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Model Community
eCenter brings digital literacy to women in barangays
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January
28, 2012
TANAUAN, Leyte – The
Community eCenter of Tanauan, Leyte which emerged as the grand winner
for both the CeC and the Knowledge Worker categories of the 2nd
Philippine CeC Excellence awards, has recently embarked on a new
undertaking, that of bringing digital literacy to women right in their
respective barangays.
Mr. Eugene Ramos, the
CeC manager and this year’s Knowledge Worker, informed that many women
in the 54 barangays of Tanauan cannot afford to go to the center in
the town proper in order to learn about digital information
technology.
Thus, instead of the
women coming to the CeC, the CeC staff brings the technology to the
women right at their barangays, Mr. Ramos said.
So far, the CeC of
Tanauan has conducted digital literacy training in three barangays,
Canramos, San Roque and Bantagan, Mr. Ramos informed. He said he is
happy that many women really show their interest to learn about the
course.
Ramos disclosed that
as far as he knows, the undertaking is the first of its kind among the
country’s CeCs.
The CeC manager
disclosed that this undertaking is in support to the Philippine
Digital Literacy for Women Campaign (PDLWC) which aims to empower
10,000 women from the poor and marginalized communities in the
Philippines through digital literacy training.
The campaign is
spearheaded by the Commission on ICT, together with the members of the
PhilCeCNet and the telecentre.org Foundation.
CeC Tanauan has
committed to train at least 800 underprivileged women out of the
10,000 target.
The series of digital
literacy training in Tanauan uses the Intel Easy Step modules which
the organizers found useful and comprehensive tools in the Basic ICT
Training Course. The course covers five modules; self-practice
activities were conducted after every module.
The CeC continues to
provide ICT trainings at the Center for those who are interested to
learn. At the same time, it also manages the eSkwela for the out of
school youth and adults who wish to finish elementary and high school
without going to the regular schools.
Ramos informed that
several eSkwela graduates are now enrolled in college after passing
the equivalency examinations of DepEd.
The Tanauan CeC
continues to strive to become a competent provider of ICT services
that will improve the quality of life of the people of Tanauan, Mr.
Ramos said. It will also continue to empower women through technology,
because empowered women make an empowered community.
838 East Visayas
informal sector workers get P8.337-M aid from DOLE in 2011
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January
19, 2012
TACLOBAN CITY – Some
838 informal sector workers in Eastern Visayas have availed of around
P8.337 million worth of livelihood assistance under the
DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program for Workers in the
Informal Economy (DILP-WIE) in 2011.
The beneficiaries from
the six provinces of Region 8 received the livelihood assistance in
the form of tools and equipment, production and skills training as
well as upgrading to capacitate them to pursue their income-generating
activities, Mr. Virgilio Doroja, DOLE Information Officer said.
A total of 337
projects were implemented with the support of 22 accredited
co-partners (ACPs), Mr. Doroja added.
For Northern Leyte,
among the projects implemented were Integrated Aquaculture and Bangus
Cage Project at Barangay 1 of Babatngon town to enhance the livelihood
of some 31 fisherfolks.
Other projects include
a massage therapy and sari-sari store, a formation project for one
person with disability in Burauen, Leyte; school chair and other
furniture production, an enhancement project for 28 persons with
disabilities in Tacloban City; and starter kit projects, namely,
native delicacies making, commercial cooking and fish processing for
20 parents of child laborers in Babatngon, Leyte.
In Western Leyte, 20
bee hive farmers from Barangay Lamak, in Hilongos town received
financial assistance for the establishment of bee colonies to enhance
their livelihood while 37 fisherfolks from Barangay Matapay, also in
Hilongos, were granted financial assistance for the establishment of
deep sea fish shelter.
Informal sector
workers in Southern Leyte availed a total of P2.847 million to fund
200 projects such as the enhancement of 29 members of Bacolod Women’s
Health Organization root crops processing in Hinundayan town.
For displaced workers
affected by typhoon in Saint Bernard town, funded were livelihood
formation for displaced workers in Barangay Catmon; welding shop and
allied services for 12 workers from Barangay Mahayahay; TUPARIN
formation project for 43 displaced workers from Barangay Tambis; and
livelihood formation for 13 displaced workers from Barangay Mahayahay.
Moreover, at Libagon
town, 14 women vendors were provided 14 Nego Karts to enhance their
livelihood; while at Silago town, 26 women were granted funding for
the Puntana Vege-Garden Park.
In Maasin City, 48
fishermen were granted assistance for small scale project while 63
informal sector workers were provided starter kit for livelihood
formation.
In Biliran province,
60 informal sector workers in Naval availed of the funding to enhance
their suman production while 65 from Cabucgayan town were provided
funding for enhancement of their coco-wine production.
Further, in the
province of Samar, 85 informal sector workers were granted funding to
enhance their individual projects while in Calbayog City 20 ambulant
vendors were provided Nego Karts.
In the province of
Eastern Samar, 23 members of the Busilak Women’s Association were
granted funding for their Busilak Canteen and Sari-Sari store; while
42 fisherfolks from Borongan City were granted financial assistance
for the acquisition of 42 fishing paddle banca with gillnet.
In the province of
Northern Samar, 100 fishermen from Allen town were granted funding for
small scale fishing project; 17 women from Allen were given funding
for their weaving handicraft project; 25 women from Bobon town
received funding for their Pinangat and Pinato Making project.
The DILP-WIE provides
productive, gainful and secure employment to marginalized and
unprotected workers. It provides integrated livelihood interventions
for livelihood enhancement, livelihood formation, and income
augmenting livelihood.
Taking thyroid cancer
seriously
Press Release January
18, 2012
CEBU CITY – With the
increasing incidence rate of thyroid cancer in Metro Cebu, the Eduardo
J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (EJACC) of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) urged the
public to undergo early screening and prevention measures to fight the
disease.
“Thyroid cancer is
high on prognosis. It is preventable through various screening
methods, such as physical examination and ultrasound of the neck, as
well as some prevention measures, including regular exercise and
maintenance of a well-balanced diet,” Ronald delos Reyes, EJACC
program coordinator, said.
Based on EJACC’s Metro
Cebu Population-based Cancer Registry, the incidence rate of thyroid
cancer in 2003 to 2007 is high but the mortality rate is comparatively
lower.
Within this period,
about 573 cases of thyroid cancer were reported and 116 were recorded
to have died of the disease. The figures also show that 97 cases have
been attributed to persons in between the ages 15-30 while 350 cases
are persons with ages 30-60. More women than men have been affected by
this disease; in fact, 134 cases are male while 439 cases are female.
As a common type of
cancer diagnosed in men and women, thyroid cancer ranked sixth in most
common cancer cases in Metro Cebu.
According to the 2010
journal of the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates of the Philippine
Cancer Society, the incidence rate had increased from 1980 to 2002,
with an annual change of 0.4% in males and 1.6% among females.
Thyroid cancer is the
most common cancer of women at ages 15-24 years. Among women, the
incidence rate rises at age 30 and continues to rise with increasing
age. Among men, the incidence rate begins to increase much later,
starting at 60 years old.
The thyroid is a
butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck just below the
Adam’s apple. It works like a tiny factory that uses iodine, mostly
from the diet in foods like seafood and salt, to produce thyroid
hormones that, in turn, help regulate the body’s growth and metabolism
and other functions of the body.
The most common signs
and symptoms of thyroid cancer include a lump or thyroid nodule, that
can be felt in the neck; trouble in swallowing; throat or neck pain;
swollen lymph nodes in the neck; cough; and vocal changes.
People exposed to high
levels of radiation are much more likely than others to develop
papillary or follicular thyroid cancer. Treatment with x-rays is one
significant source of radiation exposure. Between the 1920s and the
1950s, doctors used high-dose x-rays to treat children who had
enlarged tonsils, acne, and other problems affecting the head and
neck. Later, scientists found that some people who had received this
kind of treatment developed thyroid cancer.
People who are
diagnosed with this kind of cancer may undergo surgery. Common
surgeries include thyroidectory, lobectomy, and tracheostomy.
Sometimes, even the removal of the thyroid itself is needed.
“Like many other
cancers, thyroid cancer may be more easily cured with early detection.
Earlier diagnosis removes thyroid cancer at a time when they are not
likely to have spread beyond the thyroid gland,” delos Reyes said.
For more
information about thyroid cancer, please contact EJACC at 254-6351and
look for Gina Mariquit.
'Ayaw kong magkawatak
watak tayo'
By ALEX P.
VIDAL /
PNS January
5, 2012
VANCOUVER, British
Columbia – For Tomas "Tatay Tom" Avendano, president and CEO of the
Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS) here, designating specific
places for ethnic groups in
Canada
"is tantamount to creating an atmosphere of division."
This was Avendano's
reaction to proposal to create a "Pinoy Town" located on a stretch of
Fraser Street between Kingsway and 33rd Avenue.
"Ayaw kong magka watak
watak tayo (I don't want our group to scatter). As Filipino-Canadians,
we have already assimilated with other ethnic communities and we are
all Canadians," Avendano told this writer.
Avendano's stand was
echoed by Nemecio "Mang Nemy" Cepeda, longest serving former president
of the Filipino Zodiac Circle of British Columbia.
"We have already
started so many projects and most of them have not been completed
yet," Cepeda, 68, sobbed. "We should focus on one project first so
that we can maximize our resources before undertaking another
project."
Leaders
Cepeda lamented that
past and present Fil-Can community leaders "have failed to erect the
Filipino Community Center which should have been given priority to
serve as the bastion of Filipino-Canadians' solidarity and identity."
"We always have the
temerity to start something and not finishing them," bemoaned Cepeda.
"It seems that some of our leaders have mental dishonesty and ulterior
motives the reason why we can't complete one major project except the
MHHS."
MMHS was built "to
help newcomers succeed in Canada...moving Canada forward, one
immigrant at a time."
Cepeda suggested that
in order to finish one project, members of the Filipino-Canadian
community "must do it ala Bayanihan style and set aside personal
interests."
