MORE NEWS, ILOCOS NORTE

Farmer, boy drown in Ilocos rivers

LAOAG CITY — A five-year-old boy drowned July 21 near a creek in Barangay Zamboanga, this city. Maria Nuñez said her son, Michael, probably wandered until he reached a narrow bridge.

While playing, he might have fallen into the water, she said.

Barangay Chairman Moises Saladino said his tanods scoured the creek and they found the victim’s body deep in the mud.

The victim’s parents hail from Metro Manila, but are now temporarily residing in Barangay Zamboanga here.

In Pasuquin town in the province, a 69-year-old farmer also drowned noon on July 27 while trying to cross a swollen river in Barangay Pragata, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte. At that time, typhoon "Igme" was lashing the province.

Barangay Captain Artemio Licuan said the victim, identified as Loreto Vidad, was herding his farm animals across the river when strong water current swept him away.
His body was fished out Tuesday off Barangay Naglicuan, Pasuquin town.

Meanwhile, in Piddig, Ilocos Norte, carpenter Jimmy Biyena was reported missing July 28 after he failed to cross the Abucay River, the provincial disaster coordinating council said.

The PDCC, chaired by Gov. Michael Keon, also reported that a baby tornado knocked down six houses in Barangay Tartarabang, Pinili, Ilocos Norte.

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MORE NEWS, PAMPANGA

Transport strikes nearly paralyze Central Luzon

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A transport group reported that Central Luzon, except Nueva Ecija and Aurora, were almost totally paralyzed by a transport strike timed July 28 with the President’s state-of-the-nation address.

Despite heavy rains that flooded parts of Angeles City, President Arroyo’s cabalens marched through the city’s streets in a rally protesting “worst poverty” under the Arroyo administration.

“We had never been this poor nor had life been th
is difficult,” said Jay Tolentino, chairman of the Angeles City People’s Alliance. Rolando Catanghal, spokesperson of the Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators sa Pilipinas (STOP) in Central Luzon, told The Star that as of noontime yesterday, 90 percent of public utility vehicles in Bataan and Zambales were garaged.

He also said that 90 percent of PUVs also did not ply their regular routes in Pangasinan, which is part of the Ilocos region.

This was confirmed by Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Errol Pan who estimated that from 70 to 90 percent of PUVs in his region participated in the transport strike which he described as “devoid of politics”.

“They (PUV operators and drivers) just wanted to manifest their hardships amid the rise in cost of fuel,” he said in an interview.

However, the planned transport strike in Bulacan fizzled out yesterday with the intervention of key political leaders.

Tony Mariano, one of the leaders of the Bulacan Jeepney Transport Association said the protest was called off after Gov. Joselito Mendoza talked with transport leader Danilo Ignacio.

Other transport leaders like June Medina confirmed the same, but Ignacio was nowhere to be found and have not returned calls and text messages to his cellular phones.

“Nakahihinayang, matagal din naming pinlano ito, pero di naman natuloy,” said Mariano who also was besieged by questions from his fellow drivers on what happened.

He said that after meeting with members of the media, on July 26, Ignacio went to meet some police officers and later Mendoza.

“Hindi naming alam kung ano ang napag-usapan, basta nakatanggap na lang kami ng text message sa kanya,” Mariano said.

Ignacio’s alleged text message which was received by Mariano reads,” Biyahe tayo bukas. Nakakahiya kay Gob. nasabay kay Gloria.” – DC


Task force formed to hunt Koreans’ killers
By George Trillo

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – Task Force Beak was formed by police to go after the killers of three Korean nationals who were allegedly raped and stabbed dead on Juily 27 in their residence at Iram Resettlement area in Barangay Cabalan, Olongapo City.
Senior Supt. Abelardo Villacorta, Olongapo City police director, said the task force is now investigating one of the suspects (name withheld) who was allegedly responsible in the killing of the three foreigners.

“Hopefully we will solve the case soonest,” said Villacorta.

That day, Chang Suk, 54; his daughter, Yo Sun, 35; and Sun’s daughter Hanuel Beak, 10; were found dead inside their bedroom with stab wounds on their heads.

Yo Sun and her daughter were allegedly raped by the suspects before they were killed. Both of them were naked when found by policemen.

Villacorta said initial investigation showed the suspects entered through the backdoor of the victims’ house by removing the air-conditioning unit which was covered only by plywood.

Once inside, the suspects immediately proceeded to the bedroom of the victims, he said.

The suspects took undetermined cash from the bedroom of the victims before they escaped to unknown direction.


P1.2-M reward set for ADD leader’s killer

SAN SIMON, Pampanga -- The reward money put up by sympathizers, friends and supporters of Ang Dating Daan leader Marcos Mataro who was brutally murdered in broad daylight at the North Luzon Expressway has been raised to P1.2 million.

In a statement, ADD members said they have to raise the reward as they appeal anew for a speedy resolution of the case.

Mataro, who hosted UNTV DX-Men, was shot by two armed men near the San Simon, Pampanga NLEX exit.

The suspects reportedly boarded a bus after their getaway motorcycle got stalled.

Police probers traced the ownership of the motorcycle to a certain Nickson Icao, who in turn lent the motorcycle to one Felizardo Lumaghan.

The Philippine National Police’s Task Group Mataro in Region 3 has launched a manhunt against the killers. Nestor Etolle Icao and Lumaghan reportedly failed to attend the preliminary hearing of the case before assistant prosecutor Felizardo de Guzman on July 15. – George Trillo

Former Pampanga town mayor shot dead in car CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga – A former mayor of Apalit, Pampanga was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding men along the national highway in Calumpit, Bulacan Thursday afternoon.

Senior Supt.Allen Bantolo, Bulacan police director, said Tirso Lacanilao, a former three-term mayor of Apalit town, was on his way home on board a Mitsubishi Galant driven by Armando de Moral when he was ambushed in Barangay Poblacion.

Lacanilao sustained gunshot wounds in the head. His driver, who was unhurt, rushed him to the San Cruz Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Police recovered several spent 9-mm shells at the ambush scene. Three years ago, Lacanilao’s son was also gunned down while on his way home in Apalit. – George Trillo

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MORE NEWS, AURORA

Sen. Angara proposes creation of new region
BALER, Aurora – Sen. Edgardo Angara has bared plans of creating a new region that would include Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and this province into what will be known as the North East Pacific Region, distinct from Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley.

Angara told reporters at the Aurora State College of Technology during the inauguration of the University of the Philippines School of Health Sciences here late last month he had broached the idea of the new region to Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Ma. Luisa Cuaresma and Rep. Carlos Padilla, who both expressed support for it.

“They support it because it’s an idea that makes sense,” he said.

Padilla confirmed that he and Cuaresma are backing up the proposed region. “Maybe we will talk with Sen. Angara on the possibility of filing a bill on this or not,” he said..

For her part, the senator’s younger sister, Aurora Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, said she has yet to discuss the issue with her brother.

Angara said he hopes that Isabela, through the leadership of Gov. Grace Padaca, would also support the proposal, which would carve out southern Isabela from Palanan down to the boundary of Aurora as part of the NEPR.

Angara said Quirino was included in the proposed region because it is inaccessible and in fact, more accessible to Aurora with Cabarroguis town just less than an hour away from this province. On the other hand, Bayambang in Nueva Vizcaya is just two hours away from Aurora.

He said they will hold consultations in the four provinces as part of an information drive for the proposed NEPR.

