Snorkeling at Pamabato Reef

Snorkeling is the activity of underwater swimming, exploration or swimming with a snorkel or scuba equipment. I do not know how to swim, so the thought of me snorkeling is far too behind my head. But snorkeling is one activity that I need to do in my Palawan adventure. I was not the one who did all the planning for the trip, so I really have no idea that we will be having snorkeling.

the Sta Lourdes wharf welcoming sign

We availed of a Honda Bay island tour package in our hotel, so all I thought is we will be having an island hopping. But on our way to the pier, Ms. Marie, the tour guide asks if we have any snorkeling gear because we will need them in our trip. All of us said “no”. So right away, we stop to a rental shop. This shop offers rental for aqua shoes, snorkels, goggles, rash guards, and even camera case that can be use underwater. Ms. Marie told us that we will need this snorkeling gear for we will be visiting the Pambato reef and the aqua shoes is protection against stone fishes which is known to be poisonous.

Ms. Marie, our tour guide giving directions while on the van

rash guards, snorkels, board shorts, swimwear all for rent

Pambato reef is a marine sanctuary along Honda Bay that is known for its giant clams and different types of corals. It is also known as a “mini Tubbataha”. This is our first stop on our Honda Bay Tour. In this tour, the boatman would also serve as the guide in traversing the sea. There is a floating raft in a shape of turtle that serves as diving point for snorkeling. Tourist will need to swim to reach another turtle-shaped raft that serves as a pick-up point once the tour is finished.

on the way to the turtle raft

Our boatman Manong Jun, is nice to teach us on how to use our snorkeling gear, tightening our goggles and life vest, truly ensuring our safety. For those who do not know how to swim, boatmen have a lifebuoy with a rope that tourist can cling into while the boatman pull the string to reach the other raft. Since all of us four are not swimmers (though two of my friends know a little about swimming), we all four cling to the lifebuoy, while Manong Jun slowly pull the rope.  

all geared-up

In this twenty minute journey, Manong Jun will be telling us to look underneath for us to see the giant clams and coral reefs. Once in a while, Manong Jun will dive to look for parrot fish and clown fish. Once he spotted them he will then told us the location and then we will be again looking underneath to see the fishes. Sometimes, there is no need to look down or dive underneath to see the fishes and corals, some fish will actually swim near people and there are huge coral reefs that can be reached by a person’s foot (My foot actually accidentally hit twice or thrice on the coral reefs). When we are already near the other raft Manong Jun left us to enjoy wading at the sea while still clinging on the lifebuoy.

what lies beneath?

a giant clam

where's Nemo?

brain coral

staghorn corals with fishes

The twenty minutes of traversing the Pambato reef, is one of the longest twenty minutes of my life. This is one of the unforgettable experiences in my life, though I regret the fact that I do not know how to swim, I am still happy to see through my eyes the beauty of nature.

reaching the other turtle raft

Exotic Palawan: Crocodile Sisig

One of the exciting things to do when travelling around the Philippines is discovering the richness of the Filipino cuisines. Though the food in Palawan is the same as almost any other Filipino cuisines, Palawenos are proud that the seafood that they offer is always fresh. Palawan is also proud of its exotic dishes of Crocodile Sisig and tamilok. In this trip we opted to try the Crocodile Sisig.

sizzling crocodile sisig with calamansi

Most of the pork sisig that I have tasted in the restaurants in Manila are crunchy and have that chicharon. The crocodile sisig on the other hand, is not crunchy and don’t have those chicharon, nor is it made from ears, head or snout.

To try this exotic dish, we went to Tiki Resto Bar in Puerto Princesa. When asked by the waiters what we like, we immediately said Crocodile Sisig. It took a while before our order was served, good thing Tiki Resto Bar had a live band performance every night, and so you would not get bored waiting for the food.

Like any other sisig, the crocodile sisig is also served on a sizzling plate with calamansi on the side. After mixing the calamansi and soy sauce we instantly tasted this exotic dish. Unlike my expectation of the meat of having some weird taste or smell, the crocodile sisig is actually tender. It has no fishy taste or smell. And it also looks like any ordinary sisig, that you cannot tell that it is crocodile meat. Paired with beer, the Crocodile Sisig makes up a perfect pulutan.

what's on the menu

let's take a shot

Aside from Tiki Resto Bar, Kinabuch is another popular restaurant that offers crocodile sisig. You can also visit the Palawan Wildlife Resource and Conservation Center wherein they also have small stores that offers Crocodile Sisig.

Crocodile Sisig and Pork Sinigang

Meeting the Princess of Palawan

After 9 months of waiting and preparation, at long last, we set foot at Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It was since January 20, 2012 that we booked our trip to Palawan and from then on the planning never stops as our enthusiasm to see this paradise heightens. On October 18, 2012 I and my friends embarked to discover the hidden paradise of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. 

arriving at Puerto Princesa airport

Me and two of my friends arrived at 5:15 pm at Puerto Princesa while some of our friends are already waiting for us in our hotel. We did not have to wait long to be picked-up by the hotel van as the driver is already waiting for us since 5:00pm. After the warm greetings and welcoming of the hotel personnel of Casa fuerte Bed and Breakfast, we went straight to our rooms to unpack our things and take a quick rest. 

