May 31,2010
Viper FM: An Alternative Music Station
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A new franchised FM station has formally opened in barangay Ichon, Macrohon of this province sometime in March 2010 that will cater to some radio listeners’ entertainment needs of various songs and music. Brgy. Ichon is 6 kilometers away from Maasin’s city proper.
Before it was formally launched, it underwent a series of test broadcasts for several months last year 2009. Later on, an official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) visited the place and inspected its facilities inside the Saludo Ice Plant compound. It passed the necessary requirements to operate on air.
It has a 135 feet tall steel transmitter erected atop a hill, a walking distance from the station. “Height is might”, owner/Manager Chito Saludo said.”It means that the transmitter has a great advantage of reaching farther places than if a transmitter was erected on the low ground.A transmitter of similar height constructed on a high hill with a 1,000 watts power can be compared to more or less 3,000 watts transmitter’s power by nearest estimate.”
The alternative music station dubbed as Viper FM on 106.1 MHz has a capacity of releasing a maximum of 5,000 watts power, revealed Saludo during our casual conversation. However, it needs to be replaced some of its paraphernalia and wires with modern state-of-the-art equipments to sustain such higher watts operation.
The owner further disclosed that at a time they released power of 1,900 watts, it reached the municipality of Hinunangan (about 6 hours travel by passenger bus from Maasin), the second to the last town under the jurisdiction of Southern Leyte. The last town is Silago, which is 18 kilometers away from Hinunangan.He said he received this information when he visited the place during the campaign sorties of his father, former Congressman Anecito G. Saludo, Sr., who ran again for the same position. Nevertheless, he loss to re-electionist Congressman Roger G. Mercado during the recently concluded first automation polls of May 10, 2010 national and local elections.
When asked for more details about his newly-opened FM station, Chito said he cannot yet tell me about other details since they were not yet in a regular programming.”Changes shall be made in the near future. We are still in the first phase of our operation”, he said.
While majority of FM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao with regular programming have their station IDs plugged every 10 or 15 minutes interval, Viper FM’s long hours full of various songs would only be interrupted with its station ID insertions only on measly occasions. Like:”This is Viper FM, Southern Leyte’s all hits music station”. The voice comes from an American national that Chito had tapped.
The music station dished out a wide variety of tunes, a wide variety of songs either in English or in Tagalog. Cebuano/Visayan songs from Max Surban and Yoyoy Villame are featured only during Sundays. The FM management can also consider playing the original song renditions and adaptation songs of Nora Hermosa,Taks Huguete dubbed as “the Crystal Voice of Cebu”, Jaime Salazar, Ben Zubiri,Al Commendador,Pauline Sevilla,Sergs De La Peña,Pelita Corrales, Carmen Camacho,Tres Rosas,Dos Compadres,Mabuhay Singers and the new breed of popular Cebuano singers. Susan Fuentes’ songs are mostly “copies” from that of Nora Hermosa’s original song renditions.
Currently, Saludo did not tell me how many watts power is he releasing regularly everyday. As revealed to me by the owner/Manager himself, the music station can be heard in the neighboring towns of the province and places like Limasawa Island, Camiguin Island, Surigao, Bohol and perhaps in some areas of Misamis Oriental. If you are a music lover who wants to listen to various sounds on the airwaves-from vocals to instrumentals-try including Viper FM in your list of music stations, aside from your other favorite FMs.
Other singers and bands whose songs were yesteryears favorites are also worthy of inclusion for Viper FM’s repertoire of songs and music like: The Platters, Chubby Checker, Freddie Fender, Dusty Springfield,Lulu,Jerry Vale, Frank Sinatra, Matt Monroe, Johnny Nash, Julie Andrews, Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka,Niel Sedaka,Connie Francis ,Timi Yuro,Brenda Lee, Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, original English songs of Diomedes Maturan and Nora Aunor,Louie Levant(real name Luis Relevante-A Filipino singer with an American diction),Eddie Peregrina,Teddy Randazoo,Victor Wood,Niel Diamond, Steve Lawrence, Andy Williams, Sammy Davies ,Jr.,Merci Molina,Efren Montes, Celia Black,Beatles,Herman’s Hermits, instrumental number of Chit Atkins, Dave Clark Five, Rolling Stones, Freddie and the Dreamers, Gerry and the Peacemakers, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Freddie Fender, Credence Clearwater Revival, Cliff Richard,Peter and Gordon, The Beach Boys,TheAnimals,The Monkees,The turtles, Johnny Tilotsson, The Reycard Duet, Bobby Gonzales, among others.
For Tagalog songs: Cenon Lagman,Ric Manrique,Sylvia de la Torre, Ruben Tagalog,Pelita Corrales,Rico Puno, among other popular Tagalog singers in the past whose songs are still worthy of playing again and again on the airwaves together with the new Tagalog songs.
WE hope that a musically-inclined businessman in Maasin who has the means will buy a franchise for high-powered FM station that will provide music lovers with a wide variety of songs and music different from that of Viper FM’s so that we can switch from one music station to another for more musical entertainment.
At present there is not a single music station yet in this near 10-year-old Maasin City, except a sole AM radio owned by the Diocese of Maasin.
If we can have an FM station in Maasin that will initiate the playing of Cebuano/Visayan songs side by side with English and Tagalog,it could be a first and a much-needed start of a radical change from the discriminatory traditional musical programming done by majority of the FM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. Playing Cebuano/Visayan songs side by side with English and Tagalog during daytime and night time musical programming should be the overall format that is a “must” for adoption by all music stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. For Luzon Island, where other major languages have also existed, playing of Bicolano songs, Ilocano, Pampanggo, Pangasinan songs or others songs, side by side with English and Tagalog must also be adopted as a sign of equality and fairness in the treatment of various song compositions from various predominant languages in the country.
Rejecting the playing of other songs of the predominant languages in the Philippines’ archipelago side by side with English and Tagalog songs during the entire musical programming, and relegating it to playing only on Saturdays or Sundays, or as opening sign on program of a music station, means that our disc jockeys still lack the respect and equality of treating other local songs with fairness. If they are promoting the English and Tagalog songs in music stations where they are working by playing it always on the airlanes, why can’t they not do it with their very own local songs? If they like English and Tagalog songs, why is it that they cannot like or love their very own local song compositions? If disc jockeys really Love their respective Mother Tongues’ songs, they should play it side by side with English and Tagalog songs on a regular basis. Playing it always on the airlanes during musical programming is the only way that our people will learn to appreciate and love our respective songs written in our various Mother Tongues of the country. This system or policy will also encourage our respective composers from different Mother Tongues to compose more and more songs with meaningful lyrics, melodious and beautiful tunes.
Again, we hope that our disc jockeys in the Visayas,Mindanao and in Luzon will come to realize now that if they are promoting English and Tagalog songs by playing it always on the airlanes,the more they must also equally promote the songs of their respective Mother Tongues(Cebuano,Hilligaynon,Waray-Waray,Bicolano,Ilocano,Pampanggo,Pangasinan,other songs of other Mother Tongues) by playing it side by side with English and Tagalog in equal footing during daytime and night time musical programming.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
List Of Reduced Price Of 97 Drugs Should Be Sent Now To Various Drugstores Nationwide Now
May 27,2010
List of Reduced Price Of 97 Drugs Should Be Sent Now To Various Drugstores Nationwide
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Just recently I have read a report published in the Philippine Star that the prices of 97 drugs including medical devices have been reduced to 50% effective March 31, 2010. It was said that this is the second batch of drugs whose prices have been reduced. The first batch has also 50% price reduction implemented starting last August 2009. This was announced by the DOH Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.
The price reduction, Cabral revealed, were the 2 batches of drugs that implemented the voluntary price cut under the Government-Mediated Access Price (GMAP), a component of Cheaper Medicine Act. However, until this time of writing, May 20, 2010, two big drugstores here have not yet received guidelines regarding this new price cut on 97 drugs. What they have were the list of 43 drugs subjected to 50% reduction posted inside the drugstores, but not conspicuous with the consuming public. Except at Mercury Drugstore. They said pharmaceutical companies whose prices of some drugs were reduced have not yet send guidelines to them for reference.
Does this mean that DOH’s inspectors from Manila were not dispatch to monitor compliance in drug outlets nationwide? Cabral said violators of the price reduction will be fined P50M. But how can the drugstores implement such reduced price on the 97 drugs if they don’t have guidelines? The reduced drugs’ prices we were informed come from pharmaceutical companies that supported the voluntary reduction of commonly used medication.
These drugs are: anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-hypertensive,anti-depressant,antipsychotic,anti-cancer,anti-coagulant,antibiotic, including medication for bladder and prostrate disorders.
This report is really a good omen to sick people particularly for poor Filipinos who could hardly afford to buy medicines. But when will the people outside Metro Manila can benefit and enjoy this privilege in price cut of some drugs if drug companies that sponsored the drug price reduction did not send their respective guidelines to different drugstores in the Visayas and Mindanao?
WE hope that the new Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral is sincere and serious in her announcement by sending inspectors to various provinces in the entire country to see that this new DOH Directive is being implemented. It is also important that the Health Secretary will send copies of the DOH Directive to the mother drugstores in all regions with instructions for the implementation of this new Directive.
It is likewise essential that the pharmaceutical companies that sponsored the drugs that have 50% price cut will receive instructions from DOH to send guidelines as soon as possible to all drugstores in the archipelago. In this way the implementation of this scheme will be put into immediate action and that most importantly the poor Filipinos can now buy the medicines they need with 50% price cut.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
List of Reduced Price Of 97 Drugs Should Be Sent Now To Various Drugstores Nationwide
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Just recently I have read a report published in the Philippine Star that the prices of 97 drugs including medical devices have been reduced to 50% effective March 31, 2010. It was said that this is the second batch of drugs whose prices have been reduced. The first batch has also 50% price reduction implemented starting last August 2009. This was announced by the DOH Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral.
The price reduction, Cabral revealed, were the 2 batches of drugs that implemented the voluntary price cut under the Government-Mediated Access Price (GMAP), a component of Cheaper Medicine Act. However, until this time of writing, May 20, 2010, two big drugstores here have not yet received guidelines regarding this new price cut on 97 drugs. What they have were the list of 43 drugs subjected to 50% reduction posted inside the drugstores, but not conspicuous with the consuming public. Except at Mercury Drugstore. They said pharmaceutical companies whose prices of some drugs were reduced have not yet send guidelines to them for reference.
Does this mean that DOH’s inspectors from Manila were not dispatch to monitor compliance in drug outlets nationwide? Cabral said violators of the price reduction will be fined P50M. But how can the drugstores implement such reduced price on the 97 drugs if they don’t have guidelines? The reduced drugs’ prices we were informed come from pharmaceutical companies that supported the voluntary reduction of commonly used medication.
These drugs are: anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-hypertensive,anti-depressant,antipsychotic,anti-cancer,anti-coagulant,antibiotic, including medication for bladder and prostrate disorders.
This report is really a good omen to sick people particularly for poor Filipinos who could hardly afford to buy medicines. But when will the people outside Metro Manila can benefit and enjoy this privilege in price cut of some drugs if drug companies that sponsored the drug price reduction did not send their respective guidelines to different drugstores in the Visayas and Mindanao?
WE hope that the new Department of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral is sincere and serious in her announcement by sending inspectors to various provinces in the entire country to see that this new DOH Directive is being implemented. It is also important that the Health Secretary will send copies of the DOH Directive to the mother drugstores in all regions with instructions for the implementation of this new Directive.
It is likewise essential that the pharmaceutical companies that sponsored the drugs that have 50% price cut will receive instructions from DOH to send guidelines as soon as possible to all drugstores in the archipelago. In this way the implementation of this scheme will be put into immediate action and that most importantly the poor Filipinos can now buy the medicines they need with 50% price cut.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Breastfeeding Is A Perpetual Relevance For The Babies' Health
May 27,2010
Breastfeeding Is A Perpetual Relevance For The Baby’s Health
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Breastfeeding is a perpetual relevance for the baby’s overall health requirements. Married women who become pregnant have the duties and the responsibilities to breastfeed their babies. Breastfeeding is an indispensable natural biological process between the mothers and the babies. So inevitable that the process of breastfeeding should last, not only for six months, or one year, but for at least two years duration. Six months or one year is so insufficient of a mother who considers the health benefit she can give to her baby. The vitamins and minerals she is secreting for her child during breastfeeding are so vital and essential that processed canned milk cannot equally provide.
Breastmilk is a natural production of all healthy mothers that’s free. All mothers have to do is to eat regularly plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, occasional lean meat, sea foods, non-fat milk,grains,rootcrops,legumes,fishes needed in the production of profuse milk for their babies.
On the personal vein, we were all being breastfed by our mother when we were in the infancy. The palpable manifestation that we were breastfed was that we were being told and we saw it also in live demonstration towards our younger siblings. My younger sister and brother were breastfed for almost 2 years each. But in the medical article that I have read, it should be at least two years to breastfeed every baby in a family.
Cutting the required 2 years of breastfeeding to one year or even less, is only allowable to mothers who, due to biological and health reasons, have produced only an insufficient amount of milk for their babies. Or it has a salty taste that a baby tends to avoid sucking the mother’s nipple in succession and turn away.
In this case canned milk could enter into consideration as an additional support for the baby’s need of milk. The natural and processed milk, the kind that a baby’s stomach tolerates could be fed in alteration everyday until two years, depending upon the baby’s health condition.
