Romeo Catacutan: a Businessman from Pampanga Making Waves on TikTok

Romeo Catacutan is a business owner based in Pampanga who has a huge following on the social media site TikTok. As of this writing, he already has nearly 350,000 active and avid followers. That number will surely grow in leaps and bounds as he continues to upload interesting short videos about his daily life and about his various business ventures within Pampanga.

The videos that Romeo Catacutan uploads are usually snippets of himself as he runs his businesses most especially his farm where he has poultries and fisheries. He usually records himself as he goes around his farms but a lot of his videos are also taken by someone. Probably a videographer he hired ( he can obviously afford a personal videographer) or one of his employees he instructed to take videos of him.

The videos are simple, direct, and random. That's what makes them very interesting. It gives people a chance to look into the daily life of a wealthy owner of a huge and profitable farm. One moment, Catacutan is enjoying a breakfast of eggs, sinigang, and fish. The next moment he's at one of the fisheries casting nets and dragging in schools of fresh fish.

Not only does Catacutan shows life at the farm but he also goes into the nuances of running a successful farm business. Farm owners or entrepreneurs planning to go into farming should watch Catacutan and learn from how he runs his business. The videos may be random and short but there's a lot of business lessons that can be learned from them. 

Based on the videos, it seems like Catacutan nearly works full-time or at least dedicate most of his time at his farm. His uploads on TikTok are quite fast and regular. Sometimes, he even posts several videos a day. 

Aside from his videos of life at his farm, Catacutan doesn't talk much about the financial side of his businesses. For example, he doesn't talk about his net worth. However, it's understandable that he doesn't talk about these. After all, these are sensitive business and financial information. Not everything should be divulged on social media. 

Watching his videos, anyone can see that Romeo Catacutan is a humble and caring business owner. You can see that in the ways he treats his workers and employees. He often takes videos of himself cooking for his workers. That's admirable and that's one of the reasons why thousands of Filipinos find him endearing so they follow him on TikTok.

In some of his videos, Catacutan showed that he also owns and operates a resort somewhere in Pampanga. 

In short, Romeo Catacutan is a very interesting fellow. His videos are worth watching and you can learn a lot of business lessons from them - from the way he runs his poultries and fisheries to the way he treats his employees. He's a very inspiring man, to say the least. The guy should write a Romeo Catacutan biography. It will be interesting to learn how he built his businesses and turn himself into a very wealthy man. Now that's a book I'd read in a heartbeat. 

If you perform a Google search for Romeo Catacutan, there's not much information out there about him. He also doesn't have a Wikipedia page. That might change sooner or later as his popularity continues to grow courtesy of his sizable following on TikTok.

Back to Bataan: Classic Movie Starring John Wayne and Anthony Quinn as Capt. Andres Bonifacio

Back to Bataan is a war film released in 1945 and starred John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Beulah Bondi, Fely Franquelli, Richard Loo, and Lawrence Tierney. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk from a screenplay written by Ben Barzman and Richard H. Landau. It had the working title The Invisible Army.

There are several very interesting things I found out while doing research about this war film from the 1940s but there are three tidbits of information that stood out. One, filming occurred while the war in the Pacific was in full force. War news from the frontlines were rapidly changing so the production had to rewrite the script several times to keep up with the changing landscape of the war. Because of these rewrites and the corresponding delays, shooting took 130 days or 4 months and change.

Another very interesting trivia about the film is that it had Anthony Quinn as John Wayne's co-star. Quinn played a character named Andres Bonifacio, a Captain in the Allied army. Just like you, the first thing that came to my mind when I read that was that there was no way this character is Andres Bonifacio, the national hero. The timeline simply doesn't jive. Well, he wasn't. In the movie, the character Andres Bonifacio is the supposed grandson of Andres Bonifacio. There solves the mystery.

As I mentioned earlier, shooting for Back to Bataan happened while the war in the Pacific is ongoing. In fact, two-thirds of the way through filming, the invasion of the Philippines by American forces occurred. This was marked by General Douglas McArthur's arrival in Leyte.

Don't watch this film and expect it to be an accurate depiction of what happened in Bataan in the Philippines during the war. It's highly recommended that you read well-researched books about the Bataan Death March for a clearer picture of what actually happened there.

Back to Bataan movie poster featuring John Wayne and Anthony Quinn.

