Davao East Coast

                                                

Lola with a hat, she found the aircon cold. hehe

My lola has been staying at mama's house since February. But sometime in April, she said that she wanted to go home to Davao Oriental. We told her that she should just be "vacationing" at her age. But I guess, she misses it there. So off we went to Davao Oriental, since we still had 3 days left before the holy week is over.

That's when the thought of travelling the East Coast started. John found going back to Davao the same way is boring. :) With my wandering soul, I agreed. Of course, there's fear of the unknown. The farthest I went to is Banganga, Davao Oriental. And that was like a million years ago, when the roads are impassable every time it rains.

                                     The road is a lot better now.. :)

It's a good thing that internet is already available these days. Getting facts are no longer impossible, or so I thought.. After hours of searching, I found out that the roads have been concreted, mostly. But there were limited information on hotels and restaurants, after Mati.

So I contacted Ma'am cynthia, the Tourism head of Davao Oriental, through her facebook page. :) Bless her kind heart, she accomodated all my questions. And she even gave me the numbers of who to contact for when I reach there. That's really nice right? You know, that really touched me. Thank you very much, Ma'am Cynths.

Around 6am, we headed towards Sumlog, where my lola lives.

I grew up in Davao Oriental. So I have wonderful memories of the place. Ibing, my best friend , our other neighbors and I used to wash our clothes in Sumlog river. :) Water was difficult back then. We had to get it from a "poso". For a child, the big wooden handle is very heavy. But for onlookers, I think they would find it funny because as we push up the handle, it takes us on top. It felt like being in a seesaw. haha..

After taking lola home, we then proceeded to Mati. 

We stopped in Badas for a few minutes and took pictures of the "Sleeping Dinosaur". John said the mountain looked like a crocodile to him. hehe..

                                                 The Sleeping Dinosaur




As we continued our road trip, we passed by several beautiful sceneries.

 

The east coast of DavOr is full of surpises. What we've seen are just the ones beside the road. The view of the ocean is spectacular. Now I understand, why surfers go to Banganga. The waves are huge! I was also impressed with the white sand beaches in Manay. I am hoping that someday, investors would build resorts there so tourists can stay and relax for a few days.

                    Perfect for relaxation... Just take a hammock, sunscreen, food and drinks! :)

I know I would love to go boating. I'm sure others would, too.. Divers will also have a blast checking the underwater garden filled with colorful fishes and corals. I've read online that the east coast is also the home of the gentle seacows.

I know we missed a lot of tourist spots during that trip, but I don't mind. It just gave us a reason to go back one day. :)

I'd like to visit the waterfalls someday. I know the road to the pygmy forest is still difficult. But I would like to visit it. Someday... I just hope that our local government will continue to protect the said forest because it houses thousands of pygmy trees which are probably a century old.

As we reached Cateel, we had a flat tire. :( John and Dan-dan checked and replaced it. So most of us sat beside the road as we waited for them to finish it. It made me realize that the place is safe for travellers. The people greeted us with a smile as they passed by.

We left Cateel around 5pm. By the time time we reached Boston, it was already pitch dark. Since there were no restaurants around, we stopped beside the road again. Got our "baon" (rice, beefsteak and friend chicken) and ate our sumptous dinner. Thanks to my sister Pearlie for being a good cook! :)

I noticed that people were not afraid to walk in the dark. Our van was the only vehicle on the road. We've seen some motorcycles but no private or public vehicles for hours. We wondered why, when the roads are wide and concrete! It made us wonder if it's dangerous in the area. But there we were, eating beside the road and no one bothered us. We said "good evening" to everyone who passed by and they just left us alone.

Then it started raining. We couldn't see the road because of the thick fog. So John just drove slowly. Until we reached Lingig, Surigao. We were so happy to see another busy town. I loved their Sto. Nino church there.

We reached Mangagoy around 9 in the evening. Since we planned on sleeping in Cateel (John did not like the hotel I booked.. lol), we had no prior bookings in Mangagoy. Remember it was holy week. So the place was packed with vacationeers. I've seen friends from Davao when we finally found a place to sleep on.

