VOL. 14 NO. 28 ORMOC CITY P 15.00 at the newsstands AUGUST 5-11, 2013

Website address: www.evmailnews.com For feedback/inquiries: e-mail ormocnews22@yahoo.com.ph

see LUCY p. 5

Suspected meningococcemia death creates ‘health scare’

see SCARE p. 11

Lucy fulfills promise: Increases stipend of scholars

Another Magna cum laude gets Lucy’s incentive of a laptop. Photo shows Kherstin Jaballa getting it from Caren Torres-Rama while EVSU Registrar Genelyn Calzada looks on.

By John DaviD agpalo

The health scare caused many Taclobanons to don gas masks while in public places to avoid

getting infected. By Dones Abrematea

TACLOBAN CITY – As this city grapples with the high incidence of the dreaded dengue, it now faces another health alert, this time from meningococcemia.

A 3rd year female student of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the Eastern Visayas State University is suspected to have died from the disease on August 5, while six others who were said to have been in contact with her were hospitalized this week.

After the news spread though, and hoax text messages spread likening the disease to the deadly AH1N1, people resorted to using gas masks in an effort to avoid breathing in the infection.

The Department of Health, on the other hand, clarified to media that the fatality and the cases of six other students are still being confirmed by their department if these are really cases of menin-gococcemia. The seven reportedly exhibited similar symptoms like high fever and rashes.

As of August 8, regional health authorities said there were only 12 reported cases of menin-gococcemia in Eastern Visayas and only one in Tacloban. The recent fatality and the six other cases have yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Mayor Alfred

Romualdez, local health board chairman, issued an official state-ment saying that they are npot conducting an investigation into the alleged health threat.

“The City government of Tacloban through the assistance of DOH Region 8, conducted an investigation at EVSU and shed light on Meningococcemia with respect to the EVSU student who died, it appears that despite hav-ing signs of weakness, rashes and other symptoms, she did not have herself immediately checked. For

OrmOc city – A total of 370 scholars received their scholarship allowances on August 10, 2013, a part of the Serbisyong Gomez proj-ect focusing on providing education for all spearheaded by congress-woman Lucy torres-Gomez and husband richard Gomez at Saint Peter’s college Gymnasium.

The 370 scholars are composed of college students from Eastern Visayas State University-Ormoc City Campus

(EVSU-OCC), Western Leyte Col-lege of Ormoc (WLC), Saint Peter’s College of Ormoc (SPC), Santo Niño College (SNC), STI-Ormoc, Palom-pon Institute of Technology (PIT), Ormoc City Institute of Technology (OCIT), AMA-ACLC Ormoc, San Lorenzo Ruiz College of Ormoc (SLRC), Leyte Normal University (LNU) and Visayas State University (VSU).

True to her word, the Congress-

woman increased her financial as-sistance to the scholars to P5,000.00 per semester already starting school year 2013-2014.

Scholarship Coordinator Carmen Jean Torres-Rama, Lucy’s sister, urged the scholars to value their scholarships. “Ampingi ninyo ang inyo scholarship kay para ra sad ni sa inyo kaugmaon. Maintain your

2 August 5-11, 2013NEWS

Sec. Roxas, Jimenez to grace 3rd EV Regional Business gab on August 15-17

Another salvage victim found

Ordinance to limit number of tricycles to only 2,000 passed on first reading

see TRAFFIC p. 3

SHOWING ONAUGUST 14-20, 2013

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Next showing is:

WOLVERINE 2

OrmOc city – it’s all systems go for the Ormoc chamber of commerce and industry inc. which is host-ing the 3rd Eastern Visayas regional chamber confer-ence at the Sabin resort Hotel on August 15-17, 2013.

The conference is themed “Seizing Business Opportuni-ties in Eastern Visayas Road-maps” which are in the areas of Information and Commu-nications Technology (ICT), Tourism and Agriculture.

The conference will have an array of powerhouse speak-ers like Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., an advertising ex-pert who came up with the suc-cessful slogan “It’s More Fun In the Philippines”; Secretary of the Interior and Local Gov-ernment Mar Roxas; Deputy Director Margarita Songco of the National Economic Devel-opment Authority (NEDA) and former USec. Merly Cruz of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Other speakers who have confirmed are regional direc-tors Antonio Gerundio of the Department of Agriculture; Karina Rosa S. Tiopes of the Department of Tourism; Edgardo Esperancilla of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla has also been invited to talk on the energy situationer of the country as it is a vital industry to almost all business sectors.

Eastern Visayas Chamber governor Atty. Roy Bernard Fiel and Ormoc Chamber president Inigo Larrazabal is inviting all businessmen, whether chamber members or not, to join the conference as it would give them valuable inputs on the areas of invest-ment in the region.

Registration is P 1,500 only.

Larrazabal said it was an opportunity especially for young enterpreneurs to listen to the experts as they impart their knowledge of the busi-ness prospects for the region

and learn what programs gov-ernment has for them. He pointed out that the govern-ment has so many programs but sadly, very few tap its bot-tomless resource. He said that drawing from his own experi-ence, he has already tapped the expertise and funding sources of DOST and prospective investors would be surprised at the variety of expertise and service the agency can provide them.

The Ormoc Chamber of Commerce officials are also grateful to the various sponsors of the conference, including Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez’s congressional office as an event partner.

Mayor Edward Codilla, on the other hand, will welcome the guests on opening day. By Lalaine M. Jimenea

OrmOc city – city coun-cilor Dr. Eusebio Gerardo “Gerry” Penserga this week passed on first reading an

Commuters going to and from Calubian, Leyte using the Visares route got stuck for more than two hours after a backhoe fell into a hole it was digging. Except for motorcycles, four-wheeled vehicles could not pass because the engineer in-charge would not listen to appeals for them to make a temporary detour at the area where the motorcycle is manuevering. There was enough SAG on side and a grader to do it.

ordinance proposing a cap to the issuance of ciN (city Identification Numbers) or what others popularly call “police number” to only 2,000, indefinitely.

This is one of the solu-tions to the traffic problem of the city that the council sees viable, considering that the number of tricycles plying the city’s streets are deemed more than what its narrow roads could take.

The measure was passed on first reading and will soon be scheduled for public consul-tation before it is fine-tuned during the second reading. Ini-tially, Penserga was proposing a 2-month moratorium to the issuance of CIN’s by the city to pave the way to a study but it was agreed to instead pass an ordinance putting a cap on the numbers at 2,000. Right now, Ormoc has some 1,987 CIN’s issued with more people applying than those dropping their units.

Benedicto Lambonao, president of the Ormoc Mo-

torized Tricycle and Operators’ Association who is now the mayor’s protocol officer, said he agrees with the move to put a cap on the number of tri-cycles running on city streets. He said there were too many already and it was not helping the drivers anymore.

Meanwhile, in the recent chamber quarterly conference, new Ormoc City Administra-tor Atty. Irene Resurreccion said that she has already given her “marching orders” to a technical working group that was formed to look into traffic concerns.

Atty. Resurrecion said she has already been around the city, walked through its streets, went to the market and talked with the vendors to elicit from them ideas on how to improve the city’s order. Ressureccion said that the vendors were amenable to relocate to a more decent place where they can sell their goods.

She underlined that another

MERIDA, LEYTE – For the second time in the span of barely three months, another victim of what is believed to be a “salvaging” was found at Brgy. Can-unzo here on August 8.

The new victim is one Kenneth Penida y Orias, 18, a resident of Punta in Ormoc City. He was identified by his father Conrado.

When found, the victim was totally naked. He bore signs of torture and had a mark on his neck indicating he was choked to death, aside from gunshot wounds. He also had cigarette burn marks on the base of his left fingers believed to be the mark of a “True Brown Style” gang member.

A witness, one Romeo Banos said he was around 50 meters away when two motorcycles stopped and its passengers went off. A short while after, shots rang out and by dawn, they found the victim’s body.

It can be recalled that last July 9, a salvaging victim was also found thrown at an isolated portion of the highway at Brgy. Libas here. He was identified as Edward Zapanta, a resident of Albuera, Leyte and had cases of theft but was out on bail when he was killed. Last week, a salvaging victim was also found at Brgy. Valencia in Ormoc City, his death similar to that of Zapanta who suffered gunshot wounds. By Paul Libres

ORMOC CITY – At least 13 young people from Brgy. Lake Danao were injured in a road mishap after the Multicab they were riding lost a wheel while going downhill at Brgy. Milagro in the morning of August 8.

Most were students of the Dolores National High School and were on their way to school. Another two passengers who were also injured were of legal age.

The victims were identified as Rico Dionaldo, 13; Lovelyn Llena, 15; May-rose Aiza, 13; Ronie Laurente, 16; Raymart Ablen, 15; Anthony Serut, 14; a Mark Anthony, 16; James Monares, 13; John Monares, 17; Jerome Monares, 19; Mary Ann Pedilla, 14; Richard Alba, 6; Felix Alba, 32 and Danilo Sepe, 54.

The Multicab with Plate Number HVK-172 was driven by one Feliciano Desor, 58, a resident of Brgy. Dolores.

PO3 Roger Baronda of the traffic division here said that there was no casualty from the accident and the Multicab’s owners were taking care of those who were treated at the hospital. By Paul Libres

13 young students injured

Probe vs. Camp Downes chairman, Sumangga councilor suspended

ORMOC CITY – Councilor Atty. Benjamin “Bennet” Pongos Jr. said that much as he would want to resolve in the soonest time possible the administrative complaints filed against two barangay officials that he inherited from the past city council, he would have to suspend the

conduct of investigations be-cause of a 90-day ban on all similar proceedings before the Barangay and Sanggu-niang Kabataan elections on October 2013.

Pongos said that the complaints pertained to one filed against Barangay Chair-man Samuel Baldezanso of Camp Downes by 15 resi-dents for grave misconduct and oppression and the other against councilor Mario Albur of Sumangga for dereliction of duties and absenteeism filed by the council itself.

Pongos Jr., who is good government and ethics chair-man, said that he had called for a hearing on both cases already, hoping for a speedy resolution before the deadline. However, no amicable settle-ment were reached between the parties and it was already close to the July 30 deadline.

Pongos, who informed the city council about this matter during their past session in a committee report, said he would be passing a resolution to formally call for a suspension of the investigation because of the prohibition. By Jessica Cordero

3August 5-11, 2013 NEWS

reason why traffic creeps forward a snail’s pace in identified choke points is the unlawful flock-ing of ukay-ukay vendors in the bus terminal. She said that as “emergency solution”, they have enforced a verbal agreement with the ukay-ukay vendors that they honor a former verbal agreement to start selling in the area at 5:00 PM. She expressed that the long term solution to the problem, however, is to really ban them from the area “because that is not supposed to be an ukay-ukay area”.

She also said that they are planning to relo-cate the terminal to a more strategic area so it will not cause traffic problems in the city proper. “The details”, which she said, “will come after”.

Moreover, Atty. Resurrecion said that a priority is the installation of traffic lights to reduce the manpower spent on manning traffic.

It was also learned from Councilor Mario Rodriguez, who was present in the chamber forum, that a “Comprehensive Traffic Code” has already been passed by the past city coun-cil but its implementation has yet to be done. “It is supposed to be on dry run already so we do hope in the next few weeks we will get the reports of the traffic division of our police so we can move on and probably answer the more long term effects of these traffic concerns. We hope to address that and really come up with a more comprehensive traffic code that would hopefully address all our concerns because we

all know that this affects the business climate in the city”, Councilor Rodriguez said.

As of press time, the City Administrator said that they are reinforcing the training of traffic enforcers. She recounted an incident when they chanced on three traffic enforcers just talking on the side and only moved to manage the traffic when they saw her and the Mayor’s daughter.

Moreover, she has ordered the transfer of the PNP office at the market area to the termi-nal “because if they have an office there, lesser criminality would have to be encountered or will occur, mababantayan ang mga roads natin there and most importantly, madidisplina ang mga police although disiplinado naman po sila.” She also clarified that there is no problem with the budget for the transfer of PNP office. “We do not need a very good office, we need a good leadership that has to be represented by would start sa isang office na presentable po, sa harapan po ng terminal”, she further said. By John David Agpalo

TRAFFIC ... from P. 2

ORMOC CITY – The City Social Welfare and Develop-ment Office (CSWDO) has taken in 58 street children under their custody in July, in compliance with the order of Mayor Edward Codilla who said these children were not supposed to be begging on the streets but should be in school.

To find these young vagabonds, street facilitators go around the city from 7 o’clock in the evening to morning everyday. Ms. Raquel Arpon, an officer of the CSWDO, said they would usually look for these children at the food park, city stage, and in the market. On Sundays, they go to churches since most of these children go there to ask for alms. They also check in some barangays when informed that street children stray around there.

Mayor Codilla reportedly wants these children edu-cated. At present, there are already 50 given support by the local government for their education. However, of the 58 new wards of the CSWDO, none have yet been sent to school since the social workers are still observing them. Some of them, it was learned, would be returned to their parents.

58 street kids taken in by CSWDO

3 studes“possessed” at Ipil HS cause classes

to be suspendedORMOC CITY - Three students of the Ipil National High School, all girls, who allegedly were “possessed” by evil spirits caused the suspension of classes on the afternoon of August 2, 2013, after news about it spread like wildfire in the community and parents rushed to the school to take away their students.

Ms Jemma Peñalosa, principal, said that the incident happened at around 1:00 PM. According to witnesses, the two students were “possessed” first and showed violent behavior, then another one followed.

The girls came from the Grades 7 and 8 classes, it was learned. Those who saw the “possession” start said the girls were shouting while dancing “budots” then began showing signs of aggression. “Kusgan man kaayo toh sila kadtong gigunitan sila pero kadtong wa na sila gigunitan kay wala naman sila nag-wild”, one student said.

However, Peñalosa said she does not believe the girls were possessed. “It’s more of psychological problem. I don’t believe it was evil spirits because they were all conscious. When we instructed them to pray Our Father and Hail Mary, they obeyed and when one student was told by her mother that she will bring her to a tambalan, she refused”, said Peńalosa.

Peńalosa added she asked the opinion of Father Dennis Molabola about the incident. “Father Dennis told me na usually sa mga kaso nga ing-ani, ang psychological state sa bata gyud nah ang una tan-awon, unya ang family background dayon”, she said.

She added that, “Ang usa ka estudyante is away from her family and is just living with her lola. Siguro, tungod ana, the child is longing for her family and she wants attention. Mao to ang nahitabo.”

Peńalosa said that the afternoon classes had to be suspended after the parents of students rushed to the school to check on their children, creating a chaotic atmosphere.

see KIDS p. 5

(THIRD AND LAST INSTALLMENT)But the critics will never fully disappear. Some are complaining

that the price of electricity will increase with the usage of diesel-fueled generator sets. Hydropower is abundant now because of the rainy season, so we hear objections to the generator sets. But come summer, many will once again complain about eight-hour brownouts.

We also want more power plants built in other parts of the Philip-pines. As our economy grows, so will our consumption of electricity, which means we must likewise increase supply. Do we really want to wait until our plants are at full capacity before more plants are built? Power plants do not sprout like mushrooms—a power plant takes two to three years to construct.

If anyone has a good suggestion, we are ready to listen. But I also hope that the kibitzers put the situation in the proper context. The plant in Redondo, Zambales, is a good example. A TRO was issued against the plant because of the argument that renewable energy is better. Did they happen to mention that renewable energy is also more expensive—from the cost of building the plants to the eventual price of energy? Did they mention that it cannot provide the baseload—the capacity required to make sure brownouts do not occur? If you put up a wind-powered plant, what do you do when there is no wind? If you put up a solar plant, what do you when the sky is cloudy? Let me be clear: I believe in renewable energy and we support its use, but there should also be baseload plants that can ensure a steady supply of electricity for our homes and industries. I wonder if those who are critical of the plants we want put up will be as noisy when they are busy fanning themselves during brownouts. All I am really saying is this: Let us help each other find a solution.

Since we are being frank with each other, let us talk about the renova-tion of NAIA 3. This is a complex issue, which has already undergone two arbitrations. We would have won both of them, but one of the decisions was reversed due to a technicality. This is why we are now preparing for our case to be heard once more. And there are added complications because of the issue of warranties for the completion of NAIA 3—it is not acceptable for us to find defects after renovations, and then have to spend even more money to fix them. This is why when we were told that the original contractor was willing to give a proper warranty, we agreed to the deal. But we want to be certain; we want to fully and correctly go through the process. So I must ask for your understanding on this issue.

Today, it is clear: A single goal is behind each square meter of ce-ment we pour in building the foundations of a more progressive country; gain for all—and not politics. Whereas before, roads were constructed based on whims, and bridges were built where the Mayor enjoyed the friendship of Madam, now, we follow a nationwide plan. No favorites, no transactionalism, no patronage; each peso is spent to accelerate our goal of broad-based growth.

What we can expect in the years to come: airports and ports to facilitate commerce and tourism; roads to ensure that we all reap the maximum benefit from these big-ticket projects; power plants that will generate enough energy and fuel the development of industry. This is the framework from which other initiatives will branch out, creating even greater opportunities for Juan and Juana dela Cruz—from the farmer who will have access to adequate irrigation and who will be able to sell his harvest more quickly, to the construction workers erecting new build-ings; from the continued development of call centers across the country, to the rise of even more businessmen ready to invest in the Philippines. We implemented the right projects for the right price; we completed these projects with the right quality; and we finished, or we will finish, these projects right on time, because the right people worked on them.

