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MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

ISSN–1655-3853 • ENERO 2 - 8, 2009 • VOL. 30, NO. 01 • 8 PAHINA • P10.00

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2 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 ENERO 2 - 8, 2009

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MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

Jose L. PaviaPublisher/Editor

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Buntot Pagé PERFECTO V. RAYMUNDO

Pagkaraan ng Pasko at Bagong Taon

ISA sa mga bunga ng katataposna mahabang Christmas vacationay ang pagkakaroon ng bawat isang pagkakataon upang magsurisa mga nagdaang araw at hina-harap na panahon.

Bilang isang mamamahayag,hindi maiwasan ng Promdi nasumulyap sa mga posibleng ma-ging kalagayan ng pamamahayagkahapon, ngayon at sa mga su-sunod na panahon.

Sa mga nagdaang panahon,naikuwento sa Promdi ng mgabeteranong mamamahayag saBulacan tulad ni Benjamin “Ta-tang Ben” Gamos kung paano silanagpapahatid ng kanilang mgabalita at mga kuhang larawan sakanilang pahayagang sinusulatanna nakabase sa Maynila.

Ayon kay Tatang Ben, noongdekada ’60 at ’70 ay personalnilang inihahatid ang kanilangsinulat na balita sa Maynila.

Sa mga sumunod na panahonay ginamit nila ang pamama-raang “phone-in” o pagtawag nglong distance collect sa tanggapanng pahayagang kanilang sinu-sulatan, at idinidikta ang sinulatnilang balita.

May mga pagkakataon din naipinahahatid nila ang kanilang

BALIK-TANAW

Promdi DINO BALABO

Sulyap sa hinaharap ng mamamahayag

NGAYONG nakaraan na angPasko at Bagong Taon, pani-bagong pagsisikap na naman angating dapat na gawin, upangmaaliwalas ang landas na atingtatahakin sa pag-usad ng pa-nahon.

Ngayong buwan ng Enero aynararapat na pag-isipan natinkung ano ang mabuti natinggawin para sa ating hinaharap sataong ito.

Una sa lahat ay manalangintayo sa Poong Maykapal na ga-bayan tayo sa ating mga gawainat ilayo sa tukso at kapahamakan.

Patawarin ang mga nagkasalasa atin at ipanalangin na bigyansila ng tamang pag-iisip paramaging kapaki-pakinabang angkanilang mga gawain.

Sana’y pagsisihan ang anu-mang pagkakamaling nagawanitong nakaraang taon at iwastoang pagkakamali tungo sa isangmaaliwalas na hinaharap.

Manigong Bagong Taon saating mga giliw na mambabasa.

Mga lady mayor at solonTATLO ang lady mayor sa la-lawigan ng Bulacan sa kasa-

Suriing mabuti angiluluklok na pinuno(Ang artikulong ito tungkol sa marapat na pagpili sa mgainiluluklok nating mga pinuno sa ating bansa ay unanginilimbag ng Mabuhay bilang editoryal sa sipi nito noongEnero 26 – Pebrero 1, 1997.)

NALALAPIT na naman ang halalan sa taong 1998 atliligawan na naman ng mga pulitiko ang mga botantengmamamayan, na ang iba ay hindi na sinusukat angkakayahan ng mga pulitikong lumalapit sa kanila.

Tatlong taong magtitiis ang mamamayan kung angkanilang iniluklok na pinuno ay walang inaalagata kundiang kanyang sariling kapakanan.

Sa pagkakataong darating ay dapat nang mamulatang mga mamamayan sa pagpili ng mga pinunong bayanna kanilang ihahalal. Isang magandang halimbawa angginawa ni Mayor Aurelio Plamenco ng Pulilan nanagsimulang manungkulan sa kanyang bayan nang siyaay unang nahalal noong taong 1989.

Palibhasa’y naging manager o tagapamahala bagonapasok sa pulitika, madali niyang napaunlad ang bay-an ng Pulilan sa pamamagitan ng tamang pamamahalasa pangangailangan ng bayan.

Una niyang isinaayos ang mga lansangang nag-uugnay maging sa mga liblib na barangay. Sinundan niyaito ng pagpapatayo ng pangalawang mataas na paaralanna ang mabibiyayaan ay ang mga anak ng mahihirap namagsasaka sa mga malalayong barangay.

Sa pamamagitan ng pakikipag-ugnayan sa pan-daigdigang institusyong pampananalapi (World Bank)nakautang ang Pulilan ng pondo na kanilang ipinag-pagawa ng palengke sa Barangay Cutcut noong 1991.

Dahil sa kanyang matiyagang pamamahala, nagawaniyang maipon ang halagang pambayad sa utang naginamit sa palengke at handa na niyang bayaran ng buoang kanilang pagkakautang, ngunit ito ay tinanggihanng World Bank na nagsabing masisira ang kanilang in-terest repayment schedule.

Ang ganitong mga pinunong bayan ang kailangannatin sa ngayon. Mga pinunong bayan na ang laman ngpuso’t kaisipan ay kapakanan ng mamamayan. Ilan kayasa kasalukuyang pinunong bayan ang may pagma-malasakit na katulad ng pinapamalas ni Mayor Plamencopara sa mga mamamayang nagtiwala sa kanya.

Sana’y mamulat na ang mga mamamayan sa pagpiling mga pinunong bayan na kanilang iboboto sa daratingna halalan sa Mayo ng susunod na taon.

lukuyan. Sila ay sina MayorEvelyn Paulino ng Dona Re-medios Trinidad, Mayor TessieVistan ng Plaridel at Mayor JoanAlarilla ng Meycauayan.

Sa kanilang tatlo tanging siMayor Alarilla ang hindi biyuda.Si Mayor Paulino ay biyuda ni da-ting Mayor Steve Paulino at si Ma-yor Vistan ang biyuda ng nama-yapang Mayor Jaime Vistan.

Napag-usapan na rin lamangang lady mayor dito sa Bulacanay alamin na rin natin ang mgalady solon sa lalawigan ni Gat.Marcelo H. del Pilar.

Sila ay sina Kint. Lorna Sil-erio ng Ika-2 Distrito; Kint.Neneng Nicolas ng Ika-4 Distritoat Kint. Marivic Sy-Alvarado ngIka-1 Distrito.

Tanging sa Ika-3 Distritobarako ang kinatawan, si Kint.Pedro Pancho. Sa mga lady mayorat solon, Happy New Year sainyong lahat.

Sumakabilang buhayHINDI naging maganda angpagpasok ng Bagong Taon sapamilya ng aming pangalawangkapatid na si Cristeta “Titay”

Raymundo San Antonio na bi-nawian ng buhay dahil sa kan-yang karamdaman noong ika-5 ngkasalukuyang buwan sa kanilangtahanan sa barangay Rueda,Plaridel, Bulacan.

Naulila ni Cristeta ang kan-yang mga anak na sina Yolanda,Alicia, Bong, Alfred at Medy atmga apo.

Sa pagpanaw ni Cristeta ayipinagluksa rin ng kanyang 10kapatid na sina Perfecto, Ernesto,Luisa, Romulo, Juanito, Dalma-cio, Carmelita, Carmencita, Mau-rillo at Rosa Maria.

Nakatakda siyang ilibing saSabado, ika-10 ng Enero sa li-bingan sa Barangay Rueda saPlaridel matapos ang isang misasa kanilang tahanan.

Sa iyo kapatid na Cristeta,malamang na salubungin ka ninaAmang at Inang diyan sa Ka-harian ng Diyos sa langit.

Sa aming 11 magkakapatid aysi Cristeta ang sumunod na pu-manaw sa aming mga magulangna sina Alejandro at Monica nanaunang nakipagkita kay SanPedro noong Disyembre 16,1998at Hunyo 13, 1985.

balita sa pamamagitan ng tele-grama, ang mga larawan ay sapamamagitan ng bus na biyahengMaynila kung saan iyon ay pini-pick-up ng mensahero mula sakanilang tanggapan.

Sa pagdaan ng panahon, umun-lad ang teknolohiya at nauso angmga facsimile (fax) machine. Itoay inabutan pa ng Promdi nangmagsimula sa pamamahayag saBulacan noong taong 2000.

Ang balita ay karaniwang isi-nusulat ng mamamahayag noongamit ang malaking typewriter,pagkatapos ay isinusubo sa faxmachine upang ipadala sa May-nila. Ang pamamaraang ito aynagbigay buhay din sa “snow-paque journalism” kung saan angpangalan ng mamamahayag nanaunang nagpadala ng balita aybinubura pati na ang pangalanng kanyang pahayagan ng kasu-nod na mamamahayag gamit angliquid paper na kung tawagin aysnowpaque.

Pagkatuyo ng ipinahid nasnowpaque, isusubo ng kasunodna mamamahayag ang papel nasinulatan ng balita sa typewriterupang i-type ang kanyang pa-ngalan pati pangalan ng kanyangpahayagan.

Sa kasalukuyan, electronicmail o e-mail na ang ginagamitng karaniwang mamamahayag salalawigan upang ipahatid angkanilang sinulat na balita saMaynila pati na ang mga larawanna kanilang nakunan gamit angkanilang digital camera o kaya’ycellular phone na may camera.

Mapapansin na sa loob lamangng walong taon ay malaki angpagbabago sa pagpapahatid ngbalita sa Maynila ng mga ma-mamahayag sa Bulacan, bunsodna rin ng pag-unlad ng tekno-lohiya. Fax machine noon, e-mailngayon.

Maging ang mga gamit sapagkuha ng mga larawan at gamitsa paggawa ng balita. Kamerangde mano noon, digital camerangayon. Typewriter noon, desk-top at laptop computer ngayon.