After breakfast the next day, we then proceeded to Tinuy-an Falls. There's no sense in not checking the place out while we were there right? The problem was the rain never let on. So I lost a lot of picture-taking opportunities. haha..

Tinuy-an Falls is about 10kms away from Mangagoy City. The road is well-maintained. So even if it's not concrete, it's not difficult going there. When we reached the place, cars from all over Mindanao lined up at the entrance. We paid an entrance fee of P20.00 per person.

Finally the rain stopped. It gave us a few minutes to enjoy the place. We took pictures for souvenirs, of course!

So there I was, standing infront of this majestic waterfalls, staring at it with awe in my heart. I felt very small, realizing how magnificent the creation of God is... I stood there in the rain, trying to get a good shot. The rainshower added to the coldness of the place, so fogs started to come out.

It felt so peaceful listening to the roaring sound of the waterfalls, amidst the noise of the crowd. I have no words for it. I'm just happy that I was given the chance to be there. :)

This is only a small portion of the Philippines, a small part where tourists can enjoy its beauty. I am praying that our government will continue to develop the wonders we have in our country. So the Filipinos and the rest of the world will enjoy them, one by one...

                                                                    Lea C. Walker
                                                              leawalker.blogspot.com
                                                             www.davaoproperties.com

Real Estate Laws in the Philippines

I'm often asked if foreigners are allowed to buy land in the Philippines. I always tell them, no. Except  if  a) he/she has a business in the Philippines and he/she will form a corporation which is 60% owned by Filipino citizen/s and 40% owned by foreigners;  or b) if he/she is married to a Filipino citizen.

Otherwise, please do not believe what others will tell you. Unless of course, if you do not mind losing your hard earned money. :(

Foreigners can buy condominium units without a problem.

Below is an excerpt of Philippine Real Estate Laws. And I hope that this will help those who are not  Filipino citizens who want to purchase land in our country.


WHO CAN OWN LANDS IN THE PHILIPPINES:

Only Philippine Nationals can own land in the Philippines.

WHO ARE CONSIDERED PHILIPPINE NATIONALS: (R.A. 8197)

1.Filipino citizens.

2.Corporation organized under Philippine laws, 60% of the capital stock outstanding and entitled to vote is owned and held by Philippine citizens.

3.Corporation organized abroad and registered as doing business in the Philippines under the Corporation Code, 100% of the capital stock outstanding and entitled to vote is wholly owned by Philippine   citizens.

4.Domestic Partnership wholly owned by Philippine citizens.

WHO ARE CONSIDERED FILIPINO CITIZENS: (Art. IV., Sec. 1 - 1987 Constitution)

  * Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the time of the adoption of the 1987 Constitution.

  * Those whose fathers or mothers are the citizens.

  * Those born before January 17, 1973 , of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon   reaching the age of majority; and

  * Those who are naturalized in accordance with Law.

  * Those born in the Philippines of foreign parents who before the adoption of said constitution had been elected to public office in the Philippines.


EXCEPTION TO THE RULE THAT ALIENS CANNOT OWN LAND IN THE PHILIPPINES:

Aliens may own lands in the Philippines only under the following circumstances:

1)Former Natural born Filipino citizens.

      * Limitations to ownership as provided by B.P. Blg. 185

      a) The land shall be used by him/her as residence; and

      b) The area shall not exceed 1000 square meters if an urban land or  1 hectare if a rural land.

      c) If the former natural born Filipino citizens already owns urban or rural land for residential purpose , he / she may still be entitled to be a transferee of additional urban or rural lands, provided that the total land area owned by him/her will not exceed the allowed maximum limit.

      d) In case of married couples, one of them may avail of the  privilege herein granted provided, that if both shall avail of the same, the total area acquired shall not exceed the maximum area fixed herein;

      e) He/she cannot acquire more than 2 lots;

      f) If he/she acquires 2 lots, the same must be situated in different  municipalities or cities;

      g) If he/she already acquired urban land, he/she shall be  disqualified from acquiring rural land and vice versa.


