Bariles was surprised to find out last week, when passing through Beatiles Street beside the OLPGV Parish Center in downtown GenSan, to see saw many young men with crew cuts walking out of the gates of the former campus of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas for Girls (NDDFG), renamed the Notre Dame of General Santos City (NDGSC) a few years back by its Dominican administrators.

Upon closer look, he saw a small tarpauline banner which bore a new name for what used to be the headquarters of the first exclusive-all-girls school in the Tuna Capital.  In bold black letters, it read – Welcome.  MINDANAO POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE ANNEX.

Please note the the main campus of the Mindanao Polytechnic College (MPC) is located at the junction of the National Highway and the Makar-Koronadal Road, about 7 kilometers from downtown General Santos.  It is the city’s premier school for nautical and marine engineering courses, and lately, of HRM courses (maritime-based).

Mindanao Polytechnic College Annex at the old Notre Dame of Gen. Santos Campus

Always the inquisitive one, Bariles went inside and observed some male students lounging around the campus and took some more shots of the wide quadrangle with the St. Dominic’s Hall in the background.

Old NDDFG/NDGSC Campus as it looks now

Obviously, classes have not started yet since the students inside were still finding their way around the campus.  Later, Bariles  found out from reading some memo at the bulletin board near the former admin building that the campus will be used mainly by their HRM Deparment.

Meanwhile, while near the gate, Bariles took shot of this old grotto of the Virgin obviously needed some major clean-up.

The old NDDFG/NDGSC Grotto

It was a shock at first for Bariles, having known this place as the old hallowed grounds of the female counterparts of the boys of the Notre Dame of Dadiangas College – High School Department (now the NDDUniversity) from where he graduated.

Later on, he realized that it would be beneficial for the Diocese of Marbel which owns the property since they can put to good use the rent from Mindanao Polytechnic College.

At the same time, the valuable buildings and all the facilities here (all put up by the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Sienna) may still be utilized by the young generation in their pursuit for good, affordable education (to be provided in this case, by the Mindanao Polytechnic College). This is better than the eventuality of these structures falling into ruin due to neglect and non-use.

For readers who are Dameans, how do you feel about this?

Two weeks after Parokya ni Edgar‘s jampacked performance at the KCC Mall of GenSan Rooftop, courtesy of Touch Mobile, it is the turn of another Manila-based band to rock the Tuna Capital once again this weekend.

Exactly on the 4th of July, Saturday,the group which popularized such songs as Princesa, I, Aaminin, Upside Down and many more will be in General Santos City in a show billed as Tanduay on the Rock with 6Cyclemind, Tanduay being the official sponsor.

Tanduay Concert in GenSan

The concert which is co-presented by Manila Broadcasting Company (Love Radio or K101 FM) and  KCC Malls is FREE and will start at 7:00pm at the Rooftop of KCC, which is turning out to be the choice venue of concert producers lately.

By the way, local band Centerpoint which just released their own CD will be frontacting for 6Cyclemind. Watch out for a future post on them here.

The Centerpoint Band of GenSan

And since the concert producer is a liquor company, the show would not be complete without the presence of sexy performers to excite the male concert-goers.  Commissioned to heat up the men are Viva Hotbabes  Hazel Cabrera and Zarah Lopez.  If you don’t know who they are, then here are their pics below.

Viva Hotbabe Hazel Cabrera

Viva Hotbabe Zarah Lopez

Now, if these aren’t enough reasons for you to watch Tanduay on the Rock with 6Cyclemind this Saturday, then let me just leave you with the music video of their hit song and my personal favorite, “UPSIDE DOWN”.  This video received more than 1,200,000 hits at YouTube, an indication of its international appeal.

Thanks to Love Radio’s Kabayan Joe and DJ Iya for the tip.  If you have other upcoming events, please write to us.

As Bariles’ homage to the man who was intrumental for his love of music, and surely for the rest of theworld, too, he has embedded a music video of Michael Jackson’s “Ben”, from the 1971 movie of the same title at this blog’s main page.  “Ben” was one of the first songs Bariles learned by heart and Michael, the first foreign artist he has idolized.

