What a shame!

Today, I found in my Inbox an email containing this photo and the quotation below. What do you say? Please be the judge...



"A couple of days ago, an embarrasing scene was played on tv when a flip general was carried on someone else shoulder so he wouldnt get wet when he stepped on a banka boat . the american officer on the other hand waded on the water and stepped on the banka without any help. See the symbolism on why the philippines have problems ?

I think the Filipino General should be fired. How could he win the war against the Abu Sayaf? Eh, tubig lang takot na siya. Nakakahiya!! Lalong nakakahiya doon sa Kano na kasunod niya.

BAGONG PEDICURE SIGURO ANG LOKO..."

Amicable settlement agreed upon on murder of Tulgao tribesman

Bontoc, Mountain Province – Representatives of the Tulgao tribe accepted the offer of relatives of Domingo Bangsoy for an out-of-court settlement of the twin cases filed against the latter at the regional trial court here.

Bangsoy was nabbed by Sabangan policemen after he killed a Tulgao tribesman and wounded another in Madepdepas last August 20. This resulted in the creation of mediation groups by the provincial peace and order councils of this province and Kalinga to peacefully handle the case to avoid possible escalation of the incident into an armed tribal conflict which may cause the loss of innocent lives.

In the meeting of the concerned parties and officials at the provincial capitol here last Monday chaired by Bontoc mayor Franklin Odsey, the Tulgao elders agreed to the proposal made by Bangsoy through Sagada mayor Eduardo Latawan, Sabangan mayor Donato Danglose and Sagada ABC president Jaime Dugao to settle the case the indigenous way.

Bangsoy could not personally attend the meeting since he is still detained at the provincial jail pending the resolution of the cases filed against him.

As a gesture of his desire to amicably resolve the problem, Bangsoy offered to sell a titled property to foot some of the financial obligations on account of the agreement. Officials of Sagada and Sabangan hinted that some individuals may voluntarily help Bangsoy given his initiative in tendering his treasured property for the fast resolution of the issue. They however explained that such donation does not mean consenting to the criminal act. “We simply want peace and harmonious relationship among our constituents so that we could go on without fear of possible retribution,” the officials emphasized. **by angel baybay, ZZW read more

Kalinga BIR poised to crack whip on erring Tabuk City businesses

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – In what could be an unprecedented development in the city, the Revenue District Office of the Bureau of Internal Revenue here has recommended to its regional office the issuance of 48-hour notices to five establishments to comply with the findings of their probe otherwise they will face closure.

Revenue District Officer Conrado Tangkia informed the media that the five were among the 10 businesses in the city placed under surveillance by his office by virtue of mission orders from the regional office under the ongoing Oplan Kandado of the agency.

Tangkia said that the five businesses were found by RDO surveillance teams to have understated their sales by 25 to 30 percent and had not been issuing receipts to customers.

Tangkia said that incognito RDO agents fielded to these establishments prior to the actual surveillance observed that the five establishments were only issuing receipts to those who demanded receipts but that during the actual surveillance by identified BIR personnel, they were in full compliance with the receipt regulation.Tangkia said that if the regional committee finds merit in the recommendation of the RDO, the establishments will be given 48 hours within which to adjust their tax payments.

“In the event that they fail to comply with the 48-hour notice, they will be given another five days within which to comply with the findings of the surveillance team. Refusal to comply after the lapse of the grace period will mean closure of the establishment,” Tangkia.

According to the official, temporary closure of businesses shall not be less than five days and shall only be lifted upon compliance. ****By Estanislao Albano, ZZW read more

Dengue alarm lowered in Kalinga

TABUK, Kalinga – Health authorities brought down the dengue alarm in the province after cases dropped. But even if the alarm has been lowered, dengue watch is still up in places where the number of cases remains high, Provincial Epidemics Surveillance Unit (PESU) Officer Jose Pardito, Jr. said.

Pardito said dengue cases in the province started to rise last June with 58 suspected cases recorded in a span of one week from June 28-July 4. Since then, the number of suspected patients rose to as much as 107 in the week July 26-August 1, according to PESU weekly monitoring.

The health department has recorded 724 cases and three deaths for the period January-September this year, the highest in four years.

This caused alarm because dengue in Kalinga has been at controlled levels since 2005, Pardito said.

Explaining the sudden soar in the number of afflicted patients, Pardito theorized that there might have been a mutation of the previous dengue virus that brought about a new one.

