Punto!PANANAW NG MALAYANG PILIPINO!

www.punto.com.ph

LuzonCentralCentralP 8.00

VOLUME 8 NUMBER 12MON - WED

SEPTEMBER 1 - 3, 2014

PAGE 8 PLEASE

Local mediamen fi nd no workers in the dark, unfi nished lobby of the hospital. PHOTOS BY BONG LACSON

BY DING CERVANTES

CLARK FREEPORT - A word war over the construction of The Medical City-Clark

(TMCC) here has left local folk confused.

War on truth over $40-M The Medical City at Clark

THOU SHALL NOT. Peregrine President Dennis Wright and VP Jeff Pradhan stand their ground at The Medical City-Clark.

Dino Balabo writes 30

COMMUNITY jour-nalism in Central Lu-zon has lost one of its brightest and dedicat-ed journalists.

Dino Balabo— of Mabuhay Newspa-per, Mabuhay News-paper-Bulacan, Pun-to! Central Luzon, CL Business Week, Phil-ippine Star and Radyo Bulacan – succumbed to a cardiac arrest early Monday morn-ing, September 1.

In an emailed PAGE 8 PLEASE

After the Ameri-can president of Pere-grine Development In-ternational, Inc. (Pere-grine) toured local me-dia through the still un-fi nished, $40-million TMCC building to prove that work on it has re-mained frozen, offi cials of the Kuwaiti fi rm Global Gateway Development Corp. (GGDC) insisted

they had 550 workers fi nishing the building in time for the Asia Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this Jan-uary.

TMCC will be inau-gurated on Dec. 8, de-clared GGDC. But Per-egrine executives said this could happen only if they, through their con-

CLARK FREEPORT - President Aquino has reportedly instructed the Bases Conversion Development Authori-ty (BCDA) to withhold the full granting of rights to the Kuwaiti investor Global Gateway Devel-opment Corp. (GGDC) over 177 hectares of land it already has in-vested some $70 million in the past six years.

This surfaced during a House transporta-tion committee hearing held here recently after GGDC President-CEO Mark Williams raised the issue over the reluctance of the BCDA to “anno-

AT CLARK’S GGLC

PNoy ‘bars’ full lease for Kuwaiti investor

WilliamsPAGE 8 PLEASE

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CLARK INTERNATION-AL AIRPORT – To drum up the initiative for the development of this air-port, the House com-mittee on transportation

CIAC’s Victor Jose Luciano briefs Reps. Joseller Guiao and Cesar V. Sarmiento during the hearing. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON

House body to push Clark airportheld a committee hear-ing at the boardroom of the Clark Internation-al Airport Corp. (CIAC) here last Friday.

“Our goal is to ag-gressively promote it (Clark airport) for it to live

up to its intended pur-pose,” said its chairman Rep. Cesar V. Sarmien-to (Catanduanes) at the CIAC boardroom jam-packed with various stakeholders and local

PAGE 8 PLEASE

CLARK FREEPORT - Some 22 percent of Central and Northern Lu-zon folk who fl ew to in-ternational and domestic

NAIA passengers from CL, NL unaware of Clark airport fl ights

destinations at the Ninoy Aquino International Air-port (NAIA) from Janu-ary to May this year were not even aware of fl ights

at the Clark Internation-al Airport (Clark airport) here.

This was among the results of a survey fi n-

ished recently by the Clark International Air-port Corp. (CIAC) in its bid to lure more pas-

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BY DING CERVANTES

MABALACAT CITY- May-or Marino “Boking” Morales reported Monday that the lo-cal government has earned P1.631 billion in total revenues from local collections since it became a city two years ago.

In his State-of-the-City ad-dress at the SM City Clark mall, Morales noted that of the total amount, some P1.2 bil-lion was raised in 2013 alone from “local taxes, permits and licenses.”

Morales’ prepared speech furnished to Punto and oth-er media, however, contained fi gures and statements that seemed to clash. Punto took note of a section of his speech saying that from being a mere municipality whose income was only P33 million in 1995, this city has become “a vibrant community with P727 million this year” and that “this is pro-jected to reach P777 million by 2015.”

Punto also noted lack of clarity on the issue of raising taxes. While one part of the speech cited P1.631 billion in-come “despite our pledge not to raise taxes during the cam-paign for cityhood”, the next paragraph noted “the increase in the taxes and revenues that accrued to our city that en-abled us to clear most of our debts and our other obliga-tions, including those that the law authorizes us to release to our employees.”

Clarifi cation on these con-

CONFUSING SOCA

Boking boasts P1.6-B incomefl icting statements could not be immediately obtained in time for press deadline.

Morales’ 15-page speech also cited his accomplish-ments in health, education, environmental sanitation, em-ployment generation, social welfare and peace and order. He noted cultural activities that could boost local tourism.

He noted that three ru-ral health units (RHUs) in the city have become PhiHealth accredited for primary health care benefi ts and tuberculosis treatment.

“The prevalence of diabe-tes is alarming. In our coun-try, our region has the high-est number of patients under-going dialysis. This prompted our doctors to organize a dia-betic clinic and diabetic clubs in the barangays which is an-other fi rst in the province,” he said.

