MikeLigalig.com

August 21, 2007: By the time you finish reading this sentence, you'll be 25 miles closer to the planet Mars.

Earth and Mars are converging, and right now the distance between the two planets is shrinking at a rate of 22,000 mph--or about 25 miles per sentence. Ultimately, this will lead to a close approach in late December 2007 when Mars will outshine every star in the night sky. Of a similar encounter in the 19th century, astronomer Percival Lowell wrote the following: "[Mars] blazes forth against the dark background of space with a splendor that outshines Sirius and rivals the giant Jupiter himself."

Contrary to rumor, though, Mars is never going to outshine the Moon.

There is an email circulating the internetâ€"called the "Mars Hoax" or the "Two Moons email"â€"claiming that Mars will soon swell as large as the full Moon, and the two will hang together side by side on the night of Aug. 27th. "Mars will be spectacular," it states. "No one alive today will ever see this again."

No one will see it, because it won't happen.

It is true that Earth and Mars are converging--you're now 300 miles closer--but even at closest approach the two planets are separated by a gulf of tens of millions of miles. From such a distance, Mars looks like a star, an intense yet tiny pinprick of light, never a full Moon.

source: http://science.nasa.gov

What will happen?

Quote from: queen on August 22, 2007, 03:58:26 PM

diin ka nag-eskwela: Cebu Normal University

Cebu Normal University has the best program for Education.

Here's the good news:

Google will soon launch the so-called GooPhone or Google Phone. Google is going to give it free - first in the United States and perhaps later to the rest of the world.

The phone is equipped with Internet browser, and you can use the phone to call anyone in the world for free. I think he or she must have the GooPhone, too.

According to reports, Google has been spending millions of dollars in developing this technology.

If you plan to buy an iPhone, postpone it now. Your iPhone may soon become obsolete once you receive your free GooPhone.

Change the movie title from "Enter the Dragon" to "Enter the Snowhite."

Quote from: Bambi on August 22, 2007, 02:09:20 PM
Cute and intelligent guy like you!

Hasta la vista na lang, am very kapoy galing sa work (nightshift) matulog una..... good nyt 2 ol!

To God be the glory.

Masud-ipan man pud ta ani. 

For more than a week already, Google's spider has been crawling on Tubag Bohol on a 24-hour basis. I am amazed that Google never stops indexing Tubag Bohol pages. Today Google has indexed nearly 3,500 pages of our site.

Every webmaster feels happy every time Google's spider visits a website.

I have spent a lot of hours studying on search engine optimization, employing techniques on how to make our site Google-friendly.

I guess our efforts have produced fruits. Tubag Bohol statistics shows that Google spider stays with us all day, all night.

Try this: type the phrase Macky Ferniz in google search bar and see the result.

One more test: Type the phrase Snowhite Bohol in google search bar and see the result.

I am very disorganized. I can't work well if all the books, magazines, papers, disks are well organized. Sometimes I have to disarrange things so that they would look perfect for me.

data from tourism.gov.ph Is this accurate? Something is missing/lacking...

Chocolate Hills
Located in the town of Carmen, 55 kilometers from Tagbilaran City, the Chocolate Hills are undoubtedly the most famous tourist attraction in Bohol. Among the 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills, which abound in Central Bohol, two have been developed into a resort. On top of these hills is a complex that offers accommodation, conference rooms, restaurants, and a view deck.

Dauis Church
Located in the town of Dauis, three kilometers from Tagbilaran City, Dauis Church is one of Bohol’s beautiful churches that has retained its Spanish architecture despite a semi-modern façade. The interior has life-like murals painted on the ceiling.
The patron saint, the Virgin of the Assumption, is believed to possess miraculous powers. It is the object of the faithful, who attend its annual festivities. Legend has it that when the town was invaded by pirates, the townfolk locked themselves inside the church until they ran out of water and provisions. Then suddenly a well appeared at the foot of the altar where people started drawing water. It is still the main source of water for the people living in the church vicinity. Surprisingly, the water is absolutely fresh even as the well is located only a few meters from the sea.

Baclayon Church
One of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines is Baclayon Church, located in the town of Baclayon, six kilometers from Tagbilaran City. This ancient massive edifice still retains its century-old architectural design. Both in the external and internal portions of the church are various interesting relics and artifacts dating back to the early 16th century, which have now been placed at the Baclayon Museum.
Baclayon is the oldest town in Bohol and the mother town of Alburquerque, Balilihan, and Sikatuna.

Blood Compact / Sandugo
Datu Sikatuna, a native Boholano chieftain, forged a Blood Compact with Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, representing the King of Spain, for the purpose of fostering friendly relations between the two countries. The Blood Compact that took place on March 16, 1565 is considered as the first “Treaty of Friendship” between the brown and white races. A marker of this historic event can be found in Barangay Bool at Tagbilaran City.

Dagohoy Revolt
Francisco Dagohoy led the longest revolt in the country against the Spaniards, which lasted for 84 years. There now stands a marker in Magtangtang at the town of Danao, installed by the Philippine Historical Commission to honor the heroic deeds of Dagohoy. Magtangtang was his headquarters or hideout during the revolt. Hundreds of Dagohoy’s followers preferred death inside the cave than surrender. Their skeletons still remain in the site located in Danao, 92 kilometers from Tagbilaran City.

Sandugo Festival
The festival celebrated from July 1 to 31 has been inspired by the blood compact, or Sandugo, a friendship treaty between the Philippines and Spain that took place in 1565. The annual spectacle of the province features an agro-industrial fair, cultural and historical showcase, sports events, a beauty pageant, balls and dances, entertainment shows, and streetdancing which culminates with the re-enactment of the blood compact between Datu Sikatuna and Don Miguel Lopez de Legazpi.

Bolibong Kingking Festival
Celebrated from May 23 to 24, it is a music and dance festivity depicting the history, folklore, and traditions of the Lobocanons. Bolibong Kingking is a term applied to the drums and gongs, and their rhythm, used to accompany the supplication dance ritual performed before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the second patron of Loboc.

The king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord . . . . And all the people took a stand for the covenant. â€"2 Kings 23:3

In May of 2001, English evangelist J. John spoke in Liverpool, England, on the eighth commandment: “You shall not steal” (Ex. 20:15; Deut. 5:19). The results of his preaching were dramatic.

People’s hearts were changed. One author reports that large amounts of stolen goods were returned, including hotel towels, hospital crutches, library books, cash, and more. One man, who is now in the ministry, even returned towels he had taken from the Wimbledon tennis championships years ago when he worked there.

Something similar happened with King Josiah in the 18th year of his reign. Because of the long line of evil kings, the record of God’s laws had been lost. So when Hilkiah found God’s law and Shaphan read it to King Josiah, the king tore his clothes in grief and immediately began making religious reforms in his own life and throughout the nation. With just one reading of God’s Word, he changed the course of the nation (2 Kings 22:8â€"23:25).

Today, many of us own Bibles, but are we changed by the truths found there? We are called to read, hear, and obey His Word. It should cause us, like Josiah, to take immediate action to bring our lives into harmony with God’s desires. â€"Marvin Williams

Thinking It Over
Is it my habit to read God’s Word every day?
How does awareness of sin break my heart,
as it did for King Josiah?

Open your Bible prayerfully; read it carefully; obey it joyfully.

source: www.rbc.org

Quote from: Bambi on August 22, 2007, 01:03:20 PM
Good morning Mike!

Imagine a World without Bohol..... way tulison sa Mc Donalds.

Bambi, sa McJack nahitabo, dili sa McDonalds. Pero sa McDonalds sa BQ, daghan na kaayong nailad sa budol-budol.

What will happen?

Aristotle Onassis â€" the shipping tycoon - was once asked: what would you do if you suddenly lost all your money?

His answer: “I’d get a job, and work till I had saved up $300. Then I’d go buy myself an expensive suit, and go to where the rich people hang out.”

What will happen?

Quote from: preciousNpolite on August 22, 2007, 04:23:52 AM
please show me where you can buy a nokia 3210 for P500.00  because i have alot of friends to be buying xmas presents for if this cell snatching keeps on going at the pace it is going at! He he he eh he he he! LOLS!

With a Bohol Death Squad, these snatchers will never ever appear on Bohol streets again.

Quote from: Franklin on August 19, 2007, 02:48:10 PM
I want to say that I love the Philippines and especially her people. It saddens me to see the way things are going. A lot has to do with drugs, such as robbery, murder.

What gets me upset is the same thing that gets me upset in the states, wasteful, inefficient bureaucrats.
In my state, we could fire 50% of the state workers, including the police and no one would miss them except we would have to pay less taxes.

So when I personally see police in Tag. drinking beer in public, or laying across the hood of their car in front of the BQ, drooling over the girls, I just don't think that the police are overworked.

I think that they need to work.

As a young boy I grew up in an environment with all the police around me. I often stayed with my father in the police station.

These are the things that they do in the police station:

1. Laughing all day.
2. All green jokes festival.
3. Play chess
4. Play mahjong or cards
5. Watch TV
6. Sleep all day, all night.
7. Sugba, tuwa, kilaw, some of the fish came from bribes of dynamite fishers.
8. Raise cocks outside the police station.
9. Gossip unlimited.
10. Listen to radio dramas.

PNP stations don't have Internet. If they have, they would be surfing the Internet all day long.

Quote from: Franklin on August 22, 2007, 09:36:13 AM
In one post you say people are afraid to say anything, In this post you are telling me to shut up. No one should be above reproach....sorry! Unless the moderator bans me I will tell it like I see it.
It's not about men looking at girls. It is about 3 police hanging around the front of the BQ/Pizza Hut, doing nothing and looking sloppy, not professional. "Oh my God Police I am heartly sorry for having offended thee.........."

Franklin, we encourage open debate. You can post here whatever you want. Just don't post pornographic pictures here.  That is one of the few instances that one can be banned.

In relation to this topic thread:

Seven of this year’s eight Most Outstanding Alumni Awardees were feted by Carolinians Inc., the alumni association of all USC graduates, as hundreds of other alumni from various places in the country and abroad---including a large delegation from the Carolinians of Surigao, Inc. and Carolinians Midwest USA---came to attend the 2007 USC Grand Alumni Homecoming.

The seven were Philip Ngai Tan (B.S. in Business Administration) for entrepreneurship; Archt. Socorro B. Atega (B.S in Architecture, Magna cum laude) for landscape architecture; Judge Marilyn L. Yap (Bachelor of Laws), for law and justice; Dir. Prudenciana C. Cruz (B.S.E. major in Library Science) for library science; Engr. Ernesto Codina (B.S. in Mechanical Engineering) for aeronautics and space flight engineering; Arlene Donaire (A.B. in Economics) for environmental advocacy; and Arnulfo Ramos (M.A. in History) for community service. Also awarded but failed to attend the event was Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell (Pre-Medicine) for dermatology.

Prior to the homecoming, various colleges conducted alumni congresses in different venues of the University's four campuses between 1:30 and 3:30 to bring together graduates of the University and the academic community.

The Grand Homecoming, with the theme “Carolinians: Crossing Borders, Coming Home”, opened with the traditional Holy Mass at 3:30 at the Church of St. Arnold and St. Joseph. The dark clouds and brief downpour failed to dampen everyone's spirits as the gathering proceeded in earnest at the lobby and concourse of the College of Architecture and Fine Arts.

Fr. Pres. Roderick C. Salazar, Jr., SVD, in a brief opening statement, exhorted the alumni to be witnesses to the Word even as he explained the beautifully crafted theme of this year's USC Foundation Week, "Beyond Borders, Within Worlds: Witness to the Word, USC's Corporate Social Responsibility". 

The annual homecoming traditionally kicks off the first day of USC Foundation Week, which marks the time when four Jesuit priests and a lay brother opened the oldest school in the Philippines and USC's precursor, the Colegio de San Ildefonso, on August 21, 1595 in Cebu.

As in previous years, a fireworks display wowed the alumni even as fanfare and celebrations of noble achievements by Carolinians ensued. A unique feature of this year’s reunion was the special request for all alumni to attend wearing their best pair of jeans. The cover and signage of the homecoming were also a fresh departure from the usual formalized designs that marked most of the homecoming souvenir programs in the past.

source: http://www.usc.edu.ph

Quote from: MeGaY on August 22, 2007, 07:57:40 AM
unsa na man ni? its really depressing.. tinuod gyud, sagpa ni cya sa local "authorities" to think sa mcjac ko ga trabaho sa una. angay na tingali pamatyon sad ng mga tawhana parehas sa gibuhat sa cebu ug davao? as mike said, desperate situations need desperate solutions. ambot lang.

I cannot blame our police. But I am thinking of corrupt officials in Bohol.

Our society's poverty has its roots in graft and corruption.

The Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources recently announced the Philippines is the first country in Asia to culture tiger shrimps in saltwater.

“Today is a historic day for Bohol because it has proven to the world that tiger shrimps can be cultured in marine waters. No study in any part of the world was done along this line. This is the Philippines’ first, Asia’s first and most likely the world’s first.”

This was the proud statement of Malcolm Sarmiento, national director of BFAR, in a speech on Wednesday that a first harvest of tiger prawns cultured in saltwater was made in Panggangan, Calape, Bohol.

Sarmiento said that tiger prawns are cultured in brackish water all over the world. Even China, which he said was the world’s largest exporter of tiger prawn exporter, cultures the shrimps in brackish water.

He said that a resident of Bohol, Benjie Aniag, who cultures lapu-lapu in the waters of Dauis, discovered full-grown tiger prawns among his catch.

The discovery prompted the BFAR to immediately conduct research in the bureau’s hatchery in Panggangan, Calape, about the possibility of the tiger prawn being cultured in saltwater.

Sarmiento said this breakthrough will help improve the lives of marginalized fisherfolk, since they would only spend half of the cost when using open pen enclosures instead of ponds to culture tiger prawns.

The development has also given hope to the campaign of Gov. Erico B. Aumentado of Bohol to provide illegal fishermen with livelihood.

Aumentado said he plans to promote the new type of prawn farming in other coastal areas of Bohol.(Philippine News Agency, 2006)

Many human diseases come from China.

Why many love a Chinese restaurant?

I read in another article documented with pictures that the Chinese also eat human flesh (aborted babies).

A dwarf performer at the Edinburgh fringe festival had to be rushed to hospital after his penis got stuck to a vacuum cleaner during an act that went horribly awry.

Daniel Blackner, or Captain Dan the Demon Dwarf, was due to perform at the Circus of Horrors at the festival known for its oddball, offbeat performances.

The main part of his act was for him to appear on stage with a vacuum cleaner attached to his member with a special apparatus.

The attachment broke before the performance and Mr Blackner tried to fix it using extra-strong glue, but unfortunately only let it dry for 20 seconds instead of the 20 minutes required.

He then joined it directly to his organ. The end result? A solid attachment, laughter, mortification and ... hospitalisation.

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my life when I got wheeled into a packed A&E with a vacuum attached to me," Mr Blackner said.

"I just wished the ground could swallow me up. Luckily, they saw me quickly so the embarrassment was short-lived."

source: news.com.au

Quote from: lagelpeyda on August 16, 2007, 09:43:51 AM
para asa man na? para sa mga gagmay nga tulisan! dili ko ujon, naay mga dagkung tulisan nga klaro kaajo ang ilang pangawat dili man hinoon nasila i BDS,naay dam sa talibon million ang tulis sa atubang daliman mailhan kay atobangan man maa man gani konoy opaw uban nay buhok, ug kasagaran ani elected officials para ana ng BDS ujon ko jamo

Mao lagi pud ang bulinaw maoy initan pero ang mga mamsa pasagdan lang ug tulis.

