NEWS BRIEFS

Cordillera OFWS safe in Hongkong

BAGUIO CITY -- The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, – Cordillera Autonomous Region  (OWWA-CAR) had assured that the 13,496 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from the region are safe in tension – filled Hong Kong.  Manuela Peña, OWWA- CAR said that while the OFWs are not directly joining the demonstrations, she said families here should continue to advise their relatives in Hong Kong to avoid the demonstration areas. She added that the Embassy in Hong Kong had not issued an advisory or restriction banning the deployment of workers in the former British colony.

Northern Luzon’s search for outstanding men, women on

DAGUPAN CITY, Pangasinan  – The search for outstanding young men and women who have shown exemplary contributions to their community is open for nomination in North Luzon.

Themed “Changing the Future through Excellence,” the search seeks to recognize Filipinos who dedicated themselves to their profession and vocation for the welfare of their countrymen, a report from the Philippine Information Agency in Pangasinan said.

Mark Lester Manalo, chair of the search committee of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Foundation, said nominees must be Filipino citizens, at least 18 to 40 years old and would not turn 41 by December this year and has not been conferred the TOYM award.

“Nominees must have outstanding achievement in areas of community service, arts, literature, journalism, education, law, politics, agriculture, science and technology, economics, banking, business, sports, and government services,” Manalo said in a press conference at the Metro Plaza here Friday.

For more details contact JCIP secretariat at (02)373-7908-09 and (02)374-4138.   – Eva Visperas 

35 seniors take control of Baguio City Hall

BAGUIO CITY -- Thirty-five senior citizens served as officials for a day, taking over the seat of the congressman, the mayor, the whole city council, and even all the departments of City Hall, Monday.

Taking her oath in the morning, Mayor for a Day Flora Balaba took over the responsibilities of Mayor Mauricio Domogan from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., dispensing the duties of the office, as part of the activities for Senior Citizens’ Month.

Former city hall employee Eduardo Gamayon took over as congressman while Hrothgar Mori sat as vice mayor. The 13 councilors as well as the department heads of the city government also had to yield their seats to their elderly “replacements.”

Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, chairman of the City Council committee on Social Services, Women and Urban Poor, said those chosen to take the positions had to be screened as part of the Senior Citizens Official for a Day (SCOFAD) program.

Each of them received the day’s salary of the official they replaced.

Firm to replace Agoo water lines destroyed by 1990 quake

AGOO, La Union, – A private company has started the construction of a P350-million potable water supply facility here that will replace structures and pipelines destroyed during a killer quake in 1990.

The Metro Agoo Waterworks Inc. (MAWI) has tapped the water of the Aringay River in Barangay Garcia, Tubao town for the project. 

Jolly Ting, MAWI chairman, told The STAR they would install more than seven kilometers of water transmission lines from Tubao to Agoo and 53 kilometers of distribution pipelines to serve at least 7,000 households.

“We hope to finish the project by the last quarter of 2015 and we will deliver potable water to households,” Ting said during a groundbreaking program yesterday.

Ting said aside from Agoo, they hoped to expand the project to the nearby towns of Aringay, Tubao and Sto. Tomas.

He said the water distribution rates would be based on those set by the National Water Resources Board.

Agoo Mayor Sandra Eriguel said a feasibility study for the project was done in 2011.

She said the July 1990 killer quake destroyed the water table or aquifer of Agoo and the underground supply became saline as the town is near to the Lingayen Gulf.

“Since then (the earthquake), the Agoo Water District (AWAD) cannot supply anymore the consumers. It went bankrupt because there were only 153 consumers left while Agoo has 65,000 population that needs potable water,” she said.

AWAD stopped operation three years ago and water supply became dirty due to dilapidated pipelines.

Search for model OFW ongoing 
BAGUIO CITY  - The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Labor and Employment-Cordillera Administrative Region is now accepting nominations for the 2014 Regional Model OFW Family of the Year Award here.

Nominations are for OFW families where a regional winner will be chosen for each category and automatically be the nominees for the national level.

In order to be eligible for nomination, an OFW family must have the following qualifications; the family must be headed by an OFW, land-based or sea-based, formerly or presently working abroad with a formal or informal contract of employment or work permit and with proof of OWWA membership.

The OFW’s migration is not permanent, holder of a Philippine Passport and does not have an immigrant status in a foreign country, OFW’s employment is documented and he/she should possess a valid residency or work permit as well as other employment records.

Nominations from overseas is accepted provided that the family of the nominee is in the Philippines, the OFW can be either married or single and should be the head of the family and has at least four years of experience of work as an OFW.

The OFW family is known to have a solid and stable family in the locality.
Deadline for submission of nominations will be on October 15 at the OWWA-CAR office located at No. 17 RM building, Private Road, Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City.
Aside from trophies and certificates of recognition, winners will receive cash prizes and gifts from major sponsors.

The 2014 regional MOFYA Search aims to give proper recognition to the OFWs and their families who have demonstrated stable and enduring family ties, outstanding community service and successful educational attainment of family members and profitable business ventures.  – Paul Rillorta

AFP chief to soldiers: Treat rifle as your wife

FORT MAGSAYSAY, Nueva Ecija – Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. has a word of advice to soldiers who received new M4 rifles.

“I told him he should treat the rifle like his wife or if he is still single, his girlfriend,” he said, referring to what he told  Pvt. Kevin Amarille, the soldier with the lowest rank at the 79th Infantry Battalion (IB), during recent ceremonial turnover of rifles here.

“You should not give it away to enemies or let it rust,” he added.

Catapang said “seeing these assault M4 rifles in their hands gives them the confidence that we will successfully hit our goals and exact peace and ensuring continuous development in our country.”

About 400 rifles were distributed to the 79th IB and Light Reaction Regiment, which are involved in counter-insurgency and anti-terrorism.

The firearms are among the 50,629 M4 rifles acquired by the government from American firearms manufacturer Remington Outdoor Co. for P1.9 billion.

A total of 27,200 of these rifles were delivered last month while the rest will arrive in December.

Catapang said the Army will receive a total of 44,186 units while the Navy will get 6,443 units.

The heavy-barreled, fully automatic and wear-resistant rifles will replace the old, worn-out M16A2 assault rifles, officials said.   – Manny Galvez

Bauko trading post construction on

BAUKO, Mountain Province – A municipal trading post is now being constructed here after issues on the matter were settled. 