Michael Jackson (with Slash here) was given a Dance Tribute by Cebu Inmates (AP Photo/Tsugufumi Matsumoto}

Ever since Bariles learned of the death of the King of Pop, early Friday morning from plurks of his friends, he couldn’t help but be devastated over the sad news, especially when tuning in to CNN’s updates.  Hoping that Michael was just in a coma, he held on, praying that he could still recover, get up and moonwalk his way out of his hospital in Los Angeles.

Alas, that did not happen, and Michael Jackson, the legend who changed the face of music is really gone.  He was 50.

For this post, we have to digress from the usual stuff knowing that you, dear subscribers would understand as we share with you with a touching YouTube video of the Cebu Inmates (from Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center) performing their Michael Jackson Dance Tribute with songs like Ben, I’ll Be There, and We Are the World.

Mr. Byron Garcia, Cebu Provincial government’s consultant on jail matters recorded this Michael Jackson dance tribute yesterday afternoon, June 27, 2009 while more than 2,000 spectators were on hand to witness the performance of these 1,500  Cebu inmates. Please note that the original video of their dance performance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” has been downloaded millions of times already ever since it was uploaded a few years back.

As of this writing, almost 300,000 have already downloaded this new Cebu Inmates Dance Tribute to Michael Jackson video at YouTube.

For us here at GenSan News Online Mag, we could only say, “Thank you for the music, Michael… and,

Rest in peace, Gloved One, rest in peace.

The Cebu Inmates Michael Jackson Dance Tribute which made Bariles cry

Together with the ongoing 4th Mindanao Franchise Expo at the Gaisano Mall of GenSan atrium, another exhibit is on display at the same venue, as part of the Yaman GenSan celebration.  This the the Yaman GenSan Car and Motor Mania Take 2.

YG Car and Motor Mania Poster

Just like its title suggests, it features the latest car models on display from participating automakers Cherry, Hyundai, Kia and Foton.  And if you want to acquire one on the spot, there is an Asialink Finance booth to help process your car loan applications.

Aside from them is a booth from Phoenix, one of the country’s newer players in the gasoline industry, purposely for entrepreneurs on the lookout for a gasoline station franchise for possible ventures.

The Yaman GenSan Car and Motor Mania Take 2 will run until June 28, 2009.  Catch it while you can.

If you happen to travel along the National Highway these days and pass by the two-wing CED Buildings beside the NCCC Compound that hosts the Six Blings Ostrich Restaurant Complex, you will notice that the right wing has already been totally demolished.

This then gives you a good view of something that’s been brewing behind the torned-down building, and here is what it looks like…..

Ced Uptown Square - Phase One

This 20-unit two-story building which stands perpendicular to the demolished structure nearer the highway is the first phase of the P60 million project by the Ced Family, which Bariles has christened THE CED UPTOWN SQUARE for lack of a better term.

This building will house the former occupants of the older structure including Tropical Motorama, plus some more. It is scheduled to be opened to the public in less than two weeks.

Across it will be a similar 20-unit structure which will be for the occupants of the 2nd Ced Building facing the highway, comprising Phase 2 of the project. Right now, it is still undergoing construction.

Phase 2 of Ced Uptown Square

The 3rd and final phase of the CED buildings will be built at the farthermost end of the compound and will stand perpendicular to the first two. According to family spokesperson Jan Ced, who is also the current President of the GSC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this will be open for food and entertainment establishments, thus making it a one-stop commercial haven for the generals.

Galing ng Generals!  Galing ng GenSan!

Update: July 16, 2009

Rain Cindy, Bariles, Leonard, Lainy, Vilma with Concert Producer and Contest Sponsor Michael Wee (back) and Concert Marketing Head Marc (extreme right)

Congratulations to all the winners and all the bloggers who participated in the contest!  The awarding was done at Coffee Club 101 yesterday afternoon and luckily, despite the heavy rains, four of the winners made it to claim their prizes. (See pix above.)

Mr. Michael Wee, Gensan’s non-paralleil restaurateur and Concert Producer and this blog’s SEO Contest Sponsor were with his staff Marc and Neljo to award the prizes.  Mr. Sonny Sambrio of ABS-CBN Socsargen and his crew were also there to cover the event.

Here is how GenSan News Online Mag came up with the winners.