I used to be a die-hard Norton anti-virus follower but not until I found NOD32. I tried McAfee but it's too heavy.

Yet I am wishing to have a Kaspersky anti-virus installed in my computer. Security experts have concluded that Kaspersky anti-virus is the best today.

Let's wait and see.

Quote from: Bambi on August 21, 2007, 09:19:29 PM
Please NO... Death Squad, Mike!  Louya pod tawon sa atong mga paryente didto. Thru this site am up to date with some informations but sad to say that mostly negative reports.  This is the effect hard life sa ato, nag-agoo sa ato sa kalisod pero some copied the high Western way of life, that might be big reason nga mamahala nang uban. People must be alert and aware for this because i guess population there might rapidly increasing so with the prices, is it not.? In German forum....newsflashed: gipatay, gitulis nga German didto - dihni!  Mao nang daghan baya mong mobalik na lang diri----Hadloka na diay dinhi sa ato!

As you reported: the eating guest there only tan-aw-hungit lang.  Where are those helping-isog Bol-anon? or they might afraid of their own life?

Bag-o lang German gitulis ug gipatay nga German sa Baclayon apil ug patay ang asawa sa German. While I was writing for the Chronicle, dili pa ingon niini ka grabe ang mga tulis ug patay sa Bohol. Only lately nalahi na ang dagway sa atong probinsya ug syudad.

I favor for a death squad. Sa panahon ni Moses, ang makasala stone to death. I still believe that God is not against death penalty.

Quote from: hwan on August 21, 2007, 10:05:43 PM
angayan na tingali ni nga magtagsa natag armas ani kay haron ug naay mu aksyon ug tulis nato pinusilay dayun...

A desperate problem demands a desperate solution.

Quote from: Bambi on August 21, 2007, 09:32:01 PM
Hi Mike! Grabe na kaajo sa ato.... where was the security guard on that time? Also busy eating? Why nobody helps? Talawan naba di-ay ron mga kaliwat ni Dagohoy? Is this the Mc Do in BQ?....i don't know how many branches we have now. Everywhere crimes happen every seconds of the day but just reading the headline... i thought "grabe abi naho ug gi-ilogan ug hamburger!". i did not expect that it is too brutal. i hope the Dr.is quite out of danger now in regards to her injuries.

Hi Bambi,

Reports say the doctor has been treated at a clinic, and is now safe. This McJack Restaurant is located beside the City PNP. Tapad lang gyud sa polis. In fact, most of the city police diha mamahaw, maniudto, manihapon sa McJack. But the tulis took place right there sa tugkaran sa kapolisan. This shows nga kung daring ang tulisan motulis sa atubangan sa mga police, how much more kung 1 kilometer na away from the Police Station?

Grabe na ang sunod-sunod nga tulis sa atong probinsya ug sa atong syudad. Kung walay patyon, naay tulison sa Bohol matag karon ug unya.

Is it time to have a Bohol Death Squad? I am tempted to say YES.

Quote from: nahisalaag on July 23, 2007, 02:55:15 PM
grabeha gud ani nga news....pwede nako ni i-forward sa akong mga fellow boholanos nga dili pa member sa Tubag Bohol?

Nasobrahan ra man gud pod og pasaway ang mga AUTHORITIES sa atoa. ambot lang ha, basta ani nga case bisan pa og mi drop ang mga parents sa case, ang DSWD and PNP and unsa pa ng mga government agencyies in charge mao jud mismo ang mo file sa kaso. i am studying in Japan and really appreciate their way of persecuting child abuses.

Yes, you can forward this topic or any topic of Tubag Bohol to as many people.

Kay P1,000 ra ang cash sa doktor, so P1,000 ra pud ang nakuha. Apan iyang Sony Ericsson cellphone gikuha segurado.

The sad thing kay gibunal-bunal ang ulo sa doktora, gihawiran iyang buhok, ug gibusdak-busdak sa lababo. Nagkadugo intawon si Dr. Jona Macalisang and according to the police report, nangalarot iyang buhok.

Ang mga tawo sa McJack nga naniudto igo lang mitan-aw sa doktora nga nagkadugo.

Ug ang tulisan nagbayhon lang nga milakaw, unya midagan.

The name of the victim is Dra. Jona Makalisang.

The sad thing is that the doctor giparok sa tiles sa McJack.

Grabe na kaayo ni. Igo lang giagbayan ang dentist/doctor
paingon sa gawas bisan gakadugo na. Luyo sa McJack
mao na ang City PNP.

May we know what it is...

And why?

Quote from: Onicul85 on August 20, 2007, 02:09:48 PM
Thats true Mike, and reading things like this disgusts me, knowing full well of the already frictitious relationship Israel has with Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt etc--giving them weapons sales and 'financial' support--is rather dubious. Supporting both sides--and in the end destabilizing the region--so that in the long run---it is the United States who continues to reign supreme. One way I am in awe how America just easily treats nations as if they were mere 'objects' and as  a tool for personal/nationalistic goals. Then again, I am also sickened to how America fails to give billions to countries like the Philippines--which has always supported the United States and has been an unwavering military ally in the Orient.

Dili pood fair...

Onic, thousands of Filipino veterans fighting alongside America in World War II are until now unremembered by America.

The deal in Israel says that 80% of the 30 billion dollars will be used in buying weapons from American companies only and the 20% goes to local companies in Israel.

Anyhow, I love Israel as much as I love the Philippines. Israel should withstand any threats.

In biblical point of view, God blesses America because of the U.S.'s special affection toward Israel.

God said to Abraham: "Whoever will curse you I will curse, whoever will bless you, I will bless."

I recently had the dryer belt on my Maytag dryer break (it's 5 years old, it happens.) Rather than pay a repairman $50-$75 just to look at it, I decided to try following the advice from some online appliance repair forums. Turns out, it was really easy to get the dryer open and replacing it should be a breeze, but I still needed to get a new belt. A quick google search pointed me to an online retailer: http://www.pcappliancerepair.com. They had the part listed for $14.51, but since I don't have any clothes clean I opted for 2 business day rush delivery at a rate of $15.95 instead of the 3-7 business day rate of $7.25.

    To my surprise, I received this email this morning:

Due to the close proximity of our shipping warehouse, we have adjusted the freight charge on your order to reflect the ground shipping charge of $7.25. The part(s) will arrive in the same required days by the less expensive shipping method.

Your total final invoice will be $21.76.

A tracking number will be emailed to you later today or in the morning.

Yours truly,
Jayne
Point and Click Appliance Repair
Customer Service

source: consumerist.com

AUSTRALIA - One of the country's major banks has taken a former customer to court in a dispute over $11 million it says was mistakenly transferred to his account.

Westpac Bank launched the legal action against North Coast real estate agent Victor Ollis who drew cheques but denies any fraud.

He yesterday told the Supreme Court that if Westpac "can't do their job properly . . . it's the bank's responsibility".

Mr Ollis had an automatic transfer facility with the bank, which topped up his business account using funds from his personal account. The transfers should have been stopped after his personal account was overdrawn in February 2004, the court heard yesterday.

But due to an error at Westpac, his account continued to be replenished - only with money "from the bank's own pocket".

Between June and December 2005, Westpac honoured cheques totalling about $11 million written by Mr Ollis. The bank launched legal action against him after the mistake came to light in January 2006.

Hearing details of the transactions, Justice Clifford Einstein remarked it was a situation that could arguably bring a bank down.

Are the big banks right to take legal action when they make the mistake?  Tell us what you think via the feedback section below.

Westpac is also suing Mr Ollis's partner Gail Shields over $4.8 million he transferred to her.

The Kempsey couple, whose assets have been frozen by the NSW Crime Commission, are representing themselves as the bank seeks to recover the money.

Counsel for Westpac, James Stevenson SC, argued that Mr Ollis must have realised the "improbability of there being any innocent explanation" for the continuing bank transfers, especially due to the large amounts of money involved.

But Mr Ollis told the court: "I haven't fraudulently misused the bank in any way."

"I never deviated or varied in any way, shape or form from normal banking policy and everything I did was standard," he said from the bar table.

"If the bank can't look after their money, if the bank can't do their job properly . . . it's the bank's responsibility."

Ms Shields is defending the case on the grounds that she believed the money she borrowed from Mr Ollis was legitimately his.

Mr Stevenson said Mr Ollis started out cautiously by writing a cheque for $40,000. By the end of 2005, he was writing cheques for more than 10 times that amount. During that period he did not deposit any money into either of his accounts, the court heard.

Mr Stevenson said: "A human error meant the facility "kept working, except it was drawing money from the bank's own pocket."

The case continues.

source: www.news.com.au

There are many of those armchair commanders who have, without danger to themselves in the comfort and security of their air-conditioned offices, seen young soldiers marching to their death while they themselves reaped unearned glory for battles supposedly won and outlaws reportedly killed but only in their press releases. Most of these fictitious victories are trumpeted during the legislative deliberations on the general appropriations bill, obviously to wangle a bigger budget for the AFP.

--Isagani Cruz, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Violence is feared likely to break out in a mountainous area of the Philippines â€" near the site of a multi-million-dollar gold and copper mine venture by New Zealand's largest gold miner, Oceana Gold Ltd.

The Philippine Star newspaper reported that anti-mining villagers â€" already stirred up over having New Zealand-listed Oceana's operation in the area â€" are blockading an Australian-owned company, Oxiana Philippines, which is moving in equipment for prospecting another site.

The villagers, led by tribal elders and supported by environmental groups and the local Catholic Church, have vowed to stand their ground against the miner, despite a court order for them to clear the road leading to the exploration site.

Last week, provincial sheriffs tasked to implement a court injunction gave the residents of Kasibu until Tuesday to vacate the road leading to the exploration site or else be forcibly dispersed.

But the anti-mining villagers vowed to stay on,the Philippine Star reported.

"It is our roads they will be passing through," said Denny Dugay, a community official. "And besides, we will never be in favour of mining." He alleged that Oxiana did not consult local leaders on the project, an allegation which the mining firm denied.

But Mayor Romeo Tayaban said the New Zealand and Australian-owned companies continued to explore mining prospects in their villages despite the stiff opposition from residents, composed of various tribal communities.

His villagers were struggling to fight off three mining projects by Oxiana Philippines Inc. and Oceana Gold Philippines Inc.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples both said residents in the primary impact zone had endorsed Oxiana's exploration project.

Engineer Jerrysal Mangaoang, MGB's Cagayan Valley regional director, said their national office granted Oxiana a two-year exploration permit covering 3000ha for explore gold, copper and other minerals of commercial value.

The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and various local environmental groups said the government should not have issued an exploration permit to Oxiana since its site is part of an important watershed.

Since July 12, tribal men have been guarding a barricade on a mountain road to prevent OPI's entry.

In nearby Papaya village, residents have also been protesting the entry of equipment to be used by Oceana Gold for its exploration, fearing possible destruction of the watershed forest there. Water from the watershed irrigates the vegetable gardens and citrus plantations in the area.

In Didipio village, eight farmers were charged by environment officials with illegal occupancy of forest lands after they rejected Oceana Gold's offer to pay for their occupational rights.

Didipio is the site of Oceana Gold's proposed gold-copper project, with about 90ha of its 375-hectare production area occupied by tribal farmers.

The Kasibu area is considered the citrus capital of the country, with an annual output of about 10 million kilograms of oranges from an estimated 20,000 hectares of citrus plantations.

Ramoncito Gozar, associate director of communications for the NZ-owned Oceana, said mining projects in the town would benefit the country.

"The mayor should realize that (the Didipio venture) is a government project for the good of the majority," he said.

"He doesn't like mining, but (OceanaGold) is a contractor of the Philippine government," Mr Gozar said.

Oceana Gold which owns the McRaes mine near Dunedin, is taking over Philippines gold and copper explorer Climax Mining Ltd and aims to become a major player in the region alongside giants such as Newcrest Mining Ltd and Lihir Gold Ltd.

Oceana Gold has said it expects to be producing 550,000 ounces of gold annually by the time Dinkidi is commissioned at the end of next year.

The Philippines ranks among the world's top five countries for deposits of copper, nickel and iron ore and is geographically closer to resource-hungry China than the region's other major mining centre, Indonesia.

source: stuff.co.nz

Today, MIT spinoff Tilera announced that it's shipping a computer chip with 64 separate processors whose design differs drastically from that of the chips found in today's computers. The new chip, called Tile64, avoids some of the speed bottlenecks inherent in today's chip architecture, and it can operate at much lower power, says Anant Agarwal, founder and chief technology officer of Tilera, based in Santa Clara, CA. Initially, Tile64 will be used in video applications such as videoconferencing systems, and in network hardware that monitors traffic to reduce e-mail spam and viruses.

Chips with multiple processing units, or "cores," are nothing new. But by allowing the cores to communicate directly with each other, Tilera has addressed a widespread concern about the viability of adding more cores to microprocessors. "Every processor in the market today is a multicore," says Agarwal. "The hope of the industry is to double the number of cores every 18 months. My prediction is, by 2014, we will have 1,000-core architectures. But the problem is, [current] architectures don't scale."

In existing multicore chips, each core communicates with the others via a set of wires called a bus. Performance doesn't necessarily suffer when two or four cores share a bus, but when 16 or more cores try to use it simultaneously, data can get backed up. Agarwal explains that Tilera's chip has no central bus. Instead, each core is connected to all the others. Also on each core is a full-featured processor, which can run an operating system, and memory caches, which hold data that needs to be quickly accessed.

In effect, the Tile64 has a mesh structure that's similar to that of the Internet, a network in which there are many decentralized nodes. One reason the Internet is able to pass around data so quickly is that packets of information are sent through a vast network and can avoid traffic jams. If everyone's e-mail had to go through a central server, there would undoubtedly be delays. Tilera's microprocessor, says Agarwal, "is very much like the Internet on a chip." And like the Internet, Tilera's chip can be scaled up gracefully; it doesn't need to be redesigned each time new cores are added.

The idea of using mesh architecture for multicore chips has been explored for at least a decade, in research labs at MIT, Stanford, and the University of Texas, Austin. And recently, Intel announced a prototype 80-core chip based on a mesh. But Tilera is the first company to offer a product that uses the new architecture.

"Having a lot of cores is good, but they must be able to communicate with each other at high data rates," says Jerry Bautista, codirector of Intel's terascale-computing research program. "There are advantages to using a mesh ... You can deal with traffic jams pretty easily." Bautista says that Intel researchers are trying to find the best way to implement mesh architectures--among other experimental designs--in future chips. But he also cautions that making massively multicore systems work efficiently isn't as simple as redesigning the hardware.

source: technologynews.com

(Xinhua) -- A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit the waters 209 km southeast of Mati, Davao Oriental in southern Philippines, Monday night, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

    No casualty or injury has been reported so far.

    The earthquake occurred at 21:46 local time (1346 GMT) and was tectonic in origin and shallow with 10 km from surface.

