mindanao blogger Archives - Page 10 of 22 - Mindanaoan - Multi awarded CDO and New York Lifestyle Blog

Aug232012 by Mindanaoan Irene1 Comment

Miss Kagay-an 2012 swimsuit competition

Beauty, Cagayan de Oro City, Contests, Entertainment, Events, Fashion, Features, Festivals, Fiesta, Mindanaoan Artists, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, Northern Mindanao, Photos, Society, Style

Along with 2 blogger-friends, I witnessed the Miss Kagay-an 2012 swimsuit competition held last August 18, 2012 at the poolside of a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City. As I previously mentioned to you all, Mindanaoan.com is an official media partner for the Miss Kagay-an 2012 beauty pageant, which is one of the core events for the Kagay-an Festival 2012, the annual fiesta in Cagayan de Oro City in honor of patron Saint Augustine. Check out one of the Miss Kagay-an 2012 billboards (the URL of Mindanaoan.com is there somewhere :P) Anyways, here are some of the photos I took during the Miss Kagay-an 2012 swimsuit competition. Apologies for the poor photo composition - there were a lot of shutterbugs that day and I also failed to bring my DSLR. By the way, you ca...

Aug102012 by Mindanaoan Irene2 Comments

Mindanaoan is a Miss Kagay-an 2012 media partner

Beauty, Cagayan de Oro City, Contests, Entertainment, Events, Fashion, Features, Festivals, Fiesta, Mindanaoan Update, Society, Style

It's now official! Mindanaoan.com is an official media partner for this year's Miss Kagay-an 2012 beauty pageant! The search for Miss Kagay-an 2012 is one of the core events for the Kagay-an Festival 2012, the annual fiesta in Cagayan de Oro City in honor of patron Saint Augustine. And I'm happy to share with you all that Mindanaoan.com is one of the proud media partners of Miss Kagayan 2012 :) Check out the newly released Miss Kagay-an 2012 billboard: (www.Mindanaoan.com is there somewhere...I'll follow you on Twitter if you successfully spot it :P) By the way, check out my previous blog entry if you want to meet the official candidates of the Miss Kagay-an 2012 pageant. The individual photos of the Miss Kagay-an 2012 candidates can be found there. The 11 lovely official c...

Jul252012 by Mindanaoan Irene5 Comments

Miss Kagay-an 2012 candidates photos

Beauty, Cagayan de Oro City, Contests, Entertainment, Events, Fashion, Features, Mindanaoan Artists, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, Photos, Society, Style

Miss Kagay-an 2012 update! Here are the photos of the official candidates of the Miss Kagay-an 2012 pageant. I know a lot of you have been asking me for the Miss Kagay-an 2012 photos so here they are. This Filipino blogger was able to attend the press presentation of these lovely Miss Kagayan Festival 2012 candidates last Monday, July 23, 2012 and the organizing committee released these photos. I will also upload these photos on my Pinterest account. You might want to follow the Mindanaoan Pinterest account here. If you may notice, there are now only 11 official candidates instead of 12. The 11 lovely official candidates are: Lovely Jane Estampa, a legal analyst at Development Bank of the Philippines Sydney Taboclaon, born in Germany and taking up BS HRM at Tagoloan Community Col...

Jul222012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Win exclusive invites to Make Your Own Havaianas 2012

Announcements, Cagayan de Oro City, Consumer, Contests, Entertainment, Fashion, Features, Mindanaoan Artists, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, Shopping, Society, Style

Do you love Havaianas? Or do you want to own a pair of Havaianas? Do you and your friends like taking jump shot photos? Here's a chance for you to not only take fun jump shot photos but to win exclusive VIP invites to the Make Your Own Havaianas 2012 Northern Mindanao leg! And you know what an invite means - you get to design your very own pair of Havaianas! Join the Jump For Joy With Havaianas promo and you stand the chance to receive exclusive invites to the 2012 Make Your Own Havaianas Cagayan de Oro leg. Here's how to join: (fun fact: the models used in this poster are the fun, funky bunch behind Mindanao's best professional photography team - One Happy Story Photography!) I just love, love, love Make Your Havaianas events! It's actually one of the events I look forward...

