RECENT ADDITION TO CHATEAU DU MER

The Beach House and Bridge at Night

Master Bedroom of Beach House-Photo by Oggie Ramos, 2008

The Conference Hall all ready for the Wedding Reception Party


The Beach House before Typhoon Reming


Soroundings and Landscaping of the Conference Hall

It is a two story with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, living room and a 180 degree balcony with a panoramic view of the Amoingon Coast ( Western Marinduque). The Amoingon Coast is abundant with marine flora and fauna that can be seen 10 to 15 meters from the beach front.
Colorful butterfly fish, bobbing clown fish, lion fish, melon-sized urchins and schools of angel fish are among the varieties of fish that thrive in the coral reefs only a few meters from your front porch.

The master bedroom has a queen size bed. The other room has two twin beds. The living room has a hide-away futon bed. The beach house maximum occupancy is only for 4 adults and 2 children. The rooms are all equipped with noiseless electric fans. There are 2 bathrooms. The first floor bathroom is recommended for clean-up after an ocean swim. The upstairs bathroom has a hot water shower. The kitchen has a microwave oven, small refrigerator, flat wares and dishes for six. No heavy cooking is allowed.
The third bedroom is on the bottom floor. It is air conditioned ( 27 sq.meters) with an adjacent terrace ( 18 sq. meters) only a few meters from the ocean. It will accommodate six adults dormitory style. It can be easily converted into a meeting room for 30 to 50 attendees( with 3 round tables). The daily rental will be 4000 pesos.

There will be maid service during day light hours only. Home service massage therapy, haircuts, manicure/pedicure, laundry and transportation services can be arranged one day in advance.

The beach house is only about 9 Km from the capital town of Boac and 12 Km from the town of Gasan. Public transportation ( jeepneys and tricycles) are only a few minutes from your door steps

Snorkel gears are available for rent. Diving sites are within 30 minutes driving distance from the resort and can be arranged in advance.

Rental Information:

For 1 to 2 Persons: P3,000 pesos per day
For 3 to 4 Persons: P4,000 pesos per day
For 4 adults and 2 children: P5000 per day

Bottom Floor: 6 Persons dormitory style: ( or meeting room) P 4,000 pesos

The rate is subject to change depending on the pesos to dollar exchange.
The dollar-peso exchange as of March, 2010 is about 1 to 45
There will be a 10% discount for 7 or longer stays. A 20% discount for 1 month stay or longer.

Contact Information:

From US: 916-961-3365 or 916-390-6424
From Manila: 042-332-1754 or 042-332-1338
E-mail: tagaboac@comcast.net
Website: www.chateaudumer.com

CONFERENCE CENTER

This multi-function hall can easily accommodate 250 persons. It has spacious and modern bathrooms(3) with handicapped access. There is a kitchen for caterer use and a storage room. Wheel chair ramps are provided in the entrance and exit areas. The hall is wired for stereophonic sound. Secured parking for 50 to 80 cars is free. A generator is provided in case of power outage( blackout). There is plenty of room to set-up additional tents for another 100 attendees if necessary.

Rental Information:

8 Hr Day use: P7000 ( payable the day prior to the event)
P8000 ( by government voucher-up to 90 days wait only)

Night Use: P8000 ( payable the day prior to the event)
P9000 (by government voucher-up to 90 days wait only)

Included in the rental are 100 chairs and 10 round tables. Additional charge of 500 pesos for the use of our sound system and operator. A refundable cleaning and breakage deposit(P1000) is required for events with children attending. Set-up, flowers, tablecloth, table wares are not included in the rental. The use of kitchen area is included in the rental.

For Information on Marinduque: www.marinduque.gov.ph ( government

Fireworks, Live Band and a Haugthy Decorator

Hall Decoration Preparation
Our first and second wedding receptions were just completed the other day. The first reception on March 18 ( Calbario-Mariposque) is historic in the sense that there were fireworks as soon as the newly weds arrive. Unfortunately, there was still daylight and the effect of the Fireworks was minimal. The Hall was decorated beautifully with rays of white flimsy materials, that flutters and hide the roof of the Hall. It feels like you are in Heaven. The Food was delicious with a salad, fruit and dessert bar. My compliments to the decorator and the caterer.

The wedding was at the Boac Cathedral officiated by Bishop R Evangelista and assisted by two other priests. The ceremony was 30 minutes late since the bride was late. The priest celebrant even commented that the celebrants are even more excited than the bride since at exactly 3:00PM, they were all dressed and ready for the ceremony. Any way, after the ceremony and photo shots, we all proceeded to CDM where the newly weds spent another 30 minutes for photo shots in the beach resort and in the ocean. The setting sun was an excellent background for the photo shot. As a whole the wedding reception was a success, both in the Hall decoration and in the food service.