    The earthquake was felt in Butuan City and Bislig in Surigao del Sur, San Francisco in Surigao del Norte, Davao City, KidapawanCity and Casteel in Davao Oriental.

source: Xinhua News Agency

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed today that a man diagnosed with West Nile virus died early last month, the first death associated with the mosquito borne illness in the county for 2007.

The LA County also confirmed two non-fatal cases of West Nile Virus, bringing the total in the county for 2007 to 4.

The fatal case involves a man in his 80's who lived in the San Fernando Valley.   He died following a brief hospitalization.   But health officials are not certain how much the mosquito-borne West Nile virus attributed to his death because he had multiple, chronic medical problems.

"The elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of complications and death from West Nile Virus than others," said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer.

The latest two nonfatal cases include a middle aged man, living in the San Fernando Valley, who was diagnosed with the virus in mid-July, and an elderly man in the central Los Angeles area who became ill earlier this month. Both were hospitalized briefly and are recovering at home.

The first West Nile virus human case in the county was reported last week.

"It is important to remember that West Nile can appear anywhere in Los Angeles County or the state. The West Nile Virus has been detected in birds and mosquitoes in several areas throughout the county," said Dr. Fielding.

In Los Angeles County, 7 samples of mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus, according to www.westnile.ca.gov.

"We continue to urge people of all ages to take precautions, such as avoiding mosquitoes, removing pools of stagnant water around their homes, and using a repellant containing DEET when outdoors in mosquito prone areas, especially around dawn or dusk."

As of Friday August 17, the State of California has reported 120 human cases of West Nile virus from 21 counties and 7 deaths from West Nile virus from four counties including Colusa (1), Kern (3), Kings (1), Los Angeles (1), and San Joaquin (1) counties.   Last year at this time, 68 people reportedly suffered from the virus.

West Nile virus is much more active this year than last year.   On August 13, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger again signed an executive order providing up to $10 million in additional emergency relief for local mosquito control agencies.

Nationwide, as of August 14, a total of 444 human cases of West Nile virus and 15 deaths associated with the virus have been recorded, the CDC reported on August 17.

People get West Nile Virus WNV through a bite of an infected mosquito, the county health officials said. Most mosquitoes are not infected with the virus and most people bitten by a mosquito may not contract the virus.

Among those who are infected with West Nile, about 20 percent show very mild symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incubation period could range from 3 to 12 days.

Eighty percent, however, do not show any symptoms.   Only fewer than one in 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become severely ill, the LA county health officials said, citing the CDC. The elderly are at high risk for severe cases of the West Nile illness.

Like many viral infections, there is no specific treatment for West Nile Virus.

Following preventive measures against mosquito bites, people can decrease their risk of West Nile virus infection. The Los Angele County recommends the following:

Avoid mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.

Repellants containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus, when used as labeled, are effective defenses.

Ensure your window screens don't have holes.

Do not allow water to stagnate in old tires, flowerpots, swimming pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, etc. These are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Clean and chlorinate swimming pools; drain water from pool covers.

Stock garden ponds with goldfish or mosquito fish. They eat mosquito eggs and larvae.

Empty and wash birdbaths and wading pools weekly.

A new airport is simply useless when tourists have fears coming to Bohol.

The series of murder and robbery in our province and in the city should cause us to reassess our priorities.

Hi Bambi, welcome to Tubag Bohol?

Asa ka naka-base karon?

The first search tool is a built-in php/mysql-powered search located at the top page of Tubag Bohol. Any word or phrase that you type and search for will be delivered in this page by this search tool.

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The first search tool is intended for all Tubag Bohol topics while the Google search is designed obviously for the entire 8 billion web pages Google has indexed.

Quote from: Happy on July 20, 2007, 11:39:41 PM
Mawala jud oi labi na kung bag-o pa, daghan mangud kaayo ang mga posts diri.. mawala amn sab gani ko usahay, nya dili sab ko ka search kay dili manko kahinumdum sa title ug sa asa nga category to na belong.

Use our search tool. Choose a word or phrase and then search for it. You'll get exact results and links of the topic you're looking for.

Quote from: i-volunteer on August 16, 2007, 04:06:04 PM
nasuwajan na na ko ni.
maayo judd.

that's good. feel free to keep doing that.

Quote from: si on August 18, 2007, 09:43:30 AM
so mike, attention, mike, the photo has to be hosted somewhere else pa diay. dili pwede na directly from computer?

No, Rivz. Unless your computer is also a server and hosting a website, then you can store your pictures in your own computer.

Any data in your computer remains in your computer unless it is stored in a public html.

If you're browsing Tubag Bohol in an Internet Cafe or public computers, be sure you log out afterwards. The next cafe user may start posting topics under your name and you'll never know who that person is.

Our site will keep you logged in until you hit logout.

Hachiko (born November 10, 1923, died March 8, 1935), sometimes known in Japanese as ---- (ch?ken hachiko, lit. 'faithful dog Hachik?'), was an Akita dog born in the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture remembered for his loyalty to his master.

In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life, Hachik? saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. Even after Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachiko returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for the next 11 years.

Hachiko's devotion moved those around him, who nicknamed him "faithful dog". Some kindly vendors who saw the dog waiting every day would give him small bits of food and water. This has caused some people to say that he only returned to the station in order to receive these treats, but this does not answer why he would return only at the time his master's train was due, and not remain begging after.

That same year, another of Ueno's former students (who had become something of an expert on Akitas) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home where he learned the history of Hachiko's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachiko from Shibuya Station.

Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachiko's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachiko became a sensation throughout the land. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachiko's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.

Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, of filariasis. His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.



source: wikipedia.org

America is also arming Saudi and the other moderate MidEast countries in a recent arm deal.

America's wealth is based on weapons sales.

Quote from: Franklin on August 20, 2007, 10:17:11 AM
Mayor Lim is all excited now; but, will he relax once the excitement dies down?

In a short while no one will remember and then it will happen again.

The sound and the fury.

By Joe Espiritu
Jagna-based Writer
Bohol Sunday Post

Last week's news in the national broadsheets and television was disturbing. A newspaper bannered that widows of soldiers urged the President to stop the war to prevent further bloodshed and deaths of many more soldiers. In an allied news item, the senators said that the war would cost the country some one billion pesos a day until it is over. Still, in another story, the religious leaders of the country particularly the Catholic bishops, urge the belligerents to go back to the negotiating table. Things are easier said than done.

The bishops had forgotten that the fratricidal conflict was started by the kidnapping of an Italian Catholic missionary, Giancarlo Bossi. A marine detachment on a search and rescue mission was ambushed by Muslims, who styled themselves the MILF lost command and elements of Abu Sayyaf. The pretext was; the marines failed to notify the MILF that they, the marines, would be operating in their territory. Atrocities were committed on the bodies of the slain soldiers prompting the marines to demand justice.

Following the rule of law, the perpetrators were identified and warrants of arrest were issued. However, the warrants could not be served because the MILF lost command coddled the lawless elements. It is the duty of the police to enforce the arrests and since they were facing an armed group, the help of the Armed Forces was requested. To ease the pressure on the breakaway group in Basilan, another group styling themselves MNLF and with the Abu Sayyaf ambushed another marine contingent in Sulu. The time for negotiation is over. This started a massive drive against the recalcitrant Muslims.

At this time, the Armed Forces should be left to do their job without interference from anyone. The sovereignty of the Republic must be upheld. The MNLF, MILF as groups could not hold Philippine territory. They do not have the right to interfere with any legal operation of the police or Armed Forces of the Republic The Mindanao conflict is not war but police action with the police and Armed Forces trying to enforce the law. If lost commands of the two parties coddled the Abu Sayyaf, they have to account for their actions.

When a citizen enters the armed forces, he automatically becomes a soldier, whose duty is to uphold and defend the Constitution even at the cost of his life. A soldier is a soldier, is a soldier. A large part of his service is war and death. His family is aware that the life of a soldier is hazardous, that he may die anytime. "It is not theirs to reason why, theirs is but to do and die, so into the valley of death ---" Those with wives and families who cannot accept the risks must not let their men enter the Armed Forces. They should ask them to look for safer professions.
War is always costly. Millions and billions of pesos must be spent to pursue a goal and that goal in is integrity of the Republic of the Philippines. The MILF as the MNLF before them wanted chunks of Philippine territory under their rule.

Fortunately, the MNLF agreed to autonomy with places predominantly Muslim under their autonomous government. The MILF wanted at least 1,000 villages into their Bangsa Moro Juridical Entity. However, 400 villages of the 1,000 are peopled by Christians. If a plebiscite were to be held in the 1,000 villages on whether all of them would be incorporated into Bangsa Moro, the MILF would not accept. History had said that the generals win wars but it is the politicians, who give away the fruits of victory.

The moral fiber of the country is at its weakest. The media is full of news about abortions and fetuses found in garbage cans and esteros. Stories of promiscuity among the show biz and high society, people supposed to set examples of morality, pollute the airwaves. Theft, robbery, hold ups and murder are rampant.

Dishonesty becomes a part of life. Those are the problems that should be addressed by the religious authorities. The soldiers had laid down their lives to rescue a kidnapped priest. The least thing that we could do is ask for justice for the atrocities done against them and pray for the eternal repose of their souls.

By Boy Guingguing
Publisher
Bohol Sunday Post

The unanimity of the graveyard best described the identical answers of three contenders to the presidency of the Philippine Councilors League, Bohol chapter.

The question posed to each of the protagonist is this: Are you winning in the PCL fight? And the ready answer? They are and it's all over but the counting.

But it can't be that all three pretenders will be declared winners. This is one contest where the ultimate yardstick is may the best man win.

The best here is of course reelectionist Councilor Brigido "Boy' Imboy of Loay. But make no mistake, he can be the best in the three-way race because he is the depending champion. But to his critics who is out to topple him from the PCL perch, he is the beast-one that is ripe for pasture because he has done nothing good to the league of municipal councilors.

Best or beast, he will be pitted against a beauty in Tita Gallentes, a councilor from G-Hernandez, whose phenomenal rise to political stardom surprises her own colleagues at the PCL.

Tita Galendez who?

To the uninitiated, Gallentes was a virtual nobody, until she made herself available to the PCL skirmish. Proving that she is not all pretty face, Gallentes is slowly morphing into a viable candidate to replace Imboy.

A cursory look of her own plan of action as she sought the PCL presidency would reveal that she talks a lot of sense. And she has the brains to steer the PCL from its present state of lethargy. Beauty and brains are her open assets if she will be ranged against the best and the brightest.

But the PCL derby is no beauty contest. Last time we heard, it's all about money. This means that if the voting kagawads are asked to lend their ears to who's talking, for sure they listen intently in sheer gusto to who's speaking in peso signs. Ergo, they are all ears when money talks.

Like the best of the three aspirants, Gallentes is also packed with financial wallop. The toast of the PCL fight when financial muscle is all that matters is clearly Imboy and Gallentes. And at the rate they are running their campaigns , it appears that who has the unlimited resources will come out as winner. For the moment, the two are caught in a strategic stalemate, as money changes hands. Who will emerge as winner will be known when the day of reckoning come and go. The PCL election is set on August 29.

But wait till you know the credentials of the brightest. Although he is of the rabble-rouser type, his only sin probably is that he is always pleading poverty.

A lawyer by profession, Dandan Bantugan is staking his neck to the PCL presidency hoping that not everybody is for sale. A two-time city councilor, he struts around as the better alternative to Boy Imboy considering his competence as a practicing lawyer. Of the two other contenders, though he is the underdog, Bantugan is touted as the brightest given the stellar billing- the beauty and the best. That will complete the equation of BBB.

The wild card that he is hoping to unveil is the support of City Mayor Dan Lim whose propensity for spending money is of Imeldific proportion. Many pundits were of the belief that Bantugan's chances of the PCL presidency went down with Boom Boom Bautista's first round knockout last Sunday. It was surmised that the TKO also the knocked the pockets out of his backer (Lim) and may rub into his own defeat in the PCL polls.

But don't count Bantugan out. A survivor of many brushes with failures in the past, this great alderman may spring a surprise and may pull a come from behind victory.

So there you are! The PCL presidency is in for an exciting match among the beauty, the best and the brightest. It's time to pick your choice.

By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

A few nights ago, gunfire was heard in the municipal waters of Jagna. Or was it in Jagna? Fortunately, no one was hit, just a few misses. The boat was sailed to Jagna, where it was moored there until fines had been paid. The boat was a purse seiner, poaching in the municipal waters. What could not be established is whether the area was part of the Jagna waters or its neighboring town of Garcia Hernandez
Elements of the Jagna PNP, who said that poachers were in the Jagna municipal waters, boarded the boat and directed it to sail for Jagna Port. However, the Garcia Hernandez PNP were of the opinion that the boat was in Garcia waters so they boarded the Bantay Dagat boat and gave chase. When abeam of the fishing boat, the Garcia police called over the loud hailer to the person in the bridge to heave to that means stop.

With the Jagna police already on board, the crew of the fishing boat refused the order. Warning shots were fired by the Garcia police. Or that would have been a twenty-one gun salute. What was claimed as warning shots went through the bridge missing the helmsman .by a whisker or some say by a pubic hair since few of us sport whiskers. Luckily, the Jagna police on board kept their heads literally and figuratively. They refused to fire back. That would have been a massacre at the worst or ambak pare at best since the Bantay Dagat service boat is wooden.

The scenario could have been this; both the Jagna PNP and the Garcia PNP could have been sure that the boat was poaching in their waters. None of them could take bearings, that is if they knew how and it was night at that time. Both elements went to apprehend the poacher but the Jagna police was there first.

While navigating to Jagna, the Garcia police caught up with them.

With no blinking lights and siren, the CLEC boat cannot be identified. The loudhailer could not be heard over the engines so they claim. Even if the order to stop was heard it were ignored for one reason or another. The warning shots could have been aimed at the sky like Jovirt, or just over the bridge. However, a small boat on an open sea makes a very unsteady platform. An errant wave could send the shots astray. The boat was eventually tied up in Jagna and both police stations try to seek a way out of this mess.

Purse seiners are the bane of marginal fishermen of Jagna and Garcia Hernandez.

They are banned from municipal waters, which stretch thirty kilometers from the shores. Fines, imprisonment and confiscation of fishing gear - hopefully -, would be imposed on those violating the ban. However, the fines are so small, imprisonment and confiscation never imposed that the seiners take the risk.

When caught, they claim that they were fishing outside but currents pushed them into the municipal waters. Meantime, they sweep the seas clean of mackerels and other pelagic fishes. Now that shots have been fired at them perhaps, those boats will keep clear of municipal water. Or perhaps they come better armed since the catch is worth a fight and the fines are small.

The purse seiners are not the only poachers. There are the bozo fishermen. They spearfish at night using air compressors to allow them to breath underwater. They steal catch from bobos or bamboo traps and maliciously destroy them in the process. They spray reef crevasses with cyanide from ketchup dispensers to drive fishes into the open so they could be speared. They leave whitened spots of dead coral in their wake.

Bozo divers may be hard to apprehend when fishing but they could be apprehended while selling their catch or when coming home at dawn with their paraphernalia and catch. They live in Malinao, Garcia Hernandez. The fish that they sell are reef and rock fishes and any market vendor, who cannot identify the fisherman of those kinds of fishes, could be charged as accessories to the crime.

