MikeLigalig.com

Hi David,

This thread will surely generate multi-colored narratives. Parts of my life story are buried here somewhere (traffic to this site bustles so much you have to type at least a word a day to say "I'm still here!"), and I certainly wish to write more after I'm done with some urgent jobs.

I believe, however, you'll be able to draw out more reponses if you start with yours. First, how did you get into this site? What are your roots? Are you a Boholano or part Boholano? Have you been to Bohol?

I am so proud to tell my wife, who is from Pangasinan, that Boholanos share so much passion and love for their hometown.

I initially thought that an international airport would benefit Bohol's tourism industry.

But working on the translation of a tarsier documentary that will be shown on a primetime TV program in Japan, I believe that keeping Bohol a little out of reach, like this elusive creature, will enhance its mystique.

The government should focus its resources instead on protecting our unique flora and fauna, the green terrain, clean rivers and beaches. A Japanese biologist working on a research with a Filipino geologist is simply amazed by Bohol's biodiversity. Bohol should play up this natural advantage to attract tourists.

It seems to me that the planned airport is simply another presidential balato to our local politicians. I think a modest-size domestic airport like we have in Tagbilaran is sufficient. Since there are concerns about its aviation safety compliance, an alternative site should be found on Bohol mainland, if necessary. Wherever it will eventually be, we just have to upgrade the facilities. Since such an airport can accommodate chartered flights from overseas, I believe there is really no need for a huge infrastructure to mar Panglao's terrain and ecosystem.

I am halfway through the tarsier documentary translation and I just learned that the program will be aired on a primetime TV show.

This docu paints a very heart-warming picture of the tarsier as well as the people entrusted with protecting it. Bohol looks very green here. You'll be proud of the ordinary, simple Boholanos featured here--so far.

I am sure this tarsier program will launch Bohol into another level of popularity among the Japanese. The Bohol government should launch the tarsier as our official mascot. The Japanese love mascots very much and simply snap up cute animal dolls as souvenir items (panda, koala, etc). Would you believe that an announcement of a single newly born koala or panda in a Japanese zoo could bring millions of visitors to that place? And our tarsier is cuter by far!

Any entrepreneur who's interested to take up the venture of creating tarsier dolls (using environment-friendly material)? You have enough time before the program is aired and the Japanese tourists start flocking to Bohol. I really hope this program bring good tidings to Bohol.

Quote from: C2H4 on September 13, 2007, 11:13:59 AM
Mr Benelynne,

I have a copy of that book as well. I first read it in college, then I re-read it again when I was trying to set up a business a few months ago, hoping it would give me a few "insights"...

I'm actually a how-to book junkie. Hahaha. But they say that people who love reading these kinds of books are the ones who can't function in real life. Simbako pud intawon.

How did your business go, C2H4?

Actually, my wife tells me every now and then, "Sometimes, you should use your intelligence less and your common sense more."

Three American presidents were sworn in after this book was published in 1990--Bush, Clinton and Bush. Offhand, I can't tell if this book made a difference in their leadership, if they bothered to read it at all. As regards the Bushes, it's probably not in the book, but in the genes.

Gervistil,

Are these photos taken by you? Amazing! Professional kaayo! I would like to show them to my Japanese friends... Maybe we should compile photos of Bohol and publish a coffee-table book. Ako lang unya bahala sa text ug Japanese translation. Bohol will surely shine even more.

Quote from: Gervistill on September 25, 2007, 09:21:45 AM
Bohol was featured on China's CCTV9
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBtKQoQEgOc&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eskyscrapercity%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Ft%3D182067%26page%3D22

I was viewing this English-language program aired in China with gusto when the Philippine Tourism Office in Tokyo called me up today to tell me that a Japanese TV production company is editing a newly completed documentary on Bohol's Tarsier.

The TV company is requesting me to transcribe and translate footages of a Japanese actress' one-week homestay with the family of the caretaker of the tarsier sanctuary. Does anyone know him? It must be a full-length feature because they are requesting me to work for 4 to 5 days.

In Japan, the tarsier and the Chocolate Hills first come to mind when you mention Bohol. But of course, the public level of awareness is still very low.

I am just so proud that Bohol has so many natural wonders to boast of. Even a country as vast and with amazing landscapes as China is still awe-struck by our small paradise. Japan is also interesting, but not nearly as beautiful as Bohol.

Quote from: C2H4 on September 24, 2007, 01:27:13 PM
Why not do computerized voting?

On the passage of the Overseas Absentee Voting Bill in 2003, which extends suffrage to overseas Filipinos, I was one of those who went through and offered my place to the Tokyo Consulate to administer off-site electronic registration.

In two days, more than 600 Filipinos whom I invited registered, the most they've ever logged in any place in Japan. Everyone was excited because of the supposedly high-tech procedures. When the voters' IDs were mailed to us, some photos did not match the names. To top it all, the expected computerization of ballot-counting during the presidential election the following year (May 10, 2004) was suspended when the Supreme Court nullified the contract due to non-compliance to public bidding procedures.

(And Malacanang seems hell-bent on ramming the ZTE broadband contract down the Filipino's throat despite issues of compliance to public bidding procedures.)

Definitely, computerization should minimize fraud that arises from manual logistics and the time lag inherent thereto.

But computerization alone cannot address pre-counting problems of vote-buying, intimidation and violence. I definitely agree with Sigbin II's suggestions. However, I am concerned that the addition of legal provisions will only water down the Comelec's resolve to enforce or give an excuse for its spotty implementation of existing provisions.

Easier said than done. Allow me to venture some concrete suggestions.

I agree with Lorenzo that we need investments from outside. But I believe we need to direct our investments to areas that will jibe with Bohol's natural endowments, which also constitute its comparative advantage (pardon for being repetitive, as I mentioned this in another thread).

Personally, I believe that the government should steer Bohol towards economic growth with the service sector at its core. This encompasses a wide-ranging, diverse industry that can optimize Bohol's employment.

Ben here has blazed the trail for those in the IT sector. I really pray that he succeeds--given the presumably lower overhead and availability of quality workers.

With the upgrade of Bohol's telecom infrastructure, we can invite the burgeoning Call Center industry to Tagbi. Among call center operators that I know whose market is Japan, it is common knowledge that Visayans have a higher sales productivity among telemarketers because Visayans are a predominant segment of the 250,000 target market (I assume we have the same regional profile in other overseas market). Visayans are born polyglots, so they can also be easily trained in American accent to service the world's largest economy.

Bohol's tourism industry should generate a lot of employment with more market-tailored product offerings overseas. Bohol has lately been given a lot of exposure in Japan's TV, but our linkages to Japan's travel industry that will realize mass tourist traffic from this plum market are still rudimentary.

These are just some of the ideas. I hope those of us involved in planning and decision-making in Bohol will take these up.

Murag academic ra kaayo ni nga topic pero daghan kaayog input from different points of view.

It seems that it is only at TB that there is open and level discourse--from the proletariat to the bourgeois to the elite (Am I seeing 20-20 through your username smokescreens?)

I do agree that Bohol's communism is not as deeply entrenched in ideology as in most other places where there is either a huge peasantry or an industrial working class base.

