MikeLigalig.com

By CORNELIA DEAN
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com">The New York Times</a>

CHICAGO - When Jon D. Miller looks out across America, which he can almost do from his 18th-floor office at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, he sees a landscape of haves and have-nots - in terms not of money, but of knowledge.

Dr. Miller, 63, a political scientist who directs the Center for Biomedical Communications at the medical school, studies how much Americans know about science and what they think about it. His findings are not encouraging.

While scientific literacy has doubled over the past two decades, only 20 to 25 percent of Americans are "scientifically savvy and alert," he said in an interview. Most of the rest "don't have a clue." At a time when science permeates debates on everything from global warming to stem cell research, he said, people's inability to understand basic scientific concepts undermines their ability to take part in the democratic process.

Over the last three decades, Dr. Miller has regularly surveyed his fellow citizens for clients as diverse as the National Science Foundation, European government agencies and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. People who track Americans' attitudes toward science routinely cite his deep knowledge and long track record.

"I think we should pay attention to him," said Eugenie Scott, director of the National Center for Science Education, who cites Dr. Miller's work in her efforts to advance the cause of evolution in the classroom. "We ignore public understanding of science at our peril."

Rolf F. Lehming, who directs the science foundation's surveys on understanding of science, calls him "absolutely authoritative."

Dr. Miller's data reveal some yawning gaps in basic knowledge. American adults in general do not understand what molecules are (other than that they are really small). Fewer than a third can identify DNA as a key to heredity. Only about 10 percent know what radiation is. One adult American in five thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth, an idea science had abandoned by the 17th century.

By Associated Press
<a href="http://www.iht.com">International Herald Tribune</a>

The Philippines has canceled a permit for a South Korean company to build a spa on the crater of a restive volcano because of concerns the mountain could rumble to life and environmental violations at the site, officials said.

The spa's construction on the crater of the tiny Taal volcano, which lies in the middle of a scenic lake south of Manila, seemed like a good idea a few months ago, with locals hoping it would bring jobs and tourists.

Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes said his department originally had issued a certificate confirming that the spa's engineering plan conformed with environmental regulations.

But doubts soon clouded the project after scientists from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised alarm, warning that the volcano, which has occasionally become active, was not safe.

Taal, in Batangas province, has shown signs of restiveness since 2005. Two earthquakes jolted the island last month, causing no damage but focusing public attention on the perils of the little-known spa project.

The small island where Taal lies has been declared a permanent danger zone, but thousands of villagers have settled there for decades, thriving on fishing and tourism. About 300 tourists visit the volcano island daily.

Corruption also was suspected.

Sen. Pia Cayetano vowed to open a probe into how a number of families were able to secure land titles along Taal's crater lake and nearby areas, which are considered public land.

The mayor of the nearby town of Talisay, Florencio Manimtim, said the spa was to be built on a six-hectare (15-acre) crater area that a local landowner sold to Korean investors. The Filipino landowner supposedly had land titles dating back to the Spanish colonial era, he said.

After traveling to the spot to inspect the construction firsthand, Reyes announced late Thursday he was revoking the license because the company, Jung Ang Interventure Corp., failed to comply with environmental regulations.

"We gave them one week, they failed, so we are canceling the Environmental Compliance Certificate," he told reporters.

He said the company did not secure a clearance from the government's volcanology institute as well as the Department of Tourism and local government units.

"I don't think they thoroughly presented the environmental impact of the project," he said.

Company officials could not be reached for comment Friday.

Taal, one of the country's 22 active volcanoes, has occasionally triggered seismic activity and geysers, and erupted mildly in 1977, causing no casualties or damage. A strong eruption in 1965 killed about 200 people.

By Associated Press
<a href="http://www.latimes.com">Los Angeles Times</a>

Nine inmates fled a southern Philippine jail after attacking guards, and pursuing police officers fatally shot three of the escaped convicts and recaptured four others, officials said Friday.

Two other inmates from the jail in southern Cagayan de Oro city remain at large, said Chief Superintendent Teodorico Capuyan, the regional police director.

The nine inmates, who were serving time for murder and drug-related offenses, pretended to be fighting to attract the guards' attention shortly after the end of visiting hours Thursday.

They later ganged up on two guards posted at the tower at the back of the jail, managing to grab an M-16 rifle. The rifle, however, jammed, prompting another guard to fire at one of the prisoners.

The wounded prisoner and eight others then jumped from the tower and fled, prompting a manhunt by jail officials and police. The wounded prisoner was among those recaptured.

Capuyan said a probe has been launched to look into security lapses. The jailbreak was the 24th in the country this year.

(cause: sea blasting for oil search?)

By Rey Anthony Chiu
Philippine Information Agency

Tagbilaran City -- Pilot whales looking rather weak and acting strangely in the waters off Pamilacan island has alarmed marine biologists and tourists, putting the speculation of the ill-effects of an ongoing seismic survey in Bohol waters.

Governor Erico Aumentado however said the survey proponents, NorAsia Energy have said they have not seen or noticed any marine life directly affected by the survey.

Merlou Reyes, a Bohol tour guide and a former World Wildlife Fund staff reported the “unusual” movements of the pilot whales while on a dolphin and whale watching tour Thursday.

Pilot whales, generally deep sea-going whales are in the Red list of threatened species but have lately found the waters off Pamilacan hospitable to them. The island, though a historically whale hunting ground using an implement called pilak, the residents have been converted to safeguard the whales in lieu of one eco-tourism activity in the dolphin and whale watching tours.

A text message sent to Bohol Rescue Unit for Marine Mammal volunteers has again also popped speculations that the “weakened” pilot whales could be disorientated cetaceans within range of the seismic survey.

A current gas and oil exploration less than twenty kilometers from the dolphin and ecotourism zone in the whale watching area is using a specialized air gun to blast off booms of as loud as 200 decibels. The action would allow surveyors to map out the sea floor and detect trapped oil and gas deposits in Maribojoc Bay and Cebu-Bohol strait.

Also residents along the Maribojoc Bay has noticed reduce catch, possibly an effect of the loud booms felt more audibly underwater than over.

Aside from the whales, a resident from Loon has rescued a sea turtle (pawikan) that beached in Tangnan and another fisherman in Maribojoc has reported another sea-turtle stranding in the coasts of the town.

Although marine biologist and species conservation director of the WWF Dr. Arnel Andrew Yaptinchay said the sighted unusual movements may still be all right, he instructed Pamilacan residents to note their observations on the pilot whales off the island. (PIA)

Atangan gyud nato ang talent portion ani.

Quote from: frenz on July 06, 2007, 12:46:42 PM




Ingon ang PGSO Mike nga gihimong taguanan sa mga gangster ang dagkung punoan mao ilang gipuongan

Non-sense! Will you burn a house just to get rid of a rat? Non-sense!

What is happening here?

source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au">The Daily Telegraph</a>

In a medical first, a Canadian mother has frozen some of her eggs so her seven-year-old daughter can give birth should her genetic disorder make her infertile as an adult.

If Flavie Boivin should become infertile, her mother's eggs could make it possible for her to give birth nonetheless, to a child who would be not only her offspring, but also her half-sister or half-brother.

"It's the first time in the world" for a mother-daughter egg donation, said Seang Lin Tan, professor and chairman of obstetrics and gynaecology at McGill University, Montreal, and medical director of its reproductive centre.

Prof Tan, who treated Ms Boivin, said McGill University Health Center's ethics committee gave its authorisation for the extraction of her eggs, which will be kept frozen for years to come.

He said the daughter was under no obligation to accept the eggs.

"It's up to the daughter and her future partner to decide whether to use the eggs or not," he said.

"She doesn't have to, and they may decide to donate the eggs to another couple and then have somebody else give eggs to them."

Prof Tan said the egg-freezing procedure has been used for cancer patients at risk of menopause when they undergo chemotherapy.

"So we freeze the eggs the eggs before the cancer treatment," he said, adding that 80 patients have been treated so far.

"We know that this technique works," he told AFP. "We find that 85 per cent of the eggs survive freezing and then there is 40 per cent chance of a live birth."

Melanie Boivin, a 35-year-old lawyer from Montreal, is the mother of three children, including Flavie, who was born with a genetic disorder called Turner syndrome, which can lead to premature menopause and infertility, Prof Tan said.

Turner syndrome often leaves women incapable of producing eggs but with healthy wombs and can give birth through donated eggs.

"I was touched by her case because, in her own words, 'a mother should always do her best to help her children.' If her daughter had a kidney problem and she had to give a kidney, she would have done it too."

In an interview with the BBC, Melanie Boivin she said she wanted to do "everything in my power to help" her daughter, adding that she would never force her to accept her eggs if she did not want to.
"I just want her to have the option," she added.

"My partner and I wondered a long time about this donation. Will it be my kid or my daughter's?" she said in an April interview with La Presse daily.

"Finally, after a year of thinking about it, we decided that we could go through with it."

Prof Tan said the egg-freezing procedure has "reached a stage where we can offer the same treatment to other women who may have children with problems of infertility."

"With egg freezing we can offer women who do not have yet have a partner a chance of having children. For example, a lady in her early 30s can decide to freeze her eggs and have a child later with a partner she loves," he added.

Prof Tan presented a report on the Boivin case yesterday at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Lyon, France. (July 4, 2007)

Typical arrogant people from Manila.

source: <a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com">Associated Content</a>

Do you remember as a child being told never to put anything in your ears smaller than your elbow? I used to wonder how anyone could put their elbow in their ears. Mine wouldn't fit. Earwax is a natural substance called cerumen that protects the tissues and structures of your ear canal.
This waxy substance traps dirt and inhibits the growth of bacteria within the ear canal.

Some of us make too much earwax and it becomes hard and may actually cause a blockage within the ear canal. It is important that we do not stick anything in our ears to clean out the built up wax. Many of us are guilty of inserting cotton swabs into the ear canal to clean out the ear. The problem with inserting a swab is that the inserting and twisting of the swab causes the wax to be packed down into the ear.

When the earwax becomes impacted against the ear drum you may experience an earache and hearing loss. The only way you will know if you really have a problem with hardened or impacted earwax is to be examined by your doctor. Your doctor will look into your ear with an otoscope to visualize the condition of your ear and the amount of wax there. It could be there is no buildup of wax and the problem is something else entirely, so it is better to have a doctor or healthcare practitioner look inside your ear, than to do something drastic on your own.

My daughter heard somewhere that excess wax could be removed by flushing the ear with hydrogen peroxide. She did this a number of times without my knowing it. She then comes to me saying she has an earache. When her doctor looked into her ear, she found much irritation on the inside and a perforated eardrum. Her doctor asked what she had been putting in her ear, and she confessed using the peroxide. She learned the hard way not to take matters into her own hands without the advice of her doctor. The hydrogen peroxide, in itself wasn't so bad but it was never flushed out and that caused a moist area ripe for the growth of bacteria.

One way your doctor can remove earwax is by using a small spoon-like instrument called a curette. I've had this done and I am always a little nervous when this method is used on me. Another method is much more comfortable for me, and that is by flushing the ear with water. It can be done with a water pick or a bulb syringe. If you have a problem with earwax on a regular basis your doctor may order an earwax removal medication, such as Murine ear drops. Your doctor may suggest you instill the drops in your ears once every two weeks or more or less often according to the wax problem within your ears.

Remember, it is never safe to insert a solid object, such as a cotton swab, bobby pin, or paper clip into your ear. Your doctor may suggest a self-care routine to clean your ears as needed when wax builds up.
First you might want to use a few drops of baby oil or mineral oil morning and night for about 5 days. When the ear wax is believed to be softened, irrigate your ear with warm water squirted from a bulb syringe. You will need to tilt your head so that the water will run out of the ear to flush the wax out. When you are done irrigating your ear canal, pat your ear on a towel with your head tilted to drain the water out. To dry the inside of your ear, you can use a hair dryer to blow in the direction of your ear canal. Some doctors may also suggest that you instill a few drops of alcohol into the ear canal and then let it drain out. The evaporation from the alcohol will dry the ear. I have not used the alcohol, but the hair dryer works well for me.

Diadora, I will do my best to get this information.

source: The Philippine Information Agency

In the spirit of collaboration among national and provincial government agencies, non-government agencies and local government units, the trade fair, agricultural fair, cultural and heritage showcase and LGU tourism showcase will be integrated in one activity -- the Sandugo 2007 which will be held on July 18 to 22.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)- Bohol, Sandugo 2007 will feature the Boholano Culture and Lifestyle and will highlight the One Town One Product (OTOP) of municipalities and cities. The OTOP is a government program that seeks to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs through identification by local chief executives of specific products and services that have competitive advantage.

DTI Bohol rationalizes that the integration of two major local fairs and component special activities will result in the upscaling of its overall attractiveness not only to locals but also for institutional buyers.

Sandugo events include the Sandugo Product and Lifestyle Fair, Creativity Agora, Creative Industry Forum, Bohol MagNegosyo Talk Show, Boholano Cookfests, Agricultural Entrepreneurship Fora, Social Development Forum and Cultural Peformances.

“The added attraction of the cultural presentations will ensure that this year’s Sandugo will be a kaleidoscope of culture, crafts, food, agriculture, lifestyle, ideas, creativity and ingenuity.”

The Sandugo Product and Lifestyle Fair showcases the best of Boholano craftsmanship and ingenuity with indigenous materials such as raffia and bamboo.

Aside from Bohol producers, producers of fashion accessories, processed food and home furnishings from other provinces within Central Visayas will participate in the trade fair this year.

The Creative Industry Agora will be a multi-media showcase featuring the crafts, agri-products, tourism destinations and programs of Bohol’s special six emerging productivity circuits: Northwestern Bohol, Anda Peninsula and Eastern Bohol, Interior Bohol, Panglao Island, Abatan River Towns and Tagbilaran City.

In the First Bohol Creative Economy Forum, speakers from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Center for International Exhibitions and Missions (CITEM), National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), DTI, Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and the British Council will shed light on the nature, scope, implications of the creative industries on the local economy.

The Bohol MagNegosyo Talk Show will focus on the importance of entrepreneurship towards achieving economic growth and poverty alleviation and highlight success stories to serve as inspiration for the Boholanos.

The Agricultural Entrepreneurship Fair is a major marketing and promotional activity that highlights the display of fresh, organic, agricultural and processed products and tests the marketability of products and farm produce. (PIA-Cebu/FCR)

Helu is so rich but his countrymen in the U.S. are homeless.

Ayaw paimna ang KaKa member (a.k.a. Snowhite).

source: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk">BBC NEWS</a>

City-dwelling scientists wanting to escape the cacophony of urban life could do worse than land a job at the home of the UK's most powerful microscope.

The vault in which the behemoth is housed is buried deep under the streets that flank the Albert Hall in London.

Once the double doors - designed to eliminate contamination of all kind, not just noise - suck shut, the room takes on the air of a mausoleum.

Even the technicians and scientists gathered at the base of Titan, as the microscope is known, talk in hushed, respectful tones.

But their silence is not just for the benefit of their fellow academics, it is an operational requirement of the machine.

"If the sample drifts, it kills the experiment," said Dr David McComb of Imperial College London, where the microscope is housed.

With a machine that is able to image individual atoms, even the vibrations caused by talking too loudly are enough to shunt a sample. When scientists are operating at such small scales, tiny shifts can appear huge.

"The drift rate has got to be better than one nanometre per minute," he explained.

One nanometre is a billionth of a metre.

"It's about how much your finger nail grows in one minute," said Dr James Perkins, one of the research scientists who use the sensitive giant to probe the atomic structure of the world.

Random scatter

Titan is a transmission electron microscope, the first of its kind in the UK and one of only a handful found in labs around the world.

Its maker, FEI Company, says it is the most powerful commercially available scope on the market.

When it is running at full power it will be used to probe everything from new materials for ultra fast computers to tissue samples that may shed light on diseases such as Alzheimer's.

The £2.4m ($4.8m) scope is capable of imaging objects just 0.14 nanometres in diameter, useful for probing the atomic structure and chemistry of materials.

It works by firing electrons through an incredibly thin sample, just microns (one millionth of a metre) thick, and observing the changes to the particles as they pass through and out the other side.

"What happens to the electrons tells us about how the atoms were arranged in the sample," said Dr McComb.

In essence, the trajectories of the electrons can be mapped, like snooker balls scattering on a table. Knowing their trajectory as they exit allows scientists to build up a picture of the internal structure of the sample.

In addition, measuring the energy lost by electrons gives scientists clues about the identity of the atoms in the sample and how they bond together.

"That is enormously powerful," said Dr McComb.

Research boost

The machine has been bought by the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN) using money from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

It was installed in August 2006 and should soon be running at full power.

Already there is a raft of projects that could use the super-scope.

Medical researchers, for example, hope to use it to uncover the secrets of bone disease.

"Clearly, if we want to tackle diseases like osteoporosis, we need new drugs and clinical trials," said Dr McComb.

"But in order to develop those we also need to understand the process of osteoporosis. We need to understand how bone and tissue interact and why that process changes as we get older."

Teams have proposed to use Titan to examine the microscopic and chemical changes on the surfaces of bones in both healthy and diseased tissue.

Other teams want to understand the role of iron metabolism in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

"We are not quite sure what the state of the iron is or how it interacts with the tissues in the brain," said Dr McComb. "But if we can understand that then potentially we can feed that into research into something that can disrupt or modify that process."

Researchers from LCN are also queuing up to test new materials for efficient fuel cells and catalysts, as well as examining the atomic structure of semiconductors to optimise or boost their performance in future computers.

Eventually, the knowledge gained will also allow scientists to start building materials atom by atom.

"We're ramping up, we're starting to get results," said Dr McComb. "I expect over the summer we'll really start rocketing."

Her diploma is already a collector's item. You can only see it if she holds a public auction.

source: <a href="http://www.news.com.au">The Daily Telegraph</a>

Shoppers in a US convenience store stepped over a woman dying from stab wounds with one stopping only to take a picture on a mobile phone.

The incident captured on surveillance video in a Kansas convenience store on June 23 of this year shows 27-year-old LaShanda Calloway lying bleeding after being stabbed in a robbery that she was innocently caught up in, AP reports.

It took about two minutes for someone to call police to report the crime while five shoppers stepped over the prone woman, police said.

After finally being attended to Ms Calloway died at a hospital from her injuries.

Police at this stage have refused to release the video, saying it is part of their investigation.

"It was tragic to watch," police spokesman Gordon Bassham said.

"The fact that people were more interested in taking a picture with a cell phone and shopping for snacks rather than helping this innocent young woman is, frankly, revolting."

"The lack of concern for humanity over this young woman's life is deeply troubling," Mr Bassham said.

Mr Bassham said the district attorney's office would have to decide whether any of the shoppers could be charged but ti was uncertain what law, if any, would be applicable..

A state statute for failure to render aid specifically refers only to victims of a car accident.

Two suspects have been arrested in the stabbing. Cherish M McCullough, 19, has been charged with first-degree murder.

Another suspect, who turned himself in a few days later, had not yet been charged today, according to the Sedgwick County prosecutor's office.

Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams told US paper, The Wichita Eagle, which highlighted the incident after it had gained little media coverage that the callousness on display from the shoppers was "appalling"

"I could continue shopping and not render aid and then take time out to take a picture? That's crazy. What happened to our respect for life?"

source: <a href="http://originalunoriginal.com">Original Un Original</a>   

   The Mexican government vigorously denied this week the accusations of a Chinese-Mexican businessman who is wanted on drug charges here but who asserts that $150 million found hidden in his mansion came from members of President Felipe Calderón’s party, including the secretary of labor.

    Zhenli Ye Gon, a naturalized Mexican citizen who owns a pharmaceutical company, rocked the political world here recently by suggesting, through his lawyer in New York, that the labor secretary, Javier Lozano Alarcón, had threatened to kill him last year unless he agreed to hide duffel bags stuffed with tens of millions of dollars in his house.

By Macon Ramos Araneta
<a href="http://www.manilastandardtoday.com">The Manila Standard Today</a>

THE government should quickly ban Chinese food products using industrial chemicals to protect the public, officials said yesterday.

Antique Rep. Exequiel Javier and neophyte Bohol Rep. Adam Resol Jala said they had asked the health and trade departments and the Bureau of Food and Drugs to ban the food products of Chinese companies shut down by their government for using formaldehyde or formalin.

The bureau is now testing Chinese food products in the local market to determine if these contain formalin, but the officials said more testing must be done and for a longer period to protect the public.

Javier, chairman of the House committee on economic affairs in the 13th Congress, said government agencies should first publish the list of affected products to warn consumers, adding this was necessary in light of China’s failure to reveal the 180 factories closed for manufacturing food products containing industrial chemicals.

“We should do something to protect the public from unsafe Chinese products that are still in the market,” Javier said.

Jala said the Philippines should ask the Chinese government to clamp down on companies manufacturing unsafe food and to ensure that their products were not exported.

“We can’t sacrifice public health. We cannot allow our country to be a dumping ground for unsafe imported products,” he said.

By JES TIROL
Columnist
The Bohol Chronicle

Part 3. It takes too long to study too little. (Last of series)

Proem

More than 30 years ago I studied Master in Engineering at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. It is an international school of graduate engineering attended by different nationalities. It was, and is an accepted fact that the Filipino students there are ill prepared compared to other nationalities despite the fact that Filipinos take a 5-year engineering curriculum compared to the 4-year curriculum of other countries.

We were always teased, “What took you too long to study too little?” It is because of the 5-year engineering curriculum, subjects equivalent to 2 years, are studied that are not related to engineering at all. In effect Filipinos studied only 3 years of engineering subjects compared to the 4 years from other countries that are all engineering subjects.

Shallow content

If you will study the subjects offered in Elementary, High School, and even in College, you will notice that there are too many per year level and most of them will be repeated in the higher level of school.

The course content becomes very shallow because of the many subjects to be studied. In the fact the Makabayan course of Secretary of Education Raul Roco lumped together the subjects of science, mathematics, history, etc. and taught using the bastardized English known as Filipino.

For example, the subject Filipino is studied every grade level from Grade I to college. After finishing college you still do not know Filipino because in the first place, nobody knows the grammar and vocabulary of the Filipino language. You can just see the waste of time and effort.

The Philippine Constitution is also studied from elementary school to college only to find out that the Constitution is already changed. Add to this the many erroneous textbooks used in elementary and high school and you can just imagine the quality of our high school graduates.

Wrong content

The most common complaint of parents of high school students is that their children are learning things that are not useful in the community. When the children graduates in high school, they could not work because they do not know any skill and their academic knowledge is not yet employable. As a result, those who could not proceed to college will deteriorate to non-functional literacy. They could not also work in the farm or sea because they did not obtain the skills due to their attendance in school. They become idle and prone to commit mischiefs.