Angara said the four provinces proposed to be grouped under the NEPR are located in a wilderness area bordering the Pacific Ocean.

He said the proposed region hosts the two biggest water sources, the Casecnan Dam and the Umiray River, which supply water to the Pantabangan and Angat dams. The area, he said, also boasts of the two largest mountain ranges in the country – the Sierra Madre and Caraballo.

“If you notice, we have many things in common – we are rich in water resources, timber, fish and marine resources. We will make for a very cohesive and compatible region,” he said.

He added that the four provinces can have a common infrastructure, intermodal transport, school district and health program.

Angara said the four provinces already have a common health program through the establishment of the UPSHS, which would service students from these areas.

He said the school has enlisted 35 scholars from the province, 15 in Nueva Vizcaya, eight in Isabela, and one in Nueva Ecija.

The senator from Baler said the creation of the new region will have to be made through an act of Congress and is tailor-made for a federal system of government.

“If we go federal, this is perfect. Para kang State of Nevada (You are like the State of Nevada),” he said.

Under the present set-up, Quirino, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya belong to Region 2 (Cagayan Valley) while this province is part of Central Luzon. Aurora used to be under the Southern Tagalog region but President Arroyo transferred it to Central Luzon reportedly to fast-track its development. -- MG

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MORE NEWS, NUEVA ECIJA

109 leaders bolt N. Ecija party; join Lakas-CMD
By Liam Anacleto

GAPAN CITY — One-hundred-nine political leaders, including this city’s vice mayor, six councilors and 103 village officials, 13 of them barangay chairmen, have bolted the Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane) and joined the Lakas-CMD in a move that rocked the city’s political groups.

Lakas-CMD provincial chairman Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio M. Umali, whom the officials took their oath of affiliation, described the mass transfer as a healthy sign that Novo Ecijanos really want a change in the political setup that is blamed for the lethargic situation of the province.

The leaders of the mass change of political affiliation formerly belonged to Balane, the province’s major political party chaired by former vice governor Mariano "Boyet" Joson.

It was learned that Gapan Mayor Ernesto Natividad, an original Lakas-CMD member, may yet join the party hoppers in early August. Thirteen of the 23 barangay chairmen here changed their party affiliation.

The city council here is now composed of five Lakas members and five Balane members with the presiding chairman, Vice Mayor Christian Tinio now a Lakas-CMD stalwart.

The reason for the political exodus is the alleged "lack of concern of the original party leaders for the welfare of their constituents that contributed to erosion of their bailiwicks."

The highest leader of the group is Vice Mayor Tinio. The five councilors now with Lakas-CMD are Eliser Padiernos, Amang Alvarez, Diomy Matias, Joe Mendoza, and Orlan Oanes.

The affiliation ceremony which was held in the compound of the house of Vice Mayor Tinio on Maharlika Highway in Barangay Bayanihan here was witnessed by Board Members Teresita Patiag, Zaldy Matias, and Edmond R. Abesamis and Lakas-CMD party secretary Gay GP Padiernos and former vice governor Oscar Tinio.

Barangay San Nicolas Chairman Rodel Matias, vice president of the Gapan’s League of Barangay Chairmen, voiced his group’s sentiment that they chose to join Umali who was described as "yung nagmamahal sa mga bayan, yung nagmamahal sa mga mamamayan."

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Arroyo vows to ‘wipe out rebels’ by 2010

TUGUEGARAO CITY – President Arroyo said here Thursday she was “determined to wipe out the communist insurgency” before her term ends in 2010. “Nolcom (Northern Luzon Command) must wipe out the armed rebels by 2010 in order to bring the country into the first world,” Ms Arroyo told Maj. Gen. Isagani Cachuela, commanding general of the military forces in northern Luzon.

“To the rebels, we’ll response in kind,” she said, as she congratulated Cachuela and his men for reducing NPA strength in their jurisdiction to only 500 armed fighters.

Ms Arroyo also asked the ordinary folk, especially farmers and small-time merchants, to stop giving support to the rebels in terms of “revolutionary taxes.”

“Peace and security will only come when the rebels are totally wiped out,” she said.

“Put away quarrels since the elections are still too far away,” she said. “In the meantime, let us focus on wiping out the armed rebels so we can bring our country to the first world.”

The President spoke before 400 participants in the two-day Peace and Security Assembly held by the National Security Council at the Hotel Roma here.

The participants represented various sectors in Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

The participants, in a resolution presented to the President, vowed to work closely with the national government to address the need for infrastructure and transportation facilities that will connect the region’s provinces to provide access and further boost economic development.

They also pledged to contribute to the government’s thrust on food security and be partners in delivering social services. In her speech, Ms Arroyo also called on Cagayan Valley’s political leaders to set aside their differences and work instead for the further development of what she described as the country’s fastest rising super-region.

“I call on our political leaders to set aside their differences and work for the common good, especially since election time is still far off,” the President said in the vernacular.

The President’s appeal came in the wake of reports by the police on the lower crime rate in the region, and that many of the crimes were allegedly politically motivated.

“I therefore congratulate the PNP (Philippine National Police) in the region led by (Cagayan Valley police director Chief Superintendent) General (Roberto) Damian for the improving crime rate in Cagayan Valley,” she said.

The President was in this region’s government center to address members of the local peace and security assembly. Local officials led by Cagayan Gov. Alvaro Antonio welcomed her. In her speech, the President cited the gains of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), especially in job generation.

Ms Arroyo disclosed that numerous foreign investors have signified their intention to do business in the eco-zone.

She also pushed for the establishment of an international airport here to cater to the growing business opportunities.

The President stressed the role of the region as the nation’s food basket, as it leads in corn production and is second in terms of rice production. Cagayan Valley farmers, she said, saved the day for the country during the height of the rice crisis. In turn, she vowed that her administration would concentrate most of its financial resources in the region, especially in Isabela, but made sure that other regions will not be neglected.

Mrs. Arroyo also cited the importance of peace and security in the region. Earlier in the day, the President and her entourage went to Flora, Apayao for the launching of feeding and seed production programs of the departments of education and agriculture. – With a report from CL

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MORE NEWS, LA UNION

DPWH official appointed LU chief
By Jerry Padilla

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union -- Department of Public Works and Highways Region I Assistant Director Edilberto Carabbacan has been appointed head of the La Union 2nd Engineering District Office in the absence of the district engineer. Assistant Regional Director Carabbacan reported to the district office based in Naguilian, La Union to perform the duties and responsibilities of the district engineer.
Carabbacan said one of his priorities is the maintenance of the national road in the district.

He said his district is now undertaking maintenance work such as patching of potholes and doing improvement work on the shoulders of the national highway starting from Rosario to Bauang, both in La Union.

He instructed his maintenance crew to repair the rutted road to bring comfort and convenience to the travelling public.

"I am ordering a close monitoring of the condition of the national road under my district and to do repairs immediately," he said.

Carabbacan asked all employees of the district to give their full support for the efforts to keep the national highway in tip-top condition.

"The concern of every employee is very important in the fulfillment of our mission in all the programs and projects we are implementing," he said.

He vowed to pursue effective maintenance of the highway for the convenience of motorists with the support of the employees. "We all work together as one family and I’m very thankful for the cooperation I gain from them," he said

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Editorial

Close watch, transparency needed on P3.5-B forest fund

The implementation of projects to be funded with the P3.5-billion reforestation fund promised by President Arroyo in her eighth State-of-the-Nation Address should be strictly monitored to ensure that the appropriation will be properly utilized.

