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.

May sariling channel pala ang RTVMalacañang sa Youtube. At isa sa mga naka post na videos ng mga pakikipagsapalaran ni pangulong Arroyo ay ang kanyang speech sa Museo de Baler noong nakaraang Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day na ginanap noong June 30, 2008. Panoorin ang video:

Ito ang part 2:

Sana may ganito din ang kapitolyo ng Aurora o kaya ay ang munisipyo ng Baler.

Mula sa inquirer.net: ‘Karen’ strengthens as it moves closer to northern Luzon

At 4 p.m., the storm, which packs maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour with gusts of 100 kilometers per hour, was located at 890 kilometers east of Casiguran town, Aurora province, the state weather bureau said.

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At mula sa Sun.Star Pampanga: Province to put up satellite office in Clark

Officials of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and the Aurora Provincial Government have forged an agreement for the establishment of a satellite office for Aurora Province inside the Clark Freeport.

CDC president Benigno Ricafort said the satellite office of Aurora Province in Clark will serve as logistics office for the promotion of agricultural and other export products coming from the province.

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At mula uli sa inquirer.net: Another Port Irene in the works

A port city worth “billions of pesos” is set to sprout in Aurora province, northeast of Manila, where infrastructure projects have been slow because of the mountainous terrain.

The port city will complete a multi-modal development for the province after it was announced earlier that the Dingalan, Baler and Casiguran ports in Aurora were to be linked via roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) services.

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Parehong mula sa inquirer.net:

Quezon bishop to head groups vs Sierra Madre illegal logging

CATHOLIC BISHOP ROLANDO Tria Tirona, head of the Prelature of Infanta, has been deputized by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to oversee two environmental watchdog bodies to fight illegal logging in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

In a press release posted at the DENR website Wednesday, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza disclosed the appointment of Tirona as ‘co-chair’ of the two newly created multipartite teams (MPT) to help combat the rampant illegal logging.

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From ‘kaingero’ to forester

In 1971, Oscar Gendrano was a young forester on a mission in Casiguran, Quezon. His mission: Cut down as much timber as he could and bring them home to Manila where the once-towering trees would be trimmed into matchsticks.

Armed with brand-new power saws, he arrived on the dazzling white shores of St. Ildelfonso Point, where he was met by tall, kinky-haired black men in loincloths. They were the Dumagat, a gentle and hardworking people who had lived by the sea long before the Spaniards came to Philippine shores, and certainly long before he got there like a conquering Magellan with not a sword but a power saw.

But that was all it took to convert these gentle natives into power saw-wielding loggers who agreed to cut trees and haul them to shore on their shoulders—all for cigarettes and bottles of Siok Tong.

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Ancient ‘balite’ tree battles for life in Aurora

A “balite” tree, carbon-dated to be between 400 and 600 years old and said to be among the oldest and biggest in Asia, has suffered from human abuse, as the Aurora provincial government and a family in Maria Aurora town try to settle a row over management of a park where the tree stands.

“Umaakyat ang mga tao. Inuukit pa nila pangalan nila. Nasasaktan ang puno (People climb it. They also carve their names on it. The tree is hurt),” Onassis Ronquillo, barangay chair of Quirino, said of the tourist-drawing natural wonder in his village at the foothills of the Sierra Madre.

Basahin ang kumpletong balita. Ito ay una kong nabasa sa isang mahusay na blog tungkol sa barangay ng Quirino sa Ma. Aurora - ang Quinoy Ako. Sana ay marami pang sumunod sa halimbawa ng blog na ito.

Talagang de kumpleto ang pagiging taga-Baler mu pag wala kang kwentong luwas. Kung ikaw ay may kwentong luwas, byahe, hilo, sukahan, stranded, agawan sa jeep at bus, landslide, kain sa villa, at marami pang iba, i-share na ninyo dito sa comment. Ang may pinakamagandang istorya ay may premyong bonamine.

Na inspire ako ng kwentong ito mula sa blog ng Tropang Spider, ang mga Batch 12 ng ANSHS: Tara na Byahe Tayo! ( Papaitan, Lugaw, Dyamengo, Adobong Pusa, Lucy Express atbp.)

Si(la) Suki. Ay kilalang kilala itu ng mga tiga baler. Kahit nung sa may lumang palengke pa lang ang paradahan ng mga Bus at Jeep na paluwas, at de pa pwede daanan ang Canili, tau na sila. Sila yung nagtitinda ng suman na mga tiga buhangin(?).Yung isa yung kulut na medyu makapal ang make-up sa mukha at yung isa naman yung kulut din na medyu chubby ( may premyo ang makakahula ng pangalan nila). Sila ay si Suki, dahil suki nila lahat ng pasahero. Peru de naman sila kagaya ng mga nagtitinda sa terminal ng Cabanatuan na pag tiningnan mu lang o nagtanung ka ay babayaran mu na yung tinda nilan Zest-O o mani, pag de mu binayaran, nanghaharass sila, masyadung mga bayolente. Mabait sila suki kahit medyu pabagu bagu ng presyo ang kanilang tinda. Pag akyat mu ng Bus, aalukin ka ng suman, P30 isang tali (ang isang tali ay sampung pirasu). Pag medyu alam na nilang paalis na ang sasakyan, makukuha mu na lang ng P15-P20 isang tali. Regular figures pa rin sila hanngang ngayun sa terminal ng Genesis sa Duongan at sa terminal ng Van at D-Liner sa palengke.

