Iloilo Metropolitan Times Volume 1 • Issue No 37

ILOILO

the first business newspaper in metro iloilo

metropolitan VOL. I ISSUE NO. 37

times

developmental news | critical views www.iloilometropolitantimes.com

October 13 - 19, 2013 Php 12.00

Psalm 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?

HISTORICAL EXCHANGE RATE Weekly MIDPOINT Rates - Oct 4 - 10, 2013

USD/PHP

43.1600

43.1650

43.1600 43.1500

43.1504

43.1450

43.1429

43.1400 43.1300 43.1240

43.1200 43.1100

43.1112

43.1000 Oct 4, 2013

Oct 6, 2013

43.1097

Oct 8, 2013

Oct 10, 2013

DTI PRICE MONITORING Prime Commodities (6 Sep 2013) Prime Commodities (6 Sep 2013)

CANNED SARDINES Current Price INSTANT NOODLES Current Price

Paradiso (155g) Young’s Town Bonus (155g) Lucky 7 (155g)

12.15 Lucky Me! (55g) 13.00 Payless (50g) 13.25

PROCESSED MILK Current Price

7.10 6.30 Current Price

BREAD

Alaska Sweetened Filled 49.50 Milk - Condensed 300 mL Pinoy Tasty (400g) Alaska Filled Milk 34.50 Pinoy Pandesal Evaporated 370 mL Angel Filled Milk Evaporated 410 mL

35.75

37.00

(pack of 10 pieces) 22.50

DA PRICE MONITORING Processed and Manufactured Commodities (6 Sep 2013) Processed and Manufactured Commodities (6 Sep 2013)

Commercial Rice Regular Milled Well Milled Premium Special (Fancy) Sugar Refined Washed Brown Sugar Cooking Oil Lapad (bottle)

Current Price 33.00/kg 37.00/kg 42.00/kg 45.00/kg 45.00/kg 42.00/kg 38.00/kg

20.00

Meat & Poultry Pork Liempo Pigue (Ham) Beef Rump Brisket Chicken Fully Dressed Egg (Medium) Fish Bangus

Current Price

190.00/kg 180.00/kg

260.00/kg 200.00/kg 120.00/kg 4.50/pc

Current Price 120.00/kg

SALMONELLA BACTERIA. A Rod-shaped gram-negative, non-spore-forming predominantly motile enterobacteria; which is considered one of the causes of the alleged food poisoning at a milk tea house in Iloilo City. Photo courtesy of fineartamerica.com

‘FOOD BOMB’ SCARES ILOILO

BY RHODERICK M. TECSON With more than a week after one person died and at least 66 others were hospitalized due to possible food poisoning after drinking milk tea with egg pudding at Dakasi, a tea-drink enterprise in Smallville, Brgy. San Rafael, Iloilo City, eleven Korean Nationals were brought to the hospital on October 9, 2013 after they complained of stomach pain, vomitting and loose bowel movement.

The victims are Kim Yeo Jin, Kim Yeo Rim, Lee Jong Hun, Yee Gok Wa, Kyung Mo Kim, Kim Sang Kyu, Lee Tai Jong, Shin Wo Jo, Han Jong Won, Chong Yun Jin and an unnamed person.

The Koreans are stay-in students of Jinsoo Foreign Language Institute at the Castle Hotel, Bonifacio Drive Iloilo City.

It was known that all the victims were released from confinement on the same day.

Dr. Urminico Baronda, the City Health Officer has ordered an investigation of the incident.

Initial results show that the Koreans students ate Chicken with Teriyaki Sauce at the canteen operating inside the school.

Reports say that the cafeteria is also operated by a Korean. The identity of the

owner is not yet known as of printing time.

The City Health Office has already taken rectal swabs from the victims for processing at the central office of the Health Department in Manila.

Baronda has asked the city’s sanitary inspectors to intensify their inspection of all the food chains and handlers in the city.

A food business operator in Iloilo City who asked not to be identified in an interview with IMT said that the recent food poisoning incidents in the city is slowly hurting the food business industry.

He said that the recent cases of food poisoning in the city is like a food bomb ready to explode anytime and harm the industry.

He suggested that the city health authorities must be pro-active in handling the case and should not be lax in handling their investigation.

He believes that a prompt investigation can help in identifying the immediate causes of poisoning and will be beneficial to the food business industry in Iloilo.

Meantime, Dr. Glen Alonsabe, the Regional Epidemiologist of the Regional Health Office (RHO) 6 has confirmed that the initial laboratory results of the

rectal swab samples taken from four of the Dakasi victims are positive of Salmonella Bacteria.

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped gram-negative, non-spore-forming predominantly motile enterobacteria.

Salmonella infections are zoonotic and can be transferred between humans and non-human animals.

Many infections are due to ingestion of contaminated food.(Wikipedia) He clarified though that it is not yet conclusive of the carrier of the bacteria.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) the research facility of the Department of Health and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) have yet to make a final report on the swabs sent to their offices relative to the Dakasi incident.

The establishment has remained temporarily closed and has not made further statements on the alleged food poisoning case to date.

Dr. Alonsabe has cautioned the consuming public to be watchful of their food and its preparation.

He added that the food establishments should prioritize the cleanliness and sanitation of their business and ensure food safety at all times.IMT

until December. We plan that starting November, all on-site work will begin”, added Gorriceta.

Also, the PCPC spokesperson explained that residents of Concepcion will be given priority during job hirings. Gorriceta said that they’re not the ones who will choose the workers but the local government.

“We have coordinated with the Municipality of Concepcion and they are responsible for hiring workers. We have an agreement that we will get workers from PESO of the municipality. Skilled or unskilled workers, as long as they are qualified for the

job, they are welcome to apply”, he further declared.

By the end of the year, PCPC will hire around 100 workers and as the construction progress, they will hire additional workers and expects to have a total of 1,500 workers until 2016.IMT

Palm Concepcion gears up

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA Palm Concepcion Power Corporation Spokesperson Atty. Mark Gorriceta assured the public that construction of Palm Concepcion power plant is on-going. These after rumors spread that construction of the power plant has not yet commenced.

Gorriceta said that excavation, road widening and clearing operations are continuous. He said that on-site works are still limited but off-site activities are in progress. He added that everything is on time.

“On-site and heavy works are still pending because we want to wait until the rainy season ends. We have already calculated the number of typhoons coming in the country

BIR targets tiangge

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) strictly implements new rules for privilege stores or locally known as “tiangge”. The said rules will take effect 15 days after their publication.

The issuance revokes RR 162003 and RR 24-2003, which both imposed a fixed amount of VAT or percentage tax ranging from P50-P150 per day and income tax of 50 per day.

BIR gets rid of advanced income tax and value-added tax (VAT) or percentage tax payment scheme for tiangges and instead tightens regulations on their transactions.

Under RR 16-2013, BIR limits the term “privilege store” to stalls or outlets engaged in business for short period of time, a cumulative period not exceeding 15 days. Thus, operating stalls beyond 15 days will be considered as regular taxpayers and must be registered as persons engaged in trade or business with the tax agency.

BIR requires all persons involved

in tiangge to pass to the organizer an information statement on their activities indicating inclusive dates of business operations and taxpayer identification number (TIN), as well as deduct, withhold and remit the expanded withholding tax due on rental payments they will make to the organizer.

Privilege stores are entitled to file income tax return covering the year of the income was earned. Furthermore, tiangge operators are required to keep books of accounts and issue receipts or sales invoices as given by the exhibitors and submit a list of sales five days after the event.

Organizers are mandated to provide point of sale (POS) machines or central cash register or manual official receipts for their use.

The new set of rules targets to promote voluntary compliance from taxpayers to prop up more revenues and expand the BIR’s registration databank with the inclusion of nonregistered taxpayers searched by tax authorities.IMT

Genevieve L. Asenjo, PhD is writing for Iloilo Metropolitan Times starting this issue.

Gen is a native of Antique.

She is an Associate Professor of literature & creative writing at the Dept. of Literature, De La Salle University-Manila and Founder-Creative Director of Balay Sugidanun [http://balaysugidanun.com].

She was an Honorary Writing Fellow at the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa, USA; UPVCentennial Iskolar ng Bayan Awardee for Literary Arts, and recipient of Juan C. Laya Prize for Fiction, National Book Award, for her first novel Lumbay ng Dila.

Her recent work is a K-12 curriculum compliant book for Reading & Writing in the Mother Tongue in Grade 1, Mabaskog nga Hiligaynon.

Asenjo’s column is Balay Sugidanun.

METRO NEWS

2

METRO

on the road

COMELEC COMELEC officers get refresher course on manual election The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Iloilo provincial office conducted a refresher course on manual elections Monday to election officers for the October 28 barangay elections.

Iloilo Assistant Election Officer Dennis Labagnao said that the 39 election officers in the province were reviewed on the processes in the conduct of the manual system of elections.

“There is a need to review the election officers on the manual system for the past two elections including the May 2013 midterms polls utilized the automated system”, said Labagnao.PIA6

PRC PRC pushes for more bloodletting activities Calling all agencies and organizations: The Philippine Red Cross Iloilo is inviting you to please organize Bloodletting Activities this month of October to help PRC have sufficient supply of blood for the vulnerable members of society. For further details, please call 337-5950 and 337-2088.PIA6

DOST 2013 Visayas Science Fair to stage in Iloilo All roads lead to Iloilo City as the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Visayas Science and Technology Fair will have its grand kick off this week.

