Now Dipolog City can claim of its own port as the Philippine Ports Authority made a go signal for its commercial operations. City Councilor Julius Napigquit said that the office of the Mayor Roberto Uy is now working to accomplish the requirements needed for a port operation.

Now the city of Dipolog can clamor about its very own sea port after the Philippine Ports Authority made a Go! signal for its commercial operations.

The mayor, he disclosed, wanted the port’s operation should be under the local management. However, as the city worked for the requirements and as it learned its operations, the city mayor agreed that the PPA would man the operation.

And as the PPA would manage the operation of the port, the councilor disclosed that the city will have its own men who will be trained for its operation once PPA withdraws. The councilor said that Mayor Uy wanted the port’s operation to start this year since he had always promised Dipolognons for a port they can call their own.

(Press Freedom, Vol. XVIII No. 44)

The quotation “Poverty is not a hindrance to success” holds true to Anliza Gumamon Banquil, who, five years ago, was lucky to get a scholarship grant from the Alay Lakad Council of Dipolog.

It was in the year 2001 when Anliza underwent an evaluation by the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development Officer, after she expressed her desire to avail of the scholarship grant offered by the Alay Lakad Council of Dipolog, intended for poor but deserving out-of-school youths in the city.

After getting a favorable endorsement as requirement for final interview by the Education Committee of the council, Anliza finally got the scholarship and enrolled in a course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at St. Vincent’s College. During her younger years, Anliza was bent on acquiring and finishing a course to be of help to her family’s poverty. But the family’s inadequacy did not dampen Anliza’s dream of getting an education.

During Anliza Gumamon Banquil’s college days, she continued her studies with full devotion and gained numerous awards and recognitions namely: Best in Accounting, Best in Business Mathematics, Best in Law, Best in Taxation and a Silver Medalist of SGV Cup Accounting Quiz Bowl Regional Champion held in Ateneo De Zamboanga University, Zamboanga City.

Read more

On view until the end of July at the Zamboanga del Norte Convention and Exhibition Center, Art Gallery is an art exhibit of about forty young artists. These children artists who are Dipolognons are called Picassitos by artist Willy Arsena from the name of the late Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, one of the giants in the world of Modern Art.

These exhibiting artists, from 5 to 14 years of age, are the product of the summer art workshops conducted at the IQ Pre-school Learning Center by known artists Bert Balladares and Renan Agustin. Already on its seventh year as continuous art learning activities for children, the workshop is a well-maintained and a well-disciplined program aimed at discovering and developing artistic talents and creative potentials in children.

This year’s art workshop produced remarkable and interesting results that culminate into a successful group show. Landscape, still life and human figures are the dominant themes of the exhibition rendered in acrylic and charcoal. It is very interesting to note that more and more children in Dipolog are involved in such artistic activities. This will not only enhance their creative and artistic skills but also develop and improve their social awareness and inter-personal discipline because they interact with each other through symbols and signs, entirely a different experience from the formal training at the academe.

Some parents also say that their children’s involvement in art activities like this, keep them away from the negative effect of video games and other unpleasant pre-school and juvenile activities. Creativity is more intense in children but it gradually decays as they grow older. In a way, this is due to the formal training they get in schools which are conventional and formula-oriented. Instead of encouraging children to explore different methods in solving a problem, a fixed one-way solution is redundantly applied for convenience and conformity.

The result is an adult who thinks that the sun is always yellow, the sea always blue and that line exists in nature. The colorful children’s artworks at the exhibit will always remind the adults of their lost sense of simplicity and their fading touch of creativity.

The latest that Dipolog offers to pleasure seekers and those who love nature is a cruise along Dipolog River and along the city boulevard especially to witness the beautiful sunset and a moonlight evening.

Department of Tourism Reg’l Dir. San Juan (left) watches on as PHILTOA President Perry Alegre (middle) are greeted by City Tourism Council Chairperson Evelyn Uy during their visit.

Meals are offered on board, either breakfast, lunch or dinner at one’s pleasure plus entertainment, either plain music for relaxation or sing-along while on cruise. Interested parties may contact the Top Plaza Hotel at Tel. No. (065)212-5777 or 5888.  (Dipolog Chronicle, Vol.V No.52)

People go caving or spelunking, the sport of cave exploring, because it can mean different things to different people. For some, it can be escapism from the daily grind, no wonder that most of the professionals are involved in this kind of sport.

