Different Tag Price vs. Bar Code Price

Last Sunday, I bought products from two stores that has different bar code prices against their respective tag/shelf prices. On the two cases below, I cannot allow myself to be cheated or taken advantage by a merchant, so I exercised my rights as a consumer by contesting their higher bar code prices. Why is it that if there is a discrepancy or system error, it usually works to the merchant's favor?

It started that morning in Handyman's Store at Waltermart Carmona, as I looked for a waterproofing compound for our roof, which is undergoing repair. The 4-liter waterproofing product I chose has a tag price of Php 1,645 per pail, but their bar code scan displayed a Php 1,730 price on the checkout counter. The cashier told me that the price had increased, and asked me to pay Php 1,730. 

The Old Church of Basey in Samar

The town of Basey in Samar is known for its caves and rock formations in the Sohoton National Park. On the same park is the Panhulugan Cave, an ambush site during the Filipino-American War, when the Filipino guerillas were chased by the Americans after the Balangiga massacre. The Guinness Book of World Records recognize the Basey town for creating the longest "banig" or woven mat.

The above St. Michael Archangel Church of Basey adds to the colorful history of the town. Built by the Jesuit priests on the late 17th century, it is one of the most beautifully preserved church in Samar. It was transferred to the care of Augustinians in 1768, then to Franciscans in 1795. It served as meeting room and theater during the Japanese occupation, then a relocation site during the American liberation.

Sohoton Park Caves & Natural Bridge in Basey

On our 3rd day in Eastern Visayas, we went to the town of Basey in Samar, to see the caves and natural bridge of Sohoton National Park. This amazing 840-hectare park contains many caves, rock formations, underground rivers, as well as rockholes or sinkholes.

From the new bus terminal of Tacloban City, we rode a Basey-bound jeepney with fare of Php 25 per person. After crossing the beautiful San Juanico bridge, the vehicle stopped on Samar side to load farm goods on its roof. In 45 minutes since leaving Tacloban, the jeepney dropped us at the Basey Tourism Office near the public market and wharf.

Salcedo's Locsoon Cave and Jagnaya Beach

At the quiet town of Salcedo in Eastern Samar, they have a well-kept secret, that even the residents of nearby towns (including our tricycle driver), doesn't know about it. I guess this post will be one of the very few accounts of this relatively unknown place on the world wide web.

The secret I'm referring to is the natural saltwater pool along Jagnaya beach that extends inside Locsoon cave. On low tide like during our visit, it is more beautiful, as the clear water is more defined along the submerged rock's edges. 

Guiuan's Church and Airport, Eastern Samar

The town of Guiuan in Eastern Samar is an off the beaten travel path. Except for surfers who know its Calicoan Island as a prime surfing destination, its not on the usual tourism radar, even for Filipino travellers. But when I searched about the things we can do in Samar, it yielded a must-visit plan to Guiuan, the easternmost town in Visayas group of islands.

Due to its location, the town serves as the "doormat" for typhoons, as it sits directly on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. As expected, PAG-ASA has a monitoring station in Guiuan to track typhoons. During the rainy season, the ocean sends huge waves to the town, to the delight of surfers in Calicoan Island. 

Traversing the iconic San Juanico Bridge

San Juanico Bridge is the country's famous 2.16 km bridge that connects the island provinces of Samar and Leyte, over the San Juanico strait. Its "L" and "S" shapes makes it more impressive than the longer yet straight Candaba Viaduct, a land bridge in NLEX where itlog (egg) becomes ebun (bird  in Tagalog), when crossed from Bulacan to Pampanga.

Built from 1969 to 1973, this beautiful bridge was touted to be the late dictator President Marcos' gift to her wife Imelda, who hails from Leyte. These are photos taken from a moving jeepney, on our way from Tacloban to Basey, Samar.

Binagol and Moron of Tacloban

Visitors in Tacloban should not miss their famous delicacies -- binagol and moron. I was lucky to chance upon these 2 Visayan delicacies in Aida's store along Zamora street, near the Jollibee restaurant. The shop owner said his goods come from Abucay daily, but came in late that morning, so they are still very warm. 

The binagol above is a sweetened gabi (taro) cooked with sugar, coconut and condensed milks in a coconut shell, then wrapped with banana leaves. Its a sugar overdose, so diabetics must watch their intake. Here's a closer look of an opened binagol, where the ingredient mixture have caramelized:

A DIY Tour of Tacloban and Palo in Leyte

The other Friday, I brought my two sons and Mrs. Noelizm in Tacloban to see the sights in Leyte and Samar. Upon arriving at Tacloban Airport, we just rode the San Jose-Tacloban jeepney at Php 13/person fare, instead of taking the expensive taxicab or vans to the downtown.

We arrived at Welcome Home Pensione by 11:00 am to drop our bags. Luckily, our reserved room is unoccupied, so we were allowed to check-in early for Php 800/night with 2 double beds. The room is basic yet clean. Only bath soap and bathroom tissue are provided as room supplies. Wifi is available at the garden area.

Pitaya or Dragon Fruit

Have you ever wondered how dragon fruit is grown? Here are some photos taken from the cluster of dragon fruit plant, grown by my mother-in-law on her front yard.

The fruit comes from a fruit-bearing cactus species, known as pitaya in South America, its native source. Like most fruits, the dragon fruit start from a flower bud. See the upper right side portion of the photo below.

Useless Online Customer Service

Have you experienced clicking on a website's pages, only to encounter an error or a link that doesn't work? Or how about sending an inquiry through a website or an email, but you did not received any response? Well, I've experienced them many times.

My recent similar experience is with Gohotels.ph. Six weeks ago, I was trying to get their room rates in Tacloban by doing mock booking. However, their website's new window link freezes when I tried doing that, so I sent an inquiry through their message form under the "Contact Us" link.