Since most Jagna fishermen know those people, it is impossible that the personnel of PNP Stations of Jagna and Garcia Hernandez do not know them.

By Loy Palapos
Bohol Sunday Post

Qualification-wise, she is on top of the heap, at a time when there are those who hold supervisory jobs because there are no others whose educational attainments and exposure are commensurate with the assigned task. Competence is still the name of the game, with performance as the frame of reference. It is along this line that Dr. Teresita Quijada-Villafuerte (TQV), Doctor of Education, can hold a candle to any administrator worth her salt.

As Tagbilaran City Social Welfare and Development Officer IV for the past three years, she can now view her job in a more comprehensive perspective. When Willy Berseluna retired, there was nobody else perceived to be capable of filling his shoes. Her ascension as chief of office was an expectation that did not merit contradictory comments.

She is a graduate of BSSW and MSSW (Bachelor and Master of Science in Social Welfare), and is a Doctor of Education. Her interest in serving people was expressed through her enrollment in a Nursing course. Her uncle, the late Castor Bunachita, encouraged her to work for social welfare, whom she heeded. She has always been interested in serving people in need and believe social work has broad scope in offering services to people in need.

Dr. Villafuerte has a soft spot especially for children who have no homes, nor parents or relatives to care for them. There are also times when the parents themselves are irresponsible, that they don't find time to tend to their offsprings.

Nor do they know their role in parenting. A child coming from this kind of union could, instead of becoming a useful citizen of the community, be a thorn in the public's throat.

This is where Dr. Villafuerte and her staff come in, as a government agency to land a helping hand in the children's development to make them productive members of society. It is a tough job, more so for those who don't really care for child welfare; but for somebody like her whose concern to guide and make children useful citizens of the country is a priority, and who loves in shaping them, transcends personal interest. Molding kids is her passion.

This interview shows that Dr. Villafuerte is a lady not fond of circumlocutory answers. She is always direct to the point, without peripheral expressions that are only wasted. Her simplicity in her answers drives a vital point: she does not waste her time in banters of any kind. Action speaks louder than words. The projects she spearheads with her staff are legacies of her love for children and the aged.

LMP: Child care and development is a concern of DSWD. What are your ongoing program/programs along this?
TQV: City Social Welfare and Development has programs for children, like: day care services; adoption and guardianship which are court-related services in coordination with the national services to victims of child abuse through counseling; medicines, foods, clothing, placement, referral, etc.; parent effectiveness service on dealing with child development; and coordination with the Barangay Council for the protection of children.

LMP: Is the problem of child-abuse prevalent in Tagbilaran City? What is the process involved in case somebody reports a case of child abuse to your office?
TQV: Tagbilaran City has minimal cases. The child shall be subjected for medico-legal examination at the GSGMH. He then proceeds to the PNP to blotter/record the case for possible legal action against the abuser. He is referred to the Barangay Council for Protection of Children in the barangays where the child resides for appropriate action. The child can be given protection by the DSWD City Social Welfare and Development, devolved from DSWD and his other needs like counseling or detramatizing services.

LMP: How about abuse of women? How many such cases do we have in the City? Is the number a cause for alarm?
TQV: Sure! A number of cases were reported to our office but many more cases are not formally reported. They just came out during our women sessions conducted in the barangays on the case on VAWC (Violence Against Women and Children).

LMP: Do we have a program to rehabilitate victims of abuse? What are they, and how are they implanted?
TQV: Programs vary depending upon the gravity of the VAWC case. We have all the possible means of rehabilitation.

LMP: What are the programs/projects your Office is involved in to alleviate poverty? What are the success indicators?
TQV: Our programs/projects to alleviate poverty include self-employment assistance, the provision of capital assistance to eligible clients free of interest: and skills training the provision of skills for possible open and self-employment. The success indicators: improved lifestyle; improved positively high aspirations; sending children to school; ability to pay loan (SEA); ability to land a job (graduates of skills training) and gain healthy salary; and improvement from below poverty level to survival level.

LMP: Is juvenile delinquency still a big problem in Tagbilaran? What are the measures we have implemented to lessen the reference of this problem?
TQV: Juvenile delinquency poses a big problem in Tagbilaran due to the implementation of R.A. 9344, which was abrupt and caught many implementers unprepared.

LMP: How does Tagbilaran City compare with other cities in dealing with the above-mentioned problems?
TQV: I do not know yet since we have not yet secured information from other cities about youth delinquency.

LMP: In ten years time, would those problems increase, or decrease? Qualify your answer.
TQV: It will depend on the lawmakers and the implementers, parenting skills on how they brought up their children, and the environment or society.

Total commitment is a necessity in the kind of job Dr. Teresita Villafuerte has. But if a person loves his work, it is not work at all. It is this dedication for social service that Tess Villafuerte has nurtured throughout the years, that has brought her fulfillment inspite of the problem she has to solve, sometimes single-handedly.

The problem on budgetary constraints plagues almost all agencies concerned in social welfare and development, but she is not complaining. She has long proven equal to the task, and more than ready to face more challenges.

Agriculturists in this town have formally organized themselves into an association called Batuan Agriculturists for Rural Development, Inc. (BARD).

BARD stipulated in their articles of incorporation and by-laws that the association aims for "rural and agricultural development of this town and the alleviation of poverty of the inhabitants."
          
While still to come up with a strategic action plan, BARD plans to offer expert/technical assistance and advice to private individuals or farmers and groups including the local government units and other public and private entities in the formulation and implementation of agricultural and rural development programs, projects and activities.

The association also plans to lend expertise on rural and agricultural technologies and livelihood skills that would empower farmers and rural folks to become productive and profitable in their farming and other livelihood ventures.

BARD will also initiate rural/agricultural and other special projects, generate funds for their execution by interested parties and to facilitate mobilization of possible financial resources for the implementation of viable programs and projects.

Members will also advocate and promote the application of the following principles of governance in the implementation of rural and agricultural development programs and projects, based on the acronym FIESTA which stands for fairness, integrity, effectiveness, solidarity, transparency, and accountability.

BARD also aims to foster unity and cooperation among members in the pursuit of promoting rural/agricultural and countryside development and for the betterment of rural life.

The present officers of BARD include Engr. Eutiquio Lumayag, president; Wilfredo Lingatong, vice-president; Alan Jumawid, secretary; Virgilia Tejada, treasurer; Fe Curato, auditor; Julito Gumapac and Carmen Cubrado, press relation officers; and Kagawad Arnold Baguio and Mayor Gregoria Pepito as advisers.

Mayor Gregoria Pepito sworn in the officers last July 25. (E.J.Lumayag)

--Bohol Sunday Post

Governor Erico Aumentado will work for a massive reforestation of denuded watershed areas through the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) to support the irrigation, waterworks and hydroelectric facilities of the province.

These areas include the Pamacsalan -Wahig Carood, Upper Abatan, Loboc and Inabanga  watersheds.
The governor will personally confer with newly-installed DENR secretary Lito Atienza together with Norris Oculam (Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry president) and newly elected vice-chairman of the Central Visayas Regional Development Council.

Philippine Agricultural Land Development and Mill Inc. (PALM Inc.) and some Chinese investors are willing to participate in the reforestation program which Aumentado will propose to Atienza. PALM, Inc. alone needs an additional 10,000 hectares for its biofuel production while the Chinese investors are willing to reforest a minimum of 10,000 hectares under a long-tern arrangement with the government.

Meanwhile BHIP-2 Manager Modesto Membreve appealed to the project critics to allow the project to be completed and service the 5,300 hectares targeted for the purpose.

He said the giant Bayongan Dam can store 34.5 million cubic meters of water - enough to irrigate the 5,300 hectares of rice land in two cropping seasons a year.

Membreve also clarified that the Bayongan Dam is fed by the Bayongan River, La Suerte Creek, Buenavista Creek and the excess of the runoff water from the Malinao Dam.

Since there is no more legal obstacle to the BHIP-2 after the opinion of the DOJ was released, the Bohol leaders led by Gov. Aumentado will request President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the complete implementation of the project. This facility can service 3,605 families of farmers in the service areas of San Miguel, Trinidad and Ubay covering 5,300 hectares.

Aumentado appealed to NEDA to stop blocking the release of the funds for the BHIP-2 to complete the project and provide vital water for irrigation purposes. He said it can be an instrument to make Bohol the rice granary of Central Visayas thus a vision which is now in the threshold of realization under the presidency of President Arroyo.(The Bohol Chronicle, August 19, 2007)

Written by Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Having adopted a strong opposing stance against the cluster sanitary landfill project may have earned him the mayoralty of Albur town but Mayor Jose Ugdoracion made a twist on his stand as he vowed to adopt an “open-minded” policy regarding the project.

Extensive talks with the sanitary landfill proponents in the past weeks allowed Ugdoracion to recognize the need for an environmentally safe garbage disposal system.

In an interview with the Chronicle, Ugdoracion said he will give proponents of the project a chance to educate the people of Albur regarding sanitary landfills and the latest technology it employs to ensure that the town’s groundwater resources will not be contaminated.

Representatives of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) and Philippine Environmental Governance (Eco-Gov) explained to Ugdoracion that the sanitary landfill will never pollute the area or spoil Albur’s several residential sites being eyed by housing and village developers.

While he enjoys the backing of Vice Mayor Cirilo Jalad and the majority of the municipal councilors, Ugdoracion said the people of Albur will ultimately decide whether they are amenable to host the cluster sanitary landfill.

The mayor said he will allow the proponents to convince the people of Albur to agree with the project.
However, the outcome of the process will greatly depend on the public’s acceptance, Ugdoracion stressed.

According to Ugdoracion, he was assured by landfill proponents that a waste segregation and treatment facility will prevent seepage of leachate generated by the garbage disposed.
This is a major concern of groups opposed to the project since the sanitary landfill site is reportedly situated in an aquifer that supplies water to four barangays.

Moreover, if Albur residents agree to host garbage from other municipalities, Ugdoracion said only residual wastes will be allowed to the cluster sanitary landfill.

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

City Mayor Dan Lim yesterday warned police characters in the city even as he allayed fears of any organized crime groups operating here.

However, the mayor said he is not taking chances as he vowed to target Sept. 1 as Day One of his relentless campaign against criminalities following the killing of Jack Arat, 30, marketing/sales executive of Bohol Tropics Resort Club who was gunned down in cold blood last Monday dawn in front of his residence along JS Torralba Street, this city. Earlier, three shooting incidents in Mansasa district, this city, claimed the life of an innocent tricycle driver identified as Jemuel Adanza y Liquigan.

Starting Sept 1, Mayor Lim wants night spots to close by 12 midnight together with the strict imposition of the liquor ban by 10 p.m. for those without licenses as given to tourist-related establishments like hotels.

The statement of the mayor made the public expect that City Hall will revoke selling of liquor in 24-hour stores as well as sari-sari stores in the barangays. He wants a barangay level imposition of the liquor ban. The 12-midnight closure of night spots will include the “Sky’s The Limit” barbecue corners in the city.

Together with this is the strict imposition of curfew on minors starting at 10 o’clock in the evening.
Internet cafes will also be closely monitored and will eventually be asked to limit their business hours.
Habal-habal drivers will be checked especially those who are not owners of motorcycles but are merely renting the bikes to operate until wee hours in the morning.

In order to carry out these concrete measures, he will create monitoring team in each of the 15 barangays which will operate on its own aside from the regular barangay tanods.

SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED

Mayor Lim said the police now closely follows up a short list of suspects in the murder of Arat. Immediately upon his arrival from the United States, Lim issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the city PNP to identify and arrest the suspect.

Arat, who doubles as event organizer, was gunned down in front of his residence after he alighted from his car. He came from an event he organized in Dauis town when the lone gunman poked a firearm on him. Arat tried to resist causing the suspect to shot him. He was rushed to the Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital with a lone gunshot wound. He died four hours later.

The suspect carted P15,000 cash from Arat believed to be proceeds of the show he produced in Dauis town that evening. Police theorized robbery was the motive behind the Arat murder.

Meanwhile, police continues to investigate three incidents where armed man barged into establishments at night. Victimized were Buen Villa Pension House, Borja Hospital and Tagbilaran Puericulture Center. The guards on duty were either sleeping or out of their job sites when the armed man entered the establishments.  A 9mm service revolver was taken by the suspect from the guard of Al Nino Security Agency while on duty at the Borja Hospital, while cellular phones were carted away from hospital and pension house personnel in separate incidents.

PNP Prov’l Director Edgardo Ingking met last Friday owners and officers of security agencies to refresh their manpower force on the danger and risk of their jobs at night. “They should be awake and alert,” Ingking told the security agency officials.

LAUDS PNP

Mayor Lim despite the series of unsolved cases said he is proud of the efforts of the city PNP despite their limitations.

He said that peace and order is not the sole duty of the police but of the entire community especially the civilian residents who can feed information to the police. He even reminded parents of their role towards their growing children as some minors are involved in recent incidents.

SHORTFALLS

The city PNP has 78 cops only with three who would soon retire from service.
City Kagwad Edgar Bompat, chair of the SP committee on protective services, said it is ideal for the city to have at least 100 cops. In fact, Ingking said the ideal ratio should have been one policeman for every 1,000 civilians.

For his part, city PNP chief Jacinto Cesar admits the need for additional vehicles and manpower.
Presently, the city PNP has 3 cars, 3 jeeps, 2 Tamaraw FX and 17 motorcycles.
Some city lawmakers are looking on an earlier budget of P4 million for the acquisition of vehicles for the city PNP.

Mayor Lim said that the city will acquire momentarily additional vehicles for the city PNP which is deemed necessary.

By KIT BAGAIPO
The Bohol Chronicle

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) denies they will file a tax evasion case against Boholano boxing idol Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista.

Revenue District 84 head Atty. Rogelio Balaga renounced reports that Bautista is now a subject of a complaint for non-payment of taxes due on his earnings from his professional boxing matches here in the country and the United States.

A newspaper article (not the Chronicle), claimed that the BIR is filing the tax evasion case at the Court of Tax Appeals.

Before a tax evasion case can be filed, Balaga explained, there must be an audit investigation report on the subject of such complaint.

Presently, the BIR is in the process of verifying records of payments made by Boom Boom Bautista to the BIR together with the boxer’s manager.

But even if Bautista have not paid his income tax as a professional boxer, he still could not be charged for tax evasion as his earnings is fully documented, Balaga said.

The local BIR head pointed out further that he sees no difficulty in collecting tax due from Boom Boom.
Bautista’s tax will be computed from each of his fights but will be filed to the BIR quarterly.
For earnings of P1.5 million and above, professional boxers will be subject to value added tax.

ITBusiness: Lots of researchers made millions with new computer technologies, but you preferred to keep developing Linux. Don’t you feel you missed the chance of a lifetime by not creating a proprietary Linux?

Linux Torvalds: No, really. First off, I’m actually perfectly well off. I live in a good-sized house, with a nice yard, with deer occasionally showing up and eating the roses (my wife likes the roses more, I like the deer more, so we don’t really mind). I’ve got three kids, and I know I can pay for their education. What more do I need?

The thing is, being a good programmer actually pays pretty well; being acknowledged as being world-class pays even better. I simply didn’t need to start a commercial company. And it’s just about the least interesting thing I can even imagine. I absolutely hate paperwork. I couldn’t take care of employees if I tried. A company that I started would never have succeeded -- it’s simply not what I’m interested in! So instead, I have a very good life, doing something that I think is really interesting, and something that I think actually matters for people, not just me. And that makes me feel good.

