Mindanao Magazine
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest, and the Southernmost island in the Philippines, located just north of Indonesia/Malaysia. Mindanao is a strong agricultural area, supplying a large portion of the food supply for the entire country.
While Mindanao is widely known as a sort of “wild west”, it is actually a quite peaceful place, unless you venture into isolated pockets of the island
where there are active insurgent groups, primarily Muslim. However, for the most part Mindanao is a peaceful place that is still close to nature,
somewhat unexplored, and many parts are sparsely inhabited.
I originally obtained the domain name “Mindanao.com” back in 1996 when the web was still fairly young and domain names were easy to come by. At the time I wasn’t fully certain of what I wanted to do with the domain, but I wanted to somehow promote Mindanao. You see, although I am an American, my wife is Filipino, and from the island of Mindanao, so I had some connection to the place.
At the time, I was running a mailing list on the Internet called Mindanao-L. We had several hundred members from all over the world, and we talked about anything to do with Mindanao. Sometimes the discussions got a little heated, and when that happened, we usually reverted back to talking about fruit, or some kind of recipes from Mindanao. After things calmed down, we usually ventured back to talking politics, specifically Mindanao politics. At that time, the Peace Treaty with the MNLF was a big thing, with Nur Misuari trying to iron out an agreement with the Philippine Government, and it was indeed a hot issue. Of course, a lot of water has passed under the bridge from those days, and events in Mindanao are different today. But, you know what they say, the more things change the more they stay the same. Today’s issues seem to be centered around the MILF instead of the MNLF. The hot topics are about the Abu Sayyaf and the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist groups and how they use Mindanao as one of their base camps.
When I first obtained the domain, I lived in the States. Today I actually live in Mindanao, and am able to watch the events here occur day in and day out. It is an interesting place to live, no doubt there. If you are planning to visit Mindanao, please e-mail me, I would enjoy getting together for coffee with any of my readers while you are here.
What will happen on the island of Mindanao? None of us know the answer, but if you follow along with my magazine about Mindanao, I promise to keep you up to date as best I can. Please feel free to leave your comments, a two way discussion is always more interesting!
Hi Antonio – Mindanao Magazine has one issue only, with over 8,000 articles! It is this site. http://www.mindanao.com
Hi, Bob. I am doing research on Davao and coming out with a 500-age definitive history of the region. I was informed your magazine is an interesting read. Where can I secure copies of the past issues?
Thank you.
I am sorry, vilma, to be honest, I do not understand your question.
I am a first year college. from Davao Doctors College.
can you help me introducing the beautiful places and beauty of
mindanao?
thanks for you time.
Thank you for your comment, joan j. Your feelings about Mindanao and mine are very similar!
hi bob!
i’m from western visayas and i had a chance to visit some parts of mindanao lika CDO, camiguin, bukidnon and davao and that trip got me all teary-eyed to realize how small a tittle i am when placed in such beauties found only in mindanao. knowing how rich the culture is and how this culture is presern\ved by it’s people.
i sure hope filipinos and foreign people who only heard of mindanao should realize that atrocities and threats are not all over the place. there is more beauty than beast in mindanao, there is more to enjoy than fear in the place…
how i want to be back there and enjoy it all over again. i’d like to bring my family too. for my kids to experience the same feeling of awe i had on that 1 opportunity
take care bob. give my regards to your beautiful family.
would like to be a part of your site mr bob so nice and amazing
Hello MR. Bob. I’m an i would like to ask something. Can you give me some advice if How I could be able to continue my study? I am not so smart but I really want to have a good education.
I HOPE THAT YOU WILL GIVE ME AN IDEA.
THANKS AND GOD BLESS!
im a student cavite and i am conducting a research about mindanao and advertising it at the same time…i hope you could help me…your blog helped i liked it! thanks for loving Philppines… Godbless!
Hi mark – I would be very happy to feature any articles that you care to write about Iligan, or anywhere in Mindanao. Just contact me through the contact Bob link at the top menu (under Bob Martin), and we can work out the arrangements.
