SARANGANI BAY FESTIVAL 2011 Catch the biggest beach party in the South

SARANGANI BAY FESTIVAL 2011

Catch the biggest beach party in the South

By Russtum G. Pelima

GUMASA, Glan, Sarangani (April 26, 2011) – With the number of guests and visitors tripling in the past three years, from 5,700 in 2007 to 17,500 in 2009, Sarangani Bay Festival is becoming the biggest beach party in Southern Philippines.

Usually held in the last week of May, SarBayFest is one of the two provincial festivals celebrating the province’s chartered anniversary which is on May 19. The other one is the MunaTo Festival and Sarangani Foundation Anniversary in November.

Remarkably last year, the province launched its tourism brand “Sarangani: Your Adventure” tagging the adventure tourism circuit throughout the province’s seven municipalities. Some of these are the white water tubing in Maitum, snorkeling in Kiamba, diving in Maasim, and trekking in Malungon.

Sarangani Bay Festival this year is on May 19 to 21.

“Each year we are improving our celebration [of the festival],” said Vic Camacho, executive committee chair.

Among journalists flooding to Gumasa white sand beaches to cover SarBayFest, the most challenging yet fulfilling event is covering the Swim-across-the-Bay from start to finish, a 15-kilometer swim relay contest from Tinoto Point in Maasim to Tango village in Glan participated in by professional groups of swimmers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The first-ever swim across Sarangani Bay on May 18, 2006, the 1st SarBayFest, was participated by six teams.

Then, Dadiangas Torpedoes team of General Santos City (official time – 04:05:18 hours) won by just two minutes over MJ Powerpines of Maasim (04:07:12 hours). The Maasim Swimming Team clocked in with 4:57:26 for 3rd place.

Then swim manager Guiseppe Chew described the race as “the longest open ocean marathon swimming competition in the country and probably in Asia.” The Swim-across-the-Bay is a brainchild of Chew who now lives abroad.

Related swimming competitions have been staged in Guimaras Strait (approximately 5km.), the body of water separating Guimaras and Panay islands. Also in Samal Strait (5km.), separating Samal Island and mainland Davao, Chew said.

For his part, Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz said what is more important about the celebration is to know the history and oral literature about Sarangani Bay. Ruiz is a known local historian of Glan, Sarangani’s oldest town.

“Sarangani is as old as our very own race, Malay. When Ruy Lopez de Villalobos happened to reach this part of the ocean in their search for provision in 1543, his chroniclers wrote Sarangani to mean ‘This is our territory’ or ‘We stop here’ according to the Indonesian language,” Ruiz said.

Sarangani Province was established in 1992 by then Rep. James L. Chiongbian, spurring the former sleepy third district of South Cotabato to development.

The province was named after Sarangani Bay. The bay was believed to have been named from Saranganing, a famous Sangil voyager who came from the coast of Indonesia and traded with the great Sultanate of Buayan, now General Santos City.

Sarangani Bay hosts rich marine resources including marine wildlife and the tuna capital of the Philippines – General Santos City.

Today, Sarangani has at least 18 resorts accredited by the Department of Tourism. Most of these resorts are the white sand beaches in Gumasa such as White Haven, Rosal, Coco Beach (09195330408), and the new Isla Jardin del Mar (09107073479). These resorts host the beach sports activities of SarBayFest.

Last year, SarBayFest kicked off in Maasim town’s Lemlunay Dive Resort with a reggae party in the evening.

The opening day is usually followed in the next two days with lumba bugsay, skimboarding, beach football, beach frisbee exhibition games, sepak takraw, beach fair, sand sculpture competition, bay bodies bikini open, and summer night beach party, bancarera, fun bike ride, beach volleyball, cheerdancing competition and concert by the bay.

Sarangani is becoming the ultimate destination for the entire Region XII and SocSarGen area in terms of tourism. It has triggered the development of beach resorts across the province particularly in Gumasa, the Boracay-like destination in Mindanao.

