MikeLigalig.com

A man whose "proposals for development are nothing but weird and outlandish to the uninitiated is being considered an appointment in one of the vacancies at the Commission on Elections.

In published articles sometime in 2002, Severo Maluenda, Jr. of Clarin town was ecstatic about his "invention" to prevent airplanes from crashing and ships from sinking.

It may be a laughing matter to some but to Maluenda, he was dead serious that his invention would see the light of day if only to save lives from plane crashes and boat sinking.          

His invention is simple: attached a parachute- like contraption around the airplane and allow it to inflate in mid-air bouying up the pressure as a result of the aircraft's uncontrolled descent.

Whoever recommended him to the Comelec was not clear but newspaper reports did name him one of the probables.

If he gets lucky, Maluenda will take the place of the vacancies to be left by Commissioners Florentino Tuazon and Resurreccion Borra this coming February.

Comelec chairman Benjamin Abalos, commissioners Florentino Tuazon and Resurreccion Borra are set to retire in February 2008, and with the seventh commissioner slot yet to be filled.

The President is expected to appoint a new Comelec Chairman and three Commissioners before February 8, 2008 when the two poll officials retire.

Whether it was the handiwork of prankster given his nomination, Maluenda would not say.

Without any hint of hesitation, Maluenda said he found the Comelec nomination "challenging".

A list of prospective Comelec appointees has been disclosed by acting Comelec Chairman Resurreccion Borra, which supposedly emanated from the search committee of Malacañang. The list includes former senator Rene Saguisag, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Wigberto Tañada, Amado Valdez, Alioden Dalaig, Severo Maluenda, and Howard Calleja.

Tañada is former senator and Quezon province congressman.

Valdez is dean of the University of the East College of Law. He was appointed government corporate counsel in April 2001. He was also one of the private prosecutors actively involved in the Estrada impeachment trial.

Maluenda was a senatorial candidate, while Calleja, a lawyer, is with the group Legal Network for Truthful Elections or Lente.

Maluenda expressed elation that he was nominated for the post. "Nalipay ko kaayo," he said.

He also said that he was supported by Bohol Reps. Edgar Chatto, Roberto Cajes and Adam Jala.

Maluenda needs sufficient support from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. He also sought the same help from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cebu.

"Hangyuon nako ang SP Bohol and Cebu SP to indorse me," he said.

Maluenda before the celebrated nomination wrote his own thesis about reforming the country's electoral system..

"Pagcorrect sa dili husto sa pagpadagan sa atong eleksyon kay ang atong sistema wala mosibo sa atong pagkaFilipino... daghan loopholes nga macorrupt tungod sa atong pagkaagresibo. Walay sistema nga mapugngan nga makorupt," Maluenda said.

With this proposal to change the electoral system, he is confident that vote buying would be eliminated.

"Vote buying mawala na... ang usa ka kandidato anang panahona dili makapalit... kauban ang tanan," he assured.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

By June S. Blanco

South Korea is keen on funding the feasibility studies (FS) and advanced
detailed engineering design (ADED) of the next batch of mega projects Gov. Erico
Aumentado wants to implement.

  Aumentado gave this observation on his return from a one-week trip to South Korea.
  The governor was a resource person at the 15th East and Southeast Asia (ESEA)
International Conference in Gumi City on November 1-3. But he flew to Seoul as
early as October 28 to meet with top honchos of the Korea International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the
Korea Export-Import Bank (Korea Eximbank) the following day.

  He also met with Philippine Airlines (PAL) general sales agents (GSAs) and tour
operators in Seoul and Pusan to campaign for tourists and lay the groundwork for
chartered direct flights from Incheon and Pusan to Tagbilaran City, and top brass
of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co., Ltd. to campaign for investments.
  The Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) of Singapore and the Local Government
Development Foundation (LOGODEF) that organized the conference sponsored the
governor’s trip including his two-way airfare.

  Investment promotion  In his meeting with KOICA Executive Director Lee Hae-kyoon,
the latter agreed to grant Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding for the
FS and ADED of the Bohol Port to Port Highway that goes from the Tubigon Port to
Jagna Port through the Tubigon-Sagbayan-Carmen-Sierra Bullones-Jagna Road, the
Bohol Irrigation Project Stage 3 and the Bohol Agricultural Master Plan-Small
Water Impounding (BAMP-SWIM) Projects in Barangay Bonotbonot in Buenavista,
Barangay Hibale in Danao town and in the Loboc Valley.

  More importantly, Aumentado said, KOICA agreed in principle, and subject to
compliance of requirements, to also fund the FS and ADED of the Panglao Island
Sewerage and Drainage System.

  On the other hand, EDCF Director General Hak Soo Kim agreed in principle also to
fund the ambitious multi-access Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge to accelerate the
development of Bohol and Cebu, the Central  Visayas premier provinces.

  “We have, however, to follow the requirements of KOICA and EDCF,” the governor said.
  Meanwhile, he said, Hanjin is considering setting up its shipyard for the Visayas
in Bohol, subject to the requirement of a 200-megawatt power plant, and to fly
Korean Airlines to Panglao  Bohol International  Airport once it will be
operational in 2011.

  Aumentado had met President and Chief Executive Officer Kang-Rock Lee of Hanjin
that owns Korean Airlines (KAL) and Hanjin Shipping Co., Ltd.

  Next to Subic in Luzon, Hanjin has been mulling the establishment of a shipyard in
Villanueva and Tagoloan towns of Misamis Oriental in Mindanao. While the plan has
not miscarried, he said it is “on the rocks” as Hanjin has been apparently
buffeted by bureaucratic red tape compounded by the threat coming from the New
People’s Army (NPA).

  As such, he offered Bohol to be an alternative or additional shipyard site.
  However, Hanjin needs a minimum of 200 megawatts for the shipyard. Aumentado will
meet the Senior Vice President of the National Power Corp. next week to discuss
the nitty-gritty of getting additional power to meet the Hanjin shipyard
requirements.

  When the shipyard is operational, it will need around 30,000 welders, he said,
  Tourism promotion  The proposed chartered direct flights from Pusan and Incheon in
December met a snag.

  This after tour operators in Pusan and Seoul reported that two GSAs have been
monopolizing the Bohol tourist traffic from both airports to the Philippines,
leaving the South Koreans with no choice but shell out fare at very expensive
rates â€" almost equal to that of a trip from the Philippines to the United States.
  They also reported the relatively high rates of accommodations, food and services
of hotels and resorts here.

  Tourism Director and Attache Maricon Basco-Ebron attended the Seoul meeting with
PAL GSA Kim Ki Tae.
  International conference  At the ESEA Conference, Aumentado spoke on the Role of
Local Government Units in the Promotion of International Tourism and Foreign
Investment. He also moderated on the presentation of Vietnam on its tourism and
foreign investment program.

  His invitation as paper writer for the conference forms part of his prize for
bagging the Konrad Adenauer Medal of Excellence (KAME) in 2006 for steering Bohol
into the highly performing province that it is now â€" “and in recognition of my
humble role for Bohol’s peace initiatives and economic development.”

  Recommendations  To reduce the airfare from Incheon and Pusan to the Philippines
to make Philippine tourism globally competitive in so far as Korean tourism is
concerned, Aumentado, in his after-activity report to President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, and to Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and
Undersecretary Rolando Acosta, recommended to push for the open sky policy.

  He also recommended to push the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) Technical Board and the NEDA Board to fast
track the approval of the ODA grants for the Bohol projects by KOICA and EDCF in
order that the FSs and the ADEDs for BHIP 3 and BAMP, the Port to Port Highway
Project, the Panglao Sewerage and Drainage System Project as well as the Multi
Access Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge Project will be funded by KOICA and EDCF,
respectively, the soonest possible time so that the implementation thereof can be
undertaken immediately after the administration of President Arroyo.

True to his tag as a hard-working congressman, first district Representative Edgar Chatto addressed three sectors in different speaking engagement set in six hours.

It was an opportunity for Chatto to deal with the "cross-section of society" spanning from the group of citizens in their twilight years to those in the prime of their youth and the children of sunshine age.

During the inauguration of the Senior Citizens Hall in Balilihan at nine in the morning on Wednesday, acknowledged the wisdom of the aged ones who are "timbers of the community".

From the there, Chatto proceeded to the graduation rites at Informatics Computer Institute in Tagbilaran City at noon where he before he inspired the new IT professional.          

Then he joined the kids as he graced a celebration at the Dauis Day Care Center at two in the afternoon.

In the provincial federation assembly of the senior citizens held earlier, Chatto called on the sector's unity, for them to effectively work with the younger generations who may value bonding of community members regardless of ages.

In last Wednesday's event, the senior citizens, for their part, expressed gratitude to the congressman for his assistance in the construction of the Provincial Senior Citizens Building.

Indeed, unity and cooperation among sectors can be steps towards common welfare, Chatto said.

The congressman recognized the elders as productive components of the society.
He also commended them for their continuing contribution to the common good, despite their old age.

Chatto said the government is simply grateful that it provides the senior citizens with more social welfare avenues.

Balilihan's leading senior citizen is the solon's very own mother, Mayor Victoria Chatto.

From the senior citizens' affair, Chatto proceeded to Metro Centre Hotel in Tagbilaran City where he addressed the sixth batch of graduates of the Informatics Computer Institute.

As graduation guest speaker, he was welcomed by Informatics administrators led by its manager, Victoriano Tirol, who inducted the graduates to the school's alumni association, and its vice president for finance, Dr. Cristeta Tirol.

Chatto, who sits in Congress' influential committee on education, expressed pride in young Boholanos who, with their training on information technology (IT), are now ready to compete globally.

IT professionals are now among the best-paid workers, not to mention the growing global recognition of Filipino computer graduates.

After the senior and youth citizens, the Day Care children in Dauis took the chance of listening to the congressman, who is fondly regarded in his district as the "honorary classmate" of Day Care tots, during the culmination of the town's Children's Month Celebration.

Chatto has been providing Day Care buildings, books and instructional materials which are relevant start to learning.

The occasion was highlighted by the crowning of the kiddy King and Queen of Dauis Day Care Centers 2007.

Chatto, who was joined by Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer Constancia Tuñacao and Provincial Early Childhood Development Coordinator John Tabaranza, invoked the children's rights to education, in addition to sound health.

--printed by the Bohol Sunday Post

Tagbilaran Mayor Dan Lim yesterday said he is optimistic that things will improve in the barangay level when candidates friendly to the mayor won in at least 10 barangays in Monday's election.

The biggest turn-around is in Cogon where Philipp Besas became the new barangay captain after defeating former provincial treasurer Nestor Balatero.

Since ex-Mayor Jose Torralba supported Balatero, Lim said he is comfortable working with Besas.
          
Aside from Besas, the other barangay captains whom Lim considered friendly were incumbents Faro Cabalit of Taloto and Dionisio Remolador, Poblacion 3, and newcomers Nestor Mendez of Bool, Leda Saco, Manga; Manolo Blanco, Mansasa; Eutorgio Telmo Jr., Booy; Timoteo Maglahus, Ubujan; Gildardo Bustamante, San Isidro; and Marcelo Epe, Tiptip.

Those who survived the juggernaut were incumbents Niño Racho of Poblacion 1 and Glorivic Yap-de la Serna of Poblacion 2 and newcomers Fredison Ingles of Dampas and mediaman Fortunato "Atoy" Cosap of Dao.

Notwithstanding the fate of reelectionist Apolonio Onyot of Cabawan who ended up in a tie, pro-Lim barangay captains now compose a new majority in the city.
"I believe we will be able to accomplish so much more," Lim said.

The mayor had complained that he did not only fail to generate support from the barangay captains in the past.

"In many instances, they actually tried to undermine my administration," Lim recalled.

He pointed out that many Blue Cards that were supposed to be distributed to indigents in every barangay were not distributed by barangay captains who were politically at odds with him.

"It turned out that because many indigents did not avail of the Blue Card, they could make a claim in the election that it was fake," the mayor noted.

Lim said the cooperation of barangay officials are crucial particularly in setting up a city-wide peace and order apparatus.

"Considering that it is the barangay officials who recognize the people in their localities, they are in the best position to monitor those who are engaged in suspicious activities," he added.

Lim said that in the past, many barangay officials did not do anything against criminal elements for as long as they benefited from them politically.

"That will no longer be the case," the mayor stressed.

He said each one has a responsibility but the barangay officials should take a lead.
"Everybody knows that peace and order is not just a police concern but many barangay officials act like it is not their business," he lamented.

Lim said that now that the elections are over, he will begin implementing his city-wide peace and order program.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

First District Representative Edgar Chatto has requested the National Historical Institute (NHI) to declare the ancestral house of the late President Carlos P. Garcia in Tagbilaran City as a historical monument.

This will entitle the building which used to house the Bohol Museum a funding from the national government for its preservation and maintenance.

In his letter-request to NHI Chairman Ambeth Ocampo dated October 9, 2007, Chatto explained that once NHI officially declares the late President's home as historical monument, it will be eligible for government funding to keep up with renovation, restoration and maintenance costs.          

Chatto's move came with the blessings of the Garcia Family through Lawyer Fernando Campos.

Recently, it was reported that lack of funds made it difficult to keep the building in good shape, especially after the Bohol Museum was absorbed by the new National Museum located in the old Provincial Library Building.

The Bohol Association of Metro Manila, Inc. (BAMMI), in coordination with the CPG Foundation, Inc., has an on-going fund-raising drive to finance its restoration and repair.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Amid reports on accumulating undisposed garbage in the towns of Dauis and Panglao after Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Lim closed the Dampas Sanitary Landfill to users outside the city, Governor Erico Aumentado could not just sit down and relax.

The governor formally interceded on behalf of the two municipalities, calling Mayor Lim to allow the municipalities to dump their solid waste at the Dampas Sanitary Landfill, pending resolution to the issues at hand.

"It will mean a lot to our tourism industry in the province if you can extend the generosity and cooperation of the government of Tagbilaran for the sake of sustainable tourism, Aumentado stated in his letter to Lim dated October 26, 2007.
          
Aumentado raised concern on the undisposed garbage in the two municipalities that are starting to pile up.

"We feel this will have untold effect on our tourism industry unless sooner addressed. I know you are aware that any adverse effect on tourism in Panglao Island will be felt first by the City of Tagbilaran," Aumentado told Lim in the letter.
Reports also had it that Lim is likely to soften stand for Dauis, but stands pat against Panglao.

Early this year, Lim closed the facility to the two municipalities and other areas outside the city.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Article and Interview by Loy Palapos
published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Jollibee has gone international, its impact on the fastfood-chain business has reverberated world-wide, leaving a delicious after-taste among gourmets. It's " Langhap Sarap" slogan is very Asian, appealing to all generations; so that it's not surprising to see one family (from the grandparents, parents, and grandchildren) seated in a Jollibee outlet to savor the flavor of the leading Filipino eatery.

Even its FSC (Food, Service, Cleanliness) has gained recognition, and has become a model of excellence. By year-end there will be 600 Jollibee branches all over the Philippines. Outlets have also been opened in foreign countries: Brunei (7 outlets), Hongkong (1), Vietnam (, and Guam (2); in California alone there are 35 Jollibee outlets. When Jollibee opened in Las Vegas last August, it stunned the world with a seven-figure opening-day sale. But most noteworthy in the business realm took place in 2004 when Mr. Tony Tan Caktiong was accorded Ernst Young's World Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

There are now three Jollibee outlets in Bohol, all of them in Tagbilaran City, and plans are underway to branch out to a few selected municipalities by 2008. The first Jollibee outlet was in Plaza Marcela, the second in Alturas Supermarket, and the third in Island City Mall. Responsible for these three is Nancy Araco Doydora (NAD), the Managing Director. Assisting her are 222 supervisors, staff and crew.

This ambush interview took place at ICM, last Wednesday, even when Jollibee-ICM was bursting with kids and their elders. I ask a grandmother, who was with two boys and a teen-age girl about her presence, and her answer was: " Kon ang akong mga apo maghisgot na ug kaon sa gawas, Jollibee na… ug di ko makabalibad kay ganahan man sad ko dinhi."

LMP: What is your present designation?
NAD: Managing Director of Jollibee and Greenwich Tagbilaran Group.

LMP: When you started studying, what was your dream?
NAD: I wanted to become a nun. I was exposed to religious activities like Flores de Mayo for the whole month of May, and other church projects. In Gallares Street, we have a chapel there. Santa Cruz Chapel. I was active in youth activities, like the PYM, the Parish Youth Movement.

LMP: You finished elementary, where?
NAD: At Cogon Elementary School as Salutatorian.

LMP: Then, high school?
NAD: University of Bohol. Valedictorian.

LMP: And college?
NAD: Still at UB

LMP: What course?
NAD: Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. Dean's Lister.

LMP: What year?
NAD: That was 1988. My first job was as checker at Alturas Supermarket.

LMP: Did you apply right after graduation?
NAD: No. I took a rest for 3 months. And then my father suggested, I work in Alturas because he knows Mano Narding. My father was a winch- man before at the Tagbilaran Pier.

LMP: So you stayed there?
NAD: After 3 months, I resigned. I thought I wasn't fitted for the job.

LMP: Where did you go after that?
NAD: I went to Cebu, and worked there in a rattan company as Methods Analyst.

LMP: Did it fit more, the kind of training that you had?
NAD: Yes. An Industrial Engineer's job is more on analysis, finding ways on how to make work easier and profitable. And minimizing the time element.

LMP: Did you stay there long?
NAD: For 6 months.

LMP: Why only 6 months?
NAD: I started working in another rattan company.

LMP: The same job?
NAD: As Cost analysts

LMP: What was the name of the other company?
NAD: Cebu Rattan.

LMP: The same as the first one?
NAD: The first one was Amancor in Mandaue.

LMP: And you liked the job and stayed longer?
NAD: No. I stayed for only 6 months.

