Ang Dabawenyo

I was invited to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to be a resource speaker at the Asian Bloggers & Social Media Conference, which was held from 28 to 29 July 2010. The flight itinerary that the event organizers arranged had me traveling on my birthday! But that was OK — I gladly sacrificed my birthday celebration for [...]

From 20 January to 20 February 2010, I traveled coast to coast across the continental United States. I was able to see 8 states: Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and California; plus, the District of Columbia. The main purpose of my being in the States was to participate in a special [...]

I’m flying to Washington, D.C. in a couple of hours, to attend a conference where U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver a talk on global freedom of speech vis-à-vis the Internet, and where I’m to participate in a panel discussion on the same topic. It’s a great honor, and I’m looking forward to [...]

I was given a wonderful opportunity to go abroad last weekend and present to delegates from over 20 countries my experience in building the Mindanao Bloggers Community. Organized by the dotAsia Organisation, the event was BlogFest.Asia, the region’s very first pan-Asian conference for bloggers, held in Hong Kong from 6 to 8 November 2009. My [...]

It’s my goal this year to travel to as many places as I can in Mindanao. That’s why I did not resist the desire to see Basilan once I set foot on Zamboanga City last weekend. Going back to Davao, I left Zamboanga with a heavy heart, because my trip was way too short and [...]

Arrived in Zamboanga City this morning. It’s my first time here, so I’m really excited about seeing the city. Fortunately, on the plane with me was fellow Mindanao blogger, Yolynne Medina, who has offered to take me around later in the afternoon. Also on the plane was the owner of the hotel where I was [...]

Finally, I was able to go to Mati last Sunday (27 September). It was to attend a birthday party of someone I’d gotten acquainted with recently — two months ago I’d gotten to know a group of guys from Mati who’re living in Davao. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go sightseeing. I had planned on [...]

When I was in the big city last week for WordCamp Philippines 2009, my organizing team and I stayed at a delightful little hotel in Makati, Jupiter Suites. Honestly, I had never heard of it before (even though my mother’s family hails from Bel-Air Village in Makati), but I’m certainly glad I know about them [...]

The people of Sarangani Province are gearing up for their annual summer festival, which will take place in the last week of May 2009. Everyone is welcome! In fact, a group of bloggers from Davao, General Santos and Metro Manila are going to join this year’s celebration of the Sarangani Bay Festival 2009. Below are [...]

I’ve found paradise! Nestled atop a precipice overlooking Sarangani Bay in Maasim, Sarangani Province, is an alluring place called Lemlunay, which, in the B’laan and T’Boli tongues, roughly means “the good place one goes to in the afterlife”. The Lemlunay Dive Resort is a countryside getaway that will take your breath away, with its rustic [...]