Let us talk about traffic: Isn’t it estimated that our economy loses an estimated 2.4 billion pesos every day because of Metro Manila traf-fic? Among the projects targeted to decongest Manila is the Integrated Transport System. For the buses that force themselves onto already-crowded roads, we will construct terminals in areas with less traffic. Our countrymen can already make use of the terminal in Parañaque, and the ones in Quezon City and Muntinlupa are already lined up. Provincial buses will be permitted only up to these terminals, so they do not add to the congestion.

There is also the two connector roads that will join the North and South Luzon Expressways. To tell you the truth, there were already plans to construct what they called the Metro Manila Highway in the seven-ties. This would have connected the two expressways, so that traveling from one point to another need not consume the hours it takes to pass through the entire length of EDSA. The problem: Mr. Marcos issued laws that favored one of his cronies. And unfortunately, we are required to follow them: Whoever constructs infrastructure in those areas must be in partnership with the corporation of Mr. Marcos’ friend. Even worse: every time they add even just another short section to the original road, their franchise is extended by thirty years. That is not the end of it: Once the company profited, the development of infrastructure in the area was left unfinished. Remember that these roads were supposed to traverse Pangasinan to Quezon… But when the company operated at a loss, they had the audacity to pass on to the government a multitude of debts. I ask our Congress today: Let us take another look at Presidential Decrees 1113 and 1894.

Despite this, our projects continue. We have an eight-kilometer, four-lane elevated expressway that will connect C3 road to Caloocan, crossing España, up to PUP in Sta. Mesa. There is also a more than fourteen-kilometer six-lane elevated tollway extending from Balintawak to Buendia in Makati. The Common Alignment of these two roads: a five-and-a-half kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway from PUP in Sta. Mesa, crossing Osmeña and Quirino Avenue, to Buendia in Makati. Once this road is opened to the public, what once took two hours from SLEX to NLEX will now take only fifteen minutes. What once was a three-hour drive from Clark to Calamba will be reduced by almost half to an hour and forty minutes. Every day, an estimated 55,000 motorists will benefit from this project. Motorists will save time and gas, pollution will be decreased, and commerce and tourism will flourish. Is this not a win-win situation?

In the space of only three years, we have proven that agencies that were once cesspools of corruption can be transformed into examples of honest and efficient service. Some of the simple, but effective, reforms that Secretary Singson implemented in DPWH: no more letters of intent, which bidders once used in conspiring with each other to inflate costs and gain more profit; simplified bidding processes, so even more contractors can compete for projects; and reasonable costs of doing projects. Govern-ment also now pays on time, attracting even more skilled contractors to do their part in raising the quality of public infrastructure. This kind of honest leadership has allowed the DPWH to save 18.4 billion pesos, which has been allotted to other meaningful projects.

As an example of the dividends of good governance, let us look at the Tagumbao Bridge in Gerona, Tarlac. In truth, I was an advocate of its

The President’s SONA 2013[This is an English translation of the SONA delivered at the Session Hall of the House of

Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 22, 2013]

construction back when I was just a Congressman. Back then, some of my constituents had to circle around two towns just to cross a river that overflowed during the rainy season. I even told past administrations: you can have my entire PDAF, just complete the bridge, in installments if possible. But nothing happened and time passed. The gap separat-ing the banks of the river—and thus, the length of the bridge that was required—only widened further.

Right now, we are constructing the Tagumbao Bridge. Now that we are the ones implementing it, this is the story: Approved funds for the project stand at around 334 million pesos; but because of good manage-ment and prudent spending, the cost was lowered to 226 million pesos. In the end, we saved a total of over 108 million pesos without sacrificing the quality of the completed bridge. And even better: The funds that we saved can be used in the construction of a dike and river training projects for Phase II.

Let us move on to tourism. According to the Oriental Morning Post, we are the “Best Tourism Destination of 2012.” And it seems the Shanghai Morning Post fell in love with our country when they named us the “Most Romantic Destination of 2012.” Scuba Diving Magazine says that the Philippines is the “Best Diving Destination.” And Palawan is the “Best Island” if you ask Travel + Leisure Magazine. It seems they just stopped short of calling us paradise.

Given such resounding praise, it comes as no surprise that in 2012, we registered 4.3 million tourist arrivals in our country—another new record high. This figure is a 21.4 percent increase from when we assumed office in 2010, when only an estimated 3.1 million tourists visited our country. When it comes to our domestic travelers, our previous target for 2016 was 35.5 million tourists. But we have surpassed this as early as 2011, with 37.5 million domestic tourists. With the momentum that we are now experiencing, we have full confidence that we will achieve our new domestic target of 56.1 million before the end of 2016.

A stronger tourism sector will generate more job opportunities. The DOT estimates that tourism created 3.8 million jobs in 2011. The truth is, it is not just our scenic and most famed destinations that will profit from the arrival of tourists, but also the nearby towns that can be considered tourism support communities; the places from which resorts and hotels source the food that they serve, the souvenirs that they sell, as well as other products and services that provide a source of income for our provinces.

And I am certain that you have also heard the good news that has recently landed in our country. Last March, the International Civil Aviation Organization removed the significant safety concerns they had previously imposed on the Philippines. This was a fruit of our reforms in the aviation industry, to ensure that aviation safety in the Philippines meets international standards. And because of this, just last July 10, the European Union has once again permitted our flag carrier to resume direct flights to Europe.

Think about it: What if our aviation industry had already been im-proved and strengthened before? Was it not a waste to miss out on tourists whose lack of enthusiasm for visiting the country can be attributed to this? Missed jobs, funds, and opportunities—these are the results of the previous system of governance.

This is why, from the very onset, we have fought against corruption in all levels of government and pushed for the transformation of our institutions. The result: public service that truly benefits our countrymen.

Let us just look at the depth of transformation taking place in our GOCCs. Government-owned corporations whose losses were previously subsidized by the national government are now turning over dividends. Let us take the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) as an example. In the thirteen years prior to our term, from 1996 to 2009, the dividends of the PRA amounted to a sum total of 676.82 million pesos. Along the straight path: in 2012 alone, their dividends—1 billion pesos. Is this not a complete transformation?

The Local Water Utilities Administration is another good example. In 2011, the said GOCC recorded a net loss of 950 million pesos. But because of prudent management, they did more than just balance their books; based on their report, their gross income amounted to 870 million pesos in 2012. Because of this, they were able to remit 365 million pesos to government for that same year.

Yet another example: In my first SONA, we exposed the questionable practices of the MWSS, whose officials were giving themselves excessive bonuses and allowances, even as their company failed to address the needs of our citizens. This agency itself reported: The MWSS registered losses amounting to 34 million pesos in 2010. This was completely un-acceptable. That is why in 2011, we signed the GOCC Governance Act, which serves as the standard for integrity, credibility, and accountability in the management of our GOCCs. Its results: In 2011, the MWSS earned 333 million pesos, from the 34-million-peso loss of 2010. In 2012, their earnings totaled almost 2 billion pesos. Consequently, their dividends have also increased: from 150 million in 2011, these increased to 345 mil-lion pesos for 2012. It is saddening though, that the depth of the reforms planted by the MWSS leadership is tarnished by the mudslinging of those who want to cling to the old system.

In tandem with the increased confidence in our good governance is the continued resurgence of our economy. The results: two consecutive ten-place jumps in the global competitiveness index of the World Eco-nomic Forum. For the first time in history, we attained investment-grade status from two of the three most respected credit ratings agencies in the world, and it is quite possible that the third will soon follow suit. We have maintained the stability of our consumer goods prices, and we continue to reduce the portion of our budget allotted to paying our debts, while increasing the funds allotted to social services. In a period of lethargic global economic activity, we registered an astounding 6.8 percent GDP growth in 2012. We surpassed this in the first quarter of 2013, when we reported growth of 7.8 percent—the highest recorded GDP in East and Southeast Asia. Special mention must be made of the 28.5 percent contributed by the manufacturing sector to the growth of our economy. And we anticipate that manufacturing will gain even more traction in the coming years.

We are now considered a rising tiger by the World Bank; the bright-est spark, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, among other accolades that allude to the transformation that is sweeping our nation. From the prudent expenditure of funds to the effective collection of taxes; from infrastructure development to the trans-parent conduct of business that generates jobs, our message to the world could not be clearer: The Philippines is ready to ride the tides of progress.

The transformation of our society is not just evident in the economy or in statistics. Now, Filipinos know: Rich or poor, with or without political connections, when you do wrong, you will pay the consequences. Now, justice is truly blind. We will not undermine the orders of our Bosses to hold the corrupt accountable, and to right the wrongs of a system that has long beggared our country.

In fact, we are already holding the former leadership of TESDA accountable for his part in the outrageous overpricing of purchases by the agency. For example: one incubator jar is priced at 149 pesos. But Mr. Syjuco priced the same jar at 15,375 pesos. The normal price of a dough cutter, 120 pesos. The price according to Mr. Syjuco: 48,507 pesos. Let’s be clear: This is a dough cutter, not a Hamilton Class Cutter. Perhaps when he finally has his day in court to face the cases filed by the Ombudsman, Mr. Syjuco will finally learn to count.

We have also indicted the former PAGCOR officials who embezzled 26.7 million pesos just to produce a movie; burned through funds amount-ing to 186 million pesos to finance a party-list; and had the gall to use the rice donations allotted to calamity victims for campaign sorties.

Former leaders of the PNP are also being made to answer allegations regarding the 131.6 million pesos wasted on seventy-five defective rubber boats, and the 104.99 million pesos spent on the anomalous purchase of secondhand helicopters from 2009 to 2010. It would actually be better if they are able to properly answer questions regarding this, so we may discover if there are others who must also be held accountable.

On the topics of Cadavero, PDAF, MRT 3, and others: Just because the critics are not aware of what we are doing, they assume that we are doing nothing about these issues. If government possesses no data and yet announces who it will investigate, does that not send a message to the suspects to just hide the evidence? This is why we go where the truth takes us. The evidence decides our path.

When we denounced the “wang-wang” culture, we did not just dismantle the sirens of those who lord it over the streets; we also up-rooted the culture of corruption that seemed firmly entrenched in our public institutions.

But let us be honest: Even today, there are still those in government who seemingly refuse to change. It is disheartening to discover the depth and breadth to which they have branched out in the bureaucracy; the mo-ment we look away, someone is sure to be taken advantage of and victim-ized. The time has come to name names: we have repeatedly admonished the Bureau of Immigration to improve their watch over our ports and airports. How then was it possible for the brothers Joel and Mario Reyes, the principal suspects in the slaying of Gerry Ortega, to leave the country? How could the escape of the Korean Park Sungjun—as blatantly seen in CCTV footage—have taken place? He is wanted in (South) Korea, and their government asked for our assistance in securing his arrest. How can we face them now, when our own government employees are the ones who enabled his escape?

The “make-do” culture at the NIA has also tested our patience. Instead of laying out plans for new irrigation systems, they are merely content with the continued rehabilitation of existing irrigation. For them, shoddy repairs are enough to say they have already done a good job. During their anniversary, I asked them why only 60 percent of their target was accomplished in 2012, when they had reached 80 percent in 2011. The next day, I met with their head during the NEDA Board Meet-ing. His excuse: 40 percent of the target areas were located in Mindanao and were devastated by Typhoon Pablo, thus the delay. When were we hit by Typhoon Pablo? In the first week of December. Which means that he meant to complete the remaining 40 percent of his tasks in the span of just three weeks. This is the kind of leadership we no longer need in the bureaucracy.

And here we have the Bureau of Customs, whose personnel are trying to outdo each other’s incompetence. Instead of collecting the proper taxes and preventing contraband from entering the country, they are heedlessly permitting the smuggling of goods, and even drugs, arms, and other items of a similar nature into our territory. The Depart-ment of Finance estimates that more than 200 billion pesos in revenue slips through our borders without going into public coffers. Where do these people get the gall? One can almost hear these public officials say, “I don’t care if the weapons go to criminal elements; I don’t care how many lives are ruined by drugs; I don’t care if our fields remain barren forever; What matters is that I am rich; it’s every man for himself.” Such practices have no place in government. If you cannot do your job, you do not deserve to remain in office.

If you are a good, conscientious employee of the BI, NIA, Customs, or any other government agency, I hope that you do even more. It is not enough to lie low and hide inside your cubicle; to prevent wrongdoing is part of your duty. You are in the right, so there is no need to hide; please make it easy for me to find people like you; I will raise you up as praiseworthy examples, that we may fully transform the flawed culture of your agencies.

And for those employees who refuse to turn their backs on the culture of wang-wang: my patience has run out. You were given three years to demonstrate your readiness to change; now, I shall pursue all of you and hold you accountable. No hard feelings.

And let us include in these reforms corrupt members of our Civil Service. It was during my mother’s time when I heard someone say, “So what if Malacañang ordered this? You will only be there for six years.” It is time to rectify this way of thinking. I call on our Congress to examine our Civil Service Code and PD1, so that we can revise these at the earli-est possible time. I support the development of mechanisms that will restore the integrity of public service; that will ensure that only honest, capable, and principled civil servants will be allowed to enter and remain in government service.

And now, let’s allow our countrymen to share the transformations taking place in their lives:

“My name is Violeta S. Abuque. We didn’t have [the Conditional Cash Transfer Program] before. Life was hard, you didn’t have any money, and you couldn’t approach anyone to ask for help because they didn’t have anything either.

“We were very happy that when DSWD launched their program, it covered even those of us living in the mountains. This program will help me put my children to school. We’ve realized how important it is to invest in your children’s education; they’ll have a different life from our ancestors who couldn’t even write their own names.

“I am very thankful for the [Conditional Cash Transfer] program, and to everyone who has supported this.”

— Violeta S. Abuque [CCT beneficiary]“Before, my children couldn’t even bring food to eat in school—but now

they can, and they even have breakfast.“You really have to fulfill the conditions that come with the program. And,

of course, you have to find a way to complement and augment the help they’ve given you. So every week, my child and I make some peanut butter and sell it.

I am very grateful that I’m part of the [Conditional Cash Transfer] program, because it has been a really big help to my family.”

— Dulce Panaligan [CCT beneficiary]“I went back to selling balut [fertilized duck eggs] while I was looking for

a job. And then I heard that TESDA was holding trainings. I read up on these, and I registered. I’m very happy with how the TESDA program has helped me with my job-seeking. I’ve used what I’ve learned, so I can get a better life, so I can learn more things—especially applying what I’ve learned to my job.

— Emerson Paguia, TESDA scholar, IT Web Developer“On 6:45 in the morning of April 2, I was on my way to the PCCR review

center. A mugger entered the jeep, and on the Nagtahan flyover, declared a robbery. He held me at knifepoint, and when I struggled, he stabbed me on the thigh, but I got the knife from him. Before he got off the jeep, I stuck the knife

4 August 5-11, 2013The PRESIDENT

see SONA 2013 p. 5

5August 5-11, 2013 NEWS

SONA 2013 ... from P. 1in his back. I chased after him, and we were both bleeding. This was probably what got the people’s attention, which eventually led to the mugger’s arrest.

“I’m always aware of the oath I took, to serve our citizens. To my fellow police officers: Let us always do what is right, and what is for the good of the country—at the same time, what will reflect well on what we’re doing as PNP.”

— PO3 Edlyn Arbo, Philippine National Police.“I was assigned to Police Station 4 from 2006 to 2012. I was given a spot

meritorious promotion by the President, probably because of my apprehension of some of Bacolod City’s most wanted criminals. Last Saturday, I used the new gun the President had given me recently, to apprehend notorious car burglars here in Bacolod City.

“We do our jobs even if it’s difficult, even if we have to put our lives on the line—we do it so we can serve our fellowmen and our country.”

— PO3 Felipe Moncatar, PNP“My car broke down along Quezon Avenue, just after the tunnel. A police-

man arrived after fifteen minutes, and he really helped me out—he even tried to lift the car with his bare hands. So I was thinking that, eventually, he would ask for a reward. Then the towing vehicle arrived, and they were about to tow my car. But this policeman said: No, help first before you haul.

“Out of gratitude, I tried to hand him 1,000 pesos for his help. But he refused it. He told me: Our job is to help the citizens. There has been positive change among our police force. To PO Sultan, I salute you.”

— Armin Punzalan, businessman“The Navy’s modernization program is not just about equipment—it’s

all about the welfare of our ranks. Everyone can see this—not just me, but all of my colleagues in the Philippine Navy; we are all very happy with the reforms we’ve seen.

“We’re experiencing the returns of the President’s straight and righteous path. We’re happy now, we do not want of anything. I tell my colleagues: The government has been giving us so much, and we just need to do our jobs well in return—to give back to the country, to give back to the people.”