Jul212012 by Mindanaoan Irene2 Comments

I’m learning how to speak French

Blogging, Features, Mindanaoan Update, Musings, Personal

Yes, I just signed up for French lessons! And believe me, I have not been this excited in a long while. I have always wanted to learn how to speak French but have not had the opportunity to do so until now. Of course, this is not to say that I'm already fluent in English and Filipino hence the interest to learn a new language. I'm still nowhere near being 100% articulate in both languages. I'm not even fluent in Bisaya (Visayan) - the dialect spoken largely in Mindanao, Philippines. There's still so much to learn! Back in college, I learned very basic Chinese (Mandarin) and to this day, I can still manage a few sentences. Anyways, my French 1 lesson would run for about 15 weeks. I'm terribly excited. I have even started listening to French lessons on YouTube. Here's one great basic F...

Jul202012 by Mindanaoan Irene3 Comments

Kagay-an Festival 2012 Cagayan de Oro schedule of activities

Announcements, Cagayan de Oro City, Entertainment, Events, Features, Festivals, Fiesta, Leisure, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, News, Northern Mindanao, Society, Tourism, Travel

It's time for the Kagay-an Festival 2012! The Cagayan de Oro City Government has released the schedule of activities for the 2012 Kagay-an Festival. The Kagay-an Festival 2012 or the Cagayan de Oro Festival 2012 will be held in commemoration of the feast of patron Saint Augustine. This year, the Kagay-an Festival activities will be handled by the local government unit unlike in previous years when Promote CDO Foundation handled the task. Accordingly, Promote CDO now wants to focus on other ventures. Nevertheless, I'm sure the Kagay-an Festival this year will be peaceful and successful. I also hope that many of you, my dear readers, would come and visit. Participating in the various activities, purchasing local goods, eating at local restaurants etc during the Kagay-an Festival 2012 w...

Jul192012 by Mindanaoan Irene3 Comments

Kadayawan Festival 2012 schedule of activities

Davao City, Entertainment, Events, Features, Festivals, Fiesta, Mindanaoan Update, Music, Tourism, Travel

In a previous post, this Mindanao blogger shared with you the Kadayawan Festival 2012 official logo. How did you find the official 2012 Kadayawan Festival logo? I personally liked it :) Anyways, as I previously mentioned, the much-awaited Kadayawan Festival 2012 in Davao City is set to take place from August 17 to 19, 2012! Yes, folks, the King of Festivals is set to take place in just a few weeks. Have you made plans yet? Here's the Kadayawan Festival 2012 schedule of activities: (you can click on the image for a bigger view) The 2012 Kadayawan sa Dabaw Festival will feature the theme: "10 Tribes, 1 Vibe" The 10 Davao tribes that truly celebrate the diversity of Davao City's cultures are: Ata Matigsalug Ovu-Manuvo Tagabawa Klata-Djangan Tausog Maguindanao Kagan Mar...

Jul142012 by Mindanaoan Irene2 Comments

Multiply goes to CDO

Blogging, Business, Consumer, Technology

Before the big Facebook takeover and during those days when Friendster put a limit to the number of photos you can upload, everyone was at Multiply. Back then, Multiply was where you can find your friends' photos (tons of them!), favorite videos and blog entries. Multiply was also where you can practice simple HTML skills - change the font size, place your "welcome greeting" on the center etc. Multiply also allowed users to see who already "viewed" their sites so unless a person kept his or her account totally private, it was a bit of challenge for everyone to upload comment-worthy or "view-worthy" entries. And yes, Multiply was also the home of so many budding Filipino entrepreneurs - all who maximized Multiply's site features to sell everything from shoes to bags to homemade pastries....

Jul122012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Rep. JV Ejercito visits Bukidnon @jvejercito

Blogging, Bukidnon, Controversial, Features, Government, Malaybalay City, Mindanaoan Update, Personalities, Photos, Politics

I was in Bukidnon when San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito (or Joseph Victor Ejercito Estrada) told me that he was coming for a visit. I readily told Rep. JV Ejercito that I would be glad to assist him especially since I still had tons of media and government contacts in Bukidnon. I was also very curious to see how the people of Bukidnon would react when they see him. After all, JV Ejercito just recently "patched things up" with former Bukidnon congressman (and resigned Senator) Juan Miguel Zubiri (who is obviously very well-loved in Bukidnon) after the latter apologized to JV's dad, former President Erap Estrada. Migs Zubiri used to be a part of the "Spice Boys," a group of young congressmen who pushed for the articles of impeachment against Estrada in 2000. These days, Migs and JV are now both ...