Attention
"Let's work together,
focus our attention on one project so that our resources will not be
divided and wasted," he suggested.
The proposed "Pinoy
Town" rekindled the debate after 24 Hours, one of
Canada's
biggest daily tabloids with circulation in
Toronto,
Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver, devoted a
spreadsheet feature story about the project on January 4.
"Petitions for a
city-designated Pinoy Town – located on a stretch of Fraser Street
between Kingsway and 33rd Avenue – have been going out since October.
The movement comes after city council passed a motion last fall
designating Kingsway area between Fraser and Nanaimo Streets as
'Little Saigon' neighbourhood," 24 Hours reported.
"But Little Saigon
supporters made the misstep of not consulting with the entire
community before submitting a 3,000-signature petition to city
council, said RJ Aquino, a COPE candidate in the last municipal
elections who declared in favour of Pinoy Town. That omission angered
many locals.
Consultation
"City-funded public
consultation on the Vietnamese neighborhood is scheduled for the start
of 2012.
Councilor Kerry Jang,
who put forward the Little Saigon motion, said he supports efforts to
celebrate Vancouver’s diversity, but adds it’s important for
organizers to talk to both businesses and residents before approaching
the city."
The report also quoted
83-year-old Avendano as saying, "I think while we are here, we
shouldn’t live as separate Filipino or Vietnamese (communities). This
is Canada; therefore we should strive to be integrated and assimilate
to Canadian culture.”
Avendano said
"giving neighbourhoods official ethnic designations could hamper
integration of new immigrants and wouldn’t necessarily boost cultural
recognition or improve business."
DA, EDC partnership
allots initial P92-M to develop ‘salad bowl’ in Leyte
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
December
28, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY – A
20,000-hectare area at Tongonan mountain range, straddling Ormoc City
and municipality of Kananga, in the province of Leyte, will soon
become a ‘salad bowl’ that will produce high value semi-temperate
vegetables.
This, as the
Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Energy Development
Corporation (EDC), other institutions and farmers’ groups, has set its
eyes to make this development a reality.
Recently, Agriculture
Secretary Proceso J. Alcala led the signing of a memorandum of
agreement at Tacloban City to implement a five-year initiative, called
Agri-Pinoy integrated and diversified program for the development of
the ‘OK’ upland range. OK refers collectively to Ormoc City and
Kananga. The Tongonan mountain range is 500 to 800 meters above sea
level.
The DA and EDC will
jointly invest P92 million in the next five years to develop suitable
areas surrounding the Leyte Geothermal Production Field (LGPF) to
benefit 5,600 farmers, who are members of 23 farmers’ associations in
Ormoc City and municipality of Kananga.
Secretary Alcala said
the DA through the DA Region 8 office and National Agribusiness
Corporation (NABCOR) will assist farmers in the land preparation,
cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing of vegetables and
other high value commercial crops.
Currently, subsistence
farmers at LGPF produce assorted vegetables and fruits like cabbage,
green onion, tomato, eggplant, radish, chayote, cucumber (pipino), and
pineapple. About five tons are harvested weekly and sold at public
markets in Ormoc City and Kananga.
Under the five-year
project, farmers will be encouraged to plant other fruit crops like
durian, rambutan and Jackfruit, including coffee and abaca.
Aside from the DA and
EDC, the other project partners are the Visayas Sate University (VSU)
and the Partners Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC), representing the 23
farmers’ associations, located in 16 villages or barangays surrounding
the LGPF at the OK upland range.
The joint project will
not only uplift farmers from poverty but more importantly transform
them into entrepreneurs. It will benefit about 3,000 subsistence
farm-families in seven villages in Kananga namely, Rizal, Hiluctogan,
Montebello, Aguiting, Lim-ao, San Ignacio, and Tongonan; and nine
villages in Ormoc City namely Milagro, Nueva Vista, Cabaon-an, Danao,
Gaas, Liberty, Tongonan, Mahayahay, and Dolores.
During the MOA
signing, Secretary Alcala underscored that the partnership will not
only help in the production but also in the processing and marketing
aspect of the project. He stressed the importance of economies of
scale saying that the farmers can demand better prices if they have
the volume of production.
Of the P92-M initial
funding, the DA-NABCOR will share P29 million to establish a
consolidation center and pilot packinghouse, and provide marketing
support, said NABCOR president and CEO Honesto Baniqued, Jr. Another
P13 million is earmarked for research and development.
Baniqued said the
project has five interlinked components that include a vegetable
consolidation center and postharvest management assurance system,
livestock with feedlot operation, marketing, environmental management,
and manpower development as a sustainability mechanism.
“We at the DA-NABCOR
aim to help transform the Ormoc-Kananga range into a major vegetable
growing area in Eastern Visayas, which can later diversify into
producing other high value horticultural crops such as cutflowers and
fruits.
Similar initiatives
are undertaken by the DA under the leadership of Secretary Alcala to
develop a modern wholesale marketing and processing center in La
Trinidad, Benguet, and a major vegetable production and processing
cluster at Dupax del Sur in Nueva Vizcaya, Baniqued said.
For its part, PNOC-EDC
will provide a total of P50M top finance farming activities, at P10
million each year from 2012 to 2016.
“We are committed to
sustain this corporate social responsibility initiative. Many people
in the upland range are still poor. Our main concern is help the
farmers on the marketing aspect,” said Emiliano Argoncillo, head of
the EDC community partnership department.
The Leyte Geothermal
Power Fields is the country’s largest producer of geothermal energy,
with a capacity at more than 700 megawatts (MW). The area covers a
total of 107,625 hectares along the Tongonan mountain range.
For its part, the
VSU, based in Baybay City, will provide farmers technical assistance,
and supervise crop production, postharvest handling, processing and
marketing, said VSU President Jose Bacusmo.
ICRC responds to
urgent needs in aftermath of Sendong
|

Water
and habitat specialists from the ICRC and Philippine Red Cross
connect pipelines to the main source of the Cagayan de Oro Water
District. (ICRC / Olav Sinsuat) |
By ICRC December
22, 2011
In the aftermath of
tropical storm Sendong (Washi), one of the most pressing problems is a
lack of access to drinking water. Andres Casal, the ICRC's water and
habitat coordinator in the Philippines, gives us an update on the
current situation and the humanitarian response.
How did the ICRC react
when the storm hit?
As Sendong left
destruction behind on its path across the southern Philippines, the
ICRC immediately mobilized emergency support for the relief operations
led by its local partner, the Philippine Red Cross. The aftermath was
particularly devastating because the storm hit parts of the country
that do not usually experience typhoons. Food packs, essential
household items and hygiene kits for 18,000 people were distributed in
Cagayan de Oro, Illigan and Bukidnon (three of the areas hardest hit)
within the first 48 hours – a crucial period for life-saving action in
such an emergency.
The ICRC adapted its
activities to meet a range of humanitarian needs arising in the days
that followed. Together with partners in the International Red Cross
and Red Crescent Movement, the ICRC stepped up its response.
What's the situation
like on the ground?
I'm currently working
in Cagayan de Oro, one of the places that was the worst hit by the
storm. Along the Cagayan River, which overflowed and caused the
flooding, there is mud and debris everywhere. Both sides of the river
have been ravaged. Some people are starting to leave evacuation
centres to rebuild their homes or to stay with relatives or host
families. But many centres are still filled with families who lost
everything in the disaster. The main concern now is that more than
270,000 people – some housed in evacuation centres, some living in
nearby communities – lack access to drinking water.
Cagayan de Oro is a
big city and not all areas were affected. However, even in some of the
areas that are relatively unscathed, we can sense that there is a
problem because we see a lot of people standing along the road with
jerrycans and waiting for water trucks to come.
What caused the lack
of access to water?
All along the river,
the flooding damaged not only the water pipelines and network but also
many of the wells that were the source of the water supply. While communities can
still rely on the wells that survived the storm, the damaged
infrastructure limits the ability of the local water company to
deliver or store water.
What is the ICRC doing
to meet the need for clean water?
Earlier this week, to
support the Philippine Red Cross disaster management team, we
immediately sent specialized water and habitat engineers to this area.
We are devising ways of bringing water from the undamaged water
sources and of storing it for use by the flood survivors and
neighbouring communities.
|

The
affected population near Macasandig evacuation center can now more
easily access clean drinking water through tap stands set up by
the ICRC and Philippine Red Cross. These water points have been
connected to pipelines installed by the teams. This emergency
response assisted about 3,000 families taking shelter in this
particular evacuation center, and other affected residents in the
barangay. (ICRC / Olav Sinsuat) |
The ICRC is increasing
storage capacity by setting up water bladders and tap stands designed
for these kinds of emergencies. We set up the equipment in strategic
places in districts where there is no access to water, such as near
barangay (community) halls. We are also connecting tap stands directly
to water pumping stations that still function so that the water can
reach even more people.
The ICRC is working
closely with the Philippine Red Cross and local water district to
ensure that water tanks and bladders are continually refilled. In a
short time, we have already been able to make water available to
13,000 people, and this work continues.
In the coming
weeks, it will be the job of the local water district to restore as
quickly as possible their capacity to deliver water to the
flood-stricken areas. The ICRC will support these efforts. Our staff
remain very motivated and we will continue to deal with needs as they
arise.
Almeria cooperative
produces charcoal briquette air fresheners
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
December
15, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY –
The members of the Almeria Seafarers Cooperative of Almeria, Biliran,
is now producing charcoal briquette air fresheners, thanks to the SET
UP program of the Department of Science and Technology.
DOST-Region 8 Director
Edgardo Esperancilla approved late last year, the establishment of
charcoal briquetting facility using abandoned biomass as raw
materials. The project involved the acquisition of charcoal
briquetting facility that utilizes bio-mass waste in charcoal
production. The project utilizes a combination of DENR-ERB and DOST-FPRDI
briquetting technology.