Environment and agriculture stakeholders in the Cordillera have observed that billions of pesos set aside as reforestation funds in the past were mishandled by concerned government agencies. As a result, they said, most of the country’s forests and watersheds are now in bad shape.

The President announced the availability of P2 billion for reforestation projects and P1.5 billion for agro-forestry undertakings. These amounts are expected to revitalize the devastated forests and provide additional sources of livelihood for farmers.

However, the stakeholders in the region said the funds should be handled by two or more agencies and should be spent in accordance with a sustainable inter-agency program for the reforestation of watersheds in different parts of the country.

In the Cordillera, the Regional Development Council and the National Irrigation Administration have been advocating for watershed rehabilitation and management because of the alarming condition of Cordillera mountain ranges which are being exploited by unscrupulous individuals.

If the Cordillera RDC wants to have a piece of the pie, it should also advocate transparency and judicious use of the funds. As of this time, the RDC hasn’t yet reported or made an accounting to the public how it made use of the P15 million fund for information purposes in pushing regional autonomy.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

A priceless lesson
ALFRED P. DIZON

Despite the hardship hounding us due plummeting oil prices, government “mismanagement” and “corruption,” there is still hope we can still rise as individuals above adversity and issues that discourage us. Below is an inspirational story sent to our email. Read it. It could change your life:

Years ago, my friend, Harvey Mackay, told me a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point. He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: “I’m Wally, your driver. While I’m loading your bags in the trunk I’d like you to read my mission statement.”
***
Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally’s Mission Statement: “To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.” This blew Harvey away, especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, “Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.”

My friend said jokingly, “No, I’d prefer a soft drink.” Wally smiled and said, “No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.” Almost stuttering, Harvey said, “I’ll take a Diet Coke.” Handing him his drink, Wally said, “If you’d like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.”
***
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. “These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you’d like to listen to the radio.” And as if that weren’t enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he’d be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts. ”Tell me, Wally,” my amazed friend asked the driver, “have you always served customers like this?”

Wally smiled into the rearview mirror. “No, not always. In fact, it’s only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.
***
He had just written a book called You’ll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you’ll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, ‘Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don’t be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.’”

”That hit me right between the eyes,” said Wally. “Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.”

”I take it that has paid off for you,” Harvey said.
***
“It sure has,” Wally replied. “My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I’ll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today. I don’t sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can’t pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.”

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I’ve probably told that story to more than 50 cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn’t do any of what I was suggesting.
***
There are a lot of success stories of people who persevered until they attained what they wanted in life – a college degree, good job, thriving business or a happy family. The valuable lesson of the cab driver’s winning attitude and superior business approach is a valid point made in this story.

One succeeds when one rises above the issues that tend to overwhelm us. In both personal and national endeavors, this lesson can determine success or failure. The Vietnamese did it against the arms and size of the US armed forces in fighting their nationalist war with the US and they won.

Like Wally, the cab driver, we could make a different choice by deciding to stop quacking like ducks and instead start soaring like eagles. Instead of writing, maybe, I will become a cab driver for a change. Who knows, I’ll hit it big this time.

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PERRYSCOPE

Gloria's Sona-ta
PERRY DIAZ

As expected, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July 28, 2008, was like a sonata composed and arranged to entertain the audience. And on cue, the audience -- a majority of whom were her political supporters and their dressed-to-kill- or-to-impress spouses -- applauded her.

But what else could she have done? The last thing that she would do is to admit that the "Sick Man of Asia" is in the throes of economic breakdown. Gloria started her Sona-ta by saying that the world economy has turned upside down and blamed the Philippines' economic woes on a "global crisis where everyone is a victim."

However, with a display of bravura, she declared, "we prepared for it." And then she said, "For the guts not to flinch (referring to herself) in the face of tough choices, I thank God. For the wisdom (again referring to herself) to recognize how needed you are, I thank you, Congress. For the footing of the bill, I thank the taxpayers."

Indeed, Gloria has made tough choices that ran counter to sound economic strategies. Indeed, Gloria needed Congress to trash any impeachment petition to keep her in power. Indeed, Gloria has a lot to thank the taxpayers for footing the excessive --and unnecessary -- government spending that only fed the greed of corrupt officials.

One of the most controversial issues that has been hounding Gloria is Value Added Tax (VAT). It is causing an uproar from all sectors, particularly the poor and the middle class. The 12% VAT has placed a heavy burden on the poor and the middle class; whereas the rich and the upper class would not feel the pinch of paying additional 12% on their purchases.

Gloria's insistence that she needed the windfall from VAT to feed the poor is an easy way out of a complex situation. Basically, she's robbing the poor to feed the poor. Well, not exactly but I think you'll get my drift.

Gloria's economic policies are predicated on generating revenues without creating new industries and new jobs. She'd rather see Filipinos go to work abroad so they can earn money to send to their families to spend which would increase "personal consumption expenditures"; thus, improving the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as its Gross National Product (GNP). It is not uncommon to see professionals and college graduates go abroad to take low-paying jobs.

She then boasted: "Just a few months ago, we ended 2007 with the strongest economic growth in a generation. Inflation was low, the peso strong and a million new jobs were created. We are all looking to a better, brighter future." Well, in just seven months since that economic surge, all of the things that Gloria bragged about are gone. Today, we have double-digit inflation, rising unemployment, and weakening peso. Poverty is spreading like a plague and hunger has become endemic.

Seven out of 10 families cannot afford to buy food and pay for their electric and water bills. "Pagpag" -- scavenged food from the garbage dump -- is the only way for the poorest of the poor to stay alive. And contrary to Gloria's claim that "polls show self-rated poverty down to its 20-year low in 2007," polls have shown that poverty has actually increased since 2003.

What is apparent in Gloria's Sona-ta was that she failed to state the true state of the nation. She made a lot of promises but that is not what Sona is all about. Sona is a report of the current economic and political state of the nation. She highlighted the successes of a few individuals. That's like picking a few healthy green trees in a forest that's turning deathly brown.

On the issue of corruption, Gloria said: "More advanced corruption practices require commensurate advances in legislative responses. Colleagues in Congress, we need a more stringent Anti-Graft Act." She has been talking about this for several years now. In 2004, she expressed optimism that corruption in government will be weeded out in less than seven years. Well, she has already passed the half-way mark and corruption today is at its worst since she ascended into office in 2001.

Recent polls showed her as the most corrupt president in the history of the Philippines. And twice in a row, the Philippines was tagged as the most corrupt economy in Asia and among the 10 most corrupt countries in the world.

Big scandals like the ZTE-NBN, Cyber-Ed, Northrail, Fuhua, and Spratly contracts dominated the news for the most part of the past two years. To date, investigations into these anomalous projects have been impeded because of Gloria's inappropriate use of executive privilege in the investigations of these scandals.

In a show of defiance and denial, Gloria concluded her Sona-ta by saying, "I will let no one -- and no one's political plans -- threaten our nation's survival." She doesn't realize that she could possibly be the biggest threat to the nation's survival. (PerryDiaz@gmail. com)

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BENCHWARMER

Treating priorities
RAMON DACAWI

Before my sense of priorities ricocheted last week, I thought of filling up this space by touching on those of some towns, provinces and cities. For one, they have adopted tourism codes but see no reason why they should enact one for cultural enhancement, one that protects their culture from being turned into a commodity or tool to advance tourism. For one reason or another, they see the tourism promotion potential of, say, a newly discovered cave rather than the protection of a jewel of creation from the onslaught of unplanned tourism.