Even stripped of Marxist language (which is incomprehensible to the masses anyway), the pitch of "classless society" has a universal appeal. Communism will always find adherents not only where there is poverty, but more importantly where there is glaring disparity between the haves and have-nots.

I do agree with Melrose that "communism" should not be equated with "rebellion." Not all communist movements espouse armed struggle.

You might be surprised that in this post-Cold War era, Japan, whose economy is second only to the US, has one of the biggest Communist Party memberships in the world at almost half a million. The Communist Party in Japan is legal, and would you believe, still chalks up 10 percent of votes in any election, though the figure is diminishing.

Perhaps, we can learn a thing or two from Japan. For as long as our legal system continues to demonize and criminalize Communism, we will simply give credence to the Communist ideologists' propaganda of the irreconcilable interests and therefore inevitable armed conflict between the Establishment elite and the masses.

Violence, whether based on ideology or not, is criminal. So if communists use force to achieve their end of a classless society, they will have to be dealt with by police or military force.

In Japan's post-war experience, Communism was defanged by simply arraying it among the other political ideas that free people can choose from. Socio-economic programs to eliminate poverty, as Melrose had pointed out, made hardcore Communism (the exponents of armed struggle) largely irrelevant and obsolete without the use of force.

Bohol's vaunted success in Communist anti-insurgency campaign may still be threatened if the government slackens its efforts in alleviating poverty.

We are all stakeholders in our community's safety. I hope that First Consolidated Bank's act will prompt other business establishments as well as the community as a whole, including we at TB, to contribute our share in upgrading our police logistical capability.

Perhaps the police should also hold a dialogue with the community so that we will know firsthand what the police needs to be more effective--be it logistical, intelligence or even financial support. The Bohol media, including TB, can help disseminate the information for the benefit as well of those who are not based in Bohol but are willing to help.

I believe it is better to offer help that is actually needed.

I took my classes in Economics 102 (Macroeconomics) as a first-year college student at the Ateneo under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Even in the country's premier school for the elite, where students are, or pretend to be, nonchalant to their fellow nobility, Gloria's hyphenated surname stringing two of the most illustrious families in this country lent her otherwise diminutive physical stature a grand presence. (Being on scholarship courtesy of the Jesuits, I did not really belong to the clique and my only privilege was my different point of view.)

Gloria impressed me as being always ready for class--what with a lecture outline, logical development of her points, neat mathematical examples and intolerance for diversion. When she stands in front of the class, you just have to take what she tells you. When you ask, you better be sure it's not a silly question. "I am the professor, you learn from me," was the invisible tag on her lapel.

My only glimpse of her human side was when I had a stomach trouble and was absent from class. By coincidence, another female student whose name I didn't even know was also absent. A week later, both the lady and I, for reasons I don't even remember and certainly were mutually clueless about, were absent together again. When we showed up for the next class, Gloria asked us, "How was your date?"

Funny, but that was my best memory of Gloria. For more than a year, I moved through Ateneo's corridors like a ghost. But that day, she focused everyone's attention on a poor probinsyano from Bohol--if only for a good-natured laugh that the class never ever had.

I am sure she doesn't remember me anymore. Honestly, if she didn't become president, I can't claim to have learned anything from her, either. Nothing personal, really. But I am sure you will all agree that the theories we learn in school seldom have bearing on real life's rough and tumble.

But now, there are things I would like to teach her back--especially that I am no longer at the mercy of her grades (BTW, she gave me an A). And they're not about economics, but about family life and life in general.

Foremost, we always have to strive for open and honest communication with our spouse. Unless you declare separation (like Loren Legarda) or annulment, husbands and wives are responsible for each other's conduct. And it's not only because what God has joined man cannot sunder. We need not even invoke the Bible to hold ourselves responsible for what our better half does, simply because marriage binds us to that person inside and out. It is said that politicians can sleep in the same bed but have different dreams. But husbands and wives should share dreams, hopes, fears and struggles together.

I am not trying to preempt the Senate or our judicial system in deciding Mike's culpability or innocence. I've read about the Canadian who was hit by lightning twice and the US congressman who won the lotto twice... If there is anything that her economics class has vaguely impressed upon me, it is my belief in probabilities, in shades of values between 0  and 1, in latitude of the mind, in giving people the benefit of the doubt. But I believe that there are just too many issues that stick to Mike and too many different people raising them to just dismiss them as mere politicking.

I picked up the tab for some of my wife's business failures in the past. I didn't argue against her creditors, "You were talking to my wife." Likewise, my wife reminds me that my commendation is also hers, and my dishonor hurts her as well. So we try to be responsible for each other. From our mistakes, we have declared that transparency in each of our personal dealings is tantamount to marital fidelity.

Being in public office, more is required of Gloria and Mike. Many of the values we bring to public life reflect those that we nurture and practice within our homes.

How about you? What can you teach our professorial leader?

Quote from: preciousNpolite on June 30, 2007, 04:53:28 AM
What amazes me is the people here gloat about how proud they are to be a native from here? but, they marry outside their race to get away from the place?
So they are not that proud after all?

Most marry for this one $$$$$ and are hoping for greener pastures from the other side of the fence with their new husband.

Most women who get married here to foreigners have a high rate of divorce after they have a new country citizenship and remarry again in the same country.

Allot of foreigner men come up to me and we laugh together as they tell me how unfaithful their being to their Philippine wives here.

The reason for it is because they are having a boring time here compared to the fast paced life back home.
The Philippine wife is fine with it for me "No Way"!
The foreign husband gets here and he pays for everyone in her family and it is not practiced in our place to get married and be the bread winner for Uncle Joe, Aunt sue, cousin Billy Bob, and the family pet pig.

I am telling you Philippine ladies if you want to lose your foreigner man just keep on washing his pocket book out supporting people he barely knows in your family.
It upsets them but they are too nice to say anything to you about it. So if your happy using a foreigner husband as an ATM machine then I guess it makes sense why you ladies allow these guys to be unfaithful towards you because you hold the legal banking card!

I also notice the Philippine woman married to a Westerner or other white foreigner man here is also changing her style of dress from conservative to non conservative?
She wears more richer threads then a Philippine woman married to her own native race.

I will not change for anyone I do not care what the style of the country is I will respect but not change it or myself
I would never marry to change my status in fact poor men have character and are rich in heart and rich men have everything and they never seem content!  JUST BE YOURSELF AND ACCEPT YOU FOR   HOW YOU REALLY ARE DO NOT DO IT FOR OTHERS DO IT FOR YOURSELF PEOPLE!)

I would never have known there are expats in this forum had the administrator or some moderators not identified them primarily because other native Boholano members were replying to posts in bilingual or in pure Boholano (as is the penchant of most Filipinos). Were it not for the language, I wouldn't care either.

I am sure it doesn't really matter whom were talking with--Boholanos and non-Boholanos alike are welcome to the discussion. Our thoughts and opinions--our inner selves--do not have skin color. Although some of the exchanges heat up to temperatures higher than Bohol's peak, I am glad that people have so far avoided bringing down such debates to facile generalizations bordering on racism. I am amazed by the absence of insularity among such island people. Kudos to Boholanos!