— Lt. Commander Desuasido, Philippine NavyOur country has never lacked for people prepared to take a stand and

fight for our country regardless of the enormity of the challenges before them. There is the courage of Commodore Ramon Alcaraz during the Second World War. In a small wooden Q-Boat, he took on nine Japanese Zero fighters—then considered among the most modern planes; three of these, he shot down. In fact, he would have continued fighting had he not received an order from his superiors to surrender. This type of bravery is what our soldiers display every day as they patrol our most remote mountains and our farthest islands; soldiers who continuously bear the distance from their families, who proudly stand their ground against anyone who challenges our sovereignty. It is no exaggeration either when I say that the triumphs we have achieved along the straight path might still be distant aspirations had it not been for the members of our Cabinet. When I asked them to join the government, they knew their jobs were not going to be easy. That they accepted the challenges was a blessing. They took an oath to help in transforming the country, and from the beginning, they have made sacrifices every day so that the privilege of serving you does not go to waste.

There are those like Secretary Albert del Rosario. Going by tradi-tion, a Secretary’s first official travel outside the Philippines would be to a country with whom we enjoy strong and peaceful relations. But only a few hours after taking his oath as Foreign Affairs Secretary, Secretary del Rosario only took the time to possibly pack a change of clothes be-fore immediately flying to Libya. He went through more than twenty checkpoints in the middle of crossfire and led the evacuation of more than 20,000 Filipinos who were caught in the conflict in Libya. You might

also be surprised to hear the nationalities of the men and women we also ended up evacuating. Truly, the Philippines is different today: From a country that was always just the recipient of help, we have become a country capable of providing help.

All things considered, Secretary Albert could have said “no” to working in government. He is a successful and respected businessman, and, certainly, he would be much more comfortable living a private life. He had also already served as ambassador to America. He could have become disillusioned after being removed from his position, because he opposed the past administration’s declaration of a State of Emergency back in 2006. But we asked him to return to government, and he did. Now, he is contributing even more as Secretary. He is ready to put himself in harm’s way, because he knows that no one else will save Filipinos but fellow Filipinos. For continuing to stand up for our rights, I salute you, Secretary Albert del Rosario.

We also know that excellent public servants do not just transform a society; they inspire. Millions of Filipinos grieved when Jesse Robredo passed. For almost two decades, he served and led Naga with skill, com-passion, and humility. These principles of his are the exact reasons we borrowed him from Congresswoman Leni and their three children, and from the Nagueños, so that he could become part of our Cabinet. This is why one of the hardest things I ever had to do as President was to deliver the news to Leni and their daughters, after the tragedy.

Apart from grieving, I could not avoid blaming myself for what happened to Jesse. Maybe if I had not asked him to join my Cabinet, he would still be alive today. Maybe if he had remained in Naga, he would still be with us. Maybe there would still be a Jesse Robredo in public service today.

But I also know that Jesse would not allow the transformation and righting of society to end with him. Jesse and I were only given opportu-nities to serve the country because of all of you. We cannot have just one face for transformation and change. We should not have to wait another hundred years before the next good citizen is born, before the next good Filipino rises to the occasion.

There are those who always ask: What will happen in 2016? What will happen when you step down? Will that be the end of good, honest governance? Will we have reached the end of the straight and righteous path?

My Bosses, let us remember: where did we begin? If you have doubts now, compare them with the doubts we all carried in 2010. Were we not happy enough then just to see the darkness end? Was it not enough for us to be able to replace those in power?

Now, we are experiencing change. Change that has sprung from the seeds of kindness, solidarity, and good will; change that was brought about by the million of Filipinos who have, in their own ways, big and small, pitched in and transformed the country.

And just look at where working together as one people has brought us: Did anyone imagine that peace would be within reach for a region that has, for the past 40 years, been torn apart by conflict? Who else could be responsible for this but the Moros who laid down their arms and said: “Come. Let’s talk. I trust you.” Who else but the common Filipino citizen who said: “Brother, we are all Filipinos. Let us put an end to this conflict.”

When the Pantawid Pamilya program was initially proposed, there were some who asked: How could we possibly achieve the program’s desired effects; where are the funds to cover all poor Filipinos? Did any-one imagine that in just three years, we will have expanded the scope of our project to cover four million household beneficiaries? And isn’t it they themselves who continue to help this program succeed? Each

mother who wakes up early to send her child off to school? Each child that studies hard?

Did anyone imagine that from importing millions of tons of rice, we would be 94 percent rice self-sufficient by the end of 2012? Did anyone imagine that a country known as the “Sick Man of Asia” would, within three years of good governance, reach investment-grade status? Who would have thought that all the social interventions the government is providing right now would be doable without raising taxes, apart from the Sin Tax? And did they not have a part in this—each accountant, each doctor, each lawyer who now pays the right taxes? Didn’t we all have a part in this?

Is there any space left for doubt? Especially now that we are achiev-ing things we never thought we could achieve; especially now that we have made progress—that our shared goals are within reach? My Bosses: Is this really the time for doubt?

For every Filipino who believes in the strength of small acts of kindness: You made this transformation possible. This is your SONA.

For every teacher who wakes at dawn just to teach children in far-flung areas: This is your SONA. For every policeman who serves and asks for nothing in return: This is your SONA.

For every Filipino who, unhappy with the list of candidates in an election, chose to knock on the doors of your neighbors to say: “We can’t be content. Let us find a rightful leader together,” this is your SONA.

For every student who strives to be aware of social issues, and does not just complain on Facebook but actually proposes solutions: This is your SONA.

For Brigadier General Ramon Mateo Dizon, the soon-to-retire head of the PSG, who stood alongside me even in facing coup d’états during my mother’s term: Up until my presidency, you have protected me, and my first and official family. I am able to go to different countries and to far corners of the Philippines with full confidence. Chito, you have done your part in changing our country. You are truly loyal to your flag, to the Constitution, and to the Filipino people. Of course, you could not have accomplished all this without your wife Jo-ann by your side. This SONA is for both of you as well.

And to all who roused their fellow citizens from apathy, those who challenged the cynics in our midst, and those who made the stubborn see reason: This is your SONA.

The road ahead of us is long; and we never said it would be easy—or that we could tread this path free of challenge. But I do not doubt our capacity to overcome any obstacle. We did not achieve our current suc-cess by chance. Let us not allow this transformation to be temporary; let us seize this opportunity to make the change permanent.

This is our fourth SONA. When I was a congressman, the people of Tarlac were my strength. When I became a senator and until now, in my Presidency, the people of our country have been there. You are my strength. As we continue doing our part—and as we continue placing faith in our fellowmen and in God—I tell you: It will still be you who will make certain that what we have begun here will continue; you will be the ones who will make sure that we will completely eradicate corruption; you will be the ones who will make sure that we will never again stray from the straight and righteous path.

Once, I was told: “Noynoy, just begin the change.” So we did, and we can all see how far we have come. Now, my countrymen, let us continue to stand arm-in-arm. Together, let us foster, accelerate, and expand the transformation of society. I am Noynoy Aquino, and I proudly say to the world: I am a Filipino. How wonderful it is to be a Filipino in these times.

Thank you.

Photo above shows the scholars in a group shot with Vincent and Caren Rama who represented Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. Middle, with the congressional district staff and below, the Ramas with the college registrars and Ms Emma Fiel-Fragata (rightmost).

LUCY ... from P. 1

good grades para ma-continue ninyo ang inyo scholarship”, she said.

On the same day, another student from EVSU-Ormoc received a new Sony Vaio laptop from Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez. The con-gresswoman has promised her scholars a laptop each if they graduate Magna cum laude. To recall, two of her scholars graduated Magna cum laude last year and got a laptop each.

Kherstin Jaballa, who grad-uated Magna cum laude last April, expressed her delight and thanked Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez for help-ing her pursue her dreams. “Without her, I might not have been able to graduate on time”.

“I really feel happy that after several years of hard work sprinkled with tears, blood and sweat, I was able to make it. And that I was able to finish my studies with high honors” said Jaballa who is now working as a call center agent and a part-time staff of the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu.

Meanwhile, Ms Rama said the Congresswoman also ex-tends her heartfelt gratitude to the school registrars, scholar-ship in-charge, Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Re-gion VIII and Department of Social Welfare and Develop-ment (DSWD) for their show of support and cooperation to her programs and hard work to achieve a better 4th district through her educational assis-tance to deserving students. By John David Agpalo

In his usual speech during a flag ceremony one Monday, Mayor Codilla reported to LGU employees that about 95% of the street children are now in

government custody. He asked for the PNP and DSWD’s persistence to make sure that the remaining 5% be taken in, as well. By Jessica Cordero

SONA 2013 ... from P. 1

Ormoc City Social Welfare and Development Staff pose with two foreign volunteers.

6 August 5-11, 2013

see FR. ROY p. 5

Lucy’s office is still very much around

see POTPOURRI p. 11

Anti-greed campaign

The choice of articles to write

? Cemetery - Public

LALAINE MARCOS-JIMENEAPublisher/Editor-in-Chief

JOSE SANRO C. JIMENEABusiness Manager

Correspondents/ Columnists: PAUL LIBRES, JESSICA DORDERO, JOHN DAVID AGPALO, MUTYA COLLANDER, MARICAR SAMSON, TED MARCOS, IVY CONGSON, DR. MANUEL K. PALOMAR, Ph.D., VICKY C. ARNAIZ, JT DELOS ANGELES, ATTY. BEULAH COELI FIEL, RICARDO MARTINEZ, JR., FR. ROY CIMAGALA, JAN COLLANDER, ENGR. GORGONIO CAING, ATTY. CARLO LORETO, ATTY. EMMANUEL GOLO, ADELINA CARRENO, IÑIGO LARRAZABAL, YONG ROM,, PROF. EDITHA CAGASAN

KEN ENECIOSection Editor

with MAI-MAI T. VELASQUEZ, GIL-BERT ABAÑO, EMIE CHU, DR. GERRY PENSERGA, NIKKI TABUCANON SIA

Cartoonist: HARRY TEROWebsite address:

http://www.evmailnews.comemail: ormocnews@yahoo.com and/or lalainej@gmail.com

The EASTERN VISAYAS MAIL is published weekly with Editorial and Business Offices at 111 Real Street (Manolo Compound), Ormoc City, Leyte

Telefax Nos: 561-8580; 255-5746; e-mail: ormocnews22@yahoo.com.phENTERED AS 2ND CLASS MAIL MATTER AT THE ORMOC CITY POST OFFICE ON 14 MAY 2003

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Administrative AssistantsELVIRA MARTINITO

& ROSENDA CELIZ (Ormoc Office)

Authorized Representatives:ARSENIA BENDO (Calbayog City) • EMILY ABAD/AIREEN ARONDAIN (Biliran) • KAREN ANN H. SABIO

(Balangiga, E. Samar) • MARITESS MASENDO (Hilongos) NILO

BORDIOS (Borongan, E. Samar) • CHARISA ECHAUZ (Guiuan, E.

Samar)EV Mail Contributors: MAY APRIL M. JIMENEA, JIMA ZANDRA J.

VERGARA, JEDI M. JIMENEA Financial Consultant: JILA J. BARING

Marketing Representative in Manila:RURAL PRESS COMMUNICATORS REP. INC.

3055 Tolentino St., cor. Balabac St., Pinagkaisahan, Makati CityTelephone Numbers: (02)8823978 / (02)8823205 Fax No. (02)8823223Email Address: ruralpresscomm@yahoo.com; ruralpress@yahoo.com

Marketing Assistants: VICKY ARNAIZ, TED MARCOS

a member ofPHIL. PRESS INSTITUTE

see VIEW FROM ORMOC p. 13

EV mAiL Publisher Lalaine Jimenea had an eye opener July 8-14 this year. She said most adequately that the “state of the cemetery is a health issue.”

In all societies we humans, already as babies sucking in the first moments after delivery, are aware of life. Later we get aware of death. We can never deny that awareness, which brings us reluctantly or not to respect Life and death.

Burials have been performed from earliest human eras and cultures. Small or vast cemeter-ies have been and are public. Many philosophers have commanded simplicity even before Chris-tianity. So did e.g. epigrammatic Krinagoras in the 100th year B.C.: “Do not estimate the dead by the tombstone. History witnesses to pompous mausolea and expensive tombstones and make us think more of “gold” than person. Life and death are involved in mysteries, the innermost elements, which Remain mystic. We may won-der if Jesus, Matthew 8:22, included cats, dogs, swallows and other pets in His command. His command: “let the dead bury the dead.”

Gregorius of Nazians, dead ca 390, was a

Christian priest and theologian, who directed commands against extravagancies in festivals meant to honor saints. The festivals had often degenerated into festivities with no or little spiritual content. Also non-Christian thinkers at times commanded simplicity of burials.

Papyri from Africa/Asia and Europe men-tion that Christian and not Christian children, who had died at low age, were bestowed expen-sive funerals and graves. In the last 200 years, many papyri are found to cover more than 3000 years. Some inform us of rites of burials.

How abovementioned priest Gregorius and his children (yes, he was married) got in touch with papyri, I do not know. WHY he was studying them, gets clear to us from some of his comments and conclusions.

From what I have said so far it will be clear that I do underline what Publisher Lalaine proclaims: “Dead or alive, people need to be

see FOREIGN EYE p. 5

it iS the observation of this corner that most writers seem to have some difficulty in choosing story materials. take the case of Dan Brown who wrote a fiction article about Jesus christ having an affair with mary Magdalene. The fiction is “The Da Vinci code.” Even the idea is very preposterous.

How can a God, who created man, fall for His own creation? Because of the controversy it created, the book sold a million copies. It is tantamount to the author of the fairy tale Snow White with the author falling for her. Absolutely absurd. Trash! Garbage! In the first place, God is not human. God is God. If we were still in the eighteenth century, Dan Brown could have been burned at the stake like what they did to Joan of Arc because they thought she was a pos-sessed woman, a witch. Because of the matter of freedom of expression, any writer can show his expression the way he wants it. If you do not agree with him, then do your own writing and see if yours is better than his. The undersigned

will always raise its hat to the likes of Alexan-der Dumas who wrote the fiction story entitled “The Count of Monte Christo.” To this day, how many times have I read this particular story ever since High School? That is a span of quite a number of years. What a magnificent plot. The choice of characters is superb. Neverthe-less, Dan Brown must have done alright because his controversial book became a best-seller. Even Hitler who was just an amateur writer had his first and only book, “Mein Kampf” which became a best-seller - but it was by decree. He was a cruel Dictator and people feared him with a passion. By decree, he urged all his people to have his book in every home in Germany and the other countries conquered by him. The Army saw to it and even went to the extent of inspecting each household to find out if you had

yES, WHy not? Why not launch an anti-greed campaign and keep it going like some lifelong maintenance mechanism in a world that has become rickety with all sorts of moral sicknesses, with greed among the prominent ones?

We just have to look around, and see greed and avarice and their many faces proliferating like anything, from the individual level to the farthest global ends.

Many people are trapped in an almost invin-cible grip of selfishness, pursuing nothing other than their own self-interest and throwing any consideration for the common good to the wind.

This is not to mention that many have for-gotten to relate their earthly business to God, to consider it as a prayer and even an act of worship that is not only pleasing to God but also most beneficial to everybody else.

We have been reminded in the gospel about this aspect of our life. “Take care to guard against all greed,” Christ said, “for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possession.” (Lk 12,14) We have been warned against storing up treasure for oneself but not being rich in what matters to God.

Nowadays, many, in fact, do not even know the idea of common good. And if there is any-thing they do that would contribute one way or another to the common good, it’s by sheer co-incidence that it happens. Any deliberate effort to do things for the common good is practically absent, if not openly avoided.

The world is drowning in a sea of material-ism and consumerism, with the spiritual values and the supernatural destination of human life all but forgotten. It’s still working under an increasing infusion of deceptive economic tricks, but the illusion is also getting so increas-ingly untenable that things now are approaching breaking point.

It seems that we are being set up higher and higher in our materialistic and consumeristic ways for a deeper and more painful crash sooner or later. The signs are already there, and many of our leaders in politics, business, media and even in the church are hesitant to give the bad news. The predicament is practically left unattended.

Productivity is dropping, even in an acceler-ated rate in some places, mainly because with-out the support of the spiritual and supernatural elements of our life, people have no way but to tend to become lazy, and simply wanting to be comfortable, rich and continually entertained, and with narrow and shallow understanding of things.

In the corridors of power and influence, graft and corruption have practically become the SOP. Just read the papers, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The banking and financial sector continues to blow bubbles in the hope of stimulating productive economic activity. But they now seem to pop out soon after being launched.

We need to go back to God and seriously relate our earthly business affairs to him and to his plan and providence. We have to reas-sure ourselves that this is the proper way to do business, taking us away from the tendency to

i WAS in manila this week. i was supposed to fly in and out but got stranded so I took time to visit congresswoman Lucy torres-Gomez to see her personally and ask her about “issues” being hurled that her office has “closed”. Another version says it has been transferred to Palompon.

Well, the congresswoman could just laugh at the demolition job she is already being subjected to as “very early”. “Kagrabe ana nila, ‘Laine no, bag-o pa gani nahuman election, black propaganda dayon”, she could only comment.

In fact, when I saw her, I just arrived in the nick of time because she was going to leave for Ormoc to give their last respects to longtime neighbor Bona del Rio, who is a close friend of the family. One day late, I would not have caught her.

This was what I gathered from her and Richard:

• Lucy’s congressional district office has been open since July 22, the very day Congress resumed. There are times when it seems deserted because they have streamlined their operations to a lean but hopefully more efficient office.

