Solon wants Ecija divided into 2 provs

BY LIAM ANACLETO

CABANATUAN CITY – A Nueva Ecija congressman has proposed to divide the province, the biggest of the seven provinces in Central Luzon, into two separate provinces to hasten its development.

First district Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson said he would file a bill in the House of Representatives to create a Nueva Ecija Norte and Nueva Ecija Sur.

Joson said he urged his proposal to his fellow Novo Ecijano lawmakers to drum up support for clustering of the four congressional districts into two distinct provinces.

Of the two other Nueva Ecijano lawmakers, he said only second district Rep. Joseph Violago appears supportive to his proposal. He hinted that Gov. Aurelio Umali may not like his proposal as it would reduce his turf.

“Of course, kung ikaw ang nakaupo, di ka papabor (if you are the incumbent, you would not favor it),” he said.

Joson, a former governor whose family lorded over the Capitol for 48 years until the clan’s setback in the May 2007 gubernatorial race, said Nueva Ecija, with 27 municipalities and five cities comprising 850 barangays, is too big, making it extremely difficult for any administration to spur its development.

The Josons have been accused by their political rivals of allegedly causing Nueva Ecija’s economic stagnation, despite it being a member of the so-called “billionaire’s club” among the country’s provinces. The term refers to the provinces whose Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) shares reach at least a billion pesos.

Joson said half of Nueva Ecija’s barangays would have been sufficient to create another province.

“Ideally, dapat 450 barangays lang ang nagko-comprise sa isang probinsiya (only 450 barangays should comprise a province),” he said, likening Nueva Ecija’s situation to Quezon province which has 40 municipalities.

Quezon Gov. Rafael Nantes also initiated a similar move to divide his province into two when he was still a congressman.

Joson, an uncle of Vice Gov. Edward Thomas, said he is looking at the possibility of dividing the province either horizontally or vertically.

“By horizontal, it would mean clustering of the first and second congressional districts into one province and the third and fourth congressional districts into another province,” he said.

The vertical option, he said, is to carve out the two provinces by clustering the first and fourth congressional districts into one and the second and third congressional districts into another.

The first district, the Josons’ bailiwick, is composed of the towns of Aliaga, Guimba, Cuyapo, Sto. Domingo, Licab, Talavera, Zaragoza, and Quezon, their hometown.

Comprising the second district are the towns of Talugtog, Nampicuan, Pantabangan, Llanera, Rizal, and Lupao and the cities of Muñoz and San Jose.

The third district, the bailiwick of Umali and his wife, Rep. Czareina Umali, is made up of the towns of Bongabon, Gen. Natividad, Laur, Gabaldon and Sta. Rosa and the cities of Cabanatuan and Palayan, while the fourth district is composed of the towns of San Leonardo, San Antonio, San Isidro, Jaen, Peñaranda, Gen. Tinio, and Cabiao and Gapan City.

Of the four districts, only the first district does not have a component city.

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P1.7B Benguet-Vizcaya road set for repair

BY DEXTER A SEE

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The contractor of the P1.7 billion rehabilitation of the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya road told local officials he would correct alleged defects in the implementation of the project especially along the Benguet side. Rep. Samuel Dangwa bared this saying he initially met with the project manager of the Cavite Development Corp., the contractor of the foreign-assisted project to discuss concerns he raised over the defective project.

Dangwa said the contractor assured him the defects he raised could be corrected within a certain period of time, thus, frequent monitoring must be conducted to see their compliance with their promise.

Earlier, Dangwa branded the newly-rehabilitated road, particularly the Benguet section of the highway, as a first-class farm to market road since it could not accommodate two-lane traffic for trucks and buses.

The lawmaker said the highway in the Nueva Vizcaya section were paved but the shoulders of the road in the Benguet side were left out posing serious threat to the commuting public especially in sharp curves.

“We hope the contractor will fulfill their commitment to correct the defects of their project. We want to ensure that our rehabilitated roads would conform to international standards for the safety of our constituents and the motoring public using the roadline,” he said.

Part of the funds of concreting works was allegedly diverted for the construction of a by-pass bridge along the Ambuclao dam area rendering the earmarked budget for concreting insufficient.

Dangwa said it would be up to the contractor to find means and resources to remedy the situation in the Benguet side since he will continue to raise his objections on the project if no concrete action is done by concerned government agencies and project implementors.

He said he would pursue his earlier threat to bring the matter to the House of Representatives committee on public works to determine the real cause of the sub-standard implementation of the foreign-assisted project.

The 103 km road links neighboring provinces of Region I in the west and Region II in the east. The improved road is expected to spur economic development in different provinces since the travel time would be significantly reduced from the usual six-hour travel from Baguio to Nueva Vizcaya to only four hours.

The Cordillera is one of the beneficiaries of the Super Region concept of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in infrastructure development since almost all national roads in the region had been allotted funds under the North Luzon Agri-business Quadrangle for their rehabilitation the next three years.

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DAR urged: Bolster agrarian reform program Cordillera execs up activities to make region autonomous

BAGUIO CITY – The Regional Development Council is now going full-blast in activities to make the Cordillera autonomous. Last week, the RDC urged Agrarian Reform Sec. Nasser Pangandaman to recognize and affirm the region’s “manifestation of solidarity with and commitment of support to the pursuit of Cordillera regional autonomy as an integral component of the agency’s mandate of advancing agrarian reform and rural development in the region.”

The RDC, to fulfill the 1987 constitutional provision on establishment of a Cordillera Autonomous Region, has intensified pursuit of regional autonomy through sampling and tracking surveys on how local government units could be financially independent.

In March 2006, the region’s policy-making body through a workshop with the end in view of accelerating and reinforcing all efforts towards regional development decided to make the pursuit of regional autonomy as the over arching theme of the development agenda of the Cordillera in the next four years.

The RDC truly appreciates the initiative of the DAR-CAR in coming up with a manifestation of its full commitment to support the pursuit of cordillera autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution, thus, other line agencies and local government units must also actively participate in the renewed pursuit for self-governance that would spur economic development in the Cordillera.

To concretize the renewed pursuit of regional autonomy, the RDC is mobilizing and harnessing the participation of all its members, including the regional line agencies. By virtue of Executive Order No. 30 in July 2001, the RDC was constituted to act as the primary institution for setting the economic and social development in the region and through which regional development efforts must be coordinated.

Currently, the RDC special committee on autonomy headed by Presidential Assistant for Cordillera Affairs Tomas Killip and Juan Ngalob, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority and interim chairman of the RDC, is finalizing results of the initial pulse survey conducted in the different parts of the region to determine the voter inclination on the issue of autonomy.

The final results of the survey will be the basis of the RDC to formulate appropriate strategies on how to convince the Cordillera people to finally vote for autonomy once a third organic Act will be passed by Congress. Ngalob said the third attempt for cordillera autonomy would be learning from the experiences of the two rejected plebiscites on autonomy and putting things on their proper perspectives.

He said an autonomous status for the Cordillera would be a better setup than the present administrative status because the region would have greater control of its resources and lesser restraint from outside forces or control. -- Dexter A. See

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MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

Ombudsman case mulled vs DENR over Chuntug fix
BY ISAGANI S. LIPORADA

BAGUIO CITY – Peeved by apparent disregard of city resolutions pertaining to a parcel of land “a stone throw” away from City Hall, City legal officer Melchor Rabanes, last week, said his office is mulling to cases against certain officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources with the Ombudsman.

Rabanes is also set to present the case before the Solicitor General who could press for the annulment of the title issued to Yu Hwa Ping. “We are now digging deep into city records showing DENR’s wanton disregard of earlier city declarations for the reservation of the subject lot we believe he was erroneously given title to,” he said.

As early as 1995, Hwa Ping reportedly worked double time securing the property under his name despite opposition from then local officials. Resolution 303 of 1998 “requested the DENR Land Management Bureau to reject, cancel, revoke, or otherwise disapprove applications or permits issued for the acquisition or use” of the questioned prime realty. Subsequent Resolution 366, series of 1998 subsequently declared the 250-square parcel of land as a “greenbelt area and for future road expansion.”

“However,” Rabanes said, “despite city declarations, the fact that Hwa Ping was able to secure title consolidating the questioned lot with his adjoining property raises doubts as to how a title now referring to a 360-square meter parcel of land was secured.”

In 1995, a Department of Public Works and Highways report said the property is covered by the Baguio City Hall Reservation and, at the same time, a road-right-of-way. Retired DENR regional executive director Isaias Barongan allegedly issued the title including the questioned property in the name of Hwa Ping.

“In the consolidated title, the annotation that the land shall be used exclusively for gardening, protection and parking with the proviso that no vertical structures shall be allowed to be constructed was even omitted," Rabanes said. Seeing Hwa Ping priming up for a construction in the area, lawyer Renato Cortes earlier filed opposition with concerned local officials seeking to stop the latter from erecting vertical structures.

