Seeing the big picture

BUSINESS BITS
Aileen Santos

Our life coach teaches an exercise on how you can train our mind to use the Big Picture Experience to bring success.

When you're just starting out in your business one of the most powerful resources you have is your passion which you can leverage in a variety of ways. One leveraging tool which can be extremely effective at quickly bringing success is something that I call the "Big Picture Experience."

Let me tell you why this is so powerful: In the movie The Secret, quantum physicists and medical doctors alike agreed on three breakthrough discoveries about the human mind:

That people's life situations are always caused by their deep-seated beliefs and expectations. Plastic surgeon Dr. Maxwell Maltz supports this in his book Psycho-Cybernetics. He wondered why more than 80% of his patients still felt unhappy even after receiving the surgery they wanted. He found that the reason was they still retained their old beliefs about themselves (causing the people around them to treat them the same way, too)

That real life change only begins to happen NOT after reading or hearing about something, but after actually experiencing it.

That the human mind actually can NOT distinguish between what we imagine from what we actually experience. So if we can imagine something so fully and completely that our minds cannot tell it apart from reality, then we have no choice but to make it happen.

Have you ever given yourself the chance to really experience this? Remember, "learning" about something isn't the same as experiencing it. Here's what you can do:

Imagine what a successful day would look like, feel like, sound like, smell like? and write it down. The more multi-sensory your ?story? is, the more your mind would be able to experience it and believe in it. Professional life coaches often do this for you as part of your coaching package, and will even send you a recording that includes relaxation techniques that help your mind absorb it faster.

Record this Big Picture Experience and save it as an audio file in your computer, then download it into your iPod or phone. You?ll then be able to access it whether you?re on the road or at your office.
Really commit to listening to this recording every morning for the next 30 days, before your start each day. I challenge you to try this--really try this--and tell me how it affects your life.

At the very least, this exercise will jumpstart your day with renewed passion and enthusiasm; it even helps you make easier decisions about your tasks and priorities, because you have a clearer idea about where you want to go.

At its very best--particularly when it's done beyond 30 days, this habit will reprogram your mind to "create success" while you're working towards your goals, and create lasting positive changes in your life.

(Aileen Santos is an internationally certified Work-Life ReInvention Coach & A-Ha! Trainer who helps overwhelmed leaders & entrepreneurs create more balance in their lives by helping them achieve success in the things that truly matter. Learn more about her training & coaching work at LightBulbOnYourHead.com or visit her blog at AileenSantos.com.)

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'Pepeng' death toll hits 375; most in Cordillera at 247

BAGUIO CITY -- The death toll of Typhoon “Pepeng” is still rising with confirmed fatalities now reaching 375, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

The NDCC said 287 of the reported deaths came from the Cordillera Administrative Region and were largely due to landslides.

There were 75 deaths in Region I, eight in Region III, one in Region IV-A and four in Region V.

There were 185 injured persons, with 131 coming from CAR, 47 in Region I, and 7 in Region II.

At press time, 48 individuals were still missing. The NDCC said 3.2 million individuals have been affected by the typhoon, with 18,000 families staying in 179 evacuation centers.

The total damage estimate for Pepeng is now at P8.139 billion, with P1.607 billion in infrastructure and P6.532 billion in agriculture.

Road clearings and restoration of basic communication facilities and infrastructure are continuing to allow the rapid delivery of relief goods to Northern Luzon.

President Arroyo has ordered the clearing of Halsema Highway, which connects Baguio City with the Mountain Province and the rest of the provinces in the Cordillera, for the northern areas to be accessible by land.

Meanwhile, humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations continue in Northern and Central Luzon to provide immediate relief to the affected population in different regions hit by flood and landslide.

The Air Force has recorded 112 sorties from Oct. 4 to 12 for the transport of a total of 88,777 pounds of relief goods.

In the Cordillera, casualties of “Pepeng” reached 247 documented cases with around 190 deaths in Benguet and Baguio with 54 bodies retrieved.

This was the data culled by the Serve the People Brigade-Cordillera Disaster Response Network which said one death was reported from Abra province. Data of the missing has not yet been finalized.

In Tuba, Benguet, residents of four villages along the Bued River near Kennon Road here were urged to evacuate at press time as mudflow intensified.

Town councilor Ma. Luisa Carantes said at least eight families were earlier taken to a nearby school to prevent further loss of lives in the four barangays downstream of Camp 3.

Since Wednesday afternoon, local officials have been leading the evacuation, said Vice Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan.

At least nine residents in Camp 4 and Camp 2 Twinpeaks here were killed in mudslides at the height of typhoon “Pepeng.”

At least 200 villagers were killed in mudslides in Benguet, perhaps the most hard-hit by Pepeng among Cordillera provinces.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau has tagged Kennon Road among the geologically hazardous areas in the Cordillera region.

The deaths, destruction of properties and livelihood sources were a result of massive landslides all over the region, a total of 18, and the strong rains which flooded parts of the city.

