The Local Government Unit of Sariaya and the Sariaya Tourism Council (STC), in cooperation with the UP Asian Institute of Tourism and its academe-based partners in the Sariaya Community Empowerment Reseach Team (Colleges of Architecture, Home Economics, Human Kinetics and Music) held a Capability-Building Seminar and Planning Workshop on Sustainable Community-based Tourism. The four-day live-in activity held on November 19-22, 2008 at the Villa del Prado Pool and Beach Resort was done to facilitate the creation of a comprehensive five-year tourism plan for Sariaya.

Weeks prior to the beneficial undertaking, consultations were facilitated by the Sariaya LGU and the STC with Dean Corazon Rodriguez and Prof. Antonio Lazaro of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism, wherein the necessary arrangements were transmitted through e mailed messages to Eric J. Dedace. When Dean Corazon Rodriguez came here on November 6 to gather some data on her paper about “Pro Poor Tourism” from the Municipal Department of Social Welfare (MSWD) , the Municipal Agriculture Office and the Rural Health Unit (RHU), Sariaya Tourism Officer-designate Ms. Arlene Palabrica  took the opportunity to discuss the matter with her, as well as the plan to integrate the five-year tourism program with the results obtained by the Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team since they started the landmark project in December 2006. Likewise, she talked to Prof. Lazaro and requested him to come up with the program for the workshop to determine the important requirements and considerations to be worked out. Meanwhile, the Activity Design for the undertaking was drafted and finalized for the necessary funding, just as the letters of invitation were sent to the various sectors of Sariayahin society considered as the stakeholders, whose involvement and participation are paramount to the success of the endeavor.

The Sariaya Tourism Council (STC) held meetings at the Mayor’s Office to discuss the details of the forthcoming activity that is anchored on the “Kabundukan”, “Kapatagan” and “Karagatan” geographical components and endowments of Sariaya, the only Mount Banahaw town in both Laguna and Quezon Provinces with a sea coast. For a more effective flow of activities, it was agreed upon that the first day, Wednesday November 19, would we devoted to a “Familiarization Tour of Sariaya” to give the Sariayahin stakeholder attendees the chance to know and appreciate the town’s one-of-a-kind endowments so described, before plunging into and immersing themselves to the workshop proper facilitated by the UP AIT on November 20-22. Dividing themselves into the three “K” groups, they named their team leaders and drafted their respective tour itineraries for November 19th. The three “K” groupings were as follows:
Team “Kabundukan” (Mamala I)

Team Leader: STC Adviser Mrs. Susana Masilang - Caballes
Members:
STC Vice President Benjamin G. Lozano
STC PRO Alberto C. Cadorna
STC Auditor Teodorico de la Pena

Team “Kapatagan” (Sariaya Poblacion)

Team Leader : STC Secretary Eriberto Ricardo  J. Dedace
Members :
STC BOD Miss Criselda E. Obnial
STC BOD Mr. Ruben de Gracia Jr.
STC BOD Mr. Ricardo M. Sumague

Team “Karagatan” (Tayabas Bay Area)

Team Leader : STC Treasurer Mrs. Ma. Teresa C. Baligod
Members:
STC President Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez
STC Adviser Mrs. (“Mayora”) Rowena Zoleta - Masilang
STC Adviser SK Chairman  Melody Magnaye
STC BOD Ma. Lourdes V. Prado
STC BOD Dionisio P. Oreta
STC BOD Simeon O. Abanador Jr.

STC BOD Ms. Arlene C. Palabrica would take care of the of the participants’ belongings and proceed directly to Villa del Prado since she still had to prepare the necessary materials for the workshop proper through her lap top computer.  Meanwhile, the three groups will proceed with their respective familiarization tours, facilitated by jeepney transport especially provided for the occasion. Team “Kabundukan” would go to Barangay Mamala I while Team “Karagatan” would proceed to the Tayabas Bay coastal areas under consideration such as Bignay I and II, San Roque and Guisguis. Team “Kapatagan” on the other hand would remain and proceed with the walking tour ending up at Plaza de Shalom Restaurant for lunch, after which they would ride a jeepney on stand by within the vicinity. By three o’clock in the afternoon, all the three “KKK” teams would have to be at the Villa del Prado Conference hall for merienda and the workshop preliminaries. Each “K” group would likewise be responsible for their lunch, packed or otherwise, which is provided for in the budget, the necessary arrangements to be done for the respective itineraries like Team Kapatagan’s touring of the church and the NHI declared Heritage House to be coordinated with Msgr. Melecio V. Verastigue and the office of house owner Mrs. Glady A. Cabunyag respectively, as well as the necessary photo documentations.

Arlene Palabrica enlisted the assistance of Tek Baligod and Eric J. Dedace in the purchase of the necessary materials for the workshop such as going to Lucban to look for artful, native fiber, hand-woven portfolios to hold the kit materials as well as ball pens, papers, bond papers, and the like at the National Bookstore in SM Lucena. Likewise, they went to the Fuji Photo Shop at SM Lucena to make arrangements for the crafting of “surprise” beautifully wood-framed and glass-covered tokens of appreciation to be awarded to the UP Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team, STC President Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez and Mrs. Eufemia V. Prado, proprietress of the Villa del Prado Pool and Beach Resort. All of them are not native residents of Sariaya and yet they truly and whole-heartedly shared precious time and effort, even money at certain occasions, to espouse the cause for the promotion of local tourism more than most Sariayahins, who should be the ones doing so in the first place! These one-of-a-kind tokens contained  four beautiful  photographs of Sariaya that comprised the”Larawan” fund raising project of the STC, launched on night of December 15, 2006 during the opening of the second Belen Festival. Two of the photographs were taken while STC members Arlene C. Palabrica, Tek C. Baligod, Dyun O. Abanador and Eric J. Dedace were aboard a military helicopter of the SOLCOM on Tuesday morning, June 6, 2006, as it made its routine reconnaissance flight over the Sariaya area. The STC members concerned amusingly-remembered how in the early hours of that fateful morning, they went to the Residential Museum, the Sariaya Parish Convent, to ask Msgr. Melecio “Boy” V. Verastigue, his blessings for a safe flight. The good Monsignor had just awakened but he gamely and whole-heartedly prayed over them and granted their wishes, and in a jest asked that they wave at him while they made their low fly-by near his window, to much laughter. Later at the SOLCOM, they were asked to sign the manifesto wherein they indicated their respective contact persons in case of a mishap and that was the time when the four-some realized the risks that they were taking just for the project, that to the extremely superstitious was bound to happen on a “666” date, not to mention the presence of machine gunners on four sides of the aircraft…..it being a reconnaissance flight as described, but they shrugged everything off to fate and Divine Providence, and as the old saying goes…..”the rest is history”! Indeed, they could not think of any photographs worth featuring on the said tokens of appreciation, just to express how thankful they really are for the heartfelt support given and still being extended by the so named admirable recipients who truly deserve to be handed no less than the symbolic “key to the city”, should there be one! The tokens were signed accordingly…..that for the UP Research Team by Mayor Rosauro “Boyet” V. Masilang and Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez, that for Fr. Andrew by the STC Officers and Board of Directors, and that for Mrs. Prado or affectionately, “Tita Neng”, by Mayor “Boyet” Masilang and Fr. Andrew Hernandez. Since the endeavor is not part of the LGU funded Tourism Workshop but a brainchild of the Sariaya Tourism Council, the expenses were obtained from the proceeds of the recently-concluded “Pangangaluluwa 2008”.

The days before the workshop involved a flurry of sub activities like the rehearsals for the presentation of a mini cultural show on the third night at Villa del Prado which was assigned to STC BOD JR de Gracia who is actively involved in youth-oriented endeavors even before he entered the Sariaya Tourism Council, being a member of “Out-Of-The-Box”, a creative five-some who are proponents of cultural as well as adrenaline-inspired undertakings that enliven the town’s entertainment scene, like the biennial “Figuras” search for Mr. and Miss Sariaya. Meanwhile, Arlene Palabrica had her hands full of printed materials necessary for the workshop like the IDs, the registration paraphernalia, and the like. Aside from the distribution of letters of invitation attached with a profile sheet to the stakeholders, with a little help from Eric J. Dedace, she had to monitor who among them will be able to attend or send representatives if otherwise.  Tek Baligod had to arrange for the jeepney transport just as she and Malou Prado were also preoccupied with planning the meals and preparing the necessary accommodations at the Villa del Prado Resort. The respective team leaders and members like Susan Caballes and Benjie Lozano of “Team Kabundukan” were likewise rendered busy with the last-minute arrangements and details of the three familiarization tours. Owing to the existing conditions on the mountain slopes, the ”Kabundukan” familiarization tour would have to be cancelled in the event of heavy rains, and their group divided among the “Kapatagan” and “Karagatan” groups. Whatever, it was agreed upon through texted messages that the STC members would have to be at the Sangguniang Bayan Hall by seven thirty in the morning, the venue for the 8 AM orientation of the workshop attendees, prior to the familiarization tour. November 19th dawned bright and clear  before the hot sun came out, a perfect day for the scheduled outdoor activity. Eric received a text message from Arlene with a request to pass by their Calle Bonifacio house south of the park on his way to the Municipio, to bring most of the registration paraphernalia to the orientation venue. Arriving at the entrance to the Sangguniang Bayan Hall, he was surprised to see some of the attendees already there sitting at the benches, like Mr. Rolando Sandoval of the Knights of Columbus, Jacob Lim who is the youngest son of Sariaya Bread House proprietors Mr. Jaime and Agnes Lim, as well as the Pag-asa Youth Association President Michael Vergara, a member of the STC Dramatic Guild that comprise the Santo Kristo: Isang Senakulo Lenten street play cast. Proceeding to the adjacent SB Office to ask for assistance regarding the microphone and the sound system, he saw a smiling Sangguniang Kabataan Chairperson Melody Magnaye who is the SB Tourism Committee Chairperson as well, likewise waiting for the proceedings to start. Arlene arrived not too long after and they started getting the registration paraphernalia ready with the help of SK Melody, just as STC’s Fr. Andrew, Benjie Lozano, Tek Baligod, “Mayora” Wena, “Ate” Susan Caballes, “Tita” Cris Obnial, Teody de la Pena and “Kuya” Deo Oreta likewise arrived one after the other. The registration started and the workshop facilitators and delegates were asked to hang their respective color-coded IDs from their necks…..organizations/individuals (yellow), Local Government Unit (peach),  Barangay representatives (orange), Department of  Education  representatives (sky blue) and the  Sariaya Tourism Council (violet). Live-in attendees brought their bags with them which were properly labeled with their respective names for ease of transport to Villa del Prado. Three members of the UP Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team arrived led by UP AIT Dean Cora Rodriguez, together with Prof. Shirley Guevarra of the College of Home Economics and Prof. Richard Paul Gonzalo likewise of the UP AIT, who upon registration were given their green IDs. Dean Cora and Prof. Shirley were to commute back to Quezon City that afternoon while Prof. Gonzalo would stay and had his bag tagged as well. They were each assigned to a “K” group just like the other workshop attendees, for the familiarization tour.