So I think I would have missed the opportunity of my lifetime if I had not made Linux widely available. If I had tried to make it commercial, it would never have worked as well, it would never have been as relevant, and I’d probably be stressed out. So I’m really happy with my choices in life. I do what I care about, and feel like I’m making a difference.

source: www.itbusiness.ca

Quote from: GEC348 on August 20, 2007, 09:03:34 AM
Except for porcelain and jade products, I'm starting to veer away from almost everything made in China.

(Sigh), barato man lagi unta and it sort of levels the playing field especially for those who do not have much but at what cost nga maka barato only to spend more in medical bills for buying the product?

Mao nay giingon GEC nga nagdaginot apan gidaginotan.

A miracle material for the 21st century could protect your home against bomb blasts, mop up oil spillages and even help man to fly to Mars.

Aerogel, one of the world’s lightest solids, can withstand a direct blast of 1kg of dynamite and protect against heat from a blowtorch at more than 1,300C.

Scientists are working to discover new applications for the substance, ranging from the next generation of tennis rackets to super-insulated space suits for a manned mission to Mars.

It is expected to rank alongside wonder products from previous generations such as Bakelite in the 1930s, carbon fibre in the 1980s and silicone in the 1990s. Mercouri Kanatzidis, a chemistry professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, said: “It is an amazing material. It has the lowest density of any product known to man, yet at the same time it can do so much. I can see aerogel being used for everything from filtering polluted water to insulating against extreme temperatures and even for jewellery.”

Aerogel is nicknamed “frozen smoke” and is made by extracting water from a silica gel, then replacing it with gas such as carbon dioxide. The result is a substance that is capable of insulating against extreme temperatures and of absorbing pollutants such as crude oil.

It was invented by an American chemist for a bet in 1931, but early versions were so brittle and costly that it was largely consigned to laboratories. It was not until a decade ago that Nasa started taking an interest in the substance and putting it to a more practical use.

In 1999 the space agency fitted its Stardust space probe with a mitt packed full of aerogel to catch the dust from a comet’s tail. It returned with a rich collection of samples last year.

In 2002 Aspen Aerogel, a company created by Nasa, produced a stronger and more flexible version of the gel. It is now being used to develop an insulated lining in space suits for the first manned mission to Mars, scheduled for 2018.

Mark Krajewski, a senior scientist at the company, believes that an 18mm layer of aerogel will be sufficient to protect astronauts from temperatures as low as -130C. “It is the greatest insulator we’ve ever seen,” he said.

Aerogel is also being tested for future bombproof housing and armour for military vehicles. In the laboratory, a metal plate coated in 6mm of aerogel was left almost unscathed by a direct dynamite blast.

It also has green credentials. Aerogel is described by scientists as the “ultimate sponge”, with millions of tiny pores on its surface making it ideal for absorbing pollutants in water.

Kanatzidis has created a new version of aerogel designed to mop up lead and mercury from water. Other versions are designed to absorb oil spills.

He is optimistic that it could be used to deal with environmental catastrophes such as the Sea Empress spillage in 1996, when 72,000 tons of crude oil were released off the coast of Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire.

Aerogel is also being used for everyday applications. Dunlop, the sports equipment company, has developed a range of squash and tennis rackets strengthened with aerogel, which are said to deliver more power.

Earlier this year Bob Stoker, 66, from Nottingham, became the first Briton to have his property insulated with aerogel. “The heating has improved significantly. I turned the thermostat down five degrees. It’s been a remarkable transformation,” he said.

Mountain climbers are also converts. Last year Anne Parmenter, a British mountaineer, climbed Everest using boots that had aerogel insoles, as well as sleeping bags padded with the material. She said at the time: “The only problem I had was that my feet were too hot, which is a great problem to have as a mountaineer.”

However, it has failed to convince the fashion world. Hugo Boss created a line of winter jackets out of the material but had to withdraw them after complaints that they were too hot.

Although aerogel is classed as a solid, 99% of the substance is made up of gas, which gives it a cloudy appearance.

Scientists say that because it has so many millions of pores and ridges, if one cubic centimetre of aerogel were unravelled it would fill an area the size of a football field.

Its nano-sized pores can not only collect pollutants like a sponge but they also act as air pockets.

Researchers believe that some versions of aerogel which are made from platinum can be used to speed up the production of hydrogen. As a result, aerogel can be used to make hydrogen-based fuels.

source: www.timesonline.co.uk

you should be alive hippie as we will be presenting you in our upcoming miss bohol online website.

Quote from: GEC348 on August 20, 2007, 08:35:53 AM

Pabukalan ang meke for one-hour sa pressure cooker. Siyaro

Human sa pagpabukal, ibuwad tibuok adlaw daplin sa Caingget.

I read an online interview and this is one of the questions of the interviewer.

A Pet camel has reportedly killed a 60-year-old woman in Queensland's outback.
It is believed the camel knocked the woman to the ground, stomped on her and then lay on top of her on a cattle station at Mitchell, almost 600 kilometres west of Brisbane, police said.

The woman's husband found her body about 6.30pm (AEST) yesterday when he returned from feeding stock.

A police spokeswoman said the husband told them the camel had often tried to suffocate other animals on the property by sitting on them.

"The husband said the camel regularly lay on their pet goat and had almost suffocated it numerous times,'' said the spokeswoman, adding that the couple were camel breeders, but kept one as a pet.

It not known whether the woman had been riding the camel shortly before the tragedy.

source: news.com.au

Four months since her last visit to the province, Pres. Gloria Arroyo will be coming back for the National Peace Summit slated here Friday.

Bohol, as a counter-insurgency model, is chosen as the venue for the summit.
The National Peace Summit is organized for a consolidated peace and development agenda for Central Visayas.

This would be the president's second visit to Bohol this year. She was here in April for the inauguration of the Jagna wharf and the Bohol Circumferential Road Improvement Project phase 2.
The president will lead the consolidation of inputs to be gathered from the National Peace Summit that will start on Wednesday.

This was learned from Provincial Government Media Affairs (PGMA) and Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) Head Antonieto "Boy" Pernia.

According to Pernia, Arroyo will also inaugurate the newly-completed Loboc Children's Choir Palace and will leave immediately the next day.

All members of the National Security Council (NSC) will be here for the summit with all the governors and mayors in Central Visayas.

There will also be a series of meetings with military bigwigs in Central Visayas at the Bohol Tropics.
According to Pernia, the summit is an offshoot of Gov. Erico Aumentado’s talk at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) recently.

Aumentado presented a paper entitled "Poverty Reduction Program for Peace and Development: The Bohol Response to the Insurgency Challenge" during the 44th anniversary symposium of NDCP on August 10 at the Isla Ballroom I & II of the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Makati City.

The NSC has considered the Bohol experience as model in addressing the country's insurgency problem after Bohol's Peace and Order Council had been cited as among the country’s top.

The national government also aims to maintain the allegiance of rebel-returnees and prevent them from “returning to the mountains." (Kit Bagaipo with reports from Angeline Valencia/PGMA)

An Editorial of the Bohol Standard

It’s about time the Panglao airport get off the ground.

For nearly two decades now, talk about the airport rising in Panglao has been going on. Far too long in fact that people are now more inclined to suspect that it won’t actually push through.

Presidents and governors came and went but the Panglao airport remained as it has always been â€" a mirage. While many airports that were drawn up much, much later, Panglao has sort of become the perennial bride’s maid that never became the bride. 

The long delay has given rise to a lot of problems. That is to be expected. As time moves on, people also get moved in a lot of different ways. Some of them get moved in the wrong places. Some are moved to do the right thing while others are moved to react negatively.

For instance, some of those who were opposed to it then are rooting for it now. Nothing wrong with that. The more people supporting it, the more chances of the airport coming to pass.
The problem crops up when some of those who were supportive of it then now sing a different tune. They may not be in the majority, but they cause problems just the same.

In the meantime, people are complaining about the higher rates charged by the airlines servicing the Manila-Tagbilaran route. They simply cannot understand why the same airplane companies come up with a higher assessment for their Tagbilaran flights.

They can curse the airline companies to high heavens but the fact remains that for as long as the airport is not relocated to Panglao, there is no way the air fares for Bohol will go down.

There are many bright boys who raise up all sorts of arguments to oppose the Panglao airport. They have a right to say what they want. In this life, the bright boys are not always right.

It has narrowed down to a choice between pressing on with the Panglao airport and scrapping it altogether. If the first one prevails, it would mean not only lower air fares but also a go-signal for the vertical development of Tagbilaran.

However, if the airport fails to materialize, then Boholanos will have to forget about all the talk of progress. The long delay has already stunted our growth, it will not hasten development with its scrapping.

By all means, let the Panglao airport project fly.

The Vergara siblings of Tabalong, Dauis town romped all the top three awards in the recently concluded Grand Finals of Quest for the Voice- Category A, held last August 11 at the Activity Center of Island City Mall. 

Tom Cesar Vergara, the youngest of the three, took home the grand prize of P5,000.00 cash plus trophy when he was picked by the judges as this years’ Grand Champion. He was followed by his eldest sister Florie Lyn who emerged as First Runner-Up, and received P3,000.00 cash plus trohpy. Second Runner-Up was middle child Floryn Rose who settled for the P2, 000.00 cash prize plus trophy. 

   For Category B, three ladies also win -- Chezl Valmoria with I’m Telling You favored the nods of the judges when she won as this years Grand Champion. Mylene Pedroso who belted out her rendition of Celine Dion’s It’s All Coming Back to Me Now was First Runner-Up, while Cheryl Lopeba who sang I Believe was adjudged as Second Runner-Up. Voters Choice Award goes to Wilfrido Aninipot in Category B and Isabel Garsuta for Category A.         

   Quest for the Voice Year 3 judges were the Dean of Sports & Cultural Activities of CVSCAFT, Lorenzo Sarigumba; Awardee Best Dancer and Best Singer, Ms Conception Pamaong Torero; musical director of One Night of Music Maribojoc Fiesta Celebration, Precillano “King” Echavia; jazz enthusiasts and music critic, Phil Sarmiento; and singer/songwriter of the 20 Something band, Dominique Lofranco.
 
   Meanwhile, after the exhilarating challenges the Stardance finalists have to face prior to the grand announcement on August 12. Margarito Cempron of the UB Dance Troupe finally emerged victorious. Aside from the grand prize of P5, 000.00, Cempron also won the Best in Garter Dance Challenge and the Best in Own Props Challenge. Juvie Tongco of T-mates was chosen as First Runner-Up and win P3, 000.00. He also won the Best in Dancing Pole challenge. Earl Bryan Olid of the Soul Jammers grabbed the second place with P2,000.00. The three winners likewise received trophies aside from their cash prizes.

--press release

Senate Blue Ribbon probe on irri sought
By KIT BAGAIPO
The Bohol Chronicle

An investigation by the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the alleged “overpriced” Bohol irrigation systems and its “over-estimated benefits” is being pushed by a local anti-graft watchdog and farmers’ groups.

Irrigation projects whistleblower Engr. Petronilo Sarigumba is now initiating moves to expose the highly controversial Bohol Irrigation Projects (BHIP) Stages 1 and 2 and the Talibon Small Reservoir Impounding Project, but this time it will be elevated to the Senate investigating panel.

A similar initiative is endorsed by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Bohol Chapter representing the supposed farmer beneficiaries of the Malinao Irrigation project (BHIP-1).

Sarigumba, a former National Irrigation Administration (NIA) project manager, revealed to the Chronicle Friday some expenditure items which caused the 57% cost over-run of the Bayongan Dam irrigation project (BHIP-2).

The figures were taken from a summary of quantities and costs and extra work order for the Bayongan Dam.

Moreover, the 57% cost over-runs meant that NIA and its contracted consultants are way out of their expertise for coming up with a feasibility study which was actually overshot by more than half of its estimated costs, according to Sarigumba.

What justifies a Senate Blue Ribbon inquiry aside from the cost over-run that is not allowed under the Government Procurement Act or RA 9184, Sarigumba explained, is the project’s faulty engineering.
Under RA 9184, the allowable variance from a project estimate is 10%.

In its project brief, the Bayongan Dam is 90% dependent on excess water from the Malinao Dam. The other 10% relies on rainfall.

However, according to Sarigumba, the current irrigating capacity of Malinao Dam is only 65% of its service area.

“How can there be excess water from Malinao when in fact, it could not irrigate its entire service area even during rainy season?” he asked.

The construction of the Bayongan Dam had an original contract price of P1.1 billion.

By KIT BAGAIPO
The Bohol Chronicle

The existence of a robbery group composed of Boholanos also operating in Cebu and other nearby provinces was confirmed yesterday by the PNP Regional Office.

PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) regional chief SSupt. Arturo Evangelista bared in an interview with the Chronicle that three of five suspects in the recent hold-up of a supermarket in Cebu City were positively identified as members of the San Miguel group.

Evangelista, a former Bohol police director, said the robbers were spotted when they fled the crime scene by surveillance video cameras mounted over Cebu City’s main thoroughfares.
These cameras were used by the PNP to monitor and secure delegates of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Cebu City.

The video camera tapes were shown to witnesses who positively pinpointed the three suspected Boholano robbers Casimiro “Meloy” Garcia, Rodulfo “Dupong” Atega and Arsenio “Botyok” Polo.
The two others were likewise believed to be new recruits, according to Evangelista. He could not say however if they come from Bohol or Cebu.

Garcia and his cohorts allegedly robbed La Nueva Supermarket in Cebu City last week.
The three Boholanos are purportedly remnants of the San Miguel group, which involves two other high profile robbers Harris Atega (brother of Rodulfo) and Joseph Moraga.

CHEHALIS, Wash. (AP) -- The tomcatting of the elected prosecutor in this conservative rural town has jeopardized as many as four cases brought by his office and prompted a complaint to the state bar association.

Liam Michael Golden, a Republican who ran unopposed for Lewis County prosecutor last November, is facing allegations that he did not properly disclose past sexual relationships with the mother of a victim in one case and the mother of a defendant in another. His office also charged someone with cyberstalking a woman Golden had slept with, though Golden recently turned that case over to a prosecutor from neighboring Thurston County.

The fourth case involves a 16-year-old boy charged this month with providing drugs to the mayor's 20-year-old son, leading to his fatal overdose. Some locals have questioned why any charge was brought in that case and suggested it was timed to deflect bad press.

Golden, a divorced father of two, concedes the relationships but denies any impropriety in his handling of the cases. The Washington State Bar Association is reviewing a complaint made against him. His chief criminal deputy, Jason Richards, could also be in trouble for handling plea negotiations with a juvenile arson defendant knowing that Golden had slept with the boy's mother, court documents show.

