Sunday, October 25, 2009

My amazing MBS3 Experience






That was last Saturday and last Sunday (October 24 and 25) when I joined the 3rd Mindanao Bloggers Summit (MBS3) held in Pearlmont Inn Cagayan de Oro City. Since it was my first time to join the MBS event I was really fortunate to have the opportunity meeting various bloggers from the different parts of the Philippines. Indeed I am a blogger myself and even one of the members of the organization the “cdobloggers” and very much proud of it despite the fact that I am not that active compared to the other cdobloggers (LOL). But I am very much proud that despite the fact that I am not really that active I contributed some effort for that big event. Yes, I am one of the volunteers of the said event and it is my honor as well as my pleasure to help assist our visitors in order for the event to be well organized. And yes we successfully made it!

Meeting all of our speakers (prominent people) and seeing them personally which I only seen them on TV mostly in the news is like a dreams come true. Though I am not really that avid fan of them but you know they are one of the most important people of the country. Imagine having pictures and even had the opportunity to shake hands with Leslie Basset (Chief Deputy of Mission), Atty. Adel Tamano, Hon. CDO Mayor Tinnex Jaraula and more. I was really grateful that I joined the event, because I learned a lot from the different speakers as well as through the different bloggers; like you know exchanging ideas and techniques on how to make your blog more presentable and of course how to get money from it (LOL).

While during the second day of the event that was last Sunday, is another exciting and interesting day of the bloggers. There are actually two options of activities to choose on the event, whether you would choose the water rafting adventure or the city tour. I chose the city tour and that really amazed me. Why? Because I am living and even born in CDO but I do not really know the city’s historical background (shame on me LOL!). Yes, our tourist guide introduces us to the city’s significant places and remarks particularly the San Agustin Church and the Water Tank (nearby the San Agustin church) which was established since the 1940s. After we toured the city, we head to the Opol Aviary where we’ve seen different species of amazing birds. And I even had the chance to touched one of the birds, which was really cute! But the most incredible thing I did in the aviary is when I got the chanced to touch their albino snake (eeewww feels nasty) yet that was the best thing I did that day.

After in Opol we then went to one of the most holy places in the city “The Divine Mercy”. Though we always planned to visit the place but we always failed, failed to set the exact date and time. I was really happy I chose the city tour since I had the chance to really see the gigantic statue of the Divine Mercy. It was really too hot when we went there but it’s all worthy because what we’ve seen is self fulfilling enough to ease the thirst and the hotness we feel. Divine Mercy was the last of the list of our itineraries that day, and we finally went back to the city center of Cagayan de Oro for our lunch. It was really an amazing experience I had and hopefully by next year, I can join again the MBS4 which would be held in Zamboanga City (sounds exciting )



Wednesday, October 21, 2009

CDO Bloggers Group Hosts Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3

The Cagayan de Oro Bloggers (CDO Bloggers) group is set to play host to the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, which will be held on October 24, 2009. With the theme, “Mindanao: Bag-Uhon Ang Panan-aw,” the MBS 3 aims to uphold the beauty and strength of the island and to expunge the negative notions the world has about it.

(Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines – October 21, 2009) – It’s all systems go for the Cagayan de Oro Bloggers (CDO Bloggers) as they play host to the much-awaited Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, an annual gathering of Mindanao-based bloggers, IT industry experts, community leaders and new media advocates, on October 24, 2009 at Pearlmont Inn, Limketkai Drive, Cagayan de Oro City. Roughly 300 bloggers are expected to attend this year’s summit.

With the theme, “Mindanao: Bag-Uhon Ang Panan-aw,” (Changing The Way People See Mindanao) the event aims to uphold the beauty and strength of Mindanao, to highlight the diverse cultures and fascinating tourist spots that are uniquely Mindanao and to provide a platform where bloggers and other new media practitioners can discuss concerns related to Mindanao – all with the help of new and emerging technologies.

Mindanao is the home of everything fascinating or in bloggers’ lingo – bloggable. Through the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, it is the hope of the CDO Bloggers, along with our partners and generous sponsors, that we listen to knowledgeable resource persons, meet other Mindanaoan bloggers, share and maximize all of our skills and resources and adopt tried and tested practices that can help us to fully promote Mindanao and for us to become better bloggers as well,” emphasized Chiq Montes, president of CDO Bloggers.