This was the offshoot of recent agreement between seven organizations and the municipal government.

Output of the meeting was a resolution signed for construction of the facility approved by Mayor Abraham B. Akilitand funded by the Department of Agriculture under its Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Projects.

Work was earlier suspended by the Sangguniang Bayan of Bauko due to some concerns raised by Barangay Abatan officials wherein location was primary concer. Site of construction now is at municipal hall ground since there was no other available location. Other issues such as construction of a public market were also discussed including acquisition of lot for future municipal building constructions. – Arsenia Addon

Dagupan eyes branding of own milkfish

DAGUPAN CITY– A team is working on a branding project for the local milkfish, which includes packaging and marketing, to strengthen marketability of Dagupan bangus and make it distinct from those produced in other parts of the country.

The move is being initiated by the city government in a bid to end a long-running issue on mislabeling of Dagupan bangus.

Vendors across the country, particularly in Metro Manila, tell their buyers that their milkfish come from Dagupan even if these are sourced  from other towns.

Mayor Belen Fernandez recently met with a group of fish vendors, pond operators and market inspectors to discuss plans for the branding of the city’s bangus.

The dialogue was part of a program to address problems regarding sustainability of supply of Dagupan milkfish.

Fernandez cited need to protect and secure the name of the city’s agricultural products.

Personnel from the city agriculture office (CAO) urged fishpond operators and vendors to submit data that would be used in scheduling bangus harvest.

Fernandez bared plans of the city council to pass an ordinance requiring the issuance of a certificate of origin to distinguish milkfish harvested in Dagupan and in other areas.

Personnel from CAO, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the mayor’s office and  fishpond owners will be tasked to scrutinize and issue the certificates of origin to bangus traders.

BFAR regional director Nestor Domenden will ask the national government to fund the establishment of the city’s bangus branding center. – Eva Visperas

Baguio adapts program to lessen waste

BAGUIO CITY – Officials of this mountain resort are adopting affordable methods in implementation of its solid waste management programs.

Pending the establishment of its Integrated Solid Waste Management System (ISWMS), the city government adopted the advocacy of the Environment and Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) strengthening waste recovery efforts in the city’s 128 barangays.

The program hopes to inculcate the importance of reducing waste through recovery and recycling efforts among its residents in particular.

The city government, EMB-CAR and barangays Lualhati, Pacdal, Gibraltar and Mines View entered into a memorandum of agreement in operation of Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Barangay Lualhati here.

The project also included the launching of the Recyclables Collection Event (RCE) of EMB-CAR which promotes among others recycling at source, waste segregation and reduction and materials recovery as options in managing wastes. – Paul Rillorta

Ilocos cops seize 41 guns, 2 kilos shabu; 3 arrested

CAMP FLORENDO, San Fernando City, La Union– Ilocos police director Chief Supt. Roman A. Felix announced here last week seizure of 41 assorted firearms, hundreds of ammunition and two kilograms of shabu, bullet proof vests and several firearm bags and holsters in Sta Rosa, Laguna. 

Three suspects were arrested in the operation.   

According to Felix, personnel from the intelligence, investigation and legal division of police Region 1, Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit of police Region 4 and Philippine National Police Special Action Forceimplemented two search warrants issued by Judge Thelma Bunye-Medina of Regional Trial Court Brance 32, Manila at the residence of George Fajardo aka Lorenzo Fajardo, 60 and Ricardo de Rueda, Jr., 48  at Macabling, Sta. Rosa, Laguna around 3 a.m.of Sept. 18.

Both were arrested. 

Also arrested were Estrella L. Lueles, 53, resident of  Macabling, Sta. Rosa ; Pablo Javier of Biclat, San Miguel, Bulacan and NolitoGarfil, 43, of Morsia, Bacolod City. – Myds Supnad

Baguio road inspectors report 50% decrease in smoke belching fines

BAGUIO CITY – The Roadside Inspection Testing and Monitoring Team (RITMT) under the City Environment and Parks Management Office reported collection of fines for the Anti-smoking ordinance decreased by 50 percent  here.

The data showed only P256,050.00 in fines from smoke belching vehicles was recorded for the period July 23 to August 20 which is 50 percent lower than their collection of P626,400.00 for the period March 27 to May 21 this year.

As perreport of Wastewater, Water and Ambient Air Management Division (WAMD) Chief Engr. Moises Lozano, the fines were derived from the apprehension of motorists in violation of the Anti-Smoke Belching Ordinance of the city.

Engr. Sofronio Pascua clarified, “the decrease in fines mean motorists are now more compliant and aware of the existing ordinance.”

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Brewing and understanding coffee

AGGIE UPDATES

Art Tibaldo

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- We are the baristas to our own coffee. With every sip of coffee we drink, there are wealth of virtues and added values that define the beverage as more than just a morning drink.

It was an experiential learning to the participants of the Coffee 101 Cum Cross Visit that was held in this tourist town at the onset of the cold months of 2014. The attendees came from different parts of Luzon and Mindanao composed of small-to-medium entrepreneurs, DTI speakers from nine regions and representatives from national line agencies and local government units.

Director Myrna Pablo of the Department of Trade and Industry-CAR said her agency is now implementing “from seed to cup” that completes the menu of support for the region’s coffee industry. “Demand becomes more challenging with today’s 3^rd Wave Coffee where people of wide age range prefer specialty coffee that carries with them stories of the people and environment where the coffee originate” Pablo added.

Prof. Valentino Macanes of the Benguet State University who gave a talk on good agricultural practices for coffee observed that the Philippines is blessed to have the four commercial varieties, namely Arabica, Robusta, Excelsa and Liberica since the country is within the coffee belt.

Macanes said there is need to intensify the farmer’s productivity by helping them with appropriate technology. Accordingly, RP ranks 110th in the world in terms of coffee production and local producers cannot even meet domestic consumption. Macanes also lamented “how we wish to bring back the old glory of being among the top coffee producers” saying that RP was the world’s fourth biggest exporter but it lasted in 1889 when coffee rust hit the country.

With the 3rd wave of coffee generation through the proliferation of coffee shops and small coffee roasters, Macanes expressed hope that with Arabica as the most preferred in both local and global market, local growers and producers from the Cordillera can make things happen. Besides, Arabica is considered medicinal and it is also good for hang overs.