“The objective of this festival is to merge our efforts in promoting tourism,” Gov. Migs Dominguez said. “Second, is to use that as a vehicle to increase awareness especially in the mainstream market in terms of looking at the riches and the resources of Sarangani Bay.”

Local government units, non-government organizations and the business sector come together to celebrate and to increase community awareness in environmental conservation during the SarBayFest.

“We are celebrating the beauty and the goodness of the bay,” said Vice Governor Steve Chiongbian Solon. “Every year people will be reminded of how beautiful and how generous the bay has become for us that we should continue to preserve it.”

Last year, SarBayFest preludes with a cetaceans awareness training. Volunteer experts in marine mammals from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducted a weekend marine mammals awareness seminar among local officials, employees and private representatives.

“The sightings of marine wildlife in Sarangani Bay such as pygmy sperm whale, whale shark, seacow, lemon-headed whale, fraiser dolphin and marine turtles signify that the bay has a rich biodiversity,” said Jo Marie Acebes.

Acebes works with the WWF and a doctorate candidate in Murdoch University in Western Australia.

Sarangani’s ECPC has documented sightings of the said marine mammals at the 215,950-hectare Sarangani Bay, a protected seascape through Presidential Decree 756.

“These cetaceans should remain in the wild. We see them all over the world’s wildlife. That includes Sarangani Bay,” Jose Marie Tan, WWF Chief Executive Officer said. Cetacean is the term applied to species of dolphins and whales.

Maitum and Kiamba had both passed municipal ordinances declaring barangays Old Poblacion and Suli as nesting grounds for marine turtles respectively.
In 2006, then Board Member Rommel Tomas Falgui passed a resolution at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan institutionalizing the celebration of the Sarangani Bay Festival each May. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Sarangani reverses educational trend with SBB

Sarangani reverses educational trend with SBB

Russtum G. Pelima, MA Ed

ALABEL, Sarangani (April 26, 2011) – Sarangani Big Brother (SBB) “Reading is Fun” started its 4th season Monday (April 25) among elementary schools in the province.

SBB, a summer reading program, is implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd), Quality Education for Sarangani Today (QUEST), Alcantara Foundation, Sangguniang Kabataan and youth volunteers.

QUEST pre-test and post-test results show a 55 percent increase of the pupils’ reading level from “frustration readers” (36%) to the right reading level (91%) and are ready to enter Grade III last year.

“We are very happy to inform you that every year, we are improving the reading skills of our pupils because of our intervention,” Kawas Elementary School teacher Grace Labustro said. Labustro teaches Grade III in her school.

In Malungon, Alkikan Elementary School teacher Patrick Neil Eresma said among his 30 Grade III pupils who were “frustration readers”, three received honors at the end of the school year after finishing the SBB last year.

Teacher Mary Jane Amar of P. H. Millona Elementary School in Malapatan said even without looking at the post-test results, she can testify on the improvement of the pupils during the school year.

SBB this year has 537 youth volunteers who are the big brothers and big sisters, and 224 province-paid teachers and 107 DepEd teachers.

“We required our provincial school board (PSB) teachers to participate in the program to maximize the learning process of the pupils,” QUEST program manager Annalie Eday said.
The 15-day remedial reading program from April 25 to May 13 was designed to assist the DepEd in improving the reading skills of the incoming Grade II and Grade III learners identified as frustration readers. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

The 6th Sarangani Bay Festival and Bombo Radyo’s bancarera

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (April 27, 2011) – One of the most exciting and breathtaking events in the yearly Sarangani Bay Festival is the bancarera organized by Bombo Radyo-General Santos.

Bancarera is a motorized small boat racing competition manned by a single racer dazzling an oval-shaped track race about a hundred meters away from the coastline.

“The oval track race gives total excitement to the spectators because they can see the whole race from start to finish unlike the straight race,” Bombo Radyo General Santos station manager Dan Caliosan said.

“It’s an exciting race by the sea with colorful bancas speeding up to 100 kph (kilometer per hour),” Caliosan said.