He said no title should be issued over public property previously classified as road-right-of-way and falling within the City Hall Reservation. Construction in the area temporarily ceased following a notice for violation of the building code was issued by the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD), December 5. Hwa Ping in an affidavit, July 23, 1998 expressed “regret” for causing a hubbub in City Hall.

In the same affidavit he said, “In case the DPWH will object to my construction, I am giving the building official the right to terminate my permit anytime.” Later in August of the same year, he “begged” city officials to allow “for the moment” construction of retaining walls and other improvements for the protection of the area from possible wear.

“Almost 10-years passed and Hwa Ping is doing exactly the opposite of what he even begged the city to allow him to do,” Rabanes said. “He even went beyond what he asked the city to allow him to do, constructing a bodega, which is nowhere near a protective structure he earlier requested he be allowed to do.”

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MORE NEWS, BENGUET

Benguet execs denounce entry of imported carrots in country
BY DEXTER A SEE

ATOK, Benguet — Officials of this vegetable-producing province denounced the reported entry of imported carrots despite the repeated assurance of Agriculture officials these are free from pests and diseases that could be detrimental to the local vegetable industry.

The entry in the country of imported carrots from China is guaranteed through the controversial Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) which has been opposed by stakeholders of the agriculture industry who said importation could result in the collapse of the vegetable industry in the province.

Atok Mayor Concepcion Balao said municipal officials and farmers will continue their opposition to the entry of Chinese agricultural products to the country even if the Bureau of Plant Industry completed its questionable PRA on carrots.

It was learned the PRA is a sanitary requirement asked from a foreign country intending to export its products to another country.

The process involves determination of presence of pests and diseases in the commodity which could be detrimental to the country of destination.

The BPI had found the presence of 12 pests and diseases in the Chinese carrots not found in locally grown carrots.

Despite BPI’s assurance the chance of the entry of the pests and diseases to the country is low, Balao said municipal officials and farmers are not convinced by such guarantee because the safety of imported carrots when due to diseases is highly doubtful.

She said if the national government is really protecting the interest of local farmers, the concerned agencies must be the first to oppose the entry of the imported agricultural products that directly compete with locally produced vegetables.

In the case that imported carrots and other vegetables are allowed free entry to the local markets, the lady mayor said, thousands of farmers in Benguet would surely suffer "double jeopardy" because aside from going bankrupt, they would also lose their source of livelihood.

Balao said she is wondering why some government agencies are desperate in pushing for the entry of imported vegetables in the country when the local supply is enough for the country’s vegetable demand.

Vegetable farming has been one of the primary sources of income of thousands of individuals in the province over the past several decades.

Earlier, various farmers groups expressed their vehement opposition to the approval of PRA on carrots and other vegetables from China, but it seems that some concerned government agencies are trying their best efforts to flood the country with imported agricultural commodities that compete directly with local farm products.

They alleged the PRA on carrots reportedly was done in the commercial farms in China, and not in the agricultural lands in rural areas which could be the possible sources of the carrots that would be brought to the country.


Kayapa assessor linked by self-confessed squatters: Travelers see unabated, illegal logging in Bobok

BOKOD, Benguet -- Illegal cutting of trees and timber poaching in the barangays of Bobok and Pito in Bokod, and in some forested areas along the Vizcaya road to Kayapa is rampant. The information is not new to residents here, according to a group of businessmen who frequent this route.

“Cutting of pine trees in this vicinity is uncontrolled, unchecked and known to the public,” said the group who verbally told The Northern Philippine Times of what they noticed in the forested area that was then maintained by the Benguet Corporation.

Alejo Bestog, Marcial Mangigil and Val Killan were enroute to Vizcaya last December when they accidentally found freshly sewn Pine lumbers hidden inside two make-shift shacks made of Pine slabs. Upon returning to Baguio City via the same route, Killan and Mangigil said they casually talked to passers-by and by-standers if they knew the persons who owned the illegally-cut Pine lumbers.

Apparently, they were denied information which prompted them to narrate their story to the NPT. A visit to the area with Killan’s group was scheduled thereafter. On site, the group chanced upon one Carlos Sinakay who admitted to stashing the illegally cut Pinewood in one of the make-shift shacks that he constructed upon the instructions of Sising and Jerome Velasco. The latter is presently the municipal assessor of Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya.

Sinakay who was caught red-handed in the act of loading sand from the stockpile of the Satrap Construction firm at Pacac, Bobok said he worked as a driver of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples in Bayombong. He said he was allowed to hide away the illegally-cut Pine lumber in an abandoned Pinewood shack in exchange for his efforts in helping the couple plant coffee seedlings in the area.

Sinakay was informed by the traveling businessmen that the government confiscates all other forms of contraband such as prohibited drugs, including Pinewood products that were cut with no permits, no matter who owned it and whether it was found in a private or public land. He said he understood the consequences of his acts and in a courteous way, promised to voluntarily dismantle the shack and remove the illegal lumber within the week. Sinakay, however, did not fulfill his word.

On December 27 or two weeks later, Bokod police were dispatched to retrieve the illegal lumber with an Elf truck provided by Mayor Mauricio Macay. But the police, empty handed, returned in the company of one Ruben Ventura instead. Ventura practically issued the same statements made by Sinakay.

He affirmed in the presence of PSInsp. Cesar M. Molitas, that the Pinewood lumbers hidden in two abandoned Pinewood shacks were “owned by Sising.” Chapter IV, Section 80 of PD705 in part states that “a forest officer shall arrest even without warrant any person who has committed any offenses in this chapter… seize and confiscate in favor of the government the tools and equipment used in committing the offense, and the forest products cut, gathered or taken by the offender…”

“The arresting officer shall thereafter deliver within six hours from the time of the arrest and seizure, the offender and the confiscated products, tools and equipment to, and file the proper complaint with, the appropriate official designated by law to conduct preliminary investigations and file information in court.” These provisions of the law have not been fulfilled for other reasons known only to the officers of the agency concerned and the forest ranger assigned in the area.

Mayor Macay and PSInsp. Molitas who were a bit surprised, said all illegal lumbers must be confiscated regardless of who the owners are in order that people get rid of the notion that the government, especially officials and agents of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, are “selective in the campaign against illegal loggers.”

In the course of discussions, a representative of a Bobok land claimant said DENR agents and officials are afraid of filing cases against offenders. Mangigil also wondered why there were neither DENR ranger stations nor police outposts in the Bobok area where illegal loggers cut trees with no restraint.

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MORE NEWS, KALINGA

Tabuk City council outlaws tribal war
BY LARRY LOPEZ

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Efforts in making this city a haven of peace is gaining support of residents as the city’s Matagoan Bodong Consultative Council moves to outlaw tribal war in the heart of Tabuk.

During its recent 3rd general assembly, this peace body of the city government resolved to establish new policies affirming the “no gopas” principle within the Matagoan Zone of the city comprised of seven major barangays.

The new policies were deliberated and accepted by the other tribes residing here in the city, who expressed support to the Matagoan principle.

“No gopas” prohibits any tribe from cutting-off its peace pact with the other tribe in cases of tribal conflict, thereby preventing the breaking of tribal war within the Matagoan Zone or Zone of Peace.
The Matagoan principle advocated by the city leadership has settled cases which could have caused serious tribal violence.

The council in its new policies resolved to impose penalties on any tribe that deliberately cuts its peace pact or bodong with another tribe for violence.

In cases when a bodong holder requests to relinquish his position for reasons like transfer of his title to other members of his tribe or for matters beyond his control as explained before the council, he may not be covered by the policy.

Among the new policies which are still to be submitted for ratification in the 4th council general assembly include the penalty of one carabao or its cash equivalent to any tribe staging offensive attack to another within the seven Matagoan Barangays of Dagupan Centro, Dagupan Weste, Magsaysay, Appas, San Juan, Bulanao and Bulanao Norte.

The same policy provides that of the total amount of the penalty, 50 percent will go to the MBCC and the other 50 percent will go to the barangay.

In cases of violent inflictions, the acceptance of “papod” or peace token by the aggrieved tribe does not mean the offended member can not pursue the case before the courts. Acceptance of the papod only would mean the offended member of the tribe will not result to violent retaliation, which could aggravate the case, and that offended member of the tribe is willing to settle the case peaceably.

In the matter of fair treatment among immigrant ethnic groups with Kalinga tribes in instances of penalties, where the issue on double standard is raised, the council proposed to the sangguniang panglunsod to adopt ordinances to that effect.