Jul92012 by Mindanaoan Irene2 Comments

Make Your Own Havaianas 2012 CDO leg – come with?

Beauty, Cagayan de Oro City, Consumer, Events, Fashion, Features, Gifts, Mindanaoan Update, Style

Make Your Own Havaianas 2012 Cagayan de Oro edition! Yes, it's that time of year again! How fast time flies, eh? The much-awaited Make Your Own Havaianas 2012 CDO Northern Mindanao leg is set to happen on August 17 to 19, 2012, 10 AM onwards at the Rotunda area of Limketkai Mall, Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. Who wants to come with me? :) I don't know about you but I'm pretty excited about this one! This will be my FOURTH time to join these fun-filled MYOH events. My very first Make Your Own Havaianas event was in 2009. That pair of flip flops is still, to this day, one of my favorite pairs. For the uninitiated, Make Your Own Havaianas events is where you can create or customize your very own pair of Havaianas flip flops :) I also joined the Make Your Own Havaianas 2010 and...

Jul92012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Better ARMM starts today, July 9, 2012 #ARMMGenReg

Advocacy, Announcements, ARMM, Blogging, Muslim Mindanao, News

Today is a promising day in ARMM. Today, July 9, 2012, is the start of change in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM. Today, some 1 million Filipino voters are expected to register - or "re-register" - after the Commission on Elections through Resolution No. 9443, aims to purge hundreds of thousands of "fictitious voters" with the nullification of the voters' list in Lanao del Sur as well as in 4 other provinces in the ARMM. COMELEC officials say that after this ARMM general registration, the previous list of ARMM voters of at least 1.7 Million will be trimmed down to just about 300,000. The ARMM general registration, which will take place in various schools, will start today and will end on July 18, 2012. In line with this, a 30-day gun ban in ARMM is also being enforced. ...

Jul32012 by Mindanaoan Irene2 Comments

Photos: US Ambassador Harry Thomas leads turnover of donations to Bulua

America, Announcements, BIMP-EAGA, Blogging, Cagayan de Oro City, Campus, Education, Features, Headline, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, News, Northern Mindanao, Personalities, Photos, Society, United States of America

Like I previously mentioned in this blog, I had the chance of a lifetime to accompany US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr. for two days. It truly was an honor to be that up close and personal with the American ambassador, who I found to be very smart, direct and friendly. As a part of his party when he visited Cagayan de Oro City for the very first time last week, I got the chance to accompany him in various events. We attended the distribution of HACCP and ISO certificates to 10 Mindanao companies, the roundtable discussion with CIPMYL graduates in Xavier University and the launch of the Cities Development Initiative in CDO. Another event that I got to witness was the turnover of donations to Bulua National High School. The United States Agency for International Develo...

Jul22012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

USAID, Cagayan de Oro sign MOU; launch Cities Development Initiative

America, BIMP-EAGA, Blogging, Cagayan de Oro City, Government, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Oriental, News, Northern Mindanao, Personalities, Politics, Society, United States of America

During his recent visit to Cagayan de Oro, US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. led the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cagayan de Oro City LGU. The MOU was for the launch of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)'s Cities Development Initiative. Ambassador Thomas, USAID Mission Director Gloria D. Steele and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Vicente Y. Emano all signed the MOU last Friday, June 29, 2012 at a local hotel in Cagayan de Oro. The launch of the Cities Development Initiative in CDO is seen to be very beneficial to the LGU. The Cities Development Initiative is an integral part of the U.S.-Philippines Partnership for Growth (PFG). Launched in November 2011, PFG is helping the Philippines achieve its high growth potential by creating a more tra...