• As for people alluding the office has been transferred to Palompon, Lucy surmises it is just another early black propaganda by her detractors. She assures that her district office will re-main in Ormoc City and that she will continue the brand of service she has shown the people. Lucy, by the way, is serving her first term, thanks to the late Silverio Tagolino and his financiers.

• Serbisyong Gomez continues, the couple added. In fact, Lucy is coming in anytime in the next two weeks to inaugurate finished projects. Richard is sad, though, that this will not include the oval. He said that its completion was delayed by the rains. In the meantime, he said, they are looking for alternative means to make it usable again, includ-ing the field in the middle, because classes have started already.

• What Lucy didn’t tell me, because I did not ask, was that she has fulfilled her promise to her scholars to increase their stipends from P 2,500 to P 5,000 per semester. As she noted in one of her speeches before the scholars before the school year ended last April, the P 2,500 was already too small considering the inflation costs and will find ways to increase it. Apparently, her request to do so has been granted, hence her more than 300 scholars can now breathe easier.

I learned from the scholars themselves that this financial assistance is used mostly to pay up their tuition, while their parents or some relatives give them their daily upkeep. Some are working students. Lucy has also made sure that her scholars are students deserving of help, and not because of political patronage. To stay on the list, the least she expects from them is pass all their subjects because it is unfair for the others who maintain good grades to enjoy the same benefits as those who do not take theirs seriously.

Operation Red Plate 3-D Printing

NI ATTY. MANING GOLO

Pork Barrel

Strategies and ways proposed to reduce

poverty in the country

7August 5-11, 2013

The Gospel on Sunday

AUGUST 18, 201320th Sunday in Ordinary Time

BriEFLy APPEAriNG in tV headline news was “Operation rED PLAtE”. Actually, this is the government’s campaign against the personal use of government service vehicle or cars having red license plates. Some use these rP service vehicles for market or shop-ping by the family or to bring their children to school.

Now, I confess to the only abuse I com-mitted during my whole government service from 1952- 1993 which was sometimes using my service vehicle for personal purposes. I was officially assigned a service vehicle being a field construction engineer. When I entered government service, I was assigned to the Public works Sub-District Office in the new town of St. Bernard, a newly created municipality, formerly the Barrio of Himatagon. The jurisdiction of the Sub-Office included all towns along the Pacific Coast and the whole of Pana-on Island, including the completed National Road from Tacloban City to Abuyog, then the zigzag Road to Baybay, along the Western Coast to Maasin, then to Macrohon where the historic Island of Limasawa I was located.

From Macrohon, the completed national highway existed along the Sogod Bay up to the then Barrio Himayangan. Here I set up my Equipment Depot of a WWII D-7 bulldozer, a Road Grader and Road Roller.

I started the construction of the roadway towards St. Bernard 16 kilometers away and to the approach of the steel bridge linking Panaon Island to the mainland of Leyte.

The first segment of the road from Brgy. Hi-mayangan to the new town of St. Bernard, about 20 kilometers away, was about 5 kilometer of a one way wide subgraded road zigzagging across the hills covered only by “talahib” or tigbao, a long stem grass variety. The area was practically treeless except at the end of the zigzag subgrade was a huge “balete” or “Nonok” tree.

After this Balete Tree was a 200 meter rocky cliff where a narrow foot path was carved out about a kilometer above the shoreline below. The balete tree was popularly known as “Sang-kay Siao” Tree. The local people claimed that on some dark nights when passing underneath the “balete” tree, one can hear the rattling of dishes, the chatters and laughter of people speaking in Chinese like they were holding banquets. Hence, the local people, in passing underneath the “balete” tree during dark nights, would murmur aloud “Tabi Sangkay Siao” or “excuse our passing for we are your friends!”

When my old D-7 bulldozer completed the seven meters wide (2 laves) subgrade with specified curves and grade not exceeding 7 meters elevation per 100 meters roadway, my construction team asked the 64-peso, not the usual dollar question. “What to do with the “balete tree”! Of course, following tradition, we looked for a local “tambalan” to kill a white chicken and murmurs the required incarnations. (to be con’t)

tHOUGH tHE Philippine economy has achieved a growth rate so far of more than 7% for this year, the economic benefits of this positive development have not been felt largely by many people at the lower ground of income. the incidence of poverty has re-mained high despite this higher growth rate. Nearly 28 percent of the country’s population is living below the poverty level, according to a recent report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The higher economic growth rate has not created a sufficient number of jobs to have an impact on the many unemployed and the under-employed in the country. The economic manag-ers term this as a non-inclusive growth. That is why the present administration has embarked on a crash course on generating proposals from Pres. Aquino’s cabinet members to focus on job generation to be submitted to Congress. But we have not yet seen the proposed bills that will be submitted to the present Congress for consideration.

Spokespersons from Malacanang Palace justify the lack of impact on the lower levels of the population by saying that “the trickle-down effect of the economic growth does not happen overnight.” And that is the poor people have to

wait for some more time for the economic effect.But the people on the poverty line are so

desperate for help and need badly the bold and creative actions by government to make this growth an inclusive one to alleviate their eco-nomic status and improve their family income.

The League of Corporate Foundation (LCF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have submitted the following solutions and course of actions to the government to immediately address the poverty problem, reduce the inci-dence of poverty and make the economic growth inclusive:

1) To develop further agricultural pro-duction and agri-processing. Corporate social entrepreneurs can teach farmers how to be effec-tive economic managers of their farm enterprise and to train them in marketing their produce.

2) To improve health management for the people, especially maternal health and the control of prevalent diseases like TB, malaria, dengue and other diseases.

3) To build better housing for the urban poor and lower income groups in the country-side.

4) The educational system must meet the demand for skills needed in the job market and youth participation must be up front.

Luke 12: 49 - 53“I came to cast fire upon the earth; and

would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

WHEN i WAS a student back a zillion years ago, i would painstakingly copy pages and pages of notes for my research. A copying machine that came later was then heaven sent and considered to be a marvelous inven-tion. But now there’s a completely different printer. the three-dimensional printing (3-D printing) is becoming the latest technological marvel in manufacturing.

People have traditionally made things in one of two ways. They start with a solid block or sheet of metal, wood or other material and cut, stamp, drill or shave it to create a desired shape. Or they use a mold made of metal or sand, pour liquefied plastic or metal into it and let it cool to create a metal casting or molded plastic part.

With 3-D printing and other forms of what is known as additive manufacturing, no shaving and molds are used. They build an object using a machine, generally the size of a microwave oven, by piling thin layers of material (wood, plastics or metals) on top of each other, then heating or binding them until a three-dimen-sional shape emerges.

Once a science-fiction fantasy, 3-D print-ers are showing up everywhere from military research centers to the desks of home hobbyists (Sheldon and Leonard of The Big Bang Theory own one).

Users are able to make just about anything they like: iPod stands, guitars, earrings, pen-dants, toys, chocolate molds, even guns. On ground, sea or air, when parts break, new ones can be made on the spot, and even the tools to in-stall them can be made, eliminating the need for staging parts in warehouses around the world.

Airplane mechanics could print a replace-

ment part on the runway. A dishwasher repair-man could make a new gasket in his service truck. A surgeon could print a knee implant custom-designed to fit a patient’s body.

But the military is likely to be among the first major users of 3-D printers. In the past two years, the U.S. Defense Department has spent more than $2 million on 3-D printers, supplies and upkeep, according to federal con-tract records. Their uses range from medical research to weapons development and building weapons parts.

While the U.S. is pursuing the military ad-vantages of 3-D printing, it’s also dealing with the potential dangers of the technology. The State Department ordered a group to take down online blueprints for a 3-D printable handgun, and federal lawmakers and some state legis-latures are contemplating proposals to restrict posting weapons plans in the future.

The world-wide market for 3-D printing, which includes materials, machines and service, totaled $2.2 billion in 2012, based on industry estimates. But the process has some limitations. For high-volume jobs, 3-D printing can’t yet match the speed and efficiency of traditional fabrication methods and machinery.

3-D printing is changing the manufacturing system in its entirety — how and where prod-ucts are made and by whom. In 25 years, entire industries are going to disappear. Countries like the Philippines and China relying on mass manufacturing are going to find themselves with no revenues and no jobs unless they make adjustments now.

Dear Atty. Golo,Ang among SK Chairman pag-umangkon

sa mayor. Karong eleksyon pohon gusto lagi modagan pagka SK ang akong anak kay “bright” man liwat nako. Peru, ang manghod sa among SK mao na man poy modagan unya paluyuhan sa iyang Tiyo nga mayor modaog lang gihapon. Hakog man sila sa gahom. Ila na lang ang tanan. Unsay kalainan sa hakog og dawo? Naay nag-ingon nga wagtangon ang SK, tinood? Bisan ang SK “absent” inig “ses-sion” isuwat nga “present” sa “attendance”. Maayo unta’g mawagtang ang SK kay usik-usik lang sa kwarta. Ang among SK kay sige man og “absent” gitawag na lang og “ghost”, peru mo “smile” man lang!

Matinahuron, mrs. Espiritu

Dear ms. Espiritu,Ang SK gimugna sa balaod (Sec. 423,

RA 7160). Sa pagka karon, wala pa ma “abolish” ang SK bisan tuod kon daghan ang nanawagan nga kini wagtangon. Ang tawo tawgon og dawo kon ang iyang kaugalingon lang ang iyang seguroon. Ang hakog, kon hasta ang dili iyaha, iyang angkonon. Ang pagka SK Chairman, para sa mga batan-on. Apan kon ang inyong mayor mao nay mag-boot kon kinsay ma SK, nahimo na siyang hakog kay ang dili iyaha, iya mang but-an. Iampo hinoon ang inyong mayor nga dili ni niya buhaton. Ang manglupig sa uban, madaot ang kalag. Mao nga ang inyong SK, di na makit-an perme, ang kalag na lang niya ang nagngise.

Imong amigo, maning G. Golo e.g.gololaw@gmail.com 09155595449

treated decently. They deserve decent burial grounds and most of all, those left alive deserve a healthy environment.”

All of us whether Baptists, Methodists, spiritists and even atheists will be buried one way or other. So I wonder where the Roman Catholics mean that those extra Ecclesiam i.e. outsiders will rest in peace.

P.S. Another Gregorius, pope 1073-1085 Gregorius VII sharpened the rules of celibacy 1074. No comments needed for now. Email: collanderjan@yahoo.com

be swallowed up by the logic of the flesh and the world that cannot help but lead us to greed and its ilk.

God and economics are not two mutually exclusive realities. God’s eternal law includes the economic laws proper to us as image and likeness of his, and children of his.

At the moment, we seem to do economics by practically ignoring God, or even openly opposing his laws. The supreme law of charity is often considered as impractical and impracti-cable. In short, that it is inhuman, anti-business and all that.

We need to change that mindset. God and

charity should be the be-all and end-all of our economic affairs. We just cannot stop at the level of profitability or practicality, making them the supreme goal of our businesses.

Without discarding them, we need to go beyond them and aim at what really is the goal for us—God and charity, which is the very es-sence of God and also the essence meant for us precisely because we are God’s image and likeness, and God’s children.

Doing business with God as the origin, way and end in no way harms our economic activities. On the contrary, it will broaden our perspective, sharpen our creativity, foster our

productivity, and increase our capacity to tackle whatever challenges, burden or trials we may meet along the way.

Doing business with God in mind and heart melts away the fears and doubts that often lead us to be greedy and to pursue only our self-interests at the expense of the common good. Email: roycimagala@gmail.comFR. ROY ... from P. 4

FOREIGN EYE ... from P. 4

People, Places & Happenings8

Beijing, Day 4: Bird’s Nest, Anti-Gravity Building and Fried Spiders

TACLOBAN CITY – The Leyte Integrated Port Services, Inc. (LIPSI) hosted three trainings conducted by the Philippine Ports Authority Training Center (PPATC) Manila to upgrade the dockworkers/stevedores so as to deliver quality services and to sustain the required services that would satisfy the port clients/customers.

Arvin D. Dadulo and Regner N. Gayramon of PPATC Manila were the resource persons of the dockworkers/stevedores course and integrated port operations course last July 16 to 18, 2013 at the PPA Training Hall ad PPA Multipurpose Hall.

Moreover, the Basic International Standards Office (ISO) 1901-2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS) Seminar Workshop, which was participated by 30 people in attendance, were conducted by Lilian T. Javier, PPATC Manager Manila, Dr. Marjorie R. Rola, PPATC Manager Training Delivery Division, Fe Gonzales and Carlo Madrilego of PPATC Manila.

LIPSI is doing its best to put in place this Quality Management System to carry out its busi-ness goals and objectives are accomplished and achieved to the satisfaction of the customers and ultimately be an International Standards Office (ISO) Certified Cargo Handling Operator. PR

LIPSI holds training for dockworkers and stevedores

The trainees pose with their trainers in a souvenir shot.

Holcim Phils. invites nominations for “Galing Mason Award”

TACLOBAN CITY – Officials of Holcim Philippines, Inc. and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) are looking for nominees for this year’s Holcim Galing Mason Awards.

In a press briefing held this week, Holcim Philippines Inc. and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with the Philippine Contractors Association (PCA) and the Association of Construction and Informal Workers (ACIW), is like encouraging all Filipino masons to join the search which aims to salute outstanding ones who have shown tremendous pride and utmost improvement at work while being responsible members of their families and the community.

Holcim Philippines Inc., the leading supplier of cement, aggregate, concrete and asphalt in the country since 2003, has already produced close to 8,000 certified masons through its sustainable development project called the Holcim Galing Mason Program which is now on its fourth cycle.

The competition is open to all Filipino masons, male or female and a holder of a valid TESDA National Certificate of Masonry. Candidates must be a practicing mason of at least one year with no derogatory records or administrative infractions.

The candidates must also be nominated by a reputable individual or legitimate organiza-tion, in good health condition and with good moral character. Once candidates meet the proper documentary requirements, they become eligible for the title.

The nominee, nominating individual or organization, may get the Holcim Galing Mason Awards nomination forms and submit the accomplished entries at the TESDA provincial and regional of-fices, PCA offices, ACIW chapters, Holcim CSR Department offices and selected Holcim dealers nationwide. Deadline for submission of entries is on August 16, 2013.

Prizes at stake include Holcim cement, P25,000 cash each for the 17 regional finalists, and Holcim cement and P150,000 cash for the grand champion. PIA

Holcim Philippines, Inc. and TESDA 8 officials pose with the members of the media led by PIA 8 regional director Olive Tiu after the press briefing on the search for Holcim Galing Mason Awards at Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City, August 6. By Vino R. Cuayzon/PIA

MANILA - Another beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is slated to capture the hearts of kids and adults alike starting October 9 as Resorts World Manila (RWM) presents Cinderella at the grand and magical stage of the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT).

Originally written for television, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was based on the popular French version Cendrillion by Charles Perrault. The television musical was first broad-casted in 1957 in CBS which was viewed by over 107 million people during its network premiere. It featured Julie Andrews in the title role and Jon Cypher as the Prince. The three-act TV version was comprised of original compositions that spiced up the well-loved fairy tale including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Ten Minutes Ago”, and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” among others.

Several remakes have been made and in 2008, Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga top-billed Broadway Asia Entertainment’s 30-week Asian Tour of Cinderella which premiered in Manila.

This 2013, RWM, the ultimate one-stop, nonstop entertainment and tourism destination in the country, will bring Cinderella back to Manila as its latest musical offering. “In the interest of theatre arts, we have to invest because when people come they expect to see something better, more glamorous, more “bonggacious”, than the previous production. That’s something that Resorts World Manila always aims to do-- we always try to give a wow factor. What we have done before, that becomes the norm and we always try to do better with subsequent productions” said RWM Chief Entertainment Officer Colin Kerr.

For show schedules and complete details about Cinderella, visit www.rwmanila.com or call Tourist Hotline at (02) 908-8833. For ticket inquiries and reservations visit RWM Box Office located near the main casino entrance or call (02) 891-9999. PR/Selrahco

Cinderella at Resorts World Manila

IT’S BEEN said that when in Rome, do what the Romans do. So in Beijing, do what the Beijingese (or should we say Pekingese) do … drink their beer and eat their food. Our fourth and last day in Beijing was a mixed shopping (for pearls) spree and tourist adventure. Of course a visit to Beijing would not be complete without an iconic shot with the Bird’s Nest, one of the cities most recognizable landmark (it’s like the Merlion in Singapore) and a stroll down Wanfujing Street for a taste of the familiar and exotic foods, including barbecued lamb penis, fried lamb testicles, crispy fried scorpions and tarantula spiders.

Ma’am Vicky Locsin’s voice turned up a pitch when I told her I am going to munch on a tarantula. “Lalaine, Lalaine, ayaw pagpabadlong. Tingale baya di ka na kauli”. And we were supposed to go home that night already, lol.

PEARL FACTORY. Because we realized that going around Beijing on our own was not the best proposition, our last day which was sup-posed to be another “free and easy day, we again converted into an optional tour. For 20-US, we had the bus to our command and another “tour itinerary”. First stop was a Jade and Pearl Factory.