Charcoal is a good air
and water filter in addition to its common use as alternative fuel for
domestic use, and its many industrial uses.
The Almeria Seafarers
Multi-purpose Cooperative led by its manager Anita Corto, thought of
developing this small air-cleaning product made of charcoal briquette.
While common air
fresheners emits some harmful compounds into the air, this small
"thing" absorbs harmful and odor causing compounds from air making
them fresh again. This is therefore the true air-freshener in a sense.
The product's
environment friendly character is also reinforced by the fact that it
utilizes biomass wastes that are charred and powdered then compacted
using briquetting machine.
This year, the ASEMCO
started producing the charcoal briquette and the air-freshener when
commercial operation of the charcoal briquetting facility supported by
Department of Science and Technology through Small Enterprise
Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) started.
The air-freshener is a
small item that can be placed on top of tables or cabinets in rooms
where air need to be cleaned. This is useful in newly painted rooms or
in rooms sprayed by insect repellant. It could even be placed inside
the refrigerator to remove undesirable odors.
Charcoal briquettes
are compacted charcoal powder mixed with starch and molded under
pressure. Charcoal briquettes can be used in homes, restaurants, and
other industries and is an effective substitute to the ordinary wood
charcoal.
Use of charcoal
briquettes is cheaper than LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and it is
also environment friendly since it emits lesser smoke compared to the
ordinary charcoal.
‘Tis the season
Catbalogan City gleams
with Joy and Hope

By ADOR LEANDA HURTADO
December
7, 2011
CATBALOGAN CITY –
Young People, City and School Officials along with other Catbaloganons
from different walks of life got educated, enlightened and empowered
during the 2011 World AIDS Day Commemoration and the Launching of the
2011 Christmas Festival through the Ceremonial Lighting of the City
Christmas Tree at the City Plaza last December 01, 2011.
Dubbed as the “RED
NIGHT”, the event started with a Foot Parade from the plaza and around
major city streets that gathered participation from members of Junior
Chamber International, Inc (JCI) Catbalogan Balud Chapter; students
from different Elementary, Secondary and College Schools; various
Youth Organization, Fraternities and Sororities; and the Stellar
Society of Samar that came in colorful Mardi Gras costumes.
As the official World
AIDS Day (WAD) Program commenced, a game show titled as the “1st HIV
and AIDS Mass Quiz” organized by WARAYA, got the students excited over
answering seven (7) questions related to the commemoration of 2011
World AIDS Day. The WAD Program ended with the Ceremonial Send-Off of
Seven (7) Red Lanterns that were hoisted by groups of stakeholders and
partners. The red lanterns carried seven (7) Key Messages in support
of HIV and AIDS Awareness and these were: (1) Take A Stand… Demand!
(2) Break Free (3) End Stigma! (4) Reach Out; (5) Speak Up! Speak
Loud! (6) Stay Positive! and (7) Our Choice! Our Right!
These same key
messages were worn by the organizers during the event, firmly
promoting HIV and AIDS Awareness. Waray-Waray Youth Advocates (WARAYA),
being the lead organizer of the 2011 WAD is the pioneer youth
organization advocating for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
and Rights (ASRHR) in
Samar and has been educating and empowering young people since
2004.
Seven (7) questions
during the quiz show, seven (7) red lanterns bearing seven (7) key
messages, these sevens were part of WARAYA’s “Seven Eleven” Program in
celebration of its 7th Founding Anniversary.
Following right after
the WAD Program was the 2011 Christmas Festival Launching, which
started with some Christmas song numbers followed by the Christmas
Tableau of cute preschoolers from Fun N’ Learn Preschool. In behalf of
the City Government of Catbalogan, City Vice-Mayor Art Sherwin L.
Gabon gave a moving message of gratefulness, hope and the importance
of family as the main reasons of celebrating Christmas. The highlight
of the night was the actual lighting of the approximated 20-Feet
Christmas Tree, followed right after by the 8th Infantry Division,
Philippine Army Stormtroopers Band that gave the accompaniment of
Christmas songs, filling the night with joy and warmth.
The Christmas Tree is
situated on top of the canopy at the side of the plaza colorfully
adorned with Parols commissioned from enterprising inmates from the
Samar Provincial Jail and with nearly 500 colorful bulbs and several
dangling lights brightening the City Hall façade.
Signaling the start of
the 2011 Christmas Festival, several activities were launched on that
eve and are being coorganized by different partners and stakeholders
of the LGU. Starting with the “Wish Ko Lang”-inspired activity of the
Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) City Federation through Federation President
Hon. Dexter M. Uy with their activity “Hingyap Mo, Tatalinguhaun Ko!”
which runs from December 01-11 catering to fellow young people aimed
to share the Christmas spirit.
Making most of her
passion for fashion, First Councilor Stephany Uy-Tan co-organizes with
WARAYA, Samar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (SCCI) and the
Department of Trade and Industry – Samar (DTI) for a unique fashion
trade for a cause. On December 12 at New Maqueda Bay Hotel, the
Fashion Show and Auction Event will highlight pre-loved and unique
collection of various fashion apparel and accessories.
From December 13-16 at
the City Plaza, a Nightly Trade Bazaar will gather exhibitors of
various used items on sale and all for a good cause. The organizers of
the event has decided to donate a hefty percentage of the proceeds to
several indigent families in Catbalogan as assisted by the City Social
Welfare and Development Office through a combination of Noche Buena
packages and some clothing items in time for Christmas.
Capping the festival
is the “Panarit Pamasko: Christmas Carol Singing Contest” slated on
December 14, 2011 at the City Plaza, expected to gather groups of
singers and carolers sharing their melodic renditions of Christmas
songs.
Anchored on the
theme “Ha Pasko may Pagkaurusa, Paglipay ngan Pagpapasalamat!”, City
Mayor Coefredo “Tekwa” Uy and the City Officials in coordination with
different partners and stakeholders aim to ensure a festive and
hopeful celebration of Christmas despite challenges and changes being
faced. After all, this is indeed the season to be jolly!
Country’s most
child-safe TV programs, “Makabata Stars” to be honored on December 6
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
November
25, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY – The
winners of the year long assessment of the nation’s most child
sensitive television programs were released recently by Anak TV.
Anak TV’s official
spokesperson Ms. Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski informed that the
association of TV networks will also honor television personalities
selected by thousands of jurors as worthy of emulation by children and
will induct these TV talents into the Roster of Makabata Stars.
Anak TV is run by
officers led by Ed Roces, Chairman, Bob del Rosario, President and Mag
Cruz Hatol, Secretary General. The foundation is at the forefront of a
media literacy campaign that goes to the grassroots of the country.
The now iconic seal on
Philippine television, Anak TV, is bestowed by parents, teachers, NGOs
and other sectors of society on television programs they evaluated as
being wholesome and child-safe. It is a seal not found anywhere else
in the world, Anak TV being a movement that flourishes only in the
Philippines.
A total of 110
programs were declared family friendly after nine months of tedious
and thorough evaluation by thousands of jurors in 46 screening
sessions nationwide. ABS-CBN national and regional stations will take
home 24 seals; GMA News TV and GMA Network will bring home 23 seals
while Net 25 earns 21. UNTV gets 20 while TV 5 gets 9. The rest of the
remaining seals are shared by Zoe, Studio 23, PTV, and IBC.
The awarding
ceremonies will be held at the Soka Gakkai Auditorium in Quezon City
on December 6, with Vice President Jejomar Binay, former Presidents
Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada and Ms. Susan Roces as invited key
guests along with Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Gov. Vilma Santos, and
Superstar Nora Aunor.
Mikee Cojuangco
Jaworski, official spokesperson of Anak TV and will again host the
awards rites that will also see the elevation into the Makabata Hall
of Fame five personalities who have consistently been topping the
annual surveys for the past seven straight years. They are GMA
Network’s Mike Enriquez and Mel Tiangco, ABS-CBN’s Julius Babao,
Korina Sanchez and Gary Valenciano.
The annual Boto Ko ‘To
survey winners will also be feted in the affair. Selected by the
national jury as the most “credible, wholesome and worth emulating by
the youth” are eleven male and female TV personalities led by top
winners news and public affairs anchors Ted Failon and Jessica Soho.
The other honorees are
Ryan Agoncillo, Gerald Anderson, Kim Atienza, Arnold Clavio, John
Lloyd Cruz, Noli de Castro, Luis Manzano, Coco Martin, Piolo Pascual
and Vic Sotto among the males with Kim Chiu, Anne Curtis, Karen
Davila, Sarah Geronimo, Toni Gonzaga, Angel Locsin, Vicky Morales,
Charo Santos, Judy Ann Santos and Bernadette Sembrano among the
females.
Anak TV will also
bestow on noted film and stage director and TV critic Nestor U. Torre
of the Philippine Daily Inquirer the special Anak TV Broadcasters’
Award for his significant contribution in espousing the agenda of
child sensitive, quality television programming. Torre follows Gina
Lopez, Feny delos Angeles Bautista and Daisaku Ikeda who all
previously received the same honor.
The Anak TV Seal
winning programs for 2011 are: Dora, the Explorer, Failon Ngayon, I
Got It, Jimmy Neutron, Jr. Masterchef, Kabuhayang Swak na swak,
Matanglawin, Rated K, Salamat Dok, Spongebob Squarepants,
Wansapanataym and Why Not? of ABS-CBN.
For ABS-CBN
(Regional), the winning programs are Arangkada, Derecho (Iloilo),
Halad sa Kapamilya, Kapamilya Winner Ka! Davao, Maayong Buntag
Kapamilya - Cebu, Maayong Buntag Mindanao, Magandang Umaga S.C.
Mindanao, MagTV Na! Amiga, MagTV Na! Atin 'To! (Baguio), MagTV Na! Ato
Ni! (CDO), MagTV Na! Cebu and MagTV Na! Sadya Ta!
PTV’s winning programs
are Ang Tao't Kalikasan, Beautiful Batangas, Biz News, Oras ng Himala,
Power to Unite, Signs and Wonders, Teledyaryo Sports and Yan Ang
Marino.