Jul22012 by Mindanaoan Irene1 Comment

US Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. meets with Mindanaoan youth leaders

America, ARMM, Blogging, Cagayan de Oro City, Campus, Features, Headline, Mindanaoan Update, Muslim Mindanao, News, Northern Mindanao, Society, United States of America

Here's more about my 2-day task of accompanying US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas, Jr. around Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao. Thanks to the folks over at US Embassy Manila, this Mindanao blogger got the chance of a lifetime to experience first hand how it was to officially be a part of an American ambassador's party :) After the awarding of HACCP certificates to 10 Mindanao companies, our next stop was the roundtable discussion with the alumni of the Congressional Internship Program for Mindanao Youth Leaders (CIPYML). The roundtable discussion of these Mindanaoan youth leaders with US Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. was held at the American Corner at the Xavier University Library. Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. was welcomed by Xavier University officials: On our ...

Jun262012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Airphil Express launches Manila – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia flights

Announcements, Business, Consumer, Flights, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Manila, Reviews, Tourism, Travel

Good news for travel bugs! Airphil Express, the country's fastest growing airline, now has flights from Manila, Philippines to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (and vice versa)! This Airphil Express Manila - Kuala Lumpur flight route is the third international destination of Airphil Express. If you guys remember, this blogger from Mindanao was one of the lucky bloggers who got to join the maiden Airphil Express Cebu to Hong Kong flight last year :) The Airphil Express Kuala Lumpur to Manila flights are scheduled every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with flights departing from Kuala Lumpur at 11:55 pm. The ETA or expected time of arrival is 4:05 am in Manila. Meanwhile, the Airphil Express Manila to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia flights leave at 7:40 pm. The expected time of arrival in KL is 11:25 pm...

May312012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Nicki Minaj Manila Philippines concert this July 2012

Mindanaoan Update

Nicki Minaj Live In Manila, Philippines this July 2012! Yes, folks, the current muse of the hip hop industry, Nicki Minaj, is set to stage a concert in Manila on July 2012. Who's excited for the Nicki Minaj Manila concert? I bet all the Barbz and the Kenz are all excited to watch Nicki Minaj live in concert! The Manila concert of Nicki Minaj will be produced by Wilbros Live, the same producers of the hugely successful a1, Jeff Timmons and Blue Greatest Hits Tour. Nicki Minaj Live In Manila will be held on July 11, 2012 at the SM MOA Arena, Pasay City, Philippines. Nicki Minaj, by the way, is the one behind the mega hits "Superbass" and "Starships." Interestingly, things were still supposed to be kept under wraps but I guess Nicki Minaj wanted her fans to be the first to know an...

May172012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Backpacking in Camiguin Island

Camiguin, Mindanao, Tourism, Travel

Camiguin, also known as the Island Born Out Of Fire, is an island one passes by on a boat ride between Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City. This small island has seven volcanoes, several waterfalls, and hot and cold springs. People visit Camiguin to primarily enjoy the water spots, but there’s more to the island than testing its waters. Also known as the island of fire because of its many volcanoes, Camiguin is rumored to one day simply sink should there be a terrible eruption. But before that happens (and hopefully not), its best you know that Mt. Hibok-Hibok – the most active among the seven volcanoes – has been dormant since it erupted last 1951. Scientists are monitoring the volcanoes as well, as a cautionary measure and for study. You can either fly in Camiguin or take the ferry. Most ...

May172012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Perks of Living in Mindanao

Advocacy, Agriculture, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Announcements, ARMM, Arts, Bacolod City, Banks, Basilan, Beauty, BIMP-EAGA, Bisaya, Bislig, Blogging, Broadcasting, Bukidnon, Business, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro City, Camiguin, Campus, Caraga, Commentary, Compostela Valley, Consumer, Contests, Controversial, Corporate, Cotabato, Culture, Davao City, Davao Del Norte, Davao del Sur, Dipolog, Education, Entertainment, Events, Fashion, Features, Festivals, Fiesta, Flights, Food, Freebies, General Santos City, Gifts, Government, Headline, Hotels, Humor, Iligan City, Internet, Island Garden City of Samal, Jobs, Journalism, Kaamulan Festival, Koronadal, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Leisure, Maguindanao, Make Money Online, Malaybalay City, Marawi City, Media, Mindanao, Mindanaoan Artists, Mindanaoan Update, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Movies, Music, Musings, Muslim Mindanao, Negros Occidental, News, North Cotabato, Northern Mindanao, Opinion, Ozamis, Pagadian, Personal, Personalities, Photos, Politics, Radio, Recipes, Religion, Resorts, Reviews, Sarangani, Shenzhen, Shopping, Sindangan, Singapore, Society, SoSCksargen, South Cotabato, Sports, Style, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tacurong, Tangub City, Tawi Tawi, Technology, Television, Tourism, Travel, Videos, Visayas, Weddings, Weird, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga Sibugay

