ABOUT Quibal Peñablanca, Cagayan

Quibal is a barangay of the philippine municipality Peñablanca in the province Cagayan in Cagayan Valley which is part of the Luzon group of islands. The municipality Peñablanca with a population of about 40,336 and its 24 barangays belongs to the partly urban areas in the Philippines. Quibal had 2,314 residents by the end of 2007.

Odessa-Tumbali Cave System in Penablanca (Cagayan)

The Odessa-Tumbali Cave System is located at Sitio Abbenditan, Barangay Quibal in Peñablanca, Cagayan Philippines.

The Odessa-Tumbali Cave System (Abbenditan Cave) is the third longest cave in the country. It's a great spot for wet sport caving and known to have the perfect cave system.

ABOUT Peñablanca, Cagayan

Land Area: 1,193.20 km2 (460.7 sq mi)

Peñablanca is a 1st class municipality in the province of Cagayan, Philippines.

According to the latest census, it has a population of 40,336 people in 6,690 households.It is one of the largest municipalities of the Philippines in terms of land area. There are more or less 360 caves in the municipality. It is here where you can visit the famous Callao Caves a seven chambered cave with a chapel. It is in this municipality where you can also visit the beautiful, fascinating and challenging Cave, the Sierra Cave.                                               Peñablanca is divided into 24 barangays:

Aggugaddan Alimanao Baliuag Bical Bugatay Buyun Cabasan Cabbo Callao Camasi Centro (Pob.) Dodan

Lapi Malibabag Manga Minanga Nabbabalayan Nanguilattan Nannarian Parabba Patagueleg Quibal- I born in this place San Roque (Litto) Sisim

PeÑablanca another Tourist spot

Crystal caving.  From the spacious caverns of Callao, we plunged into the more confining Sierra Cave.  There's a locked gate at the entrance for a good reason -- the cave's stalactites and stalagmites sparkle like gems when they're hit by light beams from our flashlights.  As Ted of the tourism office noted,  unlike Callao Cave which is considered "dead" with its chalk-like formations, the Sierra Cave is very much alive.  The water and minerals seeping through the ceiling are actively and painstakingly building the impressive stalactites and stalagmites, millimeter by millimeter.  The textures the minerals form range from what Ted describes as spiky "pretzels" to thin and wavy "bacon".

Stalactites form fancy shapes and texture like this "bacon"

Being in a cave like this can make one feel small in the grand scheme of creation -- how relatively short we humans have roamed the earth compared to caves that took millennia to grow.  Which leads me to my point -- closing the gates to deter thieves and tourists taking home souvenirs that took eons to build is indeed a very good idea.

Info: Callao and Sierra Caves can be reached via private and public transport; around an hour away from Tuguegarao City • Access to Sierra Cave is restricted; permission to enter and explore must first be secured from the DENR and Cagayan Valley Tourism Office .

If you took the Florida sleeper bus from Tuguegarao to Manila; Tuguegarao, the caving capital of the Philippines, can also be reached via air (travel time: less than one hour) • The Florida Bus overnight sleepers currently ply the Tuguegarao-Sampaloc, Manila route once a day at 9:15pm; Fare: P1,050; Travel time: 9 hours with no stopovers; Capacity: 32 passengers divided into upper and lower decks •

Robin Padilla is Diether's new mentor

Robin Padilla and Diether Ocampo (Jerome Ascano, NPPA Images)

Can old dogs in showbiz still learn new tricks?

Apparently yes, according to Diether Ocampo, who has been an actor and talent of ABS-CBN for 15 years now.

His new mentor is Philippine Cinema's "Bad Boy," Robin Padilla, who stars with him in the ABS-CBN's primetime action-drama series, "Guns and Roses."

Although Robin is just three years older than Diether, 37, the latter has come to call the action star “the maestro” or master.

The ‘kuya’ Diet never had

It was Robin, he said, who guided him through their “explosive fight scenes” together.

It was Robin who inspired him to take on the physical training he did so he could survive his action scenes.

