GenSan News Online Mag

Two weeks ago, Bariles reported that Robinsons GenSan Movieworld is going 3D soon for one of its cinemas.  (Read report by CLICKING HERE.)

A few days after that blog post came out, the GenSan Blogger met up with a KCC Mall of GenSan insider who remarked, “Sorry Bariles but Robinsons is just on the planning stage.  Our own KCC Cinemas has one 3D-equipped movie house already and it is ready to use anytime!”

That revelation floored Bariles who then tried to fish out more info from his friend, “Then when are you using it?  How come you are not operating it yet?”

Unlike Robinsons Movieworld, he added, which will only be changing its projector for its assigned 3D cinema, KCC will be overhauling the whole cinema, making it a more pleasurable 3D-moviegoing experience for the generals.

When pressed for the opening date, he replied, “We will try to open GenSan and the region’s first 3D cinema before the end of this 2nd quarter.”

Wow, is all Bariles could say after trying to digest all the good things he has just heard.  Competition really brings out the best in all parties concerned with the people of Soccsksargen benefiting the most.

This morning, when Bariles opened his email, he got this jpeg file from the mall from the farther end of Lagao Road, courtesy of a Robinsons GenSan insider. This is the picture attachment below….

Along with the picture above is this piece of news from the Robinsons insider:

Hi Bariles!

We are running SHREK FOREVER AFTER 3D on May 21 at Robinsons Movieworld Cinema.

Spread the word…..

Oh my God!!!  Now the real fun begins…..

Here’s good news for mothers who would want their kids aged 5-12 do something constructive for the remainder of summer!

On the heels of their very successful Summer Arts Workshop, KCC Mall of GenSan is conducting a month-long 1st Summer Dance Workshop for Kids!

The Dance Workshop will be divided into four series of dance sessions, one day each for SAMBA, CHA-CHA, JIVE and MERENGUE at the Mallway between KFC and X-Quisite Boutique, from 1:00pm – 4:00pm.

You may enroll your kids in all the dances or just choose one or two lessons.

This project will all end grandly in a Dance Recital on May 31, 2010 at the KCC Atrium.

A maximum of 30 participants per Dance Session only will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for this Summer Dance Workshop.

For the mechanics on how to enroll your children, please read the poster above.  You must have to buy P300 worth of goods on a single receipt at the Children’s Section or Toy Store to be eligible for registration on any of the four dance sessions.

To interested mothers, good luck and please take note of the registration schedules stated on the poster above.

Mark it on your calendars Generals, Sarangans and South Cotabatenos!

On Saturday, May 1, 2010, the Dolores Resorts and Hotels, in cooperation with Flawless and San Miguel Corporation is unveiling its first hot, hot, hot Tropicana Hunks and Babes 2010!

Tropicana Hunks and Babes will take over their 11-year old Bikini Open Competition which will be held starting next year at the Dolores Farm Resort in Polomolok, South Cotabato.  This doesn’t mean however that the new brawns and beauty contest will be less fun and sexy.

According to Ms. Teresa Mondido, VP for Dolores Resorts and Hotels, they have prepared a tighter and faster programme this year and are promising sexier female and male contestants from all over Mindanao.

Below are pictures to show for it, a sneak peek of the Tropican Hunks and Babes 2010 in their swimsuits ala the Bikini Open we have grown to love each summer in GenSan.

"THE CONTESTANTS TO THE TROPICANA HUNKS AND BABES 2010 IN ALL THEIR SWIM-SUITED GLORY"

"THE TEN BIKINI HUNKS CANDIDATES EMOTE FOR THE CAMERA AT THE DOLORES FARM RESORT"

"THE TROPICANA BABES IN THEIR BIKINIS DURING A SHOOT AT DOLORES FARM RESORT"

Tickets to the Tropicana Hunks and Babes 2010 Competition are priced at P100 only and will start at exactly 7:00pm at the Dolores Tropican Resort, Cabu, Tambler, General Santos City.

Bariles has already announced this contest to the Soccsksargen Bloggers a week back and reiterated it during their Google Precinct Mapping Party at the Grab A Crab Restaurant Oval Room.  Today however, he feels he needs to announce it formally, and so here it is.

Bloggers everywhere, join the “Why Watching the Michael J Tribute Concert is a Must” Blog Contest, brought to us by Digital Detours Inc. and JeTV Channel 43.

"This POSTER was designed by MARTHIN MILLADO."