Hirofumi Yamamoto, a Japanese coffee taster who is attending agro-forestry classes at BSU discussed how coffee is selected worldwide through meticulous screening of seeds. Yamamoto who has the distinction as a “cupper” or the practice of observing the tastes and aromas of brewed coffee demonstrated how a brew is assessed through slurping freshly ground and roasted coffee beans.

 Gemma Ngelangel, the owner of Gold Fish Café in Bontoc, Mountain Province hinted that every café owner must know the business inside and out. “As manager, you also need to do what your employee does and baristas should be marunong uminom ng kape” saying that it is important for all in the coffee business to appreciate coffee by heart. Ngelangel further said that coffee shops are places where people socialize therefore, the owner must also know the beautiful places of their locality making the establishment as a source of information. “Passion sells and you have to make your brand memorable, original and easy to recall” the lady entrepreneur further stated.

Maria Susana Edilo , a Tourism and Hospitality Industry Trainer and Consultant and  Level 1 Barista Certified by the Barista Guild of America , who talked about specialty coffee trends and direction narrated how coffee drinking originated in Ethiopia through an accidental discovery by a goatherd who noticed the unusual behavior of his goats that nibbled on the bright red berries of a certain bush. From varied uses that range from medicinal to ceremonial drinks, coffee culture became global and it reached the country in 1740 when it was first introduced by a Spanish Franciscan Monk. Edilo explained that the roasting process produces the characteristics of the coffee that even broken beans will affect the batch of coffee’s total taste because it burns faster.

There is a new market and emerging trend for gourmet coffee drinkers, Edilo revealed referring to the 3^rdWave Coffee where customers and buyers are particular and concerned with the cultivation, harvesting, processing and preparation methods and practices.

The barista mentor encouraged farmers to implement good agricultural practices and challenged coffee shop owners to create a culture of social and environmental responsibility by reducing plastics in their espresso packs and reuse ground coffee for other uses.

During the coffee farm tour and visit to local processors, Mayor James Edduba of Pasil town asked about the hygienic aspect concerning the Alamid coffee referring to it as animal manure.  Simeon Sibayan of Bana’s Café replied saying that the droppings of civet cat is thoroughly washed and manually cleaned as per protocol set on the high value exotic drink. Sibayan explained that of a kilo of fresh Alamid, only about 35% will be used by specialty shops and it is sold in Manila for about P34K to P35 thousand pesos while he sells it at a far lesser rate.

Sibayan opined that Philippines can never compete with Brazil but we can add value to our products. “Quality has to be imparted to our farmers so that they will also improve as entrepreneurs and target the specialty coffee shop market” Sibayan concluded. With the general understanding that coffee is gold from bean to cup, the fifty something participants were convinced after the two-day training that indeed, coffee is one industry that the Philippines can have a big break especially on the Arabica variety.

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Strangers pool P17,400 for 2 siblings on dialysis / Baguio runners P226,615.50

REACHING OUT

Although most opt to remain nameless so they won’t be swamped by requests for help, there are still  Samaritans out there,  in this world of cynics looking for heroes to hang their hopes and values on .

Cliff Catalino, a31-year old farmer from Poblacion, La Trinidad, Benguet was privileged to have met four of them while nurses at the renal room of the Baguio General Hospital were approached by two others before the end of September.

Last Sept. 22, a male nurse was approached while on duty by a stranger who asked him to turn over P5,000 to Catalino’s wife, Nilda, who was due to have her twice-a-week hemodialysis the next day.

Nilda, 30, halved the amount with her eldest brother Delfin who had been supporting her dialysis treatment since doctors diagnosed her for end-stage kidney failure last December.

Last April, Delfin, a vegetable farmer with five kids to raise, could no longer help his sister. He, too, was diagnosed for renal failure and began his own twice-a-week dialysis treatment scheduled at 11 a.m. on Monday and 6 a.m. on Thursday at the Benguet General Hospital in La Trinidad.

Last Sept. 23, a woman whose name – Lorna – was written on a receipt attached to her donation of P4,400, appeared at the BGHMC renal center to course her support to Nilda through  a male nurse.

Last September 29, a woman who declined to introduce herself, handed Cliff P3,000 at Km. 6, La Trinidad. Later that day, another woman called to hand him P2,000 more. Last Sept. 27, Annele and Elvin Cachero met Cliff with a P3,000 support.

These meetings were reported by Nilda’s younger sister Elverita Calayon who asked that the same be published so the family could publicly thank  these strangers with a heart.

Other Samaritans out there may ring Nilda’s cellphone number – 09073497789.

***

“Straight Into Baguio’s Heart”, the Baguio charter anniversary run last Sept. 28, netted P226,615.50, as per the financial summary prepared by the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Dialysis Patients and Partners Association (BGHMCDPPA) which had asked the city, to mount the humanitarian event for the establishment of a support fund for patients suffering from renal failure.

Pangasinense campaigner Raymond Torio and Sandi Abahan, Baguio’s entry to the Mt. Kinabalu Climathon this October, topped the 10-kilometer  events to lead veteran runners in dominating “Straight Into Baguio’s Heart”, Baguio’s charter anniversary sports finale last Sunday at the Burnham Park.

Torio, third-placer in the 5-K bracket of the first Pangasinan SK Run in 2011,clocked 38 minutes and two seconds  for a  three-second lead over  Milo 9th placer  Cesar Castaneda  who bagged the silver in 38 minutes and five seconds.

Abahan tagged the finish with hardly any opposition in 45 minutes and 24 seconds, over five minutes ahead of 15-year old Cherry Doronilla of the Baguio City National High School (BCBHS) who came in second in  50- minutes and 12 seconds.

Palarong Pambansa double-gold medalist Erwin Generalao pocketed the men’s side bronze in 41 minutes and 54 seconds while Lua Limbo landed third in the distaff side of the main attraction of the three-bracket run designed to establish a support fund for kidney patients undergoing life-time hemodialysis in renal centers here and in Benguet.

Baguio 10-K  leg winner Arnold Galap of the  2012 Milo Marathon opted for a shorter course to rule the 5-K bracket in 17 minutes and 29 seconds, beating Renante  Torio (17:47)  of Pangasinan and Reymark Quezada (17:52) of the BCNHS.

Divina Kitongan, gold medalist in the 1,500 meters in the Philippine National Games last May. Shrugged off a down-the-wire challenge from BCNHS’ Sisa Mae Caronongan to top the women’s side in 23 minutes and five seconds.Jolina Jose of the University of Baguio settled for the bronze in 24 minutes and 38 seconds.