Part of its move to ensure equal footing before the bodong system, the MBCC is studying the possible inclusion of non-Kalinga ethnic groups in the city to the bodong system and wants its non-Kalinga council members to conduct further study on this.


Brothers face raps for mauling farmer
BY ELIZABETH CEDO

TABUK CITY – Two brothers face raps after they mauled a young farmer at Barangay Agbannawag here while one faces additional charges for illegal possession of firearm.

Police said barangay chairman Apolinario Masadao accompanied Charles Amlos y Bucao, 19, single, farmer of Barangay Bangad, Tinglayan, Kalinga in filing a complaint against brothers Nestor and Mike Gannaban, both of Bangad, at present residing at Purok 1, Agbannawag.

Investigation disclosed the victim was on his way to buy barbecue at about 4 p.m. on Dec. 25 when the two brothers suddenly mauled him without any reason. Informed of the incident, police immediately launched a manhunt which led to the arrest of Mike Gannaban.

One Cal. 45 Llama pistol with one magazine and six bullets were confiscated from the suspect who was not able to present supporting documents to possess the firearm. The suspect was found to have a standing warrant for his arrest for murder. He is now detained at Kalinga Provincial Jail while appropriate charges were prepared for filing in court. His brother Nestor has yet to be arrested.

In San Jose, Nueva Ecija, Tuba, Benguet police arrested a certain Joaquin Maoaing Timbong, 45, married, of Banaue, Ifugao and residing at Sitio Palina, Marcos Highway, Taloy Sur, Tuba, Benguet for acts of lasciviousness around 4 a.m. on Dec. 26, 2007 in coordination with San Jose police.

The suspect was arrested at Sitio Flora, Barangay Kita after a warrant for his arrest was issued by judges Marietta Brawner Cauling of the Sablan, Benguet municipal trial court and Marybelle Demot Marinas of the Benguet regional trial court. Bail bonds of P12,000 and P36,000 respectively were recommended for his temporary liberty.

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MORE NEWS, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE

Solon sets P10M for dorm: Mt Prov college students ‘luckiest’ in the country

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Students of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College here could probably be the luckiest college students in the country. Aside from the full scholarship program and the subsidy being provided by provincial and municipal governments for poor but deserving students, Rep Victor S. Dominguez has earmarked an initial P10 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund to jumpstart the construction of a dormitory within the school campus to cater to the lodging needs of the thousands of students from the different areas.

Dominguez is considered the Father of MPSPC as he worked out the establishment of the first State-run higher education institution in this landlocked province in 1992. He said establishment of a school dormitory would allow the students the chance to have conducive learning environment.

Due to expected huge amount to be spent in the construction of the male and female dormitories, the lawmaker said the project will be done in phases as he will get additional funds from other sources to facilitate the completion of the structures in the coming years.

Dominguez also rallied provincial and municipal officials to continue the bayanihan spirit which they have been observing over the past several years for the development of the institution by allotting funds from their own coffers to help in the construction of the dormitories. Several years back, some provincial and municipal officials, together with Dominguez, agreed to pool their resources to construct important facilities for the institution.

Dr Nieves A. Dacyon, MPSPC president, welcomed the development, saying that the construction of more amenities for the students would serve as a plus factor in attracting students to enroll in the institution as well as upgrade its facilities to ensure the delivery of quality education to its enrollees.

She added MPSPC has still a long way to go in terms of upgrading its facilities but the all-out support being shown by national and local officials is a big boost towards attaining such goal in the coming years especially that all roads to the province are undergoing rehabilitation. Dacyon said part of the school savings from the implementation of its resource-generation projects, particularly the full scholarship program which is funded by Dominguez and other local government units, will be used to construct additional structures in the Tadian campus. -- Dexter A. See

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MORE NEWS, NUEVA ECIJA

Pantabangan touted ‘Little Baguio’ to promote tourism
BY LIAM ANACLETO

PANTABANGAN, Nueva Ecija – This mountain town situated 176 km north of Manila – home to the giant Pantabangan Dam and touted by local tourism officials as a miniature version of the country’s summer capital – is being primed as premier tourism destination in the province following the creation by the provincial government of the Pantabangan Eco-tourism Development Committee.

The creation of PEDC was contained in Executive Order 6 issued by Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali, said Mayor Romeo Borja.

Borja, a member of the committee, said the PEDC has been tasked to perform such functions: evaluate all existing tourism programs and create, recommend, implement and supervise viable tourism programs.

Borja said the town has natural sceneries, citing the dams of Pantabangan, Aya, the Masiway as well as the Casecnan Dam which has resorts and facilities that could perk up the domestic tourism industry.

Casecnan Dam is connected to the Pantabangan Dam by a 26-km. underground tunnel which diverts water from the Casecnan and Taang rivers to Pantabangan. The tunnel is considered the longest such tunnel in Asia.

Aside from Borja, the committee is also composed of the mayor of the nearby town of Rizal, the chairman of the tourism committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the regional director of the Department of Tourism in Central Luzon, representatives from the National Irrigation Administration and its Upper Pampanga river Integrated Irrigation Systems (UPRIIS) and the Casecnan Multipurpose Irrigation and Power Project, the FirstGen Hydro-Power Corp., the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the local environment and natural resources office (ENRO) and offices of the provincial government and a media representative.

Emisonia Gante, municipal tourism officer said aside from offering irrigation and hydro-electric powers to Central Luzon, Pantabangan has vast untapped potentials for eco-tourism, citing that the town is a virtual “hidden paradise.”

She added the lake is one of the cleanest lakes not only in the Philippines but throughout Asia. The Dam’s water reservoir, she said, is an inviting place for boating, fishing and other sports activities such as rafting, game fishing, jet skiing, rock climbing, wake boarding and rappelling. Gante said the place has a climate comparable to Baguio and thus, can be called “Little Baguio.” The town also boasts of one of the best hotels in the country – Best View Hotel – where President Arroyo even slept during one of her out-of-town visits.

The town also plays hosts to migratory wild ducks from China during the months of October to February.

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MORE NEWS, NUEVA VIZCAYA

No kidnap-for-ransom gangs in Cagayan Valley, police say
BY JOAN CAPUNA

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – The regional police command denied reports kidnap-for-ransom gangs are operating in Cagayan Valley, saying the purported abduction of a Cagayan-based doctor was actually a case of robbery.

This was contrary to the claims of sources in the Nueva Vizcaya police that the kidnapping of Crescente Delantado of Tuguegarao City last Dec. 14 was the handiwork of a KFR gang operating in the region.

Senior Supt. Rolando Asuncion, head of the regional intelligence and investigation division, said their probe showed Delantado was stopped by armed men while coming from Metro Manila and taken to Pangasinan.

There, Asuncion said the doctor was divested of P2 million and later dumped. His kidnappers fled with his pickup van, which was later found abandoned in front of a clinic and photo shop along the national highway in Solano town.

Asuncion said there had been only one holdup case in the region involving Filipino-Chinese businessman Lawrence Ang who was snatched in front of his gasoline station in Bagabag town last year.

Two Army soldiers were later implicated in Ang’s abduction, one of whom was arrested. Asuncion said information received by intelligence sources was too raw for them to make a conclusion that KFR syndicates now exist in the region.

He said there are no KFR groups in Cagayan Valley, saying what happened to Ang was an isolated case.

Earlier, sources claimed that Metro Manila-based KFR syndicates have come to the region, citing information that Delantado’s family shelled out P10 million for his release.

Intelligence sources claimed a four-man KFR gang operating in Nueva Vizcaya has links with other similar groups elsewhere in Cagayan Valley.

They said they have identified a number of suspects and are now building up dossiers on their activities.


Agriculture grads going back to Cagayan farms
BY RUDY A. FERNANDEZ

Who says agriculture graduates shy away from working on the farms? Not those in Nueva Vizcaya, who are leaving their jobs in cities and other centers of population to make use of their expertise in the province’s Malabing Valley, now the “citrus bowl of the Cagayan Valley.”

This “Philippine migration pattern in reverse” has been brought about by Project Malabing Valley started in 1988 under the then Nueva Vizcaya State Institute of Technology, now Nueva Vizcaya State University, currently headed by a woman president, Dr. Marilou Santos Gilo-Avon.

Then, the Malabing Valley was a sad picture of underdevelopment, with no roads (thus “unreachable”), no electricity, and no potable water system.

Villagers in the remote barangays of Malabing, Binogawan, Wangal, Capisaan, Papaya, and Tadji used to spend days on foot to reach the town of Kasibu. Only six-by-six trucks and weapons carriers could traverse the almost impassable river trails.

The presence of government agencies was almost nil except for the Kasibu municipal service agencies.

All this is past, thanks to Project Malabing Valley, which has transformed this domain of the Bugkalot tribe into the “citrus bowl of Cagayan Valley.”

