Macliing Dulag and the chico river dam struggle

DATELINE: April 24, 1980. the assassination of tribal leader Macliing Dulag.

Macliing Dulag is a Kalinga tribal leader of the Butbut Tribe, who was killed by Philippine Army troops in April 24, 1980 due to his firm opposition against the World Bank-funded Chico River Dam Project during the Marcos Regime. His death anniversary is now commemorated as the Cordillera Day.

 The Chico River Basin Hydroelectric Dam Project was a priority project of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos in the late 1970’s until early 1980’s. The World Bank committed to funding the project and it was to be implemented by the National Power Corporation (NPC). The venture consists of the construction of four mega dams and one smaller diversion dam along the Chico River, a major river system in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) with its headwater from Mt. Data in Benguet passing through Mountain Province to Kalinga. 

 More than 100,000 Kalingas and Bontocs were living along both sides of the Chico River at that time. In addition, the communities rely on the river for domestic purposes and for irrigation of their rice fields. As such, constructing the four mega-dams would submerge several villages and hectares of rice fields and ancestral lands, and displace thousands of people from their homes. In addition, the project was not intended to benefit the small farmers in the Cordillera region. Rather, the venture under the national irrigation program was meant to increase the productivity of lowland corporate plantations, which export majority of what they grow. 

The ethinic Kalinga and Bontoc communities, and lowlanders who sympathized with their cause, argued that national development should never be achieved at such extreme sacrifice.

"You ask if we own the land. You mock us. Where is your title? Where are the documents to prove that you own the land? Title. Documents. Proof. Such arrogance of owning land when you are owned by it. How can you own that which outlives you? Only the people own the land because only the people live forever. To claim a place is the birthright of everyone. The lowly animals claim their place, how much more of human beings. They are born to live," spoke Macliing, when asked about land titles and documents.

Bataan death march

An interesting marker in Bagac, Bataan: the KM 00 which symbolizes the start of the so-called Bataan death March  of Flipino and American Prisoners of war from Mariveles, and Bagac to Camp O” Donnell, Capas, Tarlac April 1942.

Immediately after the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, The USFFI forces were evacuated by the Japanese from the field of battle as prisoners of war. The more than 70,000 Filipino and American troops who had survived the battle of Bataan underwent in this evacuation, The ordeal that history now knows as the death March.

The Death March started from two points in Bataan: on April 10 from Mariveles, on April 11 from Bagac. The Filipino and American troops were marched day and night, under blistering sun or cold night sky, staggering through Cabcaben, Limay, Orion, Pilar and Balanga, where they were given a brief rest and some water, From Balanga, The Prisoners  were organized into groups of 100 to 200 and under guard marched on through were segregated from the Filipino Prisoners of war and marched separately, The march continued northward through Hermosa, to Layac junction, Then Eastward into Pampanga through Lubao, Guagua, Where the Prisoners were rested and given a little food at the National Development Company Compound.

Already suffering from Battle fatigue, The Filipino and Americans troops were strained to utter exhaustation by this long march on foot, many were ill, most were feverish, but none high rest, for the enemy was brutal with those who lagged behind. Thousands fell along the way, Townspeople on the roadside risked their lives by slipping food and drink to the Death Marches as they stumbled by.

  In San Fernando, The Death March became a death ride by cargo train when the prisoners were pack so densely into boxcars that many of them perished from suffocation, Those who arrived alive in Capas had still to walk the last and most agonized miles of the Death March: The 6 Kilometers to Camp O" Donnell, Which was become one of the most hellish concentration camps of World War II.

Calaguas: Bicol's Hidden Paradise

After a very long 8-hour trip from makati to Paracale via a van, then another 2.5 hours boatride,
 we reached the so-called "hidden paradise" of bicolandia, the Calaguas islands.

The Calaguas is a group of islands in the Philippine province of Camarines Norte. It includes the major islands of Tinaga Island and Guintinua Island, the minor Maculabo Island, as well as several other minor islands.
Most of the islands are under the administrative jurisdiction of Vinzons, Camarines Norte, while the minor island of Maculabo is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Paracale, Camarines Norte. Recently, the island of Tinaga where the famous long beach called Mahabang Buhangin is located is experiencing influx of tourists in the area despite the absence of accommodation. Campers and backpackers are coming and going daily to experience its powdery white sands and of course the charm, the beauty and the ambiance of this paradise.

