All posts tagged: Surigao del Sur

Kid dives in Hinatuan Enchanted River © Jojie Alcantara

Secrets of a once enchanted river

Published by

Years ago in 2003, we shot Hinatuan’s Enchanted River on our film camera. I wrote about it in the local paper, and eventually in Mabuhay Magazine, Manila Bulletin and other publications.

Hagonoy, Britania Islands Surigao del Sur © Jojie Alcantara

Return to paradise

Published by

“Your life plays out as a reflection of your genetic makeup and potentiality as expressed through your environment and choices. Love yourself enough to create an environment in your life that is conducive to the nourishment of your personal growth. Allow yourself to let go of the people, thoughts, and situations that poison your well-being. Cultivate a vibrant surrounding and commit yourself to making choices that will help you release the greatest expression of your unique beauty and purpose.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience

Cagwait’s White Beach

Published by

The small municipality of Cagwait in Surigao del Sur has a hidden paradise to boast of and a festivity to crow about. Blessed with a horseshoe-shaped cove with a long stretch of fine powdered sand and surrounded by azure colors matching sky and sea, the White Beach (or Waikiki, as the famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh called it the first time he saw it) is a tourism potential once known only to its neighboring municipalities until now.

My Mindanao: Photographs for Hope

Published by

“The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope.” ― Barack Obama MY MINDANAO: PHOTOGRAPHS FOR HOPE opens tomorrow, December 18, at the Sulawesi Function Room, ground floor of Marco Polo Hotel Davao, from 9am until 10 in the evening. This special one day exhibit is for a cause. In our years of experience as photojournalists we have been lucky to be traveling around to document wonderful places, people and culture, and publish them. We have collected many images that depict the beauty of our islands. We truly believe that Mindanao is blessed with people who care for its natural resources and preservation. But Nature has its own course, as well. Last year after Typhoon Sendong, through the help of friends and a workshop (“Shoot for Hope”), we were able to raise money and deliver relief goods to …

Live in the present

Published by

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” ~ Henry David Thoreau I captured Hagonoy Island on a perfectly beautiful day.  The next day, however, cast a different light due to low tropical depression.  Storm clouds were approaching as we left paradise.  Standing there resolute, while gray skies spread gloom over the heavens, the island stood majestically amidst raging waters, knowing that storms may pass, but it will remain…surviving.  It was even more beautiful when we left it. Read my published article here or view more photos in my gallery.

Keeping paradise

Published by

“Paradise was always over there, a day’s sail away. But it’s a funny thing, escapism. You can go far and wide and you can keep moving on and on through places and years, but you never escape your own life. I, finally, knew where my life belonged. Home.” ~ J. Maarten Troost, Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu I love island shots, especially when the weather is perfectly right, sky is cool blue, waters are clearer, bluer, and that islet in front of you just screams to be walked upon.  But I have had island shots where skies darken of impending storms and the mood is even greater.  Wherever you go, what seems to be paradise is what you perceive in your mind and heart at that moment. If  you are curious about this beautiful piece of gem in the sea, read my article here, published today. You can also view more in the gallery.  

Make a meaningful day

Published by

“Old friends pass away, new friends appear. It is just like the days. An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful: a meaningful friend – or a meaningful day.” ~ Dalai Lama Spending five straight days in the quaint town of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur was a wonderful discovery, back in 2008.  The first time I went there was in 2003 when I marveled at how white their beach was and how blue the coastal waters were.  But the best discovery was the sunrise. 

In the soul of a child

Published by

“No one has yet fully realized the wealth of sympathy, kindness and generosity hidden in the soul of a child. The effort of every true education should be to unlock that treasure.” ~ Emma Goldman, author This image won in two competitions, the other one on Pbase’ Show and Tell Competition with the title, Shy.  She is just one of those children who stole my heart while I was staying in the little town of Cagwait, Surigao del Sur. View more of my photos of the children of Cagwait.

Follow your art

Published by

“When I was a child my mother said to me, ‘If you become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll be the pope.’ Instead I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.” ― Pablo Picasso Fishcages of Bislig City (I shot this on a late afternoon from a hill, click photo for bigger view ) I used to be a dancer who ended up as a writer who ended up as a painter who ended up as a photographer. I was bursting with so many dreams that a few times I sacrificed most to focus on a few.  Whatever we do in life, let’s strive to leave a positive mark and believe that our small role in society can make a difference. Bislig is the capital of Surigao del Sur, and is laden with beautiful natural attractions like Tinuyan Falls (Mindanao’s little Niagara), Lake 77 and Hagonoy Island. View more photos in my gallery.