Davao City's 911 Bus Ambulance

Davao City's 911 Bus Ambulance 

This is Davao City's newly acquired state-of-the-art bus ambulance equipped with top-of-the-line medical facilities and emergency equipment for rescue operations. The first of its kind in the country, it is complemented by a team of medical professionals: nurses, first-aid personnel and a doctor. It can accommodate 15 patients at a time and may be converted into an operating room of a hospital.

Interior of the Bus Ambulance

The recent acquisition of the bus ambulance is part of Davao City's continuing expansion and enhancement of its emergency response mechanism to better manage crime, terrorism, traffic and emergency responses and public safety in the city; from responding to critical situations to anticipating and preventing them, when and where possible. 

All services of the bus ambulance are FREE!

Images courtesy of, and many thanks to DOT-Davao Dir. Art Boncato.

Puto Bumbong

Puto Bumbong

This special post is warmly dedicated to all Filipinos overseas who are far away from home to celebrate Christmas together with their families. And because of great distance, they continue to endure their loneliness and longing only to make things way better back home. 

Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the Philippines. In fact, the country has earned the distinction of celebrating the world's longest Christmas season, with Christmas carols heard as early as September and the season lasting until Epiphany, the feast of the Black Nazarene on the second Sunday of January, or at the Feast of the Santo Niño held every third Sunday of January. 

While most people around the world think of Christmas in terms of the colors red and green, Filipinos though, view Christmas in terms of lilac and yellow as it heralds the season of the Puto Bumbong and the Bibingka. 

Puto Bumbong is one of the most sought after delicacies at Christmas time. After the Misa de Gallo or the early dawn mass on the nine days before Christmas usually from December 16 to Christmas Eve, people would line up to the stalls right outside the Catholic church just to have a  quick taste of this all-time favorite Filipino delicacy. It is so popular among locals and foreign tourists alike that even five-star hotels and gourmet restaurants serve them during the holiday season using the traditional Lansungan - a special steamer (photo above) usually made of tin or aluminum, mounted on a pot of boiling water with two to three protruding tubes holding the Bumbong or bamboo tubes filled with the needed ingredients and steamed through until cooked. The Bumbong is wrapped around with muslin or cheese cloth primarily to protect the hands from the heat generated by the steam when Puto Bumbong is cooked and ready to be removed from the steamer.

Puto Bumbong

Puto Bumbong is an all-time traditional Filipino delicacy made of glutinous rice cooked in bamboo tube in which it is steamed. It is elongated and quite thin in shape which results from the method it is cooked, and its distinct color is purple due to the mixture of sweet rice and black rice called Pirurutong in which it is made of. It is best served topped with a thin spread of butter or margarine, freshly grated coconut to give it texture and cuts the stickiness of the roll, and sprinkled with just a bit of Muscovado or brown sugar to give it a hint of nutty sweetness that refined sugar does not have, and then served on wilted banana leaves which will keep it warm and moist until ready to be eaten.


Ingredients for Making Puto Bumbong

• Banana leaves cut into 2 square pieces
• Coconut meat – fresh and grated; 2 tablespoons
• Margarine or butter – 1 tablespoon
• Muscovado sugar or panutsa(sugar cane sweet) – 2 tablespoons
• Pandan leaves – 1 stalk
• Pirurutong or purple-brown aromatic sticky rice – ½ cup
• White sticky rice – 1 cup
• Water – about 4 cups

Traditional Way of Preparing Puto Bumbong

Puto Bumbong is a delicacy, and therefore requires special preparation:

First Day

While cooking Puto Bumbong is fairly quick and easy, preparation is usually a three-day process. On the first day, a mixture of equal amount of sweet rice and Pirurutong is soaked in salted water overnight.

Second Day

Traditionally, a grinding stone of some kind is used to grind the rice mixture but nowadays, a blender is commonly used. Either way, the grounded rice mixture is then placed and hanged in a cotton sack for another day in order to drain excess water. On the second day, the rice mixture is grounded in a blender and then placed and hanged in a cotton sack for another day in order to drain excess water. The rice mixture should be ready the next day, and it should be moist, not dry.

