MikeLigalig.com

Be glad today. Tomorrow may bring tears.
Be brave today. The darkest night will pass
And golden rays will usher in the dawn.
Who conquers now shall rule the coming years.

- Sarah Knowles Bolton

Quote from: C2H4 on December 01, 2007, 12:30:43 PM
Unless you arrive at the wrong destination.

LOL

RTS - Return To Sender.

Quote from: ms da binsi on December 01, 2007, 12:29:58 PM
yeah i am...

ug di maabot balhin sa laing envelope..

ana man ko Mike i always give chance to everything mao nga tigulang nalang ko sometimes i felt nga im not getting there yet...

Belle, life is an endless adventure. Death ends it.

Quote from: C2H4 on December 01, 2007, 12:28:58 PM
As you should, Mike. As you should.

There is nothing a woman can do that's unforgivable.

We can do no wrong.

LOL *joke*

If I won't forgive, how can God forgive me?

Quote from: orChids on December 01, 2007, 12:27:39 PM
I won't jod........ .

my dear sister aya, ang pagpakasala tawhanon, apan ang pagpasaylo balaanon.

Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.

- Josh Billings

Don't take the bull by the horns, take him by the tail; then you can let go when you want to.

- Josh Billings

Thyl, i will always forgive.

Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry.

- Henry Ward Beecher

Try to go through life a little bit hungry. You never know when you'll meet someone edible.

- T.J. Bass, Half Past Human (1970)

You must learn, day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizon.

-Ethel Barrymore

You must know the the story of your culture and be proud of your ancestors. - Romana Banuelos

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

-Marcus Aurelius

The art of living is more like that of wrestling than of dancing; the main thing is to stand firm and be ready for an unseen attack.

-Marcus Aurelius

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.

-Marcus Aurelius

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

- Anonymous

If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.

- Anonymous

Take care that the face that looks out from the mirror in the morning is a pleasant face. You may not see it again during the day, but others will.

- Anonymous

If you can't win, make the fellow ahead of you break the record.

- Anonymous

Always imitate the behavior of winners when you lose.

--Anonymous

When your dreams turn to dust, vacuum.

-Anonymous

Remember: It is 10 times harder to command the ear than to catch the eye.

-Duncan Maxwell Anderson

Manilhig sa ta sa tugkaran sa atong mga inbox sa Tubag Bohol kay basin miaslay na ang mga PMs. Kadtong mga PMs nga importante ug makahupay sa dughan, kamoy mag-igo kung ipabilin ninyo. Apan kadtong murag pwede ra memorizeson, kindly delete them aro moluag imong inbox.

Footnote: I have no way of reading your PMs. I can access all you accounts and profiles but I don't know your password and your messages in your inbox. Your secrets are your secrets alone...

Never judge a work of art by its defects. - Washington Allston

By Rey Anthony Chiu
PIA - Bohol

Resilient on their agenda for youth reforms even with the apparently failing perception against the Sangguniang Kabataan, the National Youth Commission (NYC) embarks anew into a youth exchange program for Filipino students and youth leaders in Japan.

In a communication, NYCommissioner for the Visayas Benjie Oliva calls for youth participation in a week-long youth exchange program sponsored by the government of Japan.

Oliva said the program would be implemented in two batches: May 13-22 and 22-29, 2008.
According to Oliva, the NYC, by virtue of the youth in nation building act, is now administering youth exchanges and all foreign sponsored youth programs as well as the task of coordinating youth related institutions, programs, projects, and activities of the government.

“The NYC is now opening its doors for youth leaders intending to get into the Japan â€" East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) Program”, he said.

The JENESYS Program is a Japanese government sponsored exchange program aiming to harness the youths’ full potential through sharing of experiences and expertise on common youth leadership and practices. This also aims to promote cultural understanding, appreciation and respect among the youths of all countries involved.

This year, “we will be recommending 200 Filipino youth to participate on this program and the screened participants will be going to Japan, all expense paid by the organizers, Japan International Cooperation Center.”

Eligible for the program are single Filipinos between 16 - 18 years old on or before April 1, 2008, of good moral character and must be currently enrolled in a college or university with a GWA of 2.25 or 85% equivalent, with no failing marks in the preceding semester.

Applicants should also be physically and mentally fit to travel, a first time traveller to Japan and must not have been a grantee or recipient of any NYC funded international travel or Japanese Government grant.
Moreover, applicants must be knowledgeable of the history, geography, culture and arts, and the current issues on the Philippines, and fairly knowledgeable in those of Japan and other East Asian countries, Oliva said.

Finally, applicant must be an officer or an active member of a youth organization at least one year immediately preceding the date of application and must be willing to be an active NYC volunteer after the program to be covered by an appropriate memorandum of agreement and to continue to promote the learning about Japan and the Japanese culture gained from the JENESYS Program.

Area representation would be based on the place of the school, college, university enrolled in, he added.
Applicants must submit two copies of the application forms which can be had from the SK provincial offices (JENESYS entry form, application form for student ambassadors and NYC volunteer form) with passport sized pictures with white background attached to each forms. Pictures should all be original, no scanned pictures or computer altered images.

They too must present two copies of the student’s resume, two copies of certificate of good moral character issued by the school, college or university (1 original and 1 photocopy), two copies of the certified copies of the grades, two copies of the Police or NBI clearance, four passport sized pictures and the completed NYC volunteer forms.

For more details, call (02) 7811163 loc. 107 and please look for Comm. Benjie Oliva, Comm. Princess Abante or Rochel Ferrancullo.

Kung si Mr. Eggs makasud-ong sa kaanyag ni C2h4 ug sa katam-is sa iyang pahiyom, 100 % magpatambag na pud ni si Mr. Eggs. Labina na gyud sa chickenjoy view. 

Meantime they were strolling slowly along the path and suddenly Smurov exclaimed:

“There’s Ilusha’s stone, under which they wanted to bury him.”

They all stood still by the big stone. Alyosha looked and the whole picture of what Snegiryov had described to him that day, how Ilusha, weeping and hugging his father, had cried, “Father, father, how he insulted you,” rose at once before his imagination. A sudden impulse seemed to come into his soul. With a serious and earnest expression he looked from one to another of the bright, pleasant faces of Ilusha’s school- fellows, and suddenly said to them:

“Boys, I should like to say one word to you, here at this place.”

The boys stood round him and at once bent attentive and expectant eyes upon him.

“Boys, we shall soon part. I shall be for some time with my two brothers, of whom one is going to Siberia and the other is lying at death’s door. But soon I shall leave this town, perhaps for a long time, so we shall part. Let us make a compact, here, at Ilusha’s stone that we will never forget Ilusha and one another. And whatever happens to us later in life, if we don’t meet for twenty years afterwards, let us always remember how we buried the poor boy at whom we once threw stones, do you remember, by the bridge? and afterwards we all grew so fond of him. He was a fine boy, a kind-hearted, brave boy, he felt for his father’s honour and resented the cruel insult to him and stood up for him. And so in the first place, we will remember him, boys, all our lives. And even if we are occupied with most important things, if we attain to honour or fall into great misfortuneâ€"still let us remember how good it was once here, when we were all together, united by a good and kind feeling which made us, for the time we were loving that poor boy, better perhaps than we are. My little dovesâ€"let me call you so, for you are very like them, those pretty blue birds, at this minute as I look at your good dear faces. My dear children, perhaps you won’t understand what I am saying to you, because I often speak very unintelligibly, but you’ll remember it all the same and will agree with my words sometime. You must know that there is nothing higher and stronger and more wholesome and good for life in the future than some good memory, especially a memory of childhood, of home. People talk to you a great deal about your education, but some good, sacred memory, preserved from childhood, is perhaps the best education. If a man carries many such memories with him into life, he is safe to the end of his days, and if one has only one good memory left in one’s heart, even that may sometime be the means of saving us. Perhaps we may even grow wicked later on, may be unable to refrain from a bad action, may laugh at men’s tears and at those people who say as Kolya did just now, ‘I want to suffer for all men,’ and may even jeer spitefully at such people. But however bad we may becomeâ€"which God forbidâ€"yet, when we recall how we buried Ilusha, how we loved him in his last days, and how we have been talking like friends all together, at this stone, the cruellest and most mocking of usâ€"if we do become soâ€"will not dare to laugh inwardly at having been kind and good at this moment! What’s more, perhaps, that one memory may keep him from great evil and he will reflect and say, ‘Yes, I was good and brave and honest then!’ Let him laugh to himself, that’s no matter, a man often laughs at what’s good and kind. That’s only from thoughtlessness. But I assure you, boys, that as he laughs he will say at once in his heart, ‘No, I do wrong to laugh, for that’s not a thing to laugh at.”’

Excerpt: The Brothers Karamasov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Mr. Egg, gikasubo ko nga ipahibalo kanimo nga sumala sa akong imbestigasyon nga gihimo aduna nay nanag-iya sa dughan ni Mari ug ako nagtuo nga dili na mapiog ang iyang gibati.

Dili sala nga imo karon nga gimatuto ang tim-os ug tiunay nga pagbati alang kang Mari kung ugaling ikaw ulitawo pa.

Kung nagkapandol-pandol ang pinitik sa imong kasing-kasing human mo masud-ong ang kaanyag ni Mari, nan bangon kung diin ka mahagba ug punita ang napusgay mong pagtuaw alang kang Mari.

Kung si Mari gayud ang natingban sa inawas sa imong pagbati, tiguma kini kay basin ugma damlag ang imong mga pangindahay masawod ra sa mga maluluy-ong mata ni Mari.

To resist the frigidity of old age one must combine the body, the mind and the heart - and to keep them in parallel vigor one must exercise, study and love.
   
    Karl von Bonstetten

Over at work blog TheJobBored, editor Brian McCullough answers a reader's question about whether to avoid job-seeking during December, when hiring seems scarce and work in general slows down. That's no reason for anyone to give up, McCullough points out, because jobs that do open up often need to be filled desperately. For those who need to start getting paid again, there's another upside:

    The holiday season is a key time for temporary workers. If you need a job now because you need money fast, consider temping. In certain industries, temp jobs are plentiful, and you never know, it could always turn into something permanent.

Also worth noting is that January is one of the busiest hiring months of the year, so getting your resume out there can help put you ahead of the pack.

source: www.lifehacker.com

Our profound longing for Tubag Bohol is anchored on the deepening soulful friendships among Boholanos and Boholanas here...

Though it sounds absurd, it is true to say I felt younger at sixty than I felt at twenty.
   
    Ellen Glasgow (1873 - 1945), The Woman Within, 1954

In spite of illness, in spite even of the archenemy sorrow, one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.

    Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937)

I'm very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. 'Don't complain about growing old - many, many people do not have that privilege.'

    Earl Warren (1891 - 1974), Chief Justice

The great secret that all old people share is that you really haven't changed in 70 or 80 years. Your body changes, but you don't change at all.

    Doris Lessing, O Magazine, October 2003

Always be nice to those younger than you, because they are the ones who will be writing about you.

    Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)

Aging is not 'lost youth' but a new stage of opportunity and strength.
 
    Betty Friedan (1921 - 2006)

You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older.

    Anouk Aimee, O Magazine, October 2003

I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming... suddenly you find - at the age of 50, say - that a whole new life has opened before you.

    Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976)

Wisdom doesn't automatically come with old age. Nothing does - except wrinkles. It's true, some wines improve with age. But only if the grapes were good in the first place.
 
    Abigail Van Buren (1918 - ), 1978

What to Carry With You

    * Obey carry-on restrictions - Before packing, consult the current rules for carry-on items from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Prepare to take off your shoes (slip on shoes work best), as well as your coat and jacket, at security checkpoints. Empty pockets of loose change, and take off belts and jewelry. Speed up security lines by packing carry-on bags so they are easily accessible to hand searches.
    * Carry these items with you:

   1. Cell phone. Don't have one: buy a 'pay-as-you-go' cell phone.
   2. Prescription medication - don't pack these inside your checked bag. Lord only knows when you'll see that bag again. Take these important items in your carry-on bag in the original prescription container. If you're packing liquid prescriptions, check with your airline for the latest security information regarding bringing liquids on board in carry-on luggage.
   3. Snacks - put snacks such as canned or jarred food, sauces, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, Jell-O, or peanut butter in carry-on bags in 3 oz. containers.
   4. Reading Material - magazines, books, newspaper
   5. Handheld games - Nintendo DS, Sony PSP - these are fine in the airport, but once in the plane, you'd better have a nice crossword puzzle.

source: www.wired.com and www.lifehacker.org

    * Book Nonstop flights - Don't be fooled by the words "direct flight." If it doesn't say "nonstop," the flight makes more than one stop. Obviously, the more stops the flight makes, the more opportunities for it to be delayed.

    * Compare the on-time performance of flights serving your route - the cheapest flight might also be the one that is chronically late. So use FlightStats.com to compare the performance of the various carriers and flights serving the cities you expect to visit. Chances are, you can find a higher quality flight for the same money or only slightly more.
    * Fly early in the day - Many travel consultants say fly before 4 p.m. Delays tend to ripple through the system throughout the day. If there are travel interruptions early in the day, later in the day they only tend to get worse. Avoid booking the last flight of the day. If that flight is canceled, you may end up staying overnight.

