MikeLigalig.com

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 10, 2007, 11:22:36 AM
Hello barbaro, you've an interesting name. It'd make a nice addition to any dictionary.

barbaro [noun]: in ancient times, people who scratched their nether regions and then ate food without bothering to wash their hands
barbaro [adjective]: extremely cruel, uncivilized, or unwilling to perform handwashing before meals
barbaro [noun]: a newbie to Tubag Bohol who will soon outpost and outcomment everyone else, even Cel and Mike themselves

Welcome to Mike's hacienda! Hopefully, ganahan ka magdaro diri.

Chin, you should see me laughing now. Dili na ko ka-eskwela ani. Mobyahe pa ko.

Someone suggested we come up with a Tubag Bohol BOOK, a compilation of the members' most unforgettable, enlightening, hilarious, shocking posts.

Why not?

We will think about it tonight. 

Can you suggest a printing press? No, no, not the Bohol Sandugo Press. I think they don't print books this time.


P.S. If you're not yet a member, register now. It's FREE. The only requirement is that you love Bohol and you love the Philippines.

Chin, you need 500 posts before you can be inducted as Dagohoy's MU. 

Have you heard of a nevergirl? Check this out: www.nevergirl.wordpress.com

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 10, 2007, 10:57:26 AM
I enjoy poking fun at myself, so yes Mike, you may jump into that particular bandwagon, too. My toothbrush is yours for the taking. Hahaha. Incidentally, I will be in Bangkok in three weeks' time. Dust the trombone, rouse your worshippers. I expect a marching band to greet us! =)

Chin, the Ranara couple has bought a sakobag of fireworks which will be detonated the moment your beautiful feet land on Thai soil.

Quote from: HazEL on June 08, 2007, 11:29:32 PM
maayong hapon sa tanan! bag-o intawn ko mga membro dinhi..gi imbitar ko ni Maricel. Nakabasa ko nga gi hisgutan na sa unahan ang akong ngalan...Aleth ...yes! ako si Aleth ang higala ni Maricel nga dia sa Norway..

Dili gyud ko lumad nga taga Bohol pero ang akong inahan ang pure nga taga Bohol unya sa Leyte na kami natawo ug nagdako pero bisan pa man...And Bohol gihapon ang paboritong nakung lugar tungod lagi kay kada bakasyon man mi tua sa Bohol.

Maayo unta ug welcome gihapon ko dinhi bisan dili ko pure nga bul-anon.

Hi Hazel,

Tanan nga nahigugma sa Bohol ug Pilipinas amo kanunay nga abi-abihon ug hukaran ug tinughong dinhi.

Chin, thank you for sowing intellectual terrorism in this site.

Being a Junior Member, you are now qualified to join Miss Bohol 2008. 

I am about to leave for Bangkok, but I got a flash report that the welcome guru is back from hibernation mode - this time with a gang, or what is this? A  feisty group of wannabe fashion models?

Note: The second lady from left loves her toothbrush so much.

Chin, can I re-publish your toothbrush? 

Quote from: newslover on April 27, 2007, 11:18:56 AM
Finally I found the most comprehensive Bohol website. Nothing has ever been like this. Thanks a lot for Tubag Bohol. I promise to be here everyday. That's for sure!

Hi newslover, your promise was made to be broken.  Asa naman imong everyday karon? 

Quote from: yadz26 on June 09, 2007, 01:06:33 PM


if only we're neigboors, i would surely be glad to bring you a cup of cafe latte to help you keep awake all night...being a moderator is not an easy task..you have to be online as much as possible...

Yadz, native coffee lang with milk.  Apan ajaw sagoli ug gatas kay luod. 

Page hit is counted every time a visitor clicks and reads one topic.

This figure keeps increasing because a visitor stays up to three hours reading Tubag Bohol.

We did not expect this to happen.

We just want to build an online place for Boholanos and Filipinos - that is FREE and UNLIMITED.

All for the love of Bohol and the Philippines.

Dear Boholano Friends from all over the world:

A month after we lunched this site we already amassed a total of 51,290 page views as of June 10, 2007. We did not expect this to happen.

And we want to thank all our members and guests who keep inviting their friends to visit this site. The highest record occurred on June 8, 2007 with almost 3,000 page views (page view is counted based on the number of times a unique visitor reads a topic). Most number of users online was 82 on June 4, 2007. A visitor usually stays in our site for an hour. Some stay up to three hours. Note: I stay 20 hours on weekends 

Most visitors come from the United States of America while most of our registered members today come from countries in Europe.

Feel free to post your ADS on this site. ALL FREE. We are helping Bohol. You won't pay anything when you advertise here. And the best thing is that you'd get the widest exposure without cost.

We thank you for making this site always a part of your day.

All for the love of Bohol and the Philippines.


In Christ,

Tubag Bohol... "We Listen" Team
www.tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com

Minahal kong Tagbilaranon,

Sa maka-usa pa, hatagi ko og higayon sa paghatod nganha kaninyo sa akong kinasing-kasing nga pasalamat sa inyong pagbulig sa akong kandidatura sa miaging pinili-ay.

Ang akong kada-ugan atong kada-ugan. Apan dili kini paigo aron makab-ot ang atong gustong kab-oton diha sa pagpamalaod sa dakbayan. Daghan pa kaayong butang nga angay buhaton, dili sa sulti lamang.

Tungod kay inyo man akong gihatagan sa inyong pagsalig, isip sako sa Sangguniang Panlungsod, akong buhaton sa dakong kadasig kon unsa ang tinud-anay ug angayan alang sa kaayohan natong tanan.

Busa dili lang ako ang mohimo sa akong katungdanan nga akong pagapas-anon, kon kamo usab nga katawhan. Gikinahanglan ko kaayo ang inyong kooperasyon ug pagtambayayong aron kita magmalampuson.

Usbon ko, kuyog sa akong pamilya, daghan kaayong salamat.

Kaninyo matinahuron,


(Sgd) Anne Mariquit "Kit" Derikito-Oppus
City Councilor-elect

DepEd warns schools vs. collections
By Kit Bagaipo

Department of Education (DepED) officials here reiterated their warning against public school administrators and parent-teacher associations (PTA) against the collection of school fees during the enrolment period.

Enrolment for public elementary and secondary schools in the province are extended until Friday this week.

Bohol Schools Division Superintendent Cerina Bolos and Tagbilaran City Interim Schools Division Superintendent Elpidio Jala both made their warnings last Monday, when classes in public schools opened.

In fact, DepED Secretary Jesli Lapus issued a department order, DepED Order No. 32, s. 2007, stating the General Guidelines for the Opening of Classes.

Both education officials here said that school heads who do not abide by the DepED Order can be held administratively liable.

To ensure that schools abide by these guidelines, all school heads are required to submit a letter of compliance to the two division superintendents.

The division superintendents in turn are required to report to the office of the regional director. These compliance reports will be reviewed and consolidated by the DepEd undersecretary for regional operations.

Violators will be dealt pursuant to DepED Order No. 49, s. 2006, the Revised Rules of Procedure of the DepED in Administrative Cases.

According to Bolos, schools may collect fees as agreed by the PTA. These fees should be voluntary in nature.

However, collection of fees should not be used as a precondition for the enrolment of a student, Bolos added, likewise, it could be done after the enrolment period, she said.

   

By Kit Bagaipo
The Bohol Chronicle

Charges of rape filed against a jailguard stationed at the Carmen District Jail was dropped by the Provincial Prosecutor due to insufficient evidence.

The jailguard, identified as one JO2 Wendell Mondarte, 33, married, a resident of J.A. Clarin Street, this city, was accused of raping a 21-year old resident of barangay Buenos Aires in Carmen town.

According to the complainant, she was raped by the jailguard last April 18 inside a

pension house in Ubay town.
The resolution, which was promulgated by Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Margie Tan-Alvaro, stated that an accusation of rape can easily be made but "it is more difficult to prove."

The respondent-jailguard, represented by lawyer Lord Marapao IV, was able to prove that the complainant was his girlfriend, having known each other since, they eventually became sweethearts.

Complainant alleged that last April 18, the jailguard offered to take her home after the latter's birthday party at the Carmen District Jail. She agreed and rode the guard's motorcycle.

However, instead of bringing her home, the respondent-jailguard allegedly took her to Ubay where they checked in a pension house where she was purportedly raped twice.

The prosecutor's resolution stated that "Complainant voluntarily took a ride with the respondent from Carmen to Ubay where she could have escaped if she so desired."

When they reached Ubay, the respondent allegedly registered at the front desk.

"If indeed [the] complainant was forced by the respondent she could have asked help from the person manning the front desk or had [the] opportunity to avoid the respondent sensing that the latter has made lascivious advances to her," the resolution stated.

It was also established that the jailguard was not pointing a gun at her that time.
After the alleged rape took place, both respondent and complainant went out to ate in a barbecue place where there were many people.

"If indeed she was raped by the respondent she could have asked help from any of the persons who were there," the prosecutor said.

After they ate at the barbecue place, both returned to the pension house where the complainant claimed she was raped for the second time.

On their way back to Carmen aboard the jailguard's motorcycle, they were stopped in a checkpoint in Trinidad town and were detained for two hours at the Trinidad police station.

During their detention, the respondent left the complainant and should have reported her claim of rape to the police. However, she did not do such until they were released.

The prosecutor quoted a Supreme Court ruling which states that, "as to be reasonably expected, a ravished woman would instinctively call for help or at best flee from her lecherous captor to safer grounds when the opportunity present…"

Congrats, Yadz26. You are now a Senior Member.

We love you to be here.

All for the love of Bohol and the Philippines!

God, bless you... 

sure. i will yadz. salamat sa recommendation. 

We got a tip from a lawyer in Bohol.

The purpose of the oil exploration? Read: TREASURE HUNTING

Veteran City Kagawad Leonides "Edi" Borja is eyeing the Presidency of the Philippine Councilors? League - Bohol Chapter.

Borja, who ran and won in the recent May 2007 polls under the administration party of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Lakas CMD, is said to be backed up in his bid by fellow city kagawads and councilors from other municipalities.

Presently, he is the assistant auditor of PCL Bohol.

This veteran but youthful politician joined politics in 1984 as KB president. His political experiences and "education" strengthened his resolve and belief that despite no money politics, he will win this PCL election.

He promises to do good and quality services to the people of Bohol and to his PCL colleagues.

He said that the PCL president must be visible and physically present and must focus on the dedicated program of the PCL chapter and should not to be used for personal political agenda.

He added that when he gets to be PCL president, the Borja Ancestral Home along Gallares St. will be a temporary PCL pension house to all PCL members who want to stay during their official travel to the city. A minimal fee will be charged for the light, water and maintenance operation. PCL Pension House will be used during his incumbency as PCL president. He also promises to divide equally the PCL allocation funds to all 47 towns and one city. The PCL allocation fund is more than a million pesos a year, Borja said. (Bohol Times)

THE PILOT MORPHS INTO A LEADER
By Loy Palapos

      At 35 he is the youngest Board Member-elect, in a field usually dominated by veterans who have outgrown their salad days. The road most traveled to become a part of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan is for the aspirant to be a Municipal Mayor first and, after the maximum limit of three consecutive terms, run for the Provincial Board. But in a few cases, there are those who take the short-cut to the legislative body of the province.

      The latter is the road taken by Alfonso Rafols Damalerio II. He is known as Ae to his friends and peers, and in rare cases he answers to the moniker Al. He was born in Tagbilaran City on January 17, 1972. His parents were former SP Senior Board Member and Majority Floor Leader Alfonso Damalerio of Calape and Anesia Rafols of Sierra Bullones. He was a prominent lawyer, and she was a public school Teacher.

      The blood-line of Ae exudes political leadership. His great-grandfather, Alfonso Damalerio was a Mayor of Calape. His grandfather, Porferio, was a gifted Municipal Councilor. Arsenio, his grand-uncle also served as Mayor of Calape. This lineage speaks well of his inclination to public service.

      They are eight siblings in the family. Alan finished BS in Computer Science and Bachelor of Laws. He used to work with SSS, but is now based in Houston, Texas. Abeleon studied at UP-Cebu and HNU, and is now a practicing lawyer. Anthony took up BS Biology at the Cebu College of Medicine, intending to be a Doctor, but a family tragedy struck, cutting short his dream. He now works in the office of Congressman Edgar Chatto. Adonis has a BSC, major in Management, and BSE degrees from HNU; and is now assigned as DILG Municipal Local Government Operations Officer in Bien Unido. Aldner studied at Christ The King Academy in Quezon City, planning for a career in priesthood, and finished AB-Philosophy. He is presently one of the executives of Globelines.

      With Ae as the second in a row of 6 boys, came Angelie and Alannie, both graduates of HNU. The former is a Registered Nurse, soon to take the NFLEX; and the latter graduated BS in Mass Communication last March.

      Board Member-elect Ae Damalerio’s dream was to soar the skies as a pilot. He enrolled at the Philippine Aeronautical Technical School in Pasay City, then at the Philippine Airforce College of Aeronautics in Mactan Airbase, Cebu. He finished Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Technology at the Aeronautical Technical School in Lahug, Cebu City. He graduated from the Basic Flying Ground Course and Primary Flying Courses at the Philippine Winds Flying School. He was able to fly solo, and would have earned more credits for a flying career, until a tragedy struck the family.

      His father had a stroke right on his birthday on December 2, 1996, from which he did not recover despite efforts from medical experts in Cebu. Atty. AL Damalerio was then in the midst of a speaking engagement among Couples for Christ in Butuan, when the tragedy occurred. The family reserves were drained. With three boys in college, two in high school, and the high flying costs, his dream of becoming a full-pledged pilot perished.

      He lost his father when he was 25 years old, ten years ago. After the catastrophe he was hired in the office of the then Vice Governor Edgar Chatto , who inspired him for public service. Earlier, when he was in high school at Divine Word College (1980), he was a Leadership Medal Awardee. Very much earlier at the Holy Spirit School (1985) he not only received a Loyalty Award, but also the much coveted Scout Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

      Ae Damalerio was elected Sangguniang Kabataan Councilor in Cogon (1992-97); was Provincial Coordinator of the Visayas Network for Environmental Sustainability (1993-95), and Presidential Council for Youth Affairs Coordinator (1994-96). He was appointed Legislative Staff Assistant III of the SP (1993-96), and Executive Staff Assistant on Youth and Sports Affairs (1999). In 2000 he became Legislative Staff Assistant III for Barangay Affairs. From 2001 to the present he has been designated Government Affairs Consultant of UBEC Philippines Development Corporation, and Political Affairs Officer III of the First District of Bohol.

      His professional advancement has been greatly enhanced by seminars, workshops, and trainings not only in Bohol, but also scores of then held in Bacolod, General Santos, Iloilo, Pampanga, Cebu, Manila, Aklan, Biliran, Ormoc, Tacloban and several other places. From sports to environmental sustainability, Mr. Damalerio has imbibed truckloads of wisdom enough to augment his capabilities as a Legislator.

      Even his affiliation with various socio-civic organizations leaves nothing to be desired. He is an active member of the Bohol Licensed Firearms Association, Order of the Knights of Rizal, RECOM-BARGE, KBP, Bohol Tri-Media Association, Bohol Island Lions Club, and many others. He belongs to the Bohol Ready Reserved Battalion, and this year’s President of the Bohol Sandugo Jaycees.

