Where Santa Stays All Year Round

Where Santa Stays All Year Round

Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela
Published December 23, 2007 – January 5, 2008

What’s On and Expat

IF NOT delivering toys and presents on the day our Savior was born, where would Santa be? Would he be taking his bath at a barrel tub? Or maybe sleeping at his crib? Would he be playing the saxophone or even singing “Santa Clause is coming to town”? Maybe, checking his list for children that were naughty or nice during the year and supervising the elves in making toys for the latter? But the tingling question is where exactly?

North Pole is where everyone thinks Santa Claus does all these. Then, who would have thought that Saint Nick has a house right here, which is the Casa Santa. A Santa Museum that not only opens during the holiday season, for Father Christmas stays here all year long.

The Christmas spirit most positively fills the house that started out as a collection of Edna del Rosario, the owner. She began colleting Santa thirteen years ago with the prodding of another friend who is also an avid collector of Santa Claus items. Her first a green capiz Christmas is still prominently displayed in the Casa Santa. Del Rosario picked up Santa figures from department stores, antique shops here and abroad. Her collection got bigger and bigger, which eventually needed a house, until finally she decided to be open a museum for the general public in 2004.

The many faces, shapes and sizes of Santa Clause would leave visitors in awe, as they find out that the man who sneaks in to give children presents on Christmas Eve had so many depictions as can be seen in the museum. Guests most especially kids are allowed to play with the Santa present in the house. Some of the figures are interactive. With a gentle push of a button, Santa begins to move, dance, sing, even play an instrument and get you into the joyous spirit of the birth of our lord. Inside the Casa Santa, you can see jolly Saint Nick take a bath in a barrel tub, sleep in a crib and rap hip-hop Christmas songs.

So, instead of Santa subtly making his way into your home, why not try to slip into Casa Santa, and have yourself a ho-ho-ho of a time.

Reservations are requested prior to visit. Call Jardin de Miramar at (02) 817-1589 or (02) 817-1591.

Jail Congestion, Problems In the Judicial System Tackled

By Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela
Printed What’s On & Expat, December 9-15, 2007 page 6

The Caloocan City Jail is congested by 1124 percent. The detention center has an ideal capacity of 136 inmates, yet the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) managed to fit in 1,665 people. The Caloocan City Jail, like other penitentiary across the Philippines is extremely overcrowded.

Jail congestion is one of the biggest problems of the BJMP. According to statistics obtained from the BJMP website, there are 20,497 inmates detained in the National Capital Region alone in a facility meant for 5,926 people.

Jail congestion or overcrowding is just one of the problems that were raised in five documentaries launched last November 23. The filmmakers, Gang Badoy, Kidlat de Guia, Lourd de Veyra, Pepe Diokno, Tado Jimenez, and Cheryl Corre focused on the everyday dilemmas that prisoners deal with such as living within a daily food budget of PhP40 per inmate and the trouble one has to undergo with the Public Attorney’s Office. The launch was attended by Supreme Court Justice Renato Puno.

Due to overcrowding, detainees, as one documentary depicted, take shifts in their sleeping routines not only because of the lack of beddings but also because of lack of space. They were considered lucky enough if they slept on the floor, even without a mat, pillow or blanket.

With the jammed jail cells, diseases, particularly skin infections are widespread.
Another problem that came up is that detention centers were built decades ago. The New Bilibid, in Muntinlupa prison was constructed in 1936 through 1939. Amenities, like toilets and sports facilities are not good enough and inadequate.

Some have the benefit of videoke machines, tennis and basketball courts; but still many do not have the advantage to separate the women and the youth from the men. Out of the 1,082 jails accounted for by the BJMP and the Philippine National Police across the country, only 336 have separate cells for female and 203 have separate cells for minor detainees. The women and underage inmates share the same space as those charged with heinous crimes such as rape, murder and drug pushing.

There are many reasons as to why the number of prisoners increase and continue to fill up the already teeming jail cells. Some blame the implementation of Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, which led to the reduction in the quantity of illegal drugs bailable under RA 9165. Others say poverty and unemployment are the reasons why the detainees are unable to pay bail, among others. Another major reason is the slow disposition of cases in court.

“As it stands, there is the perception that the judicial system does not seem to operate for those who can afford to protect themselves. It is no secret that just like our country’s jails, our courts are also severely congested,” said Chief Justice Puno.

The chief justice was referring to the number of judges in the country. The country has a ratio of one judge to 45,000 people. The ideal ratio is one judge to a thousand.

“The evident truth is that the country’s penitentiary system is teeming with problems that cannot be resolved with simple, instantaneous solutions, for our criminal justice system rests on five intercontinental pillars: the police, the prosecution, the courts, the correctional system and the community,” Puno said.

There may still be hope. For the year 2007, the BJMP has been bestowed a budget of PhP3.272 billion with PhP 165 million allocated for logistics. The money set aside will hopefully allow the bureau to improve living conditions inside jail cells.