Ang tanong, tuluyan na bangmawawala ang mga pahayagandahil sa patuloy na pagigingpopular ng telebisyon at internetngayon, lalo pa’t nasa panahontayo ng 24 na oras na pagbabalitahatid na rin ng internet wire ser-vices at istasyon ng telebisyon napuro balita ang hatid tulad ngContinental News Network (CNN).

sundan sa pahina 4

Kakampi mo ang Batas ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

Employer na di nagbayad ng sahodTANONG: Good day. Gusto kolang po sana itanong kung meronpo bang batas na nakaukol sapaghold ng last pay ng isangempleyado? Kasi hanggang nga-yon po ay di pa rin po naibibigaylast pay ko almost tatlong buwanna. Nagset po sila ng schedule nasa ganoong araw na ma-releaseyung last pay ko tapos pag nag-follow up ka ulit inuurong nanaman ulit ’yung schedule ng re-lease. Tsaka po pala yung mgahulog ng empleyado sa SSS,meron po bang batas kapag angemployer mo ay hindi nahuluganang iyong benepisyo bilang mi-yembro ng SSS? Maramingsalamat po.— Daryl (vaughncel@yahoo.com)

SAGOT: Daryl, maramingsalamat sa e-mail na ito. Sa ilalimng Labor Code of the Philippines,ang anumang trabahong nagam-

panan o napagtrabahuhan na aykailangang mabayaran na. Ibigsabihin, ang sinumang mang-gagawang nakapagtrabaho na aykailangang mabayaran ng kan-yang napagtrabahuhang oras oaraw. Kung hindi ito babayaranng employer o ng kanyang mgaopisyales, magkakaroon ng pana-nagutang kriminal ang employerat maaari itong makulong mulatatlong buwan hanggang tatlongtaon.

Upang maumpisahan angpananagutang kriminal na ito,kailangang magpadala ng sulatang manggagawa sa employer nahumihiling ng kabayaran sa ka-ukulang sahod o benepisyong na-pagtrabahuhan na, at kung hindipa din magbabayad ang nasabingemployer matapos matanggapang sulat na ito, maaari na siyangmasampahan ng kaso sa piskalya.

Sa kabilang dako, kapag angmga manggagawa ay nakakal-tasan ng kanilang mga kontri-busyon sa SSS pero hindi itonairemit ng mga employer saSSS, maaari din silang magsampang hiwalay na mga kasong krimi-nal ukol dito.

Dalawang hiwalay na kasongkriminal ang maaaring isampa samga employer na nagkaltas ngmga SSS contribution pero hindiito nagremit. Ang una ay ang pag-labag sa Republic Act 1161, asamended by Republic Act 8282,ang Social Security Law (na mayparusang pagkakabilanggo nganim na taon isang araw) at angpangalawa ay ang paglabag saArt. 315 ng Revised Penal Codesa kasong estafa, na may parusangpagkakabilanggo ng anim na taonisang araw din.

sundan sa pahina 7

ENERO 2 - 8, 2009 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 3

Depthnews JUAN L. MERCADO

The elusive star

Regarding Henry

HENRYLITO D. TACIO

Cebu Calling FR. ROY CIMAGALA

Our different languages

“I BELIEVE in prayer,” admitsJosephine Baker. “It’s the bestway we have to draw strengthfrom heaven.” Francis CardinalSpellman suggests, “Pray as ifeverything depended upon Godand work as if everything de-pended upon man.”

No day should be spent with-out talking with God first. For, asJames Montgomery, puts it:“Prayer is the soul’s sincere de-sire, uttered or unexpressed; themotion of a hidden fire thattrembles in the breast.”

“Seven days without prayermakes one weak.” That’s whatAllen Vartlett said. But I haveknown a lot of my friends whodon’t know how to pray. Yester-day, while attending a party, themaster of ceremony asked my seatmate to lead us in prayer. But hewhispered to him that he doesn’tknow how.

Jesus Christ Himself showedus how to pray. He even instructedhow we need to pray. “This, then,is how you should pray: Our Fa-ther in heaven, hallowed be yourname, your kingdom come, yourwill be done on earth as it is inheaven. Give us today our dailybread. Forgive us our debts, as wealso have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil one.” (Mat-thew 6:9-13)

Yes, prayer is like talking withyour loved one. The only differ-ence is that you cannot see thatSomeone you talk with but Hehears you — no matter howsimple your prayer is and how lowis your voice. “More things arewrought by prayer than this worlddreams of,” wrote Alfred LordTennyson.

“Prayer is the language of aman burdened with a sense ofneed,” said E.M. Bounds. Accord-ing to P.J. Wingate, “Give us thisday our daily bread” is probablythe most perfectly constructedand useful sentence ever set downin the English language. But thetrouble with our praying is, “wejust do it as a means of last re-sort,” to quote the words of WillRogers.

Whether you are in good healthor in sickness, having success orfacing trouble, pray. Many peoplepray when there is storm but af-ter the storm is over, they forgetto pray. “Prayer is not merely anoccasional impulse to which werespond when we are in trouble:prayer is a life attitude,” WalterA. Mueller urged.

Many people come to God in

prayer only when they are in need.The British playwright was rightwhen he said, “Most people do notpray; they only beg.” And if Godwon’t answer their demands, theyclaim God is fake. “Some peoplethink that prayer just means ask-ing for things, and if they fail toreceive exactly what they askedfor, they think the whole thing isa fraud,” observed Gerald Vann.

Why do you think God doesn’tanswer your prayer? “What weusually pray to God is not thatHis will be done, but that He ap-prove ours,” Helga Bergold Grossbelieves. Alan Redpath agrees,“Before we can pray, ‘Lord, ThyKingdom come,’ we must be will-ing to pray, ‘My Kingdom go.’”

“The reason why we obtain nomore in prayer is because we ex-pect no more. God usually answersus according to our own hearts,”Richard Alleine states.

Dr. Robert Schuller argues thatGod always answers prayer. Godhas four options: no, slow, grow,and go. When what you pray is notright, God says, “No.” He explainsthat God resorts to this decisionwhen your idea is not the best orit is absolutely wrong. Anotherreason: “What you pray may helpyou but it could create problemsfor someone else.”

If the time is not yet right,God’s answer is: “Slow.” Dr.Schuller points out, “What a ca-tastrophe it would be if God an-swered every prayer at the snapof your fingers. Do you know whatwould happen? God would be-come your servant, not your mas-ter. Suddenly, God would be work-ing for you instead of you workingfor God.” God’s delays are notGod’s denials. God’s timing is al-ways perfect. What you need ispatience.

The third answer is: “Grow.”Why is this so? “The selfish per-son has to grow in unselfishness.The cautious person must growcourage. The timid person mustgrow in confidence. The dominat-ing person must grow in sensitiv-ity. The critical person must growin tolerance. The negative personmust grow in positive attitudes.The pleasure-seeking personmust grow in compassion for suf-fering people.”

If your prayer passes thosethree options, then that’s thetime God will say, “Go.” Themiracle will happen: A hopelessalcoholic is set free. A drug addictfinds release. A doubter becomesas a child in his belief. Diseased

continued on page 7

Why we need to prayEVERY Christmas reignites anancient argument. What reallywas the Star of Bethlehem? It ledthe Magi, as Filipino historianHoracio De La Costa put it, “to goon a fool’s errand, to a Prince theyhave not seen, in a country theydo not know.”

This Christmas was no excep-tion. The old questions came upagain. Was the Star a comet? Per-haps, a supernova? Maybe analignment of planets? Or just amyth? “Star of wonder, star ofmight / Star of royal beauty bright…”, we sing in the 1857 carol.

Today, “modern science is un-raveling the mystery behind oneof the most famous astronomicalstories in history,” says a BritishBroadcasting Corporation (BBC)special report. “New technologyallows astronomers to map an-cient night skies with extraordi-nary accuracy. They’re looking atseveral unusual astronomicalevents that the wise men couldhave seen.”

Experts now challenge a tra-ditional claim: that the star wasa comet. Chinese and Korean star-gazers, around 5 BC, did report a

blazing object. For over 70 days,it didn’t budge. Was that overBethlehem? Halley’s Comet ap-peared about 12 BC. Was thiswhat the Nativity story referredto?

Mark wrote the sparsest of theGospels (circa AD 60). But his ac-count begins with an adult Jesusbaptized in the Jordan. John’sGospel (circa AD 90) goes beforeBethlehem — into eternity. “Inthe beginning was the Word, andthe Word was with God, and theWord was God.” Luke’s Nativityaccount makes no mention of astar.

“Behold, wise men from theEast came to Jerusalem, saying,‘Where is He who has been bornKing of the Jews?’,” Matthewwrote. “For we have seen His starat its rising and have come to wor-ship Him.”

Matthew provides few details.Inheriting Spanish tradition, Fi-lipinos call them Gaspar, Melchorand Baltazar. They were probablyastrologers from Persia.

The Magi combined sciencewith faith to predict the birth ofa new Messiah. In the process, they

upset the elite of that day.“When Herod the king heard

this, he was troubled, and allJerusalem with him,” Matthewadds.

The Star continues to upsettoday.

The Star of Bethlehem couldhave been one of a rare “tripleconjunction” of planets in 7 BC,says Dr. David Hughes of the Uni-versity of Sheffield. Jupiter andSaturn came together thrice overseveral months that year. Thishappened in the constellation ofPisces.

“There is evidence that Per-sian astronomers predicted thisconjunction. An ancient clay tab-let, now in the British Museum,describes this merging,” BBC’sRebecca Ellis adds.

“A particularly striking con-junction occurred in June 17, 2B.C,” Ed Krupp of Griffith Ob-servatory in Los Angeles told An-drew Fazekas of National Geo-graphic. “For skywatchers at thetime, it looked like a massive,single starlike object in the west-ern evening sky.”

continued on page 7

WE may not notice it, but we ac-tually use different languageswith different people and in dif-ferent occasions. Just the same,we need to know how to integrateall of them into one that’s consis-tent with our human conditionand goal.

I remember that as a kid Italked with my parents in differ-ent ways. With Papa, I had to usereason a lot, I had to make anddefend my points. I had to makea score most of the time, other-wise I would not get on well withhim. I had to be careful with mywords. But I adored him, since Ilearned a lot from him.

With Mama, there hardly wasany word needed. I used a com-pletely different language. Sinceshe was invariably affectionateand sweet, I had to be tender alsowith her. She understood me al-ways, and I didn’t have to explainanything to her. My love for hercould not be compromised.

But when I overstepped, herinjured glances were more pain-ful than my father’s very explo-sive reprimands. Thankfully,there were just a few of them. Well,

that’s part of growing up in thefamily.

With her, I tended to be an in-stant penitent. But with him, Iusually turned into a rebel, adeptat reasoning and wrangling, be-cause my father always wantedme to explain my mistakes. Hehad reasons, I also had mine.

In fairness, he made sure thatat the end of the day, there wasalways peace and reconciliation,and I managed to do my part. Ilearned, especially from mymother, that peace was more im-portant than settling issues. Ithas to be above differences.

