Ang Dabawenyo

In last Monday’s issue of Edge Davao, my fellow columnist, Mr. Aurelio Peña of Trading Post, wrote about the planned bridge that will span the gulf from mainland Davao to the island of Samal. We haven’t even finished rebuilding Bankerohan Bridge yet… but I digress.

Mr. Peña’s article was entitled “Arab money to build Davao-Samal bridge“. I am not entirely familiar with his style or tone, but he seemed to be extolling the virtues of this investment broker, M. Faisal Kasim, who is reportedly bent on getting the bridge project jump-started. He was described as being an impatient man.

Mr. Peña proceeded to enthusiastically relate what he probably perceives will take place once the P65-billion bridge is completed, made possible by funding coming from Arab countries with ridiculous excesses of dinero, brought on by the “spiraling cost of oil.” Huh? Come again? Allow me to quote that passage:

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Great news for us down South!

Cebu Pacific, the leading domestic airline in the Philippines, has inaugurated its operations hub in Davao City last 8 May 2008, to further serve the island of Mindanao. Hopefully this will mean more air routes to the “missionary” destinations on the island. This is the carrier’s third hub, after Cebu and Manila.

The new hub now services 4 domestic destinations from Davao: Manila, Cebu, Iloilo and Zamboanga; as well as 2 international destinations: Hong Kong and Singapore. Cebu Pacific is currently the only Filipino airline offering flights from Davao to Singapore. The other airline servicing this route is Singapore Airlines’ regional carrier, Silk Air.

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Take a look at the new logo for Davao’s festival of festivals. This year’s members of the promotions committee are all young, energetic and forward-looking Dabawenyos, and that fact is evident in this new image of Kadayawan sa Dabaw.

We thought (I was invited to join the promotions committee) that the Kadayawan festival needed a boost in the arm for a more modern approach — but without abandoning the traditional aspects, naturally.

What do you think?

UPDATE: 14 May 2008

Finally, here’s the approved form and colors of the logo for Kadayawan 2008.

Sad news — Caffe Vivere is closing shop sometime soon. Owner Mawie Bawar texted me yesterday and asked if I knew anyone possibly interested in taking over a restaurant business. Unfortunately, Mawie will be relocating back to Manila already, is why.

So, I thought it might be good to blog about it, to help her find potential buyers. Here are some information I got from Mawie. The establishment is located on Mt. Apo Street, near the rotunda. It is around 70sqm, with a mezzanine. It can accommodate around 30 people.

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Recently I was engaged in an online exchange of ideas regarding atheism. I’d met Benj of Atheista.net at a bloggers’ get-together in Manila last week, and checking his blog last night, I was regaled by a lengthy treatise on intelligence and belief systems.

I respect Benj and I wouldn’t insult his intelligence by engaging him in a battle of wits to try and win him over to “my side”. And I know he respects me as well. We have amicably agreed to disagree. I do agree with him on one point, though: intelligence can be a bane to the intellectual.

We think too much, consider too many angles, and are therefore encumbered by our own intelligence from embracing what’s in fact plain to grasp for the … uh … less intellectually inclined. ••• Read on »

I was at a new café that’s recently opened shop in Davao, Kangaroo Coffee Company. It’s on Tionko, just after Bangko Sentral. I’ve been there twice already: the first time with blogger friends, the night before our flight to Manila last week, and this time with Bob Martin (Mindanao.com, Live in the Philippines, among others). Unfortunately, at neither time was I able to try their food. ••• Read on »

For long enough, I have avoided writing about my experiences with the customer service of Bo’s Coffee Club — the one on F. Torres St. You see, I usually shy away from writing negatively about something that has the potential to change. But when I see it all the time…

Today I was at Bo’s — not by choice, though — to get my caffeine fix via my favorite brew, Americano. Café Americano is a blend of espresso and hot water, which is steamed into the dark coffee. If it’s the other way around — coffee poured into hot water — that is known as Australia’s Long Black Coffee. ••• Read on »

Landed in Davao City a couple of hours ago. I must say, although I love living in Davao, the less-than-a-week stint in the capital felt like it was cut short (although I actually extended my stay a few days). It had been nearly 3 years since I’d been to Manila before this trip, and it felt like I wasn’t able to do enough catching-up.

Still, the six days were productive. I was able to recruit some talented contributors to my current project, PinoyTech.TV, and I was able to touch base with my long-time friends in the industry, like Janette and Richard Eldridge of Infinit-O.

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I live in a compound that sits right beside the Ateneo de Davao High School campus. I’m up early for my flight to Manila — actually, I’ve been up for an hour already. From last night till this early morning, I’d been hearing rambunctious noises over at the campus. Kids. Must’ve spent the night there for a school activity.

If my folks could’ve heard them, they would’ve thrown a fit. My folks, I mean. But I didn’t mind. Hearing them chat and hoot and guffaw and go about their antics made me recollect my own time in high school (which wasn’t all that long ago… or so I try to convince myself).

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I’m flying to Manila tomorrow and will stay there till the 30th. It’s been more than two years that I haven’t been to the capital! The last time was in 2005 when I lived there for half the year to take care of a couple of business projects. How time flies!

I look forward to reconnecting with old friends in Makati, and to meet new ones during the iBlog4 Conference on the 26th. That’s going to be at the UP Diliman campus. Meaning, I’m going to see my alma mater on the way — it’s been ages since I last saw the Ateneo de Manila. I wonder if I’ll still recognize it…

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