      In September 1996 he joined a select group on an observation tour in Heidelberg (Germany), Weinsterswick (Netherlands), and Strasbourg (France). The following month (October) he observed the social and economic programs of Bangkok, Thailand. In 1997 he joined the investment and tourism promotion in California. From September to October 2005 he was a delegation member of the TBTK campaign for the 2006 global homecoming of Boholanos, which brought him to Houston (Texas), Stockton (California), and San Francisco.

      Ae Damelerio enjoys wedded bliss with the former Severina Bual, a BSC graduate now working at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. They have 3 children: Syra Monica, 11 years old, and a grade four pupil; Kristine Alvina, 7 years old, and a first grade pupil; and Alfonso Annevero III, 6 years old, and a kindergarten II pupil. All three study at the HNU Elementary Department.

      Even before his decision to take the cudgels as a lawmaker of the Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan, representing the First District, Alfonso Rafols Damalerio II already had his goals in view, patterned after the mission-vision for sustainability in eco-tourism and agriculture. He has special concerns for investment promotion, youth and sports, health, and the anti-poverty program.

      He is not a young man in a hurry. He has proven himself in campus Leadership and Organizational Management. Life’s ups and downs have made him what he is now, and he is willing to face this latest challenge without blinking an eye.

one time it was reported sa tagbilaran post office, brief gipadala gikan sa germany, nakawat sa post office. 

Tips on how not to starve in Harvard

By Volt Contreras
Inquirer
Last updated 01:55am (Mla time) 06/09/2007

MANILA, Philippinesâ€"Before Oscar Franklin Tan drew raves for his commencement address at the elite Harvard Law School the other day, this young Filipino lawyer had his share of silent, awkward moments when basic things like meals became “an issue.”

In a candid, light-hearted exchange with the Inquirer, Tan shared how campus life could be tough even for excelling foreign students like him in one of the world’s premier institutions.

He managed to stretch his limited food budget, for example, by improvising his menu and even collecting “leftovers” at school functions.

He also took advantage of his professor’s habit of bringing two baskets of apples to class each Friday. Tan saw an opportunity when he noticed that most of his classmates, especially the Americans, “just ignored” the treat.

“There was usually at least one basket [of apples] left. I would bring an extra backpack every Friday and waited until everyone left and had free fruit half the year thanks to Professor Lawrence Tribe,” he said.

“Food was really an issue because I was on a tight budget, having entered Harvard Law practically a fresh graduate,” said Tan, whose studies were shouldered in part by the HLS, the Ayala Scholarship Fund, his law firm (Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala and Cruz law office) where he is an associate, and with a little help from his father, fellow lawyer Edmund Tan.

“Some of the Asian and African students have become notorious for trying to save on food, and looking for free food. I became one of them after I learned that Harvard threw away uneaten food from all the functions and talks (which shocked the Africans in particular), and I just brought the food back to the dorm.”

‘Ugliest, cheapest dorm’

Tan fondly recalled all these “embarrassing” episodes in his e-mail to the Inquirer on Thursday, the day before he stood proud and tall as the commencement speaker at the 2007 HLS graduation rites, an honor bestowed upon him by his class.

The 27-year-old bachelor and 2005 law alumnus of the University of the Philippines finished his master’s degree at the premier institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was chosen to speak at the ceremony in behalf of some 700 American and foreign graduates.

Chow time in his fourth-floor unit at the Gropius dormitories, “the ugliest but cheapest” lodgings on campus, often had him “experimenting with many combinations to save food, such as making sandwiches and buying microwaveable chicken strips.” He also stocked up on canned soup and tuna whenever there was a sale.

Int’l relations

But while his cupboard was almost bare, Tan apparently had in abundance, memorable campus experiences, especially with classmates of diverse cultural backgrounds.

Being Filipino with Chinese lineage gave him a ready affinity with the East and Southeast Asians. Coming from a former Spanish and then US colony like the Philippines made it easy for him to relate to Americans, Latinos and Europeans, he noted.

“That leaves the Africans. I also had a ready affinity with them because I was from a developing country with postcolonial issues. I’d like to think that each of my classmates identified with me one way or another,” he said.

A Thai classmate was kind enough to help carry Tan’s refrigerator to his fourth-floor unit, since the dormitory had no elevator. A Saudi classmate, apparently familiar with the many Filipino workers in his oil-rich state, could understand most of Tan’s sentences in Filipino.

But his international relations were not always that smooth.

Culture clash

“There was one embarrassing moment where a French classmate and I almost had a fight until we sat down and compared our cultures. Our Nigerian classmate had lost a close relative and was feeling very sad, so I e-mailed [members of] the class requesting the religious students to pray for him and console him.”

The French classmate then sent Tan an alarmed e-mail, expressing “shock that I would violate someone’s privacy in such a public manner.”

“We discussed it, and he realized that grief is treated as a community issue in the Philippines (and in other developing countries), where public wakes are held and everyone tries to pass by to pay their respects. It was very new to him,” Tan recalled.

By CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE
The Philippine Star

Filipino firemen put their lives on the line for a pittance.

Like many policemen and soldiers, most of the country’s 16,000 firemen live in poverty and reside in shanties due to their meager income.

Senior Fire Officer 1 Walfredo Hernandez, who lives in a makeshift house at the back of the fire station in Parañaque City, has been in the service for more than 20 years.

Hernandez said the land is owned by the city government and he and other firemen who live there do not have security of tenure and could be evicted anytime.

He receives a monthly salary of P12,400 plus allowances of at least P3,500, including hazard pay of P120, P77.50 in incentives, P60 laundry allowance and P200 clothing allowance. However, he only brings home P1,500 every 15 days due to various deductions.
Hernandez has two children in college.

Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) spokesman Chief Inspector Renato Marcial said Hernandez is just one of many firemen who do not have their own home. He said 80 percent of 16,000 firemen live in poverty.

“At least the government and the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership are working to give policemen decent homes. I wish we had that, too,” Marcial told The STAR.

According to an October 2006 survey of the PNP, only 51,266 police officers or 51 percent of the 118,714-strong police force have their own houses while 59 percent are classified as informal settlers.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon has been working with government housing agencies to establish low-cost housing for policemen nationwide.

Firemen not only live in poverty, they also do their jobs with practically only the clothes on their backs for protection.

Based on BFP records in 2006, there are a total of 15,093 BFP personnel nationwide, with 11,689 actually assigned in firefighting units. Most of them have to share fire coats, boots, helmets, gloves and trousers with suspenders â€" basic gear every firefighter should have.

The BFP only has 3,742 coats and 3,214 pairs of fire boots nationwide for all its firefighters. In the National Capital Region, there are 2,229 firemen but only 360 coats and not a pair of fire boots among them.

The BFP only has 4,731 fire helmets, 1,324 fire gloves and not a single pair of fire-retardant trousers with suspenders. 

To be able to completely equip each fireman, the BFP said it needs over P300 million.

While the BFP requires 2,922 firetrucks, there are only 105 existing units and the bureau needs more than P600 million to purchase 2,817 vehicles.

From March 1 to 13 this year, the BFP recorded 97 fire incidents with one fatality and P16.8 million in property damage compared to the same period last year in which there were 112 incidents, 11 deaths and P51 million in damaged property.

All over the world men work longer hours than women except in the Philippines, an International Labor Organization (ILO) report called “Working Time Around the World” said.

“Average hours of work are longer for men than for women in almost every country reviewed in the report. The sole exception is the Philippines,” it said.

The role reversal in the Philippines showed that employed women were two to three times more likely than men to work exceptionally long hours of over 64 hours per week.

Citing 2002 figures, the ILO report said that working Filipino women worked 41.3 hours a week, slightly longer than the 40.4 hours a week put in by Filipino men.

The report said this phenomenon is driven largely by the growth of the service sector, which employ more women than men. In particular, the service sub-sector of the wholesale and retail trade posts a weekly work time of 48.8 hours; that of the hotel and restaurant, 48.6 hours.

The international agency said more than half of the country’s workers who log more than 40 hours a week are in the service sector, which has grown substantially in the last decade.

“All of this raises an important question: Given the long hours of paid work of many Filipino women, how are they able to balance work and family?” it asked.

The same study, which focuses on working time in over 50 countries and explores the implications for working time policies in developing and transition countries, said that one in five workers around the world -- or over 600 million persons -- still work excessively, or more than 48 hours a week, just to make ends meet.

“For the most part, it shows that the distribution of working hours in developing and transition countries to be highly diverse, with some individuals working very long hours, and others working short hours,” it said.

The report said that all over the world, people in general work 35 to 45 hours a week. However, people in a significant number of developing countries work more than 48 hours. These include workers in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, the Philippines, Thailand, and Turkey.

Among the developed countries, the exceptions are the southeast Asian countries of Singapore and Korea.

In the Philippines, more than 90 percent of workers put in more than 48 hours a week to earn more.

For countries with the highest incidence of long working hours for 2004 to 2005 (defined as more than 48 hours per week), Peru topped the list at 50.9 percent of workers, the Republic of Korea at 49.5 percent, Thailand at 46.7 percent, and Pakistan at
44.4 percent.

In developed countries, where working hours are typically shorter, the United Kingdom stood at 25.7 per cent, Israel at 25.5 percent, Australia at 20.4 percent, Switzerland at 19.2 percent, and the United States at 18.1 percent. (By Veronica Uy, the Philippine Daily Inquirer)

From our informant:

Nagasto: P60 Million

Possible Source: Unverified. Waiting for updates.

How to recover the huge expenses? We don't know.

Issue that Relampagos raised: Dagdag-Bawas

How old is the son who will take over the father's rocking chair of power? 27 years old

Conclusion: Only in the Philippines (wow)

Tubag:

P15 Million

Source: Loan from Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP)

Collateral: We don't know.

Here's the info:

Rene Relampagos: P40 Million

Reported Sources:  P10 million from Malmis
                                    P5 million from Conching Lim of Valencia, Bohol
                                    P5 million from Alturas
                                    P5 million from Chito Castillo
Personal & Others: P15 million
                                 

Quote from: mfrandsen on June 10, 2007, 06:11:19 AM
Thank you Mike 

I just love to hang around here, nindot mangud e-communicate sa mga taga ato nga naa na karon sa lain lain mga lugar..

Imagine, we never know each other sa didto pa kita sa bohol or pilipinas, pero karon, we are like a one big family...

God Bless Us all...

congratulations to me 

You're right Cel. We are building a community of loving and caring Filipinos. Tubag Bohol members and guests love Bohol and the Philippines.

2007 Data

0-14 years: 34.5% (male 16,043,257/female 15,415,334)
15-64 years: 61.3% (male 27,849,584/female 28,008,293)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,631,866/female 2,128,953)

Feel free to use Tubag Bohol's Interactive Calendar. The link is near Logout.

So you won't forget your next appointment... 

You are now a hero.

Asa na si Ching?

Giuhaw na si Maricel sa bahalina.

We would like to thank you for your love for Bohol and the Philippines!

God, bless you...

The CIA Factbook says we are now 91 million. Exact Figure: 91,077,287 (July 2007 estimate)

To give you a comparison of our enormous population:

Canada: 33-34 million
Australia: 22-23 million
Switzerland: 6 million

kamo nay sumpay pila mo diha sa inyong respective countries.

A German man, despondent over the death of his Filipino wife, killed himself in a southern Philippine province, a police report said on Thursday.

The report said Reiner Herman Paul Korneg, 58, locked himself inside his car and suffocated from the engine's fumes at the garage of their house in Dipolog City, 735 kilometres south of Manila.

Korneg's body was discovered by his wife's nephew who came for a visit on the weekend.

Police said the victim appeared to have connected a hose from the car's muffler to the ventilation window near the driver's seat, causing him to die due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Korneg's Filipino wife, Betty Bale, died of breast cancer two months ago.

Korneg, a native of Berlin and a structural engineer by profession, stayed in Dipolog to be with his wife. He had a car repair shop and was a part time disc jockey in a local radio station.

Note from me: Lahi man gud magmahal ang Pinay. This is a sad story for all of us.

The number of overseas workers that left Cebu increased by by almost ten percent -- 9.68 percent -- from January to April compared to the same period last year.

Evelia Durato, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in Cebu, said the increase in the number of workers seeking greener pasture abroad should not necessarily be attributed to poverty.

She said many simply wanted to have a more comfortable life.

“I think the main reason (why) people work abroad is to meet (a certain) standard of living and to provide the basic needs (of) their familyâ€"shelter and education,” she said.

Higher figures

From January to April, the POEA has recorded 8,903 persons who left for work abroad via the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

The figure was higher compared to the 8,117 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were recorded to have left for abroad through the MCIA in the same period last year.

The OFWs who left through the MCIA are not just from Cebu but also from other parts of the country that used Cebu as their departure point, Durato said.

The highest number of workers who left was recorded in January, reaching 3,229, Durato said.

This is not surprising because most OFWs who went home during the Christmas season would usually renew their contracts in January, she said.

Durato said 1,927 OFWs left via Cebu in February, 1,537 in March, and 2,210 in April.

She said the departing OFWs were skilled workers, domestic helpers, factory workers and professionals like Information Technology graduates and nurses.

Top destinations

The top destinations are countries in the Middle East, such as the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

In April alone, at least 435 OFWs departed for the UAE through the MCIA, she said.

Durato said there were even a few who were headed for Lebanon despite the war that erupted in that country last year.

Many of those who went to Lebanon were domestic helpers that were lured to work in that country because employers there usually pay at least 400 US dollars a month, she said.

Other destinations are Hong Kong and Singapore, and countries in Europe, such as Ireland and the United Kingdom, she said.(By Jhunnex Napallacan, Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Four years after granting a general amnesty to foreign nationals illegally staying in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE government has again decided to institute a three-month reprieve to illegal aliens to legalize their status or leave the country without penalty.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila quoted Vicente Bandillo, acting head of the Philippine consulate general in Dubai, as saying that the amnesty was granted on Monday.

“The decision of the UAE Cabinet [was aimed at ensuring] all legal workers would enjoy the full and appropriate benefits relating to their salaries, health care and housing," the DFA said. 

It added: "The [UAE] Cabinet has instructed the Ministries of Interior and Labor to work together to take the necessary steps to implement the decision.”

Bandillo also reported that the consulate is anticipating the thousands of Filipinos that are expected to flock to apply for travel documents to stay legally in the UAE.

Hours after news broke out in leading newspapers, Bandillo said the consulate received numerous phone calls from Filipinos asking about the amnesty.  Some even went to the consulate to inquire and apply for travel documents.   

“This development would surely benefit a significant number of Filipinos in the UAE who arrived with visit visas but eventually stayed in the country illegally, as well as those who could not leave the country for fear of being apprehended by immigration authorities or could not afford to pay the fines or penalties for overstaying,” Bandillo said.

Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that for from 2005-2006, UAE was the second top destination of would-be overseas Filipino workers. 

There were 82,039 documented OFWs sent to the UAE in 2005 and 99,212 in 2006.  A total of 1.221 million OFWs were deployed in 2006 and 1.204 million in 2005. 

OFWs based in the UAE were at 7th in terms of remittances for the last two years. The money sent by Filipinos to their families back home amounted to $427,246 in 2006 from $257,429 in 2005.  (abs-cbn.com)

Note: Bandillo married to a Boholana, Alma Apalisok.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) today condemned the exploitation of immigrant RNs by unscrupulous U.S. employers and called for better enforcement of immigration laws.

They cited the case of 26 registered nurses from the Philippines who say they were brought to New York under false pretenses and denied the rights guaranteed by their employment contract. When the nurses resigned, they were sued by their former employer and accused of professional misconduct. On March 22, ten of the RNs were indicted in Suffolk County Supreme Court on charges of endangering their patients. Remarkably, the nurses' employment attorney was also indicted, for conspiracy; they all plead not guilty.

