Arrival of Russian Charters In Boracay To Spur Economy

A big group of Russian tourists who want to escape the harsh Russian winter arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday afternoon January 6 en route to a dream holiday on the world-famous Boracay resort island according to Rainier Allan Ronda and Helen Flores.
The 143 Russians arrived via a chartered Vlad Air flight from Vladivostok at around 1:50 p.m. They will stay in Manila until Friday, after which they will take an Asian Spirit flight to Caticlan for their Boracay holiday until January 16.
The Russians were drawn to sunny Boracay to escape the bitter winter in their country, during which the temperature could fall to below zero degrees centigrade.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is helping the Department of Tourism accommodate the Russian tourists and make their stay in the country trouble-free.
The group is the first of two large groups of Russians that responded to efforts by the Department of Tourism to promote Boracay. The second group composed of 260 Russians from Krasnyorasky in Siberia will arrive on Friday, January 12.
According to Director Edwin G. Trompeta of DOT, these charters are scheduled every first week of January in conjunction with the Orthodox New Year in Russia. This group is staying an average of 8-10 days.
Blue Horizon Travel and Tours, Inc. is the company handling the charter groups from Russia since early 1990’s with Boracay and Cebu as the main destinations.
The local governments of Aklan and Malay together with the DOT and the PNP has been requested to extend VIP courtesies to the group as well as ensure the safe, convenient and comfortable stay of the visitors while in the island.
The cooperation of the LGU and the composite security task force in Boracay has been requested considering that the island has limited entry and exit capabilities for the efficient handling in case of any emergency situation.
It is expected that Aklan province and Malay will realize considerable economic value from the charter.
Optimistic, Trompeta said that though disasters like typhoons and catastrophe like oil spill in Guimaras, have devastated the region with millions worth of properties and livelihood affected, the region has nevertheless recovered and has even seen the plus side of these problems.
The Province of Guimaras, for one, has had suffered from oil spill which accidentally happened in its strait and affected its shores and the livelihood of its fishers, has had attracted the eyes of domestic and foreign tourists. He called it a blessing in disguise.
The provinces of Capiz and Aklan, which suffered of agricultural and infrastructure devastation, have turned the heads of the political leaders for bigger growth and assistance.
Trompeta also projected that more domestic and foreign tourists would come over to the region to see more and more its beauty which was not yet unveiled.
According to Trompeta, around 3 million tourists, foreign and domestic, would come to the region in 2007.
This is higher to the total 2.5 million foreign visits the region gets this year. People from China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan are likely coming over this year. With the creation of convention centers here in Iloilo, the 88-room hotel in Boracay, which would be operational next year, Trompeta is certain the region will turn heads and boost its economy. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Arrival of Russian Charters In Boracay To Spur Economy

A big group of Russian tourists who want to escape the harsh Russian winter arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) yesterday afternoon January 6 en route to a dream holiday on the world-famous Boracay resort island according to Rainier Allan Ronda and Helen Flores.
The 143 Russians arrived via a chartered Vlad Air flight from Vladivostok at around 1:50 p.m. They will stay in Manila until Friday, after which they will take an Asian Spirit flight to Caticlan for their Boracay holiday until January 16.
The Russians were drawn to sunny Boracay to escape the bitter winter in their country, during which the temperature could fall to below zero degrees centigrade.
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) is helping the Department of Tourism accommodate the Russian tourists and make their stay in the country trouble-free.
The group is the first of two large groups of Russians that responded to efforts by the Department of Tourism to promote Boracay. The second group composed of 260 Russians from Krasnyorasky in Siberia will arrive on Friday, January 12.
According to Director Edwin G. Trompeta of DOT, these charters are scheduled every first week of January in conjunction with the Orthodox New Year in Russia. This group is staying an average of 8-10 days.
Blue Horizon Travel and Tours, Inc. is the company handling the charter groups from Russia since early 1990’s with Boracay and Cebu as the main destinations.
The local governments of Aklan and Malay together with the DOT and the PNP has been requested to extend VIP courtesies to the group as well as ensure the safe, convenient and comfortable stay of the visitors while in the island.
The cooperation of the LGU and the composite security task force in Boracay has been requested considering that the island has limited entry and exit capabilities for the efficient handling in case of any emergency situation.
It is expected that Aklan province and Malay will realize considerable economic value from the charter.
Optimistic, Trompeta said that though disasters like typhoons and catastrophe like oil spill in Guimaras, have devastated the region with millions worth of properties and livelihood affected, the region has nevertheless recovered and has even seen the plus side of these problems.
The Province of Guimaras, for one, has had suffered from oil spill which accidentally happened in its strait and affected its shores and the livelihood of its fishers, has had attracted the eyes of domestic and foreign tourists. He called it a blessing in disguise.
The provinces of Capiz and Aklan, which suffered of agricultural and infrastructure devastation, have turned the heads of the political leaders for bigger growth and assistance.
Trompeta also projected that more domestic and foreign tourists would come over to the region to see more and more its beauty which was not yet unveiled.
According to Trompeta, around 3 million tourists, foreign and domestic, would come to the region in 2007.
This is higher to the total 2.5 million foreign visits the region gets this year. People from China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan are likely coming over this year. With the creation of convention centers here in Iloilo, the 88-room hotel in Boracay, which would be operational next year, Trompeta is certain the region will turn heads and boost its economy. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Fil-Am Community Stages Ati-Atihan Fest In California

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

On January 6, 2007, the Filipino American community in California, USA staged its own version of the Ati-Atihan festival which showcased the rich cultural and religious tradition of Aklan.
It was the 16th Annual Ati-Atihan Fiesta and Dance.
According to Sarah Tonel Enloe, the Aklan Association of Sacramento and Vicinity, Inc. held the famous yearly festival at the Jose Rizal Community Center , 7230 Florin Mall Drive in Sacramento , California .
"This event (Ati-Atihan festival) is a legacy of leadership that could be transferred from the first generation immigrants to a community of second and third generations of Filipinos," Tonel added.A 6 p.m., holy mass, raffle draw, procession of the Sto. Niño statues and Ati-Atihan parade and the traditional dancing of members and families of the Aklan Association of Sacramento and Vicinity highlighted the yearly event.
Annually, the festival is truly significant because it brings together the sons and daughters of Aklan from Sacramento and vicinity to celebrate a common history and affirm their identity as a people. It is also an occasion to share this heritage with younger generation and therefore help promote Philippine culture in California.
Tonel said the funds raised by the Aklan Association events are donated to the Missionaries of Charity in New Washington, Aklan to support children and sick adults that needed medical attention, foods and clothes.
"The event is scheduled much early this year compared to last year to give Aklanons abroad a chance to witness the street dancing and the spiritual celebration in the town of Kalibo should they decide to come home," she added.
On January 15-21, the town of Kalibo celebrates the most colorful and internationally known Ati Atihan, which will culminate on the third Sunday, the feast day of Sto Niño, with extensive coverage from Philippine and international TV networks, local and international newspapers. The Aklan Association of Sacramento and Vicinity was lauded for its active involvement in building a bridge of understanding and in strengthening the linkages among the Filipino American community in Sacramento. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Govt. Lending Project For OFW Groups A Model For Government Flop Dole Out

by CANDICE Y. CEREZO

THE bankruptcy of roughly 200 government-funded livelihood groups of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their families reveals major errors in a project that an OFW leader and the government was used solely for the 2004 elections, report said.
"Their promise is that there will be an OFW Groceria loan, followed by OFW Botica, and thirdly, that each member will have a loan of P200,000. However, these did not reach us [except for the grocery] loan, which we even had difficulties [operating]," Lutgarda Zapanta, a leader of an OFW group, said.
Zapanta refers to the micro-lending project for OFWs –called OFW Groceria– that is hobbled by the inability of beneficiaries like her to pay back the grocery products for re-sale loaned to them by the government.
She received in October a notice from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) asking her, as president of her group OFW BZ Chapter, to pay a 22-month past due loan of P45,834.80.
The problem: she and other leaders of groups she organized and which tapped the lending program didn’t have the resources to cough out the money –a total quarter of a million pesos (US$7,000)– they owed government.
"Chairman, pano na ito? Two years na, wala na ang grocery. Wala na’ng pera. Anong gagawin natin?" Zapanta cited her and the leaders’ worries. [How would we go about this, Madam chairman? Two years have passed and the grocery’s folded up, the money’s gone. What should we do?]
A recent report by OWWA, which now handles the two-year project, pointed to the 2004 election atmosphere as the source of debacle for Zapanta and the leaders.
A number of OFW families and dependents deliberately organized themselves just to avail of the project because it is election-time especially at the National Capital Region, the report dated June 30, 2006, noted.
It added that borrowers had a "shallow appreciation on [sic] the real objectives of the project, as they view [sic] the project primarily as an economic activity."
"There was no clear orientation or direction of the project," the report said.
Zapanta’s predicament came at a time when another poll event is just around the corner while government is rehashing a shuttered micro-lending scheme.
‘Habhab’
ACCORDING to the OWWA report, the OFW Groceria Project disbursed loans to 543 groceries amounting to P27,158,342.85 as of June 30, 2005.
The report cited the project’s "very satisfactory performance" with batting average of 92.35 percent or 352 out of the 387 established OFW Groceria still considered "operational".
According to the OWWA, the OFW Groceria Project is a non-collateral, interest-free loan window of P50,000-worth of merchandise goods for OFW organizations.
The report noted that 35 percent or 205 of the total 587 OFW Grocerias declared bankruptcy.
According to OFW Groceria Project spokesperson Reynaldo Tayag, the problems could be traced to the labor department’s National Capital Region office.
Tayag said it was the Department of Labor and Employment that started the project using P3 million from the Presidential Social Fund.
Tayag pinned the blame on the organizers within this phase but who were also transferred along with the relegation of the project management under the OWWA.
The project became part of the OWWA’s reintegration program which was announced in March 2004, three months before Gloria Arroyo was catapulted into presidency.
Tayag said he later removed the DOLE-NCR organizers from the project management roster and replaced them with "more qualified community development officers".
"Napabayaan din nang napabayaan yung project, [The project was neglected.] The problem is they [DOLE organizers] did not monitor in the first place. Habhab yung ginawa nila e," Tayag said.
"Habhab" is a Tagalog word that means eating with the lips rather than using the teeth.
Tayag said filing legal cases against errant borrowers is an option but they decided to just write the leaders.
"Some have complied but others are really hard up to pay the loan," Tayag added.
As much as possible, Tayag said, OWWA "would not want to use" legal means to force the groups to pay.
"Konsensyahin mo na lang. Wala namang nakukulong sa utang e [We’ll just prick their conscience since nobody’s jailed out of indebtedness]," he said of the letter they sent to people like Zapanta.
But Tayag said other groups are taking the legal route. Some have been writing to Malacañang, as Zapanta and her groups did, asking the President to condone their debt.