Present trend of gangsterism

In Bohol and throughout the country today, there is an emerging trend of high school students indulging in gangsterism. This is a sure sign that there is something wrong in the psychological make up of high school students. Gangsterism is a sign of frustration, which in the 1950s was called “a rebel without a cause.”

When a young man or woman could not see something good to come out of what he is doing now, he will surely become frustrated.

Comment

There is no doubt that the educational system in Bohol and in the Philippines has deteriorated. It is imparting knowledge that is below par and of the meager knowledge imparted, most of it is not useful to the community.

I have been teaching in college for 46 years and I noticed that in the last 10 years the quality of high school graduates has turned from bad to worse.

They do not have a good command of any language. Their knowledge is shallow. They have no desire to study. And worse, they expect to pass even if they do not meet the standard.

Do you think you can now answer the question, “What take you too long to study to little?”

source: <a href="http://www.aceshowbiz.com">AceShowbiz</a>

Teen starlets Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan have put their long rivalry in the past. The two decided to call it quit by making "friendly acquaintances" that was started by Lohan.

Duff told Stella magazine that they met at a Hollywood night club and Lohan suddenly approached her. Duff said, "We're not best friends, you know? But we were out at Teddy's one night and she just came up and said 'I think we should just talk because I'm a nice girl and I know you're a nice girl'. It's nice to be friendly acquaintances."

Duff and Lohan were best friends before singer Aaron Carter decided to two-timed them. Although Duff is now in good term with Lohan, she is not ready to make peace with Nicole Richie who stole her boyfriend Joel Madden. She said, "I've never met her, but how would it be for anyone? That's all I can say. No one would be happy about it."

By JES TIROL
Columnist
The Bohol Chronicle

Part 2. The “dumbing” of the young generation

Proem

The dictionary defines “dumb” as having no power of speech; not inclined to speak; or uncommunicative.

What this writer would want to emphasize is that the present young generation has no language that they would use to analyze and communicate. This is because our educational system has made them so.

Languages learned

The young Boholano grow up with his mother language, the Sugboanon Bisaya. His mother language is not properly taught in school. When he enters school, he is taught in the foreign languages of Filipino and English. When the student is outside the classroom he uses his Sugboanon Bisaya. However it is already tainted and it becomes “Bisaylislog (Bisaya-English-Tagalog).” The situation will continue from Elementary to High School. Bear in mind that the Bisaylislog is not accepted in the educational system.

The Filipino language is not pure Tagalog. It is practically Pidgin English. In fact it is the largest Pidgin English in the world today. When it was yet known as “Pilipino” (with a P) it was yet based on Tagalog. Now that it becomes “Filipino” (with an F), it is based on English.

My question to Filipino language teachers is what grammar will govern in Filipino? Tagalog is an agglutinative language while English is an inflectional language, these languages have different grammars. The usual answer will be that it will be Tagalog grammar but actually if you analyze carefully the teachers actually don’t know what are the grammatical rules.

Economics as an example

In elementary and high school, the subject “Economics” is taught using the Filipino language. It is labeled in Filipino as “Ekonomiks.” The language used in the textbooks is the language presently used in television and tabloids. About 70% are English words with “filipinized” spelling. The grammar used is heavily in favor of the inflectional grammar and a sputtering of the agglutinative grammar.

I asked one teacher, how would you translate “pump-priming the economy?” She was stymied. She tried, “pagpapamp prayming ng ekonomiya.” This is just directly “filipinizing” the English words like a parrot would do. The meaning and the intellectual content are absent.

I reminded her that a pump has always been translated as “bomba.” To prime is similar to “pagpasimula” in Tagalog. So the translation should be “bomba na pagpasimula ng ekonomiya.” The trouble is, “bomba” has many meanings in Tagalog. It could mean pump, bomb, pornographic show, or harsh political speech. All of these meanings can be applied to the economy. Now, which meaning would the young reader give to the word “bomba?”

Now you can understand why the young generation has no mastered language that could be used in intellectualized discussions.

Uncoordinated DepEd, CHED, and PRC

The Department of Education (DepEd) is in charge of Elementary and High School. It insists in the use of bastardized English also known as Filipino. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is incharge of College and Graduate School. It insists of proper English.

When a High School graduate will enroll in Bachelor of Science in Economics, he will find out that the economic he learned in High School must be unlearned. The language and the stock knowledge he obtained in High School Economics are very different from what is required in college. This is one reason why the young generation is confused and has a tendency not to listen or to opt out of the situation.

Now comes the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC). It also insists on its own standards of what a professional should be. The PRC conducts examination using the proper English language. Even its Filipino is the traditional-purist Tagalog language. Would you still wonder why only very few will pass the Licensure Examinations?

Comment

Our educational system has succeeded in “dumbing” the young generation. Now comes a new Secretary of Education who wants to improve English, Science, and Mathematics performance in the educational system.

The results of many scientific researches in the Philippines and abroad have shown that you will not become proficient in English, Science, and Mathematics if you do not master the grammar of your mother language. However in our case, we teach English as the second language and Filipino as a third language but never teach the first language or mother language of the child.

In the country called Sri Langka, every child has an option to obtain his education up to the college degree level in the Sri Langkan language or English language. Bear in mind that their educational system is patterned after the excellent British educational system. I have encountered them in Graduate School at AIT, Bangkok, Thailand, and they are very good in mathematics.

If the same procedure is adopted in the Philippines, then we will have nurses, engineers, etc. of the same quality who would have no desire to go to other countries. If the Japanese, Thais, Indonesians, etc. can produce professionals using their own language, I am sure it can be done also in the Philippines. If only I will be allowed, I can teach the whole Civil Engineering degree using the Sugboanon Bisaya language. If you want proof, just ask my former students in the Sugboanon Bisaya language.

source: <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk">Times Online UK</a>

Organic fruit and vegetables may be better for the heart and general health than eating conventionally grown crops, new research has found.

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found that they had almost double the quantity of antioxidants called flavonoids which help to prevent high blood pressure and thus reduce the likelihood of heart disease and strokes.

Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist, who led the research at the University of California, believes that flavonoids can also help to stave off some forms of cancer and dementia.

She found that levels of quercetin and kaempferol, both flavonoids, were on average 79 and 97 per cent higher, respectively, in organic tomatoes. Her findings are due to be published in full in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Dr Mitchell said that previously it had been hard to make comparisons between organic and conventionally grown produce because of difficulties in comparing soil quality, irrigation practices and the handling of harvested produce. But for this study researchers used data from a long-term project in which standardised farming techniques were used to reveal trends in crop productivity.

The team believes that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are due to the absence of fertilisers in organic farming.

Plants produce flavonoids as a defence mechanism; they are triggered by nutrient deficiency. Feeding a plant with too many nutrients, such as inorganic nitrogen commonly found in conventional fertiliser, curbs the development of flavonoids. The lower levels of flavonoids in conventional tomatoes were caused by “over-fertilisation”, the research team concluded.

The Soil Association is now pressing the Food Standards Agency to review its guidance on the merits of organic as opposed to conventional fruit and vegetables. Peter Melchett, its policy director, said that there was now a rapidly growing body of evidence which showed significant differences between the nutritional composition of organic and nonorganic food.

Recent research in Europe found that organic tomatoes contained more vitamin C, B-carotene and flavonoids than conventionally grown tomatoes. Organic peaches and organic apple purée were also found to have more antioxidants. Lord Krebs, the former chairman of the Food Standards Agency and now Master of Jesus College, Oxford, said that even if such benefits existed, higher flavonoid levels did not make organic food healthier. “This depends on the relevance of the differences to the human body,” he said. “Tomato ketchup has higher levels of lycopene [a strong antioxidant] than either organic or conventional tomatoes. So if you wanted lots of lycopene you should eat tomato ketchup.”

The Food Standards Agency, however, has commissioned a three-year study into the benefits of flavonoids. It said: “There is accumulating evidence that dietary flavonoids. . . may in large part explain the cardiovascular disease benefits of increased fruit and vegetable intake.”

By JES TIROL
Columnist
<a href="http://www.theboholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>

Proem

Since the 1990s it has been noticed that the young generation has a behavior that do not match their desires. They still dream of great achievements but they are not doing their best to strive for their dreams and ambitions. They seem to expect that their dreams will be handed to them in a silver platter.

When the book “The Bill Curve” was published in the United States, the educators realized that something was wrong and everybody tried to investigate the causes.

Present Predicament

Nowadays, the young generation entering college in Bohol seems to become worst. They do not have a good command of any language. Our research has shown that the average rating in English proficiency is only 44.25% where the expected average should be 75%. In fact of the 1,500 students tested, nobody reached the 75% level.

They could not read, write, and speak proper Tagalog. Their un-standardized “Taglish” or “Bisaylish” could not cope with an intellectualized discussion. The young Boholanos do not know how to read, write, or speak in Sugboanon Bisaya. In fact their vocabulary level is only about 700 words, which is the level of a 7-year old.

The graduates of the elitist High Schools are the worst users of the Sugboanon Bisaya. This means that, in term of “emotional intelligence,” these students will be the worst. Emotional intelligence is closely connected to the mother language because his emotions were developed using the mother language.

The new generation of Boholanos has short attention span. They no longer have the capability to focus and give more time to understand “hard to analyze” intellectual tasks. They have a tendency to opt - out of the situation.

The new generation of Boholanos has a little capacity to relate to the topic of discussion in the classroom. This means that the student comes to class unprepared or that the stock knowledge they have is unrelated or worst, that they do not have any stock knowledge at all.

In the 1990s, students still know how rice are grown, how copra are prepared, or how fish were caught. Nowadays, in a class of 45 students, I would be lucky to find 5 students who know how rice are grown. Bear in mind that these students came from the different towns in Bohol. You could just wonder what the students were learning all their young lives. They do not have the in vivo (through life) or in situ (on-site) knowledge of what is happening around them.

You can just imagine the predicament of the teacher in educating the students for a profession in life.

The Person Is Still the Same

However, you will be surprised to know that the “person” of the student is still the same. Their brainpower is still the same. Their physical and emotional development is still the same. What seems to be the matter is that our culture and civilization are at cross-purposes to the behavior of the young generation.

It is in the matter of guiding and teaching the next generation that the older generation has failed. In fact, we can say that the present older generation has failed to guide the new generation. That is the reason why the new generation is in a flux. They have dreams but they have no guideposts to focus their attention to. The situation is the result of the hesitation of the present older generation to teach their culture to the next generation.

Frenz,

I see an irony here.

Newspapers all over the world picked up the story and placed it under Breaking News... International Headlines...

But this story was buried in the inside pages of our local newspapers. You cannot read it in the websites of Bohol newspapers. I found the story in a UK daily newspaper.

Why?

source: <a href="http://english.ohmynews.com">Oh My News</a>

Teenaged and adult smokers in the Philippines have started to long for the billboard that depicts a lonesome cowboy on his horse pacing slowly on a snow-covered mountain toward a hunting lodge.

Although it doesn't snow in the country, that cigarette billboard represented something. A dream that is now history as the government starts to implement last RA 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, which went into effect on July 1.

The law states that no tobacco posters or other materials may be posted except inside a retail store where the product is sold.

Violators face a fine of from about $2,000 up to $8,000, risk cancellation of their business permits and licenses and, worse, imprisonment.

Experts said the ban -- there are similar ones in effect in other parts of the world like the United Kingdom -- is to help reduce the risk of people dying at a young age due to lung cancer and other ailments.

Researchers said, "Nicotine reaches the brain as quickly as 10 seconds after inhalation, triggering feelings of pleasure, increasing heart rate and raising blood pressure."

Aside from nicotine, the smoker breathes in 69 deadly chemicals that include arsenic, formaldehyde and polonium. Nicotine itself doesn't cause cancer but it keeps the smoker hooked on the habit.

Reports said that tobacco is so addictive that it should be classified as an illegal class B drug, on a level with amphetamines and barbiturates.

A recent study in the country on tobacco products showed that increasing the prices of tobacco products and taxes on them could also lower the use of cigarettes.

The study showed that the price elasticity in the Philippines is .15 to .20, which is significant but still below other parts of Asia like China, where a similar study was conducted.

In China, price elasticity is minus .54 to minus .64; in Indonesia, minus .35.

The percentage of tax to price is 32 percent compared to the recommendation of the World Health Organization which says it should be at least 60 percent.

The study also showed that given a 20- to 100-percent tax increase, the drop in the poor's cigarette consumption ranges from 8 percent to over 50 percent. A 100-percent hike in tax per pack of cigarettes can lower consumption of cigarettes per poor person by 35 packs.

Researchers said increasing prices and taxes alone couldn't discourage habitual smokers. So they suggested several interventions to curb on smoking: a ban on cigarette advertising and promotion, consumer information, stricter smoking bans in public places and better access to smoking cessation therapies.

Will this law encourage others to stop smoking?

By JES TIROL
Writer and Historian
July 2006: Bohol Chronicle

Proem

This year’s celebration of the Sandugo Festival will also coincide with the holding of the Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan (TBTK).

Even though the TBTK is a recent development, it has come to being due to the peculiar migratory and homing instinct of Boholanos.

A Pre-Historic Behavior

Among Filipinos, Boholanos are tops in out-migration. The last known data that this writer could find indicates that the out-migration rate of Boholanos is 145 per thousand of population. Other provinces in the Philippines could have comparable rate but none could compare to the homing instinct of the Boholanos. A Boholano, wherever his is located in the world has always the desire to come home, and they always come home especially during fiesta or special occasions.

When I was excavating an archeological site in Cabisi, Taloto, Tagbilaran City I discovered that the site held only vessels with finger-bones, toe-bones, and teeth. There was no complete human skeleton. The archeological site was dated around 700 A.D.

After some research, I found out that the meaning of the Bisayan word cabisi means to perform what you have promised. And what was that promise that the owner of the finger-bones and toe-bones promised? It was the promise to come home dead or alive.

If the Boholanos who traveled to faraway placed died, his companions removed his fingers, toes, and teeth. These were then put in a vessel and brought back to his beloved Bohol and buried in Cabisi. The dead Boholano was then considered to have performed his promise to come home dead or alive.

During the advent of the Spanish era, the cause of offering changed from a sacred burial site to a Patron Saint. Nowadays, Boholanos would come home in order to celebrate the fiesta of the Patron Saint of his town or barrio.

The TBTK Phenomenon

The different Boholano organizations in the United States and Canada conceived of the Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan (Gathering of Boholanos throughout the world) to be held every two years and to coincide with the celebration of the Sandugo Festival of Bohol.

As former Bohol Governor Rolando Butalid would say, “The Boholano is comparable to a kite. No matter how high the kite will fly, it is still tied with a string to the owner on the ground.” IN the same vein, no matter where a Boholano is located in the world, he is still tied to the desire to come home to his homeland â€" Bohol.

To our co-Boholanos who came from faraway lands, welcome back to Bohol and may you enjoy the stay and memories of Bohol.

---published in the Bohol Chronicle...July 2006

source: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com">FOX NEWS</a>

(Associated Press) - A state forensics scientist who said she tested DNA in her husband's underwear to find out whether he was cheating could be disciplined if investigators determine she violated the use of state equipment.

Ann Chamberlain-Gordon of Okemos testified in a March 7 divorce hearing that she ran the test in September on the underwear of Charles Gordon Jr. Asked by his attorney what she found, she answered: "Another female. It wasn't me."

She also said during a May 25 hearing in Ingham County Family Court that she ran the test on her own time with chemicals that were set to be thrown away.

Michigan State Police, which oversees the Lansing forensics lab where Chamberlain-Gordon works, started to investigate her after her husband's attorney wrote to authorities and media outlets questioning how many times DNA tests have been improperly run.

Investigators expect to decide by next week what they found. Her duties have not been restricted during the investigation, state police spokeswoman Shanon Akans said Tuesday.

"We don't know exactly what was or wasn't done," Akans said.

State police policies on the care and use of property say "department supplies, materials or equipment shall not be used for any non-duty or non-department purpose."

A request for comment was left Tuesday with Chamberlain-Gordon.

Charles Gordon's attorney, Michael Maddaloni, said Tuesday that his client disputed his wife's testimony that he acknowledged a sexual encounter with another woman after she found the female DNA on his underwear.

Gordon played with the Canadian Football League as a defensive back from the early 1990s through 1997.

Chamberlain-Gordon received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Michigan State Police Biological Services in 2006 for her research and method development in embryonic and fetal DNA recovery, according to Forensic Science Consultants Inc., which lists her among its workers.

Chamberlain-Gordon has worked for the state police as a forensic scientist since 1999 and supervised the biology unit in 2005, according to the company's Web site. She has given expert testimony in more than 50 cases, including at a widely publicized trial last year in the death of a boy slain by his adoptive parents.

By JES TIROL
Writer & Historian

Proem

According to the result of the 2006 survey conducted by the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Tagbilaran City is the best city in the Philippines to live in.

This distinction is a salute to the people and the leadership in Tagbilaran City. However, this distinction is a double-edged sword. It is both a blessing and a burden.

As the saying goes, “Weary is the head that wears the crown.”

Excellent

Tagbilaran City is adjudged as excellent in terms of comfort, basic needs, food, shelter, health, education, environment, safety, and security. The people of Tagbilaran have the aforementioned amenities at an affordable price.

Free School Supplies and Medical Care

Cited as among the outstanding “pro people” programs of the City Government is the free school supplies and the “blue card” system for free hospitalization for the poor. These are the good things that may soon become a burden.

Magnet for the Poor

The pro-poor stance of the City of Tagbilaran has already attracted the poor from other places to live in Tagbilaran. Only on its second year of implementation, the free school supplies has already attracted 348 additional school children coming from the neighboring towns of Tagbilaran. It is expected that next school year there will be more. And who will pay for the “free school supplies?” It will be the taxpayers of Tagbilaran City.

The “blue card” is given to the poor families identified by the City DSWD and City Health Department. If you have the “blue card” you will be entitled to “free hospitalization” at the Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital. The requirement for eligibility is five years residency in the City of Tagbilaran. The hospitalization is not actually free because the City of Tagbilaran will pay for it.

These programs by the City Government are laudable. It shows that the government cares for the people. The problem is, more poor people from other places will come to Tagbilaran. They will live as squatters and after five years they will become eligible for support.

Botìka sa Katawhan or Drugstore of the People is a laudable project of Deputy Mayor Mario Uy. He will endeavor to obtain medicines and give it to the needy in Tagbilaran. His plan is to obtain the medicines for all types of sickness.

Since only the city of Tagbilaran will do it, the Botika sa Katawhan is a very strong magnet that would attract the poor people from other places.

Lessons from Other Places

When New York City implemented its total free care for the poor people of the City of New York, it attracted so many poor people from other places. In ten years time the City of New York went bankrupt. Why? Because it attracted the wrong type of people â€" the liability-type instead of the asset-type.

A few years ago, the State of California went bankrupt for similar reasons. The people of California had to undergo a recall election to replace their governor that caused the bankruptcy of the State.

Comment

The City of Tagbilaran is already an expensive place compared to other towns in Bohol. However, the situation is still tolerable when compared to other cities in the Philippines. In fact it is adjudged to be the best city in the Philippines to live in. if the trend continues, then it will be better to live in the neighboring towns and send your children to school in Tagbilaran. Some people have realized this already.

As respectable citizens in the city, it is our duty to care for the poor among us. However, how can we prevent the poor from other places to come to Tagbilaran? If all the poor people in Bohol, about 290,000 of them, will come to live in Tagbilaran, how can we support them? This number is almost three times the population of Tagbilaran City.

If we will insist to support them, then we will go the same way as New York City and the State of California that went bankrupt.

There is a saying which says, “Give a man a fish and he will come back for more. Teach him how to fish, and he will come back no more.”

The support to the poor must not be a pure dole out. Maybe we can devise a system similar to the “Emergency Employment” utilized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help the poor after the economic collapse in 1930. The beneficiaries must somehow pay in order to salvage their self-esteem.


...this column came out in the Bohol Chronicle in July 2006.

The Whale Hunters of Indonesia
source: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk">Daily Mail UK</a>

Single or married women can join the 2007 Virtual Ms Bohol Sandugo.

Even grandmothers can join, too.

By JES TIROL
Historian and Writer

Proem

In the present political crisis, one of the goups that support President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the League of Provincial Governors of the Philippines. This group threatened that if President Arroyo will be deposed by extra-constitutional means, the different provinces will create their own independent republics.

The most vocal are the governors from the island of Mindanao and the governor of Ilocus Sur.

Republic of Negros

In the history of the Philippines, the only provinces that have experienced becoming a functioning republic are the provinces of Negros and Bohol.

When he Philippines Government led by President Emilio Aguinaldo was already in the verge of defeat by the American forces, the island of Negros created the so-called Republic of the Negros. It was organized under the leadership of the landed class of Negros.

At the time when the Americans had not yet invaded the island of Negros, the Republic of Negros made plans how to resist the Americans. However, upon the arrival of the Americans the leaders of the Republic of Negros immediately collaborated or surrendered to the Americans.

The upper class men of Negros, who were the leaders of the Negros Republic, found out that it would beneficial for them, if they collaborate with the Americans. It was the reason why the big landed estates of Negros was not dismantled.

Republic of Bohol

On June 11, 1899 the provincial officials and town officials of Bohol gathered at the Provincial Capitol Building for a constitutional convention. On the same day the constitution of the Republic of Bohol was approved and the officials of the republic were elected.

Don Bernabe Reyes was elected President, Don Salustiano Borja was elected Vice President and Rafael Reyes, Eduardo Calceta, Macario Sarmiento were elected Counselors (Consejeros). The army was under the command of Sargento Mayor Pedro Samson.

The Republic of Bohol existed and was governed independently until the arrival of the Americans in Bohol on March 17, 1900. The republic collected taxes and rendered services to the Boholanos.

Upon the arrival of the Americans the Boholanos protested but agreed to co-exist with the Americans. However, on September 1, 1990 war erupted between the Boholanos and the Americans. The Republic of Bohol prosecuted the war until the surrender of General Pedro Samson on December 23, 1901.

Other Republics

A republic was declared by General Lukban in Bicol and Samar but it did not function. It was a republic in name only. There was also a republic declared in Central Luzon but it did not have the support of the people.

Evaluating the Threat

In my opinion, the threat of the provincial governors to create independent republics is not an empty threat. History confirms that the people can and will create a republic when they are in dire straits. However, we cannot be sure in which direction the different republics will go. The Republic of Negros immediately surrendered to the Americans because of the promise of preferential treatment to the hacienderos of Negros. The Republic of Bohol fought the Americans in a fierce war that saw twenty (20) of the thirty-five (35) towns of Bohol burned to the ground and almost all livestocks were killed by the Americans.

If the island of Mindanao will declare itself an independent republic, it is not yet clear whether or not there will be an in-fighting among the governors for leadership. The island of Mindanao has no "experience" how to be a republic. But if and when Mindanao will become a republic, God forbid (simbako lang), will Boholanos need visas to visit their relatives in Mindanao?