The nurses had been hired through a recruitment agency to work at specific nursing home facilities on Long Island. When they arrived in the U.S., they discovered they actually were working for another agency. Over a period of months, the nurses said, the agency refused to pay them according to the terms of their contracts. They also said they were not properly trained for their new jobs and were required to care for more patients than they believed was safe.

"This case may be just the tip of the iceberg. Nurses who come to the U.S. deserve to have their rights protected," said Tina Gerardi, RN, interim chief executive office of NYSNA. "Instead, these nurses were placed in the untenable position of being captive to an employer under conditions that did not allow them to provide safe patient care."

Gerardi said NYSNA became aware of the nurses' situation in May 2006 and assisted them in getting a hearing before the State Board for Nursing after the recruitment agency accused them of professional misconduct. "They couldn't get work because the issuance of their licenses was on hold pending investigation of an allegation of patient abandonment," Gerardi said. "Those charges were dismissed by the state board. We are greatly concerned these RNs are now being prosecuted for the same actions."

"The real patient endangerment lies in the deplorable conditions that led the nurses to leave. After exhausting all possibilities to resolve their concerns with the facility and the agency, the community's full support because they refused to remain in a situation where patients were being denied the kind of care and staffing they deserved," said ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, RN, MSN, CNOR.

The nurses' plight has become a cause célèbre in both the Philippines and the New York City Filipino community. The RNs are expected to participate in the New York Philippine Independence Day parade on June 3, where they will receive support from both the Filipino and nursing communities.

http://www.nursingworld.org

By Michelle Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- For the seven recognized achievers in public service, the joy they derive from being government employees is something that a high-paying corporate job cannot top.

Seeing how her fellow Filipinos benefit from her work was fulfillment enough so that she has never entertained the thought of leaving her job for greener pastures abroad, said Reinalda C. Raffinan, who works as an operations officer at the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG).

Raffinan is one of the seven recipients of the “Achievers in Public Service Award” given out by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) during its 70th anniversary celebration last Friday.

Aside from recognizing outstanding government employees, the pension fund for state employees also cited seven outstanding government agencies during the celebration.

The government agencies cited as Achievers in Public Service Award were: the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the National Statistics Office, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the provincial government of Bulacan, the Jose Fabella Memorial School, the local government of Davao City, and the Mahalo Elementary School in Anahawan, Southern Leyte.

Raffinan spearheaded the operations of Patrol 117, the emergency hotline similar to the United States’ 911 hotline. Patrol 117 is credited for helping prevent crime and for making emergency assistance more accessible.

Med tech

Not only was Raffinan instrumental in the implementation of the project, she also helped in training people on the operations of the Patrol 117 call centers.

“I actually finished medical technology, and I could have worked abroad if I wanted to. But I opted to stay in government because of the fulfillment I get from my job,” Raffinan said in Filipino.

Other extraordinary achievements that helped Raffinan get the award include the implementation of the “Barangay Tanod Professionalization Program” and the “Child-Friendly Local Governance Program,” among many others.

Pedro M. del Rosario is another awardee for whom the non-monetary rewards of his job is enough.

P35M saving

Del Rosario, who started out as a utility worker and now serves as an administrative aide at the Baguio City General Hospital, has a knack for repairing malfunctioning hospital equipment.

Although doing repairs was not really part of a job that involves only housekeeping, Del Rosario has been credited with helping the hospital save as much as P35 million for fixing vital equipment that would have otherwise needed replacing.

“[Del Rosario’s] accomplishment contributed to the national interest of the government because it supports the austerity measure without sacrificing the quality of service being given to the patients,” the GSIS said in the citation that was read during the awarding ceremony.

According to Del Rosario, knowing that he was helping in increasing the hospital’s capability to serve its patients was what makes his life meaningful.

For Gerry B. Baucan, a level-III teacher at the Alfonso Tabora Elementary School in Baguio City, sharing what he knows with his charges while instilling in them the value of environmental protection is what keeps him passionately in love with his job.

Taking care of the future

“I wanted to teach children how to take care of the environment because doing so is one way to take care of their future,” Baucan said in Filipino.

Baucan was recognized as one of the outstanding public servants for his several contributions to environmental awareness. With his leadership, the “Clean and Green Program” of the Alfonso Tabora Elementary School won for the school the “Cleanest Purok in the Barangay” award.

Baucan taught the schoolchildren proper collection, disposal and recycling of solid wastes that gave the school its reputation for being clean and green. The waste materials that were collected were sold and the proceeds used for the repair of classrooms.

Baucan also taught the parents and students in a project to construct a nursery on the school grounds for fruit-bearing trees. The seedlings were sold to the farmers and the proceeds were used to finance beautification projects and the improvement of the school’s facilities.

Farmers’ productivity

Carmen C. Cubrado, the agricultural officer for the local government of Pilar, Bohol, was recognized for her contributions to her farming community.

Pilar was plagued by soil erosion, a serious problem for a community heavily dependent on farming. But with Cubrado’s leadership, Pilar was able to raise enough funds to support the implementation of various programs to improve farmers’ productivity.

Among these were the Municipal Land Care Program, which taught farmers how to fight soil erosion, and the establishment of the “Rice Enhancement Compact Demonstration Farm,” which promoted awareness on the use of certified hybrid rice seeds.

Cubrado is credited for helping improve the economic conditions of her community enough for Pilar to be lifted from 5th-class municipality to 4th-class municipality status.

Arelie C. Jacildo, a public school nurse in the Aringay district of La Union, is not your ordinary school nurse. Although she could very well have simplified her job by catering only to the students who visited the school clinic, Jacildo expanded the feeding programs to service neighboring schools.

“Many of our nurses are going abroad, but I cannot feel the same desire knowing many children in my community ware in need of health and education assistance,” Jacildo said.

By presenting her proposed health programs to non-government organizations and private citizens, Jacildo was able to generate much-needed funds.

She helped in the implementation of the feeding program in 19 schools in Aringay and helped raise funds for the surgery of poor students.

Visiting poor kids

According to colleagues, Jacildo devotes much of her time to visiting poor children living in far-flung villages, walking through mountain trails that cannot be reached by vehicle.

Melecio Fernandez is a social welfare assistant at the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Davao province. With his knowledge of plant propagation and motor vehicles, he has developed very useful rehabilitation programs for drug dependents involving these two fields.

Fernandez spearheaded the installation of an “orchidarium” at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents in Bago, Davao City. His project was cited as one of the best therapies for rehabilitating drug dependents.

He was also instrumental in the teaching of young drug dependents at a rehabilitation center in Bago-Oshiro, Davao City welding, general body repair, painting and rewiring of vehicles.

He also prepared a project proposal on the Training of Technical Driving and Supervision, and trained drug dependent minors in basic driving techniques and the use of vehicle accessories and parts.

The last recipient of the Achievers in Public Service Award is Ninie C. del Rosario, an education supervisor in the Department of Education office in Davao City.

Del Rosario spearheaded a fund-raising project to finance feeding programs for schoolchildren in Davao City.

She also led in raising funds for the improvement of the facilities of the Sta. Ana Elementary School, such as the upgrading of laboratory equipment. Del Rosario is also credited with initiating the Science Festival at the Rizal Elementary School, which helped in promoting interest in science among the students.

Del Rosario, who has been a teacher for the past 23 years starting with an annual salary of P6,888, wrote and published science teaching modules for elementary teachers which are now in use among science teachers in Davao.

“That [small salary] did not bother me because I really love educating the children. If you enjoy your job, money will not matter so much. You will just realize that along the way, God will provide you with the things you need,” she said.

Election Time. photo by AP.

Quote from: Bulan on June 04, 2007, 02:46:22 AM
SCENARIO:

If Governor Aumentado is in bad shape and he would not be able work as he used to do because of his sickness, is the elected vice-governor would resume the position? If the elected vice-governor would resume the position as governor, until when he would act as successor? June 30? Who will be proclaimed as the new governor on July 1? The Supreme Court has to intervene for technicalities.

Anyone from Bohol can give us an update whether or not Aumentado is in good shape?

Quote from: lumine on June 09, 2007, 07:06:38 PM
mura 24 hrs naa cel diri da! assistant ka ni mikel, cel?

Sagdi lang kay naa man tay section for Job Vacancy dinhi. Magpost ra unya.

June 8, 2007 our site receives a record-breaking 3,000 page views.

At times there are more guests/visitors than members. This is understandable because we are still one-month old.

Thank you for inviting your Boholano and non-Boholano friends to join our discussion here.

All for the love of Bohol and the Philippines! 

Barbaro, welcome to Tubag Bohol.

We are pleased of your presence here. Hope to see you here everyday.

Just wait for your bahalina glass from Chin. 

Paris Hilton was just ordered back to jail in Lynwood to serve out the remainder of her sentence! She'll get credit for at least 5 days already served.

Hilton left the courtroom in tears, screaming, "Mom, Mom, Mom." Hilton was also heard saying "It's not right."

One witness said that Paris was "physically escorted" out of the courtroom by a female deputy.

Hilton's mother was later seen pacing the hallways, telling reporters, "I'm paralyzed right now." Paris' father Rick is still in the courtroom.

A Sheriff inside the courtroom tells TMZ that officers are taking Hilton straight from the courtroom to Lynwood. No timetable has been set on her departure.

dinhi niining dapita nalumping ang tapaludo sa akong pagbati... 

Here comes yadz promoting chocolates while i am reprimanding my girlfriend not to eat chocolate or even think about it.

Mikey, ikaw diay si frog70?

Why frog?

Feel free to browse Mikey's website at www.mikeygatal.com

Question: Mike, kinsa diay na si Cap Berong?

Tubag: I am sorry that I cannot disclose the true identity of Capitan Berong. He alone has the option to introduce himself to the public.

What I know is that he was once asked by the CIA to organize a network of spies in Bohol, but the Capitan had to decline the invitation, despite the accompanying hefty renumeration, because the Capitan, as what I've heard from reliable sources, already has an irrevocable contract with the resurrected KGB. His position is so sensitive that he at all times has to be careful who to talk to.

We respect the privacy of our members. They can either use a real name or a fictitious one. 

I hope this is clear to all who are curious about Capitan Berong.

Sincerely,
Mike

P.S. Feel free to send questions at yesmike@mikeligalig.com

Chin posted a comment on my friendster sari-sari mall. She said: "Bantay lang ka, pangitaon jud ti ka inig abot nako sa Thailand."

Akong Tubag: Is this a threat? 

Okay, pangitaa ko sa Tumoy Sa Bangaw. Hint: www.theboholstandard.com

P.S. Pagdali ug ari diri kay nag-sale sa Patpong. 

Quote from: classic_lil_chix on June 09, 2007, 06:40:09 AM
+*+*+ mEh, i reaLLy l0ve pHiLiPpiNeS, eSpeCiaLLy B0h0l.. f0r th0zE wh0 hAtEs 0uR iNaNg bAYaN... waLa kAy0nG gUd mAnNeRs aND rYt c0nDucT...HAhA^^

Also to those who hate our Amang Bayan... 

The best healer is a wounded healer.
The best helper is the one who has received much help.

And only those who are really hungry can appreciate the taste of a "pan-os" bread. 

Quote from: lumine on June 08, 2007, 05:57:13 PM
hahaha! ako sad! addict na jud btaw ko. i have a lot of pics to post in my multiply pa. cge nako yampungad dri but now that my lil boss is awake kay banha ang vacuum cleaner coz his dad is cleaning, so i will come back later during his breastfeeding again.

Feel free to post your pictures here, Lum. I will give you the guideline later.

We would like to welcome one of our pioneer members bearing the display name "American Pie."

She is an American now living in Bohol.  A friend and colleague in the media.

I haven't watched that movie. 

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 09, 2007, 05:50:35 AM
So, the next time you get a toothache or a killer migraine, have sex. It's a cheap, natural alternative to Biogesic and Advil.

Parents of young kids, don't allow your children to read Chin's writings in this section. 

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 09, 2007, 05:55:59 AM
Sure about which? I'm sure that some things in the world are immutable - bad boys will always appeal to good girls, chocolates do crazy things to one's appetites, and some women want chocolates in much the same way they menstruate: regularly!

Chin, how about the good boys?

Quote from: GEC348 on June 09, 2007, 06:14:27 AM
URGENT PUBLIC WARNING:

Tubag Bohol is addictive
The people here can hear your deepest thoughts
                                                                                            and desires
They listen
                       even to the softest murmurs
                                                                           you make while
                                                                                                          you dream

The National Telecommunication Commission has reviewed complaints from wives, husbands, boyfriends, and girlfriends.

The tone of the complaint: This website keeps friends and strangers awake 24 hours a day. 

Now we have a poet: the name is GEC348

We also have a sex therapist: the name is Chin

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 09, 2007, 06:08:11 AM
So, Tubag Bohol isn't only good for recreation, you should visit it for health reasons, too? Makes sense. Mike and his posts are a good cure for constipation.

This is the best place for learning A, B, C, D...

A stands for?
B stands for?
C stands for?
D stands for?
E stands for?
F stands for?
....
.....
....
K stands for "Katulgon nako, alas dos pa ko mata." 

Naay kuryente sa inyo? Tauran nato ug live wire imong computer keyboard.

Chin, your mind is kaleidoscopic.

By Loy Palapos

The Boholano perceives life in a kaleidoscope of perspectives and defines success in his own terms. With a keen sense of family and an unbridled determination, he has the propensity to crave for upliftment and venture even into some unchartered oceans in his quest for a better life. Uncowed by the negative prospects, he plunges headlong into an untrodden path, equipped with religiosity and armed with an unlimited supply of talents and ability to conquer the unknown. This is one of the reasons that Boholanos prosper all over the Philippines and all over the world.

In turning over a new leaf, the Boholano utilizes varied means, all of them proven effective. There are those who leave their jobs back home and commence their adventure in solitary flight. Florencio Exclamador Gulle is of this mold. He resigned from his lucrative job in the Philippines, packed his bags, and landed in New York alone in 1969. It was an Odyssey that would forever be a part of his life, for it made him realize that in a quest a man must rely on himself and his capabilities in order to realize his dreams. His bachelorhood was both a boon and a bane. For one, there was not much pressure for him to strike gold at once, compared to those who have mouths to feed in a strange land. His movement was also unlimited, which is not true to a married man. But the loneliness was intense, and his sense of isolation was desolate.



Flory was born in Cogtong, Candijay, Bohol on November 7, 1937. His father was Paterno Gulle, who supported his family mainly through a logging business in the island municipality of Dinagat, Surigao del Norte. His mother was Rufina Exclamador, who helped the family’s upkeep by tending a store in Candijay. His early childhood days were spent in the war years. After the liberation of the Philippines from the Japanese forces, he enrolled at the Cogtong Elementary School. He finished his secondary education at the Bohol High School.

At a time when everybody wanted to be an engineer, a lawyer, a teacher, an accountant, a priest, a banker, a doctor, or a nurse, he opted to take a course unheard of by many. He passed the entrance exam given by the University of the Philippines, where he took up Bachelor of Science in Sugar Technology, a rare course worldwide. Only a few have graduated from the course, with him earning the distinction of being the only Boholano who finished it.

Right after graduation, he worked as a Bench Chemist at the Insular Sugar Refinery in Mandaluyong, Rizal. He was in-charge with quality control, aside from performing an administrative function. He was already contented with his job; but then another opportunity beckoned. He was offered the position of Acting General Supervisor for the Visayas by the Sugar Quota Administration. It was an opportunity for him to climb up the bureaucratic structure.