My younger sister who got married at the age of seventeen or eighteen and became a mother has breastfed her 4 children in their infancy for 2 years each. But she chose to breastfeed her youngest son for straight three years. Here we can see the big difference between breastfeed babies and canned milk-feed babies. The former have the stronger resistance to diseases compared to the latter. Many studies show that breastfeed babies have a very lower rate of mortality than the canned milk-fed babies. Why? Simply because the mother’s milk has all the necessary nutrients needed by a new born baby than those canned milk available in stores and groceries. Unless it is very necessary to add canned milk for the baby’s supplemental need of vitamins and minerals due to the mother’s abnormal health condition, healthy mothers should focus only on breastfeeding their babies-for again, at least two years. Married women who have babies should be more concerned in providing their children with the best natural milk that they can offer, and that is their breastmilk, which is excellent than any other kind of existing milk on earth..
Again, nothing can outweight the health benefits of biological milk compared with other liquid food produced by man available in public market, stores and groceries.
Do you know that majority of our “bright’ and “genius” men and women in various fields of endeavor are breastfeed babies during their infancies? And breastfeed babies have stronger resistance to childhood diseases than those canned milk or bottle-fed babies. That’s why there’s a higher mortality rate among the latter beings, studies show. When some breastfeed-milk producing mothers are tempted to shorten their responsibilities to breastfeed their babies for only six months or one year, they should not succumb to this kind of temptation. They should be more concern on the well-being and health of their babies than the imaginative prediction of potential disfigurement of their beautiful breasts-a sustaining condition which will remain only if they were still single women.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Breastfeeding Is A Perpetual Relevance For The Baby’s Health
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Breastfeeding is a perpetual relevance for the baby’s overall health requirements. Married women who become pregnant have the duties and the responsibilities to breastfeed their babies. Breastfeeding is an indispensable natural biological process between the mothers and the babies. So inevitable that the process of breastfeeding should last, not only for six months, or one year, but for at least two years duration. Six months or one year is so insufficient of a mother who considers the health benefit she can give to her baby. The vitamins and minerals she is secreting for her child during breastfeeding are so vital and essential that processed canned milk cannot equally provide.
Breastmilk is a natural production of all healthy mothers that’s free. All mothers have to do is to eat regularly plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, occasional lean meat, sea foods, non-fat milk,grains,rootcrops,legumes,fishes needed in the production of profuse milk for their babies.
On the personal vein, we were all being breastfed by our mother when we were in the infancy. The palpable manifestation that we were breastfed was that we were being told and we saw it also in live demonstration towards our younger siblings. My younger sister and brother were breastfed for almost 2 years each. But in the medical article that I have read, it should be at least two years to breastfeed every baby in a family.
Cutting the required 2 years of breastfeeding to one year or even less, is only allowable to mothers who, due to biological and health reasons, have produced only an insufficient amount of milk for their babies. Or it has a salty taste that a baby tends to avoid sucking the mother’s nipple in succession and turn away.
In this case canned milk could enter into consideration as an additional support for the baby’s need of milk. The natural and processed milk, the kind that a baby’s stomach tolerates could be fed in alteration everyday until two years, depending upon the baby’s health condition.
My younger sister who got married at the age of seventeen or eighteen and became a mother has breastfed her 4 children in their infancy for 2 years each. But she chose to breastfeed her youngest son for straight three years. Here we can see the big difference between breastfeed babies and canned milk-feed babies. The former have the stronger resistance to diseases compared to the latter. Many studies show that breastfeed babies have a very lower rate of mortality than the canned milk-fed babies. Why? Simply because the mother’s milk has all the necessary nutrients needed by a new born baby than those canned milk available in stores and groceries. Unless it is very necessary to add canned milk for the baby’s supplemental need of vitamins and minerals due to the mother’s abnormal health condition, healthy mothers should focus only on breastfeeding their babies-for again, at least two years. Married women who have babies should be more concerned in providing their children with the best natural milk that they can offer, and that is their breastmilk, which is excellent than any other kind of existing milk on earth..
Again, nothing can outweight the health benefits of biological milk compared with other liquid food produced by man available in public market, stores and groceries.
Do you know that majority of our “bright’ and “genius” men and women in various fields of endeavor are breastfeed babies during their infancies? And breastfeed babies have stronger resistance to childhood diseases than those canned milk or bottle-fed babies. That’s why there’s a higher mortality rate among the latter beings, studies show. When some breastfeed-milk producing mothers are tempted to shorten their responsibilities to breastfeed their babies for only six months or one year, they should not succumb to this kind of temptation. They should be more concern on the well-being and health of their babies than the imaginative prediction of potential disfigurement of their beautiful breasts-a sustaining condition which will remain only if they were still single women.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
The Positive And The Negative Implications Of The Golden Rule
May 27,2010
The Positive And The Negative Implications Of The Golden Rule
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
What is a golden rule? As its description, it’s a good rule that is encompassing and globally applicable in all kinds of endeavor that any human being would undertake. This universal rule formulated by no less than the Christian Master is not only applicable and worth adopting as part of our moral values for all groups of Filipinos but also for another nationalities or races. This rule is broad in its scope that whatever is your creed or ideological belief will not affect in its application. It’s a kind of special rule where give and take prevails.
To achieve a palpable realization of this kind of rule, what are its positive and negative implications to all humanities? It has two kinds of instructions/commands: a) Positive command-Do unto others the things which you want them to be done unto you; b) Negative command-Do not do unto others the things which you do not want them to be done unto you. Let us always remember these commands by the Lord Jesus Christ and to practice it and implement it in our lives.
Each person regardless of his/her color ought to adopt and practice this pragmatic virtue where everyone in the face of earth will be benefited. This is the kind of rule where its application and practice is in a win-win sphere. No-one is a loser. Everyone is in fact a winner.
If every Filipino and the rest of the humankind in the whole world will obstinately adopt this commonly practical but overlooked and effective virtue in his/her dealings with his/her fellow human beings regardless of their status in life, there will be peace and order in the whole world. There will be no cheating, no swindling, no snatching, no stealing, no gambling and no corrupt officials in the government and private offices and companies.
There will also be less violence, less hostilities, less quarrelling or squabbling, less conflict. There will be no mudslinging or fabricated stories to smear the reputations of other candidates during election campaigns among candidates running for President, Vice-President, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and City Mayors. There will be no negative predictions and advanced allegations of election failure. There will be no vote-buying by politicians to voters. Who in turn will not be selling their sacred rights “for thirty pieces of silver”(Figuratively and symbolically use here. Analogous to the predicted betrayal of Jesus Christ’s apostle Judas Iscariot who sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver to His persecutors.)
All they have to do is to talk about important issues affecting the country and its solutions. They would be talking about their agenda and programs of government if they will be elected for the positions they are aspiring for. This is what exactly presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro was doing during his campaign sorties in various provinces of the country on the first automaton polls May 10,2010 national and local elections. There will be no cheating or fraud on votes count in the national and the local level results. Every candidate will then have acquired the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting defeat modestly and to those victors to enjoy their victories with humbleness.
If all the peoples of the whole world want peace and order in our Planet Earth, each of us must start adopting, practicing and applying this overlooked but essential moral virtue in our dealings toward our fellowmen human beings regardless of his/her religion, race or color. In other words, the application and practice of the Golden Rule among us is actually Love in action. Then and only then can we have a natural simulation of a paradise here on earth.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
The Positive And The Negative Implications Of The Golden Rule
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
What is a golden rule? As its description, it’s a good rule that is encompassing and globally applicable in all kinds of endeavor that any human being would undertake. This universal rule formulated by no less than the Christian Master is not only applicable and worth adopting as part of our moral values for all groups of Filipinos but also for another nationalities or races. This rule is broad in its scope that whatever is your creed or ideological belief will not affect in its application. It’s a kind of special rule where give and take prevails.
To achieve a palpable realization of this kind of rule, what are its positive and negative implications to all humanities? It has two kinds of instructions/commands: a) Positive command-Do unto others the things which you want them to be done unto you; b) Negative command-Do not do unto others the things which you do not want them to be done unto you. Let us always remember these commands by the Lord Jesus Christ and to practice it and implement it in our lives.
Each person regardless of his/her color ought to adopt and practice this pragmatic virtue where everyone in the face of earth will be benefited. This is the kind of rule where its application and practice is in a win-win sphere. No-one is a loser. Everyone is in fact a winner.
If every Filipino and the rest of the humankind in the whole world will obstinately adopt this commonly practical but overlooked and effective virtue in his/her dealings with his/her fellow human beings regardless of their status in life, there will be peace and order in the whole world. There will be no cheating, no swindling, no snatching, no stealing, no gambling and no corrupt officials in the government and private offices and companies.
There will also be less violence, less hostilities, less quarrelling or squabbling, less conflict. There will be no mudslinging or fabricated stories to smear the reputations of other candidates during election campaigns among candidates running for President, Vice-President, Senators, Congressmen, Governors, and City Mayors. There will be no negative predictions and advanced allegations of election failure. There will be no vote-buying by politicians to voters. Who in turn will not be selling their sacred rights “for thirty pieces of silver”(Figuratively and symbolically use here. Analogous to the predicted betrayal of Jesus Christ’s apostle Judas Iscariot who sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver to His persecutors.)
All they have to do is to talk about important issues affecting the country and its solutions. They would be talking about their agenda and programs of government if they will be elected for the positions they are aspiring for. This is what exactly presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro was doing during his campaign sorties in various provinces of the country on the first automaton polls May 10,2010 national and local elections. There will be no cheating or fraud on votes count in the national and the local level results. Every candidate will then have acquired the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting defeat modestly and to those victors to enjoy their victories with humbleness.
If all the peoples of the whole world want peace and order in our Planet Earth, each of us must start adopting, practicing and applying this overlooked but essential moral virtue in our dealings toward our fellowmen human beings regardless of his/her religion, race or color. In other words, the application and practice of the Golden Rule among us is actually Love in action. Then and only then can we have a natural simulation of a paradise here on earth.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Fisherman Hit By Speeding Motorcycle With Off Headlight
May 25,2010
Fisherman Hit By Speeding Motorcycle With Off Headlight
By Quirico M, Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A fisherman who crossed the street in sitio Talisay, brgy.Pacu was hit by a speeding motorcycle with off headlight during the recent Sunday at past 7:00p.m.
The fisherman- victim was identified as Rodrigo Grullo Acedo,61 years old, married, and a resident of aforesaid place.
The driver-suspect was identified as Jonas Orais, 30 years old, married, and a resident of brgy.Ibarra. He was employed as a cashier of the M & J meatshop in brgy. Pugaling, here in this city. It was owned by Mr.Arcelito Pedalino.
In an interview at the hospital with LSDE the fisherman-victim disclosed that earlier in the afternoon on that day he was having a good time with some friends at the nearby beach. He said they have some foods and drinks and went swimming with them. As the sun sat on the west, he said, some started leaving while the others remained and continued enjoying with the company. When the dark engulfed in he also decided to leave. Upon crossing the street, he said, he did not see an incoming motorcycle. But as he took his strides he was suddenly hit by it.
He said he was informed by some of his neighbors that the motorcycle was running with off headlight. He said his neighbors upon recognizing him sprawled unconscious on the concrete pavement, brought him to the provincial hospital for treatment. He said he regained his consciousness after h e was treated at the emergency room.
Acedo sustained head injuries. His right eye was swollen and he has some bruises on his painful right arm and on his legs. After he was examined by Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Elpidio Sibud, his attending physician, he said was informed that his head has no crack despite some injuries and he has no fractured bone.
Some witnesses also informed him, he said, that after hitting him the driver’s motorcycle swerved and the latter was thrown away hitting his body on the huge mahogany tree nearby the St.Paul Minor Seminary.
The driver-suspect suffered fractured right shoulder and blood oozed from his head.Surprisinglyl, the motorcycle was not damaged according to Joy, wife of Jonas’ employer. He was rushed by the ambulance to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City, which is a 4.5 hours travel from Maasin City by a non-stop vehicle.
The victim further claimed he was informed by his son that his and that of the driver-suspect’s medical expenses will be shouldered by the latter’s employer.
However, Pedalino’s wife, Joy refuted the victim’s statement. She clarified it’s Jonas’ responsibility to shoulder the fisherman’s medical expenses at the hospital and not her husband’s.
AS of presstime, the victim was already discharged from his hospital confinement. While the driver’s condition has improved and he has already communicated with his employer’s wife. Joy said he will undergo a bone operation for his fractured right shoulder. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Fisherman Hit By Speeding Motorcycle With Off Headlight
By Quirico M, Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A fisherman who crossed the street in sitio Talisay, brgy.Pacu was hit by a speeding motorcycle with off headlight during the recent Sunday at past 7:00p.m.
The fisherman- victim was identified as Rodrigo Grullo Acedo,61 years old, married, and a resident of aforesaid place.
The driver-suspect was identified as Jonas Orais, 30 years old, married, and a resident of brgy.Ibarra. He was employed as a cashier of the M & J meatshop in brgy. Pugaling, here in this city. It was owned by Mr.Arcelito Pedalino.
In an interview at the hospital with LSDE the fisherman-victim disclosed that earlier in the afternoon on that day he was having a good time with some friends at the nearby beach. He said they have some foods and drinks and went swimming with them. As the sun sat on the west, he said, some started leaving while the others remained and continued enjoying with the company. When the dark engulfed in he also decided to leave. Upon crossing the street, he said, he did not see an incoming motorcycle. But as he took his strides he was suddenly hit by it.
