The Old Church of Basey in Samar

The town of Basey in Samar is known for its caves and rock formations in the Sohoton National Park. On the same park is the Panhulugan Cave, an ambush site during the Filipino-American War, when the Filipino guerillas were chased by the Americans after the Balangiga massacre. The Guinness Book of World Records recognize the Basey town for creating the longest "banig" or woven mat.

The above St. Michael Archangel Church of Basey adds to the colorful history of the town. Built by the Jesuit priests on the late 17th century, it is one of the most beautifully preserved church in Samar. It was transferred to the care of Augustinians in 1768, then to Franciscans in 1795. It served as meeting room and theater during the Japanese occupation, then a relocation site during the American liberation.

Hinagdanan Cave and Other Bohol Sights

On our last day in Bohol, I woke up early to check for bargains and/or unusual offerings on their wet market. This is perhaps my "off-the-beaten-track" style that separates me from other travellers and tourists, which also allows me to get a glimpse of the local culture. I did the same exercise in Palawan, Davao, Legazpi, Dumaguete, and other areas I visit whenever I have the opportunity. That morning, I went to the Tagbilaran City market, beside Island City Mall, with the Dao bus terminal behind it.

Their wet market is spacious with high ceiling. However, it shows signs of neglect with the fading paint jobs, rusty steel bars, etc. Inside the market its quite dark, and many stalls are vacant, reducing the usual vibe and noise you can expect on a market. Fruits like mangoes are less expensive yet bigger than in Manila, but they are too heavy to bring home.

Gun Show at Megamall

Like the Alfred Nobel's dynamite, the gun was invented to cause body harm. It was never meant to be used to promote peace. However, the Philippine government accepts the fact that they can never guarantee protection to the civilian population, hence they allow people to own licensed firearms. 

So after checking some trade books at the book fair on the 5th floor of SM Megamall, I transferred to the gun show next door, after our good friend JC paid our Php 80 entrance fee per person. It was my second time to see a gun show, and I was surprised on the huge turnout, the number of guns, accessories, and related products.

Car parts troubles that waste gas money

Here's a very helpful article lifted from Phil. Daily Inquirer's Motoring Section's issue yesterday, penned by Tessa Salazar.

So you’ve become a fuel-efficient driver, but is your car a fuel-efficient machine? Remember, one cannot work without the other.

Here’s a look at what could make or break your car’s fuel efficiency, as revealed by acknowledged motoring experts Ferman Lao of Speedlab, Quezon Avenue; Olson Camacho of West Avenue, Quezon City; Deanna Sclar (author of “Auto Repair for Dummies”); and Dan and Judy Ramsey (who wrote “Teach Yourself Visually: Car Care Maintenance”).

Cebu's Taboan Market, "ATM", Etc.

Do you know that Cebu has another "ATM"? No, its not the cash-dispensing automated teller machine. On the contrary, it functions as a cash-accepting machine, in exchange for dispensing purified water in "tingi" or smaller portion to a refillable water bottle. Below is a sample of Cebu's Automated Tubig (Water) machine, or ATM for short.

The ATM machine is popular to Cebu's masses, especially to those who live near or along its streets. It allows the people to buy purified water in Php 5 denomination to quench that thirst. Its one of the unique and modern-day attractions in Cebu, hehe.

E-Pass Tag: Blessing or a Curse?

Last February 2011, Wife bought an E-Pass tag for me, since she knows that I'm quite impatient in dealing with long lines on the toll gates. Despite my reluctance to use the e-pass tag due to horror stories I read from other users, I used it after it was activated by Skyway Corporation.

Its really more convenient to use the e-pass tag, as it was now a breeze to pass the SLEX toll gates. However, when I reviewed my e-pass tag statements for February and March this year, that is when the months of disappointments and helplessness began.

I live in Binan, Laguna using the Carmona/Binan Exit whenever we enter SLEX. Out of 11 supposedly Carmona entry points, I was surprised to see 7 cases of Calamba as my entry point, 5 on February and 2 on March statements. At Php 46 overcharge for every case, I asked the Skyway Corporation to credit back to me the total amount of Php 322 last 04 April 2011 through an email. 

I also told them to fix their e-pass sensor in Carmona, for me and for other motorists as well. The following day, Ms. Ronette Rojas of Skyway Corp. replied that they will credit back any adjustment to my account. I responded with my thanks and a follow up question if they have tested or fixed the e-pass tag sensor in Carmona Exit, but I have not gotten any reply.

The Girls of Auto Salon 2010

This is my post with the least words but the most photos. As what a popular song says, "a picture paints a thousand words", so the photos are more than enough for this post. Regrettably, I was only able to bring a camphone, so some photos do not give much justice to the beauty of the subjects.

Auto Salon 2010 at SMX

We just arrived from the Auto Salon 2010 at SMX Convention Center along Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City. There are many amazing displays of vehicles, as well as merchants offering their various products and services. Below are some photos I was able to capture using just a camera phone, as I forgot to bring a real digicam.

 

Above is the oldest car in the show, a Citroen originally built in 1925, displayed outside the exhibit center. Below is a yellow Ferrari car.

Driver's License Renewal

My driver's license had just expired last Tuesday, my birthdate. So I arranged the renewal of my driving license yesterday at LTO Drivers License Renewal Center (DLRC) in Robinsons Galleria mall, at the park avenue in lower lobby near Ortigas Avenue entrance.

I arrived at about 12:15 pm when this DLRC Galleria branch was on lunch break. I noticed however that the drug testing facility beside it is entertaining clients inside as they have no lunch break. Since I don't feel like taking a leak that time, I decided to have lunch first so that I would have enough urine to discharge (pardon the details) for the drug test when I come back.

Vehicle Registration in LTO

Two days after getting my motor vehicle clearance from Highway Patrol Group, I went to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) Manila East branch in Sampaloc, Manila where they keep the physical records of my second-hand bought vehicle. 

Luckily for me, the LTO's connection on insurance companies are offline nationwide. So there are very few cars for registration when I arrived, only those who were able to secure TPL insurance beforehand like myself, hehe.

In contrast with my bad experience at Highway Patrol Group when I secured my vehicle's clearance, the Manila East LTO personnel performed much better than my expectation. The Window 1 personnel checked and arranged my documents, then assigned somebody to stencil my vehicle's engine and chassis numbers. The LTO stencil guy did not asked nor hinted about money for snack or cigarette, which is common with other LTO branches.

Motor Vehicle Clearance from HPG

I personally arranged my ride's registration and transfer of ownership last week. The LTO fixer who handled my previous car's registration and ownership transfer, now has "processing fee" of Php 2,500 without need of bringing the car to HPG for clearance and to LTO for registration. To avoid such under-the-table processing fee, and to support Pres. Noynoy's call to eradicate graft and corruption practices in Philippine government, I decided to handle such tasks even if it entails  more effort and using my vacation leave balance at the office.

Since Highway Patrol Group's (HPG) Muntinlupa office is the nearest to my place, I decided to bring my car there to get the PNP Motor Vehicle Clearance. It is one of the requirements on registering second-hand vehicles before the Land Transportation Office (LTO) revise the owner's details on the car's registration. They are supposed to verify if the car is not stolen or carnapped, before it can be registered to the new owner. HPG is formerly known as Traffic Management Group (TMG).