While in the Philippines, we visited Biliran island and passed by the Kasabangan Falls. They were hard to reach: Due to recent typhoons, the trail and bridges leading from the road to the falls were heavily damaged. But it was possible, so we visited and I could get a couple of...
read moreWhen we visit the Philippines, we always visit a few cemeteries to pay our respect to family members who have passed. The most important grave, to us, is the grave of my father-in-law, tatay (tatay means father, in Filipino), which we visited at the end of January. Paying respect to a deceased person in the Philippines means lighting a few candles. And it’s perfectly okay over there to climb over or sit on graves during your visit (things that are not done here in the Netherlands), so on the photos you see kids (a few of tatay’s...
read morePinamopoan is a small fishing village on the north coast of the island Leyte, in the Philippines. We strolled around the port when we visited Pinamopoan, and I made a little photo...
read moreA page of 1924 marriage registrations from Kawayan, province Leyte (at the time, now it’s province Biliran), Philippines. At number 93 my son’s great-grandparents Cornezo Ambe and Fernanda Bolasa. Marriage Jan 22, 1924, Balakson, Kawayan; solmnized by Julio[?] Roda, priest Cornezo Ambe; age 23; born Masagongsong, Kawayan, Leyte; occupation Laborer; unmarried; son of Tranquilino Ambi [sic] and Antonia Olaguer [sic] Fernanda Bolasa; age 20; born Balakson, Kawayan, Leyte; occupation Weaver; unmarried; daughter of Estanislao Bolasa...
read moreLast month typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) destroyed large parts of the Visayas area of the Philippines. I’m sure you saw images of the destruction, especially from Tacloban. We hope to visit the region some time next year, and I’ll share a few photos afterwards. Hopefully it will only be photos of how nicely they rebuilt everything. We visited the region before, several times, and have many happy memories there. Indeed, we married in Tacloban. Below I share a couple of photos that I took during our last visit, two years...
read moreA few weeks ago, one of the heaviest storms ever recorded passed through the Philippines. We have all seen the consequences: Thousands are dead, millions lost their homes, cities, towns and villages are destroyed. Most of the reports we’ve seen came from Tacloban, where CNN had a team even before the storm hit. Tacloban. Most of you probably never even heard of this city before it was flattened by the typhoon. It’s just a city in the Philippines that was hit by a disaster. Most of you have never seen Tacloban as it was before the...
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