He said he was informed by some of his neighbors that the motorcycle was running with off headlight. He said his neighbors upon recognizing him sprawled unconscious on the concrete pavement, brought him to the provincial hospital for treatment. He said he regained his consciousness after h e was treated at the emergency room.
Acedo sustained head injuries. His right eye was swollen and he has some bruises on his painful right arm and on his legs. After he was examined by Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Elpidio Sibud, his attending physician, he said was informed that his head has no crack despite some injuries and he has no fractured bone.
Some witnesses also informed him, he said, that after hitting him the driver’s motorcycle swerved and the latter was thrown away hitting his body on the huge mahogany tree nearby the St.Paul Minor Seminary.
The driver-suspect suffered fractured right shoulder and blood oozed from his head.Surprisinglyl, the motorcycle was not damaged according to Joy, wife of Jonas’ employer. He was rushed by the ambulance to the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City, which is a 4.5 hours travel from Maasin City by a non-stop vehicle.
The victim further claimed he was informed by his son that his and that of the driver-suspect’s medical expenses will be shouldered by the latter’s employer.
However, Pedalino’s wife, Joy refuted the victim’s statement. She clarified it’s Jonas’ responsibility to shoulder the fisherman’s medical expenses at the hospital and not her husband’s.
AS of presstime, the victim was already discharged from his hospital confinement. While the driver’s condition has improved and he has already communicated with his employer’s wife. Joy said he will undergo a bone operation for his fractured right shoulder. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Monday, May 17, 2010
LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD Candidates Win By Landslide Against The NPC's,PMP's
May 17,2010
LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD Candidates Win By Landslide Against NPC’s,PMP’s
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-LAKAS - KAMPI –CMD candidates have won by landslide against NPC’s and PMP’s during the recent May 10,2010 first automation polls national and local elections here.
Re-electionist Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco junked rival candidate Rosette Yñiguez Lerias,26,561 votes and 13,798 votes respectively. RE-electionist Vice-Mayo Maria Effie Abiera who was running unopposed reaped 29,095 votes.
Of the 10 city councilors,9 were re-electionists and only one newcomer Atty. Romeo Geniston.He was number 7 with 18,021 votes.
The number one up to fourth councilors were Atty. Cromwell Rafael Gerong (20,925 votes), Atty. Margarita Bantug (20,861 votes), Reynaldo Hatayna (19,742 votes) and Costillas (19,463 votes).
There were 13 newcomers running for the position of City Councilors under different political affiliations like NPCs, PMPs and independents.
The final count of votes for Maasin City alone was completed only on the evening of May 13, 2010 by the City Board of Canvassers inside the City Hall’s SP session hall.
The delay of the electronic transmissions of votes was caused by the defective flashcards whose replacement from Manila reached 3 days after the first ever automated polls.
The three- member City Board of Canvassers were City Prosecutor Elpidio Quijada, Dr. Pedro Escobarte of DepEd and COMELEC’s Election Officer 11 Lawrence Irman Gelsano.The latter presided over the proclamation of the City’s winning candidates before midnight of May 13.
Samaco in his short speech profusely thanked his family members and kins, relatives, friends, leaders and Barangay Captains and some city hall employees for their support during the 90 days campaign sorties to various City’s 70 barangays.
He also said he has already forgiven his political rivals for the bitter accusations and allegations hurled against him during the rallies and meetings.
He added he will continue his 13 agenda like livelihood projects, constructions of gymnasiums and covered courts, roads, agriculture, others, particularly for the retention and improvement of the Maasin City College.
In a related development, the following day, May 14, 2010 re-electionists Governor Damian Mercado and Congressman Roger Mercado including the winning 8 SP members were likewise proclaimed by the members of the Provincial Board of Canvassers inside the SP’s Legislative Building at the provincial capitol site. .The PBC was composed of COMELEC’s Atty. Antonio Gulay,Jr.,DepEd Superintendent Violeta Alocilja and Fiscal Antonino Ruiz.
Governor Mercado garnered 132,696 votes against main rival candidate Marissa “Dondeet” Lerias with 47,430 votes. Jerome Roden has only 1190 votes. Congressman Mercado bagged 125,912 votes against main rival Congressional candidate Anecito Saludo, Sr. with 61,595 votes. Vicente Geraldo got 961 votes while Jeffrey Roden has 590 votes
Of the 8 winners for the Board members, 3 were newcomers-Felicula C. Escaño (First District-40,611 votes), Florentino Fernandez,Jr. (Second District-43,039 votes)and Abelardo Almario(Second District-38,445 votes).
Picture taking s followed after each separate consecutive proclamation among the city’s and the provincial’s candidates with their respective family members and supporters.
The special occasions were both attended by family members, relatives, friends, supporters, some barangay officials, and city and provincial employees.
Other winning City Councilors: 6) Ricky Montalbo-18,998 votes; 7) Alejandro Rojas-18,786 votes; 8) Geronimo Mercado-17,901; 9) Nestor Sy,Sr.-17,669 votes; 10)Antonio Cardoza-15,491 votes.
Winning Sangguniang Panlalawigan members: First District-1) Albert Esclamado-50,839 votes;2)Cesar Rey-42,064 votes; 3)Teopisto Rojas,Jr.-39,604 votes. Second District: 1) Roberto Lagmubay-46,772 votes;2)Daisy Gumale-46,343 votes. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
LAKAS-KAMPI-CMD Candidates Win By Landslide Against NPC’s,PMP’s
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-LAKAS - KAMPI –CMD candidates have won by landslide against NPC’s and PMP’s during the recent May 10,2010 first automation polls national and local elections here.
Re-electionist Maasin City Mayor Maloney Samaco junked rival candidate Rosette Yñiguez Lerias,26,561 votes and 13,798 votes respectively. RE-electionist Vice-Mayo Maria Effie Abiera who was running unopposed reaped 29,095 votes.
Of the 10 city councilors,9 were re-electionists and only one newcomer Atty. Romeo Geniston.He was number 7 with 18,021 votes.
The number one up to fourth councilors were Atty. Cromwell Rafael Gerong (20,925 votes), Atty. Margarita Bantug (20,861 votes), Reynaldo Hatayna (19,742 votes) and Costillas (19,463 votes).
There were 13 newcomers running for the position of City Councilors under different political affiliations like NPCs, PMPs and independents.
The final count of votes for Maasin City alone was completed only on the evening of May 13, 2010 by the City Board of Canvassers inside the City Hall’s SP session hall.
The delay of the electronic transmissions of votes was caused by the defective flashcards whose replacement from Manila reached 3 days after the first ever automated polls.
The three- member City Board of Canvassers were City Prosecutor Elpidio Quijada, Dr. Pedro Escobarte of DepEd and COMELEC’s Election Officer 11 Lawrence Irman Gelsano.The latter presided over the proclamation of the City’s winning candidates before midnight of May 13.
Samaco in his short speech profusely thanked his family members and kins, relatives, friends, leaders and Barangay Captains and some city hall employees for their support during the 90 days campaign sorties to various City’s 70 barangays.
He also said he has already forgiven his political rivals for the bitter accusations and allegations hurled against him during the rallies and meetings.
He added he will continue his 13 agenda like livelihood projects, constructions of gymnasiums and covered courts, roads, agriculture, others, particularly for the retention and improvement of the Maasin City College.
In a related development, the following day, May 14, 2010 re-electionists Governor Damian Mercado and Congressman Roger Mercado including the winning 8 SP members were likewise proclaimed by the members of the Provincial Board of Canvassers inside the SP’s Legislative Building at the provincial capitol site. .The PBC was composed of COMELEC’s Atty. Antonio Gulay,Jr.,DepEd Superintendent Violeta Alocilja and Fiscal Antonino Ruiz.
Governor Mercado garnered 132,696 votes against main rival candidate Marissa “Dondeet” Lerias with 47,430 votes. Jerome Roden has only 1190 votes. Congressman Mercado bagged 125,912 votes against main rival Congressional candidate Anecito Saludo, Sr. with 61,595 votes. Vicente Geraldo got 961 votes while Jeffrey Roden has 590 votes
Of the 8 winners for the Board members, 3 were newcomers-Felicula C. Escaño (First District-40,611 votes), Florentino Fernandez,Jr. (Second District-43,039 votes)and Abelardo Almario(Second District-38,445 votes).
Picture taking s followed after each separate consecutive proclamation among the city’s and the provincial’s candidates with their respective family members and supporters.
The special occasions were both attended by family members, relatives, friends, supporters, some barangay officials, and city and provincial employees.
Other winning City Councilors: 6) Ricky Montalbo-18,998 votes; 7) Alejandro Rojas-18,786 votes; 8) Geronimo Mercado-17,901; 9) Nestor Sy,Sr.-17,669 votes; 10)Antonio Cardoza-15,491 votes.
Winning Sangguniang Panlalawigan members: First District-1) Albert Esclamado-50,839 votes;2)Cesar Rey-42,064 votes; 3)Teopisto Rojas,Jr.-39,604 votes. Second District: 1) Roberto Lagmubay-46,772 votes;2)Daisy Gumale-46,343 votes. (Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Defective Flashcards Cause Dilatory Delivery Of Vote Results
May 12,2010
Defective Flashcards Cause Dilatory Delivery Of Vote Results
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Nine municipalities and one city in this province have not yet sent their respective voting results for the national and provincial candidates since the evening of May 11, 2010 until today May 12, 2010 afternoon.
This was the information gathered by the LSDE at the Provincial Board Of Canvassers who hold temporary office at the new Legislative Building at the provincial capitol site.
Asked why, Elvira Lagusan Monge, Election Officer 2 of COMELEC provincial office disclosed that the delay in sending vote results from the 10 areas were mainly caused by defective flashcards that brokedown during the casting of ballots.
The 9 municipalities and one city that have failed to transmit their voting results include Macrohon, Limasawa Island, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Sogod, Liloan, San Francisco, St.Bernard, Hinunangan and Maasin City.
The other 9 municipalities that have already transmitted their respective voting results were Padre Burgos, Bontoc, Libagon, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, and Silago.
Monge said that COMELEC has already sent communication to Smartmatic regarding the 10 defective flashcards for replacement. However, as of this writing, Smartmatic did not give a definite date when to deliver the 10 flashcards needed to count the remaining ballots from the abovementioned places, she said.
On the other hand, of Maasin’s 70 barangays, there are still 2 barangays of Maria Clara and Pansaan that have not yet sent its voting results due to the defective flashcards.
City Election Officer 2 Lawrence Irman Gelsano said that replacements of defective flashcards for Southern Leyte would be delivered to Tacloban City where a COMELEC officer here could get it. Although, he said, they were not informed on the definite date of its arrival.
Gelsano said he is hopeful that the new flashcards will arrived as soon as possible since they were already tired of waiting for the replacement so that the remaining ballot could be counted.
For his part, an IT member of the Provincial Board of Canvassers when asked about the results of votes from those they have received explained that they cannot yet do the consolidation of the total votes of the entire province. “WE cannot yet give the total results since we cannot do the consolidation without the other results from other places. WE have just to wait until the rest of the votes will be sent to us”. he said.
The IT officer, who does not want to be named, further said that without the defective flashcards(memory chips use in the Precinct Count Optical Scan(PCOS) machines in the first automation poll of May 10,2010 national elections), the total result of votes from the different areas of the province could be completed in less than 48 hours.
AT the Maasin Central School here, where this correspondent was listed, there was a clustering of some of barangay Abgao’s precincts. There was a long line of voters who from time to time have grumbled since they were there since 7:00 a.m. for three hours and they were not yet able to cast their ballots at past 10:00.am.The PCOS machine assigned to us in particular has to accommodate a cluster of 7 precincts with less than 700 hundred voters. Other PCOS machines have to service 5 or 6 clustered precincts. Lack of proper management in the handling of queuing voters has caused a long delay in casting the ballots.
The PCOS machine assigned to us has also suffered from light glitches causing a temporary disruption of the operation, but a young IT Smartmatic representative technician was able to fix. In every school there was only one technician assigned to handle several PCOS machines in case of technical problem.
Unofficial incomplete results for Maasin City only: 1)Re-electionist Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco-26,088
Votes; rival mayoralty candidate, Rosette Yñiguez-Lerias-13,510 votes. 2) Unopposed Vice-Mayor Re-electionist Maria Effie Abiera-28,557 votes.
Unofficial incomplete result for Sangguniang Panglunsod of Maasin City: 1)Margarita Bantug-20,488 votes; 2)Rafael Cromwell Gerong-20,451 votes; 3)Reynaldo Hatayna-19,383; 4)Vivencio Costillas-19,113; 5)Ricky Montalbo-18,691; 6)Alejandro Rojas-18,466; 7)Romeo Geniston-17,709; 8)Geronimo Mercado-17,607; 9)Nestor Sy,Sr.-17,311; 10)Antonio Cardoza-15,222. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Defective Flashcards Cause Dilatory Delivery Of Vote Results
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Nine municipalities and one city in this province have not yet sent their respective voting results for the national and provincial candidates since the evening of May 11, 2010 until today May 12, 2010 afternoon.
This was the information gathered by the LSDE at the Provincial Board Of Canvassers who hold temporary office at the new Legislative Building at the provincial capitol site.
Asked why, Elvira Lagusan Monge, Election Officer 2 of COMELEC provincial office disclosed that the delay in sending vote results from the 10 areas were mainly caused by defective flashcards that brokedown during the casting of ballots.