This new assignment made Flory a busy man, as he had to fly to the different sugar producing provinces of the three Visayan Regions. He rubbed elbows with the sugar barons, made deals with government technocrats from sugar importing nations, occasionally cavorted with the elite ladies in sugarland, and lived life to the hilt. Yet, something was missing. He could have picked one of the ladies making obvious their availability, settle down in marital bliss, and raise kids. But he knew it was not what he wanted. To confound the problem, he had no idea what it was he yearned for.

Until he learned of a few of his friends and officemates deciding to seek their future in some foreign lands. It signaled a fresh interest in him. The wanderlust that laid dormant in his subconscious took an upper stead. After several weeks of indecision, he applied for an immigrant visa which, because of his clout then, was not much of a problem.

New York was his target, and New York is where he has gained roots. His first job was as Quality Technician and Control Supervisor at Amster Corporation in Brooklyn. It was during this time when he learned the big difference between employment in his own country and a foreign land. But he readily adjusted to new situation. Eager to make use of his time away from work he took up a Master’s degree in Computer Science at the Pratt Institute, also in Brooklyn. Then he was hired by an export forwarding company (Strassi) in Manhattan. The new job entailed other forms of adjustments, which he complied with without negative thoughts. His propensity to adapt to any novelty was once more to put to a test when the National Nydegger Transportation Corporation took him as Export Documentation and Traffic Manager. Until he ventured into another phase of his professional life when he made a partnership with John Johnson for Export Processing, of hardware and war materials to the Middle East, most particularly Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, and United Arab Emirates. The adventure from Candijay had gone international.

For Flor Gulle, everything that transpired in his adopted land was never an easy climb. But now the struggle is over. He had an early retirement in 1997, and is taking life easy. But if there is one part of his life he would like to keep on reminiscing, it is meeting and marrying the girl who helped him fulfill his dreams. He was on his third year in New York when he met Gloria Malimas from Gingoog City. She was then working as a nurse at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Jersey City, when he saw her for the first time. It was not love at first sight, but an affection that started from admiration, and was nurtured to full bloom, until they tied the knot in 1972.

Flory and Gloria are blessed with two children...The eldest is Joseph, a Doctor of Dental Surgery in Florida. Greta is a BSN graduate from White Plains General Hospital and is an Operating Room Nurse.

Flory Gulle has five other brothers and a sister. Miguel graduated from the Philippine Nautical School in Manila and is now based in Long Island, New York. Agustin finished Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the University of San Carlos, and is now an Examiner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Manila. Crispulo is a Geodetic Engineer from Rafael Palma College, was once a Survey Team Leader before the Vietnam War, and is now enjoying his retirement years in Cogtong, Candijay. Mariano finished Bachelor of Science in Forestry. and was once a Regional Director of the Bureau of Forestry. Apolonio has a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ateneo, and now works as a Legal Officer, the third ranking lawyer in the Bureau of Immigration, Manila. The youngest is the only girl, Veronica, finished Bachelor of Medical Technology from the University of the Philippines. She is presently a Medical Technologist at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

Even as a student Flory Gulle had been involved in various organizations and service groups. To single out one, which until today has an indelible imprint in his mind, he was an active member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Fraternity of the University of the Philippines, which had for its members Ferdinand Marcos, Benigno Aquino, Roberto Benedicto, Richard Gordon, and Joker Arroyo. He was a Secretary of the Kings Bridge Heights Homeowners Association; and was the Treasurer of the Science Parents Association of the Bronx High School. As cog-in-the-wheel of the CONBUSAC (Confederation of Boholanos in the USA and Canada) he has been a pillar of patience and formidability in all of its projects. His participation in the two TBTK (Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan) were manifestations of his concern for Boholano solidarity. He was once President of the Bohol Circle of Eastern USA. In his retirement years, he may have found it convenient to close all doors, and concentrate on his own welfare. But this is not the way he and his brothers and sister have been trained by his parents. Serving others is a dictum he will uphold, as this gives more significance to his life.

By Loy Palapos

Boholanos prosper admirably in all professions, be it derived from decade-long courses or instinctive inclinations and talents. By land or in the air, they excel even without caring for celebrity status. At sea they are at their best. It does not come as a surprise that the first recognized school for seamen was founded by a Boholano.

In the military hierarchy, most particularly in the Navy, a Boholano stood out in brilliance of performance that was spanned for 33 years. His devotion to his tasks earned him several recognitions and awards, but as far as Rear Admiral Rogelio I. Calunsag is concerned, they are only icing in the cake. He never asked for them, but were freely given as accolades for his exemplary performance which brought him all over the country and in some foreign shores. Being awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Boholanos Around the World (TOBAW) last July was another feather to his cap. Last Friday, December 8, he was promoted the new flag-officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy.

Rogelio Calunsag was born in Loay, Bohol on August 2, 1952. His father, Exequiel Calunsag, was involved in trading tobacco, which he sourced from Mindanao and retailed in Bohol. His mother, Emiliana Iroy, from Alburquerque, tended a store to help in the family upkeep. He is married to Imelda Benavides, a Nurse by profession, who was a Chief Nurse in the Perpetual Soccur Hospital, at the same time Head of the School of Nursing, until she resigned in 1987 to put up a placement agency for nurses and caregivers, most particularly in USA, Canada, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

The Calunsags are blessed with three children. The eldest, Rommel, finished BS Biology, and is now employed in a call center based in the Mall of Asia. Michelle took up Journalism, and now works in a Makati publishing house, involved in the production of books and magazines. The youngest, Joy, studied Foreign Service and, while preparing to take a consular examination, teaches nursery pupils in Fort Bonifacio.

Commodore Calunsag is a distinguished product of the Philippine public school system. He enrolled at the Alegria Elementary School in Loay, and was a government scholar at the Philippine Science High School at Dilliman where he derived his secondary education. In 1970 he passed the examination for admittance to the Philippine Military Academy where he finished Bachelor of Science in Military Sciences in 1974. He ranked ninth among 114 graduates.

He holds two masters degrees: Master of Science in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business in 1980, and Master in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines in 2000.

Right after his graduation from PMA, he experienced his “baptism of fire” as a young Philippine Marine Officer in the battlefields of Sulu during the campaign against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 1974. Shortly thereafter he joined the Philippine Navy, rising through the ranks while at the same time honing his administrative and command skills at the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard (which was then attached to the Philippine Navy) headquarters as well as in various types of Philippine vessels.

He became the first commanding officer of BRP “Apolinario Mabini” (PS-36), one of three Peacock Class offshore patrol vessels that the Philippine Navy acquired from the British Royal Navy. Commodore Calunsag’s achievements in his Command at Sea were highlighted exemplary achievements when he became the Naval Task Force 41 Commander from 1998 to 1999. As Naval Task Force Commander, he was instrumental in safeguarding Philippine territorial waters and marine resources in Kalayaan Islands and Scarborough Shoal against maritime intruders, smugglers and marine poachers.

He had various special trainings abroad. In 1983 he was in Fort Bragg, New Connecticut, USA. He attended the General Staff Course “SESKOAL CL 33” in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2002 he went schooling in Monterey, California, USA.

Battle-tested and a prominent figure in time of peace, Commodore Calunsag is a recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, among them are: 4 Military Merit Medals, 7 Military Commendation Medals, 3 Campaign Medals for his distinguished service in the Visayas, Luzon and Mindanao, 2 Distinguished Service Stars, Presidential Unit Citation Badge and 6 other Badges, and other commendations from the Department of National Defense.

His services are not limited to his officially assigned tasks. He participated in numerous search and rescue operations of vessels and persons lost at sea, and several disaster relief and rehabilitation missions in many parts of the country. From 1989 to 1992 he arranged the repatriation of Filipino fishing crew-members in Indonesia. He also participated in several civic action programs such as environmental clean-up activities and projects, which brought him to the Manila Bay, Sangley Point in Cavite, Coregidor Island, and many other places in the nation. He initiated, as Commander of Navy Forces in Eastern Mindanao, the “cleaning and greening” of the naval headquarters in Sasa District, Davao City, and spearheaded the construction of “backyard fishpond” for tilapia breeding to augment the food supply and diet of camp personnel and members of their families.

Commodore Rogelio Iroy Calunsag was Assistant Chief of naval Staff of the Philippine Navy in 2002. In 2004 he was promoted Commander of the Assault Craft Force of the Philippine Fleet. On April 14, 2004 he was assigned Commander of the Naval Forces of Eastern Mindanao, and later, Naval Inspector General of the Philippine Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral.

It has been a long and tough grind for this living hero, both in war and in peace, from the moment he left the portals of PMA. His varied assignments brought him all over the country. His special mission to Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and some other nations, helped shape his determination to be of service to the nation he loves. His commitment to his responsibilities can only be equaled by his dedication to the oath he upholds all throughout the years. In the high position he now perches himself on, he can view a panorama that includes his struggles as a neophyte in a life-and-death drama that fiction cannot encompass. His reality is more intense than the ordinary man. More breath-taking, and more hazardous.

Nonetheless, on his lofty peak he has remained a God-loving naval top brass, aware that he is only an individual the Almighty has bestowed blessings on. This Rear Admiral of the Philippine Navy never forgets that he is a Boholano.

Quote from: thisgirlvader on June 09, 2007, 05:48:12 AM
How disappointingly brief! The human race should be more ambitious and aim for 30 minutes to an hour.

Now I know more about you.

Chin, are you sure about that?

By Loy Palapos

The people have long been aware of graft and corruption in public service, that at no time in Philippine history has there been real and sustained acclaim bestowed on personnel in government offices. This negative perception, unfounded or not, is a sword of Damocles on every nape of every government worker. To escape from this sinister categorization is an Herculean task; thus, most just play dumb and indifferent to the cajoling insults in order to survive in the concrete jungle aptly named modern civilization.

The scenario is bleak, but not totally dismal and perditious. There are sporadic glints of lighted candles in some obscure tunnels, although the flickers are dimmed. Yet, the solitariness inspires. Like the kind of public service a Boholano did in his 33 years before retirement, long years of continuous persuasion to keep right despite the countless wrong turns his colleagues in the Bureau of Post, wittingly or unwittingly, did to earn a fast buck. That he was a poor man doing the right thing, inspite of the temptations along the way, is the stuff the life of Cayetano Jamero has been substantially formed. If the world is a stage, where everyone plays a part (according to William Shakespeare), Mr. Jamero played his part bravely well.


photo source: the bohol standard

His father, Angel Jamero, was a farmer and tuba-gatherer in West-Ubujan, Garcia-Hernandez, Bohol where he was born on August 7, 1931. His mother, Clara Paglinawan, was a saguran-sinamay weaver who helped raise a brood of eight children. The sixth in the family, he dreamed of educating himself at all costs, for he knew, even as a child, that it was through education that he could improve his lot.

Cayetano enrolled at the Canayaon Elementary School, where he was a consistent honor pupil. It was not a mammoth problem studying in the vicinity of his barrio, but it was a different story aspiring for his secondary education. His parents cannot afford to send him to high school. He had only one recourse: to feign for himself and be a working student. He boarded a dilapidated bus and went to Tagbilaran, then still a sleepy town, and applied as a houseboy to the late Col. Generoso Lamdagan. Enrolled in night classes at Rafael Palma College, he was an honor student. Things could have turned better, but his parents beckoned for him to go back home. He proceeded with his studies at the Central Visayas College. To support himself, he mastered his father’s livelihood as a tuba-gatherer, until he graduated in 1951, with honors, and President of the graduating class.

He knew that his passport to a better life was through a college education. He decided to see some of his relatives personally to tell them of his plight. This brought him to Ozamis, Cotabato City, and Kidapawan, a bus and jeepney trip over dilapidated roads, including a six-kilometer travel by foot. There was a short stint in Kidapawan riding a carabao drawing a balsa to transport abaca fibers. In Mintal, Davao City he worked in the NAFCO (National Fiber Corporation). In Matina, he plowed corn and rice plantations. During some free hours he tried his luck in Harvardian Colleges, Ateneo de Davao and other schools for an opportunity to be a working student. It was futile.

Malaria was rampant then. After working as an interpreter in Visayan, English, and Tagalog for an Ilocano plantation owner, he decided to go to Manila in December 1952; but when informed about the HUK movement, he went back to the hinterlands of Kidapawan selling and bartering for low-priced medicines. In February 1953 he came back to Bohol. A teacher at Rafael Palma College introduced him to the Mayor of Sierra Bullones, who employed him in his ricemill. Until an opportunity for him to be a working student opened up.

For two years he was in the Office of the Registrar of RPC. He took an examination to be the Editor-In-Chief of the Jr. Republic, while still working as a clerk. He finished Associate in Arts in 1955, Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in 1957, and Bachelor of Laws in 1959. He was President of the Student Catholic Action and Vice President of RPC Strivers.

In the 1957 and 1959 elections he campaigned for a politician who promised him employment in a government agency. Great was his frustration when, instead of hiring a civil service eligible like him (1956), the non-eligibles were given priority. He went directly to the Postmaster General. He was first hired as a laborer. When his superiors learned he knew stenography, typewriting, and Law he was promoted to clerk doing investigation work. This was the turning point of his life.

A month later, he was offered to study and train for a Postmaster’s Course, which he finished in six months, and brought him to his first assignment as a Postmaster back home in Garcia-Hernandez. In 1971 another unexpected promotion came, which he refused: Postal Audit Examiner of Region VII, then comprising Bohol, Cebu, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Samar and Leyte. But Postal Inspector Rufino Casanova, who personally offered him the job twice, did not accept no for an answer. Casanova gave him many so he could start traveling over the entire region to examine and audit accounts.

Satisfied by his performance, the Postal Inspector promoted him Postal Service Officer in Region XI in Davao City in 1974, aside from being the Chief in Legal Affairs. He inherited 56 cases from his predecessor, since 1960, but in two months he disposed them, filing criminal and administrative cases.

He led nine other Filipino scholars under the United National Development Program (UNDP) for a 10-month study in Postal Management in the Asian Oceanic Postal Training School in Bangkok, Thailand. He made quite an impression in Bangkok: He was elected Editor of the school paper; he was selected leader of a team on Time Test Project in Postal Operations, which included members from Thailand, Korea, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.

While in Thailand he was promoted Administrative Officer, Postal Region XI, Davao City. In 1977 he became Assistant Postal Inspector, and a year later Postal Inspector nationwide. As District Postal Inspector in 1980 he discovered fake Money Orders in General Santos, Polomolok, and Koronadal Post Offices. In 1980 he led a team that busted a long-time anomalous stamp detaching in Lapu-Lapu City. During his assignment in Region X, he uncovered an anomalous transaction in Misamis Oriental. He discovered misappropriation of public funds in Sierra-Bullones Post Office in 1987. As Post Master General in Metro Manila he busted a technical smuggling syndicate operating at the University of the Philippines Post Office, Dilliman, Quezon City.

Because of the foregoing accomplishments he was selected Outstanding Postal Inspector in Central Visayas, and Outstanding Postal Inspector of the Philippines in 1988.

Mr. Cayetano Jamero is a rara avis in government service, which is riddled with malpractices mostly aimed at personal gains. He rose from the ranks and, throughout his career in the Post Office, he was a rare bird in upholding integrity. Now retired, he still finds time to serve through Couples for Christ and other civic and religious organizations. His principle in life - Pray always, work and you will not starve.

