Two Grand Weddings at CDM this Month

Jambalos-Anonical Wedding Invitation

Two grand wedding receptions are scheduled for this month at CDM. The first one is the Calbario-Mariposque nuptial on March 18 ( Thursday). The wedding ceremony will be officiated by Most Rev. Reynaldo Evangelista, Bishop of Boac. It will be an afternoon wedding at the Boac Cathedral followed by reception at 5:30PM until midnight. There will be a live band for dancing. The bride is the daughter of Pedro Mariposque( deceased) and Aida Jao. There will be 10 principal sponsors. Three of the sponsors are active members of Marinduque International, Dr Rodolfo Jao, Mrs. Conchita Jao-Manalo and Mrs Vivian Jao-Herrera. The wedding is formal requesting men guests to wear a barong and the women a formal dress. The newly weds will spend their honeymoon night in the beach house adjacent to the Conference Hall-the reception venue.
I do like their invitation as it specifies the number of seats reserved for the invited guests. This will hopefully solve the problem of the Filipinos bad habit of bring extra guests to parties such as wedding reception and birthday parties.

The second wedding is scheduled for March 20 ( Saturday). The groom is Macrine's nephew( Edgar Jambalos-aka Nonoy). The bride is Yvette Anonical also a native of Marinduque. The wedding will be officiated by Fr. John Jovel Luna- a high school classmate of the groom, and also at the Boac Cathedral. The wedding will be at 10AM and followed by a reception at CDM Conference Hall. There will be only five principal sponsors, Macrine and I are two of the sponsors. Food will be catered by Mita Rejano Reyes of the Boac Hotel. I heard the wedding budget is closed to a quarter million pesos. Who says there is a recession in Marinduque? Two hundred fifty guests are expected with another 20 extra plates for those that tag along even without an invitation.

The Jambalos-Anonical wedding invitation also provided for the number of seats reserved for the invited guests. However since most Filipinos had a tradition of bringing extra guests( bad manners in US), the caterer was instructed to provide 20 extra plates just in case.

I am looking forward for this two wedding receptions at CDM.Good day to you all!

Construction and TV Soap Opera Child Star, Santino

While driving from downtown Boac to downtown Gasan, I noticed there were more than a dozen building construction in various stages yesterday. This is in spite of the high prices of cement and building materials. The price of cement is now 235 pesos per bag, one truck load of sand is 1000 pesos and a #4 hollow block is 7.50 pesos each. So where is the money coming from? I believe from OFW ( Overseas Filippino Workers) and from Balikbayans like me. One of the most talked construction here in Amoingon is the vacation home of Santino, Sanjee Jaranilla, child actor of the soap opera "May Bukas Pa", which just recently finished after being #1 TV show for the last two years. Last Christmas, Sanjee spent a couple of days of vacation here in Boac. He was mobbed wherever he goes. He was in Macrine's newphew computer shoppe for an hour, but I was not able to meet him personally. Sanjee's Dad and my nephew were classmates and Sanjee is very closed to my nephew. I have not seen Sanjee's vacation house, but I heard it will cost around a million pesos. This is an average price for a modern home in MDQ. So, Santino is not showing off or "mayabang". I also heard that Sanjee's parents have now reconciled and his younger brother is being trained/groomed as another child actor by TV producers in Manila.

The other construction that is now almost complete and very impressive is the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Gasan. Construction started about three years ago and mostly funded by balikbayan donation from US and Canada. My dear friend Linda Sevilla Sotto is spearheading the funding and management of the construction. The location of the cathedral at the top of the Hill is perfect. The meditation garden at the side of cathedral is fantastic. The Gothic architecture is beautiful and appropriate for a cathedral. So, if you have not seen the cathedral yet, I suggest you visit it even for just 10 minutes. It will be worth your time.

Lastly, as in the past, I have been encouraging all my balikbayan friends to invest their retirement funds here in Marinduque -my Island Paradise. Have a Good Day to All!

Sarswela-Filipino Musical Play or Drama

The Sarswela Flyer
The Overture Video on You Tube
Last night Macrine and I attended a Sarswela, Walang Sugat ( Not Wounded) in the open-air amphitheater at the Moriones River Bed Park in Boac. This event reminded me of the first filipino musical (in Ilonggo) that I had attended during my childhood years in Iloilo. It also reminded with of the Starlight Theater in Kansas City, Missouri in the late 1960's when we had annual summer subscriptions to Broadway musicals, such as West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie or The Sound of Music.

For those of you who are not familiar with word Sarswela. It is just a musical play or drama in Tagalog or any of the major languages in the Philippines. It is sometimes a comedy, sometimes a tragedy, but usually had a happy ending. Last night "Walang Sugat" was written by Severino Reyes, The Father of the Sarswela. Below is Eli Obligacion posting regarding this event.

