Have a Fruitful Year 2010!!!

Being a valued friend, we are growing a banaba tree under your name (your family's / organization's name) at the start of the year at Villegas Organic and Hobby (VOHO) farms!

Banaba (scientific name: lagerstroemia speciosa) is a popular medicinal plant in the Philippines for the treatment of urinary tract infection and diabetes, as well as a weight-reduction agent. Commonly found in the provinces, it is said to be used for over 50 years by our grandparents. Practicing agroforestry, this tree seats along shrubs, vegetation and livestock.

The Villegas Organic and Hobby Farms, spearheaded by Mr Pablito Villegas, and run by Kalipunan ng Sustenableng Agrikultura Magsasakang Organiko (KASAMA KA) organic cooperative, a group of farmers and organic practitioners, promotes agroforestry which combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems.

Agroforestry increases biodiversity by incorporating several plant species into an area that creates wider habitat for varied species of birds, insects, and other animals. Agroforestry also has the potential to help reduce climate change since trees take up and store carbon at a faster rate than crop plants. In addition, it augments the lives of farmers, since cash crops are planted simultaneously with fruit-bearing trees.

VISIT YOUR TREE at Villegas Organic and Hobby (VOHO) Farms, Malvar Batangas, Philippines.  Let us plant more trees for this generation and the next.   We are not just growing banaba tree - there's more.

Take a tour of the farm in 5 minutes - click VOHO quick tour.

The VOHO farms offer the following activities:
Summer Camping (with SPECIAL PROMO), Educational trip stop-over; Lakbay Aral for Students, Parents, Teachers; Tree planting; Communing with Nature, Tree Climbing, Fishing, Animal Care and Experience; Trail Hiking; Preparing and Tasting Ethnic foods and delicacies; and more...
We CARE for your HEALTH, We NURTURE the EARTH!

CALL  +632.7748472
SMS  +63.9088858656
EMAIL  activeculture@ymail.com,  activeculture.club@gmail.com
SKYPE  activeculture.club (kindly email us first before calling)
WEB  http://villegasfarmcomplex.multiply.com/

Law against beggars

This season of sharing we are "taught" of generosity. Everyday, especially this Christmas season, we are flocked with kids on the streets knocking on car windows, caroling in the streets, clinging to jeepneys. And almost instantly we drop a coin or two, for whatever purpose it serves the beggars, or us... What we were not taught is that there this is a law against this act.

What is the law against beggars? The ANTI-MENDICANCY law signed in 1978, says that mendicants, exploited infants (do you see women carrying babies in the streets?), children who are 8 years old and below, minors found begging, parents of exploited infants and children are criminally liable under Article 59 and 60 of Presidential Decree No. 603. Definition of terms, penalties and scope of the law in
http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/presdecs/pd1978/pd_1563_1978.html

There are avenues to sharing your blessings to the "rightful" poor and helping them improve their lives. Please take the route to a LAWFUL "alms-giving," fund raising.

"Out there is the real world ... in here is the dream"

A paraplegic marine dispatched to the planet Pandora becomes torn between following mission orders in exchange for a spinal surgery that will fix his legs and saving a civilization he has considered his own.

In the movie Avatar, it gives one a view of the "struggles" in living on earth. Faced by greed and selfishness, we human beings have to make a firm resolution to preserve early inhabitants' culture, protect and uphold their rights and not force them to take ours.

In the Philippines, the Dumagats and Remontados, the indigenous people of Laiban, Rizal are under threat to lose their heritage, dominion, livelihood for the sake of  "supplying water" to the lowland people, the Metro Manilans, through the construction of Laiban Dam. 

The environment group can not reconcile how there are visible leaking water pipes, "mishandling" of water, connections of illegal origin and claim that the only way to cure the shortage of water is to destroy ecology by building a dam.  Have we really looked at other means?  Have we done root cause analysis?  Have we determined the variances, risks, defects, underlying factors that are leading to the unfavorable outcome?  Are we really addressing the real problem or just patching up a problem for business interest, to rake in profits?

The Laiban Dam project is not only disadvantageous to the native people of Laiban, but also to the Metro Manilans who is claimed to be the direct recipient of the project.  Father Bienvenido Miguel Jr issued a statement, "The project is anti-poor.  It will create unsustainable debt obligations and it will always be the mass who will again bear the burden of shouldering the high cost of water just to pay the huge loans incurred in the building and maintenance of the dam."  Alongside, Freedom from Debt Coalition advocacy coordinator Dianne Roa said that "Each household that consumes around 30 cubic meters of water has to shell out an additional Php540 to Php600 monthly should this proposed project push through."