Speaking of food, and catering here in MDQ: We have four good food caterers that served the clients of CDM. I will discuss the Pros and Cons of each caterer and just called them Caterer A, B, C and D. A and B are in the business for quite some time and are located in downtown Boac. C is located in Laylay and D in Mogpog. "A" catered the Thursday reception and "B" catered the Saturday reception. C and D had been catering at CDM since last year and my four employees love them, since after the event, C and D always reserved extra food for them to take home as well as to partake during the event after all the guests had eaten. A and B never offers my employees food, so that when they are the caterers, I always instruct my manager to feed them first in the house, so they would not be hungry. A has an excellent record of service with us, except in one occasion, when of the dishes was spoiled ( Panis) yet it was served. On that occasion frequent brown outs occurred in MDQ,so there was probably a problem of proper refrigeration.

B has only catered twice at CDM including the one last Saturday. It has excellent food but more expensive than A, C or D. The first time B catered was about 5 years ago, before the CDM Hall was constructed. On that occasion, the food was insufficient. When Macrine confronted the owner, she said her food crew told her that the reason why food run out was that our household help also eat the food. Macrine was furious, since this was not true. Later when the food crew was cleaning up, I saw that one big dish of food was not served and the food crew was planning to take it home. From that time on, I had doubts of recommending B to our clients.

Another incident worthy of blogging, is the attitude of the interior decorator during the Saturday event. When my workers informed him, that one of the placement of on table and food tent was not proper, he ( may be a she) that no one should tell him what to do, since the decoration of the Hall was his design. So my workers left the table and tent on its original location. When I saw the table and tent placement, I was also mad. The table was blocking the handicuff access and the tent was blocking the driveway. The decorator was not there, so I ordered the table and tent removed to a better location. Speaking of the Hall decor, It was not exemplary but very ordinary. The church decor however was excellent.

In general the wedding reception and ceremony of my nephew was a tremendous success. There were about 19 guests from out of town ( Manila and suburbs). Eleven of the guests stayed with us in the beach house. They had fun swimming in the ocean and partaking Macrine's homemade cooking of sardines, sweet and sour tangigue and mango pancake. I had fun talking to them. Associating with young adults also made me feel young. We hope they returned to Marinduque and stay longer to see more of the island.

Two Grand Weddings Reception at CDM this month

Jambalos-Anonical Wedding Invitation

Two grand wedding receptions are scheduled for this month at CDM. The first one is the Calbario-Mariposque nuptial on March 18 ( Thursday). The wedding ceremony will be officiated by Most Rev. Reynaldo Evangelista, Bishop of Boac. It will be an afternoon wedding at the Boac Cathedral followed by reception at 5:30PM until midnight. There will be a live band for dancing. The bride is the daughter of Pedro Mariposque( deceased) and Aida Jao. There will be 10 principal sponsors. Three of the sponsors are active members of Marinduque International, Dr Rodolfo Jao, Mrs. Conchita Jao-Manalo and Mrs Vivian Jao-Herrera. The wedding is formal requesting men guests to wear a barong and the women a formal dress. The newly weds will spend their honeymoon night in the beach house adjacent to the Conference Hall-the reception venue.
I do like their invitation as it specifies the number of seats reserved for the invited guests. This will hopefully solve the problem of the Filipinos bad habit of bring extra guests to parties such as wedding reception and birthday parties.

The second wedding is scheduled for March 20 ( Saturday). The groom is Macrine's nephew( Edgar Jambalos-aka Nonoy). The bride is Yvette Anonical also a native of Marinduque. The wedding will be officiated by Fr. John Jovel Luna- a high school classmate of the groom, and also at the Boac Cathedral. The wedding will be at 10AM and followed by a reception at CDM Conference Hall. There will be only four principal sponsors, Macrine and I are two of the sponsors. Food will be catered by Mita Rejano Reyes of the Boac Hotel. I heard the wedding budget is closed to a quarter million pesos. Who says there is a recession in Marinduque? Two hundred fifty guests are expected with another 20 extra plates for those that tag along even without an invitation.

The Jambalos-Anonical wedding invitation also provided for the number of seats reserved for the invited guests. However since most Filipinos had a tradition of bringing extra guests( bad manners in US), the caterer was instructed to provide 20 extra plates just in case.

I am looking forward for this two wedding receptions at CDM.Good day to you all!

Construction and Child Actor-Santino Of Amoingon

While driving from downtown Boac to downtown Gasan, I noticed there were more than a dozen building construction in various stages yesterday. This is in spite of the high prices of cement and building materials. The price of cement is now 235 pesos per bag, one truck load of sand is 1000 pesos and a #4 hollow block is 7.50 pesos each. So where is the money coming from? I believe from OFW ( Overseas Filippino Workers) and from Balikbayans like me. One of the most talked construction here in Amoingon is the vacation home of Santino, Sanjee Jaranilla, child actor of the soap opera "May Bukas Pa", which just recently finished after being #1 TV show for the last two years. Last Christmas, Sanjee spent a couple of days of vacation here in Boac. He was mobbed wherever he goes. He was in Macrine's newphew computer shoppe for an hour, but I was not able to meet him personally. Sanjee's Dad and my nephew were classmates and Sanjee is very closed to my nephew. I have not seen Sanjee's vacation house, but I heard it will cost around a million pesos. This is an average price for a modern home in MDQ. So, Santino is not showing off or "mayabang". I also heard that Sanjee's parents have now reconciled and his younger brother is being trained/groomed as another child actor by TV producers in Manila.