Two knocks on the door last week swept under the rug the urge to argue that there should be a department of culture that relegates under it a section or bureau on tourism promotions. Or that we have to manage our backyard garbage for ourselves rather for visitors. The topic has turned to something more urgent, albeit more personal than the lingering concern that the chronology and hierarchy of things - nature, culture, and tourism – is turning upside down.

What triggered the digression was the humility -and courage - of a father and a daughter in pleading for emotional and financial support towards medical deliverance – for his baby and for her mother. The mother – 45-year old Cristina Lagasca of Pacdal – and the baby – two-year old Edlyn Joy Dacanay of Loakan Proper - are both fighting cancer.

Cristina is wife to Danny Lagasca, my fellow Pacdal boy who’s five years younger me. He learned to caddy at the Baguio Country Club while learned to hire out ponies at the Wright Park. Danny’s been sidelined due to heart ailment.

Edlyn, youngest of three children of a barber and a salesgirl, needs three more rounds of chemotherapy for a malignant tumor of the coccyx or tailbone at the end of her spinal. Her parents were told she also would have to undergo radiation treatment thereafter.

Despite the costs, Cristina underwent three chemo sessions in her battle against breast cancer. She would have her fourth on the 22nd. Her daughter Olga said a session, including hospitalization, averaged P22,000. In-between chemo, she has to undergo radiation estimated at P4,000 for the planning and P600 daily for 25 to 30 days.

Same figures for cobalt radiation will apply to Edlyn, but after she completes the last three of six rounds of chemo at P14,000 each. Her fourth chemo is on Thursday, Aug. 7, but her parents have nothing more to sell or offer as loan collateral to be able to come up with a sum close to what’s needed.

“Even my wife’s small agricultural land has been attached to a loan for our daughter’s treatment,” explained Edgar, Edlyn’s father. “My brother-in-law had to yield the farm to the lender and came up to Baguio to take care of our daughter so my wife and I could return to work.”

Until three years ago, Edlyn had two elder brothers. Edhmer, the eldest at 13, is in first year high school at Loakan here. John Emerson would have been 11 by now, but he was killed after he was bumped by a passenger jeepney one morning in late January, 2005. “My boy was on his way to school when it happened, below the arch leading to the Loakan airport,” Edgar said. “He managed to push the other kid, thereby saving him.”

Edgar said John’s birth date – March 16 – triggered his baptismal name, after John 3:16 in the Bible: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” He said he can’t give up on Edlyn Joy. He gave his cell phone number just in case a Samaritan or two out there feel they can help – 09104482716. So does his wife Melinda, who wrote an open appeal and had it photostat-copied, hoping people would read.

“It gives me so much pain to see my little angel suffering in such situation, but I am not giving up,” she wrote in part. In the rush to beat the column writing deadline, I forgot to get Olga’s cellphone number. Those who can and would like to help her mother may course their support through the Pacdal barangay hall beside the Pacdal Circle. They may ask for punong barangay Godofredo Flores or visit the Lagasca residence at 40-B Siapno Rd.(e-mail: rdacawi@yahoo.com for comments).

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LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

BARIP retention funds rapped
MARCH L. FIANZA

I thought everything was moving smoothly with the final turn-over of the P1.9 billion Baguio-Aritao Road Improvement Project (BARIP) to beneficiary-communities about to be scheduled. Apparently, a new setback is looming in the horizon and has made some stakeholders worried.

According to news sources who requested that their names be withheld, the retention funds worth millions of pesos that are supposed to be collected by the labor sub-cons may not be released to them in full.

They said the bad news was that “only 50 per cent of what is due them is what they will be getting this year.” They ask “why?” From what they heard, the remaining 50 per cent will be released next year, if ever, but part of it will pay the taxes of the main contractor – an act which they described as condemnable.

It will be recalled that Cavdeal, the main contractor for BARIP hired dozens of labor contractors that made it easy to execute several project components. Aside from delayed releases of work payments, problems popped up during the peak of construction. One of it was the complaint of Rep. Dangwa that the road was constructed with a “narrower-than-standard” width.

During the earlier stages of the BARIP, then Bokod mayor Celino already cited the same observation, questioning the consultants why the “finished concrete road is narrower than the width of the previous gravel road.” That makes it dangerous for two buses or trucks that are running in opposite directions to collide.

A number of problems followed other problems but those are now “water under the diversion bridge.” Now, the labor sub-cons ask: “why not release in full the retention funds which they own and why should the sub-cons shoulder the taxes of Cavdeal?”
Apparently, one of the labor contractors raised the issue to Congressman Dangwa, who in turn told them that a congressional inquiry will be filed to look into the construction activities of Cavdeal. The matter will also be brought to the attention of Gov. Fongwan and the provincial board.

My concern: “Are these acts from hiring labor sub-cons in the locality to the act of shortchanging them by cutting in half the retention funds a modus operandi of Cavdeal in all their construction projects in the Philippines?”
***
The invitational trip to Mindoro over the weekend was invigorating under a very warm reception that employees of the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative (Ormeco) showed their guests who came all the way from Baguio and Benguet.

At least 17 chairpersons of the Multi-Sectoral Electrification Advisory Council (MSEAC), successor of the defunct District Electrification Committee (DEC) or the Multi-sectoral Electrification Committee (MEC), and media representatives tasted Mindoro ’s impressive hospitality.

While Ormeco GM Romeo Cuasay, board directors Audel A. Arago and Rizalino Mendoza, MSEAC federation chair Roman “Bonjing” Arano and vice chair Agustin Mantaring and co-op workers took turns in entertaining their guests, we noticed the presence of strong ties among them. Sincerely, we appreciate Admin Lito Baculo, MSD head Talits Agila, Malu and all their staff – in the offices and kitchen.

Even as such close relationship is evident in the way the employees and top honchos casually mingle with each other, I personally assessed that such rapport is expected in a company whose elements “struggled together through the dark ages,” especially so that they are situated in an island. Geographically, that is not easy to copy for the ECs in the Cordillera.

As I took notice of their strong bonding, I said to myself – this is what is needed in Baguio and Benguet, Mountain Province as well as the rest of the ECs. Employees of Beneco should find time to visit other ECs in the country. Not only will such an activity open up avenues for an exchange in actual experiences… it further strengthens unity in the organization back home. Cuasay, Arago and Mendoza extend their greetings to GM Verzosa, Dir. Joey Marrero and the Beneco BOD.

Quoting part of GM Cuasay’s presentation, he said “employees must know their co-op” and learn about the EC’s strengths and weaknesses. On the issue about joining the Cooperative Development Agency, he said Ormeco does not want to be under CDA. He cited the fact that in 2006, the co-op was the beneficiary of a P20million grant from NEA for the repair of typhoon damages.

“Under the CDA, the co-op will have to borrow from the bank in order to repair typhoon damages. Of course, electric rates will go up in order to pay loan interests. His exact words were: “Kawawa ang mga member-consumers.”

In bringing down pilferage cases, Ormeco resorted to the “text mo, huli ko” scheme where tipsters were rewarded cell phone prepaid loads worth P500.00 for each apprehension following the report made through text messaging. This scheme can be copied by the other ECs, especially those who have high systems losses.

