LIST: Philippine rainy season destinations — digital travel platform

Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com

August 6, 2024 | 11:36am

 

The Chocolate Hills in Bohol and Hidden Beach in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is currently at the peak of the rainy season, meaning Filipinos will want to travel to sunnier spots during these months.

There are over 7,000 islands in the country, meaning there are options abound, but digital travel platform Agoda is highlighting three destinations in particular — Palawan, Bukidnon, and Bohol — as ones people can enjoy year-round. 

The platform noted that the three locations often see relatively drier weather during the monsoon months that peaks from July to October, making them worth visiting during the rainy season.

"While summer might be the popular choice, destinations like Palawan, Bukidnon, and Bohol showcase the beauty and adventure the Philippines has to offer even during the monsoon season," stated Michael Hwang, Country Director, Agoda Philippines.

Palawan

Palawan is best known for its many beaches and the rich biodiversity on the entire island, but there are more experiences to enjoy on the popular tourist destination. 

The platform highlights the half-day tour of Puerto Princesa City visiting World War II landmarks like the Plaza Cuartel and the majestic Cathedral, as well as a Farm Tour in Coron Natural Farms to learn more about sustainable agriculture (with fresh farm-to-table meals to boot).

A visit to the Palawan Heritage Center will show a closer look at the island's history, indigenous culture, and biodiversity while the KaLui Art Gallery that features works from local artists.

Bukidnon

Known as the "Fruit and Vegetable Basket of Mindanao," Bukidnon province is celebrated for its agriculture and ecotourism, but again there is more to it than meets the eye.

Visitors can make peaceful stops in the Monastery of Transfiguration in Malaybalay City or the Del Monte Clubhouse in Manolo Fortich. 

A guided tour in Talaandig Cultural Center in Sungco, Lantapan offers a chance to see the Talaandig tribe's traditional performances of music, dance, and storytelling.

More of the Northern Mindanao region's cultural and tribal history can be seen in Kaamulan Folk Arts Museum and Bukidnon State University Museum.

Bohol

Like Palawan, Bohol is an island that boasts of natural beauty be it through beaches or the many locations within the island proper.

These include Baclayon Church and the Cambuhat River and Village, the latter organized by community-based sustainable ecotourism involving mangrove tours and insights into local fishing practices.

Speaking of locals, there are many hands-on cooking classes of traditional Boholano cuisine that can be booked as well as an opportunity to see a traditional Mazurka Boholana folk dance performance at any local gathering.

Philippine Eagle ‘Uswag’ dies 1 month after release

BY KEITH BACONGCO

Aug 5, 2024 03:12 PM

  

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DAVAO CITY – Philippine Eagle “Uswag” died after the raptor crashed and drowned in the coast of Baybay City in Leyte on July 30, just a month after its release in the forests of the province. 

The Philippine Eagle Foundation said in an incident report on Monday, August 5, that Uswag, which was equipped with a solar-powered global positioning system transmitter, may have crashed into the sea sometime on July 30 based on GPS record.

USWAG flies during its release in Leyte last June 28. (Keith Bacongco) 

It coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other partners to conduct a search and rescue operation on July 31.

“But after July 31, we have not received any GPS reading until August 2 that stated that Uswag was already along the coast between Poro and Ponson Islands (Camotes Islands) in Pilar, Cebu,” Dr. Jayson Ibañez, PEF Director for Operations, said.

The PEF searched the coast of Baybay City on August 1 with the assistance of the Philippine Coast Guard. Heavy rains prompted them to abort the search after 14 hours at sea and covering 700 hectares.

The following day, PEF and PCG continued the search between the shores of Baybay and Cuatros Islas and covered an area of about 6,000 hectares. They still failed to find the carcass of the eagle. 

After 42 hours of search covering about 1,000 hectares, Uswag’s carcass was eventually retrieved near Ponson Island in Pilar on August 3.

It was brought to the College of Veterinary at Visayas State University in Baybay City for necropsy. An X-ray was conducted in a pet clinic. 

Based on veterinarian’s estimates, Uswag has been dead four to five days before it was retrieved.

“There’s no foul play, no indication that it was shot. It’s just accidental drowning,” Ibañez said.

Ibañez added that Uswag was healthy and fit and there was evidence based on field observations that it has already hunted successfully in the wild during the first few days after his release.

Uswag, a male Philippine Eagle about three- to four-years-old, was released along with female eagle named “Carlito” in the forests of Barangay Kagbana in Burauen, Leyte last June 28.

Ninth case

Ibañez said that Uswag was the ninth documented case of an eagle that crash-landed at sea since 1993.

He theorized Uswag may have lost his flight bearings and was sucked towards the sea by the rains and winds from the southwest monsoon or “habagat.” 