The five documentaries showed the predicament of Filipino prisoners, jail congestion, minimum amount of money for food and supplies, protracted trials, prolonged resolutions of the cases, lack of legal representation and judges and lack of opportunity to reform and rehabilitate the offender. The Asia foundation collaborated with Lawyer’s League for Liberty (LIBERTAS) and Rock Ed Philippines for these documentaries, Gang Badoy and Kidlat de Guia’s “1048:2261”, Pepe Diokno’s “Dancing for Discipline”, Lourd de Veyra’s “Buhay Looban”, Tado Jimenez’s “Dokumentado: Rock the Rehas” and Cherryl Corre’s “Sining Manlilikha sa Loob ng Preso”

Club Balai Isabel

Stepping into a Glorious Escape: Club Balai Isabel

Text by Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela

Published: What’s on & Expat: Destination, January 13- 19, 2008

Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu once said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” These words were blaring out of the shirt of Nelson Terrible, owner of Club Balai Isabel in Talisay, Batangas. And to put truth to what can be read on his gray shirt, he did begin his journey – to set up one of Talisay’s famous resorts- one step at a time.

It wasn’t an ordinary journey as he accompanied a group of writers around his resort and its nearby attractions. Surrounded by nature’s bounty, it offers a panoramic view of the Taal Lake.

The Club Balai Isabel, which sits at the lakefront of the world famous Taal volcano would not have been discovered if not for a soft drink company which was scouting for a place as a venue for its teambuilding activities.

Terrible, a real estate developer saw the potential and prospect for growth of the placeand instantly took the challenge of constructing a resort and gallantly transforming the 3.5 hectare property from a simple hut into a trailblazing resort. A few months later, the resort in Talisay, Club Balai Isabel, was built and named after his daughter Isabel who now manages the entire place.

Now, the resort is fast becoming a home to corporations and family outings wanting to host special occasions. Its proximity to Taal’s famous attractions – it offers a vantage view of the Taal Lake and volcano and its verdant surroundings is the resort’s big draw. Furthermore, guests also choose to hold their special functions like weddings, debuts and anniversaries in the resort as no less than Makati Skyline is catering the resort’s food.

Short Retreats

If you want to have a short retreat from the noise of the of the city, Club Balai Isabael is highly recommended. This resort, with a homegrown feel to it, is furnished with rooms and villas built like with five star standards yet it has a pleasant functionality of a condo unit complete amenities. Guests can opt to rest, or engage themselves in the resorts range of activities – a good game of basketball, a round of either tennis or badminton or they can challenge themselves through the rope swings and tunnel hoops in the obstacle cours. For the sporty types, kayaking in the lake is a fine option.

For sailing enthusiasts, the club even offers boats for this sport. The resort has partnered with the Taal Lake Yacht Club for this purpose. Guests can either leisurely direct the winds with the rigger, rudder and dagger and speed up the boat along the lake.

Pool of the Lake

Guests, they can have a dip in the water with the resort’s unique inflatable pool. The inflatable pool or mobideep was invented by a Frenchman and presently this kind of pool can only be found at Club Balai Isabel. The mobideep is one of a kind innovation, it’s a cluster of floating pools within the lake. One can play water games and host cocktail parties in the mobideep inflatable pool. Guests can simply dive into clear and clean water, said to be clean enough for drinking. The pool filters the water up to six micron. With the mobideep safely sitting on one of the biggest lakes in the country, guests can really enjoy sunbathing and swimming amid the distinctive environment.

Apart from the unique amenities, Club Balai Isabel is also taking steps to maintain a clean environment. They have formed a bantay dagat (guard the sea) team to monitor the activities of the lake in Talisay and keep the lake water unpolluted along with the local government.

“Best Service Possible”

Club Balai Isabel is continuously expanding and improving its facilities, with the objective of “never to be boring and providing the best service possible to its clients”, outside the resort is Paseo de san Guillermo, a small trade fair and a complex area managed and operated by Club Balai Isabel. They recently obtained the next-door resort, plus more cottages being built by local carpenters.

Not even a year old, the place has already accommodated as much as seven thousand guests in 2007. Most of the guests have known about Club Balai Isabel through the favorable blog entries from previous guests, proof of the place’s hospitality and unique ambience.

Trailblazing Resort

People are starting to regard Taal not just with Tagaytay but also with Talisay. Little by little, what first comes to mind when Talisay is mentioned is Club Balai Isabel; and Club Balai Isabel is fast becoming synonymous with Talisay.

For Reservations: (02)776-1521 or (043)728-0307

How to get there:

From Santa Rosa, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite, the trip takes only an hour and 15 minutes if traffic is light.