It was Robin who became, said Diether, “the older brother I never had” because Robin would mentor him in “some scenes” and was always approachable whenever he needed advice.

Diet was also floored by Robin’s humility, even if the latter was the bigger star.

“I learn on the job and I can never repay him for the experience,” Diet added.

He knows “the maestro” got his depth of acting not just from the many roles he has played but also from his life experiences, including his many struggles and achievements.

Jail time

"What is commendable is how he survived the hardest obstacles in his life,” Diether mused. In 1995, Robin was sentenced to 21 years in jail for illegal gun possession, but was released in 1998 after then Senator Ramon Revilla Sr. passed a bill commuting the sentence of those convicted of Robin’s crime.  He also converted to Islam in jail.

Because Robin is known as much for his colorful love life—he was linked at one time or another with Sharon Cuneta and Kris Aquino and rushed into marriage with TV host Mariel Rodriguez—we asked Diether if he ever sought advice about women or romance from the Bad Boy.

"The 'maestro' is also a quiet person and is secretive. I also didn't want to pry on his personal life. Besides he is not the type who would give unsolicited advice," Diether replied.

Love life

Diether, whose marriage to actress Kristine Hermosa was annulled, is now single and denies that romance is brewing between him and Kris Aquino, who he calls his “best friend.”

"My love life is sluggish,” he said. “But it's balanced by a good career and big projects.”

Diether Ocampo is looking forward to doing a family drama he plans to produce with Star Cinema.

Joseph Bitangcol to undergo two operations after mishap

Joseph Bitangcol (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

(UPDATE) Actor Joseph Bitangcol will go under the knife not once, but twice, his mother Lydia told Yahoo! Philippines OMG! in an interview Wednesday.

The actor, who was seriously injured in a car crash along Sumulong Highway, Antipolo City early Wednesday morning, will undergo surgery in the eye area and in the chin.

“Natanggal ang ngipin niya at na-slice ang cheekbones,” relates Lydia.  “Hindi pa  sinasabi ng doctor kung kailan gagawin ang operation kasi kailangan munang mawala ang pamamaga sa cheekbones ni Joseph.”

Lydia also said Joseph needs plates in his chin and cheekbones to repair the fractures in those areas.

“Nakaupo si Joseph sa likod ng sasakyan (a Mitsubihi Montero) at sa gitna ng mga kasama niya nung nangyari yung aksidente. Humampas ang ulo ng kasama niya sa kanya. Gusto ni Joseph ma-control yung paghampas but it was too late,”Lydia continued.

Joseph, who just finished taping for a TV show, was with five friends aboard a Mitsubishi Montero when a dump truck driven by Victor Beltran collided with their vehicle.  Joseph was initially rushed to Amang Rodriguez Medical Center then transferred to Marikina Valley Hospital, where he is currently confined.

His other injured companions were rushed to other hospitals.

Mrs. Bitangcol relates that some of the parents of Joseph’s companions in the vehicle are planning to file charges against Beltran, who is now under the custody of the Antipolo police.

But she remains undecided because her primary concern as of now is Joseph’s health.

Beltran will reportedly be charged with  reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property and multiple injuries.

Beauty queen stabbed in broad daylight

Karla Henry (Contributed photo)

(UPDATE 2) Miss Earth 2008 Karla Paula Henry was stabbed outside her Mandaluyong condominium on Thursday, August 11. 

A drunk tenant stabbed the 25-year-old beauty queen from Cebu at the parking lot of the California Garden Square condominium in Mandaluyong City, ABS-CBN's "TV Patrol" reported later Thursday.

Friends rushed Karla to a nearby Mandaluyong hospital before transferring her to  St. Luke's Global City in Taguig City.

According to the "TV Patrol" report, a certain Jerome Quibuyen, 29, stabbed Karla in the back  as she was on her way to the condominium elevator after she arrived at the parking lot at 6 a.m. Thursday.

Karla is now out of danger and doctors are observing her condition. She is undergoing tests for possible internal bleeding, the report further said.