Let us just pray that the present political crisis will not result to the disintegration of the Philippines.

By JES TIROL
Columnist & Historian

Proem

The National Historical Institute (NHI) promised to release this month their decision as to the actual site of the Si Katuna-Legazpi blood compact. Let us just wait if the NHI will do it.

Bases of Arguments

During the hearings, the Loay side of the controversy based their arguments on primary sources while the Tagbilaran side, particularly Councilor Rizalino Israel, presented legends and secondary or tertiary evidences.

The Legend

In an interview with Mr. Nicolas Ligason, a retired public school teacher in Bo-ol, Tagbilaran City, Council Israel learned about a certain Rafael Angalot, who owned a book containing stories about Si Katuna. A Jesuit priest reportedly gave the book.

The legend says that Si Katuna had a kingdom that extends from Bol-ol to Moalong, Loon. He had two trusted lieutenants named Magbuaya and Kabyawon. Kabyawon encamped in what is now Hinawanan, Loay.

Legazpi's fleet came to Bo-ol to look for food. Sikatuna and his men met the Armada at the seashore. The story continued about the gift of toy-top and mirror by Legazpi, and so on.

Where Legends Came From

Legends always have some faint historical basis. However, when the story is told and retold along the years, it becomes embellished and the true story will disappear. Hearsay and imperfect recollection and inventions will transform the original story.

Reconstructing the Story

Based on primary sources, as written by the participants of the Legazpi expedition, I would indicate that it was Captain Juan de la Isla who came to Bo-ol, Tagbilaran City.

When Legazpi's fleet anchored offshore at Canayaon, Garcia-Hernandez, Bohol, on March 15, 1565, Captain Juan de la Isla was sent by General Legazpi to explore the shoreline towards Tagbilaran. He was on board the frigate. On March 18, 1565, Captain de la Isla returned and made a report.

He said that five (5) leagues farther on was a small bay where the ships could anchor safely. Only the southwest, a side wind, would harm them. Captain De la Isla also stated that two leagues farther on, was another group of houses but there was no place where the ships could anchor. (Doc. No. 27. P. 281).

Four or five leagues from Canayaon, Garcia-Hernandez is the small bay at Hinawanan, Loay, Bohol. The flagship anchored there on March 19, 1565 at 10 o'clock in the morning.

Allowing for inaccuracy of measure or error in sighting a direction, it is possible that the two (2) leagues farther ahead would be Bo-ol, Tagbilaran instead of Baclayon.

It must be borne in mind that Captain De la Isla, on board the small frigate, said that it was not possible for the ships to anchor at the place. Since Captain De la Isla could make this statement, it means that he visited the place. However, De la Isla also said that he saw two or three natives but they were not able to talk to them because they fled.

So if there were a legend of a Spaniard or Spanish ship that visited Bo-ol, Tagbilaran City, it would be Captain Juan de la Isla and his men on board the frigate.

Maybe the story was mixed with the earlier visit of the Portuguese and later on embellished in order to bolster the claim that Bo-ol, Tagbilaran City was the site of the blood compact.

Well, legends are good as general literature and stories to entertain children. However, it could not be used as historical proof.

By T. Christian Miller
<a href="http://www.latimes.com>Los Angeles Times Staff Writer</a>
July 4, 2007

The number of U.S.-paid private contractors in Iraq now exceeds that of American combat troops, newly released figures show, raising fresh questions about the privatization of the war effort and the government's capacity to carry out military and rebuilding campaigns.

More than 180,000 civilians â€" including Americans, foreigners and Iraqis â€" are working in Iraq under U.S. contracts, according to State and Defense department figures obtained by the Los Angeles Times.

Including the recent troop buildup, 160,000 soldiers and a few thousand civilian government employees are stationed in Iraq.

The total number of private contractors, far higher than previously reported, shows how heavily the Bush administration has relied on corporations to carry out the occupation of Iraq â€" a mission criticized as being undermanned.

"These numbers are big," said Peter Singer, a Brookings Institution scholar who has written on military contracting. "They illustrate better than anything that we went in without enough troops. This is not the coalition of the willing. It's the coalition of the billing."

The numbers include at least 21,000 Americans, 43,000 foreign contractors and about 118,000 Iraqis â€" all employed in Iraq by U.S. tax dollars, according to the most recent government data.

The array of private workers promises to be a factor in debates on a range of policy issues, including the privatization of military jobs and the number of Iraqi refugees allowed to resettle in the U.S.

But there are also signs that even those mounting numbers may not capture the full picture. Private security contractors, who are hired to protect government officials and buildings, were not fully counted in the survey, according to industry and government officials.

Continuing uncertainty over the numbers of armed contractors drew special criticism from military experts.

"We don't have control of all the coalition guns in Iraq. That's dangerous for our country," said William Nash, a retired Army general and reconstruction expert. The Pentagon "is hiring guns. You can rationalize it all you want, but that's obscene."

Although private companies have played a role in conflicts since the American Revolution, the U.S. has relied more on contractors in Iraq than in any other war, according to military experts.

Contractors perform functions including construction, security and weapons system maintenance.

Military officials say contractors cut costs while allowing troops to focus on fighting rather than on other tasks.

"The only reason we have contractors is to support the war fighter," said Gary Motsek, the assistant deputy undersecretary of Defense who oversees contractors. "Fundamentally, they're supporting the mission as required."

But critics worry that troops and their missions could be jeopardized if contractors, functioning outside the military's command and control, refuse to make deliveries of vital supplies under fire.

At one point in 2004, for example, U.S. forces were put on food rations when drivers balked at taking supplies into a combat zone.

Adding an element of potential confusion, no single agency keeps track of the number or location of contractors.

In response to demands from Congress, the U.S. Central Command began a census last year of the number of contractors working on U.S. and Iraqi bases to determine how much food, water and shelter was needed.

That census, provided to The Times under the Freedom of Information Act, shows about 130,000 contractors and subcontractors of different nationalities working at U.S. and Iraqi military bases.

However, U.S. military officials acknowledged that the census did not include other government agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department.

Last month, USAID reported about 53,000 Iraqis employed under U.S. reconstruction contracts, doing jobs such as garbage pickup and helping to teach democracy. In interviews, agency officials said an additional 300 Americans and foreigners worked as contractors for the agency.

State Department officials said they could not provide the department's number of contractors. Of about 5,000 people affiliated with the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, about 300 are State Department employees. The rest are a mix of other government agency workers and contractors, many of whom are building the new embassy.

"There are very few of us, and we're way undermanned," said one State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We have significant shortages of people. It's been that way since before [the war], and it's still that way."

The companies with the largest number of employees are foreign firms in the Middle East that subcontract to KBR, the Houston-based oil services company, according to the Central Command database. KBR, once a subsidiary of Halliburton Co., provides logistics support to troops, the single largest contract in Iraq.

Middle Eastern companies, including Kulak Construction Co. of Turkey and Projects International of Dubai, supply labor from Third World countries to KBR and other U.S. companies for menial work on U.S. bases and rebuilding projects. Foreigners are used instead of Iraqis because of fears that insurgents could infiltrate projects.

KBR is by far the largest employer of Americans, with nearly 14,000 U.S. workers. Other large employers of Americans in Iraq include New York-based L-3 Communications, which holds a contract to provide translators to troops, and ITT Corp., a New York engineering and technology firm.

The most controversial contractors are those working for private security companies, including Blackwater, Triple Canopy and Erinys. They guard sensitive sites and provide protection to U.S. and Iraqi government officials and businessmen.

Security contractors draw some of the sharpest criticism, much of it from military policy experts who say their jobs should be done by the military. On several occasions, heavily armed private contractors have engaged in firefights when attacked by Iraqi insurgents.

Others worry that the private security contractors lack accountability. Although scores of troops have been prosecuted for serious crimes, only a handful of private security contractors have faced legal charges.

The number of private security contractors in Iraq remains unclear, despite Central Command's latest census. The Times identified 21 security companies in the Central Command database, deploying 10,800 men.

However, the Defense Department's Motsek, who monitors contractors, said the Pentagon estimated the total was 6,000.

Both figures are far below the private security industry's own estimate of about 30,000 private security contractors working for government agencies, nonprofit organizations, media outlets and businesses.

Industry officials said that private security companies helped reduce the number of troops needed in Iraq and provided jobs to Iraqis â€" a benefit in a country with high unemployment.

"A guy who is working for a [private security company] is not out on the street doing something inimical to our interests," said Lawrence Peter, director of the Private Security Company Assn. of Iraq.

Not surprisingly, Iraqis make up the largest number of civilian employees under U.S. contracts. Typically, the government contracts with an American firm, which then subcontracts with an Iraqi firm to do the job.

Stan Soloway, president of the Professional Services Council, a contractors' trade group, said the number of Iraqis reflected the importance of the reconstruction and economic development efforts to the overall U.S. mission in Iraq.

"That's not work that the government does or has ever done…. That's work that is going to be done by companies and to some extent by" nongovernmental organizations, Soloway said. "People tend to think that these are contractors on the battlefield, and they're not."

The Iraqis have been the most difficult to track. As recently as May, the Pentagon told Congress that 22,000 Iraqis were employed by its contractors. But the Pentagon number recently jumped to 65,000 â€" a result of closer inspection of contracts, an official said.

The total number of Iraqis employed under U.S. contracts is important, in part because it may influence debate in Congress regarding how many Iraqis will be allowed to come to the U.S. to escape violence in their homeland.

This year, the U.S. planned to cap that number at 7,000 a year. To date, however, only a few dozen Iraqis have been admitted, according to State Department figures.

Kirk Johnson, head of the List Project, which seeks to increase the admission of Iraqis, said that the U.S. needed to provide a haven to those who worked most closely with American officials.

"We all say we are grateful to these Iraqis," Johnson said. "How can we be the only superpower in the world that can't implement what we recognize as a moral imperative?"

BY SANGWANI MWAFULIRWA

MALAWI, AFRICA - While government might be moving at a retarded pygmy’s pace to search for alternative sources of electricity when signs are evident that Escom will not cope up with increasing demand, a form 1 dropout in Kasungu has proved that it is possible.

Using simple and straightforward concepts of science, William Kamkwamba of Mastala Village in the area of T/A Wimbe is generating electricity for his home using the ancient technology of a windmill.

William says after dropping out of school in 2002, because he could not raise schools fees, he had nothing to do and grew an interest in reading science books from Wimbe Teachers Development Centre (TDC). The books were donated by the Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA) and were sourced from the International Book Bank.

He says one day while reading he came across two books, “Using Energy” and “How it Works” which talked about how to generate electricity using a windmill and was motivated to try it.

On a trial and error basis he managed to make a small windmill which generated electricity enough to light his little dom. Seeing its success he planned to make a bigger one so that his parents too could benefit and some well-wishers  gave him money to get some of the materials he needed based on his innovativeness.

“When I was making all these people were mocking me that I was driving mad but I had confidence in what I was doing because I knew if it was written in the books then it was true and possible. When I succeeded they were impressed,” explains William.

The windmill stands on a tripod of wood polls about five metres above the ground. It consists of locally-available materials and as far as he can remember his investments were K500 for two bearings, K500 for a bicycle dynamo, K400 for a fun belt and K800 for a bicycle frame.

His plans are now to make another windmill that will pump water from a well and irrigate his garden. This will be done by using rubbers from a treadle pump and some pipes to make a pump.

“I will connect the windmill to a pump so that when it is revolving it will be turning the pumping water into a tank from which it will be distributed to the field for irrigation or drinking,” he explained.

It is not known how much electricity is generated from windmills in the country but the World Wind Energy Association estimates that it contributes 1 percent of the total electricity consumption.

pictures and full article here:
http://www.williamkamkwamba.typepad.com

By JES TIROL
Columnist
The Bohol Chronicle

July 1 is the charter day of Tagbilaran City.

Personally I would not call it a Charter Day because President Ferdinand Marcos signed the City Charter or Republic Act No. 4660 into law on June 18, 1966. However the law provided that the conversion of Tagbilaran as a city would take effect on July 1, 1966.

Tagbilaran Became a Town

On February 9, 1742 Governor General Gaspar de la Torre signed the decree creating the new town of San Jose De Tagbilaran separating it from its mother town of Baclayon, Bohol. The name was combined because the religious aspect of the town with its patron saint San Jose and the civil aspect Tagbilaran took effect on the same day.

On July 4, 1742 the first officials for Tagbilaran were elected by viva voce (voice vote) at the town hall of Baclayon, Bohol under the supervision of General Francisco Antonio Calderon de la Barca. On July 12, 1742 the elected officials led by Gobenadorcillo (Mayor) Don Calixto Marcos was installed into office at Tagbilaran by General De la Barca. The town of Tagbilaran was divided into six barangays or family groupings.

Titles of Town Head

From the year 1742 until 1892 the title of the town head was Gobernadorcillo. In the year 1898 the last of the Spanish era in Bohol, the town head was already known as Capitan Municipal.

During the Philippines Revolution and the Gobierno de Canton (Federal Government) the town head was known as Presidente Municipal. The first Tagbilaran official to carry this title was Don Salustiano Borja. The title was carried during the American Regime.

During the Commonwealth period of the Philippines the title was changed to Mayor. The first town head of Tagbilaran to carry that name was Mayor Honorio Grupo who was elected in 1939. When Tagbilaran became a City the title was changed to City Mayor. The first City Mayor was Atty. Venancio Inting.

The Best Three Mayors

It is easy to select the best three Mayors of Tagbilaran since 1942. It will depend on your criteria for selection.

My criteria will be vision, initiative, and the will power to implement one’s plans. Basing upon these criteria my three best Mayors will be Presidente Municipal Celestino Gallares, Mayor Pedro Belderol, and City Mayor Venancio Inting.

First. In 1921, Presidente Municipal Nicolas Butalid together with a majority of his council resigned from office. There occurred a political crisis in Tagbilaran. A special election was conducted on October 19, 1912. A young lawyer, Atty. Celestino Gallares was elected as the new Presidente Municipal.

Presidente Gallares was a very progressive thinking person. He made a town plan for Tagbilaran. It was the first town plan in the Philippines. It became an envy of other towns in the Philippines. During the regular election in 1913 Presidente Gallares was reelected.

With his new mandate, Presidente Gallares became bold enough to transfer the Public Market from the now parking lot of the newly vacated City Hall to the location of the Agora Market. A “modern” public market building was constructed. However, the residents of Tagbilaran became angry because the market was already far. His political opponents seize on the issue that the market was transferred so it will be near the house of Presidente Gallares who was living in location of the now Mercury Drugs (corner CPG and B. Inting Sts.)

Sensing defeat, Presidente Gallares did not finish his term. He opted to run for Congressman for the First District of Bohol in 1916 and fortunately he won. He was very successful as a Congressman.

Second: During the November 1947 election there was a three cornered fight for Mayor of Tagbilaran. Atty. Pedro Belderol who was an unofficial candidate of the Liberal Party won it. The official candidate of the Liberal Party was Mayor Honorio Grupo and the Nacionalista Party had Ex-Mayor Manuel Espuelas.

Mayor Pedro Belderol opened up so many roads in Tagbilaran especially the unfinished roads indicated in the Gallares Plan. To spread out progress, he constructed a public market in Bo-ol at the junction of the road to Dauis. He also constructed a public market in Manga, Tagbilaran. The Bo-ol public market failed to progress but the Manga public market is now very progressive. It was during the time of Mayor Belderol that so many Civic Organizations were established in Bohol like the JC and Lions International. It was also during his time that fire trucks were purchased and the police force was provided with a vehicle (panel truck).

Third: During the November 1959 election Atty. Venancio Inting defeated the incumbent Mayor Pedro Belderol. Mayor Inting immediately opened up many roads in the barrios of Tagbilaran. He provided asphalt pavement to the roads including the circumferential road from Manga; to Binayran, San Isidro; to Dampas; down to Mansasa.

It was during the time of Mayor Inting that Tagbilaran became progressive enough to be qualified to become a chartered city. Incidentally, it was Vice Mayor Luciano Pamaong who provided the legwork to follow up the papers in Manila. It seems that during last Friday’s anniversary celebration I failed to hear any mention of his work or labor.
   

Are you based in the Philippines?

You mean you're looking for an IT job?

source: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk">BBC NEWS</a>

Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, who is battling pancreatic cancer, is "very positive" and recording a new album, according to his manager.

Terri Robson dismissed a story in Italian magazine Diva e Donna which claimed one of Pavarotti's daughters said he knew he would "die soon".

Ms Robson said Giuliana Pavarotti was "horrified her words were twisted" in the publication.

She said the 71-year-old tenor laughed when told about the story.

'Feeling stronger'

The article originally appeared in a German magazine, Bunte. Ms Robson claimed comments made by Ms Pavarotti had been taken out of context.

The twice-married father of four said he is "feeling stronger" as he divides his time between his two homes in Italy.

As well as recording he is also teaching students, Ms Robson added.

It is hoped his album of classical religious music will be out early next year.

Pavarotti was forced to cancel the remaining dates on his farewell tour last year after doctors discovered he was suffering from cancer.

Surgery in New York followed and within weeks he revealed how he planned to return to the stage after his recovery.

source: <a href="http://www.business-standard.com">Business Standard</a>
July 4, 2007

Small is beautiful, is the gospel the country's largest car maker, Maruti Udyog, is trying to preach in its export markets -- even to the sheikhs of the Arab world known for their penchant for fuel guzzling SUVs, as it steps up to boost overseas sales.

The company, which has set an export target of around 2,20,000 units by 2010, is venturing into new markets like the UAE, where it has just started shipments of its best selling small car Alto, and Philippines and Indonesia.

Besides, MUL is also focussed on penetrating deeper into the existing export market, where in many cases it is pitched against cheap used big cars.

"Our strategy has been to promote the small car and how a brand new fuel-efficient vehicle is better and more environment-friendly than those used big cars through our distributors in those markets," Jagdish Khattar, MD, Maruti Udyog told PTI.

Already the strategy seems to be working for Maruti and this fiscal's target of 50,000 units from exports is on track.

"In Saudi Arabia we were doing about just 250 units when we started, now we are targeting over 6,000 units," he said.

Last fiscal MUL exported 2,072 units of Alto to Saudi Arabia. Similarly, in Morocco where it opened its account with about 200 units, it is looking at selling over 2,000 units, he added.

The company expects to sell about 11,000 units in Algeria this fiscal and to 6,100 units in Chile.

DYTR's fire-eating broadcast journalist Nestor Daarol is with us in Tubag Bohol.

Welcome, Nes!

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image deleted by request

By ALASTAIR JAMIESON
<a href="http://news.scotsman.com">CONSUMER AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT</a>

Food and drinks containing additives linked to behavioural problems in children should carry health warnings similar to those found on medicines, according to experts.

A number of preservatives and colourings, some of which can irritate the skin or cause breathing difficulties, are used in popular brands such as Irn-Bru, Diet Coke, Ribena and Robinsons Orange Squash.

When they are used in medicines, they are required to carry health warnings. But in food and drinks, no such regulations apply.

The Food Commission is calling for the warnings to be enforced on all products containing the chemicals.

Health campaigners yesterday welcomed the call, which came as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) prepared to publish a report expected to confirm a link between additives and temper tantrums, poor concentration, asthma and rashes.

Though the results have not yet been released, they may have explosive consequences for the food industry, as manufacturers might need to reformulate a vast array of products.

Manufacturers point out that additives such as E numbers are currently deemed safe by the FSA.

When used in medicines, warnings are given for artificial colourings such as E102 (tartrazine), E110 (sunset yellow) and E124 (ponceau red) and for preservatives such as E211 (sodium benzoate), E220 (sodium dioxide) and E223 (sodium metabisulphite).

Ian Tokelove, spokesman for the Food Commission, said: "The government and the food industry continue to assure us that all food additives are safe for us to eat, but here we have clear medical guidelines which state that over a dozen common additives should carry a health warning.

"For many people the additives appear to pose no immediate risk, but better labelling would ensure that susceptible adults and children would at least have a chance of identifying, and avoiding, the additives that may cause them harm."

A spokeswoman for the Food and Drink Federation said: "E numbers are given their name because they have been approved at a European level for consumption. Manufacturers and consumers look to the FSA for guidance and the current guidance is that these are safe."

Nick Giovanelli, of the Hyperactive Children Support Group, said: "We believe the way forward is through educating parents about ingredients so that they can make an informed choice about what they are giving their children.

"In an ideal world, the shops and supermarkets would not sell any food or drink containing additives so there would not be a problem. There is only so much information you can fit on a label and it is important not to confuse parents by putting too much on the side of a packet."

He added: "All we know is what parents tell us all the time - that when they take additives out of their children's diet, it improves their health and their behaviour."

A spokeswoman for the FSA in Scotland said: "Research carried out on behalf of the FSA by the University of Southampton is looking at the effects of certain food additives on the behaviour of children.

"The agency is currently working with the scientists who carried out this study to ensure the findings go through a rigorous peer-review process and are published in a scientific journal. Peer review is the process of submitting scientific findings for review by other experts in the field, via publication in a scientific journal.

"If a food additive has an E number this shows it has passed safety tests and been approved for use throughout the European Union. This approval is monitored, reviewed and amended in light of new scientific data."

Last month, Vyvyan Howard, an adviser to the FSA, called on parents and the industry to protect children. He said: "I personally do not feed these sorts of foods to my 15-month-old daughter."

Critics have complained in the past that manufacturers use these additives to make poor-quality cheap food more appealing to the eye.

Some companies have already responded to mounting evidence against additives. Smarties has dropped artificial colours with the result that the blue variety has been axed.

Sainsbury's recently announced a ban on artificial colours and flavours in 120 of its own-label soft drinks. This followed similar moves by Marks & Spencer and the Co-op.

source: <a href="http://blogs.ibibo.com>ibibo.com</a>

MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced on Tuesday that families would receive 2,500 euros per new child in a bid to raise the ailing birth rate.

“Each family living legally in Spain will receive 2,500 euros from Tuesday for every new child born in our country,” he told parliament in the state of the nation address. “To continue to progress Spain needs more families with more children and families need support to have these children and resources to raise them,” he said.

The economy minister said the measure was still being studied, but would apply to children born from Tuesday. A ministry spokesman said that for women working and facing income tax the aid would be given via a tax deduction, while for others it could come as a direct pay-out. Foreigners living legally in Spain will be able to benefit from the new aid. In 2006 women had on average 1.37 children in Spain.

source: <a href="http://parenting.amuchbetterway.com">Parenting A Much Better Way</a>

By Regina Schwartz

What does it mean to have an organic baby? There was a report done by The Environmental Working Group that showed results including findings of a significant amount of toxic chemicals are found in the blood of newborns.