Hi Bob.I was so amaze that someone from the other side of the globe has made a website about my place Mindanao not only to promote the place but to be able to let other people know not only filipinos but other foriegn people that Mindanao is a mixed of culture and a great place to live. We are so thankfull about people like you have a heart on MIndanao.Good job and I hope you would be able to promote more of the culture, lives, foods, scenincs spot, adventure and many other specially Iligan City where I was born and my hometown. I would love to promote this and willing to be part of your magazine. I can be of help in promoting Iligan and appear in you magazine. Thank you Bob. hope to meet you someday.
Hi Ken – My best advice for you is that if you are interested in living in the Philippines, you should really check my other website, which is all about living here. Just go to the Live in the Philippines Web Magazine.
Hello,
Im so glad I happened upon your web site.
Im moving to Zamboanga with my wife who was born and raised there . We have baby on the way. We want to farm and raise pigs for market . Would love to have the advice and info from someone who has so much experience in the area.
May I call upon you from time to time.
Best regards , Ken
Hello,
Im so glad I happened upon your web site.
Im moving to Zamboanga with my wife who was born and raised there . We have baby on the way. We want to farm and raise pigs for market . Would love to have the advice and info from someone who has so much experience in the area.
May I call upon you from time to time ?
Best regards , Ken
wonderful day everyone,
absolutely true that mindanao is one of the most beautiful island.A true gift of nature you will experience.Ive been in bislig city,one of the most amazing cities,where you ca find the magnifecent tinuy-an falls.The falls is the jungled area of borbuanan.it was a 3 stairs of splashings falls.And i beleive the falls was the widest in the philippines.It was named as niagara falls of mindanao…
Hello. I'm currently working on a study on the nagative portrayal of Mindanao in the Philippine news print and this will certainly helo me defend the place. Keep it up!!
Hi Rich – I recommend you check my other site, http://www.LiveInThePhilippines.com. On that site, I have a writer, Martin Bazylewich, who lives in Butuan (he’s a Canadian), and he is really a promoter of doing business in the Philippines. I am sure that he would have plenty of advice about setting up that driving range/mini golf in Butuan. Good luck.
Ardent hot springs resort in Camiguin island…
From our last trip there I recommend Paras Beach Resort…but not their food. However, the Ardent Hot springs are a nice few hours of playing around but almost everything of interest is far from it. The place was a little shabby and not really what most people want for lodging. We talked to some Koreans who left after 1 night and ended up at Paras. Also you have to check out the sunken cemetary at sunset! And check out the white beach island too. You can catch a boat at Paras. very fun times there and very inexpensive. There is also a nice Italian Restraunt and a little Canadian Bar that has Labbat beer. Another place…A lady named Barbie?..(Filippina)has mastered making thin crusted NY style Pizzas.
Bob, You have a great site. I to am an American and I just proposed to my fiance Nanette; a Fillapina from Bunawan, and like you I am planning on moving to Mindanao. We have many great friends\family who are supportive and protective and I cannot wait to start our lives together there.
We are looking at starting a Driving Range and Mini Golf park in Butuan City area and was wondering if you had any advice. I would like to have it complete with in the next year and 3 months.
Richard
@j. brown: As far as I know, that area is generally safe. If you wish me to do a detailed security report for the place, I can do that, just e-mail me through my contact form.
hello bob,
could u give me some info plzz about safety issues concerning waig crystal springs resort in bukidnon. is there anything i should know concerning this area i want to visit this resort. i have heard it is lovely
@j. brown: I am not familiar with Vincent Heights, but I know Lanang well. Lanang is still part of the City Proper, but it is far from most places where you will probably want to go. No problems on safety in Camiguin.
bob,
thnx for the info about the travelers checks i will be there later this month in davao city, do u know of the vincent heights subdivision lanang davao city?? is it in the city proper?? do u have any info on that subdivision?? i took ur advice on 1 city i was planning to go to but what about camiquin island how are the safety issues there? only days now before i arrive!!!