Plea market

THE stamp "officially received" by the Office of the President is still legible in Zapanta’s Sept. 29, 2005 letter asking Arroyo to convert the Groceria loan into a "dole out".
Written in Tagalog, the letter shown to the Consortium asked President Arroyo to give Zapanta’s group the permission to add the money for the grocery’s expansion.
"That’s why I did not worry for my members anymore because I have pleaded in my letter that whatever program that has been handed down to us be continued and, whether the project was successful or not, to instead leave them to us," Zapanta said.
It was also her way, she said, of reminding the President of the OFW groups’ contribution to her poll victory.
In a way, our members were influenced on who to vote in the presidential race because they were promised to benefit from the project, Zapanta claimed.
"Every group has about 25 members and I have organized twelve of them. How many votes could one get from [each group]?" she asked.
However, only seven of the dozen groups that Zapanta said she organized received the grocery on September 21, 2004 or four months after Arroyo was already declared President.
"Before the grocery was handed down, they contacted OFW chairmen because they knew who are the persons who handle people. So I was used, all of us chairmen, to organize the OFWs," Zapanta said.
However, she said she hasn’t received a reply from President Arroyo’s office.
To recoup losses from the high-priced products being sold in urban poor communities like hers, Zapanta said they either lowered the prices thereby shaving off profit margins for the sake of sales or used the products for their personal consumption.

Dole out
THE OWWA report cited the "dole-out" mentality of OFWs killed the "greater aim" of the grocery loan project, especially when the mentality was nurtured during the election campaign period.
Hence, the project’s collection rate has been declining since September last year from 65.74 percent of 387 grocerias to 53 percent of 543 groceries as of June 30, 2006.
The report blamed the remoteness of the areas where borrowers lived as the cause of the low-repayment level.
But Tayag said, "repayment would not have been a problem even by groups in these areas had the OFWs followed the loan agreement."
Tayag explained that under DOLE’s guidelines, OFW groups like Zapanta’s should have opened a bank account from which the payments should have been coursed through.
The agreement stipulated the borrowers could deposit payments to a bank account named for the group. Likewise, it said the group shouldn’t withdraw money from the account until total deposits hit P50,000 and upon advise of the DOLE.
Each group was also required to submit copies of the bankbook and bank statements as well as a monthly status report to the DOLE.
Except for the group’s bank account, Zapanta claimed, she followed the agreement’s reportorial requirement.
However, Zapanta said even if they were "trying to pay, they [DOLE] would not get hold of our money."
"They told us to open bank accounts under our own names," but that was a folly the project encountered," citing it wasn’t only Zapanta’s group that named bank accounts after the chairman and without the participation of the DOLE representative.
Hence, Tayag said collecting payments wasn’t a walk in the park.
"We have been receiving payments but some have really no hope of paying. Other groups have members and leaders [who] are now nowhere to be found," he added.
Using OWWA’s figures, Tayag would be referring to some P10.25 million spent to buy the grocery products –some from retailers, considered lost or irrecoverable.
Slack
ZAPANTA, a single mother of a baby girl, can only ask that government cut them some slack.
She admitted dipping her hands on her group’s Groceria funds deposited in her name but only because her daughter was hospitalized and she needed the money.
"The only instruction to us was to keep on depositing. In my case, I deposited at my bank account, the account under my name and if I’m in a tight situation, of course I might withdraw the money. That’s how it [was]," Zapanta said.
She explained that during her daughter’s hospitalization, she "borrowed" from the business’s fund.
But while her daughter has recovered, she said she hasn’t been able to pay back the money she "borrowed".
However, the agreement she signed for the OFW Groceria Project cited that "in case of unauthorized deviations or alterations in the implementation of the approved project proposal, the organization will be obliged to return the whole amount without need of prior demand from DOLE-NCR."
Zapanta’s predicament and the precarious collection rate of the OFW Groceria project came at a time of a new lending scheme via Executive Order 558 that President Arroyo signed on August 10, 2006.
A revised order, EO 558-A, authorizes the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide direct lending in poor provinces and municipalities.
The business sector has warned that the order may lead to heightened risk of loans being treated as dole out to borrowers who will have little or no motivation to pay.
In a statement, the Makati Business Club said that government direct lending by past administrations prior to that of ousted President Joseph Estrada had failed to address poverty and had led to non-payment of loans by borrowers and, eventually, government losses.
Senator Pia Cayetano even dubbed the scheme as a "political dole out".
"The credit scheme is in danger of being politicized, especially with the coming elections in 2007, because priority will likely be given to close allies and followers of local politicians who wield power over the field personnel of DSWD," Senator Cayetano was quoted in a statement.
For Zapanta and OFWs like her, this could only be déjà vu. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Govt. Lending Project For OFW Groups A Model For Government Flop Dole Out

by CANDICE Y. CEREZO

THE bankruptcy of roughly 200 government-funded livelihood groups of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their families reveals major errors in a project that an OFW leader and the government was used solely for the 2004 elections, report said.
"Their promise is that there will be an OFW Groceria loan, followed by OFW Botica, and thirdly, that each member will have a loan of P200,000. However, these did not reach us [except for the grocery] loan, which we even had difficulties [operating]," Lutgarda Zapanta, a leader of an OFW group, said.
Zapanta refers to the micro-lending project for OFWs –called OFW Groceria– that is hobbled by the inability of beneficiaries like her to pay back the grocery products for re-sale loaned to them by the government.
She received in October a notice from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) asking her, as president of her group OFW BZ Chapter, to pay a 22-month past due loan of P45,834.80.
The problem: she and other leaders of groups she organized and which tapped the lending program didn’t have the resources to cough out the money –a total quarter of a million pesos (US$7,000)– they owed government.
"Chairman, pano na ito? Two years na, wala na ang grocery. Wala na’ng pera. Anong gagawin natin?" Zapanta cited her and the leaders’ worries. [How would we go about this, Madam chairman? Two years have passed and the grocery’s folded up, the money’s gone. What should we do?]
A recent report by OWWA, which now handles the two-year project, pointed to the 2004 election atmosphere as the source of debacle for Zapanta and the leaders.
A number of OFW families and dependents deliberately organized themselves just to avail of the project because it is election-time especially at the National Capital Region, the report dated June 30, 2006, noted.
It added that borrowers had a "shallow appreciation on [sic] the real objectives of the project, as they view [sic] the project primarily as an economic activity."
"There was no clear orientation or direction of the project," the report said.
Zapanta’s predicament came at a time when another poll event is just around the corner while government is rehashing a shuttered micro-lending scheme.
‘Habhab’
ACCORDING to the OWWA report, the OFW Groceria Project disbursed loans to 543 groceries amounting to P27,158,342.85 as of June 30, 2005.
The report cited the project’s "very satisfactory performance" with batting average of 92.35 percent or 352 out of the 387 established OFW Groceria still considered "operational".
According to the OWWA, the OFW Groceria Project is a non-collateral, interest-free loan window of P50,000-worth of merchandise goods for OFW organizations.
The report noted that 35 percent or 205 of the total 587 OFW Grocerias declared bankruptcy.
According to OFW Groceria Project spokesperson Reynaldo Tayag, the problems could be traced to the labor department’s National Capital Region office.
Tayag said it was the Department of Labor and Employment that started the project using P3 million from the Presidential Social Fund.
Tayag pinned the blame on the organizers within this phase but who were also transferred along with the relegation of the project management under the OWWA.
The project became part of the OWWA’s reintegration program which was announced in March 2004, three months before Gloria Arroyo was catapulted into presidency.
Tayag said he later removed the DOLE-NCR organizers from the project management roster and replaced them with "more qualified community development officers".
"Napabayaan din nang napabayaan yung project, [The project was neglected.] The problem is they [DOLE organizers] did not monitor in the first place. Habhab yung ginawa nila e," Tayag said.
"Habhab" is a Tagalog word that means eating with the lips rather than using the teeth.
Tayag said filing legal cases against errant borrowers is an option but they decided to just write the leaders.
"Some have complied but others are really hard up to pay the loan," Tayag added.
As much as possible, Tayag said, OWWA "would not want to use" legal means to force the groups to pay.
"Konsensyahin mo na lang. Wala namang nakukulong sa utang e [We’ll just prick their conscience since nobody’s jailed out of indebtedness]," he said of the letter they sent to people like Zapanta.
But Tayag said other groups are taking the legal route. Some have been writing to Malacañang, as Zapanta and her groups did, asking the President to condone their debt.

Plea market

THE stamp "officially received" by the Office of the President is still legible in Zapanta’s Sept. 29, 2005 letter asking Arroyo to convert the Groceria loan into a "dole out".
Written in Tagalog, the letter shown to the Consortium asked President Arroyo to give Zapanta’s group the permission to add the money for the grocery’s expansion.
"That’s why I did not worry for my members anymore because I have pleaded in my letter that whatever program that has been handed down to us be continued and, whether the project was successful or not, to instead leave them to us," Zapanta said.
It was also her way, she said, of reminding the President of the OFW groups’ contribution to her poll victory.
In a way, our members were influenced on who to vote in the presidential race because they were promised to benefit from the project, Zapanta claimed.
"Every group has about 25 members and I have organized twelve of them. How many votes could one get from [each group]?" she asked.
However, only seven of the dozen groups that Zapanta said she organized received the grocery on September 21, 2004 or four months after Arroyo was already declared President.
"Before the grocery was handed down, they contacted OFW chairmen because they knew who are the persons who handle people. So I was used, all of us chairmen, to organize the OFWs," Zapanta said.
However, she said she hasn’t received a reply from President Arroyo’s office.
To recoup losses from the high-priced products being sold in urban poor communities like hers, Zapanta said they either lowered the prices thereby shaving off profit margins for the sake of sales or used the products for their personal consumption.