The American Red Cross ran a series of blood tests on 10 umbilical-cord samples and their findings included 287 contaminants in the blood samples. Of the 287 found in the blood, 180 of the contaminants cause cancer in humans and animals, 217 of them cause damage to the brain and nervous system. 208 of the toxic chemicals caused abnormalities and birth defects on animals tested. Included in the contaminants were mercury, fire retardants, pesticides, plastic and other noted toxic contaminants.

Now there is a whole market of organic baby products that you can buy to help eliminate the toxic chemicals that bombard our babies. The National Organic Standards Board or NOSB was established to assist the National Organic Program (NOP) with creating and maintaining guidelines for substances in organic production. In 1990 the US congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act, which made its stipulation that the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) establish uniform standards for Organic Agricultural Products.

Today you can buy both edible and non-edible organic baby products. You can find organic baby food, organic baby textiles in which products are made from, pesticide free wood based organic baby furniture products, organic baby clothing, organic baby body care products and even a whole organic baby shower waiting to happen.

Organic standards included that the NOP enforces are; no organic food products may contain in production or handling: genetic engineering, ionizing radiation and sewage sludge. Crops meet organic standard if they were grown with out the use of most conventional pesticides, petroleum based fertilizers and sewage sludge based fertilizers. Livestock must be raised according to organic standards. This means that livestock are fed organic feed, raised with access to outdoors, and raised free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Also in accordance with the NOP, organic farmers adhere to practices that minimize soil erosion and practice renewal resources and exercise maximum water conservation. Organic farmers rely on rotating crops and livestock grazing as opposed to using harmful chemically synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Organic farmers do not use harmful chemical pesticides that contaminate the groundwater and use natural fertilizer alternative like animal and plant waste to avoid polluting waterways. Many pregnant women who sharecrop have medical problems themselves as do their babies because of exposure to non-organic toxic substances.

Today you can walk into any well-stocked grocery store and find a supply or organic baby food as well as your local health food store. The label will say organic to ensure that you are getting organic baby food or organic baby products.

Online I found organic baby crib sets including the mattress made by a family based company called Shepard's Dream. All the wool and cotton used in their products is organically grown. Arlington Furniture Factory makes FSS certified wooden products. FSS certified means that the wood they use is not wood byproduct it is real wood and it comes from renewable forests. Their finishes are natural and non-toxic. There are also lines of pesticide and chemical free organic baby clothes you can get for your baby. Organic baby soaps and products can be found in your local health food stores as well.

For those who are expecting their own organic baby or grandchild there is a fun site where you can get all your organic baby shower products at http://www.organicbabyshower.com/. One other great site for all Organic non-edible baby needs including rattles and teethers is http://www.organicgiftshop.com/.


http://debraslist.com/ has a listing of many organic baby sites to choose from including the one's I have mentioned above. Today's health and environmentally conscious parent has a lot of choices when it comes to keeping their organic baby healthy and safe.

About the author:

Here is an excellent site written by Regina Schwartz on Infant CPR and other Life saving Tips. This site has a lot of relevant information for new parents. Check it out at: infant cpr information

source: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk">BBC NEWS</a>

Russia has raised the idea of moving new missile forces to Kaliningrad, close to Poland and Lithuania.

First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov linked the possible move to US plans for a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Russia has already threatened to hit back by targeting missiles at Europe.

Mr Ivanov said there would be no need to move extra forces to Kaliningrad if the US agreed to use Russian facilities instead of the Polish and Czech bases.

Russia says the US plans for a limited missile defence shield, including bases close to Russia's borders, represent a threat to its security.

It has proposed that the US should use a radar facility in Azerbaijan, and another installation currently being built in southern Russia.

US President George W Bush has described the idea as "innovative" but indicated that the US will press ahead with the plans for a radar station in the Czech Republic, and a missile base in Poland.

The US says its missile shield is not directed at Russia, but at what it considers "rogue states" such as Iran.

'Effective response'

"If our proposals are accepted, the need will disappear for Russia to deploy new missile weaponry in the European part of the country, including in Kaliningrad Region," Mr Ivanov said, on a visit to Uzbekistan.

Click here for a map of US missile defence bases

"After this, you will forget about the term 'Cold War'. It will simply disappear. There simply won't be cause for speaking of it," he added.

"If our proposals are not accepted - and I cannot rule that out... an asymmetrical and effective response has been found."

Mr Ivanov is a former defence minister, and his current brief includes overall control of the defence sector. He is also seen as a possible successor to President Putin.

'Empty threat'

   
US missile defence graphic

How defence system works
Correspondents say Mr Ivanov's comments indicate that US hopes of toning down Russia's Cold War-style rhetoric by hosting a relaxed weekend meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Mr Bush in Maine have not borne fruit.

Russian defence analyst Pavel Felgenhauer described Mr Ivanov's comments as an "empty threat".

Russia had no missiles with the right range to be fired from Kaliningrad and hit the proposed interceptors in Poland, he said.

"It's a threat aimed at the Polish people" designed to encourage them to protest against the US plans, Mr Felgenhauer said.

Quote from: Ghost on July 04, 2007, 11:18:34 PM
pang umangkon ba ni siya ni sir jes tirol?

she's the daughter of former board member Freda Tirol.

(Reuters) - Most Canadians know so little about their own country that they would flunk the basic test that new immigrants are required to take before becoming citizens, according to a new poll.

The Ipsos-Reid survey showed that 60 per cent of Canadians would fail the test. A similar poll done in 1997 showed a failure rate of 45 percent.

"Canadians appear to be losing knowledge when it comes to the most basic questions about Canadian history, politics, culture and geography ... (they) performed abysmally on some questions," the firm said.

Only 4 percent knew the three requirements a citizen had to meet to be able to vote while only a third could correctly identify the number of provinces and territories. Just 8 per cent knew that the Queen is the head of state.

The survey was carried out for the Dominion Institute, which aims to boost knowledge of Canadian history and values. It said all high school students should have to pass a special citizenship exam before they can graduate.

"It is frankly disheartening to see the lack of progress made by our group and the countless other organizations working to improve civic literary of Canadians over the last 10 years," said institute co-founder Rudyard Griffiths.

The Ipsos-Reid survey of 1005 adults was conducted between June 5 and 7 and is considered to be accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

souce: <a href="http://stuff.co.nz">Stuff NZ</a>

Ang atong mga OFWs gipangtulis sa Immigration officials inig abot sa Pilipinas ug inig balik sa gawas. Corruption at the Manila Immigration is cancerous.

July 4, 2007 Editorial of <a href="http://www.theboholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>

Tactically, Nor-Asian Energy Ltd. who wanted to do an oil seismic survey along Bohol Straits, may have won Round Two.

Wearing an Honest Abe's face and feigning lending its ears to the protesting stakeholders in the environmentally-threatening exercise (seismic survey), and behaving exactly like many traditional politicians - the consortium promised the angry crowd that it won't do the survey in the Bohol Flank until all issues are addressed.

Governor Erico Aumentado and 1st District Representative Edgar Chatto assured they will stop the seismic survey otherwise, as well.

But quick to the draw and an expert in double talk it seems, Nor-Asian M/V Pacific Sword and their support ships M/V Eagle, M/V C. Venture and M/V Southern Cross, started the seismic survey anyway last Thursday.

Many fisher folks were not satisfied with the P111 compensation package and the Technical Working Group (TWG) had asked for postponement of the survey while they researched on vital data to protect the environment - the sea that provides livelihood to the fishermen and the tourism industry that brings in dollars.

Tagbilaran City, environmentalists and people organizations opposed the survey and sought a TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) because that was the only "legal" way to stop a "done deal" agreement in Manila - apparently sanctioned by the Government through the Department of Energy and the passive agreement of the Department of Energy and Natural Resources.

That was tactically the proper thing to do.

Judge Fernando Fuentes, even knowing the urgency of the matter since the Cebu Flank was already undergoing the seismic survey, instead had the case raffled which caused the oppositors to lose four days.

The wily schemers in that side of Judas' Court took the advantage and then added another legal technical block by saying they were not informed of the raffle draw and moved for the TRO request's dismissal.

And even if the Environmental Alliance do get a TRO sometime late this week, by week-end the calculating Nor-Asian shall have been almost "complete" with its seismic survey, perhaps by Sunday this week.

The greatest disappointment of the Petitioners laid on the doors of the Public Officials who Conservation Watch officer Jun Estrosas said are only good in "press releases" but behave like Invisible Men when the going gets rough.

Even when the TWG asked for the survey postponement last Saturday night, the Governor departed for another more important matter and left the discussion to Congressman Chatto, Chair of last Congress' Committee on Tourism. Chatto reportedly flew to Manila yesterday to meet with DOE officials.

One wonders how that can stop the ongoing seismic oil survey raging near Cabilao Island in Loon.

This exasperating "betrayal of trust" on the stakeholders in this episode made many observers lament that this convening of varied interests was merely for political mileage propaganda while the consortium plotted devious ways to go on with the survey anyway. A veritable moro-moro?

Meantime, stranded deep sea fishes and uncommon marine life were washed ashore in some areas; definite lowering of catch of fisher folks noted and a celebrity diver Holger Horn documented via underwater camera how the "biodiversity" of some Bohol waters has been reduced since the seismic surveys started.

Dumaguete City-based geologist Angel Alcala categorically stated in a newspaper article (not the Chronicle) that the oil seismic survey done with a series of volley guns underwater (of over 200 decibels) sounds like volcanic eruptions. This is because under the sea the pressure is stronger and amplifies greatly auditory disturbances that can make "humans and fish" significantly deaf because of it.

History and seismology-geology professor Jess Tirol (columnist) theorized there is probably "no oil of commercial value" in the spots surveyed.

So what was this exercise that damaged the sea habitat and prejudiced commerce and trade in the area for?

More than that, the bigger moral question is - during the elections their votes were needed and courted - now are the people's voices seem to be no longer important to public officials today?

Are public consultations on public affairs today really just consuelo de bobos but the deals are really sealed behind the people's backs?

Look at the proposed Albur landfill project. Before an Environmental Certificate of Clearance (ECC) is issued by the DENR and the people of Albur were extensively and democratically assessed - the roads leading to the landfill area are allegedly finished already.

Another "done deal" and then more "press releases" in the offing on this one?

<a href="http://www.gmanews.tv">GMA 7 News</a>
Breaking News: July 4, 2007

A two-seater light plane crash landed at the Tagbilaran City airport in Bohol province Wednesday (July 4, 2007) morning.

Superintendent Eleodoro Ocampo, assistant director for operations of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group, said the light plane made an emergency landing on the runway around 10:15 a.m., damaging its nose gear and propeller.

No one was reported injured in the incident, Ocampo said.

In a phone interview from Tagbilaran City, Edgar Solis, local manager of the Air Transportation Office, said the ill-fated aircraft was a Cessna 152, with body number RPC-4420.

Solis said it came from Mactan, Cebu and was being piloted by a certain Capt. Jaymar Ortega, who was on a solo flight.

"We haven't determined yet the cause of the accident," Solis said in the Cebuano vernacular.

Ocampo said the accident caused a delay for almost one hour in the departure of Philippine Airlines flight PR 176 bound for Manila. - GMANews.TV

... sometimes bad feelings about other races could erupt when an incident like the story below awakens our patriotism... 

---------
FIND, Inc. is appalled at the nightmarish event that occurred on March 14, 2007 as a Filipina Catholic-school girl was heavily beaten on a New York City MTA bus and was further ignored by the bus driver who insensitively told her to "Go talk to a priest."

Seventeen-year-old Marie Stefanie Martinez was attacked by 13 African American teenagers after stepping onto a B82 bus in Brooklyn. After being taunted, being called a "Chink" and being pushed around, Martinez finally decided to fight back and that is when things took a turn for the worse.

Martinez recalls, "They were pulling my hair, pulling my hair, opening my book bag!" she said. "I said, 'Leave me alone. I'm not doing anything to you… That's when they started to crowd around me. [One] boy punched me twice in my face and my mouth."

Fortunately, a man in his 30s currently on the bus intervened and took Martinez away from the group of rowdy teenagers, although afterwards she was thoroughly bruised and battered. After notifying the bus driver of what had happened to her she was shockingly told to "Go talk to a priest" without any other effort being done to ameliorate the situation.

After talking with the Martinez family, Martinez's lawyer Rosemarie Arnold stated that the family has decided to sue the MTA. "How did the bus driver let this happen?" Arnold said. "You have 13 kids making a commotion. This guy just turned a blind eye to it.

FIND Inc. National Chairman Steven Raga stated "This attack on Marie Martinez was a blatant act of anti-Asian racism, but not just by the assailants. As the MTA bus driver is responsible for the rights and welfare of those in the vehicle, it is shameful that his cavalier attitude towards this serious matter serves as representation for the New York City MTA. FIND Inc. fully supports Marie Martinez on her lawsuit and hopes for her full and quick recovery."

Please spread the word about this incident as anti-Asian hate crimes such as this are not to be tolerated. FIND, Inc. would like to encourage you to please review and take time to sign the petition linked below targeting the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for accountability.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mtahate1/petition.html

Thank you for your time in helping in this course of action. For more information on future FIND Inc, programs or events, please visit WWW.FINDINC.ORG.

Steven B. Raga
National Chairman; Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue
National Director, D3; Filipino Intercollegiate Networking Dialogue
(917) 392-4546 / (631) 821-4485
Raga.Steven@Gmail.com
EastDirector@Sandiwa.org

By Boo Chanco
<a href="http://www.philstar.com">The Philippine Star</a>

A Filipina graced the cover of the New York Times magazine last weekend. No, she isn't a supermodel or a celebrity. She is much better than that. She is an OFW. Rosalie Comodas Villanueva, who grew up in the tough neighborhood of Leveriza, is a nurse at Al Rahba Hospital in Abu Dhabi. She makes $24,000 a year â€" compared to the $1,200 she made while working here at home. Her parents have been taking care of her two children for years. The lengthy feature honors OFW sagas, Rosalie's, her family's and many others like her.

There is no more doubt that our OFWs are now a world class phenomenon. Nearly 10% of our 89 million people live abroad. About 3.6 million are OFWs, another 3.2 million have migrated permanently, largely to the United States, and 1.3 million more are thought to be overseas illegally. There are a million OFWs in Saudi Arabia alone, followed by Japan , Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. OFWs are in at least 170 countries, and about a quarter of the world's sailors come from the Philippines. They send home $15 billion a year, saving not just the economy but a succession of governments from a rebellion by the jobless and hungry poor.

I once made the joke that there is no need for our people to learn English because in a few more years, the world will understand Tagalog. Imagine all the Filipina nannies from Hong Kong to Rome to Toronto and London and who's going to say they aren't teaching more than a word of Tagalog to the young children they are taking care of. I think it was writer Jessica Zafra who once declared that we will one day conquer the world: today their bedrooms and bathrooms but tomorrow, the world!

Indeed, as Jason DeParle, the author of the lengthy NYT magazine article observed, the Philippines has exported labor for at least 100 years. The pineapple plantation workers of Hawaii, who left the Philippines in the early 1900s come to mind. Greg Macabenta traced an early colony of Filipinos in the New Orleans area, descendants of Filipinos who might have jumped ship during the Galleon trade between Acapulco and Manila.

This modern migration we are seeing today took shape 30 years ago under Ferdinand Marcos. And we were not alone. A number of Asian and Latin American countries were sending migrants abroad for the same reasons. A growing number of economists see migrants, and the money they send home, DeParle wrote, as a part of the solution to global poverty.

This view of effectively making the poor pay for development is distasteful. "It risks obscuring the personal price that migrants and their families pay. It could be used to gloss over, or even justify, the exploitation of workers. And it could offer rich countries an excuse for cutting foreign aid and other development efforts," DeParle wrote.

The worse part is how the phenomenon makes it easy for governments to develop a dependence on worker remittances. Migrants all over the world, according to DeParle, sent home some $300 billion last year. In contrast, the world spent $104 billion on foreign aid.

According to DeParle, the Philippines, which received $15 billion in formal remittances in 2006, ranked fourth among developing countries behind India ($25 billion), China ($24 billion) and Mexico ($24 billion). "Remittances make up three percent of the GDP in Mexico but 14% in the Philippines.

DeParle continues: "Despite fears that the money goes to waste, a growing literature shows positive effects. Remittances cut the poverty rate by 11% in Uganda and six percent in Bangladesh, according to studies cited by the World Bank, and raised education levels in El Salvador and the Philippines.

"Being private, the money is less susceptible to corruption than foreign aid; it is also better aimed at the needy and 'countercyclical' â€" it rises in response to slumps and natural disasters. Remittances help reduce government borrowing costs, saving the Philippines about half a billion dollars in interest each year… And consumption among the poor is hardly a bad thing."

The downside, DeParle writes, "is the risk of dependency, among individuals waiting for a check or for rulers (like Marcos) who use the money to avoid economic reforms… No country has escaped poverty with remittances alone. 'Remittances can't solve structural problems,' said Kathleen Newland of the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington research group. 'Remittances can't compensate for corrupt governments, nepotism, incompetence or communal conflict…'"

Then… there are the social costs. "Among the biggest worries, in the Philippines and beyond, are the 'left behind' kids, who are alternately portrayed as dangerous hoodlums and consumerist brats. Some people fear that their gadgets and clothes, sent from guilty parents abroad, corrupt village values."

Still, studies have found out that overall, "the migrants' kids did better in school, had better physical health, experienced less anxiety and were more likely to attend church…one theory is that remittances compensate for the missing parent's care. The study found migrants' kids taller and heavier than their counterparts, suggesting higher caloric intake, and much more likely to attend private school… There is no doubt that migration has costs… The point is that not migrating has costs, too â€" the cost of wrenching poverty."

The growth in migration, DeParle admits, "has roiled the West, but demographic logic suggests it will only continue. Aging industrial economies need workers. People in poor countries need jobs. Transportation and communication have made moving easier. And the potential economic gains are at record highs… with about one Filipino worker in seven abroad at any given time, migration is to the Philippines what cars once were to Detroit: its civil religion. A million Overseas Filipino Workers left last year, enough to fill six 747s a day."

This is why for me, the OFW phenomenon is a source of hope for the future. As I told a group of foreign businessmen last week, " with all our negatives in factors of production important to investors, it seems our real plus factor lies with our human resource. I am banking my hope in that large population of OFWs who will one day come home with new ideas, new dreams and a stronger determination to make political leaders accountable."

The world knows from first hand experience with our OFWs that we are good workers and top notch professionals, making them the best incentive to come here and invest. And one of these days, their talents would be used to bring to the motherland the economic gains they helped bring for the countries they worked in.

Summa cum laude

Mikaela Irene Fudolig, a 16-year-old graduated last weekend with a degree in BS Physics and with the highest academic honor of summa cum laude. She has a 1.099 grade point average. She is the youngest student to graduate from the UP in recent years and one of only two admitted to the state university without a high school diploma and without taking the UP College Admission Test, ANC reported.

I am glad there is an early placement program at UP to take care of gifted students like her. She was only 11 when she started taking college level courses at the university. I am sure we have many other students like her whose world class brains are being wasted in an educational system that provide them little challenge.

One other great thing… she isn't taking up nursing to work abroad. She is staying on at UP to teach. My congratulations to her, her parents and the UP professors who conceived and implemented the program! Let us now look for more Mikaelas out there and give them the education that they need.

I asked Riva's comment on this topic. This is her reply.

hoy mike, nganong sa akong naminhod na paa man nimo gibagsak ning butanga ni?Huh??

why?
why?
why?
why me?Huh?Huh?Huh??

dear charo....

but, since i am a nice girl (hehehehe) yes the comment was uncalled for and even if it was, it was racist in it's nature. but, then again, what if he really hates blacks (or black africans?). then, that would be a personal stand based on experience and not a prejudiced statement? or what if he really doesn't know what the phrase really means? what if he didn't mean it to be offensive?  hay, in any case, is till say it was inappropriate.

and again, i ask...

why?
why?
why?

dear charo....

By Joe Espiritu
Jagna-based Writer
Bohol Sunday Post

The celebration of the historic Blood Compact between Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Boholano chieftain Sikatuna had started. The Philippine Historical Society had declared that the ceremony really happened in Hinawanan beach in Loay instead of Bool, Tagbilaran City . Despite the pronouncement, the controversy still rages. A local historian Judge Simplicio Apalisok wrote that the event took place in Bool while Engr. Jess Tirol contended that the rite was performed in Loay. As what the poem about the Blind Men and the Elephant say, while each of them may be right, all of them are wrong.

First, when Legazpi landed in Bohol in 1565 the world was not yet properly mapped. The projections of Gerardus us Mercator, which segmented the world into latitudes and longitudes was not made until 1568. Navigation instruments at that time were the, magnetic compass, astrolabe and the hourglass. This means specific locations cannot be accurately plotted as it can be today.

The compass is to point the direction of the voyage; the hourglass was to time the duration of the sailing while the astrolabe was to determine the position of the ship in regard to the location in relation to the port of origin. Although clocks were already invented, they were not yet portable so they can be used in voyages. The sextant, the instrument, which could determine the latitude and longitude of the position, was not invented until 1730.

It is logical that Legazpi followed the Magellan log to reach the general vicinity of the Philippines . He made the same landfall but decided to explore the region. However, his square-rigged ships are not so maneuverable. The rectangular sails set it right angle to the hull can best sail before the wind. It cannot perform like the fore and aft rigged, which means triangular sails can be sailed close-hauled into the wind. He failed to make Mindanao and was blown towards Jagna. According the research of Antonio S. Madera of Jagna, Legazpi, in quest of water, was prevented from landing by the natives.

It would be interesting to know what were the contents of the Legazpi log. In there would be the direction of the voyage, the number of hours it sailed and the description of the topography of the land and islands sighted. Had he sailed east rounding the Nausok point, he would have seen the Alejawan River . That would have solved his problem. So he sailed west. Had he sailed near the shore, he would have spotted the Manaba in Garcia Hernandez. Since it is hard to miss that river, he must have been blown offshore.

The question now is why did he miss the Manaba but saw the Loay estuary? We could not say that they are inexperienced explorers. They should have seen the break in the mountain ridge between Jagna and Garcia to suspect the presence of a river. It could be that their need for water is not so acute that they did not conduct a diligent search.

If they missed the Manaba, then there is the possibility that they also missed Loay. If they did, they could have sailed to shallow waters of Bool, Tagbilaran where they could not proceed any farther. It was there where they conducted the search for water and found it.

Then, who kept the Legazpi log? He should be a navigator so he can read and interpret the Magellan log to trace the route of the Magellan voyage as well as record the events of the expedition. Was it a pilot or the chronicler of the expedition, Fr. Andres de Urdaneta? The latter should also be a sailor as well as a clergyman. If not he would not be able to tell the position according to sightings such as position of the surroundings. What would have been mentioned are the position of the islands of Pamilacan, Siquijor and Panglao.