By Loy Palapos

At thirteen she has accomplished more than girls twice her age, as proven by more than fifty awards, certificates of recognition, and exposures spotlighting her talents in ramp modeling, beauty contests, oral articulation, and mathematics. At 12, when she was in seventh grade, she took the entrance exams for college at Duke University, and came out the youngest passer, and the highest in her school. She has tacked several titles in her belt, including that of Miss Pre-Teen Rio Grande Valley, Declamation and Oral Reading Champion, and Highest Math SAT Scorer.

At 10:00 AM last Monday, November 26, a long distance call from Texas jolted me. The big news? Addie Valerie was crowned All American Pre-Teen winner, a beauty and talent competition held in California, besting 158 other representatives from all over America.



Aptly nicknamed Darling, Addie Valerie Amper is the granddaughter of Dr. Addie Torres, Ph. D. and the only daughter of Valerio Amper, of Anda, and Endievie Torres of Alicia. Both parents graduated from Divine Word College (Holy Name University), he in BSC-Accounting, and she in BSN. Jethro, their second child and only son is a sixth grader at Sheryland Elementary School, Mission, Texas where he excels as a Champion in Chess.

She was born in Davao City on April 16, 1993, where her father was the Manager of Davao Union Cement. Even at two years old her enthusiasm and zest for life were her avatar. In kindergarten she already manifested her inclination to the arts. She loved to dance, sing, and act even if words at times left her mouth ambiguously. Her parents, aware of their daughter’s potentials, supported her passion for acting and modeling. In 2000 she won the most coveted title of Little Miss Davao City.

When the family moved to the USA in 2001, it could have spelled an end to her dream in the celebrity world; but even in a totally new environment, her innate grace and charm triumphed over mediocrity, and she was asked to join the search for Miss Pre-Teen Rio Grande Valley in 2004. She was nine then, when she bagged the beauty title, which made her a celebrity in the campus. That stint led her to ramp modeling and engagements which brought her to several places. Some of them were: Sunrise Mall Children’s Place Spring Fashion Show, Edinburgh Auditorium, Pharr Fashion, Bag Fashion, Donna Summer Concert, Sunrise Mall Elite, Miss Mission Pageant, Rio Grande Humanity Fashion Show, Pharr International Graduation Fashion Show, and scores more. To enhance her skills in the ramp, she enrolled at the Missy’s Modeling Studio, McAllen, Texas. Her training at Valley Keyboards, also in Texas, enhanced her skills in playing the piano, singing and dancing.

She joined several beauty and modeling pageants where she either emerged the title holder or a runner-up: Miss National American in Houston, Texas, State Actress Winner, States Spokes Model, National All American Miss in Anaheim, California, National Pageant Winner in All American Miss Spirit (all in 2004). From 2005 to 2006 she again garnered several awards, including the 2006 Spirit of America Award. In the year 2001, she was the School District Declamation Champion, and from 2004 to 2005 she was the consistent School District Oral Reading Champion, aside from being the recipient of the 2006 Duke University Award.

Her participation in beauty contests and fashion shows have brought her to several places in USA. Participating in various quests is, for her, one way to express her mental, emotional, psychological, and physical attributes. “Win or lose…the experience makes me a better person.” Even in losing, she has learned to evaluate her weak points, and come out more knowledgeable. She and a small select group are scheduled to visit Washington DC, in March 2007. She is representing her school, and they will meet the Congressional Representatives and State Senator, among others, as part of her itinerary in a Leadership Training Program.

Late last year, there was this popular American Celebrity, Tommy Hilfiger, in the world of modeling. He was searching for female teen-age mannequins for ramp modeling in the Big Apple, New York City. Among almost two-hundred aspirants who were interviewed and tested for acumen in carrying designer clothes, Addie Valerie was one of the ten being picked. She alluded her making it to the magic ten her ability to relate to the audience, especially with her perfect smile, emanating from her joyous heart, that never fails to touch anybody who experiences it.

Now, on her eighth grade, she will soon be in Junior High. Nevertheless, all throughout the years, she never forgets her dream: to be a pediatrician someday. She loves children, that’s why. What happens if the celebrity spotlight will focus on her, which is not remote, considering her varied talents? She has already gone places and is high in the totem pole in the world of entertainment and pageantry. To this, which other gifted children always see as a dilemma, she has already a definite answer. She will choose her studies and become a doctor. All her experiences and accomplishments could be geared to this focal dream to serve others.

Asked about her first impression during her first few days in Bohol, she sounded incredulous. “No seatbelts, no speed limits…it’s heaven here. People seem free to do anything they want.” Compared to Uncle Sam country where there are a thousand-and-one restrictions, and anybody has to obey several rules and regulations, non-compliance of which results to monetary fines and other sanctions, including imprisonment or community service, where nobody is exempted, including the rich and influential…

She has been categorized as brilliant even as a kid, excelling in subjects which are the others’ Waterloo, like mathematics and the sciences. Always finishing at the topmost five percent of her classes at school-year-ends, she did not have any problem relating to her peers, and even those older than she. She did not experience being an outside or left-out even during the first time she attended classes. She at once felt at home in school, as if she was born in the US. She cannot even remember any language barrier. She was the proverbial duck to her pond.

It did not come as a surprise that her teachers and those who matched her performance in school readily saw in her a phenomenal child, making her acceptance at the Business Education and Technology Academy in Edinburg, Texas. She is enrolled in a special class for gifted and talented children.

Call it fate, but Darling’s parents are also convinced of her determination, hand work, obedience, love, family support, and above all…God’s grace. When she was offered the educational acceleration from elementary to college by Duke University in September, her parents decided to make her experience the regular secondary school curriculum, to be with students her age, although a grade higher than her classmates last school year.

A perfect combination of brain-and-beauty. Nothing frivolous, nothing ostentatious, just inborn charm that emanates from within her in-depth core. Not pre-fabricated nor cultivated or rehearsed…that intrinsic glow of the joy of living. She comes to Bohol to experience for herself the pristine white beaches, the blue-green sea, the marvelous chocolate hills, and the hospitable people she has been hearing so much about. If she has her way, she would love to reside her forever. But school in the USA beckons. She knows the applause for wining titles and the sophistication on the ramp are fleeting fancy. She would be a doctor someday, and now she knows Bohol is her home.

By Loy Palapos

Life is indeed man’s greatest journey. Mapped out with roads to be traveled on, it is an adventure that takes a lifetime to decipher. Nobody knows its outcome. All one could do is fervently dream, burning a hope that life would be colorful and meaningful.

Born to parents Policronio T. Mascariñas and Felisa Mante, on January 14, 1946, Eufrasio “Prasing” Mante-Mascariñas started on his life’s journey, as the second son of a family of eight siblings. A local boy of the town of Tubigon, he took his education in stride. Elementary learning was at Tubigon Central School (1952-1958) and secondary education was at Holy Cross Academy, where he graduated salutatorian (1958-1962). Then, he was off to the Cebu Institute of Technology as an academic scholar taking a degree in BS Civil Engineering (1962-1967). Successfully passing the board examination right after graduation, he had the world at his feet.



At 22, he was the Acting Officer-In-Charge of the national Irrigation Administration, Eastern Visayas Irrigation Region (NIA-EVIR), at the Bohol Sub-Office in the City of Tagbilaran. His administrative skill was honed to his advantage. While others were still day-dreaming, he was exposed to a managerial task that squeezed out the best in him. The following year, he became an instructor at the University of Bohol (1965-1975).

Prasing has always been born a leader, it is in this period of his life that fate charted out a different course venturing into a realm totally new to him â€" public service. It was told that this young and unheard of man wearing t-shirts, shorts, and slippers would tirelessly go around from barangay to barangay, knocking from door to door, shaking countless hands. The hesitant greetings of the people turned to gleeful welcome smiles and soon enough they began to talk about the name “Prasing.” In 1972, he became the youngest vice-mayor of Tubigon at 25 (1972-1975). Among his more memorable projects was the Founding of the Federation of Tubigon Youth.

After his stint as vice-mayor, he thought of fulfilling the occupation that he studied for in school. He became the project engineer of the E.G. Delegencia Construction in Cagayan de Oro (1975-1978). However, destiny had a stronger pull than what this man envisioned for himself. On December 13, 1978 Prasing was appointed as Municipal Mayor of Tubigon by the late Ferdinand E. Marcos. There was no turning back after that.

Preparing for what fate held up ahead, Prasing took a post-graduate course in Local Administration and Development Program at the University of the Philippines. Manila. And as they say, the rest is history. He won elections after elections and served the town as municipal mayor for twenty (20) uninterrupted years (1978-1998).

As Tubigon’s top executive, he endeavored on major projects in the field of education: the establishment of the Mater Dei College, a National High School, a Barangay High School, and the establishment of elementary and primary schools in the barangays; agriculture: the construction of the water impounding projects of 5 barangays; rural electrification of 28 mainland barangays and 90% of all sitios; cottage industry: the establishment and strengthening of the loom weaving and raffia industry; infrastructure: the concreting of municipal streets, opening and improvement of barangay and farm to market roads; waterworks: the rehabilitation of the Tubigon Municipal Waterworks System and the establishment of Level II waterworks systems in 7 major barangays; to name a few. His more recent contribution was the expansion of the wharf, the constructions of the Tubigon Cultural and Sports Center and the Tubigon Community Hospital.

He was the town’s most clamorous advocate for progress. Having won the hearts of the Tubigonians who have migrated to other countries, they became his most avid supporters always willing to extend what they can for Tubigon’s betterment. Upon their invitation, they sponsored his trips to the United States (1989 & 1991), Hawaii (1991), and Hongkong (1994) with the aim to raise funds for his various infrastructure projects.

As an Ambassador of Goodwill, he was also instrumental in bridging and building international partnership programs with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of Germany (1995), the City of Portage la Praire in Manitoba, Canada (1996), and with the Local Government Development Foundation (LOGODEF). He was also a delegate to the various government promoted trips: the Philippine Local Government Officials Visit to the People’s Republic of China (1994), and the FCM Southeast Asia Partnership Workshops in Chiang Mai, Thailand (1997).

With the passage of the term limit in the 1987 Constitution, the law barred Prasing to seek re-election. Convinced by party leaders that he can be of service to more people in Bohol, he ran for office at a provincial scale. In May of 1998, he was elected as a Provincial Board Member in the First District. He is the first Tubigonian to have achieved this feat.

Now on his third term of office, he has continued to sponsor major ordinances and resolutions to promote efficient and effective local governance. At present, he is the Chairman of the committee on Public Works, Highway & Related Infrastructure and the Committee on Personnel and Related Policies; Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Justice & Human Rights and Committee on Cooperative & NGO’s; and Member of the Committee on Appropriations & Finance, Committee on Ways & Means and Committee on Public Utilities and Franchises. As when he was mayor, he continues to represent the province and the country. Recently he took part in the Bergen Seminar in Development in Bergen, Norway (1999) and the Klondike Days Exposition in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (2002).

He believes that contributing for one’s province or town does not have to be in the form of public office. It just happened that for him, this was the path that destiny has laid out. It has not been all glory and glamour. There had been times of trials, of sacrifices and of faith stretching. But through it all, with unwavering faith in God and with the love and support of his family and friends, it has indeed been one joyous journey. And his journey does not end here.

Prasing is married to a family physician, Dr. Yolanda “Chuchie” Abogatal, with whom he has three children. The eldest, Sarah Joy is a Manila-based Assistant Sales Manager of Waterfront Philippines, Inc. She graduated from the University of the Philippines, Diliman with the degree in BS Hotel and restaurant Administration. Jasper graduated high school at the Philippine Science High School Western Visayas (Iloilo) Campus and is now enrolled at UP-Los Baños for a degree in BS-Biology. Jairus, the youngest is a second year Physical Therapy student Silliman University, Dumaguete City.

Only a few Boholano politicians are really loved the way Prasing Mascariñas is. He may have reached high places, rubbed elbows with the power-that-be, has accomplished a great deal, and helped his constituents for almost forty years, but he has remained the humble public servant everybody admires. After his third term as a Provincial Board Member expires this year, he has various plans, and they always include the good of Tubigon.

By Loy Palapos
Reference: Atty. Handel Lagunay,  The Bohol Chronicle, June 4, 1989

Beautiful. Tall. Talented. Intelligent. Ageless. Articulate. Sophisticated. Learned. Compassionate. All these, and more, describe Enriqueta Borja-Butalid. She embodies the modern Filipina: updated on issues, reasonable on trends, replete with artistic ambience, a delightful presence, good conversationalist, exquisite dresser, with urbanized tastes; never a wall flower even in the world of glitz and glamour. An epitome of what a woman of today should be gifted…aware and involved.



Equet was born in Tagbilaran City to Gerardo Manigque Borja and Petra Gabines Buma-at. She was brought up in a devotedly religious home. All her brothers and sisters excelled in their professions. Jaime was an Architect whose career was highlighted by being the City Engineer and City Councilor after retirement. Cecilio joined the US Navy. Florencio finished a course in Mechanical Engineering, while Heracleo was an Accountant. Flora B. Apalisok had a Master’s Degree in Music Education, raised her family in the United States, where she expressed her love of Music by organizing and conducting choirs after her office work, and came back to Bohol to retire. Luz B. Gaviola was a Pharmacist, while Epifania B. Magaro was a Master in Mathematics and Statistics. Emilio is an Electrical Engineer.

Enriqueta Borja married Atty. Rolando Butalid. The couple stayed in Manila for a number of years where Atty. Butalid, had a brisk law practice, until politics beckoned. Prodded by their relatives and friends, they came back to Tagbilaran where Rolly ran for Mayor. He made it, and she commenced life as a wife of a politician. She was the First Lady of the City, and had several obligations to fulfill, but she never abandoned her first love, Music. Then Rolly became Governor of the Province of Bohol. Her responsibility increased as the First Lady of the Province, but this did not deter her from being deeply involved in cultural activities, especially those associated with Music. Rolly and Equet have four children. The eldest, Dominic, has a Masters in Business Administration from AIM (Asian Institute of Management). Claire also has a Masters in Business Administration from Ateneo de Manila. Val studied and finished a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering at the University of San Carlos. The youngest, Tim, is a Business Administration graduate from the University of the Philippines.

Equet took up formal piano lessons, together with sister Flora, under Mrs. Rosario Dejaresco. She was only eight years old, and her father was the person she accredits her inclination to music. Her elementary and secondary educations were with St. Joseph College (College of the Holy Spirit, now Holy Spirit School). Already convinced that she belonged to the musical world, she went to Manila and enrolled at the College of the Holy Spirit. She finished Bachelor of Music under the main tutelage of Sis. Cyrilda Ferriols, S.Sp.S.

At the College of the Holy Spirit she had the distinction of being the only student who performed with the faculty in some concerts. She also was privileged to perform in various Manila organizations during her free time. These achievements earned for her the admiration of music aficionados. After graduation in 1971 the Rotary Club of Manila and the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts accorded her awards for her contributions to music, songs, and music aficionados. After graduation in 1971 the Rotary Club of Manila and the Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts accorded her awards for her contributions to music, songs, and dances. It was also during this time when she was a pianist to Dr. Eliseo Pajaro, a composer, conductor, and professor of the University of the Philippines. While he lectured on the works of Chopin, Rashmaninoff, and other great artists, it was Enriqueta whom he handpicked to play their masterpieces on the piano. With her teaching music, it was a life fulfilled; until the family moved back to Tagbilaran.

