After two hours of hiking – first climbing up the steep road from Tinglayan, then horizontally along the walking track, we reach the footbridge across a tributary of the Chico River. The last stretch before we reach our destination in the hardest: almost-vertical much of the way. We stop to rest, breathless, at the terraced rice fields along the track. Clouds fill the valley below, the afternoon sun streams from the west. Thankfully, this last stretch we hike in full shade.

The April 2009 edition of The Manila Folders, a newsletter for staff, partners and families of the Australian Embassy in Manila, is now available for download.

The newsletter features upcoming social activities in the Embassy, special announcements and photos. Download the file here: 

Starting March 1, 2009, AYADs will be able to submit their insurance claims online. Simply visit www.globemedical.com.au/ecommunications and login with the username and password you obtained for your pre-departure health preparation. Once in, click the “Your Insurance” link located on the left hand menu. From here, you will be able to make a claim, monitor claim progress as well as read important information about your policy.

The claim form will assist you through the steps of submitting a claim. It also reminds you to attach any supporting documentation that may be required in order for the insurer to process the claim. Once submitted, keep checking the “Your Claims” section, where the status of any active claim is displayed, including personalised feedback from Fred and Melissa at Gallaghers Broking Services.

You may also click here to download the Word document version of the Insurance Claim Form. You may get in touch with Lyn Espadilla for more details.

Swarms of mozzies, an unfamiliar diet, and adapting to locally- harvested coconut wine...

For Melbourne quarantine officer Dennis Alegre, these were just some of the challenges during a year-long stint with IDEAS, a Filipino non-government organisation.

Dennis spent most of last year in a rural community on Mindoro Island in the Philippines, with his heart and mind set on helping local farming people. He had arranged a voluntary placement through AUSAID's Volunteering for International Development from Australia (VIDA). This saw him attached to the Guillermo I Yason (GIYCF) Family Farm School, which was focused on environmental education and promoting organic agriculture. Guillermo I Yason is a community leader who was one of the `moving spirits' behind the school.

During his stay, Dennis immersed himself in the community and helped develop a three-hectare block of land to cultivate organic crops. He was working alongside a deeply-committed group of Filipinos, who had also sacrificed the comforts of urban lifestyles to better the prospects of the landless rural poor.


Dennis (center, spectacles) blends in with young friends on Mindoro Island, Philippines, where he volunteered one year of his life work with marginalised farming communities.