Morales cited a P14 million assistance from Gov. Lilia Pi-neda for the expansion of the Mabalacat district hospital and for the upgrading of the hospi-tal’s equipment.

He also boasted of three birthing stations “where there have been 5,541 deliveries since they started operations

The mayor also cited the Mabalacat City College (MCC) which he had founded. “It now has 10 courses in its fi ve institutes, namely, teacher education, tourism, computer technology, business educa-tion, and arts and sciences,” he noted.

Morales reported that MCC has about 900 government scholars whose tuition is from city funds. “We continue to provide fi ve percent from the general fund for the operation of the collage,” he added.

“To date, Mabalacat City College has produced 808 graduates and they’re now making their own contributions to the world. At present, it has a student population of 2,948 and this fi gure is bound to in-

crease in the coming years,” he said. He cited plans to con-struct a 10-classroom building costing P10 million in front of the present campus, plus the construction of a branch at the Dapdap resettlement.

Meanwhile, Morales also noted that “our people are beginning to understand the importance of proper waste collection” that led to P1 mil-lion savings in the local gov-ernment’s garbage disposal

funds.Job generation, he noted,

has also been a priority of the city. “This year alone, a to-tal of 234 persons have been trained in various courses like call center, plumbing, comput-er servicing, among others. There were also 660 individ-uals who benefi tted in various livelihood training courses like candle-making, cassava prod-uct making, beauty care, and many more,” he said.

MAKATI OF THE NORTH. A jampacked SM City Clark Events Center reverberates with the accomplishments and vision of Mayor Marino Morales towards making Mabalacat City the northern counterpart of the country’s premier business center.

PHOTOS BY BONG LACSON

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BY ASHLEY MANABAT

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Chartered fi nancial analysts don’t come a dime a dozen. Not in the Philippines, not any-where.

A Fellow of the Society of Actuaries is an even rarer species. In fact, the term “actuary” is totally alien to the general public.

Rarest are those that sport both titles CFA and FSA after their names.

San Fernando-born and –bred Jon-athan Elliot F. Lacson belongs to that select breed. Thereby exemplifying the “Fernandino First” policy of excellence enunciated by Mayor Edwin “EdSa” San-tiago.

In Vancouver, Canada last Friday, Lacson received his FSA certifi cate from Society of Actuaries President Mark J. Freedman, FSA, MAAA (member of American Academy of Actuaries).

Freedman is a principal of Ernst & Young, described as “a global account-ing fi rm with a large actuarial consulting practice.”

The SOA succeeded in 1949 the Actu-arial Society of America which was found-ed in 1889 and the American Institute of Actuaries established in 1909.

In its website, the SOA defi ned an

‘FERNANDINO FIRST’

CSF kid achieves rare feat

KAPAMPANGAN PRIDE. Lacson holds his certifi cate as Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“Six thousand hours of study, two hours per day on average, every day, non-stop for eight years… It was hell. Harrowing, depressing, exhausting… (But) it was all worth it,” said Lacson in a refl ection over his rare feat. (See Zona Libre on page 4).

In October 2012, Lacson earned his Chartered Financial Analyst title, after taking a separate series of examinations, from the CFA Institute of Charlottesville, Virginia.

From Manulife Philippines, Lacson was seconded in 2011 to Manulife Finan-cial in Hong Kong serving as actuarial specialist for its Regional Actuarial Ser-vices, Asia division. In February 2014, he transferred to Manulife Tokyo assuming the post of assistant project manager.

Last June, Lacson was awarded a global Manulife “Rising Star of Excel-lence” in Toronto, Canada.

Lacson fi nished his elementary edu-cation at the San Fernando Elementary School, and his secondary at the Philip-pine Science High School in Quezon City as a Department of Science and Technol-ogy scholar which he carried through his studies at UP.

He is the son of Punto! editor Bong Lacson with the former Mary Dorothy B. Fuentes.

actuary as “a business pro-fessional who analyzes the fi -nancial consequences of risk” using “mathematics, statistics and fi nancial theory to study uncertain future events, espe-cially those of concern to insur-ance and pension programs.”

“They evaluate the likeli-hood of those events, design creative ways to reduce the likelihood and decrease the impact of adverse events that actually do occur,” it added.

ManulifeSoon after his gradua-

tion from the University of the Philippines-Diliman with a BS Mathematics degree in 2006, Lacson took on a series of actuarial examinations while working, fi rst in a non-life in-surance consulting fi rm, then with the Manulife group.

CANDELARIA, Zambales – Kabuuang 41 tauhan ng Zam-bales Public Safety Compa-ny (PSC) ang sumailalim sa anti -carnapping seminar na isinagawa ng mga tauhan ng Zambales Provincial Highway Patrol Team (ZPHPT) sa Ba-rangay Malimanga sa bayang ito.

Angs eminar ay pinangu-nahan nina Senior Inspector Isabelo Ganao at SPO4 Mar-lon Agno pawang mga taga ZPHPT.

Tinalakay sa seminar ang may kinalaman sa RA 4136 (LTO Law), plate spotting and identifi cation of fake and ques-tionable documents, at iba pa, ganun din ang may kaug-nayan sa ipinatutupad na ba-tas trapiko.