LMP: Another 6 months. After that?
NAD: Then another job. In MEPSA.

LMP: What particular company was that?
NAD: KH. It was Japanese Company.

LMP: What job?
NAD: Supervisory.

LMP; In particular, unsay product sa company?
NAD: Garments, for export.

LMP: And you're a supervisor there. The question is, how long did you stay?
NAD: Another 6 months.

LMP: Where did you go?
NAD: I decided to come back to Bohol.

LMP: What year?
NAD: 1990.

LMP: Back at Alturas?
NAD: Alturas.

LMP: Where were you assigned?
NAD; I was assigned at the Planning Department headed by Mr. Elison Tan.

LMP: How long were you in the planning department?
NAD: For 6 months. After 6 months, I was assigned at the Bakery and Fastfoods. That time Flora Bangkoy was the supervisor and she was planning to enter a nunnery in Italy. When I started at the Bakery and Fastfoods Center, may plano na si Flor nga magmadre. I mean, iya diay kong giplanuhan nga iyang ipuli. Pero, I was not aware of that. Iya lang kong gihinayhinayan ug makmak. So, when she finally decided nga magmadre siya, akoy iyang gi recommend sa General Manager.

LMP: Did you accept the job at once?
NAD: No. I was hesitant to accept the job. I loved to be involved in the different departments, to learn their systems. Pero Sir, I believe nga if decision na sa taas like Sir Mar, wa kay reason nga mubalibad kay ikaw may nangitag trabaho. And what I did was to prove lang nga wa pod magmahay si Flor nga nagrecommend nako.

LMP: How long did you hold that job?
NAD: 5 years.

LMP: Then came Jollibee?
NAD: No. Plaza Marcela. I was the OIC of Plaza Marcela when it opened in 1997.

LMP; Why did you leave it?
NAD: My choice. Because during that time, Plaza Marcela was mingaw pa. The management decided to put in Jollibee so Sir Mar went to Manila and applied for a franchise. I think, when Sir Mar was asked kinsay angay padad-on sa Jollibee, he just mentioned my name.

LMP: So you were not able to refuse? So readily, gi accept nimo?
NAD: No. I was afraid. I was not ready. But I had no choice. Kon decision na sa top management, dili pod siguro sila mu decide kon sa tan aw nila, dili kaya nako.

LMP: You were trained after that?
NAD: Yes

LMP: For how long?
NAD: 3 1/2 months.

LMP: In what Jollibee outlet?
NAD: The strategy of the training, Sir, is that they assign you to a Jollibee store near your boarding house. My boarding house was at Binondo, so I was assigned in Jollibee Divisoria Mall. It's a walking distance.

LMP: Was the training on the management for the full operation?
NAD: Only on the basic operation Sir. More on crew work; how you deliver the food; how you prepare the food; and how you entertain customers. Financial side. I had no idea.

LMP: Then afterwards, open na?
NAD: Open na ang store.

LMP: So wala na ka mahadlok?
NAD: May kaba gamay.

LMP: Can you still remember the date nag-open ang Plaza Marcela Jollibee?
NAD: Of course, Sir. It was April 18, 1998. Mag-10 years na ang store.

LMP: Did you find the job challenging?
NAD: Very challenging. The demands, the requirements, the kind of people, you work with. Very challenging jud. That time, ang Jollibee was new to Tagbilaran, and the pool of applicants and the kind of people we hired, were from the prominent families. Basta gikan sa prominenty family, kasagaran naay kaugalingong thinking.

LMP: What did you find at Jollibee that was unique?
NAD: The FSC. Our way of life. F is food, then S is service and C is cleanliness and condition.

LMP: That's basically Jollibee? Naa ba na siya in other restaurant?
NAD: We differ in different ways.

LMP: How about the crew? How was the recruitment process?
NAD: We coursed it through you before, you were the HRD manager. We coursed it through your department, Sir. We centralized it in your department.

LMP: Jollibee is famous for hiring part-timers. Would you say that among the stores in the country Jollibee started the hiring of students in order for them to help them with their studies?
NAD: I think so, Sir. Because we believe nga once part-timer ang bata, dili sila magpondo. They have a chance to really move forward for what they want in life nga dili lang permanente nga crew but somebody nga nay kaugalingon nga pride, nga naa silay decision in life and the community.

LMP: That is one way to build the self esteem of the people. That they are not hired just to be there, but that they have something to be proud of and they can grow. When did the Alturas Jollibee open?
NAD: Alturas Jollibee opened on June 30, 1999. A year after Plaza Marcela.

LMP; And that's with Greenwich
NAD: Yes. Before, the trend was co-branding. When you franchise Jollibee, packaged na ang Greenwich.

LMP: Was that also the trend when there was Jollibee ICM?
NAD: No. because by 2002, they realized that co-branding is not healthy for Greenwich .

LMP; Did Greenwich and Jollibee ICM open at the same time?
NAD: No.

LMP: Kinsa may nag-una?
NAD: Jollibee. On June 26, 2004.

LMP: How about Greenwich ?
NAD: December 18, 2004.

LMP: Have you found out that the decision to separate was good for both?
NAD: Yes, it was proven good.

LMP: How many years has Jollibee been here?
NAD: In Tagbilaran 10 years, next year.

LMP: Is there a possibility for other expansions?
NAD: There is.

LMP: If it's not confidential.
NAD: Actually, Sir, there is no exact time pa, but there is,

LMP: Away from Tagbilaran?
NAD: Possibly. Now, aggressive kaayo ang Jollibee, Sir, for expansion.

LMP: How does Alturas and Jollibee contribute to your personal life?
NAD: I become more confident. Decisive on things, more open, and know more how to reach out to people.

LMP: What more do you expect to come?
NAD: You grow older, you also want to be self sufficient, also you want to handle your own business.

LMP: How long will you like to stay in Jollibee?
NAD: For as long as they are still confident and satisfied with my performance. and for as long as I still have something to contribute to the Alturas Group and new things to share with my managers.

LMP: How do you express your gratitude to Alturas and Jollibee as far as personal growth is concerned?
NAD: Without the Alturas Group, we will not have Jollibee. I realized that both have helped me a lot in terms of expanding my knowledge, especially in Jollibee.

To Sir Mar, he's like a mentor, bisan ug masayop ka, Sir, he always gives you another chance nga macorrect imung sayop, and then eventually, mamaayo jud ka anang field.

LMP: He makes you realize your mistakes, how your fault can be corrected. How about the public?
NAD: I'm so grateful that they patronize Jollibee here in Bohol. In fact during the HNU survey, it turned out nga dako kaayo ang disparity sa Jollibee with other competitors. Dako kayo ang percentage nga labaw ang Jollibee.

LMP; So naglead jud ang Laghap Sarap Pinoy?
NAD: Yes Sir. Ang FSC pod namo, Sir. Ang food ug ang service. I believe that we have the best service in Tagbilaran. When Jollibee came to Bohol, I noticed the progress of the province. Jollibee grows with the City and Province. Jollibee has exerted its influence to the public through its service. It's a give-and-take relationships. The public have changed for the better. We at Jollibee are happy we are a part of progress.

Last September, on my way back to the Philippines via San Francisco, Mark Cabañeo, his wife, and three children brought me to dine at a Jollibee outlet in Daly City. It was six in the afternoon and the line to the counter was getting linger (we were number 9). Even while partaking of the spaghetti and chicken we ordered, I cant help but noticed the mix-race crew. Five were Mexicans, three were Americans, and 2 dark-skinned boys were probably Jamaicans. The feeling I had was of awe and pride, proud with the thought that "Langhap Sarap" is now enjoyed in foreign shores.

Jollibee is now an epitome of speedy service with excellence. It's organizational structure is a product of good planning. The training a would-be employee gets leaves something to be desired. The Corporation is also a pioneer in the recruitment of part-timer crew and staff members among students. There are even well-heeled families who encourage their children to work at Jollibee, as a good training for their development as students, and later as entrepreneurs.
Jollibee is still growing, and still growing strong.

By Boy Guingguing
Publisher
Bohol Sunday Post

Constant exposure to media outlets was not a surefire guarantee of making it to public office.

This was found out by some members of the Bohol media who failed to make it in the last barangay elections although most of them were the hands down choice of the electorate.

Radio Station DYTR registered the most number of winning candidates starting with reelectionist Sen Guingguing who buried his opponent in convincing fashion.

For the second time, the anchor of Tingog sa Barangay over Station DYTR, clobbered Cristobal Talagsa as barangay captain of Montaña, Baclayon. A chosen candidate of former Baclayon mayor Benny Uy, Talagsa must have thought he had a Chinaman's chance of beating Rosendo Guingguing, his second degree cousin, in a return bout. In the 2002 barangay elections, Guingguing led by only two votes in a close fight against Talagsa. Their second encounter saw the challenger buried with a 102-vote margin.

In the same Montaña barangay elections, the wife of the Post publisher, Neria, pulled off a stunning upset against the star-studded line-up of Guingguing. She is the resident accountant of the Bohol Sunday Post.

Running as an independent, she broke away from the pack of 15 pretenders including five reelectionists to snatch the number one spot of elected barangay kagawads. Five of the incumbents candidates made it. They are Orencio Jumang-it, Eleuterio Banua, Marcos Israel, Simplicio Adovo and Cresente Valeroso.

The triumph of Guingguing posted a 100 percent batting average of DYTR talents. Another big winner was correspondent Boy Luzon who won as barangay captain of Cogon Norte in Loon.

Five other kagawad wannabes of the station also made it. They are Dondon Dulalas of Catarman, Dauis; Dodong Libatona of Baucan, Balilihan; Ronie Nueva of Mandaug, Calape; Andy Nalzaro of Bagumbayan, Loboc and Nelson Tayag of Taloto district, this city.

Another big winner in the last barangay elections was radioman Atoy Cosap of Station DYRD.

Fighting a formidable odd in the beginning, Atoy Cosap surprised everybody especially the camp of City Mayor Dan Lim when he showed awesome firepower towards the homestretch of the game. It was found out later that he was backed up by the machinery of Cong. Edgar Chatto to win the post of barangay captain of Dao district, this city. As the last ballot was counted, Cosap beat incumbent Flor Cornel by a comfortable margin of 153 votes.

Other Cosap colleagues at DYRD were not as lucky. The Torregosa brothers, Mark and Fanie both lost in their bids for barangay captain and, kagawad, respectively in in Mabini and Baclayon.

Top rated anchorman Batchoy Alba placed fourth in a seven-slot scramble. It was a dramatic improvement from his previous showing where he placed sixth in the second district elections for barangay kagawads.

Another DYRD loser was commentator Rey Blanco who lost in his bid for second district kagawad.

Very impressive in his propaganda material where he was pictured in "full broadcast regalia", Blanco failed to convince second district voters to try him banking on his vast radio talent.

Another humiliating defeat was that of Bohol Chronicle lensman Danny Reyes who came in a poor third in a three-way race for barangay captain in barangay Lourdes, Panglao.

DYRD technician Alex Igang also failed in his bid as Manga councilman.

A mediaman handling a government program, Gene Ugboc, was also not as lucky when he failed his ambition to become a barangay kagawad of Santa Cruz, Baclayon.

By Joe Espiritu
Jagna-based Writer
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

Fuel costs are rising. Gasoline, diesel and petroleum prices had gone through the roof and there are no signs of slowing down. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC has their collective hands on the tap and they can slow down the oil flow or turn it off at will. They cannot be blamed, the move is for their survival. This time they are regulating the flow of supply to control the petroleum world market. Since fossil fuel is exhaustible, they are regulating production to make the supply last longer.

Power generating engines may derive their energy from sources such as geothermal, hydroelectric, nuclear and coal and oil. Stationary engines may use first three categories Transport engines, that is those, which must move from one place to another, require power generators, which are portable or which could be carried along. Ever since the discovery of the internal combustion engine, to power transports, the world has been very dependent on fossil fuel. Since extraction, transportation and refinement of fossil fuels those fuels are easy their cost is relatively low. But that was a thing of the past.

Fossil fuel is not inexhaustible. Statisticians predict that oil production will peak out in the year 2010. From that year, oil production will slow down somewhat.

More and more countries are industrializing. As the demand continue to rise, oil producers would be forced to mine hard to reach areas. Extensive search for oil deposits are conducted but no major finds had been recorded. Bohol Sea, the area between Bohol and Cebu is now undergoing exploration and no amount of protest will stop the extraction of deposits if found to be in commercial quantities.

The Philippines could resort to nuclear energy for her needs but the Chernobyl scare and political interference would not permit us to use the atom. Industrialized countries like Japan, Canada and the United States are presently using nuclear energy. Resources poor Japan may be forced to use them but Canada and the US; both rich in oil deposits and hydroelectric power still use atomic reactors to augment their resources.

This time the Philippine government is looking at the generation of biofuel. Starchy plants like cassava and corn, oily plants such as coconut, oil palm and, jetropha and sugar cane could be used as biofuel feedstock. As much as 34 billion pesos are initially invested for planting, processing, and infrastructure. Some 756,300 hectares will be needed for this industry. Most of the cassava and corn would be used for human consumption but the rest would be primarily for industrial purposes if their planting were intensified

The grower is offered several opportunities. Namely; a straight purchase of their products, contract growing, lease arrangement or joint ventures. All those arrangements will provide the farmer with guaranteed income package, straight purchase of harvested crops at favorable prices or profit sharing. Planters can avail of new planting technologies that would create more jobs and increase production.

The Philippine Coconut Authority, by using the coco levy could increase coconut production by opening new areas for planting and introduction of fast growing, early maturing coconuts. The Department of Agriculture would provide the technology for profitable jetropha or tubatuba farming. These two would create job opportunities, which would encourage local labor to stay and devote their energies to farming.

The biofuel industry would make more demands on Bohol environment. The soil must be made to support production. Thought mostly karst, this may be conditioned to support jetropha, coconut and oil palm farming. Since biofuel production could provide a renewable energy source, this may enable us to break away from our total dependence on fossil fuel. Should oil deposits in Bohol Sea be located and extracted and out biofuel farms producing, it is not unreasonable to hope that Bohol would be freed from the grip of poverty.

By CARL FREIRE, Associated Press Writer

Japan's employers should provide mental health services to workers suffering from depression and other illnesses, the government said Friday after reporting that more than 30,000 people killed themselves last year.

In its first annual report on suicide and suicide prevention measures, the Cabinet Office said 32,155 people killed themselves in 2006, the 9th straight year the figure has exceeded 30,000.

The total number of suicides represents a drop of 397 from the previous year, the government said. Still, Japan's suicide rate ranks 9th highest in the world, the government added, citing World Health Organization data. Lithuania had the highest rate, followed by Belarus and Russia, while the U.S. ranked 43.

Health problems were believed to factor in almost 50 percent of the Japan's suicides in 2006, followed by money problems and household difficulties, the report said. Forty-eight percent of those who killed themselves were unemployed, it said.

source: Associated Press and yahoo.com

The political dynasty of the Lims of Valencia may not be the most powerful animals in the jungle of Bohol politics, but nobody messes up with the clan lest any pretender will only suffer political cuts and bruises if not outright annihilation.

Political predators of the highest form, the Lims are back in harness to contest the prestigious presidency of the Federated Association of Barangay Councils in Bohol.

The matriarch, Conching Lim, won the barangay captain elections of Canmanico, earning her the ticket to run for ABC president of the town. It will be a breeze from there since most of the winning barangay captains belong to her camp. Lim is said to be the power behind the throne of Valencia Mayor Henrietta Gan, Lim's niece. The elder Lim is sarcastically called "the board" of Valencia, an apparent reference to her being a former board member of the town.

The Federated ABC is the undisputed turf of the Lims after it ruled the group of barangay captains since its inception sometime in the mid 90's. It has been the Lims domain until one of its siblings, Renato, died paving the way for an "outsider" to man the ramparts of the ABC affairs. The former board member won the Canmanico elections unopposed and winning the town's ABC setto is a foregone conclusion. There were talks that the Balite-Diputado combine of Valencia may field their own candidate against the former board member but it appeared to be a token gesture considering their diminishing political fortune. The result of last May's elections in Valencia was an unquestionable measure that they were no match to the Lims in Valencia politics.

THE OUTSIDER

That outsider is Dr. Romulo Cepedoza, incumbent ABC federated president who is running for reelection. He took over the reigns of then ABC president Cariso Camacho who died while in office. Camacho's presidency was inherited from Renato Lim who likewise died while serving the ABC presidency.

Let's face it, Cepedoza's greatest fears is a square off with former board member Conching Lim who is casting a moist eye of the ABC presidency.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

A 2-year-old Indian girl born with four arms and four legs regained consciousness Friday, wiggled her toes and smiled at her parents, 48 hours after massive surgery removed the extra limbs, doctors said.

Lakshmi, who has been revered by some in her village as a reincarnation of the four-armed Hindu goddess she was named for, was still in intensive care. But she was "doing well" as doctors slowly stopped sedating her, said Dr. Mamatha Patil, Sparsh Hospital spokeswoman.

"She had smiled at us and moved her limbs," Patil said. Besides her toes, the girl also moved her arms, Patil said.

Doctors were planning to take the girl off a respirator later Friday but were still monitoring her closely during the critical 72-hour period following the operation, she said.

source: yahoo.com

Published by the Bohol Sunday Post

The last electoral battle for president of the Sangguniang Kabataan in Bohol's 1,109 barangays saw the election of as many aspirants but the most exciting part of it all is-- who will emerge winner of the expectedly tightly-fought race for the SK federation presidency.

This year's SK federation contest promises to be the most "bloody" in terms of vote buying, kidnapping and other dirty tactics employed by the handlers of the candidates.

The last SK elections was the living testament of what it will be like when the battle royale for SK federation president comes. Reports of massive vote buying kidnapping and housing of voters were the order of the day during the last polls of young leaders.