The accusations have dumbfounded people in Lewis County, a timber-and-agriculture region that's still reeling from another titillating controversy last year. Patti Prouty, a county administrator, was fired after exchanging racy text messages with on-duty law enforcement officials - including the police chief in nearby Napavine. Turns out Prouty also figures in the current scandal.

source: hosted.ap.org

Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) Head Antonieto "Boy" Pernia challenges the officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) to take the lead in the campaign against the spread of dengue which death toll already reaching hundreds, mostly children.
    "SK officials should not just sit at the Sangguniang Panglunsod or Sangguniang Bayan, and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan and do nothing", Pernia said.     
       The BPRMO head challenged SK to come up with a stand or concrete program to address the dengue outbreak in the local scene.
         Pernia came up with the statement after attending a seminar on population, health and environment recently wherein a case study in a big barangay in Paranaque City proved that the youth members of SK failed to participate in solving the waste disposal which resulted to worm infestation of the residents.
       While that barangay faced problem on worm infestation, Bohol is facing the dreaded dengue outbreak.
         Around 17,000 people used to cramped in the barangay where households do not have toilets, uncollected garbage scatter in all corners, and just light rain could cause a flood.
         That was before the residents realized the value of volunteerism and address the waste disposal problem.
         "Now, it's one of the cleanest barangay in Metro Manila today, even winning second prize in the search for cleanest barangays," Pernia said.
         From that case study, Pernia noted that SK was never involved until everything was in place- -the youth were already organized and the barangay was already in order.
         On this, Pernia raised the question if SK is really significant and is functioning.(AV-PGMA)

Vice Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera said he is humbled by the new mandate he received when he was reelected to a third term as president of the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines (LVGP).
            "I bow down to the desire of the majority in the LVGP," Herrera said in an interview before he went on leave for his vacation leave to the United States .
            The Bohol vice governor was unanimously reelected as LVGP president during the last national convention held at the Manila Heritage Hotel.
            His reelection was significant because it was the first time ever that a president in any league of elected officials was given the mandate for a third term.
            Aside from the LVGP, other leagues included the League of Provinces in the Philippines where Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado served for one term, the Provincial Board Members Association of the Philippines , the League of Cities, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines , the Provincial Councilors League, the Association of Barangay Captains and the Sangguniang Kabataan.
            Herrera had repeatedly declared his preference for the election of a new president having served for two consecutive terms.
            Prior to his election as LVGP national president, Herrera also served the remainder of the term as national president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines of then San Juan mayor now Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
            In each of his two previous elections, Herrera went up against scions of powerful political clans but emerged winner each time.
            During his first term, Herrera trounced Cebu Vice Gov. John-john Osmena, son of former Sen. John Osmena.
            In his second term, Herrera had to turn back the challenge of Davao Vice Gov. Anthony del Rosario, son of incumbent Davao Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario who served as minister of Natural Resources during the time of ex-Pres. Ferdinand Marcos.
            This time around, Herrera was practically offering the LVGP presidency on a silver platter but no one was willing to accept the challenge including third-term vice governors like him.
            Most of the contenders said the LVGP is in good hands and it is "difficult" to follow in the shoes of a president who boasts of an impressive performance.
            Herrera, who was hesitant to accept the post another time until the last moment, felt he could not say no to his colleagues who gave him the unprecedented distinction.
            "It is a mandate that I have to accept," he added.
            Herrera is being considered the heir apparent of Aumentado who is also serving the last of his three terms.
            Although the vice-governor has refused to talk about his political plans, he is widely believed to be eyeing the post to be vacated by Aumentado who has repeatedly declared his support for Herrera as his successor.

CHICAGO Libertyville-based DMH Ingredients has filed a federal lawsuit against Changzhou Kelong Chemical Co. Ltd., saying DMH found metal shavings in 11,200 kilos of aspartame artificial sweetener the Chinese company shipped in 2005.

DMH seeks more than $174,000 from the Chinese company to cover costs DMH had to pay Wisconsin-based Sturm Foods, where the metal shavings were discovered, the suit says.

source: cbs2chicago.com

The provincial government, through the Provincial Health Office (PHO) aims to increase media involvement in the information campaign on population control being a big factor in reproductive health.
         Provincial Health Officer Reymoses Cabagnot called on the support of the local media practitioners who attended the media forum on family planning/reproductive health Tuesday last week at JJ's Dimsum.
         The activity was in observance of Family Planning Month celebration anchored on the theme, Safe Motherhood for Family Planning. DOH it na!
         It was part of the Promotion and Advancement of Development Efforts and Intervention on Population-Health-Environment (PHE) of the city government in partnership with the Population Commission (PopCom) and International Council on Management of Population Programme (ICOMP) with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 6th Country Programme of Assistance.
         The provincial and city governments, PopCom, ICOMP and the UNFPA aim to inform majority of the public, especially those living in poverty line whom they consider most vulnerable to reproductive health (RH) problems.
         They anchor the campaign on the four pillars of RH which are responsible parenthood, birth spacing, informed choice and respect for life.
         Health officials also target to inform the public about the ten elements of RH which include family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition, prevention and management of R tract infection, including sexually transmitted infection and HIV/AIDS, adolescent RH, prevention and management of abortion and its complications, prevention and management of breast and reproductive tract cancers and other gynecological conditions, education and counseling of sexuality, men's RH and evolvement, violence against women and children, and prevention and management of infertility.
         Bohol Poverty Reduction Management Office (BPRMO) Head Antonieto Pernia, for his part, vowed to integrate the campaign on reproductive health in relation to population, health and environment in the capability building seminars for the different cooperatives under the BPRMO.
         Pernia, who is also the head of the Provincial Government Media Affairs (PGMA) office, explained that he can use his linkages in tapping the with the local, regional and national media groups for the campaign.
         Also, the PGMA will come up with films and presentations on population, health and environment that will be shown to the different barangays in the province.
         Pernia said he will tap BPRMO community organizers in the different towns to coordinate in disseminating the films and presentations that will be shown. (AV-PGMA)

In Tagbilaran City, population soared to 89,037 by 2003, with crude birth rate of 22 live births per 1,000 people and four deaths per 1,000 people, Tagbilaran City Medical Officer IV Teomin Casano reported.
         At present, Tagbilaran has limited resources in housing, employment and safe water, while facing the problem of congestion in urban poor housing and low-cost housing.
         Linking the problems to over-population, the City Health City intensifies its campaign by including Responsible Parenthood and PHE in regular CHO Education Programs like Pre-Marriage Counseling once a week, Mother's Class in the barangay level, FPAS, and Pabasa sa Nutrisyon. (AV-PGMA)

Aumentado seeks DOE support on power transmission project

Governor Erico B. Aumentado recently sought the Department of Energy's support for the implementation of the Bohol Backbone Transmission Project which poses to address the power supply problem in Bohol.
         In his letter dated August 14, 2007, Governor Aumentado updated Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes on the plan of the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to implement the Bohol Backbone Transmission Project.
         The project aims to accommodate load growth and address the low voltage problem, improve system reliability and operational flexibility and extend electricity service to areas which used to have no access to power supply, Aumentado explained.
         The governor also cited an information from TransCo saying the feasibility study on the project has already been completed.
         TransCo's Management Committee has also approved the project for endorsement to the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee (NEDA-ICC) for approval and it shall be endorsed to the NEDA Board, Aumentado said.
         The Provincial Development Council (PDC), during its full council meeting on July 28, 2006, passed a resolution urgently requesting TransCo to prioritize the implementation of the project.
         The Bohol Backbone Transmission Project involves the installation or construction of a total of 95 circuit-kilometers of 138 kV overhead transmission line in Ubay-Corella utilizing steel tower structures as well as the expansion of existing substation and construction of a new substation in Corella.
         TransCo programmed the improvement of the existing transmission system to meet the projected demand of Bohol as one of the islands that have shown promising economic progress in recent years. (AV-PGMA)                                                                                             

Cajes is first Boholano solon in HRET
By MANUEL FERDINAND RAMIREZ DE ERIO

A Boholano solon is finally elected to complete the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET). Second district representative Roberto C. Cajes, who is now on his third term is the first Boholano congressman to be counted among the members of the two most-sought after committee in the house of representatives, since its founding in 1988.

Unlike the standing committees in the house of representatives, there are only two departments promulgated and mandated by the 1987 Philippine Constitution for the Senate and the Congress. These are the Commission on Appointments (CA) and the HRET, hence considered “elite” and most-sought after.

Pursuant to Article VI Section 17 of the Philippine Constitution the HRET shall be composed of “…nine members, three of whom are justices of the Supreme Court who are assigned to the tribunal by the chief justice; the remaining six are the members of the Senate or the House of Representatives chosen on the basis of proportional representation….”

For the 14th congress, the HRET is composed of Justices Consuelo Ynarez-Santiago, Antonio Carpio and Renato Corona. The six members from the house of representatives are Senior member Rep. Mauricio Domogan (Baguio City), Rep. Fred Castro (Capiz), Rep. Roberto Cajes (Bohol), Rep. Solomon Chungalao (Ifugao), Rep. Florencio Miraflores (Aklan) and Rep. Justine Mark Chepico (Laguna)

During the 13th congress, Cajes was elected chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges. His committee dealt with all matters directly and principally relating to the duties, conduct, rights, privileges and immunities, dignity, integrity and reputation of the House and its Members.

Notably, the ethics committee during Cajes’ chairmanship has captured the limelight and media mileage due to controversial issue on the alleged German bank account of First Gentelman (FG) Mike Arroyo.

The case filed by FG against the then Pateros congressman and now Senator Allan Peter Cayetano has challenged Cajes’ legislative prowess during the 13th congress. Cajes whose prudence and precision in his profession as lawyer before he entered politics, has shed light and eventually resolved the issue.

Cajes has been a top candidate for the position in the HRET due to his sterling performance, especially in the manner he handled the sensitive case of Arroy vs. Cayetano. The members of the house have voted for Cajes based on his credibility, integrity and capacity as a legislator.

As member of the HRET the Cajes shall involve in the investigation, hearing and shall be sole judge of all contests relating to the election, returns, and qualifications of their respective members.

As of press time, there are already 35 cases filed in the HRET which conveyed every Thursday morning.

BB Cajes leads preparation for town’s Diamond Jubilee

By MANUEL FERDINAND RAMIREZ DE ERIO

Barely two months old in her administration as Trinidad town mayor, Judith “BB” del Rosario â€" Cajes leads the preparation for the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the town as it reaches 60 years cum September 1.

The town’s Diamond Jubilee shall be celebrated in a week-long festivity that integrates the socio-economic and health thrusts inspired by the promotion of culture and heritage of the town’s new administration. Thus, the theme “Looking Back, Moving Forward.”

The week-long celebration will begin on August 27 and shall run until September 1, the day that Trinidad was established as a town 60 years ago through the able guidance and assistance of Juan Gonzales.

The pages of the history of Trinidad dates back in the pre-Hispanic era where early migrants settled along the Ipil River. From then, settler’s have sought for the identity of the place as town and the long sought dream was realized on August 14, 1947 when the Municipal Charter thru Executive Order No. 80 of the late President Manuel A. Roxas.

The EO established the once known “Ipil” and adjacent barangays to comprise the Municipality of Trinidad. It was on SEPTEMBER 01, 1947 that the Municipality of Trinidad was established. The town was named after the wife of the late President Manuel A. Roxas and to a coincidence the name of the Patron Saint of the mother town Talibon â€" Santisima Trinidad.

This year’s celebration shall integrate the administration’s efforts to promote economy thru sustainable agriculture promotions and programs. Thus, the town will launch its first festival on the record, the “Karomata Festival” which is a week-long agro-fair event.

The Karomata Festival will begin with a festival parade of colorful karomatas (native carts) towed by Carabaos. The parade is a celebration of the people’s effort to bring the goods and harvest from the farm to market. The mayor recognizes this effort as this exhibits the people’s initiative to give life to the economic activity of the town.

The agro-fair includes the week-long sale of fresh agricultural products from the respective communities in the town, a food festival that shall focus the limelight on the various manners of preparation of food, a Free Livestock Clinic and competition for “Pinaka” that shall consider the size, weight and appearance of agricultural yields.

BB Cajes also took advantage of the opportunity to implement her administrations initiative to strengthen its fight to eradicate the incidence of Rabies in town, thru the Children’s Rabies Forum and Launching of the Trinidad Rabies Scouters and the “Bunyag sa mga Iro” the dog registration, castration and vaccination program.

Other activities in line are medical mission, cultural shows, nightly entertainment, LGU fun day and the launching of Tanda Trinidad 2008, a grand home-coming of Trinidadnon residing outside the town and other countries around the globe.

The highlight of the celebration shall be on the September 1, the foundation day where a Floral parade and the People’s Day Convention shall be held. For more information, you may contact the LGU thru (038) 516-1112 or contact the MPIO Manuel Ferdinand R. de Erio 0906 311 0314.

By Ven Arigo

There will be sure seed funds for various stages of the Abatan river community life tour project (ARDP) but not to any of the five involved towns that fail to submit river stop-dock designs in earliest possible time.

The first town to submit its design can implement its plan ahead of others, but there should be no duplication of developments that will take place.

Rep. Edgar Chatto, chairman of the tourism committee in Congress, advised the officials of Maribojoc, Cortes, Antequera, Balilihan and Catigbian to finally draw their respective plans because these will be the basis for the inclusion in next year’s budget of the initial money.

Each town in the Abatan River Development Project (ARDP) should establish a river stop, including a docking facility, where its folk can showcase their distinct culture, arts, diverse livelihood crafts, even foods, etcetera to the satisfying delight of cruising tourists aboard floating restaurants.

The First District solon reminded the new officers of the Abatan River Development Management Council (ARDMC) of the nearing time for Congress’ tackling of the proposed 2008 General Appropriations Act.

Chatto, now in his second term as tourism committee head, himself inducted the new ARDMC officers led by Catigbian Mayor Roberto Salinas as chairman; Maribojoc Vice Mayor Gabino Redulla, vice chairman; and Balilihan Vice Mayor Dominisio Chatto, keeper of the treasury.

The heads of the development framework committees are Cortes Mayor Apolinaria Balistoy for promotional programs and projects; Antequera Mayor Ma. Cecilia Rebosura, tourism-directed enterprises; Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco, enforcement of environmental laws; Cortes Vice Mayor Rodrigo Uy, wildlife protection; and Antequera Vice Mayor Jose Mario Pahang, formulation of policies and regulations.

The induction was followed by a planning session participated no less by Department of Tourism Central Director for Planning Rolando Cañizar and other technical people sent from Manila by DOT Sec. Ace Durano and Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) General Manager Robert Dean Barbers, both committed to ARDP.

The Bohol Tourism Office head Baby Balio, Department of Trade and Industry Provincial Director Ma. Elena Arbon, key men from other agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Labor and Employment, non-government and people’s organizations such as the Abatan River Development Association and other stakeholders added inputs.

Strictly not just a tourism seller, the Abatan river project is also a stroke of the so-called convergence strategy emphasized by Gov. Erico Aumentado to help reduce poverty in Bohol.

Chatto cited how the rural communities by the bank of the wide Mekong River in Vietnam benefit from unsophisticated tourism by simply showing what are distinctly theirs.

Also importantly, Chatto said a code should be drafted to serve as the bible of the Abatan river community life tour and to constantly remind that things can remain simple yet showcased in many best ways.

Saudi Arabia is pushing ahead with plans to build a fence to block terrorists from crossing its 560-mile border with Iraq â€" another sign of growing alarm that Sunni-Shiite strife could spill over and drag Iraq’s neighbors into its civil conflict.

The barrier, which hasn’t been started, is part of a $12 billion package of measures including electronic sensors, security bases and physical barriers to protect the oil-rich kingdom from external threats, said Nawaf Obaid, head of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project, an independent research institute that advises the Saudi government.