Back to Bataan trivia:
1. The opening credits for the movie featured actual footage of prisoners-of-war who were freed from a prison camp in Cabanatuan on January 30, 1945.
2. Before the start of the film, an onscreen prologue states, "This story was not invented. The events you are about to see are based on actual events. The characters are based on actual people."
3. A technical advisor for the movie was the commander of the U.S. Infantry Philippine Scouts.
4. John Wayne who played the lead and Robert Fellows, a producer, opposed making Wayne's character the hero. They argued that a Filipino character should be the film's hero. However, the final film had Wayne's character as the main hero.
5. The film made $2,490,000 at the box office. 

The Best Books About the Bataan Death March in the Philippines

Undefeated (America's Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor), 2012
by Bill Sloan

Tears in the Darkness (The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath), 2010
by Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman

Bataan Death March (A Survivor's Account), 1944
Previously titled The Dyess Story (The Eye-Witness Account of the Death March from Bataan and the Narrative of Experiences in Japanese Prison Camps and of Eventual Escape)
by Lt. Col. William E. Dyess

When it comes to history books (especially ones about wars and violent conflicts), it's always a good idea to read first those written by men and women who actually experienced the wars and conflicts being talked about in the book. This is what makes this book special and a must-read for history buffs. It was written by someone who actually was there and participated in the infamous march. 

Dyess was shipped to Manila in the spring of 1941 as an army pilot. The young Texan was among those captured when the combines American and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese army. In a daring attempt to achieve freedom, Dyess escaped from his POW camp and made it back to the United States. He was among those who first brought home actual reports about the unimaginable suffering experienced by Filipino and American soldiers during the Bataan Death March. 

Historical articles about the Bataan Death March are often too neutral and devoid of sympathy. They usually list the numbers and statistics of the wars. In his book, Dyess gives these statistics their well-deserved humanity. He puts faces to the thousands who suffered and died during and after the march. 

Ghost Soldiers (The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission), 2001
by Hampton Sides


My Hitch in Hell (The Bataan Death March), 1995
by Lester I. Tenney

Bataan (The March of Death), 1962
by Stanley L. Falk

Inside the Bataan Death March (Defeat, Travail, and Memory), 2014
by Kevin C. Murphy

Philippines' Resistance (The Last Allied Stronghold in the Pacific)
by Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas and Klytie Xu

I Was on Corregidor (Experiences of an American Official's Wife in the War-Torn Philippines), 1943
by Amea Willoughby

We Band of Angels, 1999
by Elizabeth Norman

Never Plan Tomorrow, 1992
by Joseph A. Petak

Doomed Horsemen of Bataan, 2016
by Raymond G. Woolfe

The Battle of Bataan, 1992
by Donald J. Young

Bataan, Our Last Ditch: The Bataan Campaign, 1942, 1990
by John W. Whitman

General Wainwright's Story, 1970
by Jonathan M. Wainwright

The Fall of the Philippines, 2016
by Louis Morton

The Naked Flagpole, 1980
by Richard C. Mallonee

The Battle of Bataan: America's Greatest Defeat, 1969
by Robert Conroy

Outnumbered, Outgunned, Undeterred: Twenty Battles Against All Odds, 2011
by Rob Johnson

The Reckoning
by John Grisham 

Sources and References:
1. https://rucker.army.libguides.com/c.php?g=594586&p=4112986
2. 

List of Alex Honnold Documentaries and Movies

Free Solo (2018) - Before the release of the documentary film Free Solo, Honnold was already a star in the climbing community. Generally speaking, he was also a well-known figure in the outdoors community. But he achieved near mainstream popularity with the release of Free Solo. Directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the film offered an in-depth profile of Honnold as he attempted to be the first man to free solo climb El Capitan at the Yosemite National Park. 
The documentary was a success, grossing over $28 million at the box office. It also earned mostly positive reviews from critics. It has received numerous accolades including Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars, Best Documentary at the British Academy Film Awards, and People's Choice Award in the Documentaries category at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

This is the first full-length documentary film on Honnold so it's definitely the go-to film as an introduction to Honnold's work and to understand why he is very much revered in climbing circles. Free soloing El Capitan is by far Honnold's most dangerous accomplishment. The movie documents Honnold's preparations for the climb and culminates with Honnold making it to the top of the rocky mountain.

Whether you are a rock climber or not, this documentary is a must-watch. You don't have to be an enthusiast of the outdoors to appreciate Honnold and his process of approaching his craft. 

Free Solo - Alex Honnold Rock Climbing Documentary Film


Documentaries that Honnold has appeared in:

The Sharp End (2007)
Alone on the Wall (2008)
Progression (2009)
Honnold 3.0 (2012) 
Valley Uprising (2014)
A Line Across the Sky (2015) 
Showdown at Horseshoe Hell (2015) 
Africa Fusion (2016)
Queen Maud Land (2018) 
The Nose Speed Record (reel rock 14) (2019) 
Fine Lines (2019)

Book Stores in Baguio City: Where to Buy New and Used Books in the City of Pines

If you are in Baguio City and you feel the urge to go book hunting, worry not, because the city has you covered. Baguio City isn't a large city but it's home to a good number of book stores. Whether you are just passing through or you have plans on becoming a resident, the city can provide you with all the good reads you need.

