BATANGBALER

From the ABI blog:

True to its mission of building resilient communities, Alay Bayan, Incorporated (ABI) co sponsored the Malaria Management Training recently conducted in Dilasag Aurora last May 28-30, 2008. ABI’s main partner in this endeavor is the Advocates for Community Health, Incorporated (ACHI), a non government organization of medical professionals advocating for the advancement of community health.27 participants, mostly barangay health workers and barangay officials from the towns of Dilasag, Casiguran and Baler completed the 3-day seminar workshop.

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From Manila Bulletin by Ariel Avendaño:

DINGALAN, Aurora – Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo urged village folk here who are dependent on illegal logging and charcoal-making activities to refrain from their old ways and shift instead to planting of high-value variety of pepper which is now gaining a big demand in the domestic market.

The Mahogany Upland Farmers Association (MUFA) chaired by Engineer Romeo Callanta has introduced the production of hybrid Taiwan pepper, noting the huge requirement in the local market.

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I almost missed this one. This news adds a new twist to the illegal logging situation in Aurora. from journal online by Mamer Bañez.

Four non-government organizations and people’s organizations urged Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza to reinstate a former community environment and natural resources officer in southern Aurora who was sacked due to alleged “rampant illegal logging” in the town.

The Ugnayan ng Mamamayan sa Lungsod at Nayon, Inc., the Catholic Association of Ibona composed of 525 families, the Dingalan chapter of Task Force Sierra Madre and the Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection Committee called on Atienza to reconsider his earlier decision relieving former CENRO Meliton Vicente, Jr., citing his efforts to protect the natural resources in southern Aurora. They also denied reports that illegal logging is rampant in the town.

Read the last sentence and decide. The full news is here.

I regularly open (and close) new blogs. This is the latest:

Promditek Blog

It’s about tech life in the Province. Did you know that byte for byte, text messaging is actually expensive? Check out the math. Visit and link.

I almost missed this one. Two days to go before the offer ends.

You and a friend can fly to Baler, Aurora and go surfing with two SEAIR tickets up for grabs! Ivan About Town and the SEAIR Adventure Club is giving away round-trip tickets to Baler and free surfing lessons for two to one lucky person. All you have to do is leave a comment in Summer fun in Baler and tell us why surfing is fun and why Baler is such a great place by Sunday, 3 May 2008, at 8:00 p.m.

Like the previous raffle, make sure you place your full name in the name field since you will need a valid ID to claim the tickets if you win. The winner will be drawn at random and will be notified by e-mail so make sure you double check your e-mail address before submitting your comment. Finally, one entry per IP address so only the first entry from each IP address will be counted. Tickets will be valid from now until 15 October 2008. Good luck!

Hey, maybe Batangbaler could partner with D’Liner for free trips to Baler. What do you think?

Flowery shirts aside, i’m beginning to like Lito Atienza.

from gmanews.tv:

Environment Secretary Lito Atienza on Monday ordered the immediate relief of an environment officer in Aurora province following reports of revived illegal logging operation in Dingalan town.

Sacked from post as Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (Cenro) was Meliton Vicente. He will be replaced by Joselito Blanco, former Cenro for Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija province.

Atienza said he ordered the relief of Vicente after he personally confirmed “from independent sources in the area” the report of the Task Force Sierra Madre (TFSSM) about the revived activities of illegal loggers in the area.

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from inquirer.net by Tonette Orejas:

Illegal logging activities have resumed in Dingalan, a town in Aurora that was battered by landslides that killed more than 300 people and displaced nearly 1,000 families in November and December 2004, a leader of the Task Force Sierra Madre said on Friday.

Four 10-wheel trucks have been coming weekly since March to haul at least 65,000 board feet of wood from three lumberyards in Barangay Paltic, according to Fr. Pete Montallana, head of the TFSM-Dingalan chapter.

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A rather long excerpts from the book Baler, Aurora published by Sen. Edgardo J. Angara is available at the aurora.ph website.

• Baler For All Time
• Geography
• Baler and Its People
• Prehistory
• Agta / Dumagat
• Spanish Occupation
• Baler Revolt
• Start of Baler Siege
• Baler Siege (Part 1)
• Baler Siege (Part 2)
• Baler Siege Versions and Contradictions
• During The American Period

Notable read is Baler and it’s People by Mrs. Ilovita Mesina, which accounts the lineage of the current residents of Baler (70% migrants) and ends with a nostalgic longing for the Baler of old:

The onset of urbanization and technology and the fast-growing population of Baler have marred the tranquil and unhurried existence of the Balerenos. Vehicular noise replaced the sound of crickets and the night birds. Kaingeros populate the forests and do damage to the environment. Catch from the sea have become minimal. Fishermen have to venture far into the ocean to haul fish in commercial quantities. Quezon’s dream town has disappeared.

Nevertheless, Aurora is still magnificent at sunrise and during sunset. Twilight is still a joy to behold. There are still places where one can commune with nature, there the rustling wind is still music to one’s ears, the cascading waterfalls energize the mind and the spirit, and the verdant rice fields give one a feeling of security and stability.

Also, don’t miss The Siege of Baler: Versions and Contradictions by Jose Maria A. Cariño and Baler During The American Period: The Reign Of Quezon by Manuel L. Quezon III

Tera Base Collective. The pictures are here.

Melay’s site (Multiply)

Ciao - wanderlust04 (Multiply)

Get Lost

from Lawstude’s Journal:

Who would ever know that at one of the highest points in the province of Aurora lies a terrace of rocks and springs that forms an astonishing group of ponds where weary-souled travelers can dip and refresh themselves in its cool waters. I found that out in Dingalan.

Mr. Joey Cabagnot, Chairman of the BBFI and the Multisectoral Environment Protection Committee for Aurora provided Batangbaler with links to youtube videos of anti illegal logging operations that the MSECPA and DENR are doing in the Province. Here’s a sampler:

More videos available here

from the Manila Standard Today online, another review of the Baler, Aurora book. By: Mae Gianina Cabalida.

As with all books, it’s not important what writers have been through, but what the writers produce and it’s not important what the book looks like, beautiful as it is, but what it contains.”— Manuel L. Quezon III.

Baler takes the reader into a journey through the capital town of Aurora, a province situated between lush and formidable mountains, and a vast coastline opening to the Pacific.

The book describes in detail a town that has been witness, and sometimes casualty to, a rich and colorful history. Originally three miles closer to the shore, Baler was transferred to its present site after a tsunami in 1735 wiped off the original town, leaving only five surviving families: the Angaras, Bijasas, Bitongs, Carrascos, Lumasacs and Pobletes.

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