Basahin ng kumpleto ang kwento

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I-click lang ang slideshow sa itaas para makita ang mga larawan ng inagurasyon ng UP Manila - School of Helth Sciences Baler Extension Campus noong July 21, 2008 na ginanap sa ASCOT. Ang permanenteng tahanan ng paaralang ito ay sa Reserva, malapit sa planong pagtatayuan ng bagong ospital ng Aurora. Sa kasalukuyan ay nasa ASCOT muna ang paaralan. May mahigit na 50 istudyante ang mga freshmen nila na galing sa Aurora, Quirino, Isabela, Nueva Viscaya at Nueva Ecija.

Medyo tambak ang gawain ng inyong abang lingkod kaya tagyapun muna sa mga posts. Samantala, pagdamutan muna ninyo ang isang magandang slideshow na ito ng mga magagandang lugar ng Aurora. Ito ay gawa ni Ryan ng Aurora Provincial Tourism Office.

Sa kasalukuyan ay may nangyayari pong usapan at pagplaplano tungkol sa pagtatayo ng isang “international” na asosasyon ng mga tiga Aurora na may malasakit at mithing makatulong sa ating bayan sa pamamagitan ng ibat-ibang paraan. Nais po naming makasama kayo simula sa pagplaplano hanggang sa pagsasakatuparan nito.

Magkakaroon po ng sariling website ang adhikaing ito, subalit sa ngayon ay maaari na tayong makisali at makiugnay. Pumunta lamang sa Yahoo group na ito at magrehistro: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auroraprovince/. Maaari ring maki-oron sa lingguhang usapan sa Batangbaler Chatroom (www.batangbaler.net/chatroom) tuwing Sabado, alas 10 ng gabi, oras sa Pilipinas.

Salamat po.

Noong Lunes, July 21, 2008, ay ininagurahan ang UP Manila School of Health Sciences - Baler, Aurora Extension Campus. Ang paaralang ito ay mag-o-offer ng ladderized courses sa midwifery, nursing at medicine. Pansamantala itong mamamahay sa ASCOT Zabali Campus habang hindi pa naitatayo ang permanenteng gusali sa Brgy. Reserva. Dumalo sa inagurasyon si Sen. Edgardo J. Angara at si UP President Emerlinda Roman.

Ang programang ito ay sagot ng UP sa problemang “brain drain” o “brain hemorrhage” na kasalukuyang nangyayari sa industriya ng kalusugan sa Pilipinas. Ang modelo ng programang ito ay ang matagal nang ginagawa sa UP School of Health Sciences sa Palo Leyte. Ang mga mag-aaral dito ay walang UPCAT, pinipili at ini-sponsor ng mg lokal na pamahalaan at may kasunduang maglilingkod sa nasabing bayan pagkatapos mag-aral. Ang bawat school year ay nahahati sa apat na quarter at walang grade ang mga mag-aaral maliban sa “Passed” o “Needs Tutorial” para maiwasan ang kumpetisyon. Ladderized o baha-bahagdan ang kurso dito na magsisimula sa midwifery, pagkatapos ay nursing at hanggang medicine.

Narito ang balita mula sa Manila Bulletin na sinulat ni Ariel Avendaño:

A satellite campus of the University of the Philippines’ School of Health Sciences (UPSHS) was inaugurated here the other day.

UPSHS, which would serve four adjoining provinces, is intended to convert Aurora – located some 230 kilometers north of Manila – into the health hub of northeastern Luzon.

The extension campus is also intended to produce graduates of medicine-related courses who would fill the void caused by the lack of health professionals in the countryside.

(more…)

Magandang balita ito. Maganda ang ginagawang aksyon ng Task Force Sierra Madre. Dapat silang tulungan nating mga tiga Aurora na ang mithi ay pagmamalasakit sa ating mahal na probinsiya.

Mula sa inquirer.net:

President Macapagal-Arroyo and forest protection advocates have agreed to form a citizens’ body to fight continued illegal logging in the Sierra Madre mountain ranges, the head of a Church-based forest protection watchdog said Tuesday.

The move, according to Fr. Pete Montallana, came in the wake of the apparent failure of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other government agencies to stop illegal logging in the area.

Montallana heads the Task Force Sierra Madre (TFSM).

He said Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona and a delegation from northern Quezon met with Ms Arroyo last month in Malacañang and voiced serious concern on continued illegal logging in Sierra Madre.

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Mula sa gmanews.tv:

A Catholic bishop and some priests from Infanta in Quezon province have started leading efforts to defend the environment by mobilizing the local communities.

Fr. Boyet Valenzuela of Dinalungan, Quezon said several priests have also been actively involved in the anti-logging campaign in their parishes.

Valenzuela recently received death threats after leading a group composed mostly of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) leaders in investigating logging activities.

Mula naman sa website ng CBCP:

The Task Force Sierra Madre, headed by Fr. Pete Montellana, is coordinating the anti-logging campaign. It has exposed the corruption in Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that has allowed illegal logging to continue.

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Matagal nang daing ng karamihan sa Aurora na itigil na ang lahat na uri ng logging dito sa Aurora maging ito ay yung tinatawag nilang carabao logging o yung commercial logging. Lahat na kakayahan ng gobyerno ay nakatutok lamang laban sa mga small-time loggers o carabao loggers. Iyan ang tinatawag nilang “illegal loggers”. Pero yung mga commercial loggers ay hindi nila pinapansin kahit alam nating mas malaki ang mas malawak ang nagagawa nilang pagsira sa kalikasan.

Kailangan siguro nating malaman kung ano talaga ang posisyon ng mga lokal na politiko tungkol sa lahat na uri ng logging at kung anu ang mga ginagawa nilang hakbang hinggil dito. Sino ang magtatanung?