Where else but from their elders are where the young politicians learn the art of vote buying-the tested yardstick in winning an elective post. This means, the coming SK tussle in the province is no different from the previous ones where money was the language best understood even by young voters.          

The choice then is between how much money can buy ballots or going over the leadership potential of a particular candidates. The pick is obvious and it's all about money-- and lots of it..
Three names were floated, this early, to win handily in the races for president in the towns. Due primarily to pedigree and money, the three easy winners over their opponents, if at all, there is any.

In the short list are the Big Three made up of Rochelle Brigitte Lim-Imboy of Loay; Jane Censoria Cajes of Trinidad and Maria Fe Cadeliña of Bilar.

Their names sound familiar? Why not?

Lim-Imboy, 17, is the pretty daughter of Loay Mayor May Lim-Imboy PCL president Brigido "Boy" Imboy is a cinch of a winner in the SK contest for president in Loay.

Banking on the support of 19 of 24 barangay SK chairmen, Lim-Imboy is a sure-winner even before the political exercise in the municipality is conducted.

A fourth year student of an exclusive girls' school in Cebu (Sacred Heart School for Girls), the young Imboy is the clan's bet in the epic fight for SB president in the province.

An Imboy triumph in the federated SK is considered another feather to the cap of the politically-entrenched clan.

This lady Imboy can be a vital cog representing the youth to the ambition of her mother to run for Bohol governor in 2010.

The two Imboys will be backstopped by the husband who is number one Loay councilor. The Imboy patriarch is also eyeing the 2010third district congressional plum after a failed attempt last May due to personal reasons..

CAJES'GIRL

Never to be outfought and never to be "outmoneyed", the girl to beat in the Bohol SK presidency is the daughter of Cong. Roberto Cajes and Trinidad Mayor Judith del Rosario-Cajes.

Groomed as the successor of the incumbent SK federation president Francis Bobbit Cajes-Auza, the younger Cajes is a consistent honor student who according to informed sources if pitted against their opponents-she will give them a run of their money, academically.

As a congressman's daughter, money is out of the question. Therefore, if the color of money is the tipping point of the SP elections, this Cajes baby is unbeatable.

The third force, if she is called as such, is no pushover either.

Also a daughter of a political kingpin in his own right, Cadeliña is the child of Bilar Mayor Fanuel Cadeliña.

The Bilar mayor may not enjoy the same immense wealth as the Lim-Imboys and the Cajeses but she is also a force to reckon weight in a three-cornered scramble.

The ace up of her sleeve of this Bilar bet is the financial wallop of Angelo Balili who was touted to have expressed interest in helping his close friend's daughter. The Bilar mayor is a certified acolyte of the Loboc millionaire.

Two U.S. Marines were behind bars Friday at the Somerset County Jail after being found guilty of illegally shooting three moose in northern Somerset County.

Ross P. Carroll, 19, of Searsport was sentenced in Skowhegan District Court to 30 days in jail and Howard Button, 22, of Quinlan, Texas, to 15 days.

Maine game wardens arrested the two men after Border Patrol agents on Thursday found a broken-down pickup loaded with moose meat.

Both men are stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and are believed to be on unauthorized leave from the Marine Corps, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Each was charged with two counts of night hunting and three counts of illegal possession of moose.

source: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com

but this is not about my father.

this is about an imagined memory of an unrequited love.

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on November 11, 2007, 07:59:22 PM
Ngilngig kaayo.

Sa binul-anon, "Ngig-ngig jamo' an".

macky, a forgotten pain can be healed by immortalizing it in poetry.

Freak accidents took its toll on six lives in Bohol over the holidays.

The first involved Engr. Maurito Lim or the popular "Chairman Mao", a block-timer at a local radio station who accidentally rammed his Isuzu Crosswind to a group of teenagers hanging around the national highway in barangay Cantomocad, Loon on the fateful Thursday night.

One of the three teenagers, 17-year-old KC Estremos, died after Lim's car hit him, while his girlfriend Carmel Juaton, 17, and another companion, Ronalie Aboredo, also a 17-year-old who is from Banilad, Cebu City.

Loon Police Investigator SPO1 Alexander Nuñez said he will file tomorrow, reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and physical injuries against Lim before the Provincial Prosecutor's Office. (see related story)

In another accident, a 66-year-old woman died a few hours after she was hit by a Kawasaki Aura on November 2, 2007 while walking along the road in barangay Loreto, Cortes.
          

The victim, Ana Corita Butod, was rushed to Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, then transferred to Ramiro Community Hospital where she expired after a few hours.

At five in the afternoon of the same day, another accident took toll on two lives in Pilar. Reports had it that two 18-year-old women drowned in Sagnap Spring.

According to police report, Jiji Tabacan of barangay Babag, Dagohoy drowned first. Her companion, Phoebe Ocio of barangay San Isidro, Pilar, just tried to rescue her but failed.

Meanwhile, bodies of two teenagers were found yesterday dawn lying on a secluded area in Sitio Doldol, at Ubujan District, Tagbilaran City.

Police identified the victims as Helarion Gondong, 26, of Purok 2 Tiptip District, and Regina Batajoy, 22, who is from Llangga, Surigao del Sur and is temporarily residing at Purok 3, at Tiptip District, Tagbilaran City.

Gondong's mother, Gregoria, denied that the victims were lovers, saying his son's girlfriend is from Baclayon.

According to SPO2 Reynario Añana, they are still pursuing investigation on the case. (Sen Guingguing)

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Balong, balik kay gihandum namo ang imong mga talidhay.

Ang Kahilom Matawo Pag-usab
sinulat ni m. ligalig

ang kahilom nga giugom sa atong mga mata
dili makapusgay sa paril nga nag-ulang kanato -
ug ako nahimong ulipon sa katam-is sa imong panagway.

ang kadlawon sa atong mga damgo mahimo nang buntag
ug mopalayo kanato ang katugnaw sa pagbating gibalibaran.

buot ko untang gupokon ang taytayan nga nagdugtong kanato
aron dili na ako makatuod pagsunod sa imong mga tunob
apan kumoton ang akong dughan sa hulagway sa imong anino.

but-ot kong pus-on ang tanang nabiling handumanan kanato
apan ang imong talidhay mihimo kanakong estatuwang bato
ug nawad-an ako ug umoy samtang nagtutok kanimo.

oo, nabati ko ang kahilom sa imong mga mata
ug kini gisinggit sa akong kasing-kasing -
apan daghan nang katuigan nga wala mo pamatia
ang hinungaw ug yagobyob ning mga ngabil
hangtud nga nahidakin-as ako sa lapokong gabii.

gilimud sa gabii ang akong pagkapukan ug dili
buot mahinumdum ang akong mga luha sa imong pagbiya.

nahibalo ka ba nga wala pa ako malutas sa pag-inusara?
wala pa mapapas ang salamin sa imong kabuotan
nga nagpabiling espalto sa hawanan ning alimpatakan?

karon nga naghinawiray ang atong mga gininhawa,
karon nga giugom ta ang kahilom sa atong mga mata,
buot kong iluwa ang kapait sa imong paghilayo,
buot kong isuka sa akong mga dalunggan
ang huni ug huyohoy sa imong mga tingog
nga nalubong taliwala sa dag-om sa akong kalag.

motalikod ang kadlawon kanato apan ang kahilom matawo pag-usab.

Radio blocktimer plows into a group of teenagers killing one victim

The long holidays may be a boon under the principle of economics of scale but it can be a bane to the unsuspecting.

This was found out quite belatedly by a radio blocktimer selling on the air energy drinks who was incarcerated because a case cannot be filed against him owing to the long holidays.

Known in the airlanes as "Chairman Mao", Engr. Maurito Lim, a retired executive of the National Power Corp. and now dabbling as a radio blocktimer was imprisoned after his Isuzu Crosswind plowed into a group of teenagers along the roadside in barangay Cantumukad, Loon town Thursday evening.          

Interviewed yesterday to get his side of the story, Engr. Lim said the unfortunate event was purely accidental.

Admitting that "he was a little bit tipsy", he said he fell asleep while negotiating the quite Loon highway not noticing the bystanders nearby.

At the same time, Engr. Lim corrected "erroneous" news reports that the vehicle he was driving suffered massive damages as a result of the accident. He said the car only suffered slight damages.

Initial investigation showed that Lim was on the way to this city after attending All Saints Day activities in Buenavista town,

According to PO1 Alexander Nunez, traffic investigator of the Loon police station, charges of homicide through reckless imprudence are being readied as early as Friday morning but since it was a holiday the case cannot be filed. Two more non-working days (Saturday and Sunday) aggravated Lim's ordeal. Lim is also facing two counts of attempted homicide arising from the injury of the two victims.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Haewoojae, the world's one and only toilet house, is seen in Suwon, south of Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Nov. 9, 2007. The two-story house set to be finished Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007, is being built to commemorate the inaugural meeting later this month of the World Toilet Association. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Question: Why are men with pierced ears are better prepared for marriage.

Answer: They've experienced pain and bought jewelry.

The time of my departure is at hand. â€"2 Timothy 4:6

Paul’s word departure in 2 Timothy 4:6 is freighted with significance. It means "loosing" or "unmooring." It’s a word he uses again when he sighs, "I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23).

Departure is a nautical term that suggests "shipping out"â€"weighing anchor, slipping the lines that tether us to this world and getting underway. It’s a marvelous metaphor for dying.

For believers in Christ, death is not an end but a beginning. It means leaving this old world behind and getting to a better place, completing the purpose for which we were made. It’s a time for joy and excitement and a hearty "Bon Voyage!"

All voyages, however, are fraught with uncertainty, especially those that pass through waters never sailed before. We don’t fear death so much as we do the passage. Who knows what dangers lie ahead?

But the journey is not uncharted. One has taken it before us, and He has returned to bring us safely through. Although we pass through the valley of the shadow of death, God is with us all the way (Ps. 23:4). His hands are on the helm as He guides us to the heavenly haven He has prepared for us (John 14:1-3). â€"David H. Roper

Say not it’s a dreadful journey
When the Savior leads the way;
It’s but passing through the shadows
To the land of endless day!  â€"Bosch

Those who fear God need not fear death.

source: www.rbc.org

Quote from: Macky Ferniz on November 11, 2007, 06:03:31 PM
Welcome back my friend, my brother.

No amount of pleasing words from friends can heal the grief, but healing should come form inside of you. I suggest writing poetry is very soothing and would release all your tension.

Hope your mother is OK. Is your sister with her now? Incase she visits Tagbilaran, let her come to our house beside cocacola for some rest. I am sure she would enjoy talking with my mother who is a non-stop talker.

Thank you, Macky, my friend and brother. I will tell my mother about your mother. How can my mother contact your mother?

My sister is with my mom but not all the time.

Quote from: N F L on November 11, 2007, 05:26:42 PM
Hello Mike,

I am new in here. I am glad your back as I have observed already drastic attitude changes already in here just in the couple hours that you have returned.

It's really amazing how when the cats away the rats will pay? (and some I have been observing have played mean indeed against our brothers and sisters in Tubag Bohol)

I am thankfull for the fresh news that you have already started posting in here.

Keep up the nice work always.

God Bless!

NFL, you are a mysterious girl. I have no idea who you are. But thank you for your welcome remarks.

Quote from: Edelweiss on November 11, 2007, 05:43:17 PM
:)Nice to have you back again Mike, we miss you here in TB. take care and God Bless you

Hi Ate Lita, thank you for welcoming me back. i dont know where to start. daghan backlog sa office ug class. but i have to move on.

She's Nang Corazon Amora Alfonso. Iyang mga apo ako diayng classmates sa high school. She's been living in the U.S. since in the '70s. We met in Anda while I was on a beach stroll.

Alaska, USA - Eight children whose candy was taken from them at gunpoint by two women on Halloween in Talkeetna, according to Alaska State Troopers, testified Thursday before a grand jury.

Two women -- Kendra Grace Butts, 18, and Amber Marie Martin, 20, both of Wasilla -- were indicted Friday on seven counts of robbery, one of attempted robbery and eight of assault. If convicted, they face a maximum of 180 years each in prison. The minimum sentence for robbery with a gun in Alaska is seven years.

The District Attorney's office added the attempted robbery charge Friday after learning from Alaska State Troopers that one child in the incident refused to surrender the candy. Troopers originally reported seven children were robbed that night on Main Street but Friday said they learned an eighth child hid behind a tree during the incident.

Recordings of phone calls to Butts and Martin from their boyfriends in jail detailed for troopers the two women's involvement in the Halloween stickup, according to an affidavit filed in the case against Butts.

source: adn.com

Bill Monroe lost by one vote in his bid to return to the Winchester City Council. And here's the clincher to the squeaker of a race:

His wife didn't vote.

If Kathie Monroe had indeed voted on Tuesday, her husband, a Democrat who previously served two terms on the council, would have tied with Republican opponent Tom Sells, a political newcomer.

Under state law, it would have been up to the council to break the tie. The council has three Republicans and two Democrats, but Bill Monroe is a veteran politician in this small town so it's unclear which candidate would have won out.

Monroe, 50, described Thursday how he learned of his 112-111 loss. He was sitting upstairs in his home when his wife came in to report the election results. This is his recollection of their conversation:

Kathie: "Bill, you lost."

Bill: "Well, how much did I lose by?"

Kathie: "One."

Bill: "Get out of here."

Kathie: "And I didn't vote."

He recalled, "She was embarrassed by it at first. 'Oh my God, look what I've done.'"

source: http://www.pal-item.com

A German bank manager gave loans to a woman for sex and then embezzled thousands of euros to buy the silence of her relatives.

When the man realised he could not offer the jobless woman a loan because of her poor credit history, he offered to lend her the money personally in return for sexual favours, said a spokesman for a court in the southern town of Tuebingen.

The 31-year-old then stole the money from the bank. The pair continued their arrangement for the next three years.

In total, the man diverted some 520,000 euros (362,033 pounds) from clients' accounts, of which he gave about 70,000 euros to the woman, and kept 40,000 euros for himself.

The biggest chunk of the cash went to her relatives who were blackmailing the bank manager, a married man with children. The manager had himself told her cousin about the sex deal.

"As incredible as it sounds, that's what he told us," the Tuebingen court spokesman said. "The cousin was suspicious and she called him to ask how the woman had got a loan."

source: www.stuff.co.nz

By the Associated Press and CNN

London - The underwear-obsessed telephone stalker's undoing proved to be the opening of a gym opposite the apartment that the 40-year-old shared with his mother.

Detectives caught Paul Kavanagh on film, leaning over the balcony of the West London apartment, just as he was peppering the gym's female receptionists with calls.

Jailed for 2-1/2 years Friday, Kavanagh admitted making some 15,000 such harassing calls to women, asking them questions about their underwear. He posed as a clothing researcher and claimed to be gathering marketing data for a retailer.

He had been making the calls for 12 years, usually starting off his conversations with seemingly innocuous questions about the women's socks and cardigans. Then he would move on to their underwear, making lewd suggestions to his victims.

Kavanagh had been "making these calls for the purposes of sexual gratification and, I must say to my mind, for the purposes of cruelty," Judge Peter Testar concluded.

Sawadeekhap, Kyle. welcome to Bohol.

The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, . . . without partiality and without hypocrisy. â€"James 3:17

Scientists have determined that faulty rivets may have caused the rapid sinking of the "unsinkable" HMS Titanic. According to researchers who recently examined parts recovered from the wreck, impure rivets made of wrought iron rather than steel caused the ship’s hull to open like a zipper. The Titanic proves the foolishness of spending resources on fancy equipment and public promotion while neglecting the "ordinary" parts.

In a sense, churches are like ships, and many of their people are like rivets. Although rivets seem insignificant, they are essential for holding the ship together and keeping it afloat.

Feelings of insignificance are rampant these days, even among Christians, and some do hurtful things to make themselves feel important. James says, "Where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there" (3:16). People corrupted by worldly desires for beauty, wealth, and power can bring down great churches, but people who are pure and undefiled (1:27) hold churches together.

As members of God’s church, we need to be "rivets" without defect. When we are pure (James 3:17), strong (Eph. 6:10), and steadfast (1 Cor. 15:58), we will be used by the Lord to keep His ship afloat in times of crisis. â€"Julie Ackerman Link

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned,
O let me cheerfully fulfill;
In all my works Thy presence find,
And prove Thy good and perfect will.  â€"Wesley

It is a great thing to be faithful in little things.

source: Our Daily Bread

Gemma, Grace, and Swakee, thank you for welcoming me back. I arrived in Thailand past midnight today.

About 175,000 Curious George Plush Dolls were recalled Thursday, becoming the latest popular toy made in China found to be contaminated with dangerous levels of lead.

Manufactured by Marvel Toys, of New York, N.Y., the Curious George dolls contain excessive levels of lead in their surface paint, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Although no reports of illnesses connected to this product have been reported, lead is toxic if ingested by young children. Children's products found to have more than 0.06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.

The recalled dolls have a plastic face and are sold in five different models, including "birthday," "fireman," "sweet dreams," "tool time" and "tool time with a soft face." They were sold with Curious George story or activity books at toy and discount department stores nationwide from December 2005 through August 2007.

--published by <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/business/main3475893.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_3475893">CBS</a>

By Ariel Fullido

Alturas Supermarket celebrates twenty-two years of dedicated service to the Boholanos as the leading store in Bohol marks its 22nd anniversary on November 24.

PR and Marketing Manager of the Alturas Group of Companies, Loy M. Palapos, said that taking centerstage in the anniversary activities is the Alturas Drum & Bugle Corps Showdown 2007, now on its 20th year. Dubbed as the greatest show in town, this year's Showdown, scheduled at the CPG Sports Complex on November 24, presents a line up of sixteen contingents in three categories, which includes drum and bugle corps outside Bohol.