Dole out
THE OWWA report cited the "dole-out" mentality of OFWs killed the "greater aim" of the grocery loan project, especially when the mentality was nurtured during the election campaign period.
Hence, the project’s collection rate has been declining since September last year from 65.74 percent of 387 grocerias to 53 percent of 543 groceries as of June 30, 2006.
The report blamed the remoteness of the areas where borrowers lived as the cause of the low-repayment level.
But Tayag said, "repayment would not have been a problem even by groups in these areas had the OFWs followed the loan agreement."
Tayag explained that under DOLE’s guidelines, OFW groups like Zapanta’s should have opened a bank account from which the payments should have been coursed through.
The agreement stipulated the borrowers could deposit payments to a bank account named for the group. Likewise, it said the group shouldn’t withdraw money from the account until total deposits hit P50,000 and upon advise of the DOLE.
Each group was also required to submit copies of the bankbook and bank statements as well as a monthly status report to the DOLE.
Except for the group’s bank account, Zapanta claimed, she followed the agreement’s reportorial requirement.
However, Zapanta said even if they were "trying to pay, they [DOLE] would not get hold of our money."
"They told us to open bank accounts under our own names," but that was a folly the project encountered," citing it wasn’t only Zapanta’s group that named bank accounts after the chairman and without the participation of the DOLE representative.
Hence, Tayag said collecting payments wasn’t a walk in the park.
"We have been receiving payments but some have really no hope of paying. Other groups have members and leaders [who] are now nowhere to be found," he added.
Using OWWA’s figures, Tayag would be referring to some P10.25 million spent to buy the grocery products –some from retailers, considered lost or irrecoverable.
Slack
ZAPANTA, a single mother of a baby girl, can only ask that government cut them some slack.
She admitted dipping her hands on her group’s Groceria funds deposited in her name but only because her daughter was hospitalized and she needed the money.
"The only instruction to us was to keep on depositing. In my case, I deposited at my bank account, the account under my name and if I’m in a tight situation, of course I might withdraw the money. That’s how it [was]," Zapanta said.
She explained that during her daughter’s hospitalization, she "borrowed" from the business’s fund.
But while her daughter has recovered, she said she hasn’t been able to pay back the money she "borrowed".
However, the agreement she signed for the OFW Groceria Project cited that "in case of unauthorized deviations or alterations in the implementation of the approved project proposal, the organization will be obliged to return the whole amount without need of prior demand from DOLE-NCR."
Zapanta’s predicament and the precarious collection rate of the OFW Groceria project came at a time of a new lending scheme via Executive Order 558 that President Arroyo signed on August 10, 2006.
A revised order, EO 558-A, authorizes the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to provide direct lending in poor provinces and municipalities.
The business sector has warned that the order may lead to heightened risk of loans being treated as dole out to borrowers who will have little or no motivation to pay.
In a statement, the Makati Business Club said that government direct lending by past administrations prior to that of ousted President Joseph Estrada had failed to address poverty and had led to non-payment of loans by borrowers and, eventually, government losses.
Senator Pia Cayetano even dubbed the scheme as a "political dole out".
"The credit scheme is in danger of being politicized, especially with the coming elections in 2007, because priority will likely be given to close allies and followers of local politicians who wield power over the field personnel of DSWD," Senator Cayetano was quoted in a statement.
For Zapanta and OFWs like her, this could only be déjà vu. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Death Is Putting Away The Lamp

(Editor’s Note: EULOGY DELIVERED BY ATTY. RONQUILLO C. TOLENTINO, VICE GOVERNOR, PROVINCE OF AKLAN, IN HONOR OF THE LATE REGIONAL TRIAL COURT JUDGE PEDRO MIRASOL ICAMINA, KALIBO CATHEDRAL, KALIBO, AKLAN, DECEMBER 23, 2006, 1:00 PM.)

Rabindranath Tagore once said that death is not extinguishing the light. It is putting away the lamp because the dawn has come.
Daniel Webster, the great American orator and statesman said: "One may live as a conqueror, a king or a magistrate but he must die a man. The bed of death brings every human being to his pure individuality to the intense contemplation of that deepest and most solemn of all relations - - the relation between the creature and his Creator".
Life is rather a state of embryo, a preparation for life; a man is not completely born till he has passed through death. There is truth to what Manilus, a Roman philosopher and statesman, said that the moment a man is born into this world, he begins to die. For the end is link to the beginning. The cry of the babe at the crib leads to an inevitable path - - the grave. Such is the metamorphosis of life - - from womb to tomb, from birth to death.
Death is a superlatively grand and consoling idea. Without death, the delightful morning star which symbolizes that the luminary of eternity is going to rise would only darken into midnight melancholy. Without death, the expectation of living here would be indeed a prospect of overwhelming despair. And so, thanks to the fatal decree that dooms us to die; thanks to the gospel which opens the visions of an endless life; and thanks above all to that Saviour Friend who has promised to conduct the faithful through sacred trance of death into scenes of Paradise and everlasting delight.
Sir Knight, Judge Pedro Mirasol Icamia is dead. He has left this world to the Great Beyond to join his Creator in a territory where death is not sovereign and God holds dominion over all. Death is the golden key that opens the place of eternity. And Judge Pedro Mirasol Icamina now rests in the loving bosom of his Creator - - from dust to dust, ashes to ashes in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection.
Death is the crown of life. Where death denied the poor man would live in vain; to live would not be life; even fools would wish to die.
The darkness of death is like the evening twilight; it makes all objects appear more lovely to the dying. Death is the liberator of him whom freedom cannot release; the physician of him whom medicine cannot cure; the comforter of him whom time cannot console.
Judge Pedro Mirasol Icamina – who in his life time had been Former Regional Trial court Judge, Kalibo, Aklan, Past President, Regional Trial Court Judges Association for Western Visayas, Past President, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Aklan Chapter, Faithful Navigator Emeritus, Sto. Niño Assembly No. 1954, Past District Deputy and Star DD Awardee, 1982, Past Grand Knight, Kalibo Council 4491, Member, Sto. Niño Assembly Honor Guard, Former Dean, College of Law, Aklan Catholic College and Secretary, Aklan Catholic College Board of Trustees - - is no longer with us. He has gone to the merry meadows of God where death has no sting and where death has no victory.
To the bereaved family of the late Pedro Mirasol Icamina, I extend the condolence of the provincial legislative body; his children, Bing, Ching and Pearl, grandchildren, brother and sister, brother and sister in law and relatives, I know in your hearts are these words of great poet:

"And so it comforts me, yea, not in vain,
To think of thine eternity of sleep:
To know thine eyes are tearless though
mine weep
And when this cup’s last bitterness I drain
One though shall still its primal sweetness keep
Thou hadst the peace, and I, the undying pain."
And these prayer for Judge Pedro Mirasol Icamina; thus:
"Now the laborer’s task is o’er
Now the battle day
is past;
Now upon the father shore
Lands the voyager
at last,
Father, in thy gracious keeping
Leave we now thy servant sleeping." /MP

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Sugilanon Ni Tita Linda

Tita Linda Belayro

Mga Alahas Ni Cornelin

Sa isaeang ka syudad it Crete, sakop it banwang Greece, may isaeang ka babayeng baeo. Ro anang pangaean hay si Cornelin.
May daywang ka onga nga inaywan kana ro anang nagtaliwan nga asawa. Puro eaeaki ro anang onga ag malinong sandang nagapangabuhi ko anang daywang ka onga nga eaeaki.
Isaeang adlaw, may nagbisita sa andang baeay, ro ana anay nga kaklase nga babaye. Manggaranon rondayang babaye ag haeos putos it alahas ro anang eawas halin sa oeo hasta sa siki. Pagkatapos it mahabang kamustahan, guin usoy ko anang kaklase ro mga alahas ni Cornelin. Ona abi sa andang lugar hay ordinaryo nga guina suksok ro mga alahas maskin una sanda sa sueod ko andang panimaeay, tongod raya rong sukatan kong andang pagkatawo kon manggaranon imaw o pobre.
"Siin tana ro imo ngatong mga alahas nga guin suksok mo katong magkaklase pa kita? Pangutanan ko anang amiga.
"Idto sa sueod, akon nga guinatago!" sabat man ni Cornelin.
"Bue-a baea idto ay gusto ko nga makita", pilit ko bisita.
Agod matapos rong pagpamilit ko anang amiga, sumueod imaw sa sueod. Pag guwa nana, guina agbay eon nana ro anang daywang ka onga nga eaeaki.
"Hayra, ro akong mga alahas. Sobra pa sanda sa bueawan ag dyamante. Guin pabahoe ko sanda nga matinumanon, mahugod ag naga respeto sa magueang. Ratong akon nga mga alahas hay guin baligya ko agod ipa boeong sa akong asawa. Sa owa it swerte, hay namatay imaw ag inaywan nana kakon ro daywang ka onga nga sobra pa sa manggad.
Owa nakahambae sa kangawa rong anang bisita. Nahikaw imaw kay Cornelin tongod owa imaw it onga. Mabuhay eon sanda nga nagakabuhi ko anang asawa apang owa gid sanda gin swerte nga maka onga.
Nag uli imaw (ro amiga) nga may kalipay ro anang tagipusuon tongod naka pabugtaw kana rong kabuhi ni Cornelin.
Huo, ngani putos imaw it maeahaeon nga alahas ogaling maeamig rong mga alahas ag owa it kabuhi nga mabatyagan nga naga putos sa anang kaeawasan. Rong mga onga nga mabuot, mapagmahae ag madinumdumon hay may maga tao it kabuhi sa andang mga guinikanan. Si Cornilin hay nakasiguro nga sa anang pag eoya hay may maga guyod ag maga tatap kana sa tanan nga oras. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

‘195 Areas Prone To Geologic Hazards’