Baguio had over 400 individuals evacuated into barangay halls, schools, gyms and daycare centers.

The SPBCDRN said they extended relief goods to 160 families in Pinsao and Fairview both in Baguio and helped given relief goods.

Volunteers helped in clearing operations in Ambiong, La Trinidad municipality, and Irisan and Upper P. Burgos in Baguio.

Two houses were completely wrecked in Irisan. Residents in Bakakeng Central, Baguio, reported that a family of nine was buried in the landslide, including a pregnant mother. The neighboring house reported 4 deaths due to the landslide.

As of press time In Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet, 85 bodies have been recovered due to landslides.

In Tublay town also in Benguet, it was noted that relief and rescue missions, medical attention were needed in the mined out area of Sto.Niño.

Fifty families were evacuated into the Paoad Elementary School, all from Sto. Niño.

Cordillera Peoples Alliance inter-municipal chapter MAQUITACDG reported 26 bodies have been recovered in Guinaoang Mankayan, and retrieval operations were still ongoing.
The road from Abatan, Buguias to Mankayan remains impassable to date.

In the landslide in Tadian, Mountain Province, 50 bodies have already been recovered, but many are still missing.

CPA’s affiliate in Apayao province reported a total of 2, 449 families have been affected in Conner or 11, 807 individuals while a total of 1,898 hectares of crops were destroyed.

The Serve the People Brigade will hold relief and rescue operations in Itogon and Mankayan next week.

In the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union, practically all police personnel in the city and municipal police stations were mobilized for evacuation, search and rescue and road-clearing operations.

The Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups of PRO1 were deployed in hard-to-reach areas and were instrumental in saving scores of residents trapped by the rampaging floodwaters.

Chief Supt. Ramon V. Gatan, PRO1 Regional Director and Chairman of RDCC1, has personally led and closely monitored the on-going operations in the towns affected severely by the typhoons and floods in his area. – With reports from Mar T. Supnad, Jerry Padilla, Jennelyn Mondejar, Liam Anacleto and Armand Tamaray

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Heroes emerge in wake of super typhoon’s wrath

By Dexter A. See and Mar T. Supnad

All’s not bad about the onslaught of typhoon “Pepeng.”

While the typhoon left hundreds dead and a trail of destruction it nevertheless, brought out the best from some individuals.

In Benguet, the municipal government of La Trinidad and the Bureau of Fire Protection paid their last respect to the three firemen and a barangay kagawad who lost their lives while trying to save the lives of dozens of individuals who were trapped in a landslide at Poblacion, Buyagan at the height Pepeng last week.

In Pangasinan, a young police chief and his men as well as two boys who helped them were lauded for risking their life and limbs to save others from the wrath of Pepeng.

The municipal council of La Trinidad has passed a resolution commending the heroism displayed by Senior Fire Officer 2 Richard Balusdan, SFO2 Sigfred Ngoloban, FO2 Benedict Tumayan, and barangay kagawad Rex Mang-oy, a retired fireman, for risking their lives during the rescue operations conducted in Buyagan that saved a three-year-old child, Ivan Suarez, from death when their house was buried by a landslide at the height of Pepeng’s wrath last October 8.

Balusdan, Ngoloban, Tumayan, and Mang-oy died after they were buried by the second wave of landslide that occurred while they were rescuing the people trapped inside a house in the said barangay.

One of their colleagues, FO2 Alfredo Bustillos, was injured in the incident and is now recuperating from his injuries.

The BFP-CAR already promoted the three firemen with Balusdan and Nguluban getting their posthumous promotions to SFO3 while Tumayan was elevated to the rank of FO3.

The agency is also processing the appropriate death benefits and financial assistance to the responsible and dedicated fire officers who died in the performance of their duties and responsibilities, especially in responding to emergency cases such as natural calamities.

The local government said the heroism displayed by the four rescuers who died in line of duty is worth remembering and will be treasured by generations to come, citing that their risking of their lives to save others from danger is a worthy trait to be emulated by today’s youth.

However, relatives of the fatalities are now seeking assistance from kind-hearted individuals in order to help them cope with the loss of the breadwinner of their respective families, saying they are proud of what the slain rescuers have done to save the lives of the trapped landslide victims.

Prior to being trapped in the Buyagan landslides, the concerned rescuers have also saved dozens of lives in the Little Kibungan mudslide where over 109 individuals lost their lives.

In Pangasinan, the heroic act showed by Inspector Ryan Manongdo, acting chief of police of San Jacinto, caught the attention local folk as well as the PNP hierarchy.

As Pepeng struck the province and the rest of Northern Luzon area, Manongdo, a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy, did not hesitate to risk his own life and braved the murky waters, with the assistance of two boys in rescuing the people who had been swamped by rampaging floods in the area.

Armed only with his bare hands and skills that he learned from the PNPA, Manongdo took inflatable beds and saved the children and women trapped in their houses due to the sudden flashfloods.

“They could have saved more but they were too weak already from transporting people to safety. Still, they saved 130 people,” said the report, praising Manongdo for his heroic feat.