Hosted by DOST VI in cooperation with DOST VII and DOST VIII, the annual S&T celebration bears the theme “Science, Technology and Innovation: The Way to a Smarter Visayas”.

DOST VI Regional Director Rowen Gelonga said that the event will showcase scientific innovations that paved way to the rise of a ‘Smarter’ Visayas. These include dynamic technological interventions on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), improved way of living, education, disaster management, and Information, and Communications Technology (ICT). DOST6

DOH

Iodized salt intake increased DOH-6 Regional Nutrition Coordinator Marilyn Tumilba said that there is a need to ensure the supply and distribution of adequately iodized salt in Region 6 in order to eliminate iodine deficiency disorder. There was an increase in the proportion of households using iodized salt from 50.2 percent in 2003 to 77.1 percent in 2011 but data of the FNRI survey showed only 42.7 percent of households were using adequately iodized salt.

PIA6

PIA

WV College publications gear up for COPRE and Awards 2013 This is the time when printing presses roll non-stop, college paper editors stay up almost 24 hours to get their publications out on time.

College publications in Western Visayas are perked up for the College Press Conference and (COPRE) Awards this November, to be conducted by the Philippine Information Agency-6.PIA6

October 13 - 19, 2013

Statistics and decision-making

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA

Numbers play a vital role for indicators such as labor force, consumer price index, and censuses/ population, said National Statistics Office (NSO) Region 6 Regional Director Norman Julag-ay. This is in relation to the importance of statistics in decision-making.

Julag-ay said that numbers are basis for determining the number of employed and unemployed, which helps identify the pattern of rising and falling of employment and unemployment rates.

Statistics shows that employment rate increases during fourth quarter of the year and dropped down during the second the quarter. The rise of unemployment on the second quarter is due to the numbers of graduates, which automatically fall to the unemployed category.

In relation to the consumer price index, numbers aid in evaluating the inflation rate and the purchasing power of peso.

“Without numbers, we cannot determine the rate of our goods, whether it increases or decreases”, Julag-ay added.

Despite the fact that censuses are only conducted once every ten years, the statistical data gathered during the census helps in determining the ratio of certain variables such as the ratio of the number of teachers to the number of students and the number of police to the number of people in the community.

Moreover, businessmen and investors conduct research first on the place before putting up their business in order to determine the improvement on that certain area, which can be presented through numbers.

With the aid of statistical data, the agencies and other related offices make necessary actions that will provide solutions on the problems.

“Some people say that they cannot feel the number that shows the growth of the economy. You really can’t feel the number, but when you translate

City dads hear PEDC Plant 2 objections

BY MONTESA GRINO-CAOYONAN The Panay Energy Development Corporation (PEDC) is one of the top taxpayers in Iloilo City but this will not stop the City Council to conduct series of consultative meetings to know the sentiments of other neighboring barangays located near the 164 megawatts coal-fired power plant as the corporation is planning again to construct another additional 150 megawatts coal-fired power plant beside their present plant in Brgy.

Ingore, La Paz district here.

City Councilor R Leoni Gerochi, chairman on Comtmittee on the Environment and Public Utilities called for a consultative meeting last week to know exactly what are the existing problems of these barangays while living near the coal-fired power plant and possible solutions.

Gerochi met with his cochairmen City Councilors Lex Tupas and Eduardo Peñaredondo, PEDC representatives Rex Debuque and Gil Altamira, Engr. Randy Pastolero of Panay Electric Cooperatice (PECO), and three village chiefs Joel Jaboneta of Ticud, Jonathan Jalandoni of Ingore

and Estela Audrada of Banuyao, all in La Paz district here.

“As long as there is an objection on the proposed additional coal-fired power plant, we, the City Council wants to get the sentiments of the public. Even the City Council has no authority to conform or deny the proposal since it is already under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) but we are hoping that the department will also consider whatever opinion we have”, he said.

Gerochi said he will call again another consultative meeting this month so that they will come up with common statement and then forward it to the City Council.

The councilor added the meeting aims to gather more data from those directly affected residents especially on health matters.

Gerochi said what he worried most are those ashes coming from coalfired power plant which could trigger health risk not only for the people living around the plant as well as all the city residents.

City dads /p5

Food outlets monitoring urged

BY MARY PAULINE BALMES Just after the alleged food poisoning in a milk tea restaurant in Iloilo, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), together with the City Health Office (CHO) will conduct regular monitoring in food establishments to ensure proper sanitary practices are being followed.

Mayor Jed Patrick E. Mabilog stressed that health authorities will ensure that food establishments should comply with sanitary requirements for safety and protect public health.

CHO chief Dr. Urminico Baronda said that food handlers and employees in food establishments should secure health certificates prior to employment.

Furthermore, health authorities advised food establishments to ensure proper food handling procedures guarded by wearing proper sanitary protective garments.

Though cause/s is/are not yet confirmed, preliminary results of the investigation pointed to a common source food borne outbreak which sickened 66 people and allegedly

caused the death of one victim.

Victims who were hospitalized were discovered to have drunk milk teas with flavors of bubble, Oreo, halo-halo, Okinawa and taro, and addons of egg pudding, pearl, chocolate pudding and coconut jelly.

Medical examinations show that the patients got sick of diarrhea or watery stools of at least thrice daily and were admitted to hospitals due to fever, abdominal pain, headache, nausea, and vomiting hours after drinking milk tea.

“The food intake history of cases showed that all of them consumed a beverage from same establishment before they got ill. The most probable source was milk tea with egg pudding add-on,” according to preliminary report on food borne illness conducted by the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) in Manila.

“The outbreak was probably caused by Salmonella specie which often infects milk and egg. Food may be contaminated by bacteria during food processing or handling,” the FETP report stated. Iloilo City Government/IMT

the number into performance, the change is there”, he explained. “ P e o p l e expect that i m p r ov e m e n t in the economy means fuller pocket, having luxurious cars, or living in a beautiful house, National Statistics Office (NSO) Region 6 Regional Director but the truth is Norman Julag-ay during his interview with IMT. it’s not”. he declared.

Julag-ay further explained that Statistics also help change the it’s hard to feel the improvement but views and perception of the people. asked if the accessibility on technology Without seeing the data, the Ilonggos is not a sign of boosting economy. will continue to think that Koreans are “Many of us have now access to the huge foreign tourists in the region cellular phones and one’s day is not when in fact they come only second to complete without using his cellphone”, the Chinese nationals. IMT

P1.7-M water system inaugurated in Dueñas

BY REYMAR LATOZA Hundreds of residents in the town of Dueńas are now served with potable and safe water.

Two of the six water systems projects of the provincial government were recently opened and became functional in the two barangays namely Calawinan and Navales. Each of the projects cost P300,000 and P461,256, respectively.

Governor Arthur Defensor Sr. who led the inauguration said that he doesn’t want the people to suffer the consequences of drinking unsafe

water from wells and rivers.

The said barangays together with barangays Bita (P204,230), Sawe (P293,386), Sto Niño (P265,000), and Romblon Elementary School (P207,282) were identified as waterless villages in the province.

To sum up, the provincial government provided Dueñas a total of P1.73-million worth of water systems that are operational.

The funds used to fuel the projects came from the province’s supplemental budget last year.Capitol News/IMT

OCD turns over ‘hazard maps’

BY MONTESA GRIÑO-CAOYONAN The Office of Civil Defense 6 (OCD-6) through the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) has turned over the ‘Ready MultiHazard Maps’ to the Iloilo provincial government Thursday last week.

OCD director Rosario Cabrera, also chairman of RDRRMC-6 said this ready project or the hazardsmapping and assessment for effective community –based disaster management has started in 2006 and ended in 2010.

Through this, Cabrera said this will help the community identify what risks or hazards they are facing and will help lessen natural hazards.

She added 27 provinces are recipients of this ready project of which, only provinces of Iloilo and Antique are first recipients in Western Visayas.

Under this ready project, each community is being classified in different hazard maps. Among these hazards are storm surge, flood, raininduced, ground shaking, earthquake, tsunami, and liquefaction.

Each hazard has its color coding.

In Iloilo, several risk and reduction coordinators from different towns conducted their one-day training at the Iloilo provincial capitol to familiarize the mapping system.

Jerry Bionat, executive director of Iloilo Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (IPRRMC) said they are now condifying the risk reduction management code of the province that focusing on response.

Once this proposed response operation system will be approved by the PDRRMC, this will be formed as an ordinance by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP).IMT

STATS MONTH OPENING. PhilHealth Regional Office-Central Branch Manager Gilda Salvacion Diaz talks on the importance of statistics in the every day lives of Filipinos during the opening ceremonies of the 24th National Statistics Month here in Western Visayas held at Gaisano City, October 8. Also in the picture are PhilHealth 6 Regional Vice President Dr. Dennis Mas, NEDA 6 Director Ro-Ann Bacal and NSO 6 Director Norman Julag-ay. (LAF/PIA6)

METRO BUSINESS

October 13 - 19, 2013

3

WV economy unstable?

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) discussed the economic situation of the region during the roundtable discussion with the media held at NEDA Region VI. NEDA presented statistical report about the rates of inflation, number of tourist arrival, imports and exports, and purchasing power of peso.

According to the data shown on

the presentation of NEDA 6 Assistant Regional Director Raul S. Anlocotan, inflation rate in Iloilo dropped from 4.1 on the first quarter to 3.0 on the second quarter of the year, yet purchasing power of peso remains the same at 0.73.

On the agricultural sector, a drop on Palay production was noted with 9.8 percent change in production from the 1st quarter of 2012 and 1st quarter of 2013.