    * Fly midweek - At most airports, there usually is lighter travel on Tuesday and Wednesday than on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

    * Book an "originator" flight - If your flight is an originator flight, it begins at your specific airport at a specified time. These flights are less likely to be delayed because they are first 'out of the system.' You won't be waiting for another flight that may be delayed. You can find out if your flight is an originator flight by calling the airlines and asking if the flight originates in your gate city. Don't assume that if you're departing from a large hub like Chicago on an early morning flight, you're on an originator flight. Call before booking.

    * Think about the direction of your flight - If you're flying to the East or Gulf coasts, book departures early in the day. In general, storm systems throughout the country tend to kick up later in the day, so avoid early evening departures.

    * Avoid major hubs - With the exception of booking originator flight per the above rule, if you're flying to and from major hubs like Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, and New York, you might avoid delays if you book flights at secondary airports near these hubs. Use the web resources listed above to check on time records of all the major airports. If traveling to San Francisco, you should fly into Oakland. When flying into New York, go with La Guardia or Newark. You should avoid flights going through O'Hare and Atlanta altogether if at all possible.

    * Don't book flights with tight connections - Even if flights are completely filled, airlines don't have an obligation to hold flights for passengers making connections.On some flights that took off later than scheduled, onboard flight attendants may call the passengers' connecting flights to keep the connecting flights informed of the late arrival. This is more apt to happen when a connecting flight is the last flight of the day and it affects several passengers on the delayed flight.

sources: www.wired.com and www.lifehacker.org

By Rey Anthony Chiu
PIA - Bohol

Acting positively upon the recommendations of non-government organizations concerned with persons with intellectual disabilities, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the transfer of the National Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons (NCWDP) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to the Office of the President (OP).

The NCWDP was created as the lead government agency tasked to formulate policies and coordinate the activities of all agencies, whether public or private, concerning disability issues and concerns, and to steer the course of program development for the welfare of disabled Filipinos.

For some time, the NCWDP was under a department of the DSWD, until the bureaucratic snags has made the program processes cumbersome to the detriment of the persons with disabilities.

While local sectors concerned have yet to know of the move and refuses to comment, social workers who could not see the logic fear that it may unhinge the efforts handled by a department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

If it is now under the office of the President, it may become another case like the National Commission on Indigenous People, airs Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Constancia Tuñacao cites an instance.

Other than the salaries for employees downloaded from the national government, the NCIP is now left on its own in implementing its programs, she said.

While many see the move as one which would strengthen the government programs for the welfare of persons with disabilities, the top social welfare officer here fears that the little funding which the DSWD appropriates would even be lost.

She said in as much as the programs now could be entrusted to the local governments and monitored or overseen by the OP, it’s the national government that seeks out funds, which may not be that sustainable.

Few days ago, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President effected the transfer through Executive Order No. 676 to closely monitor and improve the government action and program development for persons with disabilities and delivery of services to the sector.

Ermita said the President signed EO 676 last Oct. 25 upon the recommendation of Philippine non-government organizations (NGOs) concerned with intellectual disabilities.

“Whereas, in order to closely monitor and oversee the efficient and effective implementation of the government’s commitment in the special programs for persons with intellectual disabilities, there is a need to transfer the NCWDP from the DSWD to the OP,” the President said.

Under EO 676, the President will appoint a representative from the private sector as chair of the NCWDP, while the DSWD secretary will continue to oversee the agency.

By Rey Anthony Chiu
PIA - Bohol

Energies are high as students from Carlos P. Garcia High School and Holy Child Academy of Bien Unido would be attempting a tough feat: to be hailed as the 1998 Sinulog Festival street dancing Champion.

“Everybody is excited”, admits Leony Boniel, the Bien Unido executive secretary.

Led by Mayor Rey Niño Boniel, the town is in the heat of preparations to launch their biggest event: fielding about 150 dancers who would be dancing, incidentally for the Santo Niño or the Rey Niño.

The team from the town is not only composed of first timers in the competition, but considering that they are the youngest to represent Bohol, the tension runs high as the burden of raising the financial logistics become magnanimous, sources from the town said.

Practically a first timer into organizing a dancing delegation for a competition as huge and as famous as the Sinulog, Mayor Rey Niño Boniel is pinning his hopes on pure preparation more than on beginner’s luck.

And for him, getting ready is about three months of preparations.

Out to represent Bohol in the Visayas most prestigious and pompous mardigras and ritual presentations seen across the country on television, Bien Unido had been practicing their choreography since last October, admits Leony Boniel, the private secretary to the mayor.

Sinulog, an annual mardigras for the Santo Niño is a unique street dancing event where the dance steps are the approximation of the currents that pass through the islands. The word sinulog literally means an imitation of the current.

“We would be faring against the country’s best festival dancers this year, and being first timers, we have on our side a known choreographer from Cebu who has been into helping Sinulog contingents from more than a decade,” she added during a phone interview.

Charlie Enolba would be in-charge of putting up the choreography for the delegation’s 90 dancers, she said.
 
Reports said Bien Unido has been into honing a presentation that would not just be retelling of a local folk story but casting the seaweeds as the main fabric into the competition, perhaps literally.

Bien Unido has been rowing towards getting the recognition as the seaweeds capital in the country. Seaweeds give the prime ingredient for carageenan, a known component for commercial plastic production and in cosmetics.

Considered a darkhorse in the competition, Bohol would be betting upon the town dancers as the official Bohol entry, this was as far as Mayor Boniel said when he appealed for support from town mayors at the recent League of Municipalities meeting.

Actively backing the team to come up with the production and costs are Bohol mayors, local officials and Bien Unido residents, sources said.

Years back, the dancing delegation from Panglao Bohol went home with an award from the festival organizers. It was not immediately known if Panglao make a new bid this year.

Wanting to be someone you're not is a waste of the person you are.

-Kurt Cobain (1967 - 1994)

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.

- Dave Barry (1947 - )

You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act.

-Barbara Hall, A Summons to New Orleans, 2000

Like UV rays and diesel exhaust fumes, working the graveyard shift will soon be listed as a "probable" cause of cancer.

It is a surprising step validating a concept once considered wacky. And it is based on research that finds higher rates of breast and prostate cancer among women and men whose work day starts after dark.

Next month, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer arm of the World Health Organization, will add overnight shift work as a probable carcinogen.

The higher cancer rates don't prove working overnight can cause cancer. There may be other factors common among graveyard shift workers that raise their risk for cancer.

However, scientists suspect that overnight work is dangerous because it disrupts the circadian rhythm, the body's biological clock. The hormone melatonin, which can suppress tumor development, is normally produced at night.

If the graveyard shift theory eventually proves correct, millions of people worldwide could be affected. Experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of the working population in developed countries work night shifts.

Among the first to spot the night shift-cancer connection was Richard Stevens, a cancer epidemiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center. In 1987, Stevens published a paper suggesting a link between light at night and breast cancer.

Back then, he was trying to figure out why breast cancer incidence suddenly shot up starting in the 1930s in industrialized societies, where nighttime work was considered a hallmark of progress. Most scientists were bewildered by his proposal.

But in recent years, several studies have found that women working at night over many years were indeed more prone to breast cancer. Also, animals that have their light-dark schedules switched develop more cancerous tumors and die earlier.

Some research also suggests that men working at night may have a higher rate of prostate cancer.

Because these studies mostly focused on nurses and airline crews, bigger studies in different populations are needed to confirm or disprove the findings.

There are still plenty of skeptics. And to put the risk in perspective, the "probable carcinogen" tag means that the link between overnight work and cancer is merely plausible.

Among the long list of agents that are listed as "known" carcinogens are alcoholic beverages and birth control pills. Such lists say nothing about exposure amount or length of time or how likely they are to cause cancer.

The American Cancer Society Web site notes that carcinogens do not always cause cancer. The cancer society doesn't make its own assessments of possible cancer-causing agents, but relies on analyses by the IARC and a U.S. agency.

Still, many doubters of the night shift link may be won over by the IARC's analysis to be published in the December issue of the journal Lancet Oncology.

"The indications are positive," said Vincent Cogliano, who heads up the agency's carcinogen classifications unit. "There was enough of a pattern in people who do shift work to recognize that there's an increase in cancer, but we can't rule out the possibility of other factors."

Scientists believe having lower melatonin levels can raise the risk of developing cancer. Light shuts down melatonin production, so people working in artificial light at night may have lower melatonin levels.

Melatonin can be taken as a supplement, but experts don't recommend it long-term, since that could ruin the body's ability to produce it naturally.

Sleep deprivation may be another factor in cancer risk. People who work at night are not usually able to completely reverse their day and night cycles.

"Night shift people tend to be day shift people who are trying to stay awake at night," said Mark Rea, director of the Light Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who is not connected with the IARC analysis.

Not getting enough sleep makes your immune system vulnerable to attack, and less able to fight off potentially cancerous cells.

Confusing your body's natural rhythm can also lead to a breakdown of other essential tasks. "Timing is very important," Rea said. Certain processes like cell division and DNA repair happen at regular times.

Even worse than working an overnight shift is flipping between daytime and overnight work.

"The problem is re-setting your body's clock," said Aaron Blair, of the United States' National Cancer Institute, who chaired IARC's recent meeting on shift work. "If you worked at night and stayed on it, that would be less disruptive than constantly changing shifts."

Anyone whose light and dark schedule is often disrupted - including frequent long-haul travelers or insomniacs - could theoretically face the same increased cancer risk, Stevens said.

He advises workers to sleep in a darkened room once they get off work. "The balance between light and dark is very important for your body. Just get a dark night's sleep."

source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/29/health/main3554801.shtml

Quote from: Ginger on November 30, 2007, 07:16:51 PM
sure! ug ma down balik ang TB, mag hubog ta...haha joke!

hahahahaha... funny man ka Zel oi...

Akong mga amigo ug amiga diri sa Tubag Bohol,

Our site encountered a severe server problem. We were offline for almost 24 hours and I would like to apologize for the inconvenience.

There are things that are just beyond my control. I was restless the whole time our site was inaccessible. From my side, the problem was beyond my capability to fix. I prayed this afternoon that the Lord would help the tech support team of our web host, www.lunarpages.com/id/websbesthost , to troubleshoot the error. Thank God, the host was able to finally figure out the source of the error.

This thing could happen again. Our technology is not perfect. From time to time, we may experience web bumps along the net road. Nevertheless, I will do my best that if there is anything similar that may occur in the future, I will always be on hand to solve the problem.

May Jesus bless us,
Mike

The direct international flights to Tagbilaran City that was expected to start Dec. 1 won’t happen yet.

This was announced by Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado Friday citing local factors that has to be resolved first.

“Andam na unta. But the Korean direct flights to Tagbilaran has to be put off, not until we can resolve other matters involving our tourism industry here,” the governor said during his regular weekly radio program “Governor’s Report.”

He cited among others the high airfare from Korea to Manila and to Cebu and the very expensive hotel rates in Bohol.

Local hotel are also reported controlled by just two general sales agents in Korea making it non-competitive unlike neighboring countries of Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand.

During his visit to South Korea, he met top officials of the Korean Airlines (KAL) inviting them to field chartered flights for tourists direct from Incheon and Pusan to Tagbilaran City.

He also had talks with the general sales agent GSA President Kim Tae of Philippine Airlines and Seoul tour operators raising the problems of high airfare rates from Incheon and Pusan to the Philippinest.

They asked if the Tagbilaran Airport already has immigration, customs and quarantine offices to look after the needs of the tourists.

He also met a Korean investor who has signified pouring over P1 billion worth of investments in tourism and tourism-related activities in Bohol .

Korean tour operators already visited Bohol last June for exploratory talks on chartered flights. As such, Aumentado immediately wrote the head offices in Manila of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ). Both answered that they are prepared to set up offices at the city airport here but wanted to know the flight frequency and other details to determine the personnel strength they need to assign here.

Bohol already has a Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) office in Tagbilaran City.

In the afternoon of Friday, the Governor presided the meeting of the Panglao Island Tourism Estate at the Villa Alzhun Tourist Inn and had initial talks with Peter Dejaresco, Chairman of the Provincial Tourism Council exploring ways to iron out the problems plaguing our local tourism industry.

source: www.theboholstandard.com

Bohol Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera believes there is a need for Boholano farmers to evaluate their crop preferences.

“They need to consider the impact of typhoons on their farms when choosing what to plant in their farms,” the vice governor noted.

Herrera, who chairs the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) agriculture committee, said there has been a noted upsurge in typhoons in the country including “Lando” which struck the Visayas including Bohol.

He said that farmers are among those affected whenever a typhoon hits the province.

“Aside from damage to life and property, typhoons also destroy their farms,” the vice-governor noted.

Herrera said the frequency of typhoon occurrences has opened the need to study what plants are more resistant.

“There are plants that are easily destroyed and which cause heavy losses to the farmers,” he noted.

The vice-governor said there is a need for agricultural experts particularly those in government agencies to identify which plants can withstand weaker typhoons.

He added that if farmers switch to these plants, there is a bigger possibility that they will not incur heavy losses even during the typhoon season.

“It may not yield as much as their favorite cash crops but they also have better chances of recovering,” Herrera noted.

The vice-governor said plants with lower yield but with better chances of survival is still good economics compared to plants that bring more profits but with smaller chances of surviving typhoons.