Even PNP Chief Director General Jesus A. Verzosa was impressed by the heroic act of Manongdo, his two young companions, and the hundreds of policemen who worked hand-in-hand in providing rescue mission and bring relief goods to victims of storms Ondoy and Pepeng.

“What you did was exemplary. May you and the other officers serve as role models in being selfless and courageous in the face of calamities. During those dark times, you did not think of your own but thought of your fellowmen. Your PNP is proud of you,” Verzosa pointed out after noting the laudable action of the young PNP officer.

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Padaca unharmed in road accident

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya– Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca was unharmed when her van rammed into a motorcycle in Burgos town Oct 13.

Padaca was on her way to Roxas town when the driver of her Hyundai Starex, Reymundo Domingo, tried to avoid a motorcycle driven by Marvic Sadac that steered clear of a bad portion of the road in Barangay Raniag, but nonetheless hit it.

A back-up vehicle of the governor also figured in the mishap.

“A motorcycle driver with a student license who doesn’t know the rules on the highways (caused the accident),” Padaca said. – CL

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DOJ, NBI to go after N. Luzon hoarders

The Department of Justice will be fielding agents of the National Bureau of Investigation to areas in northern Luzon hit by Typhoon “Pepeng” to enforce price controls, officials said Oct. 11.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said the NBI, the law enforcement arm of the DOJ, will begin operations to check on possible hoarding of rice and other basic commodities that often occur in the aftermath of natural calamities.

She said price controls are being enforced as President Arroyo’s declaration of a state of calamity remains in effect in Luzon, including Metro Manila.

She said the DOJ originally fielded NBI agents in the National Capital Region but will increase its numbers and deploy more in other affected areas in northern Luzon to make sure that prices of basic and prime commodities remain steady.

The NBI, according to Devanadera, apprehended more than 60 violators and the agency is now finalizing reports and “may subpoena some more people.”

She said the bureau has built up cases against some of those erring establishments.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde urged the public to monitor the prices of goods in their respective communities and report any irregularities to the Department of Trade and Industry and DOJ.

Devanadera said the DOJ has partnered with DTI, Department of Agriculture and Department of Health in monitoring the prices of medicines and other basic commodities.

When asked on the increased prices of vegetables in the local market, she said prices are “subject to the law of supply and demand.”

She said that since typhoon Pepeng battered the province of Benguet and other vegetable growing provinces in Luzon, this might affect the supply and prices of vegetables in the country.
“But there is such thing as acceptable prices,” she said.

Remonde said Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap “is now handling the issue and may find solutions to ease the problem.”

He said President Arroyo has also directed Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane to exert all efforts to ensure the affected roads become passable as soon as possible.

The various routes up north were heavily damaged by typhoon Pepeng and the transport of goods was also affected.

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Artificial dam threatens 1,000 families in P’sinan

By Jerry Padilla

UMINGAN, Pangasinan– Some 1,000 families in this town face threats of landslides and mudflows once an artificial dam formed by continuous rains in the Caraballo Mountain overflows.

Mayor Eldred Tumbocon said Oct. 15 mountain soil prevented water in the artificial dam from cascading down, impounding it some 2.5 kilometers up in the Caraballo, somewhere in Barangay Maseil-seil.

As of Oct. 15, some 400 families had been evacuated, as local officials feared a spillover once the water reaches the top of the artificial dam.

“Once the soil loosens, there might be massive landslides,” Tumbocon said.

He said the water exits to the Banila River and the barangays of Maseil-seil, Don Montano and Caurdanetaan are threatened.

“The soil might be saturated and this will cause flash floods and mudslides,” he said.

The impending disaster was brought to the attention of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council,, which, together with Army engineers from Camp Tito Abat in Manaoag town and the 71st Infantry Brigade in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, agreed to conduct a ground survey.

The PDCC has requested a helicopter from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, as the area is unreachable by land.

The survey team will conduct a hydrographic survey to determine the volume of water in the artificial dam and the conditions in the mountain.

Tumbocon said they plan to blast a portion of the mountain to make a canal so the impounded water could be drained gradually.

He said continuous rains were stalling their plan, but added that they would do their best to penetrate the area.

He said this is the first time that such an artificial dam was formed in the mountain and that they foresee massive landslides and mudflows if rains would not stop.

When typhoon “Pepeng” unleashed its fury by dumping heavy rains, aggravated by excess water released by the San Roque Dam in San Manuel town, Tumbocon said his town was among the worst hit, with 12 riverside barangays submerged as the Banila River overflowed.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. told reporters that a team was set to go to Umingan, as they feared that more water impounded in the artificial dam would create a bigger problem.

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Baguio’s major roads reopened; Cagayan relief operations on

TUBA, Benguet– Major roads to this city, except the Halsema Highway, have been reopened to allow delivery of fuel, food and relief goods and transport of vegetables to Metro Manila and Luzon even as relief operations were ongoing in Cagayan hard hit by Typhoon “Pepeng” at press time.

