Jobless lawyers

Yesterday I met sposues Cathy and Bong, both lawyers.
It's been a while since I last saw the two.
I asked him about his government job. To my knoweldge he was an assistant secretary of a top governemnt agency.
I left, he said. I have been jobless since October, he added.
Bong volunteered: And so is my wife, she's gonna be jobless too.
I asked, "Why is that?"
Her boss, the Secretary of Naitonal Defense, Nonong Cruz just tendered his irrevocable resignation that day.
Cathy is also an assistant secretary of the DND.
Like her boss, she will stay on until the end of November.
Both are connected with "The Firm". I recall they were associates of the law firm after graduation.
When "The Firm's" political clout expanded when Gloria Arroyo ascended to power, many of the firm's lawyers invaded government.
Even during the early days of the Arroyo presidency, I was in the Executive House where the Executive Secretary held office. I saw familiar faces, lawyers of "The Firm" literally walking the corridors of power.
My law school classmate John was assistant to one of "The Firm's" partners who was appointed to a top government post.
When his boss resigned, John also left.
Indeed in politics, nothing's permanent.

Alternative to Lex Libris?

Apparently there is an alternative, or better yet, a competitor to Lex Libris of CD Asia.

CD Asia Inc. is the reigning supplier of a comprehensive collection of Phlippine laws in compact discs.

Via subscription, CD Asia supplies Philippine case law (jurisprudence), statutes, ande other important legal documents.

These CD Asia items do not come cheap, a complkete subscrption could cost between P60,000 to P100,000, depending on the types of discs subscribed.

Its quite expensive.

Now here comes "e-library" in what appears to give CD Asia a run for its money.

During a legal seminar I was attending, brochures were distributed.

Essentially it provides a complete supply of Philippine case law, and statutes for a shocking price of only P3,000 each disc. If you buy the two, meaning jurisprudence and statutes, one can get a discount of P1,500, so the cost would only be P4,500.

The only problem with the distributors was that they were not ready for a demonstration.

With these kind of products, a demonstration is indispensable so customers will know its features and capabilities.

They promised to give a demo.

If this comes via subscription also, then it is a much cheaper alternative to Lex Libris.

Harvesting Lanzones

The last quarter of every year is usually the seaon for Lanzones.

I visited my in-laws in Valencia where I was shown fully grown Lanzones bearing fruits for the first time.

It was also my first time to see how Lanzones grows and bear fruits.

In our excitement, we joined in harvesting Lanzones right in their backyard.

I didn't realize that just one Lanzones tree can bear so many fruits.

Lanzones trees don't grow tall, perhaps just about fifteen feet high.

The fruits are in groups. To harvest them would entail the use of a branch cutter and a ladder.

It was quite an experience harvesting fresh Lanzones right from the trees and eating them right away.

Lanzones thrive in the town of Valencia, Negros Oriental.

It would not be long when Valencia will be known as the land of Lanzones, to rival Camiguin.

Almost every home in Valencia, has Lanzones in their backyards.

Quite surprisingly this year though, only about ten percent of all Lanzones in the town bore fruits.

Residents attirbute this to change in climate conditions.

Fortunately for my in-laws, their Lanzones bore fruit for the first time.

Lanzones are being exported to nearby cities, and in the near future, it will be exported to bigger cities like Cebu and Manila. There are just too many Lanzaones trees grown in Valencia.

I learned that there are a number of varieties of Lanzones.

There is the Duko variety which tastes sweet. Noticeably, the edible part of the fruit sticks together when peeled.

There are other varieties like the seedless ones.

Hectares and hectares of land are being planted with Lanzones in Valencia.

It was part of a campaign by the local government upon realizing that the soil there is good for growing Lanzones, Rambutan and even Durian.

Best halo halo in town

If you ask me or any member of my family---specially my kid Josh---which makes the best halo halo, the answer would be Razon's halo-halo of Guagua.
Guagua is one of towns of Pampanga province, th home province of the current president. Guagua made headlines over a decade ago when Mount Pinatubo erupted. Guagua was one of the towns severely affected by Mount Pinatubo's wrath.
Razon's halo-halo is homemade type of halo halo, with delicious ingredients. The only ingredients I can identify is the banana. It is capped with leche flan, a sugar-milk-egg combination that is sprawled at the mouth of the elongated container atop the heap of crushed ice.

Nothing beats the Razon's halo-halo.

While it originated in Pampanga, the name and procduct spread down south to Metro Manila.