I therefore feel disconcerted by this post. This shouldn't really affect me because after all, I did not marry outside my race and my dreams are not $-denominated. Definitely, you're not talking about me. I wonder if the other TB members feel alluded to???

Still, I find the generalizations about the people of Bohol very simplistic, if not outright insulting. I am sure that in any society--even in those we call first-world like US, Japan or Europe, and not only in Bohol--you'll see nothing but dregs if you choose to settle there. While your awareness of the social condition of Bohol is admirable, I believe you should balance it with exposure to the less degenerate circles.

I really wish for you to have a happy life in Bohol, so move on to better company. Cheers and God bless you!

We should not expect the police solely to provide us blanket security. The community also has as much role in maintaining peace and order by being vigilant.

Did you read what I read in today's papers? In Japan, a 16-year old girl slits the throat of her policeman father for some undetermined reasons yet. In Brazil, 52 cops were rounded up for drug trafficking. Last week, the chief of a robbery investigation team somewhere in Tokyo was arrested for snatching a lady's bag...

There, even in countries where policemen are supposedly role models and highly respected, they occasionally breach the law... Of course, these are exceptions rather than the rule. Let's not make a harsh judgment of the whole from the few.

Anywhere in the world, the community has a responsibility to police the police.

God bless you Mike!

You've also jolted all of us into an awareness that each moment is a moment we should treasure and thank the Almighty for. We have not met each other personally, but I feel you are a kindred soul, an heir of Christ's promise, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
John 10:10b

Try these for a spiritual lift:

Above All by Michael W Smith


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waCoXHFrjSc&mode=related&search=


Awesome God by Michael W Smith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MJeanAe9GQ&mode=related&search=

Quote from: buenavista on September 15, 2007, 03:09:06 PM
my maternal great grandmother died at 102 yrs. old.

So we have our first Boholana centenarian on record here at TB. I wonder if anyone knows of a living centenarian.

Quote from: C2H4 on September 15, 2007, 02:22:31 PM
Mr Benelynne,

What do you think could be a factor why the life expectancy of Boholanos are slightly higher than the rest of the country?

Could it be the diet? the lifestyle? the genes?

Fresher air, low animal-fat and more seafood-based diet, less stressful life, lower criminality (until recently), active sex life (our population growth is also higher than average)...

I guess our roaming encyclopedia Lorenzo could explain this better. Note, however, that the difference with the national average is so slight as to be statistically insignificant.

The lifestyle of Okinawans is more noteworthy. The whole world is gawking at them for such an amazing long life. Many scientists say it's the diet--which is rich in tofu (bean curd or tokwa o taho ba ni sa ato?), ampalaya, and a host of other veggies. In short, food rich in antioxidants. Maybe low-carb, protein-based diet rich in seafood like the Boholanos'. And of course it's the lower amount of environmental pollution, the laid back life with less stress, and almost zero criminality.

I have seen a footage on YOUTube in which a TV reporter toured Bohol on a bicycle. Bicycles would be great for Bohol's eco-tourism.

I wish Bohol's roads and peace and order conditions were more friendly to a bicycle tour. Unta naa'y bicycle lane ug naay bicycles for rent. I understand even Europe is promoting bicycles for a cleaner air. I for one love cycling.

My father, who has been living in the US with my mom since 5 years ago, is presently 76, if my memory serves me right.

I consider this an achievement for him since I've always known him as a chain-smoker and an intemperate drinker. The youngest of 12, his older brothers have lived comfortably well beyond 80. The brother next to him re-married after he was widowed and even in his mid-70s, begot two or three children with his very young wife.

Long life is generally equated to good quality of life.

According to Mike's earlier thread, Boholano's life expectancy at birth as of the period 2000 to 2005 is 68.19 for males and 72.93 for females which is slightly higher than the Philippine national average for the same period at 67.03 for males and 72.92 for females.

Would you believe that the Japanese live almost a decade longer than Filipinos with life expectancy of 77.86 for males and 84.61 for females!

In most places in the world, women consistently outlive men! Can anyone explain?

The oldest man on earth is a Japanese, Tomoji Tanabe, who will turn 112 on Tuesday. The oldest woman is also a Japanese,Tsuneyo Toyonaga, who is 113. (Again, the woman is older by a year.)

The latest statistics in Japan is that there will be more than 30,000 centenarians or people over 100 years of age by end of October this year.

Most of the Japanese centenarians live in Okinawa, a cluster of islands in the south with a climate and an environment that resembles ours-I imagine perhaps closest to Bohol.

So let's check if life is kinder and gentler to Boholanos. How old is the oldest living relative or neighbor that you know?

Bambs, kung ikaw ang pet-owner, mawaa siguro ilang depression! Siguro mahimo silang reproductive instead of suicidal.

Bambi,

Maayo na lang nasalaag ko ani nga thread. Bambi, you saved me from tons of stress today. My wife just served me banana turon made of sab-a gikan pa sa Tokyo and I almost choked from laughter. Never had this good a laugh for a long time. Bibo pa pud ka sa personal?

Naa ba'y maipahambog nga cyber forum ang ubang probinsya?

Hey, if something so good is happening in our backyard, why does it take a foreigner from an overseas publication, Wall Street Journal, to tell me this? I am sure a paper renowned for independence and objectivity did not simply see rose after being wined and dined.

COMEBACK TRAIL
For Philippine Economy,
Harsh Remedies Pay Off

President's Tax Hikes
Lure Foreign Investors;
Risk of Global Crunch

By JAMES HOOKWAY
August 31, 2007; Page A1

MANILA, Philippines -- The perpetual sick man of Asia is making an unexpected recovery.
Once among Asia's most prosperous nations, the Philippines had languished economically for decades while neighboring countries, big and small, raced ahead. But for the past two years -- almost lost amid the international excitement about the growth of China, India and Vietnam -- the Philippines has been rebounding.

This year, the nation's economy is expected to post its fastest growth rate since the early 1990s, despite the economic shadow cast by the global credit squeeze sparked by problems in the U.S. mortgage market. The Philippine economy grew at a 7.5% annual rate in the second quarter. The stock market has soared over the past two years, although it has faltered recently. Foreign investors are coming back, attracted by the Philippines' young population -- the average age of its 89 million people is 22 -- and the widespread use of English, a legacy of its past as an American colony. The call-center business is thriving, some of it poached from India.

Not long ago, Fort Bonifacio, a sprawling old military base in the heart of Manila, was an emblem of economic malaise -- a stalled redevelopment taken over by cyclists, skateboarders and kite enthusiasts. Now, office towers, embassy buildings and shopping malls are going up there. Nike Inc., Starbucks Corp. and Nokia Corp. have opened stores, and the Manila stock exchange will be joining them soon.

"The Philippines could be the next India in terms of its ability to surprise," says Adrian Mowat, a stock strategist at J.P. Morgan Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the country's 60-year-old president, gets much of the credit for the turnaround. Two years ago, with thousands of street protestors threatening to oust her and the country drifting toward a financial crisis, she pushed a higher sales tax through Congress and signed it into law over the objections of her advisers. The move raised the tax to 12% from 10% and expanded it to a range of new products and services, including gasoline.

