GenSan News Online Mag

Good news to students who would want to pamper themselves during these hot summer days with a facial!

Jinkee Pacquiao’s FLAWLESS is offering Student Discounts for a month from March 15, 2010 to April 15, 2010.

There is a 15% Discount on Advanced and Regular Facials and there is also a 10% Discount on selected in-house products.  Just show them any valid school I.D. to avail of these discounts.

Check out the product listing below which is part of their Summer Promotions….

Summer Promo

Flawless, a beauty and skin clinic, another one of Jinkee Pacquiao’s business ventures, can be found at the 2nd Floor of the KCC Mall of GenSan.  For more info, you may call them at 0922-5431511 or (083) 554-2422.  Their email address is flawless_gensan (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Ever since Bariles started this blog, he has been religiously putting out the pictures of the calendar posters released by the Local Government of General Santos City.

In 2008, this was the calendar of the GenSan City Hall, designed by BARILES, featuring the city officials beginning with Congresswoman Darlene Custodio, Mayor Jun Acharon and Vice Mayor Flor Congson.

"THE OFFICIAL 2008 GENSAN LGU CALENDAR WITH THE MAYOR JUN ACHARON, VICE MAYOR FLOR CONGSON, AND CONGRESSWOMAN DARLENE CUSTODIO, WITH THE 12 MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL

Early this year, he blogged about the 2009 Kalilangan Calendar, as shown below.  This time, it was designed by RONALD VELASQUEZ.

'THE 2009 CALENDAR RELEASED BY THE KALILANGAN FESTIVAL COUNCIL, FEATURING THE PRESENT AND PAST MAYORS OF THE CITY."

For this year, the faces of all the public officials have been replaced by a breathtaking aerial shot of the Plaza Heneral Santos by Leonard Pe.  He took this picture during the opening of Pasko SA GenSan 2009 last December 4, 2009,  Here it is…

Got an email earlier today from my good friend Pilar Afuang, Executive Director of the General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. informing me of the upcoming “4th Mindanao Franchise Expo” which GenSan City will be hosting on June 26-28, 2009.  It is an official event of the “Yaman GenSan”, or GenSan Business Month which occurs from the last week of June up to the 3rd week of July annually.

Now, here is their Press Release…

Franchising has evolved through the years to be the most successful way to expand a business or to go into a business by yourself. The fastest way for business owners to grow a business is to franchise it out instead of opening own branches. On the other hand, the safest way to invest money is to get a reputable franchise as franchises offers the advantages of being proven profitable, provide training, opening assistance and operations manual.

The General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), SMED Council, Inc., the City Government of General Santos, and RK Franchise Consultancy together with the Filipino International Franchise Association (FIFA), will hold the 4th Mindanao Franchise Expo on June 26-28, 2009 at the Gaisano Mall of GenSan Atrium, General Santos City.

The three-day 4th Mindanao Franchise Expo is one way of bringing franchise opportunities closer to the Mindanao regions where the franchise market is growing stronger. This event is definitely a showcase of successful franchisers from Manila, Cebu, Davao and General Santos City to prospective Franchisees and new and promising concepts in food, retail or services to consider franchising.

The expo timed during the GenSan Business Month (Yaman GenSan) is open to the public and is designed to allow aspiring owners to get a close-up look at a range of different franchises, meet with the company representatives, attend franchise seminars and become familiar with the growing world of franchising.

Interested exhibitors may get the APPLICATION FORM by CLICKING HERE.

This exhibition is managed by the CEO Events and Expos Organizers, Inc. (02) 995.0734 or email to info@ceoexpos.com and sponsored by FranchiseToday for the Yaman GenSan/GenSan Business Month.

This is a personal post, so Bariles is asking for your indulgence, dear readers and subscribers.

The picture you see below features Bariles together with the Day Shift staff of the Emergency Room of the General Santos City Doctor’s Hospital, taken on the afternoon of Sunday, March 8, 2009.

