Thursday, August 23, 2007

Sceneries, technology, people...




These images appear originally on the right side of this site. I decided to put it here as slides. These beautiful photos were taken somewhere in Tinglayan as you can see the snapshot of Sleeping Beauty mountain and barangay Bangad, Tanudan where you can pick the idea of the rugged roads goin there in contrast with the colorful people in that place and Lubuagan where you can see its scenic beauty.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Nostalgia...

After spending my days last week in Baguio City and went home on the week end (last Saturday) I found on my table a letter from the Steering Committee of the 2007 Alumni Mega Homecoming for all Catholic schools in Kalinga and Apayao provinces. It will be a grand affair indeed!

I am quoting the invitation letter below for you to read wherever you are for you might not be able to receive one. Though last June I began sending an information-cum-invitation through emails about the activity.

It is nice to have such kind of once in a blue moon activity, simply put a class reunion, where we have the opportunity to meet our classmates during our high school or college days and refresh our memories with the school life we shared and we left off en masse by the click of time, the things we did, the sonorous occasions we enjoyed, the good works and foolishness we shared, and the values if at all we cherished.

Now there is only one question I ask ... WILL YOU BE THERE?

oo0oo
2007 ALUMNI MEGA HOMECOMING
School of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk

August 7, 2007


To: ______________________
_________________________

Dear Co-Alumnus,

The schools of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tabuk, comprised by the civil Provinces of Kalinga and Apayao, shall celebrate an Alumni Mega Homecoming for all graduates of all these Catholic schools, elementary, high, school and college, on October 27 & 28, 2007 at the St. William's Parish grounds, Bulanao, Tabuk City. With the theme, "We remember, We revitalize, We rejoice... " we remember and pay tribute to the CICM Missionaries who opened the roads to higher learning in our locality..., we revitalize and upgrade our schools, that they may continue to educate the youth of today and tomorrow..., we rejoice in grateful celebration for these schools that have transformed us into what and who we are today.

Come join this grand occasion! It will be an opportunity to bring back old times and plan the future, a time to look back and forge ahead. Commune with our co-alumni in the Eucharistic celebrations, be recognized in the motorcade, give cheers to the Miss AMH 2007, enjoy the sports competitions and fun games, learn more with the simultaneous symposia on environment, economic enhancement and maintenance of peace, relax and enjoy the music and dancing during the free concert and... have a hearty fellowship lunch!

To help defray some of the expenses, registration fees have to be collected as follows: Early registration up to September 15,2007 - PhP 250.00; September 16,2007 up to On-site registration = PhP 400.00.

Do disseminate this information to your former schoolmates and invite them, too. For further inquiries, you may contact any of the following:

Bsp. Prudencio Andaya, Jr. - 09193881909
Fr. Johnny Sumalileng - 09287699962
Ms. Novie Calizar - +639192678853
Dr. Thelma Gaerlan - 09287019300
Dr. Lily Ann Fernando - 09177438186
Secretariat – 09215909381

Or you can visit our website at http://www.amh2007.bravehost.com.

We'll see you all!

One with you in Christ,

(Sgd) Bishop Prudencio P. Andaya Jr. CICM DD
Chairperson: AMH 2007 Steering Committee

(Sgd) Thelma G. Gaerlan, M.D.
Vice Chairpersop: AMH 2007 Steering Committee

Kalinga exhibitor wins best booth at SM trade fair

THE display booth of a local producer bested 184 exhibitors from Luzon in the best booth contest at the SM Mega Mall One Town One Product (Otop) Trade Fair last August 8 to 12.

The display booth of Ayatu's Ethnic Crafts, owned by Marie Saclag, attracted the panelists because of its state of the art arrangement, purely done by the exhibitor himself.

Ayatu's displays a variety of Kalinga ethnic products like baskets, woven cloths, beads, bags, antiques and gift items.

Benita Mangadap of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) provincial office, who led the seven exhibitors from the province, said participants this year came home with boosted moral as they brought home huge sales of P228,872, aside from booked orders. Read more here...

Blogged with Flock

DOLE discourages 'Fly Now Pay Later' scheme

TABUK CITY - The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) here is banning recruitment agencies from offering to applicants for work abroad the 'Fly Now Pay Later (FNPL) scheme'.

The reason for this development, according to DOLE Provincial Officer, Dr. Avelina Manganip, is that the scheme had placed several Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in compromising and very crucial situation especially domestic helpers deployed in Middle East countries.

