Port conversion attracts tourists, generates revenues, making Cadiz City a night life destination of the north.
I am referring to the existing finger port situated in Villa Beach, Barangay Zone Ill. This port has been idle for years. But if we would take initiative as to convert it into something worthwhile, this would have been a multiplier effect for years.
I had once a little dialogue with Victor Parina and he has suggested for renovation of the port into a “people’s park”. He hit the point for this would result a venue where Cadiznons can leisurely walk, play and embrace the breezy air as the sun beautifully rises and sets. Of course, the management and maintenance would fall into the hands of tourism office.
Jerry Artuyo, on the other hand, has carved up another bright idea for the port. He has advocated the port can help raise the City’s income. He has blueprinted it to become a night spot for everyone. He calls it “port front” where one can dine, drink and enjoy the nightly acoustic. He has signified for tent or stall installation along the pathway. This would produce both an entertainment avenue and revenue.
A “people’s park”. A “port front”. These are the two port conversion tips for possible considerations. Though each concept differs from the other, perhaps they clash in some forms, the two can be literally linked up as one. Initially, we can label the plan tandem as “Cadiz City Port Park”. I personally coined the term from “people’s park” and “port front”.
The Cadiz City Port Park, if materialized, would be the first-ever in Negros and in the country. The “Park” can house bars, restaurants and music rooms; and set up benches, diving boards, swimming rinks and fun planks. Its unique, long-narrowed and elegant complex and location can surely invite more investors and patrons.
Aside from employment and income generation, the “Park” can illuminate the once shadowy port, as well as the coastal areas of Zone lll to lV. The “Park” can paint the City more colors. And it can fashion a more vibrant night life. This would indisputably transform Cadiz City into a night life destination.
The question is: How can this proposal probably come into reality? Do we have sufficient budget for the lucrative project? I understand that this park construction no doubt costs much.
The answer is: Let the investors build and operate./*
It is said that the Philippines is the “Text Capital” in the world. The fact reveals that the 97% of the Filipino community of all ages have possessed cellular phones called “a fashion gadget”. With this number, 90% have dramatically become “hard texters”. “Hard texters” never call but engage on sending Short Messaging System (SMS) incessantly.
According to the country’s giant service providers, the Smart Communications and the Globe Telecom, their respective networks receive millions of SMS every tick of a second. Smart alone registers about 8 million SMS every minute.
But the question is: How does Juan Dela Cruz (A Pinoy’s popular icon) send text messages (short for SMS)?
Paolo Miguel Padpad, a 15-year-old student of Negros Occidental Science High School in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, has developed and conceivably set a trend that most youngsters crave to adopt in their “text life”. Though the text style looks thorny and tricky, the words Paolo often types in his cellular phone have the artistic and creative touch that speaks of his ingenuity.
“2hrz”. That’s for 2 hours. “Pxalod” is for “pasalod”. “nYc”, nice. “pWeTty”, pretty. “fHyNe”, fine. “oKieZ”, okay. “eLoWiEz”, hello. “xUmMr”, summer. “pHwEeiZz”, please. “lHuBLyF”, lovelife. And, “lHuBLotzHh”, love lots.
Other text words include “bE bLeZzd”, “mHuAkZzH”, “eiNquEzHu”, “hOwZ”, “uRz”, “yHuP”, “waT” and “maTtrZ”.
Instead of typing “what’s the matter?”, Paolo keys in “waTz D maTtrZ?” And, how’s your life, he rather forms “hOwZ uR Lyf?”.
If we will weigh up those crafts formulated by Paolo, there is still a fine syntax in the text words.
In 1976, as a 27-year-old Ph. D. student, now Dr. Graham Rawlinson put forward the theory that skilled readers can understand text, even if the letters of the words are jumbled up. “aoccdrnig to rsceearh at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in what order the ltteers in a word are, the only iprmoantnt thing is that the frist and lsat lteers are at the rghit pclae. This is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itself but the word as a wlohe.”