The 9 municipalities and one city that have failed to transmit their voting results include Macrohon, Limasawa Island, Malitbog, Tomas Oppus, Sogod, Liloan, San Francisco, St.Bernard, Hinunangan and Maasin City.
The other 9 municipalities that have already transmitted their respective voting results were Padre Burgos, Bontoc, Libagon, Pintuyan, San Ricardo, San Juan, Anahawan, Hinundayan, and Silago.
Monge said that COMELEC has already sent communication to Smartmatic regarding the 10 defective flashcards for replacement. However, as of this writing, Smartmatic did not give a definite date when to deliver the 10 flashcards needed to count the remaining ballots from the abovementioned places, she said.
On the other hand, of Maasin’s 70 barangays, there are still 2 barangays of Maria Clara and Pansaan that have not yet sent its voting results due to the defective flashcards.
City Election Officer 2 Lawrence Irman Gelsano said that replacements of defective flashcards for Southern Leyte would be delivered to Tacloban City where a COMELEC officer here could get it. Although, he said, they were not informed on the definite date of its arrival.
Gelsano said he is hopeful that the new flashcards will arrived as soon as possible since they were already tired of waiting for the replacement so that the remaining ballot could be counted.
For his part, an IT member of the Provincial Board of Canvassers when asked about the results of votes from those they have received explained that they cannot yet do the consolidation of the total votes of the entire province. “WE cannot yet give the total results since we cannot do the consolidation without the other results from other places. WE have just to wait until the rest of the votes will be sent to us”. he said.
The IT officer, who does not want to be named, further said that without the defective flashcards(memory chips use in the Precinct Count Optical Scan(PCOS) machines in the first automation poll of May 10,2010 national elections), the total result of votes from the different areas of the province could be completed in less than 48 hours.
AT the Maasin Central School here, where this correspondent was listed, there was a clustering of some of barangay Abgao’s precincts. There was a long line of voters who from time to time have grumbled since they were there since 7:00 a.m. for three hours and they were not yet able to cast their ballots at past 10:00.am.The PCOS machine assigned to us in particular has to accommodate a cluster of 7 precincts with less than 700 hundred voters. Other PCOS machines have to service 5 or 6 clustered precincts. Lack of proper management in the handling of queuing voters has caused a long delay in casting the ballots.
The PCOS machine assigned to us has also suffered from light glitches causing a temporary disruption of the operation, but a young IT Smartmatic representative technician was able to fix. In every school there was only one technician assigned to handle several PCOS machines in case of technical problem.
Unofficial incomplete results for Maasin City only: 1)Re-electionist Maasin Mayor Maloney Samaco-26,088
Votes; rival mayoralty candidate, Rosette Yñiguez-Lerias-13,510 votes. 2) Unopposed Vice-Mayor Re-electionist Maria Effie Abiera-28,557 votes.
Unofficial incomplete result for Sangguniang Panglunsod of Maasin City: 1)Margarita Bantug-20,488 votes; 2)Rafael Cromwell Gerong-20,451 votes; 3)Reynaldo Hatayna-19,383; 4)Vivencio Costillas-19,113; 5)Ricky Montalbo-18,691; 6)Alejandro Rojas-18,466; 7)Romeo Geniston-17,709; 8)Geronimo Mercado-17,607; 9)Nestor Sy,Sr.-17,311; 10)Antonio Cardoza-15,222. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tutorial Artist Injures In Motorcycle Accident
May 5,2010
Tutorial Artist Injures In Motorcycle Accident
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A well-known tutorial artist who went with a friend to attend a birthday party in brgy. Ibarra here met an unexpected accident when a stray dog suddenly crossed the street in brgy. Mantahan during the recent Sunday at past 9:00 p.m.
The victim was identified as Francisco “Frankie” Mapa Lim,61 years old, married, and a resident of brgy. Tagnipa.
He sustained huge bruises on his two arms, knees and other parts of his legs. His face was badly injured. His injured left eye was swollen with a wound beside it. His broken graded eye glass hit his left eye when it struck something after hitting the stray dog. His lips was wounded His head however, as showed by x-ray result, has no skull crack. And he has no bone fracture.
In an interview with LSDE the victim who is fondly called “Frankie” by his friends and relatives disclosed that he went with another artist and architect Salvador “Boy” Abiera,a friend who was the one invited by Domingo Egido Tan to the birthday party in brgy. Ibarra.
He informed that Boy in turn has invited him and he went with him since Doming, the uncle of the birthday celebrant, was his classmate in high school here.
“Pag-abot namo sa ilang balay sa Ibarra guihimamat mi ni Doming ug guipakaon mi niya”, he said in Cebuano.(When we arrived at Doming’s residence, in brgy.Ibarra,we were met by the latter and food were served to us.)
He said that after eating they were ushered to the sala where a karaoke was placed. A microphone and song book was handed to them and he and Boy started selecting familiar songs for their renditions.
After we have sung several songs, he said, he remembered that he was to accompany his son to the Maasin pier to board on a ship bound for Cebu City where he works.”Mao nga nananghid kami ni Boy nga mouli na aron ubanan ang akong anak didto sa pantalan.Apan pag-adto namo wala pa moabot ang barko mao nga ningbalik ako didto sa Ibarra aron padayonon ang among paglingawlingaw”, he said in Cebuano.(So we asked permission to leave and go home to accompany my son to the pier. However, the ship did not yet arrive so I decided to go back to Ibarra for the continuation of our recreational singing enjoyment.)
Frankie said that when he arrived at Doming’s residence he found out that some guests have already left. He then changed his mind, he said, and did not enter the house and just left the place.
As he was driving his motorcycle on the way home, he said, he noticed that two friends of his were also passing the same road ahead of him in brgy. Mantahan and he tailgated.
Before he could pass by the DepEd’s office main gate, he said, a stray black-and-white spotted dog suddenly crossed the street. Unable to control the break, he said, he hit the animal that shrieked and his motorcycle swerved and his head struck somewhere that he could no longer remember what happened next.
The tutorial artist said that he regained his consciousness inside the hospital’s emergency room only after the sewing of his two wounds near the left eye and a cut on his lip below the nose were finished.
Dr. Ferilou Miel, an EENT physician who was the on-duty at that time, said that he (the victim) smelled of liquor. The victim admitted, but said that he has limited his drinking of only 2 bottles of beer, which could not make him drunk, and that the accident could not be attributed for his drinking. “The two bottles of beer will not make me drunk”, he said, “I can even drink 4 to 6 bottles of beer and still can drive normally in going home. Without the sudden crossing of that dog in Manahan I know there will be no accident at all”.
He further revealed that one of his two friends Jowen Pajao,a hospital worker, whom he was tailing in Mantahan drove back his motorcycle upon noticing of the accident. He said he was informed by Jowen about it who helped him whisked to the hospital when a car driven by Dr. Feliciano John Matibag,Jr happened to pass by.
Lim is a popular tutorial artist here .His students, who are either in the elementary, secondary and some college level, come from different schools. He was a former employee of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative and he retired in 1986.After his retirement he started teaching a non-formal art education during summer breaks at the public plaza. Some of his students in the past have proceeded to further hone their talents by taking up Fine Arts in Cebu City. Some are now professional artists who have worked in other places.
He added that he started driving motorcycle and four-wheeled car since 1960 in Cebu City while he was working with his uncle. And it was only recently that he met an accident caused by a stray dog.
He decided to discharge at the hospital after a day of confinement and allow himself to recuperate at home.
As of presstime he is still taking his medicines and an eye drops.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Tutorial Artist Injures In Motorcycle Accident
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-A well-known tutorial artist who went with a friend to attend a birthday party in brgy. Ibarra here met an unexpected accident when a stray dog suddenly crossed the street in brgy. Mantahan during the recent Sunday at past 9:00 p.m.
The victim was identified as Francisco “Frankie” Mapa Lim,61 years old, married, and a resident of brgy. Tagnipa.
He sustained huge bruises on his two arms, knees and other parts of his legs. His face was badly injured. His injured left eye was swollen with a wound beside it. His broken graded eye glass hit his left eye when it struck something after hitting the stray dog. His lips was wounded His head however, as showed by x-ray result, has no skull crack. And he has no bone fracture.
In an interview with LSDE the victim who is fondly called “Frankie” by his friends and relatives disclosed that he went with another artist and architect Salvador “Boy” Abiera,a friend who was the one invited by Domingo Egido Tan to the birthday party in brgy. Ibarra.
He informed that Boy in turn has invited him and he went with him since Doming, the uncle of the birthday celebrant, was his classmate in high school here.
“Pag-abot namo sa ilang balay sa Ibarra guihimamat mi ni Doming ug guipakaon mi niya”, he said in Cebuano.(When we arrived at Doming’s residence, in brgy.Ibarra,we were met by the latter and food were served to us.)
He said that after eating they were ushered to the sala where a karaoke was placed. A microphone and song book was handed to them and he and Boy started selecting familiar songs for their renditions.
After we have sung several songs, he said, he remembered that he was to accompany his son to the Maasin pier to board on a ship bound for Cebu City where he works.”Mao nga nananghid kami ni Boy nga mouli na aron ubanan ang akong anak didto sa pantalan.Apan pag-adto namo wala pa moabot ang barko mao nga ningbalik ako didto sa Ibarra aron padayonon ang among paglingawlingaw”, he said in Cebuano.(So we asked permission to leave and go home to accompany my son to the pier. However, the ship did not yet arrive so I decided to go back to Ibarra for the continuation of our recreational singing enjoyment.)
Frankie said that when he arrived at Doming’s residence he found out that some guests have already left. He then changed his mind, he said, and did not enter the house and just left the place.
As he was driving his motorcycle on the way home, he said, he noticed that two friends of his were also passing the same road ahead of him in brgy. Mantahan and he tailgated.
Before he could pass by the DepEd’s office main gate, he said, a stray black-and-white spotted dog suddenly crossed the street. Unable to control the break, he said, he hit the animal that shrieked and his motorcycle swerved and his head struck somewhere that he could no longer remember what happened next.
The tutorial artist said that he regained his consciousness inside the hospital’s emergency room only after the sewing of his two wounds near the left eye and a cut on his lip below the nose were finished.
Dr. Ferilou Miel, an EENT physician who was the on-duty at that time, said that he (the victim) smelled of liquor. The victim admitted, but said that he has limited his drinking of only 2 bottles of beer, which could not make him drunk, and that the accident could not be attributed for his drinking. “The two bottles of beer will not make me drunk”, he said, “I can even drink 4 to 6 bottles of beer and still can drive normally in going home. Without the sudden crossing of that dog in Manahan I know there will be no accident at all”.
He further revealed that one of his two friends Jowen Pajao,a hospital worker, whom he was tailing in Mantahan drove back his motorcycle upon noticing of the accident. He said he was informed by Jowen about it who helped him whisked to the hospital when a car driven by Dr. Feliciano John Matibag,Jr happened to pass by.
Lim is a popular tutorial artist here .His students, who are either in the elementary, secondary and some college level, come from different schools. He was a former employee of the Southern Leyte Electric Cooperative and he retired in 1986.After his retirement he started teaching a non-formal art education during summer breaks at the public plaza. Some of his students in the past have proceeded to further hone their talents by taking up Fine Arts in Cebu City. Some are now professional artists who have worked in other places.
He added that he started driving motorcycle and four-wheeled car since 1960 in Cebu City while he was working with his uncle. And it was only recently that he met an accident caused by a stray dog.
He decided to discharge at the hospital after a day of confinement and allow himself to recuperate at home.
As of presstime he is still taking his medicines and an eye drops.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Needed: Low-Cost Housing Projects For Millions Of Poor Filipinos
May 5,2010
Needed:Low-Cost Housing Projects For Millions Of Poor Filipinos
By Quirico M.. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Why is it that the construction of low-cost housing projects by various presidential administrations past and present for the millions of poor Filipinos in the country is given a very little concern by the Presidency.?
The constructions of housing projects were carried out mostly in the Luzon areas by the Arroyo administration under the housing czar Noli de Castro. I did not know of any kind of housing project done by the government in the Visayas and Mindanao. Is there any? Not to mention the housing projects funded by the PAG-IBIG Fund for government workers because this kind of project is obviously not for the millions of poor Filipinos with little and impermanent income.
And why is it that whoever is the appointed housing czar by any presidency, the Visayas and Mindanao areas are somewhat ignore? Does this mean that the millions of poor Filipinos in the Luzon areas are the only ones who are direly in need of their own roofs for their heads?
This has been done by the previous administrations as long as I can remember starting in my high school days. The only Administration that I can remember that did the construction of low-cost housing projects was the so-called BLISS Project. This was, if I’m not mistaken, led and supervised by the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.
On the other hand, I do not know exactly how many poor Filipinos have benefited by that project. Were Imelda’s housing projects only for government employees or for poor Filipinos also? However, her kind of housing projects were apartment-style buildings where many families could be accommodated. It would be better if it was constructed as duplex-type or two-storey apartment -type housing units good for one Filipino family occupant with several members.
As one of the millions of poor Filipinos who do not own a house until this very moment I now find how important is it to have my own house and lot.However, I cannot afford to build my own house because I have a very low income ever since I started to work. I have experienced working in two private companies when I was still living in Metro Manila for the past several years. But those jobs did not last very long.
Here in the province I have also experienced working in a government office only for more than a year. But I have failed to be accepted in another government office because I’m not eligible.Nonethelesss; my second potential work was simple. Even a high school graduate can do it. Instructions from knowledgeable person in that office could easily be learned by me. Yet the strict imposition of a particular requirement became an obstacle for getting me accepted.