Ike Castro topped the men’s  3-K event in 18 minutes and 13 seconds, towing runners-up Kerry Koziej (18:31)  and John Espada (19:36), while Nicole Oaing took the women’s title in 28 minutes and 59 seconds, followed by Rosemary Peralta (29:16) and Fiona Salacyao (29:17).

Some 1,300 answered the starting guns fired off by Rep. NicasioAliping Jr., secretary to the city mayor RaffyTallocoy and city sports officer Gaudendio Gonzales at dawn at the Lake Drive of the Burnham Park.

The race was ordered by city mayor Mauricio Domogan to give a humanitarian element to the city’s 105th charter anniversary celebration, with the proceeds going to a fund support for hemodialysis patients, as per request of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Dialysis Patients and Partners Association headed by Fr. Richard Justo.

The first to respond to the call for community support was veteran race director Rosario Velasco-Alberto who readily accepted to by the race organizer and managed the race with her group of volunteers.

The community spirit was bolstered  by inmates of the city jail with their own 3-K run around the prison courtyard  last Sept. 18 under the guidance of wardens Elvis Danglose and Mary Ann Tresmanio.

At the end of their “Straight Into Baguio’s Heart –Inside Version”, the prisoners turned over P15,000 that former world karate champion Julian Chees handed for their registration. To keep the amount intact for the purpose, the prisoners declined the race T.shirt and number and walked, jogged and ran in their yellow uniform.

The actual run ending at the Burnham Park was supported by volunteers from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, the Baguio City Emergency Medical Services, the Baguio-Benguet Public Information Civic Action Group, Spectrum, Philippine Army reservists under the 106 CDC ARESCOM, Solar Communications Philipine Guardians Brotherhood, Federatiuon of Barangay Tanods and the Baguio Council of the Boy Scouts.

Officers from the Baguio police director traffic along the routes while the Baguio Water Refillers Association headed by lawyer Zosimo Abratique and businessman Albert Ong of the Filipino-Chinese Community provide water along the course.

“It’s been truly a community effort,” noted Fr. Justo as he also cited the contributions of individual and group sponsors who built the fund.

The latest donations came from  Philex Mines which delivered P10,000 and cockfighting aficionados under the United Baguio-Benguet Breeders Association led by Engr. Tony Boy Tabora which contributed P5,000.

The financial report on the humanitarian project will be published next week. – Ramon Dacawi

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COMMUNITY BILLBOARD

Mayor, Burnham Park petitioners resolve issues

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan and petitioners advocating to open the Burnham Park skating rink for free use by the public ironed out issues in a meeting last Thursday.

Both parties agreed that the lease contract for the operation of the facility presently held by concessionaire Quirante’s Fun Rides/Skates Rentals and Recreation Center set to expire on November 2 this year will not be renewed by the city and instead the operation will be bid out based on terms that are beneficial to both the city government and the public.

A proposed master development plan for the facility will be drafted by a task force to be formed by the mayor composed of experts from both the private and government institutions.  The plan will serve as basis in the drafting of the terms of reference for the bidding.

After hearing the mayor’s justifications, the petitioners led by Bishop CarlitoCenzon of the Burnham Park Fencing Committee, urban planner and former city architect Joseph Alabanza of the Baguio Heritage Committee and former punong barangay Ferdy Bayasen acknowledged that the city cannot allow the absolute free use of the skating rink being one of the few income generators where the city source out funds for the maintenance of the park,

At present, the city earns only P15 million from the various park concessionaires which is way below the fund requirement of P37 million to pay for manpower, water, fertilizer and other maintenance needs of the park, according to the mayor.

As to the petitioners’ call for the removal of other business enterprises not in line with the area’s intended use, the mayor said this is consistent with the city’s stand that these operations which include bump cars and arcade games must not be allowed inside the facility meant only for a skating rink and including a refreshment canteen and coffee shop.

Bayasen said the petition entitled, “A People’s Initiative and Manifesto: “Return the Skating Rink at Burnham Park to the Public’” which gathered a total of 17,065 street and 1,119 on-line signatures aimed to get the pulse of the residents on how they want the skating rink managed. 

He said that the common sentiment was that the facility be restored to its olden day status as an open facility.

Alabanza who broached the drafting of the proposed master plan and who will possibly head the task force said they will consider the suggestion in the drafting of the plan.  He committed to complete the master plan within two weeks.

The Baguio Heritage Committee is also working on a “mother petition” to declare Burnham Park as heritage site but Alabanza said the plan will not abandon the commercial area component of the park.

The city council through a resolution authored by Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda recently sought the conduct of a feasibility study to determine the best option to be adopted for the operation of the skating rink.

The body tasked the city environment and parks management office, the local finance committee and other concerned offices to undertake the study.  -- Aileen P. Refuerzo

Vigan named to finals of Wonder  Cities of the World search

VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur — The people of Vigan beamed with pride after learning that this world-renowned heritage city was picked as one of the finalists of the ongoing search for the New Seven Wonder Cities of the World (N7WCW) early morning Wednesday.

At about 3:00 a.m. Wednesday in the Philippines, Bernard Weber, the founder  President of New7Wonders, announced the top 14 finalists for the search of the N7WCW in Munich, Germany following the culmination of casting of votes for the second final phase on October 7, 2014.

The 13 other official finalists for the search are Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Chicago (United States), Doha (Qatar), Durban (South Africa), Havana (Cuba), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), La Paz (Bolivia), London (United Kingdom), Mexico City (Mexico), Perth (Australia), Quito (Ecuador), Reykjavik(Iceland) and Vigan (Philippines).

Vigan City Mayor Eva Marie S. Medina expressed gratitude to God and all individuals who threw their support to Vigan’s bid be to named one of the seven new wonders cities of the world.

“Thank you and thank God! In solidarity, we have reached the last phase before we write another milestone in Vigan, and our country’s history,” she said.’

Medina said that having gone this far; the unprecedented votes from the local and international communities is an affirmation that Vigan is truly a wonder city.

“I therefore appeal for your unequivocal support in the final leg of the search as we are up against formidable mega cities of the world; let us give a reason for Filipinos to smile and be proud by voting Vigan as one of the N7WCW come December 7, 2014, Viva Vigan, Viva Philippines!” Medina said. – Freddie G. Lazaro

Bishop opposes electronic gambling in Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY – Baguio Apostolic Vicar Bishop Carlito Cenzon on Thursday raised alarm over the reported entry of electronic gambling in the city.