Please note that Bariles extended the deadline of the contest from the 14th to the 15th because of his TOXIC schedule on the 14th.  This did not however change the rankings of the top placers.  If this however caused discomfort on the part of some quarters, Bariles extends his sincere apologies.

The other entries are winners too and did not go home empty-handed for they each received two General Admission Tickets to the concert.  They are DJ Tammy, Jinky Borela, Sheng Dumalay, Vilma and Gay Carillo.

And yes!  As an extra treat, all of these  bloggers will also have a chance to meet the members of Side A Band personally at the Grab-A-Crab Restaurant before noon tomorrow for some photo ops.  Thanks to Mr. Michael Wee for all these freebies!  Mabuhay kayo Sir.

Magandang GenSan at maraming salamat sa lahat!  I love you all!  World Peace!!!  – July 16, 2009

It’s great to be back!

As the fishman has promised before his week-long break to transfer to a new Web Host and Domain Name Server; and, to all who have written asking for this, Bariles is proud to announce a contest among bloggers for the upcoming and much-anticipated “Side A” Concert in General Santos City in July at the midst of the Yaman GenSan month.

Ladies and gents, presenting to you GenSan News Online Mag’s “Side A All Hits Live in GenSan” SEO Contest for Bloggers!

Side A All Hits Live in GenSan Poster

Here are the mechanics of the “Side A All Hits Live in GenSan” SEO Contest for Bloggers

1. The contest will run from June 25, 2009 until July 15, 2009.
2. It is open to all subscribers of GenSan News Online Mag who have functioning BLOGS.
3. A blogger participant is limited to one blog post entry.
4. The blog post must talk about Yaman GenSan 2009 and the Side A Band Concert, which is an official activity.
5. The objective of the contest is to top the Google Search Engine Results Pages on the keywords “YAMAN GENSAN 2009” at exactly 12:01AM, Philippine Time, July 15, 2009.  The TOP 5 blog posts on Google SERPS will be declared as the winners.
6. To qualify for the contest you should have the following TEXT LINKS on your entry post:
   1. YAMAN GENSAN – http://www.gensantos.com/2009/06/02/7th-yaman-gensan-2009-promises-to-be-the-biggest-in-its-history/
   2. YAMAN AWARDS – http://www.gensantos.com/2009/06/09/5th-annual-yaman-awards-2009-slated-on-18-july/
   3. SIDE A ALL HITS LIVE IN GENSAN – http://www.gensantos.com/2009/06/01/side-a-band-to-rock-gensan-city-at-yaman-gensan/
   4. GRAB A CRAB RESTAURANT and COFFEE CLUB 101 – http://www.gensantos.com/2009/04/15/gensans-twinbill-diners-grab-a-crab-and-coffee-club-101/
7. Contest updates will be published here at GenSan News Online Mag on July 3, 2009 and July 10, 2009.
8. SEO Contest participants must leave a comment below specifying the URL of their blog post entries.

PRIZES:

• The authors of  Top 5 Ranking Blog Posts on Google SERPs will each receive the following prizes:
  • 2 Gold Tickets worth P1,000 each from Dreamwork Ventures, owned by Mr. Michael Wee.
  • One P1,000 Gift Certificate each from Grab A Crab and Coffee Club 101.

• The first among the Top 5 will receive a Bonus Prize of a free Overnight Stay at the all-new Tierra Montana Hotel.  This comes with a Complimentary Breakfast.

Now, how’s that for a COMEBACK POST from Bariles?  Now go blog about it and make the Fishman proud.

Good luck! 

Good news for Parokya ni Edgar fans from all over Soccsksargen!

Touch Mobile or TM will be featuring them in a concert tomorrow, Saturday, June 20, 2009 at the KCC Mall of GenSan Rooftop.  This concert of the Pambansang Banda ng Pilipinas is part of their nationwide promo tour billed as ASTIGFEST and GenSan is lucky to be included in the series.

Parokya ni Edgar is one of the country’s enduring bands which started during the Pinoy Rock Renaissance of the ’90s.  Headed by former Ateneo de Manila student, lead vocalist Chito Miranda,  the band has already produced 10 albums and another one is on the pipeline for release this year.

