Adto na 'ta

This weekend is a festive time for Cebuanos as well as all devotees of the Senor Santo Nino all over the country.   In Cebu, where the biggest festival in honor of the Senyor Santo Nino is held annually, people are going to chant Pit Senyor! and dance on the streets for 10 hours.  There will be a street dance competition where participants will be wearing colorful costumes and do the trademark dance steps as they compete against each other.   More than the prize money that the winner gets (which is really a big sum) it is paying homage to the Senyor that is important and adds meaning to the entire activity. The Sinulog Festival is a like the mother of all festivals that is celebrated on the 3rd weekend of January annually in the Queen City of the south which is Cebu, and is located in the central part of The Philippines.  The city spends almost the entire year preparing for the festival so there seems to be no end in it. That's how extensive the preparation is.   Th

Hi folks, I am going to add another segment to my blog and that is going to be public service .  I hope to bring you information that will be have a practical use.  The first entry for that is this news that I gathered sometime last year.  This came to my attention because I know somebody whose sex was registered by mistake as female when in fact he was male (of course!)   As we all know, civil registration practices are still very crude in some parts of the Philippines.  So the chances of committing mistakes in entering data are high.  And we can't blame our registrars for the clerical errors especially if the poor person has been filling up hundreds of forms daily.  There are limitations to human capacity. This news is really a great one and must be awaited by many especially when a mere mistake of a single letter in one's name, middle initial, or sex would require a court order and exorbitant fees.   Not only is it going to take time, it will also eat much financial res

January is one of the busy months for Catholics as religious festivals kick off beginning with the celebration of the Feast of the Black Nazarene tomorrow January 9, 2013.  The Black Nazarene will leave its home which is the Quiapo Church for a procession in the Quiapo District of Manila and other nearby areas such as the Luneta . Other  Black Nazarene statues will also be in the procession so that they will be formally blessed.  Today is the 'Pahalik sa Poong Nazareno"  During this ceremony, devotees can touch or kiss the Poong Nazareno or wipe Him with their hankies.  The Poong Nazareno is believed to be miraculous and have granted many prayers and petitions. The Black Nazarene is a life-sized statue of Jesus carrying a big cross which is a symbol of his passion and sacrifices. It is originally from Mexico and was brought here to Manila in the 17th century.  The statue used to be fair in complexion however, it turned black after the ship that was carrying the Senor cau

Casa Manila is one of the attractions and must-see in Intramuros because of its valuable souvenirs, and unfortunately for us, like any museum , taking photos of the important items inside are prohibited so we can only take photos of the external appearance and premises.  Like any building in the Intramuros complex,  the facade of Casa Manila is of colonial period style and design.  Most structures in Intramuros were destroyed during the second world war but were gradually restored beginning 1979. The  inspiration for the restoration of Casa Manila was a house located in Calle Jaboneros in San Nicolas which is located across the river.   The first floor of houses here are always rented out to shopkeepers so you will find  on the first floor of Casa Manila some shops where you can get souvenir items and other collectibles. The walls in the ground floor is made of adobe stones that were quarried from Bulacan and the upper level is constructed from Philippine hardwood.   T