Third Day

The next step is to mix it up by hands to break up any clumps. The bamboo is then filled up with the rice mixture and placed on top of the Lansungan over a pot of boiling water. Puto Bumbong is done when the rice mixture turns dark purple and sort of shrinks inside the bamboo.

Vendors selling a variety of Christmas delights outside the church after the traditional Misa de Gallo.

Undas - All Saints' Day, The Filipino Way

Undas or All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the Philippines

Undas or All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the Philippines is one big happy occasion widely observed and celebrated by Filipinos to honor and commemorate their departed loved ones with fondness and love through prayers, and by offering flower wreaths or garlands and lighting candles at their graves. It is a special time of the year when families and relatives gather together in a sort of a family reunion in the cemeteries, memorial parks, and mausoleums. Bringing and sharing of foods and beverages in a pot luck, taking family photos, playing card games, singing, children making wax balls out of melted candles, exchanging ghost stories and reminiscing about the departed amid all the festive atmosphere are precious bonding moments that depict how tightly-knitted Filipino families are that even those that have long passed away are still much remembered and fondly cared for. Tombs are cleaned or repainted, candles are lit, and colorful bouquet of flowers are offered. Entire families even camp in cemeteries and sometimes spend overnight near their relatives' tombs.

Bouquet of flowers are offered to the dearly departed loved ones.

Historically, the tradition of celebrating All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day is said to have started in the 10th and 11th centuries and was based on the Catholic doctrine that prayers of the faithful help purify souls in purgatory. The Roman Catholic Church has specially set the day apart for the commemoration of the souls of the departed faithful. And while All Souls' Day falls on the 2nd of November, most Filipinos however celebrate the occasion as early as November 1, All Saints' Day, and are usually given as special non-working holidays (only November 1 is considered a regular holiday).

Undas is also an occasion to foster stronger family relations.

In the Philippines, Undas is the third most important holiday after Christmas and Holy Week. This old-aged tradition is based on the Filipinos' belief, particularly for Catholics and Christians who make up approximately 90% of the population: about 80% belong to the Roman Catholic Church while 10% belong to other Christian denominations, particularly the Catholics' belief in the "communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting . . ." as recited in the prayer of the Apostle's Creed. It is believed that, through constant prayers and offer of sacrifices, the sins committed by the departed faithfuls while on earth are cleansed and their souls purified, their sufferings and pains are alleviated, and their stay in purgatory is shortened. In return, the souls also help and pray for the living. Undas is the time to remember all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church Triumphant in Heaven (The Saints), the Church Militant on Earth (The Living) and the Church Suffering in Purgatory (Poor Souls). 

 This special post is dedicated to, and in loving memory of my Papang and Mamang. 

Tinuy-an Falls - Niagara of Caraga

This post is in response to an anonymous reader who requested for a special feature on Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur. While I usually cover Davao Region, particularly the city of Davao which I call home, I am, much to my delight, taking an exception on this one with the hope that the following will satisfy the purpose of said reader's request.

Tinuy-an Falls in Bislig, Surigao del Sur

The Philippines is much blessed with numerous waterfalls scattered in the different parts of the archipelago, and each Falls has its own beauty and characteristics that makes it unique and a spectacle to wonder. Seven of the highest waterfalls in the country are found in Mindanao; five of which are in Lanao del norte, and two are found in Davao, while the biggest and perhaps the widest falls is found in the city of Bislig in Surigao del Sur, widely known as the "Niagra Falls of the Philippines" - the Tinuy-an Falls - a towering 55-meter (180 feet) waterfalls whose white water curtain, measuring 95 meters (311 feet) at its widest, cascades in four tiers along a multi-layered riverbed of natural formation rocks surrounded with a verdant forest of centuries-old trees, and a rich variety of exotic floras and faunas, ferns, vines and moss. The water catch basin is about 30 feet deep and features three islets amid a swath of rainbow which can be seen between 9 AM to 11 AM.