"Severino Reyes' sarswela masterpiece goes on stage in Marinduque. Performed by Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation, Inc., awarded CCP Gawad para sa Sining as Best Theater Group in the country.

A component of the Philippine International Arts Festival 2010. Directed by Armand Sta. Ana. It stars Rey Clement Maaliao as TENYONG, Karren Uaje as JULIA, Ron Mariano as MIGUEL with Maria Ireen Crisostomo, Rowel Escalante, Crystal Mendonza, James Dimagiba, Joseph Rejoso, Melandro Pascual, Wilfredo Alberto, Christopher Adriano, Lemuel Galman, Egie Boy Galman, Ryan Managbanag, and 12 koro members.

In the production are Joseph Cristobal, Armando Sta. Ana, Estelita Dela Cruz, Consolacion Gamboa, Jose Ruel Paguiligan and Glen de Jesus. Lights and sound by the CCP Technical Crew.

The BKFI "Walang Sugat" production was originally mounted as part of “Sarsuwela Festival 2009” held at the U.P. Theater. It was the Father of Filipino Sarswela's statement against imperialism and oppression.

It depicts the cruelty of the Spanish friars and the experience of Filipinos in their hands. The story revolves around the hero Tenyong and how he outwits people trying to separate him from Julia, his love interest. The many twists and turns of this sarsuwela, made into a movie twice, has made it very popular among theater audiences.

This sarswela returns to Marinduque after 108 years, when "Gran Compania de Manila" the original production, presented it in Boac on Dec. 8, 1902 in celebration of the town fiesta with future president, Manuel L. Quezon as special guest".

The actors and actresses had beautiful voices, but sometimes the background tape orchestration music was so loud you could hardly heard the words and lyrics. I enjoyed the patriotic song, Ang BAYAN KO ( My Country). The costumes and scenes were beautiful depicting the time during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. The show opened with the shooting of Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippine National Hero. The play had several comedic moments which made the crowd laugh. The duets of the lead actors were beautiful and their voices blended harmoniously. Macrine and I enjoyed the evening very much. Thank you Eli for inviting us and seating us in the front seats. My congratulations to the commiteee for starting right on time.

Construction and Reforestation at Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center

Beach House-Photo taken 1/10/10
A Multi-Purpose 27 sq.meters air conditioned room is under construction in the first floor of the beach house with an adjacent 18 sq.meters patio facing the ocean

With several tourist groups from Manila inquiring about accommodations at the CDM beach house, I decided to continue the finishing of the first floor of the beach house. First construction is underway for a 27 square meters air conditioned room with an accompanying 18 sq.meters adjoining pation on the side of the western MDQ sea. The room will also served as a meeting room for a party of 30 to 50 attendees. The second phase of the construction will be the kitchen area with spaces for sink and gas stove. The expected completion date will be the third week of March, just in time for our busy Easter tourist season. The beach house will now easily accommodate from 10 to 12 persons. The rent for the whole house will be 8000 pesos per day. This will turn out to be less than 700 pesos per day per person if there are 12 in the group. This an affordable rental considering there is air conditioning, hot water shower and cooking facilities if desired.

Regarding reforestation, Edwin and I just planted 13 narra tree seedlings last month. This will provide the needed shade at the Conference Hall during the summer months in the years to come. Currently MDQ is also suffering from the drought. Luckily I have 3 deep wells that provide the needed water for my gardens, I am still hoping for rain though. Have a good day and hope to see you in MDQ soon.

Selected Pictures from the Garden Wedding of Sena-Dacumos at CDM

The following are selected pictures from the first garden wedding at Chateau Du Mer. The bride was Rheziel Sena and the groom was Ramon Chito Dacumos. The wedding took place on January 30. 2010. This is a historic event at the beach resort.

Happy 65th Birthday Mayor Vicky Lau Lim

Entrance of CDM Hall-Big Enough for a Party of 250 Guests
The other day we were invited to a birthday Party for Mayor Vicky Lim of Gasan. She turned 65 and there were 65 long stem red roses offered to her during the dance in the Gasan public court held in her honor. Prior to the dance, an elegant and sumptious dinner for more than 250 guests was catered at her mansion in Bacong-Bacong, Gasan by one of my favorite caterer in Boac, Rosette, a Face Book friend. My favorite dish was the roast beef with mash potatoes. The beef was tender and tasty with brown gravy and mushrooms. There were 4 other filipino dishes, besides 4 roasted piglets ( lechon). All the political candidates of one of the major parties in Marinduque including Gov Carrion and Atty Velasco as well as Jasper Lim, son of the mayor were there. But the party was not a political campaign as Mayor Lim indicated. Jasper is running for vice governor and Atty Velasco for representative in Congress. This is a birthday party I will never forget. Who says there is a recession in Gasan? I heard in the rumor mill that the family of the celebrant spent more than a quarter million pesos which included a Chinese New year dragon and entertainers from Manila. Cheers to All my readers. From your GrandPa blogger!