Listed in alphabetical order, the contingents in three categories are Category A: CVSCAFT-Tagbilaran City Campus; Don Vicente Rama Memorial High School, Cebu City; Pilgrim Christian College, Cagayan de Oro City; St. Augustine Club, Carmen, Cebu; University of Cebu, Cebu City; Category B: Carmel Academy, Balilihan, Bohol; Immaculata High School, Baclayon, Bohol; Mandaue City

Comprehensive National High School; St. Agustine Institute, Sagbayan, Bohol; Tabuan National High School, Garcia-Hernandez, Bohol; and Category C: Cogon Elem. School, Tagb. City; Duero Central Elem. School; Loon North Central Elem. School; Loon South Central Elem. School; Manga Elem. School and Tagb. City Central Elem. School.

The prizes to be awarded are as follows: Category A: Champion, P70,000 cash prize plus 48-inch trophy; First Runner-Up, P50,000 cash prize plus 42-inch trophy; Second Runner-Up, P40,000 cash prize plus 40-inch trophy; Category B: Champion, P60,000 cash prize plus 44-inch trophy; First Runner-Up, P50,000 cash prize plus 42-inch trophy; Second Runner-Up, P40,000 cash prize plus 40-inch trophy; Category C: Champion, P60,000 cash prize plus 44-inch trophy; First Runner-Up, P50,000 cash prize plus 42-inch trophy; Second Runner-Up, P40,000 cash prize plus 40-inch trophy.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 11, 2007, 01:16:15 PM
Unsa man nang balong balong Mike?....

Aya, balong-balong is smaller than a payag. it's like a makeshift dwelling. ginabuhat ni sauna sa mga umahan nga naay kamaisan kay aron ang magbantay sa pinugas nga mais dili na mouli sa balay ug didto nalang maniudto sa balong-balong ug mopahulay inig human ug paniudto.

By Sammy Cilocilo

The Bohol National High School (now Dr. Cecilio Putong National High School) 1983 batch will turn 25 in 2008.

Around thirty alumni gathered at the plush residence of Deodato Butawan on Nov. 3, at Doljo, Panglao near the Sea Corrals Beach Resort, to discuss next year's momentous milestone of the batch 1983.

The planned activity next year will be on May 2-4, 2008. The program will kick off with a parade along CPG Street, a family camp at Doljo Beach and later on a turnover ceremony of the covered boardwalk canopy project to the BNHS/DCPNHS school administration.

All alumni of batch 1983 are called to attend next year's silver anniversary and be a part of the nostalgic celebration of the high school days.

A letter will be sent to Batch '83 alumni which will contain other details of the Silver Jubilee Year of Batch '83.

We strongly encourage every Batch '83 alumni to support, participate and forward needed suggestions to make the Celebration a most meaningful and grand time for everybody and the Alma Mater!

For more information please contact Jose Manlupig III (cell # 09204178068) of Joebings' Bakeshop and Restaurant or Deodato Butawan of BPI-Tagbilaran Main branch (cell # 09173284777).

--published by the Bohol Chronicle

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 11, 2007, 01:10:57 PM
Thanks for this good site Mike which I call a Payag..Where people meet and share good things and becoame friends..I loVe TB!

Aya, pwede sab balong-balong kay mas cute kay sa payag. TB seems to be like an online school, too.

published by the Bohol Chronicle

The expensive airfares in coming to the country is a major block that prevents the entry of tourists, according to Gov. Erico Aumentado upon his arrival last Sunday from a six-day mission to South Korea.

He immediately recommended to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to adopt an "open sky policy" to reduce the airfares from Incheon and Pusan to the country to make Philippine tourism globally competitive to other destinations.

Aumentado's first recommen-dation to the President was contained in a two-page report he made upon arrival from Korea last Sunday.

Gov. Aumentado spoke during the 15th East and Southeast Asia International Conference held in Gumi City, South Korea. He delivered the talk "Bringing Bohol into the Global Roadmap: Promoting International Tourism and Foreign Investments."

The governor, during his mission, bagged fund assistance for the feasibility studies of mega projects which he earlier want his successor to work on since he will be ending his nine-year term in 2010.

These feasibility studies, once conducted before his term ends, will be the "best gift" he can turnover to whoever succeeds him as governor after the 2010 elections.

Five major multi-million mega projects might be getting through its actual drawing board after funding for its feasibility studies were approved in principle by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the EDCF-Eximport Bank.

The fund assistance was sealed during the six-day visit of Gov. Aumentado last week where he met with top executives of the funding agencies.

He told the Chronicle that KOICA agreed to grant ODA funding for the feasibility studies of the Bohol Port to port Highway (Tubigon-Sagbayan-Carmen-Sierra Bullones-Jagna), the Bohol Agriculture Master Plan-Small Water Impounding Projects in Buenavista, Danao and Loboc towns, the Panglao Island Sewerage and Drainage System and the Bohol Irrigation Project stage 3.

Gov. Aumentado likewise confirmed that the ambitious multi-access Bohol-Cebu Friendship Bridge gets the fund assistance for its feasibility study by EDCF-Eximport Bank.

He answered and said, “I will not,” but afterward he regretted it and went. â€"Matthew 21:29

Have you ever faced an unwanted chore and felt as if it were the last thing on earth you wanted to do? Mowing the lawn, doing the wash, cleaning the house, or even preparing a Sunday school lesson after an exhausting week can make us feel like procrastinating.

When this happens, my wife and I have a motto we repeat to each other: "I don’t feel like itâ€"but I’m going to do it anyway." There is something about recognizing our lack of motivation and then choosing to be responsible that helps us follow through.

God’s value on faith and obedience can be seen in the parables of Jesus. Christ spoke about two sons who were asked to work in the vineyard. The first said no, but "afterward he regretted it and went" (Matt. 21:29). The second said yes but did not follow through. Then the Lord asked His listeners, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" (v.31). The obvious answer is the one who finished the task.

Our Lord’s illustration underscores a key spiritual principle. God is interested in our faith and obedienceâ€"not just our good intentions. Next time you are tempted to shirk your duties, why not say, "I don’t feel like it," and then ask God for the grace to do it anyway. â€"Dennis Fisher

O help us, Lord, to heed Your Word,
Its precepts to obey;
And give us strength to quench the urge
To do things our own way.  â€"Sper

Obedience is faith in action.

source: Our Daily Bread devotional book

we are growing and our friendships are getting deeper...

let's continue to discover and make new friends in Tubag Bohol.

published by the Bohol Chronicle

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is in search of poor but bright graduating high school students worth of its 2008 Science and Technology Scholarship.

Thru its Science Education Institute (SEI), the DOST will award the scholarship in bachelor degree to qualifiers who have high aptitude in science and mathematics and willing to pursue fields of science and technology in college.

DOST Sec. Estrella Alabastro has tapped the office of First District Rep. Edgar Chatto, a working member of the education committee in Congress, to help facilitate in Bohol the applications for the scholarship that explores 21 fields.

Specializations offered deal with agricultural chemistry, biochemistry, biology, chemical engineering, chemistry, chemistry teaching, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, electronics and communications engineering, food technology, industrial engineering, information technology, materials engineering, mathematics, mathematics teaching, mechanical engineering, molecular biology and biotechnology, physics, physics teaching and statistics.

Scholars ere entitled to free tuition and other school fees worth P6,000 per semester, allowances for textbooks and essential school supplies, grant for military science/physical education uniform, transportation allowance, monthly living allowance of as much as P4,000, group health and accident insurance, additional privileges in summer studies, and post graduation clothing allowance.

Chatto, whose top priorities include the supreme value of education, encouraged potential qualifiers to grab the chance because there is no substitute for a secured future.

To pass the general criteria of eligibility, an applicant must be a poor, talented student belonging to family whose socio-economic status does not exceed the values of certain indicators approved by the DOST-SEI Advisory Committee on Scholarship.

He/she must be a member of the top five percent (5%) of the regular high school graduating class or a member of the graduating class of a DOST-SEI-identified or DepEd-recognized science high school.

Not qualified to apply are those who have earned post secondary/undergraduate course, taken any DOST-SEI science and technology scholarship examination, and applied for immigrant status in any foreign country.

The DOST secretary provided Chatto's office copies of scholarship application form and brochure for the convenience of those who are interested.

The qualifying aptitude examination, which is the basis in selecting the 2008 batch of scholars, for applicants from Bohol and other Central Visayas areas will be done at the DOST Regional Office in Cebu City on Jan. 13, a Sunday, next year.

The scholarship awardee shall enroll in any of the state universities and colleges or tertiary institutions identified as Commission on Higher Education (CHED) centers of excellence/development.

Applications have to be filed until this Friday, Nov. 16.

By Jolene Bulambot
Philippine Daily Inquirer

A 77-year-old woman died of cardiac arrest a few minutes after an intensity four earthquake shook the town of Mabini in Bohol past noon on Wednesday, according to reports reaching the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) based in Cebu City.

Neil Sanchez, RDCC coordinator, yesterday told Cebu Daily News that Euphemia Villamor was relieving herself when she felt the ground shake. Shocked, she immediately went out of the toilet.

Based on reports reaching the RDCC office, Villamor was given a glass of water but after a few seconds, she experienced pain in her chest. She died about 12:20 p.m.

“She suffered a cardiac arrest in her residence. So far, only one casualty was reported due to the earthquake. No one was reported injured during the quake that hit some areas in the Visayas,” he said.

No damage was reported when the earthquake hit Bohol and Cebu yesterday, Sanchez added.

Ver Balaba, Office of Civil Defense coordinator in Bohol, yesterday said Villamor died upon reaching the hospital.

An intensity five earthquake rocked the province of Bohol, some parts of Cebu and Northern Mindanao past 12 noon on Wednesday.

Tectonic in origin, the epicenter of earthquake was recorded at five kilometers northwest of Anda, Bohol.

Balaba said an aftershock in Tagbilaran City was recorded at intensity two around 4 p.m. but residents barely felt it.

He said they received reports that shoppers in one of Tagbilaran's largest malls panicked and rushed out of the building when they felt the tremor which registered intensity five in some towns located near the East Bohol Fault.

Quote from: orChidsNroSes on November 11, 2007, 12:39:03 PM
Mike.....you need to have a good rest.I know how it hurts you feel..but you're also a strong person..God be with you my friend.(Aya)

Aya, I will shed more tears in Thailand. I wasn't able to cry much because my mother was always with me and it is not good that she would see me weeping.

[He] encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. â€"Acts 11:23

When Jean was a teenager, she often walked through a park where she saw mothers sitting on benches and talking. Their toddlers sat on the swings, wanting someone to push them. "I gave them a push," says Jean. "And you know what happens when you push a kid on a swing? Pretty soon he’s pumping, doing it himself. That’s what my role in life isâ€"I’m there to give others a push."

Encouraging others along in lifeâ€"that’s a worthy purpose. Joses, a godly man mentioned in the book of Acts, had that gift as well. In the days of the early church, he sold some land and gave the money to the church to use for the less fortunate (4:36-37). He also traveled with Paul on missionary journeys and preached the gospel (11:22-26; 13:1-4).

You may know Joses as "Barnabas," which is the name the apostles gave to the "Son of Encouragement." When the Jerusalem church heard that people in Antioch were coming to know Jesus as Savior, they sent Barnabas because "he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith" (11:24). He "encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord" (v.23).

We too can give others a "push" of encouragement in their walk with the Lord. â€"Anne Cetas

Lord, I would be to others
A cheering ray of light,
Inspiring them with courage
To climb some new-found height!  â€"Bosch

Quote from: Glen on November 11, 2007, 12:18:13 PM
Da C2 nabasa ni Mike ang atung post ganiha nga ni ingon ko nimo nga og pwede alisdan ang pakpak og excellent unya ang toink good ni suggest paka nga pwede ka mangutana ni Mike sa suggestion board, sos na unhan hinoon ko pag abot naho gikan simba diha na nakapost si Mike.

Ako ok ra bisan unsa


Mike komusta imong biyahe ni abot naman diay ka karon.

Hi Gem, kadlawon ko niabot diri, and there was so much loneliness in my heart. Then I just allowed tears to fall from my eyes while I was sitting in the bus going to my place. I can't stop myself from crying. I haven't actually recovered from the pain of losing my father, who was a close friend of mine.

Pahulay sa ko karon, Gem, though I'm trying to post new updates in our website. Murag nagsakit pa akong ulo. I see a lot of cobwebs in my room.

musta naman ka? how's your weekend rest?

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Construction works at the cluster sanitary landfill in barangay Danggay, Albur town is set to start as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the project.

Albur Mayor Jose Ugdoracion told the Chronicle that the ECC was issued to the project's proponent, the Philippine Tourism Authority.

According to Ugdoracion, upon receiving a copy of the ECC, he immediately called up Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Bohol chief Nestor Canda who assured him that the project will not contaminate groundwater.

"The latest sanitary landfill technology will be used for this project," Ugdoracion pointed out.

He said only residual waste will be accommodated in the facility.

In fact, construction materials will be made as a by-product of the mixed compacted garbage and the layers of aggregates, according to Ugdoracion.

The Albur cluster sanitary landfill will relieve the garbage disposal problems of 13 neighboring towns that are maintaining their own dumpsites.

The project is a major component of the Panglao Tourism Estate (PITE).

The open dumpsite of Tagbilaran City has been limited to accommodate only wastes coming from Dauis.

Reported by Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Operations of the illegal numbers game 'swertres' remain unabated here with an estimated daily proceeds of P1.2-million.

This despite a renewed campaign by Bohol Police Director SSupt. Edgardo Ingking against financiers, coordinators and ushers.

The action of SSupt. Ingking followed after he denounced the smear campaign lodged against him claiming that he sent an emissary to 'swertres' financiers to demand "protection money" from them, which he strongly denied.

Here in Tagbilaran City, there are at least eleven known financiers whose operators and runners extend its network to the neighboring towns.

Sources revealed to the Chronicle yesterday that a bigtime financier here in the city has an average daily collection from bettors of P500,000.

From this amount, the financier will net at least P300,000 less the winnings of bettors, allowances to coordinators, commission to ushers and operational expenses.

Another financier has an average daily gross proceeds of P150,000, of which he nets around P80,000.

Some smalltime operators riding on the popularity of the illegal numbers game has average gross receipts of P20,000 to P30,000 daily, the source revealed.

One known financier is operating in at least six nearby towns.

In every town, the financier has assigned four coordinators who are also handling 15 to 25 ushers each, the source said.

Each usher gets a 35-percent commission from the total amount he has solicited from bettors.

If a bettor wins, the usher will get 10-percent of the winnings.

GUERRILLA-TYPE OPERATIONS

'Swertres' replaced the popular numbers game 'masiao' which also uses three-digit combinations.

However, 'swertres' results are based on the legal draws of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

The popularity of the 3-digit numbers game has even prompted the PCSO to hold two draws every day.

According to reports, 'swertres' operators are accepting bets for the two draws in almost all of the 47 towns.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Bohol team leader P/Insp. Germano Mallari bared to the Chronicle that some financiers have resorted to a "guerrilla-type" of operations transferring from one town to another to elude arrest.

'UNTOUCHABLES'

SSupt. Ingking admitted it is difficult to arrest 'swertres' financiers who are virtually "untouchables" since they are not directly involved in the operations.

With modern communications, financiers can monitor field operations through cellular phones and receive remittances through electronic banking.

According to SSupt. Ingking, it is easy to identify the financier but difficult to catch them red-handed.

Even if the field operators are often the ones arrested, the illegal betting will not stop unless the financier themselves are apprehended.

Two years ago, City Mayor Dan Lim called all suspected operators and financiers and warned them to stop its operations in the city.

Betting went down for a while but then proliferated again.

A former 'swertres' operator bared to the Chronicle that there are allegedly members of the police force who ask for protection money from them.

The source said he pays P1,500 to P3,000 to the policemen, depending on the turnover of bets.

SSupt. Ingking told the Chronicle that he already requested PNP Central Visayas director C/Supt. Ronald Roderos that a region-based campaign against 'swertres' be carried out.

The provincial police chief admitted that the 'swertres' operation here is "deeply rooted and widespread" which "cannot be solved by police action alone."

In fact, SSupt. Ingking disclosed the existence of an organized illegal gambling operation here.

IDENTIFY COPS INVOLVED

SSupt. Ingking said a series of symposia is being organized in all the towns spearheaded by the chiefs of police, the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) and the local chief executives themselves.

SSupt. Ingking said policemen will be made to declare publicly during the symposium their stand against 'swertres' and any form of illegal gambling.

As of yesterday, police chiefs in the towns of Baclayon, Loay and Sevilla have already called a meeting with suspected financiers and operators.

A public declaration, will pressure policemen to stop and join the fight against any form of gambling.

published by the Bohol Chronicle

His Excellency Alistair MacDonald, ambassador of the European Commission to the Philippines, Her Excellency Inger Ulvedt, Swedish ambassador to the Philippines, and Dr. Mario Alberto Bartoli, the Deputy Head of the Italian Embassy to the Philippines graced the final conference of the ecoBudget-Asia Project, which was attended by not less than a hundred participants from the European Union, Sweden, Italy, India, Thailand, and the Philippines last Oct. 15 to 16, at the Bohol Beach Club in Panglao, Bohol.

The conference with the theme, "ecoBudget: An Instrument to Good Local Resource Management and Governance," which was organized by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) of the Provincial Government of BOhol, convened the ecoBudget-Asia Project Consurtium comprised of the cities of Bologna (Italy), Guntur, (India), Vaxjo (Sweden), and the Province of Bohol through the municipality of Tubigon. The four cities and municipalities together with international experts on sustainability management tools shared their experiences, achievements, and

Impacts in using the ecoBudget as a tool for resource management and governance. For the part of Bohol, the Municipality of Tubigon shared their experiences with the program, which started in April 2005 after having been chosen through a consultative meeting involving representatives from 14 municipalities from the Provincial Government of Bohol, Non-Government Organizations, and the Academe.

