Travel Destination: Greenhill Village, President Roxas, North Cotabato

The road to Greenhill Village

My second degree Aunt invited us to her house blessing at Greenhill Village geographically located at the meek town of President Roxas in the Province of North Cotabato. I always heard about the place from my brother-in-law who frequently visited the village for some reasons. I heed to the invitation of my aunt to celebrate with her family on her house blessing because I was so curious to set my feet in there since I heard a lot about her small village. I love travelling from urban to suburban, from unindustrialized municipalities to highly sophisticated cities, from one country to another, from critical area to a peaceful community, from a traffic congested town to a lonesome place. Bottom line here, simply I just love to travel because in travelling I discover myself too as I discover how beautiful this world is.

And travelling to Greenhill Village was not a disappointment. I got to enjoy the green scenery of the place. The road was smooth and every one can well traverse from it and you will get to enjoy a roller coaster ride in a positive slope. I say roller coaster because the zigzag snake-like road was build in a mountain. On your right you will see the greenly mountain with rice crops, fruits and many plants and on your left you will see a deep cliff which most likely 100+ meters  above sea-level. Any one false move and you will find yourself dismembered at the bottom of the mountain.  The breeze was cold and the weather was so fine. The picturesque view that captured my heart was when we arrived at the place. It seemed to be I was few meters away from heaven. From the hill, you can actually see the whole province wide of North Cotabato. You don’t need photoshop nor corelle draw to appreciate this picture-perfect panoramic site. The clouds, the blue sky, the mountains, the trees, the houses, the river, the colors of other things  all compliment each other that one will just simply grasps his breath upon seeing the wonderful scene.

A scenic view from Greenhill Village

The place was really cool because it is different from the hustle and bustle of a city life. I truly believe that there are still lots of things you can enjoy for free in this world. If you will live in Greenhill Village, you don’t need to buy a cooler or air condition to keep your self hydrated and cool because the place per se whether you are inside the house or outside you  will still enjoy a cold and gentle breeze which is not coupled with pollutants from factories, vehicles and others. In other words –it has free fresh air. You don’t need to buy fresh flowers from the shop to beautify your house or garden because one can plant any variety of flowers and vegetables.  The climate suits any plants. Standard of living is not so high because products and good are very much affordable. Fruits, vegetables, crops and spices are plenty, you can actually just ask from your neighbor a vegetable that you lack to be added on what you are cooking and you will get it for free. Status of living is neither sophisticated nor luxurious but mind you living in this place will give you a sense of belonging, peace of mind and healthy body that no amount of luxury or sophistication can equal too.

So if you are planning to settle to a well-sounded life, try Greenhill Village. You can have a vacation house as a scapegoat to the complexities of urban living. Or simply just visit the place, to enjoy a nature roller coaster ride and appreciate God’s perfect creation.

Kabacan: How do you call it, Round Ball or Round Tire?

       

The Famous Round Ball

I have been living here in this meek town for thirty years now and i am a witness of its gradual progress and sluggish peace and order development. There are myriad ways    that you can appreciate in this town but consequently there are ways too that manifest the lapses amidst its progress.

One of which is group of tires filed in middle intersection of Rizal Avenue and Bonifacio Street that serves as buffer to motorists whenever there is a bumper to bumper traffic which usually starts at 5pm on weekdays. Unfortunately, there is no traffic lights here that could atleast ease up the congestion everyday that is why the munucipal government came up with the idea of putting tires in the mid- intersection of the highway to serve as hurdles.

Round Ball top view

Is it the solution for this town's growing problems on traffic? Is it for real or an temporary solution just for now and no definite plans for any construction of a real round ball  that will boosts Kabacan as the next -first class municipality in the province of North Cotabato.

With this temporary solution, it does not give a total benefits to people. Why i say so? It is because those tires give dismay than grace. A disguise instead of blessings. A sign of lack instead of luck. 

Let's enumerate the reasons to dissect my conclusions. First, the so called "round ball" does not discipline motorists at all. Still, drivers are cutting lane; speed up engine to hurriedly arrive home or hurriedly arrive the morgue after one false turn; vehicles jumped up at the highway because none of the drivers allow the others to pass freely; the game between the motorists is like a tag of war- the more fast you are, the more you can take your turn and pass the hurdle; there is no police officer or traffic aide to command whose lane should pass first and the lane that should wait.

Round Ball during the black out night..

Second, the tires do not have reflectors so no one can not notice it during the night unless the car's headlights strike them. If you are not from here and unfamiliar with our place, you might accidently bumped the tires and find yourself in the nearby hospital on the next day. With the rotating brown outs we experience everyday, its so difficult to see the tires because none of the mercury lamps can help to lighten the highway. So, its kind of accident-prone area then instead of accident free area. Can anyone donate a reflector paint please?

When its 5:00 pm, this is the Round Ball real scenario

Third, if vehicle hits the tires they might be rolling going to the four different streets namely bonifacio, rizal east, rizal west and usm avenue. These streets are surrounded with different establishments and they might just get surprise seeing large tires rolling to them and hurt the customers and bystanders.

Being here in the highway everyday, i have witnessed too many accidents here right in front of me. A trisikad bumped the tires and turned upside down and the poor passengers were thrown few meters away.  Single motor driver who scrub himself in the aspalt road after hitting the 'roundtires'. Delivery van who makes the tire rolled in different directions after hitting the center at the speed beyond 80kph. The driver admitted that he was completely unaware of the "roundtire" traffic sign of Kabacan. See? So, what is next then?