The loss of biodiversity from 25000 hectares of virgin forest which will be submerged in water, the displacement of 6000 indigenous people is not a localized issue.  We should all be vigilant in the movements of the government towards this project, however secretive they may be. 

Our hearts go to the people of Laiban, and you?  Where is your real world?   (this photo was taken during a tree planting activity in Laiban, while trying to ease the sadness of the locals.)

Laiban Dam, Tutulan by Greg Bituin Jr

(10 syllable poem)

Proyektong Laiban Dam ay para lang

Sa pagpapayaman ng ilan

Laiban Dam ay dapat labanan

Pagtayo nitong ating tutulan

Ang kalikasan ay alagaan

Pati katutubong mamamayan

Sierra Madre by Sidhay B.

Sierra Madre tinubuan

Pama ng kalikasan

Yaman nitong silangan

Binhawa ng pamayanan

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR):  let's do tree planting in Laiban!  email us activeculture@Ymail.com, activeculture.club@Gmail.com
More about Laiban Dam Project,  visit the following links:
Freedom from Debt Coalition
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
Philippine Online Chronicles

photos courtesy of Alda, the prospective princess in pink :) and avatartrailer.com

"Rice is Life"

This is the theme of the Adventure Marathon I am in Dumaguete now for, inspired by a gesture of a key Philippine government official to the Saudi Arabia king--  What will you gift a king who has it all?  "Rice is Life.  King, here's rice so that you may have a long life!" 

Started in November 2006, the "Rice is Life" marathon by the Foundation University is the only race that's giving sacks of rice as prize.  The idea is to bring more people to realize that it's not production (and definitely not importation!) but conservation of rice is the key to sustainability.  Incidentally, it's also the Rice Awareness Month this November!

I have not eaten so much rice in my whole life!  For breakfast of fried rice (organic, straight from the farm and warmly prepared by working students of Foundation University, Dumaguete), to puto (made of glutinuous rice like "suman"; not the puffy bread-like the popular native delicacy in Laguna, Philippines) to more rice at lunch and rice noodles for dinner, ended by "budbod" which is "suman" dipped in chokolate-ah (and sometimes served with ripe mango). 

It's carbo-loading galore!  The people in Dumaguete fed me so much.  I think it's in connivance with the Marathon-founder who was enticing me to do the 28k -- so I can burn all the taken calories!

During one of the race meetings, when i asked the founder-organizer how I can help, he replied with "Do the 28k!"  I was eyeing to do a fun run only, a 10k the most.  The morning of the race day, i found myself at the gunshot for the 28k!

The start line at the Boulevard gave it a romantic shot of the bay, so picturesque that i felt I was chasing for my prince charming (this morning i found a cute little frog by my door). 

And so I run, I run in long slow motion as if Hollywood is capturing this moment.  Then there were butterflies in my stomach, not the ineffable experience related to psychology of true love. It is more related to something i had this morning -- something that my body was not familiar with. 

My stubbornness or was it more of a no-choice because i did not have somebody to prepare my "normal breakfast" of Ampalaya soup and Boiled saba (plantation)?   I was between getting starved or eating unfamiliar food.  You know what i decided on.   Let me give you my version of Do's and Dont's in running a race out-of-town.  This is Running 101 and I am pretty sure that any newbie (moreso, the long-time runners) is familiar with but it helps to be reminded -- probably not for you but for ME!

1]Let's start with food.  For those who are on a restricted diet, make sure you either pack your own food or prepare your own or at the least, have somebody you know who can prepare your meal for you.  When you introduce new food into your body, make sure you do a "test-run" at least a few days before the race to mitigate the food's adverse reaction to your body.  It's ideal to do the normal running regimen with the new food or drink ie sports drink, energy food. 
2]Medicine.  Ensure that you have packed in all your prescribed medicines and emergency drugs such as aspirin, paracetamol, maalox, immodium.  See here RedCross First Aid kit
3]Lodging facilities.  You need to get well rested before the race.  It's crucial to have a complete quality sleep two nights before the race so fly in early enough to have time to adjust to the hotel or the place where you are staying at.  The night immediately before the run, most often, "runner's high" is experienced where runner is anxious, excited, agitated that keep him up all night.
4]Get familiar with the race map.  If you must visit the course then do so so you have the "unknowns" figured out.  Some race organizers (i am not charging the organizer for Dumaguete Marathon as one) fail to orient the runners of the toughness (level of uphills and downhills) of the course.  If you are the adventurous type, then this is not an issue.  Moreso, a plus-factor.  Know the right type of shoe, gear, hydrate stations etc...  Doing a race out of the country spells the difference -- on the weather, temperature, terrain.  Go check forums and query the marathon organizers. 