For TV 5, the winning
programs are Alagang Kapatid, Batibot, Chuggington, Handy Manny,
Pidol's Wonderland, Special Agent Oso, Vita Minix, Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire and Yo Gabba Gabba.
GMA Network’s winners
are Aha!, Art Angel, Hanepbuhay, Kap's Amazing Stories, Kapuso Mo,
Jessica Soho, Pepito Manaloto, Pinoy MD, Sabadabadog, Tropang Potchi
and Wish Ko Lang.
Meanwhile, GMA News
TV’s Anak TV programs are Ang Pinaka, Bawal ang Pasaway kay Mareng
Winnie, Brigada, Day Off, Front Row, Full Time Moms, Good News, I-Juander,
Kuwento ni Rizal - Special, On Call, Pluma - Special, Pop Talk and
Reel Time.
IBC’s Asin at Ilaw,
Biyaheng Langit and FilChi are winners of Anak TV seal together with
Studio 23’s Biyaheng Bulilit and Zoe TV’s Gabay at Aksyon.
NET 25’s winning
programs are Ang Iglesia ni Cristo, Ang Pagbubunyag, Ang Tamang Daan,
Discover Germany, Footprints, Global 3000, Homepage, Iglesia ni Cristo
& the Bible, In Focus, In Good Shape, Landmarks, Light of Salvation,
Moments, Onset, Pananampalataya, Pag-asa at Pag-ibig, Pasugo: Ang
Tinig ng INC, Red Carpet, Spoon, The Message, Tomorrow Today and
Tribe.
Finallly, UNTV’s
winning programs are Ating Alamin, Bread n’ Butter, Candidly Speaking
with Willy, Climate Change, D 'Xman, Doc on TV, Easy Lang Yan,
Estranghero, Istorya, Kaagapay, Kilalanin Natin, KNC Show, Law
Profile, Make My Day, Manibela, Mapalad ang Bumabasa, Munting Pangarap,
Pol Watch, Rotary in Action and Sports 37.
The top ten favorite
programs of Filipino households as polled by Anak TV are TV Patrol
World, 100 Days to Heaven, Eat Bulaga, Showtime, 24 Oras, Amaya, Budoy,
Maalaala Mo Kaya, Matanglawin and Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.
Anak TV is run by
officers led by Ed Roces, Chairman, Bob del Rosario, President and Mag
Cruz Hatol, Secretary General. The foundation is at the forefront of a
media literacy campaign that goes to the grassroots of the country.
Detained artist is
finalist in international art award
Press Release By
FREE ERICSON ACOSTA November 14, 2011
QUEZON CITY – Artist and political
detainee Ericson Acosta is one of the three finalists in the
prestigious 2011 Imprisoned Artist Prize.
The other two
finalists are musician Win Maw of Burma and filmmaker Dhondup Wanchen
of Tibet.
The Imprisoned Artist
Prize is one of the awards given by Freedom to Create, an
international award-giving body launched in 2008 aimed to “celebrate
the courage and creativity of artists and the positive influence of
their work to promote social justice and inspire the human spirit”.
Acosta is the sole
Filipino finalist in the Freedom to Create Awards.
The Imprisoned Artist
Prize is presented to artists who are incarcerated “because of their
courage and creativity in pursuing their art, and the role of their
work in highlighting injustice”. One winner will be awarded
USD$25,000, which will then be utilized in securing the artist’s
release, and advocacies and campaigns for his or her freedom.
“In 2011, we have
received over 2000 prize entries from more than 145 countries around
the globe. A total prize fund of US$100,000 will be awarded to the
winning artists and their nominated advocacy organisations to further
the cause their artwork has highlighted,” the group’s website said.
Among the judges for
the Prize are actress Daryl Hannah, novelist Salman Rushdie and
danseur Mikhail Baryshnikov. Winners will be announced on the Freedom
to Create Award Festival on November 19 in
Cape Town, South Africa.
Acosta is an artist,
journalist and cultural worker who was illegally arrested by members
of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines
on February 13, 2011 in Barangay Bay-ang, San Jorge,
Samar province in the Eastern Visayan region. He faces trumped-up
charges of illegal possession of explosives and is currently detained
at the Calbayog
City sub-provincial jail. Acosta's counsel filed a Petition for Review
of his case before the Philippine government's Department of Justice
(DOJ) last September 1.
Even in jail, Acosta
continues to make his art and music heard despite and in spite of the
most pressing of circumstances. A raw recording dubbed “Prison
Sessions” featuring Acosta singing his original compositions in jail
instantly enjoyed thousands of hits and followers online. He also
maintains an online journal, Jailhouse Blog.
Acosta’s supporters
call on DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima to immediately withdraw fabricated
complaints against him. Among his supporters are officials of the
National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), National Artists for
Literature Bienvenido Lumbera and F. Sionil Jose, Philippine Center of
International PEN (Poets & Playwrights, Essayists, Novelists),
Concerned Artists of the Philippines, University of the Philippines
National Writers’ Workshop fellows and panel, and artists from the
USA, Canada, Europe and Asia who attended the International Conference
on Progressive Culture last July.
‘Outstanding Pinoy’
entrepreneur, 70 yr old ma in $10M drug cartel, money laundering raps
By
FLORENCE
F. HIBIONADA Senior Reporter, Philippine News Service (PNS)
November 13, 2011
A 42-year old
“Emerging Asian” awardee honoured as “Outstanding Entrepreneur” of the
Asian Business Association of Orange County is back in the news. From
the pages of Filipino newspapers, this time his entrepreneurship made
it really big with news landing in the pages of major newspaper
throughout United States.
This as the former
awardee was indicted on conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to
structure financial transactions. The co-accused – his 70 year old
mother dubbed in the news as the “ringleader” of a bigtime drug
cartel.
Both are of
Filipino-Chinese descent facing Federal charges directly linked to
what US authorities have dubbed a narcotics ring involved in illegal
drug trafficking of a controlled substance.
Arrested yet out on
$75,000 (Php 1.8M) bail is Lucita Uy and son, Lemuel Uy Libunao whose
bond was $150,000 (Php 3.6M). Uy has been named and tagged by US
authorities and the US media as the “ringleader” and the son, a
co-conspirator.
The duo is assisted by
the Glenn K Osajima Law Offices in
Santa Ana,
California
with Court trial set on November 29, 2011. Pending the Court date,
mother’s and son’s passports have been confiscated with further Orders
out on travel restrictions.
Local follow ups
confirmed that Libunao along with his Ilongga wife and two children
made at least two trips to her hometown in
Iloilo.
The young couple is also known to relatives and friends to have an
opulent lifestyle in the US with regular foreign vacations. In fact,
the wife was reportedly set for another hometown visit for a school
reunion prior to her husband’s arrest.
The US Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA) confirmed the charges versus Uy and Libunao
and two others who were similarly arrested. Said confirmation was
subject of an official news release obtained by Philippine News
Service (PNS).
Uy and Libunao when
arraigned pleaded not guilty. US authorities in pursuing the charges
against mother and son established a four-year buying and selling
spree of controlled substance Promethazine. A cough suppressant, use
of Promethazine is known to be habit-forming and has since been
commonly-abused. “Diverted” Promethazine has street value of $150 to
$200 in Los Angeles while price is more than doubled at P$300 to $600
a pint of bottle in Houston, Texas.
Being a
controlled-substance, only authorized and registered doctors or
pharmacists can avail of wholesale Promethazine purchase. Mother and
son are now charged to have elaborately planned the illegal drug
trafficking in two
US states by setting up three pharmacies. Incidentally, all
areas of Uy and Libunao’s pharmacy have predominant presence of
Filipino-American communities.
Promethazine as abused
and illegally sold is known to cause a “high” to users similar to what
Heroine would cause. If taken with alcohol, the results are often
fatal.
In a 36-paged
indictment obtained by PNS, established were wire transfers in
hundreds of thousands of dollars and at least 10 bank accounts that
were opened through the years by Uy and Libunao. Two of the
questioned seized accounts included “nominee accounts” under the name
of Libunao’s Ilongga wife with initial deposits of $10,000 and $5,000.
“More than twice as
many Americans abuse prescription drugs than those using cocaine,
hallucinogens, heroin, and inhalants combined,” said Timothy J.
Landrum, DEA Special Agent in Charge in an official DEA News Release.
“DEA is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to
ensure those who endanger our communities by distributing these
dangerous drugs are brought to justice.”
“According to court
documents, Uy acquired three pharmacies – Plaza Pharmacy in Santa Ana,
Value Plus Pharmacy in Long Beach, and Blue Rose Pharmacy in Buena
Park – so she could obtain promethazine from wholesale distributors,”
the DEA news release continued.
The indictment further
stated deposits of more than $6.9 million in cash and more than $2.7
million in money orders into bank accounts courtesy of the ‘drug
money.’
“In conjunction with
the indictment, the IRS - Criminal Investigation is seeking to forfeit
property allegedly obtained with the proceeds of the illegal
distribution scheme. The property to be forfeited includes seven real
properties located in Monrovia, Claremont and Houston; $64,500 in
cash; a 2007 Mercedes Benz S550; a 2007 Honda CRV; a 2007 Toyota
Tundra; and 11 luxury watches including a Rolex trimmed in diamonds,”
the DEA said. “The allegations against Uy and her co-conspirators
indicate they intended to enrich themselves by engaging in conduct
that put the lives of others at risk,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation
Special Agent in Charge Leslie P. DeMarco. “One of the government’s
most powerful weapons is the ability to seize through asset forfeiture
the property obtained through this illegal distribution scheme,
including real estate, cash, vehicles and jewelry. By taking away
their assets and profits, we deprive them of the proceeds of their
criminal activity.”
If convicted, Uy and
Libunao would face a statutory maximum sentence of 25 years in federal
prison while two others similarly charged would each face up to 20
years in prison.