Nowadays, with all the devel-opments around us, we need tolearn the lingos and idioms of thedifferent fields we get involvedin — academics, legal, sciences,cultural, sports, entertainment,technological as in the Internetand other gadgets, etc.

One time, a friend texted mesomething that I didn’t quitelike. I failed to get the joke it wasmeant to be. So I tried to be deli-cate in wording my reply. Just thesame it came out negative.

His answer was, LOL. It de-

pressed me in the thought that Ioffended him. I also was surprisedhow my friend could have over-reacted to my response and couldgo to the extent of calling me“fool,” as in “ulol”.

I learned only later that LOLmeant “laugh out loud.” Fromthat time on, I resolved to updatemyself with some of these abbre-viated responses that are nowcommon among gadget users.

There’s just one languagewhich I hold most dear, because Iconsider it the most important,the most basic, the one that ranksand gives meaning to all the lan-guages we use.

This is the language of theheart, the language of faith, of ourbeliefs, of piety. It’s the one thatinvolves all aspects of our life. Ittackles the very essence of life, oflove and freedom, truth and jus-tice, and the like. It can use words,but it can go far beyond them. Itcan plumb deep into mysteries,going beyond reason.

It’s for these reasons that I con-sider it the most delicate, one thatmust be protected and defended

continued on page 4

Jakarta Declaration on safety of journalists(Editor’s Note: Following is the full text ofthe Jakarta Declaration on the Safety of Jour-nalist in Asia-Pacific. It was crafted and is-sued by the delegates from 11 countries whoparticipated in the regional conference onCreating a Culture of Safety in Media inAsia-Pacific in Jakarta, Indonesia last De-cember 15-16, 2008. Issued at the conclu-sion of the conference it is a fitting testa-ment to the continuing struggle to make thepractice of journalism safer so that the freeflow of information remains unhampered.)

THE first safety conference for thenews media in the Asia-Pacific re-gion, convened by the InternationalNews Safety Institute in Jakarta, In-donesia, on 15-16 December 2008,

Asserts• On this 60th anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of HumanRights, freedom of expression is a ba-sic right for all

• Freedom of expression and afree press are critical to the sustaineddevelopment of nations, to the endof corruption and to the alleviationof poverty

NotingThe deaths of more than 1,400 jour-

nalists and other news media person-nel at work around the world between1996 and 2008, at least 125 of themin countries of the Asia-Pacific re-gion.

DeploresThe casualties and all physical

attacks on and unwarranted deten-tions of journalists and other newsprofessionals in the region

And Declares• Governments are primarily re-

sponsible for the safety of all of theircitizens, including the news media.They must act to end the culture ofimpunity where journalists are mur-dered and observe in letter and inspirit United Nations Security Coun-cil Resolution 1738 of 2006 on thesafety of journalists in conflict.

• News organisations should ob-serve their Duty of Care for all newspersonnel they engage and provideappropriate safety and trauma train-ing, equipment and insurance or

other financial provision for deathor disability when they cover dan-gerous stories such as wars and otherconflicts, crime and corruption, natu-ral and man-made disasters andhealth emergencies. Such provisionsmust be non-discriminatory andcover staff, freelancers, stringers,media support staff and other con-tract workers, males and females.

• News organisations must not al-low the world economic downturn toaffect adversely the standard ofsafety protection they offer theirnews personnel. They must set thecost of safety care against the incal-culable costs to their societies andeconomies when journalists are forc-ibly silenced.

• Safety must be an essential com-ponent of all international mediadevelopment programmes, as onecannot progress without the other.International aid must be made avail-able to smaller news organisationsthat lack the resources to provideadequate protection for their staffand stringers.

• Journalists, professional orga-

nisations and media owners shoulddiscuss and agree together on appro-priate operational procedures gov-erning safety and trauma. Theyshould consider setting aside normalcompetitive issues where the lives ofnews staff are in danger.

• Journalists and other news me-dia staff and freelancers must helpand assist one another in hostile en-vironments.

• Journalists must work to thehighest standards of their craft toprovide to the best of their abilityethically balanced and accuratenews coverage for the societies theyserve.

ConcludesThis conference agrees to moni-

tor the safety situation in Asia-Pacificthroughout 2009 and report back tothe International News Safety Insti-tute in December 2009. INSI will in-clude the information in its annualworld review of the safety of jour-nalists provided to the Secretary-General of the United Nations whoreports back to the Security Councilunder terms of Resolution 1738.

4 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 ENERO 2 - 8, 2009

Buhay Pinoy

MANDY CENTENO

The King and I (2)Ika-labing anim sa Disyembreng buwanAy kapanganakan ng aking maybahayPitumpu’t dalawa taon kanyang gulangAt sa pagsisimba kami’y magkasabay.

Habang nasa wheelchair, itinutulak koTaimtim ang dasal, ginagawa ditoSa ‘Search for Lolo King’ sana ay manaloPagpapahalaga sa araw ding ito.

Butihing maybahay ay aking inakaySa pagkukumonyon patungo sa altarBawat masalubong, siya’y kinamayanMay humahalik pa, ang pagbati’y tunay.

Mga anak, apo ay binati siyaPagdating sa bahay lahat ay masayaSa konting pagkain, nagkasama-samaNaging maligaya ina’t lola nila.

Ganap ika-isa ay bihis na akoAng Bulwagang Bayan, pinuntahan itoAng ‘semi-finalist’ sa ‘search for King Lolo’Labinglima kami, dito’y kandidato.

Pag-akyat sa stage, ipinakilalaDi na nagsalita, itong labinglimaAng naging ‘finalists’, apat ang natiraSalamat sa Diyos, ako ay kasama.

‘Talent portion’ naman, unang kandidatoAng daming sinabi pagkat pulitikoAng ‘Portrait of my Love’ ay inawit nitoNgunit di natapos, hindi kabisado.

Ang ‘Portrait of my Love’ ay inawit ko dinSubalit Tagalog sariling kathainKap Renan Marcelo sumaliw sa akinAt itong awitin, naging madamdamin.

Candidate No. 3 may dalang minus oneAng pag-awit niya ay bigay na bigayMatapos kumanta ay pinalakpakanSa ganda ng boses, lahat nasiyahan.

Ang pag-apat naman damit pinalitanSeksi ang kapartner, sila ay nagsayawBallroom dancing ito, kay gandang pagmasdanNaging masigabo, itong palakpakan.

Sa ‘question and answer’, tanong iba’t ibaMayroong madali at may mahirap paSuertihan lang dito, pagsagot okey baAt hindi nagtagal ito ang resulta.

Naging 3rd runner-up isang ‘public servant’Kagawad, Kapitan, Konsehal ng bayanSa bayan ng Pandi kanilang tirahanRodolfo V. Parulan Sr., ang kanyang pangalan.

Ang 2nd runner-up kategorya’y mediaSa pamamahayag kilang-kilalaLungsod ng Malolos ang tirahan niyaAmando R. Centeno, Jr. ang pangalan niya.

Civic organizer, 1st runner-up ditoChemical Engineering ang tinapos nitoSa bayang Guiguinto, nakatira itoSerafin O. Villones, Jr. pangalang totoo.

Doctor of Education ang pinagtapusanDivision supervisor sa DepEd BulacanSa bayang Baliuag ang pinagbuhatanDr. Alejandro S. Cruz, LOLO KING na tunay.

Ipinagkaloob ni Gob. Jon-jon MendozaSash, tropeo’t pera, gantimpala niyaSs mga LOLO KING pagpapahalagaAng maging huwaran, angkop sa kanila.

Salamat sa Diyos, itong nasabi koNaging gantimpala, nagmula kay KristoSiya ang KING of KINGS sa balat ng mundo‘The KING and I’ naman na lubhang totoo.

‘Economic tsunami’ ang tatama sa libongpamilya ng mga Overseas Filipino Worker

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Cebu Calling continued from page 3

always. Thus, I get nervous with any undue misuse of it.One time, someone gave a theological discussion about

a certain topic. It was brilliant, and I agreed wholeheart-edly with almost all of it. The only problem was that itwas presented as if it was the last word on that topic. Allother views, especially the differing ones, appeared anath-ema.

That’s when I felt my blood boil. I was convinced it wasa case of a theological view exaggerating itself, such that itsounded to me like it was emptied of charity and under-standing for those who for one reason or another could notagree with it or would just have a different take.

It could not come from God, I remembered tellingmyself. For I remembered that our Lord’s words, for alltheir forcefulness and precision, were, and are, always fullof compassion and mercy.

It’s always good to go to the maximum potentials ofour reason and theological reflections. But let’s alwaysremember that these are not supposed to be the last word,claiming for themselves the very essence of faith.

They are mere tools and servants of faith, of our directconversation with God that takes place in our heart. Theyhave to recognize their true condition and behave accord-ingly.

NI DINO BALABO

HAGONOY, Bulacan — Halos isangtaon pa lamang nagtatrabaho siCynthia (di tunay na pangalan) saTaiwan bilang isang factory worker,ngunit ngayon pa lamang ay na-ngangamba na ang kanyang mgamagulang at apat na kapatid.

Ito ay dahil sa posibilidad na biglasiyang mapauwi na hindi tapos angdalawang taong kontratang pinir-mahan. Ang maaaring sapitin niCynthia at daan-daang libong kapuwaOverseas Filipino Worker (OFW) aydulot ng pandaigdigang krisis pam-pinansiyal na nagsimula sa Amerikanoong nakaraang taon.

Ayon sa mga magulang ni Cynthia,inutang lamang nila ang perang gina-mit na placement fee ng kanilanganak upang makapagtrabaho sa Tai-wan.

Ang utang ay hindi pa halos naba-bayaran, kaya’t isang malaking dagoksa kanilang pamilya kung mapapauwiang panganay na anak.

Batay na rin sa huling mga textmessage na ipinahatid sa kanila niCynthia, marami nang kapuwa niyaOFW ang pinauwi na mula noongOktubre dahil nagsipagsara ang mgapabrikang kanilang pinagtatraba-huhan.

Bukod sa bayaring utang, problemarin ng pamilya ang pag-aaral ngtatlong kapatid ni Cynthia na kan-yang sinusuportahan.

Ito ay dahil na rin sa kinakapos angpamilya sa kabila ng pangongontratang kanilang ama bilang steel fabrica-tor sa bayang ito.