These are the few things I first-handedly learned from my first out-of-town run.  I may not have a full experience of the course, but i had an unforgettable and irreplaceable experience with the hands of the "Gentle People" (of Dumaguete; as Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, put it).  I wouldn't dare say, "Noli me tangere... "

MUST SEE/TRY IN DUMAGUETE:

~"Dumaguete express" and grilled fishes at Lab-As restaurant along Baybay (pronounced with short 'a' and not with long a in "bay", the body of water)

~Rice cakes at the market near Quezon Park.  Email activeculture@Ymail.com or activeculture.club@Gmail.com  for directions to the best one that serves them!  Ooooh, mouthwatering...

~"Eveything under the sun" market at Malatapay which opens only on Wednesdays

~Malapatay is the get-off point to Apo island where you can find the prismatic animated marine sanctuary.  It's just a stone-away, about 15 to 30 minutes boat ride.  Prepare to get there in the morning to avoid the rough waves in the afternoon, or have the most enthralling boat ride (I did =)!

My early Trick or Treat

Twenty-third of October, my first run after my first half-marathon on a course where it all happened. I was back in time... Gripping with pain as i run with tendonitis, i distracted myself with enveloping breeze of the early morning, the canopy of moss-green trees with sun rays seeping through as dawn comes to an end, the contagious euphoria of runners, the strength of para-athletes, the smile and greetings of the human posts brought icing to the cake (at this point my heart leaped reaching my max heart rate and not because i was gasping for air). I feel renewed. I feel my God has blessed me with angels who will guide me during the race no matter how challenging it may be.

Two kilometers has passed in the race when my angel-pacer cut the silence, "What is your heart rate?" He is also my Trainer-mentor who did not have a choice but to supervise my training for the last three weeks and look after me during the whole 21 kilometers. Y'see, i was diagnosed to have cardiomyopathy on a very unlikely incident (it was asymptomatic all my life!) and i told my Trainer about this. By then, He was hesitant to either tell me he does not want to train me because of my condition or my goal is unachievable. I can see struggle in his eyes during our first talk and the initial excitement that he will train somebody for a half-marathon subsided.

Tritorns as he is fondly called in triathlon community has finished full marathons and is an Iron Man. After thinking twice whether to train me or not, he finally reasoned "Even if dont train you, you will do it anyway. So might as well have somebody experienced to see you through..." He was right. I was so determined to achieve this goal i have set for my self at the start of the year. I saw myself ticking this off my list so more and more i got excited as the race came closer. Week-in, week-out for the past three weeks i run like never before until the tendonitis came.

Threatened to hear that i cannot run the race, I was fearful to consult a doctor but my Trainer kept bogging me so i submitted myself to medical authority. He prescribed a topical ointment and pain killer after my plead to ease the pain. In spite of, I felt fortunate to have had the tendonitis in the Tapering stage of the training.

Two forty-two hours I finished the race. I ran side by side a Kenyan runner who was finishing her 42K. I did not feel sorry for myself. It was more the opposite. I was proud to finish it without walking and no major injury although at the last Two kilometers my legs were extremely heavy and sore. One, because of the tendonitis; two, because my feet were soaked from hydrating my head (now i know the trick for keeping them dry).

Tigerose (tiger+my name) is the moniker i earned from my trainer for finishing the race with a heart ailment and tendonitis and now, aspiring to become a Triathlete. I wish to be an inspiration to people -- You can do whatever you want to! Believe in the vast possibilities!

Till next run! Join us:

1]Dumaguete Run on Nov 22, 2009

2]Annual Executive Classic Run on Dec 20, 2009.  (moved to Feb 28, 2010)
3]Running Clinic every Sunday 6AM, UP Diliman QC, in front of Abelardo Hall (College of Music), left wing of the Oblation

Email activeculture@Ymail.com or activeculture.club@Gmail.com Take care!