Philippines – Manila Davao Borocay – Travel Food Entertainment

The Bahura Resort and Spa in Dumaguete is one of the best places and the most preferred resort to stay in Dumaguete. It is set in the middle of the 5 hectare coconut beach plantation surrounded with verdant nature with lush green scenery.  Dumaguete Airport is just about 30 minute rides from the resort. It has 8 villas and 32 rooms which are all luxurious and are given modern touches.  Each room is well decorated and refurbished with cane fittings. Room amenities include a television set, safety vault, hair driers, tea and coffee maker, and a mini bar. The villa has an open patio designed for the sun to shine down and an airy ambience. It offers services like laundering, ironing, airport transfers, tour arrangements and giveaways shop. It is the perfect base for popular tourist attractions in Dumaguete. Recreational activities include caving, gurgling waterfalls, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba diving and watching the leaping dolphins. It has Al Fresco Dining which offers both delectable Asian and Continental cuisine. The resort boasts of its well furnished conference room with modern conference facilities.

Another place to stay for a perfect getaway is at the Dumaguete Springs Apartments. It is nestled in the vicinity of the commercial district and to the beach promenade. It is just minutes away from the airport and seaport.  It is a newly developed 4 apartments furnished with various amenities and services ideal for a convenient and memorable stay. It has internet access, cable TV, and air conditioning system. It features an out fitted kitchen, dining area, own fridge, washing place and a large-modern bathroom. An Austrian restaurant is soon to be opened and a swimming pool. It has wide parking lot for the travelers. It has secluded pristine resort with cottages nestled on the magnificent million year old coral cliff. It is natively designed and has a large porch overlooking to the tranquil blue bay. It is a perfect place to witness the orange purple horizon during sunset and sunrise.

• Because the Philippines is a large archipelago, its musical styles vary from island to island and are a mixture of different sounds (such as European, American, indigenous, etc.). However, as the country was colonized by Spain for more than 300 years (1500s to 1800s), its music has an evident Spanish influence (an effect noticeable all over the country).
• One perfect example would be the rondalla, an ensemble of stringed instruments played with plectrum, which was brought by the Spaniards to the Philippines in 1800s; it usually provides accompaniment to folk songs and dances.

Above: The banduria is the most prominent rondalla instrument

• The origin as to where and how rondalla playing all began is still unknown. Some theories suggest that its roots could be traced way back in Spain, where young men play the rondalla and sing in front of the townsfolk’s houses. Others simply presume that a group of university students in Spain called “estudiantina” made the rondalla popular as we know it today.
• The name rondalla was thought to derive from the word “rondar”, which means “to circulate”, and another version says that it originated from the term “ronda alla”, which means “a guard is here” as it was also believed that most of the early rondalla members were guards.
• The instruments usually played in a typical Filipino rondalla are the banduria (the most prominent), laud, octavina, guitar, and double bass (bajo de uñas), and these instruments are most of the time made from some common Philippine woods like kamagong, narra, and langka (jackfruit).
• Its period of great popularity was in 1960s when rondalla festivals gained much support from the government, and rondalla competitions were featured in radios and televisions.
• The rondalla contributed a lot to the musical culture of the Philippines, and it has now become an institution. At present, the rondalla is once again gaining back its popularity through the efforts of the National Commission for Culture and Arts.
• As a matter of fact, the 2nd International Rondalla Festival, dubbed as “Cuerdas sa Panaghiusa” (Strings of Unity), was held just February last year (in celebration of the National Arts Month) hosted by the province of Negros Oriental participated by over 20 rondalla groups from more than 10 countries.Above: The Kwerdas (in green) is Silliman University’s (Dumaguete City) representative to the International Rondalla Festival