Kennon Road was opened on afternoon of Oct. 11 to light vehicles after landslides isolated Baguio for two days.

By Tuesday morning, it was completely reopened making more supplies delivered to Baguio and neighboring provinces.

On midnight Monday, Marcos Highway in sitio Palina, Taloy Sur, Tuba was cleared of boulders and mud.

The road was widened Tuesday morning to allow all types of vehicles to pass.

Naguilian Road was opened early dawn Tuesday, though only to light vehicles.

Engineer Francis Almora, Public Works and Highways-Cordillera spokesman, said Halsema Highway (Baguio-Bontoc road), the major road from Northern Benguet’s vegetable belt, as well as Baguio-Tublay road and Km. 18 were also reopened Oct. 13.

Government road managers are working on the second phase of fixing the major trunklines to Baguio including the Baguio-Vizcaya Road, he added.

Almora said DPWH personnel, using rented equipment and working 18 hours a day, are building a detour road that would avoid areas hit by landslides.

There are still three big road cuts and 27 slides to be cleared, and the portion at saddle, which sagged before Km. 35 (Tapdac, Atok), is clear up to Bontoc in Mountain Province, he added.

As of press time, at least four kilometers of roads would have to be cleared of mud and boulders to allow the delivery of vegetables to La Trinidad trading post, Metro Manila and other provincial market destinations.

Some barangays in Benguet are still being dug out from the rubble, while rescue and retrieval operations in Mountain Province have been stalled because Air Force planes have been waylaid by thick clouds and bad weather.

In Cagayan province, food and other basic goods were running out in the island town of Calayan, one of the worst-hit by typhoon Pepeng.

Reports said medicine shortages had been especially noticed in the island barangay of Babuyan Claro in Calayan, as well as in the neighboring Fuga island which is part of Aparri town.
No direct sea or air flights to Calayan town have as yet been established.

Calayan Mayor Joseph Llopis said the problem was aggravated by the distance from the sources of relief goods in Aparri and Santa Ana towns. It takes around eight hours to reach the site, he added.

Llopis said authorities were last able to bring supplies to the island town the other day.

“In fact, all of the relief packs, consisting of medicine, food, canned goods and the like, which were sent to (Babuyan Claro) the calamity areas in the barangay had been totally consumed and no replacements are yet in sight,” he said.

Llopis said Babuyan Claro, a small island barangay along the Pacific coast, has 1,200 residents.

“Priority was given to the island province of Batanes which was also reported to be experiencing shortages of food stuffs like here in Calayan,” he said.

Itbayat town in Batanes and the rest of the province, to a lesser extent, had also been reported to be experiencing the same shortages of food, medicine and gasoline.

Calayan’s agricultural sector suffered the most devastation with some P30 million in damaged crops.

Llopis called for immediate assistance for his town, especially with regard to agricultural inputs as well as transportation to and from the island. – With CL

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Tadian fiesta turns to nightmare, agony

By Francis B. Degay

TADIAN, Mountain Province -- While church members of the Roman Catholic Holy Rosary Church were preparing for their fiesta on October 9-11, heavy mudslide swept away Sitio Bulala, Kayan East here killing instantly 35 individuals and wounding three others.

To date, at least 50 persons were confirmed dead here during the typhoon.

According to barangay officials, at around 6 p.m. Oct. 8 a loud bang was heard followed by sudden and continues flow of mud that covered about 17-18 households.

Three persons were immediately rushed for treatment to the Luisa Hora Regional Hospital at Abatan, Bauko town.

A male parent was spared for he went to visit a friend when the incident happened. Search and rescue were done immediately due lack of electricity and continues downpour.

Residents said before the incident, Roman Catholic priest Andrew Claver went to inform a certain Lesio Gao-ay, principal of the Holy Rosary high school, to transfer to the church convent due to continuous water flow along the backyards and pathways of the residential area.

When Fr. Claver left Gao-ay’s house after a few minutes, sudden erosion and mud flow covered the community.

According to barangay health worker Teresita Ilakad, a crack was observed at the portion of the mountain that eroded by old folks several years ago but nothing has been done with the belief that that was only a natural phenomenon.

Based on interviews conducted by this writer with several elders, they had similar perceptions that the crack might have been saturated with too much water that caused the mountain to erode.

They further said when the slide covered the road canal, water flowed downward to the community loosening foundations of several houses.

The concrete house that was situated in the uppermost portion of the sitio crushed down several houses below, they continued.

The following day until October 13 almost all the local government units and volunteers of Mountain Province procured and delivered relief goods and offered search and rescue operations at the tragic site.

As of press time about 34 bodies have been recovered leaving one old man who is still the subject of a search operation.

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Informer given P300,000 reward

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga– A civilian whose information led to the arrest last March of Nueva Ecija’s most wanted criminal finally received Tuesday a P300,000 reward from Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz, Central Luzon police director, at Camp Olivas here.