Other members of Parokya ni Edgar are Buhawi “Buwi” Meneses, Darius Gerard “Dariuken” Semaña, Gabriel Ignatius “Gab” Chee Kee, Ferdinand “Din Din” Moreno, and Francis Vincent “Vinci” Montaner.

This is actually their 3rd visit to General Santos City and just like their initial performances here, for sure, their concert at the KCC Mall of GenSan rooftop will be mobbed by their thousands of loyal fans (including Bariles).

To get a ticket to this Parokya ni Edgar Concert, here is what you have to do:

Mechanics:

For New TM Subscribers:

• Buy SIM at P30 and get FREE Astigtxt 15 plus 6 Raffle Coupons.

For Existing TM Subscribers:

• Buy P20 load and register to Astigtawag 20 and get the following:
  • Free P10 load
  • Four (4) Raffle Coupons
  • One (1) Concert Ticket
• Buy P15 load and register to Astigtawag 15 and get the following:
  • Free P5 load
  • Three (3) Raffle Coupons
  • One (1) Concert Ticket

Coupons will also serve as entry passes to the games which are to be played during the concert.  Freebies and lots of prizes and surprises await lucky concert-goers.

Meanwhile, here is a video of their spoof of Village People ‘s Macho Man, entitled what else but “Macho”.  This is their first single off their last album “SOLID”.  Enjoy!

Bariles received an email from Mariles Puentebella, the Station Manager of GMA TV-Davao. The email contained the GenSan Jobs available for their soon-to-be-launched TV station affiliate in General Santos City sometime this year, which will go by the name, GMA-8 Socsargen.

Earlier, we featured their first round of GenSan Job Openings in this blog which you may check out by CLICKING HERE.

Upon Mariles’ request, GenSan News Online Mag is publishing the job vacancies for GMA-8 GenSan:

SALES & MARKETING REPRESENTATIVE

Qualifications:

• Male or Female;
• Between 22 to 33 years old;
• Graduate of 4-year business or management course;
• With or without sales experience.

SEGMENT PRODUCER/WRITER

Qualifications:

• Male or Female
• Between 22 to 28 years old
• Graduate of 4-year communications course;
• Proficient in oral and written English, Tagalog, or Bisaya;
• With or without experience.

MESSENGER/COLLECTOR

Qualifications:

• Male;
• Between 24 to 30 years old;
• With college level education;
• Own motorcycle a plus;
• Must have police and NBI clearance.

CAMERAMAN (Project-Based)

Qualifications:

• Male;
• Between 24 to 30 years old;
• At least 5 feet 5 inches tall;
• Graduate of 4-year course;
• Must know how to drive, with professional driver’s license;
• Must have basic camera work experience;
• Basic editing skills a plus.

EDITOR/GRAPHICS ARTIST (Project-Based)

Qualifications:

• Male or female;
• Must have experience in video editing;
• Video sample of previous works preferable.
• Own basic editing equipment a plus.

Send your GenSan job application letter, resume, with most recent photo to:

You may also send it through gma8gensan@yahoo.com. Indicate the Gensan job/position applied for on the subject field.

Deadline for submission of application is 28 June 2009.

Alliance Tuna International, Incorporated, one of the Philippines’ largest canned tuna exporters which is located in General Santos City is set to open a new processing plant in its Barangay Tambler HQ costing around P60million!

This publicly-listed company which processed a total of 30 thousand tons of tuna in 2006 exports their products to over 40 countries.  Their current facilities churn out a daily output of 120 metric tons.  While based in GenSan, Alliance Tuna  has marketing offices in Manila and Thailand and thus has been able to widen its reach internationally.

According to its President and CEO, Mr. Jonathan Dee, the new plant which opens by the second half of 2009, will be processing salmon instead of tuna. This is the product of a joint venture with New Zealand’s Prime Foods Limited, a company much into processing, canning and exporting smoked salmon and other seafoods. It is New Zealand’s third largest supplier of smoked seafood, enjoying about 35% of the market there.

The new plant has a capacity of producing two tons of packed salmon a day. These will be exported to Australia, Asia and Europe.

For the 1st quarter of 2009, Alliance Tuna earned a net income of $19million, which is 34% more than last year.  Thus, with its new project in General Santos City, not only are their profits expected to soar even higher but will also mean more direct and indirect employment for the “generals”.

