Kris and I were outside of the High School office, waiting in line for a late pass. We were often tardy. Being classmates, we filled up our index cards together. I once asked her what her excuse was.

“Heavy traffic,” she said jokingly.
“Pero diba you live nearby?”
“Oo. Hehe.”
“Ah. Halata nga sa buhok mo eh. Basa pa!”
“Shet oo! Mukha lang akong na-traffic sa banyo!”

We muffled our laughter, and Kris quickly changed her reason for being late. Despite her damp hair and sleepy eyes, Kris looked so beautiful. She was already modelling then.

That year, she and I were groupmates for our business elective. In order to boost the sales of the colorful ponytails we were selling, she dragged me to the middle of the Grade School area. She quickly befriended our young, new customers by braiding their hair and telling them they all looked pretty. We ran out of ponytails by the end of the day.

Kris really has a way with people and kids, but her charm and her friendliness were not for everyone. A lot of her actions have been misinterpreted and exaggerated by people who couldn't appreciate such a captivating individual.

Kris became my best friend when I saw her crying outside of our classroom. She was all alone; everyone else was taking their lunch. I sat beside her and listened to the story of how her best friend betrayed her and even shoved her out of her way.

To lighten the mood, I calmed her down, gave her a hug, and told her, “Hay nako! Let’s be best friends nalang!”

Who would’ve thought that a simple, formal declaration would lead to six years of really being best friends? This blog post was for her birthday, but I’m days late! Honoring our tradition? Haha!

Belated happy birthday to my crazy model best friend and the only person I know to ever get banned from attending a soiree—ikaw na ang modern-day Helen of Troy! Haha, I love you!

I was only 8 months old when my parents first took me to Coron, Palawan. I barely have any memories of my baby-toddler years, but my parents would recall how I much I loved to literally roll around the sand and to wade around the water.

They said I enjoyed our beach picnics so much that I would even eat sand and drink sea water! My ambition was to be a fish when I was a kid! Of course, I wasn’t informed then that this was biologically impossible. But based on their stories, I think I had a great time imagining it was, anyway!

Say hello to my stoked baby self

Almost all of our vacations were spent in Coron. This was where my parents met, and this is where they’re planning to retire.

Vintage Family Picture in Kubo sa Dagat / Janglit

Through their hard work, they were able to construct a beautiful abode and manage a farm at the heart of Malbato or Kingfisher Park. And with the boom of tourism, they decided renovate and convert our home into a resort.

If you're looking for a cozy, laidback vacation, check us out at  http://casafidelis.com/ or at our Facebook page!

I guess the greatest ideas are based on the simplest observations, and during one of our small get-togethers with our employees, we noticed how 1. They had so many kids (an average of 7 kids per family!) and 2. Most of the children were no longer studying!

This led us to start Mulat Kalikasan, an NGO aiming to alleviate poverty and illiteracy through formal and environmental education.

Our beloved logo thanks to Michelle Pompa

So far, our NGO now has 35 scholars ranging from Grade 1 until High School. We’ve sponsored two schools, with one being a 23-kilometer walk for the students. You had to climb a mountain and pass two rivers to get there!

Mulat Kalikasan was able to raise funds and better this school by fixing its drooping roof, cementing its floor, providing a flag pole, and building a bathroom. We finally had this school accredited as a DepEd satellite school! Hurrah :)

This school has an amazing back story as well. Its 200-meter land was donated by a struggling farmer. Kuya Lito told us, “Kailangan mag-aral ng mga batang ito. Lumapit kami sa may malalaking lupa para humingi ng land donation para sa paaralan, pero hindi nila kami pinansin o tinanggihan kami. Kahit maliit lang ang lupang mabibigay ko, bukal ito sa puso ko. Sana pagbutihin ng mga bata ang pag-aaral nila para mas mabuti ang kinabukasan nila.” [These kids have to study. We tried to ask for land donations from privileged land owners, but they ignored us or declined. I can only give a small piece of my land, but it’s from the heart. I wish the kids would do their best in school; they deserve a better future.]

The class with Ms. Geraldine

The resident teacher, Ms. Geraldine, was already six months behind on her salary, but she still continued to teach. “Kailangan ng mga bata ng guro. Hindi mo pwedeng itapat ang edukasyon nila sa pera. Nakakatuwa nga eh, dinadalhan nalang nila ako ng pagkain o kung ano-ano na galing sa kanila.” [The students need a teacher. You can’t let money be the condition for teaching. It’s actually delightful how my students just bring me food or whatever they can find from their home.]

We showed the pictures of the school to DepEd Secretary, Brother Armin Luistro. And through the government’s efforts, they’ve finished building a formal public school beside the old one! They can now facilitate more students!

Thank you Philippine government and taxpayers! You've built a school! :)

The government is doing something, folks. And if you're feeling bad about paying taxes, a portion of it went here so congratulate yourself for contributing and helping us out! :) While we all have a long way to go in bettering our country, there is inspiration and generosity everywhere!

If you’re interested in helping Mulat Kalikasan out, message us at our recently-launched Facebook page or email us at mulatkalikasanph@gmail.com! We'll be posting our activities, projects, and fund-raising events soon!

By the way, we have yet to have our own website, and we are looking for a kind soul to help us out! So please spread the word and message us if you’re interested!