‘Hidden Paradise’ in Cebu Lures Visitors

CEBU CITY -- A mountain resort in southwestern Cebu is fast becoming a destination of tourists looking for a place far from the hassles of city life.

The P30-million Hidden Valley Resort lies on a 12-hectare hillside property in a secluded valley in Barangay Lamac, Pinamungajan town. The “hidden paradise” is a favorite venue for retreats, meetings, conferences, reunions, outings and even honeymoons.

While most resorts are owned by the rich, Hidden Valley is owned and managed by the Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LMPC).

The resort and the amenities that the villagers now enjoy were nonexistent 40 years ago.

“In the 1970s, Lamac had no road, no electricity, no potable water supply, but it was already a community [of] farmers,” recalled Ma. Elena Limocon, LMPC general manager.

Change came slowly to the remote village. In 1970, some 70 tenants and small farm owners led by then barangay chair Narcisa P. De Gracia formed a Samahang Nayon (a Marcos-era village group) with an initial capital of P3,700. They immediately established a consumers’ cooperative, the forerunner of the LMPC.

Lamac transformed itself through the hard work, sacrifice, commitment and faith in God of members of the LMPC, Limocon said during a “Leaders of Change Forum” of the First Rafi Triennial Awards Summit held on March 4 at the Sacred Heart Center in Cebu City.

The cooperative was one of the award presenters during the summit. In 2000, it received the first Eduardo Aboitiz Award for Outstanding Institution.

Limocon said the farmers first worked on rotation basis in helping build a road that would link their village to the outside world where they could sell their products and avail themselves of medicines and other basic needs.

Lamac, a two-hour ride from Cebu City, has a population of 5,000. It has a church, health center, elementary and secondary schools, post office, bakery, water system and drugstore.

Now, it is also easily reached through a concrete road from the town center and a gravel road from Barangay Lutopan in Toledo City.

The LMPC grew, acquiring office equipment, a truck, a rice mill and other assets. It later bought land, including a P7.5-million lot in Cebu City, and erected a building and a training center for cooperative members, Limocon said.

Limocon disclosed that the cash prizes that the LMPC won with its awards were used to buy office and farm equipment, and land, as well as construct buildings.

The cooperative also bagged awards in Gawad Pitak, Tulong sa Tao, Gawad Sikap, Mithi Award, Kabuhayan Award, Ulirang Kooperatiba Award, and Outstanding Cooperative-Municipality Partnership Award. Its prizes ranged from P55,000 to P1 million.

Its Hidden Valley Resort can accommodate up to 400 guests at a time. Past visitors included businessmen, school officials and students, balikbayans and their families, and foreigners.

Last year, more than 100 Koreans stayed for 45 days.

The resort offers air-conditioned single and double rooms, 25 big rooms for six persons each, and dormitory-type rooms. Guests can also stay in native huts or in semi-concrete buildings.

Aside from the beautiful landscape, it has a lagoon where guests can go rafting and fishing, two adult pools and two kiddie pools, function halls, restaurant and an amphitheater.

The more adventurous visitors can explore the resort’s seven caves.

The LMPC is also engaged in agricultural modernization, microfinance, youth development, environment protection, product marketing and promotion, and housing and outreach services.

Lomicon said some members were engaged in swine and goat raising, vermiculture, biogas production, dairy farm and organic farming, as well as recycling and managing of a 48-hectare timberland.

The LMPC now has nearly 44,000 regular, associate and youth members, and total assets of P427.8 million. It has 14 offices operating in different places in Cebu.

“God has been kind to us,” Limocon said.

Vicente Labro, Visayas Bureau, www.inquirer.net

‘Paraw’: More than just an Ilonggo Sailboat

ILOILO CITY – Fisherman Jayde Pauchano Sr. and his crew were racing the paraw in the Iloilo Strait toward Bundolan Point when tragedy suddenly struck. The wind and waves became rough, toppling the native boat’s mast and flipping it to its side.

Fortunately, a motorized boat with journalists on board was around to pluck the four crewmen out of the waters. The paraw was later put up and towed to safety, with Pauchano staying to guide it.

Luck refused to abandon Pauchano that day of Feb. 22. His other boat, 2 Angels, won over 74 participants in the 23.8-kilometer Paraw Regatta Sailboat Race from Sto. NiÒo Sur Arevalo in Iloilo City to Bundolan.

The city holds the Paraw Regatta Festival yearly to recognize the creativity of the Ilonggo people in paraw-building. “We have been doing this for the last 37 years. It has been like a community bonding already,” said Edwin Trompeta, regional director of the Department of Tourism.

Since the Spanish times, paraw-building has been a tradition for the Ilonggo people, known to be shipbuilders and seafarers. They have used the boat not only as a means of transportation but also as a source of livelihood.

Distinct character

Pauchano, 61, has joined the Paraw Regatta since 1973. His father taught him how to build the boat when he was a child – a craft that the fisherman eventually perfected by creating the double outrigger boats.

The paraw is built from a carved keelson or a long beam of wood connected to the floor of the boat with plywood planking for the sides. The hull is pointed at both front and back ends.

Measuring 31 m long and 30 m high, the boat’s distinct feature is its slim hull with a length-to-beam ratio of 20 to 1. To stabilize the vessel, it is fitted with outrigger floats made of bamboo.

Its sails are originally made from woven matting, but nowadays, they are stitched up from synthetic awning materials. The forward sail or layag knives the wind as fast as 20 to 30 nautical miles per hour.