Then, why is Prof. Emmanuel Luis Romanillos silent on the controversy? He who makes a career of translating Spanish documents regarding the Philippines into English missed the Legazpi log. We have not heard from him. Another question is; since the Blood Compact could have happened in Hinawanan Loay, would the statues in Bool be transferred there? Would the Sandugo celebration be centered in Loay rather than Tagbilaran? Only time will tell.

By LOY PALAPOS

Painting as an art is an old as civilization. Unfortunately, man has to satisfy his physiological needs before he reaches the highest level of self-fulfillment, which could be through his art. Consequently, only a few succeed in their artistic goals, in a society more concerned with the rat race. In painting artistry, anybody can count with his fingers the number of Boholanos who can be considered real artists. One of these very few is Mrs. Hermogena Borja-Lungay.

Nene was born in Tagbilaran City on September 2, 1929 . His father was former Provincial Treasurer Dionisio Manigque Borja, and her mother was Teopista Aceron-Borja. She has six other brothers and sisters. Alfredo, Bonifacio, and Rosario “Inday” B. Corales have made USA their home. Teotimo, Dionisio and Nora B. Simbajon have also given more meaning to their lives. Nene has nine children. Hermes married Rosemarie Nini. Naomie and Boy Fabiana are starting a family in Jersey City . Nelia and married to Bobong Recemilla. Brydon, Mitzi, Gene, Charles, and Raul are in the country. The youngest Mary Ann is married to Ronnie Badilla of Cotabato.

Nene Borja started her education at the Myrn Graham Kindergarten (1935-36), at a time when pre-schools were still quite rare. In 1936 she studied at the Tagbilaran Central School . She finished her elementary studies as Valedictorian in 1941. The artist's blood has always been in Nene Borja's veins, a bloodline that defined her future even when she was still a gangling girl. A friend now recollects that Nene was different from the rest of them; while they indulged in childish games, Nene was making sketches and drawings on any available paper, even at a time when papers were scarce. The fly-leaves of his parents' books were not spared from her drawings.

The outbreak of the Second World War in 1941 hampered her educational pursuits, but not her love for painting. The family had to move to Catigbian, Bohol where they had a farm. The absence of materials for her art made her more resourceful. In any activity where she could avail of her talent, she was always tapped. Even the war years did not relegate her skills to the background. Her grandfather, Ramon Borja, used to paint churches. An uncle, Filomeno Borja was a painter and a draftsman. Nene must have been lucky to inherit her artistic talents from the Borja clan.

After the surrender of Japan , the schools were opened in 1945. Nene enrolled at the Bohol High School , where she was a scholar from first to fourth year. She was consistently elected officer in various campus organizations in a span of four years. Her writing skill was also given cognizance. She was a staff member of the school paper. Even in music she showed special talent, for which reason she was oftentimes given the task of school pianist in many programs.

Until today a profession in visual art in Bohol is not synonymous with lucrative financial returns. More so in the field of painting. In the 50's the panorama was worse. Yet, a few ventured into this seldom trodden path, not because of monetary considerations, but because of love for the art. After the secondary studies most of Nene's classmates enrolled in the usual courses designed to earn fast bucks after graduation. But Nene Borja, despite the discouragements, decided to follow her heart's desire. She wanted to be an artist, no less.

She went to UP Dilliman in 1949 and enrolled in Fine Arts, at a time when the course was viewed as a man's world. And true enough, she was the only lady in the class which included fellow Boholano Billy Abueva, who rose to become a National Artist. Disregarding the discrimination, she was an Entrance Scholar, College Scholar, and University Scholar. She was Chairman of the UPSCA Fine Arts Chapter and was member of Phi Alpha Fine Arts Sorority-Fraternity and Sigma Beta Sorority. She graduated on top of her class (Cum Laude) in 1953 and was awarded “Art Student of the Year” by the Arts Association of the Philippines .

Back in Bohol she fall in love and married Nicolas Rocha Lungay, a banker at the Development Bank of the Philippines, who became a founding member of the First Consolidated Rural Bank of Bohol (now FCB), and manager of the Catigbian Rural Bank. She devoted her time to her growing family and for while, painting almost took a back seat.

Nevertheless, her love for painting never waned. She managed to find time for different art groups. She headed the Visual Arts Sector of the Bohol Arts Council; was President of Banig Escaya; facilitator of workshops and lecture-demos for different groups and schools; was Bohol Coordinator, Visayas Islands Visual Arts Association; Director for Painting, Bohol Visual Arts Community; President, Datu Sikatuna Guild of Artists; Member, Diocesan Commission for the Cultural Patrimony of the Church; and Member, BACH (Bohol Arts and Cultural Heritage) Council. She even had outreach activities through “Halad sa Kamot,” arts workshops for the deaf and disabled children.

It is not only in art that Mrs. Hermogena Lungay is known for. She has various involvements in civic and religious organizations. She is the Vice President of Tagbilaran Civic-Legion of Mary; Board Member of Tagbilaran Women's Club; and Member of Parish Committee on Cultural Patrimony, Parish Finance Council, CWL, Tagbilaran Unit, and Cathedral Latin Mass Choir. Mrs. Lungay founded the Udlot Youth Art Group in 1985, and has organized Udlot Summer Workshops from 1985 to the present. This is her legacy to the young artists, for she believes that any talent God has given to an individual must be shared.

For Nene, art is life; life is art. Art is the beauty of life. It is God's gift for the mind, heart and hands. So a work of art has a quality of strength that defies explanation: it is felt rather than defined, then it endures. According to Albrecht D?rer, a German 16th century artist, “...occasionally God gives an artist the ability to learn and create something good, and no one like him can be found in his own time, or perhaps ever existed before him or will soon come after him.” Therefore, the unique gift from God should be developed to the fullest and when it ripens should be shared with others and passed on to the next generation according to God's Word.

As a fitting tribute to this Boholano artist whose paintings now are prized positions in several residences all over the country, the FCB (First Consolidated Bank of Bohol) and TBTK (Tigum Bol-anon Sa Tibuok Kalibutan) awarded Mrs. Hermogena Lungay a Plaque of Distinction as TOBAW (Ten Outstanding Boholanos Around the World) awardee in Visual Arts at the Grand Ballroom of Bohol Tropics and Resort Club on July 18, 2003.

July 1, a Saturday, the 40th Charter Day of Tagbilaran City, and the start of the Sandugo Festival, was a most fitting day to launch “Ani,” the latest masterpiece of an accomplished Boholano writer, Ms. Marjorie Evasco of De La Salle University. The book encapsulates the most evocative paintings of Hermogena Lungay, made more poignant by the poetic prose of Ms. Evasco. In her response to the accolades, Nene Lungay was joyfully teary-eyed. At 77, the compleat artist has fulfilled her God-given role of sharing her “mga tipik sa kasingkasing.”

By LOY PALAPOS

There are varied reasons why a business enterprise prospers and soars. It could start with a well-scrutinized plan in a business-conducive climate. The organizational know-how, that ability to get the right people perform the right tasks commensurate with their abilities, as well as the formulation of a structure that functions systematically, always are an advantage. An adeptness at direction to reach a target is a mark of a true leader. And finally, the knack at evaluation and capacity to control the reins of entrepreneurship is a formidable deciding factor for success.

Several family-owned and controlled enterprises are quite successful in Bohol . On the other hand, a few disappear from the scene basically because of mismanagement. Among these establishments that have shown mettle in the competitive world of business is Du Ek Sam, Inc.

It started in the Municipality of Jagna, but now it is every where in the entire country. As a success story, credit goes to the entire family, and how the siblings regard their forebears. The culture of respect and love is a reason that can't be held circumspect in this case. Affection abounds in the family, and this is further manifested by the offsprings' regard for their parents. In the Asian context, this is not a rare phenomenon, where respect for the elders is a sublime virtue that has weathered countless of generations.

Today, giving matriarchal wisdom to DES (Du Ek Sam, Inc.) is Mrs. Melecia Uy-Du, the Chairman of the Board of the fast-growing corporation, a position she holds since 1979. Before this date, it was her husband, Mr. Eksam Du, who piloted the fledgling company, with her helping him, while raising their children. The passing away of her better-half changed her life. She had no choice but to take over where her husband had left off.       

Ma'am Mening believes in the Shakespearean line in “The Merchant of Venice,” when the ill-fated Antonio exclaimed, “The world is but a stage where everyone plays a part.” It is in this perspective that a performance in a lifetime is viewed, not with consternation, but understanding that the role people play are their own choices, albeit circumstantial events.       

Before the couple's venture into the appliance and motorcycle retail business, they were primarily engaged in copra trading, with Jagna as their primary source. It was then well thought-out as a lucrative business since they were directly exporting copra to the United States , Europe and a few other foreign nations. That was the time when the coconut industry was booming, because of its high prices overseas.

The business expanded, this time into hardware retailing, which was well-received by the community. Aware of the people's need for easy access to gasoline, they put up a gasoline service station. This too, was patronized by the motoring public, and those involved in motorized fishing and other forms of livelihood that require energy derived from oil products. Still catering to the needs of the Jagnaanons and folks of the neighboring towns, the enterprising couple put up a rice and corn mill.

The new business venture also gained the peoples' trust, because of its efficient service and honest dealings with their clients. At this time, all their business were in full swing, with Mrs. Du never disregarding the needs of their children.       Until a big blow fall on the coconut industry. This was during the Marcos years, when the government decided to regulate and control the coconut industry of the country. The most lethal blow came when a law prohibited copra exporters from directly exporting their stocks to foreign markets. Just like the rest of the copra exporters all over the nation, the Du couple were obliged to sell their copra to local coconut oil manufacturing firms at very minimal prices. This marked the death toll of the coconut industry of the Philippines .

They had to divert to another business venture. Thus was hatched the decision to abandon copra trading and convert to appliance and motorcycle retail, which required quite a hefty monetary consideration vital for the venture. It was a novel move not undertaken yet by anybody in the province. It needed focus and more guts to make it prosper. Nevertheless, the risks did not prevent them from pushing through with the project. To start with, the employees hired were mostly from Jagna and other places of Bohol , they being known for patience, perseverance, and honesty. These were the trusted pioneer manpower of what was soon to amaze the business world. Mrs. Du hurdled many trials and tribulations; meanwhile, she had to take care of her growing family. Her necessary travels outside the province required her to spend most of the time away from her family, especially her children. To a mother, it was a total sacrifice.

Divine Providence must have seen this ultimate sacrifice a loving mother could make. It did not take long when her efforts paid off. The 1970's was dubbed as one of the Golden Ages of business. The retail trading started to expand with different branches in Tagbilaran City and then Dumaguete City . At this time some of the children had finished their studies, and had passed their respective board examinations, and they helped managed the branches hands-on.       

On June 26, 1979 the business was incorporated as DU EK SAM, INC. â€" after the Chinese name of the founder, Samuel Du, with Jagna being the principal office. The incorporation encouraged them into further expansion to the nearby towns and cities of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Occidental, Siquijor, Leyte , Bukidnon, Camiguin, and the island of Panay.  The last five years withered the victorious feat of Du Ek Sam, Inc. The company received numerous acknowledgments and awards for maintaining its exemplary operation in the appliance and motorcycle retail business. DES was a recipient of the Kaunlaran Award, given by Sharp Philippines Corporation, for its distinguished sales performance and consistent growth achievement.

The Kawasaki Motors Philippines Corporation recognized DES as Top Performer Awardee for consistently achieving high sales volume of Kawasaki Motorcycles on April 24, 2003 and June 17, 2003 , respectively. In the year 2004, the company was also awarded Third Place of Top Ten Honda Motorcycle dealers on February 20, 2004 for attaining the highest sales among the dealers all over the country in 2003. Other awards followed: Top Sales Contribution Award by Sharp Philippines Corporation for exemplary sales performance and formidable growth achievement (April 20, 2004); Most Outstanding Area Sales Performance during the First Area Award for Central and Eastern Visayas (June 15, 2005); Top Provincial Dealer Award with Positive Growth for the fiscal year 2005, by Sony Philippines, Inc. (April 5, 2006); Recognition awarded by Honda Philippines, Inc. for indelible contribution to Corporate Social Responsibility, being a member of the society, and sensitive to the needs of the community and environment (May 22, 2006).

From a mother who raised well-rounded, successful and respectable children to a business icon, it was not an easy task to perform. But Mrs. Melecia Uy-Du did it well. After almost 50 years in the business and raising highly successful children: Medelyn, Edward, Gilbert, George, Marilou, Edsel and Wilson…she has proven her worth, dedication and commitment to the family, the people of Bohol, and its neighboring towns and cities in the Visayas and Mindanao. Giving employment to more than 700 Filipinos, 80% of which are Boholanos, is already a great accomplishment. Practicing the virtues of honesty, fairness, trust, and treating the customers as business partners, are just two reasons why Ma'am Mening is indeed a business icon to emulate.

Babyblue, proceed to "A Dosage of Hope" section.

source: <a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com">DumbLittleMan</a> 

Reasons to drink water...

   1. Weight loss. Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.

   2. Heart healthy. Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.

   3. Energy. Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

   4. Headache cure. Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.

   5. Healthy skin. Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.

   6. Digestive problems. Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).

   7. Cleansing. Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.

   8. Cancer risk. Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.

   9. Better exercise. Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

By Joe Sprite
Jagna-based Writer
Sunday Post (published in 2006)

One of the industries that will be affected by the temporary closure of the port is the calamay making. The mainstay of most women of Jagna, it will suffer from lack of selling exposure. Only those hawking in the highway will be able to sell their wares to passengers. Those who sell in the pier area will scarcely have customers. This will go on until the pier is improved and opened again for business.

Jagna calamay vendors had been offered to sell in the Sandugo celebration. They will be competing with those from Alburquerque and perhaps Baclayon. However, Jagna vendors will have the edge since the quality of their wares are controlled by the association called Jagna Calamay Makers and Vendors Association or JACAMAVEA. The association sees to it that the buyers are assured of the quality of what they buy.

It is not clearly established who started the calamay industry. However, people say that this started before the war. We were only sure that only a few ventured into this business. The oldest calamay maker known was Librada Macas, then Ungab. She lived in Putol, a sitio of Canupao. In the Centro of the barrio was also another calamay maker and this was Severino Cuadra and his sisters. In the later days, Estang, the wife of Romualdo Bajade and the widow Prisca Beronio raised the quality of the calamay. It was they who made calamay on order.

Calamay is glutinous rice flour cooked in coconut milk sweetened by muscovado sugar. It is boiled over slow fire stirring constantly until the right consistency is reached. Stirring the delicacy over hot coals require plenty of sweat that only a few ventured into this industry since the sales was sporadic at the most. People outside Jagna had not yet acquired a taste for it.

What made calamay making tough at that time was the packaging. The traditional coconut shell container was scraped clean with a sharp bolo or a large knife. It involves stepping on the half shell and scraping at the fibers on the outer surface of the shell until it is smooth. One can clean only a few shells in an hour. However, somebody found out that using spokeshaves simplified the cleaning process.

When the commuting public discovered that the calamay is a handy as well as a delicious, well-appreciated pasalubong, the demand rose. Everybody got into the act. Canupao no longer had the monopoly of the industry. First it was people from Bunga Ilaya then other barrios followed. Since they were new, quality of their product was poor and the original calamay makers suffered. First, they identified themselves as the original calamay makers but it was no good. Everybody could also claim that since no proof is needed.

Then a municipal councilor, probably Jovito Ranara proposed an ordinance that each calamay must bear the name of the maker. Ranara is the logical proponent of the ordinance since he is from Canupao and many of his kin is in the industry. With Albur making their own version of the calamay, the Jagna makers formed and organization the JACAMAVEA. Their inspectors perform a spot check on calamay sold, Those who do not pass the standard are either warned or stopped from selling their wares.

However, there are still rogue vendors, those who make and sell substandard calamay. They are barred from selling in places where regular members ply their trade. Or they are prevented from selling until they can prove that they have improved the quality of their product. They were able to maintain their quality that the association said that they are invited to sell calamay in the Sandugo.

There are makers who had made a name for them that they do not have to sell at the designated area. The wares are just displayed in their store. Buses, vans and private transportation stop to buy. The owner is conducting a thriving business because she maintained the high standard of her product. JACAMAVEA can take a clue from her.

By Manuel Ferdinand Ramirez de Erio
Bohol Sunday Post Writer

Going to Danajon Double Barrier Reef is an experience truly unique in Asia and one of the (only) three being documented in the world. This double barrier reef has captured the news recently to host the ambitious undertaking-- Cebu-Bohol Friendship Highway to connect Cebu and Bohol with an 18 kilometer ‘highway' from Cordova in Mactan Island in Cebu to Getafe in Bohol.

Even before the infrastructure milestone to connect two neighboring island provinces was conceived, the Danajon Double Barrier Reef has caught the limelight after being discovered and documented as a very rare geological phenomena; in the Philippines and South Asia . The other two double barrier reefs in the world are found in Australia and Nova Scotia. The most romantic gateway to the Danajon Double Barrier Reef is the island of Banacon in Getafe which is the host of the largest mangrove forest in Southeast Asia . As your boat cascade through the pristine waters of the island, the mangroves that stood like knights in emerald armor lined up to complete an ambiance of a tranquility and romance.

The Danajon Reef is a unique coastal environment within the jurisdiction of 17 coastal municipalities covering four provinces, namely the provinces of Bohol , Leyte , Southern Leyte and Cebu . Throughout the world, there are only very few double barrier reefs that have been documented; thus, making the Danajon Reef even more important to be conserved. This double barrier reef has been formed offshore due to an existing relief pattern off the north coast of Bohol . It is made up of two sets of large coral reefs which formed offshore due to a combination of favorable tidal currents and coral growth on a submarine ridge which was formed in the area which took place over the last 6,000 years.

More than a geological wonder, the area in and surrounding the Danajon reef is composed chiefly of several coral reefs, hectares of mangroves and sea grass habitats in shallow and relatively well-protected waters. Thru the years, the reef has been and still is providing livelihood for the coastal communities relying on it chiefly for fishing and subsistence activities, marine culture and sea weed farming. The reef has also provided protection to the Bohol province from typhoons and storms and even provided recreational base for many activities going on in the four provinces.

The Danajon Reef area includes the largest man-made mangrove forest in South East Asia that covered some 1,700 hectares of mangrove located in Banacon Island , Getafe , Bohol . It acts as huge “sea bank” and breeding area for fishes and coral reefs and supplies amounts of young fishes and larvae upon which the four provinces depend. The area is also a habitat of a large population of seahorses as well as numerous other unresearched marine fauna and flora. Four islands in particular, Calituban, Baha-baha, Olango and Tahong-tahong are important feeding and roosting sites of migratory birds. A total count in the area in 1990 found over one thousand migratory birds belonging to over 20 species.

Due to rampant illegal fishing, blasting and cyanide fishing and over-harvest of fisheries products, the marine bounty has dramatically decline over the past years. The decline compounded in the 1960s with the aquarium fish trade in the area. The Danajon Double Barrier Reef has experienced the harsh treatment and wanton use of resources of mankind. Thus, seriously threatening the life of the geological wonder which took thousands of years to form.

Responding to the immediate call for conservation, Bohol governor Erico B. Aumentado spearheaded the Danajon Bank Double Barrier Reef Rehabilitation, Protection and Management for Growth Quadrangle. It is a proposed initiative to improve capacity of and collaboration between coast local government units in the double barrier reef area.

The program aims to maintain the biodiversity of the double barrier reef which should pave the way to provide food security by ensuring a supply of fish and marine organisms. It also aims to increase potential for ecotourism and serve as model for inter-LGU coordination and promote sharing of lessons in coast resource management between the LGUs and the four provinces. The Danajon Reef is indeed another treasure at hand. Let us make a bold move to protect. And most of all, experience the romance that is truly Danajon!

By Joe Espiritu
Jagna-based Writer

Several days ago the President had ordered an all out war against rebels, insurgents and other anti government movements. All out war means everything goes. There has been an impression that our armed forces had been marking time until the order was given, the army has been reactive instead of proactive. This time it is expected that soldiers aside from stepping up their civic action such as medial missions, will be conducting aggressive patrols in rebel infested areas. Hopefully civilians will not be involved

There had been questions as to whether the mailed fist policy will succeed. The problem is not only ideological but also sociological and economic. Burgeoning population, limited resources, unequal distribution of wealth and a system prone to graft and corruption has also to be addressed together with the drive against insurgency. Without those, the war will not succeed.

It is surprising why Bohol does have an insurgency problem. We have been peaceful ever since. Since the communist movement had been driven out of Central Luzon it had spread to the Bicol, Eastern and Central Visayas down to the Mindanao regions. It is not surprising; there are places, which would be good breeding grounds of insurgency. Pampanga seems to be the birthplace of communism in the Philippines .

It spread to the nearby provinces of Nueva Ecija. Conditions were ripe at that time for the communist movement. The bulk of the lands were owned by hacienderos. Tenant farmers tilled the lands. Sharecroppers without fiscal discipline fell victims to usurious landowners. The farmers fell deeply into debt until they can no longer extricate themselves. Family debt was handed down to succeeding generations.

But not all farmers accept their miserable lot. Some of the better minds seek redress from government authorities but alas the government is run by vested interests most of them big land owners. Seeing the relief could not be obtained there the farmer took to the hills, sympathizers remained furnishing the base of support. Communism spread though out Central Luzon . Ramon Magsaysay broke the back of communist insurgency first as Secretary of National Defense then later as president.

In face of an agrarian reform program, infrastructure plus liberal credit facilities furnished by rural banks and technical aid from government experts aided by a stepped up military campaign the hope for a workers paradise promised by communists died. Finding Central Luzon no longer tenable for them, organizers spread to places where people would be more receptive. There is Panay and Negros with big sugar cane plantations tilled by sacadas. Then there is Mindanao where lands are owned or claimed by those who have not even seen the place.

Here in Bohol , there are no large landholdings, no haciendas of note. It there may be, then they are few and far between. Then there would be few sharecroppers. They are not tied to the land like Central Luzon farmers; they can go somewhere else if things become too hard for them. There were no usurious lenders; five â€" six people are just recent operators. In short, insurgency would have a hard time to gain a foothold here. But the irony of it is they are here.

When a country is economically stable, insurgency is out of the question. If Bohol attains the level of economic stability, there would be no rebels; they have nothing to fight for. Perhaps government authorities will have to look deeper why Bohol has its won share of rebels. The answer to the question might be the basis for the solution of the local insurgency problem.