Magugunita na inilunsad ng PNP at ZPHPT ang “Oplan No Mercy” kung saan karamihan sa mga nahuli ay mga motor-istang sakay ng single motor-cycle na lumabag sa RA 4136, partikular na pinaiiral na “No Helmet, No Travel” policy, un-registered vehicles, unlicensed driver at iba pang paglabag.

–Johnny R. Reblando

Anti-carnap seminar ginanap

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BY ERNIE ESCONDE

BALANGA CITY - The provin-cial and city health offi ces in Bataan on Monday’s fl ag-rais-ing activities started the “Tig-das – German Measles – and Oral Polio Vaccine Mass Im-munization” in separate cere-monial vaccinations.

Gov. Albert Raymond Gar-cia and brother City Mayor Jose Enrique Garcia III ad-ministered oral polio vaccines to some infants at the Bataan Capitol and Balanga City hall, respectively.

Health workers in the two

Vaccinations vs. polio, measles kick offhealth offi ces, on the other hand, vaccinated measles ru-bella to selected babies.

The mass immunization was held simultaneously in all health centers in 11 towns and one city in the province. This will go on from September 1-30, 2014.

Dr. Rosanna Buccahan, provincial health offi cer, said there are 101,127 infants to be vaccinated with oral polio vac-cine and 86,145 babies with measles rubella in Bataan. She asked all parents to bring their children to the health centers.

Oral polio vaccine is given to children from birth to fi ve years old while measles rubel-la to those aged nine months to fi ve years.

The mass vaccination is a project of the Department of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organiza-tion and the United Children’s

Fund (UNICEF). In Bataan some non-gov-

ernment organizations like Ro-tary are assisting the health of-fi ces in the program.

BONCHON CHICKEN. The Glob-al Asian/Korean-American food highlights the crispy yet light and non-greasy original Korean fried chicken in soy garlic, spicy and honey citrus fl avors now opened its 79th store in SM Pampanga.

Another reason to get excited about fast food is the wide range of complementary offerings in very reasonable prices w hich in-cludes rice meals, seafood, bulgo-gi, sandwiches, noodles, snacks, salad and sides. Desserts such as Ko-Yo (Korean Yogurt) in Blueber-ry Torte, Mango Sans Rival and Banofee Pie fl avors plus Crispy Crepes in Mango&Cream, Apple Caramel and Strawberry Choco-late variants are available.

BonChon, meaning “my home-town” in Korean, is a global restau-rant / quick service restaurant brand that originated in South Korea in 2002. It opened its fi rst store in the Philippine in Novem-ber 2010, considered as one of the fastest growing QSR’s (Quick Ser-vice Restaurants) in the country apart from being the biggest Kore-an-style crispy fried chicken chain locally.

Visit Bon Chon Chicken located at Annex 3 of SM City Pampanga.

Bonchon Chicken opens at SM City Pampanga

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BROADCAST journalist Mel Tiangco has covered various stories through-out her illustrious career as a radio announcer, news anchor and tele-vision host, but nothing makes her heart soar more than leading the Kapuso Foundation and its worthwhile endeav-ors.

Among the proj-ects that give her the most joy is Unang Hak-bang sa Kinabukasan (UHSK), a project that provides backpacks and complete sets of school supplies to Grade 1 pu-pils in remote areas across the Philippines. The broadcaster start-ed UHSK in 1997, after coming across an article saying that a lot of stu-dents drop out of school because they lacked the necessary materi-als. “Kids would feel em-barrassed or less moti-vated to learn because they didn’t even have paper and pencils,” she shared. “It was a big re-alization because these are things that some of us tend to take for grant-ed, but to some children thismeans a lot.”

On its fi rst year, UHSK prepared school bags for more than 600 students in Metro Ma-nila. Since then, it has grown to reach tens of thousands of schoolchil-dren nationwide. Apart from school supplies, the program also builds schools and trains teach-ers, helping boost en-rolment and attendance among pupils from the poorest communities in far-fl ung provinces.

Crossing bordersWhile the program

has grown so much since it fi rst started,

HELPING DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT. Cebu Pacifi c VP for Marketing and Distribution Candice Iyog, Kapuso Foundation EVP-COO Mel Tiangco, and Cebu Pacifi c VP for Fuel and Cargo Operations Joseph Macagga join hands to extend help to underprivileged children in all corners of the country through the Unang Hakbang sa Kinabukasan project.

GMA, CEB push education project

IN ITS 5TH YEAR

PAGE 9 PLEASE

Tiangco said that it is still not enough. “For this school year, we have given away about 75,000 school bags, but it’s just a small contribution,” she said. “The need only grows year after year and there’s still so much that all of us can do.”

The broadcaster shared that she is thank-ful for the support that the Foundation gets from volunteers and organiza-tions that support their cause and share the same advocacy. Among their biggest supporters is Cebu Pacifi c, which has been a partner of the GMA Kapuso Foun-dation for fi ve consecu-tive years.For UHSK, the airline transports school supplies to various sites nationwide and provides air transport so the Ka-puso team can reach far-fl ung areas in the Philip-pines.