With Mayor Rolly Butalid engrossed at the helm of the City, Mrs. Enriqueta Butalid was appointed by Governor Lino Chatto as a Music Consultant. Her main job was to revive the love of music and dance among Boholanos. She delivered lectures and spearheaded competitions on indigenous Boholano performing arts, like Nilambay, Balitaw, and Kuradang. Her name became a by-word when she formed a select group of professionals and joined “Sanghimig,” a national choral competition, in 1975. Bohol won as Champion from entries all over the country, including the Metro Manila area. The feat was duplicated the following year; which brought Bohol to the limelight.

So well-received was the success of the Bohol-Tagbilaran Choral Group that requests for concerts all over the Municipalities of the Province followed, for which Mrs. Butalid did not have the heart to reject, knowing that talent should be shared. There were also performances in Manila (University of the East, Philam Life), Cebu (Sacred Heart School), Davao, and Butuan. In these tours she included not only classical, but also contemporary music, for popular appeal. From 1980 to 1984 she represented the province as Coordinator of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA). It was an opportunity she could not miss. She went even to the grassroots of Bohol and organized children’s choirs, with she herself battling for improved performances. She was elected Vice President (Visayas) of the Cultural Planners Association in the Philippines. Simultaneously she was the adviser and consultant of the Music Teachers of the Province. Her efforts paid off. In the Regional Children Choral Competition in Dumaguete City, the contingents of Bohol took the grand slam by winning all the first three places.

Any cultural organization being formed always considers Mrs. Enriqueta B. Butalid as head. She was responsible for an exhibit of the paintings of Picasso. She brought Lucresia Kasilag, then President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, to lecture on ethnic music. In return she brought to the Folk Arts Theater some Boholano talents to perform native dances. She was a member of the Philippine Cultural Delegation to China. Presently, she is in her best elements as Head of the Center for Cultural Arts and Development (CCAD).

She organized the local Cultural Planners Association of the Philippines, and the Bohol Cultural Society, which metamorphosed into the Bohol Arts Council. Even in the First Bohol Pop Music Festival, she contributed her talent in the screening committee. The musical landscape of Bohol would not be complete without Enriqueta Borja-Butalid enthroned as the prime-mover in an act that defines all ages. Music is a universal language, and in its universality she reigns supreme in this island province known for the Loboc Children’s Choir, the Dimiao Rondalla, and Alicia’s Pangkat Kawayan.

Being married to a very accomplished individual usually results to a wife basking in the shadow of her husband. In the case of Mrs. Enriqueta Borja-Butalid, this is not so. She is her own woman, who can hold a candle to any man, while remaining a fulfilled wife and mother. In her world of music she plucks her glory.

By Loy Palapos

“Jitterbug, Captain Nunag, ang lawas naglubag-lubag” goes a popular wartime jingle to glorify a local folk hero whose exploits earned for him the respect of his subordinates, has colleagues, and even his enemies. With the war years only a memory, Colonel Vicente Kuelles Nunag, Jr. took life in strides, aware that the bitterness brought about by international conflict has wavered down, as he gave that impish smile when he was called a living hero.



Born in Tamparan, Lanao del Sur, on January 24, 1920, he was the 4th of 10 children of a Philippine Constabulary officer, Vicente T. Nunag, Sr. of Hagonoy, Bulacan and Emilia Kuelles, a Surigaonon with roots from Valencia, Bohol. His early years brought him to many places all over the country, depriving him of the opportunity to develop deep, and lasting relationship with his peers. This part of his upbringing came in handy in the war years, when being on the move was a way of life. A rolling stone gathering no moss.

A soldier’s son, he was schooled where his father was assigned. He began his elementary education in Cotabato, then secondary in Jolo, Sulu, where he excelled as an interscholastic champion in boxing, hop-step-and-jump, and in the 400-meter relay. He took up Civil Engineering at the National University, when he became the Philippine Amateur flyweight boxing champion.

Until the time came when he came to Bohol. The family had to move to the new assignment when his father assumed his post as Bohol Provincial Commander. Never a person to gloat in leisure and idleness, Engineer Vicente Nunag worked as Assistant Mining Superintendent at the Guindulman Manganese Mines. The situation was ideal. He found home in the island province, until World War II broke out. Adversity and emergency separate the real men farm the ordinary boys. He heeded the call to fight for the country. On March 27, 1942 he served the “ D” Company, Bohol Provincial Battalion, 83rd Infantry Regiment, USAFFE, in Carmen, Bohol as 3rd Lieutenant. When the USAFFE disbanded, Lt. Nunag did not surrender. He went underground and formed his own guerilla group known as Ba-ang Force, which joined the Behind the Clouds Forces under Capt. Francisco Salazar and Lt. Ismael Ingeniero.

Lieutenant Nunag figured in the famous encounter with the Japanese in Mo-along, Loon, where he led the ill-equipped guerilla fighters in an ambush that led to the complete routing of a truckload of Japanese soldiers aboard a commandeered “Bohol Land Trans” passenger truck. He also figured in the legendary battle of Ubujan, where the Japanese suffered heavy casualties. The guerilla fighters, however, lost their leader, Capt. Francisco Salazar. It was at this point that Lt. Nunag took over the command of the group, with headquarters in Cortes, Bohol.

In a week-long Battle of Sombria Bridge, Manga he elicited the respect of Capt. Mori of the Japanese garrison in Tagbilaran for gallantry and for being a gentleman in the battlefield. The kind-hearted leader allowed the Japanese to retrieve their dead without being harassed after several unsuccessful onslaughts against the guerilla’s first line of defense on the Cortes side.

On October 23, 1942 Lt. Nunag was conferred Combat Head of the Bohol Guerilla Force. He was promoted to the rank of Captain and Commanding Officer, 1 Bn. Bohol Force, USFIP. On January 1944 he was designated Executive Officer, 84th Inf. Rgt., Bohol Area Command; and Commanding Officer of the 85th Inf. Rgt. His promotion to the rank of Colonel, and then Major followed.

His prowess and gallantry in the battlefield became a by-word, even to his enemies. Far and wide he was called a hero. It was at this time when he was accorded two other names: the “Lone Wolf,” for his dexterity in combat; “ Robin Hood,” for his magnanimity even to his adversaries. A reason why Lt. Col. William Smith of the USAFEE designated him Commanding Officer of a special unit. He headed a favorite patrol of twelve selected men. With himself as number 13, a group that never suffered any casualty in their engagements. No wonder, until death last November 3, he considers 13 his lucky number.

Those who saw Major Nunag in the battlefield and witnessed his leadership skill in dealing with his subordinates and allies, were candid enough to accurately describe the war hero. Atty. Simplicio Doron, a very close buddy, who was also a guerilla Captain, said Major Nunag “had a steady pulse, and was a veritable sharp shooter.” The respected Congressman Luis T. Clarin saw in the Major “a whirlwind in the battle, running from one position to another, commanding his men, without ducking.”

According to Atty. Juvenal Osorio, another close friend of Major Nunag, the folk hero “could hit a moving target bulls eye while riding on a galloping horse.” His favorite sidearm was a Colt 45 revolver, and his favorite riffle was the Caliber 30 Springfield. Former Tagbilaran Mayor Honorio Grupo used to recall even the native cigarettes then were labeled “ Fighting Nunag.” It was another accolade for a soldier whose bravery and exploits were admired and praised by the multitudes.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur made true his promises (“ I shall return”), and landed in Leyte. Japanese troops began to abandon their garrisons in a number of towns. Major Nunag led units of the 85th Inf. Regt. to clear Pangangan Island of enemy troops. One of those captured was a journalist-editor of the Visayang Shimbun, a Japanese newspaper based in Cebu City. Two months later, major Nunag received a letter from the editor thanking him and his men profoundly for the human treatment they received while in captivity.

On April 11, 1945 American troops landed in Bohol to officially liberate the province. Major Nunag organized a Special Unit of guerilla soldiers. Together with American soldiers they rounded up 300 Japanese soldiers evading capture in the hinterlands of Bohol. On May 30, 1945 the Bohol Area Command was officially inactivated.

After the war, the multi-medalled hero returned to civilian life, a transition many warriors find burdensome. Being a Civil Engineer, he found work in the government bureaucracy, at the Bureau of Public Highways. He transferred to private employment at Coca-Cola Bottling Corporation. His Administrative acumen was then put to good use when he was the Manager of the Southern Industrial Projects Galvanizing Plant in Cortes; after which he was offered to manage the SIP shipping. The Davao Steel Corporation Galvanizing Plant in Mandaue City beckoned. The offer for another managerial job was too tempting to negate. Then came another responsibility, that of General Manager of Philsteel in Laguna. As Manager in all aforementioned establishments he never experienced a labor strike, at a time when locked-up and Labor-Management conflict was the vogue. In war and in peace Major Nunag was loved and respected.

He could have lived a life of leisure after retirement; but gifted individuals are always in demand. He was appointed OIC Mayor of the Municipality of Antequera after the assumption of Corazon Aquino as President of the country. When Constantino Torralba became Governor of Bohol, Dodong Nunag joined the Capitol beleaguers as Technical Assistant on Peace and Order, and concurrently as Warden of the Provincial Jail. In the only jail riot that occurred, he dared to let himself be locked among the inmates to communicate face-to-face with the hotheads. Even the irrational and hot-headed shimmered down

His life with Eugenia Morgia, a school teacher from Antequera, withstood the ups-and-downs of marital woes and bliss, with her supporting his husband in every decision he made. They are blessed with 10 children, who now have their own lives to live. Ma. Aurora “Nora” Kuntz is a journalist-nurse married to a Psychiatrist in Maine, USA. Msgr. Vicente “Boy” Nunag III is presently the Parish Priest of Baclayon. Atty. Lucas “Doy” is a senior partner at Quisumbing and Evangelista Law Office in Quezon City and is married to another lawyer at the Supreme Court. Lilioso “Lil” is an accountant who retired from PCI Bank, and is now the number one Councilor of Antequera. Moises “ Mesing” is doing good business in Washington, USA. Urcisio “Nonoy” is a Finance major now in Ontario, Canada. Efleda “Inday” Mediano is another nurse, married to a Doctor in Pennsylvania, USA. Ma. Lirio “Nenette” is a Physician-Nurse in New York, USA. Philip “ Ping” is a businessman and a masters degree holder. Ma. Virgel “Girlie” finished his MA in Nursing at Columbia University and is a Clinical Instructor of New York University and Mt. Sinai Hospital, USA.

At 86, Major Dodong Nunag maintained a little farm in Antequera to keep himself fit. He still drove his own car, when most of his peers, and even those younger, cannot manage all alone by themselves, never a fence-sitter who watches the world pass by, he served as the District Commander of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines, and attended regularly the Breakfast Fellowship Meetings and other spiritual function of the Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals. “Jitterbug,” “the living hero,” lived life to the hilt by serving others.

By Loy Palapos

A man who did not rest on his laurels after serving 29 years as dedicated, honest, dependable and respectable Officer of the Philippine Navy, Capt. Roberto L. Salinas, PN (Ret) is now sailing his own ship, being the indefatigable Mayor of the town of Catigbian, in the province of Bohol.

A once politically divided and sleeping town some 35 kilometers away from Tagbilaran City, Catigbian is a fast-developing municipality, now at par with the best, in an unprecedented turn of events that can only happen with the formidable leadership style of a man whose commitment for service is unquestionable. Mayor Salinas, even as a neophyte in the political arena, proved himself capable of doing his tasks in bringing unity among local government officials as well as in showcasing the town’s progress and development in just a couple of years after his election in 2004.



He is a pure Catigbianon born on May 29, 1959 to his parents: the late Juan Paraguya Salinas, a former school Principal, and Maxima Lacea Salinas, a former School Division Supervisor in Bohol. He has four brothers and two sisters who are also professionals in the fields of education, medicine and engineering. His parents, believing in his intellectual capacity, wanted him to be a doctor.

He took up his pre-medical course at Southwestern University in the nearby province of Cebu from 1968 to 1972. He finished his Masters in Business Administration at the Philippine Christian University in Manila in 1985-1986. He was convinced that it is not in the field of medicine where he can serve the people best. He has another calling: to serve the country as a Naval Officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Indeed, he proved he was right.

Prior to his retirement, he already gained the heart of his constituents because of his socio-economic standing and support to the development of Catigbian. He is a consistent donor for the church, chapels, schools, hospitals and even sponsor in various town activities like fiestas, sports and variety shows, among others. His wife Ma. Nerissa Yap Salinas, and their three children, Mrs. Noreen S. Privandos, a graduate of Masters in Business Administration, Nitzie Belle, a Certified Public Accountant, and Robert Ray, still a student, equally support his undertakings even to the extent of installing power lighting of almost 30 households in the remote barangays. The family was also able to send three students to school until they finished their college education.

Created by virtue of Executive Order No. 229, dated June 17, 1949, issued by then President Elpidio Quirino, Catigbian got its name from a seed-bearing plant called Katigbi that flourished in all parts of the locality. The seeds can be made into rosary beads, garland and other decorative paraphernalia.

After years in the doldrums, the town now sails smoothly. Mayor Salinas has a motto, “All for one; one for all” and his leadership is guided by the theme “Unity and Cooperation: The Key to Progress and Development.” His Liberal Arts exposure and MBA capabilities came in handy as an administrative expert. His military training instilled in him the value of discipline and fortitude. Consequently, he gained everybody’s trust and all municipal officials, regardless of political affiliations, support his administration by attending all major events, or even short programs. It was at the start of his administration when the first “KATIGBAWAN” festival was conceptualized and celebrated. It is a feast for human and spiritual satisfaction done every third week of June, in time for the Foundation Day of Catigbian. The second Katigbawan celebration last June 18, 2006 was so successful, with the full participation of all officials, department heads and the town folks.

Mayor Salinas and his council work hand-in-hand to welcome foreign interventions in order to carry out their mission to pursue sustainable development and improve the living conditions of their constituents through well-defined executive and legislative agenda. They too recognize the importance of partnerships and linkages with other government and private agencies. One of the foreign contributions to the physical improvement of the place is from the Government of Belgium under the Belgium Integrated Agrarian Reform Support Program or BIARSP, through the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

In the town proper, one can see a Savings and Credit Center or Members Savings Operation (MSO), a quasi-banking system. It is the Mantacida United Farmers Multi-purpose Cooperative (MUFAMPUCO). From an initial capital build-up deposit of P33, 850.00 upon launching of the project in year 2002, it has now a total capitalization of P5.5 million. The banking system, assisted by BIARSP, has now a total of 953 members. They cater loan services such as business, honorarium, agricultural, salary, instant and emergency loan.

With the MSO scheme, farmers have now a capital to start economic activity other than farming. Housewives are doing entrepreneurial activities, like vending dried fish, spices, gasoline, and dry goods during market days. Some are occupied with hog raising and fattening and tending sari-sari stores. Needless to say, with the continuous support and guidance from the LGU and DAR municipal staff, MUFAMPUCO, with its dedicated officers and members, was adjudged as the Best Performing People’s Organization, in the entire Region VII for this year.

On the other hand, BIARSP also finances the water sanitation (WATSAN) system benefiting 60 agrarian reform beneficiaries. The operation is being managed by the farmers themselves. Marichel M. Rulida, the manager and one of the beneficiaries of WATSAN project, said that the ready and available water supply that flows from the reservoir and then distributed to the different pump stands, give ease to the household beneficiaries, that used to fetch water from distant sources. Secondly, residents are now more secure because of the scheduled water treatment that can assure safe and clean potable drinking water.