@John M. Brown: negotiating travelers checks in the Philippines can really be a problem. Because of that, it’s best to avoid travel checks completely. I would recommend that you bring cash, and also use the ATM. However, I don’t know your complete itinerary, so it can be hard to answer your question. You mentioned before that you would be in Camiguin, and you’re not going to find ATM machines there, so that means you need cash, if you’re going to spend all of your time there. Also, in areas like that that are not overly developed. It can be hard use credit cards, so make sure you have cash. Enjoy your trip!
hello bob,
thnx for the reply concerning ardent hot springs resort i still nave not found the # for them yet but all is good. now another question for u my friend. when traveling to the phils. is it best to have travelers cheques in U.S. dollars, small amounts of cash or just use the atm? need some advice on this plzz. i am being told paying in cash gets me better discounts!!
@John M. Brown: I’m sorry, I don’t have their phone number. I live about seven or 8 Hours Drive from there, and there’s really no such thing as directory service here. As such, my ability to find it is not much different than yours. However, I know somebody who lives in Camiguin, I have sent him a text message, and if he responds with the phone number I will post it here for you.
hello bob,
could u find out for me a phone # for ardent hot springs resort in camiquin island. i have searched web sites and found nothing. thanks so much!!!!!
@Cam Pfeiffer: That is a cool story! Thanks for sharing it.
Bob, In the early 50′s I spent two summers on Lun Masla with a medical mission from Silliman University hospital to Bilaan hills-people. I spent an interesting night and day in Dadjangis
(now General Santos) with a young Bilaan man who had ruptured his appendix while stripping abaca on a hand made press…we were trying to get him by interisland ship to Davao City for surgery, but in the meantime we had to burn incense to mask the putrid odor. He made it, returned to marry. and the next time I saw him and his wife there was a newborn son he’d named “cam”!
@Vin: I am very happy here in the Philippines and have no desire to go back to the States, even for a visit. I’ve been here for over 8 years now without going back, and I doubt that I’ll ever go back.
If you want to follow along with my day to day doings, and learn what it is like to live here, I suggest you follow my other site:
http://www.LiveInThePhilippines.com
Hi, Bob! I just found your site and was reading through it. I like it. Good job! My name is Vin, from New York. I’ve been to the Philippines twice, Luzon, Cebu, Bohol. I retired last November and have been traveling around the world searching for a good place to live. I will be in Davao sometime in December or early January. How do you pass your time during the days there? Do you miss being in the States after being in Mindanao so long? I was a district sales manager for a pharmaceutical company here in NY and retired early at the age of 58. Hope to talk with you soon. By- Vin
Hello Bob,
One of the main reasons for my trip to cdo is that i have been told very much how beautiful and safe it is there . The family that i am meeting there also has a brother who is a police officer there who will provide security for me and my future wife as we tour the city. Davao City has been brought many times as a place to visit, as with many cities in the philippines i get conflicting reports as to which is safest. Bob i will be keeping in contact with u as ur the only blogger that i have found in that area. Maybe we will have that cup of coffee together. Take care now my friend and thnx again. Anything u can inform me about would be welcomed!!!!!
John M.Brown
@John M. Brown: You are not too specific regarding why you chose to meet in CdO. if it is safety that you are after, I think you should consider Davao City, as it is now becoming recognized as the safest City in the Philippines. Just my opinion.
Generally the area that you intend to visit should be safe, though.
how r u bob? i just found ur website today and i am very interested to know about a trip to cagayan de ore . i have that special someone in pikit that i am meeting in manila and then i will travel to cagayan de oro for a 3 day 2 night stay there. i read it is safe in that city!!! is that correct?? also i will be getting a apt. in dangcagan bukidnon and from there will maybe travel to davao city. plzz be honest with ur thoughts to me concerning this trip. i am a first time traveler to the philippines. any tips or advice u can give me is welcomed
Hi Cecilio Lorenzo – Right now is probably not a good time to travel many parts of Mindanao. During more “normal” times, you can safely travel almost all of the island, though.
Hi Bob,
Just wanted to learn more about which part of Mindanao is safe to travel.
I’m Fil/Am but my family root is from Manila. I’m very interested in traveling to Mindanao, perhaps Davao City or Zamboanga.
Where are you located?
Thanks.
@Downtown Al: I am not sure I understand what you are talking about regarding the blog “refusing to update your profile”??
The blog site is refusing to update my profile with the following bit, so I thought I’d send it to you and see if there is a work around. In the meantime, have a great day and continue to enjoy my future hometown.