With the SB Hall full of the workshop delegates, Arlene started the morning’s program by calling on Fr. Andrew for the opening prayers and welcome remarks, followed by the orientation proper. Mr. Sinforoso “Dondon” Martinez of the Mayor’s office gave a lengthy and thorough,  yet educationally substantial overview of the whole Mount Banahaw complex through power point presentation, eventually zeroing in on the area under Sariaya’s jurisdiction. He introduced and discussed the various species of flora and fauna already documented in the locality with the help of photographs, as well as the existing geographical and ecological conditions of the watershed area. In contrast, Eric just gave a short preview of the heritage walking tour for the “Kapatagan” group. Mr. Ernesto “Jun-Jun” Amores Jr. of the Municipal Agriculture Office then discussed the ongoing projects of the LGU for the Sariaya coastal barangays like the Fish Sanctuary in San Roque and the mangrove project in Bignay II, via power point presentation. He then played videos of the recent coastal clean-up facilitated by the local Department of Education, the submerging of the concrete artificial coral reefs, the release of the Turtle hatchlings within the area of  the Fish Sanctuary in San Roque, as well as the planting of mangrove seedlings, the latter two activities graced by Mayor Boyet Masilang. Everybody noted the heartening positive developments in the ecology of the artificial reef and mangrove areas under consideration as shown in the videos just after almost a year since activities were started. After the orientation, those who will avail of the live-in arrangements at the Villa del Prado were requested to go with Arlene and bring their properly labeled bags to a jeepney parked under the Acacia tree at the church patio, which would head straight to the resort. She reminded Benjie and Eric to remain at the Municipio and wait for their respective live-in “Kabundukan” and “Kapatagan” attendees then depositing their bags at the said jeepney. Another jeepney parked nearby was to bring the Mamala-bound people to their itinerary while a third jeepney likewise parked near the Acacia tree was reserved for the “Karagatan” group.

The “Kapatagan” group was mostly composed of teachers from the Dep Ed like school principals Mr. Marcelino  Arca and  Mrs. Connie Albitos-Alegria, retiree Miss Nedelia Quilala,  Sariaya Community Rondalla mentor Mr. Herbert Perez and Mr. Edmundo Manalo of the Canda National High School among others. The more senior ones like Mr. Arca as well as the vivacious two-some Mrs. Alegria and Ms. Quilala sported wide-brimmed hats to shield themselves from the cruel ten thirty-in-the-morning sunlight, giving the impression that they were indeed on tour, to much amusement. UP AIT Dean Cora Rodriguez in shades was her usual effervescent and lively self who contributed further to the umbrella of humor and amusement that was so needed, given the hot and sweltering circumstances. Literally shielded by an umbrella were STC BOD Tita Cris Obnial, another true-blue teacher and local DILG chief Mrs. Myrna Rocafort, just as sariaya.net webmaster Jubert Reyes who also teaches at the Computer systems Technological College (CSTC) served as the documentation expert for the group care of his state-of-the-art camera. Three members of the Sariaya PNP were included with the “Kapatagan” group just as STC BOD JR de Gracia and “Balai Sadyaiya” Reception Hall representative Claire Onate were transferred to team “Karagatan” to complete their line-up. Rounding up team “Kapatagan” on tour that day were Ms. Elenita Villocillo of the LGU-Agriculture Office, Jacob Lim and Barangay 2 Kagawad Fra Angelo de las Alas.

Eric and Tita Cris served as the tour guides for the itinerary that started at the Art Deco style Municipio. A metal marker imbedded on the northern wall  just inside the entrance indicated the ruling Consejo Municipal headed by then Sariaya Presidente Hilarion Valderas who commissioned the premier Filipino architect Juan Arellano to design the building, which was  inaugurated on July 3, 1931. Eric was proud to say that the incumbent Secretary that time was namesake, Eriberto Alcance Dedace, his paternal grandfather, replacing Secretary Apolonio Trillana. Next stop was the church patio where Eric and Tita Cris related the oral tradition of how the Spanish Franciscan friars Christianized the pagan natives at Barrio Castanyas, and how adverse natural calamities and the burning pillage of Muslim pirates forced the Christian community to transfer location four times to its present site, with special emphasis on the Santo Cristo de Burgos. Briefly stopping by the metal marker with a short history of the church, Eric told of an old 1938 photograph when the marker was unveiled, with the parish priest Msgr. Juan Rapenan and Lipa Archbishop Versoza in attendance. In those days, the Diocese of Lucena where the Sariaya Parish belongs was still under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Lipa, Batangas. Tita Cris related about how in the old days, the present Calle General Luna and most of the park was still part of the old church patio and that the present set-up came to be after the Consejo Municipal of Sariaya in the 1920s asked the good Bishop of Lipa to grant the southern part of the patio to the town. Entering the church, at the foot of the spiral staircase leading to the choir loft was the baptistery containing two baptismal fonts, one of marble dating back to 1898 and an older one of stone that was used before it and attached to the northern wall. Its former coating of concrete and tiles was chiseled off years ago thus revealing the original 1740s masonry. The large wooden doors leading to it were held by a big lock but by extending one’s hand inside, its air conditioned like coolness can be felt. Other stories about the sacristy, choir loft, the old “retablo”, the Santo Cristo de Burgos as well as the old church customs like the allowing of rich parishioners to be buried inside and to have their own chairs and benches with their names carved on them to themselves, served as interesting sidelights of the activity.

They went to the Devotional Park through the side door entrance and Tita Cris began the story of its present transformation under Msgr. Melecio V. Verastigue with the establishment of the St. Francis High School (the erstwhile St. Joseph’s Boys’ Department) by parish priest Rev. Fr. Brigido Nantes in the early 1950s, ultimately leading to the transfer to its present site in Muntingbayan. Next stop was the Museo Ng Debosyon at Buhay and Eric related how Msgr. Verastigue requested the Sariaya Tourism Council, in cooperation with some church organizations, to establish the Franciscan Parochial Museum in May 2006, in time for the Agawan Festival. He showed the set-up of grouping the church artifacts according to the three devotions of St. Francis of Assisi namely the Eucharist (the altar set-up), the Crucified Christ (the Santo Cristo de Burgos exhibit that included photos of the original medieval Santo Cristo of Burgos, Spain, of the first Friday mass for the icon and the STC institutionalized Santo Kristo: Isang Senakulo), as well as  and the Nativity (that includes a life-size “Belen” set up and photos of the STC institutionalized “Belen Festival” since December 2005. Likewise within the museum is a nook for the Agawan Festival set-up, complete with a little “Poong San Isidro” with a plow pulled by an ox and an angel in tow, faithfully depicting the legend of how the saintly Spanish farmer was being helped to plow the fields by an angel. At the foot of the table where the “Poon” was placed are realistic paper mache or “taka” depictions of fruits and vegetables decorated on Sariayahin houses every May 15th  which were bought from Paete, Laguna. The St. Francis of Assisi corner included several depictions of his likeness, tarpaulin photos of his hometown of Assisi, Italy, a little “escaparate” that serves as the container of the saint’s relic, a portion of the skeleton of St. Francis encased in a crucifix in the care of Msgr. Verastigue, a large tarpaulin depicting his life and times, and the like. An old parish “Paminyagan” circa 1863 written in Spanish with its antique carabao-skin covering, enlarged reproductions of old photos of Sariayahin religious heritage that composed the “Pamana” photo exhibit during last years Grand Fiesta celebration, a large broken old bell from the belfry, portions of the old communal railing and old church implements round up the permanent exhibits inside the only Franciscan parochial museum this side of the country.