US blogger and culture
writer Brande Victorian in a post wrote, “I had really hoped the
purple drank trend would die out, but thanks to Lil Wayne and a
Houston grandmother from the Philippines, the sizzurp supply and
demand chain lives on. Seventy-year-old Lucita Uy reportedly raked in
at least $10 million by purchasing 97,000 pints of
prescription-strength cough syrup and smuggling it from
California to
Houston
to make the purple stuff. According to the Houston Chronicle, the
going price is $300-$600 per pint, and granny had enough to make 1.5
million doses. If you think perhaps her kids and grandkids are the
mastermind behind the scheme and she’s just an innocent bystander,
don’t. Uy once served 20 months in federal prison a decade ago for
money laundering. I can only imagine what she was up to in her
heyday.”
Another post by
Danielle Pointdujour wrote an article titled “When Old Folks Go Bad:
Grandma charged with running $10 Million “Purple Drank” Ring.
“Whose granny is
this??,” he asked. “A 70 year-old Houston grandmother from the
Philippines has been charged with being the ring leader of a
multi-million dollar codeine distribution ring. Lucita Uy apparently
felt like President Obama was taking too long to up her social
security payments and decided to form her own criminal enterprise
instead. The grandmother along with her son Lemuel Libunao and two
others, banked at least $10 million and used pharmacies that she owned
to purchase 97,000 pints of prescription-strength cough syrup and
smuggle them from California to Houston.”
Remembering Leyte Gulf
Landings
|

President
Benigno S. Aquino III (center 2nd row) leads dignitaries
(clockwise) H.E. Toshinao Urabe of Japan, US Ambassador Harry
Thomas, James Cristoff of Canada, Leyte governor Carlos Jericho
Petilla, Veterans Federation of the Philippines executive
vice-president Francisco San Miguel and Capt. Craig White of
Australia during the wreath laying ceremony in connection with
the 67th Leyte Gulf Landings anniversary at Candahug, Palo,
Leyte, October 20. (VINO R. CUAYZON) |
By ALICE NICART, PIA
Samar
October 20, 2011
PALO, Leyte – As a
young adult, he was merely a fisherman, a vocation he opted to choose
in order to elude the unkind treatment of the Japanese who ruled in
their community, in Tanauan, Leyte.
Yet, there were times
when he could not escape the cruelty of the invaders. Sometimes, when
he would get ashore, the Japanese would ask, “Sakana nay?” (Is their
fish?) and when he would answer “Nay” (none) he would be slapped in
the face.
Thus recounted Mr.
Leovigildo Azucena, 88, in a brief interview shortly before the formal
commemorative program today for the 67th Leyte Gulf Landings or the
famously known MacArthur Landing.
The fondly called Lolo
Gil narrated, that he was fishing one night in October when he heard
of sounds, which he dismissed instantly, could not be the sounds of
bombs.
Not long after,
however, what he rejected as sounds of, became an ultimate and a sheer
reality, as more and more ships appeared his very eyes, which were
firing to the direction upshore.
“Move out!, move out!”
a crew shouted at him repeatedly.
“No, sir! Please! I am
a Filipino”, he cried and he gave them his boiled banana for dinner.
In an instant, he was
picked up from his tiny boat and found himself in the middle of
American soldiers. Still frightened for any harm the armed men could
do to him, he chilled in fear.
But a small table was
arranged in his front and his fear turned to joy for he imagined an
American food is about to be served him. But no. The Americans laid
wide a map on the table, pointing at some angles and questioned him,
“Where are you?”, “Where are we?”, “Where is Tolosa?”, “Where is the
mountain where the Japanese hide?”
Because he believed in
the intentions of his new found friends, and fed-up by the cruelty of
the Japanese, the young gentleman faithfully answered the questions.
This writer asked why
he spoke good English then, “I was a Grade VII pupil when the war
broke, and there were even times when I would be the substitute of our
teacher”, he replied.
As he continued his
recollection, he said that after the friendly interrogation, he was
allowed to eat with a Chorizo which according to him was as big as his
legs with matching pack of Lucky Strike cigarette.
At dawn he was told to
disembark the ship and go to the civilians as far as 20 miles and
informed them of another bombing that was to happen any day soon.
And the bombing did
occur, but he stressed there was no Filipino civilian found dead.
Sooner, Gil was hired as an interpreter by the American soldiers and a
member of the ship’s crew until he was registered as a US Scout. Yes,
he maintains his claim, that he was the only Filipino who was able to
board the American ship during the Leyte Landings.
Now at 88, and
already a Lolo, the young Gil, (some 67 years ago), assured he is
still vibrant specially, he said, when he sees ladies in mini skirts.
He has since enjoyed his benefits as a US Veteran and all his six sons
who entered the US Navy are now living in the States, the others have
already retired. He promised though he is no longer returning to the
US because it is in the Philippines where the real paradise is.
Filipino seafarers
most sought after by ship owners worldwide
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
September
25, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY – The
Filipino seafarers are the top choice by ship owners all over the
world, Atty. Manuel Portus, Regional Director of Marina in Eastern
Visayas, informed during the Harampang Ha PIA media forum that
launched this year’s National Maritime Week celebration on September
26 to October 1.
It is a fact that
one-third of the world’s 1.5 million seafarers are Filipinos, Director
Portus said.
Director Portus’
statement was backed up with data, the Philippine Information Agency
found out. For one, a report mentioned that the chairman of
International Mariners Management Association of Japan (IMMAJ) has
stated that Filipino seafarers are the top choice of Japanese ship
managers and owners.
Data from the
Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) shows that 266,533
Filipino seafarers were deployed all over the world in 2007. Out of
this, more than 50,000 Filipino seafarers work in
Japan's
3,000 merchant ships. This indicates that roughly 65 percent of
Japan's maritime personnel are Filipinos.
Hellespont, an
European shipping company with a manpower agency in
Manila,
has been hiring all-Filipino crews for its tanker fleet since 2004.
This is another
confirmation that Filipino seafarers are the most sought seafarers in
the global shipping industry. In fact, Filipinos are in demand to man
ships at sea – from luxury cruise ships to giant tankers and container
ships.
There are many reasons
why the world wide shipping industry seeks to employ Filipino
seafarers.
One of the foremost
reasons mentioned was that Filipinos are seafarers by nature. The
Philippines is an archipelago with vast coastline of 36,289
kilometers, more than USA’s 19,924 kilometers, UK’s 12,429 kilometers,
China’s 14,500 kilometers, France’s 4,668 kilometers, and is almost
equal to Russia’s
37,653 kilometer coastline.
As the Philippine
archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands, Filipinos have natural
mariner's instincts and always work cheerfully despite months of
separation from their families. They never show that they are
homesick. While on shore leave, instead of going to the nearest bars
to waste their earnings, they prefer to spend their time more at
Internet cafes, writing e-mails or chatting online with their loved
ones in the Philippines.
Another reason why
shipping industry worldwide prefers Filipino seafarers is because of
their dedication and discipline. Filipino seafarers work with
dedication and are much disciplined. They are also very conscious
about their conduct especially while on shore leave.
Filipino seafarers are
hard-working. Filipino seafarers have more stamina and work physically
more on board the ships. Filipino seafarers are also reliable and
loyal. They are also are flexible and willingly perform duties that
are not part of their contracts. They highly trainable and adapt to
changing environment, and have problem-solving capability.
Perhaps, one of the
most important reason why Filipino seafarers are preferred is they are
fluent in English. They have good command of the English language and
have good communication skills.
World Rabies Day
message: “Register and vaccinate you dogs”
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
September
22, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY –
The Department of Health Region Center for Health Development in
Eastern Visayas is set to spearhead the commemoration of World Rabies
Day on September 28.
DOH Region 8 Director
Edgardo Gonzaga said that the highlight this year’s celebration in
Eastern Visayas is the Mass Dog Vaccination at the Barangay Hall or
Basketball Court in the respective cities and municipalities in the
six provinces of the Region.
Director Gonzaga said
that the objective of the activity is to vaccinate at least 70 to 80
percent of the total dog population of every municipality.
The theme for this
year, “Register and Vaccinate your dogs,” underscores the importance
of registration and vaccination of all dogs as a crucial key in
controlling the incidence of rabies in the
Philippines
and reducing the number of resulting deaths.
With over 700
Filipinos seeking emergency treatment for dog bites each day last
year, dogs are clearly the primary source of rabies in the country,
according to latest records from the Department of Health (DOH).
Less known to the
public is that 88 percent of rabies infection is acquired from pet
dogs, shattering the myth that stray dogs are the primary source of
rabies transmission.
Official count of
incidence of dog bites reached roughly 266,000 last year, resulting in
257 deaths due to rabies infection, the DOH National Rabies Prevention
Control Program said.
Separate records
obtained from the DOH also showed that from January to May 21 this
year, the health agency has so far monitored 76 deaths due to rabies,
with Central Luzon registering the highest number with 13 fatalities.
Almost 50 percent of these cases affected children aged 5 to 14.
Still not very many
are aware that the incubation period or the time for the infection to
develop, for rabies can be as short as a few days, but can also last
as long as five years. About 95 percent of people who have been
infected by a rabid animal, however, develop the disease within one
year.
The tragedy is that
once a patient starts to show symptoms, there is no treatment and he
or she usually dies within 10 days.
People also need to be
made aware that transmission is not only limited to actual animal
bites. Anyone handling a dead animal that has acquired the virus can
be infected if they touch their eyes or lips if they have traces of
the animal’s fluids on their hands.
Dispelling myths about
rabies can also help reduce incidences of deaths due to the deadly
virus. Many people still believe that rabies should be handled by
traditional healers using folk medicine such as “tandok,” which is
done by placing a deer horn over the wound. Such procedure is
believed to suck out the rabies virus from the injury.
Health records have
shown that patients who received “tandok” treatment died either of
rabies or tetanus. Dog bites must always be seen by a medical expert.