That politically risky step showed investors the nation was serious about putting its house in order after years of half-hearted attempts to cut its budget deficit, crack down on corruption, and do something about its decaying ports and power grid. A J.P. Morgan report in May predicted that the Philippines could have a balanced budget by next year and a budget surplus by 2009.
"I knew the risks, but I decided that if we had to bite the bullet, then that's what we would do," said Ms. Arroyo in a recent interview.

The nation's economic comeback shows the kinds of remedies that struggling developing nations must consider to compete in the global economy. Following China's rise as a manufacturing power, the nations of Southeast Asia -- once one of the world's most popular manufacturing hubs -- have been trying to make themselves more attractive to foreign investors and markets.

"The whole region is going through the same process, and it's all in response to China," says Luz Lorenzo, an economist who covers the region for ATR-Kim Eng Securities Inc. in Manila. "How do these countries survive China?"
Many problems remain in the Philippines. One of the richest countries in Asia before World War II, the Philippines saw its economy deteriorate during decades of misrule, punctuated by military coups and economic mismanagement. Ms. Arroyo herself has survived two attempts by military officers to grab power. The country has called in U.S. military advisers to help tackle a persistent Islamist insurgency, and it continues to be criticized widely for human-rights abuses and corruption.

The recent economic progress could be undermined by problems that have long plagued the economy. The country has a legacy of crony capitalism that has left former business associates of late President Ferdinand Marcos in powerful positions in the business sector. Political analysts say Ms. Arroyo must avoid spending the growing tax receipts on unnecessary projects that benefit her own political supporters. And questions remain about the government's ability to collect corporate taxes.

Moreover, the Philippine economy is heavily dependent on exports, which account for around 40% of gross domestic product. A significant economic slowdown in the U.S. could harm that sector. But economists contend that domestic investment and demand has become a more important driver of the economy -- and could help buffer it from global economic problems. "The growth story here is changing from one which is export driven to one which is domestic led," says Ms. Lorenzo of ATR-Kim Eng.

High-rise buildings in the financial district of Manila loom over a landscape of smaller houses.

Ms. Arroyo's current six-year term expires in 2010. It's unclear whether the next president will continue her economic policies, or will resort to past practices. Prior governments have limited the business opportunities available to foreign companies, allowing local tycoons to build lucrative monopolies.

Ms. Arroyo's father, Diosdado Macapagal, was president of the Philippines in the early 1960s. After studying economics at Georgetown University, she returned home to teach at the University of the Philippines, then entered politics.

She was elected vice president in 1998. She quickly set about distancing herself from her unpopular boss, President Joseph Estrada, a former action-movie star who became embroiled in a series of corruption scandals. In 2000, she openly began plotting his removal. In January 2001, after the armed forces joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the streets of Manila to force him from office, she was sworn in as his successor.

Ms. Arroyo, whose short fuse has led her to slam cellphones on tables and publicly berate her deputies for making mistakes, has proved to be a tough political infighter. She's stood up to two failed military-coup attempts by rallying her allies in the armed forces and the powerful Roman Catholic Church, of which she is a devout member. When the business dealings of her husband began drawing political heat in 2005, she exiled him to the U.S. for several months until the fuss subsided.

Her priority after winning the 2004 presidential election was to put the nation's chronically ailing finances in order. A key problem: anemic tax revenues due to endemic corruption among tax officials and loopholes in the tax code. In 2003, tax revenues were 14.8% of GDP. That's a lower rate than in poverty-ridden countries such as Indonesia and India, and far below rates in developed countries such as the U.S., where government revenue totaled 25% of GDP in 2006.

A combination of weak state revenues and high foreign debt -- 70% of the government's budget went to paying interest in 2005 -- was spooking investors. They worried that too much of the government's budget went to service debt, and not enough to fix roads, schools and the power supply. Japan's Toshiba Corp. shut down its Philippine laptop factory in 2004 and moved the operation to China.
GROWTH STORY

* The Situation: After languishing for years, the Philippine economy is showing signs of renewal.
* The Background: President Arroyo pushed through higher taxes, which helped persuade foreign investors she was serious about economic reform.
* What's Next: Like other Southeast Asian nations, the Philippines is worried about a potential economic slowdown in the U.S.
"Our country was going through a credibility gap with the institutional and financial community globally," says Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, chief executive officer of Ayala Corp., one of the companies redeveloping Fort Bonifacio. The Philippines, he says, "needed to send a signal."

Ms. Arroyo warned in 2005 that if the Philippines didn't act decisively to improve its tax-collection rate, it risked becoming the next Argentina, where economic problems led to a currency collapse. She and her advisers began looking for ways to raise new money.
She increased tobacco and alcohol taxes, but that wasn't enough. She and her economic team began working to push another unpopular measure through Congress in 2005: an expanded sales tax.

Demonstrators took to the streets to contest her tax plans. One of her advisers, former stock analyst Joey Salceda, suggested that she limit the new sales tax to soften the political backlash. Gasoline prices, he said, should be excluded because they were already spiking. She ignored the advice.
"I was determined not to sacrifice long-term gains for political expediency, even though we had to do it at the worst possible time," Ms. Arroyo says.

At first, the sales tax hike appeared to make things worse. Her opponents challenged the legality of the legislation, and the Supreme Court suspended the tax law the day it was to take effect in July 2005. Stock prices slumped at the Philippines Stock Exchange, and ratings agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's lowered their already dim outlooks on the nation's ability to pay its debt. Ms. Arroyo's popularity took a pounding.

Eventually, the Supreme Court dismissed the objections and the tax hike took effect in early 2006. That greatly reassured business leaders and foreign investors, who were worried about the burden of the government's $54 billion in foreign debt.
"The single turning point that changed people's minds about the Philippines was that she was able to pull off the expanded tax, and at such a difficult time," says Fernando Zobel de Ayala, brother of Ayala's CEO and head of its Ayala Land unit.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo visits the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The tax take in 2006 was 22% higher than in 2005, lifting government revenue to 16.3% of GDP. To further reduce the deficit, Ms. Arroyo started privatizing the nation's debt-burdened power industry in 2005. In addition, she encouraged foreign investment in the mining sector -- which antimining activists and the Catholic Church had blocked for years.

Since then, institutional investors have been returning to the country's bond and stock markets. Since the new tax took effect in January 2006, the Philippines Stock Exchange Index has climbed 58%, outstripping most Asian markets over the same period. Net stock investment by foreign investors hit a record $870.8 million in June, according to the Philippine Stock Exchange, up from just $12.9 million in January 2004. The Philippine peso has risen 13.6% against the U.S. dollar since the tax took effect, partly due to the inflows of foreign money. The peso is the second best performing currency in Asia this year, after the Indian rupee.

Rather than borrowing overseas, local companies are once again turning to the stock market to raise funds. There were numerous initial public offerings on the Philippines Stock Exchange in 2005 and 2006, following years in which offerings were rare. Eight 2006 offerings were aimed specifically at foreign investors, raising $1.56 billion. So far this year, five IPOs have hit the market.