Ayon kay dating Labor Under-secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, angsitwasyon ng pamilya ni Cynthia aynakakahalintulad ng libo-libo pangpamilyang Pilipino, partikular saGitnang Luzon, ang pinagmulan ngpinakamaraming OFW batay sa ulatng National Statistics Office (NSO)at Department of Labor and Employ-ment (DOLE).

“Kalimutan muna natin ang Char-ter Change (Cha-Cha), dahil ang dapattutukan ay ang ‘economic tsunami’

na magpapalubog sa libo-libongpamilya ng OFW dahil sa global fi-nancial crisis,” ani ng batang Oplenang siya ay dumalo sa ikalawanganibersaryo ng pahayagang News-Core noong Disyembre 19. Ang da-ting labor undersecretary ang pangulong Blas Ople Policy Center na naka-base sa Maynila,

Ayon sa bunsong anak ng yumaongSenador Blas Ople, ang problema ngkawalan ng trabaho ng libo-libongOFW ay hindi na maitatanggi.

Si Ka Blas Ople na taga-Hagonoyang umakda ng Labor Code ng Pili-pinas at isa sa humubog ng 1987 Con-stitution.

“Nandito na ang problema, tahi-mik lang pero totoo,” ani Toots Oplesa Mabuhay at sinabi na noong naka-raang linggo ay kasama siya ni Over-seas Worker Welfare AdministratorCarmelita Dimzon sa Taiwan kungsaan ay sinabi sa kanila ng mga opisyalng Manila Economic Cultural Office(MECO) doon na umabot na sa ma-higit 2,000 OFW ang umuwi mulaOktubre at tinatayang 4,000 OFW pasa Taiwan ang mawawalan ng tra-baho.

Ayon kay Toots, karaniwan sa mgaOFW na nawalan ng trabaho ay angmga nagsisipagtrabaho sa mga kum-panyang gumagawa ng semiconduc-tors, textiles, auto parts at electron-ics na nagbebenta ng kanilang pro-dukto sa Estados Unidos na unangtinamaan ng financial crisis.

Sinabi niya na dapat pangunahanng pamahalaan ang pagtugon sa mgaproblema ng OFW upang patunayanang pagkalinga sa mga ito na iti-nuturing na bagong bayani o “eco-nomic savior” dahil sa kanilang remit-tances na umaabot sa $14 bilyon. Angnasabing halaga ay ang isa sa na-katulong sa pagpapanatiling matatagng ekomoniya ng Pilipinas.

“Isantabi muna ang Cha-Cha dahilwe are facing bigger problems with thedisplacement of the OFWs. Delubyoang hinaharap natin,” ani ng batangOple.

Sinabi rin niya sa Mabuhay na sabawat mapapauwing OFW, tatlo hang-

gang sampu pang kapamilya angapektado.

“Problema ng pamilya ang pagba-bayad sa inutang na placement fee,pang tuition ng mga anak na nag-aaral,pampagamot nina lolo at lola, pambiling pagkain at pamasahe ng mgaestudyante sa pag-aaral araw-araw,”ani Toots.

Ipinayo niya na dapat magtayo angmga pamahalaang lokal at nasyunalng mga one-stop-shop assistance cen-ter bilang pagkalinga sa mga mapa-pauwing OFW.

Ang mga nasabing assistance cen-ter ay bubuuin ng mga kinatawanmula sa iba’t ibang ahensya ng pama-halaan tulad ng DOLE, Departmentof Social Welfare and Development(DSWD) at iba pa.

Sinabi rin niya na hindi kakayaningmag-isa ng DOLE ang pagtugon saproblema sa OFW at inihalimbawaang tanggapan ng labor attaché saKaoshiung, Taiwan na wala pang 10ang tauhan na tumutugon sa may 200OFW na pinauuwi bawat araw.

Patungkol naman sa mga lokal napamahalaan, sinabi niya na dapattukuyin at imapa ang mga pamilyang OFW na maapektuhan ng krisis.

“They must come out with focused,coherent, cohesive, concrete and mea-surable programs to address the im-pending crisis in their levels,” aniToots.

Sa ganitong paraan, aniya ma-iiwasan na masayang ang limitadongpananalapi ng gobyerno.

Para naman kay Bokal ChristianNatividad, ng Ika-1 Distrito, dapatmaghanda sa pagtugon sa problemaang mga lokal na pamahalaan par-tikular na sa Gitnang Luzon natinukoy ng NSO at DOLE na pinag-mulan ng pinakamalaking bilang ngmga OFW.

Ipinayo rin ni Natividad ang pag-titipid sa panahon ng krisis.

“I don’t think, we can afford a bailout like the United States has done,kaya dapat mag-shift muna tayo satight belt mode,” ani Natividad naanak ng yumaong si Kint. TeoduloNatividad. — Dino Balabo

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Promdi mula sa pahina 2

Hindi. Sa halip, mananatili angmga pahayagan at mga mamama-hayag. Ngunit patuloy ang pagtaas ngantas ng hinihingi sa mga mama-mahayag na ang kanilang balita ayhigit na mabigyan ng perspektibo, atang mga pahayagan ay patuloy namaging kasangkapan sa pagsasatinigng daing, saloobin at pananaw ngbawat bumubuo ng pamayanan.

Ayon sa Italyanong mamamahayagna si Vittorio Sabadin, katulad ngmusika ang pamamahayag ay ma-nanatili kahit mawala pa ang mgapahayagan.

Inihalimbawa niya na noong de-kada ’70 siya ay nakikinig sa mgatugtugin gamit ang mga long playing(LP) album, di nagtagal lumipat siyasa mga compact disc, at ngayon ay mayMP3 player siya.

Inayunan naman ito ni LourdesSimbulan, ang umakda ng artikulong“Future of Newspapers” na inilathalasa Philippine Journalism Review(PJR), isang reference journal ng Cen-ter for Media Freedom and Responsi-bility (CMFR) na inilabas noongHunyo 2007.

Ayon kay Simbulan, “Good jour-nalism will probably not disappearwith the loss of the medium; it willjust find its way in others.”

Totoo na hindi maglalaho angpamamahayag. Ngunit patuloy na-man ang pagtaas ng hinihingi sa mgamamamahayag.

Kung sa mga nagdaang panahonang palaging dala ng isang mamama-hayag ay ang kanyang press card,ballpen, maliit na notebook parasulatan ng kanyang mga notes, okaya’y tape recorder, pati na kameraat cellular phone, sa darating napanahon mas higit na madadagdaganang mga gamit na dala ng isangmamamahayag.

Kailangan niya ng mini-laptopcomputer na may internet access nabukod pa sa wi-fi ready ay may blue-tooth capability at multiple card read-ers; digital camera; isa hanggangtatlong cellular phone na may tran-sistor radio, TV signal capability, atvoice recording capability; at flash

drive na dalawa hanggang apat nagigabyte ang storage space.

Simple lang ang dahilan kungbakit kakailanganin ng mga mama-mahayag ang mga kagamitang ito.Ang mini-laptop ay kailangan sa pag-susulat at pagpapahatid ng balita atmga larawang nakunan gamit angdigital camera, saan man naroon angmamamahayag.

Hindi maaaring idahilan ng isangmamamahayag sa darating na pa-nahon na bukas na lamang niyasusulatin ang balita dahil lingguhannaman ang kanilang pahayagan. Itoay dahil sa darating ang panahon naang mga pampamayanang pahayaganay magkakaroon ng mga website nahalos oras-oras ay magkakaroon ng up-date.

Malaki rin ang posibilidad na angmga update sa mga balita sa mga lokalna pahayagan ay ipadadala na rin samga cellphone subscriber sa kanilanglugar. Sa ganitong paraan, mas higitna magiging makahulugan ang mgakatagang “information communica-tion technology”.

Ang flash drive naman ay mag-sisilbing storage na dala ng ma-mamahayag kahit saan, na maaaringisaksak sa laptop upang ang lumang

balitang nasulat ay maging batayanng mga susunod na balitang susulatin.

Ang cellular phone naman na mayradyo, TV, at recording capabilities aymagagamit sa pagmomonitor ngbalita sa radyo at TV, bukod pa samagagamit din sa pagrerekord nginterbyu.

Magagamit din ang cellular phonesa pagtawag sa mga kontak ng mama-mahayag upang kumpirmahin angbalita o kaya’y sa pagkakalap ngdagdag na impormasyon.

Ang lahat ng ito ay pawang dagdagna gamit ng isang mamamahayag namakatutulong sa kanya sa pagsusulatat paghahatid ng balita.

Kaalinsabay nito ay kailangan dinng mamamahayag ang pagpapaunladng kanyang sariling kakayahan sapamamagitan ng pagdalo sa mgapagsasanay o training workshop/semi-nar; at sa patuloy na pagbabasa atpagsasaliksik.

Walang kapalit ang mga pagsasa-nay at patuloy na pagbabasa atpagsasaliksik, lalo na sa panahong itokung kailan nauuso ang specializedreporting tulad ng science and bio-technology, business and economic,human rights and extra-legal killings,at iba pa.

http://mabuhaynews.com

ENERO 2 - 8, 2009 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 5

(Editor’s Note: Following is the message ofHis Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the celebra-tion of the World Day of Peace on January 1.)

Fighting poverty to build peace1 ONCE again, as the new year begins, Iwant to extend good wishes for peace topeople everywhere. With this Message Iwould like to propose a reflection on thetheme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace.Back in 1993, my venerable PredecessorPope John Paul II, in his Message for theWorld Day of Peace that year, drew atten-tion to the negative repercussions for peacewhen entire populations live in poverty.Poverty is often a contributory factor or acompounding element in conflicts, includ-ing armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuelfurther tragic situations of poverty. “Ourworld,” he wrote, “shows increasing evi-dence of another grave threat to peace:many individuals and indeed wholepeoples are living today in conditions ofextreme poverty. The gap between rich andpoor has become more marked, even in themost economically developed nations. Thisis a problem which the conscience of hu-manity cannot ignore, since the conditionsin which a great number of people are liv-ing are an insult to their innate dignityand as a result are a threat to the authen-tic and harmonious progress of the worldcommunity.”