About 195 villages (barangays) in 17 municipalities and three cities in Western Visayas are areas considered prone to geologic hazards by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB). These areas are susceptible particularly to landslides and flooding based on the previous and recent geohazard assessments conducted by the geologists of the MGB.
MGB’s assessment also showed that among the provinces in the region, Iloilo has the most number of municipalities with landslide prone barangays. These municipalities are Alimodian, Calinog, Lambunao, San Joaquin, Barotac Viejo, Igbaras, Tugbungan, Ajuy, Leon, Janiuay and Cabatuan.
The study also identified areas in Iloilo province prone to soil movement. These areas are in Passi City, Pototan, Dingle, Maasin, Duenas, Dumangas, and San Miguel.
In Antique province, the municipalities listed with barangays prone to landslide are Hamtic, Culasi, and Tibiao and specific areas in Anini-y, San Remigio, Sibalom, Libertad, Pandan, Sebaste, Belison, Valderrama, Barbasa, Lauaan and Bugasong.
In Aklan, only the municipality of Nabas is identified by the MGB with landslide prone barangays and specific areas in Buruanga, Tangalan, Ibajay, Malinao, Makato, Libacao, Malay and Madalag.
In Capiz, the landslide prone areas identified are in Cuartero, Dao, Dumarao and Barangay Dinginan in Roxas City.
In Negros Occidental, the MGB assessment listed San Carlos City and Don Salvador Benedicto with landslide prone barangays.
In Region 6, the flood prone areas MGB identified are: Iloilo City; coastal areas in Oton, Leganes, Zarraga, Btac. Nuevo, Btac. Viejo and low lying areas in Calinog, Pototan, Dingle, Anilao, Maasin, Alimodian, Sta. Barbara, San Miguel, Pavia, Ajuy, Dumangas, Sara, Estancia, Balasan, Carles, Tigbauan, Leon and some barangays in Lambunao and Banate in Iloilo Province; near the coast and river mouth of Tibiao; near Sibalom River, Sibalom and San Remegio, coastal areas of San Jose, Hamtic and Belison and low-lying areas in Sebaste, Bugasong, Culasi, Lauaan and Barbasa in Antique.
Other identified flood-prone sites include the coastal areas in Altavas and Numancia, along Aklan River, Kalibo and low-lying areas in Batan, Balete, Libacao, Tangalan, Makato, Banga and New Washington for the province of Aklan; portions of Roxas City, Sigma, Mambusao, Jamindan, Dao, Cuartero, Dumalag, Dumarao, Maayon, coastal areas in Sapian and Ivisan in Capiz and the coastal areas in Bacolod City, E.B. Magalona, Victorias City, Cadiz City, Silay City, Talisay City, Bago City, Pulupandan, Pontevedra, La Carlota City, along the river in La Castellana and Kabankalan City, low-lying areas in San Enrique, Don Salvador Benedicto, Valladolid and Escalante City for Negros Occidental.
MGB OIC Regional Director Leo Van Juguan said Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes has ordered the updating of this Geohazard Map recently as part of the country’s disaster preparedness measure. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

ASU Hosts 4th Saka Iskwela

The Aklan State University, Banga, Aklan, will host the 4th Saka Iskwela: "Responsible Campus Journalism Towards Agricultural Productivity" on January 15 to 17, 2006 at the ASU Conference Hall, Banga, Aklan.
The said training will be conducted by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) to address the technology dissemination concerns through campus journalism.
The participants will be trained in the field of science and technology news and feature writing and desktop publishing. A well-known agricultural journalist is expected to act as resource person for the said training.
Western Visayas Agriculture Resources Research and Development Consortium – Regional Applied Communications Office (WESVARRDEC – RACO) and the Aklan State University (ASU) coordinate this activity. (ACRelingo & MSAcoritay) /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Boracay Fun Board Cup Slated

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

The best windsurfing competition on the east side of the Boracay island is slated on January 9 to13 with Green Yard Funboard Center hosting the 19th edition of the Boracay International Funboard Cup.
The event draws over a hundred windsurfers and kiters from Pacific Rim countries and territories for the slalom, speed and windsurfing competition and the Boracay Big Air Challenge for kiters.
The world-class fun board cup in Boracay is also part of the grand Asian Windsurfing Tour (AWT) held annually in different Asian countries - the Monsoon Madness (Kuantan, Malaysia on January 18 to 20); Bintan (Mana Mana AmSlam, Indonesia on January 24 to 27) followed by Marianas (Marianas Open, Saipan on January 30 to February 4, 2007.)
The sailors are divided into categories for prizes — open (professionals), men’s (up to 29 years of age), ladies, junior master’s (30-39) and master’s (40-49).
The Boracay Cup has also Action Asia speed trials for competitors (ladies and men) for Kiting and Windsurfing events to be held at Bulabog Beach, a 2-km stretch of undeveloped beach with a fringing reef about 0.5 km off shore and a 12-20 knot on-shore winds.
The annual sporting competition, considered the most popular Asian event by the Department of Tourism (DoT), started in 1988 by Roby and Nenette Aguirre Graf of Greenyard Beach Resort when the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary at Bulabog Beach with friends and guests.The regatta eventually became a yearly event for the past 18 years. Nenette, a windsurfing ladies champion in Jeju International Windsurfing Festival in Korea in October 2002, is also the owner of Boracay Beach Resort.
Last year, Vingo Moreno of the Philippines was crowned champion with Xavier Gonzales in second followed by Bobby Coveto. German sailor Simone Bartmann won the ladies division. Filipino windsurfer Leah Bautista placed 2nd and Diane Kolaritsch from Canada was third. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Wushu Gold Medalist: Pacquiao Inspired Me

By Alex P. Vidal

Even when he was still a professional boxer in Iloilo City, 2006 Doha Asian Games wushu gold medalist Rene Catalan of Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, revealed that he was already a "big fan" of Ring Magazine "boxer of the year" Emmanuel "Pacman" Pacquiao.
"I turned professional (boxer in 1999) because of two things: I failed to enter the Philippine Army (when I was still amateur boxer) and because I was inspired by the success of Manny Pacquiao," said the 28-year-old Catalan who blanked Vietnamese Phan Qouc Vinh for wushu sanshu gold in the 52-kg in Doha , Qatar last December 14.
Catalan said he was motivated more to follow the footsteps of his idol from Gen. Santos City when he saw him on PTV-4 dismantling the feared Chachai Sasakul in the 10th round to grab the Thai’s World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight round in a Thailand province in September 1999. The five feet and two inches tall Catalan never hit paydirt as a professional boxer because most of his fights were held in Panay island under dubious promotions.
As amateur boxer, he was gold medalist in the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet and lost only to fellow champion Ronald Cuambot of Iloilo City in the 45-kg. Catalan decided to abandon boxing and turned to wushu in 2000 upon invitation of local martial arts impresario Arnold Tinagan who owns a gym in YMCA on Iznart St., Iloilo City Proper. After a series of successful national tournaments and tryouts, he became a member of the Philippine Team and underwent a rigid training in China.
He was sent to several international tournaments and won the gold medal in the World Cup in Macau in 2004. Catalan also won the gold medal in the Manila Southeast Asian (SEA) Games the following year in the 48-kg. He nearly did not make it to Doha Asian Games after Baguio Rep. Maurico G. Domogan and Cordillera Wushu Federation president Tony Candelaria wrote Wushu Federation of the Philippines (WFP) president Julian Camacho and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to give Catalan’s slot to the "taller and younger" Baguio native Benjie Rivera.
"Catalan is merely 5’3" compared with Rivera who is 5’8" and only 19 compared with the former who is 28," wrote Candelaria. The POC ignored them and sent Catalan to Doha , Qatar . Catalan was honored by Iloilo Gov. Niel D. Tupas when he arrived Iloilo last December 24 and by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas last December 29.
Aside from the P1.5 million cash incentive he received from Malacañang, he also pocketed P50,000 cash from First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo’s foundation. "Not all the P1.5 million went to me because I had to share the money with my teammates who failed to win a medal," Catalan said.
He will no longer accept a coaching job for the Yemen wushu team which would have netted him a car and a fat salary after he was prevailed upon by wushu officials in the country to give another try this time in the Bangkok SEA Games next year, he said. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

52 Aklan SMEs Join Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase

Aklan’s Pride. Piña and Abaca Fabrics made into bags, shawls, slippers, dress, fans and cushions. These are some of the products exhibited at the 4th Aklan Product Showcase held in Iloilo City recently.

The opening and blessing of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Showcase 2007 at the Kalibo Town Plaza will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.
Some fifty-two (52) exhibitors have signified their interest to join the Kalibo Ati Atihan product Showcase 2007. Seven (7) of them are food processors, nine (9) represent the gifts and houseware group, three (3) come from the furniture industry, eleven (11) are engaged in loomweaving, and twenty–two (22) belong to the garden sector.
The Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase 2007 is one of the highlights of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Festival. This showcase will be opened everyday for business and public viewing for the period 16 January up to 22 January 2007.
The latest designs on woven fabrics and fashion accessories, souvenir and gift items, clay-based products, furniture and furnishings, and labeling designs on processed food including bakery products will be the focus in this showcase.
This marketing event is a joint project of: Municipal Government of Kalibo, Kalibo Ati Atihan Management Board, Provincial Government of Aklan, Department of Trade and Industry–Aklan, Hugod Aklanon Products Association, Inc. and Kalibo Ati-Atihan Tourism Council.
According to DTI – Aklan Provincial Director Ermelinda P. Pollentes, the target sales for this year is nine hundred eight thousand seven hundred ten pesos (P908,710). This is ten (10) percent increase from the previous year’s sales performance of eight hundred twenty six thousand and one hundred pesos (P826,100). /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

52 Aklan SMEs Join Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase

Aklan’s Pride. Piña and Abaca Fabrics made into bags, shawls, slippers, dress, fans and cushions. These are some of the products exhibited at the 4th Aklan Product Showcase held in Iloilo City recently.

The opening and blessing of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Showcase 2007 at the Kalibo Town Plaza will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.
Some fifty-two (52) exhibitors have signified their interest to join the Kalibo Ati Atihan product Showcase 2007. Seven (7) of them are food processors, nine (9) represent the gifts and houseware group, three (3) come from the furniture industry, eleven (11) are engaged in loomweaving, and twenty–two (22) belong to the garden sector.
The Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase 2007 is one of the highlights of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Festival. This showcase will be opened everyday for business and public viewing for the period 16 January up to 22 January 2007.
The latest designs on woven fabrics and fashion accessories, souvenir and gift items, clay-based products, furniture and furnishings, and labeling designs on processed food including bakery products will be the focus in this showcase.
This marketing event is a joint project of: Municipal Government of Kalibo, Kalibo Ati Atihan Management Board, Provincial Government of Aklan, Department of Trade and Industry–Aklan, Hugod Aklanon Products Association, Inc. and Kalibo Ati-Atihan Tourism Council.
According to DTI – Aklan Provincial Director Ermelinda P. Pollentes, the target sales for this year is nine hundred eight thousand seven hundred ten pesos (P908,710). This is ten (10) percent increase from the previous year’s sales performance of eight hundred twenty six thousand and one hundred pesos (P826,100). /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

52 Aklan SMEs Join Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase

Aklan’s Pride. Piña and Abaca Fabrics made into bags, shawls, slippers, dress, fans and cushions. These are some of the products exhibited at the 4th Aklan Product Showcase held in Iloilo City recently.