In a meeting with Mayor Mauricio Domogan last Thursday, the bishop served intention to oppose the entry of the so-called electronic casino (e-casino) which he said has reportedly been operating in one of the shopping malls in the city 

The mayor authorized the bishop to conduct a study and present a report on the matter for action by the city executive.

As this developed, a company is reportedly eyeing the city government’s nod in its application to operate electronic bingo (e-bingo) and other games in a hotel at Lualhati barangay here.

Its application was accordingly approved by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) but it will still need a Letter of No Objection from the city government as a requirement for a license to operate.

Cenzon had in the past been at the forefront of the campaigns against casino and lotto, bingo and small town lottery in the city.

He along with Fr. Andy Cosalan and Pastor Simplicio Dangawan of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) led the Metro Baguio Multi-Sectoral Movement against the Casino to block the plan to operate a casino at the Camp John Hay.

The group said the city must always be vigilant in its stand against all forms of gambling under any form or guise citing Resolution No. 236 series of 1991 entitled “A Resolution opposing the return of casino to Baguio or the establishment of a new one under any other form or guise,” Resolution No. 122-02 entitled “Expressing the Sentiment of the People of Baguio and the Policy of the City Government against Gambling…” and Resolution No. 446 series of 2008 “Vigorously opposing the establishment of a casino or the conduct of a gambling activities at Camp John Hay and anywhere in the city…”

The mayor also has a standing order for the police to stop all illegal gambling activities in the city including those barangay-run bingo events noting that these have been used as cover for gambling operations.

This prompted the city council to approve Resolution No. 173 series of 2013 entitled “Requesting the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to cause the stoppage of all gambling activities in all Bingo sa Barangay.” – Aileen  Refuerzo

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Postponement of SK election

EDITORIAL

Baguio Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping, Jr. has sought to further postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan election on Feb. 21, 2015 to give way for deliberation of proposed amendments and provisions of the local government code.

House Bill No. 5043 is known as “An Act Postponing the Sangguniang Kabataan Elections to October 31, 2016, Further Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 9164, As Amended, Otherwise Known As “An Act Providing for Synchronized Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections.”

On Oct. 3, 2013, President Aquino signed bill postponing SK elections set Oct. 28 to pave way for reforms that the youth council needs. The SK was created under the Local Government Code of 1991 as a means of providing young people with representation in government.

There have been calls to reform or abolish the SK as some lawmakers and various sectors said the youth council was becoming a school for corruption. There are pending bills in Congress either for the reform or the abolition of the SK.

Aliping said “postponement of the election last October 28, 2013 was brought about by the urgent need for reforms in the Sangguniang Kabataan.”

Several bills introducing the much needed reforms were filed and are currently being deliberated as possible amendments to the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA No. 7160). “These changes will find more meaning and greater impact on the Sangguniang Kabataan if the desired reforms are firmly in place before the leaders and officials are elected,” Aliping said.

“The postponement will allow Congress more time to legislate the appropriate amendments to applicable provisions of the Local Government Code affecting the Sangguniang Kabataan. Thereafter, the youth who will aspire to be elected as officials of the renewed Sangguniang Kabataan will have sufficient time to familiarize themselves with their roles, functions, duties and responsibilities as such youth leaders.”

Several sectors have also questioned the separate election of the SK and barangay officials when they will be working together. Aliping said that the bill “seeks to synchronize the election of barangay and SK officials who will be working closely together.”

Section 1 of Republic Act 9164 will now be amended as follows: “Section 1 Date of Election - There shall be synchronized barangay and sangguniang kabataan elections which shall be held 0n July 15, 2002. Subsequent synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections shall be held on the last Monday of October 2007 and every three (3) years thereafter; Provided, that the Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 28, 2013 shall be postponed to Oct. 31, 2016.”

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Elusive FOI

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

Despite the series of corruption charges hounding high government officials, proponents for approval of the Freedom of Information Bill may have to wait until late next year--  if ever.

Deliberations by the House of Representatives on the FOI bill have taken a back seat to pave the way for the passage of the priority administration measures but its approval will be likely done late next year, Ifugao Rep. Teodoro Baguilat, Jr. said.

According to Baguilat, versions of the FOI bill have been consolidated but these have yet to be refined in the committee level of the House which will be submitted for plenary debates. But then, the administration’s priority on the passage of the Bangsa Moro bill, economic charter change and anti-political dynasty bill have moved back timetable for the passage of the important legislation.

“The FOI bill proponents are willing to give way for the passage of the key administration measures but the bill will likely be passed in Congress later next year,” Baguilat said.

He said the House committee on public information will complete the final committee report on the FOI bill before the end of the year and will be ready for plenary debates, revisions and amendments right after the House acts upon three priority administration measures, particularly the Bangsa Moro bill, economic charter change bill and the anti-political dynasty bill now being deliberated by House committees.

Baguilat, one of  prime movers of the FOI bill in the House, said contentious issues which are still being ironed out in the committee level include its provisions on national security and privileged communications of the President which are not supposed to be absolute.

“Most of the FOI bill authors understand that there should be exemptions but such exemptions should not be used to cover up a crime or any wrong doing,” Baguilat said.

However, he added sectors who are not satisfied by the use of privileged communication can still question the provision in court and it will be up to the court to decide whether or not the information is highly confidential or it must be divulged to the public.

On the issue of right to reply, Baguilat noted such provision was not included in the version of the FOI bill which was filed in the present Congress considering that a separate bill was filed by advocates of the right to replay in relation to the said matter.

He said most authors of the new version of the FOI were advocates of the right to reply in the previous Congress but it was made clear that the FOI bill does not only cover the media but all government transactions.

Baguilat said the FOI bill concerns the constitutional right of the citizens to free access to information while the right to reply is confined purely on media reporting dictating and invoking editorial policies.

The lawmaker said authors of the right to reply realized their sponsorship to the FOI bill will not be affected during the committee and plenary deliberations as it was made clear to them that the said matters are two different issues which must be separately discussed.

He called on FOI advocates not to lose hope relative to the passage of the bill as Congress will act on it after all priority administration measures which are now pending shall have been acted upon in the coming months.