Since the PMV was started in 1988, several government and non-government agencies have supported research and development activities in the valley.

For instance, the PMV supported the establishment of the Malabing Valley Multi-purpose Cooperative and pushed the development of the citrus industry in the area.

Strategies under AEOP-NVSU included the conduct of barangay development laboratory, creation of people’s organizations or cooperatives, and provision of training to promote potential agricultural commodity projects. In the BDL, an agricultural institution encourages and guides villagers to establish entrepreneurial projects.

Now money virtually grows on fruit trees in the valley, and this is the reason why the younger generations in the region are going back to the farms instead of to the cities.

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MORE NEWS, ILOCOS SUR

Ilocos provs free of bird flu
BY FREDDIE G. LAZARO

VIGAN CITY -- The Dept. of Agriculture has intensified a program for public preparedness and awareness to maintain the bird flu-free status of the four provinces in Ilocos of the dreaded disease.

This developed after a seminar-workshop was held here for members of the Ilocos Sur Provincial Anti-Avian Influenza Task Force in anticipation of a possible outbreak of bird flu with migratory birds as the carrier of the virus.

A similar seminar-workshop was also held in Pangasinan, La Union, and Ilocos Norte. Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias Victor "DV" B. Savellano, chairman of the Ilocos Sur Anti-Avian Influenza Task Force, said there’s a need to prepare the members if the task force as well as the general public for the possible outbreak and spread of the bird flu virus. "Our country remains free from the dreaded highly pathogenic avian influenza virus or bird flu up to this time.

Aside from our continuous vigilance and efforts to keep our nation free from bird flu, we need to step up or double our preparedness and efforts in anticipation of the spread of the disease worldwide," Savellano said. Dr Annie Q. Bares, regional avian influenza coordinator of the Department of Agriculture in Ilocos Region, said during the seminar that the members of the task force were oriented on the monitoring strategies and precautionary measures in case of an outbreak of bird flu in the region.

"This activity is one of the initiatives of the national government in keeping the Philippines bird flu-free. The avian-influenza task force will be institutionally mobilized in case there’s an outbreak of bird flu in the region," she said. "The bird flu disease remains a threat in the region, considering that our country is surrounded by the bird flu-affected countries," she said.

The avian-influenza virus is dreaded because it can infect human. From 2003 to 2007, it was reported that three continents -- Asia, Africa and Europe that consist of 60 countries, were infected by the bird-flu virus. It was also reported that 393 persons were recorded downed by the disease. Out of 393, a total of 210 had died. Some 250 million domesticated birds infected by the bird-flu virus and valued at billion had been condemned and disposed of worldwide.

At present, Bares said, the Philippines is one of only three countries in South East Asia that have not been infected by the bird-flu virus. The other two countries are Brunei and Singapore. Bares said there were 66 recorded species of migratory birds that came to the country during the months of from October to March in 2003-2007.

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EDITORIAL

Baguio, Benguet subdivision scams

Buyers of properties within subdivisions in this mountain resort city and nearby municipalities of Benguet are warned not to be hoodwinked into giving money to developers who do not have the appropriate license to sell from the Housing, Land use Regulatory Board covering their prospective subdivisions. The Northern Philippine Times earlier ran a story on this issue but we don’t mind repeating it as some subdivision developers are still at it and have even been reportedly doing the rounds during the Yuletide Season asking for money from people who want to won a house.

Concerned individuals earlier formally filed before the regional Cordillera Housing Land Use Regulatory Board a letter complaint stating that Vision Heights Realty and Development Corp. are allegedly collecting “commitment fees” for their Villa Lubos subdivision project located at Lower Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet without necessary permits to do so.

Prospective lot buyers in the said subdivision are allegedly being asked to pay so-called “commitment fees” in the amount of P5,000 and P10,000, respectively over a certain area at the Villa Lubos subdivision.

In case of withdrawal, the P10,000 commitment fee is reportedly subjected to a 10 percent surcharge while the P5,000 commitment fee is considered non-refundable. Worst, complainants disclosed that when they decided to withdraw the commitment fees that they paid to the company, they were eventually issued checks amounting to P9,000 which eventually turned out to be drawn against a closed account.

Ironically, the developer allegedly cut down over 30 trees and started earth-moving activities in their subdivision project even without the required tree cutting permit and Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), respectively.

Furthermore, the subdivision project does not have an approved conversion of the land from agricultural to residential which will be issued by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Granting that the developer has pending applications for the issuance of the necessary permits from the concerned government agencies, the complainants emphasized that they are not still authorized to collect fees from their buyers due to the absence of a license to sell from the HLURB.
The developer reportedly intends to build 260 residential units within the four-hectare property and they are still on the process of applying for re-classification from agricultural to residential as well as a development permit with the municipal government.

Hundreds of residents, stakeholders and ancestral land claimants of Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet have opposed to the project saying t would destroy the environment of the barangay especially the Wangal River which had become muddy due to the tons of debris coming from the project site.
Some barangay officials allegedly signed some documents favoring the project but some have signified their intention to withdraw their signatures because they were not fully informed of the consequences of the project and that there signatures were taken from their individual residences instead of the proposal being taken up in a council meeting where the proposal could have been properly discussed.

The petitioners said the subdivision project would have a drastic impact on the environment, economic and social well-being of the community since the property is located at the foot of Mount Aduyen and below it is a creek which is one of the tributaries of the Wangal River.

The petitioners alleged that the sudden increase of population in the area with the subdivision project would hastily deplete whatever little natural resources that the people have been enjoying such as water, fuel among others.

The residents expressed concern over the peace and order situation since the increase of population would surely result to the increase in crimes brought about by the increase in migrants from other places and other tribes.

The community asked the DAR to deny the conversion of the land from agricultural to residential, the municipal government not to approve the re-classification from agricultural to residential and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources not to approve the ECC and the tree cutting permit and the national Commission on Indigenous Peoples to take into consideration the opposition of the indigenous peoples to the project.

However, the residents welcomed the introduction of development in the area if the property would be subdivided into farm lots and be maintained as agricultural land and nature and that the steep portions would remain as forest and open spaces. What are concerned government offices or officials doing about the matter?

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Mastering our own destiny
ALFRED P. DIZON

(I would like to reprint this article by Wilson Lee Flores, an inspirational piece to start the new year.)

Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure - Benjamin Disraeli

Control your destiny or somebody else will- Jack Welch

The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.-William James

It is not the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves-William Shakespeare What do business icons like Richard Branson(who founded Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Group), Charlie R. Schwab (who founded the discount brokerage firm bearing his name), John T. Chambers (who built up global IT giant Cisco), and Paul Orfalea (who founded the World-famous Kinko’s copy chain) have in common?

They are all dyslexic-born with a learning disability for reading and spelling. They never gave up or blamed cruel fate; they overcame the odds and were even featured five years ago in an unforgettable cover story by Fortune magazine.

That fortune story confirms my theory that instead of crisis destroying people, men and women who have been dealt supposedly cruel fates or disadvantaged beginnings can make themselves exceptional successes with a positive attitude and fortitude of character.

Just this month, The New York Times reported that researchers doing a survey found that a “staggering” 35 percent of entrepreneurs in the US have dyslexia, compared to a 2001 study showing that 20 percent of entrepreneurs surveyed in Britain have dyslexia.

Recently during the Christmas holidays, one Southeast Asia’s top rags-to riches billionaires called my cell phone to verify the details of some anecdotes I had shared with him about several immigrant self-made taipans in the Philippines. These taipans were adopted sons and remarkable twists of fate did not derail their magnificent destinies.

One taipan was at dinner with his kids and recounted to them those fascinating anecdotes, perhaps to remind them of the unexpected miracles in life that we should always be thankful for. Our destiny is ultimately in our own hands.

Here are some of my anecdotes on poor, immigrant adopted kids who mastered their destinies to become tycoons: Two taipans of different generations are said to be adopted sons, sold by their poor rural parents in Fujian province, south China, during that era of Western colonial impositions, domestic political corruption and bloody revolutions. They were sold to ordinary families who migrated to the Philippines to struggle for economic opportunities-similar to our modern-day overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) running away from corrupt politics and economic uncertainty.

One taipan, who became famous in the 1960s, was adopted due to his innate intelligence after he and his brothers were tested by each having to carry a big wooden stick horizontally while walking through a door. Only this future Taipan of the 1660s instinctively changed the position of his hold on the wooden stick from the horizontal to vertical, allowing him to pass through the door and be selected by his adoptive parents.

As a kid, this adopted son literally grew up on the streets and had to work hard to gain respectability and success. This saga was recounted to me by my nephew, whose father is my cousin married to the eldest daughter of this famous taipan. This taipan not only brought prestige to his adoptive family at one time he also made himself king of sugar and rice and was the founder of a major bank. Philippine presidents sought his counsel and he was a great civic leader of the Chinese business community.