If only I was accepted in that second government job, most probably I will be qualified many years later for a loan for the construction of my own house. Nevertheless, my wish did not get to materialze.Because of that failure I go back to selling the Manila papers to provide me with only a little income.
Selling the local and national newspapers during the past years when a liter of gasoline was P12 up to plus P20 a liter was still quite good. However, as the prices of gasoline, crude oil and other oil products have steadily increased, the sales of newspapers were badly affected. From good sales it went down to slow sales. These slow sales of local and national newspapers have again gone down to comparably “a very slow pace of sale like a turtles’ walk” on the trail.
One can just imagine this kind of sale. With very little income how can a newsboy meet both ends meet? When the prices of gasoline and other oil products have previously rollback several times, the sales of local and the national newspapers and magazines did not bounce back to its former state of good sales.
I have been an erstwhile correspondent/contributor to a weekly Cebu-based newspaper and 2 Cebu-based dailies for several years. Here in region 8(Leyte and Samar) I have been also a correspondent to 2 Tacloban-based weekly for several years. At present I’m contributing to another Tacloban –based regional newspaper. The incomes in contributing articles in these newspapers I have mentioned are honorarium-based. This means that what the contributors are receiving is payment per article. If a contributor has no article or did not send article for the newspaper he/she should expects no honorarium. In other words we have neither salary nor an allowance for new coverage.
Except in some occasions when the editor or the publisher will instruct a contributor/correspondent to cover a sports games or special news coverage in a place where he could not go and where concentration or focus is called for three to four days. This is the only time or occasion when a contributor/correspondent would be given an allowance for his/her sustenance during the duration of such a news coverage. Other than that, we are left on our own initiative and resourcefulness in gathering materials for news stories.
This is one kind of work where some individuals who are more of money-oriented than service-oriented would choose not to be news contributors at all. They prefer to remain jobless and going carefree because they have their respective families to rely on for their subsistence and sustenance. For me and other poor writers who have no siblings or rich relatives to turn to for financial assistance, we would just bite the bullet.
No siblings here figuratively means that being married and have families of their own to feed and care for, they find it hard to extend assistance to their other poor kith and kin.
Some publishers/owners of provincial newspapers want to give increased to their writers’honorarium,but for some reason they could not do it. Others do not want to give increase for the reason that their earnings are just
-2-
getting even or have a little profit. I also do not know exactly if staff writers in some provincial newspapers are having their increase or have remain the same as in the past years.
My being poor and my low income are principally the reason why until now I have been renting in different houses for the last 20 years. If at the start of my living independently I have been occupying in a low-cost housing projects with lots intended for the poor within a span of 10 years low monthly basis payment, I could have my own house and lot now. It would be much better also if a contributor to a newspaper or magazine has another outlet for additional income.
I have been applying for the past several months to 3 Manila-based newspapers as a contributor of news stories or opinion/commentary articles, but not one has answered by application. I have also applied to a total of 5 online newspapers in the US, but they did not need a contributor. I have also spotted an online newspaper in Canada that accepts articles from a writer or reader but would not give honorarium. Not giving an honorarium per article for a writer means that the publisher wants me or other writers to work but will not give a compensation. How is that? Is writing not a form of work or a job? Can a news story or feature or a commentary be formed into an article if the writer will not set and focus and spend time to write it? Does a writer don’t have some needs to meet? To be a volunteer writer is unfit for my financial situation. Can a writer write with empty stomach? Being a volunteer writer only suit for an individual who has big money in the bank-for he/she can work as he/she has something to sustain his/he daily needs even without receiving some compensation. To be a volunteer writer is only suitable for the son/daughter of the rich and the affluent.
I now feel the hardships of being a poor man. And the worst of being poor is until now I’m still renting and my little income did not increase but has decreased. Ironically, the prices of prime commodities, services, goods, medicines and other products have been increasing. The reduction of a chosen insignificant few of about 6 to 7 kinds of medicines in drugstores does not in any way serve the needs of the poor patients in general. Only a few people have benefited from it. The real reduction of medicine prices should be encompassing: that is all kinds of medicines’ prices must be reduced significantly and efficiently that all Filipinos rich and poor will enjoy it. Other countries are doing this kind of reduced and low prices of all their medicines. Why can’t the Philippines? Are the multinational pharmaceuticals in the country so powerful that our government can do nothing to prevent them from increasing their medical products? With the way our economy is running, how can I sustain my monthly rental fee? My income is very irregular and I cannot predict how much I’m going to earn today selling newspapers in the streets. How about. my honorarium of my articles contributed to a newspaper in Tacloban? I have to let it accumulative for months before deciding to claim it. Claiming it little by little is like fetching water in faraway minuscule spring but gathering only a trickle.
Just recently however, I was elated upon reading in the Philippines Star (April 1, 2010 issue) that the second batch of reduced medicines (drugs) covering a total of 97 and medical supplies have 50% price reduction effective March 1, 2010. The first batch of reduced prices of 50% of 47 drugs was implemented last year Aug. 15, 2009. But until this very date, May 5, 2010, the managements of several drugstores in Maasin City have not yet received the guidelines of the 97 drugs from the eleven (11) pharmaceutical companies that provide for the reduced prices of their products. The Dept. of Health Secretary Cabral who revealed this new list of reduced prices of the aforesaid drugs to the media should check the offices of the pharma companies that comply with the law if they have started to send the guidelines to various drugstores nationwide to hasten the implementations for the benefit of the poor and indigent patients in the country.
In my early twenties I went to Manila to see the place for myself which I only saw in Tagalog films and to seek employment. I have experienced working in different menial and manual works before I was able to work in 2 private offices in Metro Manila while still living their for several years. The first was in Sta.Mesa, Manila and the second was in Makati.But we cannot predict the future of our jobs.
I was hospitalized and after I got well I was lead off from my job in Makati.The office where I worked was the one that paid for my hospitalization. I became jobless. I have decided then to go back to my native province of Leyte. Although I have grown up, study in the elementary and high school in Ozamis City, where my granduncle (the younger brother of my maternal grandmother) was living with his family. However, my siblings and I were all born in St.Benard, Southen Leyte.When my late grandmother moved to Ozamis she brought us with her and we left our house in St.Bernard.My parents and my grandparents have already passed away many many years ago. I study in St.Bernard in grades three and four. But we went back to Ozamis after receiving a telegram informing us that our Lola has died.
Here in my province I was able to work in a government office as a writer of documentation reports for the projects undertaken by the environment office. I have reached more than a year of working until I was told by the new head that I would be led off from my job being a casual worker and not an eligible employee. I was told that I would be replaced by an eligible woman. Later however, I’ve learned that she did not know my kind of job since she finished computer science and my work in the office pertained to journalism or a masscom course.
Several weeks after I was led off I applied in another government office as a letter carrier to be assigned in another town. I was asked for civil service eligibility. I’ve said I have none. I was informed that it is one of the requirements for an applicant as a letter carrier at that time. I have applied three times at the post office but I was always asked for my CSE from the 3 heads whom I have approached and applied for a job.
Is the position of a letter carrier really necessitates the requirement of a civil service eligibility from an applicant? Is this kind of work difficult to do that an applicant should be a CSE passer? I don’t think so. To be a letter carrier is easy to learn from the coaching of those who are working at the post office. It can even be taught and easily learned by a high school graduate. I do not know exactly why the post office during that time was so strict with that requirement. Currently I do not know what would be their standard for applicants. I have already lost interest in applying for jobs in the government service since I’m no longer qualified. Hence, I go
-3-
back to the kind of vocation that I have been engaging ever since I was a working student in high school. That is I go back to selling newspapers. I’m doing this because my honorariums for news articles that I have contributed to a Tacloban-based newspaper are not enough to meet my daily needs and other things.
WE the millions of poor Filipinos are hoping that the next administration and the succeeding administrations in the coming years will be more concern and will consider as one of its priorities the construction of housing projects, not only in the Luzon areas, but also in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
Constructions of low-cost housing units should be established in all provinces of the country where there are numerous poor inhabitants. We also hope that private institutions nationwide that can afford and have the means to help the millions of poor Filipinos will undertake constructions of housing projects in various areas of the country. Materials for the housing units should not be of mediocre but made of durable materials to save money for constant repair. Lots where the houses have stood should be included in the affordably low monthly installment payments for each house from the beneficiaries to save them from the burden of monthly lot rentals.
Other poor Filipinos who can hardly afford for an affordably low monthly installment payments for the span of 10 years to pay since they have many family members to feed should be categorized as “cannot pay”. They can have their counterpart in the constructions of the housing projects by hiring them to help build their own respective future houses under the supervision of the assigned architects and foremen in every project in various areas.
The realization of our appeal and hope by the immediate action of our government is a great relief in the reduction of our being poor since owning each poor Filipino family a house and lot is like a love offering pulling a painful piercing thorn out of our feet. Again we hope that our dream of owning a house and lot through very affordable low monthly installment payment for 10 years will materialize in our lifetime.
WE hope that whoever will become the new President after the first automated May 10, 2010 national and local elections-either Manny Villar, Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro or Richard “Dick” Gordon-he will include in his program of governance the constructions of affordably low-cost housing projects for the millions of poor Filipinos in every provinces of the entire regions of the country that they can own after monthly installment payments for the span of 10 years. In the succeeding administrations, whoever will be the incumbents should also continue the constructions of the low-cost housing projects until such time that it will saturate in all the country’s provinces and regions that every poor Filipino family can have his/her own house and that no-one will remain a squatter in his own country.
Why I mentioned the three presidential aspirants in this case? Because as Senate President, DND Secretary and Manager of the former Clark Air Base-turn-economic zone area in Pampanga respectively, they were leaders in their respective positions in the past. They were managing and supervising some people. It follows that they have the managerial skills and the experiences necessary to provide an able and strong leadership in the presidency.
Running for the position of President of the Republic is not a joke but a serious matter. This is the position where skills and experiences in running a government is required. Being the President, you have many responsibilities to hold and to face big problems that are wanting for sloutions.There is no OJT (on the job training) in the seat of the presidency. One must have the acquired skills and the necessary experiences in running the machinery of the government. In other words, a President of the Republic must be mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically fit and capable of handling his task as a leader. Like in applying for a job, a discerning employer will always be looking for applicants who are qualified for the job and not just anybody who applied for the vacant position.(Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
Needed:Low-Cost Housing Projects For Millions Of Poor Filipinos
By Quirico M.. Gorpido, Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Why is it that the construction of low-cost housing projects by various presidential administrations past and present for the millions of poor Filipinos in the country is given a very little concern by the Presidency.?
The constructions of housing projects were carried out mostly in the Luzon areas by the Arroyo administration under the housing czar Noli de Castro. I did not know of any kind of housing project done by the government in the Visayas and Mindanao. Is there any? Not to mention the housing projects funded by the PAG-IBIG Fund for government workers because this kind of project is obviously not for the millions of poor Filipinos with little and impermanent income.
And why is it that whoever is the appointed housing czar by any presidency, the Visayas and Mindanao areas are somewhat ignore? Does this mean that the millions of poor Filipinos in the Luzon areas are the only ones who are direly in need of their own roofs for their heads?
This has been done by the previous administrations as long as I can remember starting in my high school days. The only Administration that I can remember that did the construction of low-cost housing projects was the so-called BLISS Project. This was, if I’m not mistaken, led and supervised by the former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos.
On the other hand, I do not know exactly how many poor Filipinos have benefited by that project. Were Imelda’s housing projects only for government employees or for poor Filipinos also? However, her kind of housing projects were apartment-style buildings where many families could be accommodated. It would be better if it was constructed as duplex-type or two-storey apartment -type housing units good for one Filipino family occupant with several members.
As one of the millions of poor Filipinos who do not own a house until this very moment I now find how important is it to have my own house and lot.However, I cannot afford to build my own house because I have a very low income ever since I started to work. I have experienced working in two private companies when I was still living in Metro Manila for the past several years. But those jobs did not last very long.
Here in the province I have also experienced working in a government office only for more than a year. But I have failed to be accepted in another government office because I’m not eligible.Nonethelesss; my second potential work was simple. Even a high school graduate can do it. Instructions from knowledgeable person in that office could easily be learned by me. Yet the strict imposition of a particular requirement became an obstacle for getting me accepted.
If only I was accepted in that second government job, most probably I will be qualified many years later for a loan for the construction of my own house. Nevertheless, my wish did not get to materialze.Because of that failure I go back to selling the Manila papers to provide me with only a little income.
Selling the local and national newspapers during the past years when a liter of gasoline was P12 up to plus P20 a liter was still quite good. However, as the prices of gasoline, crude oil and other oil products have steadily increased, the sales of newspapers were badly affected. From good sales it went down to slow sales. These slow sales of local and national newspapers have again gone down to comparably “a very slow pace of sale like a turtles’ walk” on the trail.
One can just imagine this kind of sale. With very little income how can a newsboy meet both ends meet? When the prices of gasoline and other oil products have previously rollback several times, the sales of local and the national newspapers and magazines did not bounce back to its former state of good sales.
I have been an erstwhile correspondent/contributor to a weekly Cebu-based newspaper and 2 Cebu-based dailies for several years. Here in region 8(Leyte and Samar) I have been also a correspondent to 2 Tacloban-based weekly for several years. At present I’m contributing to another Tacloban –based regional newspaper. The incomes in contributing articles in these newspapers I have mentioned are honorarium-based. This means that what the contributors are receiving is payment per article. If a contributor has no article or did not send article for the newspaper he/she should expects no honorarium. In other words we have neither salary nor an allowance for new coverage.