Like Uswag, the eight other eagles that crash-landed at sea were also immature eagles.

USWAG’S transmitter showing latest location between Poro and Ponas Islands Camotes Islands on August 2. (PEF)

Seven of these eight eagles that crash-landed in the water were from coastal towns in Mindanao.  The other one crash-landed at Lake Lanao in Lanao del Sur.

The PEF said that Uswag was the first reintroduced wild eagle and the first with a GPS tracking device to crash at sea. 

The other eagles were untagged. But seven out of eight birds were miraculously alive and saved by fishermen, the PEF said.

Ibañez they will investigate Uswag’s case further and ask assistance from government experts to study how weather patterns affect the movement of Philippine Eagles.

He said that they are saddened by the incident but said that it also serves as a lesson to further improve their release and conservation decisions.

“We will further investigate and explore systematic GIS mapping and modelling of topography, wind patterns, and other climate parameters at these crash sites to determine patterns and assess risks,” Ibañez said.

How to prep for heavy rains

 Here are some ways to keep safe in such harrowing conditions

BY POCH EULALIA

  

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After the recent onslaught of Typhoon Carina, w e are yet again reminded of the importance of being prepared for heavy rain. If you live in areas that are affected by stormy weather, always remember to stay safe and keep dry. Here are some ways to keep safe in such harrowing conditions. 

Stay alert 

To best combat natural calamities, you must stay well-informed and updated of your surroundings. Tune in to the news for daily weather updates and listen to announcements by your local government. Keep an eye out on the water level outside and ensure you have a way out, should you need to flee. When treading the flood, be wary of any wires hitting the water, sharp objects floating around, or holes that you might not spot beneath the floodwater. 

Keep things charged 

If the power hasn’t gone out yet, make sure all your devices are plugged in and fully charged. You’ll need your phones to keep in touch with friends and family during emergencies. Prioritize charging any power banks you have on hand to ensure you have a spare source of power for your devices. Ensure you have batteries for your emergency light devices and flashlights. If you use candles and lanterns as a light source, always remember to blow out the fire if not in use. 

Stock up on resources 

It pays to be prepared. Always have your pantry stocked with canned goods and ready-to-eat meals to ensure you have food to take on the move if you need to. Be sure to also keep a can opener or knife on hand for opening the containers. Other essentials besides food are cash, medicine, spare batteries, and flashlights or emergency lights. 

Stay indoors 

As much as possible, do not venture outside your home. Stay indoors until any rain and floodwater has subsided. Pay close attention to any announcements from your local government to see if you need to vacate the area. If you do, try to wait out for rescue. If not, take full caution in treading floodwater. 

Stay in touch 

Always have a contact you can readily provide updates to. Start a family group chat and have your location pins enabled on your devices. This will help others keep track of your whereabouts in case of any emergencies. Here’s a list of some emergency contact numbers to keep in mind: 

Keep safe, everyone!

GOSSIP GIRL: The ‘90s: A decade of band scene history in one book

BY GISELLE SANCHEZ

Aug 6, 2024 09:55 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• “Tugtugan Pamorningan” by Susan Claire Agabayani chronicles the Philippine music scene from 1990 to 1999.

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The author at the backstage of the Electric Fun concert of the Eraserheads in March 1996. (Photo by Eddie Boy Escudero) 

Nothing will ever beat the band scene back in the 1990s. If you are a fan of the Eraserheads, Parokya ni Edgar, Razorback, Intorvoyz, Wolfgang, After Image, The Dawn, or even solo musicians like Francis M, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Nonoy Zuñiga, Basil Valdez, and Lani Misalucha, you need to buy this book, which chronicles every band and musician during the ‘90s. “Tugtugan Pamorningan” by Susan Claire Agbayani chronicles the Philippine music scene from 1990 to 1999.  

The title is befitting of the era  where both me and Agbayani would be rocking out in the audience in Club Dredd - Agbayani as the head of the  public relations of most  bands during the nineties….and me as the official and only approved “groupie”  (I did the approving as well) of my husband Emil Buencamino, who was the drummer of Aftermath (an alternative band he shared with Rommel Sanchez, now the fifth member of Eraserheads. Aftermath’s career was short-lived.) 

The author is flanked by Gary Valenciano and Martin Nievera in mid-1990s.

I asked Agbayani what her main goal was in documenting the Philippine music scene of the 1990s. “I wanted to push forward the truth that the 1990s was one of the golden ages of Philippine music or OPM. There was so much musical production and consumption during this decade or era. Hataw rin ang live music.” As a “dalagang ‘90s," I totally agree with the author! 

Agbayani’s research process was long and tedious, with many challenges. Agbayani tells Gossip Girl,  “I wrote the book one story at a time, from 1990-1999. All 68 stories. More stories should be part of this collection, but we couldn't find them during the production of the book….stories that couldn't be seen because they were never digitized; some publishing firms where I wrote didn't have the vision to archive their publications; the sad fact that the internet is not forever as many of my archive stories are now lost.