2 In this context, fighting poverty re-quires attentive consideration of the com-plex phenomenon of globalization. This isimportant from a methodological stand-point, because it suggests drawing uponthe fruits of economic and sociological re-search into the many different aspects ofpoverty. Yet the reference to globalizationshould also alert us to the spiritual andmoral implications of the question, urgingus, in our dealings with the poor, to set outfrom the clear recognition that we all sharein a single divine plan: we are called toform one family in which all — individu-als, peoples and nations — model theirbehaviour according to the principles offraternity and responsibility.

This perspective requires an under-standing of poverty that is wide-rangingand well articulated. If it were a questionof material poverty alone, then the socialsciences, which enable us to measure phe-nomena on the basis of mainly quantita-tive data, would be sufficient to illustrateits principal characteristics. Yet we knowthat other, non-material forms of povertyexist which are not the direct and auto-matic consequence of material deprivation.For example, in advanced wealthy societ-ies, there is evidence of marginalization,as well as affective, moral and spiritualpoverty, seen in people whose interior livesare disoriented and who experience vari-ous forms of malaise despite their eco-nomic prosperity. On the one hand, I havein mind what is known as “moral underde-velopment”,2 and on the other hand thenegative consequences of “superdevelop-ment”.3 Nor can I forget that, in so-called“poor” societies, economic growth is oftenhampered by cultural impediments whichlead to inefficient use of available re-sources. It remains true, however, that ev-ery form of externally imposed poverty hasat its root a lack of respect for the tran-scendent dignity of the human person.When man is not considered within thetotal context of his vocation, and when thedemands of a true “human ecology”4 arenot respected, the cruel forces of povertyare unleashed, as is evident in certain spe-cific areas that I shall now consider brieflyone by one.

Poverty and moral implications3 Poverty is often considered a conse-

quence of demographic change. For thisreason, there are international campaignsafoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes us-ing methods that respect neither the dig-nity of the woman, nor the right of parentsto choose responsibly how many childrento have;5 graver still, these methods oftenfail to respect even the right to life. Theextermination of millions of unborn chil-dren, in the name of the fight against pov-erty, actually constitutes the destructionof the poorest of all human beings. And yetit remains the case that in 1981, around40% of the world’s population was belowthe threshold of absolute poverty, while to-day that percentage has been reduced byas much as a half, and whole peoples haveescaped from poverty despite experienc-ing substantial demographic growth. Thisgoes to show that resources to solve the

problem of poverty do exist, even in theface of an increasing population. Nor mustit be forgotten that, since the end of theSecond World War, the world’s populationhas grown by four billion, largely becauseof certain countries that have recentlyemerged on the international scene as neweconomic powers, and have experiencedrapid development specifically because ofthe large number of their inhabitants.Moreover, among the most developed na-tions, those with higher birth-rates enjoybetter opportunities for development. Inother words, population is proving to be anasset, not a factor that contributes to pov-erty.

4 Another area of concern has to dowith pandemic diseases, such as malaria,tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they af-fect the wealth-producing sectors of thepopulation, they are a significant factor inthe overall deterioration of conditions inthe country concerned. Efforts to rein inthe consequences of these diseases on thepopulation do not always achieve signifi-cant results. It also happens that countriesafflicted by some of these pandemics findthemselves held hostage, when they try toaddress them, by those who make economicaid conditional upon the implementationof anti-life policies. It is especially hard tocombat AIDS, a major cause of poverty,unless the moral issues connected with thespread of the virus are also addressed. Firstand foremost, educational campaigns areneeded, aimed especially at the young, topromote a sexual ethic that fully corre-sponds to the dignity of the person; initia-tives of this kind have already borne im-portant fruits, causing a reduction in thespread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessarymedicines and treatment must be madeavailable to poorer peoples as well. Thispresupposes a determined effort to pro-mote medical research and innovativeforms of treatment, as well as flexible ap-plication, when required, of the interna-tional rules protecting intellectual prop-erty, so as to guarantee necessary basichealthcare to all people.

5 A third area requiring attention inprogrammes for fighting poverty, whichonce again highlights its intrinsic moraldimension, is child poverty. When povertystrikes a family, the children prove to bethe most vulnerable victims: almost halfof those living in absolute poverty todayare children. To take the side of childrenwhen considering poverty means givingpriority to those objectives which concernthem most directly, such as caring for moth-ers, commitment to education, access tovaccines, medical care and drinking water,safeguarding the environment, and aboveall, commitment to defence of the familyand the stability of relations within it.When the family is weakened, it is inevita-bly children who suffer. If the dignity ofwomen and mothers is not protected, it isthe children who are affected most.

6 A fourth area needing particular at-tention from the moral standpoint is therelationship between disarmament anddevelopment. The current level of worldmilitary expenditure gives cause for con-cern. As I have pointed out before, it canhappen that “immense military expendi-ture, involving material and human re-

sources and arms, is in fact diverted fromdevelopment projects for peoples, espe-cially the poorest who are most in need ofaid. This is contrary to what is stated inthe Charter of the United Nations, whichengages the international community andStates in particular ‘to promote the estab-lishment and maintenance of internationalpeace and security with the least diversionfor armaments of the world’s human andeconomic resources’ (art. 26).”

This state of affairs does nothing to pro-mote, and indeed seriously impedes, at-tainment of the ambitious developmenttargets of the international community.What is more, an excessive increase in mili-tary expenditure risks accelerating thearms race, producing pockets of underde-velopment and desperation, so that it canparadoxically become a cause of instabil-ity, tension and conflict. As my venerablepredecessor Paul VI wisely observed, “thenew name for peace is development”.7States are therefore invited to reflect seri-ously on the underlying reasons for con-flicts, often provoked by injustice, and topractise courageous self-criticism. If rela-tions can be improved, it should be pos-sible to reduce expenditure on arms. Theresources saved could then be earmarkedfor development projects to assist the poor-est and most needy individuals andpeoples: efforts expended in this way wouldbe efforts for peace within the human fam-ily.

7 A fifth area connected with the fightagainst material poverty concerns the cur-rent food crisis, which places in jeopardythe fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis ischaracterized not so much by a shortage offood, as by difficulty in gaining access to itand by different forms of speculation: inother words, by a structural lack of politi-cal and economic institutions capable ofaddressing needs and emergencies. Mal-nutrition can also cause grave mental andphysical damage to the population, depriv-ing many people of the energy necessary toescape from poverty unaided. This contrib-utes to the widening gap of inequality, andcan provoke violent reactions. All the indi-cators of relative poverty in recent yearspoint to an increased disparity betweenrich and poor. No doubt the principal rea-sons for this are, on the one hand, advancesin technology, which mainly benefit themore affluent, and on the other hand,changes in the prices of industrial prod-ucts, which rise much faster than those ofagricultural products and raw materials inthe possession of poorer countries. In thisway, the majority of the population in thepoorest countries suffers a double mar-ginalization, through the adverse effectsof lower incomes and higher prices.

Global solidarity and poverty8 One of the most important ways of

building peace is through a form of global-ization directed towards the interests ofthe whole human family.8 In order to gov-ern globalization, however, there needs tobe a strong sense of global solidarity9 be-tween rich and poor countries, as well aswithin individual countries, including af-fluent ones. A “common code of ethics”10

is also needed, consisting of norms basednot upon mere consensus, but rooted inthe natural law inscribed by the Creatoron the conscience of every human being

(cf. Rom 2:14-15). Does not every one of ussense deep within his or her conscience acall to make a personal contribution to thecommon good and to peace in society? Glo-balization eliminates certain barriers, butis still able to build new ones; it bringspeoples together, but spatial and tempo-ral proximity does not of itself create theconditions for true communion and authen-tic peace. Effective means to redress themarginalization of the world’s poorthrough globalization will only be found ifpeople everywhere feel personally outragedby the injustices in the world and by theconcomitant violations of human rights.The Church, which is the “sign and instru-ment of communion with God and of theunity of the entire human race”11 will con-tinue to offer her contribution so that in-justices and misunderstandings may beresolved, leading to a world of greater peaceand solidarity.

9 In the field of international com-merce and finance, there are processes atwork today which permit a positive inte-gration of economies, leading to an overallimprovement in conditions, but there arealso processes tending in the opposite di-rection, dividing and marginalizingpeoples, and creating dangerous situationsthat can erupt into wars and conflicts. Sincethe Second World War, international tradein goods and services has grown extraordi-narily fast, with a momentum unprec-edented in history. Much of this global tradehas involved countries that were industri-alized early, with the significant additionof many newly-emerging countries whichhave now entered onto the world stage. Yetthere are other low-income countrieswhich are still seriously marginalized interms of trade. Their growth has been nega-tively influenced by the rapid decline, seenin recent decades, in the prices of commodi-ties, which constitute practically the wholeof their exports. In these countries, whichare mostly in Africa, dependence on theexportation of commodities continues toconstitute a potent risk factor. Here I shouldlike to renew an appeal for all countries tobe given equal opportunities of access tothe world market, without exclusion ormarginalization.

10 A similar reflection may be madein the area of finance, which is a key aspectof the phenomenon of globalization, owingto the development of technology and poli-cies of liberalization in the flow of capitalbetween countries. Objectively, the mostimportant function of finance is to sustainthe possibility of long-term investmentand hence of development. Today this ap-pears extremely fragile: it is experiencingthe negative repercussions of a system offinancial dealings — both national and glo-bal — based upon very short-term think-ing, which aims at increasing the value offinancial operations and concentrates onthe technical management of various formsof risk. The recent crisis demonstrates howfinancial activity can at times be com-pletely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good.This lowering of the objectives of globalfinance to the very short term reduces itscapacity to function as a bridge betweenthe present and the future, and as a stimu-lus to the creation of new opportunities forproduction and for work in the long term.Finance limited in this way to the shortand very short term becomes dangerousfor everyone, even for those who benefitwhen the markets perform well.

11 All of this would indicate that thefight against poverty requires cooperationboth on the economic level and on the le-gal level, so as to allow the internationalcommunity, and especially poorer countries,to identify and implement coordinatedstrategies to deal with the problems dis-cussed above, thereby providing an effec-tive legal framework for the economy. In-centives are needed for establishing effi-cient participatory institutions, and sup-port is needed in fighting crime and fos-tering a culture of legality. On the otherhand, it cannot be denied that policieswhich place too much emphasis on assis-tance underlie many of the failures in pro-viding aid to poor countries. Investing inthe formation of people and developing aspecific and well-integrated culture of en-terprise would seem at present to be theright approach in the medium and longterm. If economic activities require a fa-vourable context in order to develop, this

continued on page 7

Fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon ofglobalization, says Pope Benedict XVI in his World Day of Peace message.