The ambitious project reflects not only concern over terrorism but also growing alarm over the situation in Iraq, where U.S. forces are struggling to prevent sectarian violence from escalating to full-scale civil war between that nation’s Shiite majority and Sunni minority.

source: msnbc.msn.com

published by The Bohol Chronicle

There is an alarming concern on alleged “desecration” of the Filipino culture with presentation of Loboc-based entertainers at the famous Loboc River Cruise.

The alarm was sounded off by the Bohol Island Tour Guides Association (BITGAP) after conducting a meeting purposely for this concern at the Brewpoint last Thursday.

BITGAP president Danny Nazareno told the Chronicle that DOT accredited tour guides “felt embarrassed on the presentation” which the group described as a wrong direction in entertaining the thousands of guests taking their lunch at the cruise.

Guides described the presentation with ladies wearing kimona with skimpy shorts.  While dancing, they will later on remove their kimona, leaving an undershirt and the skimpy shorts. The music would shift to the contemporary “sexy beat.” Every good-sensed Filipino would be embarrassed by the presentation, the guides commented.

“It projects ignorance of our culture,” which runs counter to that of Bohol as the “home of rich heritage and culture.”

In fact, the presentation done on a platform can be fully viewed by tourists on board the floating restaurants while approaching the scenic Busai Falls.
The presentation amid the backdrop of green vegetation and clean river destroys the image of Bohol as an eco-tour destination, the guides said.

An Editorial of the Bohol Chronicle

Once upon a time one can walk home in this city from midnight parties in one piece.
There was no need for cellular phones. Parents knew their kids will be home from fun with their whole anatomy intact. No longer it seems - in this city many of us call home.

Killings, shootings and robberies are in a rash in the city - it is no longer funny.
There is no more line between assault on life or property. If the robber wants your cellphone, jewelry or wallet - the 2000 version of the criminal will not hesitate to take your life. It can be depressing to note indeed how little value life is today. The cold-blooded killing of a resort executive who doubles as an event organizer inside a residential area is a shocker to many.

This should serve as a wake up call for City Mayor Dan Lim - whose "Dirty Harry" treatment of drug criminals almost wiped their race off the streets. He should strike his iron hand with the same intensity against this new brand of city abominables.

A Bohol Poll survey had lauded Lim's no-nonsense war versus drugs during his first term that merited him such popularity and maybe his reelection.

We know the usual constraints found in growing medium-sized cities like Tagbilaran. A ratio of 1:1,500 (police:citizen) is too big to be really efficient. Yet multiplying the police force entails a strain on the city pockets. Motorcycles and car vehicles, already lacking in numbers sometimes don't have budget for gas and repairs. We can't go to the boxing ring with one hand tied at the back, as the sports aficionado and patron Dan Lim knows so well.

The security agency forces should coordinate with the city PNP for good measure. They are usually armed and hopefully have two eyes wide open on the watch. They can be watchdog extension of the authority.

More vehicles mean more police visibility- can the private sector pass the hat for gas money in the meantime that criminality is raging in the city? Stricter implementation of the 10 p.m. liquor ban and the curfew is in order.

But most of all, maybe Mayor Lim can tap the barangay tanods for real intelligence work which the mayor successfully did in the battle against drugs. Maybe giving them arms may be asking too much for the moment but their presence in the community at night prowls will be a decided help.
We miss those nights when the friendly neighborhood took turns in serving coffee to the watchful tanods. Shall we do this again?

City crimes are on the rise - we challenge the city mayor to act quick and dirty. We don't mind, really.

By Ven Arigo

Commercial lab-as nga meke (fresh noodles) made in Alburquerque and supplied to Tagbilaran City and neighboring town markets have been found out processed without strict sanitation and thus pose hazard to human health.

Alarmed, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Provincial Officer Marcial Tanggaan rushed to a house being utilized as a meke mini-factory at barangay Ipo and confirmed the unsafe food processing means and condition.

The same unclean fresh noodles from Alburquerque have reportedly been retailed near the Agora here.

Mayor Jose Ugdoracion, Jr. said no permit has been issued for the meke business of a certain Zalde Quilaton since its operation sometime in December last year.

Ugdoracion, who assumed as mayor last June 30, checked and found out that Quilaton’s business permit application is yet pending.

Tanggaan said the surprise inspection was not intended to totally stop the family enterprise and deprive the Quilatons and their workers of their livelihood.

He explained that the government cannot just risk the health of the consuming public.

The DOST is willing to assist such business on what safe technology to use so that the fresh noodles are processed according to standard hygiene.

The mini-factory reportedly produces a daily average of a hundred kilos of fresh noodles supplied to retailers in Tagbilaran City, Baclayon, Alburquerque itself, Loay, Loboc and Lila.

The DOST-Bohol chief said that with the help of his agency, the meke manufacturer can make quality product, or even improve its quality and nutritional value.

Fr. Val Pinlac and a senior development officer of the Ayala Foundation, which can also assist small-scale livelihood ventures, went with Tanggaan to the noodles processing site and afterward discussed with the mayor their findings.

The priest, an Alburanon presently assigned as parish priest of the Songculan Parish in Dauis, earlier discovered, by sheer curiosity, the dirty condition of the meke source when he passed by the food processing site.

By Ven Arigo

Tagbilaran City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio “Toto” Veloso is the new and third-ever Bohol president of the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippines (VMLP) following his election on Tuesday together with 23 other officers without any contest.

The VMLP-Bohol assembly-election held at the Metro centre Hotel here was opened by a minute of prayer for two dead colleagues.

The league members sped to Dagohoy after their noontime election to visit the remains of their fellow, the late Vice Mayor Antonio Puertos, who died of a fatal stroke in a hotel here Saturday.

Another colleague, the late Vice Mayor Cesar Fuentes of Getafe, succumbed to the same cause over two weeks ago.

The vice mayors motored back to the city for the oath-taking of their new league officers before Gov. Erico Aumentado during their fellowship also at Metro Centre last night.

Veloso, a first-termer city vice mayor, has succeeded as VMLP provincial head former Balilihan vice mayor and now mayor Victoria Chatto

VMLP-Bohol’s first elected head was then Sevilla vice mayor and now executive assistant to the governor Emmanuel Caberte.

Chatto and Veloso happen to be the mother and a brother-in-law, respectively, of First District Rep. Edgar Chatto.

League members shared common view that the past and new leaderships of VMLP-Bohol only suggest the vice mayors’ high esteem for those having been known for competence.

They said the congressman himself deserves high respect.

Former Board Member Billy Tongco represented the congressman to the VMLP induction and fellowship night.

The other new league officers are Vice Mayors Galicano Atup of Ubay for executive vice president; Marilyn Uy of Baclayon, vice president, 1st District; Jose Cepedoza of Danao, vice president, 2nd District; Marivic Golosino of Guindulman, vice president, 3rd District; Edwin Ladeza of Loon, secretary-general; Ann Dy oif Candijay, asst. secretary-general; Esther Tabigue of Mabini, treasurer; Valerie Ann Narona of Sagbayan, asst. treasurer; Francisco Ruben Co of Calape and Necitas Digaum of Catigbian, PROs, 1st District; Allen Ray Piezas of Clarin and Eustaquio Flor of San Isidro, PROs, 2nd District; Miguelito Galendez of Garcia-Hernandez, Patton Olano of Duero and Ramonito Torrefranca of Carmen, PROs, 3rd District.

The board directors for 1st District are Vice Mayors Jaime Jimenez of Dauis and Gabino Redulla of Maribojoc; 2nd District, Nestor Abad of Pres. Garcia and Francisco Gonzales of Trinidad; and 3rd District, Teofisto Pagar of Jagna, Alfredo Gamalo of Sierra Bullones and Norman Palacio of Bilar.

Provincial Local Government Operations Officer Rose Mascariñas facilitated the VMLP election.

By Yasmin S. Gatal-Hashimoto

Czarina A. Saloma-Akpedonu, Ph.D. has been named 2007 Outstanding Young Scientist (OYS) in the field of Sociology by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) during awarding ceremonies held recently at the Manila Hotel. 

According to NAST, Saloma-Akpedonu received the award for her work which “can be considered as a marriage between technology and social science.  Its impact lies on the way one views technology and its relation to culture and people’s identity.”

The OYS Awards are given to young Filipino scientists who have made significant contributions to science and technology. The awards are traditionally conferred to 10 outstanding individuals working in the following fields: agriculture sciences; biological sciences; chemical, mathematical and physical sciences; engineering sciences and technology; health sciences; and, social sciences. 

In the latter years however, the magical number has not been reached which explains why the numerical ceiling has since been dropped. 

To be eligible, one must not be more than 40 years old at the time of the awarding and must have accumulated a sizable body of published works, scientific researches and other equally significant publications.

Saloma-Akpedonu, who hails from Baclayon, Bohol, is the youngest daughter of the late Ciriaco Saloma, former manager of the Bohol Power Grid of the National Power Corporation, and Celerina Aya-ay, a public school teacher. 

She is also the youner sister of Caesar Saloma, now Dean of the College of Science at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, who himself won the award in 1992 in the field of Applied Physics. 

She is the second sociologist to receive the award, following in the footsteps of her former teacher at the University of the Philippines-Diliman Ma. Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista who won the award in 1988.  She said both her brother and her teacher served as her inspiration.

Saloma-Akpedonu earned her academic degrees from Bielefeld Universitaet (Dr. rer. Soc) in Germany, Peking University (MA) in China and University of the Philippines-Diliman (BA).  She currently serves as Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Ateneo de Manila University.  Saloma-Akpedonu is also President of the Philippine Sociological Society and Secretary of the Board of the International Sociological Association (ISA) Research Committee on the Sociology of Science and Technology. 

She is currently the Gender and ICT Specialist for eHomemakers (Malaysia) and International Development Research Council’s research project on Homeworkers and ICTs in Southeast Asia.  She is also Editor of the Loyola Schools Review 2006 and Issue Co-Editor of the Philippine Sociological Review.

Saloma-Akpedonu is the author of “Possible Worlds in Impossible Spaces: Knowledge, Globality, Gender and Information Technology in the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2006), an ethnographic study on the “doing” of IT in the Philippines. 

She is currently doing a study on heritage houses in danger of being overtaken by tourism developments in the province of Bohol, together with husband Erik Akpedonu, an architect from Germany. 
In acknowledging the accolade she received from her former classmates at the Holy Spirit School-Tagbilaran City, she wrote, “I am sure the awarding ceremony itself will simultaneously be a humbling and inspiring experience â€" this is what standing before people who have done so much more than whatever I did would do.” (published by the Bohol Chronicle)

By MAMALA ANZING Z. POQUITA

Talumpati Ng Taon is a joint yearly presentation of Ang Sandigan, Pan Hellenic Society, and Departmento ng Filipino of Silliman University, Dumaguete City.

This year’s eleventh edition has for its theme: “Wikang Filipino, Mananatiling Pag-asa sa Pagkakaisa ng Bawat Pilipino.” The most-awaited battle of the best speakers took place on Aug. 11, 2007 at Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium of the world famous foundation university. The three-hour activity was carried live over Energy FM, Sky Cable, and Negros Chronicle.

Among the nine finalists is 17 year old Reginne Poquita Limbaga, a freshman nursing Coed of Silliman University. Reg as she’s fondly called, is a Boholana by birth and heart, the eldest child of Engr. Rey S. Limbaga of Dipolog City and Gina Maria Poquita Limbaga of Lindaville Subd. Ph. I, Tagbilaran City.
The board of judges, composed of Rev. Noel Villalba, chairman; Ernest Deleacar and Jeannette Piñero-Hurtado, members, picked three best speakers namely; Jaan Raj I. Barrera, first place; Reginne Poquita Limbaga, second place; and Nikko Paolo R. Cablao, third place. Let me share to our readers the full text of Reginne’s second best piece.

Sa isang bansang binubuo ng libu-libong pulo na may iba’t-ibang kultura at tradisyon, isang wika ang nagbubuklod at nagbibigkis sa mga tao, isang wikang nananalaytay sa dugo ng bawat Pilipino, siyempre ano pa kundi, Wikang Filipino.

Madlang bayan, lupon ng inampalan, kapwa ko mga kabataan, Ako ang anak ng Bisaya na bumabati sa inyo ng “Magandang Gabi.”

Mga kapuso at kapamilya, wala ba kayong napapansin? Nakikita o naririnig sa paligid? Hayaang ipahatid ko sa inyo ang nais kong iparating. Sa pag-inog ng panahon ay unti-unting nababahiran ng wikang dayuhan ang ating pananalita. Nakalulungkot isipin, na tayong mga Pilipino rin ang unti-unting pumapatay sa sarili nating wika. Masakit isipin na ang mga kabataan ngayon, lalo ng ang nasa murang edad ay namulat na sa paggamit at pagbigkas ng wikang banyaga. At kung pakalilimiin natin ang sinabi ni Gat Jose Rizal, na ang mga kabataan ang pag-asa ng ating bayan, nasaan na ang pag-asa? Ang pag-asang mananatiling buhay sa isip at puso ng mga kabataan sa darating na mga araw, ang Wikang Filipino. Masyado na nating niyakap ang wika ng ibang bansa, gaya ng wikang Ingles, hindi ba ito nakababahala?

Oo, ang wikang Ingles ay may malaking ginagampanan sa ating buhay at sa ating bansa, lalung lalo na sa aspetong pangkalakalan at ugnayang diplomatiko. Ngunit hindi ibig sabihin, na isantabi na natin ang paggamit at pagbigkas ng wikang nagsilbing kaluluwa ng ating Inang Bayan. Ngunit, paano natin ito malulutasan? Ang sa akin naniniwala ako na ang ating mga guro sa asignaturang Filipino ay makatutulong nang mahigit sa pagpapatupad at pagtuturo ng wastong paggamit at pagpapahalaga sa Wikang Filipino. Ang mga guro at edukador ay puspusang nagsasaayos ng mga gawain sa pagtuturo upang maging kawili-wili, maayos, at makabuluhan ang pag-aaral ng ating sariling wika.

Maging sa makabagong panahon, ang mga batayang aklat sa mga paaralan ay magsisilbing mahalagang kasangkapan sa pagtuturo at layunin ng mga aklat na ito na paunlarin ang kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral sa epiktibong pagpapahayag, ginagamit ang sariling wika, sa iba’t ibang sitwasyon na sumasaklaw sa apat na lawak ng komunikasyon; ang pakikinig, pagsasalita, pagbabasa, at pagsusulat. Ngunit hindi lamang sa apat na sulok ng silid-aralan, mababatid ang kahalagahan ng wika. Ang Wikang Filipino ay siyang ginagamit ng ating mga kapatid sa malalayong lalawigan na kadalasan ay hindi naabutan ng makabagong paraan ng komunikasyon, sila ay nagkaiintidihan at nagkauunawaan dahil sa isang wika, salamat sa Wikang Filipino.