Thanks to the informer’s “reliable information,” De la Cruz said police arrested Vicente Fernando Jr., who is facing charges of attempted murder, in Barangay Consuelo Sur, San Antonio, Zambales. – DC

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Luzon dams release water anew; villages submerged

UMINGAN, Pangasinan -- Several dams in northern Luzon have started releasing water anew after reaching their spilling level, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Oct. 15.

Some villages in Central Luzon including Pangasinan in Region 1 are now “moderately submerged” anew with the water flow, officials said.

In an update issued 6 a.m., the NDCC said the San Roque Dam in Pangasinan started releasing water at a rate of 439.9 cubic meters per second, while the Magat Dam in Isabela released water at a rate of 359 cubic meters per second.

The Ambuklao and Binga dams, meanwhile, released water at a rate of 117 cubic meters and 195 cubic meters per second, respectively.

The Angat Dam in Bulacan also released water at around 6 a.m., followed by the Pantabangan Dam an hour later.

The excess water from the two dams would likely affect the Bulacan towns of Norzagaray, Angat, San Rafael, Bustos, Baliuag, Pulilan, Plaridel, and Hagonoy.

The Armed Forces gave assurance that they have troops pre-positioned in areas that are likely to be affected by the release of dam water, particularly in Pangasinan and Benguet, should there be a need for the pre-emptive evacuation of residents.

At the same time, Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, Armed Forces spokesman, said troops would be pulled out from Mindanao for rehabilitation efforts in northern Luzon in the aftermath of typhoon “Pepeng.”

During a meeting with government officials in Pangasinan, President Arroyo ordered the pullout so military personnel could join the rehabilitation efforts in northern and central Luzon. – George Trillo with DB

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4 La Union fishermen rescued in China Sea

By Dexter A. See

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Alert village officials and police operatives here rescued four fishermen on board an alleged ill-fated fishing banca during the height of typhoon “Pepeng” in Barangay Ilocanos Sur, this city, recently.

The successful rescue of the embattled fishermen was effected with the timely intervention of barangay tanod (village watchman) Jolito Medriano, chief watchman of Barangay Ilocanos Sur who sought assistance from authorities to save the fishermen from the rough seas.

Supt. Pedro Obaldo Jr., chief of police of the San Fernando City police office, identified the rescued fishermen as Armando Dilozo Dicino, 26, married; Gilbert Balagot Trisino, 19, single; Ronaldo Repuya Calongje, 19, single; and Alex Espino, 25, married, all residents of San Manuel, Agoo, La Union.

Despite repeated advisories from government officials that fishermen should refrain from going out to the rough seas because of the wrath of typhoon “Pepeng,” the fishermen reportedly went fishing and boarded their banca in the vicinity of San Manuel in Agoo.

However, their fishing banca reportedly encountered mechanical trouble while they were in the middle of the sea as strong winds and heavy rains of typhoon “Pepeng” prevailed the past several days.

According to Obaldo, the fishermen never lost hope in trying to maneuver their banca.

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Vital, washed out-bridge in Ilocos Sur restored

By Mar T. Supnad

SAN ESTEBAN, Ilocos Sur — The Department of Public Works and Highways bared recent typhoon destroyed highways worth P150 million but the Manila North Road is now passable after the DPWH’s 2nd engineering district restored the washed-out Bayugao Bridge in Sta. Cruz town early last week.

District Engineer Ray Elaydo said the damage wrought by recent typhoons was still being assessed and that the estimated damage in the Second District alone was for the national road and that various roads in the municipal and villages are also being assessed up to this time.

“We were able to fix the vital bridge in 36 hours only so as not to delay the flow of traffic,” Elaydo said.

Severely hit was the national highway in Santa town, said Elaydo.

The Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council headed by Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias “DV” Savellano has also reported the destruction of some 1,565 houses and the flooding of 306 villages in the province as typhoon “Pepeng” hit the province that also resulted to the destruction of millions of pesos worth of agricultural products here.

Thousands of residents that were displaced by the typhoon have been evacuated but scrambled for food being provided by the provincial government since they can no longer go out to work and look for food.

Badly hit by the continued rains were the towns of Sinait, Santa, Sta. Catalina, Cabugao, Caoayan, San Vicente, Santiago, and the cities of Vigan and Candon.

Savellano, who personally led the distribution of relief goods to the affected residents, said that a total of 26,620 families have been affected so far and that the number of houses partially damaged was placed at 1,424 while the totally damaged were 141 houses.

Meanwhile, Deputy National Adviser Luis “Chavit” Singson also motored to the province and personally led the rescue mission and distribution of relief goods.

Savellano appealed for relief goods from the national government and other non-government organizations as thousands of displaced people here are in need of food and shelter.

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Top 3 CPP leader in Central Luzon falls

By George Trillo

BAMBAN, Tarlac — A ranking communist rebel leader, who had succeeded in eluding arrest for several years, was nabbed by joint elements of Philippine Army and Region 3 Criminal Investigation and Detection Group here Oct. 12.