Here are the mechanics to the blog-writing contest on the concert featuring Kenny Wizz, the MJ impersonator from Vegas, or putting it correctly, Tribute Artist:

1. The contest is open to all Filipino bloggers based here or abroad.  Prizes are transferable.
2. Participants must be subscribed to GenSan News Online Mag.
3. Participants must write a blog post on the topic: “Why is Watching the  Michael J Tribute Concert a Must”.
4. The blog post may be in Tagalog, English, Taglish or Englog.
5. The blog post must contain the following KEY WORDS:
   1. GenSan News Online Mag – pointing to http://www.gensantos.com/
   2. Michael Jackson Tribute Concert in GenSan – pointing to http://www.gensantos.com/2010/04/08/michael-jackson-tribute-artist-moonwalks-in-gensan/
   3. Why is Watching the Michael J Tribute Concert a Must?  -  pointing to http://www.gensantos.com/2010/04/27/why-is-watching-the-michael-j-tribute-concert-is-a-must-blog-contest/
6. The blog post must contain the names of the producers and sponsors of the contest, together with other pertinent facts about the concert.
7. As soon as you are finished with your entry, leave a message at the CONTACT FORM of this blog and NOT on the MESSAGE BOX below.  It should contain your FULL NAME, Current Address, Age, School, Place of Work, Contact Number, URL of your blog entry and Title of your blog entry,
8. Criteria for Judging are:
   1. 1. Originality  -  25%
      2. Story Development  -  25%
      3. Quality of writing  -  25%
      4. Ability to engage the reader  -  25%
9. Deadline of entries is on Friday, April 30, 2010, 6:00pm.
10. Winning entries will be announced in a blog post on Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Here are the prizes to the “Why Watching the Michael J Tribute Concert is a Must”.

• Grand Prize – Two (2) Platinum Tickets
• 1st Runner-Up -  Two (2) Gold Tickets
• 2nd Runner-Up – One (1) Gold Ticket
• Next Five Winners:  One (1) General Admission Ticket Each.

So what are you waiting for?  Go blog now!!

The new General Santos City Terminal was finally inaugurated last week in a simple rites witnessed by city officials and workers from the transport industry,

Blessing the new building was Fr. Leo Acierto, CP who just planed in from the Holy Land after having been assigned there for three months. Fr. Leo who is Bariles’ closest priest was contacted by the Fishman himself after realizing that he is back in town for a sabbatical.

The new city terminal which costs the government P7.5million to construct is the second building inside the one hectare property donated by the Bulaong Family.  It will be used by vans and jeeps ferrying passengers from Gensan to all over Region 12 and beyond. The first terminal on the other hand, is being utilized by bus companies.

"FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE POLITICAL FENCE, COUNCILOR DOM LAGARE AND CITY MAYOR JUN ACHARON SHARE A GOOD LAUGH AFTER CUTTING THE RIBBON MARKING THE OPENING OF THE GENSAN CITY TERMINAL. LOOKING ON IS CITY COUNCILOR MEG SANTOS AND FORMER COUNCILOR BETH BAGONOC."

The new Gensan city terminal building occupies almost 300o square meters lot beside the first one and is located near the exit of the compound. It also contains toilets for men and women and a space for an office.

"A PHOTO OF THE NEW GENSAN CITY TERMINAL, A FEW WEEKS BEFORE IT WAS FORMALLY INAUGURATED."

Hopefully, after this, the perimeter fence surrounding the terminal compound will be constructed to make it more secure and the cementing of the roads going inside and outside its gates.    Undoubtedly, this 2nd terminal building is a step towards the right direction in a city whose passenger traffic is growing tremendously by the minute.

Finally, here are the entries to our Christian Bautista “Constant Change Concert” Blog-Writing Contest. Despite the very short notice of one week, eight bloggers were able to submit their blog posts.  Thank you guys!

Now here are their entries.  Click on the titles to read the full content of their obra maestras.

• Discovering Christian Bautista, Rediscovering Jose Mari Chan – Gilbert Tan
• The Only Thing that’s Constant is Change – Jinky Borela
• Christian Bautista to serenade GenSan – Lito Antoque
• Christian Bautista’s “Constant Change” Concert at GenSan – Eirven Latasa
• Christian Bautista and his “Constant Change” Concert in GSC – Shiela Marie Dumalay
• Christian Bautista’s “Constant Change” Concert in GenSan – Rain Cidy Bascon
• Concert Series: Christian Bautista’s “Constant Change” Concert in GenSan - Dimple Dulay
• Christian Bautista’s “Constant Change” Concert comes to GenSan – Ariel Lalisan

All the eight entries were well-written and made good reading that Bariles and the coordinator for the concert, Brother Robert Tolosa of Drumbeat Ventures decided to award everyone instead of just the Top 5.