To others, they consider caving as a fun away of getting exercised and become physically fit because it is sometimes regarded as mountain climbing underground.

Here in the vast province of Zamboanga del Norte, we have quite a lot of caves situated in the different municipalities but sad to imagine that only few of them are recognized and explored by our local cavers. Another reason is that, unfortunately, sad to say that we do not have much cave explorers in the province to call upon this need.

“Even some of the locals residing within the vicinity  do not have the guts and courage to explore their caves. Some of the residents have their strong belief in myths while others have the fear of the unknown”, said Basil Gonzales, a mountaineer and member of the Dipolog Outdoors Society.

For this reason, cavers like Basil desire for a more progressive and developmental approach towards the important significance of our caves and that that locals should be well educated and informed about the caves so that they may fully enjoy the thrill of caving.

The development of the caves in Zamboanga del Norte may persuade more cavers to organize more caving trips and expedition.

Caves are often hollow and are also understood as the natural passage into the earth especially those with opening to the surface. The exploration and exhibitions conducted into these natural passageways is what we called ‘caving’.

It may not be the first time a cave has been entered but it might also be the exploration on a more personal level by someone who has not been in that particular cave before.

Caving usually involves being part of a group of cavers who often get as much fun out of being together as a group while in the cave. This also means helping each other during the entire duration of the sport and helping each other through every obstacle they encounter. It is a simple pleasure in life to share your wonder with your companions of your amazement of these passages which brings out a good adventure experience that causes the development of camaraderie between cavers while being underground.

Last month, the members of the Dipolog Outdoors Society Incorporated (DOS) organized a caving trip in the Libuton Cave in the Municipality of Manukan. To them, caving is very dangerous especially to those people who are new in this kind of adventure and must need plenty of experience, endurance and the desire for adventure.

Read more

Later in the day, at about 9 o’clock in the evening, several hundred Dipolognons gather in the vicinity of Mennen’s Gift Mart and almost occupying the entire street of Rizal Avenue for the 2^nd San Miguel Beer Street Party. This gathering is part of the annual Fiesta celebration of the Holy Rosary Cathedral of the Parish of Dipolog.

The party started with some colorful fireworks, which this writer later realized that it was kind of a preliminary stimulant to uplift the vivacity of the people. The organizers were successful in doing this as the crowd slowly moved in closer to congregate around the stage and at the same time enjoying the music as well as the good beer

Activities like these bring out the best of Dipolognons in their effort to show how much they truly enjoy social gatherings. It is difficult, if not impossible, to truly define how Dipolognons party. All that can be done is to pick out some common occasions and probably describe their native behaviors in the process.

Dipolognons has very close family ties. That is why they have great respect towards each member of the family and they never neglect to invite every single relative in their family gatherings. Since nobody is left behind every occasion like birthdays, weddings, picnics and most of all the town fiesta is expected to be a large and important affair. It will also be obvious that you can expect the food to be sufficient, if not delicious, to please visitors who come and dine into their homes.

Read more

The Dipolog Chamber of Commerce & Industry welcomes the entry of new transport players in Zamboanga del Norte as Cebu Pacific and Negros Navigation announced the opening of their air and sea links, respectively, in the province.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) will open three times weekly flights to Dipolog City starting July 13 using their newly acquired Airbus 319, it was learned. The Manila-Dipolog service departs Manila every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 11:45 am arriving in Dipolog at 1:00 pm and leaves Dipolog at 1:30 pm to arrive back in Manila at 2:45 pm.

Negros Navigation, on the other hand, is putting up trips from Dipolog to Manila, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Palawan and various other ports in Visayas and Mindanao. “Dipolog Chamber is especially proud that Cebu Pacific has finally honored our invitation for the airline to fly to Dipolog and complement our initiatives of bringing development in this part of the country,” said Chairman Edwin Capili and President Edgar Bagarinao in a letter to Cebu Pacific President and CEO Lance Gokongwei.

Read more