Napakahalaga ang pag-uugnayan at pagkakaisa gamit ang sariling wika, iba-iba man ang antas ng ating buhay. Ang mga kaalaman at kasanayan ay nararapat na patnubayan ng pagpapahalagang moral at ispiritwal bilang Pilipino. Kaya sa bawat aralin ng wika at pagbasa, bibigyang diin ang mga pagpapahalagang huhubog sa mga kabataan upang maging maka-Diyos, makatao at makabansa.
Sa paraang ito, buo ang aking paniniwala na ang Wikang Filipino ay manatiling pag-asa sa pagkakaisa ng mga mamamayang Pilipino, ang wikang minana natin sa ating mga ninuno, ating yaman, ating buhay. Ang Wikang Filipino, sagisag ng ating Inang Bayan, Wikang nagpakikilala at nagbibigkis sa ating pinag-ugatang lahi. Mabuhay tayong mga Pilipino, Isang Wika, Isang Bansa tungo sa kaunlaran at nagkakaisa.

Among the 225 successful examinees of the recent licensure examinations for Doctors of Veterinary Medicine, given by the Professional Regulations Commission, is a pure Bol-anon and a native of Valencia town.

Dr. Rodney Marante y Pagaran was born in Poblacion Occidental, Valencia, Bohol, and spent his elementary and high school days here in Tagbilaran City.

After six years of studies at University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), the new doctor took the government’s licensure examinations for Veterinarians last Aug. 1-3, 2007 in Manila. Only 225 passed the said exams out of the 637 examinees. Out of the 50 fresh graduates from UPLB, 46 passed the board exams, for the school’s 92 percent passing rate.

Dr. Marante spent his elementary days at the Holy Spirit School and attended high school at the Central Visayas State College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Technology (CVSCAFT). While in high school, he, along with elder brother Jay Warren, were mainstays of the famous CVSCAFT drum and bugle corps.

Dr. Rodney P. Marante is the youngest of the two boys of the two boys of Nathaniel Marante of Poblacion Occidental, Valencia, and Elizabeth Pagaran-Marante, of Tabuan, Garcia-Hernandez. Elder brother Jay Warren is also an alumnus of UPLB, finishing BS in Applied Physics in 2005, and is now working as a Design Engineer in Bitmicro Networks International, a company pioneering in producing computer softwares and hardwares. (The Bohol Chronicle)

Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. â€"Colossians 3:13

When Bill Husted walked into his 40th high school reunion, he shook hands and hugged people for 20 minutes before realizing there were two high school reunions in the building that day and he was at the wrong one.

Husted, a technology writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, used that experience to illustrate one of his enduring axioms of computer troubleshooting: Check the obvious first. Before you replace the sound card, make sure the volume control is not turned down. If the modem isn’t working, check to see if it’s connected.

“Check the obvious first” can be a good principle for spiritual troubleshooting as well. Colossians 3:12-17 lists a dozen spiritual qualities that indicate a healthy soul. Prominent among them are compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, and thankfulness.

Before criticizing our church or other Christian groups, we might ask the Lord to reveal our own shortcomings. Prior to ripping out the wires of relationships, we could check to see if patience and forgiveness are connected in our own heart.

It’s good to look inside our heartâ€"to check the obvious firstâ€"even when it feels as if all our problems are caused by others. â€"David C. McCasland

I’ll check within my own heart first,
The obvious to see,
That faults I find in others
Are really faults in me. â€"D. De Haan

Christlike love is patient with the faults of others.

source: Our Daily Bread devotional book

By Brigida B. Garay

In a regular second Saturday monthly meeting this month at the Poblacion II Barangay SCA Hall, K of C Drive, Manuel del Mundo presided and directed the elections of the new sets of SCA officers 2007-2008 with the following elected officers:

President - Francisco Vidal Baslar; vice president â€" Inocencia Domingo Evasco; secretary - Aurora Ingles Espuelas; treasurer â€" Esperanza Magallones Borja; auditor â€" Belen Racho Balingit; press relations officers â€" Brigida B. Garay, Jose Ungay; sgt at arms â€" Severeno Ungay.

These officers will be inducted on September 8 at 10 a.m. at the JJ’s Seafood Village, K of C Drive, Tagbilaran City.

Invited to grace the affair is city mayor Dan Neri Lim as inducting officer. 
Other speakers are Engr. Florencio Migriño, outgoing president for his Report of SCA Pob. II and Eufemia C. Cabagnot, outgoing treasurer for her financial report and turning over of financial records to the new treasurer, E. M. Borja.

Inoncencia D. Evasco will welcome the uests and members with Esperanza M. Borja for the closing remarks.  The lady of ceremony is Belen Balingit.  Selected members will present musical numbers to entertain the group.

All members of the Poblacion II SCA are requested to attend the special affair in their Sunday’s best attire.  They are also reminded to attend a special meeting on Sept. 1, at the SCA Barangay II Meeting Hall at 2 p.m. to finalize program for induction and check the preparations of the working committee.

QUO VADIS FILIPINO LANGUAGE?
By Engineer Jes B. Tirol

Proem

The month of August is designated as Buwan Ng Wika or language month.  Presumably the language meant is the so-called Filipino Language.

At its present stage of development, it is but proper to ask, “Quo vadis (Where are you going) Filipino language?”

As it is now, the so-called Filipino Language is the largest pidgin English language in the world.

Pidgin Language

Pidgin English is defined in the dictionary as a jargon composed of English and elements of local non-English dialects, used as the language of indigenous people.
The greatest promoter of pidgin English that is passed on as the Filipino language, are the television stations.  The announcers speak without any compunction or sense of guilt using a mixture of English and Tagalog otherwise known as “Taglish.”

The spoken Taglish is now generally understood.  The problem is, how would you write those words?  For example, a TV advertisement says, “Pare joke lang (Mister, its only a joke).”  The word “joke” is pronounced in English.  However, in standardized Filipino language, “joke” should be pronounced as “JO + KE.”  We are told that it should be spelled “dyok,” which actually do not capture the sound of the English “joke.”  The written Filipino language could not capture most of the sounds of the English language.

Constitutional Provisions

The 1935 Constitution says in Art.XIV, Section 3, “The Congress shall take steps toward the development and adoption of a common national language based on one of the existing native languages…” President Manuel Quezon surreptitiously managed to make Tagalog as the base native language and called it “Pilipino” (with a P).

The 1973 Constitution says in Art. XV, Section 3 (2), “The National Assembly shall take steps towards the development and formal adoption of a common national language to be known as Filipino (with an F).”
The 1986 Constitution presently in effect, provides in Art. XIV, Section 6, “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino (with an F).  As it evolves, it shall be further developed and  enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages.”

In Section 7 it says, “For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English.” Therefore the official languages in the Philippines are “Filipino” and “English.”

The Trouble

Filipino is now a pidgin English.  It uses English words with Tagalog spelling and connectives.  The grammar is basically the English grammar. If you will hear spoken Filipino, you will realize that it is a vandalized form of the English language.

The two languages could not co-exist with each other.  If you will insist on Filipino, your English language will be destroyed.  If you will insist on English, then your Filipino will be destroyed.  Why?  It is because you could not mix a developed agglutinative language (Tagalog) with a developed inflectional language (English).  You could not mix their grammars.  One language must give way.

English Experience

The Old English spoken in the British Isles between 450 A.D. and 1050 A.D. was a mixture of Kentish, Saxon, and other Germanic languages.  They were inflectional languages.  In year 1066, The Normans led by William the Duke of Normandy conquered England.  They spoke French, another inflectional language.

The English language borrowed heavily from the French language of their conquerors.  The new language developed was known as Middle English.  Eventually the French language of the conquerors was absorbed and a new language was developed.  By the year 1475, the Modern English emerged with its grammatical standards.  The invading French language was Anglicized and obliterated.

In our case in the Philippines, it could not happen because we refuse to relinquish the English language.
We have already seen how the Filipino language led by the “Taglish” of television and erroneous textbooks have damaged the English language in the Philippines.  However, our leaders and government officials would insist in using the proper English language.  This has resulted in a situation of no proper language learned by the students.

To solve this impasse, let us return to basics. Learn well your mother language and never mind if you would not know the invented Filipino language or the invader’s English language.

STRUGGLE TO REMEMBER
By JUAN L. MERCADO

Our paths crossed, for the last time, at San Francisco’s International Airport. The family and I were heading for our Bangkok flight gate. We bumped into former Senator Benigno Aquino, striding toward his Boston plane.

The years have now blurred most of our chat that day. We laughed recalling my securing a “carrier pigeon” â€" a sympathetic Air India manager â€" to sneak his article, smuggled from a Fort Bonifacio prison cell, under martial law censor noses, to Bangkok Post editor Theh Chongkadikhij.

February 1973, the Post ran “The Aquino Papers.” This three-part series proved the first direct challenge to the dictatorship. “I will not accept President Marcos’s offer of an amnesty because I do not believe I’ve committed any crime,” Aquino wrote. And I cannot support his New Society because I believe firmly that he violated our Constitution and broke our laws.” (That may be relevant to a Joseph Estrada sweating out the anti-graft court’s decision on plunder accusations).

Press Information minister Francisco Tatad cabled a furious 8,000 word reply. Reprisals followed. Aquino and cell-mate Senator Jose Diokno were hustled into solitary confinement â€" and almost starved to death â€" in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

For 43 days, Corazon Aquino and family were turned away by prison guards. Carmen Diokno and children received the same harsh treatment. “It was only when Cory asked Deputy Defense Minister Carmelo Barbero why that she learned it was ‘punishment’ for the Post series, Miriam Grace Go reported.
The airport PA called for us to board, cutting our chat short. As we parted, my then 13-year old son, Francis, groused: “Why didn’t you introduce me? That’s the next Philippine president.”
That was not to be.

Twenty-four years ago, this Tuesday, the 52-year old Aquino returned to Manila on board a China Airlines flight from Taipei. While military agents “guarded” him, a single bullet tore into his jaw, on the service gangway.

“The Nation” reporter reached my United Nations office to ask for reaction. All I mumbled then was: “Marcos claims he heads a ‘command society.’ Since he has all powers, he also has all the responsibility.” And as a numb afterthought, I added: “Manila will be renamed Aquino International Airport. Mark my words.”

Marcos’ censored press suppressed the arrival statement that Aquino never got to read. The two-page speech is part of history in a country where over half of youngsters now barely know Aquino, surveys say.
“I have returned of my own free will to join the ranks of those struggling to recover our rights and freedoms through non-violence,” Aquino planned to say, “I seek no confrontation . . . Aquino knew that the dictator suffered then from failing kidneys and lupus. A direct appeal to the isolated Marcos could help usher in peaceful change â€" and cap looming violence.

Return would provoke a brutal regime, many warned Ninoy. He saw the danger. “If they kill me, they’re out in two years,” he predicted. That forecast fell short of People Power Revolt by four years. Was Ninoy’s adamance stupidity? Or principled stubbornness?

The Duke of Norfolk also badgered the imprisoned Thomas More to heed Henry VIII’s demand for consent to his divorce. “Think Master More,” the Duke urged. Indignatio principis mors est. (“The prince’s anger is death).” To which More calmly replied: “Is that all my Lord? In good faith then, there’s no difference between your Grace and me â€" but that I shall die today, and you tomorrow.”

Under the dictatorship’s thumb, Military Commission No. 2 found Aquino “guilty” of subversion. They sentenced him to “death by musketry.” Censorship ensured that few heard what Aquino said after the sentence.

Aquino said he could not be tried by a military tribunal when civilian courts functioned. Could the commission recall the names of military judges who tried Andres Bonifacio? They could not. Aquino ticked off the names. “Today, nobody remembers the names of those judges. But we meet in a fort that is named in honor of the very man they sentenced to death.”
And so it came to pass in Aquino’s case.

Ninoy’s funeral saw two million mourners line the streets. Thousands were glued to Radio Veritas, the only station that dared to cover the rites. It took 12 hours for Aquino’s hearse to reach Manila Memorial Park, after a Santo Domingo requiem mass. “No umbrellas,” people chanted as rain fell. “Only Imelda uses an umbrella!” â€" a jeer at cronies who’d hold a parasol over the First Lady.

Crowds forcibly lowered the giant Philippine flag to half-mast when Aquino’s coffin passed Rizal Park. Who could foresee that was a forerunner of People Power four years on. The blood of martyrs is the seed of heroes.

The nation marks his death, as we will on Tuesday. Places are named after him. So is the Manila International Airport. His features grace our currency. And his family never demanded a Libingan Ng Mga Bayani plot. In contrast, the Marcoses have wheedled, unsuccessfully so far, for such a plot.

Now a 37-year old Northwest Airlines pilot, Francis never got to meet Ninoy. But the old questions fester: Who were the mastermind(s) in Aquino’s assassination? Why have they managed to escape accounting. Do people care? And who remembers the judges of Military Commission No. 2?

Indeed, the “struggle of man against power,” as Czech novelist Milan Kundera once said,” is the struggle of memory against forgetting.

Thanks Ban-alam. This is terrifying.

Modern furnaces have taken the work out of keeping warm in cold climates. We simply set the timer on the thermostat, and the house is warm when we get up in the morning. But in former days, fire was carefully tended and fuel supplies were closely monitored. Running out could be deadly.

The same is true spiritually. If we think our “spiritual fire” can be ignited as easily as a modern furnace, we risk losing our fervor for the Lord.

In ancient Israel, the priests were instructed not to let the fire on the altar go out (Lev. 6:9,12-13). This required a lot of work, not the least of which was collecting firewood in a land not known for its dense forests.

Some scholars see the fire on the altar as a symbol for the flame of our devotion for the Lord. Spiritual passion is not something to be treated lightly or taken for granted. It will grow cold if we fail to keep it supplied with fuel.

The apostle Paul addressed the subject of spiritual fervor in his letter to the Romans (12:1-2,11). To keep the fire of our devotion burning strong, we must continue the hard work of stocking our fuel supply with hope, patience, steadfast prayer, generosity, hospitality, and humility (vv.11-16). â€"Julie Ackerman Link

O God, my heart is the altar
And my love for you is the flame;
I’ll keep the fire burning for You, Lord,
And I will rejoice in Your name. â€"Hess

Our love for Jesus is the key to spiritual passion.

source: Our Daily Bread devotional book

Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes. â€"Proverbs 3:25

All of us have had bad dreams. Perhaps we were falling from a high building, fleeing from a hideous creature, or standing before an audience and forgetting our speech.

My wife had a nightmare recently. She dreamed she was in a small room when two men appeared out of the mist. Fear overwhelmed her. Just as the men were about to grab her, she said, “Let me tell you about Jesus.” Immediately she was awakened by the sound of her own voice. The name Jesus had freed her from fear.

We read in John 6 that Jesus’ disciples were afraid when in the dimness of nightfall they saw a strange figure walking on the stormy sea of Galilee. But the mysterious figure was not part of a bad dreamâ€"He was real. Matthew reports that they “cried out for fear” (14:26). Then the disciples heard a familiar voice: “It is I; do not be afraid” (John 6:20). It was Jesus. Their fears were calmed, as well as the sea.

The Savior speaks the same assurance to us today amid the many fears along our Christian journey. Solomon said, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10).

Fears will come, but we are assured that Jesus is always a light in the darkness. â€"Dennis J. De Haan

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea-billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul. â€"Cushing

You need not fear the darkness if you are walking with the Light of the World.

source: rbc.org

Quote from: galen on August 19, 2007, 02:52:18 PM
cge, akoa jud na ibutang sa akoa reminder nga naa si mike sa thailand nga andam motabang.

hehe btaw, thanks daan mike!

you're welcome, Galen.