We were ushered inside to a lecture room where we were given a lecture on how freshwater pearl are produced and its many products, including pearl face paste guaranteed to bring luster to your cheeks and smoothen your wrinkles. Councilor Gerry Penserga was our guinea pig. On top of his right fist, the lady slathered on pearl paste. He would last the day showing off how smoother his right hand was compared to the left, and regretting he did not buy the paste, lol… not for him. His wife, Dr. Elizabeth Penserga was also with us so don’t you get any ideas…. Hehehehe

Anyway, the Pearl Factory turned out to be another tourist shopping trap. Just as the pearl paste presentation ended, a saleslady comes in with a haste and whispers “the master is here”.

The “Master” would grace us with his presence. Kenny said he was the son’s owner. Regrettably, since it was our last day, he knew our shopping money was already depleted. Knowing we already had come from a Jade Factory, his pitch was he was not an expert on jade anyway but if the ladies would indulge him, he’d like to show them what was the most expensive pearl in the world – the golden pearl. Anyway, with no dough to shop for starters anyway, I just followed the group around, some who were impressed to have been entertained by the owner’s son himself. Soon enough, a good number were already shelling out their RMB and swiping their cards.

We proceeded to the bus before the others. Our tour operator Marilyn “Glen” Cordeño was already cooling herself off inside and said she did not buy anything because she already bought some trinkets in the same store at Shanghai. After jogging her memory a little, she recalls they met the “daughter of the owner” there. Back here in Ormoc, a group of lawyers who were recently in Beijing also met the “son of the owner”. Oh-la-la

BIRD’S NEST. Our next stop after the pearl craze was the venue of the Olympic 2008 Games. Around a kilometer away was the Bird’s Nest. We were allowed to get some pictures with the edifice on the background and off we went for lunch. It was really a short stay but with the sun baking our heads, after we got our photos, off we went in a huff.

ANTI-GRAVITY BUILDING. On our way to lunch, our tour guide Ken pointed out some of Beijing’s modern buildings. He said locators in the commercial district, mostly international companies, were encouraged to put up avant-garde buildings to make the metropolis look interesting.

One particular building was the so-called “anti-gravity building”. It had two towers with a “hanging bridge” forming an “L” connecting it. It’s actually a familiar building for moviegoers fond of “end of the world” themes. It would usually be one of those buildings attacked by aliens, or destroyed by nukes, or swamped over by giant floods and tsunamis.

WANFUJING STREET. Our last stop for the day was at Wanfujing Street. Aside from shopping and more shopping, there is a row of vendors which serves local food, some of which are familiar to us like barbecue and puto (though some were formed into cute shapes), even halo-halo, alongside the exotic. Our guide Ken, however, warned us not to be adventurous. “Please, please, do not eat anything exotic there”, he appealed.

We first went to a Catholic Church nearby but was dismayed to find out it was closed. We said our short prayers at the door, while Chinese families played at the church plaza. Then we separated, to each his own trip.

Of course, this article won’t be complete without giving you a glimpse of what’s on Wanfujing Street, so I had to get to the hawker’s row – just to take pictures and not necessarily eat tarantula.

There, we gawked at the food – from the yummy to the gross. This is the time when I wish I had more adventurous people with me, not to eat scorpions but at least buy their nice street food. It would have been a problem, however, as there are no tables and chairs. People ate standing up, bringing their food and eating with chopsticks. After this visit, I made a promise to myself to really, really master using chopsticks. But ang pangako, napako. I haven’t gone around to do it.

Looking for food that our tour guide would approve of, we went inside a KFC outlet. As if to show how they don’t like Americans that much, the KFC in Beijing is nothing classy. In fact, it was sort of “wa class” by Filipino standards and to our dismay, they didn’t serve rice with

chicken. If we insisted on ordering rice, we have to wait for forty minutes and our stomachs were already grumbling. Good thing there was a “Quick Stop” convenient store nearby, recognizable by its logo even if the name was in Chinese character, and I was able to buy a microwaveable ready-to-eat meal of rice and chicken curry. The saleslady was so nice to assist me from opening it to zapping it in the microwave. Then, it was time to go to the airport.

Our last segment of this series would be “Travelling on a Shoe String Budget”. I will tell you how ARCO TRAVEL AND TOURS, owned and operated by Ms Cordeño, can package group tours for practically “giveaway” prices and even has “layaway” plans. So, don’t miss next week’s article and reach your dream destination for a song! By Lalaine M. Jimenea/ Photos by Jose Sanro Jimenea

At the entrance of the Beijing Olympic Park.

The Bird’s Nest and one hot chick ... ehem, lol. Right, the Anti Gravity Building.

The picturesque Wanfujing Street, a must see for all Beijing visitors.

Bbq lamb balls, anyone? Even crabs in China look chinky-eyed!

Whoa, bbq centipedes and deep fried tarantulas?

Or scorpions and flying lizards more to your taste?

Cute rice cakes that look like Sanrio characters!

I always thought starfish weren’t edible, until....

People, Places & Happenings 9

Ina’s Household Tips

By Ina Larrazabal-Gimenez

Eat a Banana a DaySince an average Filipino eats banana almost everyday, here are some of the benefits of our well love fruit which I read at dietmotion.com.

Source of energyFor example, a banana provides the energy for

a fitness session of one hour. It contains important quantities of Vitamin A, iron, phosphorus, natural sugars and also potassium that assure a good level of energy in your body. What better snack could you think of?

Reduces blood pressureBecause of the high amounts of potassium, ba-

nanas will boost up your circulatory system, will regu-late blood pressure and will also keep the health of your heart. Many benefits from a piece of fruit, right?

Natural remedy for constipationInstead of taking medicines, protect the health of

your digestive system with the help of banana. You can avoid constipation and other similar problems.

Mood boosterIt has Tryptophan, a substance which research-

ers said will make you feel more relaxed and even happier. So, as you can see, banana improves also your mental health.

‘Speeds up’ neurological processesRecent studies have showed that if you consume

a banana three times per day as a complement to daily meals, you will boost your brain activities. Ap-parently, the potassium is responsible for an increase of the brain power.

The list could go on. It is no surprise that many people refer to it as the super food. Rich in nutrients and loaded with good compounds, the banana is your devoted friend. Put one or two in the blender then add a cup of plain yogurt and maybe a teaspoon of honey….yummy and healthy!

For more tips, you can watch Ina’s Household Tips at PRTV 12 Tacloban – “Bida ka Inay” every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 6pm or you can email me at inashouseholdtips@yahoo.com or add me on facebook.

KANANGA, LEYTE - The 19th IB Commando has officially launched the new Commando Press Corps adopting the slogan “In unity there’s strength” on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at the clubhouse of the military camp based at Brgy. Aguiting here.

802nd Infantry Brigade commander Col. Rafael Valencia was the keynote speaker of the said event.

Valencia said during his speech that establishing open lines of communi-cation with the members of media is important so they will be able to realize their yearning for peace the region. He added that “we need the helping hand of the media people here to help us organize the community for a sustainable livelihood, security and resolution of other primary socio economic issues”.

The 82nd IB exercises command and control over three tactical units, namely the 19th (Commando) IB based here, Leyte; 78th (Warrior) IB in Brgy. Abuyugon, Burauen, Leyte; and the Alpha Company, 52nd (CFGU) IB based in Camp Jorge Downes, Ormoc City.

Meanwhile, the new 19th IB commander Lt. Col. Nedy Espulgar expressed his excitement to work with the new press corps. “Gusto ko maging kaibigan ang lahat. Ang sarap magkatrabaho kapag lahat parang kabarkada lang. Inor-ganisa namin ito para maging katulong namin kayo na maparating sa mga tao ang aming mga programa. Hindi ito dito natatapos. Lagi tayong magkikita”, he further said. Hence, Espulgar urged everyone to hold hands in the quest for a just and lasting region-wide peace.

The members of the Commando press corps include various media outlets based in Ormoc City. By John David Agpalo

19th IB launches “Commando Press Corps”

DAR orients MARO’s, PNP in pursuit for a successful agrarian reformtAcLOBAN city – A 2-day orientation on Agrarian reform for the Philippine National Police (PNP) and municipal Agrarian reform Officers (MARO’s) was con-ducted at Sabin resort Hotel in Ormoc city recently, said Guia S. Abalos, assistant director for the Bureau of Agrarian reform informa-tion and Education (DAr-BARIE) from the DAR cen-tral office.

The DAR orientation was held to fast track land acqui-sition and distribution from landowner to farmer beneficia-ries in the region, especially in Ormoc which remains one of the bottlenecks of the coun-try’s comprehensive agrarian reform program.

Abalos said the orientation aimed to reach an understand-ing of the different agrarian reform laws, issuances and Supreme Court decisions, to identify the important roles of both the DAR and PNP in the land acquisition and distribution process, service

of the notice of coverage and implementation of the joint memo circular between the DAR, the Department of Na-tional Defense, the police and the Department of Interior & Local Government.

Abalos said that Ormoc City is one of the problematic areas with regards to land ac-quisition and distribution to farmer-beneficiaries.

The eight other municipali-ties that DAR faces challenges are the towns of Alang-alang, Javier, Kananga, San Isidro, Leyte-Leyte, Villaba, Abuyog. Another city is Baybay, she added. These towns are known to have many haciendas or families with huge estates.

“May mga instances kasi nga maski may mga Certificate of Land Ownership Acquisi-tion (CLOA) ang mga farmer-beneficiaries, hindi pa rin sila makapasok sa mga hacienda dahil ang mga landowners ay kinukopkop pa rin ang mga ari-ariang lupa,” Abalos said in Pilipino.

“We hope to improve the

policy of PNP-DAR for the smooth transfer of the land subject for Agrarian Reform. We see to it that conversion procedures are also clear and with proper compensation, “ Abalos said.

Abalos added that they also want the chief of police in the concerned municipality to accompany the MARO as he or she presents the CLOAs to landowners, according to approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) as laid out in the joint memo.

“There is a need to cooper-ate in this process because land conversion is for all of us, so that the landowners can invest also in the industrialization of their (remaining) land” added Atty. Aison Garcia, consultant of the DAR undersecretary for Legal Affairs.

“This is also to follow the example of President Aquino, whose family’s Hacienda Lu-isita is now subject for agrarian reform,” Garcia said. By Vicky C. Arnaiz

PALO, LEytE – National Nutrition council coordi-nator for Eastern Visayas Segundina Dilao, in a media information drive, empha-sized not only the importance of breastfeeding to infants but also “peer counseling” to breastfeeding mothers so that they would not give up on the practice too soon.

She said that even when breastfeeding mothers are able to get off to a good start, all too often in the weeks and months after delivery, there is a sharp decline in breastfeeding rates and practices, particularly exclusive breastfeeding.

This, Dilao announced,

Nutrition Chief emphasizes importance of peer counseling for breastfeeding moms

during the celebration of World Breastfeeding Week on Au-gust 1-7. This year’s theme is “Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers”, highlighting the importance of peer counseling or providing support to breast-feeding women.

Director Dilao proposes the creation of the so-called “Peer Counseling Program” in the barangay levels which she says is a “cost effective and highly productive way in reaching out to breastfeeding moms” and encourage them to do it for a longish period. Not only are the kids healthy, she said, but it is also a natural form of birth control.

Dilao said that the “crucial period” that the community support system is essential is during the period when moth-ers do not visit a healthcare facility anymore. Usually, this happens a few months after childbirth when mothers get back to their old routines, plus taking care of the new baby to boot, hence shelving her need to go to a healthcare facility.

Dilao said community sup-port is needed because women are often drawn to other wom-en with whom they share life experiences, especially when those experiences relate to parenting. When new mothers have someone who can under-

ANOtHEr PriDE OF LEytE. President Benigno S. Aquino III poses with newly sworn in Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Janette Loreto-Garin for a photo souvenir during the oathtaking ceremony at the Rizal Hall of the Malacañan Palace on Monday, August 05, 2013. Garin is the sister of Leyte vice-governor Carlo Loreto and hails from Baybay City. Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacañang Photo Bureau

stand and identify with their experiences, they can better enjoy and cope with parent-hood, Dilao added.

A peer counselor is an invaluable partner for moth-ers in their journey through parenthood, helping them gain confidence in their ability to breastfeed. Peer Counselors can be anyone from the com-munity who is trained to learn to support mothers.

Continued support to sus-tain breastfeeding can be pro-vided in a variety of ways, she said. There are the five Circles of Support identified by the World Alliance for Breast-feeding Action (WABA) that contribute to a mother’s posi-

tive breastfeeding experience. The first circle is the “Fam-

ily and Social Network”, the second is “Healthcare Sys-tems”, third is “Workplace and Employment” because support from the workplace is vital and necessary for employed women as they transition back into work. The fourth circle is “Government and Legisla-tion” and fifth is “Response to Crisis or Emergency” which involves special planning in order to properly care for the breastfeeding mother and her baby such as in times of natu-ral disasters, family problems such as separation of husband and wife, or critical illness of the mother or child. PI

TACLOBAN CITY – The Leyte Integrated Port Services, Inc. (LIPSI) hosted three trainings conducted by the Philippine Ports Authority Training Center (PPATC) Manila to upgrade the dockworkers/stevedores so as to deliver quality services and to sustain the required services that would satisfy the port clients/customers.

Arvin D. Dadulo and Regner N. Gayramon of PPATC Manila were the resource persons of the dockworkers/stevedores course and integrated port operations course last July 16 to 18, 2013 at the PPA Training Hall ad PPA Multipurpose Hall.

Moreover, the Basic International Standards Office (ISO) 1901-2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS) Seminar Workshop, which was participated by 30 people in attendance, were conducted by Lilian T. Javier, PPATC Manager Manila, Dr. Marjorie R. Rola, PPATC Manager Training Delivery Division, Fe Gonzales and Carlo Madrilego of PPATC Manila.

LIPSI is doing its best to put in place this Quality Management System to carry out its busi-ness goals and objectives are accomplished and achieved to the satisfaction of the customers and ultimately be an International Standards Office (ISO) Certified Cargo Handling Operator. PR

LIPSI holds training for dockworkers and stevedores

The trainees pose with their trainers in a souvenir shot.

Holcim Phils. invites nominations for “Galing Mason Award”

TACLOBAN CITY – Officials of Holcim Philippines, Inc. and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) are looking for nominees for this year’s Holcim Galing Mason Awards.

In a press briefing held this week, Holcim Philippines Inc. and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in partnership with the Philippine Contractors Association (PCA) and the Association of Construction and Informal Workers (ACIW), is like encouraging all Filipino masons to join the search which aims to salute outstanding ones who have shown tremendous pride and utmost improvement at work while being responsible members of their families and the community.

Holcim Philippines Inc., the leading supplier of cement, aggregate, concrete and asphalt in the country since 2003, has already produced close to 8,000 certified masons through its sustainable development project called the Holcim Galing Mason Program which is now on its fourth cycle.

The competition is open to all Filipino masons, male or female and a holder of a valid TESDA National Certificate of Masonry. Candidates must be a practicing mason of at least one year with no derogatory records or administrative infractions.

The candidates must also be nominated by a reputable individual or legitimate organiza-tion, in good health condition and with good moral character. Once candidates meet the proper documentary requirements, they become eligible for the title.

The nominee, nominating individual or organization, may get the Holcim Galing Mason Awards nomination forms and submit the accomplished entries at the TESDA provincial and regional of-fices, PCA offices, ACIW chapters, Holcim CSR Department offices and selected Holcim dealers nationwide. Deadline for submission of entries is on August 16, 2013.

Prizes at stake include Holcim cement, P25,000 cash each for the 17 regional finalists, and Holcim cement and P150,000 cash for the grand champion. PIA

Holcim Philippines, Inc. and TESDA 8 officials pose with the members of the media led by PIA 8 regional director Olive Tiu after the press briefing on the search for Holcim Galing Mason Awards at Hotel Alejandro, Tacloban City, August 6. By Vino R. Cuayzon/PIA

MANILA - Another beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is slated to capture the hearts of kids and adults alike starting October 9 as Resorts World Manila (RWM) presents Cinderella at the grand and magical stage of the Newport Performing Arts Theater (NPAT).

Originally written for television, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella was based on the popular French version Cendrillion by Charles Perrault. The television musical was first broad-casted in 1957 in CBS which was viewed by over 107 million people during its network premiere. It featured Julie Andrews in the title role and Jon Cypher as the Prince. The three-act TV version was comprised of original compositions that spiced up the well-loved fairy tale including “In My Own Little Corner”, “Ten Minutes Ago”, and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” among others.

Several remakes have been made and in 2008, Tony Award winning actress Lea Salonga top-billed Broadway Asia Entertainment’s 30-week Asian Tour of Cinderella which premiered in Manila.

This 2013, RWM, the ultimate one-stop, nonstop entertainment and tourism destination in the country, will bring Cinderella back to Manila as its latest musical offering. “In the interest of theatre arts, we have to invest because when people come they expect to see something better, more glamorous, more “bonggacious”, than the previous production. That’s something that Resorts World Manila always aims to do-- we always try to give a wow factor. What we have done before, that becomes the norm and we always try to do better with subsequent productions” said RWM Chief Entertainment Officer Colin Kerr.