Next stop was the Parish convent at the second floor of the 1922 edifice erected by then parish priest Policarpio Trinidad of Mauban, now dubbed as the “Residential Museum” which was largely improved and beautified under the leadership of present parish priest Msgr. Melecio Verastigue, as a considerably veritable showcase for the Parish of St. Francis of Assisi. Some of the “Kapatagan”  team members saw it for the very first time and they were so impressed and mesmerized by the elegant setting, particularly the ornate woodworks of the hall and the prayer room where a few kneeled and meditated for some moments. The younger and more dexterous members, including the PNP personnel, then followed Eric to the renovated choir loft and on to the steep black-painted iron stairs going to the third level of the adjacent church belfry among the large old bells. He then led them out to a small doorway that opened onto the roof and the concrete steps up the cross of the church which then descended to the roof of nearby St. Joseph’s Academy. It offered a great view of the park, the Municipio, the brick roof of the Governor Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House and everything south of that towards the Sariaya coastline of Tayabas Bay and beyond, while to the north, the red roof of the dome and the church that used to be of centuries-old bricks before 1947 when galvanized iron replaced them, contrasted sharply with the light blue sky and the deep greenish-blue of Mount Banahaw preening from the clouds. It was likewise a first time for almost all of them and they drank into the one-of-a-kind ambience of it all, enjoying the view and capturing the scenery with their cell phone cameras! Going back inside, they climbed the stairs leading to the fourth level that offered an even greater view of Mount Banahaw and the surrounding countryside, that to the west led to the Lagnas bridge and to the southeast pointed to Lucena City and a faint view of the erstwhile Hopewell complex in Pagbilao. Eric showed them the large circa 1787 old bell that hangs overhead now devoid of its clapper, which old folks said used to fill the surroundings with its deep sonorous sound during fiesta time in the old days. Accordingly, the belfry doubled as a watchtower wherein it afforded our old forebears a view of what some old folks said was a then predominantly guava tree-laden countryside (hence the province being named “Tayabas”), that was not yet planted to tall coconut trees, particularly the sea coast, where possible Muslim pirate incursions can be seen at once and dealt with accordingly.

From the convent, the group went out to the Devotional Park, on to the Valderas street extension and rounded the Luna-Alvarez house that used to house the Sariaya museum and into Rizal Street en route to the Donya Carmen Rodriguez-Arguelles Ancestral House recently declared as an NHI Heritage house. The other two NHI Heritage Houses like the Governor Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House and the Don Catalino Rodriguez Ancestral House were likewise pointed out to the group. Arriving at their destination, the “tourists” were serenaded with a welcome song in Tagalog by a guitar-playing lady in native wear and then were greeted by an equally Filipiniana garbed Mrs.  Nancy Valdoria who is the in house curator. After pointing out the black National Historical Institute marker indicating that it has been officially declared a Heritage House on May 14, 2008, she gave them a short introduction about it, highlighted on a big tarpaulin and showed a photograph of the owner, Dr. Isidro Rodriguez, the father of Donya Carmen, who had it built after the great fire of 1930 and commissioned foremost Filipino architect Juan Nakpil to design the intricately-beautiful Art Deco style house. She related how she and Donya Carmen’s “unica hija” the present owner Mrs. Glady Arguelles Cabunyag, were trying so hard to look for a photograph of Dr. Isidro’s sickly wife, Donya Gregoria Gala, who died a few days before the house was finished in the year 1935, because accordingly, she was not fond of having her picture taken. Tita Nancy then led them inside and showed them around from room to room, expertly interweaving the narratives about how the house became the headquarters of the local Japanese high command in the war, and the infatuation that the officer General Ashima had with the beautiful Carmen. The cellar underneath the dining room where she was hidden from the infatuated Japanese official was the last itinerary in the tour, and everyone should sit on the floor first and carefully place the feet on the steps to effectively come down the stairs.  It contained old furniture, clothes, shoes, a bed, a “Calan de Pugon”, even Carmen’s old wooden “luhuran” at the church engraved with her name. Among other things of interest were old bottles , circa mid to late 1950s car plate numbers, and some photographs of Carmen, her siblings and  husband Atty. Vicente Arguelles among others. Tita Nancy kept reminding everyone about one extra precaution to be observed while down there and that is to duck carefully at some point to avoid bumping one’s head on the low-lying ceiling. The group had a hearty lunch of rice; golden brown crisp-fried chicken with a carrot-cabbage-cucumber- mayonnaise appetizer and crispy Canton at the mezzanine of the Plaza de Shalom Restaurant overlooking the Heritage House, its swimming pool and garden, as well as the still imposing ruins of the Gobernadorcillo Roman Reynoso House, once Sariaya’s grandest, along the Calle Bonifacio neighborhood. The spirit was of unbridled congeniality, punctuated with playful banter and abandoned laughter of amusement, with Dean Cora, Ma’am Connie and Tita Ned recalling their 1960s bygone years of yore as carefree and light-hearted, twiggy-haired, teeny-boppers in micro mini skirts and fishnet stockings, dancing to the jerk and the locomotion! They even related how they giggled and squirmed at night by being accorded the amorous attention of their then male peers, romantically expressed through the nuances and rituals of the traditional “Harana”, thus waking up as the unwitting object and subject of neighborhood talk the following morning. As Eric went down to settle the bills at the Plaza de Shalom and the Rodriguez-Arguelles Ancestral House Office, he bumped into Ms. Tina Decal of Fantasia Travel Tours who was having her late lunch for a guided tour of her clients to the Heritage House soon after. She had to finish the guided tour first and follow the group to Villa del Prado as soon as possible. Thereafter, “Team Kapatagan” boarded a jeepney especially provided for the group and headed for the Villa del Prado Resort for a reunion workshop with their Team “Kabundukan” and Team “Karagatan” colleagues.

It was already past two in the afternoon and they were talking about the likelihood that the “Kabundukan” group would be the last to arrive, owing to the great distance from Mamala to Bignay I, and that “Team Karagatan” must already be comfortably waiting at the air conditioned conference hall by that time. Arriving at the resort, they were so surprised to find that it was the “Mga Taong Bundok” who were already there, while the “Mga Taong Dagat” were still in the thick of their familiarization tour to  Dalampasigan and Paraiso  beach resorts at Barangay Guis-Guis, owing to some malfunction of the banca they rode on their earlier trip to the Mangrove Forest project in Barangay Bignay II, accordingly. The labeled bags were already deposited at the lobby of the conference hall and were to be brought upon checking in to their respective rooms right after that afternoon’s workshop. In contrast to their lively spirits, the “Tubao”- crowned “Team Kabundukan” members looked so tired as a few of them already had their heads on the tables, worn-out by their long walks on sloping ground under the heat of the sun on their way to their familiarization tour’s itineraries, from the forestry and vegetable farm areas to the cool confines of the flowing stream that was a high point of their morning activity. Despite the physical hassles of their itineraries, UP AIT’s Prof. Richard Paul Gonzalo was able to get photographs of some of the characteristic flora of the area which are good subjects for their group’s documentation. Mamala is well known for its scenic beauty, the richness of its flora and fauna, including the migratory birds that occasionally provide an idyllic ambience to the locality, as well as  the bounty of its fertile soil owing to past eruptions of Mount Banahaw, that render it as the veritable “Salad Bowl of Quezon Province!” The group members were talking about a very big and wide tree which they said needed the presence of several people with arms outstretched to be able to embrace it all around. Thereafter, an afternoon Merienda of hotdog sandwich and juice was served and both teams partook of the refreshment prepared for them as they awaited the arrival of “Team Karagatan”. Eventually, the “Siokoys” and the “Dyesebels” made their way into the conference hall, led by Mayora Wena, Fr. Andrew and team leader Tek, with some of them sporting sunburns already!  Their talk was about being adrift on the boat for about twenty minutes on their way to the Mangrove Forest project which caused delays on their part. Accordingly, there were two boats allotted for them and it was the smaller boat carrying Engr. Gilberto de la Roca, Jun Jun Amores, Municipal Agriculture Officer Mr. Lino “Boy” Cadelina and company who had the smooth sailing, while the bigger and heavily-laden sea craft was set adrift and side-lined for a while. Ever resourceful and creative, Tek was able to take photographs under the circumstances, that showed the beauty and ecological soundness of the area. Aside from the already established mangroves, there are smaller ones which were planted in 2007 by no less than Mayor Boyet Masilang, wife Mayora Wena and their children among the others. According to mangrove life expert Jun Amores, the plant’s roots harbor and sustain a wide variety of marine life aside from preventing the erosion of the coastline by actually encroaching into the sea with increased growth and proliferation. The team saw a lot of the barangay’s coastal areas that can be utilized for the future planting of more mangrove seedlings. Not too far away is the fish pond of Barangay Kagawad  Jose Arzadon wherein at low tide, a large area showed the presence of a great number of  little crabs belonging to some species as betrayed by the diversity in their colors. They come in and out of their holes, which can be a promising tourist attraction for a crab watching activity. Whatever, the “Mga Taong Dagat” were ultimately compensated by a delicious lunch of sea food that lived up and was so appropriate to their team’s name and itinerary.