Rabies is a viral
disease in mammals which animals and people can get through exposure
to saliva or nervous tissue of a rabid animal. It spreads from the
exposure site through the nervous system to the brain, eventually
causing death if not immediately treated with medical care.
More than 55,000
people die from rabies each year, mostly in
Africa and
Asia where little medical care exists. The largest source of
rabies in humans around the world is due to uncontrolled rabies in
dogs, and children are most at risk for being bitten.
This is why it is
so important to educate the public on how easy it can be to prevent
rabies through animal vaccinations, being aware of the surroundings,
and having available medical treatment nearby.
Responsible adolescent
sexuality education module pilot-tested at Palo school
By
Provincial
Media Relations Center September 22, 2011
TACLOBAN CITY – A
module on responsible adolescent sexuality education is being
pilot-tested by the provincial government of
Leyte through the Provincial Population Office to curb premarital
sex and teenage pregnancy.
The special module,
carefully crafted by the Leyte PopCom, was piloted at the Palo Central
School over the week with Grade 5 & 6 pupils as participants.
Leyte Governor Carlos
Jericho Petilla, who was in hand to evaluate the whole presentation of
the module, tells teachers at the Palo Central School that this
education has undergone close scrutiny and will be further refined
before the same module will be introduced in all public elementary and
high schools in the province.
“The main purpose in
coming up with this module was brought about mainly by a survey which
placed Eastern Visayas second in rank in terms of teenagers engaged in
premarital sex,” Gov. Petilla told teachers after the whole module was
presented to the pupils.
Also, the governor
disclosed, that he was quite alarmed of the number of teenage mothers
delivering babies in various birthing clinics in the province.
“Pregnant mothers are
getting younger and younger these days. The youngest of whom we have
encountered is only 12 years old, which is very alarming,” the
governor added.
Further, Gov. Petilla
said children and adolescents need accurate and comprehensive
education about sexuality to practice healthy sexual behavior as
adults in the future. He warns that early, exploitative, or risky
sexual activity may lead to health and social problems, such as
unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including
human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome.
For teenagers and
young adults, sexuality education can provide a welcome opportunity to
get correct answers to burning questions. Research among teens has
shown that young people want and need more information about
reproductive health, sexuality and the environment. Information
usually comes "too late" and does not include enough detail.
The module piloted by
the province consist mainly of a puppet show discussing major physical
and emotional changes among adolescents, as well as friendly and
interactive discussions on sexuality behaviour and open forum where
the students can openly ask questions.
After the pilot-test,
the module will still have to undergo minor revisions before it can be
shown in all public schools in the province. The module would also be
made available to freshman and sophomore students where most students
are starting their teenage lives.
The same module has
also been screened both by the Department of Education and the church.
SMC Educational Fund
invests on Samar Youth
By EMY BONIFACIO,
Samar News.com
August
27, 2011
CATBALOGAN CITY –
The SMC Educational Fund, a Scholarship and Financial Aid program,
will be investing on Samar youths by providing a secured future
through education. The organization hopes to provide paths for young
Filipino adults to better themselves by assisting them with resources
in education and work experience.
SMC gives credit to
Mr. Simplicio Mendez Cajipe, a native of Sta. Rita, who made it well
and good while working abroad. Mr. Cajipe was a source of inspiration
to people whom he provided food, shelter and all the necessary tools
at their younger ages until they became adults.
Ms. Emy Cajipe-Matthews, the Foundation’s CEO, attested to this and disclosed that
she was just six years old when her father died and became an orphan
herself. Still, Matthews has family ties in the Philippines and she
would willingly work towards her cause in helping the young adults of
Samar. Samar is known to be one of the poorest provinces.
SMC, under Ms.
Matthew’s initiatives, has become successful in making linkages and
coordination with other partner institutions. It has now become a
foreign assisted program.
The organization has
long been extending yearly outreach programs in the Philippines that
benefits the children. She has designed programs that would encourage
creative and critical thinking skill in youth using Samar’s natural
resources.
“Young adults need to
understand the idea of community service, of learning the past, the
present and the future of their province”, says Ms. Matthews.
Just recently, it has
decided to shift on extending scholarships and financial aid to truly
deserving and less fortunate young Filipino students.
“We make sure that
children in each category qualify for our program (a) Poverty
Assistance (b) Academic Scholar for high school graduate. We will help
secure the child meet their basic needs, shoes, backpacks, school
supplies, clothing items and a monthly allowance.
We are willing to
extend help to those students at any Santa Rita Public High School
District”, Ms. Matthews reveals her plans.
|

The
Samar News team with beneficiary Cristina Lampanizo in their
dilapidated house at Brgy. Hinangutdan, Sta. Rita, Samar. |
Inasmuch as the SMC is
based in North Dakota, it has coordinated with the Samarnews.com
through Engr. Ray Gaspay and Ms. Emy C. Bonifacio who takes charge in
screening qualified beneficiaries. Presently, two (2) deserving SMC
beneficiaries from
Sta.
Rita High School
will be receiving cash assistance for this school year.
Cristina I. Lampanizo,
16 years of age, is a resident of Brgy. Hinangutdan, Sta. Rita, Samar
and is in her 3rd year of secondary education. She is the 3rd child of
seven children whose family’s main survival is sourced from charcoal
making with a meager income of 50-100 pesos a day. She hikes to and
from the school for more than two hours during school days because it
would need thirty pesos a day for transportation fare using a “habal-habal”.
At times, she goes to school without eating breakfast. Most often she
fails to go to school because of lack of food and fare.
Likewise, Albert O.
Baldiza, 19 years of age, was an orphan since he was in grade 1 and
lives with a foster family. He disclosed that at times he goes to
school with an empty stomach but he is decided to pursue his
education. School records will show that Baldiza is a consistent honor
student and is expected to become the valedictorian this school year
at Sta. Rita High School
where he is already in his fourth year.
An amount of P2,500
will be granted to Cristina Lampanizo while P1,000 will be given to
Albert Baldiza. These monthly allowances from the SMC Educational Fund
will cover the months of July 2010 to March 2011.
Furthermore, the SMC
has identified two (2) graduating high school students who will be
awarded cash incentives amounting to P30,000 per beneficiary, on the
day of their graduation to financially help them pursue their college
education. The identified beneficiaries were Wilfredo Ramirez Jr. of
Tominamos High School and Emmanuel John Caudilla of Sta. Rita High
School. Matthews disclosed that online applications to partners abroad
were also facilitated.
The SMC is also
finalizing proposals for student exchange programs. Hopefully, for
this year, two lucky individuals from Sta. Rita will become the first
beneficiaries in this program. The processing of their travel
documents are now being taken cared of by the SMC.
The organization has
been gaining support from Ms. Mathhew’s acquaintances and from those
who believe in her cause. In fact, MMA Super Star Brandon de Vera has
donated his autographed fight trunk to SMC Educational Fund for
auction. More supporters and volunteers have signified their desire to
extend charitable help to Samar youths.
The SMC Educational
Fund maintains a Facebook Account and its own website at
www.smceducationalfund.org
5th Anniversary of the Inopacan exhumation
Government inaction
scored!
By ANAD Partylist August
27, 2011
QUEZON CITY – On
August 28, (Sunday) the free and peace loving Filipinos will
commemorate the 5th anniversary of the exhumation of about 67 remains,
part of the unknown number of Filipinos, violently murdered by the
Maoist terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF in the forested area commonly known as
“The Garden”, among the residents of Southern Leyte.
In August 28, 2006,
skeletal remains of innocent victims of Maoist terrorist’s tyranny and
violence were dug up in a mass gravesite in a ridge of Mt. Sapang Dako
of Inopacan, some 370 meters above sea level, by elements of the Phil.
Army’s 802nd Brigade, 8ID supported by residents and former NPA rebels
who claimed to have witnessed the mass killings and have since
rejoined government.
The Inopacan mass
murders far outweighs the many OPLANS that the Maoist terrorists
ordered and under the supervision of the so-called AHOS committee
headed by Jose Ma. Sison, with Satur Ocampo, Vicente Ladlad, Randall
Echanis, and Rafael Baylosis.
Many, if not all, of
the witnesses positively identified them as among the top CPP-NPANDF
personalities involved in that highly despicable act against human
life. Like their master and iconic leader, Joma Sison, Ocampo et. al.
culled the same lines of defense saying that they were under detention
in l984 at the different government detention facilities then and
could not have been involved, directly or otherwise, in the Inopacan
mass killings. What a lame and highly dubious excuse that government
would believe and give credence! This alone is reminiscent of the
usual pattern of denials skillfully dished by Ocampo and his comrades
to exculpate them from whatever liability not only on the Inopacan
massacre but in all other CPP ordered mass purgings like OPLAN Kahos,
Missing Link, Kadena de Amore, Zombies, and Oplan Venereal Disease
(VD) that resulted to the infamous Inopacan Massacre.
But why has the wheels
of justice stopped turning? Could the reported entry of several
die-hard Maoist communist personalities in Malacañang have something
to do with these?
Many freedom and peace
loving Filipinos decried the double standard by which the present
government has dealt in cases involving Maoist terrorist
personalities, especially those arrested for violations of the
country’s Revise Penal Code, and known top Communist personalities who
continue to remain scot-free despite complaints filed against them and
awaiting resolution by the Department of Justice.
While the cases
against the Ampatuans are vigorously pursued in the courts of law, the
many criminal cases against Maoist terrorist personalities not only
are stalled but were withdrawn upon orders of Justice Department. We
must not forget - - -The Maoist terrorist NPA’s are just as guilty as
the Ampatuans! The number of lives snapped by the vicious hands of
power politics in Maguindanao pales so much to the number of Filipinos
killed by a group whose loyalty and faith on the ideology of Frederick
Engels, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung is unflinching and
uncompromising covering some 42-years and still going!