By LOY PALAPOS

Bohol 's contribution to the movie world is limited by opportunity. The province is too distant from tinsel town, where the action is, and where celebrity status is attained. In the sixties the star of Rebecca del Rio shone brightest when she won in the Asian Film Festival in her heart-rending portrayal of a long-suffering mother in Malvarosa. The girl from Sierra Bullones named Nena Buslon was on top of the movie scene, when she decided to leave film-making and went to the USA.

There were a few with Boholano roots who ventured into the movie world after her; but none of them reached star status, even if they were star-materials. Until Cesar Montano came into the scene. He did not arrive at the movie portals as a big name, like the dime-a-dozen new faces today who are products of nationally telecast competitions and gimmicks, who sparkle brightly for a short span of time but only to fade away into oblivion.

As a student he already dreamed of acting in the movies, not because he loved the glitter, but because it was his calling. He loved to act, not because of the applause, but because of self-fulfillment in a field he has the potentials. Thus, after his studies at Lyceum of the Philippines , for a degree in Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 1983, he concentrated for the fulfillment of his dream. Earlier he enrolled in the Actor's Guild Workshop and the ECP Acting Workshop where his mentors noticed his capabilities. Even as a teen-ager he had already learned to play the piano, strum the guitar, and sing. Other seminar-workshops and exposures followed to hone his craft. In 1987 he was taken in as Facilitator of the Actors Workshop Foundation, a decision that was a step to his steady ascent to stardom.

His acting debut was on stage, which measures real thespic talents. He headed the cast of “Esteremenggoles,” a comedy staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1984. This was followed by “El Sentido del Indio,” “New Yorker in Tondo” and “Romeo and Juliet,” at the University of the Philippines . His performance drew raves, especially in the latter, where his handsome features and passionate acting were perfect for the role of the ill-fated lover.

After his first film, it was a steady climb to the top. There are several films to his credit, among the most memorable are “Warfreak” (1997), “Bullet” (1999), and “Mananabas” (2001) of Viva Films where he was the lead actor, line producer, and director. “Asero” (1997), “Hostage” (2001), “Bagong Buwan” (2001), “Alas Dose” (2000) and “Chavit Singson Story” (2003) further enhanced his image as a topnotch action and drama star. “Muro Ami” (1999) and “Panaghoy sa Suba” (2004) were shot in Bohol , and established his supremacy in films with local color. He even acted and directed, and produced “Panaghoy.” “The Great Raid” (2005), filmed by Miramax (USA), made him an international star.

He also invaded television, and starred in Agos, a serial drama (1985), To Sir With Love (1987), and Kaya ni Mister, Kaya ni Misis (1997-2005). In-between movie and TV assignments, he accepted print-ad and television commercials, making him one of the top product endorsers of the country. Aside from production outfits like Viva Films, he has worked with Star Cinema, GMA Films, Golden Lion Films, and CM Films. Much sought-after as an actor, all film-makers he has worked with salute his professionalism. In television he is a favorite of ABS-CBN and Channel 13.

The Boholano actor has won several awards, starting with Best Supporting Actor in the Manila Film Festival (1990) and Catholic Mass Media Awards (1999). Also in 1999 he won 3 Best Actor Awards: Metro Manila Film Festival, FAMAS, and Teachers Association Philippines. The following year, his film “Rizal,” which won critical acclaims, gave him global recognition. He duplicated his feat by winning two more Best Actor awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2002 and 2004. At the same time, his film, which he acted in, produced, and directed was declared Best Picture in the same filmfest in 2004.

The pursuit for loftier goals is inherent in an artist. His muse must be venerated, his creativity afforded vent, his flight to Mt. Olympus unending. The actor in Cesar Montano sought perfection of his craft. And what better way than to go beyond national limits. Prodded by colleagues in the movie world, GMA Films, Inc. entered “Rizal” in the 2000 Benodet International Film Festival in France . With hopes high, but not expecting to win the nod of judges, Cesar and the Company's CEOs flew to France . And he won as Best Actor in a competition coveted by great talents all over the world.

After that, it was time to venture into directing. For the many years he was in front of the camera, he silently learned the director's skills. The opportunity came when he formed his own movie outfit, CM Films, Inc. Directing himself was the biggest challenge so far. Wanting to show to movie enthusiasts, the beauty of his home province, he filmed “Panaghoy sa Suba,” (The Call of the River).

He stunned the Philippine movie industry by making a grand-slam in the award-giving bodies. “Panaghoy” was also only the second movie of Rebecca Lusterio and, like “Muro Ami” where she played a shaven boy (and won Best Child Performer in almost all award-giving groups), she won as Best Supporting Actress in her second film. But the national focus was on Montano. He did not just prove again his acting prowess. He won as Best Director in Gawad Urian and Golden Screen Award which also handed him trophies for Best Actor.

Buboy, as he is fondly called by his friends, is a man of noble virtues. He sees to it that ecological, culturalmoral and spiritual values are always inculcated in his movie roles. He keeps in mind that an actor is a role model, especially among the young.

Proof to this is his consistently shunning from broadcast and print commercials on cigarette and liquor products. “Omnia mutantor et benefecia sint muta”… (All things change and may the changes be of help)…is his favorite dictum. He said, “In the little and simple things that I do, I hope that I will be remembered as a harbinger of humility, equality, justice and peace in my movies…Film making is not just a way of living, but in itself a way of living. Movie is the best medium I can evangelize these virtues.” He loves Bohol . In one poster advertising Bohol , he claimed… “Nothing beats Bohol …except my wife.” Buboy is a devoted husband to Sunshine Cruz, an actress in her own right.

Many actors have tried what Cesar Montano has done. A few succeeded in a film or two only to diminish their luster. The Boholano actor, in utmost humility, has gone further. He has proven that a good actor can also be an excellent director and astute producer.

Many see Cesar Montano as an accomplished thespian and director par excellence; but only a handful knows of his other talents, especially in sports. He boxes, and could have been another Pacquiao, except that his facial features are not for the ring. He is an expert in ikido, judo, and karate and taekwondo. Just recently, Buboy organized and spearheaded the first Bohol Summer Sports and Drama Fest. He invited taekwondo greats like fellow-actor Monsour del Rosario and Benjie Magsino for the hands-on training. Simultaneous with it was the Drama Clinic he himself handled, with brother Rommel Montano, Disi Alba, and Eric Cañete. Proceeds of the Fests went to his Panghoy Children Foundation (PCF) where he is the Founding President; an offshoot to the Mabini tragedy Buboy was deeply touched.

He plays Basketball, tennis, table tennis, golf, chess; relaxes by scuba diving, and loves motorcross.
Cesar Montano was born in Manila . His father, Genovevo Q. Manhilot is from San Roque, Baclayon, Bohol and his mother, Emma De Montano is from Carles, Iloilo . He has a big farm and house in Bulacan, but during his free time he would rather come to Bohol , where his heart is.

By Joe Espiritu
Jagna-based Writer

What caught our eye last week was a news item titled “Rice self sufficiency to be decided in the bedroom”. It brings us to the theory of Thomas Robert Malthus, an English economist ant political scientist who wrote the Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798. The essay states that the growth of population tends to increase faster than the supply of food. Some other economists rephrased the statement to read that population growth is inversely proportional to the increase of food supply. Which is rightly so.

According to statistics, at 2006, there are already 85 million Filipinos. Each one consumes 115 kilograms or two sacks of rice per year. This number consumes 30 thousand tons of rice of rice per day. With a population growth of 1.95% in 2040, this 85 million will become 142 million Filipinos. The 1.95% growth or almost 2% is perhaps observed in urban or semi urban areas. In the boondocks it may be even twice higher. Imagine how much those 142 million souls will consume. For a short time that was in 1903 we were producing enough rice for ourselves. Several factors, principally population growth wiped out that situation. We bred sturdy, heavy producing, fast growing, early maturing and disease resistant rice varieties. In short we revolutionized rice industry.

In the late 70's, this knowledge, irrigation and Green Revolution made us again self sufficient in rice. In fact we were exporting this cereal. Again nature took over. Now we are importing rice. The irony is that, in the late 60's and early 70's the Philippines had been teaching Thais, Burmese and other East Asian people how to grow rice. Now they are exporting tons and tons of it to us.

Our obstacles in rice production are geographic, demographic and implacable. There are few river deltas to be converted to riceland. There are also too few lands to be successfully irrigated. Then proportion of rice consumers and rice growers are drastically altered by the proliferation of the former and the reduction of the later through urban migration. Not only that demands for lebensraum would make inroads into rice growing space.

The El Niño pattern cannot be avoided. From time to time, droughts lasting several months cause bad or no harvest at all. Rain fed paddies will be arid, even irrigated lands were affected. The required buffer stock of 350 thousand sacks will last only several days. Corn production cannot fill the gap. Fortunately, the rural population could be able to subsist on corn, cooking bananas and root crops but the urban folks will feel the pinch. We have to increase our rice imports to feed the people.

One answer may be the increase of overseas employment. But that is no solution. We have experienced brain drain. The best of our professionals are serving people of developed countries when their services are sorely needed here especially in the rural areas. There will be disruption of families. Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives go abroad, Families are broken up. No amount of dollars remitted will take place of parental guidance.

There is no other recourse but population control. It is not only the government that will have to encourage this program but also religious authorities. Man cannot exist as soul alone it must also have body. Then we cannot be all saints when the stomach is empty. No soul can remain pure if the body is starving to death. We hope that the theory of Thomas Robert Malthus will not come to pass. However, mathematical facts are starting to prove him correct. The Church has to review her stand on population control in the light of modern thought.

By LOY PALAPOS

Taking the road less taken is not Robert Frost's monopoly. There were numerous precursors before him, and there will be more venturesome souls in the coming generations, more so that men and women today have learned to value self-flight in search of their pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow, or have realized the significance of freedom in pursuit of their dreams. Taking the route least traveled by manifests strong-mindedness and resolve for more challenges, even to the breaking point. After all, it is a way of living life to the hilt which, more often than not, makes heroes out of ordinary mortals.

To politics he was born, just like his brother, Edgar Chatto who, for the past many years has proven himself equal to the quirks of political razzmatazz, by surviving in a world where when the going gets tough, it's the tough who gets going. Efren Migriño Chatto could have been another pedigree in the political arena, with a bloodline indisputably palatable to Boholanos: an uncle was once a Governor, his father an undefeated Mayor and Congressman, his mother presently lording it over at Balilihan's Sangguniang Bayan, and his brother a Congressman. But he opted to explore a field, starting as a neophyte, and emerging as the champion. This is a success story in a business where no other Boholano entrepreneur is known to have prospered.

Efren was born in Manila on August 1, 1956 , when his father, Iladio I. Chatto was still serving as a Congressman of the First District of Bohol. His mother is Victoria Migriño-Chatto, from Dauis, Bohol . She is presently serving her third term as Mayor of the Municipality of Balilihan . Now residing in Baguio City , Efren is married to Veronica Modequillo-Chatto from Davao . They met while she was taking up a course in Dental Medicine at Southwestern University in Cebu City . They are blessed with four children. Mark Paolo is now 20 years old, and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology student at Ateneo de manila University. Efren Dominique us 18 and taking up Legal Management also at Ateneo. Katherine Therese, at 15, is a third year secondary school student at St. Louis University , Baguio City . The youngest, 12-year old Patrise Ysabel is in first year high school, also at St. Louis University .

He graduated from the University of San Carlos with an AB Economics degree as Cum Laude in 1976. Right after graduation he was employed as Credit Investigator of Manila Banking Corporation and, because of excellent performance, was promoted as Branch Manager, a position he held until 1981. During this time, MBC was already investing in agri-business in Manila while sourcing agri-products like strawberries, raspberries and blackberries from Baguio and Bukidnon. Sensing an opportunity for advancement in a new field, he opted to leave his routinary bank job and concentrated his time in the firm's agri-business, exporting agri-products to Hongkong. The cut-flower industry became his main obsession, and he concentrated on it. Now, as President of King Louis Flowers and Plants, Inc., a position he held since 1982, he has distributors in Metro Manila, Baguio , Cebu , Bacolod , Iloilo , Bohol , and other cities all over the country.

Efren M. Chatto has been involved in the cut-flower for the past 23 years now. His company is one of the pioneers in the commercial production of cut-flowers in the Philippines and considered among the biggest in the country today. Efren has directly stirred the company since its inception and has been responsible for bringing in the new varieties of flowers from other countries and growing them locally. His drive for always searching something new and passion for growing them at the best quality has significantly changed the beautiful assortments of blooms available in our markets today.

In the mid 90's, he realized that getting ahead alone in his field is a lonely journey. So, he decided to assist other farmers in Benguet shift into cut-flower growing from not so rewarding vegetable farming. He directly assisted 35 farmers, trained them in cut-flower production, helped them in securing loans from banks to finance their greenhouse construction, provided them with planting materials and technology and helped them in marketing their produce. This partnership with the smaller partners proved successful through the years resulting to visible improvements in the farmers' incomes and standards of living. This scheme is now being adopted and promoted nationwide by industry experts, encouraging “big brother â€" small brother” partnerships for big growers to help smaller growers for mutually beneficial results.

It was during this time that Efren founded, together with the other growers in Benguet, the Baguio-Benguet Cut-flower Growers Federation, an association composed of several cut-flower growers' cooperatives in the province of Benguet. For over a decade now, Efren has also involved himself in the National Cut-flowers Growers Federation and had served as President of the said organization in 1998 and 1999. His involvement in the national federation has given him the opportunity to help lobby for policy reforms and introduce improvements in government policies affecting the sector making it more attractive to investors in the cut-flower and ornamental industry.

It was also during his stint as President of the National Federation in 1998 that the federation partnered with the Department of Tourism under Sec. Mina Gabor to jointly organize the “Florikultura” a month-long international Floral Exhibition in Pampanga. His efforts did not go unnoticed. As early as 1997, and every year since then, he has been a recipient of certificates of appreciation for participation and support to the Panagbenga Flower Festival. On March 22, 2006 he was an awardee of the NIA Employees and GAD Focal System for organizing a Floral Demo. In September 2003 his expertise was internationally recognized with the Floral Nobel Prize Award by the World Flower Council.

Efren's interest was not limited to the growing of flowers. He also joined the World Flower Council, an international organization composed of flower shop operators, floral designers, etc. with home office at the United States . They have membership in over 26 countries across North America , Europe , and the Pacific Rim . Although not a floral artist himself, Efren organized the flower shop operators, floral artists and designers from the Philippines and invited them to join the World Flower Council. Through regular attendance in the annual summits of the organization, our local florists learned from the other members from different countries and this led to considerable improvement in the floral arrangement designs and techniques being adopted now by our local florists. Efren is the founding President of the WFC-Philippine Chapter and he was recently designated as Vice-Chairperson for Asia and the Pacific Rim of the World Flower Council International.

Moreover, his involvement as President and Chairman of the Cordillera Agribusiness Research and Technology Center , a non-profit NGO, has also allowed him to help other farmers in the Cordilleras improve their ventures. They encourage formation and strengthening of farmer organizations and do collective marketing of their produce linking them to institutional buyers. Among the sectors they have been assisting are the coffee growers, cutflower and vegetable farmers in the region.

Efren has also farming projects in other areas-an ornamental, cutfoliage and flower bulb in Bulacan, a cutflower and flower bulb farm in Intavas, Bukidnon and a Passion Fruit farm and fruit puree processing plant in Lantapan, Bukidnon for export to Japan. It has been quite a long way for this gentleman from Balilihan…from the school portals, to the world of banking, to becoming a by-word in the cut-flower business. This is the road he has taken and will continue to pave for a long, long time. (published in 2006)

By Joe Espiritu
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

The conflict between major oil producing Middle Eastern country and the United States caused the oil prices in the international market to rise. Fearing that the situation will last and the fuel situation will worsen, industrialized countries are looking for alternative fuel sources to keep their factories going. The industries of the world are held hostage to the decisions of the producing countries. Even if production will be controlled, fossil fuel would not last. It is not renewable; it has to reach the point of exhaustion. Fuel consuming countries depending upon Middle Eastern oil are looking for alternatives.

Non-traditional power sources had been harnessed. Many countries resorted to using atomic energy. However, even at this stage accidents had happened with devastating effects that most countries of the Third World are wary about using this source. Hydroelectric plants had been constructed but few countries have enough water resources. Geothermal sources were resorted to but not all countries are situated in the volcanic belt. Wind power had been tapped but trade winds are not constant in most places.

There had been attempts to build dendro thermal plants but this ran counter to forest conservation programs of most countries. As a result industrialists turn their attention to other sources, which can be renewable like farm products. Hence attention is focused on the tubatuba or kasla and the coconut. The tubatuba according to my neighbor Eric, can grow in poor soil and is drought resistant thus it can be planted anywhere. However, tubatuba growers have problems on obtaining planting materials. Unless those are readily available, large scale planting could not be attempted.

This time, eyes are focused on the coconut. A Japanese firm wants to process coconuts into methyl ester for fuel or fuel additive. The present cost of converting coconut oil into methyl ester is more than 120 pesos per liter but modern technology would lessen the cost so Toyo Engineering wants some 600,000 hectares to be planted to coconuts. Now comes the problem. Our coconut industry is dying. More trees are cit down, not only the senile ones but also even the productive trees. Ever since the logging ban, constructors resorted to coco lumber to fill the gap. When old trees were gone, they felled even fruit bearing ones. The Philippine Coconut Administration tried to limit the utilization of coco lumber but unless they go to the fields or deputize barangay officials, they cannot control the situation. There should be a “cut one plant two” policy imposed so the coconut groves can still be preserved.

Replacement with hybrids should be interspersed with the old variety. Hybrids are fast maturing, they bear fruit in three years, but they are short lived. The old species, though they mature two years later, live longer and bear better coconuts than the hybrid. Besides they do not need so much care and can withstand long draughts. In big islands, large tract of lands may be allocated to coconut plantations. However, in smaller islands, coconut planting will be scattered.

Here in Bohol we do not have coconut plantations, we plant coconuts on lands not suited for grain or vegetable farming. There are still spaces for coconuts. Good planting materials should be made available. When fossil fuels approach the point of exhaustion, the demand for methyl esters will be steady. More coconuts will be needed. Perhaps processing plants will be established here if we can keep down production costs. To allow the farmers to benefit from the demand, the middlemen should be eliminated. They are the ones who profit from the industry.

By Joe Sprite
Jagna-based Writer
Columnist
Bohol Sunday Post

The fisherman was sailing to the fishing grounds to do one time fishing. He was using a sailboat to save on gasoline. On the way he saw something floating and sailed near to investigate. What he saw scared him out of his wits. It was a corpse in an advanced state of decomposition. In his fear, he tacked, that means he reversed his course and sailed for home.

The first thing he did was to report his experience to the Coast Guard but when he was asked about the bearings of his position during the discovery he said that it seems to be in front of Fidel's house if you look there but if there but it also seems to be in front of Gomer's house if you look there.

Those who are not familiar with the local fisherman's jargon would never decode what he is trying to say. Local bearings are not reckoned by degrees and seconds latitude and longitude. Their points of reference are the Tubod headland and Anda point. The distance from the shore is measured as to which promontory of the Bohol topography is visible. Unless one knows those references he would never know where the location is. The Coast Guard merely filed the information away for the record.

Trying to recover something in Bohol Sea when directions are vague is a hopeless task. The currents are erratic, even the seasonal ones. Three Europeans who drifted out from Anda were carried to Limasawa and back then to Limasawa again in the space of twenty-four hours. The combined efforts of the Anda police, government and private helicopters and local boats failed to find them until a Limasawa fishing boat chanced upon them.

Nethertheless the Coast Guard gave out information that there was a report of a man overboard some two weeks ago. A middle aged male passenger was seen boarding the ship seemingly in an inebriated condition. He was staggering. There when the ship sailed for Mindanao , scarcely an hour after leaving Jagna port, the ship stopped sailed around in circles for about an hour and resumed the voyage. The authorities were notified that a man fell overboard but was not recovered.

There were many theories on why the man â€" we assumed that the person was a man, women do not jump overboard, they prefer a glamorous way of dying. He was either drunk and lost his footing. He was not drunk but lost his footing anyway. He was despondent and he decided to end it all. Or he cannot bear to go home to his wife. Well, he cannot be asked. First he was not identified and even if identified he is already dead.

The chap who found the body got a merciless ribbing from his fellows. He was accused of being a fair weather fisherman who gets flustered when the winds become brisk. Necrophilia runs in the family, after the man over board report they say even a floating plastic is taken to be a cadaver. His brother was so afraid of ghosts that when he died, he cannot come back to haunt anybody because he is afraid of himself as a ghost.

We have a sneaking suspicion that the local fishermen are trying to discredit the fellow. If a corpse were found drifting in the fishing grounds, fish prices would take a nosedive. Mere presence of a cadaver would taint all fishers vegetarian or carnivorous. Even swimming past the body would contaminate the fish. After the Ormoc tragedy when corpses were washed into Bohol Sea between Jagna and Camiguin, fish prices were so low that blue water fishermen have to limit their operations.

At any rate, local fish consumers do not have to worry. If the story were true, the body would have drifted away from Jagna. It could be in either Pamilacan or Limasawa. Or even if in the vicinity, it would have disintegrated and sank. Sharks could not have eaten it. The sharks are now in office.

By KIT BAGAIPO
<a href="http://www.boholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>
   
First District Rep. Edgar Chatto will meet with officials of the Department of Energy (DoE) today (July 4, 2007) to convey the strong opposition of fishermen and non-government organizations on the seismic oil exploration ongoing at the Bohol Sea.

This even as the public awaits Gov. Erico Aumentado's decision regarding recommendations of the technical working group (TWG) created to gather environmental baseline data in the survey area.

During an interview over dyRD's "Inyong Alagad" and "Pulso" yesterday, Chatto said he will meet with DoE officials despite the governor's assurance that he will also speak with Energy Sec. Rafael Lotilla regarding the start of the seismic survey without honoring its commitments to settle first environmental issues and compensation to fisherfolks.

Chatto disclosed that during a talk with Energy ASec. Francisco Delfin last Monday, it was confirmed that seismic survey in the municipal waters off Loon started.

According to Chatto, Delfin justified that they decided to start seismic exploration activities since they have already paid payao owners and that they were informed baseline data gathering in the Loon area was already completed.

However, Senior Board Member Thomas Cesar Lopez, said in a separate interview that Loon fisherfolks refused to agree with the offer made by NorAsian Energy Ltd.

NorAsian, the Australian-based oil explorer, reportedly offered to pay around P111 a day for each fisherman.

Delfin told Chatto that DoE lawyers were advised by the Solicitor General who recommended that they start the exploration in Bohol since there is a pending court order sought by oppositors.

   

By Kit Bagaipo
<a href="http://www.boholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>
July 4, 2007

A former policeman and his wife together with two others were arrested by joint operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for possession of illegal drugs and firearms early Sunday morning in Maribojoc town.