Gawad Kalinga holds first-ever Social Business summit

Social business is the business of caring. This was the opening statement of Tony Meloto as he welcomed the participants of the Social Business Summit, the first of its kind held not at a fancy hotel or a posh convention center but on a sustainable community farm in Angat, Bulacan. The choice of venue is crucial in communicating the message that social businesses place a higher premium on human relationships and empowerment of the poor rather than mere profit.

A total of 520 participants signedup for the event, which includes fifty foreign delegates coming from the United States, Australia, France, Singapore and the United Kingdom among others. Forty brilliant minds are set to share their thoughts and expertise about the summit’s theme, which deals with the role of social business in harboring inclusive growth in emerging Asian markets.

“Charity cannot sustain development, nor can it end poverty.

Social businesses can,” Meloto, founder of Gawad Kalinga (GK), stated. He sought the support of the participants comprised of entrepreneurs, teachers, government officials and advocates of social development.

Meloto insisted that the Philippines must learn to achieve progress without leaving the poor behind. “Because if we keep leaving the poor behind, growth will never be sustainable,” he said.

These thoughts were echoed by Stephen Groff, Vice President of Asian Development Bank. In his speech,

Groff pitched the idea that social business will herald in a brighter future for the country. “The Philippines is ideal for social enterprises due to strong civil society and people’s organizations that can provide support, funding, and training, especially when social businesses start their expansions,” said Groff. He added that the government needs to promote and fund social businesses, while banks should provide special loans and other financial services to encourage social enterprises.

These ideas were concretized by the experiences of 2012 Enrst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Jim Ayala as he shared how his company’s solar-powered lantern improved the lives of rural Filipinos who do not have access to electricity.

Meanwhile, Former Taguig Congressman Sigfrido Tinga proudly narrated how he decided to leave the world of politics for a greater dream.

Tinga claimed that the greatest lesson he learned from Gawad Kalinga is that the poor should never be displaced in favor of development.

Currently working on introducing electric vehicles as alternatives to pollution- causing jeepneys, he plans on employing and training drivers coming from GK communities for such project. Tinga trusts that the strong formation program of the organization will produce the most courteous Filipino drivers.

Other speakers include Joey Concepcion of GoNegosyo, Fr. Javi Alpasa, S.J. and Mark Ruiz

Saving at its best

While import rate increased by 57.94 percent, export on the region for the second quarter record a difference of 50.68 percent, from 84.75 last year to 41.80 this year.

Furthermore, according to the partial report of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the number of

BY REYMAR LATOZA Four international rating agencies raised the country to investment grade status this year. For the Philippine government, these historical achievements are indication of the country’s stellar economic growth. But for Filipinos, how significant is a credit rating upgrade?

Fitch was the first rating agency that upgraded the country in March.

Standard and Poor’s and Japan Credit Rating Agency followed in May, and recently, Moody’s had placed the country to investment grade status.

In a report of Rappler, a social news network, Amando Tetangco of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and Ramon Carandang, Malacañan Communications secretary highlighted the upgrades as ‘proof of Hapinoy; and Anna Wilk of Gandang Kalikasan. All four speakers emphasized on the primacy of dealing justly with workers as innovative and marketable products can only be made possible through the talents of people.

The Social Business Summit runs from October 2-5 at the GK Enchanted Farm in Bulacan. It is an excellent opportunity for social entrepreneurs to exchange enterprising ideas as well as explore opportunities for synergy so as to create businesses that will empower the Filipino worker.

“We cannot be just a nation of consumers or job seekers. We have no excuse to remain poor.

RCBC Savings Bank is now offering My Wallet, an all-inone ATM card.

The My Wallet ATM can also be used as a debit card. Card holders can use the card to pay for their goods at any supermarkets, department stores with Point-of-Sale or POS terminals.

Furthermore, one can also pay phone bills and credit cards.

Mr. Ong said they also offer their MyWallet bundled with an insurance product to groups like cooperatives and various associations like drivers’ associations with at least 50 members for as low as 50 to 200 pesos. The bundle comes with a group/personal accident insurance from RCBC’s sister insurance company First Nationwide Assurance Corporation.

In the near future, RCBC Savings Bank is eyeing partnerships with renowned remittance centers for

top import but it was noted that coal is also on the top 5 imported commodities.

“The coal being imported is mixed with that of coal from Semirara to produce a good quality coal that will power the coal-fired power plant”, defend Anlocotan. IMT

that the continuing fiscal reforms are further improving our credibility in the international community’.

On the other hand, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima lauded the government’s ‘sound fiscal and monetary policies’.

An investment grade is considered as a proof of a country’s good housekeeping. The said rating agencies analyze a barrower’s risks.

The evaluation includes financial stability, economic, political, social and health status of a country. The higher the grade, the more credible the international image.

The country’s credit investment status means that the Philippines as a borrowing country, has a strong capacity to pay its debt.

This convinces and gives foreign

investors a high confidence to put in large amount of capital as they do their business in the country.

Considering the increased number of jobless Filipinos, foreign investments would open lots of job opportunities to many who are unemployed.

The interest on government debt will decrease to 0.175 percent from 0.588 percent, which may result to the following: possibly less taxes to pay, cut of product prices, more budgets for infrastructure and social services, like education and health, and cheaper funds for companies’ expansion.

For Filipinos, it will give them better education, and health care, and affordable loans for major purchases such as house and lot, and car.

Rappler/IMT

Credit rating upgrade, what does it mean?

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA Gone are the days when saving money in the bank was only accessible to those who have the money and sending money to loved ones will cost huge amounts of remittance fees. Now, several banks are offering a savings account for a very minimal amount with no maintaining balance, and at the same time allow customers to pay bills and send money to family and friends at a fixed rate.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Savings Bank is now offering My Wallet, an all-in-one ATM card that allows card holders to enjoy ATM card transactions like withdrawals, balance inquiry, cashless shopping, and bills payment. Interested individuals can open an account for as low 20 pesos and need not to worry about monthly maintaining balance.

Mr. Michael Ong, Business Center Manager of RSB La Paz, said that My Wallet targets individuals who are sending money to their families from all over the Philippines.

According to Mr. Ong, when sending money to family members in the province, remittance fees depend on the amount being sent but with MyWallet, one can send any amount for as low as 10 pesos.

tourist arrival for the second quarter of 2013 dropped by 49.64 percent from the same quarter last year. Chinese led the foreign tourist arrival followed

by Koreans, Taiwanese, Americans, Australians, Russians and British.

Coal leads the exported commodity and fertilizer as the

better services. As well as include visa features, overseas remittance, online-banking, and become available as an application for Android and iOS users.

Mr. Ong disclosed that they want to get rid of the notion that opening a bank account is expensive. With My Wallet, one has no excuse not to save. IMT

It’s time for us Filipinos to define o u r s e l v e s ,” says Meloto whose vision is to make the Philippines the Social Business Capital of the world.

METRO TOURISM Sara Living Large

Exotic mountain ranges and lush vegetation, genuine rural hospitality and scenic drives: the municipality of Sara has all the makings of a memorable holiday. The town welcomes travelers with happiness. The town of Sara is actually a fine mixture of sightseeing and to do activities: a swim at the Purungan Falls in Barangay Domingo and a trek to its 52-hectare watershed and reservoir, the Sampunong Bolo Bird Sactuary in Barangays Aposaga and Juaneza.

People coming here can get the promise of fun and enjoyment. In the same way the town can assure visitors a comfortable and convenient stay.

The accommodation establishments in the area is perfect for the budgetconscious traveler, many of which accommodate no more than two dozen guests, feature simple Filipino dishes made from fresh local ingredients from the garden and sea.

The establishments are similar in their casual style but their focus and amenities vary.

The multi-colored RODBON’S PLACE is a convenient getaway to rest, relax and rejuvenate. Owned by Mrs. Evangeine Amado, the place is located in Barangay Aspera where the journey from the town center takes only about 5 minutes or a P10.00 tricycle ride.

It is one of the two privately-owned accommodation establishments in Sara. The rooms look like apartment units of small rise buildings. There are 12 air-conditioned rooms; three (3) rooms with wi-fi television can accommodate two (2) persons; a suite room that can accommodate a group of four (4) persons for P1,400.00/ day; six (6) rooms that can accommodate a group of four at P1,200.00/ day. It also has a restaurant, a karaoke room that can accommodate a group of 15 persons at P100.oo/ hour.

Food sell is relatively cheap and affordable. The best feature of the place is the friendly and helpful staff. For more information, please contact Mr. Kenneth Montinola at 09198667563.

Conveniently located

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY BOMBETTE G. MARIN

in Barangay Damasco, ALEXIS & ALEXA PENSIONNE is a great base from which to explore the town. From here, guests can enjoy easy access to all that Sara has to offer. A haven of rest and relaxation, the pensionne offers total renewal just steps away from the market area. Owned by Dra. Reynaly Panes Alibogha, every effort is made to make guests feel comfortable.

Accommodations have been carefully appointed to a considerable amount of comfort and convenience, with satellite/cable TV, air conditioning or fan in each room. The pensionne is an ideal place of stay for travelers seeking charm, comfort and convenience in Sara.

This modern budget inland resort, located in Barangay Damasco, is centrally located in the town.

The resort offers a very reasonable accommodation options. It has nine (9) rooms for overnight stay with

three (3) air-conditioned rooms good for two (2) persons at P1,000.00 / day; one (1) air-conditioned room good for four (4) persons at P1,200.00/ day; one (1) air-conditioned room good for five (5) persons at P1,500.00/ day; three (3) fan rooms good for four (4) persons maximum at P400.00/ day; and a fan room good for five (5) persons at P1,500.00.