“The communities liv-ing in the most distant islands and the high-est mountains are often overlooked because it’s so hard to reach them,” Tiangco said. “This is why I consider Cebu Pa-cifi c’s support invaluable. Their assistance and wide network have al-lowed us to reach more people in need, even those in the most rural and remote areas.”

Apart from UHSK, the low-cost carrier also sup-ports the Kapuso Foun-dation’s other projects, including Give-A-Gift during Christmas, med-ical missions, and relief operations in times of natural calamities.

Despite the challeng-es of her various en-deavors, Tiangco and her team soldier on, un-daunted by whatever

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LLL Trimedia Coordinators, Inc.Publisher

General ManagerEditor

Marketing ManagerLayout

Circulation

Atty. Gener C. EndonaCaesar “Bong” LacsonJoanna Niña V. CorderoDondie B. VenturaJojo Manalo/Lacson Macapagal

EDGAR V. MOVIDOFounder

Business & Editorial offi ce at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando

Tel. No. (45) 625•0244 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com or marketing@punto.com.ph

http://www.punto.com.ph

Punto! Central Luzon is a proud member ofThe Philippine Press Institute

E d i t o r i a lacaesar.blogspot.com

Zona Libre Bong Z. Lacson

OOpinion

InsidiousTHE NATIONAL Union of Journalists of the Philippines urges the authors of House Bill 4807 to withdraw the measure and members of the House of Representatives to vote it down should they fail to do so.

While we will concede that the measure, also known as “An Act to Provide Protection From Personal Intrusion for Commercial Purposes,” may have been fi led with all the best intentions in mind, it poses an all too real threat not only to freedom of the press but on the very right to free expression.

The bill’s avowed aim, to “curb acts of trespassing and other intrusions on personal privacy committed by any person in order to capture visual or sound impressions of an individual, with intent to gain or profi t,” is overly broad as are the provisions that list the ways by which violations may be committed.

We agree that people are entitled to privacy and, in fact, the Constitution guarantees as much, in all matters that are personal and have nothing to do with the public interest.

But the measure’s intent is so broad it is likely to be used as another weapon for the criminal and the corrupt to escape accountability should it become law.

That the measure would punish even “the fact that no visual image, sound recording or other physical impression of a person was actually sold for gain or profi t,” makes it even more insidious.

We are sure that the authors of the bill know only too well that media outfi ts are essentially “for profi t” enterprises. But the institutional media aside, the measure could end up stifl ing citizen journalism and even simply taking pictures or videos for personal pleasure.In an era where technology is quickly breaking down the obstacles that hamper the fl ow of information and expression, which are the bedrock of democracy, HB 4807 could return us to the dark ages and worse, be used as a weapon of suppression and repression.

While at it, we are equally disturbed at how the bill has swiftly made its way through the legislative mill to be approved on second reading without any of the sectors its passage would impact on informed about it, much less invited to discuss its implications.

The authors of the bill and the House of Representatives as a whole would do the nation a truly great service to the nation and the Filipino people by discarding this and any similar legislation and instead pouring their energies into passing and enacting the Freedom of Information bill.(Statement of the NUJP on HB 4807 dated Aug. 29, 2014)

PARENTAL PRIDE. I cede my space to my son Jonathan Elliot’s refl ection after being bestowed the title Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Vancouver, Canada last Aug. 29, fi ve days after his 29th birthday.

This is his second post-graduate “degree,” the fi rst being Chartered Financial Analyst given by the CFA Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia on October 15, 2012.

His mastery of mathematics aside, Jay, unarguably, is the much superior writer to his old man.

Failure fosters fortitudeIT IS over. I fi nally reached this milestone, I can now call myself an actuary.

Now that I have the time, I fi nd myself refl ecting. How did I get this achievement? What did it take to get here? What have I lost? What have I gained in return?

During this introspection I’ve identifi ed the main truths of this journey. There are three.

A little over eight years ago, fresh from university with a degree in mathematics, I started work at a small non-life insurance consulting fi rm after a handful of snubbed job applications. With nothing to show for and everything to prove, I accepted the minimum salary an actuarial staff can get in the Philippine insurance industry. With very limited resources, I bought food from the cheapest stores I could fi nd. I lived in a rented six-square-meter room on the second fl oor of a tutorial center and paid for it with supplemental earnings from tutoring high schoolers math and sciences. With all of these going on, I started studying for my fi rst actuarial exam. And so began my lonesome quest.

Night after night in the Manila heat, alone in this tiny room with wooden walls and fl oorboards, I burned the midnight oil. After a couple of months of studying, I took the fi rst exam about probability. Eight weeks after that, I received news that I passed it.

Then there was the next exam, then the next, then the next. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Life was simple for the following years. Just one man’s lone journey to carve his own path in the world, one step at a time. With a long-term goal at the back of his mind, he was focused on only one thing: the next test he had to pass. One man, one exam. No gods, no masters.

Only me. Or so it seems. As much as I want to make

this a story of adversity, independence, and triumph about a liberal writer’s son with a humble farmer for a grandfather, I could not. For there lies the fi rst truth of this journey, the one I never liked to admit...

I was never alone,I always had help.

