Best of Central Luzon - Cultural Show Part 1

The Best of Central Luzon Showcase was a 2-week event organized by the Department of Tourism Region III to promote ang highlight the best of the Region. It was held at SM City- Marilao, Bulacan, and throughout the event certain days were scheduled for each Province of the Region. Aurora, being the first on the alphabetical list of provinces was the first to showcase its best. October 2 was Araw ng Aurora and on that day Aurora streetdancers paraded throughout SM Marilao and a whole day show was presented at the ePlaza stage within the food court. The Aurora presentation started with the Komedya. Then the Pangkat Kawayan did a concert. After Pangkat Kawayan was a long cultural show which is supposed to be the best of what Aurora has to offer. After the almost three hour show there was a long break and the Komedya did an encore. To end the Araw ng Aurora, a fashion show of sabutan attires was presented. The whole thing ended at around 5 pm.

These are the pictures from the Cultural Show. There are more than 20 pictures in this set so i chopped it into two parts. Enjoy!




The ASCOT street dancers doing their thing on the stage. They performed to the tune of Pagsibol, the Aurora Day 2005 official theme song commisioned by the Provincial Government.



"Put your arms in the air, and wave them like you just don't care!"




Their finale.



A great hack - banig into clothes. All designed by Mr. Ernie Herminigildo of Baler National High School.



This is Erika Friginal, this year's Ms. Baler.



Ella Belle Flores - the previous Ms. Baler.



Lovely Pantalunan.



...and the rest of them.



Gov. Castillo, giving a pep talk.



The folk dancers from Baler National High School.



They pretty much covered every folk dance known to the country. From the Igorot Dance to the Tinikling. Shoutout to their trainor, Ms. Onette Nad and Ms. Mel Amarillo.



Sayaw sa Bangko.

More on Part 2.

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Shoutout: I'm chatting with Pakuwan (aka Ennielle Sinsay) as i'm prepping this post. He's in Raleigh, North Carolina where they're currently having the State equivalent of Aurora Day. We're using Yahoo Messanger. My YM is pretty much open all day. Buzz me - my username is josephisdead.

Best of Central Luzon - Pangkat Kawayan

Pangkat Kawayan have been featured so many times here in Batang Baler, I might make the group the official orchestra of the website. PK is the famous bamboo-wielding group of elementary students from Baler Central School. Helmed by Mrs. Hernandez, the group was already featured on national television as well as a number of magazines. The kids were part of the Araw ng Aurora presentation at SM Marilao on October 2. I can't wait for their debut album. Here are the pictures:















Next: The main event.

Best of Central Luzon - Komedya De Baler

I have seen Baler Komedya maybe a hundred times but everytime i do, i cringe at the way they do their bolo fights using real sharp "itaks". I read somewhere that this thing started in Baler way back in 1927. It originated in Spain and adapted to be a Baler original. The way komedyantes talk in Buhangin accent called "Lowa" is a legend in itself. Here are some pictures from the Komedya performance in SM Marilao,Bulacan last October 2.



Men in skirts!



No two attires are the same.



Real weapons, real fast.



Look at the medals. First honor.



The guys in pants are the Spanish, the ones in skirts are the Moros. I think.



Hackers delight.



Lovely on the left was a Ms. Baler 2005 contestant. She won the Ms. Talent award. Guess what she did?



Live band, no less.



Always a crowd pleaser.



View from the top.



The wide shot. Props to PhotoStitch.

Best of Central Luzon - Mall Dancing

Asows! Finally uploaded 10 more pictures from the Best of CentralLuzon gig at Marilao, Bulacan. Uploading is getting harder and harder. Maybe I should have that Smart wi-fi thing at home. Somebody, please sponsor my 1k per month subscription fee!

These are the award-winning ASCOT streetdancers invading the SM Marilao mall. They were the street dancers who looked like tropies in their gold body paint during this year's Aurora Day festival. They changed their costumes to colorful banigs.















And these are the street dancing kids from Wesleyan University in Maria Aurora.

Vice Governor

Belated Happy Birthday (October 5) to my Ninang, Vice Governor Annabelle Tangson. She's in the middle of the picture with the staff of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan. She recently went on an official visit to the USA and heard about BatangBaler for the first time from our kababayans. See, BB is relatively unknown here.

Best of Central Luzon - Aurora

Last week was very frustrating - internetwise. I had loads of pictures about the recent Marilao, Bulacan gig and I can't upload them. Our internet connection is the opposite of broadband minus more kilobytes. Anyway, i managed to upload some pixes yesterday. The other ones are still waiting to be beamed up. These are the pictures from the Exhibit/Trade Fair area, enjoy!



The main entrance.



The Aurora display was first in line. Good thing they arranged things alphabetically.



The other side: a surfboard that have seen better days and more pictures. That photo of the waving beauty queen first appeared on Batangbaler and was taken by Olin Duaso last August 2004.



The Aurora corner: sabutan, suman and wood furnitures - the three best things in Aurora!



The event standee located everywhere inside the mall.



