Sand-Tastic Team building!

Isla Jardin del Mar Resort

Gumasa, Glan, Sarangani Province, Mindanao, Philippines.

The Passionist Youth - South

Every group is unique. It has its own mission and vision.And is composes with different people, characteristic and attitude. These differences may either be the reason for unity or likely to be the reason of separation and division within the team.

Our group, the Passionist Youth - South, is also unique and is founded by different persons with one heart who aims to be the servant of our God. And just like the typical group, it also needs to be united, developed its strengths and addressed its weaknesses to serve its real purpose.

Two (2) team preparing for yell.

One summer 2015, a team building was organized on July 4.

Team OTOG (One Team One Goal) vs. The BaNaNa Team

Team BaNaNa; Ate Rhea sending message in action to Janpol.

Team OTOG; Wilfe sending the message in action.

The punishment for the defeated team: To crawl into the sand
under the legs of the winner team formed like tunnel. 

When things get funny!Hahaha
It's like we were being punished too when the big ones cross.

Treading into big sharp rocks.

Looks like I'm inside the cave :) how I wish!

Don't missed the warm water!

What a sand-tastic experience!

Bisaya Poem: Pait nga Amiga

Bisaya Poem to One True Friend

Pait nga Amiga

Maldita daw ni siya pero di man sa akoa,

Di pud ko kaingon nga buotan kay tinuod man gyud sa uban,

Maldita sa ilaha apan para nako siya buotan.

Kini nga amiga hastang bakakona,

Kay sumala pa niya ako daw kay gwapa,

Unya nauna pa diay siya ug kahalin sa akoa.

Ingon pa siya nga ako daw utokan ug kaya gyud daw nako tanan,

Ug sa dihang mihilak ko sa iyang atubangan iya kong gikataw-an,

Kay iyang nasayran nga sa gugma raman diay ko malisang.

Matingala ko niya kay mura ni siya'g bombay,

Tagakita namo gapaningil kanunay,

Abi nimo'g unsa? Uyab ra man diay!

Sumala pa niya, siya gyud daw nabalaka,

Kay ang tuig kapila na nag-ilis ug ang uban kapila na nibalhin,

Unya ako nagpabilin gihapon nga wala mahalin.

Subay pa sa uban di daw mi suod,

Kay kami magka-istoryahanay panagsa ra gyud,

Apan kon ako ilang iduot, makiglalis ni siya dayon kalain sa buot.

Pait nga amiga apan tinud-anay,

Kay bisan pag magtalikdanay ug walay kitaay,

Ang salig sa usag-usa gapabilin kanunay.

Our Escape to Man-made Paradise :)

 

Take a look at the small
Island built by locals of Rizal. 

Bayanihan Island of Rizal Zamboanga del Norte

When I was young, I'd always dreamed of making it to Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte, the place where my mother grew up and where I was born. I grew up imagining this place based on my mother's description of it. It was like a paradise on her stories, a place of her youthful memories.

It was summer 2014, when I took the chance to leave the hustle bustle of the city life. We traveled to Iligan City for 14 hours from Gensan. Then after a day of rest to my Aunt's house we traveled to Dipolog City wherein we rode in a "ro-ro" ship, then by land to my place of birth, Balubohan, Rizal Zamboanga del Norte. It was my first time to go there since my family leave the place after I was born.

My mother's hometown is like a small paradise in the center of many mountains. It's an old urban since it's far from modernization. The locals living in the area are very nice and approachable and most of them are our cousins. One of it's pride is the man made "Bayanihan Island" built by people of Rizal through "Bayanihan" (is a Filipino custom of communal unity, work and cooperation to achieve a particular goal).

Bayanihan Island is in Gutalac and more or less 30 minutes travel from Balubohan. You can reach the Island by riding in a canoe. Its view from the land really excites me; I'm gonna step on a place heartily made by mankind in history.

Boating to the Island.

While boating to the Island, I was amazed by the peacefulness of the sea and its living creature. The sea water mirrors numerous starfish in beautiful colors. 

Beside the swimming pool of the Island :)
If you like to swim and enjoy the water with different fish.

The Island is formed by lots of rocks. It also has a swimming pool in the form of a ship where different fishes freely and solely owned it. The place is slippery for it was abandoned many years ago and was visited less by the locals. But for the love of history, I found the place overwhelmingly impressive. I can't take my eyes off the whole Island and imagine how the locals, hand-by-hand, built it.

Climb up! Breath the fresh air and say hello
to all souls (maybe already departed) who built the Island.

Sunbathing at the top while enjoying the view.

At the top of the high wall made from lots of small rocks, you can enjoy the beautiful view of the whole place or have a jump and dive to the sea.

My brother's first jump :)

I can say that the place is a bit far and hard to find, at least for first-timer like me. But for those adventuresome, no place is far enough!