Experts have identified four types of dengue viruses from blood serum analysis.

Pardito disclosed that a patient develops immunity from one type of dengue virus after infection, but remains susceptible to a other dengue viruses.

There must have been a new mutated type of dengue virus that could have infected the high number of patients this time, Pardito said. But this has yet to be confirmed by results of blood serum tests earlier brought to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicines (RITM) in Manila.

The results are expected to arrive this month, which would help in the preventive efforts. Pardito, however stressed that clearing of surroundings is still the most effective measure of eradicating the disease. **by L. Lopez/ PIA-Kalinga, ZZW

Man hacked to death, girlfriend raped in Tabuk City

TABUK CITY, Kalinga - A man was hacked to death and his girlfriend who was fleeing the crime scene was raped at barangay Ipil, this city, night of August 24.

According to intial police investigation, Anthony Lumbag, Jr., 21, single, tricycle driver residing at Magsaysay, this city, and Joyce Ann Casmus, 20, separated, with postal address at Tuao, Cagyayan, checked out of the DR's Videoke Bar in Dagupan Centro here where she works as GRO at 10 PM of August 24 and proceeded to his hut in the middle of a farm in Ipil in Lumbag's tricycle.

While on the farm-to-market road leading to the farm, the couple met three men on a motorcyle with whom Lumbag exchanged high fives. The three men then disappeared.

The police said that after the couple finished their sex act, two unidenfied men barged into the hut and hacked Lumbag in the neck twice resulting in his instant death.

The two men then forced Casmus to follow them and when they arrived at the tricycle of the victim, they forced Casmus to board it afterwhich one of the suspects tried to drive the tricycle which went out of control and ran into a rice paddy.

The two suspects with Casmus then walked north where they met a motorcycle with one rider. Upon seeing the approaching motorcyle, the two men ran away leaving Casmus on the road.

Casmus asked the motorcyle rider for help but instead of helping, the male rider raped her on the road then forced her to ride with her dropping her in a dark place in Dagupan Centrro.

A Provincial Mobile Group patrol team which chanced upon Casmus walking along Mayangao Street in Dagupan Centro brought her to the city police station also in the same barangay where, in between sobs, she related some details of the incident to police investigators. **By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW

Not a volcano

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The people of this city who heard about the earth movement in sitio Lapat in barangay Cabaritan especially those living nearby could now breath a sigh of relief after a geologist from the Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) declared that the phenomenon is not a volcano in the making but a mere rotational landslide or slumping.

Geologist Benigno Espejo who came along with Geologic Aide Vemor Almazen said that the mound of soft rock which protruded on the Tuga Creek bed is the toe of the rotational landslide, or the earth being pushed up by the slumping earth upslope of the adjacent hill.

The two MGB personnel who went to evaluate the phenomenon on August 26 in response to the request of the Tabuk City LGU found numerous fissures or cracks which are as wide as a meter upslope of the hill some 100 meters from the toe which they said indicated that the ground on that portion is slumping.

Regarding the reported smell emanating from the toe, Espejo said that such foul smell which he denied is sulfuric contrary to earlier claims of some people is characteristic of the mudstone which makes up the toe.

The two MGB personnel see no immediate danger to life and property arising from the phenomenon as it is away from human habitation. They, however, warned people living downstream of the Tuga Creek of possible flash floods just in case the toe collapses from the weight of water impounded upstream during prolonged rains.

“We thought God was going to punish us. We now could sleep soundly,” said Cabaritan Barangay Captain Ronulfo Madarang upon hearing the findings of the MGB geologist.

Residents of the barangay and other people in the barangay were alarmed upon hearing of the protrusion of the earth swelling on the bed of the Tuga Creek which forced the diversion of the watercourse ripping through the adjoining cornfields. Many of them feared that it was an incipient volcano.

The swelling or toe which started to protrude in January this year with the growth escalating in July is estimated to be 70 meters long, nine meters high from the original level at the highest point and 20 meters across at the widest point.

The MGB personnel were accompanied by Tabuk City LGU people headed by Councilor Lester Lee Tarnate, OIC-Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Ricardo Dang-iw, Dominic Sugguiyao of the Kalinga Environment and Natural Resources Office, Office of Civil Defense Provincial Coordinator Cristeta Reyes, several mediamen and Madarang.**By Estanislao Albano, Jr., ZZW