The opening and blessing of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Showcase 2007 at the Kalibo Town Plaza will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.
Some fifty-two (52) exhibitors have signified their interest to join the Kalibo Ati Atihan product Showcase 2007. Seven (7) of them are food processors, nine (9) represent the gifts and houseware group, three (3) come from the furniture industry, eleven (11) are engaged in loomweaving, and twenty–two (22) belong to the garden sector.
The Kalibo Ati Atihan Product Showcase 2007 is one of the highlights of the Kalibo Ati Atihan Festival. This showcase will be opened everyday for business and public viewing for the period 16 January up to 22 January 2007.
The latest designs on woven fabrics and fashion accessories, souvenir and gift items, clay-based products, furniture and furnishings, and labeling designs on processed food including bakery products will be the focus in this showcase.
This marketing event is a joint project of: Municipal Government of Kalibo, Kalibo Ati Atihan Management Board, Provincial Government of Aklan, Department of Trade and Industry–Aklan, Hugod Aklanon Products Association, Inc. and Kalibo Ati-Atihan Tourism Council.
According to DTI – Aklan Provincial Director Ermelinda P. Pollentes, the target sales for this year is nine hundred eight thousand seven hundred ten pesos (P908,710). This is ten (10) percent increase from the previous year’s sales performance of eight hundred twenty six thousand and one hundred pesos (P826,100). /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Koreans Top RP Tourist Arrivals Surpass Americans The First Time

BY HELEN FLORES

The KOREANS are becoming more ubiquitous in the Philippines these days, and not just in the popular "Koreanovelas."
A top tourism official said, "South Koreans, for the first time, topped the tourist arrivals in the Philippines in 2006, surpassing those from the United States."
Rolando Canizal, director of the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) Tourism Development Planning office, said arrivals from South Korea usually reached record levels only on month-to-month basis and that arrivals from the US were traditionally the biggest.
"Overall US remains the No. 1 in the list, but now Koreans did not only surpass Americans in November alone but from January to November," Canizal told the Madyaas Pen.
"Koreanovelas" or Korean soaps dubbed in Tagalog are popular on primetime TV in the Philippines.
Canizal said Korean visitors, mostly leisure travelers and tourists, increased by 16.5 percent to 511,277 from January to November 2006 compared to 438,822 in the same period in 2005. The DOT recorded more than 10,000 tourist arrivals from South Korea in November alone, as against the 3,000 US arrivals, he added.
US arrivals from January to November 2006 posted an eight percent increase at 507,169 from 469,494 in the same period in 2005.
"There are many Koreans looking for destinations. Philippines is really fit for the destination that they are looking for. Climate, beaches, and they have a lot of knowledge about the Philippines hearing it from their friends," Canizal said, adding that among their favorite destinations are Boracay, Cebu, Metro Manila, Palawan and Cagayan de Oro City.
He said Koreans usually play golf, shop, and go to the country’s pristine beaches.
A Korean tourist usually spends an average of $115 a day compared to $90 to $110 an American tourist usually spends Canizal stressed. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

DTI Finds Aklan Economy Robust

BY VENUS G. VILLANUEVA

Aklan’s economy is robust, according to DTI-Aklan Provincial Director Ermelinda Pollentes. "There is going to be good economic prospects for the year for the province," she stressed.
For this year, some 155 new jobs are seen to be generated by the SMEs, according to Pollentes. She pointed out however, the need for the province to have an Incentive and Investment Code so investors will have more confidence to do business here in Aklan, especially in Boracay Island, the prime tourist destination of the country.
This, said Pollentes, could be because the national financial house is in order due to EVAT implementation. "Business is also brisk in Aklan since there is a sustained construction boom In Boracay Island," she added.
With the construction activities in Boracay, jobs are created. Pollentes also cited the strong presence of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) in Aklan which continue to provide jobs to highly skilled Piña and abaca weavers, gifts and house wares makers, furniture makers and food processors. Business stipulations and directions for investment opportunities in the province, as well as incentives for businessmen are available.
Queried on the possibility of having a reenacted national budget that might affect the programs and services of the DTI in the provinces, Pollentes said that cost-sharing and operating on a limited budget could sustain DTI’s activities with the assistance of the provincial government, the LGUs and the SMEs.
Pollentes also revealed that Aklan is currently enjoying sufficient supply of commodities and stable prices of manufactured goods, based on their quarterly monitoring report on basic necessities and prime commodities compared with last month’s prices, except for flour which increased in prices due to higher purchase price. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

EDITORIAL

LTFRB Chief Wishes To Be Boxing Promoter

By Alex Vidal

"I am just a poor boy though my story’s seldom told I have squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumble such as promises" SIMON & GARFUNKEL

The death of Bebot Zulueta, son of the late Oton mayor Lazaro "Nene" Zulueta, in later part of 1996, dashed to pieces the sports program Bebot and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Porferio Clavel, Jr. had planned for the municipality of Oton and for the entire province of Iloilo .
"Our momentum was halted and I was devastated," gushed Clavel who brought Bebot, then in his early 50’s, to me to discuss the sports program several weeks before he died of heart attack while belting a Mat Monroe classic in a videoke bar. Bebot Zulueta was a former Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) featherweight titleholder and was reportedly undefeated in 28 fights with 28 knockouts! When the 1964 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Anthony Villanueva turned professional, he avoided fellow featherweight Bebot Zulueta like a plague because Bebot was too strong for Villanueva even in the sparring sessions, Rod Nazario, Manny Pacquiao’s estranged business manager, told this writer during a trip to Bangkok, Thailand in 1999 where I witnessed the signing of contract between Nazario and Diamond Promotions boxing promoter Virat Virachachanawong for the then 19-year-old Pacquiao’s first stab at the world title—World Boxing Council (WBC) flyweight crown worn then by Chachai Sasakul, Virat’s protégé.
Clavel’s botched sports program was the ambitious Panay-wide boxing caravan which would have kicked off in Oton. Because Bebot passed away, Clavel decided to abandon the program and went to Bicol Region where he served as regional director of the LTFRB. When Clavel went back to Iloilo in October 2000, his passion for sports was rejuvenated. He then wasted no time and hooked up with veteran Ilonggo boxing trainers Alfredo "Pidong" Amistoso, Sr. and Johnny Estrella, current trainer of the "comebacking" former World Boxing Federation (WBF) welterweight titlist William Magahin.
Their collaboration produced three future gems—Ramon Tamon (flyweight), Ramil Acac (flyweight) and female boxer Josie Mandal (flyweight). Last January 2, Clavel sought my help to get a professional license as manager-promoter from the Games and Amusement Board (GAB). He also expressed strong interest to join the growing family of the World Boxing Foundation of which I am the supervisor for the Philippines .
Here’s my brief tête-à-tête with the LTFRB boss-turned-boxing patron: ALEX P. VIDAL: "Why do you love boxing?" PORFERIO CLAVEL: "It runs in my veins. My father (Porferio Clavel, Sr.) was the trainer of Bebot (Zulueta)." APV: "Was your father also a boxer?" CLAVEL: "(He was) not only a boxer but also wrestler and arnis player rolled into one." APV: "Did he try to train or influence you to be a boxer?" CLAVEL: "He did once. But when he saw me grimace in pain while being hit by punches thrown by my sparring partner, he pitied me and that’s how my brief boxing career ended." APV: "Aside from boxing, what else do you play?" CLAVEL: "I’m also into basketball and badminton. I am actually a true-blue sports buff." APV: "Do you have a stable of boxers now?" CLAVEL: "Yes. I have high hopes for my protégés Ramon Tamon and Ramil Acac He plans to make them join the professional rank this year, he said)."
Boxing promoter is one thing Aklan needs in sports development. Can someone fill the void? /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Entrepreneurial Farmer

Ambrosio R. Villorente

The Passenger Ordeal At Cebu Pacific Kalibo

The way Cebu Pacific Airline Management and staff treated its passengers who were stranded at Kalibo Airport, Kalibo is an excellent model to follow "how to discourage tourists and visitors from coming back to Aklan". This specifically happened on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 at the Kalibo Airport, Kalibo.
Passengers of Cebu Pacific for the 10:00 o’clock in the morning Kalibo – Manila flight were at the Kalibo Airport on or before 9:00 am to be on time for check-in. While they were waiting for boarding, it was announced at about 9:45 the plane returned back to Manila for its failure to land at Kalibo Airport.
The PAL plane scheduled to land at a few minutes difference was not able to land in Kalibo too, instead it landed in Iloilo City Airport. The Cebu Pacific passengers were advised to wait for further announcement.
However, it was lunch time, yet no announcement was made – passengers waited. At 2:20 pm, it was announced the plane took off at Manila Domestic Airport and will arrive Kalibo at 2:35 pm. But 2:35 pm passed, still no plane, no announcement. Some passengers went to the check-in counter to verify what is the real situation. They were told, "the plane again returned back to Manila for it failed to land in Kalibo Airport."
The passengers got restless, some were outraged. They demanded, banging the table top at the top of their voices with unpalatable terms. They demanded that a plane be dispatched to fly them to Manila immediately. Some have connecting flights to other destinations abroad. It was no deal to Cebu Pacific Kalibo Branch Manager. The best he did was to assure them on a 3:30 flight on Friday, January 5. Some 100 passengers were hungry and tired. Some 30 passengers were able to get space at PAL, some went back to Boracay, some went to Iloilo city to catch up the earliest plane for Manila.
This airline treatment of its passengers only happened in the Philippines, specifically Kalibo. Cebu Pacific staff is wanting of the ABC in the handling of clients. They could have offered them drinks. Passengers were stranded, they could have assisted some to get accommodation at PAL. But no, they were left alone.
Three PAL planes landed at Kalibo Airport on January 2. Why did Cebu Pacific planes failed to land? This reveals the skills and proficiency of its pilots and crew members.
What happened to the Cebu Pacific passengers on January 2 is counter productive to the Aklan tourism program. This must be looked into by concerned authorities. This is a disservice to Aklan and the Aklanons.
Ati Atihan IN KALIBO
After one week, it will be Ati Atihan in Kalibo, dubbed the "mother of all festivals". This festival is being managed by the Kalibo Ati Atihan Management Board (KAMB) which is composed of also Kalibo Municipal Officials chaired by whoever is the municipal Mayor, Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo this year.
KAMB was conceptualized by the former Kalibo Mayor Allen S. Quimpo to effect a speedy collection and disbursement of funds for the festival. But, this financial statement report has became the habit of criticism from the Aklan media and others opposed to Mayor Rebaldo. May Mayor Rebaldo, after the January 2007 celebration prepares his Ati Atihan financial report as early as February?
What are the preparations done for the Kalibo Santo Niño Ati Atihan Festival 2007? What are noticeable are the decoration of Poblacion, Kalibo streets, the improvement of Pastrana Park, the visitation of a committee to hotels in Kalibo and marketing arrangement to promote the festival with local and national media. But for one thing, the national media is paid for while the local media is merely "exchange deal". The Philippines National Police (PNP) is also preparing adequate provisions for both security and traffic.
With the time remaining until January 21, the final day of the celebration, the streets of Kalibo will stay unrepaired. Mayor Rebaldo has given attention to his other projects elsewhere. Anyway, we have "pana-ad". Regardless of the quality of roads, Kalibonhons and Aklanons will still join the Sr. Sto. Niño Ati Atihan, the street dancing regardless of road quality. VIVA KAY SENIOR Sto. Niño! VIVA! /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Quimpo, Miraflores, Tibyog Leaders Rock Solid For Marquez Reelection Bid