Worth noting is the
fact that the so-called sectoral front organizations of the Maoist
terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF, e.g. Bayan, Karapatan, Gabriela, and NUJP,
among others, were very much noisy in denouncing the Maguindanao
massacre of November 2010, and pinning the blame on the Ampatuans! In
stark contrast and for many years, they have closed their mouths,
blindfolded their eyes, and has thrown deafening silence on the
murders perpetrated by their comrades in the NPA’s, particularly the
Digos and Inopacan Massacres, and other human transgressions revealed
by Robert Francis Garcia in his book - - To Suffer Thy Comrades!
Appropriately, an
Internet blog dated January 4, 2010 by a group known as Unheard NPA
Victims (www.topblogs.com.ph/post/inopacan+massacre.html) described
the Maoist terrorist CPP-NPA-NDF as -“. . . red-handed criminal(s)
incriminating another felon is more or less a masquerading hypocrite
that thinks the public is naïve enough to believe (them) . . .”
The government of
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III now bears the burden of proving to
all and sundry that indeed justice must be served equally among
Filipinos. PNoy’s battlecry against the “Wang-Wang” mentality should
now take center-stage to fully convince the millions of Filipinos that
indeed his administration means business and never shall they fall and
indulge in petty ‘lip-service’ and political grandstanding.
In the meantime, the
wailing shall continue and the cries for justice, by those who
suffered the pains of Maoist terrorist violence, shall ring loudest in
all nooks and corners of the country! This shall only end when
government moves strongest to make the Maoist terrorist leadership
answer for their crimes against humanity!
The STORMTROOPERS
accomplishments: A fitting tribute to a leader who believes in
teamwork
By CMO Battalion, 8ID PA
August
8, 2011
The 8th Infantry (STORMTROOPERS)
Division has been recognized as the best division in the entire
Philippine Army based on its performance within the first six months
of 2011. In 2010, it was the 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division; this
year, the STROMTROOPERS.
Moreover, two of the
8IDs Infantry Brigades are in the top 5 from among the 31 Brigades of
the Philippine Army while four of its battalions are in the top ten
out of the 75 battalions of the Army.
Of course, a major
element to this accomplishment is the brand of leadership and
management style of the Division Commander. It was under his
leadership that the 4th Infantry (DIAMOND) Division was adjudged the
best division in the entire Philippine Army. And under him, the 8th
Infantry Division (STORMTROOPERs) Division has accomplished many
things, earning for itself the best division in the entire army.
Major Gen. Mario F Chan AFP
has steered the division with vigor and dedication, thus raising the
unit to a level fit to be called as the best. But asking him on this
accomplishment, he would always say, “this is teamwork and cooperation
in action”.
What propelled the
Storm Troopers Division to become the best division in the entire
Philippine Army?
The Division commander
is quick enough to say that any major accomplishment cannot be
attributed to one person alone. Such accomplishment can only be the
result of effective teamwork. Quoting the famous French aviator and
author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, MGen. Chan then said that “If you
want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood
and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long
for the endless immensity of the sea.” This is similar to what he
quoted from Dwight Eisenhower when he emphasized during his assumption
speech, that “leadership is the art of getting someone else to do
something you want done because he wants to do it.”
MGen. Chan insisted
further that the success of the 8th Infantry Division is not entirely
due to his own efforts alone. So much has been contributed by the
other stakeholders who have also been very supportive of Oplan
Bayanihan’s objectives. In fact, the accomplishment is the result of
good teamwork with the Local Government Units of Cebu, Bohol, Biliran,
Southern Leyte, Leyte, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Western Samar.
Equally important are the contributions of the national government
agencies and the civil society organizations and institutions.
In the practical
experience of the 8th Infantry Division, teamwork works inside and
out. This dedication of the troopers to pursue its mission is as
important as the dedication of the broad stakeholders to realize
peace, thus, the need to work together as one.
Building Peace through Solidarity
The Internal Peace and
Security Plan (IPSP) of the government also known as Oplan Bayanihan
puts emphasis on winning the peace as the fundamental objective. The
defeat of the enemy does not necessarily come secondary, but that it
should be brought about by rendering it irrelevant in the eyes of the
people and the whole society. This entails that more efforts would be
unleashed towards bringing development into the lies of many
impoveri8shed rural communities even as combat operations are still
being conducted against the New People’s Army.
This strategy requires
the mobilization of stakeholders aside from the Armed Forces. The
local government units, government line agencies, the private and
business sector and civil society organizations are forces whose
participation is crucial to the delivery of services and programs that
will bring about development in the different rural communities
affected by the insurgency problem.
But gathering
different stakeholders together is one thing. Enabling them to work
together is another. This is the challenge.
Nurturing Unity
Oplan Bayanihan
follows the “whole-of-nation” approach, which presupposes shared
understanding and shared responsibilities between and among government
security forces, members of the civilian bureaucracy and the
communities. The approach highlights he need for different
stakeholders to work together in order to build peace and promote
security.
Of course, the whole
concept is not something alien to the Filipi8no. In fact, it is rooted
in the Bayanihan tradition where everyone lends a helping hand in
order to address or to resolve a community need or a community
problem. The bayanihan spirit, however, was gradually swept into
oblivion by the culture of consumerism and crab mentality. Oplan
Bayanihan, therefore, has to reinvent the spirit of bayanihan by
promoting common understanding among different stakeholders relative
to the desire for peace and the quest for development.
In the pursuit of
peace, everyone’s participation is not only important. It is in itself
the means to achieve peace. Bringing everyone on board is the first
step in building solidarity which is a critical element of peace.
This was precisely the
parameter that guided the whole Storm Troopers Division and compelled
them to participate actively in the different forum and avenues where
LGUs, line agencies and civil society organizations converge in order
to address pressing social concerns. Thus, the 8th Infantry Division
officials, led by MGen. Mario F. Chan, would participate in all the
meetings of the Regional and Provincial Development Council as well as
the Regional and Provincial Peace and Order Councils within its Area
of Responsibility. The Division also participated in the meetings and
conferences organized and initiated by the Samar Island Partnership for
Peace and Development (SIPPAD).
MGen. Mario F Chan and
the other Officers of the Division would strive hard to make
meaningful representation in all these avenues with the end view of
unifying with the other stakeholders relative to the internal security
plan of the government. In these forums, the call to promote
development in the communities as a means to improve the peace and
security situation reverberated and the means to do it was their
solidarity.
And their voices did
not fall on deaf ears.
Promoting Cooperation
One of the monumental
accomplishments in the drive to promote solidarity and cooperation
among the different stakeho9lders is the proposed road construction
project towards the interior municipalities of
Samar. The whole
project costs P4.6 Billion, covering a total span of 265.8
kilometers. And if not for the support of the Regional Development
Council and the other stakeholders including the provincial
governments and line agencies, the project would not have reached
first base.
The proposed road
project will traverse 16 municipalities and is expected to contribute
significantly to the economic development of these municipalities. The
road will not simply make travel more comfortable, it will usher in
economic opportunities for the communities and it will broaden their
market access. With more opportunities for livelihood and with easier
market access, residents are expected to have increased their
household income.
Aside from this
monumental project, the Storm Troopers Division has also forged
partnership with the public and private sector in the conduct of
development interventions and delivery of social services.
From August 2010 to
June 2011, the Storm Troopers has implemented and undertaken several
projects such as medical and dental missions, literacy projects
through the Army Literacy Patrol System, livelihood support,
improvement of educational facilities through active participation in
the Brigada Eskuwela and road rehabilitation and construction.
Through these projects
and initiatives, different stakeholders have found avenues by which
they can work together and manifest heir commitment to the
government’s internal peace and security objectives.
In support to the
government’s internal security campaign, local government units in
Samar have initiated their localized version of the Social Integration
Program of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
(OPAPP). With this program, LGUs are able to provide assistance to
those who surrender and return to the fold of the law.
Unity is easier said
than done, but when concrete and tangible initiatives are used to
bring different stakeholders together, unity becomes the thread that
binds them and enables them to pool resources towards the
accomplishment of development targets. The active cooperation of the
different stakeholders to promote and achieve peace within the AOR of
the 8th Infantry (Storm Troopers) Division is the best proof of the
unity of the stakeholders.
Winning the Peace
When communities begin
to denounce violence as a means to correct societal defects, and when
they begin to work with government institutions to address the poverty
that characterize their situation, [peace becomes possible and
visible. Of course, peace and security as a result of social
development cannot happen overnight. But peace is not just an end. It
is also the means to it.
Oplan Bayanihan drive
to win the peace is more than just an objective that is attainable in
the near future. “Winning the Peace” means building it in the
here-and-now through concrete and tangible measures such as the
implementation of development projects that improve the life and
well-being of the people.
At this point,
it is too early to say that Oplan Bayanihan has already achieved
victory, or that peace has already been established. But, with people
working together to promote solidarity in order to build peace, what
can prevent victory?
Rice frozen near North
Pole
The first was a footprint on the Moon. The
second one is a freezer
By MARIA LIZBETH BAROÑA / IRRI / PNS
August
5, 2011
This freezer, however,
is one dug deep inside a frozen mountain about 1,130 kilometers from
the North Pole, in the archipelago of
Svalbard,
Norway.
Tucked away in this giant refrigerated vault is the foundation of
humans’ food – seeds. Neatly packed and frozen to withstand hundreds
of years of storage and just about any conceivable destructive force
known to humans are duplicates of seeds of different crops from all
over the world, including more than a hundred thousand seeds of
different rice types.
|

The
Vault's illuminated roof against the scenic surroundings.
Photo by
Mari Tefre / Global Crop Diversity Trust |
The International Rice
Research Institute (IRRI) sent its final batch of rice seeds to the
Svalbard Global Seed Vault, dubbed the “Doomsday Vault,” in November
2010. IRRI deposited the largest shipment of 70,180 for the
inauguration of the Vault in February 2008. Following its last
shipment, IRRI now has the largest number of accessions, amounting to
112,807, for any single crop and its wild relatives kept in the Vault.