In her Independence Day speech at Koronadal City last Friday, June 12, 2009, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bared her administration’s moves to modernize and improve the General Santos International Airport to the tune of P121 million.

Citing the need to push South Central Mindanao’s tourism destinations, the president remarked that part of her plans to improve on the economy of the country is to invest more on infrastructure, and this is where GenSan International Airport‘s rehab comes in.

She further explained that the Department of Transportation and Communications has budgeted P40 million, including the P10 million last year for the rehab of the terminal building facilities of the GenSan International Airport and the construction of its perimeter fence.

For 2010, DOTC officials added P81 million for the provision and rehabilitation of air navigation and air traffic control facilities, improvement of the control tower and fire station buildings, and the construction of an administrative building for the airport which has been classified as a Secondary International Airport.

The GenSan International Airport which was constructed mostly from US Aid Funds amounting to$50 million formally opened on July 6, 1996, making it officially 13 years old next month.

For years, it has been rumored to be used by the United States military to increase their presence in the ASEAN region since it boasts of the 3rd longest runway and the biggest land area in the Philippines today.

In celebration of the 111th Independence Day of the Philippines, the Department of Labor 12 will be participating in a nationwide job fair and for three days, starting tomorrow, June 12 until June 14 in two major cities in the Soccksargen Area, GenSan and Koronadal.

According to information gathered from DOLE’s Jinky Borela’s Blog, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will drop by on the 1st day of the fairs, which is tomorrow, June 12th at the Protech Center in Koronadal City where she is expected to participate in the Flag Raising Activities for the “Araw ng Kalayaan“.   (She was at the Dolores Resort Garden, this afternoon to join the launch of two DTI-led initiatives.)

The next two days of the fairs  (June 13-14th) offering overseas and GenSan jobs will be at the KCC Mall of GenSan Convention Center.

Here then is the partial list of participating companies and government agencies in the 3-day Mega Job and Livelihood Fairs:

Phil. Army Recruitment Center – Mindanao ,
KCC Mall of Gensan,
Dadiangas Philippine Champion Industry Inc. ,
Dadiangas Glass and Construction Depot Inc.,
Socsksargen AdvertisersMotortrade Nationwide Corp.,
RD Fishing Industry Inc. ,
Frabelle Fishing Corporation,
Heavenlink – PLDT ,
JOJIJD Internet Cafe ,
X-Plosion Ventures,
Bayan Telecommunication ,
Jollibee – Gensan Highway ,
Jollibee – Pioneer ,
Jollibee – KCC Mall ,
Jollibee – RD Plaza ,
Jollibee – Gaisano
Pizza Hut – KCC Mall,
Global Training College,
Vicente T. Lao Construction ,
Concentrix ,
Cyber City ,
Sutherland ,
Six Eleven,
Etelecare ,
Ginebra San Miguel Inc. ,
Gentuna ,
Asiapro ,
San Miguel Purefoods ,
Alliance Tuna International Inc. ,
Philbest Canning Corp.

Participating overseas recruitment agencies:

1. LRC International Manpower,
2. PISCES International Placement,
3. GBMLT Manpower Services, Inc.,
4. Noor International Personnel Services Inc.,
5. Al-alamia International Manpower Services,
6. Careplus International Services,
7. Nonstop Overseas Employment Corp.,
8. Global Medical System Inc.,
9. Pacific Meditteranean International Manpower Agency, Inc.,
10. Anifel Management and General Services Corp.,
11. Placewell International Services Corp.,
12. EEI Corporation,
13. DA Rodrigo International, Inc.,
14. JMac International Manpower Agency

Better be at the venues as early as 8am because Bariles is pretty sure that the lines will be kilometric long, considering the number of people looking for GenSan jobs and overseas employment.  Good luck and receive our greetings for a really FREE 11th Independence Day!

The President, Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will once again visit Soccsksargen for two days, starting tomorrow, Thursday, June 11 until June 12th, 2009.  This is actually her 3rd visit this year, the latest being her acceptance of rebel returnees with People’s Champ Manny Pacquiao and her full cabinet meeting at the Phela Grande Convention Center in General Santos City last May 2009.