After everyone had taken their snacks, Arlene handed two big manila papers and two pentel pens to each group, asked them to consolidate their observations and experiences to create their respective tour packages in 45 minutes, and present the output to the whole body for commentaries. It was a noisy yet very lively brainstorming, punctuated with much laughter and innovative cheering at times,  and in their passion for creating their dream tour packages, they asked Arlene for an extension which dragged on for another half hour or so.  Finally, it was time for the presentation and Mr. Sancho Calatrava of “Team Kabundukan” went up front while his team mates attached the Manila paper with their “Wow Banahaw!” package tour written on it on the white board. It was a very animated, innovative and humorous presentation, and the tour is as follows:

“WOW BANAHAW!”  KABUNDUKAN PACKAGE TOUR
7:00 - 8:00AM: Arrival in Sariaya. Orientation, brief description and precautionary measures
8:00 - 8:30AM: Transportation (10 kms.) Jeepney/ Kariton/ Kabayo
8:30 - 9:00AM: Registration area. Information about the visitors, coordination with the tour guide, security concerns, ordering of food, checking  in of baggage and handing of promotional materials
9:00 - 11:00AM: “Limang Yapos” Trek. Sight-seeing of wild animals/ native flora and fauna Folk Tales (“Sinukuan Trek”, “Ulan sa Banahaw” , “Bagong Jerusalem”) Limang yapos na puno – five persons with outstretched arms are required to embrace this very big tree
11:00 - 1:00PM: “Gibanga River Trek”. Sight-seeing flora and fauna, swimming  picnic/area Lunch ( native Mamala dishes )
1:00 - 2:00PM: “Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan”. Siesta, camp site, Folk tales
2:00 - 4:00PM: “Halina’t Mag-ani” at the plantation. Harvest what you want (seasonal vegetables), Pasalubongs
4:00 - 4:30PM: Registration area. Checking- out of baggage, tour evaluations, Pasalubong Shopping of delicacies produced by the “Mamalahins “
HOME SWEET HOME

Eric of Team “Kapatagan” presented their group’s tour package, where they tied up the Sariaya heritage – inspired itinerary with the Agawan Festival in honor of the Spanish patron saint of farmers San Isidro Labrador. Since Sariaya has no hotels, this two-day package ( May 14 – 15 ) will be made possible with a comprehensive “Home Stay” program in place, as well as a Sariaya Tourism Council office at the park, wherein the cozy accommodations would be provided by residents whose houses are in the route of the saint’s afternoon procession. To make for an interesting presentation, the title of the package tour was amply choreographed by Tita Ned Quilala, with crisp hand gestures that depict the generous and hospitable spirit of the Sariayahins.

ANONG SAYA SA SARIAYA
Halbot . . .  Sambot . . . Abot!
Day 1
May 14
4:00 AM: Departure for Sariaya.
7:00 - 7:30AM: Arrival in the Sariaya Tourism Council Office at the Park for registration. Registration fee would be P10 per person
7:30 - 8:30AM: Checking- in and breakfast (Kulinarya Sariaya) at the respective Home Stay houses along the procession route. “Kulinarya Sariaya” means native Sariayahin food
8:30 - 9:00AM: Assembly at the STC Office and assignment of tour guides
9:00 - 12:00PM: Heritage tour inclusive of snacks . . . . . Sariaya Park, Municipio designed by Juan Arellano, St. Francis of Assisi Church Complex (Devotional Park, “Museo ng Debosyon at Buhay” Parish Franciscan Museum, “Residential Museum” or convent, church belfry) Walking tour to any of the three NHI Heritage houses ( Donya Carmen Rodriguez-Arguelles Ancestral House, Governor Natalio Enriquez Ancestral House, Don Catalino Rodriguez Ancestral House)
12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch (Kulinarya Sariaya) at Home Stay residence
1:00 - 7:00PM: Helping with the house decorations and snacks
7:00 - 8:00PM: Dinner (Kulinarya Sariaya) at Home stay residence
8:00PM: Free Time . . . . . continuation of house decorations, Loitering around the procession route to watch more decoration activities, cultural program and Agro Fair at the park

Day 2
May 15
5:30 - 6:30AM: Early morning Mass at the church
6:30 - 7:30AM: Breakfast (Kulinarya Sariaya) at Home Stay
7:30 - 12:00PM: Free Time and snacks at Home Stay Morning Parade, “Mga taong Bagakay” or “MTB” street dancing, Awarding of the most beautiful house decorations, Agro fair at the Park, Roaming around town Riding the carabao – pulled “Taxi – Kariton” available at the following rates: At certain portions of the procession route only – P50/ head For the whole route of the procession – P100/ head
12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch (Kulinarya Sariaya) at Home Stay  
1:00 - 3:30PM: Free Time and snacks at Home Stay “Palarong Bayan” at the Park,  Roaming around town,  Pasalubong shopping
3:30 - 4:00PM: Going to the church patio for the start of the  San Isidro de Labrador procession signaled by the exploding of fire crackers
4:00 - 5:30PM: “Agawan Festival” highlight. . . “Happy Pandemonium” in the streets of Sariaya (the procession route)
5:30 - 6:00 PM: Return to Home Stay and checking out
6:00 PM: Departure.
HOME SWEET HOME

Team Karagatan’s Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez presented two types of tour packages for their group as follows:
“ARYA BAKAWAN “DAY TOUR PACKAGE
5:30 - 6:00AM: Arrival at the resort. Orientation and Breakfast.
6:00 - 8:00AM: Departure to Mangrove Forest project Tour, bird watching, crab viewing and planting of mangrove seedlings
8:00 - 8:30AM: Free Time, cleaning
8:30 -  9:00AM: Snacks
9:00 -11:30AM: Artificial Coral reef
11:30 -12:00PM: Back to resort
12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch
1:00 - 2:00PM: Resort Familiarization
2:00 -  5:00PM: Swimming
5:00 - 6:30 PM: Preparation for departure and souvenir shopping
6:30 PM: HOME   SWEET   HOME

“ARYA BAKAWAN” OVERNIGHT PACKAGE
12:00NOON: Arrival at resort
12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch
1:00 - 2:00PM: Resort Familiarization
2:00 - 2:30 PM: Departure to artificial coral reef
2:30 - 4:00 PM: Tour, Packed snacks
4:00 - 4:30 PM: Departure to mangrove
4:30 - 6:00 PM: Tour and planting, Bird  watching and crab viewing, Lambanog tasting
6:00 - 6:30 PM: Back to resort
6:30 - 7:30PM: Dinner
7:30 - 10:30PM: Fun and games
10:30 - 5:30AM: Sleeping Time
5:30 - 6:00AM: Sunrise viewing
6:00 - 8:00AM: Breakfast
8:00 -12:00PM: Swimming
12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch
1:00 PM: Departure          
HOME SWEET HOME

An open forum was provided after each presentation which proved to be a lively and productive exchange of ideas. It was almost seven o’ clock in the evening when the activity ended and a hearty dinner of Fried Chicken, Pork Adobo, Chopsuey, Soup, Rice, Gelatin and Soft Drinks was served. While Dean Cora Rodriguez begged off from the next day’s activities to “man the post”, since most of her immediate staff at the AIT led by College Secretary and Professor Antonio Lazaro would be in Sariaya already, Professor Shirley Guevarra requested for assistance regarding her return to the Villa del Prado resort for the second day of the workshop. It was agreed that that she will be fetched at the Santo Cristo Sambat crossing, which is a good ten or so kilometers from the resort by trusted chauffeur Steve on board Mayora Wena’s car, facilitated through SMS. With Dean Cora and Prof., Shirley having to travel back to Metro Manila, they rode to Sariaya with Eric care of the ever accommodating Ate Susan Caballes, at the heels of Mayora Wena who had Fr. Andrew and Tek in her car driven by Steve. The hot night at the Tayabas Bay coastline gave way to a sudden downpour as they neared the town, much to their surprise, yet it didn’t dampen the animated conversations along the way.   Ate Susan  dropped  off  everyone at the erstwhile Carlos News stand where the two ladies   hailed  Cubao – bound JAC Liner Buses after a ten minute or so wait. Meanwhile, Fr. Andrew was brought to the erstwhile Arias bus stop at Isabang, Tayabas and rode one of the waiting Lucena-Bayan jeepneys en route to St. Ferdinand cathedral, as Mayora Wena and Tek headed back to drizzly Sariaya. The STC people agreed to avail of the live-in accommodations at Villa del Prado the rest of the workshop duration, already being enjoyed by Arlene at Room 6, and JR with his SK wards at Room 11, who still had to practice their cultural show-oriented dance numbers on the third and final night of the undertaking.

