MikeLigalig.com

Reckless Love

Is Love Like a Fart?

Judging a Person

How to Get Better

What is Life?

Wednesday is best time to drink wine?

Full story: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/why-wednesday-is-the-best-time-to-drink-wine/story-fneuz92c-1226692940960

nahimong viral sa internet si duterte ug dora. pagka-creative aning mga pinoy.

Soylent Will Replace Food Forever? Never Will You Eat Again


Full story: http://www.vice.com/read/rob-rhinehart-interview-soylent-never-eat-again?utm_Source=vicefbus

maayo unta pud ug mohapit sila diri to say "hi." great to see TB members having an EB.

Dora Gibaharan ni Mayor Rodrigo Duterte

Nonsense Generation (reposted from FB)

Girl: Dad, I'm in love with a boy who's far away from me. I'm now in Ghana while he lives in the UK. We met in a dating website, became friends in Facebook, had long chats in Whatsapp, developed a relationship via Viber and agree to marry on Skype. Need ur blessings and good wishes.

Dad: Wonderful!! Get married on Twitter, have fun in Tango. Buy your kids from e-Bay, send them via Gmail. And if you get fed up with him, just press Delete. Ok?

yes, lorenz, the same mayor who hates trees.

Sleepy and Snubbish

good to see old friends having a great time together.

diversionary tactic by those behind JLN scandal? just asking.

one hot topic in the philippines today is the Parokya ni Edgar Scandal.

balskie, let's not talk about death in this public forum. it's too morbid and inappropriate. let's just exchange brilliant ideas/insights. thank you.

luoy tan-awon ang usa napiit intawon.

Dis-a man diay gikan ni si Justice Sereno?

An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned to her and said, “Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.”

The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you want to talk about?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said the atheist. “How about why there is no God, or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?” as he smiled smugly.

“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff â€" grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?”

The atheist, visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmmm, I have no idea.” To which the little girl replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss God, Heaven and Hell, or life after death, when you don’t know scat?”

And then she went back to reading her book.

source: http://jesus-loves-you.org/little-girl-humorously-questions-atheist/#ud3upQJ09cG6w1gb.99

By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - The U.S. government, which is pursuing a $5 billion lawsuit accusing Standard & Poor's of misleading investors by inflating its credit ratings, on Friday asked a federal judge to move similar cases by 15 U.S. states and the District of Columbia back to state courts.

In a filing in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where the state lawsuits are now being handled, the U.S. Department of Justice said federal courts do not have jurisdiction because the cases turn on alleged violations of state laws against unfair consumer practices or deceptive business practices.

The Justice Department said S&P had argued that the cases belong in federal court because they touch on the meaning of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and a 2006 federal law governing credit rating agencies.

But it said these issues touch on potential federal defenses to the states' claims, and are not inherent in the claims themselves.

"Assertions of federal defenses cannot provide a basis for removal of properly pleaded state-law claims," the Justice Department said.

Catherine Mathis, an S&P spokeswoman, said the Justice Department had previously made similar arguments in an earlier unsuccessful effort to return these cases to state courts.

"This offering is no more persuasive," she said.

S&P is a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan has scheduled an October 4 hearing over the states' effort to move their lawsuits back to various state courts, and S&P's effort to dismiss the states' litigation altogether.

Consolidating the state cases may help S&P avoid multiple judgments or conflicting rulings, and reduce its legal bills.

The state lawsuits were consolidated before Furman in June, and represent most of the lawsuits that state attorneys general have filed against S&P over its ratings.

by Sarah Robb

The new Tesco Bank Clubcard Credit Card is the only zero fee balance transfer credit card with a 0% interest period on both balance transfers and purchases for 12 months.

It also doubles up as a Clubcard, allowing customers to receive five points for every £4 spent on their card in Tesco stores, and one point for every £4 they spend elsewhere.

Greater flexibility

David McCreadie, managing director of banking at Tesco Bank, said the no balance transfer fee offer is for customers who want “the flexibility of a great value purchase and balance transfer with the additional benefit of Clubcard points”.

“The Clubcard Credit Card has consistently featured in best-buy tables and this new offer reflects our ambition to continue to offer great value products for customers,” he added.

The news has been welcomed by industry commentators, who say it will provide people aiming to get out of debt with a means of avoiding a balance transfer fee.

Sarah Robb, credit card expert at uSwitch.com, said cards offering 0% on balance transfers can be a “lifesaver” for consumers who are “drowning in debt”.

“They give people a little extra time to pay back what they owe without accruing extra interest,” she explained. “However, you usually to have to pay for this privilege. Not having a transfer fee could remove a hurdle for those trying to break the cycle of debt.”

By Nate Raymond
NEW YORK | Sun Aug 4, 2013 10:28am EDT

(Reuters) - As the head of litigation for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Matthew Martens' main job is to oversee other lawyers. In his three years at the agency, he had not tried a case himself.

That is, until the SEC decided to bring a civil fraud suit against former Goldman Sachs Vice President Fabrice Tourre, the highest profile case to emerge from the agency's investigations into the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.

Martens, 41, tried the case himself and on Thursday secured a big win. A federal jury in Manhattan found Tourre liable on six of the seven charges against him.

Martens said in an interview it was important that a case deemed significant by the agency should garner attention from the top. He said the verdict should rebut critics of the SEC's trial record, which has taken hits amid setbacks last year in other financial crisis cases.

"If this doesn't convince people we can win these cases, I don't know what would," Martens said.

The SEC accused Tourre, 34, of misleading investors in a synthetic collateralized debt obligation called Abacus 2007-AC1. The SEC said Tourre failed to disclose that Paulson & Co Inc, the hedge fund of billionaire John Paulson, helped choose subprime mortgage securities linked to go into Abacus and also that the fund planned to bet against it.

During the trial, the 20th of his career, Martens told jurors, "Wall Street greed drove Mr. Tourre to lie and deceive."

murag ang buot ipaibot ani kanang mga bana nga dili kalakaw sa ilang balay kay gigawngan sa asawa ang ilang mga lakaw.

please stop this kind of topic. i am already annoyed. it no longer appears good to the eyes of the public. topic locked. more topics like this will result a perpetual ban.

Why You Should Risk

An Earned Rest

congrats bai hubz for this unprecedented and unparalleled milestone and achievement...

Better Than Wonder Drug

Be Strong and Move On: Inspiring Quote

Once is enough: Inspiring Quote

mullite   
mul·lite
noun
colorless mineral: a colorless mineral consisting of crystalline aluminum silicate, able to withstand corrosion and very high temperatures
[Early 20th century. < Mull]

multifarious
mul·ti·far·i·ous [mùltə férree əss]
adjective
diverse: including parts, things, or people of many different kinds
[Late 16th century. < Latin multifarius "varied, diverse" < multi- "many" + -farius "doing"]
-mul·ti·far·i·ous·ly, adverb
-mul·ti·far·i·ous·ness, noun

multiflorous
mul·ti·flo·rous [mùltə fláwrəss]
adjective
with many flowers: having many flowers
[Mid-18th century. < late Latin multiflorus < Latin multi- "many" + flor- "flower"]

multipara
mul·tip·a·ra [mul típpərə]
(plural mul·tip·a·rae [mul típpəree] or mul·tip·a·ras)
noun
woman who has given birth several times: a woman who has borne a live child from each of two or more pregnancies

[Mid-19th century. < form of modern Latin multiparus (see multiparous)]

thunderstruck  (adj) 
incredulous
incredulous, amazed, taken aback, flabbergasted (informal), stunned, shocked, astonished, astounded, bowled over, staggered, dumbfounded, gobsmacked (UK, slang)

thunderstruck
thun·der·struck [thúndər strùk]
adjective
extremely surprised or incredulous: so surprised, incredulous, or startled as to be in a state of shock

akong medal hubz, duha pa gyud. pila pa kaha kasakong bugas akong kan-on to reach a milestone like yours.

throwaway
throw·a·way [thrá¹" É™ wày]
adjective
1.  disposable: designed to be thrown away after use
2.  wasteful: tending to discard things too readily
a throwaway society
3.  offhand: said or written in an apparently offhand manner
4.  abandoned by parents or guardians: having been thrown out by parents or guardians and living on the streets

noun (plural throw·a·ways)
1.  something to be discarded: an object designed to be thrown away after use
2.  advertising leaflet or handbill: an advertising leaflet or handbill that is discarded after being read
3.  abandoned child or young person: a child or young person thrown out by parents or guardians and living on the streets

throwback
throw·back [thrá¹" bàk]
(plural throw·backs)
noun
1.  organism reverting to earlier type: an organism with the characteristics of an earlier type
2.  reversion to earlier type: reversion to an earlier ancestral type
3.  animal or person resembling ancestor: an animal or person bearing a striking resemblance to an ancestor
4.  anachronistic thing: something contemporary that seems to belong to the past

somnolent
som·no·lent [sómnələnt]
adjective

1.  sleepy: feeling sleepy or tending to fall asleep
2.  lacking activity: quiet and with little or no activity
3.  sleep-inducing: making somebody feel sleepy
[15th century. Via French < Latin somnōlentus "sleepy" < somnus "sleep"]
-som·no·lence, noun
-som·no·lent·ly, adverb 

Press Release
A regional trial court judge has ordered the dismissal of a libel case filed by a municipal mayor against a newspaper editor for lack of probable cause.

The complaint filed by Guindulman Mayor Ma. Fe Anana-Piezas stemmed from two publications of the Bohol STANDARD, a weekly English newspaper circulated in the province of Bohol, written on the opinion column The GOSPEL of Fred Amora, published on July 11, 2010 and July 18, 2010 entitled: “Too-toohon” and “Sibo ug boot.”

The subject article written by Amora, in gist, criticizes a certain Mayor from the eastern part of the province of Bohol with a half-brother who (at the time of writing the said article) was working at the public market as a casual employee by issuing tickets therein.

Accordingly, the Mayor is so gullible (too-toohon) to believe and follow the advices of a certain follower who is fond of using “obscene languages” and “unpolished character” to the extent of ignoring her siblings and dismissing her die-hard followers if they ran in conflict with the said follower’s advice.

Accused Amora, in his opinion column concluded that the Mayor maybe is of the same thinking with the same adviser. In short: “sibo gud tingale silag boot.”

Mayor Piezas felt alluded and believed the subject “mayor” in Amora’s article was herself; hence she filed the Libel complaint.