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Corrupt vs. Corrupt

PERRYSCOPE
Perry Diaz

With one year and a half left to the 2016 presidential elections, it’s interesting to note how Filipinos rate – as reflected in a recent Pulse Asia survey – the presidential wannabes.  And as in past surveys, corruption doesn’t seem to be a factor on how the people viewed the so-called “presidentiables.”  Not anymore. 

With the pork barrel scandals still brimming hot today, corruption would inevitably be the number one issue in the 2016 elections.   And Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay should know it; his ratings dropped amid allegation of corruption against him and his family.

Until recently, Binay was deemed “unbeatable.”  Since 2010 when he was elected Vice President, his ratings were consistently in the “very good” range, which was better than President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III’s ratings, which straddle between “good” and “very good.”  The two even managed to avoid any direct complicity to the pork barrel scams perpetrated by some lawmakers.  Well, that was a few months ago. Lady Luck seems to have abandoned P-Noy and Jojo because their ratings are plummeting… fast! 

A few weeks ago, P-Noy tested the people’s – he calls them his “bosses” – reaction to the idea of running for a second term.   It was a strange proposition since the Constitution prohibits the President from seeking re-election.   Needless to say, if he were to pursue that route, he should have the Congress amend the Constitution to allow him to run for a second term.   It was a calculated move because he assumed that his allies in Congress would support a charter change.  After all, many of them were recipients of huge amounts of pork barrel.  

But the people’s aversion to tinkering with the Constitution stopped him cold.  A poll conducted by Pulse Asia from Sept. 8 to 15, asked: “If the Constitution will be amended and the president would be allowed to run again, are you in favor or not in favor of President Aquino running again for the presidency?”  The survey showed that 62% of the respondents were not in favor while 38% were in favor.   While P-Noy’s notion of seeking a second term is now on ice, there’s no telling what he would do next.

Lord of Makati

Binay is a different cookie.  His ascendancy to the vice presidency from mayor of Makati City was quite a feat by any standard.   Many attributed this to his personal and family relationship with P-Noy.  In the last few weeks of the 2010 presidential election, the Aquino-Binay or “Noy-Bi” campaign came out in the open.   The question is: Was the Noy-Bi campaign a subterfuge from the get-go, which supplanted the Aquino-Roxas or “Noy-Mar” campaign?  If so, then it can be surmised that P-Noy – or those who ran his campaign – had played Roxas for a patsy. 

As the front-runner in the presidential derby and without running against an incumbent president, Binay could claim incumbency; thus, position himself as the candidate to beat in 2016.  Not too fast, Jojo!

In my article, “Quo vadis, Jojo?” (September 22, 2014), I wrote: “But finally the truth is catching up to Binay.  Recently, former Makati City Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, saying that Binay got 13% in kickbacks from all city projects.  He said that he acted as Binay’s ‘bagman’ and personally delivered money to Binay’s house in duffel bags containing anywhere from P1.5 million to P10 million.

“While all these alleged shenanigans were being exposed, Binay, his son Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, and 23 others were charged with plunder in relation to the alleged overpricing in the construction of an 11-story parking building that Makati City allegedly built for a whopping P1.56 billion!   The complaint claimed that in 2007 then-Mayor Jojo Binay had “proposed and approved” a city ordinance for the construction of the parking building with an initial budget of P400 million; thus, making it ‘the most expensive parking building in the country, if the entire world.’ ” 

Achilles’ heel

The same Pulse Asia survey also revealed Binay’s Achilles’ heel.  Suddenly his invincibility in the polls was shattered.  While he is still the front-runner, his ratings went down to 31% from 41% three months ago.  A drop of 10% within a three-month period, while not catastrophic, is calamitous to say the least.  That augurs bad days ahead for Binay.

In the case of Roxas, the same survey showed that his numbers almost doubled from 7% to 13%.  While it is still far below Binay, if the “demolition job” against Binay continues and he fails to explain his wealth – which had tremendously increased since 2010 when he assumed the vice presidency – then he’ll be heading for defeat in 2016.  

Deep pockets

And this brings to the fore the question: Who is the presidential candidate – with deep pockets – who can defeat Binay?  The same survey showed the following with double-digit numbers: Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago (11%), Grace Poe (10%), and Erap Estrada (10%).  But with the ratings changing erratically, the issue of corruption could play a strong hand against candidates who are corrupt or perceived to be corrupt.   And this is where Roxas, reputed “Mr. Clean,” could defeat Binay, which makes one wonder: Does Roxas have the courage to face Binay who defeated him four years ago?   As of today, Roxas hasn’t changed his decision not to run for president in 2016.  But who knows?  He might catch fire later!

If there is no credible candidate who can defeat Binay, Erap might enter the race as a “dark horse” candidate.  He is rumored to be angry with Binay for reneging on his promise to pick his son, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, to be his running mate.  But Jinggoy is in detention on plunder charges on the pork barrel scam!  

If Erap enters the race, it will be a contest between him, who had been convicted of plunder, against Binay who is accused of plunder.  It certainly would be an interesting election, if not disconcerting, which can be billed as “Corrupt vs. Corrupt” or, as we call it in street parlance, “Moro-moro.”  

That’s Filipino politics for you.  Hay naku!

 (PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

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Ping or Bongbong in 2016

LETTERS  FROM THE AGNO

March FIanza

In 2016, should it be Noynoy, Mar, Binay, Ping, Miriam, Bongbong or Cayetano? These are names we have been hearing about who might just go for the position of President. As a personal random survey, I asked a mixture of 25 friends belonging to different ethnic groups living in Baguio and Benguet who they will vote for and why, in case the names mentioned above would be allowed to run for President, and these were their answers:

Noynoy – Two of them said they believe in his honesty and vision to clean corruption in government, and they will vote for him again in case he is allowed to run. But they doubt that he will be allowed by the opposition and other wannabes to run again.

Mar (Roxas) – Four respondents want him because they believe he can continue what Noynoy has started in terms of weeding out government corruption. I do believe so, I told them. But when asked if Mar can make it through, many of them said, he should strive harder to “feel for the masses”, meaning, he should be “more down to earth”. “Honest naman pero parang mataas at burgis” was one of the comments.

Binay – Only three said they want him to be President because he is an action man, referring to the way he managed Makati. I also asked two other guys (male and a female friend) why they will not vote for Binay and they both said, “he corrupt is dangerous” in case he becomes President, whatever that meant.

Ping (Lacson) – Five voted for him saying that Lacson has “determination, decisiveness and is not corrupt”. Three females I approached said he is “gwapo” and “hindi bading na gaya ni Aquino”.

