Any CUERDOs Out There?

Guess what? I just had lunch with a lady who might just turn out to be my cousin - 4 or 5 times removed maybe. Her middle name is Cuerdo and she is still single. Her mother hails from Gingoog, where there seems to be a very large family of Cuerdos residing. I went there once, to Gingoog, to make a business presentation, and was determined to learn if we were or were not relatives. I came away enlightened, though not sure if the information I received meant anything.

The man I met in Gingoog - Manuel Cuerdo - was the son(?) of the barangay captain and was very accommodating. He said their great-great-grandfather, Pedro(?), migrated to Mindanao from Sorsogon. So their roots were in Sorsogon... Well, isn't Sorsogon the neighbor of Albay, where my great-great-great-grandfather is from? I got so excited about the prospect of meeting other Cuerdos that I searched the name on Facebook... and guess how many entries came up?

38!

Eight of them were me, Joey, Ray, Kenx, Frankie - my immediate family - and Denmark, Sweden and Trinidad - our first-degree cousins (children of my dad's younger brother). The rest were from Gingoog, Cotabato, Manila, Canada, Quezon and ALBAY!!! But the last one didn't recognize any of the names I threw at her and I didn't recognize the name of her dad either. So that just means one thing-- there is yet another Cuerdo branch out there.

So anyway, it somehow seems we are destined to meet our long-lost relatives sooner or later, so why not organize a reunion / meeting activity?

Tentative schedule is July-August 2010, at Cagayan de Oro City.

What do you guys think?

A Van-ful of Tourists

DAY 4 of Our Trip to Koronadal


The PCCI Vice President for Mindanao had invited us to join the group in touring South Cotabato, particularly Lake Sebu (which was actually the main reason I came on this trip) but because of time constraints (if we wanted to get home by nightfall, we would have to start moving by 11am and the group was moving like they had all the time in the world) we declined. Instead, we decided to go there ourselves.

We checked out of the resort early and headed down the highway in the direction the map indicated. After a couple of false turns, we finally found the right road and were happily on our way. It was another beautiful Saturday morning for a drive through the countryside and there were not many cars. The drive took about an hour up the mountain.

Suffice it to say, Lake Sebu wasn't really all that spectacular, though it is indeed a very large body of water, but it has already been dotted with fishpens and bancas that it's difficult to appreciate the beauty it once must have had. What made Lake Sebu an attractive destination was actually the food.


Well, what do you expect to find when you read names in their menu like "Nilasing na Tilapia" or "Chicharon Tilapia" or "Chicken Buntis"? We ordered 4 dishes simply because they sounded intriguing, not knowing that the servings were huge! Can you imagine - we were 5 ladies and one driver - trying to consume one whole baked chicken (Chicken Buntis), 3 medium hito (Crispy Hito), 1 large tilapia (Tempura Tilapia), a tilapia-vegetable-in-egg (Tilapia Omelette) and 6 large cups of brown rice? Plus brewed coffee (coz this was our breakfast) and water. Whew!

We had the rest of it balot for our lunch. Then began our journey back to civilization. As before, on the drive over, once we'd entered the provinces of the ARMM, there were not many vehicles to be seen, mostly motorcycles and karitons... And no pigs! Hehe...

We entered Bukidnon at around 3pm and, by unanimous decision, drove the rest of the way to Maramag before stopping for lunch. (Believe me, it was a BIG breakfast at Lake Sebu.) The sky was getting dark with rainclouds as our driver killed the engine of the van at the parking lot of WAIG Spring Resort. This was the first time I ever set foot on this place and found it interesting.


Just then a girl flew over me (literally) - there was a zipline facility nearby. Also a cable car, a hanging bridge, 3-4 swimming pools, a man-made waterfalls, a restaurant, a fountain, several rooms, and so so much water. Even when the rain dropped from the sky, you could still hear the strong sound of water flowing through the resort.


Then, after "lunch" the rain stopped, enough to let us climb back into the van and proceed. We decided on one final stop before heading home. A new resort called RR Resort, with pools, fishponds and cottages, and a fantastic view of Lake Pulangui. I don't know, I liked Waig better but my companions preferred RR.


It was night when we finally arrived in Manolo Fortich, and brought my companions home one by one. We were all tired from the travel yet happy that we took the initiative to do it. Some of my companions were already asking me when the next trip would be and I couldn't help but feel excited in anticipation of arranging a new trip.

I do believe I am doing what I was meant to do all along. We are all exposed to the same circumstances and opportunities. What makes us different is which ones we find happiness in.

Here's to the next trip! May God Bless Us All!

Now Back to Our Regular Program...

DAY 3 (of our Trip to Koronadal)

Early the next morning, we left our dorm to drive over to Polomolok, where Dole Philippines is located, for breakfast... o ha? It was a beautiful day... the sun was rising... there was a light haze which was slowly lifting... and we were accompanied by the majestic outline of Mt. Matutum all the way. Our friend from Dole, Mr. Leo Balito, met us at the entrance and gave us a quick run-through of the place as we drove towards their exclusive clubhouse in the middle of their Manager's Compound.

Of course, having been born and raised in Del Monte Philippines myself, I couldn't help but compare the two. DM soil is clayey, while Dole's is sandy; Cawayanon has fewer houses than Dole's compound but the former's golf course has 18 holes where the latter has only 9. On the other hand, there were tons of similarities: their education systems are both based on American schools, their houses were build to fit American lifestyles and, the signature feature of American suburban living-- wide open spaces!

After breakfast, we headed back to Koronadal. Since we weren't in a hurry-- we weren't really interested in the morning topics-- we decided to stop by the famous Durian Garden, of which Leo had spoken so highly of. According to him, we could have our fill (eat-all-you-can) of durian for only P99. By all means, let us prove that to be true. When we got there, we were pleasantly surprised to see that not only did they have durian, but also ornamental plants of all shapes and sizes! Our plant-lovers were in ecstasy!

That night, though several chambers had already left for home, the ones that remained were invited by none other then the owner of the mall (Fit Mart Mall) in which the convention was held. It was there that we felt we were Paupers in Queens' clothing because all the other delegates were owners of large capital businesses (malls, schools, supermarkets, etc.). Then again, knowing this just added to our enjoyment of the evening, which consisted, again, of a lot of food, impressive entertainment and good company.

Only one thing marred the evening: around 7:54, a shaking began. At first we thought a truck had passed by, but as the shaking extended to 7:55 by my watch, we knew that we were experiencing an earthquake. No one was hurt, in fact, since we were seated out in the courtyard of this huge house, we were appeased to know that nothing would accidentally fall on us. Other than this, the party was a success.

As soon as the program ended (9:30pm), we left, pleading fatigue, but actually it was to ensure we had a good night's sleep for our travel home the following day.

Pepeng Overshot Manila!

How anti-climactic!

On the bright side, everyone was prepared for the worst this time. Also, the volunteers (and donors) were finally able to take a breath, have that missed meal, take a nap and generally Thank God for all His blessings.

In the span of one week, a floundering third-world country on the brink of total chaos was transformed into a family doing everything in their power to help each other, from buying supplies for donation, to sending cash, to praying. Even with the reports that several politicians and government officials tried to turn the calamity into an electioneering campaign, the private citizens still won in the end.

We're Proud of You, Filipino! Keep it up!