This means that all the bloggers will receive one admission ticket each to the concert tomorrow, Friday.  And to top it all, their seats will be upgraded from LOWER BOX seats to COURTYARD seats!

Congratulations to all the winners and hoping to see you at Christian Bautista’s much-awaited “Constant Change” Concert in GenSan. Thanks for joining again!

General Santos City will soon be definitely known as Book Lover’s Paradise as another large bookstore is landing on her shores.

On the heels of the two NATIONAL BOOKSTORE outlets which opened at Gaisano Mall of GenSan and Robinsons Place GenSan respectively, now comes FULLY BOOKED, which will occupy one of the two 300 square meter frontage vacant spaces facing Jose Catolico Sr. Avenue of KCC Mall of GenSan.

How different is Fully Booked from National Bookstore and why should we get excited about its entry into GenSan?

First, just like a Pet Farm where tourists are allowed to touch, pet and feed animals, the customers of Fully Booked can browse as long as they want through their modish interiors while looking for titles which suit their unique, individual life styles.  On hand are well-informed staff who will assist them on their search and make recommendations on the latest bestsellers.

Customers can open and scan books and sit on any of the upholstered couches scattered all throughout the store while being pampered by soothing music and brownout-free refreshing airconditioning.

On one corner could be a Starbucks or Bo’s or BluGre nook, offering their best brews.

All these mean that Fully Booked is a bookstore, library and coffee shop in one and is undoubtedly a lifestyle destination.

"THIS IS THE FULLY BOOKED OUTLET IN AYALA CENTER, CEBU CITY."

Here’s more from their website:

Fully Booked is home to the widest and most diverse range of titles, offering hard-to-find and exclusive books of every interest. With over 100,000 titles covering five main categories, namely Lifestyle, Children, Design, Humanities and Professional, Fully Booked has captured the loyalty of book lovers of all ages and walks of life. Discriminate graphic novel enthusiasts may likewise marvel at what remains as the country’s widest selection of graphic novels.

Our merchandise is not limited to just books. We boast high quality stationery as well as limited edition statues, rare compact discs and other collectibles.

Besides being a retail outfit, Fully Booked carries exclusive distributorship of international record labels such as Harmonia Mundi, ECM Records and Channel Classics Records among others.

Fully Booked now has ten stores in the metropolis, located at the Rockwell Power Plant (3rd Floor), the Promenade in Greenhills,.Gateway Mall, SM Mall of Asia, SM North The Block, Trinoma, Eastwood Mall, EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, Greenbelt 5, and the flagship store at Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City plus another store in Ayala Center, Cebu City.

Their KCC Mall of GenSan outlet therefore, is their first in Mindanao which says a lot about the bookstore owners’ confidence in the local economy.

With all that to look forward to, we have to hand it over to KCC Mall of GenSan for continually levelling up and giving us more reasons to patronize them even with the entry of Manila-based giant malls.

And of course, everything redounds to the benefit of the generals and the people from outlying areas who are fortunate to be in the midst of all these positive developments.

Ang sarap maging General talaga sa mga panahong ito!

Although it’s only a matter of two days before it happens, Bariles is pleased to present to you another activity meant for partyphiles wanting to cool off for the summer.

Guys, welcome to Isla Parilla Resort’s ISLAND ESCAPADE 2010!

For 8 hours non-stop from 6m on Friday, April 23, 2010, Isla Parilla Resort, Sarangani Province’s premier resort hotel in the municipality of Alabel, in cooperation with Rise Management is presenting a Concert Party to end all concert parties!

The event which will unfold  at their POOLSIDE (we’re just guessing here re the exact location) will be like no other since it will feature the following:

• a Live Band;
• a Non-Stop Disco Party;
• International DJ Mixing Showdown;
• Ledge Dancing;
• Summer Outfit Fashion Show; and
• Souvenir Booth Exhibits.

You can enjoy all these at the very affordable price of P200, which is inclusive of one bottle of San Miguel Beer.