With business confidence on the mend, inflation and interest rates have declined.
Local and foreign businesses have begun investing again, and multinational companies are adding plants and shipyards. In May, Texas Instruments pledged $1 billion to build a new chip testing and assembly plant at the old U.S. Air Force base at Clark Field, 62 miles north of Manila, to complement a plant it already has here.
Kevin Ritchie, Texas Instrument's senior vice president for technology and manufacturing, said at the time that the country's skilled work force encouraged the company to raise its investment. Philippine officials said the company was also looking for reliable power and water, which are more available now that power privatization is under way.

One of the world's largest shipping companies, Beijing-based China Ocean Shipping Co., is studying whether to build a multibillion- dollar cargo hub near Manila, company officials say. South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. is investing $1.7 billion in a new shipyard at a former U.S. Navy base at Subic Bay. It was attracted by the skilled, English-speaking work force and low costs, a company official says.

Filipino expatriates -- more than 10 million work abroad -- have taken notice. They are now sending home $14 billion a year, double what they sent five years ago, government figures indicate. Economists see this as a relatively secure source of revenue. While 35% of these expatriates work in the U.S., there are also large pockets in Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. That geographical diversity could provide some insulation against a downturn in the U.S.

The remittances aren't just going to support families, but into the stock market and property investments. Ayala Land, one of the country's biggest real-estate companies, says that in 2006, 37% of revenue came from Filipinos overseas buying land and condominiums, up from 26% the year before and just 16% in 2004. The company's chief financial officer, Jaime Ysmael, told shareholders on Tuesday that if economic problems in the U.S. deepen, Ayala Land can still count on Filipinos working in Europe and the Middle East.

Norma Ravanzo, a 58-year-old retired nurse from Houston, is one such investor. An American citizen for more than 30 years, Ms. Ravanzo is planning to return to her homeland with her husband, who was also born in the Philippines. Encouraged by the economic progress and improving living conditions, Ms. Ravanzo bought property in Cebu City, Manila's financial district, and a retirement home in Subic Bay. "It's like living in a first-world community at third-world prices," she says

Quote from: Bohol on September 13, 2007, 06:55:52 PM
Thanks Bene for spreading the virus of Tubag Bohol.

It is my hope that through this website we'd be able to reconnect to lost friends and relatives, establish new friendships and business contacts, and work on common goals for our beloved homeland.

By the way, do you that our friends here in Tubag Bohol are already planning to have a reunion in Europe?

Asianfairy of Sweden will stand as host. She's inviting Jun Ayag, Macky Ferniz, Mohandis of Saudi Arabia - and anyone from various parts of the globe.

And, Bene, do you know that there are blossoming young hearts here who may end up as lifetime partners?

More things to come...

To the guy who asked where we are all heading after TB, I guess the best qualified to answer are the above who are already arriving at certain milestones in so short a time (4 months of TB?)

Where will we be a year hence, two years? No one really knows, but this forum is undoubedly moving people and events... I guess, given a few more months, our politicians should snap to attention to issues raised in this forum as they find their echoes in the mainstream media...

As they say, the journey is just as important as the destination.

Quote from: Bohol on September 13, 2007, 03:49:18 PM
Bene,

You just gave us a concise history of Japanese politics.

And I'm grateful that I learn this lesson from you.

Mike,

I think we should all learn from and absorb the good things about our host societies and at the right time, try to apply those that fit our political culture.

I am aware that Thailand is also very much in flux, its modern history checkered by even more coups than our country, the last one being against Thaksin Shinawatra.

The King, I understand is a providing a measure of stability to the dynamic polity. When he goes, I wonder what will happen.

Every leader's legacy should be the strengthening of democratic institutions. Politicians, being just transient occupants of office, should follow the house rules and build enhancements only to reinforce the foundations of democracy.

It's amazing how new people just come in everyday, adding color and verve to the exchange...

This is the only place where gate-crashing to a party is not only welcome but also encouraged. Mao gyud ni ang Boholano hospitality...

Honestly, I have to discipline myself nga mo-click ani nga forum only in the morning when I come in to start work and in the evening when I check out. I reward myself with a peek in between if I think I've really worked hard.

I have already forwarded links to this forum to my high school classmate, a Boholano who's now an up-and-coming neurosurgeon in the US; to a Boholana UP Cebu professor who's also a relative; and to our Boholano friends in Japan.

The more TB-carriers, the merrier.

Hi Ben,

Friends call me either "Ben" or "Benny", and I'm glad I have a namesake here.

I believe Bohol should promote "soft" investments like yours because they are less intrusive or detrimental to the island's natural environment.

I am a Filipino presently based in Japan doing mostly translation (Japanese-English, English-Japanese). Together with my wife, I have a long experience marketing telecom and other products to the foreign community here in Japan but most of the marketing outfits have set up call centers in Manila where the operation cost is low.

It occurred to me that the cost for this kind of operation should be lower in Bohol and would like to test the waters...  The added advantage is proximity to the international airport in Cebu. A Korean businessman in the call center business has expressed interest in the idea but we haven't really sat down yet.

I am planning to look at the prospects for the business sometime next year but I would appreciate some general update about the business and infrastructure conditions there...

Welcome to this forum!

Personally, I would like to see more green in Tagbilaran.

What improvements would you like to see in Tagbilaran City, Chocolate Hills, etc? What infrastructure or facilities will enhance the beauty of Bohol? How would Bohol be a more welcoming and attractive place?

A number of prime ministers in Japan resign rather than face a vote of no confidence in the Diet, their legislative body.

This was a prospect that Shinzo Abe faced after his three successive appointees at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery resigned one after another due to slush fund scandals. (The amount of misuse of money that constitutes a "scandal" in Japan is a laughable piddling compared to the kurakot even in our local governments. The amount is almost irrelevant--it is the act of betrayal of public trust.)

With muck in his trail, Abe could not simply push his agenda of extending the participation of Japan's naval forces in the Indian Ocean mission before the Diet.

Likewise, Japanese prime ministers seriously take mid-term elections as a barometer of mandate. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party lost miserably in the last House of Councillors' (equivalent to our Senate) elections. Compare this with Arroyo's indifference to the results of the last Senatorial elections.

Shinzo Abe brandished the construction of "Beautiful Japan" as his slogan. Though far from perfect, the beauty of Japan's governmental system is that it is not dependent on personalities and politicians, but on its institutions. In fact, like Abe, most of Japan's politicians have lackluster personalities--with the exception of Nakasone and Koizumi who had charisma to the masses.

As far as I can recall, most of Japan's prime ministers stepped down from the helm by resignation, without causing any palpable ripples to the society at large. Prime Minister Obuchi Keizo died while in office, and there was a power vacuum in the highest office for almost a week. But no tanks rolled, no rowdy power struggle among political contenders...

Japan's efficient bureaucracy can run the country even when its politics is in turmoil--as when the prime minister steps down or the parliament is dissolved.

When can the Philippines have semblance of institutional stability?