For show schedules and complete details about Cinderella, visit www.rwmanila.com or call Tourist Hotline at (02) 908-8833. For ticket inquiries and reservations visit RWM Box Office located near the main casino entrance or call (02) 891-9999. PR/Selrahco

Cinderella at Resorts World Manila

10 August 5-11, 2013NOTICES

Extrajudicial Settlement NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

property of the late BERNARD C. BERNARDES re a parcel of residential land situated in Brgy. Atipolo, Naval, Biliran denominated as survey no. 1486-P under TD No. 01069 with an area of 530.88 sq. m. was settled among his heirs per Doc. No. 23; Page No. 5; Book No. 48; Series of 2013 of Notary Public Redentor C. Villordon. EV Mail July 22-28, 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

Deed of Extrajudicial Settlement NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

properties of the late MARTINO LANGRES re parcels of land Lot 2180-E , Psd-229193, situated in Barrio Cogon, Ormoc City, containing an area of 215 sq. m. covered by TCT No.TH-359; Lot 7, Pcs-15874, situated in Barangay Dolores, Ormoc City,

EJF No. 3629 SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL FORECLO-

SURE SALE UNDER ACT 3135 AS AMENDED Upon Extra-Judicial Petition for sale under Act 3135,

as Amended Filed by PAG-IBIG FUND TACLOBAN cor. Lopez Jaena & del Pilar Sts., Tacloban City, against JERRY M. TISMO a resident at 409 COR. HAVANA AND SAN JOSE STS., TANAUAN, LEYTE to satisfy the Mortgage indebtedness which as of March 8, 2013 amounted to FOUR HUNDRED SEVENTY TWO THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY THREE PESOS & 96/100 (Php472,523.96), Philippine Currency, including Penalties, Charges, Attorney’s Fees, expenses of the Foreclosure, Sheriff’s Lawful Fees, and expenses for conduct-ing the PUBLIC AUCTION SALE thereof, the UNDERSIGNED EXECUTING SHERIFF WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION on AUGUST 23, 2013, at 9:00 in the morning or soon thereafter, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban City, to the highest bidder for Cash and in Philippine Currency, the following Real Properties/Personal Properties, with all the improvements thereon to wit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-61793A parcel of land designated as lot 13, block 4 of the

consolidation-subdivision of plan Pcs-08-000665-D, being a portion of lots block 13, lots 1-10, Block 15; lots 1-10, Blk. 17, lots 1-17; block 18, lots 25-47, blk. 24, lots 1-14 block 25, lots 1-8, block 26, lots 1-6, and block 31, lots 1-6, Pcs-08-000527-D, situated in the barangay of Abucay, City of Tacloban, Province of Leyte, Island of Leyte. Bounded on the : SW., along line 1-2 by lot 12, block 4 of the subdivision; on the NW., along line 2-3 by lot 2357, Cad. 220; on the NE., along line 3-4 by lot 14, block 4 of this subdivision and on the SE., aloing line 4-1 by Road lot 13, Pcs-08-000527-D, containing an area of THIRTY FIVE (35) SQUARE METERS more less.

PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS AND BUYERS MAY INVES-TIGATE FOR THEMSELVES THE TITLE AND ENCUM-BRANCES, HERE IN ABOVE-DESCRIBED REAL PROPER-TIES IF ANY THERE BE.

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on said date, it shall be held on August 30, 2013 on the same time and place without further notice.

Tacloban City, July 15, 2013. FOR THE CLERK OF COURT & EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF

(Sgd.) LUDY C. MARMITA SHERIFF IV

EV Mail July 22-28, 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

EJF No. 3604 SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL FORECLO-

SURE SALE UNDER ACT 3135 AS AMENDED Upon Extra-Judicial Petition for sale under Act 3135, as

Amended Filed by PAG-IBIG FUND TACLOBAN cor. Lopez Jaena & del Pilar Sts., Tacloban City, against JUDITO C. BA-NAS a resident at L4 B9 VILLA LOLITA HOMES BRGY. SAN JOSE, TACLOBAN CITY to satisfy the Mortgage indebtedness which as of January 11, 2013 amounted to THREE HUNDRED NINETY ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED THIRTY SEVEN PESOS & 41/100 (Php391,337.41), Philippine Cur-rency, including Penalties, Charges, Attorney’s Fees, expenses of the Foreclosure, Sheriff’s Lawful Fees, and expenses for conducting the PUBLIC AUCTION SALE thereof, the UN-DERSIGNED EXECUTING SHERIFF WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION on AUGUST 23, 2013, AT 9:00 in the morning or soon thereafter, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, Magsaysay Blvd., Tacloban City, to the highest bidder for Cash and in Philippine Currency, the following Real Properties/Personal Properties, with all the improvements thereon to wit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. T-68809 A parcel of land designated as Lot 4 Block 9 of the con-

solidation- subdivision of Pcs-08-000650-D, being a portion of lots 3405-A, 3405-B Psd-08-008896-D and 3438-B, (LRC) Psd-56350, situated in the Barangay of San Jose, City of Ta-cloban, Province of Leyte, Island of Leyte. Bounded on the: NE along line 1-2 by lot 3, block 9; on the SE., along line 2-3 by lot 2, block 9; on the SW., along line 3-4 by Road lot 7 (6.50 m. wide); and on the NW., along line 4-1 by lot 6, block 9 all of this subdivision, containing an area of FIFTY FOUR (54) SQUARE METERS more or less.

PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS AND BUYERS MAY INVES-TIGATE FOR THEMSELVES THE TITLE AND ENCUM-BRANCES, HERE IN ABOVE-DESCRIBED REAL PROPER-TIES IF ANY THERE BE.

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on said date, it shall be held on August 30, 2013 on the same time and place without further notice.

Tacloban City, July 15, 2013. FOR THE CLERK OF COURT & EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF

(Sgd.) LUDY C. MARMITA SHERIFF IV

EV Mail July 22-28, 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT Regional Trial Court Eight Judicial Region

Branch 17 Palompon, Leyte

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-PAL-13-0391-SP IN THE MATTER OF THE CANCELLATION OF AN EN-

TRY IN THE RECORD OF BIRTH OF JENNIFER C. POTOY, JENNIFER C. POTOY, Petitioner, -versus-

THE MUNICIPAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF PALOMPON, LEYTE AND THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL, QUE-

ZON CITY, Respondents. x---------------x

ORDER A verified petition having been filed with this Court

by petitioner, through counsel, Atty. Remegio Dayandayan, praying that after publication, notice and hearing an Order be issued directing the Local Civil Registrar of Palompon, Leyte and the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics Office, to cancel the entry under No. 12 of the Certificate of Live Birth of the petitioner, to wit: “September 20, 1988 – Villaba, Leyte”.

As the petition appears to be sufficient in form and sub-stance, the same is hereby set for initial hearing, pursuant to Section 4, Rule 108 of the Rules of Court on September 16, 2013 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning at the Hall of Justice, Regional Trial Court, Branch 17, Palompon, Leyte at which date, time and place, any person may appear and show cause, if any why the petition should not be granted.

Let a copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation in the Province of Leyte, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, with the last publication to be made at least one week prior to the date set for initial hearing.

Furnish copies of this Order to the Office of the Solicitor General, the Local Civil Registrar of Palompon, Leyte, the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Leyte, Atty. Remegio C. Dayandayan, Office of the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics Office and the petitioner.

SO ORDERED. Given in Chambers, this 24th day of July, 2013 at the Hall

of Justice, Palompon, Leyte. (Sgd.) MARIO O. QUINIT

Presiding Judge Copy furnished: 1. Atty. Remegio C. Dayandayan- Isabel, Leyte 2. The Office of the Solicitor General- Manila 3. Pros. Lorna Pades – Palompon, Leyte 4. National Statistics Office – Manila 5. Jennifer Potoy – San Isidro Palompon, Leyte 6. Local Civil Registrar of Palompon, Leyte 7. EV Mail Ormoc city EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11,12-18, 2013

Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT Regional Trial Court Eight Judicial Region

Branch 17 Palompon, Leyte

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-PAL-13-0390-SP IN RE: CORRECTION OF ENTRIES IN THE RECORD OF

BIRTH OF RICHARD SUMAYANG Petitioner, -versus- MUNICIPAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF

PALOMPON, LEYTE and NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE AT QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA Respondent.

x-----------------xORDER

A verified petition having been filed with this Court by petitioner, through counsel, Atty. Erwin A. Pedrosa (PAO), praying that after publication, notice and hearing an Order be issued directing the Local Civil Registrar of Palompon Leyte and the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics Of-fice to cancel the annotation of legitimation in the petitioner’s amended Certificate of Live Birth.

As the petition= appears to be sufficient in form and substance, the same is hereby set for initial hearing, pursu-ant to Section 4, Rule 108 of the Rules of Court on September 16, 2013 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning at the Hall of Justice, Regional Trial Court, Branch 17, Palompon, Leyte at which date, time and place, any person may appear and show cause, if any why the petition should not be granted.

Let a copy of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation in the Province of Leyte, once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, with the last publication to be made at least one week prior to the date set for initial hearing.

Furnish copies of this Order to the Office of the Solicitor General, the Local Civil Registrar of Palompon, Leyte, the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Leyte, Atty. Erwin A. Pedrosa, Office of the Civil Registrar General, National Sta-tistics Office and the petitioner.

SO ORDERED. Given in Chambers, this 24th day of July, 2013 at the Hall

of Justice, Palompon, Leyte. (Sgd.) MARIO O. QUINIT

Presiding Judge Copy furnished; 1. Atty. Erwin A. Pedrosa – PAO, Hall of Justice, Palompon, Leyte 2. The Office of the Solicitor General- Manila 3. Pros. Lorna Pades – Palompon, Leyte 4. National Statistics Office – Manila 5. Richard Sumayang – Brgy. Liberty Palompon, Leyte 6. Local Civil Registrar of Palompon, Leyte 7. EV Mail Ormoc City EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Extrajudicial Settlement NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

properties of the late RODOLFO R. CAÑETE re parcels of land ½ share in the conjugal property as Lot 11, Block 1 situated in District Cogon- Combado, Ormoc City, containing an area of 260 sq. m. covered by TCT No. 18004; ½ share in a residential house under TD No. 39216 situated at Doña Feliza Mejia Subd., Ormoc City; and a capital property consisting of a parcel of agricultural land Lot 11353-A-4, situated in Barrio Montealegre, Kananga, Leyte, containing an area of 13,147 sq. m. covered by TCT No. T-8235 were settle among his heirs per Doc. No. 144; Page No. 29; Book No. 25; Series of 2013 of Notary Public Fermin A. Pepito. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Self-Adjudication with Sale NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

property of the late FEDERICO LACBAYO re a parcel of an agricultural land, designated as Lot No. 4274-B, Cad-817-D, containing an area of 552.25 sq. m. under TD No. 99-03010-00319 situated at Barangay Manguino-o, Tinambacan District, Calbayog City was adjudicated unto herself by ADELA L. ANDAYA and sold in favor of ANGILYN CARPON COX married to NORMAN WILLIAM COX per Doc. No. 3051; Page No. II; Book No. LXXXIX; Series 2013 of Notary Public Ma. Rowena L. Urot. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Extrajudicial Settlement with Partition NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

late CECILIA D. TAN has left an outstanding total stockholdings of 863 shares with the Rural Bank of Calbayog City, incorporated RBCCI) was settled and partitioned among her heirs per Doc. No. 3287; Page No. 58; Book No. LXXXIX; Series 2013 of Notary Public Ma. Rowena L. Urot. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Deed of Extra-Judicial Declaration NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that

the properties of the late FELIX VELOSO re parcels of residential land situated at Veloso St., Brgy. Trinidad, Calbayog City, containing an area of 540 sq. m. under TD No. 99-01020-01991; and residential land situated at Zamora & Veloso Sts., Brgy. Trinidad, Calbayog City, containing an area of 682 sq. m. under TD No. 99-01020-00983 were settled among his heirs per Doc. No. 293; Page No. 60; Book No. XIX; Series 2011 of Notary Public Aileen R. Maglana. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province: Leyte City/Municipality: Palompon

Petition No. CFN-0007-2013 PETITION FOR CHANGE OF FIRST NAME

I, JANET PASANA MORALES, of legal age, Filipino, and a resident of Brgy. Ipil II, Palompon, Leyte. after having been duly sworn to in accordance with law, hereby declare that:

1) I am the petitioner seeking the change of first name in:

a) my Certificate of Live Birth 2) I was born on Feb. 24, 1977 at

Palompon, Leyte, Philippines,3) The birth was recorded under

registry number 223 (D-77) 4) The first name to be changed is from

JEANETTE TO JANET, 5) The grounds for filing this petition

are the following: b) I have habitually and continuously

used JANET and I publicly known in the com-munity with that first name;

6) I submit the following documents to support this petition:

a) Certificate of Live Birth (SECPA)/Baptismal Certificate

b) Official Transcript of Records/ NBI Clearance

c) Police Clearance/ Personal Affidavit /My Cert. of Marriage

d) Cert. of Live Birth of my children/ I.D. Cards

7) I have not filed any similar petition and that, to the best of my knowledge, no other similar petition is pending with any LCRO, Court or Philippine Consulate.

8) I have no pending criminal, civil or administrative case in my court or any quasi-judicial body.

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of Samar City of Calbayog

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. Act No.

9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that RIZAL CAGOCO ARANETA, petitioner, has filed with this Office a petition for CHANGE OF FIRST NAME from JAIME RIZAL to RIZAL in the Certificate of Live Birth of JAIME RIZAL CAGOCO ARANETA who was born on September 30, 1948 at CALBAYOG CITY, SAMAR and whose parents are JAIME R. ARANETA and ISABEL R. CAGOCO bearing registry number 1996-0439.

Any person adversely affected by said petition my file his/her written opposition with this Office not later than July 31, 2013.

(Sgd.) FE D. QUEROLJICO City Civil Registrar

EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

rrr

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of BILIRAN Municipal of NAVAL

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. Act.

No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that JOCELYN NEDUELAN FUENTES – CUADRA has filed with this Office a petition for change of first name from JOOSIO to JOCELYN in the birth certificate of JOOSIO NEDEWLAN FUENTES, who was born on 24 SEPTEMBER 1966 at NAVAL, LEYTE and whose parents are Clara Neduelan and Quinciano Fuentes.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than 03 June 2012.

(Sgd.) ENGR. NOEL P. CABILIN MGDH- 1 Municipal Civil Registrar

(Note: This is the correct notice over the one published in the EV Mail issues of May 21-27 & May 28- June 03, 2012 which had typo errors.)EV Mail July 29-Aug. 4, 5-11, 2013

containing an area of 34,599 sq. m. covered by TCT No. 16641; and Lot 7537-A, Psd-112585, containing an area of 63,605 sq. m. covered by TCT No. 14752 were settled among his heirs per Doc. No. 46; Page No. 10; Book No. CLXX; Series of 2013 of Notary Public Nepomuceno P. Aparis I. EV Mail July 22-28, 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

Extrajudicial Settlement with Sale NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

property of the late LEO EAMIGUEL SR., re a parcel of land Lot No. 832 of the Cadastral Survey of Ormoc, situated in Poblacion, Ormoc City was settle among his heirs and sold in favor of MA. VIOLETA E. ALFARO married to JOSE C. ALFARO per Doc. No. 354; Page No. 71; Book No. XXIX; Series 2013 of Notary Public Maria Samuel Aviles. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Extrajudicial Settlement NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the

properties of the late REBECCA M. MELGAZO re parcels of residential land designated as Lot 13227, Cad. 566-D, located in Brgy. Himo-aw, Hilongos, Leyte covered by TD No. 14017-00029 with an area of 643.73 sq. m.; Residential land Lot 13875, Cad. 566-D, located in Central Poblacion, Hilongos, Leyte, covered by TD No. 14001-00148 with an area of 591.11 sq. m. ; and a Residential building built Lot 13875, Cad, 566-D, has a ground floor area of 60.79 sq. m. second floor area of 37.80 sq m. were settled among her heirs per Doc. No. 325; Page No. 66; Book No. XVIII; Series of 2013 of Notary Public Joseph F. Fulache. EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT

8th Judicial Region Branch 18, Hilongos, Leyte

EJF H- 023-13 For: EXTRAJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE

MORTGAGE JERSTRAM LENDING INVESTOR

Represented by its Manager JOSEFINA R. MODESTO, Mortgagee,

-versus- MARIBEL V. LARONA,

Mortgagor,SHERIFF’S NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SALE

Upon extrajudicial petition for sale under Act 3135 as amended filed by JERSTRAM LENDING INVESTOR with a postal address R.V. Villaflores St., Hilongos, Leyte, represented by its Manager Josefina P. Modesto, against Maribel V. Larona, of Brgy. Lamak Hilongos, Leyte to satisfy the mortgage indebt-edness which as of March 2013, in the total amount of NINE HUNDRED EIGHTY THREE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED TEN PESOS (P983,410.00) Philippine currency, representing interest, penalties excluding the expenses of the foreclosure attorney’s fees, the undersigned will SELL AT PUBLIC AUC-TION on August 29, 2013, at 9:00 o’clock in the morning until 4:00 P.M. or soon thereafter at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 18, Hilongos, Leyte for CASH and in the Philippine Currency, the following properties with all the improvements found thereon, hereunder described as follows:

“ A parcel of land covered by Transfer Certificate of title No. TP 14893 Declared in the name Maribel Larona situated at Brgy. Lamak Hilongos, Leyte as bounded as follows; SW; line 1-2 by lot No. 2047, case 9, Cad 566-D, corner 2 is common to lot 2127, Case 9, Ca. 566-D; (road lot); NW; line 2-3 by Lot 2126, Case 9, Cad. 566-p1 (road Lot); corner 3 is common to Lot 2125, Case 9, Cad 566-D) Road Lot; NE: Line 3-4, by Lot 2073, Case 9, Cad. 566-D 566-D; line 4-5, by Lot 566-D; line 5-6, by Lot 2066, Case 9, Cad. 566-D; line 6,7 by Lot 2066, Case 9 Cad, 566-D; SE; line 7-1 by Lot 2050, Case 9, Cad. 566-D; (corner 1 is common to Lot 2049, Case 9, Cad. 566-D with an area of 2,377 square meters and covered by Tax Dec. No. 05-14021-00669”

All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above-stated date and time.