“We cannot stop the typhoons just because we plant higher yielding crops,” he added.

In the end however, Herrera said it is all up to the farmers to choose the plants that they prefer.

“We cannot dictate on them because it is their prerogative and because it is their business,” he added.

Herrera said the important thing is for agriculture personnel to be ready to present farmers with alternatives in case they want to try other options.

He said the devastation from typhoons should be an eye-opener for people in the agriculture sector “to prepare for the worst”.

source: www.theboholstandard.com

Malamaton Nga Buhok
sinulat ni mike ligalig

ang dagatnong hangin
nakighagwa sa iyang buhok,
daw buot mosapigad
sa matag lugas niini,
ug ang huyohoy
wala manumbaling kanako:
igo lang milabay
sa tumoy sa akong ilong,
wala gani molingi,
kay didto ang huros
nadani sa mga buhok
nga nahikatulog
sa hamis nga abaga.

ah, kalimtan ko na
kanang mga buhok
nga kanhi nagtuok
sa akong mga pangandoy...

Quote from: bisayantek on November 29, 2007, 11:22:07 AM
Kon mosugot ka, Pre, ato ning i-submit kang Omar Khalid. Iyawat usab kaambitan sa mga magbabasa sa Bisaya.

Okay ra ko, Pre. Basin magustohan ni Omar Khalid (aka Ritchel).

Quote from: bisayantek on November 29, 2007, 11:05:32 AM
Pre,

Naglinog ang akong dughan ning maong balak.

Pasayloa ko, nga human nakog basa ning maong balak, nahanduraw ko ang imong amahan sa dihang didto pa siya sa ospital.

Ingon usab niini ang temperamento sa balak nga akong nasulat human sa kamatayon sa akong amahan.

Diha sa balak, natago ko ang akong kasub-anan. Diha sa balak, natago ko ang akong kamingaw sa akong amahan. Diha sa balak, nahatagan nakog dugang bulok ang akong kinabuhi ug nakakuhag kaisog ang akong kaugalingon sa pag-atubang sa tanang pagsulay sa kinabuhi.

Pre, kining maong balak nasulat mga upat o lima na ka tuig ang milabay. Dili kini kabahin ni Papa.

Sakto ka Pre, adunay mga pagbati sa tawo nga diha lang sa mga balak matago.

Akong mga pag-ampo nga mahatagan ug hustisya ang kamatayon sa imong amahan.

During the dying hours of my father, Hazel was with me over the phone.

C2H4, I read the word two being highlighted.

Below is the reply to my e-mail to the Philippine Ambassador to Denmark. Thank God, Dulce will be coming home.

------

Dear Mr. Ligalig,

Thank you for the information about the late Ms. Dulce Acedo.

As I write this response to your email, the Embassy has already contacted  her employer and the police in Denmark.  The Embassy has also made a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on the case, and you might wish to contact the same for more details.

Please rest assured that the Embassy shares your concern and that it will extend all necessary assistance, including in the shipment of her remains, to ease the pain of the family of the late Ms. Acedo. 

Thank you for your concern.

Sincerely,
For the Ambassador:
Evelyn D. Austria-Garcia

Mao ni picture ni Dulce. I found this from bolanon.com

Orchids is one of the earliest members of this site. Mingaw pa kaau to sauna. Igo lang siya mihalok aning Tubag Bohol, unya pakita panagsa, until one day nagbloom sya.

In Japan she named her plant Mike. But months later, she discovered nga ang plant na Mike nanganak kay baji diay, so I asked her to rename her plant. 

For all the memories, sister Aya, thank you for sharing your life with us here in Tubag Bohol.

Arigato... sakto ba ni?

Quote from: Lorenzo on November 27, 2007, 02:58:19 PM
Mike, my dear brother,

Pare, i cannot even begin to imagine the pain that you are experiencing, your own Papa. What a great man he must have been in life!! To have raised such a noble, intelligent, humble, and caring son! Mike, I know that a loss of a loved one is hard to bear, specially when that person is your own father. If I could hug you right now, pare, I would.

Though our loved ones, and friends that have gone before us, though we will never see them physically again, Mike, we must comfort ourselves that something and somepart of them lives in us, in our heart. Forever. Till the day we draw our last breath. Mike, I feel the same way with my friend Rob. Though I cannot pat him on the back, give him a bear hug as I used to or share a can of beer as we talk in our conversations---i can still feel him. As I know you can still feel your papa. I can still hear his voice resounding in my head, his laughter and the memories where we used to go from one frat house to the other---following the scent of the beer keg!! I can still remember helping him walk back home to our dorm  as he was extremely drunk. Hahahaha, Rob never had the ability to carry his own liquor! And he was Irish! that is the funny part! I would have to help carry him back to our place---and may i remind you that i was drunk myself--soo it was almost an impossible task. "Leave me Al" he would say. And I ushered, "Never. Get Up. C'mon lets walk it off together." Hahaha! I picked him up and we both walked back to our dorm----which was like 3-4 blocks away from the site where we were walking from. I cannot forget that. I will never forget that. How Can I? These are the things, Mike, that we must remember. The good times, as well as the trying times---that builds and defines a friendship, fatherhood, motherhood, childhood etc.
Your father lives in you, Mike. And I know that he is proud of you. You are his Anak. How can Your Papa forget his son? Your father is in Heaven. He is with the angels and saints, singing the un-ending hymn of praise to the Most High. The Lord is a God of Mercy, Love, and Compassion. Remember that, pre.

Blessed are you pare, for your tears will one day be dried.
Your Papa is smiling down from Heaven to you, pare. Be strong, Mike. And keep on writing your thoughts.

Always,
Bran

Bran, there is something in death that I can't just fathom. Though I know very well that Papa will be resurrected at the final trumpet call when Christ returns because Papa had surrendered his life to Christ before he died, the humanity in me will always resurface. Because our minds and our senses are so acquainted with anything that is physical that we always find it difficult to experience the supernatural life. I know that Papa now lives in me as a living memory but there is that indescribable longing in my heart, a longing to hear his voice, to see his smile, to hold his hand, to sit or stand beside him.

At times I wish to come home to the Philippines and I would stay in the cemetery with him. I want to see the place where he's buried so that I'd experience a total assurance that he really stays there.

At the same time, there is that unexplainable fear of coming home. I fear the sight of our house. I fear the familiar surroundings of our neighborhood. I fear that his memories would overwhelm me if I see the things that he used to see, if I hear the things that he used to hear, if I touch the things that he used to touch. Papa loved to wear the shirts that I already abandoned, and that fact alone, if I'd see those shirts at our house, will intensify the nostalgia, and then the nostalgia will explode into fear. Nevertheless, I will run and embrace this fear so that I would know that death is real. 

Mice carrying a gene which appears to make them invulnerable to cancer may hold the key to safer and more effective treatments for humans.

The new breed, created with a more active "Par-4" gene, did not develop tumours, and even lived longer, said the journal Cancer Research.

University of Kentucky researchers said a human cancer treatment was possible.

Cancer Research UK said that more research would be needed to prove it didn't just work in mice.

Par-4 was originally discovered in the early 1990s working inside human prostate cancers, and is believed to have a role in "programmed cell death", the body's own system for rooting out and destroying damaged or faulty cells.

The Kentucky team used an existing mouse breed known to be more vulnerable to cancers to test whether Par-4 could be used to fight them.

They introduced the gene to mouse eggs, and it was active in both the resulting pups - and their own offspring.

The mice with active Par-4 did not develop cancers, and lived slightly longer than those without the gene.

Dr Vivek Rangnekar, who led the research, said that the gene offered a potential way, unlike most other cancer treatments, of destroying cancer cells without harming normal cells.

"When a cancer patient goes to the clinic, they undergo chemotherapy or radiation and there are potential side effects associated with these treatments.

"We are thinking of this as a holistic approach that not only would get rid of the tumour, but not harm the organism as a whole."

Early stages

He said that much more research would be needed, however, before a human treatment could be launched.

A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said: "Although at an early stage, research like this allows us to understand more about the faulty genes involved in cancer and throws open new avenues to explore for cancer treatment.

"It's important to remember that this work has only been done using genetically engineered mice, and more research is needed before we'll know if it can be translated to humans."

--BBC News

Zel, I have sent an e-mail to the Philippine Ambassador. We will wait for their reply.

Consulate General of Philippines in Copenhagen, Denmark     
20 Snorresgade
2300 Copenhagen
Denmark
City: Copenhagen
Phone: (+45) (32) 578641
Fax: (+45) (32) 574900

Zel, kini daw nga number sa Denmark, try daw ni. Tawgan sab ni nako karon for inquiry.

Quote from: Ginger on November 28, 2007, 05:38:40 PM
I have a calling card sa Phil. Ambassador, Mike. I had the chance to meet her during a party.

Victoria L. Bataclan
Ambassador to Norway, Denmark, and Iceland

4th floor Nedre Village Volgate 4
0158 Oslo, Norway
P.O. Box 322 Sentrum

Tel: (+47) 22400900
Mobile: (+47) 95236329

email: ambassador@philembassy.no

Zel, I will e-mail this ambassador now.

Consulate General of Philippines in Copenhagen, Denmark     
20 Snorresgade
2300 Copenhagen
Denmark
City: Copenhagen
Phone: (+45) (32) 578641
Fax: (+45) (32) 574900

Wala may e-mail address ang Consulate sa Denmark. I will call this number unya inig-uli nako sa dorm from school. I will also contact a friend sa Dubai nga naa sa Consulate, basin maka-assist.

Zel, ang Philippine Government through the Philippine Embassy diha, pwede ba naay maka-contact para ma-assist ang pagpauli sa remains.

I will pray for her. Ang inahan intawon naguol pag-ayo karon. May the Lord comfort her.

Mr. Egg, tambagi ko kon unsaon ka nako pagtambag...

Bohol Sunday Post

Suffrage well-guarded ushered in clean barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in this town which called the reasons for the sort-of congratulatory despedida party for outgoing barangay members courtesy of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC).

It was on the occasion that Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr. had an opportunity to personally express to the barangay officials, his elation on the outcome of the October 19 elections.          

He was the guest speaker in the despedida party and program dedicated to 15 outgoing ABC members whose terms expire on November 30.

In his speech, the mayor told the 22 barangay leaders, headed by ABC president Pedro Madaje Sr., that of the 35 aspirants who joined the political exercise, 97 percent "toe the line" as far as the covenant for clean and honest elections is concerned.

In the same forum, Vice Mayor Gabino Redulla, Councilors Fructuoso Redulla Jr., Cecilia Autentico, and Gumersindo Arocha delivered their respective inspirational messages.

Provincial Board Members Jose Veloso and Alfonso Damalerio II, and First District Representative Edgar Chatto's chief of staff, Billy Tongco also graced the occasion.

Barangay Captain Diosdado Descallar was the master of ceremony.

Madaje, the outgoing ABC chief, failed to hold back his tears as he expressed his profound gratitude to his colleagues for their support and cooperation to his 6-month leadership as Liga head.

He took over the reign of Arocha who bid and won as municipal councilor in the May elections.

Madaje, who had also been a two-term municipal councilor in the 80s.

Dipatlong Barangay Captain Hermes Cimafranca will temporarily assume his post until a new head of the LIGA ng mga Barangay will be chosen.

By Fred Fuertes
Bohol Sunday Post

The concern of thousands of Maribojocanons in the United States and Canada finally convinced Mayor Leoncio Evasco, Jr. to grace the one-day convention yesterday in Las Vegas, Nevada.          

"At first, I opted to discontinue my travel because of the pressing problems and concerns facing the municipality this time," he said.

But the US- based Maribojocanons insisted on his attendance to the convention and finally convinced the mayor to give in to his townmates' pleadings on condition that the splintered group would reunite the original aggrupation and that a united organization be forged.

Before proceeding to the trip, Evasco explained the transparency of his trip, during the despedida party that the ABC sponsored for the outgoing barangay officials whose terms expire on November 30.

Evasco was the guest speaker during the party which gave him a venue to explain to the town officials that not a single centavo will come from the municipal coffers, since it is the Maribojocanons in the US and Canado who shouldered the travel expenses of the mayor's party which included his executive chief of staff Oscar Francisco Valles, and businessman Paul Campos Gelig, Maribojoc's consultant on livelihood and economic enterprises.

He pointed out that whatever financial assistance the town will get from the US and Canada-based Maribojocanons, will be in the form of checks addressed to the Municipality of Maribojoc and will go directly to the Municipal Treasurer's Office.

"This is in the spirit of transparency," according to the mayor.

Our Father: Through a father’s lens
By Mary Rose A. Jimenez
The Philippine Star

Jun de Leon, one of the country’s foremost photographers, realizes his dream of 19 years with the recent release of his 9th book, Our Father, honoring fathers and their unique, powerful influence in making a positive impact in their children’s lives.

Jun, hailed for his accomplishments as a photographer, has dedicated 35 years to the perfection of his craft. He is well respected by his peers and has earned the trust of many loyal clients. Today, Jun de Leon beams proudly as he finds himself in a new light, connected to his children, enjoying the love of his family and a new photo book, Our Father.

A father himself, the photo book was a dream project Jun wanted to do 19 years ago. He called it the Dear Nina project in honor of his then 5-year-old daughter, who he deeply hurt when they separated.