Quote from: jules_unicode on September 12, 2007, 08:32:15 PM
Good Day everyone! I am new here and hope I will enjoy my stay here in this site. See yah around!

Welcome! Feel free to express yourself here... we like de-coding your heart and mind to find something in common with us. Maayong pag-abot!

Mike,

Hope you find the time to read this book. Yesterday, I re-read it while commuting by train to Tokyo and was refreshed.

Amazingly enough, even without reading it yet, you already show many of the habits the author talks about. Mas mahimong effective ka pa jud.

Bisag bisi kaayo musingit sa ko kay I was thinking about putting this thread last night. You just beat me to this, Mike! Don't you guys think we're thinking more and more on the same wavelength, if not altogether alike?

So one of my best reads is Stephen R. Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Naa ra ba'y quotation ang author, si Covey, dinhi sa libro gikan ni Aristotle that TB tambays should ponder:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.                                                             
                                                         -- Aristotle

I also like Josh Groban, Michael Buble and Whitney Houston...

Michael W Smith's Place in This World shines on my heart like a bright sun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyTvtGGREd0&mode=related&search=

Ako, ga-senti ko for my two lovely daughters, 16 and 8, whenever I listen to this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgZftrobqlg

It is human nature to look back fondly to "the good 'ol days." Seldom have I heard anyone say, "these are great days."

Having spent part of my Martial Law-era childhood in the border town of Wao which straddles Bukidnon and Lanao del Sur, I saw my uncle's bullet-ridden body and countless other blood-bathed cadavers that were victims of the Muslim-Christian conflict we still inherit now. My family would never have chosen to live in that strife-torn town if prosperity or the promise of it were widely available then.

Like some of us here, I was a two-year old toddler when Marcos first became president. I have lived through his entire political career as president and my parents, both government employees, barely eked out a living. I was lucky to get a scholarship, courtesy of the Jesuits, from high school through college.

No doubt Marcos had an impressive bearing as a leader--a great orator, a confident statesman whose inimitable political flair easily lent him a bigger-than-life image even in his time. That was also his downfall--as he pandered to the Filipino's instinct for political patronage and made the country a conjugal fiefdom with his wife through his years of dictatorship.

I'll grant that I may have a different definition of great leadership. For me, the legacy of a great national leader is not a personality cult embellished by urban legend. For me, a great national leader is one who has built lasting institutions to help and guide the governance of present and future generations. If Marcos were indeed a great national leader, we should presently be the beneficiaries of independent and co-equal Executive, Legistative and Judicial branches of government. Our electoral system should have been debugged of fraud, manipulation, rigging and vote-buying.

It is noteworthy that we usually associate Martial Law with Marcos--which was a high-handed rule that imprisoned political opponents and widely trampled human rights.

It is not in the same as league the New Deal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that continues to be the model for fine-tuning economies all over the world. Nor is it even of the same shade as the more recent Ronald Reagan's Supply-Side Economics that is likewise being used by governments all over the world to boost productivity and revitalize economies.

Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad have at least built strong economic foundations that continue to spur these countries' growth.

If Marcos were a great leader, most of us at TB should be exchanging our views from within Bohol, or at least from within the country... We should be able to lounge around at the ICM or walk the streets of Tagbilaran without fear for our property and life...

Quote from: Sigbin II on September 10, 2007, 03:37:34 PM
I think it was Edmund Burke, sir.

Thanks.

Ignorance prevails if wise men do nothing.

Quote from: Ginger on September 10, 2007, 05:34:19 PM
Bitaw Asian no?...my 14yr old cousin is also fascinated with Japanese culture and fashion..She also have an enormous collection of Japanese manga and adores Japanese actors. (sigh)

Welcome, Sir Bene to Tubag Bohol!

Enjoy your stay here.

My 16-year old daughter draws manga. She has received various awards for arts in school and prefecture-wide competitions. If conditions improve in Bohol next year, I intend for her to take an indefinite study vacation in Tagbilaran to improve her English. It would be nice if our children gather in Tagbi and exchange notes on their hobbies... Ug ang mga tiguwang pod mag-exchange notes on anything under the sun, just like here in TB.

Quote from: Franklin on September 09, 2007, 10:44:54 PM
I don't know how true this is but I heard the police in Cebu, have no phone;because the bill remains unpaid.
Is this true in Bohol?

Frank, do me a favor, please test-dial the police.

"Hello, I'm the phone bill collector. I am on the way to collect your payment, but I was held up along the way. HELP!"

You'll see if they're doing their job. Not funny?!

Quote from: Sigbin II on September 10, 2007, 03:33:10 PM
The only vigilante whose judgment I would trust would be myself.  But then I don't know how just I would be if I were to become one.

I'm sure you'll make a fearsome, legendary vigilante, Sigbin. Just live up to your name. I still prefer re-claiming our peace peacefully.

Quote from: asianfairy on September 10, 2007, 04:16:38 PM
Welcome Sir Bene...I'm sure you will enjoy your stay here in TB.

Bag-o papod ko dire pero addict na zamo.

BTW, I have a 13 year old daughter who loves Japan a lot. She wears Japanese clothes and wants to eat japanese food . She also wants to marry a Japanese oneday. he..he..

Pero di ba permi dunay linog diha? Asa mo dapita sa Japan?
I promised to take her to Tokyo when she turns 18.

Greetings from Sweden!

Hi, nice meeting you. I am sure your daughter will enjoy it here. Maanad na lang ka sa linog diri. Earthquake-resistant man kasagara ilang buildings dire.

Naa gyud tay concern no bisag asa ta muadto... So Tagbilaran is fair game. One has better chances of avoiding crime than earthquake! And yet people in Japan carry on with their daily routine like the Big Quake is not forecast to come anytime since ten years ago. You should see their maze of subways, and half of the commuters take them. Can't imagine what's going to happen when the earth moves under these structures.

So if Japan doesn't seem so inviting now, let's see each other in Bohol.

Quote from: C2H4 on September 10, 2007, 12:24:28 PM
We might have vigilantes in Bohol before long.

I'll say yes to vigilance, but no to vigilantism.

Don't you think that that cuddlesome tarsier that symbolizes Bohol very much symbolizes our peace as well--so fragile, so delicate, yet so worth protecting and fighting for?

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on September 09, 2007, 11:34:25 PM
I would like to return the courtesy ... of my life's story ...

Hi proud BOJOLANA,

Nasugdan na nato ang mga sugilanon sa kinabuhi dinhi sa self-introductory thread. Daghan kaayug salamat.

Some of our career trajectories are similar. Although I made my career abroad, I spent only two years as an employee and the rest as a small-time entrepreneur. My wife is the more business-minded between the two of us, and I rode onto the business track only midway. As you probably know, being one's own boss has as much its headaches as its perks. You take care of everything, and as I mentioned elsewhere, you're a slave of your own time. And the taxes you pay! And of course, there are the business cycles which inevitably whisk small-time businessmen through troughs and crests.

Anyway, you're right. There is no perfectly security-sealed place in the world. Even in Japan, with its vaunted low criminality, a young white female English teacher, was murdered last year and the body cast in cement and left on the veranda of the Japanese suspect's apartment. And the perpetrator remains on the loose.