           

Miriam – Only one of the respondents said she will vote for her because she sees her as a straightforward legislator. The others said although she is honest as seen through the manner she speaks, the country needs a President who has “actions not words of hatred”.  

Bongbong (Marcos) – Five voters said they want him because he is an Ilocano and believe that he has the money to run his election campaign. The other respondents commented that although Bongbong still has his father’s campaign supporters intact, they are quite wary that he might cover up for the mistakes of his late father Ferdinand.

           

When asked about Alan Peter Cayetano, one of them said he has not read about the senator talking about running for President.

           

With that simple, raw and casual survey, it turned out that it is a toss between Bongbong and Ping. This is only as far as people in Baguio and Benguet are concerned. It does not even represent the majority in the area.  

Whatever, for most Igorots whether Ping or Bongbong or Mar or Binay makes it doesn’t matter. Things have not changed much as living standards have not improved for the common Pinoy, except that the politicians and their collaborators are the ones who are becoming richer everyday. What is important is that there is food on the table three times a day, but that is not.

********

Pocket miners are active on Mt. Santo Tomas. Last week, I got a message from Danny Milo, an old friend and a distant relative about how Mt. Santo Tomas has been the subject of abuse by all kinds of commercial mining and agriculture activities through the years. In his letter, he accused some government officials at the Benguet Capitol as “liar and hypocrite”. Many years ago, his family had already called the attention of the DENR regarding the illegal activities in their ancestral property that is still within the bounds of Mt. Santo Tomas. As a consequence of the complaint, the DENR and MGB on behalf of his family, issued a stoppage order for the illegal activities. I understand, this was forwarded to officials of Benguet at the Capitol, and this was where the order stopped.

The illegal activities within the forest reservation are small-scale mining, squatting and cutting of Pine trees that are used for timbering the mine tunnels. The letter said, all these have been ongoing for many years but Tuba and the concerned provincial officials have not acted on them. As of last month, the latest census of illegal miners in the vicinity has reached 140 plus and counting. If this is so then what Baguio and lowland residents get into their body system is Mercury poisoning. Remember, Mt. Santo Tomas supplies water for Tuba, Baguio and those living along Kennon Road and Pangasinan whose sustenance depend upon the Bued River that is below Mt. Santo Tomas.

Quoting part of his letter, Danny said, “… members of the provincial monitoring board (maybe referring to the provincial mining board?) and namely …. And Engr….., who is the President of the Small Scale Mining Assoc., do not like to sign/implement the Stoppage Order issued by the DENR and MGB. For reasons we all know – profit loss for them. We are at a loss as the mountain will come down soon. We went thru due process for long, sacrificing lives tooth for tooth to save the mountain, but it looks like politics and greed has overtaken everything, including the environment.”  

Aside from the recent illegal excavation and wanton bulldozing of trees atop the forest reservation, what is more shameless that I learned from Danny is that the perpetrators are not people indigenous to the place, but migrants from a province north of Benguet. True, outsiders are lording over Benguet’s natural resources because officials whom we have elected to protect us are lax or not responding accordingly, not that they are unaware of what is going on but because they benefit from being so.

Relatively, another letter was sent by multi-awarded stone carver Gilbert Gano, a resident along Kennon Road. Reacting to the proposed garbage dumpsite project of Baguio that might soon rise at Apugan below Mt. Santo Tomas, he said, “it is not only residents around Santo Tomas who are up against the dumpsite but also residents along Bued River, Kennon Road and down to Pangasinan, as their source of drinking water will be contaminated.

This is more harmful than cutting trees because in 10 years trees can grow back, but 100 years is not enough for water contamination to disappear. Garbage contamination of water sources is unhealthiest as animal and plant life along Kennon will die.” I agree 101 per cent.

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What the weather brings

BENCHWARMER

By Ramon Dacawi

(This piece found print five years ago this month. Rhoda’s family still comes to mind, especially when it pours.-RD) 

When it rains, Rhoda Boquiren comes to mind.

She’s that 37-year old mother of five moving up and down Session Road. When she’s lucky enough, you see her pulling a plastic bag almost empty or half-full of recyclables on one hand and Benjamin Jr., her youngest at six, on the other.

Like Metro-Manilans picking up the pieces in the wake of the flooding, she should be cursing the rain. She can’t sell cartons and paper that shop owners leave for the rains to drench on the main street.

It seems, too, she rues, that everybody now also segregates recyclables or collects what’s already segregated. Two years ago, she remembered a woman with a car competing with her. When she asked, the woman, who was then working in an international company,  told her she, too, had mouths to feed.

The upside is that rain, if not too strong, does wonders to her sayote plant. The shoots and tendrils grow fast and soon get blanched or – for better taste – get sautéed if there’s lard to come by. With rain, her kids can eat and won’t have to fetch water for a while. 

So, plus or minus, what the rain brings depends on who and where you are.

Rhoda’s family of seven huddles in a shanty deep into  Purok 5, Sto. Rosario , not quite in danger of getting flooded. The downside is it’s far from the road. Benjamin Jr. often complains why he has to walk and walk – often  up and down Session Rd.

 Rhoda can’t carry him always. With a tiny, frail and asthmatic frame, she coughs often. Her doctor  had told her to be on maintenance dose to prevent osteoporosis (or is it scoliosis?) from getting worse.

The last time Rhoda herself was cuddled  was when she was 12. The ninth of 12 children of a coconut farmer worker in Catubig, Samar, she was then on board a ship, on her way to find her fortune in Manila . As she had no ticket, a  neighbor also bound for the big city cuddled her like her own child to spare her of the fare.   

 “I thought then life was kind in Manila ,” she said in Tagalog.

She worked as domestic for a family in Bicutan, Rizal. She couldn’t cope and so asked her sister Celia, who lived nearby, to take her in. At 17 she agreed to work in a printing press in Malabon. She told her employer not to pay her , just to provide her food, a place to stay and support for her education.  

Given more work than study hours, she quit both at the end of her sophomore year in high school. She decided to come up to Baguio , again to work a domestic.  

In the wake of the July 16, 1990 that hit Baguio , Rhoda found refuge in an evacuation center near the city slaughterhouse. There, she met Benjamin, a miner who was sidelined due to work-related injuries, but still volunteered in the rescue operations for victims trapped in the collapsed Nevada Hotel in the wake of the July 16, 1990 earthquake.