Since then, he has rebuilt his relationship with his daughter. “Just as my dad inspired me, I am glad that my relationship with him has inspired him to pay tribute to fathers,” Nina says of the book. Jun’s other children attest to their father’s love as well: “My dad and I have always been close,” says daughter Bea. His youngest son Ijah adds, “He always makes me laugh!”

Jun recalls, “Four years ago and fifteen years after I shelved the Dear Nina Project, I photographed RJ Esteban and his wife Liv, along with their three sons, for a family shoot. Looking through the viewfinder of my camera, I saw RJ calmly looking straight at me, smiling, all the while grabbing and holding on to his three little squirming children, never losing his composure. Suspended in a moment of amazement, I found the image of the ideal father staring at me through my lens. Instantly, my dream came rushing back: I wanted to take the project off the shelf and fulfill it.” After a series of meetings, RJ and Liv Esteban, together with Joel Santos, became publishers of the dream project.

“I was instantly attracted to Jun’s concept because the experience of fatherhood is a topic that I can easily relate to, being a father of five boys who may one day become fathers themselves,” says RJ, a long time friend of the photographer. “It is always interesting to hear the stories and experiences of fellow fathers on their journey as parents.”

Liv adds, “Toasting the fathers through this project has allowed us to honor not just the 62 great fathers who grace its pages but also, in the process, our own fathers, whom we love tenderly and respect highly.” In explaining one of the reasons why they chose the photo book’s title, she says, “This project is a very fitting avenue for giving greater glory to the No. 1 Father, whose children we all are.”

Our Father, which also comes with a CD of songs  featuring singer Martin Nievera with music and lyrics by Louie Ocampo, has successfully assembled a diverse collection of 62 inspiring fathers including national leaders, businessmen, entrepreneurs, activists, professionals, actors, musicians, militia and (during the time of the shoot) a soon-to-be dad.

Completing the list of fathers featured in glossy pages of this photo book are Robert Ho, honorary chairman, Fairmont and Magsaysay group; Edgar Ang, chairman/president AB&T Resources Inc.; Rolando Hortaleza, CEO, Splash Corporation; Patxi Elizalde, vice president, ELRO Commercial and Industrial Corporation; Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte; Senator Chiz Escudero; singer Gary Valenciano and actor Robin Padilla. Subjects were given the freedom to choose where they wanted to do their photo shoot.

In the book, the children and wives of these prominent fathers share their stories that give a glimpse into the lives of the revered men that they are lucky enough to call father:

Robin Padilla’s daughters Queenie and Kylie reveal that their father, who people know as a rebellious action movie star, is a voracious reader. “He can speak volumes on general information,” they say.

Helen, Linda and Doris, daughters of Magsaysay Group’s honorary chairman, Robert Ho, recall regular family meetings wherein their father would discuss a multi-year master plan for each member of the family. “We would discuss each person, where we were in school, and map out what we wanted to do in the future,” they share. The Ho family puts so much importance in their family meetings that until now, though the children are all grown-up, they still get together for these meetings at least once a year.

Susanne, wife of furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, confides that the busy man is the opposite of a strict dad. She fondly calls him the play ringmaster, “turning ordinary playtime into a magical experience for the boys.”

Like Cobonpue, many of the fathers featured in the book are busy men, preoccupied with work. But, as their children point out, being a father is top priority for these men.

“Family always comes first for our dad,” say Tobi and Tisha, children of Edgar Ang. “We understand why he works as hard as he does,” they add. “It is difficult not to be influenced by his fervor.”

Our Father features many fond and inspiring anecdotes on the roles of fathers and how they touch the lives of each of their children. They are also a treasure trove of advice, solicited and unsolicited. “He always tells me how to do much better in life,” says Patxi Elizalde Jr. on his father, of whom he is a namesake.

A father is also a “pillar of strength,” as children of Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte put it. Isaac, Kevin, Miguel and Joy say that their father is “the anchor of our family. We know that if we need his help during the toughest times, he would be there for us.”

The photo book highlights, most of all, how each father balances the responsibilities of his professional life while at the same time putting importance on his family. Queenie, the wife of Lt. Juan Gullem, shares, “He says of the days when he is on the battlefield: ‘I would just pray everday that the next day would still find me alive, so that I would have the chance to see my daughter again.’” This, she says, is “the prayer of a soldier and a father, the defender of more than just our home.”

“Making this book was every bit of a dream come true,” says Jun. “The positive response of the fathers and the impressive support of their families overwhelmed me beyond words.”

He adds, “Sitting with the fathers after the shoots and going through the children’s viewpoints gave us not just glorious photographs but, perhaps even more importantly, awesome and insightful learning experiences.”

By Adam Saligumba
Bohol Sunday Post

In an effort to become more efficient in handling and management of solid waste, Loon's local government unit sponsored a three day seminar workshop on Waste Characterization, Assessment, and Segregation (WACS) at the Loon Sports and Cultural Center on November 14-16.          

Loon Mayor Dr. Lloyd Peter Lopez personally spearheaded the training which was also attended by Municipal Councilors Ignacio Castil Jr. and Narciso Neri, chairmen of the SB Committee on Environment and SB Committee on Health, respectively; members of the Municipal Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM)Technical Working Group that included the municipal planning and development coordinator, Lawyer Rogelio Ganados, Municipal Engineer Noel Castrojo, Municipal Agricultural Officer Trinita Suello, MSWD OIC Conrado Montuya, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources OIC Sylvio Caresosa; members of the municipal ESWM IEC Team headed by ESWM Action Officer Engr. Allan Relator and the municipal solid waste collectors.

The barangay chairmen and secretaries of the eight barangays which are the pick up points of the municipal garbage truck also participated in the gab. These barangays included Moto Sur, Moto Norte, Cogon Norte, and Napo, all in the Poblacion area, and the northern barangays of Catagbacan Sur, Catagbacan Norte and Catagbacan Handig.

Based on Republic Act 9003, the objectives of the three day gab were to assess current practices of solid waste management in the municipality, select the most appropriate sampling plan for the survey of solid waste management practices including waste segregation and disposal, identify major solid waste sources and conduct on site waste characterization, appreciate and understand the importance of charactering and segregating solid wastes, and plan for the next series of activities in regard t o Me ESWM in Loon.

Classified into four kinds, solid waste included biodegradable, recvclable, residual and special wastes.

Biodegradable waste are those compostable materials such as food wastes, leaves, twigs, branches, chicken or animal bones and dead animals; agricultural wastes, yard wastes and wet paper and cartons.

Recyclable waste materials, which can be used again, included dry paper and cartons, metals (steel, silver, copper, aluminum, iron, brass), bottles, vials, broken glasses, plastics (PETs, PEs, thick PVCs, styrofoams), rubber (used tires, gloves, boots, mat and sheets) and textile trimmings.

Residual wastes are ashes and soot, dirt, tattered textile. paper and other packaging materials, laminates and used composites materials, used sanitary napkins and disposable diapers, and broken ceramics and other glazed materials.

Special wastes are those which are found in the household and are toxic and hazardous such as spent fluorescent tubes and bulbs, spent dry and wet cell batteries, expired medicines, drugs, and chemicals, containers of chemicals (paints, thinners and other solvents, acids, rugby, roof cement, grease and oil, cleaners, insecticides, disinfectants and sanitizers, etc.).

Also classified as special wastes are those which are bulky (used furniture, demolition and construction debris, typhoon debris, uprooted trees/plants, collapsed walls and roofs, etc.); white goods (large worn out or broken appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers); and consumer electronics (radios, stereos, television sets, amplifiers, cameras, electric fans).

It was emphasized in the training that only residual and special wastes are to be collected each day by the municipal garbage truck for disposal in the municipal dump site. Every household in the municipal is required to make a compost hole or pile into which biodegradable materials are to be thrown and gathered. Likewise, every barangay is mandated to build and construct a material recovery facility (MRF) where recyclable waste materials are to be stored and segregated.

As a follow up of the workshop, a briefing on actual waste assessment, characterization and segregation of solid waste materials was conducted on Friday, November 23, at the Hayahay Hall of the municipal annex building.
Myra Trinidad, head of the Solid Waste Management Section of the Bohol Environmental Management Office (BEMO) facilitated the three day training. She was assisted by BEMO staff Jovencia Ganub and Fe Tandugon.

By Pepper Teehankee 
The Philippine Star

Four women were victimized in separate in hold up incidents in Tubigon and Inabanga town as the wave of criminalities rose after a brief spell.

In Tubigon town, three young women who have disembarked from an inter-island vessel fell prey to three suspects about 10 pm last Nov. 21.

The victims were identified as Ella Marie Nagal, 19, Jocelyn Tulang, 19, and Maria Liza Balaca, 23, all natives of Barangay Bayacabac, Maribojoc town.
          
Initial reports revealed that the three had just disembarked from the MV Santiago from Cebu City and were walking towards the bus terminal when three still unidentified men accosted them.

The suspects who were armed with short firearms declared a hold-up and divested the victims of their cellular phones and handbags containing their clothes and important documents such as transcript of records, diploma and other papers needed for the processing of their applications for work opportunities in Cebu.

The suspects immediately fled the scene aboard a motorcycle.

An evening prior to the Tubigon incident, a woman was also held up by three young male suspects in Inabanga town.

The victim was identified as one Maria Eleanette Jumao-as, 39, married and a resident of Barangay Kagay-an.

Jumao-as was riding her motorcycle on her way home about 9:30 pm from her store in the public market.

She noticed three young males aged between 20 and 24 riding on a motorcycle following her along the national highway.

When she was near her house, the victim stopped her motorcycle but one of the suspects slapped her with his handgun while another grabbed her bag containing P20,000 in cash, checks worth P6,000, a 3310 Nokia mobile phone and other valuables.

Meanwhile, a former barangay captain was shot while he was on his way to Sagbayan from the Tubigon port.

The victim was identified as one Margarito Lanoy, 52, married and former barangay captain of Kabasakan, Sagbayan.

The victim was driving his motorcycle along Barangay Maca-as, Tubigon when three men riding on a motorcycle caught up with him.

Lanoy was shot about 10 minutes after the three young women from Maribojoc were held up at the Tubigon port.

The victim was brought to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the same suspects were involved in the spate of robberies and frustrated murder.

Bohol Sunday Post

Four women were victimized in separate in hold up incidents in Tubigon and Inabanga town as the wave of criminalities rose after a brief spell.

In Tubigon town, three young women who have disembarked from an inter-island vessel fell prey to three suspects about 10 pm last Nov. 21.

The victims were identified as Ella Marie Nagal, 19, Jocelyn Tulang, 19, and Maria Liza Balaca, 23, all natives of Barangay Bayacabac, Maribojoc town.          

Initial reports revealed that the three had just disembarked from the MV Santiago from Cebu City and were walking towards the bus terminal when three still unidentified men accosted them.

The suspects who were armed with short firearms declared a hold-up and divested the victims of their cellular phones and handbags containing their clothes and important documents such as transcript of records, diploma and other papers needed for the processing of their applications for work opportunities in Cebu.

The suspects immediately fled the scene aboard a motorcycle.

An evening prior to the Tubigon incident, a woman was also held up by three young male suspects in Inabanga town.

The victim was identified as one Maria Eleanette Jumao-as, 39, married and a resident of Barangay Kagay-an.

Jumao-as was riding her motorcycle on her way home about 9:30 pm from her store in the public market.

She noticed three young males aged between 20 and 24 riding on a motorcycle following her along the national highway.

When she was near her house, the victim stopped her motorcycle but one of the suspects slapped her with his handgun while another grabbed her bag containing P20,000 in cash, checks worth P6,000, a 3310 Nokia mobile phone and other valuables.

Meanwhile, a former barangay captain was shot while he was on his way to Sagbayan from the Tubigon port.

The victim was identified as one Margarito Lanoy, 52, married and former barangay captain of Kabasakan, Sagbayan.

The victim was driving his motorcycle along Barangay Maca-as, Tubigon when three men riding on a motorcycle caught up with him.

Lanoy was shot about 10 minutes after the three young women from Maribojoc were held up at the Tubigon port.

The victim was brought to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment.

Investigators are still trying to determine if the same suspects were involved in the spate of robberies and frustrated murder.

Bohol Sunday Post

Traders and farmers here have grown desperate on the inaction of concerned agencies on the request to repair the Baily Bridge connecting barangay San Agustin and the upland barangays of Zamora, Sikatuna and Magsaysay, that collapsed a year ago.

Barangay residents had built a temporary bridge, but the heavy downpour brought about by Typhoon Lando destroyed it. Actually, it was the second temporary bridge built in lieu of the repair of the original one.          

Local officials had already reported this to the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council and the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council.

It was the second temporary bridge built while waiting for an action from concerned agencies on the barangay's request filed a year ago, for repair of the original San Agustin-Zamora Baily Bridge.

The bridge fall down when a ten-wheeler truck loaded with cement tried to cross, which even resulted to the death of the truck's driver.

Since then, traders and farmers had raised concern on the difficulty on their part to transport their goods- -farmers from their farms to the market in Poblacion area and small-time traders from Poblacion area to San Agustin and the neighboring barangays.

Traders, farmers and other residents of this town risk their lives when they cross the river.