First on her agenda is the Formal Signing of the Statement of Acceptance of the Business Registration and Licensing Unified Form and Memorandum of Agreement for the Pangasius Techno-Demo Farm at the Dolores Farm, Polomolok, South Cotabato, a sister establishment of Dolores Tropicana Resort Hotel.

One of the signatories to these docs is Mayor Jun Acharon of General Santos City, chief executive of one of the key cities which hosts the National Economic Research and Business Assistance Center (NERBAC).  The Business Registration and Licensing Form which will be accepted by both the President and the Mayor together with other stakeholders will be utilized by the NERBAC all throughout the country.

This form was purposely rolled out to simplify the process of business registration.  It is a multi-paged electronic document containing a custom-designed form and all the necessary forms required to apply for business licenses in the country.  Take note however that these forms are designed for sole proprietorships and domestic corporations.

The unified form contains those of the DTI, SEC, LGU, BIR, SSS, PHIC, CDA and PAG-IBIG aside from detailed instructions and navigation elements to facilitate encoding and submission of the forms to concerned government agencies.

Below is the invitation card to this activity.

Aside from that, President Arroyo will also be signing the Memo of Agreement for the Pangasius Techno-Demo Ponds.

Pangasius, a variety of catfish endemic in Vietnam are now being grown in various ponds in Soccsksargen. It is one of Vietnam’s biggest export earners and the President’s signing of the MOA will strengthen the Philippines’ competitiveness in the whitefish market in the EU, USA and ASEAN countries.

Right now, Pangasius fish fillet is being served in some GenSan Restaurants.

The following day, June 12th, the President will proceed to Koronadal City where she will lead in the 111th Independence Day Celebration.

The 5th Annual Yaman Awards 2009, a focal activity of Yaman GenSan, is once again honoring the shining stars among the Tuna Capital’s business community.

By giving emphasis on both emerging upstarts and industry stalwarts, this yearly search by the local government, the SMED Council and the DTI has turned out to be not only a priceless incentive for entrepreneurs but a boost to maintain excellence in their services and offerings.

For this year, the Yaman Awards has been scheduled on the evening  of July 18, 2009 from 6pm onwards inside KCC Mall of GenSan’s cavernous Convention and Events Center.

And just like the previous years, it will honor, from among a list of qualified candidates the entrepreneurial world’s best in the following categories:

• Entrepreneur of the Year – Juridical Category
• Entrepreneur of the Year – Individual Category
• Product Innovator of the Year
• Employer of the Year
• Local Taxpayer of the Year
• Loyal Company of the Year
• Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year

The winners of these categories will join the likes of past awardees like NDDU, Villamor Furniture, Allied Pacific Packaging Solutions, Cargill Phils, Sarangani Rural Bank, KM Foods,  Frescomar Seahelm Inc, Kuya Chito’s Takuyaki, among others.

The 5th Annual Yaman Awards 2009 is under the direction of CEMCDO Assistant Department Head Egai Cadiente.

General Santos City Mayor Jun Acharon met the newly designated PNP Regional Director and City Director yesterday, Monday, June 8, 2009 during their courtesy call on his office.

The new PNP 12 Regional Director Chief Superintendent Jake Cataluna who assumed office a week ago replaced PNP Chief Superintendent Fidel Cimatu.  He is married to the former Davao City Councilor Menchie Dinopol Cataluna, who originally hails from GenSan and whose brother is City Councilor Bing Dinopol.

RD C/Supt Cataluna & CD S/Supt Pintak meet Mayor Jun Acharon

Director Cataluna’s assumption of the Region 12 post comes right after an investigation on his predecessor’s culpability in a alleged rape committed by his men on a lady police recruit yielded negative results.

On the other hand, former City Director Senior Superintendent Robert Po, who is one of the best city police chiefs that GenSan has ever had, has been promoted to Regional Director of the CIDG of the National Capital Region.  He was informed of his transfer by PNP Chief General  Jesus Versoza only last Thursday, June 4, 2009.

His new assignment took effect yesterday, June 8, 2009 but not before he was able to bid adieu to Mayor Jun Acharon and his staff who has grown quite fond of his gentlemanly and professional demeanor.