But not every part of “Lakbay Mindoro” was on the sunny side. On the way to Puerto Galera where natural mangroves breathed in coves, chairman Arano who voluntarily doubled as a tour guide told us that maintaining Mindoro ’s banana, coconut and fruit industry had to pay the price.

Sadly, the Kilyawan or Mindoro Oriole and other rare bird species were apparently driven away by the pesticides sprayed on fruit orchards owned by rich farm industrialists who cared nothing more than their investment. The wild Mindoro Tamaraw population is also vanishing due to urban expansion. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com

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THE MOUNTAINEER

Black power (2)

EDISON L. BADDAL

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Although some tangible improvements have been instituted in the material status of American blacks with the passage of legislative measures that promoted racial equality during the first reconstruction period (1865-1877), still equality as envisioned in the American constitution was way off the mark.

This, after the emancipation decree was promulgated in the 1860’s and the defeat of the confederate forces in 1865 after the bloody civil war. One of this is the disappearance of the rigid racial structures after a series of confrontations between the blacks and government authorities. However, this did not dismantle the economic and political deprivation of blacks especially in the deep south where the most bitter opposition was manifested by the white businessmen and working class people.

This general attitude resulted in the passage of many Jim Crow laws and policies that kept the blacks from enjoying same benefits and rights with the whites. Devoid of hope for improvement, blacks migrated in vast numbers to the industrial north in the decades following the civil war and the utter failure of the first social and political reconstruction.

The failure of the first reconstruction to make substantial improvement in breaching racial inequality gave birth to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples under the leadership of Dubois in 1910.This organization was responsible in advancing the political careers of many blacks from the 1920’s to the 1930’s.

A decade after the NAACP was born, Marcus Garvey organized the militant black nationalist movement called the Universal Negro Improvement Association in which he embraced Africa as the symbolic home of the so-called New World Blacks. This laid the groundwork for Pan-African conferences initiated by Dubois in which African intellectuals who attended became the leading lights in their countries’ fight for political independence from colonialist rule. Among these countries from colonial rulers like France, Belgium and England are Nigeria , Ghana and Egypt .

The NAACP Defense Fund was responsible for the repeal of many Jim Crow laws in several southern states through appeals filed with the Supreme Court. These efforts by the NAACP members made an impact in American society that by 1945, many right-thinking Americans concluded that racial segregation is an anathema and should be dispelled altogether.

This attitude propelled President Franklin Roosevelt to improve the lot of the deprived Blacks after his victory in 1944 was largely due to the support of the blacks. An epitome of this is the ending of the all-white primary election on April 3,1944 by the US Supreme Court.

However, it will take another decade before the civil rights of blacks will be strengthened. Following the semi-totalitarian, anti-communist and paranoid environment of America from 1945 to 1954, no serious mass movement for civil rights and equality was registered.

This uneventful hiatus, however, was broken with far-reaching impact when the US Supreme Court declared as illegal on May 17,1954 the ‘separate but equal’ doctrine in educational facilities and others which was espoused way back in 1896. This marked the start of the second reconstruction. Nevertheless, the drive for desegregation in the deep South was generally slow and it was sparked when an ordinary working black woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested in December, 1965.
She dared to sit in the “whites-only” section of a bus in Montgomery , Alabama and caused the ire of the racist whites.

Consequently, the black population of the city boycotted the buses in vehement protest against the city’s entrenched segregation code that humiliated and relegated blacks as second class citizens for several decades. The boycott was led by E.D. Nixon. This widespread and most serious challenge to racism after the anti-communist hysteria of the post-war decade became an international conflagration.

Out of the dark pits of this massive boycotts and demonstrations against state Jim Crow policies and laws, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as the most eminent leader. Aided by many civic-minded ministers, he founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference which he used to launch massive protest movements against racism, inequality and prejudice starting from Montgomery, Alabama and Tennessee in the deep south up to the North where, although there were no overt Jim Crow laws and policies, segregation was being done in a subtler if not more pernicious forms. This condition was exemplified in Chicago which was ruled in the 1960’s by one of the most astute politician in American History, Richard Daley, an shrewd manipulator for instituting segregationist and racist policies in the North.
***
The desegregation in public buses was outlawed in Montgomery by the Supreme court on November 3, 1956 and this success stimulated Martin Luther King to persist in his campaign for racial equality in the USA underpinned by nonviolence. His nationwide marches and boycotts resulted in the supreme court ruling in 1957 that outlawed racial segregation in public transportation by the federal supreme court, the civil rights act in 1964 and the voting rights act of 1965.

All these social and political concessions for the blacks, which were never heard of in the biracial history of America, led to his assassination in 1968. His place was promptly replaced by Rev. Jesse Jackson who with his Operation Breadbasket underpinned by “The Kingdom Theory” provided many employment to blacks in white companies, enabled black products to share space in shelves side by side with white products in white stores and required race as a qualification in hiring policies of white companies. He was the first black to vie for the presidency in 1984 and 1988. In the latter, he received the second highest votes in the primaries.

Other black noteworthy black leaders who contributed to the civil rights movement and won many political, social and economic advantages were Malcolm X and Prophet Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X advocated self-respect and pride for the black men after centuries that he has been unmanned by the white folks.

Through his fiery speeches, he slammed the hypocrisy, accommodating and compromising stances of the Negro man whenever he encounters a white man. He particularly scored the sour smile that lines and does not fade from the Negro’s face to mask his hatred of the whites. Prophet Elijah Muhammad, on the other hand, demanded that the federal government should give at least two states to the blacks if the whites cannot accept the blacks as their equal.
***
So with the imminent presidency of Barrack Obama, it can be concluded that black power is on the rise, if not already reaching its zenith.After many centuries of having been downtrodden and suffered the worst human dignities, the blacks are now making it on top of the world. More so as blacks are not only invading the political arena in great strides but also the toast in sports and arts.

Black sportsmen are the best in the world either in boxing, basketball, tennis, swimming, track and field, golf among others. There are also many black super singers who became chart toppers at various times. Truly, this proved the verity of the phrase in Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything. The blacks had had their time of darkness, despair and misery given man’s inhumanity to man but they are now having their period of light, happiness and immeasurable hope.

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TRAILS UP NORTH

Awards for Ifugao town
GLO A. TUAZON

LAGAWE, Ifugao -- This vast capital town of Ifugao is making raves. Mayor Ceasario D. Cabbigat said they won two awards that merited the town P100,000 for the "anti-momma spitting" ordinance and the "last-Friday-of-the-month-cleanup-drives," each garnering P50,000 as incentives for the good works.

The mayor said these are just beginnings of something better, and indeed the bright reddish-brown splatters of momma along the roads are easing up, a notable change from how it used to be. This means that the people are learning and cooperating.
Lagawe also having adapted coffee, both arabica and robusta, as their OTOP (One Town, One product) is in the process of distributing the seedlings for free to bonafide Lagawe residents, else they sell it for a measly sum of P4 per seedling to other entities.

This is for the reason they wanted the people to adapt and support the program with ideas of livelihood in mind. The coffee products would then be sold or consumed by the household, in a way contributing and helping out also in the backyard regreening and aesthetic values.

They showcase their seedlings in a nursery housed at the St Mary Magdalene Church compound just across the Municipal Hall for easy access but have a much wider and bigger nursery across town too. The big nursery holds more than 55,000 seedlings ready for distribution and sale. In its bid to become involved in social developments, SN Aboitiz has helped a great deal in pushing the OTOP with the officials of Lagawe.