“Racers’ maneuvering abilities at the oval track race curvatures show their expertise in handling their modified racing machines,” Caliosan said.

Racers are required to use a 13 to 16 horsepower marine engine. Last year, 30 racers joined the race held at White Haven Resort in Gumasa, Glan.

This year, the bancarera will be held at Coco Beach, also a white sand beach resort next to White Haven and Rosal.

Bombo Radyo started the bancarera competition in General Santos in 1998 as a project.

“It’s not just a competition. We try to value the source of livelihood of marginalized fishermen in the city which is the Sarangani Bay, adding recognition to General Santos as the tuna capital of the Philippines,” Caliosan said.

“It’s a tribute to both the bay and our fishing communities which later turned out to be a tourism event.”

Last year’s Sarangani Bay Festival bancarera was won by a racer from Maasim town against 29 other racers from General Santos City, Sarangani and Compostela Valley province.

This year’s prizes are P15,000 first prize, P10,000 second prize, P5,000 third prize, and P1,000 consolation prize for each racer who qualified the screening.

“For Sarangani Bay Festival next year, we are planning to include special prizes like the most attractive or best designed banca,” Caliosan said.

Bombo Radyo will conduct a pre-screening for the open competition on Sunday (May 1). Registration is for free. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

The swim across Sarangani Bay 2011 competition

The swim across Sarangani Bay 2011 competition

GLAN, Sarangani (April 29, 2011) – The first-ever swim across Sarangani Bay was on May 18, 2006, the first Sarangani Bay Festival, which was participated in by six teams.

“Now the event is on its 6th year in celebration of the Sarangani Bay Festival,” organizer Nemrod Butil said.

The province will celebrate the Sarangani Bay Festival on May 19 to 21, with the swim-across-the-bay on the second day (May 20) from 5:00am.

Swim-across-the-bay is a relay competition with team members both professional and amateurs swimming a distance of 15 kilometers from Tinoto Point in Maasim to Tango village in Glan.

To qualify, swimmers must be 14 years old or above. This year’s swimmers are mostly from Davao, South Cotabato, Koronadal City, General Santos City, Polomolok and local swimmers from Siguel and Maasim.

“This year, a new team from Kiamba (Sarangani) will join,” Butil said.

The idea to conquer the bay by human prowess was a brainchild of then swim manager Guiseppe Chew.

Chew described the race as “the longest open ocean marathon swimming competition in the country and probably in Asia.”

In the Philippines, related swimming competitions have been staged in Guimaras Strait (approximately 5km.), the body of water separating Guimaras and Panay islands, and in Samal Strait (5km.), separating Samal Island and mainland Davao.

Sarangani Bay’s biodiversity is twice richer than Carigara Bay in Northern Leyte, Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte, Bais Bay in Negros and Illana Bay in Northwestern Mindanao.

Sarangani Bay has been the passage for trade, businesses and social contacts with the Philippines’ Southernmost tip and neighboring countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei for hundreds of years.

But in particular, the bay provided a safe route to Sangils of Northern Indonesia and established trade and social relations with the Blaan natives of Glan some five hundred years ago.

“Sarangani is as old as our very own race, Malay. When Ruy Lopez de Villalobos happened to reach this part of the ocean in their search for provision in 1543, his chroniclers wrote Sarangani to mean ‘This is our territory’ or ‘We stop here’ according to the Indonesian language,” Dr. Tranquilino Ruiz II said. Ruiz is a known local historian of Glan, Sarangani’s oldest town.

Among journalists who have been covering Sarangani Bay Festival, now becoming the biggest beach festival in Southern Philippines, the most challenging yet fulfilling event is covering the swim-across-the-bay from start to finish.

Prizes for this year’s swim are P50,000, P35,000, P25,000 for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and trophies for major winners.
All teams finishers will receive P5,000 with medals. (Russtum G. Pelima/SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)

Resorts, bay bodies and more at Sarangani Bay Festival 2011

Resorts, bay bodies and more at Sarangani Bay Festival 2011

Russtum G. Pelima

GUMASA, Glan (May 1, 2011) – It’s nine in the morning and Isla Jardin Del Mar, tipping the queue of white sand beaches in Gumasa, was as quiet. Naturally, the sea was calm this time of the day.