Except in some occasions when the editor or the publisher will instruct a contributor/correspondent to cover a sports games or special news coverage in a place where he could not go and where concentration or focus is called for three to four days. This is the only time or occasion when a contributor/correspondent would be given an allowance for his/her sustenance during the duration of such a news coverage. Other than that, we are left on our own initiative and resourcefulness in gathering materials for news stories.
This is one kind of work where some individuals who are more of money-oriented than service-oriented would choose not to be news contributors at all. They prefer to remain jobless and going carefree because they have their respective families to rely on for their subsistence and sustenance. For me and other poor writers who have no siblings or rich relatives to turn to for financial assistance, we would just bite the bullet.
No siblings here figuratively means that being married and have families of their own to feed and care for, they find it hard to extend assistance to their other poor kith and kin.
Some publishers/owners of provincial newspapers want to give increased to their writers’honorarium,but for some reason they could not do it. Others do not want to give increase for the reason that their earnings are just
-2-
getting even or have a little profit. I also do not know exactly if staff writers in some provincial newspapers are having their increase or have remain the same as in the past years.
My being poor and my low income are principally the reason why until now I have been renting in different houses for the last 20 years. If at the start of my living independently I have been occupying in a low-cost housing projects with lots intended for the poor within a span of 10 years low monthly basis payment, I could have my own house and lot now. It would be much better also if a contributor to a newspaper or magazine has another outlet for additional income.
I have been applying for the past several months to 3 Manila-based newspapers as a contributor of news stories or opinion/commentary articles, but not one has answered by application. I have also applied to a total of 5 online newspapers in the US, but they did not need a contributor. I have also spotted an online newspaper in Canada that accepts articles from a writer or reader but would not give honorarium. Not giving an honorarium per article for a writer means that the publisher wants me or other writers to work but will not give a compensation. How is that? Is writing not a form of work or a job? Can a news story or feature or a commentary be formed into an article if the writer will not set and focus and spend time to write it? Does a writer don’t have some needs to meet? To be a volunteer writer is unfit for my financial situation. Can a writer write with empty stomach? Being a volunteer writer only suit for an individual who has big money in the bank-for he/she can work as he/she has something to sustain his/he daily needs even without receiving some compensation. To be a volunteer writer is only suitable for the son/daughter of the rich and the affluent.
I now feel the hardships of being a poor man. And the worst of being poor is until now I’m still renting and my little income did not increase but has decreased. Ironically, the prices of prime commodities, services, goods, medicines and other products have been increasing. The reduction of a chosen insignificant few of about 6 to 7 kinds of medicines in drugstores does not in any way serve the needs of the poor patients in general. Only a few people have benefited from it. The real reduction of medicine prices should be encompassing: that is all kinds of medicines’ prices must be reduced significantly and efficiently that all Filipinos rich and poor will enjoy it. Other countries are doing this kind of reduced and low prices of all their medicines. Why can’t the Philippines? Are the multinational pharmaceuticals in the country so powerful that our government can do nothing to prevent them from increasing their medical products? With the way our economy is running, how can I sustain my monthly rental fee? My income is very irregular and I cannot predict how much I’m going to earn today selling newspapers in the streets. How about. my honorarium of my articles contributed to a newspaper in Tacloban? I have to let it accumulative for months before deciding to claim it. Claiming it little by little is like fetching water in faraway minuscule spring but gathering only a trickle.
Just recently however, I was elated upon reading in the Philippines Star (April 1, 2010 issue) that the second batch of reduced medicines (drugs) covering a total of 97 and medical supplies have 50% price reduction effective March 1, 2010. The first batch of reduced prices of 50% of 47 drugs was implemented last year Aug. 15, 2009. But until this very date, May 5, 2010, the managements of several drugstores in Maasin City have not yet received the guidelines of the 97 drugs from the eleven (11) pharmaceutical companies that provide for the reduced prices of their products. The Dept. of Health Secretary Cabral who revealed this new list of reduced prices of the aforesaid drugs to the media should check the offices of the pharma companies that comply with the law if they have started to send the guidelines to various drugstores nationwide to hasten the implementations for the benefit of the poor and indigent patients in the country.
In my early twenties I went to Manila to see the place for myself which I only saw in Tagalog films and to seek employment. I have experienced working in different menial and manual works before I was able to work in 2 private offices in Metro Manila while still living their for several years. The first was in Sta.Mesa, Manila and the second was in Makati.But we cannot predict the future of our jobs.
I was hospitalized and after I got well I was lead off from my job in Makati.The office where I worked was the one that paid for my hospitalization. I became jobless. I have decided then to go back to my native province of Leyte. Although I have grown up, study in the elementary and high school in Ozamis City, where my granduncle (the younger brother of my maternal grandmother) was living with his family. However, my siblings and I were all born in St.Benard, Southen Leyte.When my late grandmother moved to Ozamis she brought us with her and we left our house in St.Bernard.My parents and my grandparents have already passed away many many years ago. I study in St.Bernard in grades three and four. But we went back to Ozamis after receiving a telegram informing us that our Lola has died.
Here in my province I was able to work in a government office as a writer of documentation reports for the projects undertaken by the environment office. I have reached more than a year of working until I was told by the new head that I would be led off from my job being a casual worker and not an eligible employee. I was told that I would be replaced by an eligible woman. Later however, I’ve learned that she did not know my kind of job since she finished computer science and my work in the office pertained to journalism or a masscom course.
Several weeks after I was led off I applied in another government office as a letter carrier to be assigned in another town. I was asked for civil service eligibility. I’ve said I have none. I was informed that it is one of the requirements for an applicant as a letter carrier at that time. I have applied three times at the post office but I was always asked for my CSE from the 3 heads whom I have approached and applied for a job.
Is the position of a letter carrier really necessitates the requirement of a civil service eligibility from an applicant? Is this kind of work difficult to do that an applicant should be a CSE passer? I don’t think so. To be a letter carrier is easy to learn from the coaching of those who are working at the post office. It can even be taught and easily learned by a high school graduate. I do not know exactly why the post office during that time was so strict with that requirement. Currently I do not know what would be their standard for applicants. I have already lost interest in applying for jobs in the government service since I’m no longer qualified. Hence, I go
-3-
back to the kind of vocation that I have been engaging ever since I was a working student in high school. That is I go back to selling newspapers. I’m doing this because my honorariums for news articles that I have contributed to a Tacloban-based newspaper are not enough to meet my daily needs and other things.
WE the millions of poor Filipinos are hoping that the next administration and the succeeding administrations in the coming years will be more concern and will consider as one of its priorities the construction of housing projects, not only in the Luzon areas, but also in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
Constructions of low-cost housing units should be established in all provinces of the country where there are numerous poor inhabitants. We also hope that private institutions nationwide that can afford and have the means to help the millions of poor Filipinos will undertake constructions of housing projects in various areas of the country. Materials for the housing units should not be of mediocre but made of durable materials to save money for constant repair. Lots where the houses have stood should be included in the affordably low monthly installment payments for each house from the beneficiaries to save them from the burden of monthly lot rentals.
Other poor Filipinos who can hardly afford for an affordably low monthly installment payments for the span of 10 years to pay since they have many family members to feed should be categorized as “cannot pay”. They can have their counterpart in the constructions of the housing projects by hiring them to help build their own respective future houses under the supervision of the assigned architects and foremen in every project in various areas.
The realization of our appeal and hope by the immediate action of our government is a great relief in the reduction of our being poor since owning each poor Filipino family a house and lot is like a love offering pulling a painful piercing thorn out of our feet. Again we hope that our dream of owning a house and lot through very affordable low monthly installment payment for 10 years will materialize in our lifetime.
WE hope that whoever will become the new President after the first automated May 10, 2010 national and local elections-either Manny Villar, Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro or Richard “Dick” Gordon-he will include in his program of governance the constructions of affordably low-cost housing projects for the millions of poor Filipinos in every provinces of the entire regions of the country that they can own after monthly installment payments for the span of 10 years. In the succeeding administrations, whoever will be the incumbents should also continue the constructions of the low-cost housing projects until such time that it will saturate in all the country’s provinces and regions that every poor Filipino family can have his/her own house and that no-one will remain a squatter in his own country.
Why I mentioned the three presidential aspirants in this case? Because as Senate President, DND Secretary and Manager of the former Clark Air Base-turn-economic zone area in Pampanga respectively, they were leaders in their respective positions in the past. They were managing and supervising some people. It follows that they have the managerial skills and the experiences necessary to provide an able and strong leadership in the presidency.
Running for the position of President of the Republic is not a joke but a serious matter. This is the position where skills and experiences in running a government is required. Being the President, you have many responsibilities to hold and to face big problems that are wanting for sloutions.There is no OJT (on the job training) in the seat of the presidency. One must have the acquired skills and the necessary experiences in running the machinery of the government. In other words, a President of the Republic must be mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically fit and capable of handling his task as a leader. Like in applying for a job, a discerning employer will always be looking for applicants who are qualified for the job and not just anybody who applied for the vacant position.(Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)
How To Save Our Respective Languages In The Philippines?
May 5,2010
The Statement “If You Will Not Speak Tagalog You Are Not A Filipino” Is A Big Lie!
(And How To Save Our Respective Languages In The Philippines?)
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
This is the sentence being propagated by some of our Tagalog-speaking friends. I do not know what prompted them to formulate such a big lie. Why a big lie? What is their proof or evidence that “if you do not speak Tagalog you are not a Filipino”? None.Nothing.This is discriminatory statement as long as our respective languages are concern. This is just a self-proclamation and self-declaration with no evidence to back them up. It’s just a self-serving statement of arrogance and narrow-mindedness that only glorifies one group of Filipinos to the exclusion of the rest of millions and millions of other groups of Filipinos who have possessed their own respective languages in this archipelagic country.
Did some of them read history? If they have read, do they not know that some of our national and war heroes are mixture of groups of Filipinos who speak in different languages like Boholano, Tagalog, Ilocano, Bicolano, Cebuano, Waray-Waray? How about those unmentioned heroes in Mindanao who speak in Cebuano, are they not Filipinos also? Our national and war heroes who speak in different languages have sacrificed their lives not only for a specific group of Filipinos but for all Filipinos in the entire archipelago. None of our heroes in the past have uttered such a degrading statement of arrogance and in exclusivistic fashion because they know from their innermost chamber of their hearts that we are all Filipinos regardless of what languages we have possessed to speak.
In the past when there was no national language yet and not even Tagalog and we speak in our own respective Mother Tongues, no-one or not a single Filipino or group of Filipinos have dared to say towards any group of Filipinos that you are not a Filipino because you did not speak in Cebuano or Hiligaynon or Ilocano or Bicolano language. How come that now some of our Tagalog friends have the gall to utter such a discriminatory, self-importance and self-serving statement of arrogance and narrow-mindedness in thinking?
If those who have uttered the abovementioned statement feel that the Tagalog language is superior than the other predominant languages in the Philippines, they are utterly wrong. Any language in this country is just as good and equal as the other languages.Repeatedly, some of our Tagalog friends must know, if they do not know yet that our archipelagic country has many languages. That Filipinos are composing of several groups who speak languages different from each other. Can they ignore or reject these existing languages? Of course not. It is only fortunate for the Tagalog language to be chosen as the national language because at that time the President who proclaimed it was a Tagalog-speaking man.
If the choice was based on numbers or the majority, our national language should be Cebuano and not Tagalog.The people in the huge islands of Visayas and Mindanao speak the Cebuano language. Nevertheless, the choice was not base on logical selection, but of the emotional, called “the nearness of the heart” nomination. But the choice does not mean that the Tagalog language is the superior language.Again, our respective languages or Mother Tongues are just as good as the other languages in the Philippines.
I would like to advise some of our Tagalog friends who dare made the aforesaid quoted statement to stop spreading and propagating this kind of misleading conception because their language is not superior compared to our own language or any other languages in this nation. To call the Tagalog language the Filipino language is a big misnomer. When we say Filipino language, it is a combination of many languages and dialects in the Philippines. The Filipino language (a mass noun in its usage here) is not a monopoly of one’s language. It’s always a combination of all existing languages and dialects spoken in our country. The Tagalog language is a Tagalog language, period. If the Cebuano language was chosen as our national language as a logical choice by the late President Manuel L. Quezon, we cannot also say that the Cebuano language is a Filipino language. It will also be a big misnomer to attach the word as a title. It is simply a Cebuano language chosen as the national language, period.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against the Tagalog-speaking people in general. In fact I have some Tagalog friends in Metro Manila when I was living there for several years. We are only against the quoted statement that some of them are propagating in public, on the radio and on TV station. For instance, some Cebuano-speaking people will tell the Tagalogs,”If you will not speak Cebuano you are not Filipinos”. Then a group of Bicolanos will interject, “If you will not speak Bicolano you are not Filipinos”. Another group of Filipinos, the Ilocanos will also announce on the radio and TV stations saying, “If you will not speak Ilocano you are not Filipinos “.Still another group of Filipinos, the Ilonggos will burst, “If you will not speak Hiligaynon you are not Filipinos”. Then the Waray-Waray people would say, “If you will not speak the Waray-Waray language you are not Filipinos”.
How are these same statements of self-declaration and self-proclamation among other groups of Filipinos to the Tagalog ears? Of course they will hate it and feel it to be discriminating, irritating, ridiculous, absurd, disgusting and even weird! You see, you don’t like these self-serving and self-importance statements of egoistic fancy. We have the same negative reactions. Right?