Pope Benedict XVI asks people to reflect onthe theme ‘Fighting poverty to build peace’

– Libreria Editrice Vaticana

6 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 ENERO 2 - 8, 2009

Planta ng Ming Hong sarado na

Mga kaso ng kriminalidad ipahatidng text message sa 0927-2248271

Hinahamon ni Obet Pagdanganan ang kapwa Bulakenyo.

CALUMPIT, Bulacan — I-text ninyo sa akin ang mga kaso ngkarahasan at ilegal na sugal sa inyong lugar.

Ito ang hamon ni dating Gob. Roberto “Obet” Pagda-nganan sa bawat Bulakenyo dahil nagiging isang “cottageindustry” ang bayarang pamamaslang sa lalawigan, sa-mantalang ang ilegal na sugal ay inilarawan niya bilang“fastest growing industry.”

Ayon kay Pagdanganan, maaari siyang i-text ng mgaBulakenyo sa numerong 0927-224-8271 upang ipabatid sakanya ang iba’t ibang insidente ng kriminalidad sa Bulacan.

Ang pag-aalok ni Pagdanganan ng kanyang numero

upang maging sumbungan ng mga reklamo ng mga Bulakenyohinggil sa lumalaganap na kriminalidad sa lalawigan ay dahilsa walang napaparusahang kriminal at walang nagsasalita.

“Nakakapangamba. Wala na halos Bulakenyo angnagsasalita ngayon, dahil karamihan ay natatakot,” ani ngdating gobernador.

Iginiit pa ni Pagdanganan na kailangan ng mgaBulakenyo na isatinig ang kanilang mga karaingan upangmatawag ang pansin ng mga kinauukulan.

“Kung hindi tayo kikibo, patuloy tayong aabusuhin,”aniya.

NORZAGARAY, Bulacan — Naka-hinga ng maluwag ang mga resi-dente ng Sitio Diliman, BarangayPartida sa bayang ito mula noongNobyembre dahil tuluyan nangipinasara ang Ming Hong Trading,ang plantang nagsusunog nglumang gulong upang makatas anglangis.

Kaakibat naman nito ay may pangambaang mga residente na muling magbukassa taong ito ang nasabing planta namatagal nilang inireklamo, subalit tiniyakni Mayor Feliciano Legazpi na hindi namakapagbubukas ang Ming Hong kunghindi susunod sa itinakda ng batas parasa operasyong hindi makapipinsala sakalusugan ng tao.

“Maganda na ang simoy ng hanginngayon dito sa amin, wala nang usok,” aniGuillerma “Ka Emma” Cruz, isa sa mgaresidente ng Sitio Diliman na nanguna sapagrereklamo sa operasyon ng Ming Hong

noong nakaraang taon.Si Ka Emma ay nakapanayam ng

Mabuhay noong Disyembre 30 ng haponnang siya ay sadyain sa kanyang bahay.

Inabutan siya ng Mabuhay sa harapng kanilang bahay na nalililiman ng mgasanga ng punong kahoy habang nakikipag-laro ng baraha sa dalawang kaanak nababae na may edad mahigit 50 anyos.

“Wala na kayong naamoy na usok, ano,”ani Ka Emma sa Mabuhay bilang pagku-kumpara sa simoy ng hangin sa kanilanglugar noong Hulyo na inilarawan nilangmasakit sa dibdib sanhi ng usok na nagmu-mula sa sunugan ng gulong ng Ming Hongna halos ay 200 metro lamang ang layo sakanilang tahanan.

Ayon kay Ka Emma, ipinatigil ni MayorFeliciano Legazpi ang operasyon ng MingHong noong Oktubre.

Muling nagbalik ang operasyon nitonoong buwan ng Nobyembre ngunitmuling inireklamo ng mga residente,kaya’t ipinahuli ni Mayor Legazpi ang mga

taong nagsisipagtrabaho sa Ming Hong.Ayon kay Ka Emma, isang magandang

pamasko sa kanilang mga residente angpagtigil ng operasyon ng Ming Hong dahilnawala ang pangamba nilang magkasakit.

Gayunpaman, nagpahayag siya ng pag-aalala na baka muling magbalik angoperasyon nito.

“May mga bali-balita kasi na magsi-simula uli sa 2009, dahil may mga nag-lilibot daw sa bahay-bahay na nag-aalokng pera kung sakaling magsimula uli,”aniya.

Sinabi ni Ka Emma na hindi na silamuling papayag na magbalik ang ope-rasyon ng Ming Hong.

Inayunan naman ito ni Mayor Legazpina nagsabing kahit bigyan ng permiso ngbarangay ang operasyon ng Ming Hong aydadaan ito sa butas ng karayom.

Sinabi niya sa Mabuhay na isasailalimsa inspeksyon ang operasyon ng Ming Hongkung muling magsasagawa ng operasyon.

“Subject for inspection iyan,” aniya at

iginiit na kung magsisimula ng operasyonang Ming Hong, kailangang sumunod itosa batas.

Matatandaan na noong Hulyo 3 aynagsagawa ng inspeksyon ang Environ-mental Management Bureau (EMB) saGitnang Luzon sa planta ng Ming Hongkasama ang mga mamamahayag saBulacan, bilang tugon sa reklamo ng mgaresidente.

Ito ay nasundan pa noong Hulyo 31kung saan ay nagsagawa ng air at watertesting ang EMB sa pangunguna ni Inhin-yero Raldy Pagador.

Batay sa ibinigay na resulta ni Pagadorsa Mabuhay noong Agosto 21, bagsak sawater test ang Ming Hong.

Pinabulaanan din noon ng EMB nanagsumite sa kanila ng aplikasyon para saEnvironmental Compliance Clearance(ECC) ang Ming Hong tulad ng sinabi niApolonio Marcelo, ang isa sa mga kasosyo sapabrika at dating alkalde ng Angat.

Batay sa resulta ng pagsasaliksik ngEMB, walang aplikasyon sa kanilang com-puter data base ang Ming Hong.

NI DINO BALABO

Guillerma “Ka Emma” Cruz“Maganda na ang simoy ng hangin ngayon dito sa amin,

wala nang usok.” — MABUHAY FILE PHOTO

ENERO 2 - 8, 2009 MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980 7

who live in a profoundly fraternal wayand are able to accompany individu-als, families and communities on jour-neys of authentic human develop-ment.

Conclusion14 In the Encyclical Letter Cen-

tesimus Annus, John Paul II warnedof the need to “abandon a mentalityin which the poor — as individualsand as peoples — are considered aburden, as irksome intruders tryingto consume what others have pro-duced.” The poor, he wrote, “ask forthe right to share in enjoying mate-rial goods and to make good use oftheir capacity for work, thus creatinga world that is more just and prosper-ous for all.”15 In today’s globalizedworld, it is increasingly evident thatpeace can be built only if everyone isassured the possibility of reasonablegrowth: sooner or later, the distortionsproduced by unjust systems have tobe paid for by everyone. It is utterlyfoolish to build a luxury home in themidst of desert or decay. Globaliza-tion on its own is incapable of build-ing peace, and in many cases, it actu-ally creates divisions and conflicts. Ifanything it points to a need: to be ori-ented towards a goal of profound soli-darity that seeks the good of each andall. In this sense, globalization shouldbe seen as a good opportunity toachieve something important in thefight against poverty, and to place atthe disposal of justice and peace re-sources which were scarcely conceiv-able previously.

15 The Church’s social teachinghas always been concerned with thepoor. At the time of the EncyclicalLetter Rerum Novarum, the poorwere identified mainly as the work-ers in the new industrial society; inthe social Magisterium of Pius XI, PiusXII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John PaulII, new forms of poverty were gradu-ally explored, as the scope of the so-cial question widened to reach globalproportions.16 This expansion of thesocial question to the worldwide scalehas to be considered not just as a quan-titative extension, but also as a quali-

tative growth in the understandingof man and the needs of the humanfamily. For this reason, while atten-tively following the current phenom-ena of globalization and their impacton human poverty, the Church pointsout the new aspects of the social ques-tion, not only in their breadth but alsoin their depth, insofar as they concernman’s identity and his relationshipwith God. These principles of socialteaching tend to clarify the links be-tween poverty and globalization andthey help to guide action towards thebuilding of peace. Among these prin-ciples, it is timely to recall in particu-lar the “preferential love for thepoor”,17 in the light of the primacy ofcharity, which is attested throughoutChristian tradition, beginning withthat of the early Church (cf. Acts 4:32-36; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8-9; Gal 2:10).

“Everyone should put his hand tothe work which falls to his share, atonce and immediately,” wrote LeoXIII in 1891, and he added: “In re-gard to the Church, her cooperationwill never be wanting, be the time orthe occasion what it may.”18 It is inthe same spirit that the Church to thisday carries out her work for the poor,in whom she sees Christ,19 and sheconstantly hears echoing in her heartthe command of the Prince of Peaceto his Apostles: “Vos date illis man-ducare — Give them something to eatyourselves” (Lk 9:13). Faithful to thissummons from the Lord, the Chris-tian community will never fail, then,to assure the entire human family ofher support through gestures of cre-ative solidarity, not only by “givingfrom one’s surplus”, but above all by“a change of life-styles, of models ofproduction and consumption, and ofthe established structures of powerwhich today govern societies.”20 Atthe start of the New Year, then, I ex-tend to every disciple of Christ andto every person of good will a warminvitation to expand their hearts tomeet the needs of the poor and totake whatever practical steps are pos-sible in order to help them. The truthof the axiom cannot be refuted: “tofight poverty is to build peace.”

— Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Pope Benedict XVI asks people to reflect onthe theme ‘Fighting poverty to build peace’

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Depthnews continued from page 3

Today’s astronomers grapple withtwo other theories. One is an eclipseof Jupiter. And the other is a super-nova explosion.

Few things are more stunning thanthe explosion of a star. EuropeanSpace Agency astronomer Dr. MarkKidger pinpoints a candidate: DOAquilae. This erupted as late as 1927.It had erupted several times previ-ously. Radio telescopes, in the future,may detect a faint bubble of expand-ing gas around Aquilae and calculatewhen exactly it erupted

If Aquilae erupted 2,000 years ago,“the Magi would have seen it justabove the horizon, in the east. A starentering its supernova phase, ratherthan unusual planetary movements,would have persuaded seasoned astro-nomical experts to travel to Judea.”

