Story & Photos By Georgene Quilaton-Tambiga
Five ARCORES Volunteers hiked the Eco-Park of Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos while Rev. Fr. Vicente Ramon, Jr., OAR, former director of the Laudato Si’ Environmental Center (LEC) served as guide. Marina Almanza, Nuño Montejo, Sara Romero, Jaime Sanz and Ernesto Vidal visited San Carlos City for the second time for their outing with Recoletos Social Outreach Center (RESOURCE) Handumanan community. Fr. Ramon, who was CST-R’s ARCORES anchor, welcomed the group and led the hike.
The volunteers from Spain were impressed with the potential of CST-R Eco-Park as hiking trail, scouting area and outdoor biology laboratory for junior and senior high school students. They also visited the San Carlos City People’s Park, a reclaimed area that featured a view of the Tañon Strait, Sipaway Island and the works of local sculptors who mainly used cement and rock as media. At the People’s Park, the volunteers treated themselves to salted garlic and sugar-coated peanuts—widely known local delicacies.
Later in the afternoon, they toured the San Carlos Borromeo Cathedral and visited Msgr. Erwin Magnanao, parish priest.
On July 30, the team crossed the Strait to Sipaway Island to unwind and taste the locally made salvaro, hand-pulled coconut-filled bread, with brewed coffee made of Negrense beans.
It can be recalled that they toured the CST-R Campus and Monteagudo Recoletos in Barangay Rizal last July 15. The volunteers stayed to immerse in social and community work at RESOURCE Handumanan in Bacolod City and have gone back to Spain last August 1.