His replacement, Police Senior Superintendent Marcelino Pintac, a Boholano comes fresh from his assignment as Regional Director of CIDG-Central Mindanao.

Former City Director Senior Supt Robert Po bids goodbye to Mayor Acharon

To all our new Police Officers, accept the welcome of the people of GenSan and the whole of the Region 12 and along with it comes the hope that law and order remain solid and intact under your directions.

And to our friend, new Police Regional Director of CIDG-NCR, Chief Superintendent Robert Po, thank you and Godspeed!

This morning, at exactly 1:00 AM, and after more than six hours of fixing, tweaking and fiddling it , Bariles is proud to present the NEW LOOK of his blog to the public, now simply called GenSan News Online Magazine!

This time, General Santos City’s #1 Blog  is sporting the Tribune Theme, a magazine theme developed by web2feel.com.

Read the rest of this entry »

Good news to all coffee lovers!!!

In celebration of the first 100 days of Manny Pacquiao’s BluGre Coffee franchise in General Santos City, it is giving away lots of freebies, tomorrow, June 5, 2009, Friday!

BluGre GenSan, which is the coffee outlet’s first franchise outside of Davao City had a star-studded opening during the 2009 Kalilangan Festival with power couple and franchisee Manny and Jinky Pacquiao welcoming their guests from among the Tuna Capital’s movers and shakers, led by GenSan Mayor Jun Acharon, and a few showbiz personalities from the big city.

Occupying two floors of JMP Building owned by the Pacquiao’s, BlueGre GenSan immediately attracted a young, hip crowd who want something more than the usual coffee.  Aside from its coffee concoctions,  BlueGre also serves rice meals, steaks, pasta and liquour, thus satisfying a more varied but discriminating clientele.

And yes!  Lest I forget, their unique durian blends, the BluGre Gatchpuccino and Larcepuccino developed by franchise owners Gatchi and Larce Gatchalian, have proven to be such blockbusters making it the top choice among their customers!

And so, for its 100th day of existence in Gensan, here’s your chance to have your coffee and a free BluGre collectible in the process. That is, if you’re lucky.

Congrats to BluGre GenSan then!  Bariles will surely be there tomorrow.  And if you see the him, just approach him and plant him a kiss for a free cup of brewed coffee, courtesy of Gatchi. 

Another event to watch out for in General Santos City this marrying month of June 2009, is the launch of Sarangani Highlands Garden and Restaurant’s “TAKDOL FESTIVAL“, a series of themed-dinner parties timed every FULL MOON.

Sarangani Highlands Garden and Restaurant is the Tuna Capital and perhaps, Soccksargen’s only hilltop dining establishment to offer a view of the Sarangani Bay, Mt. Matutum and even Mt. Parker, on a clear day.   This GenSan restaurant which is located at Purok Wal, Barangay Tambler, just a few minutes drive uphill from the Gensan Fishport Development Complex and a few meters away from Dolores Tropicana Resort Hotel, is one of the city’s more popular tourist destinations and a top attraction for first-time visitors.

Fountain at the entrance of Sarangani Highlands (foto by Lyle Santos)

Bariles even included this famous GenSan restaurant as one of the stopovers of the Mindanao Bloggers during the last day of the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit last October 2008 which the city hosted.

Bariles with his visitors, all bloggers from Manila, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Bukidnon, Digos, Zamboanga and GenSan at Sarangani Highlands during the 2nd Mindanao Bloggers Summit

Probably the most romantic time to go there is when there is a Full Moon, hence, management decided to capitalize on this and has come up with the Takdol Festival, “takbol” being “full moon” in the Visayan Dialect.  Each month would be featuring a different theme centering on a specific local or foreign tribe along with its traditional cuisine and matching entertainment numbers.

Sarangani Highlands dining huts from a distance (foto by Lyle Santos)

According to Dr. Annabelle Abella, Sarangani High’s congenial owner and landscape genius, “All efforts were given to the research and preparation of the menu, the decors and the entertainment to make the whole showcase as authentic as possible.  We guarantee all our guests not only an enjoyable time but an enlightening one as well.  And all these, under the full moon with the serene view of the bay to make for a romanticized experience.”