A bus will offer free rides for partygoers to Isla Parilla from the Sydney Hotel from 5pm to 7pm on that day.  Return trips to GenSan will start at 12 midnite up to the wee hours of the morning.  Or maybe, you may watch the Christian Bautista “Constant Change” Concert happening at the same time at GenSan Gym first, before proceeding there… that is, if you have your own provision for a vehicle.

Tickets may be purchased at Sydney Hotel, Isla Parilla Resort, Wild FM and Max Value Travel.  For inquiries, the following numbers may be contacted:  (083) 552-5480; 893-0031; 0922-4831305 and 0923-8552822.

Did you know that GenSan is not only about foam parties and concerts and beauty pageants and festivals and more parties?  Here is something for outdoor sports enthusiasts!

Gensan Eco Karera Adventure Series forms part of the Explore Gensan Campaign designed to promote the adventure and historical destinations in General Santos City.

A line up of activities has been identified for the 2-day event which include pre-race activities, adventure race, and the awarding ceremony.

Target participants are outdoor enthusiasts, artists, photography hobbyists, bloggers and tourism partners in the academe and business sectors such as tour operators, “pasalubong”outlets, shop operators and tour guides. Outdoor groups and other tourism related establishments are invited as partners in the conduct of the activities, either as facilitator or lecturer.

Only 15 teams will be selected to participate in the race.

This event is organized by the City Government of General Santos through Tourism, Cultural Promotion and Development Division of the City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office in partnership with the Department of Tourism and General Santos City Culture and Arts Council.

Here are the RACE MECHANICS.

The race follows a route which starts from the rural villages of Barangay Upper Labay, Tinagacan, Olympog, Conel, Ligaya, Buayan and ends in Dadiangas East.

It is divided into several transitions and control points. During each transition, players start from a pit stop, visit a number of other specified points, engage in one or two specific tasks, then depart to another pit stop.

In some cases the mode of transport between specific points is indicated and must be strictly followed.

Mandatory rest time, special tasks and trivia questions may be given at pit stops, transition points and/or control points.

Here is the list of RACE DISCIPLINES:

• Trail Running
• Mountain Biking
• Canyoneering
• River trekking
• Falls Hopping

Below is the ROUTE MAP:

Here are the prizes for the FINISHERS from among the 15 teams.

• Champion PhP 32,000.00 + medals

• 1st Runner Up PhP 24,000.00 + medals

• 2nd Runner Up PhP 16,000.00 + medals

• 3rd Runner Up PhP 12,000.00 + medals

• 5th to 15th placers PhP 3,000.00 per team

For more details, read the specifics from the poster above or call (083) 553-8338 or 553-8448.

Just when Bariles thought that it would take years before General Santos City would have its own 3D-equipped moviehouse due to the influx of 3D versions of films like Avatar,  How to Train your Dragon, and Clash of the Titans, among others, comes this piece of great news!

Robinsons Movieworld, one of the largest movie theater chains in the Philippines, joins the 3D movie boom as it “fast-tracks the conversion of existing theaters, from one 3D-equipped screen (in Robinsons Movieworld Galleria), to at least a total of nine”, according to a Philippine Star report yesterday.

It then proceeds to name the mall’s branches which will be equipped with one 3D Cinema each, including General Santos City!!!!

Robinsons GenSan Movieworld is the first to bring  into the city modern theater equipment such as high-fidelity sound from THX, Dolby and Sony and film production equiment from Christie and Strong of the US and Kinoton of Germany.  It also introduced to the generals moviegoing niceties such as fully carpeted theaters, wide semi-reclining upholstered seats, maximized legroom and uber clean restrooms!  All these enhanced the moviegoing experience of movie addicts, like Bariles.

Nilo Mapa, GM of Robinsons Malls, who was in GenSan for its opening last year (click here for photos of the opening) explained that their 3D theaters will be equipped with the leading technologies Dolby Digital 3D and MasterImage Digital 3D.

When this materializes, then that would make Robinsons Place GenSan their first and only mall with a 3D Cinema in Mindanao.  And for the record, it will be South Central Mindanao‘s first, too!  WoW!  Bariles could just imagine moviegoers from all over lining up to watch the next 3D movie here without having to go to Davao anymore.

Anyway, the movies to watch for in 3D at the Robinsons GenSan Movieworld 3D Cinema are Toy Story 1 & 2, Shrek Forever After, Toy Story 3, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, and Despicable Me.

3D moviegoing experience in GenSan?  Can’t wait!  Thanks Robinsons for making this happen soon!

Now, aren’t you glad you’re from GenSan?