MABETH MOBO GARCIA
BLASTS QUIMPO


Ms. Maria Bettina Mobo Garcia with her husband, Ibajay Mayor Roberto M. Garcia , Jr.

Former Congressman Allen Salas Quimpo and incumbent Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores doused cold waters to speculations that PCI Bank Aklan Manager Maria Bettina Mobo Garcia will be launching her gubernatorial bid under the local administration party, Tibyog Aklan, come the May 2007 local elections.
Quimpo stressed that as a senior leader of the Tibyog, he abides by the principles embedded in the local party since its foundation, that of grassroots consultation, democratic control and collective decision making.
This is Quimpo’s reaction to a published news report (not at Madyaas Pen) that he is perceived to be fully supporting the gubernatorial bid of Garcia in the forthcoming local elections.
Quimpo admitted though that Garcia has thrice visited and talked with him about her political plan. But he said, he advised the lady to think more and further assess her plans, particularly on its implication to the political career of her husband, Mayor Roberto M. Garcia, Jr. of Ibajay, hometown of Congressman Miraflores.
The former Aklan Solon is Tibyog’s senior political adviser and spiritual leader also said that he told Garcia that there is no truth to the rumored divisiveness among the ranks of the local party, specifically on the relation of incumbent Governor Carlito S. Marquez among the municipal mayors. "This is belied to Garcia that many municipal mayors of Tibyog are against the reelection bid of Marquez," Quimpo said.
"I have duly informed both Congressman Miraflores and Governor Marquez of what transpired in my conversation with Garcia," Quimpo stressed.
Tibyog leaders are now occupying the congressional, gubernatorial, and the vice gubernatorial positions. It also counts ten provincial board members out of 13, 16 municipal mayors out of 17 and the overwhelming majority of the province’s 327 barangay captains, including the majority of the municipal councilors.
On the other hand, Miraflores said that Tibyog leaders are solid rock behind the reelection bid of Marquez as major component of the unity ticket of the local political party.
The incumbent congressman also belied insinuations that many municipal mayors are rebelling against Marquez.
Miraflores said he regretted not being consulted by Garcia over her political plans which she revealed with the former congressman.
The Garcia’s, Ibajay Mayor Jun and Board Member Pedro Garcia, also former Ibajay mayor, are nephews of Miraflores.
However, Miraflores said their family could still settle things among themselves, referring to the possibility of convincing Garcia to forego with her political plans.
Who Is Telling Lies?
In a two (2) hour press conference, Maria Bettina Mobo Garcia or Mabeth revealed to the press how she was dragged to the field of politics and then "inaywan sa tabtaban" (left abandoned). The press conference was held in the Mobo home, Capitol Subdivision, Kalibo in the early part of Thursday morning January 4. It started at 7:30 o’clock in the morning and ended at 9:30 am.
According to Mabeth, her political exploration started sometime in April last year. There were suggestions to see the "General" and talk with him so that she may join Aklan politics. But "Aklan is not prepared for "a political dynasty" and to me "politics is an untested ground", she told the press conference and the radio audience. But the persuasion is persistent. She was told by a certain "ET" to see the General. "Governor Carlito S. Marquez is not liked by Tibyog anymore, I was told", Mabeth revealed. She was told, "there was instruction to gather evidence against Lito, such as in the over pricing on the procurement of goods and service". She was told, "you are in good hands with ET and there will be a withdrawal of support from Gov. Lito".
So Mabeth was cajoled to enter politics and she was prepared to run for Provincial Governor under Tibyog. Her name was published in a newspaper (not Madyaas Pen) that she is a candidate for Provincial Governor of Aklan with the support of former Congressman Allen S. Quimpo.
Atty. Quimpo, however, denied. He has no deal with Mabeth even if he admitted Mabeth saw him three times and talked with him about her political plan.
With Quimpo’s denial, Mabeth asked, " ano ro minatuod? (What is the truth?) Refuting the alleged advise of Atty. Quimpo on serving first her people, she said, "I am serving my people in my own small way." Ano ro gin tanum ko akong Lolo, Tatay ag Asawa?" (What are the services my grandfather, father and husband gave to my people?) This is "dongog ag hinambaean (honor and covenant). "Ayaw it hambae nga owa’t hatuman" (Do not talk if not fulfilled), cried Mabeth.
How do you view Atty. Quimpo now? "All in my life, I admired him" she replied. This is a demolition job not a strategy. What will you do now? "Give me time to discern. If I ever decide it will be Governor, never consider Congressman. I am neither a problem, nor a solution to Nong Lito", she replied. The offer is there, but I realized I was taken, for a ride. I still respect Nong Allen. I don’t attack the Tibyog but the persons who talked with me, the system. I don’t like what happened to (Cong. Gabrielle) Calizo.
Mabeth confided, she did not pass the process of Tibyog, "Sanda ro nag offer, ogaling hay ha aywan ako sa tabtaban. Gin pataman-taman ako."
Mabeth ended her press con with a question: "Nong Allen, ham-an gin obra mo kakon ra? Ham an ako ring napili nga obrahan kara? Let’s move Aklan forward." /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Surviving 2006: The Year’s Top Stories

BY JUANIYO ARCELLANA

The year just past was one of serial catastrophes and rebounding economy, yet another failed coup and another junked impeachment, a nursing exam scandal, a major oil spill and some sporting triumphs from the boxing ring to the billiard hall to the Asian Games in Doha. A list of the year’s top stories, not necessarily in order of appearance or gravity, follows:

•The failed coup, 20th Edsa anniversary version

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the first people power revolt in February, some restless men in the military were said to have tried to break away from the chain of command and unseat President Arroyo.
A state of emergency was declared, an opposition newspaper’s office was raided, a handful of party-list congressmen holed out in Congress, and the constitutionality issue of Proclamation 1017 reached all the way to the Supreme Court.
The officers involved in the failed coup now face court-martial, while another alleged coup plotter former senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan was caught later in the year.

• The nursing exam scandal

In June, some questions in tests III and V of the nursing licensure exam were already known before prospective nurses trooped to test centers to take the exams.
The scandal would shake the local nursing profession and cast a shade of doubt on the competence of the latest batch of nurses, a major setback to one of the country’s more viable manpower exports.
The order for a retake was further muddled up by a recomputation of scores, which deemed former passers as having failed, and vice versa, a mix-up worse than any x-rated scandal.

• Smith guilty in Subic rape case, VFA put to test in custody tug-of-war

Lance Corporal Daniel Smith of the US Marines was convicted of rape in December, putting to test the seven-year-old Visiting Forces Agreement that spells the guidelines for troops of both countries in RP-US military exercises. After a diplomatic furor and the US’ cancellation of its military exercises with the Philippines set for February, Smith was transferred from the Makati City jail to the US Embassy.
The rape victim known only as "Nicole" laments the transfer, saying, "Why can’t my country defend and protect me?"

• The four typhoons in the last quarter - "Milenyo," "Paeng," "Reming" and "Seniang"

The country was chased by the furies in the last four months of the year, with Milenyo wreaking havoc in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, Paeng damaged Central Luzon, Reming unleashed apocalyptic mudflow in Bicol, and Seniang lashed the Visayas leading to the cancellation of the ASEAN summit in Cebu. Aklan was worstly devastated.

• Supreme Court asserts independence, junks people’s initiative, rules parts of EO 464 unconstitutional

Despite a majority of members appointed by the President, the Supreme Court proved its independence by issuing decisions not favorable to the administration.
It ruled that parts of EO 464 – which invoked executive privilege whenever Congress wanted to give officials the third degree "in aid of legislation," were unconstitutional. Then the Charter change train fell off the tracks when the court ruled the people’s initiative insufficient to rewrite the Constitution.

• Economic rebound, peso best performing currency in region

The peso was the strongest performing currency in the region, and the influx of BPO centers like Sutherland Global was an indicator the economy was not bad. The stock market ended the year with a bang, climbing to its highest level in nearly 10 years.

• Sporting triumphs, Alcano and Pacquiao,
plus a handful of golds in the Asiad

The performance of the RP contingent in the Doha Asian Games was the best in 34 years, another bright spot in a year pockmarked by disaster. The golds came in the contact sports and parlor games.
As if to preclude our golds in boxing and billiards in the Asiad, Ronato Alcano won the world pool championship while Manny Pacquiao took the measure of Mexican Erik Morales in Las Vegas to cap their bloody trilogy.

• More disasters galore, from Guinsaugon to Guimaras

In February in a town in Leyte, a hillside gave way after days of rain, buried an entire village and left an untold number dead and homeless. In August, an oil spill in Guimaras damaged the ecological balance in the area, as sea life and coral were washed in petroleum leaking from a sunken barge.
There was the infamous Wowowee stampede that trampled 73 people to death during the show’s anniversary at the Ultra, Pasig City.