Words of appreciation are in order to those who shared this burden with me, whether they know it or not.

To my parents, not for the genetic material that gave rise to this fi ve-foot-ten ectomorphic body with two left feet and a mind with above average mathematical acuity and a propensity towards logical thinking. But simply for all the parental support: moral, fi nancial, and everything in between. To my siblings, especially to my three sisters, for all your help with the parts of my life that I usually missed. Also for keeping me grounded, or at least trying to. To my whole family, for always being there.

To my managers, for inspiring me, teaching me, and showing me how to be professional. To my colleagues, for all the experiences we’ve shared, in work and in life. To my employers, past and present, for sponsoring my exams and providing platforms to develop my career. It has been a privilege to have worked with all of you.

To my contemporaries, for sharing this goal. It is comforting to know others who are in the same boat. To my mathematics professors, for building a foundation on which I stand and from which I can fl y. Also to my teachers in general, some of you have taught me not to settle for mediocrity but always aim for excellence. While I’ve fallen short as a student, I hope I’ve made up for it as a professional. To all my tutees, trainees, and anyone who otherwise learned anything from me, for giving me a chance to learn how to set an example in return. To the Filipino taxpayers, for funding my formal education, being a public school student and scholar.

To my brotherhood, for the fellowship and for sharing those intoxicating moments of sweet victories and bitter defeats, in life and in love. To my closest friends, for always on standby for me to vent my feelings and share my secrets. Also for understanding why I was periodically absent, physically, mentally, or emotionally. You all know who you are.

To all of you I pour my heartfelt appreciation now that I’ve made it here. Thank you. Without you I never would have been able to undertake and fi nish this extremely diffi cult endeavor. It was a huge burden to carry.

The second truth of this journey...

It was hell. Harrowing,depressing, exhausting.

Six thousand hours of study, two hours per day on average, every day, non-stop for eight years. May not seem much, but add in a full-time job, sleep, and other daily functions and there is very little left for anything else.

I could have invested more time and effort in my family, friends, and other relationships. I could have partied hard as young adults usually do. I could have played more RPGs, RTSs, and FPSs. I could have pursued the one who got away. I could have committed to other things besides work and study. Or I could have acted more irresponsibly. I could have done a lot of things that I wanted to do.

But something forbade me from doing all of those, something terrifying.

I call it “the Voice.”A demon that whispers whenever I start

having fun, and speaks louder as fun increases. Annoying whispers eventually become unbearable screams, though it says only one thing: that I cannot enjoy my life. Not yet at least. That I should be spending my precious time and energy studying and being productive with my career. That the only thing that matters at the moment besides work is the next exam. That everything else can wait. With this perpetual nagging in my head, I can honestly say that I haven’t fully savored anything for the past eight years. I always felt guilty when I wasn’t spending my time wisely, I haven’t felt genuine excitement either.

Things become simpler when you live like a robot. You know your priorities when failing an exam is vastly more traumatic than getting dumped by a woman; when food is just the right balance of nutrients you need to function; or when exercise is just an activity to stave off lethargy and improve blood circulation. While I did have a few adventures, the voice was always there, reminding me that their only purpose was to unwind myself for the next bout. The voice depreciated the pleasure derived from these experiences. I would’ve been depressed had the voice allowed me to, it just plainly told me I could not have afforded the energy for emotion. Ironic that it also became my salvation, I guess it’s not just a demon after all.

It was a long eight years, the best part of my twenties that I will never get back. I can keep deluding myself, but I cannot deny that I’ve sacrifi ced so much, maybe too much. Every actuary asks this question at some point in his career, if you could turn back time would you do the same thing?

As I came up with an answer, with all that I’ve given up and while I stand here on the other side, I’ve reached the third truth. The third truth of this journey...

It was all worth it.When I began this career a couple of months

before my 21st birthday, I gave myself until I turn 30 to fi nish all of my exams. I turned 29 last Sunday (Aug. 24). While it was earlier than

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Napag-uusapanLangFelix M. Garcia

expected, it was still the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and from it came the most precious gifts I’ve ever received: hardship, failures, and eventual success.

In this fast-paced age of information, we’ve become slaves to convenience and effi ciency. We now demand knowledge neatly packaged into Buzzfeed lists and nice little image macros for quick and effi cient consumption. We can’t be bothered to spend a few more milliseconds typing “Happy Birthday” instead of “hbd,” or to offer messages of condolences instead of clicking that “Like” button to show our support. We obsess over the top secrets of millionaires and other shortcuts to success that we ignore the long hard road needed to trudge to get there. We have become lazy.

Through this struggle I’ve learned a lot of things. I’ve learned to value integrity the most, as something so precious and diffi cult to obtain does not deserve to be cheated. I’ve learned that once I’ve set my sights on a goal, a lot of what seemed important turns out to be just useless clutter. Conversely, with the few moments I had for myself, I’ve learned to appreciate the little things I usually took for granted like home-cooked meals lovingly made by the women in my life, playing hide-and-seek with my nephew, or a relaxing nap under a tree on a breezy afternoon. I learned that the best things for me are defi nitely not free, but are the ones I strive for. I’ve learned fi rsthand that a diffi cult ordeal is already its own reward and that grit is far more important than genius.