“We should remind everyone to be extra careful, because people can just attack you,  even in broad daylight,” advised the source, Karla’s friend, who wished not to be named.

Henry,a Fil-Canadian, won the eighth edition of the Miss Earth Pageant at the Clark Expo in Angeles, Pampanga in 2008. She was the first candidate from the host country to win the title.

The source said Karla continued to help promote  environmental causes even after her reign.

Through Miss Earth Foundation’s "I Love My Planet Earth School Tour," Karla visited more than 20 schools and communities, teaching kids about the environment, through games, songs, storytelling, and tree-planting activities.

KOKO PIMENTEL

Lawyer Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel is officially proclaimed as the 12th winning Senator of the 2007 elections. (Voltaire Domingo/NPPA Images)

TO MY DAD

MESSAGE TO A FRIEND

MY BANATS/SAYINGS

MONREAL MASBATE SPOT

Monreal Island in Masbate

Catandayagan Falls of Togoron Monreal

Langi Cave Real Monreal Masbate

It's such a wonderful feeling to see this place with an amazing and wonderful gift!
It's really breathtaking and shall I say super natural beauty!
Thanks so much for sharing this gift! (One of the magnificent places in the Philippines).
'Im really proud to share these pictures.

Salute to Monreal and God bless you all!

MA

You don't know how much you to me..

You've given me life which is so wonderful..

Full of meaning and mystery..

Your the one from whome I've learned so many things..

That shall be cherished till I die..

You've made me feel the love which will never be mine..

I've seen the tears you'ved  shed..

How I wish I could lessen thouse but I can't..

Because I am afraid..

Afraid to make a mistake that would make your precious pearls..

Run down your cheeks even more..

There was a time that you'ved slapped me..

I can hardly believe that you'ved done that.. not you..

But I guess it's all my fault,

I want to say sorry.. Apologize

For the wrong things I've done to you..

But please believe this

I MAY HAVE HURT TOU BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN I HATE YOU

I'm just lost in some puzzles..

Ma, would you hug me tight?

So tight that I could see myself

Wrapped by your loving arms..

Thank you for everything..

I LOVE YOU MA...

LATEST PHONE

Review: LG Voyager (VX10000) / Verizon Wireless Voyager

The Good: The Voyager also known as the VX10000, is one of LG’s first touch screen phones to target the US and includes a more iPhone-like interface based on that of the Prada phone; users can place calls, play AAC/MP3/WMA music, and take 2-megapixel photos almost exclusively from the screen.  It offers a generous features set that includes EV-DO support, V Cast Mobile TV Bluetooth, a top-notch Web browser, and an integrated GPS application. And if that’s not enough, its call quality was excellent.

The Bad: The LG Voyager VX10000’s camera lacks such extra options as a flash and Wi-Fi, and its photo quality was below par. The touch screen can be clunky at times, and the streaming video quality and EV-DO connection speed were sporadic.

The Bottom Line: Though we had some minor complaints here and there, the Voyager’s sleek design, generous feature set and excellent performance make it the best LG messaging and multimedia phone by far.  What we like most about this phone is the improvements LG has made to the Verizon Wireless interface. Verizon Wireless believes, that users like to learn an interface and then find it useful on the next phone they buy. We don’t buy it. Phones are improving too fast, with too many new features every season, and users want a phone that makes sense. Maybe it made sense to bury the touted HTML browser under the “Get It Now: News and Info” submenu in the past, but now, that’s the last place we’d look.

MY BELOVED TOWN

Callao Cave is perhaps one of the most popular caves in the Philippines (even more popular than the caves of Sagada) and the best known tourist attraction of the Cagayan Province. It is located in Barangays Parabba and Quibal, in the town of Peñablanca, a thirty minute drive from the provincial capitol Tuguegarao.

Unlike the caves of Sagada, Callao Cave is very easy to explore but requires little test of endurance as you go up the stair with close to 200 steps before witnessing the massive limestone and rock formations inside.

TO MY FRIENDS

Some joys are better explained in silence, as a smile gets more audible than laughter. I was asked if I enjoyed my friendship with you. I just smiled.