The waterfalls is a widely popular tourist attraction in Surigao del Sur - a province of the Philippines located in the CARAGA region at the eastern coast of Mindanao, bounded in the north by Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur to the west, and Davao Oriental to the south, facing the Philippine Sea. It is located in Barangay Burboanan in Bislig - a 3rd class city of Surigao del Sur, Mindanao, and the easternmost city in the Philippines in terms of geographical location. Known as the "Booming City on the Bay," Bislig is approximately 208 kilometers northeast of Davao City, 152 kilometers south of the capital city of Tandag, and 158 southeast of Butuan City. It was once home to the now defunct PICOP Resources, Inc., the largest paper mill not only in Asia but in the world. PICOP permanently closed down its operations in the mid 2008. 

How to get to Tinuy-an Falls

Bislig can be reached by taking any of the daily scheduled airline flights from Manila or Cebu via Davao City, Butuan City or Surigao City. From the Davao Ecoland Bus Transport Terminal in Davao City, there are regular trips of aircon and non-aircon buses of Bachelor Express that ply daily the 5-hour Davao-Bislig route as early as 2 AM. Upon reaching the Mangagoy Integrated Terminal in Bislig, there are numerous jeepneys and habal-habal that go to Barangay Borboanan where the waterfalls is located.

Tinuy-an Falls

Jesse Robredo

Image courtesy of Jane Almoneda

The Author of Come Visit Davao and his family wish to convey our deepest sympathies and much prayers to the family of the Honorable Secretary Jesse Robredo whose untimely demise has brought immeasurable sorrow to the whole nation today. This particular post humbly recalls the Secretary's selfless public service to our country and to the people of Naga, and at the same time trust in the Divine Mercy and Love of our Lord Jesus.

Jesse Manalastas Robredo

Jesse Manalastas Robredo was born on May 27, 1958 in Naga City to parents, Jose Chan Robredo, Sr. and Marcelina Manalastas. He was the third among five children. Robredo was a second generation Chinese-Filipino whose paternal grandfather, Lim Pay Co, migrated to the Philippines at the turn of the 20th century and assumed the name of Juan Lim Robredo  after converting to Christianity, following a custom where Chinese immigrants adopt the name of their godparents at baptism. Lim Pay Co adopted the name of the priest who baptized him. Robredo's father on the other hand acquired the middle name Chan from his mother's maiden name.

Robredo obtained his elementary education at the Naga Parochial School, a private Catholic school in Naga City, and finished high school at Ateneo de Naga. He obtained his undergraduate degrees in Industrial Management Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the De La Salle University in Manila. In 1985, he completed his Masters in Business Administration as university scholar at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City,  and was awarded the Graduate School and Faculty Organization for academic excellence. Robredo was an Edward Mason Fellow and a graduate of Masters of Public Administration at John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1999. 

After working briefly at San Miguel Corporation in Mandaluyong City, Robredo moved back to Naga City in 1986 and became Program Director of the Bicol River Basin Development Program, an agency that undertakes development planning of the integrated areas in the three provinces of the Bicol region.

In 1988, Robredo ran for mayor of Naga City in Camarines Sur and assumed the office at the age of 29, making him the youngest mayor in the country. As Mayor, he dramatically restored Naga as the premier city of Bicol Region and transformed the city to being one of the "Most Improved Cities in Asia", as cited by Asiaweek Magazine in 1999. In 1995, in view of his dynamic leadership, Robredo was elected President of the League of Cities of the Philippines, the national association of city mayors, while he also chaired the Metro Naga Development Council, and from 1992 to 1998, Robredo was also elected Chairman of the Regional Development Council, the regional planning and coordinating body of Bicol's six provinces and seven cities. He was also the first Filipino mayor to be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service in 2000.

On July 9, 2010, President Benigno C. Aquino III named Robredo as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, a position he held until his untimely death last August 18, 2012 when his six-seater, twin engine Piper Seneca PA 34-200 private plane with Registry No. RPC 4431 crashed 800 meters off the shore of Masbate City at about 5PM, while en route from Cebu Cebu to Naga City to watch his daughter's swimming competition. Robredo was a member of the Liberal Party.