       * Limitations to Ownership as provided by R.A. No. 8179:


        Land acquired under Act shall be primarily, directly and actually used by the transferee in the performance or conduct of his business or commercial activities in the broad area of agriculture, industry, and services, including the Lease of land, but excluding the buying and selling thereof.

(Section 5, Rule XII , IRR of RA 7042, as amended by 8179)

         The area shall not exceed 5,000 square meters if an urban land or 3 hectares if a rural land. In case he/she already owns urban or rural lands for business or other purposes, he/she shall still be entitled to be a transferee of additional urban or rural land for business or other purposes which when added to those already owned by him shall not exceed the maximum areas allowed.

         He / she cannot acquire more than 2 lots.

         In case of married couples, one of them may avail of the privilege herein granted provided, that if both shall avail of the same, the total area acquired shall not exceed the maximum area fixed herein.

         A transferee who has already acquired urban land shall be disqualified from acquiring rural lands and vice versa. However, if   the transferee has disposed of his urban land, he may still acquire rural land and vice versa, provided that this will be used for business or other purposes.

2) If the foreigner acquired the same through succession as of the

legal heirs of the deceased.

3) Dual Citizenship under the Dual Citizenship Law (RA 9225 effective on September 17, 2003.)

     Filipinos who had lost their Philippine citizenship by  acquisition of citizenship of another country may reacquire their citizenship under this law without renouncing their foreign citizenship. This reacquisition of Filipino citizenship shall grant full civil and political rights to the Filipino dual citizen,
including the right to own private lands and properties in the Philippines, without limitation other than those normally imposed on Filipino citizens.

4) Foreigners can acquire condominiums but up to a certain extent only;

5) Lands acquired by Americans prior to July 4, 1946 (vested rights).

6) Lands acquired by Americans before July 3, 1974 provided the following requisites are present:

       6.1.They are formerly Filipino citizens OR who on May 27, 1976 had continously resided in the Philippines for at least 20 years OR who have become permanents residents of the Philippines;AND

       6.2.Had acquired private residential lands not exceeding 5,000 square meters for a family dwelling. (P.D. No. 173)


MEANING OF NATURAL BORN CITIZENS OF THE PHILIPPINES:

Natural born citizens are those who are citizens of the Philippines from birth without having to perform an act to acquire or perfect their citizenship. Those who elect Philippine citizenship shall be deemed natural born-citizens. (Sec. 2, 1987 Constitution)

Malaysia's Tourist Destinations (Part III)

  This is the last of the 3-part series I wrote about our trip to Malaysia.

Genting Highlands is about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur. When you're in Davao City, that's like going to Buda. Where the temperature is a lot cooler and the air is fresher.

I've read about Genting Highlands online when I did a research before our trip. So somehow I knew that we will be taking a cable ride. So I've conditioned my mind to that already... :) I have a fear of heights you see, but me - being me.. that will not stop me from experiencing another adventure!

So together with the rest of the group, John and I , fell inline. A very long line, that is.. Like Singapore, tourists flock to Malaysia specially Kuala Lumpur. I didn't mind the long wait though because that means delaying the inevitable. haha...

After almost an hour, we were able to board the cable car. I thought it was going to be a short ride. But it turned out to be 3.8 km long. We were told later on that the Genting cable car is the longest in the world. uh- huh! If I had known earlier, I guess I wouldn't have had the guts to do the ride.

The view was spectacular. It's nice to be on top because you get to see everything. We were so high, some trees looked liked dwarfs already.

What I liked about it is that, it's well-maintained. And it's very safe. So somehow, that eased my mind.
The moment we got out of the cable car, the cold breeze touched my face. The temperature is a lot lower comparing to where we took the ride from.

The place is amazing. They must have spent billions developing the place. The resort stands on top of the mountain. It offers hotels with casino. Children's ride , shows and a lot of restaurants. This place was no doubt built with the tourists and their needs in mind. They even have a shopping arcade there! Who would think of shopping on top of the mountain huh?!



















Since, this is a vast resort, do not forget to wear comfortable shoes. You will need to walk all over the place to see everything. That's why a comfy walking shoes is a must! A drape or a jacket also if you want to explore outside the huge complex. That is if you do not like feeling the cold air....