The book shops you can find in Baguio City are a good mix of independent used book shops and a couple of established bookstore chains. So whether you are looking for cheap used books or brand new copies of the latest releases, the city has you covered. 

Without further ado, here's a quick roundup of the bookstores you can find in Baguio City.

1. Bookends

This is an independent store that sells all types of books. They sell mostly used copies but these are often in great condition and are very cheap. For example, a book that sells brand new at a nearby mall for 765 pesos, you can buy it at Bookends for below 300 pesos.

Bookends sell their books both offline and online. Their physical store is very accessible because it's just a stone's throw away from Session Road. If you don't have the time to visit their store, you can always follow their Facebook page because they regularly upload titles there. They usually list new titles on their page a few times a day. 

They also ship outside Baguio City. This means you can order books from them even if you are in, say, Manila or Cebu City. 

I highly recommend that you visit their shop to truly appreciate the selection of books they have in their inventory. You will realize that the titles they sell are carefully curated and hand-picked. The bookshop also serves as an art gallery for a group of Baguio-based visual artists. This group calls themselves the Pasakalye Group of Artists. You can find their works displayed on the walls of the book store.

Location/address - Ground Floor, UCPB Building, T. Claudio Street, Baguio City

2. BooksNook

This is a bookstore very similar to Bookends. They also sell all sorts of used books. The last time I've been to the shop, it also had an adjoining cafe where you can order and drink coffee while you browse and read books.

However, because of the pandemic, their physical store has temporarily closed. When I tried to visit the shop a few months ago, their doors were closed which means they are not yet open for business.

Be that as it may, they still sell books online through their official Facebook page. Just search for BooksNook on Facebook to find their page. They upload titles for sale nearly everyday. And these are often heavily discounted. 

They also ship outside Baguio City. 

Location/address - 4th Floor, Center Mall, Magsaysay Avenue

3. Fully Booked

Fully Booked is a bookstore chain in the Philippines. With that said, if you are looking for brand new books or for the latest releases, Fully Booked is where you should go. Of course, since this is a chain store and they sell brand new books, the books are usually expensive. 

Location/address - 3rd Floor, SM Baguio

4. National Bookstore

National Bookstore is without a doubt the largest bookstore chain in the Philippines. They have two branches in Baguio City. One is located at SM Baguio and the other one is located at Abanao Square. 

However, National Bookstore's book inventory has noticeably decreased during the past few years. They don't carry as much books as they used to. Their stores seem to be focusing more on selling school supplies. Their shelves for books have shrunk and their inventories are getting smaller and smaller.

Another thing I've noticed with National Bookstore's branches in Baguio City is that it takes a long time for them to replenish their book shelves. So it could be weeks before you see new titles on their shelves. 

I may be wrong but I have the feeling that the chain is slowly transitioning to a "school supplies only" store. I hope I'm wrong. 

5. BookSale

BookSale is a bookstore chain and they have dozens of branches all over the Philippines. They specialize in used books. They are my favorite bookstore and I see to it that I visit a branch at least once a week. 

They used to have two branches in Baguio City. One in SM Baguio and one inside Porta Vaga along Session Road. However, the latter closed as a direct effect of the pandemic. So the only branch remaining in the city is the one located at the top floor of SM Baguio.

Before the pandemic, BookSale has new stocks every week. Sometimes, they even replenish their shelves twice a week. With the effects of the pandemic, the branch in Baguio City now replenishes their shelves like once every two weeks. So I don't go there as often as I used to.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for good books at very affordable prices, BookSale is the place to go.

6. TCS Books Baguio

This is an "online only" bookstore and they don't have an extensive inventory but I love them because of the curated titles they sell. Their angle seems to be on non-fiction books so if you are looking for non-fiction books on any genre, it's a good place to start looking. 

They sell their books on Facebook. Just search for TCS Books Baguio to find their page. They also ship outside Baguio City. I've been following their page and they usually list books nearly daily. And these are dirt cheap as well. 

7. Mt. Cloud Bookshop

This bookshop is unique and beautiful. I'd say it's the best bookshop in the city. The moment you enter the shop, you will realize right away that it was created by someone who genuinely loves books. The titles on the shelves, how these are arranged, and the overall ambiance "breathe books". 