Acting on the problem, barangay officials led by Barangay Captain Silvestre Polestico, held a special session to pass a resolution calling for immediate assistance from concerned agencies.

While waiting, a temporary bridge made of wood and bamboo was built, but the October 9 flood washed it out.

Again, the residents constructed another temporary bridge from the P30,000 allocation released by Mayor Juanario Item, P20,000 from the barangay funds of Zamora and 50 bags of cement donated by residents.

The temporary bridge could only accommodate motorcycles, bicycles and people, being made of the salvaged wooden parts of the Bailey bridge. Again, the temporary bridge had succumbed to the wrath of Typhoon Lando.

published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Bien-Unido Mayor Rey Niño Boniel has returned home after his trip abroad. He was the guest speaker of a convention organized by the Rotary Club of Manly Incorporated Australia. It was attended by four Rotary Clubs in Sydney.

"I am very much honored to have the opportunity to thank in person the people behind the Project Philippines," Mayor Boniel said.          

The town of Bien Unido has been the recipient of the international assistance for the past eight years. The Rotary of Club Manly, Inc. is providing Computer Learning Center to help graduates obtained a better employment due to their acquisition of the basic knowledge in computer.

The Rotary Club of Manly, Inc. also provided reading eyeglasses, books, medicines, typewriters, television for school, computers and recently, the digital sterilizer for the town's local clinic through Dr. Lydia Camus of Bateau Bay of Central Coast.

"I wish for the unity of the Rotary Clubs in Sydney in helping my town and my people so that one day when you will visit us in the Philippines, you will take pride of telling the whole world that Bien Unido- a well united and developed town is in your making because of your tremendous assistance," Mayor Boniel added.

Mayor Boniel also received an electrocardiogram (ECG) from Dr. Lydia Camus. ECG is used to measure the rate and regularity of heartbeats as well as the size and position of the chambers, the presence of any damage to the heart, and the effects of drugs or devices used to regulate the heart.

This ECG is very important especially that we hold free medical missions," he stressed.

The Rotary Club of Manly, Inc. will also donate P100,000 for the town's participation of the Sinulog 2008 in Cebu City. (See related story in 'bout u.)
Mayor Boniel's visit to Australia was greatly welcomed by the Filipino community who enthusiastically participated in the event by showcasing the Filipino folk dance.

"The Filipino spirit is still strong even in foreign country," he said.

A new Filipino Library in Sydney is now open wherein Mayor Boniel has donated books to the library.

Mayor Boniel, 28, is the second youngest mayor of Bohol. The Bien Unido town has a population of 22176 and the town is popular of its seaweeds industry.

By the Associated Press

A Filipina has broken the Guinness record for producing the world’s largest flag, which unfurled Sunday beneath the ancient Jewish desert strongpoint of Masada covering a large stretch of sandy hinterland.

Filipino entrepreneur and evangelical Christian Grace Galindez-Gupana said she decided two years ago to produce a giant Israeli flag as a testament to her love for Israel and the Jewish people, and as a celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Israel.

The huge blue and white Israeli flag, 660 meters (2,165 feet) long and 100 meters (330 feet) wide and weighing 5.2 metric tons, breaks the record for the world’s largest, according to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

It was measured by representatives of the Guinness Book of Records.

“God spoke to me in thunder and lightning,” Galindez-Gupana said. “The Lord said, ‘Make the flag of Israel, the standard of my people.’

“This is a tall order,” she said, as she broke down in tears.

The record-breaking Israeli flag was accompanied by a giant Philippines flag â€" huge, but not quite as big. It weighed “only” about 3.8 metric tons.

Large stones anchored both flags as they billowed in the desert winds.

They were made in the Philippines and shipped to Israel days ago, said Daniel Rozen, spokesman for Living Stone Ministries, a group that helped bring the flags to Israel.

There are about 31,000 Filipinos in Israel, most of whom are foreign workers, said Gilberto Asuque, consul general of the Philippine Embassy in Israel.

“This flag expresses the friendship between the Philippines and the state of Israel, and also the friendship between Jewish and Christian communities,” said Shaul Zemach, director of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.

This months marks the 50th year of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and    Israel, according to Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Zvi Vapni, who recalled that President Manuel Quezon of the Commonwealth era had opened the country’s doors to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution in the years leading to the Pacific War.

Vapni said that Quezon’s “open door policy” came at a time when other countries refused Jews entry.

History books relate how the Commonwealth president set up a housing project for Jewish refugees in Markina and was planning to set up a farm settlement for 35,000 Jews in Mindanao during World War II.

But the war closed escape routes during Adolf Hitler’s holocaust campaign.

The life of some 1,850 German and Austrian Jews who took refuge in Manila was documented in the book “Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror” by Frank Ephraim, one of the children who joined their parents in their escape to the Philippines, published last year.

published by Bohol Sunday Post
www.boholsundaypost.net

Jagna Mayor Exuperio Lloren and Third District Congressman Adam Relson Jala called for unity among the 297 reelected and newly-elected barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials here and for the continuity of the barangay development projects initiated by officials in the culminating term.          

Lloren and Jala inducted the incoming set of barangay and SK officials composed of 33 barangay captains, 33 SK chairpersons and 231 barangay council members in a simple ceremony at Jagna gymnasium in the morning of November 23.

"Please take time to study the comprehensive Barangay Development Plan (BDP) which your former leaders have been implementing. Continue to put into action those strategies which are still relevant and applicable and insert into the existing plan whatever you think are necessary for inclusion…and I am inviting you to set aside traditional politics in the name of sustainable development of your respective barangay", Lloren told the officials in his message.

The mayor also assured them that his office "is very wide open to welcome you, beneath the policy of cooperation, partnership and sustainable development."

Concurring to Lloren, Congressman Jala, in his inspirational message, told the officials that as winners and leaders in their respective barangays, they must take the initiative to extend reconciliatory gestures to their political opponents.

"On November 30, as you legitimately start your first day of office, focus on work so that you will be able to identify the various problems of your barangay…and just like what you used to do to my father and your former congressman Boy Jala, I encourage you to do the same…visit my office in Tagbilaran City, bring to me your barangay resolutions and we will talk it over," Jala told the crowd who responded an applause of appreciation.

Each set of barangay officials, composed of a punong barangay, seven barangay councilors, and the chairman of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), also serves as the legislative council of the barangay. Each member chairs a committee.

In the ceremony, Municipal Councilor Pacheco Rances opened the oath-taking program with a prayer, while Councilor Godofredo Okit Sr. welcomed the guests and the inductees in behalf of the vice mayor.

Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) Vissia Bunado and staff facilitated the event.

published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Dr. Jose Riza, the Philippine national hero once said gambling breeds dislike for steady and difficult toil by its promise of sudden wealth.

To some, gambling is a form of recreation and a means to gain income. However, gambling can also be psychologically addictive that pushes the inveterate gambler to bet even after repeated losses.
          
Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy recently initiated a symposium on anti-illegal gambling at the Municipal Cultural Center after noting that more and more minors have become involved in gambling, prodded into it by unscrupulous adults who say that minors cannot be imprisoned anyway.

He said while gambling is part of Filipino culture, the people should refrain from those declared illegal - and adults should enjoin children from engaging in such activities - to teach them right from wrong.

Jumamoy declared that he has zero tolerance for illegal gambling. Adults should inculcate this in their minds, otherwise, if they are caught, they might spend their Christmas in jail, he warned.

For his part, Chief of Police Melanio Artiaga who was among the resource persons reminded public officials that if found guilty of illegal gambling beyond reasonable doubt, they face up to 12 to 20 years of imprisonment or paying fines of up to P3 million to P5 million or both, and perpetual absolute disqualification from their position.

Also present at the symposium were Vice Mayor Wenceslao Lao, municipal councilors Jovanna Jumamoy, Alex Lofranco, Nena Melecio and Municipal Peace and Order Council Officer Salazar, as well as barangay officials.

By Angeline Valencia

Call it the bayanihan slant of peace-keeping. It's the Barangay Defense System (BDS), actually. This is the new civilian approach that municipalities adopt in maintaining peace and order throughout the province.

Bilar, which used to be an insurgency hot-bed in the province, serves as the pilot area for this innovative peace and order agenda that involves the households which take turns in guarding the outpost.         

The households in each barangay divide among themselves the duty hours at the outpost wherein each family serve once a week.

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado announced Friday in his weekly radio program, Governor's Report, that the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC), that he chairs, strongly supports the BDS which is implemented in municipalities with minor problems on insurgency.

PPOC held its meeting on Thursday last week at the Sangguniang Bayan session hall of Bilar where BDS was among the topics.

Aumentado said the people of Bilar had successfully and efficiently organized the BDS which had proven effective and sustainable.

"Atong gisusi ug atong napamatud-an nga molungtad ang pag-organisar sa katawhan didto sa BDS. Ang pag-gwardya sa mga outpost gibahin-bahin sa katawhan nga nag-organizar. Unya ang usa ka pamilya mo-guwardya lamang sa outpost kausa lamang sa matag semana. Sa ato pa, dili madaut ang ilang paninguha sa ilang panginabuhi kay gibahin pag-ayo ang mao nga pagbantay sa outpost sa BDS," Aumentado reported in his radio program.

Maximizing the officials' time in Bilar, the provincial government also held a civic action in barangay Dagohoy in the the morning until 2 p.m. before proceeding to the PPOC meeting.

The CIVAC benefited about 2,000 people who availed of free medical and dental services and other assistance.

But what touched the governor was the dramatic progress in sitio Carajan which used to be the haven of rebels.

The governor witnessed how the cooperatives that the Bohol Poverty Reduction and Management Office (BPRMO), headed by Antonieto Pernia, assisted have prospered.

In fact, the cooperative members were able to present their produce to the governor- -bunches of Lakatan banana from their farm which the governor and other provincial officials bought at P300 per bunch.

"Daghan sa mga sakop sa atong kooperatiba ubos atong BPRMO nagdala sa ilang mga saging lakatan nga gipatubo sa maong kooperatiba sa maong dapit. Ug gani, namalit kita didto sa maong mga saging. Gibayran nato sa tag-P300 ang matag bulig nga gipalit sa mga kadagkuan sa atong lalawigang Bol-anon," Aumentado said.

Aumentado also announced that the provincial government will continue working on the road construction in the area.

Mari, what a lovely landscape of your mind...

Ate BlueAngel,

Balong and Dakog_Itlog are two different persons. I know this for sure. And I respect the privacy of these friends of ours.

It'd be unfair for Balong and Dakog_Itlog if their identities are mishandled.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) is offering P1 one-way fares on all its domestic destinations for travel from January 1 to March 12, 2008.

"We have allocated more than 100,000 seats for this year-end seat sale. Guests can buy their tickets from November 28 to December 2 only or until seats are sold out," said Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and product.

The one-way fare is exclusive of fuel and insurance surcharges ranging from P900 to P1,450 one way. The promotional fare is non-refundable.

CEB has been offering seat sales to encourage more passengers, especially new flyers, to travel.

"We want air travel to be a common occurrence that most people can now experience because of our year-round fares and occasional seat sales.  This is part of our goal to promote travel and tourism in and to the Philippines." she said.

Last September 2007, CEB also offered P1 fares to mark its rise to being the country's leading domestic carrier.

Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) data showed that domestic passenger traffic in the first nine months of the year grew 23% to 7.69 million from 6.23 million aided by the aggressive pricing strategies of local airlines, with CEB leading the industry.

"Because of our year-round low 'Go' fares, our occasional promotional seat sales, and our expanding capacity and number of destinations, we expect to carry more than 5 million passengers this year," she said.

Iyog also said that this is the airline's way of thanking its guests for a good year for both CEB and the local travel and tourism industry.

CEB took delivery of its 15th A320 aircraft last month and expects its first ATR-72 aircraft in February of next year.

She added "We'd like to think that this is just the start.  With the delivery of 4 more A320s and 4 ATRs next year, we expect to be operating many new routes and destinations."

Tickets can be purchased through CEB's website, cebupacificair.com or through its ticketing offices and travel agents.

published by the Bohol Sunday Post

House Tourism Committee Chairman and Bohol First District Congressman Edgar Chatto lauded recently the launching of Friends Philippines in the United Kingdom.          

Former UK Ambassador to the Philippines, Paul Dimond made a courtesy call on Chatto's office in Congress upon arrival from London on November 19.

He was accompanied by DOT official in London, Rosario "Chit" Afuang.

Dimond said that Friends Philippines is a group of about 200 members composed mostly of British officials who were assigned in the country for some time including children of Filipinos who want to connect themselves to their roots.

The organization initiated various programs and projects to highlight the best of Philippines.

Friends Philippines, led by Dimond and Afuang brought to Bohol recently 36 British tour operators and tourists to promote the country to more tourists from UK and Europe.

Chatto considered it a welcome development as tourism creates jobs and livelihood for the people. And, Europe is a high-end market.

By June S Blanco

Cambodian Somaly Mam went home 25,000 euros richer after winning the 2007 edition of the Premio Alta Qualita, the annual worldwide search for "persons of value" conducted by the City of Bologna, Italy.          

Mam was Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado's choice, not because she is a fellow Asian, but because her steely determination made her overcome such blows during her tender age, as being thrice sold into sex slavery.

Aumentado was an international juror for the search, being the governor of one of the local government units that has "relations" with Bologna.