Reports reaching Col. Jose Mabanta Jr., commander of the 703rd Infantry “Agila” Brigade of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, said Danilo Jose Castañeda, alias “Ka Baste,” the No. 3 man of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army in Central Luzon, was arrested 5 p.m. on the strength of two arrest warrants for different murder cases.

Probers seized from the suspect a hand grenade, a blue belt bag, and communist documents.

Officials said Ka Baste, who also uses the aliases Delfin de Guzman and Efren Montanan Dela Lamon, was captured after a tip from a concerned citizen after the suspect visited his alleged live-in partner here.

Mabanta described Ka Baste as “an icon of the underground,” who started as a member of the Kabataang Makabayan in 1979.

He said as secretary of Sangay sa Partido sa Platoon (SPP) Bulacan, Castañeda the suspect supervises the group’s operations in Pampanga, South Zambales, and Bataan.

Mabanta said Ka Baste used other names like Delfin de Guzman and Efren Montana dela Lamon.

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DA orders NFA: Purchase 100,000 bags of corn from Kalinga farmers

TABUK, Kalinga — The national government recently ordered officials of the National Food Authority to buy over 100,000 bags of corn from farmers in Kalinga Province to cushion the impact of the very low price of corn during the present cropping, especially to the livelihood of the corn growers.

The directive was given by ranking officials of the Department of Agriculture after a consultation with DA regional officials and farmer leaders of Region 2, which is supplying a large volume of corn to supply dealers in the country over the past several years.

For this cropping season, corn prices dropped to as low as P5 per kilo from the previous P10 to P12 per kilo.

According to the farmers, the current prevailing price will not allow them to recover the huge production cost which they have invested to produce one of the country’s staple food.

Local agriculturists here claimed that the 100,000 procurement quota could be sufficient to accommodate the production of corn farmers for the present cropping season which is estimated to be over five tons.

Upon receipt of the directive, the NFA provincial office in Kalinga, which is being supervised and administered by the NFA Region 2 office, started its corn procurement from the thousands of corn farmers in the different parts of the province who have existing passbooks with the said office.

At present, the price offered to corn farmers is P10.40 per kilo of corn while farmer cooperatives are offered P10.70 per kilo since the P0.30 mark up will be given to the cooperatives as their incentives.

Several corn dealers in the province admitted they have already lost their business this cropping season and started to look for other ventures because the demand for corn by feed millers significantly went down because of cheaper wheat which is being imported by concerned importers.

Aside from Kalinga, other corn-producing areas in the region include the low-lying communities of Mountain Province and Ifugao which were also greatly affected by the sudden drop in the buying price of corn that resulted to their incurring huge losses.

Local officials, who are being pestered by the affected corn farmers to make the necessary representations with concerned government agencies to remedy the situation, welcomed the decision of DA officials to purchase a huge volume of corn from the farmers, saying that the same should be a continuing procurement to mitigate the effects of the drop in corn prices. – Dexter A. See

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Angeles police chief sacked

ANGELES CITY– Central Luzon police director Chief Supt, Leon Nilo de la Cruz relieved yesterday Oct. 15 this city’s police chief amid the rising number of unsolved killings and other crimes.

“I just don’t like the growing number of unsolved crimes anymore,” De la Cruz told newsmen following the shooting of a Customs officer at the Clark Freeport and the theft of a van in Barangay Sto. Rosario on Oct. 11.

Senior Supt. Pierre Bucsit was replaced by Senior Supt. Dan Bautista, who used to be the head of the personnel department of the Central Luzon police based at Camp Olivas in the City of San Fernando. -- George Trillo

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Mayor orders removal of Noynoy streamers in SF

By George Trillo

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Mayor Oscar “Oca” Rodriguez has ordered the removal of all streamers expressing support to Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Rodriguez instructed City Administrator Ferdinand Caylao to lead teams in removing all pro-Aquino streamers in the city proper, along busy streets and MacArthur Highway here.

The city mayor said the streamers have no permits and are placed in unauthorized areas.

The pro-Noynoy streamers have been displayed in various parts of the city and other parts of Pampanga and some parts in the Central Luzon since Aquino declared his bid for the presidency in 2010.

“We would like to clarify that we are not just removing the Sen. Noynoy streamers alone but also all streamers and posters without permits from the City Hall.

Streamers that are also placed unscrupulously pose dangers to motorists and pedestrians,” Caylao told local media.

Caylao said the city government here led by Mayor Rodriguez had coordinated with the office of Senator Aquino and his supporters in Pampanga about the removal of the streamers.

The city government later found out that the streamers did not come from the Aquino camp or any of its local supporters, Caylao added.

Asked why the city government took several weeks to realize that the pro-Noynoy streamers had no permits, Caylao said local officials were busy in helping victims of calamities here and in other areas.

He said the streamers and posters should only be placed in authorized locations, adding that even posters of local politicians here would be removed, even if they have permits, if they are placed in the wrong place.

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Flood alert raised in 5 Pampanga towns

By George Trillo

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga– Although the weather was sunny, more than 400 residents in a barangay in Bacolor town had to flee to higher ground, while those in five other towns were alerted as floodwaters continued to rise.