Among the distinguished guests welcomed by Gov. Erico B. Aumentado during the opening ceremonies include: Mayor Khanna Nagaraju of Guntur, India, Andrea Burzacchini of ICLEI-Europe, Pamela Lama, the commissioner of Vaxjo, Sweden, Anders Franzen, the Development Manager of Vaxjo, Sweden, Emani Kumar and Vic Acquitania of ICLEI-Southeast Asia as well as the different mayors and municipal planning and development officers of the different towns in Bohol, which are potential implementers of the ecoBudget.

Written By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency-Bohol

Averting another potential case of unusually alarming cases of water-borne diseases in the town, Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas told the media that they would purchase and would put up automatic chlorinators in their water sources.

Catigbian made it to the news weeks back due to reported alarming cases of gastroenteritis, which was ascribed to the patients' drinking of contaminated water.

Reports also stated that in two months, as many as 89 cases were admitted in the local hospital, including the ones referred to Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital and other city treatment centers.

Almost all the cases have been traced to come from barangays Candumayao, Causwagan, Alegria and Poblacion, typically those served by the Poblacion pumping unit where chlorination is done manually.

It was a hard lesson we learned and that is why we have to put up the automatic chlorinators, Salinas said even as he thanked there were no fatalities during the incident.

"We are processing the papers now for the town to purchase at least 5 or six automatic chlorinators to be installed in our existing five and in our upcoming two more water sources," the mayor said.

It is sad that the decision came this late, but it was a lesson we would never forget, Salinas said, recounting the incident.

We also called a special council meeting so we could legally use our municipal disaster funds so we could have a source for financial assistance to the victims, he added.

About two weeks after the incident, the town hosted the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) meeting and there was not much of a trace of the alarming incident that happened.

my dear loved ones at tubag bohol,

let me hear your voice: should we discontinue the use of pakpak and toink? can we live in tubag bohol without it?

Starting midnight, my father, Reynaldo Ligalig, 54, is no longer responding to our voices. He was infused with one more bag of blood and more IVs of different types to revive him.

At 4 am, he was no longer moving. They say that the last human sense that will disappear is the sense of hearing.

So I opened the Bible and started reading the book of Psalms. I've been reading the Bible by his bedside since we were confined at Velez Hospital, Cebu, 16 days ago. I continued reading on the chapter where I and my father had left off.

Before I could finish three chapters I saw my father breathed his last as I held his hand.

He returned to our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, peacefully, while I was standing near him reading the words of God.

We are still in Cebu right now. The hospital won't release the dead body of my father until we are able to pay all the hospital bills.

Exhausted, stressed out, sleepless, tired, hungry, yet firm in my faith in the Lord, I just sat down in the hospital and covered my face with both my hands, broke in tears and started to pray to God.

A mother was arrested after giving her 4-month-old girl whiskey in her bottle, police said.

Indianapolis Metro police said Mary Skaggs, 28, faces two counts of neglect of a dependent and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police were called to Methodist Hospital Saturday by a social worker there. Officials said a test revealed that the child had a blood-alcohol level of 0.048.

Investigators said Skaggs told the hospital that she had put whiskey on the girl's gums because she was teething.

source: theindychannel.com

By Kit Bagaipo
Bohol Chronicle

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado and congressmen Edgar Chatto, Roberto Cajes and Adam Relson Jala denied having received money during a breakfast meeting in Malacañang on Thursday last week.

Aumentado urged fellow governors and the congressmen who said they received cash gifts during a meeting in Malacañang to return the money.

The governor also challenged them to identify the persons who handed out the cash.

"If they think it is bribe money, then they should return it," said Aumentado during his weekly radio program "The Governor Reports" last Friday.

Aumentado categorically denied having known of the alleged cash distribution during a breakfast meeting at the Palace on Thursday last week.

"If I was given the money, I would have returned it," Aumentado said.
Aumentado said he left the meeting to catch a flight back to Bohol right after delivering his valedictory address as outgoing president of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP).
He said he did not even wait for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to show up for the meeting, as it was supposedly exclusive for lawmakers allied with the administration.

"But in fairness to the Bohol solons, they were also in a rush to catch a flight back to Bohol" for the Presidential visit early the following day, Aumentado said.

IN A RUSH TO LEAVE

Second district Rep. Roberto Cajes said, "I left right after [the] breakfast [meeting] since I have to report to the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) which holds en banc hearings every Thursday at exactly 9 am, [of which I am] a member. Then I had to rush to the airport with Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st District, Bohol) and Rep. Adam Relson Jala (3rd District, Bohol ) for the presidential visit early Friday in Bohol."

Pres. Arroyo inaugurated the controversial P3.6 billion Bayongan Dam in San Miguel town Friday morning.

Rep. Cajes added "I will do a Panlilio if given money."
Rep. Chatto said "I was not aware of any giving of gifts or release of SAROs for projects while in the Palace."

Rep. Jala said he "left the breakfast meeting at Malacañang early as I had to catch up with my flight for Bohol at 10 am that day."

Rep. Chatto said that like the two other Bohol solons, he was also in hurry to leave the Malacañang breakfast meeting to catch with his flight back to the province to make preparations for the presidential visit early the following day.

By Kit Bagaipo
Bohol Chronicle

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has now stepped into the snail-paced resolution of the rape and murder of a 16-year old in Panglao more than three years ago.

Until now the case has not been resolved by the National Bureau of Investigations (NBI).
Acting Justice Sec. Agnes Devanadera has given the NBI 30 days to complete its investigation and to submit its findings.

Devanadera formally indorsed the case of the late Vivian Dumaluan to the NBI after receiving a copy of Resolution No. 108 from the Sangguniang Bayan of Panglao which sought the DOJ's assistance in solving the rape-slay.

The resolution was forwarded to the acting DOJ chief by Assistant Secretary Katrina Zialcita-Alday last Sept. 4.

Justice remains elusive for the victim's family even as the case has been highlighted during the last election.

The victim's decomposing body was found about 50 meters from the Dumaluan Beach Resort on April 27, 2004.

Vivian, a poor relative of former Panglao Mayor Doloreich Dumaluan, arrived in Panglao from Mindanao to work as a nanny of the mayor's younger brother.

Her dreams of at least finishing high school as a working student came to a horrible ending when she was brutally killed.

Pingmay Dumaluan, the mayor's younger brother, has been implicated along with detained accused Narciso "Isot" Maghamil in the gruesome rape-slay case.

While looking for a place to be used for a "show" during the 2004 election campaign, a witness said Pingmay himself declared "amo ning duwa ni Manong (This is our game)."

Two workers at the resort owned by the former mayor also revealed that they were instructed to throw the victim's body away.

Dumaluan capitalized on the issue as part of his anti-tourism pitch to defeat then re-electionist Mayor Benedicto Alcala in the 2004 elections.

By Kit Bagaipo
Bohol Chronicle

After the much publicized commencement of rehabilitation works at the unfinished building of the former Agora Public Market, the city government has ordered contractor J.L. Apostol Enterprises to stop all construction activities.

This latest snag on the Agora rehabilitation has alarmed the public after its completion has been long overdue.

The stoppage order dated October 11, 2007 was issued by City Administrator Walter Toston after the private contractor failed to meet several building requirements.

In his order, Toston stated that the contractor has ignored an earlier directive, dated September 6, 2007, to submit documents prior to the actual construction works.

Among the enumerated requirements include a verified survey data duly checked and authorized by the city government certifying the veracity of the approved detailed engineering plans, structural design and analysis, architectural details, approved construction drawings, approved technical specifications and mutually agree cost estimates, contracting firm's project organizational structure, bar chart, manpower and equipment schedules, monthly cash flow and an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).

J.L Apostol went ahead with its construction works "without observing protocols," the stoppage order stated.

Accordingly, the contractor did not inform the Project Management Office of detailed activities and did not secure the basic requirements for building permit.

Bohol Vice-Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera expressed grave concern over the state of small water impounding systems in the country-sides which must be sustained for food security and to provide irrigation services to small-scale rice farming that cannot be served by mega-irrigation projects.

He said that he is batting for sustainability and financial and technical support for the small reservoirs.

Herrera issued the statement during the inauguration last week by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the 3.6 billion-peso Bohol Irrigation Project (BHIP) stage 2 in barangay Bayongan, San Miguel town. The said mega-project which has generated cost overruns was undertaken by Hanjin Heavy Industries and supervised by National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Bayongan Dam has been put in question due to its "unreliability" to supply water to irrigate the target service area of some 5,300 hectares, having only an existing 1,200 hectares of rice paddies.

The vice-governor led some Sangguniang Members to the inauguration rites together with other Bohol officials led by Gov. Erico Aumentado and congressmen Edgar Chatto, Roberto Cajes and Adam Relson Jala.
Herrera received and met the President at the site where the unveiling of the marker of the BHIP- stage 2 and short program took place.

The President with the assistance of NIA project Engr. Modesto Membreve distributed Certificates of Commitment on the following: Hybrid and certified seeds of Rice subsidy; techno demo project; and 2 units of flat-bed rice dryers.

--published by the Bohol Chronicle

On its 59th year anniversary on Oct. 16, 2007 , the Girl Scouts of the Philippines Bohol Council launched its yearlong celebration for a Diamond Jubilee Anniversary.

As a kickoff activity, the council president with the executive committee members of the council board, planted 60 Molave trees along the highway of barangay San Isidro going to Corella, Bohol. The ceremonial tree planting was in coordination with barangay chair Artemio Case Caseñas, Jr. and barangay kagawad Ester Budlong.

In the afternoon, a holy mass was officiated by GSP Chaplain Mons. Margarito Gonzaga at the GSP headquarters, then followed by the council board meeting.  A dinner and socials highlighted the day long celebration.

It maybe recalled that GSP Bohol Council was established on Oct. 16, 1948, eight years after the Girl Scouts of the Philippines was chartered under Commonwealth Act 542 during the administration of President Manuel L. Quezon; with the late Romana Oppus Manalo as its chartered President and the late Sebastiana Adeser as its first Volunteer Executive.

At present, with the solid leadership of the Council President Madam Maria Pureza Veloso Chatto, GSP Bohol Council serves 51 District Committee; 5,499 registered Volunteer Leaders and 44,473 Girl Scouts all over Bohol.  With the Girl Scouts Program, our girls and young women will have countless development opportuni-ties with its vision, mission and action. (P. Montañez)

--press release

By Ariel Fullido

One of the best-known figures of Pinoy rock, Urbandub, will rock the Island City Mall carpark, this coming Saturday night, October 27, with guest band The Ambassadors, a BisRock group behind the hit Gugmang Giatay, Globe Kantabataan 2007 national finalist Suitcase 101 and Estranghero. 

The night is the grand finals for this year's ICM Band Challenge. Five Boholano bands will compete. The grand champion for this year's contest will win a recording contract worth P6, 000 courtesy of ICM.

Urbandub is now enjoying their ride away from their hometown Cebu. After producing several singles that are beefed-up with guitars that give a whiff of the group's potential as a hard rock entity, the band has recently released two hard-rocking singles: "Alert the Armory," which has scaled no. 1 at NU 107 for three consecutive weeks and the hit, "First of Summer," which continue to top the charts at Magic 89.9 TM, NU 107 and LS.

The band's recent album, Embrace, made it to 2006 Awit Awards with nominations for Best Album Package. More nominations also include the first ever MYX MUSIC Awards which Urbandub is competing for Favorite Rock Music Video for Alert the Armory.

Urbandub is composed of Gabby Alipe (vocalist/guitarist), Lalay Lim (bassist/vocals), JanJan Mendoza (drummer), and John Dinopol (lead guitarist/vocals).

The bandfest is presented by Island City Mall, co-presented by Tanduay, Pepsi, Norkis Yamaha, ICM Home & Fashion, Bohol Coconut Palms Resort, Soundgarage Studio and Boards & Buckles Adventure Shop.
The Urbandub concert is presented by Pepsi, Tanduay Rhum T5, Norkis Yamaha, Boards & Buckles Adventure Shop, Bohol Coconut Palms Resort, The Prawn Farm and Powermind Concept. 

At the height of the crafting of the Technical and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) leadership map, a lady Boholana is appointed as officer-in-charge of TESDA-Bohol, effective Oct. 1, 2007.

Francisca R. Opog, Ph.D. was formally installed a new TESDA-Bohol head during the official turnover ceremony at JJ's Seafoods Village, K of C Drive of this city, on Oct. 17. She takes over the leadership from Dir Buenafe S. Sta. Rita who is now assigned as the provincial director of TESDA-Cebu and designated as assistant regional director for Region VII.

Dr. Frannie is a proud daughter of late Juan G. Reguierme and Agapita V. Sarigumba of Jimili-an, Loboc town. She was married to Romeo D. Opog and is blessed with one child, Francis Niño. She finished her elementary grades at Loboc Central Elementary School and at PMI-Loboc Academy for her secondary level. In 1979, she graduated Bachelor of Science in Fishery Education at Bohol School of Fisheries Cogtong, Candijay, Bohol (now CVSCAFT Candijay Campus). She finished Master of Arts in Education and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Bohol in 1984 and 1996 respectively.

Dr. Frannie has been in the government service for almost 28 years. Before joining TESDA in 1995, she work as Secondary School Teacher for four years. She was promoted to Secondary School Head Teacher II in 1984 and to Head Teacher III in 1989. Few months later, she was promoted as Secondary School Principal II in the same institution.

As a dedicated and hardworking mentor, Dr. Frannie was promoted as Education Supervisor II at the then Department of Education Culture and Sports at the Regional Office VII, Cebu City under the Technical Vocational Education Division (TVED) in 1991. When TESDA takeover the functions of NMYC, BTVE and the Apprenticeship Program of DOLE in 1994, Dr. Frannie join TESDA and was assigned at TESDA Regional Office in Cebu.

Disgraced former Philippine President Joseph Estrada has been granted an official pardon by his successor, a government spokesman has confirmed.

President Gloria Arroyo's office said the decision was reached after Estrada agreed not to pursue political office.

Estrada was given a life sentence last month after being convicted of corruption following a six-year trial.

The 70-year-old ex-film star was found to have embezzled $80m (£42m) before being forced from office in 2001.

'Demeaning' decision

Ms Arroyo's spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, said Estrada's age and the fact he had spent six years under house arrest were taken into account when awarding the pardon.

The former president, who analysts say retains huge popularity among poor Filipinos, will officially be freed on Friday.

source: BBC News

Jeanette Matea Molina-Macapaz, MD, FPCP, FPNA passed the written and oral examinations of the Subspecialty Board of the Phil. Neurological Association, given last Aug. 11, and Oct. 4, respectively.

Born in Tagbilaran City and comes from Maribojoc town, the first Boholana neurologist  for adults completed her B.S. Medical Technology at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental; Doctor of Medicine at the Cebu Institute of Medicine; and had her Post Graduate Internship Training at the Cebu Doctors' Hospital.

She also completed her Residency in Department of Internal Medicine at the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) and Specialty Training in Adult Neurology at the University of the Philippines â€" Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

An affiliate of GCGMH, Dr. Macapaz is a visiting consultant.

She handles cases like stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Macapaz is a Fellow of the Philippine Neurological Association and the Philippine College of Physicians.

--press release and published by the Bohol Chronicle

A dead body of an old woman was found floating in the shore of barangay Tangohay, Dimiao last Wednesday.

Relatives positively identified the victim as Dominga Cabantuan, 77 years old from Canduao Occidental, of the neighboring town of Valencia.

The old woman was reportedly swimming alone in the afternoon and was believed carried by the current going to Dimiao.

Medico legal findings of the rural health doctors and subsequent police investigation found no foul play in the old woman’s death.

--published by the Bohol Standard

A masked gunman shot a farmer resting inside his home.

The victim was identified as Lito Pilonggo, 35 years old, resident of San Isidro, Pilar.

He was about to sleep 10 o’clock Wednesday night when the masked gunman fired at him five times hitting him in the neck and other parts of the body.

He died on the spot due to his multiple injuries. Police investigators found three bullet leads on the crime scene from still an unidentified short firearm.

The shooting incident is added to a long list of still unresolved killings in the rural areas, mostly in interior towns, resulting from proliferation of loose firearms.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Francisco Duque assured First District congressman Edgar Chatto of the fund to acquire two plasma extractors for the Cong. Natalio Castillo Memorial Hospital in Loon and Catigbian District Hospital.

Chatto made efforts to secure these vital machines against the deadly dengue, a mosquito-caused disease that has already killed 16 children and downed 1,404, including adults, in Bohol just this year.

The country’s top health official wrote to the solon that the fund has been included in the DOH 2008 capital outlay in response to Chatto’s persistence.

Statistician Merlyn Nemenzo, dengue cases in-charge of the Provincial Health Office, said the devolved hospitals in Bohol can finally own plasma extractors.

Bohol has 10 devolved hospitals, including those in Loon and Catigbian which are in Chatto’s district.

The selection of hospitals is based on the available physicians and technical people who can be trained to operate the equipment.

This is Chatto’s another contribution to the fight against dengue after he caused the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) grant and endowment fund for Bohol victims of the dreaded disease.

The Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital, which is government-run but not devolved to the province, has plasma extractor but town hospitals must have such life=saving equipment, too, for emergency cases.

Plasma extractor would separate the platelet from the whole blood to determine the platelet count, which would be the laboratory confirmation basis for diagnosing a dengue patient.

PHO record shows that dengue had already victimized 1,420, including the 16 fatalities, in Bohol from January to October 8 this year.

Tagbilaran City had the most cases at 450, followed by Dauis, 168, Jagna, 103, Loon, 85, and Panglao, 47. Only Jagna does not belong to Chatto’s district.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Residents of coastal towns continue to live in fear, believing a huge tsunami is coming.