The author with Wency Cornejo, the energetic vocalist of Afterimage in mid-1990s at  Chatterbox 

I crowdsourced stories and pictures, but the villains were: anay, baha (Ondoy) and sunog. Lastly, the back and forth with the record labels took two months. I asked permission to publish album covers, sleeve jackets, and pictures. It was challenging work to chronicle everything. My advice to aspiring writers who want to document cultural history, particularly in music, is to see the big picture and see what the gaps are. What needs to be written about? Or what needs to be written about more. Doing so indirectly contributes to nation-building by investigating who we are through our culture and music history.”

The Halloween Party organized by Claire Agbayani for 70s Bistro in 1995. With the author is Put3Ska vocalist Myra Ruaro (now Skarlet), Vikki Cayago; and Ronnie Vivar of GASI

Agbayani shares several personal memories, experiences, and anecdotes in the book, especially with Eraserheads, as she dedicated an entire chapter to them. I asked why dedicate a whole chapter for E-heads when in other chapters, five bands have to share a chapter in her book.  Agbayani answers, “Why not? The Eraserheads made the most significant impact on the Philippine music scene during the ‘90s.  In the preface, I explained that in 1994, record labels went on a signing frenzy in their bid to duplicate the success of Eraserheads. In early 1994, 7 songs of Eheads (from the ultraelectromagneticpop! album) were being requested and played on radio stations.

The author unboxes the Eraserheads' 'The Head Set' memorabilia from Sony BMG executives with a family friend in January 2012

I wanted to pick Agbayani’s brain all day. Still, my editor would kill me if I hoarded all the space of Manila Bulletin for my column, so my closing question was, 'What was the most rewarding part of writing Tugtugan Pamorninga?' She answered: “The moral support the literary and academic community gave me? I did not expect such love, warmth, and support! Ricky Lee, the National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, wrote my foreword. How amazing is that! The support of established literary writers, professors, historians, and photographers is humbling! Some professors asked me for copies of the manuscript before the book was published because they wanted to use the contents for their classes! What was unexpected was that those who vetted the grant the book received from UP Likhaan Institute of Creative Writing (funded by the UP Diliman Chancellor's Office) recognized the importance of such a book. Also totally expected was the warm reception and patronage the book received from the reading public. The book goes out of stock in Lazada or Shopee. Those who rate it give it a 5. Talaga lang ha?!” Aside from Lazada or Shopee, Tugtugan Pamorningan is also available in the UP Press online store.   

Regal Entertainment's Mother Lily Monteverde passes away, 85

BY ROBERT REQUINTINA

Aug 4, 2024 04:51 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Mother Lily's demise came six days after her husband, Remy Monteverde, passed away on July 29. He was 86.

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Lily Monteverde (Dondon Sermino)

Film producer Lily Yu Monteverde, popularly known as Mother Lily, passed away early Sunday morning, Aug. 4. She was 85.

Mother Lily's demise came six days after her husband, Remy Monteverde, passed away on July 29. He was 86.

She is survived by her children Winston, Meme, Roselle, Dondon and Goldwin; in-laws Stephen and Grace and granddaughter-in-law Winni; grandchildren Keith, Theo, Bridget, Matthew, Redwin, Jewel and Kristen; and great-grandchild Mikayla. Mother Lily's death was confirmed by her family in an official statement released on Sunday, Aug. 4. The. cause of her death was not revealed.

The wake and memorial service for her will be held at 38 Valencia Events Place in Quezon City beignning Aug. 5, 3:30 p.m. to 12 midnight; and Aug. 6-Aug. 9, 10 a..m. to 12 midnight.

The daily novena will be held at 5:30 p.m. and mass at 7 p.m.

Regal Entertainment's Mother Lily, a beloved showbiz figure, pioneered a significant era in the entertainment industry, producing blockbuster movies in the 70s and 80s.

Mother Lily, CEO and President of Regal Entertainment, was reponsible for the popularity of many stars known as Regal Babies including Maricel Soriano, Snooky Serna, Dina Bonnevie, Gabby Concepcion, William Martinez, Albert Martinez, 

In 2022, during an interview for pep.ph, Mother Lily said she wished to live up to 100 years old.

Then in 2000, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Cinemanila International Film Festival. 

Mother Lily also received the Fernando Poe Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award in the 37th Luna Awards in 2019.

In 2021, Regal Entertainment ventured into television when it partnered with GMA Network.

“Regal Entertainment has always kept a cordial and happy relationship with GMA-7. Not only as a business partner but as a friend. Through so many years of our film production, GMA has always been an ally, the supporter of our endeavors. 

