Best Travel Blog in the Philippines

Mission: Sirang Lente, one of the Best Travel Blogs in the Philippines

Meym Dharzie, thirty-ish, Romblon! Previous part-time movie extra and full-time in BPO. I love historical sites, nature and outdoor activities like hiking and camping. At home, watching documentaries and Korean Dramas are my interests.

Why Sirang Lente?

Sirang Lente is a Filipino word which means “a defective lens,” pertaining to my camera lens. I know you’re thinking why I'm writing and proud having such a defective lens, correct? Here’s the reason: it was in 2012 when I started hiking and backpacking. That time, I don’t have anything expensive, like DSLR cameras, to capture high quality photos or even a knowledge in photo editing. What I have were old 5 megapixel Digital camera and a smart phone with 3.2 megapixel camera. They both have cracks on the LCD so I was thinking that they have defective lenses, but upon transferring the photographs to my laptop, images were beautiful. That's when I realized that there could be beauty in defects, it all depends in perspective.

 

I created this blog to list down the beautiful tourist attractions, tourist spots, tourist destinations in all the provinces I visited, upload great photos (must be raw and may not be in high quality) and tell my stories. I may not have perfect grammar but I do believe that: “learning is constant and practice makes permanent!”

For travelers, like me, Social Media is now considered as one of the must haves. Social media platforms, such as twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google Plus and many other social media sites and apps are best and simplest way to share your stories, travel itinerary and gorgeous photos to others. They are also being used to promote and inspire others to do the same.

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BALITOK TI ALICIA, Isabela

Balitok in Ilocano means gold, from which the festival Balitok ti Alicia drew inspiration  as they gratefully celebrate the golden era of the town of Alicia, Isabela.  Being one of the prime palay producers of the province, the festival honors rice as the  golden grains that helped this humble town, formerly called Angadanan Viejo, to become a prominent business hub in Central Isabela. It shows how its hardworking people put their heart in the tedious, muscle numbing work in the fields for the golden grains to be served on the tables for the whole year. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website

NIYOGYUGAN FESTIVAL, Quezon Province

From the words, “niyog” and ”yugyog,” the Niyogyugan Festival combines all the colorful fiestas of Quezon Province like the “Pahiyas” of Lucban, “Arana’t Baluarte” of Gumaca, “Tagultol” of Atimonan, “Maubanog” of Mauban and others. A province-wide celebration that celebrates the “Tree of Life,” Niyogyugan pays tribute to the coconut industry’s glorious past, which bore fruit in the form of lambanog distilleries, oil millers, heritage houses, and vast resort plantations. This amazing festival was created to move, shake, and bring back the vigor and dynamism of the industry and to promote the products, places, talent, and creativity of Quezonians. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website.

Meguyaya Festival

Meguyaya Festival is an annual event in Maguindanao del Norte. Meguyaya is a Teduray term for thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest. The Creator blessed them with fertile soil and a great climate, making them produce tons of corn. This annual festivities include a street dancing competition showcasing the different cultures of Teduray, Muslim, and Christian, celebrated every December. One of the most awaited events is a long stretch of corn grillers placed by the roadside where everyone enjoys roasting, a symbol of togetherness and feasting.

Pagadian, Zamboanga del Sur - Solo-Backpacking in Mindanao

After Ozamis City and Misamis Occidental, I travelled to Pagadian City, Province of Zamboanga del Sur, which is the last province on my list. It was a three-and-a-half-hour land travel with a huge picture of how the people of the Zamboanga peninsula live. At the integrated terminal, I rode on a motorcycle to the centre of the city, passing by the famous rotunda. I was wearing a sando, and I easily felt the fresh and cool wind while we were on a descending road with a clear view of the stunning sunset.

Rizal Tourist Spot

1. Bahay Bakasyunan

Bahay Bakasyunan is a tourist attraction in the Municipality of Tanay, Rizal. This resort is perfect for team buildings because it has a wide area with amazing facilities like wall climbing, mudslides, and other fun outdoor activities. Rooms and cottages are built on top of the mountain, with amazing sceneries from afar. Not only that, one of the pride of Bahay Bakasyunan is the swimming pool on top of the mountain with cool and crystal clear water (photo above). The design of the landscape is really stunning.

Pampanga Tourist Spot

1. Bacolor Church

Also known as the San Guillermo Church, in Pampanga, is considered the Cagsawa of the North. More than twenty years ago, Mt. Pinatubo erupted and many municipalities were left devastated, including Bacolor, Pampanga. This church was built in 1576 and was named after their local patron saint San Guillermo Ermitaño. Destroyed by earthquakes and fire then was rebuilt in 1886.

Manaragat Festival

It is an annual festivities celebrated for the whole month of August to pay homage to their Patrol Saint - Senyor Bartolome whose feast day falls on the 24th of the mentioned month. Catbalogan City celebrated its more than 400 years of establishment as the capital of the whole island of Samar; from a small fishing village in 1616 to a promising city in Eastern Visayas. Most of all, this festival is an ongoing call for people to remain resilient despite the odds and to keep moving forward.