Nagahoy or Nabalis( Head and Stomach Aches)

Orchids in Front Yard of the House
Yesterday, our housekeeper, wife of our chief Gardener and Caretaker here at CDM, suddenly start throwing up and felt dizzy. Macrine gave her an anti-nausea pill but still she did not feel well. I took her blood pressure and it was normal. She decided a stranger that saw her in front of our house about an hour ago gave her the bahoy/balis. Her husband decided to bring her to our local witch doctor and indeed confirm that someone was responsible for her headache and vomiting. Macrine and I thought she might be pregnant, but she told us no, as she is faithfully taking her birth control pills. The medicine lady gave her ginger and advice her to boil the clothes she was wearing at the time she saw the stranger in front of the main house. She was told to drink a tablespoon of the boiled water and the rest as a sponged bath. In the meantime, we gave her two tablets of aspirin and she went to sleep. The next day she was feeling better and her life was back to normal.

I personally do not believe in nabahoy or nabalis. However, this is not the first case that a similar incident occurred here in Marinduque. Sometimes, the cure is see the person that gave you the scourge and get a samople of his/her saliva and applied it to your head or stomach. Interesting day indeed!

Filipino Time is still in Style in Marinduque

Garden Wedding Site, Boac, Marinduque, Philippines, where the wedding ceremony started only one hour late

Macrine's nephew is getting married next month. We will be one of the three pairs of sponsors for the wedding. Today, he formally introduced his future wife to us. Both of them are college graduates. During their visit, he mentioned that it is now a requirement to attend a seminar on FAMILY Planning, before the couple could be married besides the one required by the catholic church. The seminar will be given by an employee from the Health and Social Services in conjunction with the municipal government of Boac. Macrine's nephew and future wife were told that the seminar will be at 1:00PM. They were at the office at 12:50PM. They waited until 1:45PM but there was no seminar. So they went directly to the office of the employee who was supposed to give the seminar. They were told, the seminar will not start until 4 couples are present. It was not until 3:00PM that THE SEMINAR started. When my nephew complained that this wait was a waste of time, the lady giving the seminar blurted out in tagalog " We are all Filipinos, so there is no reason why you are complaining, why this seminar is two hours late". The comment made my nephew fuming with anger, but he did not say anything. This incident is an example why the Philippines will never be as progressive as the US. If all our government employees has this attitude, I feel sorry for the Philippines and its future.

Post Garden Wedding Depression

My Brand New Picnic Table

It has been very quiet here after a week of hectic and chaotic preparation for the first Garden Wedding of Chateau Du Mer. I missed the excitement and adrenalin rush of hosting last week historic event in this resort. This week, life here is relaxing and even depressing. I could only hear the sounds of mowing, vendors selling balut, fish and bread and occasional jeepneys and tricycles (except during rush hours). Do you have any suggestion what I can do to relieve this feeling of depression? Oh, yes, I could go swimming in the ocean or do snorkeling. I could do gardening by mouth and I could supervise maintenance projects in the resort. Oh well, just thinking about this already gave me an adrenalin rush and my depression is gone. Anyway, if you want to view the latest pictures of our activities here at CDM since December 2009 to the present, please visit my Face Book page and album, MDQ 2010. Good Day to All!

Garden Wedding at Chateau Du Mer

The bride with Parents on her Wedding March





The wedding ceremony started with the bride transported by a white horse-drawn open carriage from the nearby beach resort. This reminds me of Cinderilla riding in her golden carriage on her way to the Ball. On her arrival she was met by the groom and her entourage( includes 6 pairs of primary sponsors) at the balcony of the beach house. The groom stayed overnight in the beach house. The wedding ceremony then began with a ballet dance on the bridge, followed by songs, prayers and homily. It lasted for two hours. The wedding vows and ritual ( cord, veil and candle sponsors) is similar to the Roman Catholic Church, except for presentation of gifts to the parents of bride and groom. In addition all the primary sponsors were required to give public advice to the newly weds. The pastor is from the Born Again Christian Church from Manila.

The reception in the hall had a printed program distributed to around 200 guests. It included several musical and dancing exhibition as well as public dancing. Music was provided by a live band of 10 musicians. At the end of the reception 4 hours later, the newly weds spent another hour at the beach house and ocean just relaxing and taking more pictures. There was a videographer and several photographers.

The ceremony ended with the bride and groom riding the open horse-drawn carriage back to the nearby resort where the bride stayed. The next day, I was told, they are flying to Hongkong for their honeymoon. A most memorable and grand wedding event -the first event here at Chateau Du Mer. I hope more garden weddings in the future.