The shop focuses on Philippine literature so majority of their books are Filipiniana. The shop is also known for their literary events. They conduct literary events like poetry readings, writing workshops, and author meet-and-greets. You should follow their Facebook page to be updated about their upcoming events.

Location/address - 001 Yangco Road, Corner Brent Road

Birdcatching in Sagada and Other Poems by Frank Cimatu

Birdcatching in Sagada and Other Poems (2021) is a poetry collection by the Baguio City-based poet/journalist Frank Cimatu. The collection was published by the University of the Philippines Press. It's part of the Philippine Writers Series.

Blurb:
"At the onset of the amihan or the northerly winds, Sagada boys used to practice ikik or birdcatching on top of Mt. Ampacao and other mountains. They would hold high nets and torches to catch the migratory birds riding on the Siberian winds. Sagada would later outlaw ikik when the avian flu became a pandemic, but some residents still practice it.

Poet-journalist Franklin Cimatu not only wrote a poem about ikik but also used it as a motif for this first collection of poems in English. He caught the poems that flew from the North: poems about his parents, the Marcoses, Cordilleran revolutionaries, Hawaiian sacadas from Candon, and artist-friends from Baguio.

The poems follow his flight path in journalism from the early 1990s up to the 2010s. His subjects are mostly the people he covered. He scoured his old notebooks, newspaper clippings of typhoons, journals of old European explorers and the New York Times on the day he was born. This book is also a very personal collection. Many of these poems are dedicated to his friends and are eulogies to some of them. Add to this the patented play of words and love for the sestina, canzone, and sonnetina.

Some of the poems were part of collections that won the Palanca Awards and the Procyon Contest for Young Filipinos. Some were published by the Philippines Free Press, Sunday Inquirer Magazine, and the Likhaan series."

Critical Response:
Alfred A. Yuson of the Philippine Star writes, "The veteran journalist, NGO worker and “Baguio boy” has a remarkable number of terrific poems in this second poetry collection, with most having been written decades ago (as early as 1989). Highly imagistic, cinematic, eclectic, and adventurous as terraced narratives, Cimatu’s poems tweak and celebrate Cordillera lore and personal mythology. "

The Disappearance of Merton T. Fesway

Merton T. Fesway is an agent for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) who disappeared and was last seen on June 25, 2021 in Angeles City, Pampanga. He was 38 years old at the time of his disappearance. Fesway was allegedly abducted by state forces. Fesway is from the town of Bontoc in Mt. Province. Assigned in Pampanga, Fesway has been a part of the series of anti-illegal drugs operations in the province.

The Alleged Abduction
Early reports about the case say that Fesway was abducted by state forces outside the PDEA office in Angeles City. This raises several questions. Who are saying that he was abducted? Who saw the abduction? These eyewitness or eyewitnesses, how did they know that those who abducted Fesway were state agents?

Furthermore, since the incident occurred outside the PDEA offices, wasn't it caught on camera (CCTV)? Surely, the PDEA offices and outside premises are being monitored by CCTV cameras? So far, it hasn't been divulged yet if the incident was caught on camera.

Edit: The abduction was reportedly caught on camera. Investigators were provided with footage purportedly showing Fesway being boarded into a white van.

Initial Investigation
On June 28, a lawyer from the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) wrote a letter to PDEA Region III Director Christian Frivaldo inquiring on the disappearance of Fesway. The lawyer informed Frivaldo that Fesway was not in the custody of police stations in Angeles City, Dau, and Mabalacat.

The PAO was also informed by the Angeles City Prosecutor's Office that there was no case filed against Fesway from the date of his abduction onwards. 

Potentially Related Case
Also reported to have disappeared are three residents of Baguio City who were supposed to meet with Fesway in Angeles City on June 25. This was the day Fesway was allegedly abducted. The three men have been identified as Mark Wilson Agustin, Bernardino Culala, and Jeffrey Casampol.

The Disappearing Asset
A PDEA asset who worked with Fesway has also disappeared. This same asset has informed Fesway's family of the latter's disappearance. After divulging the information, the asset can no longer be contacted.

Doveglion: Collected Poems by Jose Garcia Villa

Doveglion: Collected Poems is a poetry book featuring a collection of poems by Filipino poet Jose Garcia Villa (1908-1997). The book features an Introduction by Luis H. Francia. It was edited by John Edwin Cowen, a poet and a professor of literacy and education. Doveglion was published by Penguin Random House in July 29, 2008. The collection includes rare and previously unpublished material.