Recently, Lagawe officials and other concerned organizations also conducted a tree planting activity atop Mt. Binahagan. Seedlings numbering more than a thousand and comprising of coffee varieties and mahogany were planted by high school students of Don Bosco, ISCAF and employees of the Local Government Unit and KIPHODAN and Kataguwan.

The continuing denudation of Mt. Binahagan that flows to serve water to about five barangays prompted them to take action, this also as part of their drive to help solve the bigger problem of the watershed issues.

Cabbigat was also recently acknowledged by Gov. Teodoro Baguilat for having a gambling-free festival during the Kulpi ad Lagawe with the support of the townspeople and active interference of the Catholic Church and other church groups and organizations.

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September to Remember

ART TIBALDO

BAGUIO CITY -- With the camera as a potent tool for any documentation be it historical, news or simple family portraitures, a day-in-a-life kind of pictorial project is being readied as an added feature of Baguio's 99th Charter Day Celebration.

Dubbed "September to Remember," The Baguio Media Museum and Animation Studio in collaboration with DÉJÀ VU Photos will spearhead the project and calendared September 21 2008 as the day for photo shooting by registered participants.

Believing that one effective means to appreciate the present-day Baguio City is through visual images, Sly Quintos of DÉJÀ VU Photos said that this activity attempts to capture in photographs a cross-section of Baguio City within a 24-hour period.

Quintos, a seasoned print journalist will act as the Project Director and at the same time serve as the resident photographer at the BMMAS during the event. The rules and guidelines of the pictorial project according to Quintos are based on the day-in-a-life concept wherein participating photographers are expected to take pictures only during the designated day and submit images for consolidation by the organizers.

Quintos added that participating photographers are expected to have attained a more critical perception of Baguio and must have reached a heightened awareness about his role in molding the public's consciousness of the City.

The images captured during this 24-hour span period shall be pooled for a public display or exhibit at a later date and an independent body shall be commissioned to select one photograph that summarizes the general concept of the project. A corresponding modest prize awaits the lucky winner. The guideline states that the pictorial can start immediately after midnight of September 20, and pictorial session can extend up to midnight of Sept. 21.

The images captured during this 24-hour span period shall be pooled for a public display or exhibit at a later date on an equal photograph-per-photographer ratio. An independent body shall be commissioned to select one image or photograph that summarizes the general concept of the project. This is intended as a form of incentive and is not meant to create an atmosphere of competition among the participants. A corresponding modest prize awaits the lucky winner.

Quintos also added that the photographs can be sold during the exhibit period at a cost to be determined by the owner and all images will be posted online at www.baguiogallery.com. Interested participants must signify their interest to join the pictorial by writing to; September to Remember Secretariat, Baguio Media Museum and Animation Studio, No. 32 Sumulong Road, Baguio City, 2600, Philippines. No registration fee is required.

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HAPPY WEEKEND

The fare hike squeeze
GINA DIZON

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- I would like to talk about transportation hike and the travails that it is giving the commuting public. I received a text message from my niece who goes to a local college saying that the fare to nearby Bontoc town is now P50 from the former P35. The most that I could tell her was to ask her classmates who take the 18-km jeepney ride from Sagada to come together and protest.

I was feeling composed that she and her classmates will rally the drivers to bring the fare down to at least P40 from the former P35. Any amount that will roll the amount down from 50 will at least add for her allowance. What happened? I was disgusted when I came to know from some people in the sleepy town that students who attended the consultation were the ones who approved the fare hike to P50! I

f that is true, here are students who are still going to school, dependent on their parents and guardians for their fare and everyday needs and they have the nerve to approve an excessive fare hike? Students I know are still at their idealism and questioning stage so why the approval?

I asked from my niece if she was one among the students who attended the consultation and came to know that she was not. That brought my irritation toned down a little bit. Nevertheless, and in what ever angle you will see it, the fare hike is excessive. An increase of 15 is too much. Let us see what authorities say about the fare increase.

The P1increase was approved by the National Economic Development Authority board after a presentation by the Land Transportation Franchise and Regulatory Board. The fare hikes came as fuel prices continue to increase 18 times for a total of 35 percent since January. With NEDA’s approval, jeeps nationwide would now be charging P8.50 from P7.50 for the first four kilometers, plus P1.50 for every succeeding kilometer.

Reports say, for ordinary buses plying Metro Manila, the increase will be from P9 to P10 for the first five kilo­meters, plus P0.20 for every succeeding kilometer. For the air-conditioned buses, the increase would be computed as 20 percent of what is charged by ordinary buses. Reports said this was from P11.50 to P12.50.

For ordinary buses, the increase would be P1 for the first five kilometers on top of the existing P9 minimum fare or a new total of P10. An additional 20 centavos will be added to the existing P1.75 for every succeeding kilometer reports say.

Meantime, provincial bus operators sought a 20-centavo-per-kilometer provisional fare increase. The P0.20 adjustment will be on top of the P0.50 provisional fare increase granted by the LTFRB in May. The provincial increase brought the fare to P2 from the previous P1.50 per kilometer.
To use the above calculation for PUJs for the Sagada-Bontoc route, I came up with a calculation at P29.50 per way. The increase of P15 to 50 is something I’m not fully resolved with except that I see its excessive.

I came to understand that drivers and operators have to apply for a special fare in cases of a difficult terrain, higher cost of fuel, and maintenance cost. If the Sagada drivers and operators will properly present their calculation to LTFRB and LTFRB consents to a P15 increase, then the 50 transportation cost would be proper and legal.

While this is the case, the Alliance of Concerned Transport Organizations will join the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide in moving for the abolition of the value-added tax (VAT) on petroleum products.

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RAIN OF FIRE

Empowerment f the youth
CESAR G. BONILLA

LAOAG CITY -- The youth today are partners in nation-building. We should remind ourselves the significance and value of the youth sector. In seeing through their development as citizens and eventual leaders of the nation, we should not be remiss in pouring the necessary resources and setting up the mechanisms for their intellectual, moral and cultural development.

After all, our common wealth is not merely an inheritance from our forbears; it is also the result of youth’s contribution to our patrimony. The creation of a sangguniang kabataan in each and every barangay reinstitutionalizes the youth’s positive and potential impact on national life. It does not merely provide them a basis for political representation within the community, but also brings them closer to political maturity.
This type of empowerment is sourced from the premise that the youth shall be allowed to govern their affairs. This allows them to heighten their awareness of their concerns and eventually parallel their narrow sectoral interests with the general concerns of the Philippine population. Other than providing them access to the formal system of education and training, the youth’s participation in national affairs should also be broadened. The youth’s action has also created both positive and negative ripples in the process of change and development.
***
Tribal Filipinos should be given proper attention by the government. Grandstanding and egoistic adulation cannot liberate the country from poverty. Due to their minority number and living in scattered isolation, tribal Filipinos tend to be forgotten and neglected. What’s perhaps worse is the fact that, in some cases, heartless lowlanders take advantage of these peaceful, timid people driving them away from their long-cherished lands. We have to recognize their ownership rights over their territories and the government should provide for efficient programs in their pursuit of a well-dignified and honorable life though in the vanguard of isolationism.
***
Our time is not very impressive especially in the field of public administration. The government can only give promises and pacifying words but not total eradication of the ills of society. Hot-headed and blood-thirsty Filipinos continue to wreak havoc on our peaceful environment by using firearms and other explosives just to show their superiority and stupidity to law-abiding citizens.

