Philippine holidays and long-weekend schedule for 2013 (Proclamation No. 459)

Hunyo 12 by Claude Tayag (1989 Fiestas Serigraph Series)

Malacanang issued Proclamation No. 459, s. 2012 declaring the regular holidays, special non-working days, and a special school holiday for 2013. Here is the list of holidays and long-weekends of the Republic of the Philippines for 2013:

• January 1 (Tue) - New Year's Day (four-day long weekend from December 29 to January 1)
• February 10 (Sun) - Chinese New Year (no holiday declaration yet, wait for possible proclamation next year, possible long-weekend if February 11 is declared)
• February 25 (Mon) - EDSA Revolution Anniversary (holiday for schools only, long-weekend for students from February 23 to 25)
• March 28 (Thu) - Holy Thursday
• March 29 (Fri) - Good Friday
• March 30 (Sat) - Black Saturday (four-day long weekend from March 28 to 31)
• April 9 (Tue) - Araw ng Kagitingan
• May 1 (Wed) - Labor Day
• June 12 (Wed) - Independence Day
• August 8 (Thu) - Eid'l Fitr (calculated date, no declaration yet, possible three-day long weekend if declaration for August 9 is made, wait for proclamation next year)
• August 21 (Wed) - Ninoy Aquino Day
• August 26 (Mon) - National Heroes Day (three-day long weekend from August 24 to 26)
• October 15 (Tue) - Eid'l Adha (calculated date, no declaration yet, wait for proclamation next year, possible three-day long weekend from October 12 to 14 if Malacanang sets holiday on October 14)
• November 1 (Fri) - All Saints Day
• November 2 (Sat) - Special Non-Working Day (three-day long weekend from November 1 to 3)
• November 30 (Sat) - Bonifacio Day
• December 24 (Tue) - Special Non-Working Day
• December 25 (Wed) - Christmas Day
• December 30 (Mon) - Rizal Day
• December 31 (Tue) - Last Day of the Year (five-day long weekend from December 28 to January 1)

Register now for heritage conservation and cultural tourism conferences this November!

There will be two heritage events organized by ICOMOS Philippines and the Heritage Conservation Society this November. I highly encourage everyone to attend both events

ICOMOS ICTC International Conference on Cultural Tourism
The International Conference on Cultural Tourism will be held in the City of Vigan, Philippines from November 7-8, 2012. The event is organized by ICOMOS Philippines and the ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC). Vigan as venue for the conference is most apt as it is an example of a World Heritage Site as an emerging tourism destination.

Through this event, expert members of ICTC, ICOMOS Philippines and representatives from developing countries of Asia and the Pacific will establish association with national and local officials, government cultural agencies, tourism policy makers and stakeholders, cultural workers, educators and students to discuss present day issues on tourism and heritage. The benefits of community participation in conservation and cultural tourism programs as an essential aspect of cultural tourism and the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention will become the underlying themes of the conference.

For registration to the conference, e-mail vigan2012@icomosphilippines.com. Note that seats are limited. Participants will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Payment of conference fee confirms your slot. Conference fees: Professional (Php3,500 inclusive of lunch on both days, conference kits) and Undergraduate Student (Php600 inclusive of packed lunch on both days, conference kits). Check out the Facebook event page. Here is the list of conference papers as of August 27, 2012.

Heritage Conservation Summit 2012: Economics of Heritage
After six successful years of organizing the Philippine Towns and Cities Conference, the Heritage Conservation Society now brings you the Heritage Conservation Summit 2012 on Saturday, November 24, 2012 in Batangas City.

Heritage advocates, cultural workers and government agencies will gather in Batangas City for the Heritage Conservation Summit 2012. This year's theme is the Economics of Heritage where discussions will revolve on how to make heritage conservation economically viable and sustainable.

For registration to the conference, e-mail hcs_secretariat@yahoo.com. Conference fees: Professional (Php1,000) and Undergraduate Student (Php300). Check out the Facebook event page.

S.O.S Manila Bay: Save our sunset! No to the reclamation of Manila Bay!

Below is an online petition drafted by a group of concerned citizens, several of whom were part of the original group that opposed the same reclamation of Manila Bay proposed in 1992. Let us work together to stop moves for reclamation again.

Sunset on Manila Bay is a spectacular experience, and is free for all to enjoy. But not for long, if developers have their way.

In 1992, a group called “Manila Goldcoast Development Corp.” lobbied for approval to reclaim the entire Manila Bay waterfront along Roxas Boulevard, between the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the US Embassy. This scheme was challenged by citizens, who fought to preserve the last remaining access to the bay along Manila's historical district. The citizens won. The Manila City Council passed City Ordinance No. 7777, prohibiting reclamation in this area.

