To improve productivity and ensure better camaraderie in the office, our LGU planned and simultaneously conducted a team building. Our office together with the Rural Health Unit, OTRU, and a few OCC employees constituted Group II, we are grouped into four groups because most event places can’t accommodate a larger crowd.

Our group consists of 117 participants, before the event we conducted a site inspection of the possible venue of our team building, and after deliberation and carefully considering the best options, our team building was held at Blue Pebbles located at Alcantara, Romblon.

We agreed to meet up at 9:30 in the morning to prepare for departure at ten o’clock in the morning to Alcantara, I went to work earlier than that and waited for my workmates, we had a group picture in front of the municipal hall before departing, several vans were hired to accommodate employees who don’t have their own car or motorcycle.

We arrived at the venue after an hour, and since I was the one assigned to billeting, I have to assign rooms to every department, and with that, I wasn’t able to help a friend, who had motion sickness. We rested a bit and lunch was served, unlike our previous team-building food this year’s team-building was catered.

The team-building activities started at one o’clock in the afternoon, and as host of the event I have no choice, but to be at the front and do most of the talking.  The usual preliminaries during a program were done, followed up by short messages from the present SB Members, and in between were the intermission numbers from each department.

After which, were short learning, discussion, and games with our GAD Focal person, who teaches us about the difference between Gender and Sex, as well as the do’s and don’ts in the workplace, the things we should avoid doing, because without knowing we may be violating someone’s privacy and someone’s being.

We all enjoyed the activity, we are grouped into four and had a mind teaser game, as well as creating and performing our own group chant/yell.  Our municipal Mayor arrives just right after we divulge into our snack, I let her rest a bit after acknowledging her arrival. Although I know that our Mayor is always prepared and ready to speak, it was epic that I  asked her if she is ok or ready to give a speech at the exact moment because I felt like it will be unpleasant if I called her right away without asking her, hahaha.

Anyway, before our municipal mayor shared an inspirational message I asked some participants to dance for entertainment, which made everyone burst into laughter because of the notable dance move of the participants and how they run and their body stretches when our Mayor’s aide and some councilors throw in some cash for them to enjoy and to dance more.

Our mayor shared an empowering and inspirational message, she also reminded everyone to serve the public with a happy heart and to love each other, but not to the extent to develop a love relationship with a workmate, our municipal vice mayor also shared an inspirational message right after whom he talked about honesty doing our work well even there was nobody looking at us, and with his permission, the bar was opened, what I mean the boys were now allowed to group and drink. You know, boys will be boys, they will not enjoy a party without something to drink, so they found their own corner in the resort.

The second part of the program started right after listening to inspirational messages, where it was all about group games. It was a lot of fun, the participants enjoyed it and even requested another game before eating our dinner.  We ate our dinner, and we rested a bit to prepare for the social night, where our vice mayor hired a band for everyone’s enjoyment.

Anyway, Blue Pebbles Beach Resort is located in Poblacion of Alcantara, it is along the highway with a nice landscape and surroundings and with a great view of the sea. Its location combined with the tranquil and peaceful surroundings creates a very relaxing atmosphere for anyone looking for a restful time.

The beach resort has small and big cottages for rent, they also have rooms for visitors who want an overnight stay.  Their family room can be rented for ₱4,500.00 and cater to up to five people but can be maximized to upto seven or eight people, costing ₱350.00 for an extra person which is a bit costly for those who can’t afford, they also have a room beside the pool which is designed for two people at ₱1,800 .oo, and ₱250.00 for an extra bedding or person.

The downside of the resort when we had our team building was having no water in the middle of the night, in short, we are not able to wash properly after dipping in the pool. Ha-ha

Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. The above-written post was my own personal experience and might be different from yours.

As if visiting the Aspire Farm  wasn’t enough that I went to the sunflower farm again the next day with a coworker, the truth is this coworker friend wanted to visit the sunflower farm and since I wasn’t able to look around and take more photos when we visited, I went with her. We borrowed a motorcycle from our coworker with a promise that we are going to put gas in it.

Visiting for the second time, I was able to take more photos and videos which I have used in my Facebook reels. The flowers were nearing to expire or to the end of their life, but nevertheless  they were still  beautiful and full of life and vibrant colors.

Since it was lunch time when we visited, there were only a few people around.  There are other two groups who are with us on the sunflower farm, and what is funny when my coworker and I started recording the first couple started speaking English too as if showing off that hey they can speak the language, lol. Meanwhile, we befriended the second couple who are seems dating, we helped each other taking photos and even sharing it to each other. They were friendly and sweet. We didn’t stay longer, because we promised to return the motorcycle in time.

Anyway, if you would like to visit Sunflower farm always remember that visiting is best to do early of the season, the peak bloom time of Sunflowers is about two or three weeks, don’t be like us who visited at the end of the season, haha.

When it comes to flowers, there are only two things I like the most, yellow rose and sunflowers,  I don’t know, but yellow flowers attracted me the most.