Now, Razon's halo-halo has several branches in Metro Manila, the latest of which is the One at Greenbelt One.

Everyone we have invited to taste Razon's halo-halo always had a good review, even those who are not fond of iced refreshments.

The branch we occassionally visit is the Razon's at Market Market at The Fort. Gthere is also one along Jupiter Street Makati City.

An order of halo-halo costs P60. But you may just get another one.

Balicasag Island

Balicasag Island is diver's paradise.
Balicasag is one of the islands of Bohol province, which is an (bigger) island province itself in Central Visays, Philippines.
To go to Balicasag one emanates from the now famous Panglao island, which is noted for its pristine white beaches.
We visited Balicasag for the first time during the brief All Saints' Day holidays.
In going to Balicasag, one travels by plane from Manila to Tagbilaran City, the capital city of Bohol province.
The flight to Tagbilaran is only an hour.
Or one can travel to Tagbalaran City by fast craft from Cebu. Travel time is only about an hour and a half.
Plane fare would amount between P2,000 (US$40) to P4,000 (US$80), depending on when the ticket is purchased.
Fast craft fare is P800 (US$15) return.
Upon arriving at the Tagbilaran airport, there are many modes of land transport in going to Panglao island.
One can take the taxi, the rent-a-van for group tours, or by tricycle.
The latter is the cheapest, costing only P250 (US$5). The taxi could be twice this rate, or more.
From the airport, just tell the driver to take you to Alona beach, where the Lost Horizon Resort is. This is the jump-off point for a boat trip to Balicasag.
The road trip from the airport to Panglao island, alona beach should be around thirty minutes.
Upon arriving at Alona beach, you can already see a parade of motorized boats which you can lease for the trip to Balicasag island.
The boat ride would take forty minutes from Panglao to Balicasag.
The motor boats can be rented for P1,600 (US$32) return.
These motor boats can accomodate about ten passegners per trip so the fare can be divided among the passengers.
Balicasag island is a small piece of corral mass. The entire island can be hiked around in thirty minutes.
The island is small. It does not have its own source of water, eletricity.
But fortunately there is a government-run resort that takes care of lviing amenities while in the island.
The only resort in Balicasag is run by the Philippine Tourism Authority an agency attached with the Department of Tourism.
The PTA runs the resort until private investors bring their resources and take over the tourism affairs there.
The resort offers twenty affordable cottages. At peak time, one has to shcedule ahead in order to secure a room.
The rates are cheap, at P1,800 (US$34) for an overnight's stay. It's not the classy type, but it more than delivers the needs while enjoying the natural resources of the island.
The food is fresh, and affordable.
There is of course a restaurant which allows you to have your dinner even at the beach side, like we did.
There is abundant fresh water in the island brought in by boat from Panglao island, so its not a problem.
Electricity is 24/7 as there is a generator.
Needless, to say, since these resources are not organic in the island, common sense dictates that one should conserve.
The resort has complete amenities for scuba diving and snorkeling.
Sea water in the island is crystal clear. You can swim 24 hours a day.
In the evening, lights are beamed on to the sea, so everything is visible.
There is also a salt-water infinity pool for those who prefer to dip themselves under the shade.
But the highlight of your Balicasag experience would be diving.
Countless varieties of multi-colored fish are within your reach, you can even feed them with ordinary bread using your bare hands. It is a one-of-a-kind experience. There is a fish-sanctuary in the island. This is an area where fishing is absolutely banned.
The sea is perfect for snorkeling because the water is shallow, and corrals are everywhere.
But just less than a hundred meters from the shoreline, the water suddenly runs deep like a ravine.
This is the area perfect for scuba diving.
If you haven't experienced scuba diving, not to worry, as there are basic lessons for this sport in the resort.
Early in the morning, the water surrounding Balicasag island is swarmed with motor boats.
Dolphin watching is also an attraction for bohol, so many of these boat come from dolphin watching in the waters off Pamilcana island, another land mass like Balicasag.
Many of these visitors come from Panglao and other neighboring islands, and they just want to get to taste that Balicasag diving experience.
The locals in Balicasag are related to each other by consanguinity. There are only around under seven undred families who come from the island.
They have reaped the benefits of limited commercialization, as they are the ones hired as waiters, chefs, hotel personnel.
They have abandoned their source of livelihood which is fishing.
The women now weave sourvenir items which they sell to visitors in the island or export to Panglao island.
Accoridng to the locals, the island's name, Balicasag comes from the word "Balik" (to come back) and "Kasag" (a crab).



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