However, Goldcoast was, tragically, able to get City Ordinance No. 7777 repealed. In February 2011, City Ordinance No. 8233 reversed the prohibition. A consortium agreement was signed in April 2012 to reclaim the same waterfront along Roxas Boulevard, about 288 hectares of land, even swallowing up the Manila Yacht Club and the Philippine Navy Headquarters.

In addition to blocking the view of the sunset from Malate and Ermita, the reclamation will worsen floods, extinguish the tourism area along Roxas Boulevard, destroy the potential of our historic Intramuros, remove 20 vital anchorage berths for ships and most of all, take away from us a waterfront we all love.

No aspect of this scheme will improve the City of Manila in any discernible way — it is all for the profit of a few individuals.

We must act to protest this reclamation and prevent further destruction and loss of our heritage. We will stop them again.

Sign the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/s-o-s-manila-bay-save-our-sunset-stop-the-reclamation-of-manila-bay
More information in the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/savemanilabay

Laguna: A day in charming Pila Town

Ivan Man Dy writes about our visit to the heritage town of Pila, Laguna last summer. Text by Ivan Man Dy. Photos by Ivan Henares.

One lazy weekday, I suddenly found myself itching to go out and escape the city, an impromptu day trip. A few calls here and there and I found out that my tokayo Ivan Henares is heading south to the town of Los Baños in Laguna. I hitched a ride and that's how we found ourselves in the town of Pila.

As a heritage junkie, Pila Historical Landmark has been on my list of historic towns to visit. Funny that I've been to the farther ones like Vigan, Taal, Silay, Carcar and even Sabtang (Batanes) but never to this one which is as close as it can get to the Metro.

Now, exploring a place at your own pace has its advantages but having an insider and knowledgeable host and guide is something of a treat. And it's something that I really welcomed upon meeting Cora Relova of the Pila Historical Society Foundation.

To be honest, there is not much activity happening in Pila, a quaint little town surrounded by rice fields in this lush part of Laguna. No dramatic history, grand edifices nor high-spirited fiestas here. Not even a mall or a fast food chain. What it has however, is something that an urban rat like me find refreshing: provincial innocence and countryside charm.

Over a lunch of house specialties that included pako salad, pork chops, atsarang ubod, fresh coconut juice and an amazingly savory ginataang hipon na tabang, Cora regaled us with historical tidbits and stories of a city girl growing up in the town. According to her, Pila's fortunes are linked with its surrounding agricultural lands, no surprise really. And that wealth was eventually translated to the good life best seen in the houses around the Pila's central plaza.

Any visit to the the town will ultimately lead you here, a lovely patch of green (during the heat of summer) dominated on both sides by the Church of San Antonio de Padua (1578) and the Pila Municipal Hall (1931). This traditional colonial-era pattern has sadly been disfigured in many old towns today. As I explored the latter, I saw a plaque inside that mentions one of Cora's ancestors (grandfather perhaps) as being the municipal president in the 1900s. Roots to the town go really deep for the Relovas of Pila. Surrounding the plaza is Pila's prized collection of historic homes, most dating back to the early 1900s when that generation, alas, perhaps the last of them, still adopted the traditional bahay na bato architecture for their homes.

A century hence, most of these houses are quite well maintained and still with their traditonal details like big kapis windows, intricate kalado patterns and fluted columns. As an extra treat, Cora invited us to her cute 1920s home that was built by her grandmother and regaled us with more stories.

Over a merienda of halo-halo by the verandah, we listened to the 1970s pop band VST at the recently installed speakers in the plaza. We whiled away the afternoon and watch the day end in this small town. "Pila is is not grand. It's charming," Cora says. I couldn't agree more. For a brief moment, time suddenly slowed down in this lovely town called Pila.

Singapore: Skydiving simulation at iFly Singapore on Sentosa Island

Singapore has many new attractions. Every time I come back, they always have something new. I was quite excited to try iFly Singapore on Sentosa Island. iFly Singapore opened in May 2011. So it wasn't even a year old when I got to experience this wind tunnel for indoor sky diving.



iFly simulates free fall from 12,000 to 3,000 feet. Each skydive lasts about 45 seconds. And you get two skydives for every session. The regular cost for two skydives is SG$89. But if you come during off-peak and super off peak times, you can pay as low as SG$69. They also have family and group packages as well.

Make sure to book in advance if you are looking for a particular time since wait time can be long, especially during peak hours. Also make sure you are there 1.5 hours before your flight time since you will have to go through a briefing and gear up before you actually get into the wind tunnel.

How to get there
Take an MRT to the Harbour Front Station. A few levels above the Harbour Front Station in Vivocity is the Sentosa Monorail Station of the Sentosa Express. The ride will cost you SG$3.50 which includes use of the monorail within Sentosa and the trip back to Sentosa Station. Get off at the last station which is Beach Station. iFly Singapore is walking distance from there. You can actually see it from the station.