I joined the trip organized by Lahing Kayumanggi  you can visit the following:
https://www.facebook.com/lahing.kayumanggi.9?ref=ts&fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/230826090296259/?ref=ts&fref=ts

You can make your  own trip  the inexpensive way to get to the island.

Via Paracale:
Paracale, Camarines Norte is just about 14.8 Nautical Miles away from Mahabang Buhangin Beach, the nearest jump-off point to the Island
From Manila, book a bus ride either Pasay or Cubao to Paracale, Camarines Norte
(Philtranco | Superlines about P485 - P500+ for approximately 8 to 9 hours).

Alternately Pasay/Cubao – Daet trip is also possible (P580)
a.) Get off at Barangay Talobatib and ride another bus for less than an hour to get to Paracale.
b.) From Daet Camarines Norte, Paracale can be reached in less than two hours by public vans (P50 – P60).

Boat rental: P3,000 - P6,000
Mahabang Buhangin Entrance: P50 - P150

Venus de Milo

Dateline: April 8, 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos.

Aphrodite of Milos (Greek: Ἀφροδίτη τῆς Μήλου, Aphroditē tēs Mēlou), better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created sometime between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty (Venus to the Romans). It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) high. The arms and original plinth were lost following the discovery. From an inscription that was on its plinth, it is thought to be the work of Alexandros of Antioch; earlier, it was mistakenly attributed to the master sculptor Praxiteles. It is currently on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris

Ferdinand Magellan's arrival and death in Cebu

Dateline April 7 1521 – Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu.

Ferdinand Magellan  was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in a still disputed location in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" (modern Maluku Islands in Indonesia).

 On 17 March Magellan reached the island of Homonhon in the Philippines, with 150 crew left. Members of his expedition became the first Spaniards to reach the Philippine archipelago, but they were not the first Europeans. Magellan was able to communicate with the native tribes because his Malay interpreter, Enrique, could understand their languages. Enrique was indentured by Magellan in 1511 right after the colonization of Malacca and was at his side during the battles in Africa, during Magellan's disgrace at the King's court in Portugal and during Magellan's successful raising of a fleet. They traded gifts with Rajah Siaiu of Mazaua who guided them to Cebu on 7 April.

Rajah Humabon of Cebu was friendly towards Magellan and the Spaniards; both he and his queen Hara Amihan were baptized as Christians. Afterward, Rajah Humabon and his ally Datu Zula convinced Magellan to kill their enemy, Datu Lapu-Lapu, on Mactan. Magellan had wished to convert Lapu-Lapu to Christianity, as he had Humabon, a proposal of which Lapu-Lapu was dismissive. On the morning of 27 April 1521, Magellan sailed to Mactan with a small attack force. During the resulting battle against Lapu-Lapu's troops, Magellan was hit by a bamboo spear and later surrounded and finished off with other weapons

Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health

Dateline April 6, 1970: The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act  was passed as  a United States federal law designed to limit the practice of smoking. It required a stronger health warning on cigarette packages, saying "Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined that Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health". The act also banned cigarette advertisements on American radio and television

The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act was one of the major bills resulting from the 1964 report by the Surgeon General, Luther Leonidas Terry. The report found that lung cancer and chronic bronchitis are causally related to cigarette smoking. Congress previously passed the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act in 1965 requiring that all cigarette packages sold in the United States carry a health warning. But after a recommendation by the Federal Trade Commission, the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act amended the 1965 law so that the warnings are made in the name of the Surgeon General

martin luther king, (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

Dateline April 4, 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

 Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience. King has become a national icon in the history of American progressivism

 King's main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the U.S. Just days after King's assassination, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968.Title VIII of the Act, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibited discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of race, religion, or national origin (later expanded to include sex, familial status, and disability). This legislation was seen as a tribute to King's struggle in his final years to combat residential discrimination in the U.S.