Wedding Preparation at Chateau Du Mer

The bride from Southern California arrived yesterday and informed us specifically the venue for her wedding ceremony. It will be at the foot of the Japanese simulated bamboo bridge under a giant balete tree over looking the ocean and the beach house. The entourage (plus six couples of sponsors) will march from the spiral staircase of the beach house and then cross the bridge. The bride has hired a decorator and I am looking forward for the transformation of the bridge into a wedding altar. I am very excited since this is a historic event at CDM. For the last two years, we have hosted more than 50 wedding receptions at the hall, but this will be the first wedding ceremony at the resort. I hired two extra helpers to clean the creek, mowed, paint and scrubbed the bridge floor and also constructed a cement picnic table and bench in the area. The park bench will be topped with tiles and decor from our travels in US. There will be a small tent in the sorounding area to accommodate around 200 guests. I will post pictures of the wedding ceremony and reception soon.

Will the Philippines be Another Haiti?

Below is a recent posting by Eli Obligacion from marinduquegov.blogspot.com regarding the possibility of an earthquake in the Philippines of a magnitude of 7.0 or greater. This article is very timely because of what happened in Haiti, several days ago. Perhaps, after reading this article, you should prepare a package that in case this happens here in Marinduque,Philippines you will have drinking water and food for at least 2 days. I hope all Filipinos should be prepared for any catastrophe whether it is a typhoon, earthquake or volcanic eruptions, since the Philippines is in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Here's the article not to scare you but for your information so you can be prepared.

Philippine Segment of Pacific Ring of Fire Roaring!
Earlier Warning

In March 2006, a geology professor in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic actually warned that the said country must be prepared in the short term for a strong earthquake that could even generate a tidal wave in the country’s North and South zones. Prof. Orlando Franco affirmed serious indications “which have occurred in nature leading us to forecast a possible earthquake with fatal consequences.”

He made reference to tremors which have taken place in the country’s North region, which could be a prelude to something stronger. He then cautioned that there was a danger when a concentration of energy occurs, causing an earthquake of dangerous magnitude. (dominicantoday.com 3.14.2006)

Haiti, where an intensity 7.0 earthquake that resulted in the loss of thousands of human lives recently occured, is Dominican Republic’s next door neighbor, sharing the same island in the Western Hemisphere. Human lives lost is expected to reach 150,000 in this quake that occurred just five days ago. Among the victims were officials of the U.N. and a senior archbishop of Port-au-Prince according to a CNN report.

2006 Warning

In June of the same year (2006), Philvocs warned that an earthquake with a magnitude 7.2 on the Richter Scale “is overdue” and could hit the Philippines soon affecting at least 38 percent of all residential buildings in Metro Manila. “The last strong quake to hit us was in 1994. With time, the possibility of being hit by a strong earthquake is increasing”. 90 strong quakes had been recorded here over the last 400 years, or a statistical average of one major quake every four to five years. (manilastandardtoday.com 6.27.2006)

But no strong quake has been recorded for a decade after the 1994 quake in Mindoro that killed at least 78 people and caused panic in Gasan when hit by a minor tidal wave after the quake.


Marinduque quake

On October 20, 2006, Philvocs reported a 5.3 magnitude earthquake in Marinduque around 10:30 p.m. with tremors reaching as far as Tagaytay and Quezon City.

A second earthquake struck around 1:27 a.m. the next day with the epicenter located 35 kilometers south and 89 degrees west of Boac, Marinduque. The Lubang and Marinduque faults were identified as the sources of the earthquake. (pinoyexchange.com/forums)

Philvocs Director Renato Solidum,Jr. then reported that the Marinduque quake’s epicenter was traced to the eastern segment of the Lubang Fault located offshore between Mindoro island and Marinduque. Five major aftershocks and more than 700 minor aftershocks were recorded.

The quake caused no damage to property but sent many residents in Marinduque to panic. Solidum then said that despite the earthquake at the Lubang Fault, people should remain alert against "the big quake." He said there is no way to predict where or when the big quake will occur.

"Lubang Fault does not generate that powerful a quake. But the Philippine Fault Zone is one of the longest, and some faults had already moved, like the one in Central Luzon in 1990 and the one in Masbate in 2003," he said. (gmanews.com 10.26.06)


Series of Earthquakes in the Philippines Now

Interestingly, a series of recent earthquakes have also been monitored around the world by United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Just yesterday morning in the Philippines, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in southern Luzon at 3.53 a.m., the epicenter of which was located 30 kilometers southwest of Batangas, 35 kilometers west-northwest of Calapan, Mindoro.

A second 2.2 magnitude quake was also felt in parts of Negros Occidental in the VIsayas region. Philvocs reported that the epicenter was 26 km west of Canlaon City. The two earthquakes were of tectonic origin. (Inquirer.net (01.17.2010)

Early last Friday, another earthquake jolted some parts of Mindanao less than 72 hours after an earthquake struck off Sultan Kudarat province on Tuesday.

The Friday quake, which was traced some 32 kilometers southeast of Tagum City, was felt in areas of Davao City, General Santos City and several towns in Davao del Sur and North Cotabato. The said earthquake which struck at 8:02 a.m. quake was registered at magnitude 5.3.

One of the strongest earthquakes in the country struck on Aug. 16, 1976, when the Mindanao Fault moved violently and triggered an Intensity 7.2 quake.

That earthquake in 1976 also triggered a tsunami that flattened several areas in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Central Mindanao, which include the Cotabato provinces, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. The 1976 quake killed between 5,000 to 8,000 people. (PDI, 01.16.2010)

The Baguio Quake

At 4:26 p.m. on July 16, 1990, a killer earthquake hit and extensively devastated the City of Baguio. As reported, the temblor measured 7.7 in the Richter scale and lasted for 45 seconds, with numerous aftershocks, the strongest being recorded on July 18, measuring 5.3 on the Richter Scale, lasting for 8 seconds.