Another famed modern-day business leader once recounted to me that whenever he didn’t study well as a child, his late father would use a stick to hit his hands so hard they would almost bleed. Since it is an open secret that he is an adopted son, was it possible that his father was stricter in training him than his siblings because the kid wasn’t his own flesh and blood? I have heard many tragic tales parents who don’t have the heart to spank or discipline their kids out of a misplaced sense of love, thus condemning them to become possible future spoiled brats, black sheep or worthless bums.

One of the modern-day rags-to-riches billionaires in the Philippines was reportedly the adopted son of an ordinary couple from Fujian, south China. How come a humble couple ended up buying this boy when in the first place they were not rich themselves? The story goes that the boy’s original parents were so poor in then politically unstable China that the father carried a bamboo pole with a basket holding one boy at each end.

On the road, they met an ordinary couple who said they could afford to buy only one son, and they chose the other boy instead of the future taipan. Now, instead of the father carrying the bamboo pole with two kids, it had to be both his father and mother supporting the bamboo pole from both ends, with their son-the future tycoon- in a basket on the middle of the pole. When they finally bumped into another couple, the desperate parents pleaded with them to buy their son at an even lower price so that he could escape their abject poverty.

That was how this boy was sold to parents who eventually migrated to the Philippines for a life of constant struggle. This ordinary immigrant couple never became rich, both their adopted son imbibed their Confucian ethic and had extraordinary drive to claim his eventual destiny. He studied well, worked hard, saved, did business and became a celebrated success. The most outstanding elder of our clan-a second cousin and close friend of my late grandfather-was born in the late 19th century to a rural couple who was so poor they needed to sell one of their sons in order to survive.

When the Fujian-based kin of our Philippine lumber business clan went to choose, they selected and paid for his brother for adoption. Days later, when the buyers came to fetch the pre-selected kid, he was suffering from loose bowel movement and was too sick, so the embarrassed parents surreptitiously switched kids and brought out the other son.

The serendipitously adopted boy was sold to my grandfather’s first-cousin and his newlywed wife to be their eldest son, automatically becoming a fifth-generation scion or what was then perhaps the most successful lumber business clan in the Philippines founded by my rags-to riches great-great-grandfather DY Han Kia (whose father and grand-uncle had created modest wealth in the Philippines that didn’t last beyond three generations). Dy Kan Kia(whose father own father and grand-uncle had only one son and one daughter from his two wives, so he adopted three other sons-mostly the kids of his brother-perhaps starting our forebears’ “lucky” 19th-and20th –century tradition of buying and adopting sons from hardscrabble parts of rural China to add to our family’s male progeny.

Remarkably, unlike the other usually rich kids of our clan who often fumbled through life aimlessly, habitually ruining their share of the once vast family fortune, this adopted son of my great-granduncle had the uncommon drive of a hungry first-generation immigrant combined with the best Chinese and Western education given by his adoptive parents. His unique entrepreneurial prowess and great character not only helped regenerate our clan’s business fortunes and social prestige, it also made him one of the most legendary activist tycoons and civic leaders of his time in all of Southeast Asia.

It is not true that people are helpless victims of unfair kapalaran or fate, and that others or bad luck are to blame. It is also not true that people only become successful through luck, connections or cheating, despite what many politicians and their cohorts try to do. True success comes from the good luck of hard work, integrity and faith.

As the new year dawns, let us count our blessings, renew ourselves, overcome all challenges or difficulties with invincible positive thinking and be masters of our destiny. Let us work hard, dare to dream, pray and boldly claim our birthright of success!

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BENCHWARMER

Who dug the gold?
RAMON DACAWI

There was this silent, short-lived and unpublished debate in the sports community when Hector Begeo rose to become the only Filipino trackster to break the nine-minute barrier in the gruelling 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Who discovered and honed this Igorot who, in his prime, took the gold in the Southwest Asian Games and the bronze in the Asian Games? His first physical education teacher? His coaches in the “Palarong Pambansa” or in the “Gintong Alay” national training pool?

Nobody really cared to know who and nobody wants to know. Except when you have a compleat trainer and ring strategist the likes of Freddie Roach, that competent and dedicated guy who polished Manny Pacquiao’s rough edges and guided him to world boxing stardom.

No one is interested to know who first saw Pacquiao’s potential with his fists. I’m more interested to know who convinced him to take to the hustings and lose his bid for congressman. Or how many luxury cars he has and what his next action film will be.

Sports scribes recently focused on our medallists in Thailand. We Cordillerans rightfully claimed our own contributed immensely to the Philippine haul in the biennial games. We were there in judo, wushu and – yes - women’s boxing.

Who believed in the promise of these combat artists long before they produced medals? I don’t know. That’s the reason why I’m not sure whether I spelled right the other name of wushu coach and trainer Tony Candelaria, whom I guess is also known as Tsing Tsong Tsai.

What I heard is that this Baguio Boy had a short stint playing a minor “kontrabida” character in Filipino action films. Reel martial art must have affected his brain, enough for him to dream and believe he could pass on his knowledge in wushu to our Cordillera kids who, otherwise, dream of nothing but making it to the PBA in this country of midgets fallen heads-over-heels for basketball.

His looks and name tell you Tony is of Chinese descent. He, however, appears to be an exception to the common perception that all Chinese are good in business. For years, he fought windmills, investing whatever resources he had for wushu. He begged and begged and begged, not for recognition but for support so one more of his wards would make it to the next national or international tournament.

So now we have Olympics–bound wushu champions Marianne Mariano and Benjie Rivera, Asian Games silver medallist Edward Folayang, bronze medallist Daniel Parantac and many more. The list will take up space here.

So now we have Alice Kate Aparri and Jouveliet Chilem, both silver medallists in women’s boxing. Personally, their names ring a bell as I wrote on their victories in an international meet a few years back. That was after another Don Quixote opened the country’s first-ever women’s boxing program here.

Like Candelaria, Dr. Charles Cheng believes the Cordillera youth’s physique is made for combat sports, if not marathon. Like Tony, Doc Charles paid dearly for his dream - and insight – to open a women’s boxing program. It’s an obsession shared by former amateur boxing stand-out Glicerio Catalico, now the girl boxers’ coach.

As a member of the Baguio Centennial Commission, Doc Charles recently launched “Piso Para Sa Manlalaro” a fund drive for Baguio’s current and future athletes. If people would listen and respond we’ll have more judokas coming after SEA Games winners Helen Dawa and Estie Gray Liwanen. These two are the latest in Baguio’s long list of winners in this martial arts that Ben Caguioa, Jorge Borja, the Dino Brothers, Nars Barcelon, Balsoon Cabato, and other adherents had quietly sustained for years.

So who discovered Hector Begeo? The story goes that when Hector was a boy, his father sent him early one morning to the community store in Data, Bauko, Mt. Province for a bag of pandesal. When he learned the baker had ran out of supply, the boy errand boy decided to run to Bontoc town, a half-marathon away.

In a jiffy, Hector was back home before his father’s coffee mug could turn cold. The boy explained why he was dripping wet with sweat. His dad was simply amazed to find the pandesal was still hot, too. What Hector couldn’t’ explain was he had the bag pressed in his armpit on the return home.

Okay, the anecdote is apocryphal. I don’t know who discovered Hector as I never bothered to ask him. It’s a common lapse among sports writers who seldom dig for stories behind how the gold was won. (e-mail: rdacawi@yahoo.com for comments).

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LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Body heat or ‘global warming’ for you
MARCH L. FIANZA

Even with early morning temperatures going down to as low as 8 – 12 deg C in this mountain resort, some people including this space do not feel the cold as some recent events have raised the blood pressure that has kept the body warm – or the head at least.

On Christmas day, Mayor Caesar Rafael was killed by “known” assassin(s). Parts of his body were literally shattered to pieces as the gunman or gunmen made sure that he was dead. Naturally, this incident raised the heat in Paracelis, in Natonin where his daughter is mayor and in many other places where his supporters may be found. That is “global warming” for you.

In India , the extreme cold weather is not felt so much because people there are naturally and extremely hot. This is manifested in the assassination of opposition stalwart Benazir Bhutto that was carried out before the end of 2007, allegedly by “hot” Muslim extremists. That too, is “global warming.”

In our barangay, a number of residents in my neighborhood feel their body temperatures climb everytime they pass by street lights that have not been working for almost a month now. They say that this situation endangers life, limb and property because it attracts would-be “akyat bahay” gangs, hold-uppers and criminal elements who operate in the dark.

Beneco maintenance men who checked the problem early last December said, the thing can not be repaired as it has to be replaced. This is a task assigned under the PUSO of Baguio.