Cases of indiscriminate use of guns abound in the province. In the past, the military had neutralized lawbreakers and leaders of well-known gangs from using unlicensed firearms in their criminal activities.
***
The rush of kidnapping cases in Mindanao must be the main concern of the Arroyo administration. Kidnapping is immoral. It brings with it immeasurable anguish to individuals, unnecessary deaths and bloodsheds, and a horrifying degradation of human dignity.

The victims are innocent people. Kidnapping makes the kidnapped and the kidnapper less and less human. The full force of law must be applied on criminals. The military and police forces must be purged completely of all personnel who have in one way or another contributed to the perpetration of such crimes.

Kidnapping is a grave violation of human life, human dignity and human freedom. There is a growing feeling of skepticism among the population that the problem will take a long time to solve because of poor coordination with proper authorities and the alleged involvement of some powerful men disguised themselves as pure civilians. Let us hope and pray for the best to come in our country for the proper resolution of all these cancers in society.
***
I would like to congratulate the students of DATA Center College of the Philippines especially officers of the Supreme Student Council on their acquaintance party last July 25. The program was attended by the faculty of this well-known institution under the leadership of its president Joseph Sicco.

Brigida Arrubio, with her angelic face, rendered a song to entertain the crowd with her melodious voice. Truly, the students enjoyed the memorable event.

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BULL’S HIT

Jueteng, car stickersand a lady reporter
RUDY GARCIA

This local television station in Baguio should be more careful in reporting their news to the public. Just a week ago, a lady reporter made an error when she mentioned on live telecast that a bar and billiard joint along Upper Mabini St. was the place where the trouble ensued the night before, but said incident happened at Assumption Road.
Worst, a caption outside this establishment joint at Upper Mabini St. was shown on television while the lady reporter was reporting the incident, hence, the public was made to believe that the untoward incident happened at the bar and billiard joint in thearea.

Though, this could be an honest mistake from this lady reporter, she should have at least issued a correction or a public apology soon after, unless she intended to circumvent the facts either to embarrass the operator or discredit the establishment. But what gain would she get?

I don’t want to think that this lady reporter or some of the TV staff were getting big favors from those nincompoops bent on pinning down this bar and billiard joint at Upper Mabini St.

I wonder if this lady reporter and her minions forgot to practice their “code of ethics” and if management of this TV station edit or screen with prudence information and references. Mahirap na kasing makuryente. For now, the lady reporter and the staff of this local TV station in Baguio need a lot of explaining to do. Better still, issue a public apology for their mistake. Di ba mga kapamilya?” Next time, ingat naman.
***
The garbage problem in Baguio is no joke, reason why its officials nearly declared a state of calamity in this summer capital. Good that they thought better that it was disapproved. Measures are now undertaken to accommodate collection and disposition of piles of garbage, though this costs much to the city coffers, at least people in Baguio were given chance to breathe clean air and prevent possible outbreak of epidemics.

It is now an urgent call for city officials, barangay and the residents to unite and cooperate in disposing their garbage properly and join hands, sit down and discuss possible solutions to this matter of concern. Enough of finger-pointing and faultfinding, bickering and grandstanding. What the people of Baguio need now is a resolute plan, firm actions and political will to resolve this long garbage problem. They have had enough. Tama na, sobra na, ibasura na. *
**
Those computer and internet shops or café owners who are known to be neglecting their social responsibilities should be penalized and have their establishments shut down by authorities. Many of these establishments in Baguio allow students to play computer games even during school hours.

Noteworthy are students who are still minors playing overnight in these computer shops and it’s a wonder why these establishments allow these minors to play overnight even without the consent, permission or company of guardians. Are our authorities deaf and blind on these matters they don’t care to inspect or monitor these erring establishments?

Attention Baguio mayor Reynaldo Bautista Jr. and city administrator Peter Flanza. Attention also DSWD and the Baguio city police office. Pakibusisi ninyo naman po ito mga sir at madams. *
**
Many drivers and operators of taxi units in baguio city are complaining of the slow issuance of fare increase stickers from the regional Dept. of Transportation and Communications. According to them, most of their time is consumed waiting for their stickers at the DOTC office at pacdal instead of them driving their taxis for income to feed their families.

Calling the attention of DOTC regional director Bong Mandapat Jr. Sir how about telling your men to be faster in issuing these fare increase stickers? kawawa naman ang ating mga drayber.

How true that some of our jueteng bet collectors are using bingo sa barangay identification cards as their “fronts” to make it appear that what they are doing are Legal.

Maybe these kubradors found an easy way to be out from the hook if ever they will be apprehended by the authorities, but I wonder though if those top honchos of the bingo sa barangay are aware of this, or is it the other way around?

Is there also a truth that bingo sa barangay and this illegal numbers game called jueteng are now in good “tie-up” terms? Well, they have seen it but still, that remains to be answered! Magkano ba?

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UNDERVIEW

Solving Baguio garbage problem
MIKE GUIMBATAN JR.

When balloons were released to let go of the grim experience when the city was devastated from the July 16, 1990 Killer Quake, another disaster struck the city. But this time it is man-made and politically induced – the garbage crisis.

During the 1990 earthquake, nobody was blamed because it is a natural calamity except maybe for some degree of moral decay that might have stirred supernatural powers to awaken us. But lessons were learned from the catastrophe. Baguio did not depend on external help to survive and recover.

Ordinary people and resident businessmen came out of the street to lend a hand to strangers that need help while visitors and non-Baguio businessmen were first to run out of the city. In the end, it was the people of Baguio that helped themselves to recovery.

In today’s man-made disaster, we are trying to solve the problem by hiring an outsider to collect and dispose our garbage elsewhere. It was a spur of the moment decision to dispel social unrest and to maintain political power. It was a decision to appease the national government and the tourism industry. It was also a decision to protect the interest of hotels and restaurants catering to their clients mostly visitors.

As a matter of fact, residential areas that houses majority residents are secondary priority in garbage collection because the central business district should first be served. What an irony that the people of Baguio are treated second class in favor of visitors and tourists.

Our policy makers and executives forgot the reality that it is not tourism that sustains the business life of the city but the residents and the students that comprise three fourth of the transient population of the city.

John Hay and Country club can not save Baguio in any kind of disaster because their priorities are their financial gains in the same way as astute politicians prioritize the power and the glory of the position they occupy.

Let us briefly discussing the cost-benefit of the present garbage disposal strategy. At a daily reduced garbage production of 150 tons where an outsider is contracted to dispose at a cost of P5, 000 per ton that would be P750, 000 expenditure a day for garbage.

If plain stupidity will allow the arrangement to extend for a year, that would cost the city P270 million. This amount is already 33 percent of the approved 2008 annual city budget of P820 million. It is financially insane to allow such an arrangement considering that the city can only earn as much as P14 million annually from garbage fee services.

Even if the council members passed the ordinance declaring Baguio in a state of calamity in order to justify the use of the calamity fund, the only available amount as per budget is P39, 245,000. That is only good for 52 days. What if a real calamity struck the city?

New garbage management technologies maybe available, but the city government failed to plan and incorporate it in the budget. What has been implemented so far are study tours local and abroad among local policy makers and executives? We lament that their trip never bear any fruit.