Casa fuerte Bed and Breakfast is located along Rizal Avenue Puerto Princesa Palawan. The place is just ten minutes away from the airport and the pier going to Honda Bay. It is also near BPI, so we have no worries in withdrawing cash.

Bali inspired "Casa fuerte Bed nad Breakfast"

Our Palawan tour is only for 3 days and 2 nights, so we need to make the most of our time, especially that we arrived late in the afternoon and we will also be leaving Palawan early on October 20, 2012. 

Cybercrime Law in the Philippines

October 2, 2012, when I opened my facebook account, I saw all these posts relating to “Cybercrime Law” being passed by our lawmakers. As to my surprised, all posts contain negative feedbacks. These forced me to search the content of the said law. It took me a while to find a complete copy of Republic Act No. 10175, also known as “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012″. For some unknown reason, the website of the Philippine government, www.gov.ph, where I planned to get a copy, cannot be accessed.

After successfully finding a copy of the law, I quickly browsed the content and searched for the list  of punishable act or offenses against it. Chapter II Section 4 enumerates the punishable acts. From my own understanding, the punishable acts can be summarized to 1.) hacking, 2.) cyber pornography, and 3.) cyber fraud. 

From the article of Jasmine Solivas-Dayacap on The Cybercrime Prevention Act last September 20, 2012, that was posted in www.iplaw.ph, cybercrime is defined as follows:

“The heart of the new law is its second chapter enumerating thirteen (13) acts constituting the offense of “cybercrime” which are classified into three categories of offenses:

(1) Offenses against the confidentiality, integrity and availability of computer data and systems, i.e., Illegal Access, Illegal Interception, Data Interference, System Interference, Misuse of Devices, and Cyber-squatting;
(2) Computer-related Offenses, i.e., Computer-related Forgery, Computer-related Fraud, and Computer-related Identity Theft.
(3) Content-related Offenses, i.e., Cybersex, Child Pornography, Unsolicited Commercial Communications (otherwise known as spamming), and Libel.”

 According to Senator Chiz Escudero, the provision regarding libel slipped from their scrutiny. The libel provision in the said bill is now the centre of protest of the online community. There are also moves from Senator Teofisto Guingona III to file a petition with the Supreme Court to review the said bill.

Another issue with regards this new law is the weight of punishment for the offenders. A fine of Php 50,000 – 1,000,000 or more and a prison term of 1 month – twelve years, or both depending on the cybercrime committed.

It is nice to know that our lawmakers finally passed a law against cybercrime, but hopefully, this will not also violates the rights the freedom of expression of the Filipinos. It is also disappointing that there are pending bills in the senate that needs much immediate attention than the Cybercrime Law. 

(Note: I tried searching for a list of pending legislation/laws in the senate to no avail. Again to some unknown reason, my browser cannot connect to www. Senate.gov.ph)

Dinner at Icebergs

Icebergs, whenever I saw this store at Robinson’s Galleria, the first thing that comes to my mind is an ice cream and yogurt parlor. But I was mistaken. Last September 30, Saturday after attending mass at EDSA Shrine, me and my sister decided to have dinner at Robinson’s Galleria. After roaming the whole mall, we saw that our preferred restaurants are already full of people. So while walking near the cinema area, we passed by Icebergs and their menu caught my attention. There in their menu stand is a picture of hamburger and sisig.

the welcoming smile of Icebergs

Upon entering the store, you will be welcomed by a young at heart feeling. Upon seeing the whole menu, we were even more surprised to see choices for soups, appetizers, sandwiches, pasta and rice with viands dishes. After having a hard time choosing, I ordered for beef lasagna and my sister sisig rice.

Though, Icebergs is known for their ice cream and cold desserts, we were not disappointed with the beef lasagna and sisig rice. The beef lasagna is cheesy and has a hefty serving of meat. The sisig rice is crunchy because of the chicharon. I also enjoyed drinking my freshly squeezed lemonade. Aside from the wonderful taste of their menu, I also liked their fast service. We did not wait long to have our food served. We did not also need to ask for a glass of water, for it is served together with your ordered drink.

the crunchy sisig

my cheesy and beefy lasagna

Of course, our Icebergs experience will not be complete, if we did not order for a dessert. We both order for a sundae; a cappuccino sundae and kahlua choco. Their sundae is composed of two scoops of ice cream with whip cream and topped by cherry. It is also drizzled with choco syrup and sprinkled with nuts. Aside from the sundaes and parfaits, Icebergs also offers the all-time Filipino favorite halo-halo and con hielo.

Cappucino Sundae and Kahlua Choco Sundae

The next time we will be eating at Robinson’s Galleria, Icebergs will never be an option but will be a destination.