The Information for the case of Libel was filed by Provincial Assistant Prosecutor Tito O. Apura in March 9, 2011 yet, but the Presiding Judge to which the case was originally assigned as well as the succeeding judges that followed were not able to issue an Order finding probable cause to justify the issuance of Warrant of Arrest for accused Amora.

Pursuant to Sec. 6, Rule 112 of the Revised Rule on Criminal Procedure, RTC Branch 2 Presiding Judge Jennifer Chavez-Marcos assigned to hear the case, then proceeded to make a finding of probable cause and on February 15, 2013 directed the prosecution to present additional evidence to show the existence of a probable cause.

During the presentation in court of the assailed articles, the prosecution admitted that the questioned newspaper items written by accused Amora did not mention any name. Albeit, the article appear to refer to a certain mayor in the eastern part of the province, the mayor was in her second term at the time the article was written in 2010, and the mayor has a half-brother working as a casual employee at the municipality’s public market.

When the court inquired the prosecution whether there is no other mayor in the eastern part of Bohol in his or her second term and who then has a half brother working as a casual employee at the municipality’s public market, prosecution counsel Atty. Nelson Janiola replied: “ I am not sure your honor.”

Presiding Judge Marcos, in her 5-page Dismissal Order, cited a comprehensive discussion of then Justice Reynato Puno in MVRS Publications vs. Islamic Da’ Wah of the Philippines (G.R. 135306, Jan. 28, 2003) which said: “the rule in Libel is that the action must be brought by the person against whom the defamatory charges has been made. Even when a publication maybe clearly defamatory as to somebody, if the words have no personal application to the plaintiff, they are not actionable if no one is identified, there can be no Libel because no one’s reputation has been injured xxx.”

“In fine, in order for one to maintain an action for an alleged defamatory statement, it must appear that the plaintiff is the person with reference to whom the statement was made,” Justice Puno said in the quoted case.

Further, the court noted that though plaintiff mayor was not pleased with the controversial printed matter that is grossly insufficient to make it actionable by itself. Personal hurt or embarrassment or offense, even if real, is not automatically equivalent to defamation.

In conclusion, citing a time-held decision, the court reminded complainant Guindulman Mayor Ma. Fe Anana-Piezas that: “the policy of a public official may be attacked rightly or wrongly with every argument which ability can find or ingenuity invent. The public officer may suffer under a hostile and an unjust accusation, (but) the wound can be assuaged by the balm of a clear conscience. A public official must not be too thin skinned with reference to comments upon his official acts.” (US vs. Bustos 1918).

The dismissal was issued April 23, 2013 and since then or within the 15-day reglamentary period, the prosecution had not filed any motion for reconsideration of the Order.

Complainant Mayor Piezas was first assisted by lawyers J. Albert R. Tinampay and Heidi O. Oracion of the Tinampay Legal Clinic but for some reasons or another, on October 2011 said counsels withdrew from the case.

Accused Amora was assisted by lawyer Aleck Francis “Koy-Koy” T. Lim of the Trabajo â€"Lim Law Office, this city.

vagary
va·ga·ry [váygəree]
(plural va·ga·ries)
noun
unpredictable change: an unpredictable or eccentric change, action, or idea
the vagaries of the weather

[Late 16th century. < Latin vagari "wander"]

Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) gathered school leaders from the city of Carcar and Municipalities of Asturias and Liloan last May 23 to 24 for a two-day leadership workshop dubbed S-Leadership.

   The workshop is part of RAFI’s EQUIP-CEBU (Educational Quality Improvement through Community Empowerment and Capacity Building) project, an initiative to capacitate local school stakeholders to manage their schools. The workshop was conducted at the Bryant George Hall of the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center.

   Selene Yu, creator of the module and executive director of Chevrolet Philippines, facilitated the activity. Yu is a businesswoman who assists individuals, businesses, and organizations imbibe God-centered leadership in accordance with biblical teachings and values.

   S-Leadership focuses on the spiritual side of leadership. As the name suggests, it delves into the dimensions of leadership that start with the letter Sâ€"Son, Servant, Seer, Shepherd, Steward, and Spirit.

   Participants said that the training has touched them and taught them important lessons on leadership, such as how to handle conflicts and challenges while being God-centered leaders.
   
EQUIP-CEBU is one of the projects under RAFI’s Education focus area, believing that shaping the next generation of talent begins with nurturing the love for learning. Other focus areas of RAFI are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, and Leadership & Citizenship.

For more information about EQUIP-CEBU, please contact 419-7234 loc. 209 and look for Tanya Flores, or visit www.rafi.org.ph and www.facebook.com/rafi.or.ph, or follor @rafiorgph on Twitter.

To educate the Bajau youth on their rights and prevent their exploitation, the Bajau Integrated Area Development Project (BIAD-P) of Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) initiated an orientation on Republic Act 8371 or Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 and Anti-Mendicancy Law or City Ordinance 1631 to 29 Bajau student-scholars of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary last July 6 at Nano Nagle School in Sitio Puntod, Alaska, Mambaling, Cebu City.

   The orientation was delivered by Susana Y. Ramirez, Tribal Affairs Assistant II of the National Commission on Indigenous People-Cebu Provincial Office (NCIP-CPO).

   "As Bajaus, it is important to know what your rights are,” Ramirez said, stressing that these rights will be useful to Bajau youths as they shape their own future.

   She discussed the intentions and importance of IPRA.

   The main goal of IPRA is to provide equal protection and recognition of all human rights of indigenous peoples in the Philippines. It was passed into law to correct the mistakes and injustices committed against the indigenous peoples for more than 300 years.

   The activity also advocates the city ordinance on Anti-Mendicancy Law to mitigate alleged exploitation of some Bajau children and infants in some streets of Cebu City.

During the discussion on the Anti-Mendicancy Law’s provisions and penalties, participants were asked if they had experienced begging in the streets. Most of them did, saying that their parents made them to so that they could help earn money for the family.

Some of them play music with improvised drums from PVC pipes or cans along streets or inside jeepneys in exchange for a few coins. Others paddle to the port area to dive for coins thrown by passengers of docking ships.

After the orientation, the Bajau students shared that they have appreciated the inputs and are more aware of their rights.

They were also encouraged to participate in the city governments’ advocacy to stop Bajaus and indigents from begging in the streets.

BIAD-P continues to employ strategies towards transformational development of mitigating poverty. The project also aims to effectively transform the Bajau community into a progressive, self-reliant, and assertive community through education, capacity building and empowerment, and improvement of their standard of living with better access to basic social services.

The activity is part of BIAD-P’s youth formation under capacity building and empowerment development. It hopes to strengthen the project’s partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) in their programs and services for the indigenous people.

For more information about BIAD-P, please call 418-7234 local 515 and look for Mark Joey Bautista, or visit www.rafi.org.ph or www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph, or follow @rafiorgph on Twitter.

Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) will launch Manual on Native Trees in the Visayas on July 24 at 2 p.m. at the Plenary Hall of Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, Cebu City.

   Manual of Native Trees in the Visayas is a compilation of 101 native trees found in the Visayas.

   The featured native trees are presented alphabetically by family with detailed photos and descriptions that include their official names, scientific names, local names, methods of propagation, and uses.

   Readers are provided with a glossary to help them understand technical words, as well as practical tips on planting and taking care of seedlings.

   Through this reference material, RAFI hopes to raise awareness on and appreciation of the region's indigenous tree species and promote efforts towards preserving our natural forest heritage and mobilize people to plant and nurture their own native trees.

   The publication was conceptualized to contribute to the achievement of Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to ensure environmental sustainability by reversing the loss of environmental resources.

   Copies of the book are sold for Php 2,500 each at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, 35 Lopez Jaena St., Cebu City.

   GREENIN Philippines Program is a program under the Integrated Development focus area of RAFI, addressing the foundations needed to develop successful communities. Its other focus areas include Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, Leadership & Citizenship, and Education.

   For more information about the book and the GREENIN Philippines Program, please contact 418-7234 loc. 515 and look for Noel Fornolles, or visit www.rafi.org.ph/greenin-philippines or  www.facebook.com/rafi.org.ph, or follow @rafiorgph on Twitter.

   Despite a sudden downpour last July 24, guests from across Cebu Province witnessed the unveiling of the first publication that compiles Philippine trees in the Visayas region and aims to provide comprehensive information about these indigenous tree species.
   
   Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) launched the Manual on Native Trees in the Visayas at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, Cebu City. The manual is a compilation of 101 Philippine native trees found in the Visayas.

The trees are grouped alphabetically according to the family classification each belongs to, and presented with descriptions that include their official names, scientific names, local names, methods of propagation and uses. Also included are practical tips on how to plant a seedling and how to nurture it to full growth.    A glossary is provided to help readers in understanding technical words.

   The book launching was attended by Cebu Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, mayors from different municipalities of Cebu Province, and representatives from various government agencies, civic organizations, and academic institutions all over Cebu.

   Dominica Chua, RAFI chief operating officer, and Magpale formally presented Manual of Native Trees in the Visayas to the public through an unveiling of an enlarged version of the book cover.

   Free copies of the book were given to identified guests and partners.

   â€œRAFI has special preference for native trees due to their many benefits to surrounding flora and fauna,” Chua stressed.

   During the program, a presentation of the results of this year's Run 2 Plant 4 GREENIN Philippines was also done by Marge Gravador, executive director of RAFI's Integrated Development unit.

   The free running and indigenous tree planting event was held simultaneously in over 40 municipalities of the Province of Cebu last June 29.

   Another initiative of RAFI in promoting biodiversity conservation is the RAFI Native Trees Nursery in Barangay Busay, Cebu City. The nursery houses 200,000 seedlings of 218 native tree species.

   Manual on Native Trees in the Visayas was conceptualized to contribute to the achievement of Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals, which is to ensure environmental sustainability by reversing the loss of environmental resources.

   Copies of the book are sold at Php 2,500 each at the Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center, 35 Lopez Jaena St., Cebu City. Interested buyers may contact (6332) 418-7234 loc. 515 and look for Noel Fornolles. - source: RAFI Press Release

        Believing in the youth’s capability to lead, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) turned over the management of its Multi-city Youth eXchange (MYX) and Young Minds on Xplore (YMX) programs to the Young Heroes for Cebu (YHC) in a partnership agreement signing held last July 10 at the Sinulog Hall of the Rizal Library and Museum, Cebu City.