Other major developments funded by BIARSP are the rehabilitation of .920-kilometer farm-to-farm market road in Sitio Tuog, Causwagan, worth P952, 000.00, still within the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) in Mantacida. Punong barangay Danilo Ambaic said that the road repair greatly help the farmers to have an easy transport of their farm products to the market. The said road repair benefits 150 ARBs and 25 non-ARB households, including the adjacent residents in ARC Buenos Aires of the nearby town of Tubigon.

In all BIARSP and other trainings conducted, Mayor Salinas is always at hand to welcome the participants. He always extends support in terms of snacks, vehicles and equipment and in whatever capacity he can muster in order to make every undertaking of DAR and other agencies successful.

During the recent visit of the Belgian Ambassador to the Philippines, His Excellency Gregoire Vardakes, held at the Municipal Hall of Catigbian, the Mayor warmly welcomed the valued guest and his party and confidently said that “I am very thankful to the Belgian government for its generosity in giving financial assistance to the Filipinos and I am glad that the Catigbianons in particular are one of the beneficiaries. It is my pleasure, as the Chief Executive, to support with all my heart all undertakings of DAR in my town for the development of the countryside.” It does not come as a surprise that Mayor Salinas always reiterates his appreciation and gratitude to the Belgian government and the DAR family during interviews.

The captain of the ship now is the captain of the Catigbianons. He welcomes every major development that comes along his way, with a wish that all his constituents will be able to sail on smoothly like a ship in an ocean, with all of its systems in operational condition onward and towards happy and comfortable lives.

By Loy Palapos

Music throbs triumphant in her family. Her father, Leoncio, “Along” Caseñas Gulle, Sr., is a composer, an arranger, and an instrumentalist, at his best with the saxophone. Awarded one of the Most Outstanding Jagnaanons, he composed the Jagna Hymn, and is a total entertainer when he performs with his children. He was a Head Teacher, who later worked with the Bureau of Customs in Negros Occidental and Cebu, and then back as an instructor at BIT. Her mother, Elisa Cagulada-Gulle, shares her passion for culture and the arts, especially music, and she retired as a mentor at the Jagna Central Elementary School.

Her sister, Louella “Baby” Gulle-Bantol, is a Medical Technologist by profession (SWU), and is a singer and dancer in her own right. She owns and manages V and L Rock Aggregates and Konstruction Services (V and L Raks), and is married to Engr. Victor J. Bantol (also a gifted singer and guitarist), the President and Resident Manager of Bohol Limestone Corporation.

Eva’s other sister, Gilda “Inday” Gulle-Richdale, a BSC-Management graduate (gifted with terpsichorean and vocal excellence), now resides in Vancouver, Canada as Executive Assistant to the Vice President of BC Tel (British Columbia Telecommunications Company), with her husband, Douglas Richdale, Vice President of Gulfshores Resources, Inc. Their only brother is the youngest, Leoncio “Junjun” Gulle, Jr., now managing V and L Raks in Jagna, and is married to Marishel Jamora, both lead singers of the Infinite Band.

Eva is married to Ruben David de los Santos, an American of Spanish-Filipino descent. They own and manage LOKAL, a T-Shirt company based in Cebu. Their four children are all advocates of music and the performing arts: Carlos, Kristina Monique, OJ (Orencio James Virgil), and Patricia Ana.

Monique, at 18, has the artistic talents of her mother. She used to study at the Cebu International School. She performs every Saturday in Café Lupe (Tagaytay) and every Thursday in Parañaque. Chosen one of the Palmolive Girls, she also won the National Search for VJ of Studio 23. She sang the Nescafe jingle in one of its commercials on TV and radio. She’s Monique Rae when she is singing. Her first album is now in the making, with most of the songs composed by her Mom, Bohol’s Diva, Eva Santos.

She first saw the light of day in Tejero, Jagna on October 1, 1962. She was on top ten of her class at the Jagna Elementary School, and earned an Award of Recognition by the GSP (Girl Scouts of the Philippines) for being the representative to the Bohol GSP Council. At an early age her inclination to music was already evident, especially when she won in Paligsahan sa Musika. She graduated Salutatorian at the Colegio de la Medalla Milagrosa, where she romped away with several awards, including: Bohol Prisaa Meet Declamation Contest, Best in Extra-Curricular Activities, Gerry Roxas Leadership Award, Grand Prize: GSP National Singing Competition, GSP National Jamboree Talent Award, CAT Dream Girl and Cadette of the Year.

A scholarship grant for her singing ability was given by the Cebu State College, where she took Bachelor of Science in Education, and graduated Cum Laude. From the first to the fourth year she received Awards of Recognition for Academic Achievement. She was the Grand Prize Winner of the Cebu Inter-School Singing Competition and won in the CSC Declamation Contest. She was also the Best Student Teacher in her batch.

Right after graduation she was taken in by the Sacred Heart School for Boys as a grade school teacher, and later at the Cebu International School. But singing has always been her passion. As Lead Singer of Zee Band, she performed at the Magellan International Hotel, Cebu Plaza Hotel, Cities Music Lounge, and Balls Theater Lounge. She went to Manila and performed regularly at the Tavern on the Square, Makati Skyline, Manila Intercontinental Hotel, and the Manila Hotel Grand Ballroom where she had a special show.

She toured all over the country and earned ovations in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Ozamis, and simultaneously back to Cebu from time to time. In Bohol her singing talent has been acknowledged at the DWC, Kilum-Kilum (with Cue-She as front act), Bohol Tropics, and the Metro Centre Hotel in “Eva with the VIP Waiters.”

Eva was soaring high in popularity when she sang with Manilyn Reynes at the Cebu Coliseum, and with Jun Polestico at the White Gold House and Balls Theatre Lounge. She did another successful stint with Manilyn Reynes at the Araneta Coliseum. TV guestings followed: debut of Dear Manilyn, Ryan Ryan Musikahan, Vilma, The Sharon Cuneta Show, MAD, GMA Supershow, Lunch Date, Eat Bulaga, A Little Night of Music, RSVP, Bro. Marcial, and That’s Entertainment. She went to Singapore and performed at Peppermint Park and Atlantis where she was accorded standing ovations.

Not long after, she did a TV Commercial. The launching of Fanta Soft Drink (by Coca Cola) in Cebu. She also had a TV Special beamed nationwide: GMA 7 Tuesday Special Specials â€" The Midnight Song Festival. She figured out prominently in some corporate shows in 2001: Ng Khai â€" (Ayala Center) Microsoft XP Launching (Ratsky), Globelines (Ayala Sportscenter), Grand Opening of Ayala Entertainment Center, and KBP (Shangri-La Mactan Resort Ballroom).

On March 13, 1998 she was presented the Perlas Award as “Valuable Filipino in the Field of Singing.” She represented the Philippines to the Midnight Sun Song Festival in Lahti, Finland on June 6, 1992, where she won second runner-up when she sang her own composition of “Just Like You and Me.” She holds the distinction of being the only composer in the Philippines to sing her own composition in an international song festival.

In January 1998 she portrayed the role of Lili in the broadway musical classic, The Carnival, accompanied by the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra held at the Cebu Plaza Hotel, directed by Dr. Vernon Wenberg of the Minnesotta Actors Guild. In June 2000 she recorded her first album in Manila, mostly her own compositions. In July 2001 she finished recording an album using the Pro Tools software and mastered by Barry Corliss @ Masterworks in Seattle, Washington. Special guests on the Album were Jay Cayuca, Kyle Gianan of the Rap Skallion and The Company. In December 2001, her song “Love is the Answer,” reached number one on both the Asia and Philippine charts on MP3.com, and also reached number 58 in the world.

In 2004 she was chosen Top 7 Women of Cebu, representing the Field of Performing Arts. Last September 2006, she was awarded one of the Most Outstanding Jagna-anons during Jagna’s 375th foundation anniversary. As a Diva she has proven her worth beyond expectations. This chanteuse of exquisite standards has warmed millions of hearts, and her spiels between renditions are perfect illustrations of wit and humor. Eva Santos has already carved a niche in the music firmament, and will continue to be a beloved songbird, especially among Boholanos who takes pride in saying that Eva is their own.

By Loy Palapos

A film director at twenty-four on two opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean, RD Alba is an epitome of the responsible youth, accomplished for his age, and full of promises. In a country where many artists gain recognition posthumously, and achievement is always associated with age, and the young is only expected to earn his laurels after roughing it up in the tumble of misses and frustrations, Director Alba has proven himself belonging to an elite breed of creative denizens imbued with a deep sense of dexterity in a field where the Darwinian survival of the fittest is the rule.

RD is derived from the first letters of parents Rey Alba and Disi Yap, both successful medical doctors by profession. Christened Jose Simplicio, his grandfather’s name. RD was born in Cebu City on September 4,1978. He is a product of the Bohol Wisdom School, where he was a constant participant in the school’s extra-curricular and co-curricular activities. It was during this phase in his life that he decided to be involved in film as a lifetime career.

When he was barely three years of age, he wanted to be a pilot, being deeply influenced by his granduncle, Captain Ruperto Luzon, the first Filipino test-pilot. At age seven he was gifted a Betamax movie camera, and this changed his world. During class breaks and weekends he would film a world of make-believe (Oscar awards night, lachrymal episodes, etc.) with members of the family as the cast. The camera became his closest friend as he recorded significant events in the life of their family. While everybody else was enjoying a birthday party, he was filming the event.

Today, even his siblings have grown up, but the Beta tapes are still there, reminders of a young lad and his characters now preparing their lives for the future. Lucy finished her Arts study at the University of the Philippines, had her internship at the Smithsonian Museum in Maryland, and is now an art connoisseur in the Museum of Portland, Oregon. Disi Rae finished the four-year pre-medicine at the University of Santo Tomas, and will soon graduate as a Doctor of Medicine at Southwestern University. Carlo Niño finished a computer course and will graduate with a Master’s degree at Informatics-Cebu. Julia May is on her last year in BS-Biology at Velez College and plans to have her regular Medicine at UST.

His mother sees in him “a very good son...honest, responsible, diligent...liwat sa papa.” Even when the entire family established residence for more than a year in the States, RD continued to make home movies with his American neighbors. It does not anymore come as a surprise that he has selected the movie realm as his world.

Right after graduation from his secondary course he went abroad and enrolled at the Jacksonville State University, in Alabama, USA where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree, major in Drama, and minor in English. Aware that his knowledge still left many things to be desired, he decided to widen his horizons and took up a Master's Degree in Fine Arts, major in Film Directing, in Los Angeles Film School, in Hollywood, California, USA.

It was in Hollywood where he came under the tutelage of brilliant and prominent mentors who have proven themselves the best in the field. Steven Spielberg, director of E. T., Schindler’s List, Jaws, Close Encounter of the Third Kind, and many other cinematic masterpieces gave him the rudiments of film direction. He learned from Wes Craven the nuances of horror films, exemplified by the box office success of Scream, Parts 1,2,3 and Nightmare on Elmo Street. He imbibed knowledge of cinematography from Januz Kaminski, the cinematographer of Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List. He learned much from the suspense-thrillers of Jon Amiel, director of Entrapment and Copycat. From Philip Noyce, who directed Clean and Present Danger, he developed further his adroitness in action scences. In comedy he derived his knowledge from Donald Petrie, responsible for megging Miss Congeniality, Grumpy Old Men, and Mystic Pizza. There were many more Hollywood film personalities from whom he absorbed nuggets of ideas which come in handy when he makes his own films.

In the year 2000 RD Alba became a legitimate part of American films. It was during this time when he conceptualized, wrote the script, and directed “Mourning Eve,” which became an official entry to the Los Angeles Film Festival. In the same year he directed “Lust,” a CineManila Entry, which won the Los Angeles Short Film Award. His giftedness behind the camera impressed his most astute film mentors.

Then came “Sabangga” in the year 2001, which garnered the Audience Award in the Vancouver Asian Festival 2001. The same film was also given the Swiss Asian Film Festival Award. It was a victory that proved further his great talent in film making.

Another international recognition followed. For his “Top Model,” made also in 2001, Director Alba won the Swiss Film Festival Award. That same year he was given the American Film Institute Recognition Award for “Nina.” The same body gave him another recognition later for his other directorial achievement, “Drive.”

RD Alba now resides in West Hollywood, California, but oftentimes fly home to nurture his roots. He produced “A World Without End,” which starred G Toengi and Joel Torre. A true Boholano blood, RD has been back and forth to Bohol and Los Angeles at least three times a year.

Filming has always been his passion since his younger years. RD Alba feels lucky to have been where he is at present, experiencing the best in Hollywood and giving back what he has learned to his homeland in terms of entertaining his fellow Filipinos.

Director RD Alba is the Assistant Director of “Reunion,” a comedy flick starring Cesar Montano and Giselle Sanchez which is now on its post-production stage after months of filming in Bohol. In this movie, Cesar Montano, recently awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Boholanos Around the World, plays the role of a tourist guide. RD is presently directing “Milyonaryong Mini” of ABS-CBN, which he also edits, and which will be shown this coming October.

For the first time in TV history, a Boholano was accorded recognition via the much acclaimed “Kapalaran,” aired over ABS-CBN National TV. It utilized local, national, and foreign talents. The best shots of the TV series showcased the incomparable scenes in Bohol, thereby enhancing the potentials of the province as the number one tourist destination. When the drama series reached the United States, it was viewed by the thousands of Filipinos from California to New York, making the Boholano extremely proud.

This could not have happened if not for a boy who dreamed big, not for his own sake, but for his nation. Youth has played a role to his advantage. He has still a long way to go and develop his skills. This young Boholano is a film maker on the rise. He is a son of the East, brought up in the West. RD Alba will soon prove that he has the best of both worlds in order to live up to his passion.

The sun also rises in Thailand, Cel.

By Mike Ligalig
published by The Bohol Standard

Thailand â€" Wala may problema kung ang upat ka proyekto sa ikatulong distrito sa atong probinsya gihakot sa usa lamang ka kontrator.

Kintahay diay kung ang abilidad aning Persan Construction, Inc. dili hilabwan o kaha hitupngan sa ubang mga kontraktor â€" na hala, dawaton nalang nila ang kamatuoran nga lupig gyud ang ubang kontraktor.

Apan tanang tawo nga adunay ensaktong pamuot matugkan pud ug pagduda ngano nga wala man imantala sa publiko ang upat ka proyekto nga nagkantidad ug P60 milyones.

Kahayahay gud sa kontraktor nga mosaka lang sa ring ug ideklarar dayon sa referee nga daug bisan ug wa pa makailis ug makasapatos ang gikatakdang kontra. Mao nay giingon sa akong mama kaniadto nga: “Murag gipamunit lang ang kwarta sa kalsada.”

Kitang tanan nahibalo na nga bisan usa ka dako nga salapi sa gobyerno, ikaw ug ako adunay katungod mahibalo kung giunsa kini paggasto.

Sa laing bahin, samot nga moisa ang atong kilay sa dihang gipamahayag ni manlalaban Eladio Jala, matud pa sa taho sa usa ka pamantalaan, nga wala siya mahibalo kung giunsa pag-bidding ang P60 milyones ug wa masayod ang atong kongresman kung kinsa ang gisangunan sa pagtrabaho sa maong mga proyekto.

Kung siya nga kongresman wa mahibalo kung giunsa paggasto ang salapi alang sa iyang distrito, kita pa kaha nga mga ordinaryong lungsoranon?