Two years ago, Rhoda unwrapped Benjamin’s bronze plaque credential in volunteerism.  

“In  recognition of service above and beyond the call of duty in rescue of victims of the July 16, 1990 earthquake,” the inscription read.

It was presented by Benguet Corp, on September 28 that year, signed by Alfonso Yuchengco, chairman of the board, and Dennis Bemonte, president.

Rhoda remembers Benjamin was among those who rescued Sonia Roco, wife of then Senator Raul Roco. The temblor struck while Sonia was attending a conference sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development at the Nevada Hotel.

Benjamin Sr. is now on-and-off at odd jobs, as his old injuries prevent full-time work. If he can find some materials, he can improve their shanty, which they built with support from a nun. It bears no number, and stands on a lot owned by somebody else. 

The patchwork of GI sheets, canvas and scrap without electricity or plumbing  is home to their  five children – Rejie, 16 and out of school; Sharmaine, 15; Sunshine, 12, Benzon 10, and Benjamin Jr. On rainless nights, the kids sometimes go to a neighbor’s house to watch TV.

The couple had tried opening a mico-mini store with a P5,000 livelihood loan from the city social welfare and development office. It was promising at first, until customers became familiar to be refused credit.  Rhoda’s consolation was having repaid the loan.

Two years back, an Ibaloi woman raising her own daughter in Kentucky got wind of Rhoda’s plight. She included Rhoda in several anonymous fund support to the needy here. Part of it went to the family’s daily sustenance, the bulk for Rhoda  work on in  a door-to-door vending of fish and vegetables.

The family’s needs, however, were too much to bear – including her and the children’s medications. The would-be livelihood capital was re-channeled to addressing them. .

 Each time the weather permits, Rhoda is back along Session Road rummaging through bags of trash. Or at city hall where employees hand her their collections of empty plastic bottles.   Passersby can identify her through Benjamin Jr., who sits on the pavement and wails at times when he’s had enough of walking.

******

P.S. – Thanks to a fund support raised by siblings Sunshine and Paulo Paclayan-Balanza, from fellow church-goers in Michigan,  Rhoda and Benjamin eventually improved the family abode.  home. Thanks to support from Shoshin Kinderhilfe, the humanitarian foundation former world karate champion Julian Chees founded in southern Germany, Sharmaine, now  a sophomore at the King’s College in La Trinidad, Benguet, recently was able to take her class examination. (email:mondaxbench@yahoo.com  for comments).  

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Piraso’s paradise

LIGHT AT END OF THE TUNNEL

Roger Sinot

ASIN HOT SPRINGS, Tuba – After reading a leaflet brochure of Tam-awan  Village, a tourist destination that houses Cordillera culture and arts, I realized how wonderful Guisad's Pinsao Proper Barangay was during the pre- American colonial era. By visiting the place, one can imagine what the city looked like 100 or more years ago.

When my forefather Dahay Piraso was steward of the place, animals he and his relatives owned roamed around the valley. Behind the sloppy mountains were thick forests. Busy Cattle were seen in herds eating their meal on grassy upland pastures on mountain sides, while water buffalos (carabaos) took cool baths in the river that flowed along the ricefields of Guisad Valley. To me, this pictures a paradise. It was also the time when people cut down trees only for domestic use. Now, no such a place in the valley can be seen, except in Tam-awan Village. I consider it a paradise lost.

Here is an anecdote by Allan Watts entitled “When Man Aspires to Rule the Earth”. Once upon a time, the mouth, the hands, the feet said to each other, "We do all this work gathering food and chewing it up, but that lazy fellow, the stomach does nothing. It is high time he did some work too, so let's go on strike!" So they let many days to pass without working. But soon found themselves feeling weaker and weaker until at last, each of them realized that the stomach was their stomach, and that they had to go back to work to stay alive.

When we talk about the Philippines, we talk about the land and its people. When we talk about the City of Baguio, we talk about the people, the land, and the environment. Time was when Baguio was a paradise. The problem on environment is rooted from the land. This is a clear picture of the anecdote “when man aspires to rule the earth”. He should realize that man, like the tree, is rooted on the soil. He must accept this fact before he can surge upward to frolic with the wind. In this endeavor, man needs no less than the breath of divinity mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Genesis. Man must embrace, not only himself but all other creatures as well. And by that only can man truly possess the earth.

Here is a message published in the Philippine Star on June 23, 1990 by no less than our very own Jaime Cardinal Sin about the Environmental Day celebration. He attested that “environmental concerns belong to the framework of our moral values and spiritual obligation,” further saying that the “ecological crisis is the responsibility of everyone”. Cardinal Sin continues, “but these ecological problems are just symptoms. At the root of nature's destruction are GREED, SELFISHNESS and the LACK OF CHRISTIAN CONCERNS for our fellowmen, especially the poor and the disadvantaged. We need to rehabilitate nature and human values.”

Dr. Dioscoro L. Umali’s excerpt entitled "Be the Heroes We Never Were - and Live" was published in the Daily Inquirer dated May 2, 1990. "We do not inherit the land from our parents", farmers often say, "We merely borrowed it from our children." Is this then how we, of the fading generation, handled the wealth you entrusted us? We dissipated your environmental capital. In so doing, we endangered your capacity to provide, in the years ahead, daily bread for your families from the land you loaned us.

As prodigal parents, we radically altered your future. Your natural resource base is depleted. Greed of the past has been to that. We lowered the threshold for violence by breeding social unrest. Above all, you will have little time to correct our failures. What hurts most is we stripped the land of its beauty.

 Your children will no longer thrill, as we once did, to the heart-stopping dive of hawk. Nor will they breathe in the fragrance of Pine forest. The rich texture of Philippine mahogany will be, at best, a quaint story for them. Their panoramas will be of drab landscapes, blanketed by sterile cogon grass, not the verdant meadows we knew, as youngsters. The bitter tragedy is: These victims are our grandchildren. They are "Flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone."

We hope that you learn the lesson we never fully grasped: "man's life does not consist in abundance of his possessions, and that sharing and equity constitute the first seed of survival.” Dr. Umali continues, “It has not been easy for me to speak to you in such bleak terms. I have to admit that it is not a rose-tinted commencement speech that one usually hears. But realism compels me to say "Be the heroes we never were - or perish!"

Let us not make a ruined city out of our City of Pines! Happy trails to all settlers of Baguio and all IPs all over the country!

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