On the second theory The Magimay have seen “an occultation, oreclipse, of the moon with Jupiter on17 April 6 BC,” speculates Dr. MikeMolnar of Rutgers University. “Jupi-ter would have risen in the east, just

as Matthew wrote. Then, as the moonpassed directly between Earth andJupiter, the kingmaker planet washidden from view.”

A 2,000-year-old coin, mintednorth of Judea, buttresses this theory,BBC adds. The coin depicts Aries theram leaping across the sky and look-ing back at a star. Aries then ruledover Judea, with Jerusalem as thecapital of the Near East .

Astronomers looking for a spec-tacular event that modern technolo-gies can pinpoint. Are we “completelymissing the cultural impact and im-portance of the story itself?” asksMarvin Bolt of the Adler Planetariumin Chicago.

“You have to look at what people2,000 years ago might have thoughtwas significant to their lives. Themore nuanced approach attempts topeer into the minds of ancientskywatchers.

“Herod and his court saw the Star.So did the high priests who even knewwhere the Messiah would be born. But

they didn’t move out of their comfortzones. They did nothing. It was busi-ness-as-usual.

“The same Star, however, led TheMagi on a journey where they, like theshepherds, found the Child. And lifecould never be the same again. Oldvalues, old ways were upturned. It wasnothing less than a death, as T.S. Eliotwas to write in The Journey of theMagi.

“Were we led all that way for /Birth or Death? There was birth cer-tainly / But … this birth was death,our death / We returned to our places,these kingdoms / But no longer at easehere … / With an alien people clutch-ing their gods ….”

After glimpsing the Star ofBethlehem this Christmas will we belike Herods and courtiers and returnto business-as-usual in 2009? Or didthe Star lead us to birth throughdeath? And like the Magi, as Matthewsays, do we “return to their countryby another way”?

— juanlmercado@prime.net.ph

May batas na dapat sundin ang magkabilang panigsa mga mutual fund plan o pension contract

TANONG: I want to refer to you for legal opinion theMutual Fund Plan that I have purchased for a 5-year and1-year holding period. It so happens that I have paidalmost four years now and I want to withdraw my invest-ment due to my financial needs. However, I was sur-prised that under the “plan proposal” the pre-termina-tion value shall have 60% of remittances made repre-senting reimbursement to the Mutual Fund Company ofcharges for insurance, documentation and bookkeeping.

It means that I will only have 40% as investmentproceeds. My question, Attorney, is that under the Phil-ippine Law on Mutual Fund, is the 60% charges on theinvestor legal? Is there any government agency that regu-lates the mutual fund company? What is the legal rem-edy to recover my full investment? Thank you!

— mark_ruiz2005@yahoo.comSAGOT: Thank you very much for this e-mail. In con-

tracts of this nature, it must be understood by theplanholder that a Mutual Fund Plan, or whatever othername contracts of this nature are called, is still a con-tract or an agreement covered not just by the InsuranceCode or other laws on pension and other plans but by theCivil Code of the Philippines as well. Under the CivilCode, it is clear that the contract between two parties isthe law between them as to their rights and obligationsover the subject matter of that contract. Consequently,whatever is stated in the contract or agreement must becomplied with. If one of the parties would not want tocomply with what is provided for in the contract or in theagreement, the other party can ask the courts to compelcompliance. Conversely, and in particular application toyour case, if your plan says that you will be entitled toonly 40 percent of the premiums or remittances that youhave paid when you wanted to pre terminate the plan,that must be followed by you, regardless of your percep-tion that it is unfair to you.

The fact is that, when you signed the plan, and theprovisions in question are already there, you are consid-ered to have agreed to those conditions, no matter howunconscionable they may appear at a later date. The ad-vice therefore is this: read your plans, read your con-tracts, before you sign them, and if there is anything thatyou do not conform to, ask that it be clarified, deleted ormodified. If the other party refuses to effect such clarifi-cation, or modification, and you still proceeded to signthe contract, you will be bound by all those provisions.

* * *BATAS NG DIYOS: “Gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig ngDiyos sa sanlibutan, kaya ibinigay Niya ang Kanyangbugtong na Anak, upang sinuman ang sumampalataya saKanya ay hindi mapapahamak, kundi magkakaroon ngbuhay na walang hanggan.” (Juan 3:16)

* * *PAALALA: Maaari po kayong tumawag sa aming mgalandline, (02) 994-68-05, (02) 433-75-49 at (02) 433-75-53, o di kaya ay sa aming mga cellphone, 0917-984-24-68 at 0919-609-64-89. O sumulat sa aming address: 18D Mahiyain cor Mapagkawanggawa, Teachers Village,Diliman, Quezon City. O mag-email sa website na ito:www.batasnews.com, o sa batasmauricio@yahoo.com.

* * *PARTY LIST: Maaari na po kayong maging kasapi ngBATAS Party List, o ang Bagong Alyansang Tagapag-taguyod ng Adhikaing Sambayanan. Ipadala po ang inyongmga pangalan at kumpletong address sa parehong mgaaddress at telepono sa itaas.

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Kakampi mo ... mula sa pahina 2

continued from page 5must not distract attention from theneed to generate revenue. While it hasbeen rightly emphasized that increas-ing per capita income cannot be theultimate goal of political and eco-nomic activity, it is still an importantmeans of attaining the objective of thefight against hunger and absolute pov-erty. Hence, the illusion that a policyof mere redistribution of existingwealth can definitively resolve theproblem must be set aside. In a mod-ern economy, the value of assets is ut-terly dependent on the capacity togenerate revenue in the present andthe future. Wealth creation thereforebecomes an inescapable duty, whichmust be kept in mind if the fightagainst material poverty is to be ef-fective in the long term.

12 If the poor are to be givenpriority, then there has to be enoughroom for an ethical approach to eco-nomics on the part of those active inthe international market, an ethicalapproach to politics on the part ofthose in public office, and an ethicalapproach to participation capable ofharnessing the contributions of civilsociety at local and international lev-els. International agencies themselveshave come to recognize the value andadvantage of economic initiativestaken by civil society or local admin-istrations to promote the emancipa-tion and social inclusion of those sec-tors of the population that often fallbelow the threshold of extreme pov-erty and yet are not easily reached byofficial aid. The history of twentieth-century economic developmentteaches us that good developmentpolicies depend for their effectivenesson responsible implementation byhuman agents and on the creation ofpositive partnerships between mar-kets, civil society and States. Civilsociety in particular plays a key partin every process of development, sincedevelopment is essentially a culturalphenomenon, and culture is born anddevelops in the civil sphere.

13 As my venerable predecessorPope John Paul II had occasion to re-mark, globalization “is notably am-bivalent”14 and therefore needs to bemanaged with great prudence. Thiswill include giving priority to theneeds of the world’s poor, and over-coming the scandal of the imbalancebetween the problems of poverty andthe measures which have beenadopted in order to address them. Theimbalance lies both in the culturaland political order and in the spiri-tual and moral order. In fact we oftenconsider only the superficial and in-strumental causes of poverty withoutattending to those harboured withinthe human heart, like greed and nar-row vision. The problems of develop-ment, aid and international coopera-tion are sometimes addressed with-out any real attention to the humanelement, but as merely technical ques-tions — limited, that is, to establish-ing structures, setting up trade agree-ments, and allocating funding imper-sonally. What the fight against pov-erty really needs are men and women

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Regarding Henry from page 3

tissue responds to treatment, and healing begins. As Dr.Schuller puts it: “The door to your dream suddenly swingsopen and there stands God saying, ‘Go!’”

God answers prayers in His own mysterious ways. Inthe gallery in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the sound ofanything said in this circular area bounces back from thehard smooth stone walls. If you put your ear close to thewall, you can hear what is even whispered on the otherside of the hall, many meters away.

Some years ago, a poor shoemaker whispered to hisyoung lady that he could not marry her because he couldnot afford to buy any leather for his work, and his businesswas ruined. The poor girl wept quietly as she listened tothis sad news.

A gentleman on the other side of the gallery, more than60 meters away, heard the story and the shoemaker’swhispered prayer, and he decided to do something aboutit.

The gentleman followed the shoemaker out of St.Paul’s and after finding out where he lived, had someleather sent to his shoe shop. Imagine how delighted theyoung man was! He made good use of the gift, and hisbusiness prospered and he was able to marry the girl ofhis heart.

It was not until a few years later that he learned thename of his unknown friend. It was Prime Minister Will-iam Gladstone of Great Britain.

To end this piece, allow me to quote the words of O.Hallesby: “There come times when I have nothing moreto tell God. If I were to continue to pray in words, I wouldhave to repeat what I have already said. At such times it iswonderful to say to God, ‘May I be in Thy presence, Lord?I have nothing more to say to Thee, but I do love to be inThy presence.’”

— For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com

Ang tubig ay buhay.Pag-ingatan natin ito.

LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS— Tatlo katao ang namatayat 92 naman ang nasugatansa magkakaibang insiden-teng may kaugnayan sapaputok sa Bulacan mulaDisyembre 24 hanggangEnero 5, ayon sa ProvincialDisaster Management Of-fice (PDMO).

Ang nasabing bilang aymas mababa sa naitalang100 katao na nasaktan sapagsalubong ng BagongTaon noong 2008, ngunit,ayon kay Liz Mungcal, angpunong tagapagpatupadng PDMO, hindi mapag-kukumpara ang mga talang insidente sa magka-sunod na taon dahil mag-kaiba ang nasasakop ni-lang panahon.

Ito ay dahil sa halos 10araw o mas mahaba angpanahong nasasakop sapagtatala sa mga nagdaanginsidente, kumpara noongEnero 1, 2008 na ang na-sasakop na panahon ay ha-los dalawang araw lamang.

Bukod dito, sinabi niMungcal na mas malawakang kanilang isinagawangpagtatala sa bilang ng mganasaktan sa katatapos napagsalubong sa Bagong Ta-

BOCAUE, Bulacan — Nau-bos ang mga panindangpaputok ng mga tindahansa bayang ito bago sumapitang Bagong Taon, ngunithalos balik-puhunan la-mang ang kanilang bentakumpara noong 2007 nanagtapos sa pagsabog atpagkasunog ng mga tin-dahan.

