I WAS wrong when I wrote in my previous column (Aug. 30 issue) “I DIDN’T expect that the 23 days my only daughter was here, who arrived from the United States to prepare for her Aug. 18 wedding, will still see me on my feet considering that I’m 83 years old 5 months from today…”
I forgot my namesake son Jeck, a surgery-nurse in a hospital in Vancouver, Canada is still very much around with wife and two daughters after attending his younger sister Tala’s wedding. May obligasyon pa akong nagawa sa huling limang araw nila bago umuwi after the 23 days!
The newlyweds are already back home in the US. But even before they left, Tala had already instructed me and younger bro Jin Lorenz to make an overnight reservation now to world-class Pearl Farm resort for the two of us using the gift certificate given by Mr. Ricardo R. Floirendo and another reservation to Discovery Davao, a newly opened five-star resort in IGACOS for October 25, Jin Lorenz’ 23rd birthday.
While I’m not yet in conformity with the above plan for us, my daughter again notified us that we will spend our Christmas ‘23 and New Year in Manila.
Wow, she really is pampering me with her love and anything that Uncle Sam’s dollars can buy. Tatanggapin ko because I know she may only want to reciprocate the sacrifice I’ve done for the family by giving them the life they and their children are enjoying now.
Meanwhile, I was told that some band players Tatianna met in Masing’s and MTS appearances had a hard time catching up with my English-speaking apo while talking to her.
Well, ako rin because she was born in UK and now being educated in Canada and can’t pronounce even a single Tagalog word.
That is why every time she and sister Ishiko contacted me through video or audio on FB, sinasabi ko na lang “puede ba sa messenger na lang tayo mag-usap?
Tatianna told me she will convince her Dad to come back again next summer as “I really enjoyed my stage performance here.”
Jeck and family left on Sept. 01 for Makati City and then to Taguig where they have their condos in both places before proceeding back home to Canada on September 5 in time for the opening of classes.
Now, I’m alone again!
-o0o-
STARTED in 2010, the Hijo Resorts Davao in Madaum, Davao del Norte is right within the vast banana plantation owned by the Tuazon family.
One of the features of the resorts is the pristine 93-hectare forest teeming with diverse wildlife such as hundreds of long tailed macaques (monkeys), bats, eagle hawks, squirrel, lemur, birds and other forest animals which visitors will encounter on the road while touring the lust green trails either by mobile car or by hiking.
The macaques and other inhabitants of the forest were given a certain portion of the forest planted to coconut trees by the management as their source of food to survive. Forest rangers are working 24/7 to protect them from hunters.
Officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) use the site as a releasing station for surrendered and captive animals to the department.
According to Randel P. Balquin who stood as our tour guide when we stayed overnight in the place, before the Covid-19 pandemic the forest was home to some 300 wild boars (pigs) roaming freely in the area. But when the African Swine Fever (ASF) affected the animals in 2020, all of them were wiped out.
As of the moment the forest management is planning to buy pairs of wild boars from Palawan or in Africa to revive the swine population.
A firing range for gun lovers and archery enthusiasts inside the forest were temporarily closed while following up permits from the concerned government agency to reopen again.
The 209-meter hanging bridge, for one to experience the embrace of forest nature while exploring it, was closed to visitors when the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed nationwide. The bridge is now under-going repairs to its original form to cater once more to hundreds of visitors that flocked the forest before the pandemic.
“The Hijo Resorts Davao offers different activities such as forest tour, plantation tour, river cruise, fishing in the fishing village until the Covid-19 crisis hit the world,” Randel said.
“Whether you’re a sun seeker, a pool enthusiast, or a cocktail connoisseur, Hijo Resorts Davao is your ultimate escape. Indulge in the serenity of the moment, relish the stunning views, and let the worries of the world melt away. Cheers to unforgettable moments,” says in its social media posts.
The Hijo Resorts Davao is still open to the public while undergoing renovation.