There were many accidents that had happened in the past both major and minor ones that i can no longer enumerate here because i already have enough to mention. Well, i just hope our local goverment will be awaken soon and should heed this problem so not so many lives will be damage in the near future. A strong government who is concern to its constituents should not only bother how the municipality generates income but rather be bothered too on the welfare of the people who are the primary players in our growing economy.

So how do we call these famous tires? What is the best adjectives to apply that connotes Kabacan's unique attraction? Shall we call it Kabacan ROUNDBALL? Its more fun in Kabacan: see our UNIQUE ROUND TIRES? or what? .... Any suggestion?

A Must-see North Cotabato Celebration

From August 25 to September 1, 2011 a colorful, joyful and extravagant celebration for the province of North Cotabato have been taking place. The 97^th foundation anniversary is spearheaded by Gov. Emmylou "Lala" Talino-Mendoza who is enthusiastic on the expected huge number of Cotabatenos to flock activities of the week-long 97th Foundation Anniversary celebrations. This is the biggest and grandest event ever because it will showcase 38 spectacular events that the audience will surely love. Celebration's venue will be on the Provincial Capitol, Amas, Kidapawan City. Various visitors already come to the provincial capitol to witness the much anticipated activities. Tents, booths and bazaar are already in place to display the province's rich and bountiful crops as well as native products. Each of the 17 municipalities and one city has its own colorful booth to attract visitors and guests and to flaunt their creativity through various nature inspired and vivid decorations. 

A 17 municipalities and 1 city comprises North Cotabato Province

North Cotabato is one of the treasured provinces in Mindanao. The province is bounded on the North by the Province of Lanao del Sur and Bukidnon, on the East by Davao del Sur, on the Southwest by Sultan Kudarat and on the West by Maguindanao province. The province is like gold, when being tested in fire, the quality and luster never ceases amidst peace and order problems. And to show how rich the culture and how triumphant and jubilant the people are in this province, the week long celebration will highlight the "kalivungan" street dancing competition and float parade with delegates coming from the different municipalities and a city. The champion for the said street dancing will have a grandiose prize of P150, 000. 00 and will represent the province in "Sinulog" festival to be held in Cebu City on January 2012. 

Other activities that will surely capture the crowd's attention: Mutya ng Cotabato August 26 -parade of candid exotic young beauties vying for the crown of the most beautiful lady in the province; Lumba sa Pulangi on August 31 -It's a river boat competition at Pulangi river. Himig, Sayaw and Musikahan on August 31 -this is a Dance and Musical contest that portrays Filipino music and cultures. Kumbira sa Kapitolyo, September 1 - everyone is invited to eat and dine at the Capitol. 

According to the organizers, outdoor and indoor activities are Inter-LGU and SK Sports Olympics (August 25-27); Extreme team trail run (August 26); Market-Martket sa Kapitolyo (August 26-Sept. 1); Musical Street Parade (August 26); Mindanao Open Chess Tournament (August 27-31); 1st Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza's Mountain Bike Challenge (August 27-28); Ultimate Frisbee Tournament-August 27-28; 1st Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza's Airsoft Tournament (August 27-28).

1st Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza's Table Tennis Cup (August 27-28); 1st Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza's Open Dart Cup (August 27-28); Gov's Cup 2011 Tennis Tournament (August 27-28); 1st Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza's Open Bowlng Tournament (August 27-30). Paramotor Gliding Show (August 28, 30 and Sep. 1); Inter-Collegiate Cheer Dance Competition (August 28); Batang Cotabato Boxing Championship (August 28-30); Motocross Competition (August 29); Sepa sa Mangis (August 30); and Lumba sa Salbabida (August 30). 

Agro-Fair Booth

The joyous festivity is called "Kalivungan" a Manuvu term for "festive gathering". North Cotabato is an epitome of diverse cultures and dialect and Manuvu are the first settlers in this area. And through using indigenous term in reference to the celebration means it has great respect to our indigents and regards them as really part of the whole community.

sources:www.cotabatoprov.gov.ph

KABACAN... a brief introduction

August 18, 2011 marked the 64th Anniversary of my hometown Kabacan. A small, never been heard town in Mindanao, Philippines. The ever bombing and booming town that stood-still after few terrorist attacks and bomb explosion. Many say that its hard to live here because of the peace and order situation. Others regarded my town as one of the most critical places in the Philippines. But guess what? this town is a peace-loving town that embraces peace negotiations and advocacy. Those who once lived here and left will always return because the spirit of Kabacan will always live. We, who live in this critical town are considered fighters and proactive. Proactive because we make change in anticipation of future results. We will fill the town with youthful tunes. We will cultivate the land with bare and passionate hands. We will work towards progress with simplicity, intelligence and unity.

Kabacan is a one of the rice granaries of Mindanao. It has diverse cultures and traditions. Its very interesting town because of its complexities and intricacies makes this town intriguing. It has already universities, college schools, supermarket, wet markets, radio station, internet cafe, resorts, grocery stores, tourist spot cave and a lot more. As the earth revolves, as so goes this town. It becomes progressive amidst war and skirmishes. Every hurdle this town encounters, it raises up one step higher. It accepts difficulties as challenges and as an opportunity to step one notch higher compared to the neighboring towns. This attitude makes us speed up to success super highway.

Since August 1, 2011, this town implements the cellophane-less shopping. Plastic cellophane is prohibited to be used in buying goods. We can not use straw for softdrinks or soda. We are not allowed to use Styrofoam for food. Even small retail stores are following this rule. People here can easily follow rules specially if its about caring our environment. We used old newspaper and ready made paper bags for securing bought items.

If you want to enjoy the meekness of beauty of this town, try and visit us to have a personal experience. We can not offer a superb accommodation and hospitality but instead we can give you a place next to your home.