"That is why it is only fitting that in these more crucial and critical times, we remain together. We are strong together in providing the kind of entertainment that our audiences need. 

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity, to affirm our friendship and alliance. Thank you for believing in Regal Entertainment in reaching out to our Filipino audience to share the wealth of our years of film production. 

"Thank you for giving the next generation the bigger chance to see Regal and GMA go together through this extraordinary period and
on to their post pandemic times. Maraming salamat po.”

With a $97M second weekend, ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ sets a new high mark for R-rated films

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Aug 5, 2024 10:12 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Hollywood closed July with its best month in a year and its first $1 billion month since July 2023.

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Deadpool and Wolverine (AP) 

NEW YORK (AP) — After 10 days in theaters, “Deadpool & Wolverine” is already the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever, not accounting for inflation.

In its second weekend, the Marvel Studios blockbuster starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman continued to steamroll through movie theaters, collecting $97 million according to studio estimates Sunday. That raised its two-week total to $395.6 million, pushing it past the long-reigning top R-rated feature, “The Passion of the Christ,” which held that mark for 20 years with $370 million domestic.

Worldwide, the Shawn Levy-directed “Deadpool & Wolverine” has quickly amassed $824.1 million in ticket sales, a total that already surpasses the global hauls of the first two “Deadpool” films. The 2016 original grossed $782.6 million worldwide; the 2018 sequel collected $734.5 million. 

The weekend’s primary challengers both struggled.

M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller, “Trap,” managed a modest opening of $15.6 million at 3,181 theaters for Warner Bros. The film, starring Josh Hartnett as a serial killer hunted by police at a pop concert, didn’t screen for critics before opening day and scored lower in reviews (48% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) than Shyamalan’s films typically do. Audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.

With a budget of about $35 million that Shyamalan largely finances himself, “Trap” didn’t need a huge opening. But it may struggle to break even.

“This is a soft opening for an M. Night Shyamalan suspense crime thriller,” wrote David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment. “The writer/director’s movies out-earn other original thrillers by a wide margin, and that’s true here, but this start is not on the level of recent Shyamalan films.”

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The live-action “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” adapted from the classic kids book, also didn’t make much of a mark in theaters. Th,e Sony Pictures release debuted with $6 million. It, too, got dinged by critics (28% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), though audiences (an A- CinemaScore) liked it more. “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” which stars Zachary Levi, cost about $40 million to make.

“Twisters,” the Universal Pictures disaster film, continues to kick up a storm at the box office. It held in second place with $22.7 million in its third weekend. Lee Isaac Chung’s sequel to the 1996 original, starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos, has racked up $195.6 million domestically. While it has made less of an impression overseas, “Twisters” is holding particularly well in North American theaters, down just 35% from the week prior.

Hollywood closed July with its best month in a year and its first $1 billion month since July 2023. While comparisons to last year aren’t favorable — July was when “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” launched — a pair of Walt Disney Co. releases in “Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” (the two top films of the year) powered a banner month for the movie industry.

There will still reminders, though, of harder times in cinemas earlier in the spring and early summer, when a sparse release calendar and a few notable flops put the box office at a deficit. On Friday, AMC Theatres, the largest North American chain, posted a $32.8 million loss for the second quarter of 2024.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Deadpool & Wolverine,” $97 million. 

2. “Twisters,” $22.7 million.

3. “Trap,” $15.6 million.

4. “Despicable Me 2,” $11.3 million.

5. “Inside Out 2,” $6.7 million.

6. “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” $6 million.

7. “Longlegs,” $4.1 million.

8. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $1.4 million.

9. “Daaru Na Peenda Hove,” $615,782.

10. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $600,000.

NewJeans returning to the Philippines in September

 

Kristofer Purnell - Philstar.com

August 2, 2024 | 1:13pm

MANILA, Philippines — Korean girl group NewJeans is coming back to the Philippines after being unveiled as the headliner of Coke Studios' "Ultimate Fandom Concert."

The event will take place in Mall of Asia Arena on September 5, with more performers to be announced.

As of writing, fans can have a chance of winning tickets if they are part of the Top 100 spenders on e-commerce company Lazada's Coca-Cola Flagship Store during promotional periods: July 28 to August 1, August 7 to 12, and August 13 to 17.

"Top spending" will be based on accumulative spend per sales during the promotional periods. Orders must be fully delivered with no cancellations and winners can only win once.

NewJeans first visited and performed in the country last December for the Asia Artist Awards held in the Philippine Arena, meaning, their appearance this September will be the group's first Manila show.

The group composed of Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, and Hyein won Singer Of The Year and Song Of The Year for their hit track "Ditto."

The K-Pop act is also known for its songs "OMG," "Super Shy," "Hype Boy," and "ETA."