If you listen to the news on Mindanao, the most likely reaction is that you’ll hesitate to come here. Much less choose to live here. But given the direness of the news on the peace and order situation here, have you ever wondered if there are perks to living in Mindanao? Actually, what’s so terrible in the news is merely a microcosm of Mindanao society. Given the largeness of the island and the number of regions, cities, and cultures that are found in Mindanao, you might want to take the news with a grain of salt the next time. Mindanao is generally a peaceful place. The members of the populace are satisfied with their lives, and commerce and trade are smoothly moving along. The economics show a due representation from the filthy rich to poverty level poor, but people manage to get by. ...

May162012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Finding Spain in the heart of Zamboanga City

BIMP-EAGA, Mindanao, Travel, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga Sibugay

If you set foot in the lands of Zamboanga City, one of the first things that get into your mind is the feeling that you’re in some other part of the world, perhaps in Spain or in Latin America. But don’t be deceived, you’re not in any city in the west; you are actually in a more beautiful and alluring city called Zamboanga. Often called as “Philippines’ little Spain” and “Asia’s Latin City,” Zamboanga City is a highly urbanized city that lies in the southernmost tip of Region IX in northwestern Mindanao. The sixth largest city in the Philippines and among the few cities independent of any province, Zamboanga City is bounded to the north by land masses and to the other directions by water formations that include the Sulu Sea (west), Moro Gulf (east), Basilan Straight (south) and Celebes ...

May152012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Ozamiz City: The enviable destination of northwestern Mindanao

Mindanao, Ozamis, Tourism, Travel

The city of Ozamiz is a second class city that stretches out along Panguil Bay in the northwestern part of Mindanao, Philippines. Although it is only a chartered city and not the capital of the Misamis Occidental province, Ozamiz is a prospering city that is the provincial center for health, transportation, education and commerce. With the city’s convenient setting, it has become a historical, cultural and pilgrimage destination in this part of the country. Currently, several projects are underway to boost the development of the city and to make it an even more anticipated destination in the south. Ozamiz City was formerly called Misamis by the early settlers composed mostly of the native Subanons, Jesuit missionaries and other Spaniards. Later, a steady influx of settlers from nearb...

May152012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Butuan City: Timber City of the South

Agusan del Norte, Butuan, Caraga, Mindanao, Tourism, Travel

Butuan City is known for its booming logging industry and for its abundance of timbers; no wonder why migrants from other sides of the Philippines and from abroad settled in this highly urbanized city to seek for good fortune and agricultural profits. But more than just being the Timber City of the South, Butuan is a place where rich history, preserved culture, kind-hearted people and active economy thrive. Butuan City is the provincial capital of the Agusan del Norte province and the regional center of the Caraga Region in the northeastern part of Mindanao. It sprawls near the mouth of the Agusan River, the deepest, widest and longest navigable river in Mindanao. On the north, it is bounded by several municipalities of Agusan del Norte; on the east by the Agusan del Sur province; and o...

May152012 by Mindanaoan IreneNo Comments

Mindanaoan In America: Washington DC Metro Subway photos, tips

Advocacy, America, Blogging, Features, Government, Mindanaoan Update, Personal, Photos, Technology, Travel, United States of America

This is a continuation of my "Mindanaoan In America" blog series :) You can read more about my escapades in the USA when I was a 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program delegate HERE. The first state that we stayed in was Washington DC. Like many states in America, Washington has its own subway or railway system. They call it the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit or simply - Metro. I found the Metro Washington DC subway easy to understand although my group and I did have to be guided by our ELO Alan especially when we already had to buy our very first fare cards or train tickets :) You can find below a photo of the farecards and passes machines - you can buy tickets there or you can always approach a friendly Metro employee. Here are some easy to follow tips on how to ...