I repeat, kindly stop propagating this self-seving, self-declaration and self-proclamation statement with no meat and flesh to count as proof. To those non-Tagalog Filipinos: do not be deceived by this kind of self-importance and self-aggrandizement that pampers only the egos of the proclaimers.
We can live in peace and unity despite our diversity of cultures and languages by respecting and equally treating each other’s languages with equality and fairness. In deed what does it mean? This means that if you are a Tagalog whose interest in business is in the Cebuano-speaking regions, you must prepare yourself by learning Cebuano in your place. Let somebody who knows the language teach you to speak the language. Read regularly materials written in the Cebuano language. Listen always to speakers of this particular language. So that when you set foot in the place you can already speak in their language. A Tagalog-speaking individual should not get angry if a man he has met in the Visayas or Mindanao will not answer or talk to him in Tagalog. If somebody would respond to him in Tagalog, well and good. But if not, just keep your cool. You have no right to get angry with anybody in a place where the people speak a language different from yours. If you are an Ilocano or a Bicolano in a group of Cebuanos who speak in their language during their conversation, avoid interrupting them to stop speaking in their Mother Tongue. Instead listen to their conversation even if you do not understand what they are talking about. Respect them and have good manners. If you are interested in their language ask them to teach you their language. The same attitude and respect should be adopted by other group of Filipinos towards his fellow Filipinos who speak in different languages.
What I say here was what I did before I have decided to go to Manila during the late 1970s. I read Tagalog materials and listen to Tagalog speakers and watch Tagalog films. At the time I arrived in MetroManila, marunong na akong magsalita ng Tagalog. You see! You should do what I did. You can do it. Why not?
To other groups of Filipinos like the Ilonggos, the Bicolanos, the Wary-Warays, the Ilocanos, the Kapangpangan, Cebuanos and others, do what a Tagalog is going to do if you have plans to conduct your businesses or visit in other parts of the country as tourists or visitors. You should adopt yourselves to the languages of the locals by learning and knowing to speak it while you are still in your respective places. Let someone who knows the language you want to learn teach you. It would be better also to learn the languages of our respective grandfathers or grandmothers whatever might be are their languages. Like me my late mother is from Southern Leyte while my late father is from Northern Samar.On the other hand, my late mestiza maternal grandmother (she is half Spaniard and half Ilocano) hails from Ilocos Norte, while my deceased mestizo maternal grandfather(half Chinese) is from Maasin,Southern Leyte.
Now, how can we, each group of Filipinos preserve, improve, cherish and sustain our respective Mother Tongues (languages)? Or how can we save our respective languages (Mother Tongues) in the country?
First, speak and write always in your respective languages to your fellow provincemates.Talk and speak only in either Tagalog or English to other groups of Filipinos who could not understand your Mother Tongue. Read always some materials written in your respective tongues, not only Tagalog and English. Even if you choose to live outside the Philippines in the future, always speak in your mother tongue to your fellow Filipinos who can understand your language. Never! Never! Never abandon your own language because it is part of your culture and identity. If you abandon your language you lose your culture and you have no identity. Can you live with that? Of course you can acculturate yourself in a country of your choice, but you should not abandon your inherent language. Pass it on to your children even if they were born outside the Philippines. This is also important that they know how to speak the languages of their respective parents.
Second, languages that are predominant in different provinces and regions in the country should be taught as subject in schools, from grade one up to college. Some may ask: why should we have to have a subject in our own languages? Because we need to improve our ways of writing and speaking in our respective Mother Tongues. We also need to refresh our knowledge of our languages. To know more on its syntax and sentence constructions, correct pronounciation, proper usage, grammar and other things that we need to know to familiarize and get acquainted with our respective languages. If the Tagalogs and the English people are studying their own respective languages as subject in schools, why can’t ours also? The Tagalogs already know their language but they still study it in school. The English people already know their language but they still study it in school .If these people are still studying their languages which they know already, why can’t we? We must study our respective languages in schools like what the Tagalog and the English people are doing. This is a must now. We have also the legal basis in our1987 Constitution to anchor our intense desire to make our respective Mother Tongues as subjects in schools from grade one up to college in provinces and regions where it has the jurisdictional dominance. Article XIV, Sec.7 on 1987 Constitution states the teaching of Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MLE).Atty.Manuel Lino Faelnar suggested that the word auxiliary in auxiliary language as part of the provision in Article XIV, Sec.7 should be erased as part of its amendment. I’m wondering why our lawmakers used the word “auxiliary” when what is appropriate and proper word to use should be main language or Mother Tongue.
For instance, the Binisayang Sinugboanon or simply Cebuano should be taught as subject in the Cebuano-speaking provinces and regions. In the Ilonggo provinces or regions, the Hiligaynon language should be taught as subject in schools. The Waray-Waray should also be taught as subject in Waray-Waray speaking places in Leyte and Samar.Although there are places in Leyte and Samar whose inhabitants speak in Cebuanos.In these places, the Cebuano language should be taught as subject as well. The same also in the Bicol provinces, Ilocano subject in the Ilocandia regions, Pampango subject in the Kapangpangan provinces, Pangasinan language in Pangasinan, others If the Tagalog language is being taught as subject in the elementary up to college in the whole country, why can’t our respective Mother Tongue also? The inclusion of our respective languages (Mother Tongues) as subject in the elementary up to college in various places where it has its palpable dominance should equally be granted. If there’s a need for our respective Representatives to lobby it in Congress, then they should do it now. Each of them should enact separate laws for their respective jurisdictions making the predominant languages be taught as subjects in places of its dominance. The teaching of the Mother Tongue in its area of dominance should perpetuate from generations to generations, just like what we have observed with the Tagalog and English subjects.
I have the belief and perception that a wide reader and broad-minded President who is open to ideas, whether he or she is a Tagalog- speaking or not, will approve this novel idea if he/she knows that such provisions in the teaching of our respective Mother Tongues have existed in the 1987 Constitution for the great improvement and the intellectualization of our respective Mother Tongues in this country of diverse cultures and languages. If in case we would fail, the children of the members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and the children of these similar organizations in other regions and provinces of the country who are concern in the preservation, patronization and intellectualization of our respective languages should relentlessly continue to pursue this goal until such time that we will reach our great desire for this purpose. There’s the need also for other predominant languages in the entire country that I have mentioned here to form and organize their own respective Academy. Like the Akademiyang Ilocano,Akademiyang Bicolano,Akademiyang Pampango,Akademiyang Hiligaynon,Akademiyang Waray-Waray and others with similar function to that of the Akademiyang Bisaya who is in charged in the monitoring and control, preservation, patronization, improvement, sustainability and intellectualization of each of our respective languages.
Third, thru the initiative of the members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and the rest of the other Akademiyas mentioned here, a powerful cable TV music stations with nationwide coverages should be established in regions or provinces where various Mother Tongues are predominant. The establishments of high-powered nationwide broadcast of TVs and radio stations can exert a great influence to both the listeners and the viewers, just like what we have observed with the establishment of powerful TVs broadcast and radio stations by the Tagalog-speaking men in Metro Manila. That’s why those who are not Tagalog-speaking Filipinos in other regions can now speak it because of the obvious influence of its language as medium of communication. This can equally be achieved by other Mother tongues in other provinces like the Cebuano,Hiligaynon,Ilocano,and other predominant languages in our country. The musical programming in these music TVs must give more emphasize on playing 60%Cebuano songs(5% only for yagayaga songs of the new breed of bisrock bands),20% English songs and 20% Tagalog songs. To the other Akademiyas in other regions of the country they could pattern their musical programming after the former in terms of percentage in the playing of various songs. Good that we are playing Tagalog songs in our FM/AM radios in our places in VisMin area. But the Manila-based music TV never gives a room in playing Cebuano songs. You can just imagine that.
In these music cable TV stations, like in the common programming of TV Channels, the Binisayang Sinugboanon must be required as the medium in the inner circle among its employees in written communication and in speaking. They can also use the English language in written communication. As we understand, the English language is no longer a foreign language to the educated Filipinos. It should be the second language to them. It is a universal language. It is the language use in global communication, commerce, business transactions, in Medicine, Science, Math and Technology. It is also the language use in the computer-internet links. Every educated person in every country worldwide should have English as his/her second language If the self-proclaimed nationalists who criticize those who speak and use the English language in their writings still consider it as a foreign language, they just want to create for themselves an isolation and a vacuum of…and want to remain in the state of stagnation. But are they? To be frank, most of them are just pretending to be as such but like other Filipinos, they are conscientiously studying the language they pretend to dislike and use it as their medium in criticizing fellow Filipinos who openly speak and write in the English language. Some of them are even taking up their Masters Degree in the US and in other countries. Isn’t it? They are just great pretenders! Besides, to be a true nationalist is in the heart, regardless of what other language or languages he/she has learned to speak aside from his/her, and not just on the tip of ones tongue.
Similar implementation of the rules in playing the percentages of songs in the three languages be also adopted in all FM and AM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. Our disc jockeys should promote more of our songs in the VisMin areas-love songs, ballad, country, folk songs, jazz, rock, others. Let our airlanes/airwaves be filled with beautiful Cebuano songs. Disc jockeys ought to be the promoters of our very own songs, by giving more concern in playing Cebuano songs during the day and not only during the dead of night or as opening music program at dawn when most of the people are still sleeping.
The three measures that we have discussed here are part of the effective ways to devotedly patronize, nurture, cherish, improve, love and intellectualize our respective Mother Tongues in the Philippines. Since these measures are also applicable with other nations of the world with different languages akin to the Philippines, each group of people in every country throughout the world should also do the same approaches.
We hope that our concerned educators, scholars, the academe and our language experts will apply and implement the aforementioned ways to really achieve our goal of preserving, improving, sustaining and intellectualizing our respective Mother Tongues in this archipelagic country.
The members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and other Akademiya organizations in the whole country should tap now their famous writers, language experts and linguists in their Mother Tongues in writing grammar books. This is now the right time for grammarians in our respective Mother Tongues to start writing books on grammars, because writing books of any kind is not easy. It takes months to finish it.
Additionally, I would like to suggest that a government-run National Archives Commission offices be established to be located in Metro Manila,Cebu City and either in Davao City or Cagayan de Oro City. Its function is to collect various kinds of literatures or reading materials written in different Mother Tongues (languages) and dialects in the country. An annual sufficient budget should be provided by any incumbent administration. Materials gathered be categorized according to topics or its kind. Writers of the different languages be encouraged to donate a copy or copies of his books to the NAC offices for future reference to the coming generations of Filipinos. To preserve and to lengthen the life span of accumulative books or whatever kind of materials in the NAC offices, a preservative kind of chemical will be used that will prevent destructive insects/pests to damage it. This step is another way of saving our respective languages in its written forms.
Moreover, let us remind ourselves of the two following statements regarding the importance of our respective inherent languages in the Philippines to be loved, cherished, nurtured, patronized, sustained and intellectualized it:1)”Without our language, we have no culture, we have no identity and we are nothing”,Ornolfor Thorsson,Iceland’s Presidential Adviser.
2)”When you lose a language, you lose a culture, an intellectual wealth, a work of art”, Kenneth Hale who taught linguistic at MIT.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
The Statement “If You Will Not Speak Tagalog You Are Not A Filipino” Is A Big Lie!
(And How To Save Our Respective Languages In The Philippines?)
By Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.
This is the sentence being propagated by some of our Tagalog-speaking friends. I do not know what prompted them to formulate such a big lie. Why a big lie? What is their proof or evidence that “if you do not speak Tagalog you are not a Filipino”? None.Nothing.This is discriminatory statement as long as our respective languages are concern. This is just a self-proclamation and self-declaration with no evidence to back them up. It’s just a self-serving statement of arrogance and narrow-mindedness that only glorifies one group of Filipinos to the exclusion of the rest of millions and millions of other groups of Filipinos who have possessed their own respective languages in this archipelagic country.
Did some of them read history? If they have read, do they not know that some of our national and war heroes are mixture of groups of Filipinos who speak in different languages like Boholano, Tagalog, Ilocano, Bicolano, Cebuano, Waray-Waray? How about those unmentioned heroes in Mindanao who speak in Cebuano, are they not Filipinos also? Our national and war heroes who speak in different languages have sacrificed their lives not only for a specific group of Filipinos but for all Filipinos in the entire archipelago. None of our heroes in the past have uttered such a degrading statement of arrogance and in exclusivistic fashion because they know from their innermost chamber of their hearts that we are all Filipinos regardless of what languages we have possessed to speak.
In the past when there was no national language yet and not even Tagalog and we speak in our own respective Mother Tongues, no-one or not a single Filipino or group of Filipinos have dared to say towards any group of Filipinos that you are not a Filipino because you did not speak in Cebuano or Hiligaynon or Ilocano or Bicolano language. How come that now some of our Tagalog friends have the gall to utter such a discriminatory, self-importance and self-serving statement of arrogance and narrow-mindedness in thinking?
If those who have uttered the abovementioned statement feel that the Tagalog language is superior than the other predominant languages in the Philippines, they are utterly wrong. Any language in this country is just as good and equal as the other languages.Repeatedly, some of our Tagalog friends must know, if they do not know yet that our archipelagic country has many languages. That Filipinos are composing of several groups who speak languages different from each other. Can they ignore or reject these existing languages? Of course not. It is only fortunate for the Tagalog language to be chosen as the national language because at that time the President who proclaimed it was a Tagalog-speaking man.
