Knocking Out General Santos City

"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."

Lk.5:4

General Santos City - known for as Tuna Capital of the Philippines. Well used to be. Now when somebaody hear GenSan first thing that will come to mind is our "Pambansang Kamao" Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao (say it in a Michael Buffer way).

This is the beginning of my down south journey. My first stop is GenSan. I know there is nothing much to look around in GenSan. But hey, I was able to know more about the place and Pareng Manny as well.

 What's a fish? What's a chicken? Wondering why a chicken is included on this post instead of a Tuna. To make a long story short. I was not able to go inside the fish port. So why what's up with the chicken? Go figure Jessica Simpsons.

When planning to go in the fish port, one must plan ahead. There are rules to follow and time to abide with. I'll give you a check list: 1. Wake up early to make it in the fish port before 6AM (x); 2. Do not wear shorts (x); 3. Do not wear slippers even if it is Havaianas (x) finally, 4. Secure a permit for your cameras even if it is just a small point and shoot camera (x). Notice the (x) in each reminder, those are the things I didn't do. Now you know the story of why ME = NO ENTRY.

Our Lady of Peace & Good Voyage. This church just turned 50 last 2009. According to the locals who thankfully talked to me, this is the same church that Aling Dionisia hear mass and pray during Pacman's bout.

Outside the OLPGV church stands a towering cross. The photos were taken on a separate day and time.

The Tabernacle at night

The stained glass of Conception and of a Cross. Another fixation.

Lights! Night! Shoot! Need I say more?

No camera tricks. No photo editing. Nothing at all. I just pointed my camera then...Voila! This photo by the way is taken on board a moving tricycle while cruising around GenSan.

Goats beside the main highway as well as sometimes ON the highway. Interesting.

Herbies. If in Manila we have Toyotas and Hondas running on Edsa, here in GenSan Herbie rules - My Way on the Highway!

Pacman's mansion. Locals told me that they this is not really the where Pacman grew up. They just bought this lot and had thier house built on this spot. If you stand looking in front of Pacman's haouse, on your left you will see a beautiful pink house. That's where Aling Dionisia lives. As I was standing on the sari-sari store in front of Pacman's house, the gate opened. I thought Alleluia! Luck is definitely on my side. Two cars pulled out the driveway. Nah. It was not Pacman. I don't know who that was but hey, I got a quick glimpse of the inside!

Ranchero. One of Pacman's favorites in GenSan.

Staff here at Ranchero told me that Pacman frequents this branch in National Highway.

Staff told me that Pacman would always request to have them every occassion on his mansion.

Why wouldn't he request this? Pochero. Mango shake. Tagalog Salad. Grilled Liempo. All Pacman's favorite. I passed on the Baby Back Ribs. A reason to come back.

This one used to be a super fresh grilled Tuna Head. It was gone the minute it was laid down in front of me.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Grab A Crab it said. That's what I did. But boy oh boy. It made me swear never to Grab A Crab again. Not because of how it tasted (I tell you it was great), but because it was very expensive! So if you have some cash to burn then yes please, Grab A Crab. But I'd rather Grab A Glove!

By the end of my journey at GenSan. My idea of GenSan changed. It was really a small city with nothing much to see, but because of their IDOL Manny (that's how the local refers to him btw), GenSan became a very special city. The city itself is known not just as a Capital city of Tuna but as the Home Town of Manny Pacquiao. In my experience, it wasn't tuna that knocked me out but it was the crab. I was K.O.-ed by the crab.

Delving the Dignified Dapitan and Dipolog

"Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus went off to a lovely place where he prayed. . .
 "Let's go to the nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I came."

Luk. 4:35,38

Dapitan and Dipolog. What is common about them? Well starter, both names begin with letter D. On a serious note, both cities are part of ZaNorte.

Punto del Desembarco de Rizal. Located at Dapitan. This is where Rizal first set foot when he was exiled.

A cross in front of the Rizal Shrine. I don't know which was made first or why would they built a cross in front of Rizal Shrine. It is still a mystery for me.

Church of St. James. This church is located just near the famous Relief Map of Mindanao by Rizal. The map was molded by Rizal for his geography class to the boys in Dapitan. It was also a part of the beautification project of Rizal in Dapitan. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone.

The bell tower and St. James. Notice the lamp post? One of the things I noticed when I was in Dapitan was the old stylish lamp posts around the city.

Inside the St. James the Great Church. This church was built by Jesuits on 1871. Funny how they came up with an Alice in Wonderland like ceiling. Fascinating!