   YHC is a youth organization composed of alumni of the third run of the YMX, an immersion program in Europe for Cebuano youth organized by RAFI in partnership with the Vriendschapsband Haarlemmermeerâ€"Cebu (VHC), the City of Kortrijk, and the City of Cebu.

   The agreement signing was one of the highlights of the welcome dinner for the delegates of the second run of MYX, the counterpart immersion program in Cebu for Dutch and Belgian youth, which YHC would be anchoring starting this year.

   MYX 2 adult leaders, Nanda van Dijk and Kim Walgraeve representing VHC and the City of Kortrijk, respectively, signed as witnesses to the agreement.  Councilor James Cuenco, Chair of the Committee on International Relations, also signed as witness in behalf of the City of Cebu.

   â€œAfter their trip in Europe, YMX 3 delegates, who now call themselves the Young Heroes for Cebu, decided to pay it forward and take on the challenge of sharing the MYX-YMX opportunity to more young people,” Mel Yan, program officer of RAFIâ€"Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (EADSC), said in his opening message. 

   MYX, which was started by RAFI-EADSC in 2006 under the name “Pinoy-Dutch eXplore (PiDeX)”, is a program under the framework of the sister-city relationship between Cebu City and two European cities―Haarlemmermeer, The Netherlands and Kortrijk, Belgium. 

   The first run of its counterpart program, YMX, was conducted in 2007.

   RAFI shall be guiding YHC in organizing the said exchange programs towards full assumption of the latter in a three- to five-year period.

   EADSC is under the Leadership & Citizenship focus area of RAFI, which aims to groom future leaders and influencers in the community. Other focus areas of RAFI are Integrated Development, Micro-finance & Entrepreneurship, Culture & Heritage, and Education.

quaggy
quag·gy [kwággee, kwóggee]
(comparative quag·gi·er, superlative quag·gi·est)
adjective
marshy: soft and wet like a marsh or bog
-quag·gi·ness, noun

quagmire
quag·mire
(plural quag·mires)
noun
1.  swamp: a soft marshy area of land that gives way when walked on
2.  difficult situation: an awkward, complicated, or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to escape

slap-up   
adjective
U.K. lavish: with lots of good food to eat and served in style (slang)
First prize is a slap-up dinner at the restaurant of your choice.

slap down   
transitive verb (informal)
1.  rebuke somebody: to rebuke somebody sharply or cruelly
2.  suppress something: to suppress or check something thought to be unacceptable

Example: Any disrespect is slapped down immediately.

slap shot   
(plural slap shots)
noun
ice hockey shot: in hockey, a shot in which the player swings the stick with a fast powerful stroke

[< the loud sound made when the stick hits the ice]

slapdash
slap·dash [sláp dàsh]
adjective
careless: careless, hasty, and unskillful

adverb
carelessly: in a careless, hasty, and unskillful way

slaphappy
slap·hap·py [sláp hàppee]
adjective (informal)
1.  cheerfully irresponsible: irresponsible or careless in a cheerful way
2.  dazed: dazed or disoriented, like a boxer who has been hit in the head too many times

slaphead   
slap·head [sláp hèd]
(plural slap·heads)
noun
U.K. an offensive term for a bald person, especially a man who has gone bald naturally rather than a man who has shaved his head by fashion choice (slang insult)

slapjack
slap·jack [sláp jàk]
(plural slap·jacks)
noun
1.  Same as pancake
2.  card game using jacks: a card game in which players compete to be first in slapping a hand on a face-up jack

[Early 19th century. Alteration of flapjack]

slapstick  Click to hear this word spoken
slap·stick [sláp stìk]
noun
boisterous comedy: comedy with the emphasis on fast physical action, farcical situations, and obvious jokes that do not depend on language (often used before a noun)
slapstick comedy

[Early 20th century. < slapstick, a device made of two flat linked pieces of wood, formerly used in comic performances to simulate the sound of a blow]

Here are three simple yet helpful ways on how you as a parent can enhance your child’s learning:

1.   Monitor child’s activities/assignments/progress daily.  This can be as simple as asking children what they did for the day. This not only enables parents to know what is going on in school, it also strengthens their communication with their children. Parents showing interest will boost a child’s confidence and will eventually motivate him/her to do something in school worth telling, like remembering an interesting topic in school.

2.   Attend Parent-Teacher Association activities. This is an opportunity for parents to meet other parents, as well as the teachers, and establish a collaborative relationship with them. Most children of parents who are actively involved in school are more confident and happy students because they feel their parent’s support. It lessens behavioral problems too as the open communication between the parent and the teacher is an essential tool for monitoring and implementing consistent discipline.

3.   Make Time to Study Together. Particularly to younger kids, studying together can actually be a fun time to bond. Children will feel that they are not alone in this great task of learning because their parents are there to assist and motivate them. This is also a great way to develop children’s study habits early on.

source: RAFI Press Statement

By Ven rebo Arigo

Gov. Edgar Chatto has been elected “unopposed” as national secretary-general of the 80-strong League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP), adding to his stature an influence that matters to Boholanos’ good.

The Bohol leader also clinched the league’s chairmanship for Central Visayas in the election timed with the first general assembly of the country’s new batch of governors at the Heritage Hotel in Pasay City on Friday.

The LPP provides a cohesive force that embodies the sentiments and aspirations of member provinces as it serves as a forum of discussion and feedback mechanism on policies affecting local governments.

It collaborates with national and other local government agencies in attaining efficient, effective inter-governmental relations to provide development programs that enrich and upgrade the capabilities of local government units.

Oriental Mindoro Gov. Francisco Umali, Jr. was reelected president while Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor, Sr. won the chairmanship of the executive board.

The top echelon of the league is foreseen by Chatto to have “a very big impact” on Bohol’s development agenda considering the “political oneness” of LPP’s three pillars from the president to secretary-general.

Umali, Defensor and Chatto all belong to the administration Liberal Party (LP) whereas the rest of the LPP officers is a partisan mixture.

The Bohol capitol chief executive was unanimously voted secretary-general and chairman for Central Visayas with the full support of fellow leaders from Region 7---Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide, Jr. and Siquijor Gov. Zaldy Villa, both also of the ruling party, and Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo of PDP-Laban.

Davide and Villa were elected as a league board member-at-large and the deputy secretary-general for Region 7, respectively.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Mar Roxas swore in Chatto as LPP national official.

The LPP represents the country’s 80 provinces and the same number of provincial governors.

Chatto is a former national head of the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines (LVGP) and former president of the National Movement of Young Legislators (NMYL).

It was during his LVGP presidency that Chatto also served as the secretary-general of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), regarded as the mother of all local government leagues in the country.

He was credited for having himself coined the acronym ULAP, which members include, among others, the leagues of the governors, vice governors, provincial board members, city mayors, municipal mayors, city and town vice mayors, city and municipal councilors, and barangay councils.

The government will pursue all means to break the impasse in the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) based on principled negotiations and affirmative action to resolve the "thorny" issue on ancestral domain.

Malacanang made this clear today in the wake of the deadlock which developed in the Malaysian-brokered peace talks between the government and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur last month.

"Our negotiating panel is quietly working on a position that will hopefully break the impasse and move the talks forward," Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said in a statement.

Bunye said the government appreciates the fact that both sides are working hard to find common ground. He also cited the role of Malaysia as a facilitator and host of the peace talks.

"We know that the international community is watching this process very closely and the people themselves are anticipating a path forward," he said.

Bunye expressed appreciation for the support of all stakeholders as he said "we are confident that Mindanao and the entire Philippines will have lasting peace they deserve."

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the government is determined to break the deadlock to prevent an outbreak of violence.

"I know the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) wants peace for the Bangsamoro people in the south. It may not be easy but the President and the whole nation are determined to seek the path for peace," he said.

The deadlock came after the MILF demanded that 613 Muslim-dominated barangays in Mindanao become part of its ancestral domain without undergoing the prerequisite plebiscite or other Constitutional processes.

The government said it could not grant the demand without holding a plebiscite in the affected areas.

Bunye said earlier that the peace process has gone a long way and is supported by the capacity and will of both sides to resolve the impasse.

only HNU can answer this question.

1. We oppose the planned concreting of portions of the Melvin Jones Football Grounds. Burnham Park is the only remaining green space in the Central Business District of Baguio City and such is essential to the well-being of the community. What the Melvin Jones Football Grounds needs is the improvement of the pitch by clearing of it of debris and the maintenance of the grass cover for the enjoyment of both local athletes and families for activities such as picnics, etc. Perhaps the funds allotted for this can be used instead to re-pave the badly dilapidated biking area.

2. We oppose the installation of gates for it will serve no practical purpose and will only be a waste of precious public funds. Security concerns may be better addressed with the addition of more security personnel and lighting.

3. We oppose both the ongoing and further commercialization of Burnham Park, including the proposed privatization of the Athletic Bowl, which must remain beyond the commerce of man for the welfare of the general public. Even the skating rink has for some time now been limited to those who can afford to either rent skates from or pay a rink fee to the concessionaire, which should be free and open to the public. The holding of the annual Market Encounter held at the biking area must also be stopped.
The renowned city planner of Baguio, Daniel Burnham, reserved the biggest piece of level land that was once known as Minac for the enjoyment of the general public, particularly those of moderate means, and to this day it serves that purpose. The park remains as the most accessible and affordable amusement facility for majority of the residents of Baguio, and is essential to their well-being. With this, it is our hope that the City Government of Baguio will keep Burnham Park green, open and beyond the commerce of man.

by Rey Anthony Chiu

A window of opportunity for green products opened, the country’s trade and industry department in the Visayas sees a rare chance for small craftsmen to weave their way to inclusive growth.

This, through showcasing green products for micro, small and medium enterprises at the 8th Sandugo Regional Trade Expo, which opened this year at the Block of the Island City Mall July 24 and runs until today, July 28.

Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, no less than DTI Undersecretary for Regional Operations Zenaida Cuizon Maglaya graced the event which also launched the Small Medium Enterprises Development Roving Academy.

Since its opening, the longest running trade fair in the Visayas has heaped record sales performances during the duration of the exposition, giving small crafts makers that chance to display and sell their products to local and international buyers who have also been primed to get into the green industries bandwagon.

In this year’s trade exhibits, DTI focuses on the theme, “Go green. Buy local.”

The theme pushes industry sectors to “green” their tourism value chains to capture a wider global market.

The trade and crafts exposition also brings in products and crafts from nearby provinces and regions, the farthest of them, Region 11, which brings in coco-sugar.