The suspects, identified as Roberto Ramirez and wife Maria Salve Barbante were the subject of a search warrant issued last June 28 by Regional Trial Court
Branch 49 Judge Fernando Fuentes III, for violating Sec 11 and 12 of RA 9165.

The police team raided the couple's residence in barangay Pagnitoan, Maribojoc town and chanced upon two suspects identified as Randy Reboldad and Gualberto Mangala.

Seized from the four suspects were one deck of suspected "shabu," 3 pieces of cellophane containing dried "marijuana" leaves, one bottle containing "marijuana" roots and 2 units of cellular phones.

Police also took from the possession of suspects one Smith and Wesson 357 Magnum revolver and one Smith and Wesson .38 Special revolver with live ammunition.

Charges are now being prepared by the CIDG against the four suspects who are presently detained at the Bohol Provincial Police Office in Camp Dagohoy, this city.

By Kit Bagaipo
source: <a href="http://www.boholchronicle.com>The Bohol Chronicle</a>
July 4, 2007

Albur Mayor Jose Ugdoracion wants to stop the ongoing construction of the Cluster Sanitary Landfill in Albur town even as the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) has started negotiating with landowners of the project site in barangay Danggay last Friday.

The new Albur mayor, who voiced strong opposition to the project being undertaken by the PTA even before the elections, said in an interview with the Chronicle that he was surprised to learn the project's winning bidder and contractor has actually finished the road network going to the landfill.

Ugdoracion said, a notice to proceed with the project implementation was likewise received by the Laguna-based contractor.

The sanitary landfill will host 11 towns. This is undertaken by the PTA as a component project of the Panglao Island Tourism Estate (PITE) and the Panglao International Airport, mainly to manage garbage disposal from the tourist haven island.

According to Ugdoracion, the contractor informed him that they were not aware that there are still issues to be resolved in the host town regarding the project.

Presently, the 3-kilometer road component from the highway going to the landfill is already finished by the contractor, Ugdoracion said.

The mayor said a formal query has already been made at the PTA, asking for proof that the residents of Albur agreed to the project and an environmental impact assessment has made and an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) has already been issued.

The road construction, was started during the term of former Mayor Efren Tungol, according to Ugdoracion.

This, despite assurances even from Gov. Erico Aumentado that construction of the sanitary landfill will not start unless issues raised by residents opposing the project are addressed.

The landfill project will be constructed in barangay Danggay of said town.

In fact, the mayor said, Aumentado have indicated even before the election that the electoral battle between Tungol and Ugdoracion would serve as a referendum by the people of Albur if they favor or oppose the landfill project.

Ugdoracion said he is keen on recycling of garbage as an alternative to the sanitary landfill.

By Kit Bagaipo
<a href="http://www.boholchronicle.com">The Bohol Chronicle</a>
July 4, 2007

The 10th Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) led by new City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso will hold its first regular session today (July 4, 2007) with 20 out of 23 committees already formed.

Today's session will mainly resolve chairmanships of three major committees - Appropriation, Commerce and Industry, and Engineering.

The selection of committee memberships was made during a conference of all 12 city councilors Monday night at the Bohol Tropics Resort.

However, selection of chairman and members of the three committees, which were hotly contested was deferred subject to be resolved in today's session.

Vice Mayor Veloso and Kag. Edgar Bompat are said to be contesting to head the committee on appropriations.

Kagawads Oscar Glovasa, Zenaido Rama and Nerio Zamora II are contesting the chairmanship of the committee on engineering.

In the 9th Sanggunian, Glovasa chaired the committee on engineering.

On the other hand, the committee on commerce and industry is still being contested by Kagawads Rama, Bompat and newcomer Bebiano Inting.

The city councilors may have to call for a vote if chairmanship in these committees is not resolved.

Bompat, who garnered the highest number of votes among the city councilors is the majority floor leader while Kag. Danilo Bantugan was selected as assistant majority floor leader.

First-termer Kag. Anne Mariquit Oppus is the minority floor leader with Kag. Lucio Balbin as assistant minority floor leader.

COMMITTEES

The committee on rules is chaired by Bompat with Kag. Danilo Bantugan as vice chair.
Inting chairs ways and means with Balbin as vice chair.

Glovasa and Bantugan are heading the committee on city planning, as chair and vice chair respectively.

The committee on protective services will be chaired by Bompat and Zamora.

Kag. Leonides Borja chair the committee on health and sanitation with Rama as vice chair.

Rama heads public utilities committee with Oppus as vice chair.

The committee on economic enterprise will be chaired by Bantugan with Balbin as vice chair.

Balbin and Glovasa will head the committee on labor, agriculture and fishing.

Personnel and reorganization is chaired by Bantugan with Borja as vice chair.

Other committee chairmen and vice chairmen are: Tourism, Rama - chair; Borja - vice chair; Education Culture, History and Heraldry, Bantugan and Oppus.

Barangay Affairs, Kag. Alberta Torralba and Zamora; Public Accountability and Investigation, Kag. Frances Abellana and Zamora; External Affairs, Borja and Bantugan.

Justice and Human Rights, Zamora and Oppus; Environmental Protection, Borja and Zamora; Social Welfare and Family Relations, Oppus and Torralba.

Urban Poor Affairs, Balbin and Rama; Cooperatives, Kag. Edgar Kapirig and Inting.

Stings from the Wild
The Second Generation
By A.M.B. Apalisok
Dubai-based Writer

               
   One doesn’t take an evening walk in Dubai by the light of the silvery moon.  Dubai has a golden moon that lords it over the city’s skyline on evenings.  I still have to see a single star and think it a phenomenon.

   Which is to say that my country is a lucky one.  Most of our evenings have starry skies and our days, sunny or not, have wondrous skies of light to deep blue and clouds of all sorts that change hues from white to orange to gray and purple as the day wears on.  Dubai’s skies are leaden, bereft of character in its slate gray vastness and where clouds, if ever there are, are mere wisps that soon disappear. 

   Our skies may be the envy of painters, but it’s Dubai’s skyline that’s the envy of contractors and construction engineers.  It is a city bursting with real estate development, booming at a pace such that it is portrayed more precisely as “an enormous construction site.”  Never mind the weather.

   Stepping out from a cold airplane and airport at the wee hours of dawn, I gasped for breath in those few steps I took from the terminal to the car.  The desert air is unbelievably dry and hot; it was as if my face was covered with freshly pressed warm towels.  How can people live here?  I thought.     

   Everything is air-conditioned is how.  Even small structures like police outposts and the humblest of hovels are air-conditioned. 

   Outside the gate of the Philippine Consulate is an air-conditioned outpost of the local consular police, so-called because its sole duty is to protect consulates of other countries.   The latter I noticed in a neighboring emirate where the local Filipino community’s leaders brought us to their place, a decrepit villa they’ve managed to rent and repair and subdivide into small air-conditioned one-room units that serve as receiving room, bedroom and kitchen, an ingenuous and efficient 3-in-1 arrangement.

   Locals in Dubai are far outnumbered by foreigners, who comprise some 92 percent of the population. This figure is somewhat higher than the national average of 85 percent.  It is expected that the ongoing nationwide census will place the population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 5 million inhabitants, close to half of which will be made up of Indians and Pakistanis.  Others expats are from neighboring Arab countries, northern Africa, western countries with multinational companies and, you guessed it, the Philippines.  Filipinos in the UAE number well over 200 thousand, with some 500 workers and job-seekers arriving every day.

   One can understand from this demography that no foreigner is given UAE citizenship.  Foreigners with proper passports and jobs can stay here for as long as they wish, as Indians have for generations since this place was once a British protectorate.  But to become a bonafide citizen is out of the question.   

   There are seven emirates (for which our provinces could be the nearest equivalent) in this country.  Seven emirs, or rulers, in years past united themselves into the UAE.  The capital is Abu Dhabi, where our embassy is. 

   Abu Dhabi owns 86.67 percent of the country’s total land area.  The remaining 13.33 percent belongs to the Emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.  The size of land is no deterrent to development.  Dubai’s trajectory tops them all.           

   It is said that this Persian Gulf boomtown has emerged as the world’s fastest growing city.  Some 24 percent of the world’s building cranes are in Dubai these days.  More are needed.

   Oil-rich investors who plow profits into real estate fuel this cosmopolitan city’s frenzied growth.  Add the fact that Dubai has little government intervention and isn’t constrained by bureaucratic red tape and perceived corruption that bedevils other places, and the result is efficiency. 
   This regional center for business and tourism has drawn people to its free market economy.  An added boon is that Dubai is a safe base for multinational companies in the Middle East. 

   Where booms and chances are, Filipinos are.  Even with our very real job diaspora, I’m still amazed that all the cashiers of a supermarket here are Filipinos.  Inspired by Aga Muhlach’s movie (Pinoys here jokingly give this reason) or not, like anywhere else, some make it, others don’t.  If one must hitch his wagon to a star, well, with its cloudless skies Dubai has no visible star all these weeks that I’ve been here. 

   There are realities as there are expectations.  We are duty-bound to avoid falling victim to our own high expectations.

Snowhite, if you were my first lady, your rating would be +100.  Automatic.

Objection your Honor.

Bisaya is a language, and was never a dialect.

A dialect is just an attachment to a particular major language.

Bisaya is not attached to any of the Philippine languages.

Bisaya can exist alone.

This has been the position advocated by Leoncio Deriada, chair of UP-Iloilo English Department, and supported by the Who's Who of the Philippine Literature.

1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am

Very rich. Marry me!" - That's Direct Marketing

2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous

Girl. One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you says: "He's very rich, Marry him." - That's Advertising

3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and get her

telephone number. The next day, you call and say: "Hi, I'm very rich.

Marry me." - That's Telemarketing

4. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up and straighten
your tie, you walk up to her and pour her a drink, you open the door (of the car)for her, pick up her bag after she drops it, offer her ride and then say: "By the way, I'm rich. Will you marry me?" - That's Public
Relations

5. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks up to you and

says: "You are very rich! Can you marry ! me?" - That's Brand Recognition

6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am

Very rich. Marry me!" She gives you a nice hard slap on your face. - That's

Customer Feedback

7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and say: "I am

Very rich. Marry me!" And she introduces you to her husband. - That's demand and supply gap

8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you
say anything, another person come and tell her: "I'm rich. Will you marry me?" and she goes with him - That's competition eating into your market share

9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to her and before you

say: "I'm rich, Marry me!" your wife arrives. - That's restriction for

entering new markets

Elizabeth,

The P200-million Talibon Dam is but a dream.

A dream that cost taxpayers P200 million.

P200 million = singot ug dugo nga gipatulo sa mga kabos nga Pilipinhon. 

Recently, they approved another a hundred million pesos for the imaginary Talibon Dam.

So the cost of our dream is now more or less P300 million.

We are all dreamers, Elizabeth. We are...

I have posted poverty statistics for every town. The info was culled from the Provincial Planning and Development Office. One who is interested to know of the state of poverty of his or her hometown should browse the Bohol town section of Tubag Bohol.

P.S. No statistics for Ubay. I don't know why it is being hidden from public view.

We are reposting here an enlightening discourse written by Gilbert Montera, a Bol-anon based in Vietnam. Hopefully this would conclude the word war that erupted under the topic "After Using Tubag Bohol."

BISAYA Version
By Gwapohon (a.k.a. Gilbert Montera)

Alang sa tanang lumad nga mga Bol-anon kinsang mga kaugatan nagalatay ang dugo sa gugma, kalinaw, ug pakig-ambit:

Akong dakong kalipay ang kasikas nga naga panghinabo tungod sa atung pagtuki sa mga nagkadaiyang butang ginamit ang duha sa atong unang nakat-unan nga pinulongan: ang pinulongang banyaga - Ingles ug ang atuang kaugalingong natawhang pinulongan - Bisaya.

Sa atong kadasig, kita nahimong kita. Wala na kitay paglipod lipod sa pagpasundayag sa atong mga tinagong mga kaalam. Usa kini ka himsog nga timailhanan sa atoang pagka-Bol-anon: nga  bisan  pa sa dakong huwa nga gihimo sa halapad nga kadagatan, kita nagakahiusa ug usa sa pangandoy ug handum nga makig-ambit ug makig hugoy hugoy sa atuang nga kaliwat.

Kining lugar sa kapunaw punawan nga gitawag nila ug "internet" ug ilabi na kining lugar sa maong "internet" nga gitawag nila ug "Tubag Bohol", usa kini ka maayong lugar diin kita makig hugoy hugoy, way kabalaka kon unsa ang kapadulngan sa atung pakigtabi.

Sa laing bahin, adunay mga hilisgutan nga naga panawag sa seryoso nga mga pangisip ug panabot (politika, ekonomiya, atuang mga handum sa atong pinalanggang yutang natawhan - ang yuta sa atong mga katigulangan). Aduna usay mga hilisgutan nga naga kinahanglan ug kalantip nga panghuna-huna ug espesyal nga kaalam sama "Computers and the Internet (and anything IT)".  Akoang pag saludo sa kahait sa panabot ni Ghost ning mao nga umahan sa pagtuon. Gali sa akoang pagsabot, mao kini ang nagdala kaniya sa yuta sa mga pangandoy. Kini maoy nagahatag kaniya sa dakong kahigayunan aron matuman ang iyang mga pangandoy ug makab-ot ang mga luho sa kinabuhi. Kahigayunan nga gihikaw sa kapalaran sa mga tawo kinsa kutob na lang sa paghandum. Matuman lamang ang maong kahiguyanan nga gitagamtan na karon ni Ghost - SA DAMGO LANG.

Sa susamang kahimtang, adunay mga tawo nga walay gasa (o kon aduna man, dili sama sa gasa nga nadawat ni Ghost) sa umahan sa "computer". Apan ang ilang gasa anaa sa pag garay sa mga pulong. Si Lumine, Paul ug iyang kapikas - si Inday Rose. Ang ilang gasa anaa sa umahan sa pinulongang Ingles. Ug labaw sa tanan dili nato hikalimtan nga si Mike anaa usay gasa sa pinulungang Ingles, Bisaya ug "computer" dinasunan sa pagkahimugso niining "Tubag Bohol".

Sa laktod nga pagsaysay, kini ang nagahatag ug dugang pang bulok sa atuang panagtuki (o panaglantugi). Kini ang dugang pang maka-ugmad sa atong tabunok nga mga kasinatian sa atoang tagsa-tagsa ka mga gasa.

Busa kon ugaling adunay mga butang nga dili nato masabtan, anaa ra kana kanato kon mangutana kita sa tawo (o mga tawo) nga nagamit niining maong mga pulong. Aduna kitay tagsa tagsa ka kagawasan sa pag gamit niini. Sa atong tagsa-tagsa ka mga trabaho, adunay mga pulong nga ang atua ra usab nga mga kauban sa trabaho ang makasabot niini. Sama sa mga pulong "hyperthreading, overclocking, TCP/IP" kini dili sarang malitok o masabtan sa ordinaryong katawhan nga walay hibangkaagan sa natad sa "computer" (diin si Ghost mao ang awtoridad niini). Ang mga pulong "gobbledygook, hifalutin, schmaltzy", kini mao usay mga pulong nga gigamit sa mga tawo nga kinsang gasa mao ang natad sa pulong.

Dili nato sabton nga kon kita mogamit sa atong tagsa-tagsa ka mga gasa, kini pagpasundayag sa atoang mga kahanas. Hinunua, atong kining lantawon sa habog nga pantawan aron atong maaninaw nga kini dugang nato nga kahigayunan sa pagbinayloay sa atong tagsa-tagsa ka mga gasa.

Mabuhi kitang tanan nga adunay pangandoy sa pagpalambo sa atuang tagsa-tagsa ka mga kasinatian ning atung panaw nga gitawag ug KINABUHI!

Kalinaw igsoon!

source: <a href="http://www.wltx.com">WLTX News</a>

(Keenesburg, Co.) - Flora Zimbelman says it all started 54 years ago when she put an uncooked hot dog in her sister’s suitcase.

"I don’t know what made me do it. The devil I guess," she said.

Flora’s sister, Rose, found the hot dog when she opened the suitcase back up in Idaho, where she lived at the time.

"She mailed it back to me telling me to keep my garbage at home," said Flora.

The game was on.

In the years that followed, Flora would find a way to sneak the hot dog back into Rose's life. And Rose would find another way to sneak it back to Flora.

"I found it under my pillow once, I found it in between the drapes and once I found it in the kitchen drawer," said Flora.

Flora still has that hot dog. It looks just about as disgusting as you might expect.

Yet, earlier this year, Flora's sister, best friend, and victim of her continuous pranks, lost her battle with cancer.

Flora says she misses her friend, and even though it’s difficult to look at, she’ll still show you the hot dog and tell you the story behind it.

By Juan Mercado

"While coasting on tourist visas, some seek foreigners to marry, preferably of similar national ancestry, so they can stay for good. Migrant money buoys the economy back home. Migrant departures split parents from children. And lofty talk of opportunity abroad mixes with accounts of false travel documents and sham marriages."

Over eight million Filipinos today work in 162 countries. A number seek to marry foreign citizens, of Filipino ancestry, to get residence. Overseas Filipino workers' (OFWs') remittances topped $12 billion last year. And family abandonment cases are rising. So, the paragraph above is about the Philippines, right?

Wrong. This is an excerpt from a New York Times report on migration ripping West Africa's Cape Verde. It also offers a glimpse of 200 million migrants worldwide recasting societies in a planet "where borders are closing." An archipelago, like the Philippines, Cape Verde is Africa's "Galapagos of migration," writes Jason De Parle. Isolas de Galapagos (Islands of the Tortoises) are desolate Pacific islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador. British buccaneers in the 17th century used them as a base. But their plant and animal life enabled the naturalist Charles Darwin, in 1835, to shatter the old belief that "species remain immutable." Galapagos showed that different species, over time, adapt to their environment.

Is the Philippines the "Galapagos of migration" in Asia? New York Times Magazine titled De Parle's earlier cover story on Filipino OFWs: "A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves." It tracked three generations of a Pasay City swimming pool cleaner's family who became OFWs. "In no other sizeable country do remittances loom as large as 14 percent of national GDP… But no country ever broke free from penury just by remittances."

Asians accounted for $53 billion of the $127 billion that migrants sent home in 2004. If one tacks on funds sent through "informal channels," the total now probably exceeds $300 billion. That's almost triple the world's foreign aid budgets combined.

On average, the monthly OFW packet is $300, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) found. The money repairs run-down houses, buys subdivision plots, pays for medicine and tuition, etc. It also snaps up cell phones, fancy clothes and, in some instances, mistresses, karaokes and booze. "Sapagkat kami ay tao lamang."

Nearly half of migrants from poor nations trudge to other poor nations, De Parle observes. Chinese shopkeepers chase markets on Cape Verde. As Zimbabwe crumbles from the Marcos-style governance of Robert Mugabe, it drives thousands next door.

For both "sending" and "receiving" nations, migration is front-burner issue. Immigration law reforms to cover 12 million illegals in the United States collapsed. Catholic priests from Poland flood into Ireland. British Broadcasting Corp. reports that last year, 3,200 out of 8,000 UK nurses flew to Australia, due to National Health Service budget cuts. Over 165,000 Malaysians cross the Johore bridge daily to jobs in Singapore. This is the "Age of Migration," an academic says.

It's also "the age of migration alarm," De Parle notes. Even before Sept. 11, hurdles were growing, like the "3-S Strategy," the ADB noted. Visas go only for "skilled workers for short-term employment in specific sectors." Language skills are tested and visa processing is longer, costlier.

"European ships patrol African coasts to intercept human smugglers and new fences are planned along the Rio Grande between the US and Mexico," he notes. "Countries that want migrant muscle and brains also want more border control … and fear bonfires of religious and cultural conflict."

More migrants today are women. Marlou Schrover of Leiden University notes that in migration history, men, as well as the poor, the desperate and the exceptional attracted more attention than other migrants. And the "death of distance" due to the jet, Internet, telephone, etc. made cultural differences smaller.

The desire to experience migration's economic rewards is "imploding." That stokes the frustration of people desperate to migrate but who cannot. "What characterizes the world today is also the feeling of involuntary immobility," says Dr. R. Carling of Oslo's International Peace Research Institute.

Migration supplies rich economies with brawn and brains of migrants. Remittances feed and shelter the poor, underscoring family devotion. But the constant emphasis on departures also strains family bonds and erodes marriages. It increases inequalities between migrants and those who can't leave.

A country that can't hold its best and brightest compromises its future. Such countries find they must reinvent themselves as nations beyond borders. Migration drains the Philippines of essential skills, the ADB cautions. And spoon-feeding individuals or governments put off tough reforms.

"Relying on remittances -- and the prospect of going abroad one day -- can alienate," De Parle notes. That alienation finds its expression in song. In Cape Verde, the song "Sodade" conveys "longing, longing, longing for my island." And De Parle remembers Filipino OFWs in Dubai belting out, "It's So Painful, Big Brother Eddie," a 1980s Tagalog song "that immortalizes every Filipino migrant's fears." Since we never got our act, at home, together.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. â€"Psalm 51:10

What’s the most common affliction that plagues people in the US? Heart trouble. More than any other ailment, it’s the disease that causes an early death.

But there’s an affliction even more deadly than a malfunction of the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. It’s a spiritual heart disease from which everyone suffers. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

Here’s the diagnosis made by Jesus Christ, the greatest of all heart specialists: “Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man” (Matt. 15:19-20).

His words echo the verdict of Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” That diagnosis includes all who are dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1).

We need a new heartâ€"to be made alive. But how can that happen? It takes the healing touch of our Lord. God showed His kindness to us in Christ Jesus when He gave His Son to die in our place. He makes us alive by grace through faith; “it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:.

Ask Him for a spiritual heart transplant. â€"Vernon C Grounds

Now rest, my long-divided heart,
Fixed on this blissful center, rest,
Nor ever from my Lord depart,
With Him of every good possessed. â€"Doddridge

We need more than a new start; we need a new heart.

<a href="http://www.rbc.org">Our Daily Bread</a>

By Norm Frauenheim
<a href="http://www.azcentral.com">The Arizona Republic</a>

A declaration of peace on Friday promises to save boxing more than any punch from Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Oscar De La Hoya on May 5, a bout that was sold as the savior.

Bob Arum and De La Hoya announced an end to hostilities with a deal that includes a significant fight - a Manny Pacquiao rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera on Oct. 6 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay.

An out-of-court agreement settles lawsuits regarding the rights to Pacquiao, an exciting Filipino who throws more punches in a few rounds than Mayweather did in several during his split decision victory over De La Hoya.

A declaration of peace on Friday promises to save boxing more than any punch from Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Oscar De La Hoya on May 5, a bout that was sold as the savior.

