Sinag is Pilipino for Shine or Light. Tala is Morning Star. Sinagtala is starlight or more appropriately, morning star light. It is also a mountain village from where the star or more accurately, the planet Venus is seen bright. Yes, Sinagtala is Starbright. The village is on the slopes of Mt. Natib, one of a chain of volcanoes, hopefully extinct, of Bataan. It nestles, 500 meters above sea level, along the northern spine of the Bataan mountain ranges. It is planted to coffee, citrus, lanzones, coconut, rambutan, etc. and is home to ferns, wild orchids and animals, birds and bats that feed on flowers of the Anae trees, nurse to coffee trees. The climate is similar to Tagaytay, with a panoramic view of the plains of Central Luzon. A 30- minute hike to the spine rewards one with the view of Subic Bay to the west and Manila Bay to the east. From the top, one can descend through lush forests to the crater where the Pasukulan waterfalls cascade more than 100 feet down to a clear pool which drains to one of two rivers that bound the village.

Very few, even among Bataenos, are aware that this shangrila exists and is accesible within 15 minutes from the Orani junction of the Roman Highway. With the completion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, (SCTEX), it is accessible from Subic or Clark within 30 minutes.

Tala or Morning Star is prominent and bright at dawn. Thus, the articles posted here focus mainly on developmental issues which the author hope to contribute to a new dawning of Bataan and the Philippines.