This week, text messages were passed warning of a coming tsunami, purportedly caused by the movement of the Hibok-Hibok Volcano in the nearby island of Camiguin.

The panic spread to towns of Anda, Guindulman, Duero and even up to Loay, a town just 16 kilometers away from the capital city of Tagbilaran.

Residents were calling their relatives living in higher grounds, asking that they temporarily stay with them, away from their coastal residence because of the coming rise of the seawater that later on would become a tsunami.

The Philippine Volcanology (Philvocs) office here denied receiving warning about an impending volcano eruption in Camiguin.

Philvocs officials believe the unfounded panic is anchored on the latest visit here, about a month ago, of Philvocs and the Civil Defense Administration officials who conducted tsunami preparedness drill, in the towns of Valencia and Duero.

--published by the Bohol Standard

By Ven Arigo
Bohol Standard

New Police Regional Office (PRO-7) director Chief Supt. Ronald Roderos is aggressive to make the Bohol police strong in force and character because he hates law enforcement failed by its own impotencies.

He came to recognize in his first official visit here on Monday as the Central Visayas police head the long lack of police manpower, weapons, mobility means and communication gadgets here.

Roderos, however, acknowledged the effort of the Camp Dagohoy leadership.

The Central Visayas chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), accompanied by Sr. Supt. Augusto Marquez whose wife is a Boholana, encouraged Bohol Police Provincial Office (BPPO) head Sr. Supt. Edgardo Ingking to tell him of what else he could do apart from addressing the above police incapacities.

Bohol has 1,109 barangays, and their ratio with respect to the existing number of policemen is miserably less than 1:1 (one is to one).

In other words, it is presently improbable in this province to provide one policeman to each barangay.

The law mandates a ratio of one cop for each 1,000 population but the current condition can only maintain 1:1,300.

Police manpower as against the vastness of Bohol island is better told in a ratio of one cop per 4.3 square kilometers.

In Tagbilaran City, lately Bohol’s robbery capital until the fall of the Meloy Garcia group, the disparity is described by the obtaining policeman-area ratio of one per almost one-half square kilometers or 42 hectares.

Since the city has over 95,000 inhabitants, the Tagbilaran City Police Office (TCPO) should ideally have 96 men instead of the present 78 personnel.

More than 500 peasants under HUMABOL and allied organizations stage a protest rally against CARP extension, corruption and fascism in the GMA administration.

HUMABOL leaders leading the protest-rally in commemoration of the PD 27 (Marcos land reform law) anniversary, World food (less) day and peasant week.

Dagohoy peasants, protesting the inefficiency and failure of Malinao dam and calling for the abolition of their debts because of land leveling project in their lands.

Farmers wondering about the Talibon Dam Scam. (any outcome of the investigation)

Protesters marching in the streets of Tagbilaran city.

JUSTICE is the cry against corruption, public funds wastage and political killings.

More than 500 peasants and other sectors under HUMABOL and BAYAN member organizations successfully held a protest-rally today to air their opposition to the planned CARP extension of the Arroyo administration. This was held, as part of the nationally coordinated protest action and was also in part of the commemoration of PD 27 (Marcos land reform) and World Food (less) day.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Quote from: balong on October 25, 2007, 07:13:32 PM
glen, daghang salamat sa info. wa ko contact ni mike sa iyang cell no.  palihog lang ug sulti ni mike nga ang control no. sa western union is

*********

thanks and GOD bless.

hello balong, salamat sa imong pagtabang sa akong kalisud. nalipay ko sa imong pagdasig kanako bisan hamubo pa lang higayon sa atong panag-ila. pait gyud diri sa ato sa pinas labina ug naay mahospital. kada resita sa tambal namo diri mogasto ug tag P5,000 kapin. mao bisan asa nalang ko mamaylo aron makapalit ug tambal ni papa. nagpadala na ko ug e-mail nimo alang sa dugang kong pagpasalamat nimo. nanawag pud nako ganina si Ginger mahitungod sa imong gi-post nga tabang. thanks to Ginger for the call from Norway.

Written By June S. Blanco

The youths are close to the governor’s heart â€" they being the hope of the fatherland â€" future leaders who may follow in his footsteps, like starting from poverty, completing college on a scholarship and going on to become a topnotch politician who virtually hoarded infrastructure projects for Bohol including Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project, the Leyte Bohol Interconnection Project and the recently inaugurated P3.6-billion Bohol Irrigation Project Stage 2.

These does not include yet the intangibles â€"livelihood generation through skills trainings, cooperativism and others.

The leaps and bounds Bohol made under Aumentado such that it graduated from Club 20 â€" the country’s 20 poorest provinces to the current 52nd position in a field of 81 according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) apparently earned the awe and inspiration of the youth.

The biggest contributory factor in the climb to the 52nd spot is the Poverty Reduction for Peace and Development Program initiated in 2001 “that benefited thousands of youth through its component program, the Livelihood Integrated for Food and Family Enhancement (LIFFE), whose primary objective is to make the Boholanos particularly the out-of-school youth economically stable by way of engaging them in various livelihood projects such as swine and poultry raising, carabao and cattle fattening, among others.”

As such, the National Youth Commission (NYC) under its chair and chief executive officer Richard Alvin Nalupta passed a resolution commending Aumentado “for his selfless and dedicated service to the youth through the Poverty Reduction for Peace and Development.”

--published by the Bohol Standard

As the Boholano population is soaring at higher rate annually, the dream of a rice-sufficient Boholano table will soon be within reach.

Vice-Gov Julius Caesar Herrera has earmarked P70,000 as seed fund for propagation of Chinese hybrid rice to make the dream come true.

He told a crowd of farmers at barangay Mambool, Duero town last week, who attended a forum that the recent harvests that yielded between 7-8 tons per hectare of the Chinese rice varieties called LP0330 and LP 0331 were unprecedented.

Herrera was the guest speaker during the said forum attended by Mayor Manuel Tan and top guns of the Philippine-Sino Center for Agriculture Technology (PhilSCAT) and Department of Agriculture.

Because of this golden harvest, he said, he decided to allocate the said amount so that farmers here will not anymore depend on dole-outs but to stand on their own.

He expressed gratitude to PhilSCAT for the new seed varieties and farming techniques that are developed to increase farm production and maximize labor productivity thereby increasing their incomes.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Still rearing to serve and eyeing for a re-election, Poblacion 2 kagawad Roberto “Batchoy” Alba is envisioning a construction of a multi-purpose building as his legacy to his constituents.

In a resolution approved by the barangay council, Alba is requesting the Office of Senator Loren Legarda financial assistance of P3,166,128.54 for the construction of a multi-purpose building.

Barangay Poblacion 2 in the City of Tagbilaran has become a fast-growing urban area and is located in the heart of the city. Under the dynamic leadership of barangay chairman Glorivic Yap-De la Serana, the barangay has adopted a policy in governance of giving priority to the development of the youth through sports and preservation of community values through cultural programs and activities.

The barangay has now acquired a lot for such facility and has apportioned the same for a Multi-Purpose Building.

The City Engineer’s Office has also completed its Bill of Materials and Cost Estimates, Blue Print and Perspective View for the project.

Alba said he is optimistic that Sen. Legarda will support the project since the people and officials of Barangay Poblacion 2 has manifested its strong trust and confidence in the lady Senator’s advocacy on youth development and community building.

--published by the Bohol Standard

By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency
Bohol Correspondent

Call it holiday economics again, but Filipinos would have at least three days off their working week in the coming week.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has declared Oct. 29, Monday non-working holiday as she signed Proclamation No. 1403.

The proclamation effectively declared the day off in consonance with the synchronized Sangguninag Kabataan and barangay polls across the country.

The proclamation states that: “ It is important to give the people the fullest opportunity to participate in the said elections and exercise their right to vote.”

Two days later, as the country observes the All Saint’s Day, it’s break from work again as the day is revered as special for Filipinos.

Malacanang has earlier approved Republic Act 9492 July 25, which has set the regular holidays and nationwide special holidays in the country. RA 9492 has declared November 1 Thursday a nationwide special holiday.

The act rationalized the celebration of national holidays while it amended particular sections of the earlier Administrative Code of 1987.

The following day, All Souls’ Day is again a holiday. This is through Proclamation 1211 signed by the President last January 10 of this year.

The proclamation declared November 2 (Friday) along with April 7 (Saturday), December 24 (Monday) while again authorizing June 11 as non-working throughout the country.

It is a vindication for the Monton family as a document, earlier tightly kept by the MMG Coop Hospital, was finally secured Friday afternoon.

The document “Statement of Account” was in the name of Nemesio Monton, a respected sportsman and civic leader. It contained bill of particulars regarding his admission to the coop hospital on April 16-19, 2007.

“This document will clear once and for all the malicious accusations that my account was bloated to include a previous hospital account, allegedly of my grandson Raymund Monton, and charged to the Blue Card health program,” the elder Monton said.

The document released by the MMG Coop Hospital billing clerk showed “no other account” added on top of the bill of the elder Monton.

This week, the allegation was circulated through text and mentioned in a radio interview by city councilor Zenaido Rama that Mark Monton, the former executive assistant of Mayor Dan Lim and now chief of the City General Services Office (GSO), called a coop hospital clerk to include in his father Nemesio’s hospital bill the unpaid account of his son Raymund dating back to 1998.

Rama quoted MMG coop hospital board chairman Dr. Grace Araneta who allegedly revealed the Monton hospital bill in the Blue Card Sangguniang Panlungsod joint-committee hearing last week.

Mark Monton vehemently denied the accusation and challenged his critics to produce documents to prove the allegation. The elder Monton, on his own, wasted no time to clear his name by securing the original Statement of Account of his admission at the coop hospital.

“Documents don’t lie. Who is now telling the truth?” Nemi Monton said.

But other than cleansing their names, the elder Monton is now consulting his lawyer for a suit he is preparing against coop hospital officials and a city councilor who maligned their reputation.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Smarting from the controversy over the Bohol Irrigation Project stage II (BHIP II) or Bayongan Dam’s “excessive” cost over-runs, Agriculture Sec. Arthur Yap brushed aside another criticisms that the 3.6 billion-peso irrigation facility lacks water supply.

He said in an interview that Bayongan Dam in barangay Bayongan, San Miguel town has a lot of water sources. “So I think the local NIA officer can tell you what are these sources.”

The sarcasm spread like wildfire from reports that Pres. Arroyo was irked to see no water running from the outpour ducts when she turned the water valves in Bayongan, on a sweltering hot day last Oct. 12.

The DA boss’ statement came to allay apprehensions that insufficiency of much needed water supply to fill the dam, said to be the3rd biggest in the country, may not serve well the targeted 3,605 farmer-beneficiaries, who composed the 16 irrigators associations of the towns of Ubay, San Miguel and Trinidad.

Bayongan Dam or BHIP II was inaugurated October 12, 2007 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Earlier, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), then headed by Sec. Romulo Neri, said otherwise. “The success of the project depends on the ability of Malinao Dam to spill excess water to Bayongan Dam,” according item no. 27 of the Project Evaluation Report of NEDA Investment Coordinating Committee (ICC), signed by Roderick M. Planta,, OIC director PMS.

--published by the Bohol Standard

--published by the Bohol Standard

His name is being dragged into many issues, but his answer to his critics is brief and precise.

“Prove it!”

Former executive assistant to the city mayor and now chief of the General Services Office (GSO) Mark Monton said, “the burden of proof is in my accusers.”

He particularly reacted on the reported statement made by Dr. Grace Araneta, chairman of the board of the Medical Mission Group Coop Hospital, during the hearing of the joint-committee of the Sangguniang Panlungsod on the Blue Card health program controversy.

Dr. Araneta was quoted telling the joint-committees of health and public accountability that Monton called by phone a certain Lourdes Suarez, the hospital clerk in-charge of the Blue Card account, for her to include an old unpaid account of his son Raymund, into the billing of his father Nemesio Monton who was admitted at the coop hospital sometime in 2006.

Mark Monton’s son was allegedly confined in 1998, at a time when the blue card program was still non-existent.

Sudden twist

In a surprise twist, Suarez disowned what Dr. Araneta said. She told the two committees conducting the second joint-hearing last Friday that there is no truth to the report that a certain Raymund Monton was admitted in the coop hospital in 1998 and that she added it into the account of the elder Monton.

“I can’t understand the motive of Dr. Araneta mentioning such statement coming from an employee whom they (coop hospital) have even dismissed from service. Does it mean that after they condemned Suarez and kick her out of her job, they are now relying on her statements to defend their position?” Monton asked.

“Besides, granting for argument’s sake, that I wanted such padding of a hospital bill. Why should I call Suarez when she is only a clerk and has no authority to decide,” he added.

Monton also pointed out that alluding to him as the alleged “Mystery Man” (MM) behind the Blue Card scam is ridiculous.

“Kon ako pa ang Mystery Man, dili kaha mitiyabaw na ang mga empleado nga gipalagpot diha sa coop hospital (if I am the Mystery Man, would the dismissed coop hospital employees not squeal and reveal my name),” Monton asked.

Coop cover-up?

Dr. Araneta claimed in a DyRD interview Thursday morning that indeed there were lapses made by the coop hospital and they (directors) were “bypassed.”

In protecting the coop hospital, she said it is not right to say that the issues point to an “institutionalized fraud.”

“The coop hospital did not intend to gain but it was some of its employees that manipulated the statement of accounts.”

She clarified that only one case is found consummated fraud while four others were bloated claims. She also corrected the amount involved to only about P290,000 and not P1.8-million as reported in the media.

Employees were already dismissed from service and appropriate charges are now filed at the city prosecutor’s office, Dr. Araneta said.

Monton, however, disagreed on some of Araneta’s statements.

The coop’s investigation and findings were allegedly intended to protect high coop hospital officials.

“Why only these lowly employees are being indicted when high officials review the billings and consequently received, signed endorsement of checks from the Blue Card payment,” Monton asked.

He also pointed to the alleged retro-active claims of patients who were admitted without Blue Cards but later on were charged under the health program. Also on patients that were confined in expensive private rooms and not in wards.

“All these are violations of the memorandum of agreement the hospital entered into with the city government. But they tolerated it. Don’t tell me they are not aware of the provisions in the agreement?” Monton pointed out.

“All those who received must return the money, if it was a bribe and not intended for projects.”

Despite radio survey results saying people don’t believe Bohol officials did not receive money from the recently exposed Malacañang bribery, Gov. Erico Aumentado reiterated what he said.

“Wa jod ko kadawat bisan usa ka dako gikan sa Malacañang (I did not receive a single centavo from Malacañang).”

This was the public statement made by the governor during his regular Friday morning radio program Governor’s Report.

Aumentado said he was not with the meeting of Pres. Arroyo with the congressmen last Thursday.

He was attending the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) chairmanship turnover Thursday noon. From there he rushed to catch the 2:30 afternoon Philippine Airlines flight to Tagbilaran as the President was scheduled to visit Bohol the next day, Friday Oct. 12, he explained.

“As to the three congressmen, I cannot speak for them. But they were also with me in the same flight,” the governor added.

--published by the Bohol Standard

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the country's leading domestic airline and low fare leader, will start flying the Manila-Boracay (Caticlan) route starting February 29, 2008 and the Cebu-Boracay (Caticlan) route starting March 28, 2008.

The new routes will utilize CEB's brand new ATR 72-500 aircraft which will arrive in February 2008. 

Both the Manila-Boracay (Caticlan) and Cebu-Boracay (Caticlan) year-round 'Go' fares start at P688, which is almost 65% lower than the current lowest year-round fares offered by other domestic airlines for this route.

Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and product said, "We want more Filipinos to visit and experience Boracay. We hope to further spur local and international travel activity to one of the best leisure destinations in the world, Boracay, as we start our service to Caticlan. With our very low year-round fares, more Filipinos and overseas guests can now visit the country's number one tourist destination."

CEB will initially operate its Manila-Boracay (Caticlan) service five times daily.  Upon the arrival of the second ATR aircraft in March, it will increase its frequency from five to nine services daily and also begin daily Cebu-Boracay (Caticlan) operations.

"We are not just offering the lowest fares but also using brand new ATR 72-500 aircraft to service this route."  Iyog added.

CEB is acquiring up to 14 ATR 72-500 regional aircraft manufactured by Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), based in Toulouse, France.  ATR is the world leader in the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market.

"As part of our commitment to local tourism, we offer the lowest year-round domestic fares to encourage more and more Filipinos to explore the Philippines.   We also acquired the 72-seater ATR aircraft to service airports with runway length and strength limitations, such as Caticlan" Iyog stated.

Iyog added that the best way to purchase tickets is through CEB's website, cebupacificair.com.

Now in its 12th year, CEB has the youngest fleet of aircraft in the Philippines. CEB flies to 12 international and soon to be 21 domestic destinations with the addition of Boracay beginning February 29, 2008.

Cebu Pacific (CEB), the country's low fare leader and leading domestic carrier offers P1 seats for its service from Cebu to Bacolod, Clark, Davao, Kalibo, and Puerto Princesa.

The seat sale will run from October 22 to 27, 2007, or until seats are sold out, and is good for travel from November 15, 2007 to February 29, 2008. Fare is non-refundable, and exclusive of applicable surcharges and government taxes. There are 20,000 seats available for this promotional sale.

"With the rapid expansion of our domestic and international operations from Cebu, we are offering this seat sale to strengthen the hub that we've established. Cebu is an important hub for CEB as this serves as an international gateway for the region," Candice Iyog, CEB VP for marketing and product said.

CEB also adds flights for its Cebu-Davao offering. The additional flights are scheduled to operate every Thursday and Sunday. The flight leaves Cebu at 07:30pm and arrives in Davao at 08:25pm . The return flights departs from Davao at 8:55pm and lands in Cebu at 9:50pm.