Bob Arum and De La Hoya announced an end to hostilities with a deal that includes a significant fight - a Manny Pacquiao rematch against Marco Antonio Barrera on Oct. 6 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay.

An out-of-court agreement settles lawsuits regarding the rights to Pacquiao, an exciting Filipino who throws more punches in a few rounds than Mayweather did in several during his split decision victory over De La Hoya.

Arum, of Top Rank, and De La Hoya's company, Golden Boy, will share in the promotion of Pacquiao.

Above all, the deal clears the table for bouts that, until Friday, seemed impossible because of a noisy feud.

Arum, De La Hoya and Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer tossed around more trash talk than Mayweather, who put his name back in the headlines a few days before the announcement by saying he wanted to fight Ricky Hatton.

It was almost as if Mayweather had been tipped off that an Arum-De La Hoya settlement was imminent.

Mayweather, claiming he was annoyed at Hatton, announced his comeback Tuesday. That means Mayweather's announced retirement lasted 52 days. A Don King news conference lasts longer.

Above all, the settlement is a threat to Mayweather's claim on the mythical pound-for-pound title.

Pacquiao, the reigning junior-lightweight, is the only fighter who can knock an often-insecure Mayweather off his acknowledged hold on the top spot.

The De La Hoya-Arum agreement will allow Pacquiao to do exactly that, first against Barrera, then against Juan Manuel Marquez, who beat Barrera and fought Pacquiao to a draw.

It looks as if peace might create more just one good fight.
Always coming back
Felix Trinidad is the latest to say he will hit the comeback trail.

Rumors of his return have circulated for months. Roy Jones Jr., another retread, talks as if he is the leading candidate for Trinidad.

Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright, who fight each other July 21, also seem to be possibilities. They beat Trinidad.

However, Wright trainer Dan Birmingham doesn't think a rematch with his fighter will happen.

"Impossible," Birmingham said last week in a conference call. "They've become very, very good friends and business partners."

A rematch after Trinindad's controversial victory over De La Hoya looks like a sure money-maker.

For De La Hoya, it also would be a good time to stop, think and decide on whether to retire to the promotional side of the ropes.

By Cris Larano
Dow Jones Newswires
Edited by Matthew Oakley
<a href="http://money.cnn.com">CNN Money</a>

MANILA -(Dow Jones)- Pepsi-Cola Products Inc. is planning an initial public offering of shares that could raise as much as PHP7.92 billion ($173 million), documents filed with regulators showed Tuesday.

The Philippines' second-largest soft-drinks company by sales plans to offer 1.31 billion shares, including 171.4 million to cover possible excess demand, at a maximum price of PHP6.04 a share.

Of the 1.14 billion shares to be initially offered, around 380.8 million will be new shares, while 761.6 million will be sold by some of the company's major shareholders, including its biggest owner, Guoco Assets (Philippines) Inc..

PepsiCo Inc. (PEP), which has a 32.9% stake in the company, isn't among the selling shareholders.

Proceeds from the sale of new shares will be used to install additional bottling lines to increase capacity and enable the company to manufacture non- carbonated drinks.

The company saw its net profit in the three quarters up to March 2007 contract 21% on year to PHP501 million, as higher operating expenses and production costs offset a 17% on-year increase in sales.

UBS Investment Bank is sole international underwriter and bookrunner for the IPO.

source: <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk">BBC NEWS</a>

US private equity group Blackstone is buying the global Hilton Hotels chain for $26bn (£13bn) in an all-cash deal.

Under the deal, Blackstone is paying $47.50 for each Hilton Hotels Corporation share, a 32% premium over their closing price on Tuesday.

Blackstone said the deal had been approved by Hilton's board, and was due to be completed by the end of 2007.

The surprise announcement comes two weeks after Blackstone raised $4.13bn through floating a 13.2% stake.

Numerous hotel brands

Blackstone said it intends to grow the Hilton business.

The private equity firm already has a number of hotel investments, including La Quinta Inns and Luxury Resorts and Hotels.

US-based Hilton's other brands include Conrad Hotels, and the Waldorf-Astoria Collection.

Blackstone's co-founders, Stephen Schwarzman, 60, and Peter Peterson, 81, earned more than $2.4bn between them from last month's share sale.

The global network of Hilton hotels were reunited as one company in 2006 after a 42-year split.

The reunion happened after Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) paid $3.3bn to buy the 400 international Hilton hotels owned by UK-based Hilton Group.

The division took place in 1964, when HHC sold off all its overseas hotels to concentrate on the US market.

By Joseph Pimentel
<a href="http://www.asianjournal.com">Asian Journal</a>

LOS ANGELES - Sometimes you have to lose before you understand the value of winning.

For World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific Lightweight champion Filipino Augosto Caesar Amonsot, known as the Czar of Bohol, this saying has special significance.

Despite the criticism of being an undisciplined fighter, the blond-dyed-haired Amonsot never lost sight of his ability and is set to prove his critics wrong when he fights for the WBO Interim Lightweight Championship.

The southpaw Amonsot (18-2-1 10 KOs) of Bohol, Philippines will fight defending champion Australian Michael “Rocky” Katsidis (22-0, 20 KOs) in the undercard of the “Coming to Fight” pay per view headlined by Bernard Hopkins vs. Winky Wright at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on July 21.

With an impressive win, the 21-year-old Amonsot is hoping to regain his lost glory and finally silence his critics.

Last September, Amonsot suffered a humiliating one-punch, 47-seconds, first round knockout lost to Simson Butar Butar of Indonesia in front of Amonsot’s hometown fans in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

The knockout was a symbolic ending to a tumultuous match.

Before the fight, there were reports of Amonsot being out of shape. ALA Boxing Gym had disciplined Amonsot preventing him from wearing the famed ALA black shorts, a symbol of ALA fighters for discipline, integrity and dedication. He had failed to make weight, weighing in at 135 rather than 130 against Butar Butar. And he was stripped of his WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight title.

After the fight, the once promising Amonsot immediately faced criticism from fans and media about his lackluster performance due to his “undisciplined” lifestyle and lack of dedication to boxing.

The loss made him look at himself closely. It was the second loss of his career and to the same fighter.

“There are so many important things [I learned] about myself,” said Amonsot outside the Wild Card Gym on June 21. “I had to discipline myself. No more drinking, no more smoking.”

Boxing trainer Edito Villamor of the ALA Boxing said he thinks Amonsot learned his lesson and expects big things from now on from here on out.

“He lost [against Butar Butar] because he’s undisciplined but now he’s learned that boxing is more important [it’s] about sacrifice and discipline. Now, he trains and focus on the fight and wants this fight,” said Villamor.

Earlier this year, Amonsot rebounded from the loss against Butar Butar. He regained his title with a split decision win against Korean Da Woon Jung in Korea.

But on July, Amonsot will make his third appearance in Las Vegas to face his toughest battle against the 26-year-old Katsidis. Katsidis was slated to make his American debut in Anaheim fighting unbeaten Joan Guzman before Guzman pulled out from an injury suffered while training.

Katsidis is a brawler - an unbeaten, hard-punching knockout artist, and self-describing “gladiator,” who often walks in the boxing ring wearing a Spartan mask. One could easily mistake him for a soldier in the movie 300. Katsidis represented Australia in the 2000 Olympics, and before turning pro in 2001, racked up an amateur record of 75 wins to six losses.

When asked about what he expects of the July 21 fight, Katsidis said:

“It is what it is,” said Katsidis, sporting a shiner under his right eye at the Wild Card Gym on June 21. “I’m defending my world title. This is the most important fight of my life. This is my [US] debut and I’m going to make a big impression.”

Katsidis didn’t delve into any specifics regarding his approach against Amonsot.

“I don’t know much about the fighter,” he said. “I usually work on myself and come ready for the fight that night.”

Brendon Smith, the manager and trainer of Katsidis, offered a different view about the fight.

“We’re giving him [Amonsot] a lot of respect… we’re treating this fight very seriously. He [Amonsot] is a good young prospect and this is going to be a very good fight.”

Golden Boy Promotions President and renowned boxer Oscar De La Hoya chimed in on the battle between Katsidis and Amonsot.

“I’m so excited,” said De La Hoya. “I can go back with Czar many fights ago, he has a tremendous heart. It’s going to be a battle until the end.”

De La Hoya said he expects an action-packed bout since both fighters like to keep the pace of the fight moving forward.

“People are going to be in awe on who they think the winner might be,” he said.

Asked if he has prediction for the fight, De La Hoya said:

“It’s really difficult to say. Both guys come forward. I think Czar has the better chin and that might be the difference. If Czar can connect against Katsidis…if he can connect and finish him, Czar can knock him out.”

“Katsidis is a fighter that’s going to come at you,” De La Hoya added. “He’s a brawler and fighter.”

De La Hoya said experience might be the key to win the fight.

“They just need to know how to use it.” (www.asianjournal.com)

GEC, Macky has volunteered to be one of the board of judges.

Where are the girls? They are not interested in a virtual Ms Bohol Sandugo?

By BLOOEY SINGSON
<a href="http://www.mb.com.ph">The Manila Bulletin</a>

Who says Filipinos aren’t bookworms? With bibliophiles, book collectors, and even professionals in the book industry banding together just to share their love for books and reading, forming discussion groups to trading posts and organizations that further the growth of the book industry, it is clearly the advent of a reading culture in the Philippines.

Irene Lloren, president of Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) organizer Primetrade Asia, confirms this.

"Filipinos do read. At the annual Manila International Book Fair, we get more than 50,000 visitors in a matter of five days. Reading is a part of the lifestyle of more and more people â€" the importance of books has evolved and its significance is now immeasurable."

READ...OR DIE!

Even the most engrossed bookworms can be articulate speakers, especially when it comes to the books they read. Powerbooks’ Power Book Club is a venue for book lovers to discuss the featured selection of the month.

"The Power Book Club was established to promote reading and learning," says Vivian Angeles, marketing manager of Powerbooks. "It is one way to share their opinions with other people, and to learn through the opinions of other people. We wanted to provide a good venue for book lovers for these kinds of discussion."

Two book club sessions are held every month, one at Powerbooks Greenbelt and one at Powerbooks Megamall every last Tuesday and Wednesday of the month, around 6:30-9 pm. A featured selection is given, along with guidelines for discussion. Participants are given discounts on the featured book. A facilitator guides and keeps the sessions from deviating from the set themes and topics. Participants also get free coffee and a chance to win raffle prizes in each session.

"We get about 12 participants per session, usually regulars," Angeles shares. "Every now and then, new people join us, which shows a lot of promise for the club."

Read Or Die Philippines, a readers group founded in 2005, also holds monthly book discussions. Founding member Kristin Mandigma notes: "We read a lot of books and were also interacting online. Because we couldn’t find other book clubs to join, we decided to put up our own club."

Today, Read or Die has about 50 members, 20 of which are active in monthly meetings held at different bookstores in Metro Manila, while the rest volunteer for their various events.

"On our monthly meetings, aside from our book discussions, we also plan for activities which are part of our advocacy in making an independent, strategic and practical contribution to the creation of a literate society," Mandigma shares. "We want to promote reading for purpose and for pleasure, and to encourage public appreciation for all kinds of literature, especially writing produced by Filipino authors."

Read Or Die also manages Libro.ph, a new online literary portal and community for Filipinos that hosts blogs, author and group sites, reading guides and reading lists, news of events on literacy and literature, online book clubs, and digitized publications.

Read Or Die will also host special events with the theme "Ang Bagong Libro" at the MIBF. Read or Die will also be participating in events organized by other groups and institutions at the MIBF, such as the Pistang Panitik 2007 as presented by the UP Institute Of Creative Writing. They will also cover the MIBF through blogs, podcasts and videos in Libro.ph.

"We’re re-imagining the Filipino book," states Mandigma. "We’ll be focusing on new books, new writers, new literature, and new forms of reading."

ALL FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Professionals in the children’s book industry have also banded together into organizations for their respective fields, helping the industry by establishing a growing awareness of the craft and providing a venue for building professionalism in the areas of writing, illustrating, packaging, and marketing of children’s books.

In June 1991, Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.N.K. was founded) as the offshoot of a Children’s Book Illustration sponsored by the PBBY (Philippine Board on Books for Young People) and the Goethe Institute Manila.

"Ang INK was born out of a need by the workshop participants to organize towards the professionalization and development of the industry," says Jovan de Ocampo, president of Ang INK. "Since then, Ang INK has worked towards setting up an effective linkage and communication network among and between artists, writers, publishers and educators engaged in the production of children’s books and other visual materials for children through monthly general meetings, newsletters, catalogs and exhibitions."

The networking provides career opportunities for its members, and has helped them to be more aware of their rights, as well as the ins and outs of the industry.

The organization Kuwentista ng mga Tsikiting (KUTING), was founded in the 1995 UP Writers’ Workshop. It is an organization of writers for children, cited in 200 by the Reading Association of the Philippines "for having professionalized writing for children, raising it to the level of art, and for ensuring the emergence of the Golden Age of children’s literature." Famous and prolific authors number as members, including Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, Augie Rivera, Carla Pacis, Becky Bravo, Christine Bellen, May Tobias-Papa, and Eugene Evasco.

Meanwhile, Alitaptap, a guild of volunteer storytellers whose mission is to instill among children the love for reading and the appreciation of children’s literary art through story telling, was founded in 1999.

The Philippines and Asia-Pacific regional chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is another active organization in the industry, with a common passion and a shared commitment to creating and promoting children’s literature.

Under the leadership of regional adviser Beaulah Pedrosa-Taguiwalo, the SCBWI-Philasia, the group holds a Booktalk and group critique of manuscripts and portfolios every second Monday of the month, and seminars and workshops on writing and illustrating for children and young adults once or twice a year.

With special industry events like the Manila International Book Fair, book lovers have more venues to propagate the love for reading and promote the growth of the book industry. The MIBF showcases the largest and most varied collection of literature, textbooks, educational supplements, general references, religious and inspirational titles, self-help books, management books, Filipiniana, coffee table books, popular novels, children’s books, art books, graphic novels, rare and hard-to-find titles, magazines, audio and e-books, multimedia, teaching supplies and services, publishers’ technology, and travel materials.

The Philippine book industry is infused with new life, with local publishing houses consistently churning out new titles, book retailers aggressively offering a wide range of book genres, and an international book fair bringing them all together under one roof!

Quote from: HazEL on July 03, 2007, 06:30:35 PM
lawm naman na Mike oi...di na madala bisan pa mag salba bida.

Hazel, ayaw sulayi ug salom ang mga pulong nga miguwa gikan sa akong kinahiladman kay kung imo gyung sawmon ug tugkaron ang mga pulong, magpusnga lang ka nga maglangoy taliwala sa dagat sa kahimatngon.

riva, it has always been like that. people get lost in tubag bohol because they come in through the nearest exit. 

Rose, let's just be honest here. I speak the truth.

Behind a satisfied wife is... Tubag, Paul...

Min, try it. And let us know if it works. If it works, we'll follow you... and all Tubag Bohol members would have flawless skin.

Quote from: Julai on June 28, 2007, 08:00:10 PM
Ania na usab ang usa sa ahong mga balak nga namugna niadtong niaging tuig.
Ug kini pahinungod sa ahong paborito nga "tuba"..basta kanang tam-is,di ko ug bahal kay aslum,ahehehe.

Tuba
by Julai

Ohh ilimnon nga gikan sa lubing bantugan,
ang imong kalami gihandum sa adlaw nga tanan.
Ilimnon nga gikan sa sugong,
ang imong kalami di gayod makabong.

Matam-is kaman o mabahal,
sa akong kauhaw makatambal.
Bisan ako walay daghang sapi,
apan ako maningkamot nga kanimo makapalit.

Sa tanang ilimnon nga akong natilawan,
ikaw gayod ang pinaka namber wan,
tungod kay ang imong kalami,
dili ko na makalimtan.

Ako mapasalamaton kanimo,
sa labihan ka dako.
Kay tungod kanimo ako naka bungat
sa akong gibati ngadto kang inday nga binuhat.

Ikaw gayod ang hinungdan sa akong kalipay,
tungod kay gisugot na ako ni inday.
Ang babaye nga gipitik sa akong dughan,
sa dugay nang mga katuigan.

Ug karon nga kami usa na ka magtiayon,
ikaw apil na sa among kaminyoon.
Tungod kay kaming duha ni inday,
dili na mahinanok kung kanimo dili makatagay.

Julai,

Kapila ka na ba gyud mahubog sa tuba? Tug-an... Hubog ka ba sa pagtagik mo ning maong balak?

Quote from: gwapohon on June 28, 2007, 01:50:39 PM
Nagsingabot na ang kagbahion. Human sa tibook adlaw nga panaw, ang Haring Adlaw paingon na usab sa pagtikyop sa iyang halangdon nga silaw.

Dungan niini, naghinay na usab sa pagpamauli ang lapoy nga nga kaunuran sa mga mag-uuma gikan sa tagsa -tagsa ka mga umahan. Nagsugod na pag pang siga ang mga lampara ang tagsa-tagsa ka nga balay samtang nagakawala na ang katapusang badlis sa silaw sa kasadpan.

Laing gabii na usab ...

Taliwala sa makabungog nga kamingaw, hinay hinay nga gibungkag ang maong kahilum sa huni sa mao-pa-lay pagkaskas nga gitara.  Nakig-ambit usab sa maong huni ang awit sa mga pispis sa ilang way kupas nga pag-awit panahon sa paghabol sa kangitngit. Niambit usab sa maong huni ang mga baki sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga buho. Sa katapusan, imong maaninawan ang nagsingabot nga mga nagsigang sulo (nga hinimo sa lukay ug takong).

"Maayong gabii" maoy timbaya usa sa mga bag-ong niabot. "Maayong gabii sab" balik nga pagtimbaya ni Nang Pitang. "Usa ka bol nga tuba Nang Pitang" maoy hangyo ni Isyong.

Usa ka bol. Ikaduhang bol. Ikatulong bol. Naglibot libot na usab ang baso sa pagtagay sa matam-is nga tuba ni Melchor nga kaganina lang gihatud sa tindahan ni Nang Pitang. Nagakadugay, naga katam-is ug naga kalami ang tagay. Ang nagakalawon na nga kagabhion giubanan na usab sa naga kakusog nga mga tingog sa mga tigulang ug mga batan-on nga nagaalirong sa "petromax" sa maong tindahan. Sadya kaayo ang maong panagtigum bisan tuod sa tibook adlaw nga pagpangabudlay. Sa hinay-hinay gikuha ni Edot ang iyang sista ug gikaskas na ang unang nota sa iyang paboritong harana.

"Didto ko sa atong lagkaw, akong gisusi akong giduaw. Wa pa gyuy diyutay'ng kadaut bisan sa dugay nang mga adlaw. Abi ko ug naguba na, tun-as, nabungkag ug nawala na. Nagpabilin pa gihapon nga buhing saksi sa gugma ta...."



P.S.

(ipadayon sa sunod nga hugna ....)

Asa naman ang lain pang anib ug sumpay ning maong garay?

Quote from: gwapohon on June 28, 2007, 02:43:18 PM
what are the demands you obliged your "helpless" husband to do? grabe sab ka! he may be inactive here but its his being "inactive" here that makes you "active" somewhere else.... hehehe

Behind an inactive husband is an active wife.

Behind a satisfied wife is an exhausted husband.

Quote from: gwapohon on June 28, 2007, 03:34:27 PM

adunay kamatuoran kana inday. kaon sab ug daghang butong. ug kinutil. ug mga kinhason. sigurado nga lagubo....

Lagubo man gyud Bert. Seguradong kamoritsing inig human.

Quote from: gwapohon on June 29, 2007, 05:08:22 PM

mao gyud. mas linghud ang mga udlot sa hagonoy nga maoy ibakbak sa duha ka lawas nga nag-ulbo sa kainit. panabi sa lang daan kay basin ug dunay mga binuhat sa kangitngit nga maoy magdala ug hawan hawan.

o inday rose ikaupat na kini nga possibleng lugar diin magka gyera ang duha ka managlahing binuhat....

Ang unas sa saging magpabiling epiktibo nga panagang sa dinagaang sa lawas nga wa masubhi sa katugnaw sa kadlawon.

source: <a href="http://www.gomestic.com">Gomestic Homemaking</a> 

   1. Put out fires - A handful of baking soda can safely put out fires in many places; clothes, rugs, carpets etc.

   2. Clean your teeth - Use a little bit of baking soda on your toothbrush after you've brushed to get your teeth extra white. Don't do this more than 2, 3 times a month.

   3. Cleans clothes - Add a little baking soda to your cycle, it takes out tough stains.

   4. Use to clean certain dishes/containers - Use baking soda on food and drink containers to clean well. Works better with plastic items.

   5. Use to clean things around the house - Baking soda is a great cleaning tool for almost anything. Toilets, counters, furniture(marble), garbage cans, sinks, showers etc.

   6. Use to clean stainless steel pots and glass.

   7. Use baking soda to break down tough dirty areas; dirt on a car, inside of barbecue etc.

   8. Get rid of smells - Get rid of almost any smell with a little bit of baking soda, try it out.

   9. Use baking soda to clean appliances such as dishwashers and coffee-makers.

  10. Wash well with baking soda and apply for a stronger substitute then deodorant.

  11. Sun-burn solvent - To relieve minor burns (such as a sun burn), use baking soda and water.

  12. Gargle - Gargle baking soda for whiter teeth, fresher smell and it also heals sores.

  13. Bug bites - Apply baking soda to bug, bee, wasp, ant or any kind of bites for a quicker heal.

  14. Polish - Baking soda is a great polish for chrome, silver, marble furniture, piano keys.

  15. Smooth skin - Use with water to create paste, apply to face, careful to avoid eyes and mouth, and leave on for 3 - 5 minutes, wash off. Your face will be noticeably softer.

To end all speculations, let me introduce Snowhite (a.k.a. Vida Tirol), Bohol's first lady governor in 2019.

Last year, Vida spent six months in China where she learned how to cook Maggie noodles. 

source: <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn>China Daily</a>

Hong Kong entertainer Andy Lau has the sperm Chinese women want the most for their babies, a poll conducted by Self magazine found.

The 45-year-old star has beat out younger handsome faces like Brad Pitt and Tony Leung and billionaires such as Bill Gates to top the poll.

To the 1,000 women who, aged from 25 to 35 and taking the poll in 15 different cities, good looking and wealth are both very important to their kids' father. In addition, Lau has proved himself a hardworking man.

US billionaire Bill Gates comes in close on Lau's heels to be second placed while Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiron is in the third.

The list for Chinese women's most wanted sperm are as follow:

1. Andy Lau

2. Bill Gates

3. Takeshi Kaneshiro

4. Liu Xiang

5. David Beckham

6. Li Ka-shing

7. Tony Leung

8. Louis Koo

9. Lee-hom Wang

10. Brad Pitt