No White Sand Shores (in Mainland Camiguin)

I had been in the island province of Camiguin for many times. My first visit was last year when I was invited by the Local Government to present the products of my company. The second time was during the mSME Week celebration. I was with AVP Galvezon of DBP.

I asked the locals, the first time I was there, what affordable accomodation I could get that is directly facing the sea. Being from a coastal town, I missed already the sea breeze and sound of waves at night and my visit is opportune enough to once again be lulled into dreaming my beloved town in Surigao del Sur. But I was surprised that Camiguin’s main island shores don’t have white sand beaches. I was expecting white powdery sands along its shores.

So I inquired again with the locals where can I find white sand beachftonts.  And I was told that the white sand beaches is a 10-15 minute boat ride away from the main island. I was told that it is best to visit the white island, a sand bar, during sunrise and sunsets. To sum it all, there is no white sand beachfront that can be found in the main island. So I wondered.

The beach front facing the white sand bar should also have that fine white sand since the current is going in that direction. If there is a white sand bar, there could also be white beachfronts. But you’ll never see one in the main island. My theory is maybe Camiguin had beautiful white sand beachfront along its coastline long time ago. Maybe if we try to excavate its soil we could find beneath it those powdery sand. Maybe these sugary white powder had been buried by lava during the many volcanic eruptions that occurred in this volcanic island province.

But even without these white shorelines, Camiguin still offers other magnificent attractions around the province. If you love nature and a provincial feel in your vacation, consider Camiguin Island. It’s a paradise even amidst the seven volcanoes it possesses.

The Massacre of Lupang Hinirang

Martin Nievera’s message for NHI officials: “If [they] want to implement old laws for the new singers, I suggest that they take it up with the people who hire these singers before they even step into the ring. I don’t mean minutes before … I mean days or weeks before. Why blame the artist when he or she is informed only after the song is sung?”

This clearly shows that he (Martin Nievera) does not know how to sing correctly our national anthem. With this kind of statement, he likes to imply that teaching the correct rendition of the hymn is a sole responsibility of National Historical Institute (NHI). But let us not forget that being a true Filipino, it is our duty to learn how to sing it correctly. We should not wait for others to remind us.

While it is good to hear variations in the rendition of our national anthem, we should be mindful that there is also a law, The Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines (RA 8491),  that clearly stipulates how we should conduct it. Though how small or unpopular that law is, it is still a law and ought to be implemented and followed. Even Martin doesn’t know about the existence of this law, it doesn’t excuse him.

If I have a way to amend said law, I’ll only amend the provision on penalties. I’ll increase the penalty from P5,000.00 to P100,000.00 and give a minimum of five years imprisonment than one year.

It was only Ciara Sotto who sang it correctly, as i could remember. If Ciara can get the right tempo then why the hell other singers could not?! It was not only this time that complaints like this have been aired out. Singers like Martin should have been aware of this. Or it could have been that he or they are aware but still want to pursue their personal dream of being discovered by international producers. (mamasin baya sab agaw!)

I like the provision of one tempo for the national anthem because once it is sung, my fellow countrymen can join the singer in singing it. Just imagine how could a crowd of Filipinos follow the singer who sings it in RnB, rap or,  worst in, Rock version. It would only be a solo perfomance for sure. Imagine how beautiful and proud we, Filipinos, are if we can join the singer or leader sing the national anthem. 

Why do we always follow USA  manners of singing their national anthem?

I guess it is now time that NHI should sue any person who violates RA 8491 especially if its done in international and national arena. Someone should be prosecuted so no more abuses will be done.