In the event the public auction should not take place due to fortuitous event on said date it shall be held on September 6, 2013 on the same time and place,

Hilongos, Leyte, July 23, 2013. (Sgd.) ISABELO FALCONE

Sheriff IV Noted: ATTY. CHRISTIAN S. VILLAS

Clerk of Court VI Copy furnished: JERSTRAM LENDING INVESTOR Poblacion, Hilongos, Leyte MARIBEL V. LARONA Brgy. Lamak, Hilongos, Leyte EV Mail Aug. 5-11, 12-18, & 19- 25, 2013

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of Leyte Municipality of Hilongos

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In compliance with Sec. 5 R.A No.

9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that ANANIAS L. CUBIO, has filed with this office a Petition for Change of Date of Birth from December 17, 1949 to December 16, 1949 in the birth certificate of ANANIAS L. CUBIO who was born on December 16, 1949 at Hilongos, Leyte and whose parents are MIGUEL CUBIO and HERMINIA LIPARDO.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his/her written opposition with this office not later than fifteen (15) days after publication.

(Sgd.) ERNESTO MA. FULACHE Municipal Civil Registrar

EV Mail Aug. 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

ERRATUM NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN

that in the Notice of Foreclosure EJF NO. 3641 PAG-IBIG FUND versus IMELDA N. JAVELLANA, the cor-rect TCT No. under Description of Property should have been TCT NO. : T-47306 and not T-473306. The notice was published in the EV Mail issues of July 8-14, 15-21, & 22-28, 2013.

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of Samar City of Calbayog

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In compliance with Section 5 of R.A.

Act No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that RIZAL CAGOCO ARANETA, petitioner, has filed with this Office a petition for CHANGE OF FIRST NAME from JAIME RIZAL to RIZAL in the Certificate of Live Birth of JAIME RIZAL CAGOCO ARANETA who was born on September 30, 1948 at CALBAYOG CITY, SAMAR and whose parents are JAIME R. ARANETA and ISABEL R. CAGOCO bearing registry number 1996-0439.

Any person adversely affected by said petition my file his/her written opposition with this Office not later than July 31, 2013.

(Sgd.) FE D. QUEROLJICO City Civil Registrar

EV Mail Aug. 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of Samar City of Calbayog

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION In compliance with Section 5 of R.A. Act

No. 9048, a notice is hereby served to the public that MARIBEL ORQUIN LACORTE petitioner, has filed with this Office a petition for CHANGE OF FIRST NAME from BELLALUNA to MARI-BEL in the Certificate of Live Birth of BELLA LUNA ORQUIN LACORTE who was born on July 17, 1978 at CALBAYOG CITY, SAMAR and whose parents are FELIX F. LABORER and REMEDIOS D. ORQUIN bearing registry number 637 (I-78).

Any person adversely affected by said petition my file his/her written opposition with this Office no later than July 31, 2013.

(Sgd.) FE D. QUEROLJICO City Civil Registrar

EV Mail Aug. 5-11 & 12-18, 2013

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC CCE-0018-2013 August 01. 2013

In compliance with the publication requirement and pursuant to OCRG Memo-randum Circular No. 2013-1 Guidelines in the Implementation of the Administrative Order No. 1 Series of 2012 (IRR on R.A. 10172), Notice is hereby served to the public that BENJAMIN B. COQUILLA has filed with this Office, a petition for correction of entry in the date of birth from “December 25, 1952” to “December 23, 1952” and correction of child’s middle and mother’s last name from “Batuto” to “Batoto” and the child’s and father’s last name from “Coquella” to “Coquilla” in the Certificate of Live Birth of BENJAMIN BATUTO COQUELLA at Kananga, Leyte and whose parents are Porferia Batuto and Pelagio Coquella.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this office not later than August 21, 2013.

(Sgd.) ENGR. NEWTON A. ISAACMunicipal Civil Registrar

EV Mail Aug. 5-11, & 12-18, 2013

NOTICE OF AUCTION SALE ON REMATADOS OF

M. LHUILLIER PAWNSHOPS ALL BRANCHES AT LEYTE REGION, ORMOC

1, 2 & 3, NAVAL, PALOMPON, CARIGARA, ISABEL, KANANGA, VILLABA, SAN ISIDRO, TABANGO, AL-BUERA, LEYTE, BILIRAN, MATAG-OB, CALUBIAN, TACLOBAN BRANCHES 1,2,3,4, & 5, PALO, CALA-NIPAWAN (V & G) TANAUAN, ALANG-ALANG, JARO, DAGAMI, DULAG, BURAUEN, MARaAS-BARAS, ROBINSON, BAYBAY, 1, & 3, INOPACAN, HILONGOS, ABUYOG, MAASIN 1 & 2, BATO, SO-GOD 1 & 2; MACARTHUR, SAN JUAN (CABALIAN), LILOAN, HINDANG, HINUNANGAN, PINTUYAN, MALITBOG,& ST. BERNARD.

Commencing August 15, 2013 at 9:00 am, the above mentioned pawnshop will sell on Public Auction Sale all overdue pledges left in the same up to March 31, 2012, Patrons are enjoined to verify their receipts.

MANAGEMENT

Sa Agusto15, 2013 sa alas 9:00 ang takna sa buntag isubasta sa publiko ang tanang butang naremati diri sa tagsa-tagsa ka buhatan sa gihinganlan sa itaas. Tanang butang pinerenda nga wala malukat hangtud sa Marso 31, 2012 maapil sa subasta. Giawhag ang tanang suki sa pagsusi sa ilang mga resibo.

TAGDUMALA EV Mail Aug. 5-11, 2013

9) I am filing this petition at the LCRO of Palompon, Leyte in accordance with R.A. No. 9048 and its implementing rules and regulations.

(Sgd.) JANET P. MORALES Petitioner

VERIFICATION I, JANET P. MORALES, the petitioner,

hereby certify that the allegations herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) JANET P. MORALES Petitioner

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 26th day of July, 2013 in the city/munici-pality of Palompon, Leyte petitioner exhibiting his Community Tax Certificate No. 11299750 issued at Palompon, Leyte on April 18, 2013.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA G. LODOVICA Municipal Civil Registrar

Administering Officer EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province of Biliran Municipality of Naval

NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION CC-0001-2013

DATE: July 29, 2012In compliance with section 5 of R.A. 9048, a

notice is hereby served to the public that GIDEON B. BATIQUIN has filed with this office a petition for change of first name from MAGDALINO to GIDEON in my Cer-tificate of Live Birth of MAGDALINO B. BATIQUIN who was born on NOVEMBER 10, 1970 at NAVAL, LEYTE and whose parents are PURIFICACION BERON and ODON BATIQUIN.

Any person adversely affected by said petition may file his written opposition with this Office not later than August 15, 2013.

(Sgd.) ENGR. NOEL P. CABILIN MGDH- 1 MUNICIPAL CIVIL REGISTRAR

EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

11August 5-11, 2013 NOTICESRepublic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT

8th Judicial Region Branch 35, Ormoc City CASE NO. R-ORM-11-

00060-CV FOR: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE

ON THE GROUND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INCA-

PACITY ANDRO P. RESTITUTO,

Plaintiff, -versus-

EMILY CAVAN RESTI-TUTO,

Defendant.x--------------x

ORDER A Report On The Con-

duct of Investigation For Possible Collusion Of Parties dated 21 January 2013 was filed by the Office of the City Prosecutor on 24 January 2013 in compliance with the Orders of this Court dated 5 January 2012 and 23 July 2012, which directed said Office to investigate wheth-er collusion exists between the parties after defendant’s period to file answer had elapsed without her filing her responsive pleading.

A careful perusal of the record of this case however leads this Court, through the Undersigned Acting Presid-ing Judge, to discover that the Court has not yet properly acquired jurisdiction over the person of the defendant. The Order dated 18 October 2011, which granted plaintiff ’s Motion For Publication Of Summons directed only the publication of the summons once when it should have been twice per Sec. 6 of A.M. No. 02-11-10-SC or the Rule on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages, thus:

“Sec. 6. Summons.- The service of summons shall be governed by Rule 14 of the Rules of Court and by the following rules:

(1) Where the respon-dent cannot be located at his given address or his where-abouts are unknown ad can-not be ascertained by diligent inquiry, service of summons may, by leave of court, be effected upon him by pub-lication once a week for two consecutive weeks in a news-paper of general circulation in the Philippines and in such places as the court may order. In addition, a copy of the summons shall be served on the respondent at his last known address by registered mail or any other means the court may deem sufficient.” (emphasis supplied)

To be sure, this defect could simply not just be ignored as inconsequential. This defect is jurisdictional as it virtually affects the very authority of this Court to issue orders which would be binding on the defendant.

Accordingly, in order to correct the proceedings of this case to make it conform-able to law, the Court hereby invokes its inherent power under Sec. 5, Rule 135 of the Rules of Court to amend its Order of 18 October 2011 by ordering that summons together with the complaint of this case be served upon the defendant by publica-tion once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks in a news-paper of general circulation in the Philippines qualified to publish judicial notices at the expense of the plaintiff.

The Branch Clerk of Court is also directed to send by registered mail a copy of the summons together with a copy of the compliant and this Order to the defendant at her last known address.

The defendant in turn is directed to file her answer to the petition within a period of thirty (30) days from the last issue of publication.

In view of all of the fore-going, the Court resolves to

which is within the jurisdic-tion of this Honorable Court, being a husband and wife but two (2) months after, the defendant left the plaintiff and returned to her home at Englis V. Rama, Cebu City, without leaving a single word, Plaintiff followed de-fendant to her home at Eng-lis V. Rama, Cebu City but defendant was categorical in her statement that she was not really serious of getting into marriage with plaintiff and she called it “Quit”;

5. From that time on, that defendant had parted ways and are absolutely for-getting and forsaking plain-tiff, she never care to return at all;

6. That the parties have no offspring of their own due to so short a time they lived together, and neither they have properties of their own, either real or personal;

7. That based on the foregoing facts, the defen-dant had never a real in-tention to marry with the plaintiff, that she lift their place just a week after the marriage and their living together and when followed by the plaintiff to go back home, she just indifferently and categorically declared that she was not really seri-ous of setting marriage with plaintiff and call it a QUIT;

8. That the defendants’ lack of concern, sense of responsibility and assump-tion of obligation toward the plaintiff are clearly showing mental reservation, involun-tariness and psychological incapacity when she entered a marriage contract with the plaintiff;

9. That the marriage of the plaintiff with the defen-dant, with the attendant de-fects mentioned in the imme-diately preceding paragraph that vitiate consent rendered the marriage between them a nullity;

10. That there is a need for declaring a nullity or an-nulment of the marriage, due to circumstances and ground mentioned in paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 of the herein Com-plaint, to free the plaintiff from the burden of obligation and responsibilities due to a married woman, when in fact and in deed, the marriage is a nullity, hence of no legal effect.

PRAYERWHEREFORE, prem-

ises considered, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that after due notice and hearing, judg-ment/Decision be rendered thereby declaring the NUL-LITY or Annulment of the Marriage of the parties herein and to order further the City Civil Registrar of Cebu City and the National Statistics Office at Quezon City to enter in their respective records the Judgment/Decision of Nullity or Annulment of Marriage.

San Isidro, Ormoc City, March 30, 2011.

(Sgd.) EUSEBIO I. OTADOY, JR.

Counsel for the Plaintiff San Isidro, Ormoc City

Roll of Attorney No. 31334 PTR No. 3112921, 01/03/11,

Ormoc CityIBP No. 843702, 01/10/11,

Ormoc City MCLE Compliance No. III-

0006297, 11/23/09TIN: 166-551-880

VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION I, ANDRO P. RESTI-

TUTO, of legal age, married, Filipino, after having been duly sworn to according to law depose and say: That I am the Plaintiff of the above-entitled case; That I caused the preparation of the same; and That the allegations therein are true and correct to the best of my personal knowledge and belief.

FURTHER, I hereby

NOTE WITHOUT ACTION the Report On The Conduct Of Investigation For Possible Collusion Of Parties dated 21 January 2013 filed by the Office of the City Prosecutor on 24 January 2013.

SO ORDERED. In Chambers, Ormoc

City, Philippines, 26 July 2013.

(Sgd.) ROGELIO R. JOBOCO

Acting Presiding Judge Cc: Office of the Solicitor General Office of the City Prosecutor Atty. Eusebio Otadoy, Jr. Andro Restituto

Republic of the Philippines8th Judicial Region

REGIONAL TRIAL COURT Branch 35, Ormoc City CASE NO. R-ORM-11-

00060-CV FOR: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE

ON THE GROUND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INCA-

PACITY ANDRO P. RESTITUTO,

Plaintiff, -versus-

EMILY CAVAN RESTITU-TO, Defendant

x--------x SUMMONS BY PUBLI-

CATION TO: EMILY CAVAN RES-TITUTOEnglis V. Rama Cebu City GREETINGS:

You are hereby required within a period of not less than FIFTEEN (15) days after service of this Sum-mons upon you, to file with the Court and serve on the plaintiff, your Answer to the Petition, copy of which is hereto attached together with the Annexes. You are reminded of the provision in the IBP-OCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated 12 March 2002 to observe restraint in filing a Motion to Dismiss and instead al-lege the ground thereof as defenses in the Answer.

WITNESS my hand un-der the seal of the Court this 29th day of July 2013. (Sgd.) MILREYSA SALINAS

DAYANDAYANClerk of Court IV

Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT

REGIONAL TRIAL COURT 8th Judicial Region

Branch 35,Ormoc City

CIVIL CASE NO. R-ORM-11-00060-CV

FOR: DECLARATION OF NULLITY OF MARRIAGE

ON THE GROUND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL INCA-

PACITY. ANDRO P. RESTITUTO,

Plaintiff, -versus-

EMILY CAVAN RESTI-TUTO,

Defendant. x--------------x

COMPLAINTC O M E S N O W t h e

plaintiff by Counsel and unto this Honorable Court, most respectfully states:

1. That the plaintiff is of legal age, married, Filipino and a resident of Brgy. Ipil, Ormoc City C/o Pedro Resti-tuto, Leyte Agri Corporation, while defendant is likewise of legal age, married, Filipino and with residence and post-al address at Englis V. Rama, Cebu City, where summons, notices and other courts pro-cesses maybe served;

2. That the parties have all capacity to sue and be sued;

3. That on August 5, 2003, the Parties hereto mar-ried each other as evidenced by the Certificate of Mar-riage, hereto attached as Annex-“ A”;

4. That after the mar-riage of August 5, 2003, the parties lived together at Brgy. Can-adieng, Ormoc City,

Certify that I have not filed any action similar to this case or of the same case with any Office, Court, Court of Ap-peals or The Supreme Court and if I know later of any ac-tion similar to this case with the same cause of action and parties, I hereby undertake to inform this Honorable Court within five (5) days therefrom.

(Sgd.) ANDRO P. RESTI-TUTO Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 30th day of March, 2011 at Ormoc City, affiant exhibited to me his Community Tax Certificate No. 06272823 is-sued at Ormoc City on March 30, 2011.

(Sgd.) EUSEBIO I. OTADOY, JR. Notary Public

Until December 31, 2011 IBP No. 843702, 01/10/11,

Ormoc City TIN: 166-551-880

Doc. No. 80; Page No. 16; Book No. XX; Series of 2011. Copy Furnished by Regis-tered Mail to: 1. THE HONORABLE SO-LICITOR GENERAL Office of the Solicitor General 134 Amorsolo St. Legaspi Village Makati City 2. NATIONAL STATISTICS OFFICE Quezon City 3. CITY CIVIL REGISTRAR Office of the Civil Registry Cebu City. 4. MR. ANDRO P. RESTI-TUTO Brgy. Ipil, Ormoc City C/o : Pedro Restituto Leyte Agri Corporation

EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

Republic of the Philippines Local Civil Registry Office

Province: Leyte City/Municipality: Palompon Republic of the Philippines)

Palompon, Leyte)SS Petition No. CFN-0007-2013

PETITION FOR CHANGE OF FIRST NAME I, JANET PASANA MORALES, of legal age,

Filipino, and a resident of Brgy. Ipil II, Palompon, Leyte. after having been duly sworn to in accordance with law, hereby declare that:

1) I am the petitioner seeking the change of first name in:

a) my Certificate of Live Birth 2) I was born on Feb. 24, 1977 at Palompon,

Leyte, Philippines,3) The birth was recorded under registry

number 223 (D-77) 4) The first name to be changed is from

JEANETTE TO JANET, 5) The grounds for filing this petition are

the following: b) I have habitually and continuously used

JANET and I publicly known in the community with that first name;

6) I submit the following documents to sup-port this petition:

a) Certificate of Live Birth (SECPA)/Baptis-mal Certificate

b) Official Transcript of Records/ NBI

POTPOURRI ... from P. 4

the said book. Those who do not will be sent to the concentration camps or to see the Gestapo to explain why not.