• Second impeachment case against Arroyo
defeated, but then so is con-ass

The administration-dominated House defeated the second impeachment complaint against PGMA.
The Arroyo allies rallied their forces to push for a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution even without the Senate. The Supreme Court, Church leaders and civil society promptly put an end to all the instant Cha-cha dreams.

• Extrajudicial killings

The vigilantes with motorcycle have been active. Motorcycle riding gunmen targeted hard-hitting media personalities and left-leaning politicians. The rising body count raised concern among Amnesty International and European Union countries about the state of human rights in the Philippines. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

2006: The Deadliest Year For Journalists

THE year 2006 was the deadliest for journalists and media workers worldwide. At least 155 murders and unexplained deaths were committed, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).The group representing over half a million journalists in more than 100 countries said in its annual report that "Iraq continued to stand out as the most dangerous place to work, with 68 media staff killed, bringing the total since the war began in March 2003 to 170."
The IFJ also pointed to continuing attacks on journalists in Latin America, where 37 media staff were killed. Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela stood out.
Thirteen journalists died in the Philippines, pushing the total of deaths in Asia up to 34, the IFJ reported. "The 2006 was the worst year on record, a year of targeting, brutality and continued impunity in the killing of journalists," said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White.
"Media have become more powerful and journalism has become more dangerous," he added in a statement.
The IFJ counts among the deaths all people who were employed by media organizations and died performing their duties, be they journalists, photographers, interpreters or drivers. Other press freedom groups use more restrictive criteria.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said in an annual report released Sunday last week that 2006 was the deadliest year for journalists since 1994, with 81 journalists and 32 media assistants killed. A dozen years ago – the year of the Rwanda genocide – it counted 103 reporters killed.
For the fourth consecutive year, Iraq was the world’s deadliest nation for media professionals, with 64 journalists and media assistants killed, up from 29 in 2005, the group said.
The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists, another group using stricter definitions, said earlier this month 32 journalists were killed in Iraq in 2006.
The IFJ said that on top of the murders and unexplained deaths, 22 media workers were killed accidentally while on duty, pushing the overall total to 177. The combined total for 2005 stood at 154, the year in which 48 Iranian journalists were killed in a plane crash.
Amid the bleak statistics, the IFJ saw a hopeful development when the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution on Dec. 23 condemning all attacks targeting journalists in armed conflicts and urging combatants to stop singling out members of the media and respect their professional independence.
The resolution was the first by the UN’s most powerful body dealing specifically with journalists in armed conflict. "It is long overdue," said White. "We want to see action against countries that allow impunity in the killing of journalists."
"This was the only bright spot in a year of unremitting gloom," he added. One of the most recent casualties was Aswan Ahmed Lutfallah, 35, an Associated Press Television cameraman. He was shot dead by insurgents who saw him recording their firefight with police in the northern Iraq city of Mosul on Dec. 12. A police official said they shot Lutfallah five times and stole his equipment.
The IFJ also pointed to the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow, the latest in a string of murders of journalists in Russia. The IFJ said more than 200 journalists had been killed in Russia since 1993 and said that 40 of the murders since President Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000 had yet to be satisfactorily resolved.
Reporters Without Borders also said at least 56 reporters in a dozen countries were kidnapped in 2006. Iraq led the ranking, with 17 journalists seized. The Palestinian territories, where 6 were kidnapped, came in second.
"All those seized in the Palestinian Territories were freed, but six in Iraq were executed by their captors," the group said. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

I ‘Won’ A Lotto Jackpot Worth US$1 Million!

By Alex Vidal

"Everyone has the right to make his own decision/s, but none has the right to force his decision on others." AYN RAND

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I would like to take this opportunity to report a rather weird but hilarious information I received from the email which could also happen or has already happened to many email users here and abroad. Kevin J. Aronin, chairman and chief executive officer of Classic Free Lotto Game, informed me through a series of emails during the holiday season in December last year that "I won US$1 million" in their special draw that month.
Sensing chicanery, I deliberately ignored the message and even deleted that pesky item in my inbox. But when I failed to respond to his at least six emails, Aronin, in a follow email last December 29, sent via email the electronic copy of a check (Number M98211) worth US$1 million bearing my complete name and address from the Division of Unclaimed Funds with office address at P.O. Box 4562, New York, NY 10163 and signed by one Patrick T. Chambers. Aronin attached the names and complete addresses of my "co-winners" (there were 14 of us "new" millionaires) from 14 countries.
According to him, the company distributed a total of US$75 million. To prove his claim, he attached my claim ID No. 92912127. In his last email, Aronin appealed that I should reply to his email on January 2, 2007, meaning today, so I could immediately claim my money. Whoa. With US$1 million or P49 million, I could be the first Filipino multi-millionaire in the Year of the Pig! I could start touring the world, buying a mansion and brand new car, and buying my favorite laptop in the nearest computer shop, among other expensive things that are normally beyond the reach of ordinary wage earners like me. But it appears that everything was but an illusion; a mirage; a make-believe in as far as my supposed winning of the lottery jackpot draw was concerned.
Who was it who said that I could smell a crook from 5 miles away? There was actually good reason for me to suspect that Aronin (I doubt if this wag existed) wanted to pull a fast one at my expense because, in the first place, I never was a big fan of any lottery game and I could not recall having placed a bet on any multi-million dollar draw, much less in the United States!
Only the gullible actually falls prey on this type of scam being perpetrated by scoundrels that conveniently take advantage of the wonders of technology. I could be a sucker for Aronin’s tricks if my curiosity and ignorance prevailed over my common sense and alert mind. In this age of cyberspace, the game of fraud usually features the first fool who often meets the first bullshit. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Sugilanon Ni Tita Linda

Tita Linda Belayro

Ana Conda

Ana Conda – ro ngaean ko isaeang ka mabahoe nga sawa nga makita sa kagueangan it Africa sa guinatawag nga Amazon jungle.
Suno sa mga katigueangan una sa rayang lugar, may isaeang ka itom nga orchids ro naga tubo sa isaeang ka kahoy. Sin-o man ro maka inom ko anang duga it nasambit nga orchids, imaw hay mangin bata sa anang hitsura. Ogaling raya hay guina bantayan it isaeang ka mabahoe nga sawang si Ana Coda.
Naka abot rayang balita sa Bag-ong Kalibutan (New World). Bu-ot nanda nga tukibon rayang orchids. Gusto man nanda nga pamatud-an kon baea matuod rayang balita ag eabi gid, agud man makwartahan.
Naglayag rong sangka grupo nga pulos adventurero sakay sa isaeang ka mabahoe nga barko. May daea sanda nga mga pagkaon nga de lata, mga alahas, igdaeapat sa baeay, maeahaeon nga tela ag mga boeong. Pagdungka nanda sa pinakapuerto it rayang isla, nag-osoy sanda it mga giya nga taga-una pa adto sa orchids. May isaeang ka magueang nga may mahabang puting buhok nga guin hun-an sanda nga indi magpadayon tongod peligroso ro andang guina planong paga adtonan. Owa guid nanda guin pamati-i rong magueang. Padayon ro andang pagtukad sa mga kabukiran ag pagtabok sa mga kasuba-an. Owa mabuhayi, hakita nanda ro isaeang ka kahoy nga suluhanon nga naga tubo. Idto sa pinakapunta nagakabit rong itom nga orchids. Isaea sa mga giya rong nagahama-hama, indi mapunggan rong anang dogalingon. Dali-dali imaw nga sumaka sa kahoy agod boe-on rong bueak, Parabil imaw maka saka, tumunga rong sawang Ana Conda. Naka hugom si Ana Conda it preskong dugo it tawo. Tongod gutom ro sawa ko mga oras ngaron, golpeng sinakmae ko sawa rayang giya ag tinoeon it bilog. Sa andang hakita, hinadlukan ro mga giya pati man ratong mga adventurero. Bu-ot magbalik eonlang ro mga giya. Para indi anay sanda magbalik, guindugangan pa guid ro guinta-o nga alahas, igdaeapat ag mga pagkaon para sa andang mga pamilya.
Isaeang ka giya ro nag prisintar nga mangin paon. Guin bô-bô-an imaw it pang patoeog ag guin haead sa sawa. Pagka hugom it sawa, guin toeon man imaw it bilog. Owa mabuhayi, dinuyog rong sawa ag hakatoeogan. Dali-dali nanda nga guin saka rong Orchids. Dayon pagka potoe ko orchids sa pag kupô sa sanga, guin eâ-gâ ro pilang parte ko bueak agud mainom rong pinabukaean nga parte. Ro iba nga kaibahan hay owa mat-â mag inom tongod gusto nanda nga daehon sa datag agud ipakita sa bilog nga kalibutan rong maeahaeon nanda nga natukiban ag guin angkon. Nag uli ta sanda. Ratong nag pabilin nga nag-inom ko pina-bukaean nga orchids hay nangin sawa ag nag pabilin una sa kagueangan. Owa nakasayod ratong nagbalik kon ano rong natabo sa andang guin aywan nga mga kaibahan. Daea nanda ratong itom nga Orchids nga puno it pagkahakug sa andang paino-ino.
Mientras owa it pagkilaea rong tawo sa plano it Dios, mientras rong kahakog hay naga pabilin sa paino-ino it tawo, bukon eamang it itom nga Orchids rong paga handumon. Sa kada maitum nga plano, sa kada paglalis kong kasuguan it Dios, may una man nga Ana Conda nga naga hueat kanda. Sa mga gustong magpabata, hayra ro hambae it isaeang ka mangin aeamon: "Kasing bata ka ko imong pagtu-o, kasing gueang ka ko imong pagduda; kasing bata ka ko imong kompiyansa; kasing gueang ka ko imong kahadluk; kasing bata ka ko imong pag-ea-om; kasing gueang ka ko imong kapaslawan. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Commercial Blood Banks Closure For Full Implementation

