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Not so very long ago, in the issue of the old Crane Monitor, this column dangled an exhortation to the concerned readers to open his mind and heart to the opportunity to lend a hand however he can to make Balik-Caramoan a memorable success. It’s now barely a month away before the first returnee sets foot once again on the soil of his old hometown. What will he find?
If all goes well, everyone will be met by a heart-warming spectacle of happy faces and a wholesome atmosphere every step of the way from Guijalo onwards to the Poblacion and beyond.
On the first day of May, he will be borne on a motorcade to Talisay Port in Sabang, San Jose. There, a motorized banca, festooned with festive holiday buntings, is waiting to take him to Caramoan in a little over an hour of leisurely voyage. At the Port of Guijalo, courteous and uniformed cargadores will welcome him and assist him with his luggage. A brief bienvenida awaits him as he exits the port gates where students of the barangay high school will serenade him.
Then off he goes towards the Poblacion, 5 kilometers away. Along the way, he can expect to feel at home indeed through the pleasant spectacle of welcome signs, attractive streamers and buntings, uncluttered streets and roadsides, and always- smiling happy faces.
At Salvacion, he will surely marvel at the concrete bridge that spans the Manapot River from bank to bank into Caputatan. Recalling the crossing of his youth, when a footbridge served the traveler, and later a wooden bridge for four-wheeled vehicles, which always gave way to the rampaging flood waters during the rainy season, he will utter a sigh and a silent prayer of thanks. He will notice as he goes onwards the paved residential part of Caputatan all the way to Ili, gateway of Poblacion.
At the Poblacion, relatives and friends will be waiting for him to take him to their homes for a welcome stay and reunion. Or he may choose any of the suitable reasonably-priced hotels and pension houses.
Around this time, Boyet Culvera’s Marathon runners may be halfway through their routine. The route is from Guijalo to Poblacion to Bikal and back again to Poblacion, a distance of 15 kilometers. Contingents from the different barangays and organizations will be competing for the various prizes.
Then at lunchtime, the Caramoan Local Government is tendering lunch and refreshments for the new arrivals. The rest of the day is free time. This is only Day 1.
Activities for the succeeding 7 days up to the Feast Day of St. Michael the Archangel on May 8, have been firmed up during the meeting of CRANE officers with their Caramoan LGU counterparts last May 13.
Solo singing and choral competitions, as well as performance showcase are scheduled for the second day. On this day also, the cultural, historical and agricultural exhibits will open.
Following on the third day are the boat races and other water sports and games such as men’s and women’s beach volleyball. The coffee table book “Captivating Caramoan - an Explorer’s Guide” by Ric Perez will be launched. Second day of the singing competitions.
On May 4, Mass will be concelebrated by Bishop Manolo de los Santos, D.D. of Virac, and Caramoan priests. At the church patio, at the Millennium stage, Pancho Piano and his group of painters from Bicol and Manila will hold the Layag or Boat-Sail Painting exhibitions. In the evening, the battle of champions in the singing eliminations will be held. Later, a fellowship night for balik-Caramoanons will follow at the Sports Complex to be capped by the awarding ceremonies for outstanding Caramoanons.
On May 5, the billiards 9-ball Tournament will start. On the same day, the United High School Alumni Memorial Building Project of class 1958 will be launched. In the evening, the UHS 1997’s Rock-rockan sa Caramoan will entertain guests. The Bikini Open search will take place in a designated beach.
On day 6, kite flying contests which will feature the pictures and names of the Miss Caramoan candidates on the kite will be held. Championship games for basketball and Filipiniana dance competitions also. A discussion on Francisco Alvarez, the first Caramoan member of Congress, will be conducted in an appropriate forum. Then, judging for the Miss Caramoan Beauty Pageant will take place.
Civic parade, parade of fl oats, street dancing and Chinese Dragon Dance exhibition will be held in the daytime starting early in the morning of May 7, the eve of the town fiesta. There will be ballroom dancing competitions and a fireworks display in the evening.
During the town fiesta on May 8, added features are the drum and bugle competitions with their dancing majorettes in the morning. In the afternoon and evening, a beer plaza sponsored by San Miguel Brewery will enliven the battle of the bands.
The smooth execution and synchronization of the 8-day activities will be hard to realize without the able and close coordination extended to CRANE by the Caramoan LGU in the persons of the following:
- Mesdames Rebecca Sancho, Municipal Administrator
- Maria Christina Sy, Municipal Agriculturist
- Max Nazarrea, Secretary to the Mayor
- Jeffrey Sancho
- Camilo Alvarez
And rightly so for Balik-Caramoan is, after all, about and for Caramoan. We should all pull together. But, of course, heartfelt thanks are in order. And by the way, this brings to mind the idea of holding a yearly homecoming for the purpose of inviting all property owners in Caramoan to reduce their estate tax liabilities at the same time. Give and take, sort of.
As for CRANE’s livelihood project, another Php 300, 000 have first been turned over to us by DTI. One of the reasons is our high repayments rate- 80%. This is laudable. However, we should aim higher to continue deserving the support of our benefactor, the Honorable Member of Congress for the 2nd District of Camarines Sur.
For this purpose, the Committee will meet after Holy Week to review past operations, and plan out moves to improve our custody of the funds entrusted to us. Please come prepared with your proposals. We will inform you of the time and place later.