Filipinas Sevilla, chief of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, said at least 435 residents of Barangay Mesalipit, Bacolor sought refuge on a higher section of a dike after floodwaters swelled to as high as five feet Monday afternoon Oct. 13.

“The alert level was again raised to warn those living near waterways, especially the Pampanga River, on the danger of floodwaters (coming) from higher areas,” she said.

The alert was hoisted in San Luis, San Simon, Apalit, Candaba and Arayat towns where floodwaters swelled to as high as seven to 13 feet, she said.

Seventy-four barangays in 11 towns in Pampanga are still submerged, she said.
In San Simon, two residents died of electrocution, police said. Aries Nuguid, 25, visited his flooded home in Barangay San Miguel to get some belongings but got electrocuted, while Grade 3 pupil Clouie John Barona, 10, was wading in a flooded street when he accidentally touched an electrical post.

Sevilla said they have dispatched a team to investigate the sudden flooding in Barangay Mesalipit in Bacolor.

“That area is not affected by water coming from areas affected by the release of water from Pantabangan Dam, so we are looking into the source of the sudden flooding,” she said.

Sevilla cited reports that the alert raised in areas affected by the Chico River in Nueva Ecija has been lifted, although water from the river has already reached the Pampanga River, thus worsening the flooding in Pampanga.

In Bulacan, PDCC officer Elsa Austria said heavy flooding in 21 barangays in Calumpit and 14 more in Hagonoy was expected to persist in the next five days as these towns have become catch basins for floodwaters from higher places in Nueva Ecija, including those affected by the release of water from the Pantabangan Dam.

Elsewhere in the province, however, floodwaters have receded. – With Ric Sapnu

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100 caskets scheduled for delivery to northern areas

STO. TOMAS, Pampanga – President Arroyo has asked casket manufacturers here to prepare at least 100 coffins for delivery to Baguio City and other northern areas where hundreds were killed mostly in landslides at the height of typhoon “Pepeng.”

Sofronio Galang, information officer of fourth district Rep. Anna York Bondoc-Sagum, said the President placed the order for the coffins during her visit here last Monday to attend the 48th founding anniversary of this town, the smallest in Pampanga, after she distributed relief goods to flood victims in Macabebe and Masantol towns.

This town has been dubbed as “casket capital of the Philippines.”

“She asked Congresswoman Bondoc-Sagum to prepare at least 100 coffins to help the families of the victims of the typhoon,” Galang said.

The President, who had lunch at the municipal hall last Monday, took time out to walk to the nearby St. Peter’s Casket Factory to talk about her plan to deliver caskets to the north.

“Congresswoman Bondoc, in turn, instructed us to get in touch with three to four casket makers to supply us with the coffins,” Galang said, adding that a casket costs from P4,000 to P4,500.

Close to 400 people were reported killed in the Cordillera, with retrieval operations for those still buried in landslides ongoing as of Oct. 13.

Casket making has become a backyard industry in this town where the pioneers, such as St. Peter’s, have made it big in the national and international markets.

Galang said his town has about 300 family-owned enterprises that produce 24,000 caskets a month and supply about 70 percent of the country’s needs.

Mrs. Arroyo was again in her hometown in Lubao yesterday to inspect projects and meet with barangay chiefs and tanods to tackle disaster management. It was her 31st visit to the second district this year.

The Philippine Information Agency regional office said the President would inspect a road improvement project in Barangay Sto. Cristo, the site for a proposed four-classroom building of a public school in Barangay San Antonio, the site for a proposed barangay hall and day care center in Barangay San Nicolas, and a meeting with barangay chiefs and tanods from all over the second district to tackle disaster management.

The PIA said the President was slated to sleep overnight in her home in Barangay San Nicolas before going back to Malacañang today. – With DC

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Young mother recalls storm 'Pepeng' ordeal

ROSALES, Pangasinan– The sight of her brother trying to save her son from the rampaging flood that engulfed her house and the sound of people screaming for help were more than Stephanie Salindong could bear.

Her body drenched in mud and water, the 23-year-old mother held back tears as she looked back and saw her house and her cherished possessions washed away by the deluge brought by typhoon “Pepeng.”

Elsewhere, people scampered to safety as heavy rains, aggravated by the excess water released from the San Roque Dam in San Miguel, started to flood Pangasinan.

There was so much devastation. Salindong and many others like her saw their homes and their dreams washed away in an instant.

Carmen East, where Salindong’s house is located, was among the most devastated barangays in Pangasinan.

When Pepeng unleashed its fury, people tried to evacuate in a rush. Those who did not make it out of the ravaged community clambered to the rooftop of their houses and stayed there for a day or two, without any food or water, waiting to be rescued.

As of this writing, at least 45 people have already been reported dead and the figure is rising everyday, most of the fatalities due to drowning and heart attack.

Salindong said nobody warned them that the dam had released tons of water until her uncle who lives in Paniqui, Tarlac sent a text message to her father about it.

