Gap In The Clouds

photo from https://www.facebook.com/events/1420191398204734/?active_tab=discussion photo from https://www.facebook.com/events/1420191398204734/?active_tab=discussion Night Run for Ron was one of the first projects of Team Malaya. Team Malaya is a running organization based in Baguio City. They organize and support road and trail running events in the Philippines most especially in the Cordillera region. The event was created to support Ron Albert Dating, an 8-year old child who was suffering from leukemia. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the bone marrow and the blood. Leukemia develops when there is an irregularity in terms of the production of white blood cells or if the white blood cells are produced in such an amount wherein they target and destroy red blood cells. Leukemia is one of the most common kinds of cancer children suffer around the world. There are several symptoms of this disease such as fever, chills, persistent fatigue, weakness, frequent ...

photo from www.asianjournal.com The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands and is divided into three main island groups, namely: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The country is mostly mountainous with coastal lowlands. Based on the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, around 46% of the land mass of the Philippines are considered to be forests and woodlands. However, this percentage has slowly declined over the years due to illegal logging and the transformation of forests and woodlands into commercial and agricultural lands. The country has 2,229,438 square kilometers of territorial waters rich in aquatic life, and 36,289km of coastline. Our country is known to have some of the best beaches in Southeast Asia. A lot of these beaches attract domestic and foreign travelers as well as investors from all over the world.  There are two seasons, the dry season “El Niño” and the wet season “La Niña”. Due to global warming, it’s been warmer and at the same ti...

photo taken by me at Sagada photo taken by me at the Igorot Park The word “Igorot” is a collective term given to the people living in the Cordilleras (Scott, 1965). The Cordillera Region is composed of several provinces; Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mountain Province. I know that some people from these provinces and their indigenous groups do not consider themselves as Igorots but for this specific post, I will use the term Igorot loosely. I have had pleasant and memorable experiences and I’ve also had disappointing and frustrating ones with Igorots and I would like to share two of the most memorable encounters I’ve had. Several years ago, my friends and I decided to walk through Abanao St. While we were walking and chatting along the road, some man tried to steal my phone but he was unsuccessful because I caught him, literally. I took hold of his collar and I tried to memorize his face but he dropped my phone and he quickly ran the other way....

photo taken by me at the Burnham Lake Baguio City is considered to be one of Philippine’s highly urbanized cities; an HUC is a city that has at least 200,000 occupants and has a minimum income that’s equal to 50 million pesos. Based on the 2010 census, Baguio now has a total of 318,676 inhabitants and during the first quarter of 2012 it has a total income of 377 million. I have lived my entire life in this city and I can still say that I feel like I have not yet lived enough and explored enough to fully immerse myself in Baguio’s culture, I have only seen a glimpse of what Baguio was before and what it is now. Let me share with you my my memories and experiences. photo taken by me at Abanao Square during a Pacquiao vs Marquez fight Values and Attitudes The current values and attitudes of people from Baguio City are a mix of different beliefs and mentalities from other locations. For example, we don’t use the terms “ po” and “ opo” when we speak to older people and ...