Inside the exhibit area. Aurora is first again. Those two pictures of Ms. Dulay (Ymay's pamangkin) and the miniature sabutan hats first appeared on Batangbaler and were taken by Olin Duaso. (Credit where credit is due :-)



The Bataan area - loads of processed foods. Aurora prefers to export raw materials than make processed goods. I don't know why.



Pampanga offers loads of christmas lanterns and the famous Pampanga's Best Longanisa.



Tarlac - woods, handicrafts and jarred goodies.



Bulacan: great presentation. They offer furnitures, jewelry's, sculptures, etc..



There's more where they came from.

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Big thanks to the Provincial Tourism Office for inviting me to be a part of this gig. My official business in the event is to help with the technical stuff (music etc.) of the Araw ng Aurora presentation.

Through The Years

Yesterday, October 4 was BatangBaler's 4th Year Anniversary as a website. Here's a trip down memory lane:



First incarnation 2001. A real web diary of sorts. 3 visits per day. Old address www.geocities.com/josephisdead.



2002. A year after. 30 hits per day. Thanks to Tokelau, the address shortened to www.batangbaler.tk.



2003. www.batangbaler.net. 100 visitors per day. A certain Mr. Chan from Hong Kong beats me to the www.batangbaler.com address.



2004. Before BB evolved into a blog. Average visits: 10,000+ per month.

Aurora @ Best of Central Luzon Showcase

In support of "I Love Philippines, Byahe Na!" domestic travel advocacy campaign of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Provincial Government of Aurora through the Provincial Tourism Office is participating in the forthcoming Best of Central Luzon Showcase on October 1-15, 2005 at SM City Marilao, Bulacan.

The Best of Central Luzon Showcase is a 2-week tourism and trade promotion activity to be participated in by the 7 procinces of Central Luzon (Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales,), Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and Clark Development Corporation (CDC). It is highlighted by a regional travel mart, trade fair, food festival, and the Araw ng Lalawigan, where each participating province is given the chance to showcase its cultural offerings.

The Araw ng Aurora is scheduled on October 2, 2005 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM at the SM City ePlaza Marilao, Bulacan. There will be a special cultural presentation hosted by the province.


October 1: Street Dance Festival - Winning street dancers of Baler and SanLuis will participate in the Parade and Dance Exhibition (1:00 PM Marilao Town Proper to SM City Marilao)

October 2: Araw ng Aurora - Day-long cultural performances at the main activity areas. (10:ooam to 7:00 pm, ePlaza, SM City Marilao)

October 1 - 15: Travel Mart - A curated exhibit will have a section on Aurora; flyers and brochures on Aurora and available tour packages will be distributed. (2nd Level, SM City Marilao)

October 1-15: Travel Trade Expo - Local producers will occupy the Aurora booth; Proposed product selection includes sabutan fashion and home accessories, coco-wine and wood-based furniture. (2nd Level)

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Don't miss this event if you're somewhere near SM City Marilao on October 2. Marilao, Bulacan is just 30 minutes away from Manila. There are FX vans at SM City North Edsa going to Marilao. I will be going with the 400 plus delegates from Aurora. I will not perform on stage, i'll just take pictures. I saw the rehearsals of the presentations and it's better than any fiesta production in Baler. The Provincial Government is really bent on making this presentation a special one. There will be performances of the best street dancing kids in Aurora, a Comedia de Baler, the Pangkat Kawayan, a dramatization of the Siege of Baler with John Arcilla, Fashion Show, Folk Dances and lots of other performances. See you there!

Social Justice

There's an ongoing exhibit at the Museo De Baler (Quezon Park) about Pres. Manuel L. Quezon and his Social Justice program. It was probably opened last August 19 but I only saw it last week. It's titled Justice For All which reminded me of the Metallica album. The text on one panel says:

President Manuel L. Quezon beleived in the worth and significance of the common man. This belief is at the heart of his campaign for social justice which he championed throughout his presidency.

President Quezon sought to achieve social justice by protecting the rights of laborers through legislation and personal projects, and by creating more jobs for the common man. He believed that work is the measure of a man therefore man must be allowed to improve his lot and the government must help him. He empowered the disenfranchised: women were given the right to vote, tenants a chance to own land, laborers protection from ill working conditions. He put in place an effective educational system and provided the poor with knowledge and skills to better themselves.

He strove to protect our country from dangerous class wars, a danger that persists to this day. He envisioned a country united despite diferences in social class and creed, and a time when this campaign for social justice would no loger be necessary. He appealed to each Filipino's moral impulse to protect his fellowman.

This exhibit traces one man's efforts to ensure justice for all and to unite them all under one nation. Let it be a testament. Let it be a lesson to all generations.

Here are some pictures:

The Angaras

From the official website of the House of Representatives, this is the info page of our lone Congressman, Juan Edgardo M. Angara. Includes profiles, Committees, and house bills he sponsored and authored. Very informative.



Ang Sen. Edgardo Angara, or one of his staff is blogging.Check out the EDJA blog. The description reads: "This is an independent News and Articles Blog for Edgardo Angara and does not necessarily reflect the official stand of Edgardo Angara."