Designed with a very modern architectural theme that is carried over to the room decoration and appointments. Alexis & Alexa Pensionne has a kiddie pool of 2-4 feet deep and the soon-to-be open adult pool of 7.5 feet deep blending perfectly with its chic atmosphere.

It also has a function room that can accommodate a group of 50 persons for that intimate moment with friends and loved ones. It has a very reasonable rate of P4,500.00 for a 4-hour airconditioned usage or P3,50000 for

a fan use for the same number of hours. The pensionne house is perfect for guests who want comfortable accommodation in a fashionable area for a reasonable price. The resort opens daily from 8 a.m. till 10:30 p.m. For more information, please call (033) 3920041/ 09999959156/ 09308440198.

The 2nd-class municipality of Sara is stretched in the 5t district of the province of Iloilo.

It is 97 kilometers northeast from the city and is subdivided into 42 barangays of which 3 barangays compose

the town center and the rest distributed in the outlying areas totaling to 18, 300 hectares. It is bounded on the north by the province of Capiz, on the east by the towns of San Dionisio and Concepcion, on the south by Ajuy, and on the west by Lemery. It annually celebrates its patronal Fiesta every 24th of June in honor of San Juan de Bautista. Market day is every Mondays and Saturdays.

METRO ENTREPRENEUR

October 13 - 19, 2013

5

The 1st Franchise Expo in Iloilo

BY MARY PAULINE BALMES Franchising has become a fad among entrepreneurs nowadays.

It is said to be the practice of using another firm’s successful business model.

The word ‘franchise’ was derived from the Anglo-French derivation franc - meaning free. In a more easier concept, franchising is equivalent to franchisors having their ‘chain stores’ to distribute goods that avoids the investments and liability of a chain.

Last week, the Filipino International Franchise Association and the RK Franchise Consultancy spearheaded the first ever Franchise Expo in Iloilo City.

RK Franchise Consultancy founder Rudolf Kotik said the booming economy of Iloilo, both

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growing.”

Kotik also cited the construction booms as sign of improvement and commended how Ilonggo frugality can be Mayoy Jed Patrick Mabilog and Mr. Rudolf Kotik, together with other dignitaries brought to another level by during the ribbon cutting ceremony of the 1st Franchise Expo in Iloilo City. bencouraging them to invest the city and province, is one of suggestions to bring franchising on franchising.

“It’s time for Ilonggos to invest the reasons why they brought this opportunities to Ilonggo opportunity for the Ilonggos. entrepreneurs especially now that their savings to something fruitful “We have received many everything in Iloilo is prospering and like franchising”, he added It was known on a previous report of BSP that Banks in Iloilo has more money due to prudent savings from Ilonggo families.

Phoenix Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog supports this endeavor as this would

World Connect

later help boost the economic condition of the city.

“If we have more businesses, then we will create more jobs, higher taxes and revenues, which will translate to better services for the Ilonggos,” he added.

Kotik, on the other hand, hopes to bring the said expo next year bringing more franchisors based from Luzon, Mindanao and other parts of Visayas to Iloilo.

The 1st Franchise Expo is a 3-day opportunity to inquire the participating companies and franchisors held at the Fountain Area of the Robinson’s Place Iloilo.

On the 4th day, a seminar for would-be frnachisees and interested applicants was held at the Iloilo grand Hotel. IMT

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City dads...from page 2 He said based on PEDC report, they have now 10 hectares ash pond somewhere in La Paz district where coal-fired ashes are being kept and this will last up to four years however, the city councilor said if PEDC will have another additional coal-fired power plant, it means that they will look for another 10 or more hectares of land within the city to accommodate the coal ashes.

Every day, PEDC is producing 80 metric tons of ashes and waste materials from their power plant.

“Iloilo City is heavily populated and if these ashes will be dumped here what would be the environmental implications? The more ashes, the more problem in the future”, he said.

The councilor added PEDC claimed that the additional power will provide the needed power supply requirement of Iloilo City and neighboring provinces in Panay Island by 2016 but he said the existing 164 MW power supply was already constructed to provide power supply in Iloilo City until 2016 based on feasibility study submitted by PEDC prior to the construction of the existing coal-fired power plant.

“It means that the proposed additional power plant will not only cater power shortage of Iloilo City but this will also cater other provinces in Western Visayas”, he said.

In fact, Gerochi said PEDC has excess 32.5 MW which is being sold to sport market and this is contrary to the claim that there is a power shortage in Iloilo City.

Gerochi is also scheduled to inspect the coal-fired power plant within this month.

Meanwhile, the PEDC is now finalizing its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with a cement factory from Manila before the construction of another coal-fired.

Part of PEDC plans is to convert the coal fly ash and backfill materials into useful one.

PEDC vice president for operation Petronilo Madrid said this cement company will get their ash and backfill materials directly here and convert these materials into cements or hallow blocks.

Once approved, this cement factory will construct its bagging area beside their plant, repack these waste materials and transport to Cebu City or in Luzon area for the said purpose.

Madrid added this process is now being practiced by their office in Cebu City and soon will be applicable here.

Madrid added the project aims nothing bad but to answer the growth and requirement of consumers so that we will be prepared by 2016 which considered as the critical stage if they could

not

come-up with additional generator.

The vice president also said with the 150-MW, it will help bring in a total of 400 -MW to stable the power requirement of Panay and neighboring provinces to continue giving out reliable, costeffective and electricity generate energy for community.

“Western Visayas has power shortage two years ago because of unstable power supply and we want to stabilize the power by creating another one. Also, Iloilo City has fast growing development with the continued construction of high rise buildings here and it is really need to double the power consumption before these buildings will be operational”, he said.

Earlier, the Freedom from Debt CoalitionIloilo Chapter (FDC-Iloilo) and KADAMAY (Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap)-Panay claimed that the additional coal-fired will just make Iloilo a dumping ground of its coal pollution and other waste materials.

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6

METRO OPINION WATERLOO

EDITORIAL

A Flicker of Hope E

With the existing heated discussion on Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) in the government today, a sweet victory from once we’ve thought a never-ending battle, has deviated our attention turning our disappointments to enlightenment.

In a matter of seconds, the world seemed to stop on that very particular moment.

All eyes darted on the boob-tube or flatscreened machine waiting for history to happen. And Philippines did it! Finally, 62 years after.

Megan Young, the newly-crowned Miss World 2013 has become a flicker of hope to every Filipinos.

Few weeks after she was crowned, she went to London to culminate the start of her reign as a symbol of beauty with a purpose.

She is bound to tour different countries and conduct socio-civic activities that would help extend the influence of Miss World Organization to the world.

She came home few days ago to bring the glory and present the blue-beaded crown to her fellow Filipinos with the promise of trying her best to become the best Miss World ever.

For us Filipinos, victories have been a way of uplifting the spirit amidst political degradation, unforseen dreadful calamities, cultural indifferences, poverty and misery.

Aside from Young’s success, many talented Filipinos have also been a contributory factor as to why our fellow countrymen are able to see light amidst darkness, hope despite bleak future.

Despite the political controversies we are facing now, these triumphs are but reminders that we can contribute to either the nation’s joy or despair. Only then we can say that we made this country a better place to live in.

“There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must of felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of life. Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope.” --- Alexandre Dumas

rap is now a victim of his own “wederweder lang yan” political dogma.

This after two of his treasured political and b i o l o g i c a l successors have become subject to test that might submerge to oblivion the Estrada charisma in the national politics. His son Jinggoy is in hot seat for allegedly amassing at least 396 million pesos from his Senatorial PDAF to bogus NGO’s owned by Janet Napoles.

His nephew, Laguna Governor ER Ejercito had been disqualified for

overspending last elections. His TV ads alone which amounted to a total of 6 million pesos was 1.5 million higher than what is allowed by law. An election offense that has been ignored by all politicians since time immemorial because everyone does it. Who spends 3 pesos per voter anyway? Even allies of the President know that.

This COMELEC decision gives life to the long-standing talks in the office that the Brillantes commission will make noise by sampling on election law-violating candidates. ER is the first to had been knocked down by that spell.

This news may be enough reason for 4th District Rep. Jun Biron to be alarmed as he also faces votebuying case filed by his defeated challenger, former Governor Niel Tupas, Sr. The Tupas patriarch is a known ally by the President.

What is common between Jinggoy, ER and Biron as well as Revilla and Enrile is that they all belong to the opposition party. True or not, the Aquino administration has been proven clever enough to ground his political nemesis in these controversial cases. Now that’s “weder-weder”. At the time of

INSANITY A

October 13 - 19, 2013

tragic incident r e c e n t l y happened just outside the entrance of La Paz Police Station, Iloilo City.

It involved a father and his child. The father smashed the head of his child in a pavement that caused the child’s death.

Whose father would kill his child? In that place? In a manner that he did? Answers may vary, but in this case, the father did it because of his alleged insanity.

This brings us to find some reference in law on insanity.

Under the Revised Penal Code which Congressman Junjun Tupas would like to revise anew, insanity is an exempting circumstance.

This means that although a crime has been committed, the insane person who committed the crime cannot be held criminally liable. So what will happen to the insane person? In the words of the Revised Penal Code: “When … an insane person has committed an

act which the law defines as a felony (delito), the court shall order his confinement in one of the hospitals or asylums established for persons thus afflicted, which he shall not be permitted to leave without first obtaining the permission of the same court.”