Blurb: "Known as the “Pope of Greenwich Village,” José Garcia Villa had a special status as the only Asian poet among a group of modern literary giants in 1940s New York that included W. H. Auden, Tennessee Williams, and a young Gore Vidal. 

But beyond his exotic ethnicity, Villa was a global poet who was admired for “the reverence, the raptness, the depth of concentration in [his] bravely deep poems” (Marianne Moore). Doveglion (Villa’s pen name for dove, eagle, and lion) contains Villa’s collected poetry, including rare and previously unpublished material."



Lyric 17 by Jose Garcia Villa (Poem) - Literary Analysis

Lyric 17
by Jose Garcia Villa

First, a poem must be magical, 
Then musical as a sea-gull. 
It must be a brightness moving 
And hold secret a bird’s flowering. 
It must be slender as a bell, 
And it must hold fire as well. 
It must have the wisdom of bows 
And it must kneel like a rose. 
It must be able to hear 
The luminance of dove and deer. 
It must be able to hide 
What it seeks, like a bride. 
And over all I would like to hover 
God, smiling from the poem’s cover.

Notes and Analysis:

In this poem, Villa puts forth what he believes are the characteristics of a poem. He qualifies these characteristics with the word "must" which means these characteristics are essential to the life of the poem. Villa uses both direct adjectives (i.e. magical, musical) and metaphors (i.e. bird's flowering, slender as a bell) to describe these characteristics.

Although Lyric 17 is a very well-written poem, it can be very difficult to understand because of the metaphors and vague descriptions. It can be a challenge to digest especially for young people and students trying to understanding its message.

Fortunately, Villa has explained in good detail during an interview what he's trying to convey in the poem. John Edwin Cowen, an American poet and professor of literacy and education, taped an interview with Villa. The contents of the interview was published as part of his book titled English Teacher's Portfolio of Multicultural Activities (Ready-to-Use Lessons and Cooperative Activities for Grades 7-12). The book was published in 1996.

Book description for English Teacher's Portfolio of Multicultural Activities: "Seventy-five literature-based lessons with complete reproducible reading selections, including short stories, poetry, folklore, novel excerpts, and other genres written by talented authors of African, Asian, Latino, Native American, and European descent."

Here's a rundown of the interview and Villa's comments on the lines in Lyric 17:

First, a poem must be magical, 
Then musical as a sea-gull. 

Villa: These lines mean exactly what they say: That a poem must have magic, and it must be musical." 

It must be a brightness moving 
And hold secret a bird’s flowering. 

Villa: There are some brightnesses which are stationary and static, but a poem, like a bird, must fly. This is the difference between prose and poetry. Prose is flat footed and stationary; poetry soars, flies like a bird. The stationary bird, when first seen, appears like a rosebud. When it begins to fly, it opens up and spreads its wings and blooms like a flower." 

It must be slender as a bell, 
And it must hold fire as well. 

Villa: A poem is economical; it's slender as a bell, it has no adipose tissue; it's lean and clean. Poorly written poems should, of necessity, go on a diet, to rid themselves of excess verbiage and adjectives. And by 'fire' in the next line, I simply mean that a poem must have a spirit." 

It must have the wisdom of bows 
And it must kneel like a rose. 

Villa: You must remember, some lines and some poems cannot be explained. But let me try. I am speaking of the archer's bow. A good bow is one that knows when to shoot, and one that directs the arrow to its mark. Just as a good poem, it never goes astray. To 'kneel like a rose' is a metaphor for humility. All fine people are humble and a poem should also be humble, however beautiful it is. 

It must be able to hear 
The luminance of dove and deer. 

Villa: There's a good man behind every fine poem. A good poet is usually a good person. 'Luminance' naturally means brightness. When I see a good face, it's a good face and I respond. When I see a bad face, it is the face full of crime, even though he doesn't proclaim his crime. His face proclaims it out loud. 

It must be able to hide 
What it seeks, like a bride. 

Villa: A poem must not explicitly state meaning. The reader is supposed to sense it out, feel it. The language itself doesn't tell you, but the substructure behind that language is the real meaning. It is not explicit and declarative. That's why when I say, 'It must have the wisdom of bows,' you must guess at what I mean, and children love to guess at meaning. That's why they love riddles. I used to love riddles as a child. 

And over all I would like to hover 
God, smiling from the poem’s cover.

Villa: When you see a blessed creature, God shines and hovers over that saintly creature. The poem itself creates a God-hood, and the poem radiates Godness. At the same time, God is hovering over it, acknowledging the Godness radiating from the poem, itself, which embodies the spirituality existing in a poem and, at the same time, radiates it to others.
Jose Garcia Villa, Filipino Poet