Ayon sa mga opisyal ngPhilippine PyrotechnicsManufacturers and DealersAssociation Inc., (PPMDAI)na nakabase sa Bulacan,halos umabot lamang ng 10porsiyento ang itinaas ngkanilang benta sa taong2008 sa kabila na halos na-doble ang presyo ng mgapaputok bago matapos angtaon.

“Mababa ang produc-tion nitong 2008, kaya soldout ang produkto sa Bocauesa kabila ng kampanya ngDepartment of Health(DOH),” ani Celso Cruz,ang tagapangulo ng

Paputok: 3 patay, 92nasaktan sa Bulacan

on dahil mas napaghandaannila ito.

“Unang bahagi pa langng Disyembre ay may ko-ordinasyon na kami sa Dis-trict Hospitals, municipaldisaster councils, PNP atmaging sa mga NGO na maydisaster response teams,”ani Mungcal.

Batay sa tala ng PDMO,ang mga namatay sa kata-tapos na pagsalubong sa2009 ay si Prince ArjayLaurente, 9 na taon, re-sidente ng Barangay SanJuan, San Ildefonso, at sinaOgie Asero at Pedrito Tor-cino na kapwa manggagawasa E&B Fireworks factorysa Sitio Balubaran, Ba-rangay Duhat, Bocaue.

Ang tatlo ay nangama-tay noong Enero 2 ng hapono mahigit 48 oras matapossalubungin ang BagongTaon.

Ayon sa ulat ng pulisya,si Laurente ay namataynang may sumabog sa kanalna nasa likod ng pabrika ngpaputok. Ang biktima aynakaupo noon sa bakodkatabi ng kanal.

Ayon sa pulisya, malakiang posibilidad na mgaitinapong paputok sa kanal

ng mga residente ang sanhing pasabog.

Sina Asero at Torcinonaman ay namatay nangmasunog ang kanilang ti-nutulugan sa loob ng com-pound ng E&B Fireworks.

Ayon kay Supt. RonaldDe Jesus, hepe ng pulisyang Bocaue, ang pagsabog aynaganap bandang 10:30 nggabi nitong Enero 2.

Bukod sa mga nabanggitna biktima, 92 katao pa angnaitalang nasaktan sa lala-wigan mula Disyembre 24hanggang Enero 5.

Ayon sa mga opisyal ngPhilippine PyrotechnicsManufacturers and DealersAssociation Inc., (PPMDAI),ilan sa mga dahilan ng pag-baba ng bilang ng mganasaktan sa paggamit ngpaputok sa pagsalubong ngBagong Taon ay ang pag-ulan, patuloy na kahirapanat ang mababang produks-yon ng paputok sanhi ngmataas na presyo ng mgapulbura.

Sinabi naman ng opisyalng Department of Healthsa Gitnang Luzon na naka-tulong din ang kanilangkampanyang “Iwas Papu-tok.” — Dino Balabo

Balik puhunan lang ang bentakahit nagkaubusan ng paputok

PPMDAI.Iginiit niya na ang ma-

babang produksyon ay nag-resulta sa mababang benta.

Gayundin ang nagingpahayag ni Vimmie Erese,presidente ng PPMDAI nanagsabi rin na ang mga re-tailer o nagsipagtinda sa la-bas ng Bulacan ay hindi na-kaubos ng panindang pa-putok.

“Kawawa ’yung saMetro Manila at otherparts of the country, kasihalos 50 percent ang natirasa kanilang paninda,” aniErese.

Bukod sa mababang pro-duksyon nitong 2008 aynakaapekto rin ang pagbu-hos ng ulan sa mga hulingaraw ng 2008 sa kanilangbenta, ayon kay Erese.

“Umulan kasi beforeand during the New Year,”aniya nang siya ay maka-panayam sa telepono ngMabuhay.

Hinggil sa mababang

produksyon, sinabi niya naiyon ay bunsod na rin ngmataas na presyo ng pul-burang gamit sa paggawang paputok.

Inihalimbawa niya nanoong Enero 2008, angpresyo ng isang bag ng po-tassium nitrate na maytimbang na 50 kilo ayumaabot lamang ngP1,250, ngunit pagdatingng buwan ng Hunyo, tu-maas ang halaga nito samahigit P5,000 bawat bag.

“Sobra ang taas ng rawmaterials kaya halos 10percent lang ang increasesa sales kahit halos nadobleang presyo ng paputok be-fore New Year,” sabi niErese.

Ayon pa sa pangulo ngPPMDAI, kahit halos na-doble ang presyo ng pa-putok bago matapos ang2008 ay mababa pa rin angkanilang kinita dahil ma-taas na presyo ng raw ma-terials. — Dino Balabo

Biktima ng Rizal DayBiktima ng Rizal Daybombing ‘nakarating’bombing ‘nakarating’kahit naputulan ng paakahit naputulan ng paa

NI DINO BALABO

HAGONOY, Bulacan — Naputulan manng dalawang paa sa malagim na pam-bobomba noong Rizal Day 2000, tuloypa rin ang pagsisikap ni Joel Atienza ngbayang ito.

Bukod sa kanyang dalawang naputolna paa at mga peklat ng nasunog nabalat sa mga braso, sa mukha ni Joel ayhalos walang palatandaan ng mapait nakaranasan makalipas ang walong taon.

Sakay ng kanyang wheelchair, naka-ngiti si Joel habang nagbebenta ng elec-tronic load mula sa kanyang cellulartelephone sa kanyang mga kapitbahaysa Barangay Sto. Niño ng bayang ito.

Kadalasan ay nasa loob lamang ngbahay si Joel na ang edad ngayon ay 35,ngunit kapag hindi masyadong ma-santing ang araw ay madalas din siyangmakihalubilo sa mga kapitbahay sa la-bas ng bakuran. Ang tawag sa kanya ay“Bro. Joel”, partikular na ng mga bata.

Ito ay dahil na rin sa matapos angmalagim na karanasan, nabaling angpananaw ni Joel sa pag-aaral ng Bibliyao ng Salita ng Diyos at pagiging aktibosa isang simbahang Kristiyano.

Para kay Joel, ang Diyos at pag-aaralng Bibliya kasama ang pamilya at mga

KUMPISKADO — Nagkaubusan ng tindang paputok sa Bocaue, Bulacan sa mgahuling araw ng 2008 kahit halos nadoble ang presyo ng mga ito dahil sa mababangproduksyon sanhi ng mataas na presyo ng mga raw material. Ipinakikita sa larawanni Supt. Ronald De Jesus ng pulisya ng Bocaue ang mga nakumpiskang paputok nailegal dahil walang mga tatak kung sino ang may gawa. Kuha ang larawang itonoong Nobyembre. — DINO BALABO

kaibigan ang kanyang inspirasyon sapag-ahon sa kanyang karanasan at ha-rapin ang buhay ng may pag-asa.

Sa pakikipanayam sa kanya ngMabuhay noong Disyembre 30, angika-walong anibersaryo ng pambobombanoong Rizal Day 2000 kung kailan aymarami ang nasawi, sinabi ni Joel na samga unang buwan matapos ang in-sidente ay may pait siyang nadama.

“Naisip ko noon, sa dami ng tao bakitkami pa,” aniya.

Ngunit may paraan ang panahon atDiyos sa paghilom ng bawat sugat.

Gayumpaman, may mga bagay paring nagpapaalala kay Joel sa kanyangsinapit katulad ng kanyang mga peklatsa katawan at dalawang naputol na paa,at ang paulit-ulit na insidente ng pam-bobomba sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa.

Sinabi niya sa Mabuhay na nalu-lungkot siya sa mga nasabing pam-bobomba dahil maraming inosentengtao ang nadadamay.

Hinggil naman sa mga reponsable sapambobomba noong Rizal Day na, ayonsa gobyerno’y nahuli na, sinabi ni Joelna mabitay man ang mga taong iyon ayhindi magbabago ang kanyang kapa-laran at nakaraan.

Si Joel ay 28 taong gulang at nag-lilingkod bilang isang waiter sa Makatinang maganap ang pambobomba sa LRTnoong Disyembre 30, 2000.

Pauwi na siya noon kasama angkanyang kaibigan at sumakay sila saBuendia Station.

Bababa sana sila sa Doroteo Jose Sta-tion sa Maynila ngunit nalibang sila sakuwentuhan.

Ipinasya nila na sa Fifth Avenue saGrace Park, Caloocan bumaba kung saanay may mga bus silang masasakyanpauwi ng Bulacan, ngunit hindi silanakarating doon.

Isang bomba ang sumabog sa si-nasakyan nilang LRT na agad na kumitilsa buhay ng kanyang kaibigan at mgakasakay.

“Dapat ay sa MRT kami sasakay, perosa LRT kami nasakay, tapos nalibangpa kami sa kuwentuhan kaya hindinakababa sa Dorotheo Jose,” ani Joel.

Ikinuwento niya na lubhang masakitang kanilang karanasan dahil angkaibigan niya ay isang hiyaw lang angnasabi at namatay nang biglaan nangmaputol ang katawan sa pagsabog.

Nakaligtas si Joel na apat na buwangnagpagaling sa Chinese General Hospi-tal, ngunit ang mga sumunod na arawsa kanyang buhay ay hindi niya maka-kalimutan.

Ito ay dahil sa kasama ng kanyangdalawang paa na naputol ang kanyangmga pangarap at plano sa buhay ka-bilang ang pag-aasawa.

Sa kabila nito, sinabi niya na na-tanggap na niya ang kanyang kapalaransa tulong ng Diyos pamilya at mgakaibigan.

Ayon kay Joel, “May plano ang Diyossa bawat isa sa atin. Kailangan lamangnating tangggapin iyon ng bukas angkalooban upang maging magaan.”

INSPIRASYON SA BUHAY — Ang pag-aaral ng Salita ng Diyos, suporta ngpamilya at mga kaibigan ang nag-silbing inspirasyon ni Joel Atienza ngHagonoy walong taon matapos ma-putol ang kanyang dalawang paa samalagim na Rizal Day bombing saLight Rail Transit noong 2000, kungsaan ay kabilang ang kanyang kai-bigan sa mga nasawi. — Dino Balabo

MabuhayLINGGUHANG PILIPINO MULA PA NOONG 1980

VOL. XXX, NO. 01 • ENERO 2 - 8, 2009 • PAGE 8

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