A special set-up at the exposition showcases the best of the region which banners exquisite furniture, an array of crafts masterpieces, pasalubong items and other green products which a tourist could bring out of the region.

The DTI targets the tourism market and wants to influence buyers, particularly resort owners, to make use of our local materials, which are also competitive with imported products in terms of quality and pricing, DTI regional Director Aster Caberte said.

This way, we are not only helping the environment, but also helping our fellow Filipinos because of the jobs we create, she added, as a side comment during the ceremonies at the ICM activity Center Wednesday afternoon.

During the opening program, the DTI Undersecretary Maglaya stressed the department’s expectations for better sales performance considering an increase in the number of exhibitors this year as compared to last year.

“What makes the expo different in 2013 is that we have lined up activities which would help strengthen the products and services of local micro, small and medium enterprises,” Maglaya said.

Further, Maglaya said that recently, DTI has launched the Shared Service Facilities (SSF) in Bohol and Siquijor.

The SSF is a project of the DTI that is meant to improve the quality and productivity of micro-enterprises and MSMEs by addressing the gaps and bottlenecks in the value chain of priority industry clusters through the provision of processing equipment for the common use of MSMEs and other micro-enterprises.

by Rey Anthony Chiu

A town in Bohol earns this year’s exemplary award for a top national nutrition council program implementation while five more towns barged into the winners circle for rating outstanding in the Pabasa sa Nutrisyon (PSN) for last year’s cycle of implementation.

Jagna town earns PSN Exemplary Award for its consistent outstanding implementation of the program while the same programs for Alicia, Balilihan, Carmen, Duero, Lila and Pilar earn outstanding ratings for last year, a committee organized to evaluate nutrition program implementation performance by the National Nutrition Council (NNC) said.

The towns, represented by their mayors or representatives and the Municipal Nutrition Action Officer received the citations in fitting ceremonies in Manila, weeks ago, according one of the winning Bohol town and Pilar Mayor Necie Cubrado recently.

PSN is an information dissemination strategy which Barangay Nutrition Councils adopt to arrest the problem of parents’ lack of proper information and guidance on nutrition, and is aimed at engaging pregnant women, lactating mothers and mothers or guardians of pre-school and schooling kids into properly planning for the nutrition requirements of the kids, the NNC said.

PSN allows the local nutrition councils to set up a core of trainors and program managers composed of experienced representatives from provincial and city or municipal health offices, nutrition and education offices organized and trained to plan and implement these information sessions.

PSN takes the form of a participative, cluster gathering of ten to twelve mothers per cluster informally discussing the health and nutrition information contained in the Nutri-Guide.

A Nutri-Guide acts as the bible of the program, which will be the main source of information for a cluster of learning mothers.

The cluster picks out a Pabasa Leader (PL) from among the health workers and mother volunteers based on the recommendations of the Barangay Nutrition Councils (BNC).

The PLs were trained on the mechanics of Pabasa sa Nutrisyon.

With the activity, organizers seek to empower the women in reducing the families' vulnerability to malnutrition as well as trailblaze a way towards healthy lifestyle.

About ten topics detailed in the Nutri-Guide helps mothers, especially with kids from zero to seven who have been monitored to have weight deficiencies to share experiences in relation to the topics on the 10 required sessions, according to Barangay health Worker Judith Bonhayag at Kapihan sa PIA.

While mothers, PSN targets could be busy, pabasa sessions are easily convened in venues where women converge, like when awaiting for their kids to come out from classes.

Beyond the PSN, teachers also conduct nutrition education in the school through the integration of nutrition in Science and Health; Edukasyon sa Wastong Pag-uugali; Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika; Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan.

We would like to invite you, through your official representative, to the Gawad Kalinga Housebuild Turn-over Ceremony in GK Village Multi-Purpose Hall, Maguikay, Mandaue City
tomorrow, July 10 2013.

This is in relation to the arrival of the 20 youth delegates from Belgium and the Netherlands for a month-long cultural immersion in Cebu City called the Multi-City Youth Exchange.This project is in partnership with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation,Inc., Young Heroes for Cebu, City of Kortrijk, Belgium, Haarlemmermeer City, Netherlands, and the Cebu City Government.


In their second week, they stayed in host families in the GK Village while building THREE houses they are donating to the village. The turn-over to beneficiaries and GK Farewell Lunch will happen tomorrow.
The program starts at 1pm.

We would appreciate receiving your confirmation as soon as possible.

Many thanks!

Shari Julla Ylaya Gonzalez
Coordinator, Multi City Youth Exchange 2

Rey Anthony Chiu

To make sure everybody starts on the right foot when it comes to tourism development here, Bohol government authorities gathered local government unit heads for an orientation on the Bohol’s green development agenda.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the German Development Corporation (GIZ) briefed newly elected mayors and reiterated to those who are getting fresher mandates on the Promotion of Green Economic Development (Pro-GED) as local economic development guide, during a forum July 25, at the MetroCenter Hotel here.

In addressing the mayors and town leaders, Governor Edgar Chatto said Bohol’s sustainable development has always been identified in the overarching goal of green Bohol.

Chatto Administration picked the enhanced vision and mission of Bohol’s development based on the earlier crafted vision of making the island a prime eco-cultural tourism destination with a bias for the environment.

With tourism as an engine for development now driving a huge portion of Bohol economy, local leaders think a move towards a pro-environment tourism would give Bohol a unique edge, Chatto said.

Pro-GED is a management model for sustainable development which the GIZ and its partners developed in the spirit of collaborative partnerships and developing the atmosphere of learning and implementing innovations, DTI Regional Director Aster Caberte explained.

In Bohol and Cebu, where ProGED is piloted in the country, tourism stakeholders have been in a series of discussions to prepare the transition and adoption of greener technologies as well as streamline their operations with the least to zero carbon impacts to the environment.

But, with local governments eager to join the tourism development bandwagon, the orientation on the ProGED is a timely step to further guide local governments in helping plan for investments rising in their respective areas, tourism stakeholders observing the forum said.

During the forum, Department Of Tourism Assistant Secretary Rolando Cañizalbriefs town dad of the salient points of Tourism Act of 2009 and dealt exhaustively on the crucial role of LGUS in implementing the law.

On the other hand Interior Local Government Regional Director Ananias Villacortadelved on the local application of national laws especially on the context of the Local Government Code.

To expose the local chief executives on the ProGED best tourism practices in the country, GIZ Consultant Sarah Muniz gave LGUS the idea of how to further craft their development plans from the available templates.

www.djrebell.com
Damion D. Walker, better known to his fans as DJ Rebell, was born and raised in Kingston Jamaica. DJ Rebell was first introduced to the music world at a tender age by his father who was also a well known DJ in his time. However as DJ Rebell aged into the entertainment world he established himself as an independent DJ after he arrived to the United States in 1997.

www.blackandbluesnola.com
My earliest memory of hearing the Blues was when my father took me, regularly, at a very young age, to a long gone Blues club in Memphis, where we lived, called Blues Alley. Like my father, I was entranced by this music that seemed to clutch at my heart.

Guitarist and composer, Jim Robitaille, has performed internationally as a sideman and a leader of his own groups. Robitaille has performed and or recorded with Jazz greats such as Dave Liebman, Karl Berger, Bob Moses, Santi Debriano, Oscar Stagnaro and Jim Odgren, and has appeared on over 20 recordings as a leader and sideman. - http://www.jimrobitaille.com

intriguing domain name for a website.

The Boholympics’ second year anniversary marks not only a great celebration of sportsmanship but more importantly, a more fitting observance of camaraderie, team spirit and unity among all sectors comprising the Boholano community.

The four-day Boholympics 2013, which officially opened July 18, clearly indicates harmony among political parties sans politics; an unspoken agreement where everyone’s goals and aspirations is in sync and in accord with everybody else’s, pointing towards only one direction: Bohol’s untethered development by reducing poverty through sports.

Where only half the number of the total local government units (LGUs) have registered as participants last year; this year, participating LGUs has reached a total of 37, with the City of Tagbilaran coming in as the largest contingent.

Opening ceremonies was last Thursday at the Bohol Cultural Center and the CPG Sports Complex led by Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio II, its Executive Director; Joel Molina, Provincial Youth and Sports Coordinator; and Cirilo Calatrava, the Division PESS Coordinator in Bohol, who, earlier that day, explained the technical rules to the participants.

Gov. Edgar M. Chatto and Mayor John Geesnell “Baba” Yap proudly led the raising of the Boholympics Flag together with Vice-Gov. Concepcion Lim, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members and Tagbilaran City Officials.

This was then followed by the raising of LGU banners by each delegation, the recitation of the Oath of Sportsmanship, the Lighting of the Run which got started in Greece even before Christ, and eventually, the formal declaration of the opening of Boholympics 2013.

That same day saw the Miss Boholympics competition where Tagbilaran City’s own bet, Ritaloe Rose Razo bested all other beauty and brains contestants from Tubigon, Jagna, Valencia, San Isidro, Maribojoc and Baclayon.

Participant athletes and guests were given the chance to mingle with and meet each other that evening for competition proper only started the following day, July 19, and will end later today, July 21, during the awarding ceremonies.

Both Gov. Chatto and PA Damalerio are extremely proud of this year’s Boholympics where the latter egged each athlete on “to do good by doing your best.”

This year’s events include: Basketball, Arnis, Athletics, Karatedo, Boxing, Chess, Sepak Takraw, Table Tennis, Soccer Football, Beach Volleyball, Badminton, Swimming, Lawn Tennis, Baseball and DanceSports.

Participating towns for Boholympics 2013 are Dauis, Panglao, Baclayon, Maribojoc, Antequera, Tubigon, Catigbian, Balilihan, Cortes, Lila, Carmen, Sikatuna, Talibon, Getafe, Loon, Calape, Buenavista, Trinidad, Mabini, Inabanga, Bilar, Alicia, Valencia, Ubay, Dagohoy, Batuan, Corella, San Isidro, Albur, Loboc, Loay, Sagbayan, Guindulman, Jagna, Sierra-Bullones, Duero, and the City of Tagbilaran. (jlv/EDCom)

With the peso continuing to strengthen against the US dollar, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed elation today over another welcome news: the positive assessment by American investment bank Merrill Lynch of the country’s economic outlook.

"I am happy that Merrill Lynch, a leading investment bank in America, has dubbed as a success story the economic reforms we have undertaken," the President said during a roundtable discussion in Malacanang this morning.