These are duplicates
of the rice diversity conserved in IRRI’s International Rice Genebank
(IRRI-IRG). Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, evolutionary biologist
and IRRI’s T.T. Chang Genetic Resources Center head, assures that IRRI
takes every reasonable measure to make the collection in the IRRI-IRG
safe.
“The IRRI-IRG is
earthquake-proof, typhoon-proof, and flood-proof,” Dr. Sackville
Hamilton explains. “We also have an independent backup power supply to
protect against power cuts, and we keep a supply of spares in stock to
deal rapidly with equipment failure. We also have a backup collection
to the primary collection kept at IRRI that is untouched, but provides
immediate backup.”
Dr. Sackville Hamilton
said that, since 1980, IRRI has also been keeping another backup of
the IRRI-IRG collection at
Fort Collins,
Colorado,
in the United States. “The United States’ environmental and political
risks are different from those in the Philippines,” he further
explains. “This backup collection in
Fort Collins
adds to the safety measures being taken at IRRI.
“The collection kept
in Svalbard is our ultimate backup. We cannot conceive of any other
measure we could take to make it safer. We cannot think of a more
secure system to safeguard this vital resource.”
Life’s frozen cellar
The frozen mountains,
the isolation, and the polar bears that provide extra layers of
security are just some of the reasons why the world’s agricultural
heritage found itself a fortress in Svalbard, Norway.
According to the
Global Crop Diversity Trust, “The technical conditions of the site are
virtually perfect. The location inside the mountain increases security
and unparalleled insulation properties. The area is geologically
stable, humidity levels are low, and it has no measurable radiation
inside the mountain. The Vault is placed well above sea level (130
meters), far above the point of any projected sea-level rise.”
The Trust is a
public-private partnership that raises funds from individual,
corporate, and government donors to establish an endowment that will
provide complete and continuous funding for key crop collections.
The Trust explains
that, even if the supply of electricity gets cut off, the frozen
mountain and its thick rocks will keep the seeds frozen for a long
time. The Vault, constructed by the Norwegian government as a “service
to the world,” is managed under terms between the Global Crop
Diversity Trust, the Norwegian government, and the Nordic Genetic
Resource Center.
The International
Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in 2004
provided the platform through which an international legal framework
for conserving and accessing crop diversity, as well as building the
Vault, became a reality.
Taming the wild
Although thousands of
rice species exist around the world, only a few of these are being
cultivated. These cultivated rice varieties are naturally diverse.
This diversity, however, is not enough to build better varieties. It
is, in this case, more than in any other, that the extraordinary
diversity in rice and its wild relatives becomes crucial.
For decades,
scientists have been scouring the unbeaten path of the vast wild rice
gene pool to look for genes that allow them to develop rice that
provides more yield and is tolerant of stresses such as drought, heat,
flooding, and saline soil.
Among the major
setbacks to food production today is the increasing scarcity of
resources. Hence, we look more closely at rice, and at every other
crop species, to find ways to unlock the many secrets of its gene pool
and help it adapt, survive, and thrive despite the many challenges.
Such is the story of
“scuba rice”—the IRRI-bred variety that can withstand being submerged
under water for 2 weeks (see Scuba rice). Many years ago, an Indian
low-yielding rice variety called FR13A caught the imagination of
scientists due to one remarkable trait: flood tolerance. For years,
scientists looked for the genes that gave FR13A its flood-resistant
characteristic. And, when they found it, they named the gene “SUB1.”
Today, high-yielding
varieties that had been given the flood-resistance gene are helping
rice farmers cope with frequently flooded rice fields. The wonderful
story of the previously unremarkable FR13A highlights why the world
should be worried about vanishing plant species and rice varieties.
Treasure on loan
A nuclear holocaust
need not happen to spell doomsday for food sources. Every day, a crop
species is lost to typhoons, floods, war, and, sometimes, to simple
things like mismanagement or lack of a sustained power supply.
It is hard for some
people to appreciate the importance of conservation. But, thinking of
crop conservation as a way of keeping a good credit record may help,
because “biodiversity, the world’s most valuable resource, is on loan
to us from our children.”
Diversity is the
insurance for food security. Every time a species is lost, that
diversity narrows, which means that the number of options shrinks as
well. There is something “in” these vanishing varieties that is
priceless: genes. These genes hold the many answers to questions on
basic survival and sustaining life on the planet.
Scientists said that
warmer temperature causes lower yield for rice. They may not be able
to do something about the heat that gets trapped in the atmosphere,
but they can do something about the food. They can breed varieties
that can stand up to climate change.
Food for the next
generation
Backing up and
protecting the world’s diverse agricultural heritage are giving this
generation, and the next, options to get around nature’s roadblocks as
the human population grows, while the resources that are needed to
meet the corresponding demand for nourishment become scarce.
These “options” are
kept frozen, ready to be retrieved when events of the future require
it. It is a way of ensuring that food keeps coming even well after
this generation has passed on.
Three rebels in Leyte
surrender in succession to 19th Infantry Battalion
By GINA DEAN-RAGUDO,
Samar News.com
July 24,
2011
CALBAYOG CITY –
Three members of the local communist terrorist movement in Leyte
Province laid down their arms and surrendered to the 19th Infantry
“COMMANDO” Battalion this month.
LtCol Federico J
Tutaan, Commanding Officer of the 19IB said that the surrender of the
rebels is a manifestation of the positive effects of the relentless
information drive efforts of the battalion in “reaching out to the
whole populace” and explaining to them the reformed government
programs for peace, security and development. He said that the 19IB
has been conducting symposia, teach-ins, lectures and dialogues with
high schools and universities, as well as communities down to the
barangays and sitios in pursuit of the AFP’s Campaign Plan “Bayanihan”
calling for a united effort of bringing peace to the province of Leyte.
LtCol Tutaan
identified the three “now former rebels” as Carmelino Lebres Bulfa
alias “Jackson,” Arthuro Librano Gamayon alias “Art / Rex” and Berting
Codog Eleuterio alias “Bogart / Unaw.”
The three revealed
that sometime late June, they jointly decided to end their
participation and commitment to the rebel cause and run away from the
area, citing several reasons like hunger in the mountains and forests,
leadership conflicts as well as abuses by their cadres, lack of
supplies and equipment, and overall general discontent for their
supposed cause which they all described as “walang patutunguhan.”
Initially they did not
think of surrendering to the government agencies like the LGU, Army or
PNP. They admitted that all they wanted then was to get away from the
local communist movement due to their dissatisfaction on their
“mahirap na buhay” and to eventually find and start new lives for
themselves.
The three former
rebels, from different squads of the “Pingkoy Platoon” of the Front
Committee-Leyte of the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC),
revealed that on a pre-set date, they all left their firearms in their
respective temporary jungle base (encampment) sites in Albuera, Leyte
and without a word just walked away and soonafter rendezvoused in a
designated meeting area.
Bulfa and Gamayon
thereafter travelled all the way to Liloan,
Southern Leyte and boarded a commercial vessel to
Mindanao, ending up in
Agusan Del Norte. They both proceeded to the home of Bulfa’s uncle and
both had started to work in the small farm. Eleuterio went on his own
way.
Two weeks after
running away from the “kilusan” Bulfa contacted his parents and
siblings back in Baybay, Leyte and informed them that he wanted to
return to Baybay and surrender to the authorities, particularly to the
19th Infantry Battalion in order to “clear his name and record” and
thus live freely along the mainstream of society. The parents then
sought the help and assistance of Baybay Mayor Carmen L. Cari who
facilitated Bulfa’s return travel and also contacted LtCol Tutaan to
turnover Bulfa alias “Jackson” on July 3, 2011.
Upon his surrender,
Bulfa revealed his story and added that Gamayon was still in Agusan
Del Norte with no friends and relatives. Bulfa also said that he had
already told Gamayon about the good treatment of the 19IB towards him
and even his parents, to include the sick child of his sister to whom
LtCol Tutaan gave financial assistance for medical treatment. Bulfa
was also thankful for the financial assistance to his parents, along
with rice and canned goods, plus transportation fare. Gamayon was thus
convinced to surrender.
Immediately, LtCol
Tutaan sent 19IB intelligence operatives together with Bulfa to Agusan
Del Norte to fetch Gamayon and bring him back to the Battalion
Headquarters in Kananga, Leyte. Gamayon alias “Art” officially
surrendered to 19IB in the morning of July 5, 2011.
Gamayon alias “Art”
was the one who revealed that he knew the whereabouts of Berting
Eleuterio alias “Bogart” and that he personally knew that the latter
also wanted to surrender to 19IB. LtCol Tutaan again dispatched the
intelligence operatives together with Gamayon to fetch Eleuterio in
Sitio Can-Alay, Barangay Buroc, Ormoc City. Eleuterio was found there
along with his siblings tilling the soil of the family farm and was
overwhelmed to be welcomed by the 19IB troops. Eleuterio alias
“Bogart” surrendered at noontime of July 7, 2011. Moreover, he also
surrendered to LtCol Tutaan one caliber .45 pistol and one 9 mm pistol
with ammunition.
Bulfa and Eleuterio
were eventually escorted by 19IB personnel to their respective homes
and were given by LtCol Tutaan modest financial assistance as well as
food supplies to start their lives over.
In a related
development, Gamayon alias “Art” who remained in the Battalion
Headquarters eventually felt at ease and at home and thus revealed
that while in the “kilusan” he had buried two (2) rifle grenades he
had been carrying but had never found a way to use them. Thereafter
special intelligence teams from 19IB went with Gamayon to recover the
two rifle grenades and were brought to 19IB Headquarters.
Of late, Gamayon has
revealed that there were actually five of them who ran away from the
“Pingkoy Platoon” and that he will help locate the two others whom he
reveals also want to surrender to 19IB.
With these latest
developments, and based on the revelations of the three former rebels,
it can be gleamed that the communist terrorist movement in the
Baybay-Albuera-Ormoc complex, particularly the “Pingkoy Platoon” is
dwindling in strength and capability, thanks to the relentless Peace
and Development efforts of the 19th Infantry “COMMANDO” Battalion. |