Quiapo Church

   

      Quiapo Church houses the life-size statue of the Black Nazarene (Jesus Christ). Every year on the 9th of January, devotees flock around Quiapo Church to take part in the celebration of Feast of the Black Nazarene, as it inches across the streets packed with devotees around Quiapo Church. They are hoping to touch the rope that is use to pull the float of Nazarene to its destination. Devotees attribute many miracles to this 400 year old image which was brought to the Philippines from Mexico in the 7th century. Once you have touched the rope, or you have the towel touched by the saint this can cure your illness as believed by the devotees.

        Aside from the feast, many people go to the church not just to pray but to find cure for their impurities and others use this to earn a living. Outside the church there are varieties of vendors selling different items. Some people sell religious items such as rosaries, novena booklets, images and blessed crucifixes. Some are selling colored candles and herbs for different purposes. These colored candles serve as identification for different wishes one may want, like wealth, success, love, health and others. Herbs for gayuma or black magic and some for abortion are also available here. Fortune tellers can be found here who use tarot cards and playing cards to tell the future.  And some sell amulet, this is said to give protection to the one who wears it or some special powers, and warding off bad luck and bad spirits.

        These are manifestations of a strong Catholicism and a mass –market consumerism that identify us as Filipinos.

Bais City (Negros Oriental)

Do you want to see dolphin up close?

Bais City is the place, located at the northern part of Negros Oriental, Philippines.

Here, their main tourist attraction is dolphin watching. Dolphin is an aquatic mammal that is considered the fast-swimming mammal.

With just 3500-4000 Philippine pesos you can rent a small boat or banca to take you to the recent sightings of the pod of dolphins. A boat can accommodate 15-20 passengers for six hours of dolphin watching with of course the tourist guide, the captain of the boat and his crew.

They say in Bais City you are sure to see dolphins while you’re on the boat, unlike in other place where they advertise dolphin watching but you can hardly see any dolphin. You get your money’s worth.

Sinulog

Do you want to hear people shouting "pit señor"?

Try to visit Cebu City, located at the center of the Visayan peninsula. It highlights the festivity of Sinulog or Graceful dance in English. It commemorates the taking of the natives of Christianity.

Originally, on April 7, 1951 Magellan - the Portuguese Explorer came to the Philippines and gave a wooden Santo Niño or little Jesus to the wife of Rajah Humabon (Chieftain of Cebu that time), Harah Amihan as a baptismal gift. Shortly thereafter, on April 21, 1951 he fought the reigning ruler of Mactan, Rajah Lapu-lapu and died.

With the colonization of the Spaniards for 300 years of the Philippines, Christianity became the major religion in the country. By then the yearly festival was conceptualized to honor Santo Niño which is now commonly called Sinulog.

Sinulog is a dance ritual in honor of the miraculous image of the Santo Nino. The dance moves to the sound of the drums and this resembles the current (Sinulog) of what was then known as Cebu’s Pahina River.

Too often, it was mistaken for Aklan’s Ati-Atihan, complete with painted faces and war-like, martial beat. Now this festivity features in its parade seven floats to depict the history of Christianity in Cebu. See you there.

Fuel saving tips.

01. Clean your vehicle – this is not only for your car to look good but also prevent future malfunctions.

02. Plan – Before you enter your car, be sure that you have planned already where to go so that you don’t have to take several trips or go back and forth to get things done.

03. Travel light – Just like human, one will get tired easily with a heavy load. So get rid of those things that make your car heavier. The heavy your car becomes the more it will not be efficient. Bring only basic tool kit for minor repairs on the road.

04. Reduce aerodynamic drag – rack on roof of your car for bike, surf board, or even for bags will increase drag. So use it only when you need it, after using keep it at home.  And don’t open your windows while the car is at full speed because in effect it will increase drag. But it is ok to open the windows before you start your car so that air will come in and reduce the temperature thus you don’t have to make your car air conditioning full.

05. Walk/commute - you can use a bike or just walk for errands of short distance, this will reduce your fuel consumption of up to 50% and you can exercise to keep you healthy.

06. Parking – If possible park your car in a shady area always. This will reduce evaporation of your gas and reduce the need of air conditioning.

07. Avoid the rush hour – rush hour is from 7 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 8 pm in the evening.

08. Check your tires- under inflated or misaligned tires will cause increase fuel consumption by up to 20 % and increase the early occurrence of wear on your tires.

09. Right gear – using gear lower than what you really need will make your engine work harder. This can use fuel more than using the right gear at the right time.

10. Car clinic – visit your serviceman periodically. He has the knowledge on what to do with your car. He can check all the fluids in your car if those are properly maintained or if your car is properly aligned.