There was poor foresight and practical planning For example; there was no capital outlay proposal for the purchase and relocation of a landfill either an engineered or a sanitary landfill. What has been allocated in the capital outlay are Sewage treatment plant, comfort rooms, school buildings and health centers, Information Technology equipment and police cars, based on the 2008 budget. This means that the only available budget for garbage management is the P94.5 million budget of Environment and parks maintenance but over half of it is intended for salaries.

Nevertheless, the garbage disposal problem is unavoidable in highly urbanized cities like Baguio but it is unforgivable if city leadership did not prepare for it. The mounting consumer products in the city has mutated into monster garbage.

But nobody can save Baguio from this man-made calamity except the people of Baguio themselves. For example, it is better to segregate at household before dumping rather than the present practice of dumping then segregating. Every individual in the city has a role to play. We will discuss that next week. -- mikeguimbatan@gmail.com

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AGGIE UPDATES

Planting malunggay

VIGAN CITY – Never underestimate the “lowly” malunggay. National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Domingo Panganiban urged the local officials and residents to continue planting malunggay trees at vacant lots citing benefits derived from it. Secretary Panganiban was recently here in the province to attend a meeting of agencies involved in the implementation of the national KALAHI convergence program. The meeting was held at a beach resort in Cabugao.

He said that there are significant food nutrients that can be derived from malunggay. "A cup of malunggay leaves boiled with hot water is equivalent to three glasses of milk, and it is equivalent to five pieces of carrots in terms of calcium or potassium, beta carotene and Vitamin A."

"It is also equivalent of four pieces of banana, lakatan variety," Panganiban said. "Malunggay leaves when grounded into powder are best and nutritious ingredient in baking bread."

The secretary lauded the efforts of Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias Victor "DV "B. Savellano to go "back to basic" in agriculture, noting the newly created 16-hectare barangay demo farm in Barangay Labnig, San Juan town.

In the plant section of the Demo farm, more than 500 malunggay plants are seen growing on the sides of plots and near the pheriperal fences. The demo farm has large plots of assorted vegetables, called the "pinakbet garden," sweet corn, soya beans, peanuts, pigeon pea, hundreds of jackfruit trees, hundreds of banana plants, hundreds of coconut trees, malunggay trees, sunflowers, hundreds katuday trees, mongo, sorghum and tobacco.

Being raised in the animal section of the farm are several heads of cattle, carabaos, goats, native pigs, sheeps, chicken, geese, turkey, and fighting cocks.

Upon assumption of office last year, Governor Savellano started the massive planting of malunggay in the province. "A malunggay tree is easier to grow, and it does not need fertilizer or irrigation but only "TLC" or the ‘tender loving and care,’" Secretary Panganiban said.

Studies in the Philippines and other countries shown that malunggay is nature’s "medicine" with all the parts of the tree, besides the leaves, having medicinal or therapeutic value.

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BUSINESS BITS

Cash problems and solutions
HENRY C. ONG

When you are in business for yourself, you normally would get so busy with the operational aspects of your company. Very often, in fact, some entrepreneurs tend to focus too much on marketing and promotion at the expense of finance and accounting, thus often running into serious cash flow problems. To avoid such situations, you must ensure that the accounting function is not left entirely in the hands of your bookkeeper. You need to be truly in charge of it.

So what are the things in accounting that you should know? On a daily basis, you need to check the daily summary of your sales and cash receipts. The total sales for the day may be a combination of receivables, which are what your customers owe you, and of cash sales from outright transactions. You should also check if the cash on hand and the bank balance by end of the day are all properly accounted for.

You can do this by reviewing your cash position report where all the cash in and cash out transactions for the day are recorded. It is possible that some cash collections for the day may not all be deposited in the bank or kept on hand because some of the cash might have been used to pay expenses or salaries. In this case, you will need to do some adjustments to record the correct amount.

Every weekend, you need to check your accounts receivable list to see which of your customers are not paying on time. Reviewing the credit profile of your customers individually will give you a better idea for your collection strategy the following week. You can give your customers a telephone call, pay them a visit, or write them a letter—whichever you think would be most effective to get them to pay you.

On the other hand, you should also check your accounts payable for the week. Find out which payable you can pay immediately with cash discounts, and which you can afford to delay without annoying your supplier. You also have to prepare how much money you need for your payroll for the coming week, and how much money you need for such other expenses as withholding taxes and VAT payments. By budgeting all the payments, you will get a good idea of how much money you need to raise from receivable collections and cash sales.

On a monthly basis, you will need to review the work of your bookkeeper. You can check if all the journal entries made are properly classified and posted to the general ledger. For example, assume that you are renovating your store and you have made payments to your contractor. It is possible that your bookkeeper may wrongly record the transaction under salary expenses instead of correctly capitalizing the payment to the contractor under fixed assets. This could happen especially when there are no clear guidelines for the bookkeeper on what chart of accounts to use for particular transactions.

After checking the journal entries, you should expect your bookkeeper to make an income statement available to you 10 to 15 days following the close of the month. By reading the income statement, you can evaluate your business to see whether you need to adjust your pricing or reduce your overhead expenses to increase your income. You can also determine if there is reason to suspect that you have incorrect buying procedures or if there is inventory pilferage at your warehouse.

You should also expect to be furnished with a balance sheet along the income statement. From the balance sheet, you can review the financial condition of your company, particularly in terms of how much your assets such as cash, accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets are as compared to your liabilities to suppliers and banks, if any, and your invested capital. When reviewing your balance sheet, make sure that the cash account is reconciled with the bank balance so that any timing differences between the two accounts can be properly adjusted.

You need to conduct a regular cash count to check the petty cash maintained by your cashier. The actual cash in the petty cash box plus the total amount of paid-out slips should total the budget you have set aside for the month. In practice, you may want to do surprise cash counts to see if your cashier is honestly keeping the cash in the box. For monitoring purposes, you may also want to strictly implement a fixed monthly petty cash budget.

For accounts receivables, you can ask for an ageing schedule from your bookkeeper so you can see how much of your collectible is overdue by 60 days or 90 days and beyond. From this report, you can make an assessment of how many of your customers could no longer be collected from, thus giving you an idea of how much of your receivables from them should already be written off as bad debts.

Your inventory may be your most important asset in the business especially if you are a retailer. By checking your inventory list, you will note which items are slow-moving and which have already deteriorated due to obsolescence. When doing a physical count at your warehouse, you can also use the inventory report as a basis for determining if there is any potential pilferage or error in recording.

Finally, you must not entirely rely on your bookkeeper when it comes to filing returns to the BIR. Always check that you are complying properly and legally paying the correct amounts of taxes. For example, make sure that what you deduct as withholding tax from salaries is remitted completely to the BIR. Do the same for VAT payments. Remember that you need to compute and remit your VAT payments based on the sales and expenses that you legally declare.

The best accounting policies are those developed under the watchful eye of the business owner. You don’t need to do the bookkeeping work yourself, but you must understand the basics of the accounting process and should be able to interpret financial statements. It is very important for you to regularly work with your bookkeeper in managing your finances. Remember, the more involved you are, the better your accounting will be.

(Henry Ong, CMA, RFP, is president and COO of Business Sense Inc., a financial advisory and consulting firm that helps small and medium businesses. Business Sense is affiliated with INPACT International Network of Certified Public Accountants. You may reach him at hong@businesssense.com.ph or www.businesssense.com.ph.)

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