Philippine Travel Notes

Done with the garden and the cages, Osman led us to a what looked like a concrete bodega. When he opened the metal door, voila, it revealed the “art” side in this sanctuary! Specifically, this is a showcase of the artist in Julian N. Jumalon! Fronting the door were some literature, awards, trophies that the late professor has earned. There are some sculptures too and it was explained to us that Julian Jumalon was also into this kind of art. But the showcase of the gallery that is the entire wall of this circular concrete hut are those framed artworks of the late Julian Jumalon. Thats two rows or levels all over the circular wall. Wow. Sadly, there is big signage that taking pictures is absolutely not allowed, so I heeded. When we rounded the paintings, Osman would tell us the circumstances about each work. Our eyes widened to the max when in front of what looked like duplicate paintings it was explained to us that one was in watercolor while the other was a mosaic made of butterfly win...

Aside from the open-air and free-to-all-butterflies garden, the Jumalon Sanctuary does have cages after all. And lucky I got to step or reach into all of them! Thanks to Osman. He told us that they would not normally allow tour groups to enter those cages for the ‘safety and security’ of the different butterfly stages that are always in progress somewhere in the garden. Fact is, 10 people in the cage, I would consider already too many. What more if there were busloads of youngsters hehe! So I was indeed lucky I planned to see the sanctuary at its most unvisited day and time. Osman led us to enter a cage in the middle of the garden and started showing and naming the many colorful butterflies in there. We asked why the cage while outside there were also butterflies. He said that some of these butterflies were being reared in a controlled area (the cage) to maximize breeding as they are either rare or can’t breed easily. In fact he says, they even have to remove and transfer some of the c...

Done with the “info-overload” on butterfly things inside the house, Osman led us out into the garden (to the right, emerging from the house) for us to see and learn more about butterflies – this time live and fluttering! Wohoa! Mind you, it took us exactly an hour and 7 minutes inside the house. And he did not even open every single framed group of insects for us because there were just too many. By the way, flash photography inside the house is not allowed as they say harsh light from flashbulbs could decolorize preserved butterflies. But out in the open, you are encouraged to do what your camera can ever do! Ah yes, we can say that this is the sanctuary portion of the “Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary, Museum and Art Gallery”. I am very thankful that there were only three of us being toured by Osman. We were free to ask all the questions we had in our minds, he could easily show and tell or demonstrate to us many things butterfly with all the explanations and expounding that he thought we...

This is the most educational butterfly collection or display I have so far seen in this country, though it does not have hundreds or thousands of colorful fluttering insects nor a grand big big screened cage. Fact is Jumalon Butterfly Sanctuary is an open-air garden, has fewer live butterflies that what you would see at Baguio, Palawan, Marikina, Subic, New Washington or Davao. But the history, variety and number of specimens they keep tops all of those, combined! Plus, there is an awe-inspiring collection of artworks made from butterfly wings. Yes, colorful butterfly wings painstakingly laid down on a canvass, one at a time, to become mosaics! Here’s my story… Reaching the gate, there seemed to be no guests inside and I smiled at the opportunity. I pressed the doorbell button on the right (there are two), it’s blue light flickered though I did not hear anything. I pressed the “older” button on the left and it let off a loud ringing school-bell sound that even surprised me to near pani...

That’s pronounced “who-ma-lon” the “ma” as in mama and the “lon” as in gallon. Some months ago, I’ve been meaning to see what this sanctuary looks like and what things I might find there. But the idea fell into the ‘memory-lapse bin’ of my lowly brain. Then yesterday, I saw a local morning TV featuring it, so, what else, I went there. And am happy I did! Going there Its tricky but just the same I found it! First I checked on the web and found that their number is +63 32 261-6884, called the number and the man who answered told me they are located at 20-D Macopa St., Basak-Pardo, Cebu City, just behind Basak Elementary School. Checked on wikimapia and I knew where I was going. From Colon, I took a front seat ride on a multicab going Bulacao along Cebu’s south road. That way, I wouldn’t have missed the place – the school I mean. Also told the driver to drop me off at Basak Elementary School. Where? As the seven-peso ride went, judging from what I earlier saw on wikimapia, I should have b...

Alright alright, its high festival time down south again and I haven't even blogged about my experience last year! Anyway, got info from a friend and here goes... The 2010 Tuna Festival Month of September put together by the Tuna Festival Council headed by Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio and the GenSan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GSCCCII) started on a high note last week. Guided by the theme "Go Global GenSan: We Are Ready for the World", the jampacked month-long GTx (GenSan Tunafest experience) kicked off on September 2-4, 2010 with the conduct of the 12th National Tuna Congress which broke records in terms of the number of attendees and exhibitors at its Tuna Congress Exhibit held at Family Country Convention Center. On September 3, 2010, former Senator Mar Roxas came in behalf of Keynote Speaker President Noynoy Aquino to inspire the participants consisting of local and international tuna and fishing industry leaders and stakeholders. The annual Kara...

Alright, once and for all, I will say my piece. Hate it or like it, take it or leave it! To those of you asking me about details of the incident: What you saw on TV is what I also did see. There’s no need to tell anything more. I don’t know much as I am busier (and I prefer to be) roaming the beautiful islands. I don’t give any more effort to find out about things I don’t like. I think that’s human nature, right? To those asking about the “thorough investigation” and/or the “good outcome”: They’re still at it (investigating). I saw it on local news noontime, am sure there will be more tonight and I read a lot of tweets from the local newscasters and local news bureaus. You can follow those that I follow on twitter and chances are you’ll get a per minute snippet about it. I wonder, what is a “good outcome” anyway? Isn’t it a preconceived notion in your brains awaiting to be matched if head-on smack or juxtaposed with what the investigators will ultimately say? I think that’s dangerous h...

Silmugi Festival of Borbon came next. Ah first time I’ve seen them. I think they didn’t join last year. Oh the audio-van was also a float depicting a foresty place. Nice. Nice dancing especially that snake formation thing. Unfortunately the group’s routine was more of a walk when they passed where I was so I didn’t see other movements. Ah yes that dude at the very last of the dancers… he looked like he was ready to hop in an ambulance… I hope he went fine. Now I think I have to correct myself on an earlier comment... This group paraded the tiniest image of patron saint, I think hehe! And I am still thinking if there are green crabs in the Silmugi River. Are there? The town of Alegria came next with their Kawayan Festival. Haha, their big truck looked like a cross between an army camouflage tank and a giant bacteria hehe. Am not sure I got the message on that one since their festival is about bamboos. Hey, I really thought those chunks of bamboo the kids carried on their “backpacks” wer...