Robredo went to Cebu to attend the ground breaking of the Philippine Police Safety College in Consolacion, Cebu. Thereafter, he proceeded to the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City and delivered his keynote speech before the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Community Investigative Support national summit. While Robredo was scheduled to leave Cebu on-board Cebu Pacific flight at 2:40 PM, he made a last minute decision to fly to Naga City via a chartered plane owned by Aviatour Flight School in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island. 

Shortly after the plane take-off at 2:30 PM in Cebu, the pilot and also the owner and CEO of Aviatour Flight School, 60-year-old Captain Jessup Bahinting of Siquijor, assisted by co-pilot Kshitiz Chand, a Nepalese national, sent a distress call to the Moises R. Espinosa Airport in Masbate City requesting an emergency landing due to engine trouble. Meanwhile, at around 3:30 PM, Aide to Secretary Robredo, Police Chief Inspector June Paolo Abrazado, sent a text message to Coronel Ritchie Posadas, PCAS-7 chief, that they were immediately returning to Cebu as the plane was experiencing problem with one of the propellers, and asked to be rebooked for the earliest flight possible to Naga City. However, after Coronel Posadas had already booked Secretary Robredo for 5:05 PM flight from Cebu to Manila via Cebu Pacific 5J570, at around 4:20 PM, Abrazado informed PCAS-7 that they were making an emergency landing at Masbate Airport. When asked if they were okay, Abrazado replied, "Okey naman." Sadly, the plane never made it to the airport and crashed in the ocean. 

Abrazado survived the crash after he unbuckled his seat belt and was thrown off the plane during the crash. He was later rescued by fishermen.

Immediately after the crash, President Aquino responded to the scene and headed the search and rescue operation conducted by the joint recovery efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and the local government of Masbate to locate and retrieve safely Secretary Robredo and his missing pilot and co-pilot, while hundreds of people gathered at the Robredo residence in Bulusan Street, Dayangdan, Naga City with the Robredo family, friends and political allies and kept vigil and prayed for the safe return of Secretary Robredo and his companions. 

However, after three days of intense search, at 8:15 AM today, Tuesday, August 21, the body of Secretary Robredo was finally recovered from the fuselage of the wrecked plane some 800 meters  off the coast of Masbate City, at a depth of 180 feet. 

President Aquino himself, accompanied by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Presidential Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang, brought the body of Secretary Robredo back to his family in Naga City. 

Secretary Jesse Robredo was 54. He is survived by his wife, Maria Leonor "Leni" Gerona Robredo, and and their daughters Aika, 24; Patricia, 18; and Jillian, 12.

Farewell, Secretary Jesse Robredo and thank you for your selfless and unparalleled dedication to clean and honest public service to the country. You are such a great loss to the country and you will be best remembered by every Filipino of your dynamic LEADERSHIP and unquestionable INTEGRITY.

May you rest in peace with the Lord.

Awards and Recognitions

In recognition of his outstanding performance in public service, Jess Robredo received 14 major individual awards, including:

The 2000 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service

 (Asia's version of the Nobel Prize) for his good governance,

1998 Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence as Most Outstanding City Mayor of the Philippines,

1994 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) Honoree, 

1990 The Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM), 

and the first ever Dangal ng Bayan Award of the Civil Service Commission. 

In March 2008, Robredo was conferred an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by the Far Eastern University in Manila. He was also a trustee of Synergeia Foundation Inc., a coalition of individuals, institutions, and organizations that works together to improve the quality of basic education in the Philippines as it collaborates with local governments, the Department of Education, socio-civic groups, schools, teachers, parents and students to implement systemic programs that will improve the processes, systems and structures of learning and teaching.

Robredo, along with former Isabela Governor Grace Padaca and former Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, launched the Kaya Natin! movement through a meeting facilitated by the Ateneo de Manila University - School of Government on June 2008 which has been regarded as a national movement that seeks to bring genuine change and ethical leadership in the Philippines.