"We are greatly discouraging OFWs to apply through this scheme considering that most of those offering this plan are employers from the Middle East where a large number of maltreatment and cases of abuse are reported," Dr. Manganip said.

With this scheme, the OFWs have no choice but to concede with the Foreign Agency (FA) who handles them in case they meet problems or want to retract a contract. This is because the FA had already paid the 20% of the placement fee, she explained.

"So if in case the OFW does not like her employer, she has to bear with the conditions of the FA to look for another employer placing the OFW in a compromising situation," she related.

Manganip also disclosed that with this scheme, a scam is in the offing. She informed that FAs had formulated the 3 in 1 scheme wherein the FA will pay three OFWs from a recruitment agency for the FA to have a spare in case an OFW previously placed asks to be transferred to another employer.

This scheme she said also limits the freedom of the OFW to ask for help from either the recruitment agency and their families in case problems arise since they are considered 'paid' through this condition, thus they have to work until the FAs get back the value of their money.
Another disadvantage of the FNPL is that the FA collects from the OFW and the recruit­ment agency, resulting in a very small net pay during the term or contract, so the OFW could barely send any amount to her family back home, she disclosed.

Manganip appealed to the overseas applicants to seek the assistance of DOLE for proper information as she advises ap­plicants to better apply in the province through the Provincial Recruitment Authority (PRA) or the Special Recruitment Author­ity (SRA) to ensure that they undergo the proper documentation process aside from the as­surance that their recruiters are legal and authorized.

"Our kababayan no matter how hard life is should not sacrifice themselves and give in to this deceitful scheme just because it is faster and cheaper," she said.

"Let us not wait for something to happen to our OFWs when they are already de­ployed, instead the necessary precaution should already be observed while they are still processing their applications," Manganip stressed.

The government had issued directives banning Filipinos to work in Nigeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Syria. These countries she said have recorded the most number of abused OFWs and repatriation activities due to various problems like war and civil disturbances. A high percentage rate on maltreatment and physical abuse she said had also been recorded in Singapore and Malaysia. **ggd/PIA-Kalinga – Zigzag Weekly, August 19, 2007

Kalinga mayors call for police revamp



Powered by ScribeFire.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Drought causes P86M corn damages in Kalinga

TABUK CITY (13 August) -- Amidst the rainfall last week which may have shed a ray of hope among farmers in the province, the Office of Agricultural Services (OAS) in its initial report during the recent Kapihan sa Kapitolyo said that the province has already incurred a total damage of P86,176,000 in corn due to dry spell.


In a report presented by Dr. Juliana Aclam, Assistant Provincial Agriculturist and Provincial Corn Coordinator, she said that from the total 6,552 hectares of corn plantation in the entire province, 1,310.40 hectares have no chance of recovery while 5,241.60 hectares could still be recovered. Read more...

Teachers go on mass leave over slapping incident

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The teachers and non-teaching personnel of the Agbannawag National High School (ANHS), Agbannawag, this city, filed their mass leave of absence effective August 2 and 3 in protest of a slapping incident involving their guidance counselor and also alleged threats made against them.

In their position paper addressed to the schools division superintendent of the province, the 18 personnel of the ANHS alleged that head teacher and guidance counselor Leticia Magayam was slapped on the face by a parent resulting in a black contusion.

They did not say what enraged the parent.

They also alleged that in reaction to a disciplinary action taken against them, two students belonging to the Butbut tribe have resorted to threatening the school head and some teachers, stoning the school building and other activities which disturb teachers and other students.

The personnel urged the police and the elders and professionals belonging to the Butbut tribe to immediately discipline the two students and to stop them from disturbing the school.

They also said that in place of the two days mass leave, they will hold classes on two Saturdays “for the sake of our students wanting to learn and parents submitting their children to learn.”

In a letter to the Radyo ng Bayan, Kalinga Secondary School Personnel Association, Inc. president David Torres called also on the parents and barangay officials to intervene in the case. **Estanislao Albano, Jr.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Madhu slay suspect recaptured 3 days after escape

Police recaptured Indonesian priest Franciskus Madhu slay suspect Acmor Bonggawon three days after he escaped on the same day he was first taken in.

S/Supt. Severino Cruz, Kalinga police provincial director, reported to the local media that police operatives nabbed Bonggawon anew at around 8 a.m. of Aug. 8 at Barangay Ipil.