Workshop facilitator Prof. Antonio Lazaro and his colleague Prof. Virgilio Maguigad, both of the UP Asian Institute of Tourism, arrived the following morning and prepared their presentation materials.  Everybody had a hearty and delicious breakfast of fried eggs, fried rice and fried beef “tapa” with bottoms up and piping hot “Kapeng Barako”, for a day of “Kulinarya Sariaya” on the menu. Arlene arrived for breakfast and thereafter, she asked the STC Board for their signatures which she would be scanning on her lap top to be placed on the lay-out of the wood – framed and glass covered tokens of appreciation. She, Tek and Eric did final brainstorming on the endeavor with much care lest awardees Fr. Andrew, Prof. Tony, Tita Neng Prado and even her daughter and fellow STC colleague Malou would approach their table unnoticed and get wind of the details, thus spoiling the wonderful surprise of it all! Thereafter, Arlene and Prof. Tony were conferring about the program schedule and the direction the workshop would take for the next three days. With the arrival of other attendees who were not able to join the preceding day’s familiarization tour swelling the plenary, the workshop proper started at 9:45 with an introduction by Prof. Tony, followed by a lecture on tourism experiences in Anilao, Mabini, Batangas;  Angono, Rizal;  Morong, Bataan and Donsol, Sorsogon. In Batangas, there was concern over the dispute between Mabini where the divers come and Tingloy where the dive sites are located, and the solution to the problem was to divide the revenues collected equally between the two towns. In lakeshore Angono where national artists like Lucio San Pedro, Botong Francisco and Fernando Amorsolo hailed from, they focused on the promotion of the “Higantes” Festival wherein stickers of it were attached to jeepneys and tricycles that proved to be very effective. The hinterlands of Morong, Bataan are home to a lot of Aetas  wherein they created tour packages on their jungle survival skills, featuring “Aeta Kulinarya” all throughout the endeavor. Donsol, Sorsogon is famous for the presence of whale sharks or “Butanding”  in the waters off its coastline, so they trained the people who once slaughtered them for a living to become the “Butanding” spotters for tourists who pay to watch them from their boats. Moreover, they did the same to the inhabitants of an island in the Visayas where the “Butandings” pass by on their way to the krill-rich waters off Donsol but unfortunately, quarrels among the facilitators of the project there splintered the group into two thereby regarding what would have been a profitable undertaking, a failure. This showed the ill effects of greed, selfish motives and lack of cooperation on tourism.

After presenting the Force field Analysis to be used for the Environmental Scanning activity, Prof. Lazaro divided the whole plenary between the Sariaya Tourism Council group, and the LGU and stakeholders group, the latter being subdivided into four more groups. While he facilitated the activity and Prof. Gonzalo joined one of the groups, Prof. Maguigad started recording the proceedings   on his lap top computer.  The animated brainstorming had to be interrupted   since lunch was ready but not before Tek Baligod, a true-blue Bignay I native related the story about the age-old practice of “Pagbabanggol” in some of Sariaya’s coastal barrios, in relation to the fried beef “Tapa” served for the Sariaya Kulinarya breakfast. Accordingly in the old days, being an accomplice to this illegal activity of killing and butchering cows left by their owners tied   to trees for the night can be traced to whoever had dried beef “Tapa” as viand in the neighborhood, in the days following the infamous theft.  In some instances, the owners would not be able to notice it at once since the dead cow would be propped up and left standing with its skin intact, until the morning sun revealed the hideous deed, to the hail of unprintable expletives shattering the quiet and idyllic waking up hours! But Tek good-naturedly assured everybody that the delicious breakfast “Tapa” was not from “Binanggol” beef meat, to much amused laughter. Everyone fell in line before  the long buffet table of a delicious and hearty Sariaya Kulinarya lunch of “Ginataang Lain” or “Pinangat”, “Pritong Tilapia”, “Inihaw na Baboy” with “Suka and sliced Sibuyas” as the appropriate “Sawsawan”, “Sopas” and Rice  with Pastillas for dessert, and “Sago-Gulaman” as cool drink. Prof. Shirley of the UP College of Home Economics had her hands full with her video documentation concerns before settling down for lunch as well.

The workshop resumed soon and the brainstorming was in earnest with the ideas pouring in no time at all. Thereafter, each of the groups presented their outputs followed by discussion and sharing of insights as to the results of the Environmental Scanning and Force Field Analysis workshop, as well as the informal group interaction. Tek roamed around the conference hall and took photographs of the proceedings for the necessary documentation. Meanwhile, Eric had to go to the Fuji Photo Shop outlet at SM Lucena to bring the necessary pre-arranged lay-outs for the so mentioned surprise giving of wood-framed and glass-covered tokens of appreciation to the UP Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team, Mrs. Eufemia V. Prado and Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez, scheduled for the night of November 21st. Through texts and phone calls between Tek and the Fuji Photo Office, the necessary arrangements and details were ironed out for the eventual crafting of the tokens, for pick up the next morning. Hurrying back to Sariaya, he dropped by their house to get his things for the remaining days and nights of the live-in workshop and went straight for Villa del Prado, just in time for the hearty afternoon merienda of Pancit Bihon. By then, Prof. Tony was discussing the ways on how to collate the respective Mission-Vision, as well as the goals and objectives for tourism. For this activity, the LGU and Stakeholders’ groups were divided into two, thereby ending up with three groups including that of the STC.  For the rest of the afternoon, the groups brainstormed their way into the Vision – Mission workshop, and at times, the exercise just proved too flat and tedious for comfort but Prof. Tony had found a way to humor them into action with the help of his new-found pep-up assistant, PYA President Michael Vergara or “Kel”, affectionately that is, who gamely played his role to the max. Even PYA-Vice President Erwin Dimaano had his unwitting role to play in lightening up the taxing brainstorm that went with the workshop, that of being assigned a supposed role in putting a more engaging, likeable image and look to the police force, and for that, Prof. Tony called him “Chief”, that he always acknowledged with that very personalized interpretation of the Mona Lisa smile. Moreover, the effervescent and “kalog” Dean Cora provided added humor and animation by repeatedly fishing for 2010 votes for who seemed to be her favorite recently self-declared Presidentiable, Metro Manila Development Authority Chief Bayani Fernando! And she continued with her crusade for the rest of the workshop, brandishing the zeal of a Knight’s Templar in the Holy Land of the Middle Ages to her supposed cause, to much amusement. Meanwhile, Prof. Tony hopped from  one group to the other, suggesting leads and pointers into the activity. Fr. Andrew himself wrote the STC input on the manila paper provided for the exercises, just as the other groups were rendered busy likewise, the results of which for lack of time, would be presented for the next day, Friday, November 21st. Before winding up the activity, Prof. Tony reminded everyone that the next day’s workshop would start at nine o’clock sharp because there were still a lot of things to be discussed and worked upon.

Meanwhile, JR de Gracia reminded over the microphone about the next evening’s Cultural Night presentations wherein the three K teams would each contribute a number, true to their group’s respective Sariaya geographical endowments. This elicited a flurry of murmurs about the creative juices that should flow from everyone, combined with sheer resourcefulness in order to come up with the best production, given the limited time and the dearth of props to be utilized…..most especially when it was announced that there will be prizes in store for them! The added brainstorming necessary went well with the delicious Sariaya Kulinarya dinner laid for them on the buffet table….. “Kalderetang Baka”, “Embotidong Binalot sa Dahon ng Saging”, “Piniritong Panos” or “Pusit”, “Sopas”, rice, with Buko Salad for dessert washed down with softdrinks. As always, everybody relished the food, particularly the tenderly fried “Panos” and the exotically presented “Embotido”. Prof. Vir became Prof. Richard’s only roommate at # 7 as Prof. Tony decided to enjoy the therapeutic massage at Ate Susan’s Gum Jung Korean Spa for the night, just as Prof. Shirley rode with him to town to catch the JAC Liner trip for Cubao Kamias. While some of the other attendees headed back to Sariaya as well to return the following day, most of them retired to their air-conditioned rooms at the second floor of the resort’s main building, and settled for yet another night at the sea side Villa. Mayora Wena who was rendered alone in Room 10 since Ate Susan had to go home for the night, headed for a fun-filled “chikahan” with Arlene, Eric and Tek who reclined Cleopatra – like at the sofa in Room 6, that dragged on for two hours or so. Meanwhile, the young ones considered the night as young as themselves, so they  went  out and loitered around, singing their hearts out at the videoke or simply had a delightful night swim at the pool, peppering their bonding with animated conversations and playful banter.

Hours later, long after lights out, Eric woke up and had the urge to go out for the natural cool sea air, so he went out into the verandah holding a pack of Rebisco crackers for a light snack and was surprised to see Prof. Richard coming out from the adjacent verandah of room 7 as well with his lap top computer, and they greeted each other for a little talk. Each verandah from rooms 1 to 12 or so was separated by white painted iron grills with little gates in between, and looked out into the sand, the two pavilions, and the line of kiosks, the shoreline and down to the sea. Unlike the others, the verandah at Room 6 had the sole leisure of another gate that opens onto a wooden stairway going down the canopied sandy area in between the pavilions, to a center stage, a most appropriate set up especially conceptualized for the debut of Chris, Tita Neng Prado’s youngest daughter a few month’s earlier. As the young Professor got down to his academe-based business, Eric went down and walked the deserted beach front all to himself, with the incessant sound of the waves, the dark moonless sky, and the distant lights of the fishermen’s boats out into the blackened sea. It was a definite serenity out there, and he savored the rare luxury of sea sounds, slightly shivering against the cool breeze, past an oversized concrete “Pawikan” that stared its equally concrete eyes blankly at him as he settled on a driftwood seat in a roofed corner being developed near the shower area, and the first of the resort’s line of duplex-style one storey accommodations. Unknowingly inspired, he was soon softly singing to himself, unknowingly culling from the 1963 Cascades  album of his childhood, trying to be faithful to the characteristic Cascades manner of singing for the appropriate nostalgia effects, in no particular order . . . “The Last Leaf, Lucky Guy, My First Day Alone, Angel On My Shoulder, Punch and Judy, and Shy Girl” . . . . And by the time he reached “The Rhythm of the Rain”, he was already slapping his legs, out of irritated discomfort from unseen mosquitoes, so he decided to walk back to the comforts of room number 6, momentarily noticing that Prof. Richard was not in his verandah anymore, and finally slept. It was still dark when Tek woke up and got ready to go back to town, fetched by their family driver because she had to attend to things at home. Thereafter, she had to work things out with the Fuji Photo Shop personnel at SM Lucena for the tokens which had to be handed to the awardees for the night’s cultural programs.