So it is still for the benefit of the insane person who committed the crime as well as of his community that he be charged in court, so that he can receive proper medical attention. It is therefore necessary for the state to provide sufficient fund not for condoms or contraceptives but for the rehabilitation and treatment of insane persons, and not just leave the responsibility to their family, who are their primary victims, given that insanity can cause the commission of a heinous crime and that insane persons have still the right to a good life.

In some criminal cases, this exempting circumstance has been unsuccessfully used.

One example is the case of PEOPLE versus BELONIO (G.R. No. 148695, May 27, 2004), where the Supreme Court En Banc observed: “ Unlike in other jurisdictions, Philippine courts have established a more stringent criterion for the acceptance of insanity as an exempting circumstance. In our jurisdiction, mere abnormality of the mental faculties is not enough; there must be a complete deprivation of intelligence in committing the act.”

Quoting another case, the Supreme Court continued, “An accused invoking the insanity defense pleads not guilty by reason thereof.

He admits committing the crime but claims that he is not guilty because he was insane at the time of its commission. Hence, the accused is tried on the issue of sanity alone and if found to be sane, a judgment of conviction is rendered without any trial on the issue of guilt as he had already admitted committing the crime.”

Erap, they are like brats. At the time of Gloria, they are also untouchables.

Noynoy has been very vocal about starting up his muchpublicized reform and change mantra -- TUWID NA DAAN and vows to eliminate all of them -- the remnants of past regimes in whatever way possible.

These scams give convenient reasons for the President to trudge the path that he had sworn to adhere to. A pork-less congress means a crippled opposition.

Now I can see a winnable LP Presidential successor in 2016. PCOS machines are too dangerous nowadays. The Californian “terminator” can only destroy fellow machines, but these Philippine electoral machines can destroy dynasties and legends (in politics). Jojo Binay must be very careful not to offend the President with his Malacanang ambitions as this might be his waterloo in politics. Noynoy is a “suloddukot” they say. He has mastered Robert Greene’s Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish.

Who would think that Renato Corona would be ousted as Chief Justice? Who would think that

Enrile would exit in politics as a “kontra bida” contrary to what he had been working on since covering up his Martial Law declaration teachery? Remember that the man has an ego to protect, and he has the resources to sugarcoat his ass. Enrile has a networth of 118 million pesos in the 2012 Senators’ assets declaration. May this also be the end of the Marcoses who among the EDSA enemies, have the most guilt of all time.

Fate may have led to Noynoy ending up as the second generation of the Aquinos to seize the powers of Malacanang in order to do what his mother Cory failed to do. May he be able to cause the rendition of the final chapters of our EDSA history books by putting behind bars the brains behind his father’s assasination. I fervently pray that all politicians who plundered the Filipino people will fall on the other side of the President’s political fence for the sake of speedy administration of justice.

Nevermind that administration Bulacan town mayor and city councilor who were ousted for vote-buying. They are just icing on the cake.

Then the Supreme Court said of the defendant, “Inasmuch as Belonio failed to present convincing evidence to establish his alleged insanity at the time he stabbed Tamayo, we are constrained to affirm his conviction.”

Another example is the case of PEOPLE, plaintiff-appellee, versus CONDINO, accused-appellant (G.R. No. 130945, November 19, 2001).

In this case the First Division of Supreme Court said: “The law presumes every man to be sane….

While he was observed to be out of his mind during the scheduled arraignment on July 5, 1990 and subsequently confined at the National Center for Mental Health for treatment, it does not necessarily follow that the accused-appellant was already suffering from psychosis at that time of the commission of the crime. Well-settled is the rule that an inquiry into the mental state of the accused-appellant should relate to the period immediately before or at the very moment the act was committed. Unfortunately, no evidence was presented by the defense to show that the accused-appellant was insane before or at that time he inflicted the fatal wounds on the victim. The medical records do not even show that the accused-appellant had a history of any aberrant behavior. On the other hand, the prosecution presented convincing evidence that the accused-appellant treacherously waited for the victim at the dance party and killed him.

He was even sane enough to flee from the scene and go to the police to report the incident.”

While insanity has been used as a ground to defend oneself in a criminal case, in administrative cases, it has been used as a ground to dismiss employees.

In the case of the Office Of The Court Administrator versus Floro ( A.M. No. RTJ-99-1460, March 31, 2006), the Supreme Court held: “Upon the testimony of his own witnesses…respondent...

is unfit because of insanity to remain in office as Judge of the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Judicial Region, Malabon, Metro Manila, Branch 73.”

The Supreme Court reasoned: “It is weird for respondent Judge to state in one of his pleadings in this case that President Estrada would not finish his term as President.

It is unusual and queer of him to state in his calling card that he is a graduate of Ateneo de Manila, second honors, bar topnotcher with a grade of 87.55% ... So is it strange of him to make use of his alleged psychic powers in writing decisions in the cases assigned to his court. It is improper and grandiose of him to express superiority over other judges in the course of hearings he is conducting and for him to say that he is very successful over many other applicants for the position he has been appointed. It is abnormal for a Judge to distribute self-serving propaganda. One who distributes such self-serving propaganda is odd, queer, amusing, irresponsible and abnormal. A judge suffering from delusion or hallucination is unfit to be one. So is he who gets into a trance while presiding at the hearing of a case in court. One need not be a doctor of medicine, a psychiatrist and a psychologist to determine and conclude that a person in such circumstances is mentally unfit or insane and should not be allowed to continue discharging the duties and functions of a judge. ” I just hope that not more Filipinos will get insane as a result of the scandals and scams besetting on our fatherland. And may our national leaders who have been entrusted to take care of our fatherland will not lose their sanity in budgeting and spending public funds, at least for the sake of some poor Filipino communities and lowly Filipino parents and children who have survived against insanity.# Send feedback to: arnoldcares@yahoo.com

October 13 - 19, 2013

METRO OPINION

Paul Choo: The Visionary

D

r. Paul Yew Hua Choo is the founder and chairman of Goducate Limited, a Singapore-based not-forprofit organization with projects in nine Asian countries that include China, Cambodia, Malaysia, Mynmar, India, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, and Vietnam. Goducate is coined from two words, “ Go and Educate”.

Its avowed purpose is to help needy Asians help themselves.

Born in Singapore on 29 July 1947, Dr. Choo obtained his elementary and secondary education from the Anglo-Chinese School. He graduated from the Medical Faculty, University of Singapore (renamed National University of Singapore) and qualified as a medical doctor in 1971.

He was conferred with honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Bob Jones University, South Carolina, USA in 1998.

He started Shenton Medical Group (SMG) in 1973. SMG became Singapore’s largest medical group in the 1990’s. In 1998, he sold SMG to Parkway Holdings (Singapore’s largest hospital group). SMG was renamed “Parkway Shenton” - and continues until today as one of Singapore’s largest

medical groups.

In 1998, he started Gospel Light Christian Church (GLCC) and pastored it for 20 years. During the same period, he also did voluntary work among the poor in India, Malaysia, Kenya, China, and Philippines. In 2008, when GLCC had an average Sunday congregation of over 1,000 people, he retired from pastoring to devote himself to full-time social work.

Eventually, this led to his founding of Goducate Limited in 2009.

His first visit to Philippines was in 1965 when he represented Malaysia (Singapore was then a part of Malaysia) at the First Asian Junior Tennis Championships held in Manila.

In 1982, he had an opportunity to visit Iloilo en route to Cebu to start a work among the poor children in Cebu’s Pasil Fish Market. An Ilonggo friend had brought him to Doane Baptist Seminary (DBS) to recruit workers for the Cebu work. He then recruited the three people that DBS recommended.

Thereafter, he has made many (well over 100) visits to Iloilo to meet friends and recruit workers for his social projects in Philippines and other Asian countries.

Dr. Choo unequivocally chose Iloilo as site for the Goducate Training Center (GTC) on the belief that the Ilonggos are the best workers for

the world. He hopes to train many Ilonggos to help change Asia - by helping Asians to help themselves.

During the past three years he has already sent 60 workers from Iloilo to China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

He believes that in order to help other Asians successfully, the trainees at GTC must first help needy Ilonggos to help themselves. He expects to see the barangays around GTC to be transformed – to serve as models for other Asian communities.

GTC aims to be the premier Asian center for training community development workers (CDWs) . The center had its first batch of full-time students in April 2012 for a six-month training. There are trainees from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines in this first batch. GTC itself has the capacity to train 100 CDWs per year. The faculty is mostly Ilonggo. Others are from the United States of America, Africa, Singapore, Indonesia, and China. It is expected that 60 percent of the trained CDWs will work in the Philippines while 40 percent will be assigned to other Asian countries.

The graduates from the three previous batches are now teaching English and doing community

development related activities in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.

Dr. Choo has contributed immensely to the economy of Iloilo, particularly in the town of San Miguel, during the construction phase of GTC. From June 2010 until April 2012, about 150 skilled and unskilled workers from the nearby barangays were employed daily, which translates to about 80,000 generated mandays.

Additionally, most of the construction materials and equipment were locally purchased and rented, respectively. He has also provided technical support to some farmer-cooperators in the area and has trained groups of farmers on sustainable farming technologies through his agricultural experts.

He was chosen as one of “Asians of the Year 2011” by Channel News Asia and a documentary of his work was filmed in GTC and broadcast throughout Asia. Last year, the Local Government Unit of San Miguel, Iloilo recognized Dr. Paul Choo as its adopted son through SB Resolution No. 2012-68.