These people, especially attending physician Dr. Joy Flores (in white), nurses Anne Hazel Posadas (sitting, grand daughter of Bariles’ Godparents, Dr. Gervacio and Alice Posadas), John Pascua and Robert Romero attended to him when he showed up at their E.R., complaining of something.  They gave him all the assistance he needed, making him as comfortable as possible despite the pain he was feeling that time.

He also had no problem applying for a room and having his x-ray taken.  All the ladies he encountered were accommodating, friendly and cheerful, which was surprising considering the stressful field they were in.

At some point when it was clear that he does not need to be admitted (thank God) and was to be sent home, Nurse Anne, John and Robert even helped him with the process of reimbursing the money he paid for some medicines at the pharmacy which he did not need after all.

Bariles has always dreaded hospitals and emergency rooms for that matter but with the kind of service that the E.R. staff and other personnel of GSC Doctors Hospital showered him with, that feeling was erased from him, hopefully forever.

Thank you guys!

To my partner, my sister Maravel and her husband, Alan together with my nieces, who kept me company all throughout what could have been a painful and costly ordeal, no words can express how grateful I am even just with your presence. God is so good for giving you to me. 

In General Santos City, one wouldn’t miss the sight of a “lechon manok” cart or “grilled whole chicken” stall standing on almost every corner, especially on the roads leading to the city’s suburbs where most of the subdivisions are situated.

Sporting names as only the Pinoys can cook up such as Sanok’s, Banok’s, Kini Rogers, Kurdapoy’s, King Jan’s (!?), Tikboy, BJ’s, Jo’s Manokan, etc., they all offer the “generals” the most convenient and inexpensive “take-out” dinner for the family – roasted or grilled chicken.   Basically, all these offer the same thing, chicken cooked evenly in a rotisserie, rotating them over live coals.

If you are tired of chicken cooked this way, and are wary of the views of many experts who say that grilling over high temperatures over charcoal creates chemicals linked to cancer (like carcinogens), then ROASTERS ABLAZE is for you.

Roasters Ablaze which offers oven-roasted chicken in a rotisserie is owned by cousins Ronald and Arlan Velasquez.  Its first outlet can be found near the entrance of the Arnevel’s Restaurant, the first and only “eat-all-you-can” diner in the city.

The cousins have adopted the slogan “healthier, tastier even” because aside from cooking inside an oven where it is not exposed to any contaminants, they do not use MSG or vetsin in their Roaster Ablaze chickens.

Cousins Arlan and Ronald Velasquez at their 1st Roasters Ablaze stall

I had the chance to taste one yesterday and I must say that at only P130 per whole piece, you get your money’s worth.  Not only does its meat’s aroma smell good but but it also tastes good.

Bariles swears that he could actually savor the distinct taste of the chicken’s juicy meat, which he opines was tenderized overnight in a gracious mixture of the Velaszquez’s very own herbs and spices. And of course, it doesn’t have the burnt charcoal or “uling” smell in it.

And one last thing – here’s a tip for the budget-conscious general – Roasters Ablaze Chicken can be bought at half its size at only P70.

That is more than enough reason to go and visit them at Arnevel’s National Highway and find out why Bariles is drooling all over while writing this post. 

Roasters Ablaze Oven-Roasted Chicken can be found at the Arnevel’s Restaurant entrance, along the National Highway across the Philhealth Office. For orders, please call them at telephone # (083)304-8125.

Yes, you read it right!

Bariles just got married.

The place: KL Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The bride: Ms. Marilen Zabala, my Notre Dame of Dadiangas highschool batchmate.

The date: September 31, 2008.

Here is the photo to show for it.

My Internet Yahoo Group ICON (International Circle of Online Noranians), with GANAP (The Grand Alliance for Nora Aunor Philippines) and the Federation of Nora Aunor Followers, Inc., is proudly announcing the celebration of GUY an PIP DAY (in honor of Superstar Nora Aunor & her former screen partner Tirso Cruz III) slated on Monday, February 25, 2008 as part of the opening of STARS CONVERGE: The Stellar Art and Career of Elwood Perez, a film retrospective of the University of the Philippines Film Institute.

