Training in Baguio City

I recently attended a week-long training in Baguio City. That was the time when it incessantly rained in Manila, flooding at least 80% of the metro. Up north, it was freaking cold! Thank God for scarves and leg warmers, it somehow kept me warm. And of course, boots! I wore them everyday, European peg, hehehe.

Ms. Jenny and Sir Noel

Five of us from the office were sent for the training:

Girl Power: with Anne, Iriz and Avi

With Alex

The training was sponsored by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). Ms. Ethel Caasi, from PCW, was the lecturer on Gender Sensitivity.

Ms. Ethel Caasi

While Mr. Jeff Ordonez, the Executive Director of the Mindanao Microfinance Council, was the speaker on Social Performance Management and Client Protection.

Mr. Jeff Ordonez

Other participants were representatives from our partner institutions, hailing from different parts of Luzon.

The first 2 days discussed Gender and Development (GAD). For this topic, 4 premises were clarified: 

1) GAD is not a war of the sexes;

2) GAD is not anti-male;

3) Both women and men are victims of gender inequality, although the victims are more often women than men; and

4) Both women and men have a stake in the struggle for gender equality.

Several workshops were conducted, and everyone was given an opportunity to speak and contribute to the discussions.

Expectation setting.

Comparing the attributes of men and women.

This GAD and SPM training was the last leg of the series of trainings conducted by our company, in partnership with PCW.

The last 3 days were devoted to SPM. SPM is the effective translation of an institution’s mission into practice, in line with accepted social goals. We were made to review our Mission Statement and answered the following questions: 1) Who do you want to reach?, 2) How will you meet your clients’ needs?, and 3) What are the desired outcomes?

Everyone was participative, even during ice breakers =)

Morning exercise =)

Just because we were away from the office, it was not entirely a vacation for us. We did a lot of work…. hard work =)

Brainstorming for the presentation.

Discussing and evaluating the  Mission Statement.

Creating work plans.

 

One thing’s for sure, we never got hungry, hahaha. We ate 5x a day (breakfast, am snacks, lunch, pm snacks and dinner)! Lunch and dinner were buffet. We all gained weight after the training, I guess.

We had the freshest vegetables everyday.

Villa Cordillera deliciously prepared our meals.

 And since the training was conducted within the hotel where we stayed, this terrace was the most photographed for the entire week:

Alma and Ms. Ethel:  separated at birth?! =)

The Giggle Girls: Avi and Anne

Forest vixens =)

Thank you PCFC, for the opportunity. Cheerios!

The participants.

 

 

 

Tacloban City

I exhausted so much time writing about my Tacloban trip. This is going to be the last post about it, promise, hahaha. I did enjoy touring the city, so much, that I want to share the sights and places. It’s no biggie, I must say, but my mantra have been: huwag maging dayuhan sa sariling bayan.

People's Center

 

I dropped by People’s Center along Real St., which is just beside the Santo Nino Shrine. It is a 2-storey building, the 2^nd floor of which is a public library. I never got inside the library as it was closed. It was a Saturday, and the library is open to the public only during weekdays.

I don’t know if this is a permanent thing or just for the fiesta, but the ground floor has been turned into a bazaar.

Inside, other than the bazaar, you can find a huge stage, draped in heavy curtain. 

The library at the second floor:

I went to visit 2 churches, the Redemptorist Church and the Sto. Nino Church:

Redemptorist Church, along Real St.

Sto. Nino Church, also in Real St.

I walked along the Boulevard, where festivities were going on. I passed by the Legislative Building and City Hall:

 

 

The City Hall is sitting on top of Kanhuraw Hill. Within its compound, a lot of monuments were established. I found this one, but there were no inscriptions to describe its significance:

At the foot of the hill, the monument of Madonna Maria Kannon can be found. It is a symbol of friendship between Japan and Philippines after the World War II.

It stands on a rock, set in a well-manicured garden.

Madonna of Japan is also known as the Goddess of Peace.

On the other side of the hill, there stood the statue of the Crucified Christ: 

During this 4-day vacation, I stayed in the only hotel that was available that time. We went from one hotel to another, but they were fully booked. I sooo wanted to stay at Hotel Alejandro, and I was just perpetually waitlisted.