The other day, we finally able to visit the sunflower haven at Aspire Farm in Mayha after so many excuses and postponements. My workmate friend actually doesn’t want to go, she wanted to postponed it again until lunch time, but I am already decided to go, so she has no choice, but to follow me either she like it or not, because it was her last chance to see the sun flower farm with me. For our little adventure, I have borrowed my workmate’s motorbike, and even asked another workmate to transport us to the farm, but while in the parking area, this workmate can’t maneuver the bike and it was lucky of all lucky, another workmate came and I borrowed his bike and there we go.

Some of our workmates followed us, they’ve been asking where we going and I wasn’t expecting that they will tag along. When we arrived at the farm, it wasn’t that busy like the previous days, there are only few visitors maybe because it was still too early in the morning or because it wasn’t the peak season anymore, an old workmate who’s studying Agricultural Crops Production in the farm under TESDA saw me and even teased me, why I was there when the owner (sir R), who happened to be one of our bosses at work wasn’t there.

We login and pay our entrance fee of P20.00 each, took a group photo and walked down to the farm. It wasn’t my first time at the farm, been there during sir R’s birthday together with our bosses and workmates. The sunflower farm wasn’t that huge like the sunflower farm in San Andres, but needless to say it is worth it to visit when you are looking for new travel adventure and you are on a tight budget.  We took a group photo in the middle of the sunflower farm and even before I can take many sunflower photos, my workmate friend was already hurrying to go, I let her walked ahead of me and take my sweet time taking a single photo, when suddenly I heard a familiar voice, asking if it was me she is seeing and when I looked back, it was sir R’s mother “auntie”, so I immediately went to her and before I can reached her hand to ask for a blessing “mano po” she happily hugged me so I hugged backed.

We briefly talked as there wasn’t a lot of time, I am caught between my workmate rushing and me wanting to stay, when suddenly some of workmates brought a watermelon, they found a lost watermelon in the field which is already almost cut on half and soaked in the rain, they asked permission to cut and eat it, and when they were permitted, they feasted.

Left with no choice, I have to bid good bye to “auntie” since my friend already left and before I walked away, I went back to the beautiful spot I have seen a while ago before walking towards her and me wanting my picture to be taken there, I run towards my other workmates who are waiting for me, and asked one workmate to take a photo of me, so they obliged.

When we reached the farm’s hall or the entrance my workmate friend already left without us to my disbelief, she was hurrying because we didn’t ask permission to go at the Aspire Sunflower Farm. Anyway, we also left after taking another group photo with a previous work mate, if you are going to ask me how long did we spend in the farm, it is around fifteen minutes, lol.

Well, it was a good thing we went early in the morning because it rained at noon time.

The pandemic made the world stops, it cleans busy roads and made people to stay home.  Anyway, after three years of not celebrating town fiesta, finally Odiongan was able to held one, simpler than the previous celebrations. Simpler in the sense, that there is no street dancing today and there is no Kanidugan Festival dance competition.

The highlights of today town fiesta is a float parade participated by clusters of barangays and some government agencies.  The town parade almost didn’t take place because it rained that day, and it is still drizzling when it happened.

Well, I really have no plans of going to town and watch the float parade, but thinking it was a first for my niece, we did go to town for her to see the floats and people. We went there, when it was already starting and we decided to find a good spot and location where we can see the whole parade without skipping anything.

[ Some floats have dancers to make the parade merrier and festive.]

There are only few floats, there are more people and groups who joined the town parade, especially fraternities and organizations, there was a short program in the town plaza after, but we didn’t see it anymore, we went home right after we saw the tail of the parade.

As you can see, the rain didn’t stop the people from going out, because the parade was already a big event after three years of community quarantines, as you know Philippines is still not mask free, and maybe there are still unreported cases until today. Well, who  will have the guts to report you are sick, by the way? Even me, maybe I will not tell anyone I have symptoms when I know that you and your family will be isolated without food to eat. LOL

Almost a year after the pandemic the town of Odiongan recorded its first case of Covid-19. It was imported, and there was no panic because the positive case was isolated right away, but everything change almost a month ago when a local transmission occurred in the neighboring town, and then spread like a little fire in Odiongan town.

[Photo courtesy of Bong Gabutero de Villena]

There were already 86 cases, one death and lots of recoveries so far, but since the local transmission started government and other private offices were in skeletal work, some work from home as well, but those jobs that requires collecting of money and meeting a lot of clients everyday was halted until further notice while the contract tracing is still on-going.

[Photo courtesy of Jessa Famero Solano/Bulig sa Tabobo-an]

Filipinos are known to be hospitable and known to be resilient, with the current situation of the Philippines a community pantry emerged in Manila, neighboring cities and now even in Odiongan. Every barangay in the town has their own community pantry where anyone is free take food or household items they need and anyone could drop off whatever food/items they could donate.

The community pantry was a powerful idea of Maginhawa Community Pantry with a theme “Give whatever you can, take only what you need”