This film retrospective will also give recognition to two movie production outfits who were instrumental in the evolution of the craft of director Elwood Perez, the Sampaguita-VP Pictures and Regal Films.

GUY AND PIP LOVETEAM DAY

During the Guy and Pip Day , two movies of the greatest Filipino loveteam of all time will be screened at the UP Film Institute in Diliman, Quezon City. First to be shown at 5:00pm is “Till We Meet Again“, their “comeback movie” which destroyed all cinema box-office records in 1985.

This is followed by “I Can’t Stop Loving You” at 7:30pm. This movie is one of the top-grossing movies during the 1985 Metro Manila Film Festival. Incidentally, an exhibit of Guy & Pip memorabilia will be conducted at the lobby of the UP Film Institute.

Another Guy & Pip movie showing on February 26, Tuesday at 7:30pm is the classic “Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit” which was shown on 1989 and reaped a lot of trophies from award-giving bodies the following year.

On February 27, Wednesday, as a finale to the retrospective, the movie, “Ang Totoong Buhay ni Pacita M.“, another multi-award winner for Nora Aunor will be shown.

Tickets for all the screenings cost only P80.00. Student discounts will be available as part of ICON’s objective to inform and enlighten the new generation on the remarkable body of work of Nora Aunor.
GABI NG PARANGAL (AWARDS NIGHT)

The night of February 25 is also the “Awards Night” for the the 2nd ICON Awards which are given to showbiz personalities who have contributed a lot to the growth of the Pinoy movie industry. Some of the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2008 are Director Elwood Perez (film directing), Ricardo Lee (Screenwriting), Tirso Cruz, III (Film Acting), Nestor Torre (Film Journalism) and Ronald Constantino (Film Journalism).

Expected to grace this event are the children of the Superstar, Lotlot de Leon, Matet, Kiko and Kenneth and other close friends of the Noranians. The trophies are donated by Antonio Flores of ICON-Canada.

Note: As far as I can recall, I have been a Noranian since I was 8 years old when the Superstar first came into the consciousness of the Filipinos after winning the then #1 Singing Competition in the land, “Tawag ng Tanghalan”. My mom used to feed us with local showbiz magazines Kislap, Liwayway and the pre-Martial Law tabloids The Sun and similar print materials with her on the covers and since there was nothing else to read, that got me and my younger siblings hooked.

For his part, my Dad bought all the long-play vinyl records of the young Bicolano he could find. These made us fanatics of the diminutive singer-actress that I remember joining a local “Guy and Pip Forever” Fans Club with my brother, Orman which was organized by Ate Linda, who was a box-office ticket seller at the Capitol Theater along Pioneer Avenue, just beside the Arenas Building where we were renting a unit for my Dad’s tailoring shop.

Makeshift stalls at the Oval Plaza Roadside selling all sorts of fireworks and noisemakers enjoy brisk sales less than 7 hours before midnite today Jan 31st

. Best-sellers are the baby rockets, trumpillo, kwitis, roman candles and the torotot. Gone are the triangles, super lolos, sawa, judas belt and thelike due to the FIRECRACKERS BAN of the mayor.

It is our first Christmas as full-fledged orphans. Mommy died in April 26 of this year while Daddy passed away in 2004. It was but fitting that we spend Christmas Eve at their resting place at the Forest Lake San Carlos Memorial Park.  So for just this one time, I want to veer away from the usual pictorial “reports” I feed in this blog and instead, post this one picture I took that night… hoping that it relays to the reader the emotions of spending Christmas when some loved one is not there anymore to spend it with.
Merry Christmas Daddy and Mommy. Don’t worry about us anymore. The kids are fine. God is good to us. We just miss you so much. But other than that, we’re great! Always remember that we love you.