In my supposedly safe academic neighborhood on the outskirts of Tokyo, there are two heinous crimes that remain unsolved by the police to date. One victim was the Japanese translator of the Satanic Verses by Salman Rusdie whose throat was slitted by an unidentified criminal as the victim stepped out of the elevator in a national university, about a kilometer from home. The other victim was a Filipina, a client of ours, who was living alone and whose head was found severed in her apartment (also about a kilometer from where my family was living). The police questioned all Filipino residents in the area. And since she was a client, and I was supposed to have an information network in the community, they visited me frequently. On the nth time, I had to bawl out at the police as I demanded a court order for me to allow them in. They finally relented.

Gruesome crimes shock. But after a few months, the community has regained its composure. Most of the residents soon realized that targets of such crimes are more or less singled out for specific reasons.

I am sure Boholanos will regain their peace, too. In the case of Bohol, the fear is mostly the rampancy and randomness of the crime. Therefore, security measures have to be put in place by both the local government and the community. I  believe we should also think of our part in ensuring peace in our paradise.

Quote from: Bohol on September 09, 2007, 04:36:27 PM
Bene,

Here's the link of Bohol Hymn: http://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=1338.0

Thanks a lot. Wa ka bay audio or video link ani? Mike, kantaha na lang ug i-post sa YouTube. Bitaw, salamat kaayo.

Let me start with what I observe and experience here in Japan.

Aside from the central police station, there are small police boxes called koban spread out in strategic corners of the community--commercial centers, transportation hubs, recreation facilities. I even see them in remote areas. These police boxes are manned by 2 to 5 policemen and are open 24/7, and policemen take turns patrolling the surrounding areas by car, motorcycle or even bicycle. They are not intrusive to the day-to-day affairs of the neighborhood as long as there are no apparent violations. People here know that the police will come anytime you call the police hotline 110.

I am sure there is also a police hotline in Tagbilaran, is there?

I see these cops with a detailed map of their area of coverage. The bulk of their job is in fact giving directions. But with the detailed map, they can quickly respond to SOS calls in the neighborhood.

Also, especially in the countryside, neighborhoods clustered around elementary schools here usually have joint activities such as picking up trash on the streets once every three months or more. Aside from contributing to cleanliness and beautification, this civic activity gives residents an added benefit of socializing and acquainting themselves with one another. New people are introduced and suspicious characters are reported. After an accurate account of untoward incidents or accidents are gathered, an official report is prepared by the school and circulated among families through an information sheet distributed to pupils and students.

I can see that maintenance of peace is not only due to the diligence of the police but also community vigilance.

Nothing takes longer to heal than innocence shattered.  It seems that the Boholanos' comfort zone has been irreversibly violated by the spate of crimes, petty and big. Miles away, I can almost feel the pall of fear that overcasts the land we all love. Browsing through this forum, I could discern that fear has gripped not only the residents and overseas Boholanos, but also the foreigners who have considered this their home.

There is nothing more numbing than fear. What is more frightening, however, is what fear does to us. It immobilizes us, makes us paranoid and feel powerless. I can feel it not only among the ordinary Boholanos, but also among those whom we've entrusted to safeguard our peace. Even as a neophyte here at TB, I have immediately felt this undercurrent of fear. If I were closer to the epicenter of this tremblor, I would perhaps get a better sense of why even the more levelheaded among us are verbally pelting officials and calling them names.

At the risk of being irreverent (since I am writing from the secure walls of one of the most peaceful cities in the world), I would like to invite Boholanos all over the world to put their heads together on what we can do pro-actively about the situation. We all want to go home one day, and the best time to prepare ourselves is now.

I am sure we are capable of being more that just the wait-and-see spectators or joining the tomato-pelting bandwagon. To rephrase JFK, "My fellow Boholanos, ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what can you do for your country."  Was it Voltaire who said that "Evil triumphs because good men do nothing?"

So what do you think we can do? Those who live in places in Northern Europe, Japan, NZ, etc. where crime rates are known to be low, what security policies and laws are implemented or community activities undertaken that make your surroundings comparatively safe? Maybe some will work for us, some will not. But let's share our observations and personal experiences. There are people with decision-making powers here at TB. I believe they would appreciate constructive inputs.  I am sure this is a better exercise that blame-throwing that only provides temporary catharsis but no long-term solution.

These lawless elements will have won the day if we concede to them by doing nothing.

Quote from: proud2B-a-BOJOLANA on September 09, 2007, 01:36:57 PM
Hi, Dong Bene!  Mo welcome pod ko nimo ... even if I, myself, is also new dire sa TubagBohol!

I think every commentator of this thread is very much on the ball, so to speak.  While we cannot but feel concerned over the latest numbers of criminal activities diha sa ato sa Bohol,  I still think that Bohol is still a peaceful and safer place to live, compared to others.

Wa lang ta maanad about having such criminal activities being perpetuated diha sa ato, maong mas shocking to our system whenever crime happens ...

I would even sing my husband the Bohol Hymn ... "imong kalinaw giampingan ... to my dear home .... Bohol" ...

Does anyone still know the song?  Or is it still being sung after the National Anthem?   

I have mentioned about the Bohol Hymn kay, as my Username indicates, I proudly claim Bohol to be one of the best, if not the Best Province in the entire Philippines --- The Boholano folks with its untiring quest for betterment and originality; nga even as far back as roughly 50 years ago, Bohol has its own provincial hymn, unlike other provinces ...

Hi proud2B-a-BOJOLANA,

I'd appreciate it if you could share with us the complete lyrics of the Bohol Hymn. Sounds nostalgic...

I feel a little compelled to explain why I claim my roots in Bohol, even if I did not grow up there nor speak the language like a native.

My father is from Candijay, Bohol and my mother is from Aklan. They met in Mindanao.

I spent only about three to four consecutive years of my early childhood (up to kindergarten) in Jagna, Bohol. If I remember correctly, the school was Colegio de la Medalla Milagrosa where my mother finished her AB English as well. Is it still existing?

After that, we settled in Mindanao--half of the time in the borderland town of Wao, Lanao del Sur (my birthplace) and the other half in Cagayan de Oro. Then I went to a university in Manila, and after that, abroad. I married abroad with a kababayan from Pangasinan and raised my family here.

Aside from that relatively long childhood residency in Jagna, my family and I have made short trips to Bohol about 10 times in the past after my parents resettled in Tagbilaran in the late 80's. I feel I've been everywhere--and yet somehow, rooted nowhere.

But I've always felt a special affinity for Bohol. My wife and I disagree about many places to go to or visit--but we simply love Bohol. Whenever somebody asks me where I'm from in the Philippines, I invariably say Bohol. I am so proud of Bohol and to be a Boholano.

Murag hilaw man ko nga Bol-anon but in my heart and soul, I am a true-blue Boholano. I am glad I've found home here at TB. I learn more about the hearts and minds of Boholanos.

Fellow proud Bojolanos, I really appreciate what you can share with me in terms of our cultural and historical roots, and of course about current events.

