On December 2009, while Ruby and I was on the road to Cagayan de Oro City with Kenny Nodalo and Jun of then Medco (now MinDA), Jun stopped at Calinan and offered a free ride to two teachers who had been waiting to hitch on passing vehicles — either private or government-owned.

We learned that many of them were actually waiting for any vehicle to offer them a free ride to Marilog district, where they teach in elementary and high schools.

On Monday, the first day of the school year, the teachers were on the road again and waiting for free ride.

The hitchhiking teachers of Marilog District

MARILOG DISTRICT, Davao City (MindaNews/6 June) – Who says backpackers are the only good hitchhikers? Count the teachers assigned in this district who may have mastered the art of hitchhiking after all these years.

Public school teacher Marilyn Camarillo wakes up at 4 a.m. everyday to prepare her packed lunch, which she would bring to school.

Camarillo, who lives in barangay Maa, has to take a jeepney going to Ulas junction as early as 6 a.m. because she needs to catch the 7:30 a.m. flag ceremony at the Sto. Niño Elementary School at Barangay Datu Salumay in this district.

Although it would only take about an hour of jeepney or bus ride to reach her school in Marilog District, the 47-year-old teacher should be at the junction in Ulas before 6 a.m. to hitch a ride to get there. Marilog, located along the Davao-Bukidnon highway, is around 60 kilometers from the junction.

“As much as possible, we would opt for a free ride because we don’t have travel allowance and we are getting our fares from our own pockets,” Camarillo, who teaches grades three and four, told MindaNews.

Sometimes they get a free ride, but sometimes not. [read full story]

This morning, Ruby and I attended the graduation rites of her younger sister at UP Mindanao-Mintal campus.

Since it’s also an opportunity to cover, we took several shots of some vendors on the sidelines for news dispatches.

As the program was about to start, we rushed back to the atrium of UP Mindanao. We were just few meters away.

But we were surprised to hear some faculty of the school told us that we, and even the parents, are not allowed to take pictures since the UP Mindanao has its own official photographer.

I told them that we will just take a photo of our graduate while she’s marching towards their designated area. But the ladies, including the guard, insisted that it is prohibited because they have an official photographer.

Wow, I didn’t know that there is such a policy like that in a state university like University of the Philippines! Continue reading »

DAVAO CITY — Two years after the killing of Rebelyn Pitao, the case seemed to have gathered dust since no witnesses have surfaced and her killers are still at large.

Pitao, daughter of New People’s Army (NPA) leader Leoncio Pitao a.k.a. Commander Parago, was abducted on her way home in Barangay (village) Bago in Davao City. The following day, her partially naked body was found in an irrigation ditch in Barangay San Isidro in Carmen, Davao Del Norte, about 50 kilometers north from this city.

While the government authorities are claiming that the case has not really progressed and the killers remained at large, her father admitted to have already killed three of the dozen suspects, all of them are military personnel according to the rebel leader.

But rights lawyer Carlos Zarate believes that the case of Pitao is not just a plain crime saying that it is more of a political issue given that the victim is a daughter of a revolutionary.

Zarate, along with his colleagues at the Union of Peoples’ Lawyers for Mindanao (UPLM), said that they are raising this issue before the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace panels. Continue reading »

Is this the sign of times?  Sea water level rise is evident here at Sta. Ana wharf in Davao City. Experts blame the ice melt from arctic glaciers as the primary cause of sea water level rise.

Yes, it’s a fiesta! Not just hundreds but thousands of people coming from different walks of life flock everyday at the Peoples Park to watch evening shows. But many are eager to watch the newly installed P23-million interactive fountain from India.

Then a portion of San Pedro St, particularly in front San Pedro Cathedral is closed to traffic to pave way for the trade fair — herbs, organic products, borloloys and variety street foods.

And the kids’  favorite: free carousel ride at Rizal Park. The kids can have choice: wooden horse and elephant. At least, kids can get a ride for free even everyday — courtesy of the city government.

Of course, don’t miss the “ukay-ukay” galore that opens at about 6pm along Bolton  St.

Finally, when you’re  starving already, go back to San Pedro St, in front of the city hall, and pick your choice of street food! Merry Christmas!

A lantern frame maker slices a piece of bamboo to be used in making lantern frames along Quimpo Blvd. in Davao City.

Here are some of the detail shots during our wedding day on 20 November 2010.  My wife,  Ruby, researched and conceptualized our Japanese-inspired decors for the wedding.  Photographs by King Rodriguez and Buck Pago. While the flowers and additional decors by Flowerville.

It’s harvest season now at the flower farms in Baguio District, Davao City. These flowers will be shipped to Manila for the All Souls Day and All Saints Day. One of the farm owners said that Undas is their busiest  season since Filipinos offer flowers to their departed ones. Unlike Christmas and Valentines Day, Filipinos buy other gifts such as chocolates and greeting cards.

Davao City is one of the biggest flowers suppliers in Metro Manila next to Baguio City.

Last Friday, Bureau of Internal Revenue officials disclosed that some of the business establishments at Chinatown in Davao City may not be complying with the country’s tax laws. They also bared that most of the stores in Chinatown are not issuing official receipts to their customers.

If we need cheap hardware tools and some stuffs need at home, we actually find them at the stores in Chinatown here in Davao. The stores there do not actually issue receipts; you can even ask for a discount on selected items. It’s like: Name it, they have it.

Most of the Chinese traders in the area don’t speak English or Tagalog. I wonder how they communicate with their workers. I have some owners  give instruction through hand signals to their workers.

The BIR said that the wholesale dealers declared only an annual income of P1.5 million. It is under-declared, the BIR suspects. I believe too that  the figure is under-declared.  I have seen several wholesale dealers in DCLA and 168 Mall.

There is a store in DCLA that if you’re not a wholesale buyer, sales clerks won’t allow you to enter in some portions of the store.  They will not allow you to pick some items, they want to do it for you.  Weird.

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/07 July) – After being spotted by a TV news crew beating the red light in Manila, Vice President Jejomar Binay’s convoy this time obeyed traffic rules here.

Although escorted by two motor-riding cops and several other policemen, the party negotiated the major streets of this city without “wang-wang” or sirens as well as blinkers.

But the motor-riding cops waved their hands and swerved to give way to the convoy as they approached the congested portion of Diversion Road in Buhangin District before making a left turn at the Quiñones Road leading to JP Laurel Ave. [read on]