Hardship breeds strength of body, of mind, and most importantly, of character. And in this Darwinian world, strength is critical to prosperity, let alone survival.

Speaking only about the more fortunate members of our species, most of us have lost appreciation for life’s challenges. We are scared of facing them and we avoid them as much as possible. We often choose to take the path of least resistance, more so than the road not taken. We focus on the destination and not appreciate the journey. We do not take risks,

Zona LibreFROM PAGE 6 we pursue the short-term rewards, and we take

the easy way out. We are afraid of failure.Everyone experiences failure, with quite a

number of exams for me. There was nothing more disappointing as it rendered months of studying fruitless, not to mention hundreds of dollars of exam fees down the drain. I’ve eventually learned to manage grief during such times. I allowed myself to drown in sorrow and disappointment as much as I needed, but I made sure I got back up the very next day, if not earlier. As my old mentor used to tell me, persistence is the key. There will be much more and much bigger failures that I will experience, and I am not afraid of them. We learn more from our defeats than we do from our victories. Failure fosters fortitude.

After all these hardships and failures, today I can fi nally taste it. Almost everything I did for the past eight years have been for this moment. The taste of completing all those exams and getting three letters added to my name, FSA, Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, sure is sweet. Of course my ambition does not stop here, and this milestone is not an end in itself but is just another link in the chain. A lot of doors are now open and all I have to do is step through them. Success gives us more confi dence and enables us to dream bigger, setting goals we never would have considered before.

It remains to be seen how I will use what I’ve gained to live and pursue happiness, but I have no regrets. Still, one is only human. There are times when I look back and wonder about those that I’ve lost or never had. Naysayers who told me that I’ve wasted chances or this was not the right way to live didn’t help either. I almost feel bad about it.

But at the end of the day I know I wanted this and I would have done everything again to get to where I am now. Because regardless of what anyone tells him, be it family or friend, a real man is the master of his fate. He makes his own choices and faces the consequences. He knows what he wants. And he takes it all.

It is time to take the rest.“Why then the world’s mine oyster, which I

with sword will open.” - William Shakespeare,The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Tama na, sobra naSA PAKIWARI ko ay moro-moro langitong pagkapasa’t pagdeklara nilangumano ay ‘suffi cient in forms and substance’ang ‘impeachment complaint’ na isinampa riyan

(Sa Kongreso) laban kay Pangulong PNoy, sanhi na rin nitong tama’t naisulong,pero pagdating sa loob, ilan doonang maasahang sa ‘impeachment’ papabor?

(Yan kumbaga sa isang ipapa-ospitalay baka hanggang sa naipasok lamangkundi man ika nga ay ‘dead on arrival’na yan bago mai-akyat sa hagdanan)

Bunsod na rin nitong kakampi n’yan halosang karamihan sa umano’y binusogSa PDAF at DAP na sabi’y nakurakotng mga yan dahil sa pekeng NGOs

Ni Janet Napoles, na itinuturongutak ng lahat na at kung papaanongnakakulimbat ng daang-daang milyonmula sa DBM kung di nagkaroon

Ng sabuwatan sa pagitan nina Abadat Miss Napoles kung yan ay walang basbasng Palasyo para makapagpalabasng napakalaking halagang nasikwat

Na ipinamudmod daw ng Malakanyangsa Congress at Senate upang makuha niyanang suporta nila para ipatanggalsi Justice Corona sa ‘Highest Tribunal.’

Sa puntong yan saan sa akala natinang ‘impeachment complaint’ posibleng pulutinkung di sa kangkungan ngayong itong atingmga mambabatas sa kanya makiling?

At maging ang kanyang ambisyong habaanang ‘terms of offi ce’ nito sa Malakanyang,Na aniya’y di siya ang may kagustuhan,kundi ang kanyang ‘Boss’ o ang taongbayan.

Yan sa ganang aming sariling opinyonay palusot lamang ni Pangulong PNoyupang palabasing taongbayan itongnagnanais bigyan siya ng ‘term extension’

Sa pamamagitan nga ng pag-amyendang mga Solons sa Batas Republika,na kung saan limitado sa anim nataon lang dapat ang ‘term of offi ce’ niya;

O ng sino pa mang umupong Pangulo mula ipairal ang batas na ito,maliban na lang kung igiit nga nitoang ‘charter change’ para muling makatakbo

Na kabaligtaran nitong sinasabini PNoy, na aniya’y taongbayan kasiang may gusto para maging Presidentesiya ng isa pang ‘term of offi ce’ bale;

Na lubhang malayo sa katotohanan,dahil kung totoong sa panunungkulanniya ay ‘satisfi ed’ itong mamamayan,ano’t marami ang di nasisiyahan?

Dala nang kawalan ng isang salitaat sa Konstitusyon ay paglabag kusa?Kung saan pati na ‘highest court’ ng bansadi niya sinusunod at tinutuligsa?

Yan ba ang lider na nanaisin bagana muling maupo ng ‘constituents’ niya?Sa ganang akin ay maglubay na siya,sa kahihirit ng isang termino pa;

At alalahanin ang yumaong ama,na kabaligtaran ng ngayo’y gawa niya; Mas makabubuti ang mamahinga na,bago bulyawan siyang tama na, sobra na!

