Victorino Q. Abrugar – Page 2

How to Go to Kalanggaman Island in Palompon Leyte?

April 2, 2015 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 285 Comments

The long white sandbar of Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte.

Kalanggaman Island is truly a paradise for beach lovers. I’ve been there twice. My latest visit was just last week (March 30-31, 2015). You can check out some of the enchanting photos of Kalanggaman island, its long white sandbar and its clear waters in my previous post (you can also read some useful tips before going to Kalanggaman Island in that article). For everyone who wants to experience the island’s charm and beauty this summer or anytime of the year, here’s how you can go and visit Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte. [Read more…]

Kalanggaman Island: See Enchanting Photos of this Paradise in Palompon Leyte

April 1, 2015 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 19 Comments

The stunning Kalanggaman Island. This picture was takon on March 30, 2015.

It was my second time to visit Kalanggaman Island in Palompon Leyte, and the first time since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck Eastern Visayas in November 2013. I was concerned that the beauty of the island won’t be as amazing as I first visited it before Haiyan. However, on March 30, 2015, my worries were cleared as I was once again mesmerized by the charm of this paradise just like the first time I saw its beauty during my first visit.

The beach is one of the top places to visit during summer. And an island blessed with clear waters and white long sandbar is a dream spot every tourist is looking for. Kalanggaman Island is by far the most beautiful island I’ve visited, not only in Eastern Visayas, but in the Philippines. If you haven’t been to this paradise in Palompon Leyte, here are some of the enchanting photos I took during our visit to the island from March 30 to March 31, 2015. [Read more…]

5 Business Names that were Inspired by the Haiyan Incident

November 11, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 4 Comments

Yolanda, known internationally as Haiyan, is one of the strongest typhoons ever recorded in history. It killed thousands of people and destroyed more than a million homes. But the Haiyan survivors can’t be stopped from moving on and rebuilding their lives for a better future. Although the word Haiyan and any other words related to it can give us some feeling of pain, they could also give us some sense of strength, resilience, hope, and other golden lessons in life.

While touring Leyte and Samar, I discovered these 5 businesses or establishments that were named after Haiyan, Yolanda or any other term related during and after the typhoon. [Read more…]

In Pictures: Guiuan Eastern Samar, a Year after Yolanda

November 10, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 4 Comments

Guiuananons looking at the poster which shows the government’s accomplishments on the rehabilitation of Guiuan Public Market.

If Tacloban City in Leyte is considered by many as the ground zero of Super Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan), Guiuan in Eastern Samar is known as the point of Haiyan’s first landfall in the Philippines. It was at 4:40 a.m. on November 8, 2013 when Guiuananons felt the wrath of Yolanda, with maximum sustained winds of 235 kph and gustiness of up to 275 kph that killed a hundred of them. Although most of Guiuan did not experience the great storm surges that killed thousands of people in Leyte, the town suffered the strongest winds that destroyed its buildings and infrastructures.

Now, after one year since the devastation occurred, how is Guiuan now? Here are some photos I took around the town and nearby places on 6 and 7 November 2014 which will give us a glance of Guiuan a year after Yolanda. [Read more…]

Tacloban City, One Year After Haiyan (50 Pictures of Commemoration, Hope and Recovery )

November 9, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 19 Comments

Various pictures of Tacloban City one year after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the city.

We have shown you Tacloban City in pictures 7 months after Super Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan) struck the city on November 8, 2013. We’ve also shared images from around the city and nearby towns 9 months after the typhoon. Now, as my fellow Taclobanons commemorate the first Yolanda Anniversary, I want to share these 50 photos which I took around Tacloban on November 8, 2014. [Read more…]

Lake Danao National Park: 40 Photos of Nature, Adventure, Serenity and Fun

October 28, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 4 Comments

The Philippines is famous for its stunning beaches like Boracay and El Nido. But did you know that our country is also hiding some beautiful lakes that every tourist dreams of? One of these hidden beauties of nature is located just 18 kilometers from Ormoc City proper in the province of Leyte. Lake Danao is a guitar-shaped lake, covering an area of 148 hectares inside the Lake Danao National Park, a 2,193 hectares protected ecopark under Republic Act No. 7586 ( National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS) Act of 1992).

If you love the Philippine islands, beaches and waves, why not try the chill and tranquility of a fresh-water lake? Lake Danao is also situated 2,130 ft above sea level, an altitude similar to Tagaytay that can give you cold air breeze even during sunny days. Almost a year since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck Ormoc City on November 8, 2013, the National Park is already showing recovery and tourists are already flocking to the place to enjoy the lake.

To give you an online sightseeing, here are several photos I took during my travel to Ormoc City and my visit to Lake Danao on October 26, 2014. [Read more…]

MacArthur Landing Memorial Park Photos (October 20, 2014)

October 20, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 4 Comments

It’s the 70th Anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landing! So I decided to visit Macarthur Landing Memorial National Park to take some photos and share them to everyone, especially to the Leyteños who are already missing the place. As one of the residents of Leyte, I had many great memories here. We used to spend time in this park with my barkadas in college to play around, chitchat, and enjoy some picnic.