I will be moving to Davao this coming spring (April – 09) I stayed there last year and fell in love with the place. I have close friends in a Filipino family there and will be renting a small apartment from them out on the outskirts of town. I will be spending my time there writing that book that’s been crawling around in my brain for a very long time now (it‘s full of hot babes and pirates and will address all of those high-minded questions about life the universe and everything (to paraphrase Douglas Adams) that we‘ve all been asking)). I am a writer/starving artist and have written a lot of op-ed pieces for the local daily here in Canada, and a few feature articles as well, so it’s not much of a stretch for me to burn up the keyboard.
Anyway, to all the expats already living there, if you could please show me where I can find a properly poured pint of Guinness after I get there I will be your friend forever. I’ll see you all in the spring.
Downtown Al
Hi Maria – Check here:
http://mindanao.com/photoblog/?s=calinan&submit=search
Do you have any pictures of Calinan? I havent been home there in 22 years.
@Howard: At Apo View Hotel there is an Avis Car Rental, you can do it there.
Do you know where I can rent a car in Davao for about 2 weeks in January?
Dear Mr. Bob,
I am Charmaine P. Tadlas, Regional Information Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-10 based in Cagayan de Oro City.
I was able to learn of this website through Assistant Secretary Ruel G. Lucentales who directed me and other information officers from other Regional DSWD offices across Mindanao to contribute stories for your website. It seemed that the Assistant Secretary has a good impression about your website.
With this, I would like to ask how we could do so. Can we have some special arrangements regarding our story contributions? Please do contact me at our office at 088-858-8134.
For your information, our Regional Office is headed by Atty. Araceli F. Solamillo, Regional Director.
Thank you and more power to your website.
Charmaine P. Tadlas
Hi Pearl – I would prefer not to comment on that particular topic….
hi
im also an american living here in davao city. im a mestiza. . . my dad was a white boy like you! im currently attending brokenshire college and hoping to get my BSN by 2013.
i was wondering if you had done any research or writing on the presence and activities of the mysterious “Davao Death Squad” or DDS which i have heard is a vaguely government sanctioned band of vigilantes.
in fact one of my first experiences here in davao was witnessing the carnage of a dds hit!
as an american i am absolutely shocked that the government would tolerate the presence of a murderous group operating above the law! the fact that they kill in the streets with complete lack of due process is a scandal and a shame to the whole judicial process of the philippines.
in your time on the island have you come across any other resistance to their activities? from what i have gathered from local relatives is a general sense of gratitude for the death squad.
That’s unfortunate. But we thank you in any case. where could we email you the questionnaire? It’ll be a barebones outline of questions which, if you have the time, will be proceeded by follow-up ones drawn from your answers.
The faculty isn’t against the email per se. It’s just that, in the context of a qualitative research paper, it’d be a weak vehicle for gathering data. For one, probing would be very difficult to accomplish due to immediacy concerns. For another, the conversation would lack the key element of dynamism. Stuff like that.
Hi eviscerare – I am sorry, I don’t do IM. It is too time consuming, and I don’t have time for it. I am happy to answer any questions via e-mail, because I can respond at a time when I am not otherwise engaged. I don’t understand why your faculty would not accept e-mail – the top corporations in the world use e-mail as an acceptable form of communications. It works in the business world!
Good luck with your project.
Thank you in advance. Apologies as well. We consulted with faculty advisers and it seems an email questionnaire would not suffice. Simply, we’d be grilled at thesis defense for such an impersonal method of acquiring data, insufficient, even, for a qualitative study.
Can we schedule an instant messenger communication with you instead? If you would accept, please advise us as to which IM service you use. And we could, if you prefer, submit a a questionnaire via email before the interview.
Again, we apologize. Please consider our updated request.
Hi merlito a. tonog – I am very sorry, but to be honest, I don’t know what you are talking about. I am just a private individual. I don’t own a hotel or anything like that. I don’t have conference rooms, I just have a house that I live in. Am I missing something in your inquiry?
Hi! Do you function rooms for seminar or conference, for 50-100 people? Are dorm-type cottages for seminar participants also available?Please e mail rates. Thanks.