BY ASHLEY MANABAT

MACABEBE, Pampanga – Ever since the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, fl ooding has worsened in this bucolic town located downstream of the Pampanga River.

Compounding this problem is the pollution from upstream communities which not only aggravated the fl ooding but have invaded the most prof-itable livelihood of the town – the prawn and crab culture as well as other fi sheries and aquaculture activities.

“Ing pollution kekami, man-ibatan keng babo. Alakaming akarapat (The pollution here is coming from upstream. We cannot do anything),” com-plained Mayor Annette Flores- Balgan as she talked to re-porters after the inauguration of the new wing of the Domin-go Flores District Hospital in Barangay Batasan here last Monday.

“Sane nake keng albug, agyu mi na pero ing pollution makasira (We are used to the fl oods, we can manage but pollution really destroys us),” the mayor said.

Balgan said losses in the aquaculture industry in the town amount to hundred mil-lion pesos because of the pollution. She said the tilapia aquaculture industry is very much affected by the pollu-tion.

The mayor explained that even if they start cleaning and clearing the garbage and other

Women of Macabebe weave water lilies into mats

pollution, it comes back in only a month’s time. She recalled that she even had an alterca-tion with offi cials of the City of San Fernando because of the pollution coming from the city by way of the streams pass-ing through Federosa cockpit arena in Sto. Tomas town.

But even as fl oodwaters bring miseries to residents of this town, it also produces a plant which has now become a source of their livelihood.

Water lily, an aquatic plant, is now being collected and dried and then weaved into mats.

Municipal Councilor Bem-bong Balgan said an initial 33 women are now benefi tting from the water lily livelihood project. The councilor said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) buys the mats from the wom-en for P150 each.

“It takes two days to weave the mats so that means they

earn P75 per day which is hardly enough but it is a start and still better than noth-ing,” the councilor said. She added that now the women have formed themselves into a group called “Biyaya ning Balen Association” which is accredited by the Department of Labor and Employment and soon with the Bureau of Inter-nal Revenue.

Meanwhile, Mayor Balgan said the fl ooding is now be-ing addressed by a private contractor without cost to the government. “It’s a seven year program,” she said. The river will be dredged and the ma-terials will be transported by barge to another area which can be used as fi lling materi-als, she added.

Right now, the mayor ex-plained, the river is being dredged but the soil is just de-posited on the banks so that when the rains come it goes back into the river.

Mayor Annette and Councilor Bembong.

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FROM PAGE 1

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of VALENTINO M. LAGMAN who

died intestate on September 24, 2013 in Angeles City executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement of his estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 13, Blk. 17 of the consolidation-subdivision plan (LRC) Pcs-7705, being a portion of consolidation of lot 429-C to 629-K (LRC) Psd-72734, LRC Cad Rec. No. 124) with existing improvements thereon, situated in the Bo. of Cutcut, City of Angeles, Island of Luzon and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 98673, before Notary Public Reydon P. Canlas as per Doc No. 710, Page No. 28, Book No. LVIII, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: August 19, 26 & September 2, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of RUPERTO M. ESGUERRA who

died intestate on March 1, 1998 in San Fernando, Pampanga executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Waiver of Rights of his estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 16-B-1 of the subd. plan (LRC) Psd-199711, being a portion of lot 16-B (LRC) Psd-189080, LRC Rec. No. 145), situated in the Bo. of San Antonio, Mun. of Mexico, Prov. of Pampanga and covered by Original Certifi cate of Title No. 220987-R, before Notary Public Gener C. Endona as per Doc No. 401, Page 82, Book 49, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: August 19, 26 & September 2, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of MARCIANO SANTILLAN

CAYANAN who died intestate on March 15, 2005 and ANITA SUING CAYANAN who died intestate on February 14, 1992 executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement of their estate, more particularly described as a parcels of land, to wit:

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 44205Registry of Deeds for the City of Angeles

Lot 1-C-2 of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-57495, being a portion of Lot 1-C described on plan Psd-31370, L.R.C. Cad. Rec. No. 124, situated in the Barrio of Balibago, City of Angeles, Island of Luzon;

TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. 28756Registry of Deeds for the City of Angeles

Lot 27, Block 3 of the subdivision plan Psd-67299, being a portion of Lot 1-C-11-F of the plan (LRC) Psd 19960, L.R.C. Rec. No., situated in the Barrio of Sto. Domingo, Mun. of Angeles, Province of Pampanga;

Lot 29, Block 3 of the subdivision plan Psd-67299, being a portion of Lot 1-C-11-F of the plan (LRC) Psd 19960, L.R.C. Rec. No., situated in the Barrio of Sto. Domingo, Mun. of Angeles, Province of Pampanga;

before Notary Public Crisanto A. Cocal as per Doc No. 4804, Page No. 84, Book No. 50, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: August 27, September 3 & 10, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of PEDRO E. MARCELO and