Quote from: Barbaro on September 09, 2007, 11:14:59 AM
hello benelynne.
Welcome.. feel at home and  enjoy..

It's one great party here at TB. Enjoy kaayo!

Quote from: Bambi on September 09, 2007, 12:43:50 AM
Hello Benelynne!

Kumusta? It is nice having you here with us.  My compliment, you look still very young but kugihan already with three teenagers.
We need your brillant ideas, so, keep on posting if your precious-busy time allows.

I am based in Germany....just registered in this site since the l5th of August and spent most of my break days from work scanning the pages of TB issues.  It is a thrill to be and always on the  go with some interesting discussions.

So....enjoy and God bless!

Hi Bambi,

Nice meeting you here!

I am using my 15-year old son's portrait as my avatar, so that's exactly how young I looked centuries ago. Bitaw, 43 lang ko.

I'll show my real face if the tarsier goes down and you go up and show your real smile.

Maayong buntag! Mas nauna pa ning TB da kaysa Sunday service naku! It's a sun-bathed beautiful Sunday morning here in the Land of the Rising Sun! God bless!

Quote from: Bohol on September 08, 2007, 04:28:15 PM
Bene,

The friendship here is getting deeper. And the minds and heart here in TB are becoming more profound.

Mike, daghan salamat sa TB. I haven't been as excited about going home as I am now. Magtigum-tigum sa tag pamelete ug mga amigo-amiga diri sa TB.

Quote from: ms da binsi on September 08, 2007, 11:26:23 AM
i think all red wine has antioxidant, merlot, syrah etc.

ms da binsi,

I love red wine for its salutary effects... sunod nimo bakasyon sa bohol bring your merlot and syrah and i'll bring cabernet and let's all toast to TB...

Halos kaedad ra diay ta--just the age when we are the least concerned about retarded growth but the most concerned about retarding aging.

Have a nice weekend!

C2H4,

I guess you didn't coin this username for nothing, murag expert ka sa chemical compounds, particularly aphrodisiacs...

Jogging and red wine (made from Cabernet Sauvignon which is said to contain a lot of antioxidants) take care of my physical vitality.

TB should take care of my mental and emotional vitality... It seems to bring me a lot of sunshine from Bohol!

Would you believe I'm actually starting my day with TB! Tinuod diay nga contagious disease ni, and communicable like virus through the internet! Great pep to start the day with...

Feel I've slipped lower than mid age in your company--what with wild quaker oats and cognac to boot. (I usually drink a glass or two of red wine to wind up my day.)

Being self-employed, I'm a slave of my own time even on weekends. But Sunday, I lead the music team at church. Practice time Saturday PM.

Have a nice weekend!

All three of my kids were born, raised and are studying in Japanese schools.

The reason I stumbled into this forum is because I was looking for info on the local situation as I have plans of bringing them to Tagbilaran to study English and re-immerse themselves into their being Filipino. Makasulti silag Tagalog pero kulang ang reading ability nila sa English ug Filipino. Mas first language nila ang Japanese.

Nakabalaka lang ko sa mga nabasa nako sa headlines nga rising criminality sa Tagbilaran. I am monitoring the development closely before I make my final decision. Plano pa man namong mag-asawa next year unta.

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 07, 2007, 12:34:07 PM
^ Hai, Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,

I know how you feel Ma'am Benelynne, I stumbled to this forum back in June and was stuck ever since, hahaha. Thanks for the compliments, Ma'am Benelynne, i learned a little bit from hanging around with some of my friends. I hope you enjoy your stay in TB and I know you'll find your niche in here. Maybe you can tell us more about life in the land of the rising sun?? I'm all ears.

Regards from the US.

I am tempted to keep my last cloak of anonymity by accepting your "Ma'am" address. I am actually a "Mr."

The handle I am using is a composite of my wife's first name and mine. This is a compromise I made with my wife so she doesn't keep hovering behind my back when I'm on my computer and give her the assurance that I am not prowling the webworld incognito for hanky-panky but to link up with respectable, real Boholanos. I can even make a hard print of your response as evidence.

Nice meeting you, Sir.

Quote from: Lorenzo on September 07, 2007, 10:58:24 AM
O-hayou gozaimasu, Benelynne-chan.

Hajimashite! Welcome to Tubag Bohol benelynne! Kammusta man dinha sa Japan? Unsa'y balita sa land of the rising sun??

Hi. I just stumbled into this forum yesterday, but it seems I've been here forever. Of course you are one of the most familiar ka-tubag since you seem to be everywhere and always passionately engaged.

Perfect imong Japanese. How did you learn the greetings? As I am in my early 40's, the "chan" after my handle is a bit incongruous but I don't mind assuming a cute persona in this forum.

Where are you based, Lorenzo?

Am already hooked. This is a lively discussion group. We also have a forum for Filipinos in Japan--the Timog Forum. I'll invite the Japan-based Boholanos to log into Tubag Bohol.

Bohol, Mari and Delaguna,

With your prompt and warm replies, it seems I am getting a garland of grand welcome not only to Tubag Bohol but to Bohol as well.

I am well aware that there are crimes anywhere in the world, and peace can't be achieved or maintained while we lay back in complacency.

Looking at it the other way, the Boholano's collective shock at the recent criminal incidents is a positive signal that we don't take robberies, burglaries and physical assaults as the normal course of events. We should funnel this collective outrage into a community action against crime.

Mari, I really want to hear more about your experiences. As I browsed through this forum, I chanced upon your post on that creepy incident of a peeping Tom (or was it a prying would-be burglar?) Like you, I remain optimisic that Bohol can achieve progress with peace if the people and the government work hand in hand towards a clear vision of a beautiful, peaceful Bohol. Tagbilaran's motto should be Safety to Residents and Guests; Hazard to Lawbreakers and Culprits!
Bohol and Delaguna, I hope to have an EB with you one of these days. Naa na ba'y EB ang Tubag Bohol!

Nice meeting you all!

Bol-anon Friends,

As you can easily tell, I am new in this forum. I've been residing with my family (wife and three children) in an Asian country for many, many years now and I am contemplating of starting something new in Bohol, which is my father's birthplace. Some of my siblings are presently residing in Bohol. I have a house in Tagbilaran which my brother is looking after. My wife and I have always talked about settling in Bohol, and at this point we are thinking of advancing our timetable. Gikan sa Pangasinan ang akong misis pero gusto kaayo n'ya ang Bohol.

My kids are aged 16, 15 and 8. They are deficient in English skills and I plan to have them continue with their studies in Tagbilaran City so that they can catch up with the the English language. Regretably, teaching them English is the one luxury my wife and I never had because of our hectic work sked in this foreign land (not really an excuse) and they have been totally immersed in the local language and culture.

The reason I joined this forum is to get a feel of the place from you who are actually living in Bohol, as well as those from abroad who have decided to return either experimentally or for good.

I have some nagging concerns about the safety of the place given the spate of robberies with physical assaults. Is Bohol's vaunted peace and safety gone? Is Tagbilaran safe--especially for children?

I am still resolved in going ahead with the plan. Any pointers, suggestions, advice?