Lakbay Aral: bonding time for the barangay secretaries

For the 2nd time in 3 years, the League of Barangay Secretaries of Vigan City, with the support from the city government through Mayor Eva Marie S. Medina, was given a chance to spend time together in what maybe their last bonding before the forthcoming barangay elections. The long over-due trip was part of the league’s activities after their latest training on computer enhancement .
On August 15, 2010, twenty nine (29) barangay secretaries led by Mrs. Mel Quibilan were off for a two (2) day lakbay aral to Manila and Bulacan. It was a happy trip for a considerably happy group. We left Vigan 9 o’clock in the evening and arrived in Taguig at 6 o’clock in the morning the following day. First in our itinerary was a visit to the famous Fort Santiago, a 16th century military defense structure, which stands as witness to the valor and heroism of Filipinos through the centuries. Located at Intramuros, Manila it was where José Rizal, the Philippines’ national hero, was imprisoned before his execution in 1896. The site features his final footsteps embedded onto the ground in bronze representing the walk from his cell to the location of the actual execution Within the fort was the Light and Sound Museum. From Fort Santiago we walked through our way to the museum. We thought it was a never-ending walk not because of the distance but due to the heat of the sun. We were exhausted and wet with perspiration but despite that, laughter still filled the air from varied emotions while walking. The museum is a major tourist attraction, being the first of its kind in Asia. It showcases Philippine history focusing on Rizal’s heroism and martyrdom in a nutshell. The “walking tour” features animatronics and robotics as well as the latest light and sound technology. The show ran for more than an hour and divided in three parts with each part having their corresponding highlights. We also visited Manila Ocean Park, one of the modern ocean parks in Asia and the first state-of-the-art oceanarium in the Philippines. It features various exhibits as well as an aquarium tunnel. We begun our journey with a trek through a jungle and we marveled at what we saw: water cascading from a simulated waterfall that flowed into 8 different water tanks, each containing an interesting collection of freshwater fish. This flow replicates the water cycle that begins on land and eventually leads to the open ocean, highlighting the interconnection of earth and sea. The stony shoreline is represented by the Dalampasigan pool where one can physically interact with some of the animals on display at the aquarium tunnel. You can see fishes, sharks and sting rays swim above your head.
Our second day was spent in Plaridel, Bulacan where we were ushered in by friendly municipal employees into a conference room. We were welcomed by their DILG officer, some department heads and their 19 barangay secretaries while waiting for their mayor to meet us. The league members were so overwhelmed by this warm welcome . They said they were surprised our league chose to visit their municipality when ours is a city. This trip was very educational and enjoyable for all 29 secretaries who joined. Our gratitude goes to Mayor Medina for having rewarded our efforts for our barangays with this lakbay aral. This serves as an inspiration for us to strive to become better in our jobs as secretaries in our barangay.
( by Estrel Morales)