Everyone woke up to a delicious breakfast of “Daing na Bangus”, “Estrelladong Itlog”, “Sinangag”, and bottomless “Kapeng Barako” as always, and the workshop venue was abuzz with animated conversations from table to table. Dean Cora Rodriguez arrived and was soon engaged in conversations with Mayora Wena, Fr. Andrew, Arlene and others. She made arrangements with Prof. Tony who came from a night of therapeutic massage at Gum Jung Spa to be fetched at Sambat Santo Cristo where she dropped off after an early morning bus trip from Kamias, Quezon City. Meanwhile, Prof. Shirley texted that she will not be able to come back on account of high blood pressure and sent her regrets. Before long, it was almost nine o’clock and with most of the attendees back in their rooms preparing themselves after the delicious breakfast, Prof. Tony announced over the microphone that the workshop would start as scheduled. Eventually, Fr. Andrew led the opening prayers and the group presentation of the Mission – Vision outputs and goals formulation started. Thereafter, Prof. Tony showed the power point presentation of the indicative Sariaya tourism packages drafted and suggested by the UP Asian Institute of Tourism for the Lenten season and the Agawan Festival resulting from the outputs of the Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team. They were featured during the September 27th Colloquium presented to the UP academic community, the students of the UP AIT and the various Metro Manila Universities and Colleges offering the BS Tourism curriculum. Accordingly, the comment was that the indicative tourism packages looked so academic such that they need to have the approval of the Sariayahin community for them to be considered as feasible, workable and authentic. Prof. Tony therefore requested the Sariaya Tourism Council to look into them and come up with a modified version that would give them the Sariayahin “feel” and flavor. Thereafter, merienda was served, big old style “Ensaymada” brushed with margarine and dusted with “Refinado” or white sugar, to the delight of Mayora Wena and the others who suddenly craved that much-missed childhood treat, washed down with juice.

It was already 10:50 in the morning when Prof. Tony introduced the workshop on action planning wherein he emphasized that this activity is the main reason for the whole workshop, to come up with a feasible and realistic five-year tourism plan for Sariaya between the years 2009 and 2014. Thereafter, the brainstorming started and as always, Eric roamed around and took photographs as part of the documentation. Soon it was time for lunch yet the three”K” groups were so engrossed with their brainstorming that it was the STC people who first fell in line to enjoy the delicious food consisting of “Sinigang na Baboy”, Chicken Lollipop, Fried Fish Fillet, Rice, Fruits and Soft Drinks, with the water dispenser handy for either a cold drink or hot coffee. While they were enjoying lunch, Fr. Andrew played a video of Discovery Channel’s Philippine leg of the “Great Festivals of the World” courtesy of the Department of Tourism CALABARZON Office, that included Quezon attractions such as Tiaong’s Villa Escudero and Ugu’s Pottery and Culinaria, as well as Sariaya’s Agawan Festival, Lucban’s Pahiyas, and the “Mayohan sa Tayabas” among others. The Sariaya portion done by Marc Pingry Productions with the assistance the STC was made from May 14 – 15, 2007 that featured Buntal fiber processing as well as the Agawan Festival – inspired house decorations of fashion designer Christopher Quejano and the Donya Carmen Rodriguez – Arguelles ancestral house where Fr. Andrew was briefly interviewed, together with the “Happy Pandemonium” at Calle Rizal Ilaya. Resumption of the action planning workshop followed and the three “K” groups tackled all the pertinent details and concerns in connection with their respective Sariaya geographical endowments, just as the STC group did theirs which concerned its strengthening and effectiveness in performing its mandated task of promoting Sariaya for the tourist market. The brainstorming was followed by immediate organization which they wrote in their respective manila papers for the presentation. Before long, Tek arrived from Lucena with the beautiful and properly framed tokens which she placed in a corner outside the conference room in such a way that they would not attract attention, and told Arlene and Eric to look at them for comments. Soon it was time to break for snacks and everybody partook of delicious Baked Macaroni and Soft Drinks peppered with another accompanying and even more delicious treat as always . . . delightful and animated “Chikahan”! The next two or so hours involved the presentation of the respective five-year plans with Rainier Tan for Team “Kabundukan”, Tina Decal for Team “Kapatagan”, Jun Jun Amores for Team “Karagatan” and Fr. Andrew for Team STC. Among the commentaries were that some of the items in the plans were not that possible since  they require careful study, comprehensive information dissemination, proper legislation and time. Prof. Tony who had extensive experience with various government and non government entities, being involved in NGO works and projects for years long before his present affiliation with the UP AIT, stressed the importance of proper planning, consultation and coordination with various agencies as part of any plan of action. In relation to this, Ate Susan Caballes elaborated on the importance of properly consulting the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) in the creation of various tour packages for Mamala I. Meanwhile, the STC action plan elicited commentaries likewise and it was the 60 % NGO to 40 % LGU ratio composition of the Sariaya Tourism Council that drew some exchanges, particularly on the commitment issue. Fr. Andrew, Tek, Tina Decal and Ronnie Lindog of the Municipal Planning and Development Center (MPDC) office and Team “Kapatagan” voiced out their personal opinions on the topic, most especially that the five-year action plan is poised for the eventual take-off. Rico Gicana of the Solid Waste Management and Team “Kabundukan” suggested that since there is already an existing grouping of the three “K’s” care of the workshop, it would be advantageous for such a set-up to remain since the members of the respective teams had already developed the necessary bonding, cooperation and working relationship on a comfortable level, which was so applauded by the plenary. Prof. Tony therefore suggested that each group should then elect their respective representatives who will attend to the respective commitments and responsibilities and do the necessary coordination for a combined effort of each “K” group in the inevitable forthcoming endeavors of the Sariaya Tourism Council from thereon.  With everything said and done, Prof. Tony posed a big challenge to the whole plenary for appropriate action and cooperation in order to live up to the demands of the recently concluded planning workshop. The UP Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team will have finished their work by May 2009 and it will be up to the Sariayahins whether the five-year tourism plan will be successful or otherwise. The last day of the workshop would have been devoted to the presentation of the outputs to Mayor Rosauro V. Masilang but since he had to attend to a more pressing commitment, the whole plenary agreed to postpone the activity until such time that the Mayor will be available, and all the materials have been collated in CD form as an appropriate informative token for everyone. With his work done, Prof. Tony bade farewell to everybody leaving Prof. Virgilio Maguigad to facilitate the next day’s workshop for a workable 2009 Action Road Map for Tourism. Before the conclusion of the day’s work, JR de Gracia once again reminded everybody about the cultural night set to occur by 8 PM at the center stage between the two pavilions. The whole area was already spruced up with hip set decorations, lights, sound system and cocktails care of Villa del Prado, and the three “K” groups by then had their props and costumes ready. Tek’s elder sister Jo Ann Bandilla’s car was loaded with the appropriate period costumes for their Team “Kapatagan’s” “Harana” skit, which she, together with group mates Tita Connie Alegria and Tita Ned Quilala  rummaged from their moldy, cobwebby and creaking “bauls” just for the occasion! “Balai Sadyaiya” Reception Hall owner Mr. Geddy Tan of the Sariaya Hog Raisers and KASAFI came with wife Lory and his ever popular “Nanay” Mommy Juling, to fetch son Rainier after the cultural night on account of a scheduled commitment. The QUADRO and KASAFI grand matriarch was met with amiable hugs, kisses and “pagmamano” by her friends and acquaintances that prompted a suddenly curious Prof. Tony to ask Eric who she is.
Dinner was, as always, hearty and delicious with Menudo, Chicken/Pork Barbecue, Soup, Rice, Fruits and Soft Drinks, which everybody enjoyed while thinking of their respective production numbers. Soon, the workshop participants were back to their rooms, rehearsing, dressing up and getting ready for the night of fun, parlor games and amusement. There was a slight drizzle but nobody cared, what with the atmosphere filled with anticipation….with each group doing the last minute touches and rehearsals. The young people were talking about the supposed beautiful costumes of the “Kapatagan” group led by Tita Ned exclaiming “A-ah, costume na costume pa lamang ay talo na kami eh!”, and sure enough, at the corridor, Jo Ann and Tita Connie were already wearing their peasant dresses, “pandongs” and “alampays” and were giving Eric an impromptu peek-a-boo of their “Harana-inspired” funny skit amid much amusement from Juna, Jo Ann’s cute and bubbly five-year old daughter. Meanwhile at room 4, the “Kapatagan” boys in their village wear made up of Jubert Reyes, Jacob Lim, Sir Edmundo Manalo and Sir Mars Arca were rehearsing their hearts out with “Dungawin mo hirang, Ang nananambitan”, to the accompaniment of the guitar playing Sariaya Community Rondalla mentor Sir Herbert Perez. Tina Decal, Rico Gicana and Ronnie Lindog were dressed as they are since they were to do the opposite, the high-tech, present-day version of the “Ligawan”. From Rooms 11 and 12 came the cultural dancers led by JR de Gracia in red trousers and white shirt and Filipiniana-wearing Chris Prado carrying colorful, May pole-like sticks, just as elder sister Malou Prado, Melody Magnaye  and Renaliz Miguel likewise passed by, sporting their beach wear and towel-draped forms for the Team “Karagatan” skit. Team “Kabundukan” walked by with Michael Vergara dressed as an ancient bespectacled “Amama” while their “twisting pride” Erwin Dimaano was all dolled up in a mish-mash of colors and shapes that bristled and fluttered with the evening breeze! Even the young male resort workers who would serve as waiters and bartenders wore dandified black trousers and butterfly-style black ties over long-sleeved white polo shirts At room 6 Tek, Arlene and Eric were busy preparing the cash prizes and the gifts Tek bought from SM Lucena earlier in the day to be given to the winners while below them, the sandy area where the stage is located was already filling up with the workshop participants in their shorts and shirts, who were excitedly talking over the din of the blaring sound system. Arlene asked Eric to hand over the honorarium to Prof. Tony who was having a conversation with Fr. Andrew at the parking area while getting ready to leave for Manila. After having him sign the Reimbursement Expense Receipt or the RER, the envelope was handed and they saw him off in his car. Back upstairs at room 6 with Fr. Andrew, they talked about the remaining workshop activities for the last day, and planned the next STC meeting for the workshop output presentation to Mayor Masilang and the forthcoming Belen Festival. Suddenly, JR’s big voice boomed out over the microphone calling on all the other workshop participants to get ready and come down to the venue for the eventual start of the fun-filled activity, so Fr. Andrew left for his room while the three of them got ready to come down to the events area through the verandah stairs, bringing all the necessary paraphernalia including the framed tokens.