Like Pauchano, Cesar Engallado believes that boat-building is in his blood. “My father was the one who actually made the paraw and he just taught me how,” Engallado said in Filipino.

A veteran regatta participant, Engallado loves to gaze at his most prized possession as it gently sways to the rhythm of the wind. He needed at least P30,000 to build the boat. “We buy the materials one piece at a time,” he said.

Joining the race has become a lifelong hobby for him. He started participating when he was 5 years old.

For Pauchano, the paraw is not only a sport but also a means to feed his family of 12. During off-season, he uses a smaller boat to catch fish.

“Sometimes, we catch eight kilos of fish, but at times, we only have two kilos,” he said. He earns a meager amount of P200 to P800 per catch, but has managed to send his children to college.

The paraw also helps ease the burden of day-to-day life, Engallado said. “It helps us forget our problems in life especially when we win.”

He had earlier worked as a checker in a brokerage firm in Parañaque City, but when the firm closed due to financial difficulties, he decided to return to Iloilo and build the paraw instead.

Today, Engallado, 42, alternates fishing and baking in a bread shop in Guimaras so he could keep his boat. “This has been a tradition for us. The paraw is already a part of our lives,” he said.

Fishermen like Pauchano still prefer the paraw over the motorized ones. “The paraw is faster,” he said.

Wind power

The sailboat is considered economical and environmentally friendly since it only needs the wind to propel it. After all, Iloilo is where two winds converge.

With the theme, “Sailing the High Seas, Mooring for More,” the Paraw Regatta Sailboat Race was the highlight of the four-day festivities in the city. The winning boat received P14,000 in cash prize.

More than the money, Rene Cortum, tourist operational officer, said “others joined because they enjoyed it and they really wanted to support Iloilo.”

Last year’s race attracted 40,749 tourist visitors, mostly Koreans.

For Pauchano and Engallado, the paraw is not only a boat but a symbol of a rich heritage of craftsmanship and ingenuity.

Vanessa Hidalgo, Visayas Bureau, www.inquirer.net

Dress to Flatter Your Figure

REAL SIMPLE. REAL LIFE. fashion expert Sam Saboura taught Jennifer Fuller how to show her body off to best advantage; here’s his advice for you.

Your Type: Apple shape (you tend to carry weight around the midsection)

The Strategy: Create contrast by using angular lines to counteract the roundness and softness

Look for:

• Wrap tops, which will give the illusion of a smaller waist
• Seaming on blouses and anything with a corset-style structure
• Pleating and gathering under the bust that draws the eye vertically down the tummy
• Deep v-necks and scoop necks
• Drapey empire styles, provided they’re not too voluminous (that’ll only make the area look bigger)
• Straight-leg―rather than skinny―bottoms build a sense of proportion with your upper half
• Higher-waisted pants and pants with a bit of stretch; these have a girdle-like effect and hold your stomach in

Avoid:

• Extreme A-lines, or anything too blousy that lacks shape
• Busy details like pocketing on your top half, patterns that don’t match your overall size (larger frames can carry off bigger prints, and vice versa)

Your Secret Weapon: Wear a stretchy tank top underneath your garments to create a smooth, seamless base

Carter Berg

Your Type: Pear shape (smaller on top, heavier on the bottom)

The Strategy: Achieve balance by adding a bit of volume to your upper body and minimizing your lower half

Look for:

• Darker colored pants that have a stiffer fabric or some stretch, which will have a slenderizing effect. (A leg that falls straight down from the widest part of you is best.)
• Seams that run down the front of the leg, which create a leaner leg by “bisecting” it
• Fluted skirts that flare out a bit at the bottom
• Lower and thicker waistbands that help minimize the bottom
• Tops that are slightly A-line with a bit of blouse to them
• Low-slung tunic tops (wear the belt below your natural waistline) and ¾-length jackets and tops that stop around the knee or mid-thigh

Avoid:

• Any fading or whiskering on your denim, which will only highlight trouble areas
• Too-tight tops, which will accentuate the difference between your upper and lower halves
• Attention-grabbing pocket details on the hips and thighs

Your Secret Weapon: Have the pocket fabric removed from the inside of your pants, which will minimize bulk.

Olivia Graham

Your Type: Hourglass shape (curvy around the bust and hips, with a smaller waistline)

The Strategy: It’s all about exaggerating your silhouette, not fighting it

Look for:

• Simple, solid shapes that will highlight your waist.
• Thick belts, pencil skirts, a little volume around the shoulder to make the waist appear even smaller
• Wrap tops, scooped and boatneck necklines. Pants should be bootcut or flares that fill well in the thigh.

Avoid: Ruffles, frills, lapels, busy patterns; any straight, boxy shapes

Your Secret Weapon: A fitted vest that flares out at the waist

Ditte Isager

Your Type: Athletic/boy shape (straight up and down)

The Strategy: Use clothing to create curves where they don’t exist naturally

Look for:

• Details at the bust such as ruffles, wraps and rouching―these add fullness up top
• Sleeveless tops and halters; they show off toned arms
• High-waisted skirts; they should begin at the smallest part of your waist, just underneath the bust
• Bootcut pants and jeans, with a lower rise for maximum curviness

Avoid: Menswear-inspired styles, straight cuts, “boyfriend” jeans

Your Secret Weapon: A ruffled blouse tucked into a high-waisted skirt