At the Tagaytay Rotonda, you turn left and after 6 km turn right to Ligaya Drive, a well-paved zigzag with subdivisions and communities along the way. The 9-km road leads right to the town proper and the lakeshore.
http://www.balaiisabel.com/

New Scents from Lewis and Pearl

New Scents from Lewis and Pearl
By Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela
What's On and Expat November 11, 2007

One’s scent is a first impression on another person. Like the Greek used to please their gods by the wonderful fragrance they send to please their deities, a scent can invoke diverse sentiments and even memories. Together with Lewis and Pearl Cologne, makers of vibrant and refreshing scents, Iris Go, one of the less than five hundred noses or what they call perfume experts, spearheaded the first fragrance appreciation workshop in the country. The fragrance appreciation is for Filipinos to say more than ‘it smells nice’ to the tropical weather whiff of the country. After all during the renaissance the perfume is considered as a status symbol. Only those who were affluent and well to do were the ones who had the chance to wear expensive fragrances. The cologne and the perfume is almost a blessing as new fragrances are introduced everyday and as almost anyone can have it. Many Filipinos favor the lighter and fruitier scents probably suggestive of the tropical warm weather. “What they’d probably say is that it smells like a burst of citrus rinds rising like the hot Eastern sun with droplets of orange and tangerine oils dripping over skins aglow, that gives a sense of urgency that escalates with each sniff,” describes Go on a scent recently launched by Lewis and Pearl. Among the new scents launched by Lewis and Pearl are Chill, Fantasy, Dream, Happy, Twist, Summer, Dew Drops, Rain and Ice Water.

Hagedorn’s Dogeaters Staged

Hagedorn’s Dogeaters Staged
By Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela
What's On and Expat November 25, 2007

Considered the “vanguard artist’ of her generation, Jessica Hagedorn has come to the Philippines and PowerBooks has sponsored the balikbayan author’s book signing last week. Highlighted at the event was the author’s play and book “Dogeaters.” The work is a mix of comedy and tragedy, which echo many different aspects of the Filipinos’ experience, like the influence of America through radio, television, and movie theaters. It also demonstrates the complexities of the love-hate relationship that many Filipinos feel toward their identity, culture and past. Most importantly, it reflects the struggle that went on during the Marcos era. The play’s last run is on December 2 at 3 pm, Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City. For ticket information call Atlantis Production (02) 892-7087 or 840-1187 The book “Dogeaters”, along with other works of Hagedorn: “Burning Heart,” “The Gangster of Love” and “Dream Jungle” can be purchased at all PowerBooks specialty store.

Plato Platina: Resto review

Plato Platina
Half a Minute

resto review
by Ana Kristine B. Valenzuela
What's On and Expat October 7-13, 2007

So all I ask is for you to come away with me in the night / Come away with me, ” carols Norah Jones invitingly to the modern day interiors of the Italian restaurant Plato Platina at the Blue Wave Complex along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue. Come away with me, come away and dine. What more can I say to the relaxing ambience and modern interiors playing host to an Italian feast…It was the night the Italian town of Naples celebrated the matrydom of San Genarro di Napoli yet I was revelling inso much more! My taste buds were aplomb!
On the palatable menu, I was filled with served pasta, pizza and paella. A good way to start, I thought, was with the pasta. As I was taking in the Arrabita-Fettucine, I got into some conversations

with a few people. That was when I learned Plato Platina is owned by interior designers and husband-wife tandem Ced and Ces Rodriguez. They named their restaurant after the Italian philosopher Plato and the first cookbook librarian-author Platina.
Changing courses was as easy as the first song ending and continuing with Polish singer Basia crooning, “What is there to say, when every dream just fades away, in half a minute”. These are the instances that I wished the minutes had not ended as I relished a slice of pizza. Honestly, I prefer the Gambertti Funghi con Pesto over their specialty pizza Pizza alla Carlitos. The former has this cracker-like crust. More than its thin, crispy crust, it’s the cheese that melted

onto the shrimps and mushrooms that made it extraordinary and inventive. This made me reserve it for my last bite.
Next the waiters served paella. On top of the rice were slices of round tomatoes, beans and a few other vegetables. Sure you might think that if you found a big tomato, a fist-sized one at that, it would be perfect for this vegetarian paella dish. Well, what’s more for a girl like me who eats tomatoes munching on them like they were apples. I definitely liked it but I think the Paella Verdure is a little too tomato-ey. But for someone who adores tomatoes, I didn’t mind, of course. The waiters also plated up Paella Nero made of seafood. The paella was named after the Roman emperor Nero who was believed to be either behind the burning of Rome or was playing the lyre as his city was being burned to ruins. The Paella Nero’s blackness comes from squid’s ink. A thing to watch out for are the shells because the dark lighting made me nibble on them.
As the night ends, Bacharach’s music filled the air, giving my hearing perceptions the right impressions of a soothing ambience. Good food, good music and great interiors make Plato Platina that one-of-a-kind Italian resto. The song Look of Love followed Bacharach’s note preference as my eyes gave their own “look of love” to the feast that satisfied my cravings.