GenSan News Online Mag

Bariles just received through his email SOCOTECO II’s latest schedule of power interruptions.

If you are living in GenSan or within its environs, you must have noticed that the brownouts are back, although on a much smaller scale than that hell-of-a-summer early this 2010,

Now here is the rest of SOCOTECO II’s October Brownout Skeds…

Oct 6-10 and 16-17-1

SOCOTECO II’s main reason for these scheduled brownouts is “PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE“. They have not sent us any explanation yet though on the unannounced daily power interruptions lately. El Nino once again?

This is Bariles’ much super delayed finale post to the “Balut Island Series“.  The first three parts may be found by clicking on the links below:

1. On Board M/V Song of Dolly
2. Olaniban, Enchanted Island
3. Sabang Sulphur Hot Springs

After partaking of the snacks prepared by Ms. Tata Docallos‘ Dolores Hotels and Resorts senior staff at the Sabang Sulphur Hot Springs picnic grounds, the group of tourists from GenSan, which included some of the winners of that year’s Bikini Open climbed aboard their two motorized bancas and headed back to the port of Mabila where the M/V Song of Dolly is berthed.

Since it was still daylight and the Song of Dolly is scheduled to leave for GenSan at midnight, the two bancas anchored at the nearby Villalobos or Marurong Island 70 meters across mainland Balut Island to enable the passengers to spend the next few hours swimming and preparing for their dinner.

Villalobos Island, which is also called Balistic Island due to its bullet form is a small rock structure built by the Sangils and B’laans during the 16th century to serve as a fortress.

"THE LUSHFUL BERMUDA GRASSFIELD OF MARORONG OR VILLALOBOS ISLAND. THERE IS ONLY ONE SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER HERE, THE MANUAL WATER PUMP PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT."

In 1543, the Sangils and the B’laans battled against Spanish conqueror Ruy Lopez de Villalobos and his army with the use of bolos and spears versus the Spaniards’ guns and canons.  Villalobos, according to historians Gregorio Zaide and Jesuit Fr. Jose Luego, landed in Marorong in search for the Moluccas Island then.

Now, what is left at the island are the ruins of their rock walls and centuries-old kalachuche trees.

"BIKINI OPEN WINNERS POSE AT THE CENTURIES-OLD FORTRESS RUINS OF MARORONG OR VILLALOBOS ISLAND."

The group stayed on for a few more hours at Marorong while savoring the last rays of the setting sun with a few others swimming and enjoying the high tides covering the rock formations surrounding the island.  Bariles opted to lie on his back on a towel he spread out on the island’s lush bermuda grassfield and gazed and rhapsodized on the past 24 hours starting with the boat trip from Queen Tuna Park, to their brief stay at the enchanted Olaniban Island and up to this refreshing wait at the historic Marorong Island.

Balut Island, the farthest municipality of Davao del Sur might just be a speck in most maps of Mindanao but after this breathtaking experience, it will loom big in his memory forever.

Here are more pictures… Check back while this post is being updated.

"THE LOCAL TOURISM BOARD HAD THESE PICNIC HUTS BUILT FOR LOCAL AND VISITING TOURISTS."

"WITH SARANGANI ISLAND IN THE BACKGROUND, DOLORES TROPICAN RESORT'S BIKINI HUNKS AND BABES HAM IT UP FOR BARILES' CAMERA WHILE PERCHED ON ONE OF MARORONG ISLAND'S ROCK FORMATIONS"

Here is a piece of encouraging news for the numerous Hotel and Restaurant Management graduates and finishers of other service-oriented courses in General Santos City.

Some renowned establishments have announced vacancies among their organizations and so  here are some of these GenSan job opportunities ready for the taking:

For Sarangani Highlands Resort, they need the following:

• Housekeeping Staff
• Front Desk Clerks
• F & B Supervisor
• Housekeeping and Rooms Supervisor

For Six Blings Ostrich Restaurant and Bar:

• F&B in-charge
• Sales & Marketing Executive
• Cook

"THE ACOUSTIC PERFORMERS TAKE THE CENTERSTAGE AT SIX BLINGS OSTRICH RESTO."

For another unnamed restaurant:

• Restaurant Operations Manager
• Cooks
• Waiters

Interested applicants may email their resumes to cathybolodo (at) gmail (dot)com or apply directly for these GenSan job vacancies to the companies stated above.

Good luck!

Note:  Thanks to Sinjin for the Sarangani Highlands photo.

Bariles is joining his first ever WordCamp Philippines this Saturday, October 2, 2010 in Manila and he is extremely excited about it!

So what is the WordCamp all about?  Here is what the event’s official site has to say about it…

WordCamp is a conference that focuses on everything WordPress.

WordCamps are informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you. (Note: GenSan News Online Mag uses WordPress.) Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other. WordCamps are open to WordPress.com and WordPress.org users alike.

On October 2, 2010, the Filipino WordPress community will gather together in Manila for WordCamp Philippines 2010. It marks the third time WordCamp is held in the Philippines, following successful WordCamps in 2008 and 2009. This year, the organizers promise a bigger and better WordCamp Philippines, featuring distinguished speakers and not to mention WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg himself being in attendance.

The spacious venue provided by the College of Saint Benilde in Manila allows for a multi-track system wherein participants may sign up for the Basic, Advanced and Developer talks depending on their skill level. WordCamp Philippines 2010 is a whole day affair running from 8AM in the morning to 6PM in the evening. An exciting schedule of activities is in the works. Please visit this site from time to time for more updates.

Avatar Media (composed mostly of Davao Bloggers) is the proud organizer of WordCamp Philippines 2010.

So there! Bariles will be joining hundreds of WordPress users in what should be the biggest gathering of bloggers in the Philippines at the College of Saint Benilde.

Since he has been using WordPress since February 3, 2008 which has proven to be very user-friendly for non-techies like him, he would like to thank and meet the co-founder of WordPress himself – Matt Mullenweg.

Matt Mullenweg is considered by the PC World as one of the Top 50 People on the Web; Inc.com‘s Top 30 under 30 years old; and, Business Week‘s 25 Most Influential People on the Web.

Whoa! That will be like Bariles meeting upfront and personal the Brad Pitt of the Blogosphere!

But the question is:  Who will be starstrucked first?

Thanks to GandaEverSoMuch which is also the INGRESS SPONSOR for shouldering Bariles’ airfare and to GoHotels, his official hotel sponsor for WordCamp Philippines 2010, care of Ms. Shiela Vitug.