The "Closure of Commercial Blood Banks" will be fully implemented this year, 2007 in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling. Ms. Arcely P. Pelayo chapter administration, Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Aklan chapter revealed last week.
To ensure the orderly implementation of the closure of commercial blood banks, the closure will be done per concerned region upon the certification of readiness by the Center for Health Development (CHD) director.
The area is said to be ready for the closure when: 1. Assured availability of blood units from the blood service facilities like the DOH & LGU Blood Centers/Hospital Blood Banks, PNRC; 2. There is effective and responsive system for the hospitals/health facilities which administer blood to access blood from the blood service facilities, and 3. social preparedness and media campaign on blood safety and benefits of voluntary blood donation.
The DOH will facilitate the re-employment of commercial blood bank personnel in health facilities to minimize the impact of commercial blood bank closure. It will also assist in leasing or procurement of the blood bank equipment of commercial blood banks by the PNRC.
According to Francisco T. Duque III, Secretary of Health, some strategies will be strengthened to ensure the supply of safe blood which are: 1. Advocacy on the benefits of voluntary blood donation and healthy lifestyle; 2. recruitment and retention of voluntary blood donors; 3. regular and efficient community based mobile blood donations; and 4. intensified community–based or walk–in voluntary blood donations.
In order to utilize properly the blood supply in the hospital and other health facilities, the following will be vigorously pursued: Promotion of rational use of blood and component therapy. 2. Proper blood stocks inventory management; and 3. Network with and among blood service facilities, hospitals and other health facilities for sharing of blood resources and avoidance of wastage. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Waiting For Cebu Pacific In Vain

By Gerry Los Baños

Photo shows Mr. Julian Rabe, Jr. Branch Manager, Cebu Pacific, Kalibo Branch talking to his outraged and angry passengers because of lousy treatment while they were stranded at the Kalibo Airport. Cebu Pacific failed to provide them the necessary comfort while stranded at the airport. Three PAL planes landed at the Kalibo Airport on January but Cebu Pacific‘s two planes did not land. Moreover, that plane load of passengers were advised they are rebooked for the January 5 flight, 3 or 4 days after.

My wife and I arrived at Kalibo Airport, Kalibo, Aklan at 9 am, January 2, 2007 to catch the Cebu Pacific plane flight scheduled to depart at 10 am that day. At around 9:45, it was announced that Cebu Pacific’s incoming flight from Manila had turned back due to poor visibility. We did not make a big deal out of this since the Philippine Airlines flight from Manila that was scheduled to arrive at more or less the same time had likewise been unable to land. All passengers were advised to wait for further announcements. An hour passed and still there were no updates so we decided to take lunch at an eatery fronting the airport.
We returned to the airport when we heard a plane arriving. It was the PAL flight which had been delayed earlier. When we inquired at the Cebu Pacific counter, we were informed that our flight was scheduled to arrive at 2:35 pm. Patiently, we proceeded to the waiting area. At 2:20 it was again announced over the loudspeaker that our flight would arrive at 2:35. The appointed time came and still no plane had landed. By 3 pm, passengers were getting restless as no further announcement was heard. One Cebu Pacific passenger couldn’t take the suspense any longer and went directly to the check in counter. He came back with the Cebu Pacific airport manager, Julian Rabe, who told the waiting passengers that the plane had again turned back to Manila because of the weather. When asked when the flight would be rescheduled, he said he did not know. I asked whether passengers, many of whom had not yet taken lunch that day, would be provided with meals and accommodations should the flight be canceled, he answered "no".
Sure enough, it was announced at a little past 4 pm that our flight had been cancelled. We, along with several other passengers went to the Cebu Pacific ticketing office to inquire about our options. Foreign tourists with scheduled international flights the following day were especially worried. The manager was not at the ticketing office and the person in charge said all she could do was try and rebook us on subsequent flights, the earliest of which she could guarantee is scheduled to leave Kalibo on Jan. 5, 2007. This arrangement was not acceptable; my wife is a physician at a Quezon City hospital and had important appointments the next day. We ended up hurriedly buying tickets, spending an additional P7,400, for a PAL flight scheduled at 5 pm that same day. We, along with a few other stranded passengers, managed to make the flight with around 10 minutes to spare.
Of course, this option was not feasible for those short on cash or without a credit card.
I wish to make it clear that in the past, we have never had any major problems with Cebu Pacific. I appreciate and often avail of the substantial discounts offered during their promos, though the Jan. 2 tickets we had were bought at a regular price. I also understand that weather related cancellations are sometimes unavoidable (though the fact that three PAL flights were able to land that day made one wonder about the competence of the Cebu Pacific pilot). My complaint has to do with Cebu Pacific’s shabby and unapologetic treatment of their stranded passengers. Management was well aware that we had been waiting since before 9 am. A small gesture such as an offer of sandwiches would have done wonders to sooth our irritation. My wife and I ended up spending an unexpected substantial amount for lunch. After the flight was cancelled, the Cebu Pacific staff’s offer to rebook passengers on flights three or four days away only outraged the already more tired and hungry passengers.
This should not have been the first option; an entire planeload of people should warrant a special flight as early as possible. Kalibo Branch management should have exerted every effort to secure such a flight before offering other options such as four days delay? Who will pay their foods and housing? When informed of this, the staff insisted an extra flight was not possible. Granted that certain passengers were willing to be rebooked on flights the following days, where would they spend the night? Not everyone has adequate resources to book a room at even a small hostel, not to mention the necessary food and drinks.
In general, customer assistance is an area wherein Philippine companies fall far below international standards. This is especially true of Cebu Pacific, (an airline aspiring to go international). Any foreign airline in the same situation immediately assures its passengers that their board and lodging will be attended to at no extra cost. Cebu Pacific’s staff made no offer of such assistance whatsoever. There were not even any offer of assistance with regard to rebooking passengers on the later PAL flights. Could this be connected to the fact that the company already has the customer’s money, so it doesn’t really matter what he or she thinks of the quality of service rendered?
While we were lining up for our PAL flight back to Manila, I could still hear my former co-passengers at the check-in counter screaming at Mr. Rabe, the Cebu Pacific (Kalibo Branch) manager. Some in their anger were hurling obscenities and threatening legal actions which merited the arrival of SWAT team. I almost felt sorry for the target of their rage, though earlier I had been on the verge of strangling him myself. Naturally, Mr. Rabe’s options were entirely dependent on his Manila office’s decisions. A little consideration for their passengers on the part of Cebu Pacific’s top level management would have made such an ugly scene completely unnecessary. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

NFA Assures Rice Farmers of Market

The National Food Authority (NFA) Aklan announced its assurance of ready market of farmers’ rice produce.
The NFA situated in Banga, Aklan is buying palay the year round especially during peak harvest when farm gate price is usually low as traders control palay price.
Picture above shows NFA palay stock piled in its Aklan Grains Center in Banga and farmers delivering their produce for storage with Mr. Pablito Escalona of NFA receiving and recording the deliveries (Judith T. Tindog). /mp

LGU Kalibo Cites Outstanding Employees

The town of Kalibo, Aklan paid tribute to its ten outstanding municipal employees for their outstanding performance and exemplary services.
The awarding ceremony coincided with the commemoration of the 110th death anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal held at the Kalibo Pastrana Park in the morning of Saturday, December 30, 2006.
Mayor Raymar A. Rebaldo, chairperson of Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence/Search committee, has challenged the government employees to respond to the call of genuine civil service and to continue espousing the ideals of public service in his message during the program.
Rebaldo and vice mayor Nilda Tambong awarded Amalia Andrade (Budget Office), Mercelita Arriola (Municipal Planning and Development Office), Aina Belarmino (Office of the Mayor), Lilian Curioso (Rural Health Unit), Jobert Martelino (Accounting Office), Ramon Iturralde (Department of Agriculture), Risany Laurente (Human Resource Management Office), Erna Macavinta (Office of the Sangguniang Bayan), Nester Anne Templonuevo (Kalibo Tourism Office) and Medette Viray (Budget Office) as the outstanding municipal employees. They were selected out of 21 nominees for the award.
"The awards bestowed to government employees is a testament for their efficiency and effectiveness worthy of emulation by their peers," the town mayor added.
Elpidio Arellano, Dulce Pempe Besario, John Peter Madula and Rostum Soliman III were recognized as the most effective service providers. They were selected out of 7 nominees.
Alberto Atos, Alex Malazarte, Jimmy Moises and Ernesto Tolentino were awarded as outstanding Municipal Auxiliary Police (MAP).
Dr. Agrelita Fernandez, Serina Gonzales and Dominador Suante – who retired after having spent the most productive years of their lives in government service with dignity and integrity were honored with awards of recognition. /MPmailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com

Amok Kills 1, Injured 3 Others

By Boy Ryan Zabal

A 22-year old deranged man hacked to death a grade-4 pupil and injured three others in a bizarre hacking incident at Brgy. Union, Nabas, Aklan about 65 kms west of the capital town of Kalibo, on Wednesday afternoon, December 27, 2006.
Killed while coddling her 9-month old brother, Bernard Joseph, was 10 year-old Kimberly Espenida, resident of Brgy. Union, Nabas, Aklan. She was repeatedly hacked by the suspect identified as Gerald Orese.
Kimberly and his brother were brought to Malay Baptist Hospital, about 1 km from the Sitio Proper, Brgy Union, but she died a few minutes after arrival. She succumbed from severe head injuries.
Witnesses said the suspect suddenly entered the house of Mailyn Guce armed with bolo at around 2:30 p.m. while her neighbors were playing a binggo game in Sitio Proper. Without provocation, Orese hacked 37-year old Maribeth Salibio injuring her hands and neck.
"The suspect has gone crazy hacking those bystanders on his way," witness Benedict Salibio said.
The suspect, later, faced the Espinida siblings outside the Salibio’s house. Orese fled away towards Sitio Laguna and hid inside the Bandiola’s house.
Elsie, the mother of Kimberly, immediately called for help from bystanders to bring her children to a nearby hospital in Brgy. Caticlan, Malay, Aklan, the jump-off point to the famous island of Boracay.
Later, responding elements from Malay Philippine National Police (PNP) collared and detained the suspect pending the filing of criminal charges against Orese. He was turn-over to the Nabas PNP operatives in Brgy. Poblacion, about 15 kms away.
Salibio was rushed to Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital (DRSTMH) in the town of Kalibo for treatment. The baby Bernard Joseph was transferred to DRSTMH due to neck injuries while Guce is undergoing medical treatment at Malay Baptist Hospital.
Aklan governor Carlito S. Marquez readily assured the family of the victims of his support for their medical treatment at DRSTMH. /MP mailto:madyaas_pen@yahoo.com