Her family sought refuge in the old two-storey house of her grandparents.

“I didn’t think we would die, because almost all of us believed God would save us,” she said in Filipino.

Her father Ferdinand said their experience was “very horrifying.”

The family was not able to save any of their belongings and the gate of their recently built house, now submerged in water, is the only testament to the bungalow that was their home.

Stephanie’s and her parents’ houses, as well as that of her aunt, recently built and yet to be occupied, were carried away by the strong current of floodwaters.

Fernando Escalona, former Carmen East barangay captain and president of the Senior Citizens Association, said it was the worst flooding he has experienced.

He said the volume of water released from the dam was so huge and it came like a thief in the night, catching them unprepared.

Escalona was able to evacuate about 20 families in a two-storey house a few hours after receiving a text message from his friends that the dam would release excess water.

“I saw that houses were collapsing and people were shouting for help. I told them let’s just pray,” he said.

Except for two elderly citizens in their barangay who died due to hypothermia, everyone survived the flood. It took another day before the casualties were brought down from the rooftops of their houses.

Escalona said their barangay was the center of devastation as floodwaters breached the earth dikes.

“People here live on relief goods given by Good Samaritans, as all that we had were gone,” he said.

The following day, Oct. 9, with floodwaters still submerging houses, Stephanie celebrated her mother Army’s birthday. She said they just prayed the rosary.

Despite what happened to their home, Stephanie said her family is still thankful that no life was lost.

Her mother prayed at the height of the typhoon that if they must die, she’d rather have all of them die than have survivors who would just suffer.

She said she doesn’t know how to start a new life, but added that she’s looking to work abroad again to give her child and her parents a new beginning.

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Agriculture damage pegged at P18 billion

The estimated damage from back-to-back typhoons is beginning to pile up, pushing the total loss from “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” to P18.4 billion from only P12 billion as of Oct 13.

In the latest report of the Department of Agriculture Central Action Center, estimated losses from Pepeng in Luzon’s seven regions now stand at P11.7 billion, while damage from Ondoy remains at approximately P6.8 billion.

The two typhoons destroyed some 121,949 hectares of croplands causing the loss of 925,523 metric tons (MT) of rice, corn, and high-value commercial crops (HVCC) as well as fishery products, livestock and poultry, and P2.7-billion worth of farm infrastructure.

Rice areas were the most affected with 109,188 hectares having no chance of recovery, followed by 9,961 hectares of corn and 2,800 hectares of HVCC farms.

Damaged farmlands lost some 839,241 MT of palay or paddy rice; 45,768 MT of corn and 40,514 MT of HVCC.

Pepeng’s extended stay in the country inundated 291,063 hectares of croplands, causing the loss of 596,492 MT of rice, corn and HVCC.

The total value of loss amounts to about P11.7 billion – P10 billion from production losses from crops and livestock/poultry and P1.7 billion from damaged irrigation facilities.

For the rice sector in Region I, II, III, V and the Cordillera Administration Region (CAR), the affected area is 264,308 hectares, 69,135 hectares of which were completely damaged.

Deemed lost was 528,179 MT of palay from 253,240 hectares that were in reproductive or maturity stage.

Total value of loss amounts to over P9 billion, consisting of P8.9-billion worth of lost palay and P59.6 million in lost investment of farmers.

Losses were recorded from 21 provinces of Cordillera, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, three provinces of Ilocos, and two in Bicol.

For the corn sector in Regions I, II, III, V and the CAR, affected were 21,354 hectares, 8,861 hectares of which will not be able to recover.

Lost were 41,948 MT corn grains from the 19,075 MT crops in reproductive/maturity stages.

The value of damage amounts to P568 million. The losses came from 10 provinces of five regions.

For the HVCC sector in the CAR and in Regions I, II and V, 5,401 hectares were affected that resulted to a loss of 26,365 MT HVCC consisting mostly of vegetables, bananas, mango and other fruit trees, all worth P261 million.

For the livestock/poultry sector in Regions I, III and the CAR, farm animals consisting of livestock (cattle, carabaos, goat, swine, sheep and poultry) valued at P13 million were reported dead or lost.

For irrigation facilities in Regions I, II, III, IVA, IVB, V and the CAR, the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) reported damaged Communal Irrigation System (CIS)/National Irrigation System (NIS) with a cost of P1.8 billion.

The affected irrigation facilities have a service area of 178,180 hectares of croplands.

The DACAC said that the lost rice harvest from Ondoy of 311,062 MT palay is 4.8 percent of the national target of 6,478,960 MT, while for Pepeng, the loss of 528,179 MT constitutes an additional 8.15 percent reduction in production or a total of 839,241 MT, which is 12.95 percent of the projected produce in the country in the last quarter of the year.

For corn, the lost harvest from Ondoy amounts to 3,820 MT, which is 0.27 percent of the national target production of 1,396,394 MT and for Pepeng, the loss of 41,948 MT is three percent of the target, for a total of 45,768 MT, which is 3.27 percent of the target for the quarter.

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