Cruz added that Bonggawon is now committed to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology at Brgy. Bulanao.

Kalinga police reported earlier that Bonggawon, 25, single, jobless and a resident of Soto, Agbannawag was arrested at Sitio Mansanita, Barangay Ipil early morning of Aug. 5 but escaped from custody on the night of the same day.

Bonggawon is one of three suspects in the Palm Sunday killing of Fr. Madhu, 30 who was about to start mass in an elementary school in Mabongtot, Lubuagan at around 5:30 p.m. when a man accompanied by two others shot him to death with an M-16 rifle.

The shooter was identified by the police as Nestor Wailan, married, farmer and resident of Dugnac, Lubuagan. His companions were also identified: Bonggawon and a certain Joel Awingan. To date, Wailan and Awingan remain free despite a standing warrant for their arrest and a reward of P500,000 for the capture of each from the Indonesian government.

Previously under hot water for the escape of Bonggawon, Cruz declined to offer any details regrading Bonggawon's recapture except to say that it was made possible through tips given by police assets.

The local media, however, learned that relatives of one of Bonggawon's police escort when he made his escape were the ones who tipped off the police on the suspect's whereabouts. It was learned that the policeman belongs to the Mabongtot tribe to which Bonggawon also belongs.

Cruz told the media earlier that Bonggawon had escaped while his guards changed a busted light bulb inside his detention cell. He claimed further that his men had tried to chase the suspect but failed to catch him on account of the darkness.

Based on initial reports by S/Insp. Bobbly Glen Ganipac, Provincial Mobile Group chief, who led the arresting team composed of PMG men, Agbannawag barangay captain Apolinario Masadao and tanods of the same barangay, Bonggawon was arrested in Sitio Mansanita, Ipil at around 5 a.m. of Aug. 5.

Kalinga police likewise reported that Bonggawon is a member of a newly organized crime group engaged in cattle-rustling, robbery and hold-up operating in Kalinga.

The arresting officers were armed with a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Marcelino Wacas, executive judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 25 in connection with Criminal Case 47-2007 for the murder of Fr. Madhu, assistant parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church in Lubuagan. **Bani Asbucan


Powered by ScribeFire.

Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte

Saint Louis College of Bulanao field trip to Pagudpud together with Bishop Prudencio P. Andaya, Jr.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Suspect in murder of Indon priest arrested

Police arrested on Sunday one of the suspected killers of Fr. Franciskus Madhu, an Indonesian priest who was gunned down while preparing for Palm Sunday last April 1 in Lubuagan, Kalinga.

More story: ABS-CBN, Inquirer.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Breaking news: Former mayor Dela Cruz ambushed

At about 1:30 this afternoon, former mayor Marcelo Dela Cruz of Rizal, Kalinga was ambushed about 500 meters away from the Spring Rest Area, Rizal, Kalinga province.

The former mayor and his bodyguards were on their way home after attending the on-going Malapiat Inter-Agency Task Force hearing or investigation at the Sanggunian Panlalawigan Hall, Bulanao, Tabuk City, Kalinga. Said hearing started yesterday and it is primarily intended to determine the real score on the bloody demolition of alleged squatters in Rizal last June.

Injured were seven policemen, the driver and Dela Cruz. One dead from the ambushers, who is still unidentified and who is now at the Carbonel funeraria. Also recovered were one M14 rifle, live ammunitions and empty shells of a shotgun and other automatic rifles.

UPDATE 1, August 9, 2007
At about 4:30 to 5:00 PM yesterday, the cadaver of one of the ambushers identified as Tiwang Sabawil, who was brought by the police earlier at the Carbonel funeraria for postmortem examination, was fleetly taken away allegedly by Butbut tribesmen and brought home to Lacnog, Tabuk City, Kalinga, about 10 km away from the funeraria. The police immediately followed but failed to recover the body of Sabawil from his family and tribesmen. According to the witnesses there was a fierce and intense atmosphere when the police tried to get the dead man with them.

Meanwhile, the Task Force Malapiat will continue the hearing-investigation today at the Sanggunian Panlalawigan Hall. The hearing is now on its third day and it is expected to be finished until this afternoon.




Thursday, August 2, 2007

Psalm 63: A song for everyone

It is my pleasure to share with you an inspirational song from youtube. A prayer; a song of praise and worship. It's good to take a break with such...

Psalm 63