OH! WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN...

Two weeks ago, in one morning, I was beating the time to report to office. Along the national road however there was a parade going on, men in a double file formation are moving southward, specifically toward the white carabao monument. Standby I thought for there might be traffic! Suddenly, I noticed pieces of papers, one-fourth the size of a band paper, somewhat thinly scattered under the waiting shade that is dwarfed by an acacia tree. I could say they were placed there intentionally for I could see clearly somewhat a poem printed in them. In verbatim, here are the texts.

THE EVERLY BROTHERS

Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN
Colt, Elisco and Hydra Brand...

Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN
To defend their Ancestral Land...

Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN
To defend that they are not illegal
settler of the land...

Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN
Heartily donated during Congressional Run...

Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN
Moving Speedily Ahead the progress of
Kalinga our native land...

And when will they ever learn...
And when will they ever learn...

MAGTAGO TAGO KA NA KALINGA!

At first, gibberish I thought; I could not figure out what message it is trying to convey. After some times, the poem or song that is seems noncommittal about the Malapiat case in the municipality of Rizal, Kalinga province where about 10 alleged squatters were killed during the demolition last June. Such a snafu was the subject of an investigation by an inter-agency task force to ferret out the real score.

Notice the fourth stanza! “Where have all the FOLLOWERS GUN Heartily donated during Congressional Run...”. Whewwww! Incredible!!! According to one media man, a neophyte native Kalinga candidate in the congressional derby for the May 14 elections allegedly donated guns and ammunitions to the Malapiat settlers, specially to members of a warrior tribe, in return of favorable votes for him. If at all that was true then that's it; politicians really contribute to worsening the peace and order snafu in this province.

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.

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...

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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

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Fed up with what they call the inaction of the local police in the face of surging criminal activities in the city in recent months, the mayors of this province have called on Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Calderon to revamp the local police force.

Through its resolution No. 01, Series of 2007, the local chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), the organization of mayors in the country, asked the PNP chief to “immediately revamp the PNP Kalinga for their (sic) inability to apprehend perpetrators, unabated criminalities, series of untoward incidents and their (sic) seemingly lukewarmness (sic) to oversee the welfare of the people they claim to serve and protect.”

The resolution said that in the first half of the 2007, a series of akyat bahay incidents and broad daylight hold-ups victimizing business establishments and gasoline stations right in the center of the city and also highway robberies took place “with the police unable to thwart and abort these series of untoward incidents nor demonstrated any capability of apprehending the probable perpetrators.”

The mayors said that will happens in the center of the city “mirrors the prevailing situation in the Province of Kalinga.”

In a press conference preceding the oath taking ceremonies of the newly elected officers of the local LMP on August 10, incoming president and Tabuk City mayor Camilo Lammawin, Jr. informed the media that majority of the mayors of the province have signified their desire for their chiefs of police to be replaced and likewise for police personnel who are more of a liability to be transferred to other places.

During the same press conference, Kalinga provincial board member Eduardo Buliyat said that he intends to sponsor a similar resolution in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan considering that the local police seem to be inutile.

Buliyat cited as example a criminal incident which took place in Magabbanon, Cudal, this city, which he did not specify where the perpetrator is a known ex-convict and also the killing of a Kalinga LGU employee which happened near the gate of the provincial headquarters of the PNP. There was no police action on both cases, Buliyat claimed.

Outgoing president and incoming LMP-Kalinga vice-president Allen Jesse Mangaoang, Balbalan mayor, said that what Kalinga needs is a strong-willed and non-nonsense police leadership.

Lammawin added that the police leader should not only have balls but knows how to strategize for the prevention of crime, “not just a reactionary.” **Estanislao Albano, Jr. - Zigzag Weekly, August 19, 2007

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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...