A cheerful scene greeted the eyes as the running blaze of lights illumined tables and chairs ringing the canopied sandy area from the balloon-filled stage, with the cocktails pavilion rendered busy by the waiters/bartenders preparing the drinks in ice-filled punch bowls just as various colorful and mouth-watering finger foods in trays occupied another table. The excited voices with that unmistakable lilt and twang of characteristic Sariayahin Tagalog punctuated with abandoned laughter competed with the din emanating from the stage area. Tek, Mayora Wena in shorts, and the other cell phone camera-toting fellows had a field day taking photographs with everyone gamely posing for posterity! Resort owner Tita Neng Prado talked with Fr. Andrew while Dean Cora with Professors Richard and Vir sat in front of a long table near the cocktails pavilion serving as the Board of Judges. Also on the table were some of the prizes to be given like chocolates and packed canisters of Pik Nik Shoestring Potatoes. The LGU group who were drinking beer occupied another long table that included Barangay Bignay I Captain Marianito Soliza, Jun Jun Amores, and Allan Loria among others. The brightly-appareled cultural dancers grouped themselves near the sound system booth because they were to perform in the early part of the program, just as the three “K” groups clustered amongst each other with their last-minute cues. The few customers who were having a week end picnic at Villa del Prado ogled at the proceedings from their respective rented accommodations and program emcee JR even called upon them to watch the program and join in the fun. It was indeed a very informal and laid back occasion where one felt at home and comfortable, given the bonding and the camaraderie that was developed after three days of togetherness that started with the three “K” familiarization tours.

Soon JR called on everyone to stand up for the opening prayers to be led by STC President Fr. Andrew followed by the singing of the “Lupang Hinirang”. Thereafter, he called Fr. Andrew back onstage to give the opening remarks followed by an inspiring speech by Sariaya’s First Lady Mrs. Rowena Zoleta-Masilang. Next came the surprise award-giving ceremony with Mayora Wena, as Tek and Arlene stayed on the left side of the stage to hand over the wood-framed and glass-covered tokens to JR. First to be given an award was the Sariaya Community Empowerment Research Team for their pioneering efforts at choosing Sariaya among the thousands of communities in the whole Philippines as the venue and subject of this landmark study, and UP AIT Dean Cora Rodriguez was called onstage to accept it. The second award went to Villa del Prado proprietress and erstwhile STC Board of Directors member Mrs. Eufemia Ventura-Prado, for her unflinching and whole-hearted support for all the endeavors and undertakings of the Sariaya Tourism Council ever since the present set of officers and board of directors took oath of office in November 25, 2005. The final recognition was given to STC President Rev. Fr. Andrew S. Hernandez for his admirable leadership and dedication to his sworn oath as head of a most creative, dynamic and innovative organization, aiming to promote Sariaya as a prime tourist destination this side of the country. That Fr. Andrew   is not a native Sariayahin but from Tiaong all the more heightens the appreciation that his colleagues feel for him, because he had done much more than what most true-blue Sariayahins are obliged and expected to be doing, if only out of sheer love and respect for their dear old home town!

The cultural program was next with the young men wearing white shirts over red trousers and the ladies in red baro’t saya with checkered “alampays” on their shoulders. Initially, they danced onstage and thereafter, they came down to the sand with the men waving those colorful poles while the ladies sway balanced around. It was followed by yet another refreshing Filipiniana number danced to Celeste Legaspi’s 1977 lively hit “Saranggola Ni Pepe”, to the warm appreciative applause of the audience, and everything was well-documented as always. JR then called on Eric to introduce the panel of judges and he in turn called Professors Richard and Vir and  Dean Cora who each stood up to warm applause from the audience.

The most awaited part of the program was the stage productions of the three “K” groups, with Team “Kabundukan” performing first. A rocking chair was carried onstage and bespectacled “Amamang Michael” whose hair was powdered white and speaking in a raspy voice sat on it with the rest of the “Mga Taong Bundok” acting as if they were kids, the set-up recalling that good old radio listening days of yore with “Mga Kuwento Ni Lola Basyang”. The old man told a story about the folklore of Mount Banahaw leading to the ecologically sound measures that need to be done to preserve its environment. Soon everybody onstage “fell asleep” and an exotic sounding music ushered the entrance of the heavily dolled-up and well-plumed Erwin so described earlier, dancing like a Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the “Babaylan” kind in a seeming interpretation of Mount Banahaw’s answer to Mariang Makiling. The amusement was intensified further when he daintily slipped from the stage down into the sand and Sir Sancho Calatrava in white shirt did choreographed forceful somersaults in return. Thereafter, Erwin hopped doe-like onstage and disappeared from view at the back.

Team “Kapatagan’s” production opened with a voice over from Tita Ned elaborating on the age-old and now forgotten practice of the “Harana”. Thereafter, Jo Ann playing a rheumatoid mother and Tita Connie aping the role of a demure young lady entered from backstage proceeding down into the sand and the dialogue told that they had just come from the church. Suddenly, the old woman had the urge to “empty her bladder” and being helped by her daughter relieved herself by spreading her legs very wide and  raising her “saya” as she squatted into position to more laughter because she was wearing denim pants underneath. Then she “wiped herself dry” with her “saya” and the resulting dialogue intensified the laughter and amusement even more with the recollection of those seeming “panty-less” days of yore. As they entered their “dampa”, the “Kapatagan” boys in their village attire came with Mr. Arca aping the role of a bashful admirer of Tita Connie being pushed forward by his colleagues to more laughter. Meanwhile, Ronnie and Rico who represent the young men of today acted out as if they looked down on the practice as too corny and outmoded for comfort. Before long, they were singing “Dungawin Mo Hirang” just as the giggling damsel Tita Connie suddenly squatted to “urinate on the supposed split bamboo floors out of sheer excitement” and squirmed her way into the “open window” to look flatteringly upon the serenade singers. After the “Harana”, she “opened the door to let them in” but “Jo Ann” suddenly entered with a blanket that suggested a hand woven mat or “banig” which she spread out to shoo the men away. It was a custom in the old days that the parents of the girl resorted to “Paglalatag ng Banig” to show their displeasure of the man who had their daughter serenaded. With such, Tita Ned explained that the “Harana” is now passé and that nowadays, courtship had gone high tech and fast. Thereafter, Ronnie and Rico entered and let out their cell phones in the guise of texting someone and suddenly, out came a “pa-sexily”-clad Tina Decal likewise texting on her cell phone. The two parties suddenly froze in their tracks and Ronnie made the first move rushing into the direction of Tina, who rushed headlong likewise but bypassed him into the waiting arms of Rico instead to immediate amusement. The pair left for the darkness of the backstage area with the “unrequited” Ronnie following suit and before long, even the rest of the “Harana” boys were running after them with their respective cell phones out as well to a hilarious conclusion!

Team “Karagatan’s” presentation was a short one with the cast wearing beach outfit and doing the motions of swimming and frolicking at sea. Suddenly, the music played Celine Dionne’s  “My Heart Will Go on” from the movie Titanic and Malou entered with her body squeezed inside a  “Salva vida” as she pantomimed one who is trying to hang on to dear life at sea to much amusement, most especially from the resort personnel and her very young daughter Ella. The awarding ceremonies soon followed with Mayora Wena, Fr. Andrew and Dean Cora onstage, and the third prize went to Team “Karagatan”, with the members of the group being called to receive their prize, P500 plus a pack of chocolates, and they posed for souvenir photos. The second prize of P750 and a pack of chocolates was awarded to Team “Kabundukan” who likewise had their photos taken, just as Team “Kapatagan” members whooped it up to celebrate their being the best. They went up onstage and received their prize, P1,000 and a pack of Piknik Shoestring Potatoes in cans, just as they danced their way into the picture taking. At this point, Eric already had the three RER’s with him and he had them signed by Sir Sancho Calatrava for Team “Kabundukan” and Tita Ned Quilala on behalf of Team “Kapatagan”. As JR was still doing his emcee job, he shelved the RER signing of Team “Karagatan” for the next morning.