He is married to Nancy Yanling Choo with whom he has three children: Timothy, Lish, David, and Stephen, and three grand-daughters: Allysa, Makeila, and Livia.

o u r Hiligyanon books were r e c e n t l y reviewed by Noel de Leon in Kalatas. What do you think of that?

Hiligaynon literature, from its possibilities in erotic and sexual themes to discussion of religion, and writing from and about the self whether situated in the farms and cities, and even about the difficult process of self-publishing. Do you think that it truly reflects you?

most neglected, albeit most enduring, writer in Hiligaynon. Haha!

Kalatas is the official publication of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas [UMPIL], the largest organization of Filipino writers in the country. I think that it is about time that my books get reviewed in publications like that. Noel de Leon is a regular contributor from Western Visayas. I know Noel as a poet and critic, and I think that he is one of the best literary critics in Iloilo right now.

I only have high regard for Noel so the fact that he gave my books a favorable review really makes me doubly proud.

Noel hit the nail on the head when he said that by excluding my poetry and fiction in “the best of…” anthologies in Philippine literature in the last decade, there seems to be some neglect in properly representing Western Visayan literature in the big picture of the Philippine national literature.

The whole review, entitled “Review: Mga bagong akda ni Peter Solis Nery,” can be read online following the link: http:// k a l a t a s l i t e r a r ye z i n e . w o rd p re s s . com/2013/09/29/review-mgabagong-akda-ni-peter-solis-nery/. I think that Noel is one very observant and reliable critic. The fact that he is in Iloilo, and abreast with the literary developments in the region and the country, makes him an important voice in establishing my rightful place in literary history. Here, I translate his Filipino rendition of my Hiligaynon speech during my book launch at the Sarabia Manor Hotel on September 7: “What our literature needs now are writers who are ready and not afraid to talk about their bodies and their most personal experiences of betrayals and redemption in the world. Writers should write about those things because only through those particular experiences can we know not only ourselves, but also the strengths and possibilities of our literature in the

coming years.” Because the speech was impromptu, and because I am usually given to rambling in front of an audience, for Noel to pick that up, and characterize me on the basis of such candid remarks, is a blessing for my literary legacy and immortality. I say again, when somebody only writes about what I truly say, I really become the great Peter Solis Nery that I am.

Y

In the review, De Leon also asserted that you are one Ilonggo writer who exhibits confidence and fearlessness in discourses about strengthening

This book review is not your first Kalatas appearance, is it?

It is not. Noel interviewed me first for the K Magazine. It was posted on March 8, 2013. The link for the complete interview is: http:// k a l a t a s l i t e r a r ye z i n e . w o rd p re s s . com/2013/03/08/k-magazineinterviews-peter-solis-nery/.

The interview basically just introduced me to readers of Kalatas, and online researchers of Hiligaynon and regional literatures. I don’t really know Noel’s motivation for featuring me early on.

I mean, there certainly are more senior writers, who are members of UMPIL themselves. I think that my induction to the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame last year had something to do with his decision to prioritize me, but we don’t know. Maybe Noel really thinks that I deserve to be given proper attention at long last. Whatever it is, I am grateful to Noel for drawing attention to the

What makes the Kalatas interview special?

I think that Noel had very good questions, and I think that I gave some pretty smart answers. I really like how I sounded in that interview. [And I did it in brilliant Filipino!] I think that people should look it up if they haven’t read it already. I really liked how Noel introduced me in that interview. Here, again, is my English translation of his introductory paragraph written in Filipino: “Transgression is Peter Solis Nery’s virtue and claim to fame when he first started to seriously consider Hiligaynon literature. He is like a hopeful and optimistic consciousness for whom nothing is impossible especially when one is always aiming for something new. Because of his early delinquency, it seemed that he sooner discovered his reason to be a writer, until he understood, in the first decade of the third millennium, that he needed to be a writer who is attuned to, and aware of, the issues and concerns of language and literature to which he was born.”

The interview, of course, continued to showcase how brilliant I am, but credit must be given to Noel for such intelligent questions.

Poetry, Sampaguita Ice Cream, and Musing About Nami & Namit

‘D

o you know that there’s sampaguita ice cream?’ I asked my students. They answered in a chorus of No. We were talking about poetry. Earlier in class, I quoted Sappho – ‘Mere air, these words, but delicious to hear’ - as retold by Edward Hirsch in his book How To Read A Poem (And Fall In Love With Poetry).

What about sampaguita ice cream, the mere mentioned of it lit up the room, and summoned us all into a craving? This led me to introduce synesthesia, a literary device where you combine two or more sensory perceptions [i.e. sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, etc.] to evoke emotion, memory, and thought. An effective rendition could heighten our senses, sends us to shiver or awe. In the

business of everyday living, this is the practical use to me of language and literature: source of delight and anxiety: region of creativity, and thus, productivity.

So the sampaguita ice cream.

‘Have a taste,’ I told my students, ‘and write an evocative paragraph.’ They are required to have a writing journal, or a blog, for their personal conversation with the poets and poems we read in class. ‘Think of color,’ I encouraged them, ‘think of movement, of taste, of touch, of sound. Of what it is to be alive.’

When in Manila, there are two places to taste sampaguita ice cream: at the café of Metropolitan Museum in Roxas Blvd. and at Ilustrado restaurant in Intramuros.

I was there last Sunday at Ilustrado with Jesus ‘Jess’ Insilada.

He flew in from Calinog, Iloilo, as one of the awardees of Bato Balani Foundation Inc. Their search for “The Many Faces of the Teacher” led them to Jess who chose to stay and teach in his neighborhood elementary school. He was cited for his dynamic use of Mother Tongue [Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon] in his teaching and writing [two-time Palanca awardee for his short stories in Hiligaynon, novelist in Hiligaynon Magazine, contributor to Balay Sugidanun, and awardee of the Peter Solis Nery Prize].

To wait is to entertain the self, so we talked about poetry – our binalaybay such as loa and paktakon.

When our order of sampaguita ice cream came, a scoop of yellow and white in a glass, Jess remarked, ‘Nami.’ ‘Huo,’ I replied, ‘namit.’ So we tasted it, and our lips have not

forgotten home. Memories of sipping nectars out from petals of wild flowers on the roadside! What do we know then?

What have we thought? Flowers are edible, so is poetry: they are alive in our barrios, or they are still there, and what are rare these days are valuable.

Nami, namit: a matter of one letter to bite, and in the space between, desire grows, so nami becomes namit. But as we know of poetry and sampaguita ice cream, not all nami could be made namit, or is readily namit. Common sense alone cannot suffice: one also needs strength to shed off old skin toward reinvention and refinement, discernment in determining what to keep and delete, and grace: that dignified poise of poetry on the page, of sampaguita ice cream before it melts, that keeps us wondering.

7

The Disbelief of the Chronically Hungry A

midst the explosion of the Priority Development Assistance Fund scandal, people from all walks of life in this country have been wondering and asking how such wide scale scamming propagated without being discovered. A billion per year for ten years is a long time for a devilish scam to be kept under radar, but owing to the greed of the people and politicians involved we are assured of protectors of the secret that is worthy of the Templar’s tradition, or so they thought.

For the teeming Filipino masses living below the poverty line in a hand-to-mouth existence, the billion-peso scam represents a future lost because of greed and corruption.

These chronically hungry in decrepit living conditions gape in awe and disbelief at such wanton disregard for ethics and values of the supposed champions of the people just so they can enrich themselves at the expense of others. The thin red line between ethics, values, greed and corruption becomes a flimsy excuse to cross over and become mad dogs successfully gnawing at the desiccated tendrils of the Filipino people.

Yes, the PDAF is already out of the picture but the damage has been done and the billions unrecoverable.

Worst if the culprits will eventually go unscathed while the issue is muddled by legal maneuverings and legalese. Targeting the Disbursement Acceleration Program, the lesser porky sibling of the PDAF, will make the matter worst for the country, turning the muzzle away from finding the billions and shooting the perpetrators. While the PDAF is like laundered money siphoned from the different fake NGOs like a game of ‘sungka’, the DAP is like the payola of Marcos and the ‘paperbag’ of GMA, a sort of payment for favors. PDAF as bewitched by Napoles was really intended to just process the money for the pockets of the operators and legislators, while DAP can still be monitored even if it lands on legislators’ hands and be used on ‘priming the economy’.

The less porky evil DAP is still an oily pork barrel of the legislators who are given the hand to ‘prime’ the economy. Are the economic managers of Pnoy incapable of providing the ideas to prime the economy that giving millions to the legislators now become the best solution? DAP is a porky evil in this respect, add to that the power of the executive to allocate them.

While the man on the street is slowly drowning on the intricacies of the investigation and legal battles, the deluge of information continue to flood the news every day. But in the end, in his weariness and desperation, the only thing that will eventually matter to him will be the effort of scraping a few peso to satiate the clawing hunger inside. Amidst all the tit for tat surrounding the problems of the nation, Juan De La Cruz will still go on with his acrimonious life, trudging in barefooted drudgery and still chronically hungry.

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METRO AGRICULTURE

October 13 - 19, 2013

9

‘HULBOT-HULBOT’ BANNED

BY MARY PAULINE BALMES The Department of Agriculture has ordered the banning of the Danish seine fishing or commonly known as hulbot-hulbot.

Governor Arthur Defesor Sr. extended his support to the strict implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order No. 246-2013 signed by DA Sec. Proceso Alcala.

In an earlier press release, Defensor said the proposal is among the initiatives that need to be pursued to ensure the protection and preservation of marine resources.

It was during the 4th Visayan Sea Summit in Iloilo City, February of last year when the initiative started

with the banning covering only the municipal waters but is allowed in the exterior.