A guest proposing to his partner at Sarangani Highlands (photo by Ogie Reyes)

For its first in the Takdol Festival series this Sunday, June 7, the theme will be “LUMAD” highlighting the authentic cuisines of the B’laan, Muslim, Sangir and Indonesian tribes.  Topnotch entertainment will be provided by carefully handpicked Sangir, Muslim and Lerong dancers and singers accompanied by the melodious music from a Bamboo Orchestra and assorted kulintang ensemble.

The Takdol Festival series continues on the following Full Moon dates:

• June 7, Sunday – “LUMAD”  (this Sunday)
• July 8 2009, Wednesday – “LATIN/MEXICAN”

• Aug. 6 2009, Thursday – “LUZON”

• Sept. 4 2009, Friday  – “ASIAN”

• Oct. 4 2009, Sunday – “VISAYAS”

• Nov. 2 2009, Monday -”MIDEASTERN”

Dinner is at P 450 per person for the Takdol Festival. Buy or reserve for your tickets now!  For inquiries and reservations, please contact the following numbers – (083) 304-0752 or 0922-8590043 or you may email them at saranganihighlands@gmail.com. Don’t miss a chance to visit this famous GenSan restaurant on a Full Moon or else, my FB friend and fellow blogger Cathy Bolodo won’t talk to me anymore…

General Santos City is gearing up to what is its biggest homage in history, so far to the city’s driving force – the small and medium enterprises, among others, with the conduct of the 7th Yaman GenSan for the year 2009!

Yaman (actually short for “Yabong Maliit na Negosyo“) GenSan 2009 which has adopted “Negosyo… Kaya Mo” as its battlecry is jampacked with so many activties, events and seminars during its month-long run from June 23, 2009 till July 23, 2009.   Also termed as the GenSan Business Month, this is a yearly endeavor of the local government of General Santos, the Department of Trade and Industry XII and the SMED Council but this year promises to be its grandest ever.

This year’s YAMAN GENSAN promises the most number of activities and events ever!

Consider these noteworthy events:   Diskwento Caravan (June 23-24); CLEEP Caravan (Comprehensive Livelihood & Emergency Employment Program on June 25-30); Car Mania ’09 (June 23-28);  Franchising Fair (June 26-28);  YG Fair: Crafts and Crops (July 3-5);  Jobs Fair (July 6-7);  National OTOP Conference (Organization of Tourism Officers  of the Phils, July ; Lechon Competition Festival (July 11);  7th Vegetable Congress & Exhibit (14-16);  JPEPA Seminar (July 15);  Health, Beauty & Wellness Expo (July 15-19);  YAMAN Awards (July 18);  Young Entrepreneurs Fair (July 20-22);  2nd HITO Forum (July 21);  Region 12 Investment Conference (ICON- July 22-23);  Business Plan Competition (July 22), among other things.

Here is the complete schedule of events:

Yes!  One of the country’s enduring bands, the Side A Band is indeed coming to General Santos City, according to the producers of the very successful David Pomeranz concert last February here.

Mr. Michael Wee, owner of the Grab-A-Crab Resto and Coffee Club 101 and a firm supporter of the Soccsksargen Bloggers, has confirmed to Bariles that Side A Band, responsible for such hits as Hold On, Until Then, So Many Questions, Forevermore, Tuloy Pa Rin Ako, among others will be performing at the General Santos Gym on July 17, 2009!

The schedule is right in the midst of the GenSan Business Month or Yaman GenSan 2009, a month-long endeavor focusing on the city’s SME’s and other key drivers of the local economy.

Prices to the concert have not been leaked to the public yet but for sure, these will be very affordable for the people of Soccsksargen since the main goal of Mr. Wee is to encourage more and more of his kababayans to witness the performances of exceptional artists, of international calibre, without having to fly to Manila or travel to Davao, which is indeed very noble of him.

The best response of course, from us is to continue patronizing not only his projects but of other producers as well who mount events such as this one.  Only then can we be assured again of a steady inflow of entertainers to the Tuna Capital.

And so, the PARTY CONTINUES…. as Bariles leaves you with a video (complete with lyrics) of Side A while performing “Forevermore“.  Enjoy and check back for updates to Side A Band’s concert in GenSan.