Together with Vaxjo, Sweden and Guntur, India, Bologna and Bohol are partners in the International Council for Local Environment Initiatives (ICLEI).

Vaxjo and Bologna teach eco-budgeting to their "small brothers" Guntur and Bohol, respectively. Eco-budgeting is similar to financial budgeting except that in the former, instead of money, environmental resources are being budgeted.

Given vantage balcony seats at the theater during the awards night, Aumentado and lawyer Juanito Cambangay, former provincial planning officer and now the governor's consultant on Official Development Assistance (ODA) and international relations, felt a surge of pride when Mam was called upstage to receive her prize.

Mam had gone on to become founder of AFESIP, a foundation that helps women and children in distressing situations.

She has led or organized countless rescue missions - plucking women and children from brothels and giving them education with which they can start life anew.

In choosing her over two other finalists, Aumentado said it does not mean that the runners-up were less brave or less determined. It was just that she had to start with very little.

Her contenders were a newspaper writer and reporter, and a lady magistrate, both Italians.

Roberto Saviano went on to expose a criminal organization earlier believed to be no longer existent. He exposed its members, their grasp and extent of influence over government officials and regulatory agencies through bribes, for which he earned hoards of death threats.

On the other hand, Ilda Boccassini handled, among others, high profile cases. She did not hesitate to render guilty verdicts where she found the accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt, no matter how prominent they may be. She, too, earned piles of death threats as well as heaps of bribery attempts but she has remained firm.

But Aumentado said Saviano and Boccasinni were merely doing their jobs.

Mam, who could have led a quiet and risk-free life after being rescued and educated, went beyond her way and trekked that extra mile to save otherwise helpless women and girls from the clutches of sex slavery, provided them with medical attention and above all, equipped them with education to face life squarely.

The regulations of the search provide that Mam can use her prize for projects in line with her work.

Meanwhile, on the day before and still half a world away, Aumentado, Cambangay and Guntur Mayor Kanna Nagaraju, among others, made PowerPoint presentations for Bologna officials.

Cambangay prepared the PowerPoint presentation while Aumentado delivered it - a piece promoting Bohol tourism and investment.

From Italy, the return flight made a stop over in Hongkong. Again, the governor and his consultant promoted Bohol tourism and investment as well as personally thanked the Bohol Hongkong Association headed by Flor Virtudazo for donating two sets of brand new computers for the Cambague-Calinginan Norte High School in Sevilla town and the medicines used during the civic action in Barangay Bayawahan also in Sevilla conducted last month by the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) chaired by Aumentado.

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado intends to establish a road map for development that will stabilize the foundation of the provincial government for the successor of the Aumentado-Herrera to inherit after 2010. And, that covers stable water supply, standard health services, empowered agriculture, sustainable power supply, transportation and environment.          

For stable and sustainable water supply, Aumentado announced in his weekly radio program, Governor's Report, on Friday that the Local Government Development Project (LGDP) funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will present tomorrow the Bohol Integrated Water Master Plan (BIWMP).

BIWMP will serve as the water supply blueprint for the entire Bohol, especially for the eyed Metro Tagbilaran that will include Tagbilaran City, Municipality of Panglao and the neighboring towns, Aumentado said.

The LGDP team led by its program adviser, Linda Paredes, will present the BIWMP at the President Garcia Hall in Capitol after the flag ceremony at the Acacia Garden.

From this point, Aumentado said he will find further special development assistance for the master plan feasibility study, then for the implementation of the project.

Aumentado also cited that top guns of Bohol Water Utilities, Inc. (BWUI) had already expressed interest in tapping the upper Abatan River which will form part in the implementation of the BIWMP where the former Provincial Planning and Development coordinator, Lawyer Juanito Cambangay, will represent the provincial government, as the consultant on official development assistance and international relations.

The master plan will serve as guide for the next provincial administration in proper utilization of the province's water resources for potable water supply in the households and irrigation facilities.

BRIDGE

Another infrastructure support that Aumentado wants to ensure for the Boholano people is the Multi-access Friendship Bridge that will connect Bohol and Cebu through the edge of Getafe of Bohol side and Cordova of Cebu side.

Aumentado said he is still working on the funding and assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the feasibility study and advanced detailed engineering design of the project.

The Provincial Development Council that Aumentado chairs proposed that the project will essentially improve the economy of the province of Bohol through convenient, safe and reliable mode of land-based transport facility as it is expected to generate new interest and investments for the province of Bohol and enhance economic opportunities for agro-industrialization, tourism development and provision of social services.

The construction of the Bohol-Cebu Multi-Access Bridge will also provide the fundamental infrastructure linking the two provinces to support future inter-provincial projects such as the Bohol-Cebu Water Project and the Cebu-Bohol Power Project, if the feasibility study will find it socio-economically and environmentally viable.

The bridge will serve as channel in bringing in the excess power supply from Cebu. In return, Bohol can extend to Cebu, possible excess water supply from Inabanga River and other water sources in the province.

The PDC also considers that the project can provide opportunities for Getafe and for its nearby towns to position themselves as an alternative area for residential or dwelling area for Boholanos working in Cebu, or for Cebuanos who want to live in a more conducive, quiet and affordable area like Bohol.

BHIP 3

On stabilizing Bohol's irrigation infrastructure, Aumentado announced that on Tuesday, November 27, NIA will sign a MOA with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the grant to finance the feasibility study of the Bohol Irrigation Project Stage 3 and the satellite small water impounding projects in Bolot-bolot, Buenavista; Hipali, Danao; and Loboc Valley small water impounding project.

The country representative of KOICA and NIA Administrator Marcelino Tugaoen Jr. will represent each party in the signin ceremony at the Tarsier Hall.

KOICA officials will then proceed to Bohol Beach club and stay for one more day to assess other project proposals.

PANGLAO SEWERAGE AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM

Aside from making follow-up on the ODA funding for the feasibility study on BHIP 3 during his recent trip to South Korea, the governor also presented the request for KOICA to fund the feasibility study on the advance detailed engineering on the Panglao Sewerage and Drainange System that PDC had proposed.

This is to brace for the expected increase of economic activity in Panglao in the light of the operation of the international airport in 2010.

The infrastructure committee of the Regional Development Council tackled last Friday, the provincial government's proposal to ask ODA grant from the Economic Development Cooperation fund of South Korea Export-Import Bank.

BCRIP 3

The PITE Inter-Agency Task Force also discussed during its 27th meeting on Friday, the issue on the Bohol Circumferential Road Project (BCRIP) Phase 3 which Aumentado said had already been approved by the RDC.

Aumentado expressed lament, though, that it was already endorsed to the ICC technical board of NEDA that JBIC would fund the project, but it was later learned that a top official of NEDA reportedly ordered to present to China for funding instead.

On this, Aumentado said he will verify the matter with DPWH, citing that it was the Pacific Consultants International who prepared, for free, the feasibility study on the Bohol Circumferential Road which will develop Panglao circumferential road, Panglao center route of the two causeways connecting Panglao and Tagbilaran City and the Tagbilaran by-pass road to Baclayon diversionary road and the sa so-called package 2 which includes the Anda Peninsula Highway from Guindulman to Anda, Anda to Cogtong, Cogtong to Candijay, Candijay to Mabini, and Mabini to Ubay.

Hospital

HEALTH

The provincial government is just waiting for the permit from the city government of Tagbilaran for the construction of the P20-million building to house the Bohol Diagnostic Center in Dao.

In running the diagnostic center, the provincial government had forged partnership with HomeReach Foundation and the FCB Foundation, especially in securing the equipment .,.

The proponents of the project will be endorsing the management plan for the project to the Provincial Board.

The governor also announced that by December 1, the provincial govvernment will start operating the ultra-sound facilities in Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital in Talibon, Teodoro Galagar District hospital in Jagna, Simeon Toribio District Hospital in Carmen and the Castillo District Hospital in Loon .

Also, next month, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and DILG Usec. Austere Panadero will be here to inaugurate the P10-million building that would house additional private wards in Garcia Memorial Provincial Hospital and to install the necessary medical equipment.

President Arroyo had tasked Panadero to take charge in upgrading public hospitals in the country which include the eight district hospitals in Bohol and the Don Emilio Del Valle Memorial National Hospital in Ubay which are eyed for upgrading based on the governor's recommendation.

As counterpart, the provincial govenrment will construct an additional building at the Teodoro Galagar District hospital in Jagna, Simeon Toribio District Hospital in Carmen and the Castillo District Hospital in Loon, which funding will be taken from Capitol's development fund which will be distributed at P1 million for each hospital. (Angeline Valencia/PGMA)

Sinner's Prayer? That's Not For Me - I'm Not a Sinner!

"Sinner" is a word that gets a bad rap these days - and well it should. Unfortunately, the bad rap it is getting is for the wrong reasons. Confronted with our shortcomings, we are quick to defend ourselves with words like, "I'm not a sinner! I don't go around sinning! I've never murdered anyone or anything like that!" The problem is, we don't really know what the word sin means. We think it only applies to some despicable act that repulses "church people" who want to hang big scarlet letters around our necks. But sin simply means to miss the mark; to fall short of the goal. The fact is, we are all sinners, for there is no one, save Christ alone, who has lived a life that did not in some way fall short of the perfection God requires. We all deserve to pay the penalty for that sin, which is to spend eternity in hell.

Sinner's Prayer - What the Bible Says About Sin

Sin, according to the Bible, is any action that violates the law given by God in the Ten Commandments. The law was given by God to show us what it means to live a life deserving of God's love. It was also given to show us that none of us can live that kind of life. God knew that in advance, and that is why He sent His Son Jesus to be that perfect life for us. Jesus, God in human flesh, voluntarily laid aside His God-hood to connect with us, to show us He understands us and to give us a way to be reconciled to the Father, since none of us can keep the law to its letter. "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Some say that sin is two letters, "s" and "n", with "I" in the middle. We elevate ourselves, and certainly we live in a time when that thinking is being promoted. Sin may be something we can't be free of, but the good news is we can be free of its penalty. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23)

Sinner's Prayer - Become a Sinner Saved by Grace!

What's the key to the Sinner's Prayer? As long as we are content to live in sin, the Bible says we are separated from God. That condition may seem fine for a while, but it ultimately leads to misery and then to eternal separation from God. "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 16:25). The good news is that God Himself has made a way for us to be reconciled to Him, and He has done this through His Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:6-15).

What about you? Are you content to live for yourself, get the most toys, and die anyway? Or do you want a life of purpose and hope? God, the One who created you, has a purpose for your life and wants to give you a new beginning. If you are ready to admit your need for a clean slate in life, the God of second chances is waiting to give it to you. All you have to do is start with the Sinner's Prayer.

Sinner's Prayer - Recognizing the Need

The "Sinner's Prayer" is a term that describes the words spoken by a person when he or she has recognized their sin and their need for a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It goes something like this:

      “Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”

If you decided to repent of your sins and receive Christ today, welcome to God's family. Now, as a way to grow closer to Him, the Bible tells us to follow up on our commitment.

    * Get baptized as commanded by Christ.
    * Tell someone else about your new faith in Christ.
    * Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a long period of time. Just develop the daily habit of praying to Him and reading His Word. Ask God to increase your faith and your understanding of the Bible.
    * Seek fellowship with other followers of Jesus. Develop a group of believing friends to answer your questions and support you.
    * Find a local church where you can worship God.

source: http://www.sinner-prayer.com/

By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

Last week two of the Catholic schools in Jagna sent students to compete in the Bohol Association of Catholic School (BACS) in Balilihan. Advanced reports say that they got clobbered in athletics but excelled in the brains department. Some say that this was to be expected. Others were of the opinion that we sent sissies who are only best in takyan and kikays who could not even roll a hoop or kaliring. That of course is not true.

The bigger contingent came from the Central Visayan Institute Foundation, one of the most featured secondary schools in the Philippines. The students there ranges from late twelves or early thirteens to late sixteens or early seventeens. By our standards, they are yet boys and girls. In quest of academic excellence, the boisterous and those who have two or more red marks in their cards are advised to transfer to other schools. Then, those who have a failing grade are not accepted as athletes since training would affect their studies.

This policy weeded out the rowdies and muscle brains, a group from which most athletic materials are found. Despite that, there are still potential athletes left.

They were picked out and trained but their training would not be extensive so as not to interfere with their studies. If they would be pitted against any team that would approximate their academic standards, they would give a good account of themselves. But that is not to be so. Well, one cannot win them all.

There are those who wonder what standards has the BACS adopted in qualifying athletes to their meet. We hope, they did not close their eyes to the practice of some colleges who enroll dedicated and sometimes professional players though their educational background is spotty so they can play in the varsity team. This would run counter to the saying Mens sana in corpore sano.

One of the oldest and most famous scholarships in the world is the Rhodes Scholarship. This will allow those who qualify to study in famous earning institutions in any discipline vital to human development and welfare. The awardees must not only present an excellent academic background but must also prove that he also had an acceptable athletic career in college.

This scholarship grant was funded by Cecil Rhodes, an Englishman who founded an organization, which controlled the supply and sale of diamonds in South Africa.

Aware that if the supply of diamond is not regulated prices must fall because of the law of supply and demand, he compelled all diamonds finds to be sold to their group. Aside from that, he was responsible for the formation of Rhodesia, which was later renamed by nationalistic blacks as Zimbabwe.