The altar.

During our stay in Dakak, our package includes a free lunch out of the resort which we availed during our Dapitan tour. We were transported by a boat just like in Loboc. I forgot the name of the restaurant but this is also managed by Dakak. What I cannot forget was 10-15min serene boat ride along a river in unknown Dapitan.  It was priceless!

An ancestral house in Dapitan. It felt like we were transported back in time when Rizal was in the area when we saw this house.

The heart shaped rock. Are you familiar with this rock? Try to remember from your Rizal classes during college. Oh yes, it was where he dragged his writing table and chair on top of the rock and wrote "Mi Retiro". A poem he later sent to his mother after her eye operation.

Have I told you that I had this light fascination when I was in Dapitan. This one is a smaller version of the lamp posts seen at Baywalk in Manila.

Gloria Fantasyland. The rides are nothing like Enchanted Kingdom but the landscapes and lights are well executed. The picture on the bottom right is part of the courtyard for their Horror house.

Superb food at Gloria de Dapitan. I forgot the name of the pizzeria but we ate here two evenings in a row. The food is that great!

From Dapitan to Dipolog. We were dropped off by Dakak shuttle at Dipolog airport. We opted to be very early so we could stroll around Dipolog for a while. Our first destination was Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

This church has been through a renovation. The altar has undergone more renovation because of its deterioration. The original altar was designed by Rizal himself.

This cross is along Rizal avenue facing the Holy Rosary Cathedral is a marker planted by the migrating Boholanos in Dipolog during the early 1900.

A snapshot of the busy Dipolog River.

As I was waiting for takeoff bound for Manila, I suddenly remembered my high school days in the seminary. For our finals in our Spanish class, we were required to deliver Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios."

All these familiar words came rushing out of my lips:

"Adios, Patria adorada, region del sol querida,

Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Eden.

A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,

Y fuerra mas brillante, mas fresca, mas florida,

Tambien por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.

En campos de batalla, luchando con delirio,

Otros te dan sus...sus...susmaryosep!

Bawal ang pork, bawal ang beans.

Deifying the Delightful Dakak

"Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. You heavens, bless the Lord. Sun and moon, bless the Lord. Seas and rivers, bless the Lord. All you birds of the air, bless the Lord."

Daniel 3:52,59,62,78,80

     





The first quarter of the 2010 was coming to an end. What perfect way to end it was of course officially starting my own Sun, Sand and Sea vacation.


So I set out to my next destination, wait for it, Dakak! 


Oh yes it was Dakak! The well advertised beach resort down South because of the noon time show Eat Bulaga.


Thanks to an airline, I was able to score promo tickets to Dipolog. I was even lucky to book a room at Dakak by the last minute.


And so there goes Padre on the plane again. We arrived at Dipolog and the shuttle to Dakak was there waiting for us. Dakak here I come!

Before the sun sets on our second day, I climbed up this hill to see the whole of Dakak.

No Pain, No Gain. I got this picture because of my persistence to climb up the hill on my own.

One of God's wonders and I am so blessed to have witnessed such creation.

What is the South known for? As I was wondering for an inspiration for my photos, I saw the famed roofs of the South.

The best that I can get in a vacation is tranquility.

Dakak offers a lot of activities for their guests. One will not run out of activity around the resort. This volleyball net never runs out of players. I was lucky to get a shot of it at high noon.

I waited. Took pictures. Waited. Almost gave up. Went around. Came back. Then suddenly it happenned! They finally heard my prayers and flew right across my lens!

I don't want to be criticized by the Animal Rights Organizations. But there was just so many of them and I got fascinated. I just have to take some pictures. Don't worry; I put them back after their pictorial.

No they are not fishermen coming back from the sea. They were just cleaning the shore along Dakak.

The clean, serene, private Dakak shore. 

This is the other side of the Island.

This is Dakak by day.

The Kumintangeros and their Kumintang.

The cultural show presented by Dakak resort for its guests every weekend. It was nice to again watch a show as such. It made me look back on our cultural dances. I've already forgot how good Filipinos are in showing off gracefulness by dancing because of all this media hype on Krumping.

Super fresh, super yummy, supper delicious oyster I had....in Dakak.

Light fascination.

At the end of the day I was still not satisfied. No wait, let me rephrase that, I was still hungry for more. I still wanted to take more photos, go to more places. How I wish I can do all that in one blow.


As I end my trip, I looked at my wallet and thought to myself, God will provide.