Merrill Lynch is one of the world’s leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies, with offices in 36 countries and territories. Its clients’ assets is approximately $1.5 trillion.

As an investment bank, Merrill Lynch is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across-the-broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide.

In a recent report, the investment bank said a positive rating for the Philippines is expected early next year, "reflecting the strong fiscal adjustment and strengthening macrofundamentals" of the country.

"All key macroeconomic indicators point to a significant improvement in the fundamentals and the absence of microeconomic risks in the near term. The outlook for economic growth continues to be positive and we expect the inflation outlook to remain benign," the investment bank’s report said.

The President said economic reforms will be pursued without letup in order that the people will feel the benefits of the improving economy.

The peso opened today at P49.95 from yesterday’s close of P50.01, extending its rally to a new four-year high of P49.90 in early trading.

"As the rate of oil prices went down â€" our inflation rate is recorded at 6 percent. Compared to other countries hard hit by high oil prices, we can say that our inflation rate is benign. Another good news is that LPG prices have also been rolled back by P2 per liter," the President said.

The Chief Executive also said that from only P500 million, the projected revenue from the privatization of government assets from January to August this year amounted to P867 million.

Also today, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio R. Bunye said that the peso continues to gain on the US dollar because of the overall discipline and spirit of enterprise of the Filipino.

He said the government will ensure the flow down of macroeconomics gains to every family that has a role in building up the economic foundations of the country.

Four farmers trapped in a river island when the Tagoloan River in Misamis Oriental overflowed due to Typhoon Neneng were rescued by the De Oro Mountaineer Explorers (DOME).

According to the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) led by Tagoloan Town Mayor Bambi Emano, the overspill/flashflood affected 31 families in Barangays Mohon, Natumolan and Sta. Cruz.

The victims are temporarily sheltered at barangay hallsâ€"turned evacuation centers in the affected areas and were immediately given relief goods by the municipal social welfare development office and barangay officials.

Meanwhile, as of noontime, October 4, the number of victims of flashflood/ surging coastal waters triggered by Neneng in Balingasag town, Misamis Oriental rose to 204 families or 996 family members living in Barangays Napaliran, Talusan, Waterfall Lingangao, Cogon and Kibanban.

According to the Balingasag MDCC, 120 families were evacuated and are temporarily sheltered at the Napaliran Elementary School, municipal gym and Balingasag Central School.

A total of 18 houses were either totally or partially damaged, estimated at P240,000. Assorted food commodities and used clothing were initially provided by the provincial government, municipal government and Sangguniang Kabataan Federation of Balingasag.

The MDCC continues to solicit food commodities, housing materials, medicines and more relocation sites for the victims. Essential services like water supply, transportation, communications and electricity/power continue to be available.

By Bong Pedalino

Less than a week after tropical storm “Milenyo” unleashed its billboard-smashing fury in the metropolis, another attention-grabbing development unfolded, this time in the field of economy. The peso surged past the P 50.00 :-- $ 1:00 barrier from a high of P 56.00 -- $ 1.00 just a few months back. The last time the peso swayed in the P 49.00 territory was in May, 2002, or more than four years ago.

It may be too early to rejoice at this record-breaking, unexpected turn of events. But coming as it did in the midst of consuming devastation brought about by the typhoon’s wrath, then it makes sense to celebrate, be it ever so fleeting.

The Philippine currency is on a roll -- even the extreme pessimists cannot deny this -- and so the next logical step is to sustain the economic gains achieved thus far.

How do we sustain the rosy economic picture? That is the question all sectors of Philippine society should dare search for answers.

Yet before trying to answer the query, it may interest our readers to know that the US-based investment bank Merrill Lynch had already recognized our country’s fiscal and economic progress as a “success story.”

Elsewhere around the world, the global community expressed confidence to our government’s handling of tough fiscal reforms, coupled with the growing climate of political stability.

So, in effect, the rest of the world took notice, knew, and recognized what was positively happening in the country -- except perhaps the Filipino who cannot easily grasp and appreciate what was going on.

Worse, the negatives, the failings, the unmet expectation of governance bombarded our day daily, and most of us do not care to look at the other side, the brighter side especially, to balance the worrisome outlook.

Thus, the answer to our question is quite simple: all sectors must heed the government’s call for unity and cooperation. Personal pride must give way to national pride; personal interest traded for national interest.

“Milenyo’s” passage and the strengthening of the peso may just be a coincidence. Still, we thank Milenyo’s coming for allowing us to reflect on all these things.

The great challenge before all of us, therefore, is to rally the Filipinos, irrespective of social status and political inclination, to be united in the pursuit of the common good.

And with our tried and tested track record of the “bayanihan” spirit, there’s no doubt we can do it.

***

LOCAL FRONT: The waste segregation scheme undertaken by the City of Maasin through the Office of the General Services (OGS) was off to a good start Monday, October 2. True to their word, the garbage collectors did not collect those who did not follow instructions, Monday being set aside for compostables with the matching color, green. Early on, OGS Chief Benjase Lumen noted 75% compliance around the 15 barangays covered under the plan. This early, too, a foreign government organization from Germany, the GTZed, noticed this initiative of the city government and came forward to help. Again, to make this activity successful, the cooperation and support of households and offices are crucial.

ODDLY YOURS: The world’s biggest garbage dumping site was the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, New York. Opened in 1948, the area was about 3,000 acres, and everyday 14,000 tons of garbage have been dumped there daily. But in the year 2002, after operating for 52 straight years, this dumpsite was already closed as it was filled up to capacity.

By Rey Anthony Chiu

Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto admits there could be truth behind the reports that there is a slump in tourist arrivals in Bohol, but also assures that authorities are now looking into the problem and solutions are now worked out.

Speaking at the Forum on Local Government Officials on the promotion of Green Economic Development (ProGED) at the MetroCenter Hotel Thursday, Chatto told mayors that the Provincial Tourism Council (PTC) under Atty Lucas Nunag is now looking into reports that the decline in tourist count here is due to failure of hotels and accommodation establishments to properly report their occupancy status.

The governor did not however share how the PTC plans to generate the exact figures and which steps have been introduced to remedy the problem of non-reporting.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) is using the reported data in its regional tourism profiles which it compares with other areas in the country.

Tourism statisticians have shared a common problem of hesitation among resort and accommodation establishments to make daily occupancy reports for fear of taxation. This could also be true to Bohol, they said.

Then putting up a day tour package cognizant of its lack of overnight accommodations, Bohol now boasts of a little over 2,000 rooms, most of them fully booked and unavailable for walk-in tourists.

Years ago, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Bohol Provincial Government trained tourism officers on data generation of tourist arrivals and occupancy in the towns of Bohol, but Bohol Tourism Office sources said very few towns are submitting reports.

BTO Josephine Cabarrus, in a meeting once said BTO is implementing an incentive system for hotels and accommodation establishments who are submitting regular occupancy reports.

These establishments get free promotions in information collaterals which the office produces, she said.

On the other hand, the governor also presumed that the decreased arrivals could also be ascribed to the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) policy of lessening inbound flights to Tagbilaran due to the risks posed by a severely congested City airport.

CAAP used to allow two planes on the city tarmac, one on its pre-flight status while the other one parked on the small space at the runway. This has been changed.

This policy, and the lean months also forced airplane companies to cut few their trips to and from Bohol, which could drastically affect the tourist count.

Over this, the governor said there is now a proposal for the DOTC to scout for a temporary apron for parked planes at the city airport. The present parking area is accordingly considered.

Recently however, in a meeting with airport authorities, Chatto said they have found an area which can be rented out for temporary parking apron in a vacant lot midway through the airstrip.

This development also has been reported by the DOTC through Undersecretary Catherine Jennifer Francis Gonzales during the Tourism Congress Philippines Consultative Forum at the Bellevue Panglao last Friday.

We have identified parcels of land for the Tagbilaran City apron and the DOTC will now work out the detailed engineering of the project, Usec Gonzales said.

Chatto also said this will be temporarily set up while Boholanos await for the completion of the mulled Pangalo airport.

With the development, Chatto hopes that the CAAP would again green light the return of the flights bringing back the tourists which the province solely missed.

by Rey Anthony Chiu

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI launches in Bohol July 24, an intervention that promises a series of follow-through assistance in continuous learning program modules for the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises in efforts to make inclusive growth happen.

During the opening ceremonies of the annual Sandugo Regional Products Expo which showcases products from micro, small and medium enterprises in the entire region Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (BMSMED) chief at the DTI, Jerry Clavisellas said the program aims to promote continuity of interventions which the government through various partners give, to ultimately get the country’s MSMEs into becoming exporters themselves.

Clavisellas was among the honored guests during the opening ceremonies of the annual Sandugo crafts and trade fair which runs from July 24- 28 at the Island City Mall here in Tagbilaran City.

The MSMED Roving Academy uses integration strategy, and unifies all the help which sectors give to small entrepreneurs and then helps them keep track of their business development progress so they can continue the growth momentum, he explained.

Implemented in partnership with local government units, chambers of commerce and industries, academe, financial institutions and trade and industry groups, non-government and people’s organizations, the MSMED Roving Academy, according to DTI sources is hoped to inspire more entrepreneurs to sustain their business growths with the assurance that somebody is helping them nurture their investments.

The SMED Roving Academy unifies various business development services which these partner groups assist MSMES, Clavisellas explained through a power point presentation, during the launch.

It operates in the following process framework: start-up and capability building, market awareness, market readiness, export readiness, export market entry, export sustainability and export expansion, Clavisellas added.

Earlier, during the same ceremony, Bohol Governor Edgar Chatto cited the country’s economic performance in the first quarter of the year, which has not been short of being stellar.

But he said for this growth to be truly experienced by Boholanos, it has to be felt by all, and the government focus on helping SMED is a step in the right direction.

The challenge however, the governor pointed out, is how to make these MSME produce products that are globally competitive, attain good design and quality, apart from going for environment friendly or green products.

The Sandugo Products Showcase adopted Go Green, Buy Local as its 2013 theme.

The MSME Roving Academy packs all the help which a small entrepreneur would need to respond to the need, assured Clavisellas in his address to regional trade exhibitors gathered at the ICM activity Center.

Rey Anthony Chiu

To those who think the way towards nutritious food is costly, think again.

In a province where a prevailing poverty “restricts” a family’s options for healthy food, Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and agriculture officials hint, malnutrition is due to laziness and plain indifference.