Hotel Alejandro in Paterno St.

 

I ended up staying here:

GV Hotel, Juan Luna St.

 

For only 800p/night, I was not impressed. There was only one socket. So I cannot watch TV while charging my phone, and vice versa. How inconvenient!

There were cockroaches! A lot! Wall, bed, floor, ceiling…they were everywhere! They even feasted on my grapes!

 

So not recommended. GV Hotel is EPIC FAIL.

Santo Nino Shrine (Romualdez Museum)

My trip to the Romualdez Museum in Tacloban was the highlight of my vacation. It literally took my breath away! I was smitten. It was the best museum in the country I’ve been to, so far.

The facade of the Shrine/Museum.

It is a two-storey structure, nestled in the heart of the city, with a total of one hectare in land area, and with an Olympic-sized swimming pool at the back.

What used to be the garden.

The pool is no longer being used, the water not changed, hence the color, and the growth of water plants.

An entrance fee of 200p/3 persons, with at least 6 persons in a group, for a 30-minute tour. Guests are required to take off their shoes and wear the slippers provided at the door.

It was dark inside. I couldn’t make out the pews leading to the altar. Only the lights surrounding the Santo Nino were lit. The other corners were lifeless.

 

The walls in this area were made of wood tiles that were plastered in such a way to make it look like a banig.

 

12 guest rooms can be found on the ground floor, each with a theme and a diorama of the life story of Imelda Marcos.

Butterfly Room:

There were several framed butterfly collections inside the room.

Shell Room:

Every item in the room was made of shells or shaped like one.

 

Fern Room:

Some of the dioramas:

Imelda playing with her siblings.

When Imelda was crowned as Ms. Tacloban

During the oathtaking of Marcos as President of the Republic.

Yellow lights were used in the museum, very faint yellow light. Most of my pictures then were not bright and clear. As you walk along, the lights will be turned on, and then switched off after leaving the area. The caretakers are trying to conserve energy due to the museum’s high maintenance cost.
 

In almost all rooms, you can find the portraits of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos:

 The bedroom of President Marcos:

The walls are leather.

A globe wine holder in one corner.

His canopy bed...

.... and the wooden bookshelf with its intricate carvings.

The bedroom of Mrs. Marcos:

Her huge bed.

Two mirrors facing each other, creating an illusion of endless row of chandeliers.

Her work table at the far end of the room.

The bathroom. Gasp. So big!

The room of Bong-Bong Marcos:

The canopy bed and the leather walls.

The young boy's study table

His collection of Philippine peso bills:

The divider that housed his collection.

Old 50 peso bills

The bedrooms of the daughters:

Most curtains were ripped already due to old age.

The receiving area inside the bedroom. Notice that the upholstery are also ripped.

Tall windows!

This adorable cabinet is one of a kind. The carvings are distinct and very intricate. And when we opened it, the lovely smell of wood engulfed us. I forgot what kind of wood was this. This was imported from China.

Sweet-smelling. Totally different from those mothball-smelling cabinets =)

Most decorative items in the house were imported or gifts from foreign dignitaries. I got dizzy remembering the countries of origin of these treasures!

Carvings made from ivory were gifts from Mao Tse Tung. These were highly protected, evidenced by its glass and wired casings.

More items from China:

Hard pillows used by Chinese.

Huge jars. They were everywhere!

This was standing regally in the hallway leading to the receiving area.

Several artists were commissioned to paint the beautiful Imelda. Paintings were all over the house, it was really grand.

The Romualdez family tree.

The beautiful Imelda and her children. A floor to ceiling painting.

Up close.....

The great chandelier in the receiving area.

Made of narra.

It was sooo big, you can almost touch it.

The golden chair from Austria:

The 30-seater dining table:

How monumental! I kept saying "WOW" all through out the tour. I was mesmerized. The place was reeking with power and grandeur. I was brought back to time when Marcos ruled the Republic.

Everything inside the museum was striking, regal and magnificent.

When in Tacloban, never fail to visit the Romualdez Museum. Worth your time and money.

The place is in dire need of restoration  and re-painting though. I hope it will be preserved, as this is truly a national treasure.