“Of course, we also want all of the participants to have a good time and experience the sights and sounds of Cagayan de Oro,” Montes added.

Montes said that apart from Mindanaoan bloggers, the summit will also see the participation of some bloggers from Luzon and Visayas.

Expected to grace the summit is United States Embassy’s new Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett, Atty. Adel Tamano, Agusan Lone District Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza and Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Tinnex Jaraula.

Considered unprecedented in the Philippine blogosphere, a top ranking United States Embassy dignitary is set to deliver the keynote address. Bassett’s trip to CDO will be her first trip to Mindanao since assuming office in June. She previously served as DCM in Mexico.

“We are deeply honored. We’re certain that the summit participants will be delighted to meet her and we can’t wait for her to see our beautiful city,” Montes said.

Other speakers during the whole-day affair include Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Tinnex Jaraula, Agusan Lone District Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Plaza and Atty. Adel Tamano.

Google’s Philippine representative Aileen Apolo, whose talk will focus on beginners, Digital Filipino’s Janette Toral, who will discuss blog advertising and Lyle Santos, who will talk about making money online will also be present. Representatives of other blogger groups including those in Davao City, General Santos City and Zamboanga will also give updates.

After the summit proper, participants have the choice of joining either the city tour (Xavier University Museum, Cathedral, Divine Mercy Shrine, Opol Aviary, Limketkai Mall) or the whitewater rafting adventure.

Also happening on October 24, right after the MBS 3, is the Philippine Blog Awards – Mindanao awarding ceremonies.

CDO Bloggers, Inc., a group duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is the lead organizer of this year’s Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3. Previous summits took place in Davao City and General Santos City.

The Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3 is generously supported by SMART Telecommunications, Nokia, Syntactics, Inc., STI, Rafting Adventure Philippines, MakatiAve.com, Majesty Sales Center, Havaianas Philippines, OLX Philippines Free Classifieds, Clara Shoppe, ASTERISK Events and Communications, RG & K Construction, Paguia’s Cottages, The Pacifica.com Companies, The Site, Spruce, The City Government of Cagayan de Oro, Office of CDO First District Rep. Rolando “Klarex” Uy, SM City Cagayan de Oro, Ultra Craft Advertising Corporation, Magnet Advertising, Provincial Government of Misamis Oriental and the Mindanao Bloggers community. Media partners include Papa Ardie’s Concepz, STI, ABS CBN, MOR 91.9 and HOT FM 106.3.

For more information about the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3, log on to http://www.mbscdo.com

About CDO Bloggers

CDOBloggers or Cagayan de Oro Bloggers, Inc. is a duly SEC-registered organization that promotes Cagayan de Oro through blogging. Among the group’s goals are to create impact in society through blogging, to help promote Mindanao to the world as a bustling and peaceful land, to promote Cagayan De Oro City and Kagay-anons around the world with a sense of pride and to use blogging as a media platform.

The CDO Bloggers group is the main organizer of the Mindanao Bloggers Summit 3 (MBS 3). For more information about MBS 3, log on to http://www.mbscdo.com

For more information about CDO Bloggers, visit http://www.cdobloggers.com or send email to cdobloggersinc@gmail.com

About Mindanao Bloggers

Mindanao Bloggers aims to unify the island through this exciting new medium — the way of the blog — thereby promoting deeper understanding of our different cultures and beliefs. Thus, it is hoped that this community blog will help in presenting to the world at large the true beauty of the Philippine South, as well as the marvelous diversity of the peoples of Mindanao. For more information about Mindanao Bloggers, visit http://www.mindanaobloggers.com

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http://www.asteriskeventsandcommunications.com
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Email address: asteriskEC@gmail.com

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Terrible typhoon Ondoy

I never updated my blog for days, yet I am thinking what to post here. Until my eyes captured this video taken during the typhoon Ondoy that hit the country (Philippines). Yes I've seen the news about it and I've heard how awful it was that gets hundreds of people to death. The typhoon was really terrible that it left traumas to most of the victims, especially to kids and older people. After seeing this video, my heart bleeds but hope is always in my mind. We are thankful because we have not been affected to the typhoon, but we are praying and hoping that flood victims can soon recuperate from what they had been experienced. Take a look at this video.