During the weekly Kapihan sa PIA which attempted to chop to pieces nutrition problems into bite-size discussions for the family, both BHWs Natividad Torrevillas and Judith Bonhayag said the path to nutrition can be easily laid beginning in one’s back or front yard.

“You do not need to buy, because all that the body needs for a healthy and productive life can be sourced out, fresh and organic from your garden,” Torrevillas said.

And talking of backyard gardening, Sergio Cuaco, crops division chief at the Provincial Agriculture quickly inserted in the discussion the unforgettable image of the Bahay Kubo in the Philippines.

A typical nipa hut in the song showcases a surrounding garden of assorted vegetables like singkamas, eggplant, (talong) sireguelas at peanuts (mani). String beans (sitaw) bataw, patani, kundol, gourd (patola), upo, squash (kalabasa), labanos, mustasa, onions (sebuyas) tomatoes (kamatis), garlic (bawang) and ginger (luy-a).

A Filipino folksong, Bahay Kubo has now become a catchword for a local campaign for food sufficiency in Bohol where households down to the smallest purok are enjoined to start cultivating patches of gardens in the backyard.

Governor Edgar Chatto has aggressive pushed for the Food Always in the Home (FAITH) using the bahay kubo model.

To complete the picture, Chatto instructed Bohol agricultural workers to also relentlessly campaign for Chicken which are Always Raised In The Yard (ChARITY).

When you have the vegetables in the backyard, raising chicken gives you eggs which man needs, while meat can be easily within reach, Chatto said.

It is easy, but we have to engage all members of the family so the children can also understand the value of work, added Eleno Evangelista, Bohol Agriculture Program Promotions and Marketing Chief.

We can even give them the seeds they will need to grow the garden, Evangelista volunteered.

The OPA, in its outreach program, hands out vegetable seeds and seedlings to motivate Boholanos into joining the fight against malnutrition.

“It all starts with the right education,” Bonhayag quipped, adding that the modern age of fast food has unwittingly conditioned parents’ minds into surrendering to the lure of easy to cook fast food.

Both health workers also agree that some parents are not keen on focusing on their key roles as he first nutrition teachers to kids.

Bonhayag said it is never too late for parents, especially those who have children aged 0-7 years who are underweight, to pick up the nutrition guide which health workers disseminate in clustered learning teams commonly named Pabasa sa Nutrisyon groups.

Published by Bohol Chronicle

Three first-degree cousins, all grandchildren of 2012 Ulirang Ina national awardee Fancy S. Baluyot, have brought pride to their Boholano roots for excelling in their studies in prominent schools in the United States and Cebu.

Two of them stay in the US where their parents have since worked.

Kevin Jude Matthew Alagon Climaco graduated cum laude with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics with double minors in Chemistry and Public Health at the Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts on May 19, 2013.

He was also awarded the Scarlet Key, the university's highest non-academic honor.

Just recently, Climaco was commissioned to the US Army as a second lieutenant after he received a full scholarship as an incoming medical student at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland.

He is the eldest son of retired Capt. Ismael Climaco (PN, AFP) and Cates S. Alagon- Climaco, a registered nurse in New York. His younger brother, Kyle, is a high school student.

Matthew “Matt” Alagon Novick graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration at the Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University in New York on May 18, 2013. He was a decorated student leader who became president of the Fordham University Philippine American Club.

Novick met with no less than Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III during the latter's visit to the Fordham University in September 2011.

At present, he is an associate manager of Who's Who Online Ltd. and a budding entrepreneur.

Novick is the son of Andrew Novick and Judy S. Alagon-Novick, also a registered nurse in New York. His sister, Ann Frances, is a nurse, too, based in Utah.

Francesca Victoria “Cheska” Alagon Ruiz graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the Cebu Doctors' University in Cebu City on April 21, 2013.

After completing her arduous hospital training, she successfully hurdled the June 2013 nursing board examinations together with 16,218 other new registered nurses out of a total of 37,887 examinees nationwide.

Ruiz is the eldest child of Col. Ramon Ruiz and Dr. Mary Ann S. Alagon-Ruiz, a pediatrician. Her sister, Mara, is a senior at the University of the Philippines in Diliman. Her brother, Enzo, is a freshman at the De La Salle University in Manila.

Their mothers are daughters of Baluyot, the only Boholana national winner of the Ulirang Ina Awards in 2012. A former Red Cross-Bohol administrator, Baluyot is the president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Gift of Life and consultant to Gov. Edgar M. Chatto on medical missions.

Climaco, Novick and Ruiz are among Baluyot’s 12 granchildren. They belong to an age and a generation that not only hope to achieve continuous successes in chosen fields but to give back to the lineage of their cradle and the society that nurtures their dreams.

They have no doubt in their faith and efforts to reach higher goals---a fitting attribute in keeping with their cherished Boholano identity.

By Aurora J. Casimpan

The best in the Filipino is always seen during calamities. It is seen in the way their coping mechanism works in the light of devastation.

While the government is the bulwark of leadership and coordination during rehabilitation efforts, singly or as a group the citizens do whatever is needed to be done to rise from the rubble of destruction.

As past of its disaster management, the government directs government agencies in monitoring its work-related functions to ensure that the people are nor disadvantaged by the outcome of the calamity.

Agencies whose functions are directly involved in the protection of the people’s welfare are instructed to monitor the situation which may impact on the lives and properties. For instance, the Department of Trade and Industry spot-checks markets in Metro Manila on fluctuations of prices of commodities. Education-related agencies like the DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education and TESDA links up with the Department of Public Works and Highways in the conduct of structural checks on school buildings and clearing up the debris which may cause harm to students.

While financial assistance will be provided for families who died in the devastation, relief and medical operations for the 61,000 families will be continuously provided jointly be the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health in coordination with concerned local government units.

Double whammy in the aftermath of a typhoon comes in the form of water and electric utilities being destroyed. The government is focused in coordinating with water utility facilities, TRANSCO, NAPOCOR, MERALCO and other electric cooperatives in the restoration efforts to bring about normalcy of said utility services.

By Ninfa B Quirante

Absenteeism and malnutrition are just two of the problems being solved by the Food for School Program (FFS) of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

This was observed by Rolando Vieja, school principal of Tarangnan Central Elementary School, one of the 15 municipalities who have become recipients of the FFS Program.

On October 3, 2006 some 150 bags of iron-fortified rice were delivered to Tarangnan District by Lemuel Uy, NFA personnel, Mano Ric, the NFA driver and accompanied by Margie Raz, school nurse and PIA.

Uy told PIA that it was his first delivery for the school year. He explained that packing was delayed because plastic bags have to be supplied by the region. He said they were instructed to deliver rice already packed per kilo.

Tarangnan District was the only school last year which became eligible for the program. They were able to rehabilitate then some 145 malnourished children, said Vieja. Still last summer, the same district was given another rice-allocation.

This school year, another 103 grade one pupils with 61 day care children are assured of a kilo of rice a day in Tarangnan central school alone for a period of 120 days.

These children, said Vieja would be weighed before given the rice so that school medical personnel would know how they would weight once they have consumed the iron-fortified rice.

PIA chanced upon two wide-eyed grade one kids who would become recipients. Jessie Reyes, 8 and Ginalyn Tamor, 9 were both happy to get the rice. Reyes said that it was his mother, a fish vendor who told him of the rice coming. Ginalyn also expressed desire to get the rice saying, her mother, a farmer will forbid her to miss school for fear of rice forfeiture.

Malacañang said today the aggressive economic reforms initiated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have undoubtedly resulted in the international financial community’s renewed confidence on the country, upgrading by credit-rating firms on the economic outlook and continued appreciation of the peso.

"The continuous strengthening of the peso is a trophy of our fiscal reform agenda; and the World Bank’s $410-million loan is a clear manifestation of confidence in the sustainability of our fiscal programs in the coming years," Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesperson Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

With the members of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Cabinet in full attendance, the government made today the most comprehensive presentation yet of the strategic infrastructure projects in the five super regions to leaders of the business community and the private sector during a "Government Infrastructure Forum" at the Dusit Hotel Nikko in Makati City.

The forum, hosted and participated in by several major business organizations, was aimed at establishing possible avenues of collaboration between the government and private sector to fast-track the implementation of development initiatives outlined by President Arroyo in her State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July.

Under Executive Order 553 issued last Aug. 1, the President highlighted the partnership between the government and the business sector when she created the Infrastructure Monitoring Task Force composed of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Energy (DoE), the Export Development Council (EDC) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

In an _expression of support, business leaders Washington Sycip, Ms. Tessie Sy-Coson, Oscar Hilado, former Prime Minster Cesar Virata and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala spearheaded the holding of the forum to boost the development of the super regions.

PMS Director General Arthur Yap, who is also the head of the government’s Infrastructure Monitoring Task Force, said the event provided a venue for the government, through President Arroyo’s designated Super Region Development Champions, to present the strategic participation of the business sector in the implementation and completion of these major development projects.

"The occasion provided the business community an opportunity to learn more about the government’s Medium Term Public Investment Program," said Yap, who himself made the presentation on the North Luzon Agribusiness Quadrangle (NLAQ) during the forum.

The other presentors were Subic-Clark Alliance Development Corp head Edgar Pamintuan for the Luzon Urban Beltway; Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano for Central Philippines; Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza for Mindanao; and Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) Chair Ramón Sales for the Cyberservices Corridor.

Specific infrastructure projects were discussed by the heads of the implementing agencies, namely, Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and National Irrigation Administration Administrator Arturo Lomibao.

Discussing the strategic directions for the super regions including the revenue generation and financing strategies to ensure the availability of funds for the projects and the opportunities for business were Economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves, Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya and Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila.

Among the business organizations which participated in the forum were the American Chamber of Commerce, Australia-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, Bankers Association of the Philippines, Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference, British Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industries of Northern Mindanao, European Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The murder of Aglipayan Bishop Alberto Ramento is an abominable act that the police must attend to with thoroughness and dispatch.

We join the victim’s family and his supporters in condemning this killing.

We urge some sectors to refrain from wild and insensitive allegations that any authorities had a hand in it. Let us spare this case from partisan controversy and wait instead for the results of the investigation and action by our law enforcement agencies. - Ignacio Bunye, Press Secretary

The continuous strengthening of the peso is a trophy of our fiscal reform agenda; and the World Bank’s $410-million loan is a clear manifestation of confidence in the sustainability of our fiscal programs in the coming years.