If the choice was based on numbers or the majority, our national language should be Cebuano and not Tagalog.The people in the huge islands of Visayas and Mindanao speak the Cebuano language. Nevertheless, the choice was not base on logical selection, but of the emotional, called “the nearness of the heart” nomination. But the choice does not mean that the Tagalog language is the superior language.Again, our respective languages or Mother Tongues are just as good as the other languages in the Philippines.
I would like to advise some of our Tagalog friends who dare made the aforesaid quoted statement to stop spreading and propagating this kind of misleading conception because their language is not superior compared to our own language or any other languages in this nation. To call the Tagalog language the Filipino language is a big misnomer. When we say Filipino language, it is a combination of many languages and dialects in the Philippines. The Filipino language (a mass noun in its usage here) is not a monopoly of one’s language. It’s always a combination of all existing languages and dialects spoken in our country. The Tagalog language is a Tagalog language, period. If the Cebuano language was chosen as our national language as a logical choice by the late President Manuel L. Quezon, we cannot also say that the Cebuano language is a Filipino language. It will also be a big misnomer to attach the word as a title. It is simply a Cebuano language chosen as the national language, period.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against the Tagalog-speaking people in general. In fact I have some Tagalog friends in Metro Manila when I was living there for several years. We are only against the quoted statement that some of them are propagating in public, on the radio and on TV station. For instance, some Cebuano-speaking people will tell the Tagalogs,”If you will not speak Cebuano you are not Filipinos”. Then a group of Bicolanos will interject, “If you will not speak Bicolano you are not Filipinos”. Another group of Filipinos, the Ilocanos will also announce on the radio and TV stations saying, “If you will not speak Ilocano you are not Filipinos “.Still another group of Filipinos, the Ilonggos will burst, “If you will not speak Hiligaynon you are not Filipinos”. Then the Waray-Waray people would say, “If you will not speak the Waray-Waray language you are not Filipinos”.
How are these same statements of self-declaration and self-proclamation among other groups of Filipinos to the Tagalog ears? Of course they will hate it and feel it to be discriminating, irritating, ridiculous, absurd, disgusting and even weird! You see, you don’t like these self-serving and self-importance statements of egoistic fancy. We have the same negative reactions. Right?
I repeat, kindly stop propagating this self-seving, self-declaration and self-proclamation statement with no meat and flesh to count as proof. To those non-Tagalog Filipinos: do not be deceived by this kind of self-importance and self-aggrandizement that pampers only the egos of the proclaimers.
We can live in peace and unity despite our diversity of cultures and languages by respecting and equally treating each other’s languages with equality and fairness. In deed what does it mean? This means that if you are a Tagalog whose interest in business is in the Cebuano-speaking regions, you must prepare yourself by learning Cebuano in your place. Let somebody who knows the language teach you to speak the language. Read regularly materials written in the Cebuano language. Listen always to speakers of this particular language. So that when you set foot in the place you can already speak in their language. A Tagalog-speaking individual should not get angry if a man he has met in the Visayas or Mindanao will not answer or talk to him in Tagalog. If somebody would respond to him in Tagalog, well and good. But if not, just keep your cool. You have no right to get angry with anybody in a place where the people speak a language different from yours. If you are an Ilocano or a Bicolano in a group of Cebuanos who speak in their language during their conversation, avoid interrupting them to stop speaking in their Mother Tongue. Instead listen to their conversation even if you do not understand what they are talking about. Respect them and have good manners. If you are interested in their language ask them to teach you their language. The same attitude and respect should be adopted by other group of Filipinos towards his fellow Filipinos who speak in different languages.
What I say here was what I did before I have decided to go to Manila during the late 1970s. I read Tagalog materials and listen to Tagalog speakers and watch Tagalog films. At the time I arrived in MetroManila, marunong na akong magsalita ng Tagalog. You see! You should do what I did. You can do it. Why not?
To other groups of Filipinos like the Ilonggos, the Bicolanos, the Wary-Warays, the Ilocanos, the Kapangpangan, Cebuanos and others, do what a Tagalog is going to do if you have plans to conduct your businesses or visit in other parts of the country as tourists or visitors. You should adopt yourselves to the languages of the locals by learning and knowing to speak it while you are still in your respective places. Let someone who knows the language you want to learn teach you. It would be better also to learn the languages of our respective grandfathers or grandmothers whatever might be are their languages. Like me my late mother is from Southern Leyte while my late father is from Northern Samar.On the other hand, my late mestiza maternal grandmother (she is half Spaniard and half Ilocano) hails from Ilocos Norte, while my deceased mestizo maternal grandfather(half Chinese) is from Maasin,Southern Leyte.
Now, how can we, each group of Filipinos preserve, improve, cherish and sustain our respective Mother Tongues (languages)? Or how can we save our respective languages (Mother Tongues) in the country?
First, speak and write always in your respective languages to your fellow provincemates.Talk and speak only in either Tagalog or English to other groups of Filipinos who could not understand your Mother Tongue. Read always some materials written in your respective tongues, not only Tagalog and English. Even if you choose to live outside the Philippines in the future, always speak in your mother tongue to your fellow Filipinos who can understand your language. Never! Never! Never abandon your own language because it is part of your culture and identity. If you abandon your language you lose your culture and you have no identity. Can you live with that? Of course you can acculturate yourself in a country of your choice, but you should not abandon your inherent language. Pass it on to your children even if they were born outside the Philippines. This is also important that they know how to speak the languages of their respective parents.
Second, languages that are predominant in different provinces and regions in the country should be taught as subject in schools, from grade one up to college. Some may ask: why should we have to have a subject in our own languages? Because we need to improve our ways of writing and speaking in our respective Mother Tongues. We also need to refresh our knowledge of our languages. To know more on its syntax and sentence constructions, correct pronounciation, proper usage, grammar and other things that we need to know to familiarize and get acquainted with our respective languages. If the Tagalogs and the English people are studying their own respective languages as subject in schools, why can’t ours also? The Tagalogs already know their language but they still study it in school. The English people already know their language but they still study it in school .If these people are still studying their languages which they know already, why can’t we? We must study our respective languages in schools like what the Tagalog and the English people are doing. This is a must now. We have also the legal basis in our1987 Constitution to anchor our intense desire to make our respective Mother Tongues as subjects in schools from grade one up to college in provinces and regions where it has the jurisdictional dominance. Article XIV, Sec.7 on 1987 Constitution states the teaching of Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MLE).Atty.Manuel Lino Faelnar suggested that the word auxiliary in auxiliary language as part of the provision in Article XIV, Sec.7 should be erased as part of its amendment. I’m wondering why our lawmakers used the word “auxiliary” when what is appropriate and proper word to use should be main language or Mother Tongue.
For instance, the Binisayang Sinugboanon or simply Cebuano should be taught as subject in the Cebuano-speaking provinces and regions. In the Ilonggo provinces or regions, the Hiligaynon language should be taught as subject in schools. The Waray-Waray should also be taught as subject in Waray-Waray speaking places in Leyte and Samar.Although there are places in Leyte and Samar whose inhabitants speak in Cebuanos.In these places, the Cebuano language should be taught as subject as well. The same also in the Bicol provinces, Ilocano subject in the Ilocandia regions, Pampango subject in the Kapangpangan provinces, Pangasinan language in Pangasinan, others If the Tagalog language is being taught as subject in the elementary up to college in the whole country, why can’t our respective Mother Tongue also? The inclusion of our respective languages (Mother Tongues) as subject in the elementary up to college in various places where it has its palpable dominance should equally be granted. If there’s a need for our respective Representatives to lobby it in Congress, then they should do it now. Each of them should enact separate laws for their respective jurisdictions making the predominant languages be taught as subjects in places of its dominance. The teaching of the Mother Tongue in its area of dominance should perpetuate from generations to generations, just like what we have observed with the Tagalog and English subjects.
I have the belief and perception that a wide reader and broad-minded President who is open to ideas, whether he or she is a Tagalog- speaking or not, will approve this novel idea if he/she knows that such provisions in the teaching of our respective Mother Tongues have existed in the 1987 Constitution for the great improvement and the intellectualization of our respective Mother Tongues in this country of diverse cultures and languages. If in case we would fail, the children of the members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and the children of these similar organizations in other regions and provinces of the country who are concern in the preservation, patronization and intellectualization of our respective languages should relentlessly continue to pursue this goal until such time that we will reach our great desire for this purpose. There’s the need also for other predominant languages in the entire country that I have mentioned here to form and organize their own respective Academy. Like the Akademiyang Ilocano,Akademiyang Bicolano,Akademiyang Pampango,Akademiyang Hiligaynon,Akademiyang Waray-Waray and others with similar function to that of the Akademiyang Bisaya who is in charged in the monitoring and control, preservation, patronization, improvement, sustainability and intellectualization of each of our respective languages.
Third, thru the initiative of the members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and the rest of the other Akademiyas mentioned here, a powerful cable TV music stations with nationwide coverages should be established in regions or provinces where various Mother Tongues are predominant. The establishments of high-powered nationwide broadcast of TVs and radio stations can exert a great influence to both the listeners and the viewers, just like what we have observed with the establishment of powerful TVs broadcast and radio stations by the Tagalog-speaking men in Metro Manila. That’s why those who are not Tagalog-speaking Filipinos in other regions can now speak it because of the obvious influence of its language as medium of communication. This can equally be achieved by other Mother tongues in other provinces like the Cebuano,Hiligaynon,Ilocano,and other predominant languages in our country. The musical programming in these music TVs must give more emphasize on playing 60%Cebuano songs(5% only for yagayaga songs of the new breed of bisrock bands),20% English songs and 20% Tagalog songs. To the other Akademiyas in other regions of the country they could pattern their musical programming after the former in terms of percentage in the playing of various songs. Good that we are playing Tagalog songs in our FM/AM radios in our places in VisMin area. But the Manila-based music TV never gives a room in playing Cebuano songs. You can just imagine that.
In these music cable TV stations, like in the common programming of TV Channels, the Binisayang Sinugboanon must be required as the medium in the inner circle among its employees in written communication and in speaking. They can also use the English language in written communication. As we understand, the English language is no longer a foreign language to the educated Filipinos. It should be the second language to them. It is a universal language. It is the language use in global communication, commerce, business transactions, in Medicine, Science, Math and Technology. It is also the language use in the computer-internet links. Every educated person in every country worldwide should have English as his/her second language If the self-proclaimed nationalists who criticize those who speak and use the English language in their writings still consider it as a foreign language, they just want to create for themselves an isolation and a vacuum of…and want to remain in the state of stagnation. But are they? To be frank, most of them are just pretending to be as such but like other Filipinos, they are conscientiously studying the language they pretend to dislike and use it as their medium in criticizing fellow Filipinos who openly speak and write in the English language. Some of them are even taking up their Masters Degree in the US and in other countries. Isn’t it? They are just great pretenders! Besides, to be a true nationalist is in the heart, regardless of what other language or languages he/she has learned to speak aside from his/her, and not just on the tip of ones tongue.
Similar implementation of the rules in playing the percentages of songs in the three languages be also adopted in all FM and AM stations in the Visayas and Mindanao. Our disc jockeys should promote more of our songs in the VisMin areas-love songs, ballad, country, folk songs, jazz, rock, others. Let our airlanes/airwaves be filled with beautiful Cebuano songs. Disc jockeys ought to be the promoters of our very own songs, by giving more concern in playing Cebuano songs during the day and not only during the dead of night or as opening music program at dawn when most of the people are still sleeping.
The three measures that we have discussed here are part of the effective ways to devotedly patronize, nurture, cherish, improve, love and intellectualize our respective Mother Tongues in the Philippines. Since these measures are also applicable with other nations of the world with different languages akin to the Philippines, each group of people in every country throughout the world should also do the same approaches.
We hope that our concerned educators, scholars, the academe and our language experts will apply and implement the aforementioned ways to really achieve our goal of preserving, improving, sustaining and intellectualizing our respective Mother Tongues in this archipelagic country.
The members of the Akademiyang Bisaya and other Akademiya organizations in the whole country should tap now their famous writers, language experts and linguists in their Mother Tongues in writing grammar books. This is now the right time for grammarians in our respective Mother Tongues to start writing books on grammars, because writing books of any kind is not easy. It takes months to finish it.
Additionally, I would like to suggest that a government-run National Archives Commission offices be established to be located in Metro Manila,Cebu City and either in Davao City or Cagayan de Oro City. Its function is to collect various kinds of literatures or reading materials written in different Mother Tongues (languages) and dialects in the country. An annual sufficient budget should be provided by any incumbent administration. Materials gathered be categorized according to topics or its kind. Writers of the different languages be encouraged to donate a copy or copies of his books to the NAC offices for future reference to the coming generations of Filipinos. To preserve and to lengthen the life span of accumulative books or whatever kind of materials in the NAC offices, a preservative kind of chemical will be used that will prevent destructive insects/pests to damage it. This step is another way of saving our respective languages in its written forms.
Moreover, let us remind ourselves of the two following statements regarding the importance of our respective inherent languages in the Philippines to be loved, cherished, nurtured, patronized, sustained and intellectualized it:1)”Without our language, we have no culture, we have no identity and we are nothing”,Ornolfor Thorsson,Iceland’s Presidential Adviser.
2)”When you lose a language, you lose a culture, an intellectual wealth, a work of art”, Kenneth Hale who taught linguistic at MIT.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
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