Aside from confiscating the boat and other gears, fine will range from P100,00- P500,00 , an imprisonment of two to 10 years or both.

Hulbot-hulbot or Danish seine fishing involves throwing a large rock tied to a net into the sea and dragging it underwater. It is strictly prohibited within and outside municipal waters because it destroys the coral reefs.

In the province, almost 575 fishermen were arrested for using trawl, hulbothulbot and other illegal

fishing paraphernalia since January 1.

Some were filed with criminal charges for violating the Philippine Fisheries Code of1998, while others were freed after paying a compromise fine.

Authorities have already intensified their operations due to the existing erring fishermen who

The FishR in closer view Fisherfolk and “fishworkers” are common sights in coastal towns and cities in the Philippines, yet for so long they have not been fully identified.

They are just like the poorest in the barangays and urban places in the country that used to have no face and name.

Today, there is the National Household Targeting System to identify who and where the poor are, and soon the fisherfolk and the fishworkers will be known and located.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in the region is set to launch the National Program for Municipal Fisherfolk Registration (FishR) on October 22.

The launching, according to BFAR-6 Director Drusila Esther Bayate will set in motion the fast-tracking of the FishR for them to complete the nationwide data base to aid planning, as provided for in the Fisheries Code of 1998.

“With this we will be able to design appropriate programs to improve quality of lives of our fisherfolk and fishworkers,” Bayate said.

The FishR briefer prepared by BFAR-6 states all those required to register include the “municipal fisherfolk,” the “fishworkers” and fishery operators based in the town or city.

The “fisherfolk” are those people who either directly or indirectly fish or do activities related to fishing, like catching, taking care of, processing,

selling or transporting fish and other marine products.

Included also as “fisherfolk” are the workers in commercial fishing vessels, except those licensed or authorized patron, marine engineers, radio operators, and cooks on board.

On the other hand, the fishworker is either a regular or not regular employee in commercial fishing and related industries wherein he earns, a salary, or in a profit-sharing or stratified sharing basis, including those who work in fishpens, fish cages, fish corrals/ traps, fishponds, prawn farms, sea farms, salt beds, fish ports, fishing boats or trawlers, fish processing/fish packing plants, excluding those working as security guards, administrator or secretary.

Meanwhile, a Fishery Operator is the owner who provides land, labor and capital, fishing gears and vessels so that fishing or any related industry can be done, but not necessarily and personally focusing on fishery.

While the BFAR facilitates the implementation and installation of the system in place, and provides technical assistance as needed by the local government units which will directly implement, the concerned LGUs should provide space with desktop, printer and camera and see to it that the

registration goes full swing.

The BFAR said the registration is free, and all the fisherfolk/fishworker will do, is simply go to the designated registration area in the town or barangay, fill up the Fisherfolk Registration Form, with the help of the Agricultural Technician or the MAO, sign the document and have his picture taken.

Dir. Bayate said that the cooperation of the LGUs and partner agencies is vital as this will enable the FishR attain its ultimate objective of having a reluiable data for designing programs for better management, regulation, conservation, and protection of fishery resources.

For Benito, a 62-year old fishworker in a coastal town, north of Iloilo, the FishR will give him an identity and entitle him to whatever support the government has at stake for the fishery sector in Iloilo province.

(JCM/Elsa S. Subong/PIA-Iloilo)

continue to poach on the province’s marine reserve.

The Governor said that as long as

there are illegal fishermen operating in the province, there will be “no let-up” in the campaign. Capitol News/IMT

NFA-Iloilo steps up palay procurement The provincial office of the National Food authority is accelerating its palay procurement operations by activating more mobile teams to serve individual farmers, particularly those far from NFA buying stations.

It has currently six buying stations in strategic locations in Iloilo, with two in Jaro district, one each in the following towns: Dueñas, Dumangas, Pototan, and San Dionisio.

In the province of Guimaras, the buying stations are in the towns of Jordan, San Lorenzo and Sibunag.

Provincial Manager Marianito Bejemino said that in order to ease the cost of transport for farmers, NFA has activated three

mobile procurement teams in the towns of Barotac Viejo, Lemery, and San Rafael where the bulk of palay harvest are found.

“Another mobile team will serve the farmers in the first and second districts of the province,” Bejemino said.

“We are giving our best effort to buy palay from our farmers by going to them instead of they coming to us,” he added.

He further said that the local government units can coordinate with them so that the mobile teams can be deployed to their areas as scheduled.

The NFA buys clean and dry palay at P17.00 per kilo with incentives of 20 centavos for drying and another 20 centavos for for transport, while another 30 centavos incentive is given to rice farmers cooperatives.

The NFA is also buying wet palay according to quality standard, which is shown by the palay classification result that determines the price. (NFA/JCM/ ESS/PIA-Iloilo)

Visayas agri-sector records poor performance

BY KHARIZA JOY SOFIA The performance of the agriculture sector recorded a huge drop, that according to the report of the National Statistics Coordinating Council (NSCB) and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on the roundtable discussion with the media recently.

From 14.1 percent in 2010-2011, the sector noted a negative 1 growth on 2011-2012.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) 6 Regional Director Ro-ann Bacal, the big drop on the production is due to bad weather.

“These sectors frankly told us that the reason of the negative growth is

due to bad weather”, Bacal added.

In addition, partial data of palay, corn, sugarcane, and banana production showed a decline in growth on the first quarter of the year.

Sugarcane records the highest drop with 26.10 percent, followed by corn (10.97%); palay (9.58%) and banana with (0.97%).

Livestock and Poultry sector also experience decrease in production.

From 800 on the first quarter of 2012, duck production went down to 664 on the same quarter of 2013, noting a 17 percent decrease in production.

Commercial and municipal fishery also noted a drop in production with 3.25 percent and 4.14 percent drop respectively.

P2.342-billion Iloilo investment plan approved The Provincial Development Council (PDC) unanimously approved the P2.342 billion Annual Investment Plan (AIP) of the province for 2014.

The AIP will serve as guide in the implementation of development projects next year, explained Mario Nillos, provincial planning and development officer.

“The AIP outlines the priority programs of the Defensor administration like the enhancement of hospital and health services,” Nillos said.

The 2014 AIP consists of General Public Services: P539.8 million; Economic Services: P801.5 million; Social Services: P862.8 million and Other Services: P138.2 million.

It includes the proposed budget for the Hospital Enhancement Program (P426.6 million), Public Health Services Delivery (P92.4 million) and Health Financing for the Indigents (P110 million).

The AIP will then be forwarded to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to be translated into the 2014 budget of the Province of Iloilo.

“Not all projects listed in the AIP will be approved,” clarified Gov. Arthur Defensor, chair of the PDC. “The AIP is just a roadmap. It is a plan

where we base our proposed budget for next year.”

During the meeting at Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center, the PDC also elected Edwin Lariza of the Iloilo Caucus of Development NGOs (I-CODE NGOs) as its cochair.

The AIP also includes the proposed budget for the completion of the restoration of the old Iloilo Provincial Capitol (P15 million)

and the restoration of the old Iloilo Provincial Jail (P15 million) which will be turned into a museum.

The P92.3 million proposed budget for enhancement of the Iloilo Sports Complex and other utilities, and the P17-million proposed budget for Tourism Development is also included in the AIP. The PDC is a collegial body that is mandated to review the development plans and programs of the Province of

BY MARY PAULINE BALMES

to be withheld is ensured.

“It shall be the duty and responsibility to withhold the taxes and remit them to the BIR”, the Revenue Regulation 14-2103 states.

HMOs should withhold the creditable withholding tax of 15 percent from the annual income earned by doctors exceeding Php 720,00.00 an 10 % to those with lower amount of income.

The medical field is identified as one area among other professionals with the most rampant in terms of tax evasion cases.

According to the World Bank, the country loses roughly Php 450-billion due to tax evasion cases. PDI/IMT

BIR asks hospitals to withhold taxes from doctors

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has set parameters to avoid tax evasion among medical practitioners by requiring hospital and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to withhold taxes from them along with the hospital bills.

In a press statement by the BIR Central Office thru their website, the agency stressed that HMOs should not allow its clients to directly and separately pay the doctors and medical practitioners of their fees.

BIR said by including their fees in the medical bills, an accuracy of the tax

Iloilo.

It composed of representatives of non-government organizations and

private groups, municipal mayors and officials of the Province of Iloilo.

Capitol News/Nereo Lujan/IMT

Protection for PH news industry pushed

BY REYMAR LATOZA Claiming that newsprints imports are seriously hurting the local newsprint production in the country, the Philippine’s dominant local player for newsprint filed a petition to impose safeguard measures on imports of newsprints.

The Trust International Paper Corp. (TIPCO) said that the “increased imports have caused serious injury to the local newsprint industry as indicated in their declining market share, production, sales, capacity utilization, productivity, profitability, price suppression, depression and undercutting”.

In a notice posted by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO), the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the international body, on its official website, the Philippine government had already started its investigation before it will

implement safeguard measures on the imports of newsprint from other countries.

The said investigation seeks to prove if there was an increase in quantities of imports and whether such are causing serious injury to the local industry.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) said that safeguard measures refer to higher duties which a country can impose on imported goods in order to provide relief to domestic industries.

These measures are applied when it is found that there is increased imports of the commodity and when the local industry is threatened by the increase in purchases of such product from overseas.

Locally produced newsprint is made mainly from recycled paper.