Manggahan Festival, Guimaras

Guimaras is one of the small island provinces in the Philippines but with a huge and vibrant culture, breathtaking tourist attractions, and world-class mangoes. Having said that, the province created Manggahan Festival every May to showcase their gift. In this presentation, Binagtong, which means anything that is wrapped by a katsa or patadyong, will be featured to show its usefulness as an accessory to export mangoes and other products by using this piece of cloth in the hands, shoulder or head. To be included in the presentation are the unique and exciting countryside experiences for tourists  – from agri eco-adventure parks to bike circuits, historical sites, religious events and other cultural activities. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website.

Balaw-Balaw Restaurant + Art Gallery

It is one of the must-visit or best restaurants to dine if you are looking for exotic foods. I am not into cooking, but I love eating so I would like to share our amazing encounter with exotic foods at Balaw Balaw Restaurant in Angono, Rizal. This happened after enjoying the famous Higantes Festival; while our clothes were wet, we headed to this special restaurant.

Higantes Festival

Higantes Festival is an annual festivities held every November 23 in Angono, Rizal; its main purpose is to honor San Clemente, patron saint of the fishermen. His image is carried by male devotees during the procession, followed by the street dancers and participants. Higantes (Giants in English) is made up of paper mosaic handcrafted by the artistic minds of the people of Angono.

Giant Lantern Festival

This is an annual festival held in December in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines. The festival features a competition of giant lanterns. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been nicknamed the "Christmas Capital of the Philippines". The first Giant Lantern Festival was held to honor President Manuel L. Quezon. At that time, Quezon made Arayat his rest area and converted Mount Arayat into a tourist resort. As a show of gratitude to Quezon, the people of San Fernando held a Christmas lantern contest to honor the first family. Quezon himself donated the prize for his lantern contest, which was personally awarded to the winner by First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon -WikiPedia.org

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ABOUT ME: SIRANGLENTE

Aliwan Fiesta

Introduction

Aliwan Fiesta, or Aliwan Festival, is an annual event where colorful festivals from different regions in the Philippines gather in one area to compete for the coveted title. Having said that, Aliwan Fiesta is known as the "festival of all the festivals in the Philippines." Aside from the given title, the winners will also bring home cash prices and many more. This event has a huge contribution to Philippine tourism because it is the best way to let the world know or the universe rather, those festivals are More Fun in the Philippines. Anyways, Aliwan has a series of events, such as the street dance competition, the float parade, and the Reyna ng Aliwan. Below are the winners:

Cinco de Noviembre Festival

Sigabong sang mga Kanyon means “explosion of cannons.” It is also part of an annual Fiesta dubbed as “Cinco de Nobyembre” by the City of Bago, Negros Occidental, commemorating the uprising of the Negrenses and the somewhat “explosive” true story behind the province’s independence. History accounts relate to the siege of Bago City, then a poblacion, which was liberated by the Philippine revolutionary General Juan Araneta in the early hours of November 5, 1898.  Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website

Maytime Festival is the Pride of Antipolo City

Tayo na sa Antipolo Maytime Festival promotes the city of Antipolo as one of the pilgrimage sites in the Philippines, celebrated every first Tuesday of May and ends on the first Tuesday of July. This colorful festivities include Unang Prusisyon, Santacruzan and Katapusang Prusisyon, together with the beautiful street dancing competitions. Antipolo's native delicacies like suman, manga and kasoy are always part of the event to showcase the wealth of their city. The art and colors signifies their colorful culture. Info from Aliwan Fiesta Website

Inaul Festival

Introduction

Inaul or Inol literally translates to "weaved" in English. It is a hand-woven fabric by the Maguindanaon women weavers. It is traditionally used as a "malong" or a "bara-bangsa," which describes royalty. Before, the use of Inaul reflected the status symbol of the wearer in society. These fabrics are woven with stunning colors with their own meaning. Yellow and orange signifies royalty, red is for bravery, green is for peace and harmony, and white is for purity. The use of gowns made from Inaul during the Miss Universe 2016 pageant made this local product a world-class fabric. 

Tugtog ng Aliwan Festival

This travel wasn't planned, Jean, my high school classmate, messaged me to witness this grandest festival battle in the Philippines. We were thinking that today April 20, 2017 is the street dancing competition and unfortunately we're wrong but it's fine because this day is the Tugtog ng Aliwan 2017, where the contingents from different  regions in the country compete with their unique and distinct sounds using their native instruments. Since it's unplanned, I don't my have my DSLR camera, so these photos were captured using my not so expensive phone. 

Reason Why You Shouldn't Miss Kanidugan Festival

Kanidugan Festival is one of the most awaited festivals in the Philippines. This festivities is celebrated on the first week of April in Odiongan,  Tablas Island, Romblon. The street dance parade and ground demonstration is composed of participants from the baranggay level. Each of the participants is wearing their best and colorful costumes made from the coconut products. It is showcasing the importance of coconut or "niyog" in Filipino or "nidog" a local term where its name came from. Photos below will describe why you shouldn't miss Kanidugan Festival 2016:

Kanidugan Festival 2016 | Romblon

Kanidugan Festival (Coconut Festival derived from a word “Nidog” or Niyog in Filipino or Coconut in English) it’s an annual festival celebrated in the month of April, foundation day of Odiongan and to honour Saint Vincent Ferrer (the patron saint of Odiongan, Romblon.) Photos below were taken during the parade and ground demonstration in OSCES open ground.