Meanwhile, the positive assessments by credit-rating firms and foreign investors are a good omen of imminent economic takeoff.

The Filipino people are reaping the positive results of our aggressive economic reform programs, and we are set to achieve more if we continue to join hands and remain focused on our agenda of economic growth and political stability.

Boeing continues to make progress on the first 787-9 Dreamliner, which also has become the first 787 to don the new Boeing Commercial Airplanes livery.

The airplane has just rolled out of the paint hangar.

In a statement of Boeing recently said that this refreshed look for the Boeing family began with the 747-8 and evolved with the 737 MAX.

The new livery retains many of the features of the original 787-8 livery, adding a prominent number on the tail to help distinguish among models within the same product family.

The 787-9 will complement and extend the 787 family, offering airlines the ability to grow routes opened with the 787-8.

With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters), the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers), with 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes.

The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering the features passengers prefer such as large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Boeing is on track to roll out and fly the 787-9, currently in final production, in late summer. First delivery to launch customer Air New Zealand is set for mid-2014.

By Leslie D. Venzon

AG Finance Inc. (AGFI), the fourth company to go public this year, will use P150 million fresh capital to expand its loan portfolio for the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) located in highly developed countries.

“We are still a baby company but we hope to grow steadily at a range of 25 to 50 percent in terms of revenues and income in the next few years. It depends on how we can manage to raise our funds,” said AGFI Chairman Tony O. King in an interview on the sidelines of an investors’ briefing.

King said the microfinancing firm will also tap alternative sources of funding like commercial paper as it is also considering venturing into real estate.

“We hope we can go into properties, condominiums,” he bared.

AGFI President Leila Jorge said the company is focused on its product niches â€"-the OFW loans and salary loans. The OFW loans comprise 90 percent of the company’s total loan portfolio while the salary loans provided to Philippine companies at only six percent.

“(We will) increase destination countries of OFW loan borrowers and salary loan client companies,” she said. “We want to expand our business into first world countries as much as possible because these are borrowers with high disposable incomes so the market is a bit lucrative.”

Jorge identified some of these countries as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The company’s OFW loan borrowers are also highly concentrated in Southeast Asian countries and the Middle East.

AGFI, which was incorporated in 2001, is one of the major players in microfinance and consumer loans industry now with 4,674 active borrowers. Its total assets stood at P344 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Jorge said they target to expand loan releases between P500 million to P600 million and to grow gross loan receivables and net interest income by 30 to 40 percent.

“In 2013, we are already P280 million (in loan releases). Historically, we grow our income from 40 to 60 percent so your gross loans will follow,” she noted.

Apart from financing its professional and skilled OFW loan portfolio expansion program, AGFI said the net proceeds of the P150-million initial public offering (IPO) will also be used to pay P37 million in existing loans with China Banking Corp.

It intends to sell 68 million common shares for P1.91 to P2.20 a-piece.

Offer period is slated on July 30 to August 5. The listing of the shares on the first board of the PSE will be on August 13.

AG Finance tapped BDO Capital and Investments Corp. as the issue manager and sole underwriter.

“There are already many reservations on small issues. We are not even looking for investors. It is a known company so I expect it to be fully taken up,” said Eduardo Franciso, BDO Capital and Investment Corp. president.

“We believe that given the investment merits of the company, it offers a very good opportunity to the stock market investors,” said BDO Capital Vice President Gabriel Lim.

After AGFI, an operator of upscale beach resort -Discovery World Corp. (DWC)- will also debut in the equities market next month.

The Nikkei stock index slipped below the 14,000 mark for the first time in nearly one month Monday morning in Tokyo as the yen firmed against the U.S. dollar amid speculations that the U.S. Fed will maintain its current loose monetary policy longer than expected.

At 9:15 a.m., the 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average was down 264.43 points, or 1.87 percent, from Friday at 13,865.55, the lowest intraday level since July 1. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 25.63 points, or 2.20 percent, at 1,141.43.

Stocks fell across the board led by export-oriented firms as sentiment was dented by the dollar's fall below the 98 yen line, brokers said.

By Daisuke Yamamoto

Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan at a meeting Saturday with Philippine President Benigno Aquino to provide Manila with 10 coast guard patrol ships through a yen loan to help it counter an increasingly assertive China.

In a bid to help achieve peace on Mindanao, where the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group is in conflict with the government, Abe also spelled out a new package of official development assistance aimed at building schools and clinics, and developing personnel for an autonomous political entity to be established.

"Relations between Japan and the Philippines are rooted in their long-term friendly history and exchanges," Abe told a joint news conference with Aquino after their summit in Manila, pledging to further strengthen bilateral ties through new Japanese assistance.

Officials from several Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries have expressed their keenness to attract more investment from Chinese enterprises to boost bilateral development.

"Thailand is in the center area of the ASEAN countries and owns convenient transportation, excellent infrastructure, favorable investment policy and monetary policy. It's very suitable for Chinese investors," said Chitraporn Arpornrat, Thai consul-general in Nanning,capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Industries like rubber products, agricultural machinery and equipment, electronic components and light rail components and systems are among those most favorable for Chinese enterprises to invest in, said the Thai diplomat during a forum held in Qinzhou City, Guangxi on Friday.

Lao Consul General in Nanning Phonekham Inthaboualy said Laos is rich in forest resources and mineral resources like iron, gold and copper and he hoped Chinese companies to invest in.

Cambodian Consul in Nanning Keo Thoeun highlighted Cambodia's advantage in human resources. "Cambodia' s population is over 14 million, of which 51 percent are in their working age." he said, "Compared with other Asian countries, Cambodia's labor costs are low. "

By the end of June, Chinese direct investment in ASEAN nations totaled nearly 30 billion U.S. dollars, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

Vietnam has joined other eight Western Pacific countries in efforts to eliminate hepatitis in response to the World Hepatitis Day on Sunday following a commitment to the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region, state-run Vietnam News Agency reported Sunday.

The country aims to reduce Hepatitis B infection among children to under 2 percent in line with the goal set by WHO.

Vietnam is among nine countries in the Western Pacific region facing serious threat from viral hepatitis, a silent disease, but causing serious impact on public health, said the report.

However, in recent years, Vietnam has made encouraging achievements in the prevention of this disease. More than 50 percent of newborn babies were vaccinated against Hepatitis B over the past decade, thus remarkably reducing the rate of infection. No Hepatitis A and E epidemics broke out during the past 30 years.

In 2012, Vietnam for the first time launched a campaign where "All people join hands to beat hepatitis" in response to the appeal of WHO. The campaign has brought about encouraging results: nearly three million people have received medical checks and tests for the viral hepatitis, helping to detect hundreds of thousands of Hepatitis virus B and Hepatitis C infections as well as primary liver cancer.

To assist with the care and treatment of patients with viral Hepatitis B and C, the Vietnam Association for the Study of Liver Diseases has developed the "Guidelines for liver disease treatment" for all medical establishments nationwide. At the same time, it has also collaborated with the Vietnam Farmers' Association to launch a contest on viral hepatitis.

To eliminate Hepatitis B and lower the rate of infection among children to under 2 percent, the health sector plans to strengthen education campaigns to raise the people's awareness about the disease and measures to prevent transmission.

Expert from the WHO have warned that primary liver cancer caused by viral Hepatitis B and C is increasing in Vietnam, while most patients only come to hospital in the late period, leading to difficulties in treatments.

Nepal's capital Kathmandu has witnessed at least 12 cases of bird flu in the past 13 days since the beginning of its new fiscal year (2013/14) on July 16.

"In the last fiscal year 2012/13, only 23 bird flu cases came to the fore. It is astonishing that 12 cases have been recorded in less than two weeks this year," Dr Bijay Kant Jha, program director at Livestock Services Directorate, told Xinhua.

The areas where bird flu has been detected include Bhaktapur, Mahadevsthan, Kirtipur, Ramkot and Naikap.

The authorities have culled around 6,000 chickens in these areas, while an equal number of chickens have succumbed to bird flu themselves.

"We have also destroyed around 4,000 kg of feed and 8,000 eggs to stop the spread of bird flu," Jha said.

Meanwhile, bird flu has been reported in two farms of Pokhara in west Nepal, the seventh of such incident in the tourist city. Authorities have destroyed hundreds of chickens cautioning locals to maintain cleanliness in their neighborhood.

At the time of bird flu, people are found generally disposing the dead chickens in open areas, posing threat to public health.

"We have been regularly issuing health warning to the public to not dispose infected chicken in open places and instead, bury them safely with our help," Jha added.

The chairman of doping control at FINA (The International Swimming Federation) Dr. Andrew Pipe warned athletes currently competing at the 15th FINA World Championships here of the dangers of taking food supplements.

A recent spate of positive anti-doping tests in athletics, which as seen by athletes such as Tyson Gay and former 100 meters world record holder Asafa Powell test positive for banned substances, focus has turned to the supplements many sportspeople take as the cause of their problems.

Speaking at a FINA press conference on Saturday, 24 hours before racing begins in the pool at the Palau St Jordi, Dr. Pike confirmed that on Friday he had told a meeting of team leaders of the risk posed by supplements.

"The vast majority of supplements are produced in the USA and there is no regulation controlling these products at all," he said.

"Athletes have the ultimate responsibility for what they put in their bodies and that means you have to have responsibility to know what you are taking. But the nature of the supplement industry is that you cannot know what is in the product. Sometimes the producers themselves are not even fully aware of what is in their products," said Dr. Pipe, who was skeptical that it was worth sportspeople taking such a risk.

"There is only limited evidence that they can actually help to athletes," he explained.

The Doctor also spoke about the anti-doping procedure which is being used in Barcelona over the two weeks of the World Championships.

"It is the largest and most comprehensive series of tests that have been carried out in FINA's history and they are being carried out in a year when we have also introduced the biological passport, (in order to find irregularities in questions such as the red blood cell count) and here we are going to carry out 100's of blood tests to enhance that program," he commented.

Meanwhile there will also be a series of tests for swimmers in races in which those to be tested will be chosen at random with the names of those to be tested not known until their race has actually begun.

"These tests will be of both urine and blood and will be analyzed at a laboratory here in Barcelona and we want to ensure effectiveness and efficiency."

The central authorities on Saturday launched an emergency response to help victims of rainstorms and flooding in northwest China's Gansu Province, and sent a work group to the area.