Perhaps many people are wondering how the park already looked like after almost a year since super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck Leyte and central Visayas on November 8, 2013. So if you want to take a look at the park now, here are several photos I took this afternoon to give you some feeling of being in one of the most historical and personally sentimental parks in the world.

The sign of MacArthur Park

A better tourism industry means more passengers and income for our pedicab drivers.

The Philippine Flag in MacArthur Park. We’re already getting near the famous monuments.

Balloon vendors are here in MacArthur Park.

A flower to honor the bravery of our soldiers.

A decree proclaiming MacArthur Park as a national historical site.

Many people want to take pictures with the monuments of MacArthur and other men.

Monuments immortalize personalities.

Here’s an important trivia for us.

They are tall. And they are the real celebrities.

A closer look at the monuments of General Douglas MacArthur with President Sergio Osmeña, Brigadier General Carlos P. Romulo and other soldiers.

The rear view

Are these the footprints of General Douglas MacArthur?

A new memorial stone erected in MacArthur Park to honor the bravery of the Australian soldiers who helped in the liberation of the Philippines during World War 2 and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

The names of the brave Australian soldiers who sacrificed their lives during World War 2 to liberate the Philippines are transcribed in this commemorative stone or marker.

The memorial stone of the Australian soldiers with the monuments of General Douglas MacArthur and the allied forces.

There’s a Jet Ski race happening here.

I’m glad to see many people here. Beautiful trees, aren’t they?

There’s a lot of people swimming at the Red Beach.

Just like us, when we were still in college. Oh I miss my college barkadas now.

The sun’s rays are scorching.

The people and the trees, they are survivors.

A sign of recovery. We are rising.

The green green grasses and plants are already here.

These words are transcribed in this monument. “This commemorative rock garden is a monument of peace. It is dedicated to peoples of all nations who share and cherish the same ideals of freedom and democracy. Rock tablets from peace-loving countries are found in this garden, each one carrying a message of solidarity, friendship and goodwill.”

Messages of peace and friendship from the leaders around the world can be read here.

The monument of the commemorative Rock Garden. Did I name it correctly?

The beauty of the Rock Garden in MacArthur Park is getting back.

It’s a sunny sunny day but thanks to these trees that give us some shady place.

The buko corner. Did you miss this place in MacArthur Park?

I missed drinking fresh buko juice here.

My lunch. 🙂

The Boy Scout Monument in Government Center, Palo. If you’ll walk from MacArthur Park to BIR, you’ll see him.

8 Facts about the Battle of Leyte Gulf that Will Blow Your Mind

October 19, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 30 Comments

The Battle of Leyte Gulf (also called The Battles of Leyte Gulf) is remembered by many historians as the largest naval battle ever fought in our modern history. It was an epic battle between the Japanese Imperial Navy and the US Navy (with some help from the Australian Royal Navy) that was fought in 4 separate engagements near the islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon from October 23 to 26 in 1944.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf started a few days after the Allied Forces, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, landed in Palo Beach in Leyte on October 20, 1944. Although only a local holiday in Leyte, the Leyte Landing is commemorated every year on the same date by Filipinos and World War II veterans. [Read more…]

CPA Board Exam Results for October 2014 (Top 10 and Complete List of Passers)

October 16, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar Leave a Comment

Holding a CPA license ID card issued by the PRC.

I’d always been excited to know the results of the Certified Public Accountants Board Examination in the Philippines. As a CPA for 10 years now, I’m pleased to welcome every new Filipino CPA to the real world of the accounting profession. And today, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has once again announced the list of passers and topnotchers for October 2014. 4,123 out of 11,137 (37.02%) examinees passed the CPA licensure examinations that were held on October 4, 5, 11 and 12 in Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legaspi, Lucena and Tacloban City.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 Passers (Topnotchers) and the complete list of the October 2014 Board Exam results as released by the PRC. You can use “ALT + F” and type the name you’re looking to quickly find it. [Read more…]

Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum after Yolanda (45 Pictures of What’s Inside It Now)

October 11, 2014 By Victorino Q. Abrugar 6 Comments

Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum Tacloban

Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum as seen along Real Street in Tacloban City. Picture was taken on October 9, 2014.

Sto. Niño Shrine and Heritage Museum is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Tacloban City. But I guess many of the city’s and neighboring towns’ residents have never seen what’s inside it. Sto. Niño Shrine, as what the locals usually call the place, is one of the several presidential rest houses built under the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. It was specially built for his wife Imelda Romualdez Marcos who was raised in Tacloban City.

Sto. Niño Shrine is located along Real Street. From outside, it looks like just an ordinary mansion, but inside, it houses a chapel for the Leyte’s Patron Sto. Niño, several rooms with their own motifs, a grand ballroom, beautifully crafted furniture, and priceless artifacts, such as paintings, dioramas, religious relics, antique collections and ivory sculptures. [Read more…]