She explained, "We hope that many will take advantage of our very low fares and act fast.  Since this a book and buy offering, the best way to purchase tickets is via CEB's website, www.cebupacificair.com."

Now in its 12th year, CEB has the youngest fleet of aircraft in the Philippines. CEB operates 15 Airbus aircraft to its 20 domestic and 12 international destinations with the recent addition of Guangzhou and Macau  this month.

By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

The red flag is up, and there they go! However, we do not see who are on the lead. There are assorted characters running for barangay posts. There are hot potatoes, cold tomatoes, luscious peaches, rotten apples and assorted nuts competing for nine posts per barangay. Those are; one barangay chair - captain if you like -, seven kagawads and one Samahang Kabataan chairman. For every one kagawad position, there are at least ten candidates, for every chair position; there are at least two candidates. Lucky are those chairs, which have no opposition.

Although this exercise is supposed to be nonpartisan, that is; no political parties are to poke their noses into this affair, it would not be logical to assume that those candidates will be left alone. Barangay chair candidates will feel the pressure or presence. Incumbent municipal officials and aspiring ones would try to implicitly influence the situation. The former will be doing it to be assured that no one will rock the boat, particularly the most populous thus influential barangays, and the latter for easy political mobilization in the future.

There are barangay candidates, who will claim that they have the support of top municipal officials and big business in Jagna. However, if that might be true, those supporters are in for trouble. The former might lose their voting base and the latter might face unnecessary trouble, which would need the services of lawyers.

Barangay officials under the thumb of big business might find it difficult to persuade their constituents that the presence of big business in their vicinity is good for them.

Sad to say, choices for top barangay positions will be based on popularity. It does not matter if the candidate is a nincompoop or a certifiable idiot. Election laws say that anybody who is a citizen of the Republic, of legal age and who can read and write can be a candidate. The only other requirement is he must pass a drug test to prove that he is not a prohibited drug user. It does not specify that he must pass a psychiatric test or even an IQ test. A moron with enough logistics to back him up would win any post.

Elective barangay officials come from all walks of life. Some just came out of the woodwork. They had not even managed a sarisari store, some did put up businesses that flopped miserably, some does not even have the good graces of his family and kin, and now they are offering to run the barangay. Of course, there are some, who are really competent but alas, some of them do not have enough grass roots contact.

There are those who threaten that if they will be elected, all appointive officials in the barangay will be replaced. That would be a bad political strategy. Not only that he will lose votes of those appointive officials but also of their families and kin. Besides, except for a few who had been political favorites of the powers that be, most of them are chosen for their ability, capability and willingness to serve.

Appointive officials are the workhorses of the barangay.

A kagawad may rant and rave in the session hall - if he can find the way to the session hall -, never contributing a resolution, an ordinance or even a coherent idea throughout his whole term yet still receive his honorarium. A barangay secretary, or treasurer or barangay health worker or tanod must perform to justify his pay. Besides, the local government has spent more money for the orientations and seminars on them than the kagawads. Assuming the sweeper candidate will win, where will he find replacements for jobs, which are thankless, with low pay and indeterminate hours? Competent one will demand salaries, which a Jagna barangay could barely afford.

This is not to say that Jagna has a lack of talent, which could run barangay affairs. There are, but how to persuade them to serve will be difficult. They are retirees and senior citizens, who have done their share of service and are bent on enjoying a hassle free life. However, there are some workaholics, who cannot just gad around carousing. They might accept the job to keep his brains from rusting.

Barangay officials are advised to grab him fast but they must be sure that this chap does not have the tendency to dominate the show.

Written By Loy Palapos

Being a wife and a mother is a dual role that needs the best in a woman, for a family to succeed. If she adds a career to these twin-responsibilities, and still comes out intact, she is an achiever. If it is a career dominated by men since the time of Solomon, it must be a real feat, and she must be extraordinary, great even. But… no, she isn't superb, she will tell you. Just an ordinary girl who knows what she wants, and how to get it.

Talking to Honorable Aster Cleofe Apalisok-Piollo (AAP) is an experience in insouciant banter. Yes, there is nothing extraordinary about her (the way she dresses up and looks, her mannerisms and informal casual diatribes, and coolness even during a scorching day. Even her law office, which she occupies with her son, who is also a lawyer, (and will soon marry another lady lawyer), is a definition of simplicity. It is when you know her better, and dig the wit and wisdom she exudes, that you begin to realize her extraordinariness. She is not the dumb blonde, who cannot decipher a smile from a snort, nor the supercharged brunette, whose estrogen defies hormonal discipline, but the intelligent Filipina who has found contentment in her career and her home.

She may be a Benjamin in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, but she is not wet between the ears when it comes to the responsibilities of the elective post, and the process of legislation. As a lawyer, she is adept at the rules of the game. She holds the distinction of being the first and only Lady Lawyer Board Member in the history of Bohol's legislative body. Her qualifications preceded her election to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and the curious public won't anymore ask if she knows her job, just like what happened a few times in the past when damsels in distress tried to rule Camelot, only to find out that they had become dangling modifiers.

The problem is too high expectations for her. But this corner knows she can deliver. The first few sessions of the SP have already proven her worth as a legislator. For her, it's always her best foot forward.

LMP: Comparatively, you are a successful career woman. Do you encourage
other women to have their own careers aside from being wives and mothers?
AAP: Of course, I do. But the pursuit of their own careers should not be done at
the expense of their being a good wife and a mother.

LMP: Do you believe career-women are more fulfilled than ordinary housewives?
In what ways and for what reasons?
AAP: I don't. Fulfillment does not come from outside. It comes from within. So, it
is not the prerogative of career women to be fulfilled. People do become
fulfilled regardless of his or her status in life.

LMP: Does a wife need the go-signal of her husband when she decides to work
outside of the house? Why? What happens if the husband objects?
AAP: She has to. It is written in the bible and the family code so dictate. More
importantly, to do so would result in constant disagreements in the family
and that would be unhealthy for the children.

LMP: When a woman's career clashes with the needs of her family, what does
she do?
AAP: It depends on her priorities. Personally, my family is my priority. If push
comes to shove, I would sacrifice my career in favor of my family's needs. I
left BIR when the only position they can offer me is one with assignment in
Cebu. My children were then in grade school. They needed me more than I
need to pursue a career.

LMP: Was it really your dream to become a lawyer? What prompted you to make
this career choice?
AAP: It was. But I put it aside when I became a teacher at my father's dictate
and my mother's proddings. Then when I started to love teaching, I got ill.

Acute pharyngitis. The doctor advised me to stop teaching. Then my
husband as a witness in a case became the victim of a false accusation so
negotiations between the parties will be realized. We both cried on the
injustice done to us. We had to mediate between the parties as we did not
have the money to fight the case in court. That became my inspiration to
become a lawyer. When I became a practicing lawyer, I pledged that I will
never do to other people what they did to my husband.

LMP: It's obvious you subscribe to women entering into politics. What risks and
sacrifices does a woman have when she involves herself in politics?
AAP: She has to sacrifice her time with her family. She becomes public property.

It might result in her being estranged from her husband who may feel
inferior as against the public attention given to his wife. A strong and
sturdy personal relationship between her husband and herself should first
be forged before a woman may enter politics. Her children should also be
well secured psychologically as to be able to be left alone and stand on
their own.

LMP: What inspired you to get involved in politics?
AAP: My advocacy to stop domestic violence. I know that women tend to live on
in a violent environment because they have no economic independence. If
only we can reach out to these women help them be economically
independent, free themselves from their husband's slavery, then I'd say. I
succeeded.

LMP: You just made history. You are the first and only Lady Lawyer who has won
a seat in the Bohol Provincial Board. How does it feel being so privileged?
AAP: I don't feel privileged. I didn't realize it until you said so. I feel burdened.
As a lawyer, more is expected of me. I hope I'll be able to live up to those
expectations.

LMP: If there is a role-model in your development as a girl, as a woman, as a wife and mother, and as a career lady, who would that be? What influences
have you derived from him/her/them?
AAP: My mother. She was my yardstick. But I said to myself, I will be better than
she was, as a mother, as a wife and as a career woman.

LMP: Compared to the other board members, do you feel you have an edge over
those who are non-lawyers?
AAP: Only on legal matters or issues that need legal views. Otherwise, we are all
equal. Each has a contribution to make.

LMP: I have learned that you have been selected Chairperson of two SP
Committees. What are they, and what are your plans/projects to make a
specific committee (please, specify separately) at par with what the public
needs?
AAP: I am the Chairperson of the Committee on Women and Family Welfare and
the Committee on Justice and Human Rights. As chairperson of the
Committee on Women and Family Welfare, I will work on the passage and
approval of the implementing rules and regulations of the Children's Code,
the GAD Code, the institutionalization of the Bohol Crisis Center, and a
province wide information dissemination on the provisions of R.A. 7610, as
amended by 7682, R.A. 9208 and R.A. 9262.

As chairperson of the Committee on Justice and Human Rights, I will work
for the honoraria increase of the Barangay Health Workers and work with
the IBP for the review of the pending cases of the prisoners at the BDRC.

LMP: Is your political career a life-long involvement? If people believe that you
are ripe for a position higher than what you have, would you indulge them
and seek a bigger position? Why?
AAP: As of now, I have not thought of that. I am still bewildered with my work
that thinking of this work being life-long scares me!

LMP: What were some of your apprehensions before you won an SP seat? Now
that you are a legislator, are there some anxieties you need to address?
AAP: Before I won, I had no fears, I took everything in stride as I believe that if
God wills that He will make me a legislator to serve His people, then I will
win. I did my best, God did the rest. I have no apprehensions as a
legislator, as I lift up to the Lord, everything that I do. He will help me as
He made me a legislator.

LMP: Did you find adjusting to a new status cumbersome? Are there some
problems you now face, caused by your position? What are they, and how
do you cope up with them?
AAP: It is cumbersome to try to please people when deep in your heart, you
don't feel like pleasing them, especially so when you know that you are
being exploited and they are dishonest with you. I am also making a
juggernaut of my time as practicing lawyer, legislator, wife and mother. It
is good that my son, Arturo Piollo II (Jed) a lawyer, is taking care of
some of my cases and our law office. My son-in-law, Bong (Tibbs)
Bullecer, handles my BMS office, shields me and prevents me from
speaking my mind.

LMP: What are some changes, if any, you would propose to the incumbent
legislative body, especially in terms of relating to the executive
department?
AAP: As of now, I don't see any need to change. There is a good cooperative
and collaborative relations between the executive and legislative branches.
This should be maintained. This will redound to the benefit of the province.

LMP: What are some legislations that you would prioritize in your first term,
particularly in terms of giving solutions to current problems in the province?
AAP: Other than what has already been stated in answer to Q no. 11, I have
nothing else to add. I may not be able to do my other plans in so short a
time as 2 and ½ years.

Atty. Aster A. Piollo's charisma springs from her ability to decipher wisdom from innocence, and a convivial presence that does not intimidate. Yet, she can be tough without losing her feminine touch. She could sting when the need arises, on occasions when she confronts uncalled for braggadocio and high-handed arrogance. Notwithstanding rare moments that conjure a hint of firmness, Atty. Piollo always exudes the demeanor of an ally and a friend.

We have been apprised of neophyte legislators thrown into an arena they are not appropriately equipped: for instance, a lady newcomer who only learned parliamentary procedure after a series of debacles, amidst supressed chuckles of her colleagues and some session observers. In the case of Atty. Piollo, there is no such thing as feeling the waters, for she is a dock in her pond. Not a pariah longing to belong.

A Lady Lawyer, who could provide woman's wisdom in a male-dominated realm, is a shot-in-the-arm. Board Member Aster A. Piollo deserves three terms at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Written By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

This week, Vice Governor Julius Cesar Herrera voiced alarm on the fate of the fishing villages of Bohol. His concern is the runaway population of those villages and the dwindling fishing grounds. Over the years, the standard of living of those villagers inches closer to the poverty line. Some of them may have attained that level. The solution to that problem seems to be out of sight.

Most fishermen operate individually. They own a banca and basic fishing gear like long lines or driftnets. Fishing goes after demersal or pelagic fishes. Some who cannot afford one use the equipment owned by others giving the owner a share of the catch. Some operate active fishing paraphernalia and relies on other fishermen to join the operation for a share of the catch. To some, this operation is considered big time.

Initially, fishing operations are quite lucrative. However, uncontrolled operations resulted in dwindling catches. This had happened over the years. When an area is fished out, fishers will look for new grounds. The fishing grounds will never expand because of geographical limitations. Fishermen are forced to operate father and father from their homes. Some even migrate to places, which could afford them a living.

Authorities had not yet tried to regulate fishing such as imposing closed and open seasons. There had been not enough research in the life cycle of particular food fishes to enable marine biologists establish the months when closed and open seasons are to be imposed. They had tried this on manta fishing and it is yet too early to expect results. As a result gravis fishes are caught. Some coastal towns are establishing fish sanctuaries. However, poaching becomes a problem.

The Malthisian Theory on food and population seems to be true despite the refutations of some economists. Fisherfolks like farmers .are the most prolific classes of people in the Philippines. With time on their hands, they look upon sex as a type of diversion. Not only that. They consider children ass assets, an SSS investment. The larger the number of children they more secure is their old age.

Although most children are left to themselves to improve, their traditional filial piety compels them to take care of their old folks.

Regulating fishing practices will be quite a feat for any local government.

Controlling a burgeoning population would be difficult. Artificial birth control would run counter to the teachings of the Church. It seems as if the theologians cannot distinguish between contraception, preventing the union of the male and female cells, from abortion, which is murder. Imposing birth control through the rhythm method cannot be imposed on persons of barely basic literacy like the fisherfolk.

It seems as if Vice Gov. Julius Herrera is in a no win situation. He cannot impose regulated fishing without the fisherfolk raising a howl. He cannot impose effective birth control without the Church objecting. The Church, which had been active even on matters political, will not take this lying down. Despite that, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Western countries, particularly the industrialized ones have an almost negative population growth. Young folks either marry late or do not get married at all. If they ever marry, the couple must work to get ahead. Children become a liability.

Some opt to have only one child. The replacement rate went down. Now there are more retired persons than working ones forcing these nations to look for manpower and caretakers beyond their borders. It is interesting to note that those progressive countries are mostly protestant countries outside of China and Japan, which are not Christians. Perhaps it has something to do with religion. Perhaps not. However, it is hard to be religious on an empty stomach. The Vice Gov might find the solution to our problems there.

It has been 100 worthwhile days for the fresh political stint of Mayor Niño Rey Boniel at the Municipal Hall with a number of major development projects already in store for the constituents, offering the waste management facility and another modern day care and health center as the latest.

In fact, Boniel recently hosted provincial officials who assisted him in inaugurating the Hingotanan waste facility, and a modern day care and health center, which is an addition to the one at the adjacent Barangay of Nueva Estrella.

Provincial Board Member Ma. Fe Camacho-Lejos and Emmanuel "Dong Lee" Camacho of the Governor's Office led the inauguration ceremony for the waste facility that will siphon waste straws at Hingotanan Island which is known for its vast seaweeds plantation.

In another highlight, Vice-Governor Julius Herrera and second district Representative Roberto Cajes led the ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the Day Care and Health Center at the Poblacion area.

Another modern day care center was earlier constructed in barangay Nueva Estrella.
This town already has a number of modern day care centers which have been instrumental in the early childhood development of youth, according to KALAHI-CIDDS Area Coordinator Fe Abierra.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Two business establishments here recently committed to sponsor the Tagaonan Primary School, an extension of Carmen Central School, under DepEd's Adopt-a-School program.

The chief operating officers of Gyre Galere Concepts Trading Corporation and V-Jon Trading International, Jonathan T. Gaytano and Virna Condes-Gaytano, respectively and other officers of the two corporations came to Tagaonan Primary School on October 10 to attend the program's launching ceremony.

Tagaonan Primary School is approximately three kilometers from its mother school, Carmen Central School.
Tagaonan is one of the sitios of Poblacion Norte which has been assessed to be a depressed area considering its steep terrain.

Most of the residents belong to the low-income group and most of the pupils ended up as drop-outs by middle of the school year due to financial constraint and its distance.

Moreover, some parents consider it too risky for their children to cross a river which overflows during heavy rains, in going to school.

In consideration to the situation, DepEd established a school at their doorsteps.
At present, DepEd has assigned two teachers to handle classes for Grade I to Grade IV.

Through the efforts of the school's cluster head, Francisco Alcular and Edith Gaytano-Cuaresma, a retired public school teacher whose aspiration is to help the children, and in coordination with DepEd and LGU-Carmen through Mayor Manuel Molina, Tagaonan Primary School had been blessed to have secured a benefactor who will provide them the school needs.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

US-based Philos Health, through its chief executive officer, Forrest Malakoff recently turned over a P1.3-million brand new Isuzu DMAX to the local government unit here through Mayor Exuperio Lloren for the mobility of health workers who need to serve constituents in far-flung barangays.

Malakoff was here on October 14 to 17 for the third time this year for the turn-over ceremony which further strengthened the LGU's partnership with Philos Health, a non-government organization based in California, in fulfilling the mission of making basic health services accessible to the constituents in the upland barangays.

Upon learning of the multi-million peso mobile clinic program that Jagna-Philos Health Care Committee had conceptualized, during a consultation meeting, Malakoff decided to donate, instead, a mobile vehicle for the plan of organizing a Rural Health Unit 2 (RHU- 2) to be based at the barangay health center in Mayana.

In the RHU-2 concept, the upland barangays of Jagna will be clustered accordingly, to group barangays Cambugason, Boctol and Lonoy as one cluster, and barangays Odiong, Can-ipol and Tubod Monte as another cluster, then barangays Buyog, Balili and Cantuyoc as another one. Each of barangays Calabacita and Mayana shall stand as one cluster being densely populated.