It is used for newspapers, books and school pads. – IMT/PDI

10

IBL

Iloilo Basketball Leauge

METRO SPORTS

October 13 - 19, 2013

ICNHS sets 3-0 lead

BY REYMAR LATOZA Iloilo City National High School (ICNHS) had built their momentum after drawing away their opponents to own the top post in the Iloilo Developmental Basketball Tournament qualifying round.

As of the end of game eight, ICNHS earned 3 wins and secured their no-loss record.

Landed near within close distance to the leading team, Ramon Avanceňa National High School (RANHS) is holding the wrecking ball to potentially destroy the wall of ICNHS. The team has 2 wins and no loss record.

On the other hand, Bario Obrero National High School (BONHS) is catching up with the first two teams on the top. The team has 2 wins and 1 loss record. ICNHS drubbed BONHS in game one.

Iloilo National High School (INHS) ranked fourth. The team has one win and two losses.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Science and Technology University (ISAT-U) and Lapaz National High School (LNHS) remained winless.

ISAT-U vs INHS In game two, INHS won over ISAT-U, 58-37.

The match of ISAT-U and INHS in game two was postponed last September 28 due to bad weather and it was moved last week.

BONHS vs ISAT-U From the loss, ISAT-U suffered loss anew after defeated by BONHS in game four, 63-35.

LNHS vs ICNHS ICNHS earned its second win, nailing LNHS from a large score deficit in game five, 62-30.

INHS vs RANHS RANHS buried INHS in a deep hole after maintaining its margin in game six, 58-48. From first quarter until the end of the said game, RANHS did not let INHS to mount from their plunging score.

BONHS vs LNHS BONHS despicably trampled LNHS in game seven, 55-46.

B O N H S showed up how team work and fighting spirit can be translated into a blistering hardcourt performance.

LNHS cagers failed to bounce from its down in the first quarter until the end of the game.

INHS vs ICNHS I C N H S trampled INHS in game eight. This victory escalated ICNHS to their 3-0 lead.

The Developmental Basketball Tournament was organized by Iloilo Basketball (IBL) League, headed by Alfie Lagman as President of the said league.

It aims to promote and flourish the field of sports in Iloilo by developing and discovering potential Ilonggo basketball players. IMT

PEI now 2-0 lead in Women’s Basketball League

BY REYMAR LATOZA With 2-0 lead, PEI is now holding the supremacy in the Women’s Basketball Tournament qualifying round.

West Visayas State University and Institute of Science and technology (ISAT-U) tied in the second spot with two wins and one loss records.

University of San Agustin (USA) landed in the third spot with one win.

Avengers is striving in the fourth

spot with one win and one loss record.

Textus and Iloilo National High School (INHS) remained winless as of the end of game eight of the said tournament.

beating INHS in game five, 46-44.

INHS started the game well, however in the last quarter, PEI managed to overtake INHS and finished the game victorious.

INHS vs AVENGERS Avengers defeated INHS in game four, 51-40.

WVSU vs ISAT-U WVSU trampled WVCST in game six, 53-30.

PEI vs INHS PEI earned its second win after

WVSU vs Textus WVSU upset textus in game

seven, 60-39.

INHS vs ISAT-U ISAT-U won over INHS, 49-43.

The Developmental Basketball Tournament was organized by Iloilo Basketball (IBL) League, headed by

Alfie Lagman as President of the said league.

It aims to promote and flourish the field of sports in Iloilo by developing and discovering potential Ilonggo basketball players. IMT

MetroMisc

October 13 - 19, 2013

11

NCeries Space Science Roadshow lands in Iloilo

BY REYMAR LATOZA Astronomy and space science should be promoted and highlighted in the schools to lift up the appreciation of Filipinos to the said fields, according to former Senator Nikki Coseteng, President/CEO of NEducational Resources and Interactive Events Services Inc. Coseteng explained during the opening of NCeries Space Science Roadshow recently at GT Mall, Molo Iloilo City the importance and significance of astronomy and space science, especially in a developing country like Philippines.

A report of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said satellites and powerful computers, which are products of the application of astronomy and space science have become common factors in a host of activities such as communications, data and information exchange, remote-sensing for environmental monitoring, disaster preparedness and prevention, and resources assessment.

Lacking of university or college that offers a full course in astronomy and space science is a palpable evidence that the said fields are less appreciated in the country.

“Children are traditionally or normally, naturally excited and interested about outer space, but were not able to take it further because nobody is offering it,” Coseteng said.

She added that through NCeries Space Science Roadshow, “children will open their minds to the sciences and enjoy it.”

The said roadshow is an offshoot of the Astronomy Awareness Program. It is a school-based program suitable for all school levels. Pupils, students, and even teachers from both public and private schools will experience outer space like never before through the following: Digital Mobile Planetarium.This mobile planetarium can be brought to the school.

Film Showing. A wide collection of movies on

astronomy is offered and the teachers may choose a movie or a number of movies based on the school’s Science Curriculum.

Exhibit. A collection of photographs of the solar system, deep sky objects, space exploration and meteorites.

Stargazing. The participants gather at night for the actual observation of the night sky using high-powered telescopes.

Solar Viewing. The participants observe the sun using special solar telescopes.

Water Bottle Rocket Making and Launching.

The students are taught to make their own rockets using ordinary water bottles.

After the Roadshow, the Nceries team will start the teacher training program. They will gather interested teachers in the province for the training.

The Roadshow will be until October 18.

On the other hand, Coseteng linked the country’s lack of appreciation in astronomy and space science to the pressing issues now- the increase of unemployment rate and issue of poverty in the Philippines.

Coseteng said many don’t believe that there is money in these fields. “They don’t know that if you are into science or mathematics, you will be able to earn as high as 120,000.”

“In the national newspapers you will see how much employment there is available, but how come we have high unemployment rate?...because people who are unemployed are lack of training, lack of background, lack of career track in those fields of specialization. Then unemployment will lead to poverty,” she said.

She said hundreds of thousands of nurses who are not able to find work as nurses became call center agents and sales ladies.

“It’s now time to rethink the mindset of many Filipinos that taking up nursing, engineering, and seafaring are not the only courses that would make them earn much and become rich. There are other fields available to pursue according to their interests.”IMT

DUST DEVIL. It occurs as the surface is heated by the sun, generating warm, rising air, currents that begin to rotate.

Let’s take a closer look at the sun!

SSC students from ONHS watching the self portrait of an astronaut.

SOLAR VIEWING. ONHS Students are observing the sun using the special solar telescopes.

PARTIAL Eclipse. The image was taken from the Mall of Asia in 2009, caught a partially eclipsed sun setting over Manila Bay in the Philippines

Students are attentively listening to the lecturer holding a photograph of the solar sytem.

Reviving the art of letter writing

BY LEONARD T. PINEDA II The art of writing letters seems to fade away in this day and age of electronic mails (e-mails), mobile phones, and social media.

Letter writing can seem outdated and its many aspects may also be forgotten but this art is worth bringing back for it will always offer an experience that modern technology cannot touch.

In celebration of World Post Day, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost)-6 held the1st National Letter Writing Day at SM City Activity Center, just recently.

The event was highlighted with a “Thank You Letter-Writing” activity which was participated in by elementary and secondary students from various schools in Iloilo City.

Fabiolita Ferraris, Area Director for PHLPost Area-6, said that the National Letter Writing Day is part of PHLPost’s postal awareness program called “Sulat-Mulat”, with the aim of re-introducing the art of letter

writing to students and encouraging them to use letters as a means of communication.

Ferraris said that students can express their thoughts and feelings through writing letters instead of conveying them through text messaging or e-mails.

On one hand, Van Kristine Mendoza, a faculty of West Visayas State University Integrated Laboratory School (WVSUILS), said that the activity enabled the students to appreciate and experience the old-school way of communicating.

“There is a certain degree of intimacy when one is engaged in letter writing and it is coupled with experiencing a pleasant feeling when receiving a correspondence through the mail,” Mendoza also said.

For a number of students who took part in the letter writing activity, it was their first time to write a letter that they sent through the mail.

Jane Lavalle, a fourth year student of Iloilo National High School, said that her letter contained words of gratitude for her mother.

“Unlike in e-mails, I gave a special effort in expressing my personal intentions through this letter,” said Lavalle.

Khaesha Arsenal, a grade 9 student of Colegio De San Jose, said that letter writing also gave her the chance to express her sincere feelings towards her mother.

“I got to use a pen and a paper to express how I feel towards one

important person in my life,” said Arsenal.

For Teofy Rabanes, a grade 8 student of WVSU-ILS, the letter she wrote to a friend gave information on a common interest they both share that is animation.

Kristly Delaba, a grade 6 pupil of Iloilo Central Elementary School, was just too happy to write his first letter, put it on an envelope, place a stamp on it, and have it sent it through the mail.

Meanwhile, Ferraris said that PHLPost is already collaborating with the Department of Education (DOE) to include letter writing in communication subjects in schools.

PHLPost plans to make the National Letter Writing Day an annual event and hopes to secure a Presidential Proclamation from Malacañang to institutionalize the occasion. (LTP/ PIA-Iloilo)

orporation e Postal C ring the in p ip il h P f du Director o ting letters ance of wri enter, just recently. raris, Area rt er o F p ta im li e io th Fab ity C lains Area-6, exp g Day at SM City Activ (PHLPost) n ti ri W Letter 1st National o) il lo -I (LTP/PIA

Students from various elementary and secondary schools here in Iloilo City take part in the 1st National Letter Writing Day by the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost)-6 held Wednesday at SM City Activity Center. (LTP/PIA-Iloilo)