As early as November last year, Beneco GM Gerry Versosa already disseminated to the press a proposed agreement that could have transferred the job of replacing irreparable street lights from the city to Beneco. This could mean a “one-stop shop” and speedier repair and replacement of street lights in the city – if that is approved. Presently, it is taking too long for irreparable street lights to be replaced because the purchase of the needed material is also taking too long.

Unfortunately, City Hall informants said, an official connected to the PUSO is not happy with the proposal because this would definitely affect his purchasing power – whatever that is. This raised body heat among residents affected by the delay in the repair of street lights. But that also raised some eyebrows in City Hall. In Tuba, some municipal officials may yet get early surprises in the Year of the Rat as a case for “grave abuse of authority” is about ready to be filed against them with the Ombudsman. It appears that the officials stopped the proposed Baguio City sanitary landfill at Yagyagan, Tadiangan, Tuba without the benefit of a public consultation. This raised the body heat and blood pressures of their constituents.

Tuba voters said the vested interest of the officials who exchanged gifts and promises last Christmas was the root of the heat. An area below the eastern direction of the Loakan airport runway that is within Virac, Itogon is being eyed as the site for Baguio ’s basura. Watchout Itogon! I am sure my favorite Uncle and board member Ponso Fianza has many things to say about a sanitary landfill to be constructed near their Virac property. Let us pray that the stench will not seep through the municipal council of Itogon. If it does, surely the heat will rise.

But the town which lies by the clean Agno is warm enough and does not need more heat. In Bokod, self-confessed squatters who also admitted to be the ones responsible in hiding illegally cut lumber in two pinewood shanties are scot-free because the DENR seems powerless in going after them. PD705 clearly provides that the government is the complainant in illegal logging activities and has the power to arrest violators even without a warrant -- much more so, because there is already admittance by the offenders.

Failure to apprehend violators on the part of the government’s agents because of flimsy reasons could be interpreted as being “selective in the apprehension of violators.” In last Friday’s PDInquirer, the title of one of the stories goes: “Corruption blamed for deforestation.” That seems to be true if you look at the nation as a whole. If that were also true in Baguio, Bokod or in the Cordillera, then brace yourselves for the effects of global warming. Have your blood pressure checked too. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com

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ALONG THE HIGHWAY

Clark jobs /Firecracker blues
GEORGE TRILLO

BOCAUE, Bulacan – Call it history, but the series of explosions during the Yuletide Season which rocked this town is no laughing matter which could just be ignored to oblivion. Call it luck for the hundreds of people who were not hurt when the explosions started. Coming from different places in Region 3 and Metro Manila to this town particularly at Barangay Turo to buy pyrotechnic products for the New Year revelry, the visitors scampered to safety when the series of explosions started.

A report sent to Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Errol Pan by Senior Supt. Allen B. Bantolo, Bulacan police director, stated no one was reported killed in the explosion, but several persons, including an employee of Channel 7 television network, were hurt and taken to a hospital for treatment. The victims were not immediately identified.

Firemen fought the ensuing blaze, which raged for nearly three hours. Initial police investigation showed that the explosion started in the Malaparan Fireworks store.

An unidentified, smoking firecracker buyer allegedly threw a lighted cigarrette butt which accidentally dropped at the stocks of firecrackers in the store. The blast triggered a series of explosions in the other firecracker and pyrotechnics stalls. The ensuing fire destroyed at least 10 stores. Whew!

Katulad ng nangyari noong taong 2005 na walong kabataan ang namatay ditto sa Bocaue dahil sa pagsabog ng mga tindahan ng paputok sa kabilang lugar ng barangay ding ito; maiiwasan sana ang trahedyang ito kung natuto na ang mga tao at sinunod nila ang lahat ng babala ng health officials at ng ating kapulisan na mahigpit na ipinagbabawal ang paninigarilyo malapit sa mga tindahan ng paputok.
***
The continued confidence of investors in the management of Clark Development Corp. has resulted in an increase in the employment rate in the Clark Special Economic Zone to more than 6,000 new workers during a one-year period from May 2004 to May 2005. History, but this is a gauge that things are going for the better at the former American facility.

In a report submitted to CDC president Antonio R. Ng, the customer service department stated the number of jobs generated in the economic zone was at an all-time high of 34,652 workers as of May 31, 2005. Last year, Clark had only 28,674 of employees hired by 281 locators that have been reporting to CSD on the number of their employees. The CSD said the number of jobs in Clark from 2003 to 2004 was 28,274, up by 6,045 new jobs created in support of President Arroyo’s thrust to generate more employment opportunities for the masses.

Most of the workers hired belonged to the industrial sector inside the economic zone with about 3,715 new workers last year, followed by 1,050 in the tourism sector, and 651 hired in the information technology sector. The steady increase of employment opportunities in the economic zone could be attributed to the hike in investments recorded last year during which 85 new lease agreements were signed. From January to April this year, 30 new lease agreements were signed.

These are expected to provide more employment opportunities to residents of Metro Clark and neighboring towns. The new agreements also brought to P81 billion the amount of committed investments in the economic zone in the next five years. While others have embarked on expansion programs, several firms have geared to create more jobs this year as some 6,000 new employment opportunities are expected to be generated before year-end. Among the firms that are set to expand their operations are Hansa Toys Manufacturing firms, Yokohama Tire Philippines and Cyber City Teleservices Ltd. (CCTL). Cyber City will create some 1,500 job opening for its expansion programs from April to December, this year. More than 500 workers will be hired this year by Yokohama Tire Phils. in Clark, while 1,000 jobs will be opened within the year at Hansa Toys. Epixtar, another call center that will locate in Clark, will hire about 4,000 new workers.

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THE MOUNTAINEER

The best of many worlds
EDISON L. BADDAL

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The association of barangay councils (ABC) presidents and sangguniang kabataan municipal federation (SKMF) presidents have been elected simultaneously nationwide on Dec. 11 and 6, respectively.

By now, those who snared the leaderships in said federations are warming up their seats as ex-officio councilors in the Sangguniang Bayan of the municipality where they were elected. Thereafter, the elected municipal ABC and SKMF presidents likewise elected their provincial federation leaders. The election of the officers of the SK provincial federation was conducted simultaneously nationwide on Dec. 17 while that for the federation of the ABCs was conducted simultaneously nationwide too, in all provinces on Dec. 29. The winners of the presidency for the provincial federation of ABCs, FABC, and the SKPF now sit as provincial board members of the province where their municipality belongs.

Consequently, the latter vacated the presidency of their respective municipal federations where they won earlier as ABC or SKMF president and their respective vice-presidents superseded
them as ex-officio councilors. Here in Mt. Province, the SKPF presidency was won by Hadji Laminta of Tadian on Dec. 17.

His municipal vice-president,James Polawes of Barangay Cagubatan, became the ex-officio councilor of Tadian as Laminta assumed as ex-officio board member. The former first won as SKMF president in said municipality on Dec. 6. For the FABC-Mt. Province, Teddy Lacawsan of Bauko snared the presidency last Dec. 29, thus, he is now an ex-officio board member.

He won earlier as ABC president in Bauko last Dec. 11. Meanwhile, his municipal vice-president, a certain Mr. Sili of barangay Leseb, assumed as ex-officio councilor of said municipality. For a highly urbanized city like Baguio or an independent component city like Davao City and others found in the archipelago which are not under the administrative supervision of a province, the elected ABC and SKMF president is not involved in the election of a FABC president or SKPF president.However, for a component city like Tabuk City which is under the administrative supervision of Kalinga, its winning ABC and SKMF president will participate and likewise be eligible as a candidate for the FABC or SKPF presidency.

By and large, the presidency of the two political organizations are hotly contested and no less than buy-outs, horse trading and backstabbings quintessential of a regular election are not absent. The only difference is that in this electoral contest, the aspirants for leadership in both are limited
to the punong barangays for the ABC and the SK Chairs for the SKMF. So that the case of an elector becoming cozy to both or all aspirants for the municipal or provincial leaderships of the federation is not uncommon.

As instances of hedging or stalling for a higher price is not lacking and so is backroom negotiations, political fence-sitting of the electors being courted is essentially rife with them running like hares and hunting like hounds. One drawback in the SK municipal federation elections is that the parents of the aspirants are involved in the campaign. They are usually the ones who bankroll the candidacy of the latter being a source of family pride, honor and joy.

As a result, recriminations of fraud and deceit abound in the conduct with one party trying to outwit the other in a game of upmanship. Generally, this vitiates the integrity of the SKMF elections. This goes without saying that the contest for the SK federations is nothing less than a proxy war between parents of the contending parties. Ditto at the provincial level wherein the aspirants for the SKPF presidency are likewise financially supported by their parents through enticements of elected SKMF presidents of the component municipalities.