The emergency response was launched by the National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Meanwhile, the work group, which was sent to an area in Gansu hit by a 6.6-magnitude quake on July 22, was ordered to go to Tianshui of Gansu, to see the situation and cooperate with local authorities in disaster relief.

As of 7 p.m. Sunday, strong rainfall since July 24 has resulted in floods in the province's Tianshui, Longnan and Qingyang, leaving 21 people dead and 5 others missing, according to the Gansu Provincial Civil Affairs Department.

The disaster has affected 446,400 people and toppled down or severely damaged 15,600 houses. A total of 39,500 people have been relocated.

Parts of western Japan were deluged from the predawn hours Sunday, prompting the Japanese weather agency to warn of "unprecedented heavy rain" in some areas and urge caution against flooding and mudslides.

The warning issued for Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures, where heavy rain is forecast until the evening, is equivalent to the "special warning" designation that the Japan Meteorological Agency plans to introduce from Aug. 30 when the risk of a serious disaster is high, agency officials said.

The agency also said thunderstorms may occur in the Tohoku region in the northeast through the night.

Yoichiro Kakitani's injury-time goal helped Japan edge host South Korea 2-1 here on Sunday to claim the four-nation East Asian Cup title.

In the last match of the soccer tournament, South Korea dominated the ball in the first half, but Japan scored first in the 24th minute from 23-year-old forward Kakitani who made a solo run.

South Korea, who conceded two goalless tie with Australia and China before, opened scoring and tied the score on 32 minutes. Yun Il-Lok accomplished give-and-go with Lee Seung-Gi and brilliantly struck the ball into the top right corner.

At the end of the balancing second half, Kakitani banged home a rebound in the box to seal the win.

Japan were crowned in the East Asian Cup for the first time with two wins and a tie. China finished second with one win and two ties. South Korea stood third with two ties and a loss. Australia got the fourth with one tie and two losses.

The latest entry in the "X-Men " franchise opened as the top-grossing film in North America over the weekend, although it was significantly below a pre-release projection of between 60 million to 80 million U.S. dollars.

"The Wolverine," the sixth entry in the popular movie series starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, is projected to roll up 55 million dollars in ticket sales from 3,924 theaters (3,063 in 3- D) in the United States and Canada during Friday-Sunday period, finishing as No. 1.

As the only new release in North America for the weekend, "The Wolverine" opened as No. 1 on Friday with an estimated 21 million dollars worth of tickets including 4 million dollars from late Thursday shows. The debut was lower than the last two sequels -- " X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (USD34.4 million)(2009) and "X-Men: First Class" (21.3 million)(2011).

The latest entry in the 20th Century Fox's iconic superhero franchise had a good word of mouth. It was warmly received by critics and audiences, as it earned a 67 percent approval rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and a coveted "A-" CinemaScore rating from first night audiences.

"The Conjuring" is estimated to finish in No. 2 with 22.1 million dollars in ticket receipts. The Warner Bros./New line thriller, directed by James Wan, is on pace for a 83.87 million dollar 10-day total.

Universal's computer animated blockbuster film "Despicable Me 2, " produced by Illumination Entertainment, is No. 3 with a 16 million dollar weekend. It is on track for a 306.39 million dollar 26-day total.

Rounding out the 10 most popular films in North America this weekend were "Turbo" (13.3 million dollars), "Grown Ups 2" (11.5 million), "Red 2" (9.4 million), "Pacific Rim" (7.5 million), "The Heat" (6.8 million), "R.I.P.D." (5.8 million), and "Fruitvale Station" (4.6 million).

FIDE Pascua dumped NM Efren Bagamasbas after 42 moves of Nimzo-Indian defense while IM Roderick Nava outclassed Lennon Hart Salgado after 28 moves of Old Indian defense gather up two points apiece in the 2013 Semi-Finals National Chess Championships on Sunday at the Ponciano Bernardo Elementary School, P. Tuazon Blvd. Cubao, Quezon City.

They have now the same output as that of IM Emmanuel Senador, NM Jony Habla, NM Ronald Llavanes, Efren Arguelles, Rodolpo Panopio Jr. and IM Joel Pimentel, FM Fernie Donguines and NM David Elorta.

The 9-round FIDE rated Swiss system was put up by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) headed by it's Chairman/President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. and Secretary-General Cavite 7th district Rep. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino Jr. in coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

Meantime,Jean Karen Enriquez defeated Nikki Erica Yngayo to share the lead with two points each together with Regencia Janena Marie, who brought down Krizza Lyn Abasolo.

Tournament director is NCFP executive director GM Jayson Gonzales while chief arbiter is IA Gene Poliarco.

By Lily O Ramos

The 37th edition of the 2013 National Milo Marathon Sunday Manila qualifying leg at the SM Mall of Asia grounds has for the first time in its history breached the 38,000 runners with 42, 124 participants aside from the fact that a mother and daughter won a championship together although in different age categories.

Milo executive Andrew Neri said he is pleased with the outcome and the chocolate drink firm will give 25,000 running shoes to selected school beneficiaries as part of corporate service responsibility.

Neri added that because of the increasing success of the Milo Marathon, the company might hold an international event that would invite all the famous runners around the world in a year or two.

Male winners have always had the lion’s share of attention in the past legs of competition but this time, it’s the women who have the time of their lives in a marathon that caused mounds of white paper cups on the 42km MOA and-back-route, tons of green and white confetti and people of all walks of life who ran for fun or honor on a warm, sweaty morning.

A frail, but gutsy and determined 32-year old housewife from Sta. Rosa Laguna topped the women’s field and went home with P50,000 cash and trophy, plus a chance to challenge the country’s finalists to become the Milo Marathon Queen to compete in the 2014 April Paris Marathon.

Luisa Raterta hardly slept Saturday night as she and daughter Leonalyn prepared to run in the women’s 42.195 K and the 3K , respectively at the sprawling MOA â€"hoping to win fame and fortune to ease their financial situation.

They did, but not without one-trackminded preparation, training, health care and focus on their respective goals for months and years.

Raterta finished at 3:14: 16.09 for women’s 42K while Leonalyn went home witn P1,500 and a trophy by timing in at 11:11 in the 7-12 age group.

”I used to have a job in a company in Laguna but the pay was not substantial and I am worried about my three kids while working. That was until a few years a go when I discovered my talent for running and started participating in all runs I could find.

The prizes were not big in some instances but I soon learned that If I keep on winning in bigger tournaments, can earn money that would take me years if I am an ordinary employee.,” said Raterta.

She was lucky enough to have some friends who provided her with vitamins and a doctor-friend who cared enough to look after her physical health while training. Soon, she resigned from her 8 to 5 job to concentrate on running in increasing distances.

Her hard-nose persistence bore fruit. She was able to buy a tricycle for her husband Leoâ€"also a former runner to drive and later built a modest house out of her running earnings for their growing family.

”Had I stayed on my job, I could not have accomplished these things and still be miserable. I can now send my children to school for good education. I am also coaching Leonalyn who is this Sunday's 3K winner.

"I did not force her into it but since she has been seeing me in this kind of trade and enjoys the idea of accompanying me, we are now partners.”

How she won the days’ 42K started with right pacing when she began strong until the 10thK then slowed down a little when she saw she was in comfortable lead.

Raterna picked up speed again on the last 12K and saw to it that she had no competitor close by to risk losing the crown.>p>”I would advice young runners to keep on going with the right running regimen and be focused in doing it. If you love running or marathon, it will love you back in terms of good health and long life or even fame and money if you put your whole heart , talent and skill on it,” said the now elite runner Raterna.

The men’s 42K title went to Eric Panique from Pinamaylan,Negros Occidental. He is a member of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association of the Philippines (PATAFA) and was discovered by marathon champion Roy Vence in 2009.

Instead of getting angry with foreigners, particularly Kenyans and other Africans winning races in the Philippines and depriving Filipinos of their chances, Panique said they gave him motivation to prove to all and sundry that Filipinos can be victorious over other nationalities in long distance running.

”Just this morning, a foreigner was running with me side by side. Knowing that he was athletic, I refused to allow him to intimidate me and kept on with my pace. When we were in Makati Avenue, I had a foot injury which I ignored.

"My mind was to beat the field and luckily it was not too hard with only 5K left. I never looked back until I was sure I got it,” said Panique.

Panique used to be a regional champ in Western Visayas, particularly in Iloilo and Negros Occidental and he was a bronze medalist in the Palaro of Naga 5K in 2002. He was among the Top 10 school runners in 2007 and 2010 but he failed to gain nationwide attention

The 28-year old Panique wants to break Eduardo Buenavista's marathon record of 2 hours:18 minutes which is not far off his 2:30:;16.72 now.”I must bring by time down but that would entail much concentration and strong preparation. Without distraction and problems, I hope to become a real marathoner or a long distance runner since I still have a lot of years to go.”

Milo executive Andrew Neri said he is pleased with the outcome and the chocolate drink firm will give 25,000 running shoes to selected school beneficiaries as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Neri added that because of the increasing success of the Milo Marathon, the company might hold an international event that would invite all the famous runners around the world in a year or two.

The list of other winners are: (Men’s 42K) second place-Irineo Raquin (02:30:18.24) and Jeson Agravante third at 02:41:52:80.

Women’s 42K , Jennylyn Nobleza in second with 3:23:24.82 and Geraldine Sealza (3:32:37.05 for third.

Top three finishers for 21K Richard Salano (01:14:35), Gregg Vincent Osorio (O1:15.59), Orson Quisay (01;16:22).

Women 21K, Monica Torres (1:29:56), Nhea Snn Barcena (01:32:15), Janette Lumidao (01:34:10)

Men’s 10K Benjamin Kpkasi 00:32:13, Marvin Guarte 00:34:23)Rudy Fer Hernandez (34:27)

Women’s 10K Joan Ayabel (38:12), Mary Ann de la Cruz, (41:43), Mars de Vera (42:12)

Men’s 5K Daniel Agustin (15:04), Kimbert Sarmiento (15:58), Elbrain Neri (16:15)<;>Women’s 5K Jessa Mae Jaromay (19:38), Petrober Kembol (19:45), Lindsay Bautista (20:55).

Boys 3K John Lester Vidal(09:45), Jay Rome Arellano(10:51), Joshua Luna(11:25)

Girls’3K Leonalyn Raterta (11:11), Tara Borlain (12:07 ) Samantha Borlain(12:51).