A BIKOLANO SAVES GEN MACARTHUR - SGT. DOMINGO ADVERSARIO

Sgt. Domingo Adversario, a native of Camaligan in this province, was orderly to General Douglas Mac Arthur. While at Corregidor (where Mc Arthur and his family sought refuge), the area they were resting on was suddenly attacked by the Japanese forces. William Manchester, author of American Caesar, a biography of Gen mac Arthur writes, A direct hit exploded in to the cottage s bedroom, shattering the building. Another bomb, much closer to him (Mac Arthur), scattered shrapnel in every direction. The General ducked behind the hedge while his orderly Sgt. Domingo Adversario removed his own steel helmet placed it over Mac Arthur s head. A fragment from one stick of bombs dented the helmet; a steel splinter from another laid Adversario s hand open. As the Mitsubishis roared off, Jean (Mac Arthur s wife) arrived on the run, found herhusband dressing the orderly s hand with his handkerchief.

TINAGBA FESTIVAL

Tinagba Festival - February 11 - Iriga City, Camarines Norte

A tradition of the first harvest offering coinciding on the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Derived from the early rituals of the ancient Bicolanos offering their harvest to their own gods as a form of thanksgiving and to seek favor for a more bountiful harvest throughout the year. A long parade of colorfully and grandiosely decorated bull and carabao carts, carrying newly harvested crops, ending with a mass before the Emerald Grotto at Calvary Hills. Here all the offerings are blessed, then distributed to indigent families.

THE PILI NUT

The Pili Nut (Canarium Ovatum)

One of 600 species in the family Burseraceae, is native to the Philippines and is abundant and wild in the Bicol Region particularly in Sorsogon, and in parts of Visayas and Mindanao. Trees of Canarium ovatum are attractive symmetrically shaped evergreens, averaging 20 m tall with resinous wood and resistance to strong wind. C. ovatum is dioecious, with flowers borne on cymose inflorescence at the leaf axils of young shoots. As in papaya and rambutan, functionalhermaphrodites exist in pili. Pollination is by insects. Flowering of pili is frequent and fruits ripen through a prolonged period of time. The ovary contains three locules, each with two ovules, most of the time only one ovule develops (Chandler 1958).  Pili fruit is a drupe, 4 to 7 cm long, 2.3 to 3.8 cm in diameter, and weighs 15.7 to 45.7 g. The skin (exocarp) is smooth, thin, shiny, and turns purplish black when the fruit ripens; the pulp (mesocarp) is fibrous, fleshy, and greenish yellow in color, and the hard shell (endocarp) within protects a normallydicotyledonous embryo. The basal end of the shell (endocarp) is pointed and the apical end is more or less blunt; between the seed and the hard shell (endocarp) is a thin, brownish, fibrous seed coat developed from the inner layer of the endocarp. This thin coat usually adheres tightly to the shell and/or the seed. Much of the kernel weight is made up of the cotyledons, which are about 4.1 to 16.6% of the whole fruit; it is composed of approximately 8% carbohydrate, 11.5 to 13.9% protein, and 70% fat. Kernels from some trees may be bitter, fibrous or have a turpentine odor.

ELEANDRE "ELY" BASINIO BUENDIA

Eleandre Basiño Buendia

Popularly known as Ely Buendia, and also once adopting the stage name, Jesus "Dizzy" Ventura, (born November 2, 1970) is a Filipino writer and musician who gained fame as guitarist, songwriter, and lead vocalist in the popular Pinoy rock band,The Eraserheads. His gift in songwriting, in which he contributed heavily to the band, has earned him a reputation as one of the most respected icons in the country. He currently performs as guitarist and lead vocalist for the band, Pupil. Ely Buendia had a broadsheet column, entitled "CURSOR," published weekly (every Saturday) in the Entertainment Section of the Manila Bulletin. Some entries are “Cloning Music,” “Crude Little Robots,” “Biocast Entry No. 13,” “A Dystopian Holiday,” “Event Horizon,” “The Answer,” “Misguided Tours,” “A Well-Documented Review,” “Parking and Flying,” “Soaking Up the Bar,” “Mental Floss,” and his final article, “A Cause for Elevation.” Due to Buendia's busy musical career, CURSOR had ended and was last published during the first Saturday of September 2006. Ely's sci-fi short story "The Pillar" was published on the March issue of Rogue Magazine.

HARANA FESTIVAL

Harana Festival - February 14 - San Jose Camarines Sur

The festival feature local talents and young artists in its effortsa to promote cultural awareness, tourism development and youth empowerment in the District of partido. Highlighted by the Bicol Love Song Choral Competition. Other activities are lined up to drumbeat the affair.