As to the reason why the leaderships in both associations are hotly and aggressively contested, this is because it is a far more manageable means to enter the sanggunian or higher legislative body than aspiring for a regular position for councilor or board member. Also, there is a very limited number of voters to persuade even as it is not comparatively expensive. In some cases, though some candidates do flaunt their buying price to sky high limits if there is a stalwart opponent or if some potential electors tend to be intransigent.

But, all in all, snaring the ABC or the SKMF presidency either at the municipal or provincial level is the shortest, easiest and fastest way to become a councilor or provincial board member.
Another reason is that whereas they are considered ex-officio councilors or provincial board
members owing to their position, they enjoy all the perks, perquisites and fringe benefits that regular members thereof are entitled to. This is due to the fact that in principle, they are equal in status and stature with their regular elected colleagues.

However, for committee chairmanships, the ABC president automatically chairs the barangay
affairs committee at the municipal council as they are the mandatory chair thereof. Ditto in the provincial board for the winning FABC president. In the same vein, the SKMF president
automatically chairs the committee on youth and sports development at the municipal level while the winner of the SKPF presidency also chairs the sports development committee at the provincial board.

Aside from this, they could also chair another regular committee pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991 which provides that an individual member of any legislative council could chair two committees at the most and entitled to membership in a maximum of three. Meanwhile, the SKMF president, SKPF president, municipal ABC president and the FABC president, simultaneously
holds their basic positions in the barangay from whence they were able to attain their municipal
or provincial positions.

The SKMF or SKPF president still retains the SK chairmanship in his barangay. Same is true with the municipal Liga or FABC president who retains the position of Punong Barangay in his barangay. So that aside from enjoying all the perks attendant to being ex-officio councilor or board member, they also enjoy having honoraria from their barangay. This also goes with the enjoyment of other benefits and privileges of barangay officials as enumerated in Sec.393 of the local government code.


These benefits include but are not limited to the following, to wit: free tuition and matriculation fees
in a state college or university for them, free hospitalization in a government hospital, second grade CSC eligibility after termination of term and others. For an SKPF president who is charged with managing the affairs of the SKMF, aside from being an ex-officio Board Member,
he is the SK Chair of his barangay and an ex-officio sangguniang barangay member at the same time.

On the other hand, the SKMF president is likewise charged with taking care of the transactions
of the SKMF while at the same time sits as ex-officio councilor and SK Chair of his barangay and ex-officio barangay kagawad. This runs true with the municipal liga and provincial ABC
president. These multiple positions lodged in one person could be daunting and unsettling what with the multifarious responsibilities albeit relevant concerns.

The Liga president, as required by the Liga constitution and by-laws, should convene the liga at least twice a year or as often as necessary. He is required to attend weekly meetings of the sangguniang bayan or sangguniang panlungsod or sangguniang panlalawigan as the case may be.

On top of it all, he must preside over the meetings of the sangguniang barangay which is at least twice a month. For the SKMF or SKPF president, he should convene the SK in his barangay at least once a month aside from attending meetings of the sanggunian where he is an ex-officio member. As if such humongous responsibilities aren’t enough, a liga and SKMF or SKPF president should attend meetings of local special bodies in the LGU where they are mandatory members like peace and order council, local development council, local health board, local school board and other committees.

One upside of these multiple responsibilities and concerns is that it provides them the opportunity to hobnob with the powers-that-be. It also enhances their socio-economic standing in the community which is nothing to say of charisma and fame especially if they are able to chalk noteworthy achievements. Leandro Yangot of Baguio City, who made history as the only man to be elected as ABC president twice over in 1994 and 1997 then became a vice-mayor, is one glaring example of a successful ABC president.

Hence, it is a facile springboard for a higher position which is another incidental upside of said positions. Having well-nigh all the advantages relevant to such multiple positions, a municipal liga or FABC presidency, SKMF or SKPF presidency undoutedly enables the holders thereof to have the best of many worlds in the local bureaucracy.

However, panning out in discharging the attendant responsibilities is one big question to be
considered. In the long run, it is not the multifarious titles that count but how such titles and/or positions are parlayed for the improvement of the quality of lives of the constituents or service sectors. Thus, while it may be fulfilling to have the best of many worlds, making use of the best therefore for one’s sphere of authority and influence is purely a different matter altogether.

In consonance with the new year, in whatever world you are in, be it one or more, may you have the best that it offers especially the blessings of peace, prosperity, goodwill and love, the greatest of all virtues. A happy new year to one and all!

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RAIN OF FIRE

A GUMIL convention
CESAR G. BONILLA

LAOAG CITY -- Seemingly harmless small pellets which create sparks and smoke when children step on them, they are a mixture of harmful components. For yellow phosphorus, potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate and trinitrotoluene are quite dangerous to human beings. The antidote for watusi poisoning is not commonly found in drugstores and clinics and has to be imported as it is not available nationwide.

Hence, children accidentally swallowing watusi, even if brought to an emergency clinic, cannot be treated for lack of rare antidote. But despite several warnings regarding the danger of firecrackers and its bad implication to one’s health, children and parents continue to ignore and disregard advice of authorities. The smoke and burning chemicals are in themselves pollutants, but what caused danger is the fact that they have been causes of poisoning and have been used by children or adults to commit suicide through ingestion.

It is proper that the campaign to use non-dangerous noise makers instead of fire crackers, watusis, and other explosive toys used for celebrating the season and the advent of the New Year is warranted. We have to wean our children and some of our adults away from these instruments of merrymaking for safer-ones, for watusis are deadly when accidentally swallowed and firecrackers cause serious damage to limbs when lighted and used.

Our national hero, Dr Jose P. Rizal, in his visits to Hong Kong had observed the boisterous celebration of the Chinese New Year with the use of firecrackers to ward off demons and propel themselves to prosperity. This belief by the Chinese people and its own significance for the rising of miracles and fortune in the Crown Colony of Great Britain on the South China coast is part of their culture but then accidents do happen when firecrackers are lighted. In the Philippines, we must pray for peace and prosperity for the coming year 2008.

When almost everything is going bananas, our consolation is that, our faith in our Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, is a constant motivation in improving our shaky existence. Let us bring light to this land through sacrifice. A blessed New Year to all of us! ###
The GUMIL-Ilocos Norte Convention and Christmas program was a successful affair for the national president of Gunglo dagiti Mannurat nga Ilocano (GUMIL) in the person of Department of Interior and Local Government Provincial Director of Isabela Baldovino Valdez delighted the attending delegates with his friendly equivocation of the mission and important role of writers in today’s society. He arrived earlier than expected for someone who will come as a guest speaker.
Provincial Education District Supervisor Rosario Bingayen, the secretary of GUMIL-Ilocos Norte, pleasantly toured the president and his fellow writers at the Marcos Museum and Mausoleum. In his speech, GUMIL-Filipinas President Valdez said faith without action may ruin one’s hope and dreams. He said the God-given talents of Ilocanos like the writers should be harnessed for reformation of society. He said the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos transformed his faith and idealism into action and this could be a good example to all aspiring writers.

He also lectured on poetry writing together with his fellow giants in the field of Ilocano literature like Joel Manuel who lectured on short story writing, Ben Pacris (PIA-Ilocos Sur) who lectured on feature story writing and Efren Inocencio who talked on writing humorous stories.
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I would like to give due recognition to the honorable principal of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in the person of Merlin L. Rabanal for his friendliness and generosity. Truly, this educator is great, an excellent academician. GUMIL-Ilocos Norte president Elizabeth M. Raquel conceived the idea of having this wonderful occasion to promote unity and better camaraderie among the young blood and veteran Ilocano writers. With the presence of well-known leader Dr Francesca Caluya, a former member of Sangguniang Bayan of Batac, and veteran writer and novelist Marlyn Tolentino among other GUMIL officers and members, this endeavor to propagate talents of Ilocano writers would last.
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Justice in our times is oftentimes an elusive dream because of conflicting forces in our society. How many persons have been killed and murdered and yet their families and relatives are still hoping for justice to come despite difficulties displayed by investigating authorities in resolving the crime? We should not blame the government or the police all the time for the slow-paced dispensation of justice but rather, the apathy and indifference of citizens against injustice. Why is it that man can barter his place in God’s kingdom with material exchange akin to that of lucifer or the devil who rebelled against God? Would it be possible for a leader or a powerful demagogue to lead without conscience or morality?

A peaceful society is always made up of civilized inhabitants. We abhor cruelty and barbarism as a means to keep Machiavellian despotism and control. Even the most hardened criminal cannot be executed without the benefit of due process and judicial trial to ensure that justice must be served. Ignorance and poverty are no excuses in doing illegal acts. Police intelligence networks should be intensified. A hotline for crime prevention must be installed in different places for vigilant citizens to report crime but police and military should also be disciplined.

