ang landfall ng bayong ito kaya maging alerto po tayo. Maigi nang nag-iingat.

Kahapon ito lumabas sa TV Patrol.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Para sa mga gustu pang madagdagan ang kaalaman tungkol sa Baler, narito ang isang article mula sa Click the City:

Baler: A Remote Town Steeped In History ni Vic Albornoz Lactaoen

Visiting Baler is like leafing through the precious pages of history. Here’s a chapter on the Siege of Baler: The date was June 27, 1898, and the place was the barricaded stone church of Baler, where 33 surviving soldiers from the Spanish military command were gallantly making their last stand – determined to fight to the last man for their beloved country – in the raging Philippine –Spanish War. Starving, ailing and war-weary, they kept the faith and kept going long after the war was over. Bloodied but unbowed, the soldiers finally relented and hobbled out of the church almost a year after they occupied it.

Basahin ang kumpletong artikulo

Salamat kay Jhen Cuerdo sa kanyang Baler alert sa friendster.

Ang video ng Lukso Happy 5, isang skateboarding competition na ginagawa tuwing fiesta ng Baler. Hatid sa atin ng Taga Baler Skateboarding Community. Ginanap ito noong August 15 sa municipal plaza ng Baler.

Ipinakikilala - ang bagung-bagung official website ng bayan ng San Luis. Makikita sa www.sanluisaurora.ph. Under development pa ito kaya marami pang kulang na info at kaunti pa lang ang laman, pero obra nang pasyalan. Magkakaroon sana ito ng engrandeng launching kagabi sa Bb. San Luis coronation night kaya lang umulan at napurnada ang projection system na ginagamit. Marami sanang live hits ang website. Para sa mga tiga-San Luis lalu na yung mga nasa malalayong lugar, magandang balita ito dahil magkakaroon na kayo lagi ng update tungkol sa inyong magandang bayan. Ito ang kaunahang official website ng isang bayan sa Aurora. Isang masigabong palakpakan kay Mayor Annabelle Tangson dahil nakakaintindi siya sa kahalagahan ng information technology. Sana ay mahawa ang ibang bayan dito lalu na ang Baler.

Kasalukuyang nagdiriwang ng ika-49 na Anibersaryo ang Bayan ng San Luis. Ito ang lista ng mga magaganap simula ngayon hanggang sa Lunes, August 25:

Ika-23 ng Agosto 2008(Sabado)
6:00 AM-Cycling (c/o Knights of Columbus, District I-41)
8:00 AM-Motorcade (Bb. San Luis Candidates)
3:00 PM-Final Judging (Street Décor)
7:00 PM-Search for Bb. San Luis 2008

Ika-24 ng Agosto 2008(Linggo)
4:00 AM -Diana (Phil Army Band)
7:00 AM -Arrival Honor (c/o 2LT KARREN JAY B. BANATAO
8:00 AM -Misa (Liwasan Bayan)
9:00 AM -Parada
10:00 AM-Pangkalahatang Palatuntunan
12:00 PM-Pananghalian
1:00 PM -Paligsahan (Drum & Lyre)
7:00 PM -Sayawang Bayan

Ika- 25 ng Agosto 2008 (Lunes)
4:00 AM-Diana (Drum & Lyre Champion)
6:00 AM-Prosisyon (Patron San Luis Na Hari) Phil Army Band
8:00 AM -Misa sa Simbahang Katoliko
6:00 PM -Kulturang Pagtatanghal

Matapos ang kanyang one-man exhibit sa Mistlin Gallery sa Modesto, California, ang ating tanyag na kababayang si Jeho Bitancor ay magkakaroon naman ng isa pang one-man exhibit sa Utterly Art Exhibition Space sa Singapore. Ang eksibit ay may titulong Of Milk Sweat and Honey Spit at itatanghal mula September 11 hanggang 24, 2008. Ang Utterly Art Exhibition Space ay matatagpuan sa 229A South Bridge Road, Singapore.

May ginanap na grand press conference ang sineng “Baler” kahapon sa Hyatt Hotel. Hindi inimbitahan ang batangbaler. Pinalabas daw ang balita sa TV Patrol kagabi. Narito ang balita na lumabas sa Philippine entertainment Portal:

Jericho Rosales and Anne Curtis team up for the first time in period film “Baler”

Medyo nagkakalinawan na kung ano ang istorya nang sineng ito at kung sino-sino ang mga gaganap. Di lang natin sigurado kung magdidipuntung Baler sila. Malamang hinde. Sa buong balita, ito ang nakatawag sa aking pansin:

According to Viva chairman Vic del Rosario Jr., this historical film has a budget of approximately P70 to P100 million. With many hours spent in doing research and the elaborate costumes and props to be used in the film, Baler is surely one for the history books. Direk Mark Meily even pointed out, “We are rebuilding the whole church, both inside and out, in the vicinity of Baler. We are rebuilding the town of Baler as it was 110 years ago.”

Ako ang naghighlight nung isang sentence. nire-rebuild pala ang bayan ng Baler na mukhang 110 yarsa ago. At sa vicinity ng Baler daw ginagawa. Nanditu po ako sa Baler at wala pa akung nababalitaang nagaganap na rebuilding dito. Kung totong sa Tanay, Rizal ginagawa ang set ay napakalayo yatang vicinity nitu ng Baler. Gumaganda ang istorya.

Inaanyayahan ang lahat sa isa na namang art exhibit na gaganapin sa Bistro Baler simula sa August 23 hanggang September 6, 2008. Itinatampok dito ang mga likhang sining nila Vincent Gonzales, Roy Buen, Clemente Aragon, Sherwin Gonzales at Joel Vedad, lahat ay mga tiga-Suklayin.