Ug kung tinuod man ugaling nga wa siyay kalibotan kung giunsa paghikay ang mga proyekto sa iyang kaugalingong nataran, kinsa na man diay atong pangutan-on ani kung buot ta masayod sa mga butang nga may kalabutan ang interest sa katawhan?

Ug kung mangutana ta sa DPWH, makauli kaha ta sa atong balay nga may dalang tukmang tubag? Mura’g wa pa ra ba idungog nga ang DPWH nahimong tuburan sa kamatuoran.

Ang nakaparat pa gyud ani kay human nabulgar sa publiko ang maong upat ka proyekto, mitumaw ang laing upat ka proyekto nga nagbalor ug P90 milyones.

Ang kalainan sa duha mao nga ang P60 milyones wala gipaagi ug public bidding samtang ang P90 milyones aduna nay bidding. Buot ba nato sabton nga kung dili mokantidad ug P90 milyones ang usa ka proyekto, ihinok lamang kini paghatag ngadto sa usa ka kontraktor nga way kasayoran ang mga Bol-anon?

Karon nga nasugdan na pag-utingkay kining maong baho sa ikatulong distrito, angayan lamang nga padayonon ang pagkubkub sa ubang pang ngilit ug suok kay basin aduna pa kitay madiskobrehan nga mga tanghaga.

Dili lang ang ikatulong distrito ang angayan kinsahon sa mga nagpakabana. Iapil usab nato ang ubang mga lungsod. Kung lukpon pagsuhid ang probinsya, basin aduna pay daghang masimhot nga mga katingalahan.

Nagkinahanglan ang atong katilingban ug mga tawo nga sama nila ni Engr. Nilo Sarigumba ug Nila Montero, kagawad sa lungsod sa Panglao, nga may kaisog mobarog alang sa kamatuoran.

Giutingkay ni Nilo Sarigumba ang menteryo sa Talibon dam nga nagkantidad ug P200 milyones nga hangtud karon walay nadimdim nga hustisya ang mga kabos nga mag-uuma sa Talibon.

Sa laing bahin, nakiggubat si Nila sa balikog nga binuhatan sa BIR ug nakigbatok sa mga hiwi nga taras sa Panglao.

Apan pipila lang si Nilo ug Nila sa akong mga nailhan nga andam makigbugno batok sa kangitngit.

Daghan pang mga lungsod sa atong probinsya ang giuhaw ug kahayag. Ug hangtud nga adunay moabli sa pultahan sa kamatuoran, mao lang ang kanunay natong masimhot ang pan-os nga kahumot.

By Mike Ligalig
Published by The Bohol Standard

Thailand â€" Dili palang dugay nasaag ko sa wikipedia.org ug didto akong nasayran nga naapil ko sa lista sa mga magsusulat nga bisaya.

Kadaghanan sa mga bisayang magsusulat mga edad-edaran na. Ug pangagpas nako nga usa lang ko sa pipila ka batan-on nga nagmatuto ning atong pinulungan. Mga sinto-singkwenta ang naapil sa wikipedia.

Tipaka ra kini komparar sa mokapin sa kwarenta ka milyon ka tawo nga nagasulti sa Bisaya nga pulong. Ug gituohan nga mas daghan ang nagbinisaya kay sa nagtinagalog.

Ang paghiabot sa Internet nakatabang sa pagpauswag sa pinulungang Bisaya.

Ang mga balak ug sugilanon nga kaniadto igo lang tipigan sa nagtipun-og nga papel mahimo nang mabasa sa tibuok kalibutan.

Nahinumdum ko niadtong lima na ka tuig ang nakalabay nga mibisita ko sa opisina sa Bisaya Magasin didto sa Liwayway Publishing sa Manila. Giabi-abi ko sa mga editor sa Bisaya sanglit nakaila naman sila nako isip nahipatik na sab ang akong mga balak ug sugilanon ning maong magasin.

Usa sa mga butang nga among nahisgutan mao ang paglibro ug pagtipig sa liboan ka mga sinulat nga binisaya. Sayang kaayo nga madugta lang sa kalimot ug madubok ang mga pahina sa Bisaya ug wala nay mabasa ang umaabot nato nga kaliwat.

Hapit na mo-otsenta ka tuig ang pagpatik sa Bisaya ug daghan na kaayo ang natigom nga huna-huna ug pagbati sa mga magsusulat nga angayan unta ampingan ug tipigan.

Ang nakaparat kay wala say moabaga sa gasto kung ugaling librohon ang mga sinulat nga bisaya. Aduna untay buhaton ang gobyerno nato mahitungod niini.

Dihay higayon nga naglibot libot ko ug pangita ug mga sinulat nga Bisaya nga mapalit sa mga bookstore sa Manila. Apan wa jamo koy nakita gawas niadtong mga karaan nga sinulat ni Vicente Sotto nga taga Sugbu ug kadtong mga balak Bisaya nga gihubad ug Tagalog.

Hangtud karon nagsige gihapon ko ug handom nga makakaplag ug mga libro o kaha mga tinapok lang nga sulat nga Bisaya.

Sa dihang nahimamat ko sa unang higayon si Bebot Duetes sa DYTR, ang banggiitang magsusulat sa Bisaya Magasin (hangtud karon nakulit pa sa akong alimpatakan ang iyang balak nga “Ugma Manamilit Na Ako Kanimo, Rosalinda”), ako gilayon siyang gipangutana kung aduna ba siyay mga balak nga bisaya nga nalibro.

Gitagaan ko ni Bebot Duetes adtong gamay nga libro sa mga balak nga karaan na kaayo ang mga magsusulat. Ug nangandoy ako nga daghan pa unta ang makubkob ni Bebot nga sinulat nga bisaya.

Dili ko malimot sauna nga miadto gyud ko sa opisina sa Palanca sa Manila. Akong gipakopyahan ang mga sugilanong Bisaya nga nahimo nang mananaog sa Palanca sa pamasin nga aduna akoy mabasa sa umaabot nga mga katuigan.

Ingon niana ka nihit mangita ug binisaya nga libro o antolohiya. Ug hangtud kanus-a nga matigum ang mga nalimtan na nga hinaguan sa atong mga magsusulat nga bisaya.

Dili pa seguro nato matagaan ug bili kini apan moabot ang higayon nga makaamgo ra kita unsa kini ka mahinungdanon.

Salamat sa mga nagpakabana kay ang wikipedia.org aduna nay binisaya nga pinulungan.

Misulat nako si Ed Godin, ang editor sa Bisaya Magasin, ug midasig nga motabang sa pagtikad aron modaghan ang pahina sa wikipedia.org (bisaya version). Ug buot ko nga ipaambit usab ang iyang panawagan nga ang bisaya nga katilingban makatabang sa pagpanday sa wikipedia.org.

Mahimo man nga makakat-on ta sa lain-laing pinulungan sa kalibutan apan dili gyud ikalimod nga kung Bisaya ang unang gilitok sa imong dila, kini ang pulong ang imong ibilin sa kamatayon.

By Mike Ligalig
published by The Bohol Standard

BANGKOK, THAILAND - Daghang mga butang nga dili mabuhat sa uban kon dili ang mga Filipino lamang ang makasarang.

Sama pananglit sa nahitabo kagabii diri sa Bangkok.

Niabot gikan sa Germany ang akong higala nga si Bebie Estrella Zagorski, ang tag-iya sa matahom nga La Estrella Beach Resort nga anaa sa Cabilao Island, Loon, Bohol. Kauban sa iyang paghidangat ang iyang igsuon nga si Ofelia nga gikan sa Australia nga karon Australian citizen na ug si Nina, usa ka dalaga nga German nga motrabaho sa iyang resort sulod sa unom ka bulan.

Adunay igsuon si Bebie nga nagtudlo ug English diri sa Thailand. Ug mao nagkatapok ang tulo ka mga igsuon. Kauban usab namo si Jojo Elcana kauban nako sa trabaho ug si Lalang, higala ni Jojo.

Didto mi nagtapok-tapok sa lobby sa Novotel Hotel. Ug didto may mga mag-aawit nga mga Filipina.

Diri sa Thailand ang mga hotel ug resort gidagsaan sa mga mag-aawit nga Filipino, ilabina didto sa Phuket diin atua didto naghugop ang liboan nga mga turista.

May nagsulti kanako kaniadto nga bisan didto sa Bahamas ug Caribbean, ang mga Filipino ang kasagarang maglilingaw sa mga hotel ug resort.

Ang kahibalo sa mga Filipino sa English dako kaayo ug gikatabang sa ilang pagpanimpalad sa lain laing nasud sa bisan unsang trabaho.

Makamao ang ubang mga nasud sa pinulungang English apan daghang mga butang nga dili nila mabuhat.

Sama pananglit didto sa Novotel Hotel. Miawit ang Filipino band ug nagkalain-laing pinulungan. Nalipay ang mga Thai sa dihang ilang giawit ang usa ka sikat nga kantang Thai diri. Unya miawit usab sila ug “Anak” sa Asin.

Nalingaw pag-ayo ang daghang mga turista sa kaanindot mo-awit sa mga Filipino ilabina sa dihang misayaw si Ofelia ug si Nina. Misamot kabibo sa dihang ilang giawit ang Aserehe ug misayaw si Bebie ug Ofelia. Ug nanayaw ang mga mag-aawit Ug namakpak ang mga turista.

Usahay makaingon ta nga isip Filipino nagkahulugan ug kalipay ug kasadya.

Akong gisultihan si Jojo: “Seguro ang hinungdan ngano kasagaran sa mga Filipino maayo sa musika mao nga ato nalang ginakanta-kanta ang atong mga problema.”

Nagkanayon si Jojo: “Tinuod gyud na. Bisan ang akong papa, kung naa syay problema, mao na ang panahon nga mokanta sya. Ug maingon man usab ako.”

Nakapamalandong ko nga bisan sa kadagtum sa mga suliran nga mihapak sa atong nasud, apan daghan kanato makamao gihapon sa pagpahiyom ug pag-awit. Lahi sa ubang mga nasud nga kon adunay problema, maghikog dayon sama pananglit sa ubang mga tawo sa Japan.

Ug tungod niini, nakatrabaho ug niuswag ang mga kinabuhi sa mga Filipino sa gawas sa nasud tungod lang sa pag-awit.

Diri sa Thailand gipapuyo sa hotel ang ubang mga mag-aawit ug kasagaran kanila taas ug makita sa usa kabulan nga dili gyud nila madawat kung atua sila sa Pilipinas.

Maingon man ang mga magtutudlo nga Filipino diri sa Thailand. Usa lamang ang hinungdan ngano nga daghang mga Filipino ang nanimpalad na diri sa Thailand tungod kay nag-ilaid sila sa kalisud sa atong nasud apan naarangan ang ilang kahimtang diri.

Kung atong hunahunao, layo ra kaayo ang Thailand sa Pilipinas niadtong 1960s ug 10970s. Apan karon naghangad na kita ning maong nasud. Naapsan na gani ta sa Vietnam. Ug atua na usab nadagsa ang daghang magtutudlo nga Filipino sa Vietnam.

Nabuhat sa mga Filipino ang dili mabuhat sa ubang mga nasud kay ato usab natagamtam ang mga problema nga wala masinati sa ubang mga nasud.

Men and women should be systematic in their business. A person who does business by rule, having a time and place for
everything, doing his work promptly, will accomplish twice as much and with half the trouble of him who
does it carelessly and slipshod. By introducing system into all your transactions, doing one thing at a time,
always meeting appointments with punctuality, you find leisure for pastime and recreation; whereas the man
who only half does one thing, and then turns to something else, and half does that, will have his business at
loose ends, and will never know when his day's work is done, for it never will be done. Of course, there is a
limit to all these rules. We must try to preserve the happy medium, for there is such a thing as being too
systematic. There are men and women, for instance, who put away things so carefully that they can never find
them again. It is too much like the "red tape" formality at Washington, and Mr. Dickens' "Circumlocution
Office,"--all theory and no result. - P.T. Barnum

Engage in one kind of business only, and stick to it faithfully until you succeed, or until your experience
shows that you should abandon it. A constant hammering on one nail will generally drive it home at last, so
that it can be clinched. When a man's undivided attention is centered on one object, his mind will constantly
be suggesting improvements of value, which would escape him if his brain was occupied by a dozen different
subjects at once. Many a fortune has slipped through a man's fingers because he was engaged in too many
occupations at a time. There is good sense in the old caution against having too many irons in the fire at once. - P.T. Barnum

Many persons are always kept poor, because they are too visionary. Every project looks to them like certain
success, and therefore they keep changing from one business to another, always in hot water, always "under
the harrow." The plan of "counting the chickens before they are hatched" is an error of ancient date, but it
does not seem to improve by age. - P.T. Barnum

Every man should make his son or daughter learn some useful trade or profession, so that in these days of
changing fortunes of being rich to-day and poor tomorrow they may have something tangible to fall back
upon. This provision might save many persons from misery, who by some unexpected turn of fortune have
lost all their means. - P.T. Barnum

Work at it, if necessary, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never
deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now. The old proverb is full of truth and
meaning, "Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well." Many a man acquires a fortune by doing his
business thoroughly, while his neighbor remains poor for life, because he only half does it. Ambition, energy,
industry, perseverance, are indispensable requisites for success in business. - P. T. Barnum

There is no better time than the present time.

Life is short.

Find a hotel you like and become a frequent guest. You can eliminate filling out redundant information each time you check in.

Try to stay on one of the first three floors of a hotel. Take the stairs. It saves time and is good exercise.

Join an airline club. The financial investment is easily returned with the work that you accomplish using their club. You can knock out your e-mails, return calls, and relax in the same time it would have taken you to get your boarding pass at the counter.

If you are a member of a frequent flyer program, ask the agent to “block off” the middle seat in your row. Most of the time they will be able to accommodate you and the middle seat in your row will be the last seat available for passengers.

I think nakatulog ko at 9 p.m.

Create two checklists for travel â€" one for the office and one for home. Laminate the lists and keep one in your desk and one in your travel bag. The basic trip requirements are the same and this will help you double check that you have everything you need.

Before leaving town, log on the Internet and get directions from the airport to your destination. Those maps are usually more reliable and more understandable than directions you get from the rental car counter.

I woke up at 2:44 in the morning.

If you travel frequently, spend the money it takes to hire the very best administrative assistant. It is a wise investment! Many times your assistant is the glue that keeps everything together and moving forward while you are away.

Laptops, presentation slides and any other tools required for meetings should be carried on the plane. No reason to stress out over the airline baggage handling efficiencies.

When traveling internationally, check the movement of the customs lines. Custom agent productivity varies significantly and waiting wastes a lot of time. Hint: Shortest lines are not always the fastest.

naay daghan nga wala pa Cel. adto sa Anda, Bohol, for example.

so you can still comment in Tubag Bohol or start new topic.

Carry an extra laptop battery so you can keep working even when the unexpected delays occur.

Get a cell phone plan that does not charge “roaming” charges. In case of emergencies let people know where you’re staying but it’s always more convenient to give them your cell number.

Before leaving on an international trip, check these two things: power supply requirements and if your cell phone will work at your destination.

Get an aisle seat as close to the front of the plane as possible. The passengers in the first five rows of a full airplane are sometimes off the plane ten minutes before the back row passengers.

If possible, request an aisle seat with your writing arm on the aisle side. Left-handed people should request an aisle seat on the right side of the aircraft (facing the front of the plane). Right-handed people â€" well, you get the picture.

As soon as you get on board, return as many phone calls as you can before the plane leaves the gate.

Palayo lang. Pray to God for safety.