Different public and private offices must have at least one security guard from credible security agency complete with metal detector and high-caliber licensed firearms. The installation of hidden cameras though expensive must be encouraged to identify people who come inside offices. Money can buy everything except the sacred life given by God. To disregard the Ten Commandments is equivalent to self-destruction, a ticket to eternal damnation.

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BULLS HIT

New Baguio ABC officials/ Paputok
RUDY GARCIA

Would this year 2008 be better for us pinoys? Would we feel the value of a strong peso? Last year, those sipsip people to Malacanang who pretended to be good economists claimed that we have already reached a stable strong peso and a better economy. Now, who believes them? You see, I myself cannot feel the value of the peso.

With four 500 peso bills in my wallet or a cool two thousand pesos, I went to a nearby grocery just across from my rented apartment along Kayang Street to buy for my family salo salo for New Years Eve. I had with me a list of what to buy, but upon looking at the prices, I knew I had to make some squeezing to come up with the budget I had on hand. Lucky, I was able to buy one piece each of hamon de bola and keso de bola which are my some of my favorites. If not then, I may have had to suffer the sharp stares of my son, like my body would melt like an ice as the year 2008 began.
You see, with that amount, you cannot even buy enough to fill your stomach on that special occasion. What with those prices that keep on going up like sky rockets by the second. We spend twice the amount of what we earn. Without any increase of income, how could these clowns at Malacanang say that we had a better economy and strong peso last year? Any ordinary Juan Dela Cruz like me will just shrug his shoulders and say agbibinnola tayo manen.

Well, I just hope that this year will be different, a better living condition for every Juan Dela Cruz and a better Baguio. Belated Happy New Year!
***
My congratulations goes to those lucky elected officials of the Liga ng mga barangay in Baguio City . The election was held last Dec. 29 at the Baguio multi purpose hall. Kudos also to the Department of Interior and Local Government for making the election clean, peaceful, fair and in order.

Proclaimed as new set of officers were: Joel Alangsab as president, Eva Marie Fianza, vice president and Carlos Asiatico as auditor. Elected board of directors were (arranged according to their votes) Virgilio Orca, Rocky Aliping, William Domogen, Benjamin Macadangdang, Michael Perez, Romualdo Ulatan Sr. Peter Busaing and Marvin Binay-an.

Just a little message to this new set of officers especially to its president elect who will be joining the city council: they should follow what they have sworn to do, follow the rules, laws, perform duties and responsibilities without any fear or favor, serve the people without reservations or unreasonable positions, no more of those too much politics.

Don’t let yourself be used by anyone for his or her personal interest, do good and good things will come to you in return. Never do undesirable acts for I have my bubwits who are just around the corner watching. Don’t do things that could be hazardous to your personal and political career, pray to our God Almighty that he will bless and guide you always in your undertakings as a leader. ***
WE don’t know if regional police officials know what their men are doing like what they did during the operation and seizure of firecrackers or pyrotechnics at prohibited trading areas in Baguio City particularly at the City Market Area last Dec. 30 and 31? Cops confiscated even firecrackers kept for personal use. I saw one in civilian clothes search the personal box of one of the vendors kept inside a bundle of clothes and get the little box with small rockets inside. The vendor said the small rockets were for their family use on the New Year’s eve the reason it was kept and was not displayed, However, that hulidap cop made a killing out of this vendor. I came to know later that the man is one among the operatives of a certain Coronel Franco at Camp Dangwa!

This was also in the same fashion that Insp. Mariano of the Baguio City Police special operations group did the confiscation and seizure of firecrackers and similar kinds at some prohibited trade areas in Baguio City last Dec. 30. Last Dec. 31, the city police SWAT team also did the same.
It is interesting to know however where all the confiscated items were taken. Maybe, the good Mayor Peter Rey Bautista, BCPO director Senior Supt. Moises Guevarra and regional police director Chief Supt. Eugene Martin could join hands in checking those items that were confiscated by the police. This is to erase from the minds of the public that those confiscated items were not recycled and the operation of the police was not hulidap. How about it your honors?

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PITCHING IN

Remembering Mainit
GLORIA A. TUAZON

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Mainit is a little known town located atop a mountain, about forty five minutes uphill drive from Poblacion. It is still under the coverage area of this capital town, passing Barangay Guinaang along the way. Riding with the men “top load” on a passenger jeepney, the dot that is Mainit town starts to materialize as Poblacion becomes a vast panorama. The way uphill is stretched in alternating asphalt or concrete to dirt roads.

But all the way up it was beautiful, the roads lined up with pine and shrubs and above us were birds swirling and enjoying the warm sun and light drizzle, like tiny gliders roaming the skies. We picked up school children hitching for rides along the way, and they crammed inside the already fully-packed vehicle, some sitting on welcoming laps or on safe baggages neatly bundled in the middle aisle.

A few minutes and the village started to widen before us and we stopped in awe looking up at the misty mountains, rising white smokes sprouting every which way. They seem to rise out of nothing. Spewing like an eerie omen from half asleep giants under the scorching volcanic grounds. From where we were, the landscape was a patchwork of green rice fields, sugarcane or corn plantations and thatched or plain GI sheet homes. It all looked so simple and remote. Yet something was driving me to hyper curiosity again.

The smell of the stark white columns of sulphuric gas emissions wafts through the air with the occasional gusts of wind, filling my lungs. Looking around I noticed that the village is indeed uncomplicated, like nothing changed much since their grandparents roamed the land. There were only a few improved houses made from concrete.

Along the dirt, narrow pathway to the lodging place was a diminutive store with few merchandise. And then before us was part of the river originating from further uphill. This is now the famed hot-water river of Mainit. Like the smoking tip of a newly fired gun, steaming hot that it could scald an animal in slaughter. Now in the early evening it hisses with the reddish-orange sun diving below the horizon to the west.

People came by, passing us with curious glances. Noticing that most of them have this distinct facial feature, almost angular that their faces come out really sharp. Most chins tapered and their cheekbones were pronounced. Scientist say the people of a land adapt to their habitat, so maybe it has to do with their kind of living and their lineage too. They speak almost the same language as the other Bontoc tribes except from the distinction in diction and pronunciation. They speak with a certain sway, creating unexpected stops at the throat. Mainit as the name implies is a hot place during daytime, but night time is a different story.

It is furiously cold that it seeps through the skin at dawn. So for convenience’ sake and to make the most of what they have each household sourced out hot water and hosed it to their residences, providing them with a steady supply of hot, bathing and washing water. Five in the morning woke me up to the noise of livestock calling out their morning rituals for sustenance. All around was this thick wash of white fog and wet mist, surrounding everything.

It reminded me of Jack the Ripper prowling the streets of London hunting for preys, or of wolves silently appearing from the mists and clawing at unsuspecting victims. These hours, the people would slowly start clanging out pots and kettles to start the day, feed the livestock and head out to the fields or workplaces. Agriculture is the main livelihood in Mainit, tourism having died or to say it bluntly not much supported or sustained. The inhabitants here believed though that it may not be a very good idea to promote the place much, for reasons of destruction of nature and tranquility.

The land indeed thrived for generations as it was, raw and vivid as the faces of its inhabitants. This hilltop village that housed a hundred geysers and hot springs with a background of an almost virgin forest. All green in the canopy of very old trees, covering stretches of mosses and ferns, of exotic orchids hanging from trees and rooting from the moist forest floor. I heard there were a few remaining deer and a lot of birds in different species. I heard too of gold being mined once upon a time but the people had to make the effort to stop it lest it would drive everybody crazy.

Mining these hilltop village would crumble the mountain and the surrounding villages down below would sustain irreparable damages should this happen. To this day, the mining equipments and the once upon a time mill stays a relic, a reminder to everybody that life is more important than a few years of fame and fortune. The main attraction of this place though are the hot springs. From the topmost hill are located the biggest geysers. They are situated along the river line that flows down below. The hilltop is of limestone, a combination of dark and yellowish to almost white consistency. And like an amateur explorer I conclude that this place must have been covered with water eons ago. For the rocks were embedded with fossilized shells.

That perhaps the ocean once owned these territories and gradually dried up in time. Or that through time with the movement of the earth and the rocks down below, the water subsided and went other ways. These cracks and fissures created by the tectonic movements of the earth made way for other minerals to seep through, channeling forces like these sulphuric emissions to come about in Mainit. People here talk of the time Mount Pinatubo erupted and a little amount of dark, foul gas spewed from these crevices and water fountains. So maybe they are all interconnected, the force so great that it reached all the way up to this remote, quiet village. So much wonder in this place, so much mystery. So much untapped beauty that sometimes I agree with the people here that some things are better left untouched.

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