JR then called for participants to the different parlor games in store for the night and he had it easy because he never ran out of volunteer contestants! Among these games was one wherein the boys picked marshmallows from a small bowl using toothpick clenched between their teeth and dexterously placed them into the waiting mouths of their female partners! In the eagerness to win the prize, lips inevitably brushed onto each other to good-natured merriment and laughter, and the game was won by the tandem of SK Chairperson Melody Magnaye and Municipal Agriculture Office employee Jun Jun Amores, both of Team “Karagatan”. The egg catching contest involved two partners wherein one of them should be able to catch the egg thrown by his partner as the distance between them got bigger and bigger with each backward step. Missing to catch the egg thrown them by their partner meant instant elimination from the game. Hitting the pot contest was likewise played wherein little Ella panicked and cried when one of the hitters missed the target and scooped sand with the bat instead, which accidentally got sprayed into her eyes, so she was led out by Malou to relieve the strain. Sir Richard won the prize amidst much amusement since those who tried to grab at the contents of the broken pot he hit were sprinkled with white powder instead! Likewise extremely fun-filled was the “Pasuutan ng Tali” race contest wherein three members formed a team and two of them inserted the “Tali” from the right part of the pants up to the right shirtsleeves of their team mate, then inside the left shirt sleeves and down the left trouser. The object of much merriment was the poor guy in the middle whose team mates didn’t stop at anything in order to win the race! However, the most fun-filled game of them all was the “Pahabaan” contest wherein two all male teams tried their best to come up with the longest line using everything they were wearing in their bodies, and some got stripped down to their underwear in the process. The cell phone camera bugs had a field day capturing the inevitably wacky and unwitting “Chip and Dale” show for posterity, amid teary-eyed, stomach ache-inducing and rollicking fun. Soon, the parlor games were over and some of the participants left for home to return for the last day of the workshop. Those who were left at the beach deemed the night still too young and resorted to more bonding activities like the videoke and beer drinking among the men. Though drizzling, it was a sultry and humid night at the beach and before long, some like Eric and Tek had the urge to take quick showers for comfort. Getting down back to the party area, only a few still energetic young souls were left, some playing a game of carrying empty wine and Coke bottles dexterously in their heads while walking.  The freshened up duo met Tita Neng at the pavilion so they decided to take a nice walk along the beach front. With the distant lights of the fishermen’s boats still in the horizon, they removed their slippers and lightly dipped their feet into the shallow sea while still engaged in conversation. They then walked along the western edge of the resort, passing by  the  duplex style accommodations, a few of which were then occupied by families on week-end picnics, just as the young people were enjoying themselves at the videoke. Going out of the west gate, they entered the parking area with the discernible voices of the others in the direction of the swimming pool , while at the corridor upstairs, the two UP Professors were having a conversation. They then sat on the chairs just outside of the conference room near the area where the security guards stay on patrol for the night, and continued with their conversations until it was time to go upstairs at room 6, while Tita Neng headed for their penthouse on the third floor. Arlene was still at her lap top doing the necessary encoding and they discussed the winding up activities for the morrow’s last day of the workshop for a while, then it was soon lights out time and off to dreamland.

Late to bed yet early to rise as ever, it was still before sun up when Eric decided to have a leisurely morning walk by the sea, a delightful luxury which he cannot afford to pass up. Barefoot with slippers on his left hand, he first headed eastwards and enjoyed the cool breeze, the pinkish, slightly cloudy, early morning sky amazingly graced by the sudden appearance of large white birds in V-shaped flight, the empty stretch of Tayabas Bay shoreline with the distant outlines of Mindoro and Marinduque out to sea, the waves continuously crumbling the sand at his feet and the soothing music that they made. To the higher sandy slopes that marked the vegetation boundary, he passed by rows of coconut trees with spiny aroma plants and curious – looking flora at their feet, as well as a few boats beached after a night at sea , little crabs scrambling towards tiny holes in the sand, a few fisher folk mending their nets, two little girls making sand castles and a woman hawking “puto” along the way. The delightful scene reminded of erstwhile childhood picnics at Talaan in the 1960s except for the occasional unsightly presence of litter such as plastics, empty cans, broken glasses and the like. Going back to Villa del Prado as the sun rose, more people were already up and a few were already enjoying the cool morning dip including the two Professors and the young workshop attendees. Proceeding westwards, he came upon the laid back Villa Vicenta Resort and everything was as idyllic until he passed by the dilapidated surroundings of two erstwhile thriving picnic destinations, one of which is that of the Tayabas Bay Beach Resort which started the resort boom in Sariaya’s  Guis-Guis – Bignay I areas way back sometime in 1982. It was a sad and forlorn sight, watching the runaway undergrowth creeping onto those ruined buildings and silently reclaiming what was naturally theirs, with the numerous album photos and memories of family picnics that were spent there from the late 80s to the 1990s. Returning to the resort, he simply can’t stop and loitered around passing by the duplex accommodations duly occupied by newcomers still fresh from their sleep, into the swimming pool area where the PYA workshop attendees were luxuriating their waking up hours and out of the resort onto the concrete road leading back to town. It was so nice to look and have a feel of a typical early morning in Barangay Bignay, where the people go about their daily grind and  laid back lifestyle amid the crowing of roosters and the sound of water being manually obtained from a deep well, which is so different from the more manicured and contrived surroundings of Villa del Prado. Back to the canopied sandy enclosure of the past night’s happenings, he met the ever accommodating resort personnel Nick, who told him that breakfast is ready at the workshop venue but still in the mood for a stroll, Eric thanked him and headed for the parking area. Entering the west gate, he met Mayora Wena’s chauffeur Steve just back from a leisurely stroll on the beachfront and was soon engaged in a conversation later joined by Mayor Boyet’s executive assistant Mr. Allan Loria who was still yawning and stretching his limbs from what looked like a restful sleep at the duplex accommodation nearest the gate. Accordingly, they had gone to the pool for a nice swim after the night’s gathering and slept the remaining hours of the evening away with the fun-filled bonding and banter of the much younger people at the verandah of rooms 11 and 12 in their ears, that must have dragged on to the wee hours. It was a very engaging and informative talk about topics as diverse as being Sariayahin between Mt. Banahaw and Tayabas Bay touching Batangas Province, to being in Calauag where he hailed from, along a Bay with the same name, a smaller land area and a new provincial boundary owing to losing a land dispute with neighboring Sta. Elena town in Camarines Norte. And if matters turned favorable to the Yes votes on the topic of dividing Quezon come the plebiscite of December 13th, there will be two new and much smaller provinces in the Southern Tagalog region, Quezon del Norte with Lucena as capital  from Polillo to Pagbilao, and Quezon del Sur from Atimonan and Padre Burgos, with Gumaca as its capital. With Allan off to the showers, Eric went back to room 6, sandy feet and all, and soon went to a hearty breakfast of “Pritong Danggit, Estrelladong itlog, Sinangag and Kapeng barako” with everyone else.

At 9:30, Prof. Virgilio Maguigad started the workshop on the Consolidation of Action Plans into a 2009 Action Road Map for Tourism, referring to the most feasible elements of the respective Five-Year tourism plans that are doable for the first year. This time, it was Prof. Richard Gonzalo who documented and encoded the proceedings care of his lap top computer. Soon it was merienda time and everyone stopped to enjoy the fulfilling refreshment consisting of Tuna Sandwich, Spaghetti and Juice. It was another taxing brainstorm on the part of the plenary and after the snacks, the activity dragged on for another two hours or so.  With the brainstormed ideas being put on paper as always, key persons were assigned for each “K” group who will facilitate respectively for every STC endeavor from there on. With the food ready on the table, everyone opted for a working lunch to see this final workshop activity to completion. The truly delicious lunch made up of Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Breaded Pork Chop, Buttered Vegetables, Soup, Rice, Fruits and Soft Drinks, with the water dispenser handy as always, compensated for the hard cognitive endeavor.

By 1:30 in the afternoon, the workshop was completed and came to a close which felt too soon after four days of cooperation, camaraderie, good working relationship and wonderful togetherness. For posterity’s sake, everybody was called to the raised platform   and  before long were posing for photographs, with the clicking of cameras and the cheery smiles marking a befitting end to the eventful and innovative undertaking. Before leaving,  Dean Cora and the workshop facilitators,  were handed their tokens that  included “Buruhas” in cans and some cute coconut husk art craft especially bought from the Villa del Prado Souvenir Shop. Dean Cora said that there’s no need for the tokens but Eric said that she should by then have gotten used to the Sariayahin way of receiving guests and friends, to which she shrugged with a knowing smile enough to be construed as “okay”! The Manila paper outputs that decorated the workshop venue for four days were removed and compiled for encoding into computer form, intended to be reproduced in CD form for the benefit of everyone.

Soon it was time to say goodbye and the warm-hearted smiles, handshakes and “beso-besos” said it all! Those who stayed at the resort trooped to their rooms upstairs for the eventual checking out while the others left in their respective vehicles. Dean Cora and the two professors simply had too much things to carry that they opted to leave the wood-framed and glass-covered token with Tek for the moment. They rode with the others in a jeepney provided for the transport to hail an air-conditioned Kamias-bound JAC Liner bus in Sariaya thereafter. Truly, the workshop lived up to its purpose, with the attendees leaving with more understanding, respect and appreciation for things Sariayahin, and thus more capable of being one with the STC in truly fulfilling its task of promoting their beloved town for beneficial grassroots community-based tourism. The task had just begun and the hard work still lies ahead . . .

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nice one.. lyssa (222.127.223.xxx) 2009-10-06 21:53:43

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