Cecil Rhodes never married. When he died, he left his fortune to be administered by a Board as they saw fit. They founded the Rhodes Scholarship according to Rhodes' wishes. We cannot say that the authorities of the CVIF are not aware of the qualifications of a Rhodes scholar. Even though they are not, their players are encouraged to attain athletic as well as academic competence. Winning or losing in the BACS athletics is not so important. What matters is how they played the game.

By Boy Guingguing
Publisher
Bohol Sunday Post

For the second time around, this Bglante devotes another full-length column about the much ballyhooed Cebu-Bohol Friendship Bridge.

In so many instances, Gov. Erico Aumentado like the master salesman that he is, is again full of energy and enthusiasm in pushing for his latest mega-baby, a bridge that connects between Bohol and Cebu.

To the uninitiated, they may say that's another of Aumentado long line of pipe dreams for Bohol. Another product of his fertile imagination.

We beg to disagree. Given Aumentado's vaunted tenacity to push big-ticket items, the latest in his arsenal of mega projects is a doable one. In the name of today's technology where extreme engineering is pushed to the limits yes, it can be done.

A project as colossal as this may be unimaginable to ordinary folks. But those in the know are mesmerized at the prospect that it's possible to bridge the two islands. Separated by a body of water where the shortest points to the two islands is only about 18 kilometers, this mega project pales in comparison to other projects already in existence.

Take the Hangzhou Bay Bridge in Shanghai, China.

Built as an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge, the bridge links both sides of Hangzhou Bay. Considered the longest transoceanic bridge built in China, the span in the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world. The bridge is 36 kilometers long, it has six lanes in both directions and shortens the distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 kms.

Although the bridge is already linked and the opening ceremony was already held on June 2007, it will not be open to public transport until 2008. It's opening is timed for the 2008 World Fair to be held in Shanghai, China.

Another example of two places separated by a wide body of water and then linked with a mega bridge is the one that connects Sweden and Denmark. Known as the Oresund Bridge(Danish Oresundsbroen, Swedish Orensundsbron, joint hybrid name Oresonbron) is a combined two-track rail and four-lane road bridge across the Oresund Strait. The bridge-tunnel is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe and connects the two metropolitan areas of the Oresund Region: the Danish capital of Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmo.

Planned as early as 1991, the 16 kilometer long Oresund link between Sweden and Denmark is now complete.. The Oresund Bridge is the world's longest single bridge carrying both road and railway traffic.

.As to the blueprint of the Cebu-Bohol Friendship, the span that stretches 18 kilometers from Getafe to Cordova in Cebu is programmed to serve at least functions. The main function is the bridge itself while overboard is the electric cable connection using Cebu's excess energy it gets from the Visayas Grid of its geothermal power from Palimpinon in Negros Oriental.

Another feature of the bridge is the water pipeline should Bohol decide to sell its excess water from the Inabanga River. Calling it three-in-one project, it is now scouting for funding support to realize Aumentado's dream undertaking. Once realized, there's no quarrel that Aumentado will become the greatest public official Bohol ever produced.

By Romy Teruel
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

By experience we know that nature has a schedule to catch up and some outputs to be delivered before the year ends. Yet most often we still get surprised and pay dearly for it in terms of lives lost and properties or facilities damaged.

We refer to typhoons that hit the country every year the latest of which were Lando and Mina that came within a span of five days both leaving on their trails destructions of unanticipated proportions. The Philippines is normally visited by 53 typhoons (if my recollections is right) every year and by the latest count, we only had a few due to the dry months this year.

If nature is true to its schedule, it still has to deliver no less than ten and there are only 35 days left before 2007 closes. This means we can still expect more destructions and damages if we don't do anything to prepare for disaster.

Typhoons are ordinary phenomena to the Philippines. If we have learned our lessons, there should be minimal damage to life every time. But our experience tells us that only very few of us learn their lessons. Disaster plans are all in place. At any time the plans can be activated. People living in low-lying areas are supposed to be evacuated before the rains and strong winds come.

But we can be hard headed. Most of us would rather disregard warnings than heed them. For some, like the poor who eat today what they earn tomorrow, leaving their homes would mean not being able to eat or feed their families. Their reluctance to leave can be understood. But many are just plain stubborn and these are the most likely victims when tragedy strikes.

But that there are quite a number of people who die and properties damaged every time a typhoon of the Lando or the Mina magnitude comes, only mean that the disaster preparation of the communities led by the national or local government units are not enough.

Disaster plans fail either because those in charge did not exert enough effort to inform and educate the people or the plans are plainly defective.
We know the usual path of typhoons in our country. We should put this knowledge to use in our disaster plans. Places usually in the path of typhoons should be able to know what type of agricultural crops they should plant during certain months. We can't stop the floods from destroying our agricultural farms. But we can minimize the extent of damage by planting the right plants during certain times of the year. And certainly nobody should die anymore from the onslaught of typhoons.

Sadly however most of our disaster plans are reactive more than preventive. We need to immediately review these plans and do something about the deficiencies to prevent unnecessary loss of lives and properties. If we cannot, more people will be unhappy this Christmas. Remember nature has still to deliver at least three more typhoons by year-end6y. How devastating these typhoons will be? We still do not know at this time.

NOTES. We received some complaints about the additional 10% Value Added Tax (VAT) to the fare they pay when they take the fast craft to and from Cebu. We have yet to seek clarification from the agency of government like the BIR. Off hand though, a friend I consulted said the VAT should already be included in the published rates of the transportation companies. We will discuss about this in our next column. And if this is true, then corrections should be made by the transport companies.

By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

At press time, people of the Bicol provinces are waiting for the typhoon code named Mina to hit their area. Authorities are taking precautions, transferring residents from accident-prone areas to places of safety. Calamity funds are prepared to be released by local and national governments to ease the travails of the affected people. Since science at this time has no way of averting climatic disasters like typhoons, all we can do is limit the damage.

Tropical storms are sometimes called cyclones, just like those that hit Caribbeans, and the Southern States of the US facing the Gulf of Mexico. In the East, we call it typhoon, a corruption of two Chinese words tai fung meaning Big Wind.

Whatever names it carry, the blow is most of the time destructive, those, which center winds hit more than fifty kilometers per hour. The gusts come harder. The rains that storms carry would add to the devastation.

The Philippine typhoon season sometimes starts early, sometimes as early as May. In the early days many people, especially the fishermen are caught unawares.

Some of them were lost at sea, the lucky ones blown to some distant island. Only radio operators of ships monitor weather forecasts. When weather reports became the feature of radio broadcasts, people know the general conditions of the climate but not of the locality. Those who are trying for the badly needed daily income, take the risks.

From the month of June, the storms pass Northern Philippines. The Batanes group of islands is frequently hit. As the months pass, the storms start to slam into the lower latitudes, starting from Northern, then Central and later Southern Luzon.

Bohol typhoon season starts September and ends on December. However, freak storms may hit Bohol any time of the year.

The reason for this is that when the sun passes the Equator during the vernal equinox, the storms are born in Central Pacific. Because of the Coriolis effect of the earth rotation, the general flow of the storm unless influenced by barometric conditions, is from southeast to northwest. The further is the birth of storm from the Philippines, the more northern is its path. As the perpendicular rays of the sun travels north, storms are born nearer and nearer the Philippines.

The hardest and most frequently hit are the provinces that face the Pacific, from the Batanes, Isabela, Quezon, Bicol and Easrtern Visayan Provinces. Those are the provinces, which would need accurate weather information. We in Bohol seldom experience strong winds. If storms are formed around 10 degrees latitude, the wind is most likely to hit Bohol. However, we cannot always be complacent. Years ago several storms hit Southern Bohol.

Most advanced countries have weather satellites. Some of them maintain geo synchronous satellites, which hover directly above their country. Information from those satellites gives hour-to-hour information of the path of the storm.

Sometimes they even fly weather planes into the eye of the storm to measure the strength and direction of the center winds. Unfortunately, we do not have those facilities.

Those who manned PAGASA Mactan failed to forecast the typhoon Lando's path accurately that some places in Cebu had been hard hit. The storm veered from its predicted route. Although their information came from a weather satellite, the information was not up to date. This only goes to show that storm directions are unpredictable. To maintain a sophisticated weather warning system would be expensive. However, despite their most sophisticated equipment cyclones had devastated Florida and Louisiana. This means to say we can only predict not prevent storm damage.

Mr. Egg, manira na ang school nga akong gialagaran. Inig-abot na ko sa dorm, akong sugdan ug utingkay ang imong mga pangutana nga karon maoy naghasol sa imong galamhan.

Papa,

In honor of your public service to the Filipino people.

-----

Every gunshot pierces through my heart and I wish that would be the last time I'd hear this sound.

Police Officers from Panglao Police Station (my papa's last assignment) and Anda Police Station.

Location: Anda, Bohol Public Cemetery

The woman on the extreme left of the picture with a mourning pin is my father's younger sister.

www.theboholstandard.com

Tornados or “twisters” of unknown origin separately shattered two islets of Butan and Gaos, off Pres. Carlos P. Garcia island town, left some 100 houses in ruins, said Vice-Mayor Nestor Abad in an interview.

This came on the same day of November 19, 2007 that at least one person has died and millions of pesos worth of seaweed farms in Bien-Unido went to waste in the aftermath of typhoon ‘Lando’ last week.

Abad said that initial findings of the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) that conducted ocular inspection bared that some 50 houses in Butan and another 50 houses in Gaos were damaged. But there were no injuries nor casualties wrought by the tornados in the evening of November 19, 2007.

The extent of the damage was not yet available as of presstime, Abad said.

He said that MDCC is contemplating to use the calamity fund to help the affected families. But he has yet to inform Mayor Tesalonica Boyboy, who was out of town when contacted for comment. The vice-mayor said most of the families depend largely on fishing as their source of livelihood.

Abad added that the town officials are also working to get ready for the predicted super tyhoon “Mina” that is expected to hit in Bicol region and some eastern Visayas provinces and even if Bohol was not on the list of typhoon paths.

This came despite exclusion of the province of Bohol from pathway of “Lando” by the Philippine Atmosphere Geo-sciences Astronomical S Administration (Pag-asa).

In an islet of Mawmawan, off Bien-Unido town, Lalaine Abrasada, 13, was hit by a falling G-melina tree (that destroyed the house) while she was sleeping in the afternoon of Nov. 19 as confirmed by Mayor Nino Rey Boniel in an interview yesterday.

Officials here said that more than 1,000 hectares of seaweeds farms off island-barangays of Bilangbilangan and Hingutanan were partly devastated by ‘Lando.’ But Boniel said there was not yet estimate of the damage of the multi-million dollar seaweed farms.

Boniel minced no words of assailing Pag-asa’s failure of providing almost-accurate forecasting since they thought “Lando” would not hit the town. But when it reached the town, it was no ordinary wind blow but really a storm that caught everybody flat-footed, he said.

The mayor said that he will utilize the 30% of the calamity fund of his town for rehabilitation and preparation for up-coming super-typhoon “Mina.” He also alerted the residents in or near the coastal areas.

Sketchy reports bared that a landslide occurred in barangay Lusong, Buenavista town along the national highway but no one was injured nor casualty. Also, a river in San Miguel town overflowed and some farms of barangays Poblacion and Bayongan were adversely affected, the report said.

In an interview yesterday, P02 Jodel Torregosa of PNP Buenavista said PNP received no information on the reported landslide. This writer tried but failed to contact Mayor Elsa Tirol for comment. She led a medical mission held in one of the barangays yesterday, Torregosa said. (Ric Obedencio)

Byle, I have to stop this denial now. I will unleash my pain. I will open myself to all of you here who have been with me during my hours of grief and darkness.

I will chronicle this pain and its healing process through letters.

I know that Papa is in heaven and he will join Jesus in His kingdom because Papa has placed his faith in Jesus before he died (John 11:25-26), but I want to look back now and pick up myself and allow myself to be human.

Letter 1

Dear Papa,

I am crying again as I am writing this letter, which you will never be able to read, and though I know that you will never be able to see this letter that I will be archiving here in Tubag Bohol, I will still write my thoughts and feelings for you.

Papa, I will be writing many letters for you, and today I draft the first one. For many days I have tried to deny my pain; I try to laugh and smile, yet when I'm alone I would remember you intensely, and wherever I go I see and hear many things that would fondly remind me of you.

Papa, I want to live a normal life, so I let my friends and acquaintances see me happy and strong but I am not, Papa. I am miserable inside. I am denying my soul to look at this world of grief and sorrow born out of your death - and I try to keep myself busy and do many things that would make me forget what you had gone through. Papa, I am not really happy. My smiles, my laughters are all superficials. 

I am at the school today and I want to write the words to be inscribed on your tomb. Mama has been asking me to write these words and send the writing to her but I keep postponing it because I just don't want to remember the fact that you've already gone away from us. I'm sorry, Papa, that I delay the writing, but today I will finally write the markings for your tomb.

Papa, I want to face this pain and see it as it is. I will begin a new journey today to be chronicled through letters of a grieving son for his beloved father, a painful journey that will make me see you once more and hold you, Papa, once again

in my heart and
               in my mind,

Mike

Bambi, nahasol ako sa imong balak... naguol ako unsay dangatan ni Mr. Eggs...