Based on actual result and assessment after the implementation of the Barangay Development Plan through Participatory Rural Appraisal (BDP-PRA) in 2001 and through the households survey for the baseline data gathering for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2005, doctor's visibility due to unequal ratio and proportion, inaccessibility and high cost of health care services are consistently identified as priority health issues hence the program, in partnership with Philos Health.

At least US$8,000 had been set aside for the on-going rehabilitation of Mayana Health Center after Malakoff did a round of actual physical inspection to the site as well as to the other concerned barangay health centers before a new doctor is to be deployed to assume as rural health physician courtesy of the "Doctors to the Barrios Program (DTTB)" of the Department of Health.

In another development, Malakoff brought here a total of US$20,000 worth of medicines for the medical mission held on October 17 at the Jagna gymnasium and surgical instruments for the Cong. Teodoro B. Galagar District Hospital (TBGDH).

The medical mission was the third for this year after Malakoff and party conducted the same activity in February and in June for the upland barrios.

Executive Assistant for Administration Ma. Louella Tan-Jumawan and Jagna First Lady Nimfa Abaya-Lloren and selected LGU employees facilitated the whole-day activity.

At least 743 patients from the different barangays here and from neighboring towns benefited from the services of the medical mission team composed of Jagna MHO Dr. Arnold Cagulada, retired Jagna MHO Dr. Mariano Salas, private practitioner Dr. Troy Maape, Garcia-Hernandez MHO Dr. Eric Acenas, Candijay MHO Dr. Asendino Tan, Dr. Rosalyn Baja, Valencia, Dr. Zaldy Liao, Anda and another two MHOs. (Gregorio A. Tavera with reports from MPIO)

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

"You started from scratch, yet you are able to implement your poverty reduction programs based on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with great satisfaction…I am impressed and I consider yours as the best!" his excellency Alistair MacDonald, head of delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, told the local officials of Jagna.

MacDonald was in Jagna in the morning of October 16 for a post-project visit on the Localized Monitoring System of the MDG- -the Jagna Experience.

It was part of the European ambassador's three-day visit in Bohol for the Eco-Budget Conference held at the Bohol Beach Club and site visits to European Commission-assisted projects including those in Jagna.

Lloren showed to the ambassador, a power-point presentation on Jagna's MDG Progress Report during a meeting at the Capt. Goyo Caseñas Hall, after which five project beneficiaries gave testimonies on how the poverty reduction projects had made their lives better.

One Placido Sajol of barangay Mayana represented the upland farmer-beneficiaries of the on-going organic vegetable production program, while one Flordeliza Bayron represented the rural women's group engaged in ginger production and processing.

Deeply touched and impressed, MacDonald commended Lloren's effort and commitment to make the lives of the Jagnaanon better.

"It is important that you have knowledge of the condition of the people and the problems they encounter. The next urgent thing to do is to have focus on issues to be prioritized and the last essential point is to have determination and vigor to achieve the remaining goals of the MDGs….Nevertheless, your efforts must be accompanied by our support and from the support of other linkages," MacDonald said.

A brief open forum followed the interaction between the hosts and the European delegation.
Then, the mayor made the presentation of tokens of appreciation culturally symbolic by sharing Jagna's coffee table Commemorative Book, basketful of original calamay and other delicacies to the ambassador.

Jagna was one of the three pilot municipalities of Bohol in the European Union-funded MDGs in 2005.
Committing to achieve eight goals (MDGs) by 2015, the MDGs aim to reduce extreme poverty and hunger, provide universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development.

In March 2006, the MDG Book on Bohol Experience was launched in the three pilot municipalities including Jagna.

In last week's visit, the European delegation also experienced that warmth of Boholano hospitality when a short welcome program at the municipal hall compound was offered to them amidst the late morning drizzle.
Jagna Parish Priest Msgr. Orencio Jubac, E.V. led in the opening prayer, while Vice Mayor Teofisto Pagar Sr. and Romina Sta. Clara welcomed them.

The Colegio de la Medalla Milagrosa (CMM) Drum and Lyre Corps played a festive music and beat, while the selected LGU-Jagna employees rendered a cultural dance presentation entitled "TABO" which amazed the ambassador.

A five year-old day care pupil, Keith Charles Galiguer represented the early childhood development group, while a Grade six pupil of Canjulao Elementary School, Ma. Murielle Maghuyop represented the Eco-Savers Club. One Howard Sedavia, who was accidentally amputated of his two arms, represented the differently-abled group.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Tigdas, tipdas or by any other local name, the name of the disease is still measles.

It is highly contagious and used to be fatal but with the advent of modern medicine, measles is now preventable through vaccination.

Inabanga now under Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy, his mother Josephine Socorro before him, and her husband Jose before her, has always been a child-friendly municipality.

Jumamoy the son has made it a point to carry on the tradition even if he himself, at 21 years old, graduated not too long ago from childhood.

The mayor and Dr. Lilibeth Melicor, municipal health officer, led the mass campaign for parents to submit their children to measles vaccination. The massive vaccination started October 15 and will end on November 15.

To ensure that majority of the children here are vaccinated, Rural Health Unit personnel made extra effort: they went to the barangays to ensure that all eligible children are immunized.
The local government unit (LGU) dropped other major activities in favor of the immunization to protect children from the disease.

"Health is wealth. We must protect our health especially those of our children because they are the hope of our fatherland. They are our future," Jumamoy philosophized.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Provincial Board (PB) Member Josephine Socorro Jumamoy, also of the PB Committee on Cooperatives strongly pushed for the strengthening of cooperatives as the prevailing factor in addressing poverty in the province.

Even as beyond her political jurisdiction, Jumamoy came here as guest speaker during the ceremony for the Cooperative Month celebration on October 17 at the town's activity center

Jumamoy, chair of the Provincial Cooperative Development Council (PCDC), told the crowd that she personally chose the Committee on Cooperatives during the time of committee assignments, believing that strengthening the cooperatives in Bohol will help alleviated and if possible eradicate poverty in the province.
          
She stressed that in a cooperative, every member is expected to cooperate considering that the members are the employers and employees at the same time and as such everybody tends to show great concern for the development of the group because precisely all of them, as owners, will benefit from it.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

First District Board Member Alfonso "Ae" Damalerio II stressed on the significance of having more retirement facilities during the Board of Investments'-Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA) Regional Conference on October 19 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City.

Damalerio was one of the resource speakers during the conference wherein he suggested more retirement facilities to address the growing demands of the industry, especially in the province of Bohol.

He cited the potential of Bohol as a future retirement haven, having all the requirements of security and safety, year-round moderate climate, natural beauty and resources and its accessibility being in the center of the country.

Damalerio also cited the increasing arrivals of tourists and retirees in Bohol as the province has become the number one eco-tourism destination in the past two years.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado Friday vehemently denied having received payola during the October 11 meeting in Malacañang that threw his fellow governor Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga into the headlines.

Panlilio hogged the limelight after claiming that indeed he received such windfall.

He even had his picture taken while holding the crisp bundles of cash - that again splashed across the front pages of national dailies and on national TV.

As a result, Aumentado was dogged by the local, regional and even national media - all seeking his opinion on Panlilio's confession, and asking if he also received such "gift." The Bohol governor is the immediate past national president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP).

Aumentado said October 11 was the day he turned over the presidency of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to interim president Ramon Guico Jr. of Binalonan, Pangasinan, national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP).

The governor said he cut short his term that is supposed to end in March 2008 yet so that he can devote more of his time to Bohol. Earlier, he also declined another term as LPP president, endorsing Gov. Loreto Leo Ocampos of Misamis Occidental instead.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had requested Governor Erico Aumentado to host delegates from Asia, Europe and the United States in the 44th Annual Session and 50th Steering Committee Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Coordinating Committee for Geosciences Programmes in East and Southeast Asia (CCOP) who will be here this Friday for an exposure trip on geologic wonders, tourist and historical attractions.

MGB will be the host agency for the event which runs from October 21-28 in Cebu City wherein more than 80 delegates from various member and donor countries in Asia, Europe and the US are expected to attend.

he field visit to Bohol will cap the annual session, through which MGB will show the delegates an example of a geologic and tourist spot of the country with the province's geologic wonders, and tourist and historical attractions.

The itinerary includes the Loboc River Cruise, Tarsier viewing, and a visit to Baclayon Church, then to the man-made forest in Bilar, Blood Compact Shrine and the world famous Chocolate Hills.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Japanese firm, Hanjin Heavy Industries Co.-Philippines has coordinated with the provincial government, through the Bohol Employment and Placement Office (BEMO), in recruiting Boholano workers for its eyed shipbuilding project in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, in Zambales province.

Through the municipal PESO managers, Hanjin intends to make their offer of employment known to maximum pool of skilled workers in the 47 towns of Bohol as the company needs an initial 8,000 skilled workers for the 2008 operation and 20,000 direct employees by the time the project reaches the peak operation.

Hanjin now needs welders, electricians, plumbers, crane/lift operators, engineering staff (electrical, mechanical and marine) and administrative staff for its human resources, warehouse management, procurement and data encoding departments.

After having initially conducted recruitment activities in the Luzon area, the company now wants to focus recruitment from the Visayas, including Bohol which the provincial government considers a welcome development in consonance with "our vigorous poverty reduction initiatives," according to BEPO Chief Romulo Tagaan in his notice to all municipal mayors dated October 15, 2007.

Tagaan requested every municipality to conduct a skills registration of prospective job applicants for the project, through its PESO office. BEPO will then consolidate the listing by middle of November.

A team from Hanjin will be in Tagbilaran City to conduct some screening routine as sufficient number of applicants shall be available by then.

Tagaan advises interested individuals to contact BEPO through telephone numbers (038) 411-3544 or (038) 501-9847 for more details or visit its office at the Capitol Building along CPG Avenue.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

By Manuel Ferdinand Ramirez de Erio, MPIO

New convenience for clients seeking for security papers of birth, death and marriage certificates will soon be offered in the Municipal Civil Registrar's (MCR) office of Trinidad town this province.

Just last week, Trinidad town mayor Judith "Babie" del Rosario - Cajes entered into a Memorandum Of Understanding together with the Civil Registrar General Carmelita Ericta, Philippine Association of Civil Registrars' national president Luchi Flores, Trinidad town Civil Registrar Lucia Cempron and Director of Civil Registration Department of the National Statistics Office Lourdes Hufana during the 5th National Convention of Solemnizing Officers in Cagayan de Oro City.

Mayor Cajes said that this new service of MCR Trinidad shall be useful to people who are applicants for civil registry documents in Security Paper which they can use for passport and visa application for travel abroad, requirement for taking Professional Board examinations (PRC), claims for benefits (SSS and GSIS), employment requirement, documentary evidence in courts and quasi-judicial bodies, employment, school purposes and government transactions.

The MCR Trinidad office is set to undergo training and workshop on the technical aspect of the new service. It is worthy to mention that Trinidad has been keeping the records of birth, death and marriages in the towns Dagohoy, San Miguel and Bien Unido before these three officially became towns.

This new form of service is the implementation of the program called "Simplification of Civil Registry Services--Cascading to the Provinces the issuance by Local Civil Registrars of civil registry documents in Security Paper," jointly implemented by the National Statistics Office (NSO), the Philippine Association of Civil Registrars (PACR) and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The Office of the President through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (Bureau of Local Government Supervision) spearheads the program in consonance with the centerpiece programs of the government on the simplification of government transactions and elimination of red tape in the bureaucracy.

The Program is aims to empower public service and increase efficiency of public service by decentralizing and cascading the issuance of civil registry documents in Security Paper to the Local Civil Registrars in the provinces all over the country.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

At least an assurance closes in on the conservation of this town's water resources after 40 marginal rice farmers were made to get involved through the three-day consultation meeting and stakeholders training on community-based watershed management project held October 9-11 at the barangay hall of Santo Niño.

The training was designed to enrich the farmer's capability in protecting the watershed and management of water at their small water impounding project (SWIP).

Participants came from farmers' organizations in three barangays which were the Federated Free Farmers (FFF), Santo Niño Irrigators Association and Nagkahiusang Mananagat sa Santo Niño (Namasan).

Facilitators and speakers of the gab were from the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM) headed by Dr. Gina Nilo, project team leader, chief of bureau of water management project Bohol and Chief of SWRRD with staff Dr. Gabino Isagani Urriza, Engr. Teresita Sandoval, Emiliano Silboro, Dennis de Guzman, Sharon Solitom Belina Solito and Marcelina Palis.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

It was a case of Cat Stevens' "Father and Son" going out too far.

An argument between a 39-year-old father and his 10-year-old son in Barangay Virgen, Anda became a case of life imitating art - with bloody consequences.

The unfortunate incident happened about 11 midnight in the third district town last Oct. 11.

Records reaching Camp Dagohoy identified the suspect as one Arsenio Olayon, a resident of Virgen, Anda.

Stevens' hit song details the communication gap between father and son, a song so relevant it remains popular more than three decades since the folk icon dropped out of sight from the entertainment field.

In the Anda episode however, the argument must have turned from bad to worse - enough for the father to lose his head altogether.

No doubt aided by the alcohol that clouded his sense of judgment, the suspect could no longer control his anger during the exchange.

In a fit of rage, Olayon took hold of an ice pick and repeatedly stabbed his 10-year-old son.

The boy sustained at least five stab wounds on different parts of his body arising from the physical assault.

He was immediately rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (CGMH) in Tagbilaran for treatment to his injuries.

The report did not mention who was responsible for bringing the boy to safety in the city.

Olayon is presently detained at the Anda PNP jail pending the filing of appropriate charges against him.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

This coastal municipality which experienced earthquakes in the past is bracing for another occurrence of the calamity of this nature in an effort to minimize if not prevent damage to lives and property.

An earthquake drill was held last week in response to calls made by the
National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). The municipal counterpart is chaired by Mayor Exuperio Lloren.

It may be recalled that the NDCC through the office of the governor sent a memorandum-circular to the local executives enjoining the 2007 3rd nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill on Oct. 10.

Mayor Lloren officially tasked Eli Doria, Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) as deputized coordinator to conduct the tremor exercises to coincide the ASEAN Day. In this connection, all local disaster coordinating councils government agencies, public and private schools were involved to undergo similar activity as stated in the nationally circularized memo.

At the start of the disaster rehearsal, the MDCC in charge gave some instructions to the participants especially on the steps to be observed in the practice. Doria emphasized first and foremost the safety measures to be carefully taken in the activity.

At the stroke of three in the afternoon training day, a siren made an alarming one minute sound signaling the occurrence of the shaking incident. In the municipal hall and nearby national, provincial and local offices and surrounding schools, people in their usual activity quickly moved out while the rest took cover under the tables and desks for few minutes. After the supposed terrible moment, the supposed victims were carried by the rescuers to the safe place. Those at the outdoors were head counted.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

As Organic Vegetable Production (OVP) program produces the second batch of farmer-graduates, the municipal government held another vegetable harvest festival on October 9, this time, in barangay Odiong.

Odiong Barangay Captain, who is an outstanding farmer awardee herself, Margarita Abcede led the 15 graduates of OVP as she challenged her fellow-pioneers to continue what has been started and to start spreading the news for replication to other farmers in the community.

Mayor Exuperio Lloren, as assisted by the Provincial Coordinator of High Valued Commercial Crop (HVCC) Sergio Cuaco, personally gave the certificates of completion to 15 farmer-graduates from barangay Odiong who compose the second league of pioneers on OVP program.

The farmers completed the 12-week training on OVP.

It was barely a month ago that farmer-graduates barangay Mayana finished the training season and held a harvest festival.

The farmers were trained on the latest organic agriculture technology which they can apply in their respective farms.

"Your work is very commendable being the second barangay of the eight pilot areas of OVP in the municipality which has successfully produced a good organic yield. Congratulations for a job worth emulating," Mayor Lloren said.

The mayor also explained that through organic agriculture, the farmers will be relieved of costly farm inputs by doing away with chemical fertilizers, and that the advocacy for good health and sustainable environment will be in place.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Farming has gone a long way from the primitive nature-dependent passive type because of technology developed through the years.

To ensure that farmers and fisher-folk, students and other researchers are kept abreast with new technologies to ensure better yield - and income - Mayor Jose Jono Jumamoy led local officials in launching the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) Center in Inabanga.

Jumamoy said the new facility complements the local government unit's and rural-based organizations' efforts in providing information delivery and technology services. It also strengthens the link among the technology generator, technology services and adaptors.

The FITS aims to develop, validate and promote modalities that will facilitate technology promotion and utilization.

Guests at the launching included Provincial Agriculturist Liza Quirog, Executive Assistant Joseph Lemuel Camacho who represented Gov. Erico Aumentado, Assistant Professor Alma Vilma Sumampong of the Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Forestry and Technology (CVSCAFT) and Dr. Arturo Arganosa of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PICARRD).

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post

Policemen scored anew in the campaign to rid the province of illegal drugs with raids conducted in Inabanga town that led to the arrest of three drug personalities.

The raid which was carried out by a joint team led by the Criminal Investigation Group (CIDG) along with elements from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7, Bohol Provincial Police Office-Special Operations Group, Regional Mobile Group-7 and the Inabanga PNP also yielded illegal drugs and firearms.

The joint team led by Chief Insp. Germano Mallari struck first about 6 am in Barangay Badiang. The raid resulted in the arrest of Elizabeth Ceniza who yielded a sachet of suspected shabu powder, three cellular phones and drug paraphernalia.

Just an hour later, the joint team carried out the second in the series of raids against suspected drug personalities.

The raiders arrested one Christopher Lofranco, a resident of the said place. The raiding team recovered two caliber .38 bullets and three ammunitions for a caliber .22 magnum from the suspect.

--published by the Bohol Sunday Post