Robert Ludlum, a writer of the cloak-and-dagger type fiction, must have written so many books and all of them were instant hits. And to even think those women authors are just as good as any man writer. Today’s best authors have the use of gadgets that make it easier. These gadgets make it more practical because of the savings on scratch paper. The computers or iPods or iPads have made writing less cumbersome. During the time of Ernest Hemingway, he must have thrown away reams of paper each time he would rewrite his articles. With the flick of the keyboard, you can always insert a word or a whole paragraph with-out deviating from the trend of thought.

We have to admit that the best-selling book of all time is the Bible. And you do not have to be a Catholic to have it. All other denominations have it and some are even proud to show it off. Even if the Bible is written by so many, it still has only one single author: God. It was then the practice to provide a way to lock the book so that not all can read the bible. They changed it all by allowing freer access; after all, the bible is meant to reach out to all individuals. This corner has several bibles and several versions and languages. You should get hold of a Spanish version. It makes the words sound flowery. There are bibles without mention of Mama Mary. Why is it that some people resent the Motherhood of Mary? Can it be that they are jealous that God the Father made it that way? During the time of Mama Mary, it was already foretold that there wilkl be a woman that will save Man from perdition. The choice therefore of the Virgin Mary is the conse-

quence of this redemption. Who can ever question God’s decision? If there were several young virgins in a particular vil-lage gathered for an event, only one can be chosen. This is where Mama Mary was chosen just like with the prophets when some of them were chosen even when inside the womb of the mother. If God can do this, how much more for the one to be the Mother of Jesus? Because of this choice, the parents of Mama Mary became Saints. How did Elizabeth, the cousin of Mama Mary address her when she visited Elizabeth who was now six months pregnant at the old age of about 80? It was in this particular visit that Mama Mary worded that famous Magnificat. You should hear the sung version of this Magnificat. Beautiful! This corner can distinctly remember the lyrics which is continued to be sung in churches,

Since the discovery of the written and the spoken word, how many mil-lions upon millions of books haven been circulated throughout this vast universe of ours. And, what’s more, there can be no end in sight. As long as man contin-ues to use his “coconut,” the generation of the future can be expected to benefit in the endless search for man to use his brain. They are now toying to control age by the use of stem cells. What a world of a difference from the man that was of the cave age to the present man who has a complete control of the vast-ness of his knowledge and making full use of the universe.

With this insatiable thirst, this corner can only surmise and wonder the proto-type man of the future. Can we have the modern version of the Tower of Babel that was done in the biblical past?

Clearance c) Police Clearance/ Personal Affidavit /My

Cert. of Marriage d) Cert. of Live Birth of my children/ I.D. Cards 7) I have not filed any similar petition and

that, to the best of my knowledge, no other similar petition is pending with any LCRO, Court or Philip-pine Consulate.

8) I have no pending criminal, civil or admin-istrative case in my court or any quasi-judicial body.

9) I am filing this petition at the LCRO of Palompon, Leyte in accordance with R.A. No. 9048 and its implementing rules and regulations.

(Sgd.) JANET P. MORALES Petitioner

VERIFICATION I, JANET P. MORALES, the petitioner, hereby

certify that the allegations herein are true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

(Sgd.) JANET P. MORALES Petitioner

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 26th day of July, 2013 in the city/municipality of Palompon, Leyte petitioner exhibiting his Community Tax Certificate No. 11299750 issued at Palompon, Leyte on April 18, 2013.

(Sgd.) CARMELITA G. LODOVICA Municipal Civil Registrar

Administering Officer EV Mail July 29- Aug. 4, & 5-11, 2013

SCARE ... from P. 1those in close contact with the same they were given prophylactic anti-biotic. The Surveillance unit from City of Tacloban and DOH will do a thorough contact tracing of of people the victim was in contact pursuant to standard operating procedures.”, the mayor said.

He added that “Meningococ-cemia is an acute and potentially life-threatening infection of the bloodstream caused by bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria frequently live in a person’s upper respiratory tract without causing visible signs of illness and can be spread from person to person through respiratory droplets or are airborne.”

“Family members and those closely exposed to someone with the condition are at increased risk.

Symptoms may include fever, rash-es, headache, anxiety, irritability, muscle pain and nausea.”

Nonetheless, Mayor Romual-dez said, there is no cause for the public to panic as “the transmission of Meningoccemia is not the same as AH1N1”. As such, there was no need to use gas masks while going on about their daily business.

The mayor said that to prevent Meningococcemia infection, that the populace practice a few healthy tips: Proper handwashing, covering the mouth when sneezing or coughing, eating a balanced diet, seeking early consultation when one feels feverish and exhibit other symptoms; limit alcohol intake and avoid smoking and crowded places.

The local health board said that regional health authorities reported that as of August 8, 2013, there are only 12 cases of Meningococcemia in Eastern Visayas and only but only one in Tacloban City. By Lalaine M. Jimenea with a statement from the Office of the Tacloban City Mayor

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13August 5-11, 2013 NEWS

VIEW FROM ORMOC ... from P. 4

Naloko na!

Ormoc Fiscal dismisses complaints versus Dumaguit couple, cohort for sloppy CIDG raid

rrr

I was in Manila to apply for a visa. I had to wake up early and line up to be called first. I was lucky enough to be included in the magic 20 for the day. Only 20 visa applications were entertained that day and another 20 for citizenship and OFW concerns.

Inside, we had to wait for about an hour before the first call was made. We meekly followed the guard’s instructions to sit on designated chairs. Mine was on the end by the wall and I drifted off to a light sleep. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Waking up, I saw all the seats were full already and a staff was going about some brown envelops. Most of those in the room were seniors. I kidded the one beside me, “Naku ang bait-bait natin ano, behave masyado. Kung andun pa siguro tayo sa Philippine Embassy baka minura na natin ‘yong mga staff for making us wait this long.”

My comment generated laughter from three seniors beside me. One nodded in agreement, saying “talagang napaka-behave nating lahat sa ibang bansa!”

All of them were veteran globe-trotters, I soon found out. We laughed at how respectful we are at the “yellow line” in other places, but seems to disregard it here. The “yellow line” is where one stops while an immigration officer processes the person before you in the line. In fairness to us, the last time I was at our international airport, there was no “yellow line”. It was already faded and a dirty white. So we can always say, what yellow line do you mean? ☺

Newsboy: “Dyaryo kayo dyan! Dalawang bading ang naloko! Diyaryo! Diyaryo!”Bakla: “Hi! Pabili nga ng diyaryo! Magkano?” Newsboy: “Twelve pesos po.”Bakla: “Hoy! Wala naman akong mabasang dalawang bading na naloko dito ah!”Newsboy: “Diyaryo! Diyaryo! Tatlong Bading ang naloko. Diyaryo kayo dyan!”

rrr

teacher: Give me colors dat begin w/ letter M. Pupil: Maroon!Ngongo: Mlue, Mlawn, Mlack, Mink, Maiolet.teacher: Melly ngud…. Malakmakan!

Affidavit of Self AdjudicationNOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the properties of the late BIEN-

VINIDO BONA-OY re a parcel of land designated as Lot 2179-B-1 Psd-08-010185 situated in Brgy. Cogon, Ormoc City containing an area of 164 sq. m. covered by TCT No. T-32402; and one (1) Residential House were adjudicated unto herself by GLORIA HERMOSISIMA BONA-OY per Doc. No. 190; Page No. 38; Book No. CCCXIV; Series of 2010 of Notary Public Nicolas S. Maglasang. EV Mail August 5-11, 12-18 & 19-25, 2013

OrmOc city Prosecutor marcelo Oñate dismissed the complaints filed by the criminal investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) against District 4 barangay chairwoman Jocela “Jojie” Dumaguit, her husband ma-rio and one Kelvin Juntilla for a sloppy raid.

To recall, the CIDG raided two houses of the Dumaguits at the notorious Mabini Street here, known for its shabu trade, on August 3, a Saturday.

Armed with a search war-rant from Tacloban Executive Judge Alphinor Serrano, the raid started at around 2:00 early in the morning and ended up at around 2:00 PM.

All through out the raid, the CIDG team, which was split into two to cover both houses, were elusive to media. Those who witnessed the raid were barangay councilwoman Rosa-lina Omega and two barangay tanods.

When they announced the raid, one Kelvin Juntilla re-portedly ran away and was chased by two members of the

team. While running away, he threw some things out of his pocket. It was a gun, 8 bullets and one sachet of shabu, the raiding team alleged.

All three suspects were subsequently brought to Ta-cloban City “for processing”. Armada said they are bringing them to Tacloban where their head office is, because the Ormoc office is just a satellite office.

Four cases were subse-quently filed against the three. Juntilla was charged for two counts, one for illegal posses-sion of firearm and the second, for possession of illegal drugs.

Barangay Chairwoman Jo-cela “Jojie” Dumaguit, on the other hand, was charged for il-legal gambling. Some Swertres paraphernalia were allegedly confiscated from her room. Lastly, Mario Dumaguit was charged for illegal possession of firearms, after the CIDG found two Black Widow Cal. 22 Magnum and an snub nose Cal. 38 in his room.

In dismissing the com-plaints against the three, Fiscal

Oñate noted that in Juntilla’s case, there was no represen-tative from media and the Department of Justice who witnessed the raid. While the search warrants were for guns admittedly, the possibility of finding drugs incidental to the conduct of the search made it imperative for the presence of media and DOJ.

Second, Oñate said that the two officers who issued an affi-davit against Juntilla could not even synchronize their stories. One police officer said that Juntilla ran through a side door after they announced the raid while the other could not state which door he passed through. There was also no witness to corroborate that the gun, the bullets and one sachet of shabu really came from Juntilla.

The fiscal also made the observation that there was an attempt to plant evidence on the suspects. The inventory, he noted, showed “one tea bag of suspected dried marijuana leaves”. While it was erased with the use of a liquid eraser, it was still legible, giving him

doubts. He also noted that the place

indicated in the search warrant was “Brgy. Mabini” which is a barrio some 15 kilometers away. Granted that it was a typographical error, Oñate was obviously not impressed by the way CIDG prepped their cases.

In the complaint for illegal gambling versus barangay chairwoman Jocela Duma-guit, Fiscal Oñate noted that the “bets” were dated June yet. Furthermore, he said, the barangay official was not caught in the act of betting or indulging in the illegal num-bers game.

As for the possession of firearms versus Mario Duma-guit, Fiscal Oñate said that the search warrant for guns was specific. It was claimed that it was inside a vault but the CIDG themselves claimed finding it in another area.

Oñate said the alleged evi-dences against the Dumaguits and Juntilla were “fruits of a poisoned tree”, hence he was dismissing the complaints. By Lalaine M. Jimena

 

Republic of the Philippines

NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE POLICE REGIONAL OFFICE 8

Camp Kangleon, Palo, Leyte

July 29, 2013

MR. NESTOR L. ABREMATEA Publisher “The Tacloban Star” Tacloban City Dear Mr. ABREMATEA, This pertains to your letter dated July 5, 2013 regarding the alleged illegal gambling operations known as “Sa Pula – Sa Puti” in Ormoc City.

Respectfully be informed that Ormoc City Police Office received information that

there was an alleged existence of illegal gambling operations known as “Sa Pula – Sa Puti” during the fiesta celebration more particularly at the Ormoc City Quadrangle. With this, verification was made at the Office of the Permit and Licensing Office of Ormoc City and it was found out that no permit was granted to operate said game. As a result, immediate anti-illegal gambling operation was conducted by the elements of Ormoc City Police Office but it turned negative. However, the lessee, Jessie A Martinez was advised that all his sub-lessees are only allowed to operate games stated in the permit granted by the City Government of Ormoc City.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention and rest assured that this

office will continuously uphold our mandate in fighting all forms of illegal gambling and other illegal activity in the area.

Very truly yours,

ELMER RAGADIO SORIA, CEO VI Police Chief Superintendent Regional Director

Copy furnished: - Office of the CPNP; - Office of the SILG.

Sa Pula o Sa Puti? PNP reg’l chief debunks gambling existed at Ormoc plaza

Printed in toto is a letter by PNP regional director Elmer Ragadio Soria to a Tacloban Star publisher denying that “Sa Pula, Sa Puti” illegal gambling games disguised as “parlor games” existed at the Ormoc City Plaza for the duration of the fiesta until July 15. In response, Mr. Abrematea has requested that pictures he took while in Ormoc City be published, wryly noting that the city police station 1 was just nearby. Here are some of them......

Dengue kills!Join the Rotary Clubs in Ormoc City on August 17, 2013 to help fight the deadly menace... do your share to help Ormoc!

14 August 5-11, 2013NEWS

EMB names 3 schools in west Leyte part as “eco-friendly” tAcLOBAN city – three schools in the western part of the province of Leyte were named as 2013 Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools in Eastern Visayas during the recently concluded regional search spearheaded by the Environment and manage-ment Bureau 8 (EMB-8).

Maribel Munsayac, EMB-8 information chief, said the regional winners which will compete at the national search are: Lomonon Central El-ementary School of Palompon, Leyte for the Elementary Lev-el; Don Geronimo B. Zaldivar Memorial School of Fisher-ies of Albuera, Leyte for the

Tacloban City First Lady Councilor Cristina G. Romualdez represents Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez during the opening of the Environmental Safety Mining Photo Exhibit last August 8, 2013 at the Robinsons’ Place Activity Area. She is with Chamber of Mines of the Philippines officials who wants to show through a Photo Exhibit the corporate social responsibilities of mining companies whenever mining activities is present in a certain place and their commitment to ethical and legal standards contributing to the advancement of society, environment, and economy achieved through multi-stakeholder partnerships towards sustainable development. Photo by Bayongz & Billy Cinco / Gay B. Gaspay-TISAT

Secondary Level; and Visayas State University of Baybay, Leyte for the Tertiary Level.

In 2009, the Visayas State University landed second place at the national search.

The three regional win-ners received a cash prize of P10,000 each.

Munsayac said 15 schools in the region joined the search which aims to highlight achievement of schools that are committed in implement-ing various environmental programs.

With the theme, “Sustain-able and Eco-friendly Initia-tives,” the search was conduct-ed to integrate in the school

curriculum environmental programs and activities such as tree planting, solid waste management, energy conser-vation, water conservation, MRF, composting and other environment related exten-sion activities and programs, Munsayac said.

Entries was rated accord-ing to the Environment-related Aspects of the School’s Policy; Environment-friendly School Operations and Presence of Environmental Programs; En-vironment-related Features of the School Cur-riculum; Pres-ence of Vibrant Eco Organiza-

tions in Campus; and Pres-ence of Partners and Linkages in Environment Programs/Projects.

The regional team who validated the entries was composed of a private sec-tor representative, Commis-sion on Higher Education and the Department of Education while the EMB served as the

secretariat. This year, Munsayac add-

ed, two more special awards will be given from private sector partner. First is the “Meralco Energy Leadership Award” which recognizes schools that promote practices and initiatives in electrical safety, energy efficiency and conservation while the other

one is the “Nestle Leadership for Water Award” which rec-ognizes schools that promote water management solutions and best practices.

The regional search, she said, was conducted in coordi-nation with DepEd, CHED and Smart Communications as the private partner. PIA

CORRUPTION AND THE KILLING OF JOURNALISTSStatement of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists

Janet Napoles and company may not have merely orchestrated the P10 billion pork barrel scam. It now seems that they could also be among the beneficiaries of the misuse of P728 million in fertilizer funds in 2004.

Whistle-blower Benhur Luy has revealed that Napoles and company were involved in the fertilizer scam allegedly masterminded by former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante, the local manifestations of which Tacurong City journalist Marlene Esperat was among the first to expose, and for which she was killed in March, 2005. Esperat thereby joined those other journalists—90 percent of them—who were killed from 1986 onwards for exposing corruption and criminality.

Esperat was killed in her home in the presence of her children, on the orders, ac-cording to prosecutors, of two officials of the Region XII office of the Department of Agriculture who feared exposure of their involvement in the use of the funds for the 2004 election campaign of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Both officials have yet to be taken into custody, despite the issuance of an alias warrant against Osmena Montaner and Estrella Sabay last June, after months of delay due to their lawyers’ questioning the legality of the previously issued warrants of arrest, and the slowness of the courts involved.

The Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ) has been at the forefront of the effort to bring the alleged masterminds to court. While the case is by itself crucial to the imperative of ending the culture of impunity that continues to embolden the killers of journalists, an added dimension to it is the need to completely expose the extent to which corruption has not only compromised governance but has also contributed to the persistence of the killings, harassments and threats against journalists and media workers.

It is in this context that FFFJ is once again calling the attention of the Department of Justice, the Police and the Courts to bring the case against the suspected masterminds to a credible closure, and for the media and the public to monitor developments in a case that has become key to the citizenry’s understanding and appreciation of the web of corruption and murder that plagues this country and its impact on the media and the safety of journalists.