Has Paolo’s art of texting something to do with Rawlinson’s theory? (To be continued)
WHERE IN THE PHILIPPINES SHOULD I BE ON DECEMBER 31, 1999?
MIDDLE OF VISAYAN SEA
At about 10:55 PM of December 31, 1999, a motorized boat will take the whole family of five and a few close friends to the middle of the Visayan sea engulfing the seamount village where we humbly live. This would be our ultimate venue to welcome the New Millennium while gracefully embracing the breezy air there.
The 30-minute travel from the shore ultimately brings us to the most peaceful, beautiful and pollution-free place to trigger a big bang for another century. The middle of the sea boasts off nothing but starry night with the air and wave sounds. The fireworks also stir and flare up the silent night.
The site's pacific water seemingly freshens up the people's minds and hearts, and cleanses their souls, so as the grim life is buried when the new millennium comes. It looks like there had not a bad quirk of the preceding centuries. On the sea, whatever history we had culminates. But when we get back ashore, a new chapter for a new beginning unfolds./*
RUSTIC FARM
Our humble, rustic farm will be my right choice of venue to welcome the significant New Millennium. Though it’s far from the modern amenities, the whole family still has to adventure to the village called “Kapispisan” where my conservative parents were born and lovingly raised.
Located some 35 kilometers away from the city proper, “Kapispisan” is ideal venue to observe in Filipino way the turn of a new century. Its scenic beauty literally invites us to frolic with the rustic life that Filipinos had once enjoyed. It is magnificent in nature, with singing birds and cool winds, lush vegetation, blooming flowers, fruit and forest trees, huge sugarcane, rice and corn plantations.
It’s not just to play run in the open grassfield nor to eat there a cooked “kamote kahoy” nor corn seeds, “suman” or “puto tak-tak”, but for us to feel together the real value and spirit of being a Filipino as we wait for the coming of the New Millennium. To start a new life is to trace the past, so that we can rectify the wrongdoings and see to it that they may never be repeated in the next century./*
BUSAK-BUSAK SPRING
Cadiz City has prided itself with the fame and glory the Busak-Busak spring has brought over the years. However, when the New Millennium comes, the spring will not be open for public because it is being tapped as the main source of water for the Denmark-funded Negros Water Supply and Sanitation Project (NWSSP). It will fully operate next year.This is probably the reason why my family and other close friends will trek down there on December 31, 1999 to welcome the New Millennium and do a 19th century’s last picnic on the spring where we used to enjoy.
It is located some 6 kilometers away from the city proper. But it is known that distance does not matter to trekkers. They keep on coming back as long as they preserve the beauty and the natural features revered and enjoyed long before by our ancestors. Sprouting out of the toe of a hill and adorned by surrounding boulders, Busak-Busak spring transforms into an epitome of natural beauty and environmental attraction that draws visitors all year round.
The spring’s drinking water is as clear as crystal and anybody can feel its freshness that continuously flows out from the spring’s sharp, narrow mouth. This lively spring captures and stirs up the human senses so much so that a person is enticed into diving to the cool and refreshing water pool of this nature’s gift to mankind.
At the dawn of the New Millennium, one could significantly imagine how those local folks used to frolic with the spring; and how would they feel should they know about the spring’s changes. Or, just say: “Hello New Millennium” but “Goodbye Busak-Busak Spring”./*
MAMBUCAL SUMMER HEALTH RESORT
I greatly pride myself to declare that the Negros Occidental government-owned Mambucal Summer Health Resort is the country’s best place to greet the New Millennium.
It is strategically located atop of the high mountains in Barangay Minoyan, municipality of Murcia. To get part of the historic welcome, my family and other close friends will certainly journey up to the woodland on December 31, 1999.It will take a matter of one hour from Bacolod City through splendid zigzag roads up to the venue.
This 25-hectare resort is pollution-free millennium hang-out and renowned for its cool and ecologically-megged atmosphere. It is surrounded by forest trees and, wild plants and flowers. Its jungle hotel and, on-land and atree cottages offer modern amenities. A guest could even take a bath at its natural hot spa and body-dip at its three Olympic-size spring swimming pools. While you wait for the New World, you can also boil egg at its hot sulfuric pool (heat stems from adjacent Mt. Canlaon volcano). Egg boiling finishes as the millennium dawn begins.