Bisan Pa Diay Ang Kamatayon
sinulat ni mike ligalig

bisan pa diay ang kamatayon
dili makapapiog sa imong kahilom
ug dili makatumpag sa paril
nga mitadlas sa duha ta ka kalibotan
ug dili makadugtong sa atong taytayan
nga karon gitay-an sa paghikalimot

nasayop diay ako sa akong pagtoo
nga ikaw ang kataposang mopahid
sa nauga kong mga luha

nasayop diay ako sa akong pagtoo
nga ikaw ang kataposang modagkot
ug kandela alang sa akong pagpanaw

nasayop diay ako sa akong pagtoo
nga ikaw ang kataposang kamot
nga akong paggagunitan

sa dihang mahimo na akong abog
mobalik ako sa dapit diin ikaw
kataposan kong nakita ug nagakos-
diin imong gikanlat ang akong paglaum

By John Piper
www.desiringgod.org

    Psalm 143

Back in the spring I read a sermon that Charles Spurgeon preached in London about a century ago. The text he used in that sermon was Job 23:3, 4, where Job says of God, "O that I knew where I might find him! That I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him and fill my mouth with arguments." Spurgeon observed that,

    the ancient saints were given with Job, to ordering their cause before God. As a petitioner coming into court does not come there without thought to state his case on the spur of the moment, but enters into the audience chamber with his suit well prepared, having also learned how he ought to behave himself in the presence of the great one to whom he is appealing, so it is well to approach the seat of the King of Kings as much as possible with premeditation and preparation, knowing what we are about, where we are standing, and what it is which we desire to obtain. ("Effective Prayer," Gospel Mission, p. 4)

Then he gave a personal word which also rang true with my experience. He said,

    The best prayers I have ever heard in our prayer meetings have been those which have been fullest of argument. Sometimes my soul has been fairly melted down where I have listened to the brethren who have come before God feeling the mercy to be really needed, and that they must have it, for they first pleaded with God to give it for this reason, and then for a second, and then for a third and then for a fourth and a fifth until they have awakened the fervency of the entire assembly. ("Effective Prayer," p. 10)

Ever since reading this sermon by Spurgeon I have become more and more conscious of how the saints of Scripture prayed this way. Especially some of the psalms show David filling his mouth with arguments toward God. I think we will get a lot of help for our prayer life if we look at one of these prayers, namely, Psalm 143.

I would like us to try to answer three questions from this psalm.

1) What did David want?
2) How did he propose to get it?
3) How did he argue with God?
What David Wants

First, what did David want? The best way to answer this is to assemble all his requests and see if they fall into similar categories. There are about fifteen requests:
vs. 1:
    hear my prayer, O Lord
    give ear to my supplication
    answer me
vs. 2:
    enter not into judgment with your servant
vs. 7:
    answer me
    hide not your face from me
vs. 8:
    let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love
    teach me the way I should go
vs. 9:
    deliver me from my enemies
vs. 10:
    teach me to do your will
    let your good spirit lead me on a level path
vs. 11:
    preserve my life
    bring me out of trouble
vs. 12:
    cut off my enemies
    destroy all my adversaries

When we try to group these, they fall into three categories. The first is the general desire to be heard and answered as in verse 1 and verse 7: "Hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications, answer me." David wants God, first of all, simply to be open to hearing his more specific requests. If God's face is turned away, ignoring David, then all his supplications and arguments are in vain.

All the other requests fall into two groups, David's desire for safety and his desire for godliness. His desire for godliness is seen in verse 8: "Cause me to know the way I should go," and verse 10, "Teach me to do your will . . . lead me on a level path." There is a great lesson here for us, namely, whenever we plead with God for some material or physical blessing, we should always include an earnest prayer for our own moral and spiritual transformation. David's life was endangered and he was crying out for protection and preservation. But sheer existence, the hunger to stay alive, did not so dominate David's mind that he forgot the point of living. Why go on living? For the believer earthly life is not an end in itself. There are reasons to live which justify the desire to stay alive and one of those reasons is to do God's will, to walk in the way God has appointed (vv. 8, 10). So David does not merely plead for escape and safety. He pleads for God to teach him and lead him in a "land of uprightness" (which is how verse 10b can be translated). He doesn't just want to live; he wants to live for God.

You can measure your spiritual temperature by whether your prayers are richly seasoned with expressions of longing for your own growth in godliness. Do you plead with God to make you more joyful, more loving, more patient, more kind, more gentle, more earnest, more disciplined, etc.? Or do you only pray that he get you out of this and that financial pinch or sickness or predicament at work. If so, call to mind that God did not create us and redeem us merely to live and live well off; he created and redeemed us to be holy as he is holy, to walk in his good will and so bring glory to him. So let's be like David, and every time we hunger for life and safety, let's express to God that we desire spiritual vitality and godliness just as much as life itself.

The other requests in this psalm all come under the category of pleas for safety. First, safety from human enemies: verse 9, "Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies"; verses 11, 12, "O Lord, preserve my life . . . bring me out of trouble; cut off all my enemies and destroy all my adversaries." David was a great warrior and no doubt often from the early days when Saul was after him to the end of his fighting career he was beset by enemies who wanted to eliminate him from the scene. And even in times of apparent peace there was the danger of intrigue within his own courts. Remember his own son Absalom tried to steal the hearts of the people away from David.

How can we go on functioning when we know that there are hostile forces surrounding us who may from time to time break in and do us harm? Won't this rob us of all peace and put us always on edge and make us tense? Yes, it will, until we have sought God like David and prayed earnestly and argued our way before him into his peace.

You may think such a prayer for deliverance from enemies has little to do with your tranquil life in safe, suburban America. And it is true that few of us run the risks with human enemies which David did. But there are hostilities that arise at work and in the neighborhood which could result in abuse. Mary Stauffer probably never dreamed that hostilities against her could linger for fifteen years and then break in against her like they did.

But lest we nevertheless content ourselves that hostile enmity is really not part of our experience, let's remember what Jesus taught his disciples to pray: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." We all have an enemy whose hostility against us never ceases and who is bent on our real destruction, that is, the destruction of our faith. So when we read these psalms it would not be contrary to their spirit if we remember our arch-enemy, the evil one, and then pray that God would deliver us from his power and destroy all his forces. Then we can sing with Martin Luther:

    And though this world with devils filled
    Should threaten to undo us,
    We will not fear for God has willed
    His truth to triumph through us.

    The prince of darkness grim,
    We tremble not for him.
    His rage we can endure
    For, lo, his doom is sure,
    One little word shall fell him.

But there is another person from whose enmity David seeks to escape. He seeks to escape the judgment of God. Verse 2: "Enter not into judgment with thy servant." David not only needs a place of protection from his human adversary, he also needs protection from his divine adversary. But where can you flee from the judgment of God?
How David Prays

That brings us to the second question we want to answer, namely, How does David propose to get the godliness and the safety that he wants? The obvious answer is by prayer. This simple fact is especially encouraging to me because David was a great man; we know he was handsome and strong and wise and sensitive and often had lots of human power at his disposal. Yet David unhesitatingly takes on the role of a beggar before God. That is encouraging for me because if David did not have to do that, then I might get the idea that God requires us all to have the strength and beauty of David in order to overcome our problems. But in fact King David can only pray. But prayer is something all of us can do no matter how homely or weak or slow-witted we are. So it is a great encouragement when we see David submitting to prayer to get what he needs.

In answer to the question, Where can you flee from the judgment of God? there is only one answer which holds out any hope: flee to God. When a little child has disobeyed his father and stirred up his anger, he has got two possibilities. He can run out the back door, which is hopeless not just because his father is faster but because in the father's house are the food and clothing the child needs to live. The other possibility is to run into his father's arms and squeeze his neck and plead for mercy. The only escape from the judgment of God is in the mercy of God. And this is where David flees. In God there is escape from all adversaries including God. Never try to run from him; he is always faster. But even more, with him alone is fullness of joy and pleasures forever.

But there is a surprising use of language in Psalm 143, which makes me think I better qualify my statement that the only escape from the judgment of God is the mercy of God. This surprising use of language jumps out right away as soon as we ask our third and final question: How does David argue his case before God? Or to put it another way: On what basis does he presume to ask God for godliness and for safety?

The surprising thing in verses 1 and 2 is that David does not first flee to God's mercy to escape his judgment. He flees to God's righteousness. "In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness! Enter not into judgment with thy servant, for no man living is righteous before thee." Now that sounds backwards. If no one is righteous before God, including me, then isn't it suicidal to ask God to answer us in righteousness? It would be, if divine righteousness meant only his strict adherence to a law of distributive justice according to which every person gets strictly what he deserves. But this can't be the meaning of righteousness in verse 1. David the sinner would never plead for God to act in his righteousness if righteousness meant giving a person only what he deserves.

What does it mean then? Well, it is used back to back with God's faithfulness: "In thy faithfulness answer me, in thy righteousness." Perhaps then, God's righteousness is his doing right by his promises to which he is always faithful. Surely it is right of God to keep his covenant with David and with the Israelites in general. But my problem with this solution is that in all the arguments David gives for why God should help him, he never explicitly appeals to the covenant or to a promise.

To see this, let's list all the arguments David assembles, or all the bases on which he appeals for help.
vs. 1:
    in your faithfulness
    in your righteousness
vs. 2:
    for no one living is righteous before you
vs. 3:
    for the enemy has pursued me
    he has crushed my life to the ground
    he has made me sit in darkness
vs. 4:
    my spirit faints within me
    my heart is appalled
vs. 7:
    my spirit is failing
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit
vs. 8:
    for in you I put my trust
    for to you I lift up my soul
vs. 9:
    I have fled to you for refuge (covered myself in you)
vs. 10:
    for you are my God
vs. 11:
    for your name's sake
    in your righteousness
vs. 12:
    in your steadfast love (mercy)
    for I am your servant.

Surely this is what Job meant by ordering our cause before the Lord and filling our mouth with arguments. But notice that David does not say "for you made a covenant with me" or "for you promised me." Therefore, I am inclined to seek another meaning for the divine righteousness of verse 1, instead of "doing right" by his covenant.

I take my clue from one other place in the psalm where God's righteousness was back to back with his faithfulness. In verse 11 God's righteousness is back to back with his commitment to his own name: "For thy name's sake, preserve my life, in thy righteousness bring me out of trouble." It seems to me, therefore, that the faithfulness of verse 1 probably means primarily God's faithfulness to his own name, and only secondarily his faithfulness to his covenant promises. If so, then God's righteousness probably means: doing right by his name, that is, seeking to preserve the honor of his name. In support of this we could look at Psalm 7:17 where God's name and his righteousness come together again: "I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, I will sing praise to the name of the Lord." If I am tracking with David, then, God's righteousness is his commitment to honor his name. God would do the ultimate wrong if he allowed his name to be indefinitely dishonored or belittled. David knows this and so he knows that this is a solid, unchanging rock that he can appeal to.
How David Argues

But how can David hope that God's allegiance to his own honor will prompt him to save David, instead of punishing him for his sin which he admitted in verse 2? The answer to this question comes when we look at the other arguments David uses with God.

Besides calling attention to God's faithfulness, righteousness, mercy, and allegiance to his own name, David brings in two other sorts of arguments: one is his desperate plight, the other is his faith in God. Verses 2â€"4, "Don't enter into judgment with me," because if you aim to punish me I am done for as a sinner, and if you aim to humble me, look: I am already crushed to the ground, my spirit fails, I am appalled at my condition, I am gasping like a parched land. You don't need to level me. I am on my back. So David argues from his desperate plight.

But that in itself is not very persuasive until the other set of arguments is added, namely, the argument that he has faith. These are crucial. Verses 8â€"10: "For in you do I trust . . . to you I lift up my soul . . . for I cover myself in you (refuge) . . . for you are my God." Verse 12: "For I am your servant." This is the crucial link between the righteousness of God and the answer to David's prayer. David's assurance is that if he is trusting in God with all his heart, lifting up his soul with longing to him only, seeking refuge in him alone, and claiming him for his only God, then God's honor is at stake in David's deliverance. It would be a blotch on God's name if one who banked all his hopes on that name was finally destroyed.

So David did find a way to escape the judgment of Godâ€"by fleeing into the arms of God and filling his mouth with arguments that showed God's very name was at stake in whether David was delivered or not.

There is so much for us to learn here. Let me just review three things briefly in conclusion. First, don't let your sinfulness hinder your seeking help from God. David confessed from the start that if God judged him only with a view to his sin he was done for. We are all sinful beggars before God.

Second, when you come to God, fill your mouth with arguments. Argue from your helpless crushed plight; argue from God's righteous character, that is, his faithfulness to uphold the honor of his name; and argue from your faith or your hope in God. Run into the arms of your Father and fill his ear with arguments.

Finally, always and only ask for what will honor God. And one of the best ways to make sure you do that is to season all your prayers with requests for godliness as well as safety. That is, pray not only like Psalm 79:9 which says, "Help us, O God, . . . for the glory of thy name deliver us and forgive our sins, for thy name's sake"; but also pray like Psalm 31:3 which says, "You are my rock and my fortress, for your name's sake lead me and guide me."