After spending several hours at the resort, it was time to leave. I told John that I couldn't take the cable car again so we just took a taxi going down. It was a 15 min. ride and the fare was only 50 singapore dollar. Yes, for those who do not like riding in a cable car, there are


taxis at the hotel. Just go to the hotel entrance and the incharge will call the taxi for you. I found out that some tourist buses go up there. That's why I wondered why ours , didn't. The snake-like road is wide and it is concrete so it's not scary at all.

Plus you'll find some temples along the way. I am glad that we took a taxi going down because we did not miss a thing!

Malaysia's Tourist Destinations (Part 2)

   One of the most amazing experiences I had in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia was a visit to the Hindu shrines located in Batu Cave. The cave formed by a limestone is 400 million years old but was only discovered in the 1800's.

Our group was composed of 19 people, but only John, Ma'am Estela, Mario and I went up. I couldn't blame them too! Just thinking of the 272 steps going up is tiring. haha...

But of course, I didn't want to miss the opportunity of seeing what's there right? So up we go! After several stops to rest and take a long breathe, I reached the top... I stood in awe when I looked back and saw the beauty infront of me. The cave is 100 meter high above the ground. And it showed a spectacular view of the sky and Kuala Lumpur...

When I reached inside, I had goosebumps.
There were several shrines where people stop to take pictures or pray.

Batu Cave was developed in honor of Lord Muruga, the God of the Hindu's. The statue is made of gold plated concrete and is 47.2 meter high. It is believed to be the tallest statue of Lord Muruga.

Since we only had limited time to explore the cave, I did not see the other statues, which are as awesome as the ones I saw. If I am able to go back to Malaysia someday, I would spend more time at Batu Cave. John felt a little disappointed when we found out that there's a lying statue in one of the other caves.


It was my first time to be in a cave. So for me, that experience was awesome! I loved looking at the stone formation with its various colors; red, yellow, blue... I just found it really beautiful. And I am glad that such a wonder is being preserved for people from our generation and beyond..





                                                                   Lea C. Walker
                                                             leawalker.blogspot.com
                                                           www.davaoproperties.com

Malaysia's Tourist Destinations (Part 1)

Part of the travel incentive I got was a trip to Malaysia. It was a beautiful ride by bus for about 6 hours coming from Singapore. In the Philippines, that's like travelling from Davao City to Cagayan De Oro City. The difference is that you'll see mountain ridges here while travelling in a zigzag road. In Malaysia, it's all flat land planted with Palm trees. I shared about it in my previous blog.

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur, around 4pm. Mr. Singh and our bus driver, immediately brought us to the King's Palace. Of course, tourists are not allowed to go inside. Too bad huh? But they'll give you a chance to take photos with the palace guards, who by the way, are like mannequins because they are not allowed to move while on duty.

They also assigned 2 guards for picture-taking purposes. So John and I waited for our turn to pose with them for a souvenir photo! That's why when you're on vacation, make sure that you have your camera with you. An extra battery. And an extra memory card. Photos can be transferred in the laptop too, if you don't mind bringing an extra luggage. Chances are, if you're like me, you'll go crazy taking pictures with everything you see! I got more than 600 pictures on a one week trip. haha





After the King's Palace, our guide brought us to downtown Kuala Lumpur for dinner in a chinese restaurant. But on the way there, we made several stops again to.... take pictures, of course!


This used to be a railroad train station. But they are using it now as a government office.






I like their post office building. But I forgot to ask when this was built.









Petronas Towers, at sunset.




Petronas Twin Towers at night. Beautiful right? This was taken near the chinese restaurant we had dinner at.










The next day, our tour guide brought us to Petronas Towers. We were not able to go on top because they reached the limit already. They only allow 200 people every 6 in the morning and 6 in the evening. So if you really want to go to the ledge, make sure you go there 2-3 hours ahead of time to avoid the long line.

I was still very happy because I was able to get an amazing shot of the tower. Plus they got lots of shops to visit in the mall.

Lea C. Walker
www.davaoproperties.com