The Mambucal is also famous for its magnificent seven spring waterfalls. At 10:00 PM, start trekking to the thick but safe forest at the first waterfalls you pass by, until you millenniumly reach the majestic seventh waterfalls on the high mountain peak as the New Millennium dawn appears. You, cleansed, fresh and confident to face the challenges ahead, will witness the phenomenal turn of another century. When the sun rises, sunlight likewise covers the entire resort, enough to feel the New Millennium’s spirit. Besides, on the seventh falls, you can see the aerial view of the entire Bacolod, as if you were on board a helicopter plying above the New World./*
"Dear graduates, kindly open up your both hands and think what are holding at the moment. What do you see? Certainly, your hands hold nothing. There is nothing in your hands. But your life depends on how you will handle your hands. There is in your hands that you can not see but helps you succeed".
"My hands are obviously empty. But the whole world becomes fragile without these. The world is deserted without these key parts of our body. The world is nothing without my hands. The world is nothing without your hands".
" Dear graduates, think what your hands can do. Or, think what you can do to your hands. Can you text in your cellphone without your hands? Can you build houses and buildings without the help of the hands? Can we cook without the use of our hands?
" It’s our hands that tailored our clothes. It’s our hands that made our tricycles, our jeepneys and our bancas. It’s through our hands that catch the fish. And, it’s our hands that we use to swim".
"Everybody loves Spiderman. Do you think Spiderman could crawl on the web and climb up the trees and buildings without the aid of his hands? Without his powerful and magical hands, This Spiderman would no doubt be futile and eventually fall down to ground. Thus, we will lose a hero that will save the world from all dangers and evils".
"Again, dear graduates, may I request you all to rise up and close your eyes. Imagine the world without the hands. Now, tell me, what do you see or feel about? Do you still feel and benefit from the things we all enjoy now? The answers are your own. Please open your eyes and be seated".
" Have you seen the movie “Forest Gump”? The movie was Oscar’s Best Picture. It starred Tom Hanks. I understand that he is very much popular to all of us. In the movie, he keeps saying that “Life is a box of chocolate, you never know what you gonna get”. That in order to know what life awaits us ahead, we must know ourselves and work hard to achieve what we want".
" The world is becoming highly complicated. Our life has become an array of uncertain things. It has developed the options that give us a difficult time to choose from what we really want for ourselves. But if we know what we are and who we are, we can precisely decide on the right path for us".
" If we are gifted by God to have both hands, let’s use them wisely and intelligently. Our hands are physically empty but they carry our lives. Our lives rely on how we utilize our hands. Explore and discover. If we fail to marvel the good magic that lies in there, we deprive our selves to enjoy the wonders of life".
" I have my own hands. I have used them in accordance with what I have learned from schools, from people and from works. I am not a good writer but I could write. I am not a good editor but I could edit. If my hands could write and edit articles, maybe your hands can write and edit articles better than I could".
" If an engineer or an architect could design and build houses and buildings, maybe you can design and build better than they could. If your “nanay” or “tatay” could cook well, maybe you can cook better than they could. If your teachers could write on the blackboard, when you will grow up and become like them, you can pretty good write on the blackboard".
" This is not a question of what we are or who we are. This is a matter of believing in one self. Nothing sets us apart from the others. If we only believe in ourselves, we can surely climb up to the ladder of success. Do you believe that what you think or believe will come into reality? What mind thinks comes out. It’s like a dream come true".
This year’s theme “My Education: My Contribution to the Future” simply means “my hands, my educated hands that work, are my contributions to the future”.
" To the graduates: Believe in your dreams. believe in your minds. Believe in your hands".
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Erwin R Mabugat Guest Speaker
59th Commencement Exercises Tiglawigan Elementary School Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
Bacolod City Time
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