The Philippine archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activities.

Magnitude 8 Next?

Yesterday, Philvocs North Cotabato director Hermis Daquipa issued a statement that “the Mindanao Fault, which has been restive the past few months could trigger up to a magnitude 8 earthquake”. He made the statement in the wake of observations that earthquakes have become more frequent since November in parts of Mindanao. (PDI 1.17.2010)

Among these earthquakes were the Nov. 4 tremor that had a magnitude of 5.6 and struck 105 kilometers east of Davao City. On Nov. 17, two mild quakes also hit Southern Mindanao and adjacent areas. Another 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mati, Davao Oriental, on Dec. 11.

Garden Wedding at Chateau Du Mer (CDM)

My "Gardening by Mouth" has finally paid off. Today, I received a request from a couple who had a contract to use the Hall for their wedding reception at the end of this month. However, I was surprised but delighted that they requested to have the wedding ceremony in the Gardens of CDM, instead of our local church in downtown Boac. I am indeed flattered of this request, since it validated my perception that the Gardens of CDM is beautiful and romantic enough site for a wedding ceremony. The couple wanted the cermony at the foot of the Japanese Bridge with the ocean as the background. If the ceremony is during sunset time, I guarantee them, it will be indeed a romantic time for their wedding ceremony. Hopefully, it does not rain that day. The blooming bougainvillas, Hibiscus and Euphorbias will add ambience to the wedding site. I am hoping that the weather this coming Jan 30 will be as cool, dry and sunny as today's weather here in Marinduque.

Macrine and I are so happy , we are here in Marinduque right now, since we have heard of the winter woes of residents of US, Europe, Canada and Northern China and Japan. Even my neighbors and friends in Northern California have also complained about the wintry woes in our neighborhood.

Anyway, for details about the Gardens of Chateau Du Mer, visit my site at
http://chateaudumer.blogspot.com Cheers to All!

Marinduque in My Heart-Tribute to Allan Velasco

Here's the latest video from marindnquegov.blogspot.com posted by Eli Obligacion. It is a birthday and goodbye present to Allan Velasco's last day as provincial administrator. Allan is running for congressman for Marinduque lone district, I heard. The is a collection of scenes/images/pictures in the province and ecotourism projects that he spearheaded during his two year term as provincial administrator. There are a couple shots of Chateau Du Mer Conference Hall at the beginning of the video where the STTC ( Southern Tagalog Tourism Committee) Meeting promoting tourism in the province was held last year. So enjoy this video showcasing Marinduque's natural beauty. Hopefully you will be entice in visiting my island Paradise someday. As the title in my blog say: MARINDUQUE-MY ISLAND PARADISE !

My first Cockfighting Experience in Marinduque

I grew up in the Philippines, until I was 25 years old. But I have never attended a cockfighting tournament. When I was growing up my parents instructed me never to go inside the arena or else I get a beating in the buttocks. However, without my parents knowledge, my friend and I were outside the arena a number of times where there are stalls selling merienda's( Filipino cakes and balot) and other goodies. So outside the arena, I could still remember the noise and commotion inside when the winner is announced in my mind even until today.

It was only two years ago, when we celebrated our Golden wedding anniversary that I attended a cockfighting tournament in Marinduque. This was the first request of my two sons, nephew to be (boy friend of my niece) and son-in-law who all grew up in US. They have heard and read about it, so they were really curious. So the first Sunday of their visit in Marinduque, I took them to my first cockfighting experience. We were accompanied by a local relative who was a cockfighting enthusiast and a semi-addict of this bloody sport and gambling activity in the Philippines.

WOW! What an experience! The crowds were 99.9% male. There were only three women out of about 300 gamblers. My son-in-law and "nephew to be" were the only white-skinned males(gringos) in the crowd. Of course my son-in-law who is 6 feet and 6 inches tall stuck out like a sore thumb with his height and bald head. At first I really did not understand what was going on, as the attendees were all shouting their bets to the bet taker almost at the same time. But I heard the bet taker never makes a mistake. What a memory! There were two sides, MAYRON or WALA. When I was growing up, the two opposing sides were “ SA PULA and SA PUTI”.

MAYRON means you have something and WALA means you have nothing. PULA means red and PUTI means white, indicating the opposite color of the roosters. But sometimes the roosters have the same color, so this was abandoned to the current mayron or wala as the two opposing sides.

Anyway, the noise was so deafening once a winner or a “kill” was declared. It sounded like a thousand males had an orgasmic experience all at the same time. It was so loud, that I had to cover my ears. I enjoyed more watching the antics of the crowd than the actual cockfights except for the moment of kill. After a few of these bouts, I got tired, so I went outside the arena. In the meantime, my guests were betting and enjoying themselves. We stayed for only about an hour since I was getting tired due to the noise, the heat and humidity in the arena. My son won about $10, but my son-in-law lost $15. They had a grand and fantastic time. I did not!

I will never attend a cockfighting tournament again, I just don't like the gambling atmosphere and the smell of the place(amoy pawis). My preference in gambling are the casinos not the cockfighting tournaments. It was however, an experience worthy of posting in this blog. Cockfighting also reminded me of bull fighting in Spain, that I attended about ten years ago. I loved the bull fights, not the cock fights.

Singkil and Tinikling Philippine Folk Dances

The following two dances are the most popular of Philippine folk dances from viewers all over the world. These two dances were performed by the Leyte Dance Theatre group as inspired by the Bayanihan Dancers-famous for their award winning dance performances all over the world for the last decade.