It was a bright summer day. The sun heated up the pebbled white sand along the resort’s 750-meter shoreline. Yet the resort’s maintenance staff didn’t mind as they were busy sweeping some dry leaves.

The resort was obviously landscaped. Other resorts in Gumasa have canopies at their shores, but Isla Jardin has this young coconut trees lined up a few meters away from the shore to screen the sunlight over air-conditioned cottages to the right, there are twenty of them, a score of suite rooms and a couple of rows of open cottages to the left. Well, a restaurant and a huge convention center in the middle of the resort is more than the idea to offer food and information. It’s conspicuous, too, for a view of the bay and the two volleyball courts.

Supervisor Gil Cortes said the resort built the convention hall only recently designed to accommodate 250 guests. Obviously, the resort is getting ready for this year’s most awesome party revolution in this part of the country – the Sarangani Bay Festival – on May 19 to 21.

About an hour later, organizers Rain Ramas and Cheng Espinosa of the Bay Bodies Competition arrived at the resort with their hunks and babes for a day’s photo shoot. Suddenly, the quiet resort turned into a playground as the contestants got ready for their sexiest shots.

This year, the Bay Bodies competition is open for online voting at Sarangani Province’s facebook account (www.facebook.com/sarangani.info). See the hot babes and hunks’ names and photos and click “like” to vote for your favorite contestant! Awarding will be in the evening of May 20.

For some beach hoppers, Gumasa’s white sand beaches are a must-see destination. Surprisingly, city-grown Marie Angelie Francisco has been here two times yet. Angel is born-General Santos City girl. Her first visit to Gumasa was four years ago.

“I like the place this quiet. It’s really beautiful here, no overcrowding people around and the resorts are really clean. I haven’t seen yucky dirt messing over the place,” Angel explained. Angel is a third-year architecture student from UP-Diliman and Rain Ramas’ intern in interior design.

The models now have moved to Brod Louie Resort and Spa to continue the shoot. This time, they posed with the jetski and banana boat rented by the organizers from another resort. In Isla Jardin, the contestants posed at the rocky side of the beach, in the sand, and with a green kayak.

Organizer Cheng Espinosa owns Brod Louie in Taluya, Glan. She said the resort has been undergoing renovations for its two-storey air-conditioned house for guests, the viewing cottage, a receiving hall and two open cottages. Three years ago, spectators and marine life experts from the provincial Capitol rushed to the resort for a sea cow, locally known as dugong, sighting a few meters from its shore.

Sarangani Bay Festival is a yearly tribute to the bay and its bounty led by the provincial government. Thousands of communities living in coastal areas from the province’s six coastal towns depend on fishing for livelihood.

Essentially, when former Board Member Rommel Tomas Falgui passed a resolution for the institutionalization of the festival each May, the purpose of the celebration is to raise awareness for the preservation and protection of the bay.

With beach sports such as volleyball, football, skimboarding, waterball and windsurfing, sand sculpture, bay fair, the historic 15-kilometer swim-across-the-bay, frisbee, fire dancing and all the fun-by-the-bay you like, the Integrated Eco-System Resource Management orientation program by the provincial government’s Environmental conservation and Protection Center is a significant part on the day-2 of the celebration.

For the businessmen and the busiest professionals, the party by-the-bay is the true meaning of recreation.

For the artists, the lovers, and the journalists, Sarangani Bay Festival is inevitable as nature.

The shoot team packed up for home before sunset. As we leave, I still see at least two more ladies, Jane and Angel, I wondered did not join the shoot.

At least Angel enjoyed herself, took a short dip into the water before heading home. Jane was contently watching the horizon as it begins to explode with the colors of the setting sun. (SARANGANI INFORMATION OFFICE)