The other construction that is now almost complete and very impressive is the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Gasan. Construction started about three years ago and mostly funded by balikbayan donation from US and Canada. My dear friend Linda Sevilla Sotto is spearheading the funding and management of the construction. The location of the cathedral at the top of the Hill is perfect. The meditation garden at the side of cathedral is fantastic. The Gothic architecture is beautiful and appropriate for a cathedral. So, if you have not seen the cathedral yet, I suggest you visit it even for just 10 minutes. It will be worth your time.

Lastly, as in the past, I have been encouraging all my balikbayan friends to invest their retirement funds here in Marinduque -my Island Paradise. Have a Good Day to All!

Sarswela- Filipino Musical Play or Drama

The Sarswela Flyer

Last night Macrine and I attended a Sarswela, Walang Sugat ( Not Wounded) in the open-air amphitheater at the Moriones River Bed Park in Boac. This event reminded me of the first filipino musical (in Ilonggo) that I had attended during my childhood years in Iloilo. It also reminded with of the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, Missouri in the late 1960's when we had annual summer subscriptions to Broadway musicals, such as West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie or The Sound of Music.

For those of you who are not familiar with word Sarswela. It is just a musical play or drama in Tagalog or any of the major languages in the Philippines. It is sometimes a comedy, sometimes a tragedy, but usually had a happy ending. Last night "Walang Sugat" was written by Severino Reyes, The Father of the Sarswela. Below is Eli Obligacion posting regarding this event.

"Severino Reyes' sarswela masterpiece goes on stage in Marinduque. Performed by Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc., awarded CCP Gawad para sa Sining as Best Theater Group in the country.

A component of the Philippine International Arts Festival 2010. Directed by Armand Sta. Ana. It stars Rey Clement Maaliao as TENYONG, Karren Uaje as JULIA, Ron Mariano as MIGUEL with Maria Ireen Crisostomo, Rowel Escalante, Crystal Mendonza, James Dimagiba, Joseph Rejoso, Melandro Pascual, Wilfredo Alberto, Christopher Adriano, Lemuel Galman, Egie Boy Galman, Ryan Managbanag, and 12 koro members.

In the production are Joseph Cristobal, Armando Sta. Ana, Estelita Dela Cruz, Consolacion Gamboa, Jose Ruel Paguiligan and Glen de Jesus. Lights and sound by the CCP Technical Crew.

The BKFI "Walang Sugat" production was originally mounted as part of “Sarsuwela Festival 2009” held at the U.P. Theater. It was the Father of Filipino Sarswela's statement against imperialism and oppression.

It depicts the cruelty of the Spanish friars and the experience of Filipinos in their hands. The story revolves around the hero Tenyong and how he outwits people trying to separate him from Julia, his love interest. The many twists and turns of this sarsuwela, made into a movie twice, has made it very popular among theater audiences.

This sarswela returns to Marinduque after 108 years, when "Gran Compania de Manila" the original production, presented it in Boac on Dec. 8, 1902 in celebration of the town fiesta with future president, Manuel L. Quezon as special guest".

The actors and actresses had beautiful voices, but sometimes the background tape orchestration music was so loud you could hardly heard the words and lyrics. I enjoyed the patriotic song, Ang BAYAN KO ( My Country). The costumes and scenes were beautiful depicting the time during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The show opened with the shooting of Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippine National Hero. The play had several comedic moments which made the crowd laugh. The duets of the lead actors were beautiful and their voices blended harmoniously. Macrine and I enjoyed the evening very much. Thank you Eli for inviting us and seating us in the front seats. My congratulations to the commiteee for starting right on time.

Construction and Reforestation at Chateau Du Mer

Beach House-Photo taken 1/10/10
A Multi-Purpose 27 sq.meters air conditioned room is under construction in the first floor of the beach house with an adjacent 18 sq.meters patio facing the ocean. Photo taken during Garden Wedding, 1/30/10

With several tourist groups from Manila inquiring about accommodations at the CDM beach house, I decided to continue the finishing of the first floor of the beach house. First construction is underway for a 27 square meters air conditioned room with an accompanying 18 sq.meters adjoining pation on the side of the western MDQ sea. The room will also served as a meeting room for a party of 30 to 50 attendees. The second phase of the construction will be the kitchen area with spaces for sink and gas stove. The expected completion date will be the third week of March, just in time for our busy Easter tourist season. The beach house will now easily accommodate from 10 to 12 persons. The rent for the whole house will be 8000 pesos per day. This will turn out to be less than 700 pesos per day per person if there are 12 in the group. This an affordable rental considering there is air conditioning, hot water shower and cooking facilities if desired.

Regarding reforestation, Edwin and I just planted 13 narra tree seedlings last month. This will provide the needed shade at the Conference Hall during the summer months in the years to come. Currently MDQ is also suffering from the drought. Luckily I have 3 deep wells that provide the needed water for my gardens, I am still hoping for rain though. Have a good day and hope to see you in MDQ soon.