ESPERANZA ENRIQUEZ-MARCELO who died intestate on December 18, 1997 and June 6, 2012, respectively, both in Palat, Porac, Pampanga executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement of their estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 486-D of the subdivision plan (LRC) Psd-101368, being a portion of lot 486, Porac Cadastre, LRC Cad. Rec. No. 372 Case No. 18), situated in the Barrio of Palat, Municipality of Porac, Province of Pampanga and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 73231-R, before Notary Public Angela T. Abrea as per Doc No. 1335, Page No. 14, Book No. XXXII, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: August 27, September 3 & 10, 2014

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENTNotice is hereby given that the heirs of LAMBERTO LUMANLAN who

died intestate on December 7, 2004 and JOSEFINA DE JESUS-LUMANLAN who died intestate on Nay 19, 2014 both in City of San Fernando, Pampanga executed an Affi davit of Extrajudicial Settlement with Deed of Absolute Sale of their estate, more particularly described as a parcel of land (Lot 4425-E-14, of the subdivision plan Psd-03-131597, being a portion of Lot 4425-E, Psd-03-005880, L.R.C. Rec. No.) with existing improvements thereon, situated in the Bo. of Malino, Mun. of San Fernando, Prov. of Pampanga and covered by Transfer Certifi cate of Title No. 565521-R of the Registry of Deeds for the province of Pampanga, before Notary Public Reydon P. Canlas as per Doc No. 515, Page No. 94, Book No. LVII, Series of 2014.Punto! Central Luzon: September 3, 10 & 17, 2014

tractor, would again be given the funds to push through with the comple-tion.

GGDC is the fi nancier of the 177-hectare Glob-al Gateway Logistics City (Logistics City), including TMCC in the area, while Peregrine is supposed to be its sole contractor, manager and operator

War on truth over $40-M The Medical City at Clark

tate” the fi rm’s lease for processing by the Regis-ter of Deeds.

House commit-tee chair Rep. Cesar Sarmiento noted confi r-mation from the BCDA that while Executive Sec. Paquito Ochoa had given the BCDA the go signal for the annotation, the President reportedly lat-er gave “verbal instruc-tions” to BCDA President Arnel Casanova to hold the move.

Williams said the BCDA’s annotation for

PNoy ‘bars’ full lease for Kuwaiti investor

liams, however, insist-ed last Friday that work on the hospital has not stopped, with 550 work-ers hired to fi nish the building. He informed the House committee on transportation which met here on the same day that TMCC would be formally opened on Dec. 8.

The previous day, however, Peregrine

President Dennis Wright and his vice president Jeff Pradhan toured the journalists through the hospital to show work had remained frozen since GGDC barred Per-egrine from access to its $1.6 million “working capital account”. The hospital was also guard-ed by men whom Pere-grine had contracted to secure the entire Logis-

for the entire project.Last June, however,

GGDC suddenly fi red Peregrine which brought the matter before the lo-cal court. Peregrine has refused to leave Lo-gistics City and barred GGDC from taking in any new contractor which could fi nish the Medical City.

GGDC Presi-dent-CEO Mark Wil-

tics City.Wright said Peregrine

still had the duty to op-erate and manage the Logistics City as spec-ifi ed in its contract with GGDC. He said that de-prived of funds by the GGDC, his fi rm has al-ready incurred arrears worth $5 million from its contractors.

Pradhan said the $1 million in the work-

ing capital account with-drawn by GGDC was supposed to be for the completion of TMCC.

A visit to the Medical City yesterday revealed that only security per-sonnel identifi ed with Peregrine were the only ones present at the hos-pital which was report-edly already 90 percent fi nished when work on it was stopped last June.

FROM PAGE 1 Register of Deeds pro-cessing was needed to “fi rm up” his company’s leasehold rights over the 177-hectare land known as Global Gateway Lo-gistics City or Logistics City. He said that the area used to have claim-ants before despite their being covered by this freeport.

Sarmiento told Wil-liams his committee, which tackled plans for the Clark International Airport here, would clar-ify the issue with Ochoa and top offi cials of the BCDA.

PeregrineThe GGDC is now in

court battle with Pere-grine Development Inter-national, Inc. (Peregrine) whom it recently fi red as sole contractor for all vertical and horizontal projects, including the still unfi nished $40 mil-lion Medical City, within the Logistics City,

Peregrine said GGDC violated their 50-year “engineering, procure-ment, construction, and management services agreement (EPCM)” by terminating this abrupt-ly last June and with-

drawing all $1.6 million from their working capi-tal funds.

Peregrine has re-fused to vacate the Logis-tics City and barred any contractor of GGDC from entering the 177-hectare area, pending the reso-lution of pending cases both parties had fi led be-fore local courts and the Court of Appeals.

KGL GroupNo one during the

House committee hear-ing knew why the Pres-ident withheld the anno-tation of the lease doc-

ument of GGDC, but Peregrine distributed to media news clippings from Kuwait and cop-ies of offi cial documents from the US implicating the Kuwaiti KGL Group in questioned involve-ments in its businesses abroad.

One document dated June 21, 2011 was from US Sen. Mark Kirk ask-ing the US Department

of Treasury to investigate KGL group, which owns GGDC here, for possible violation of a law, saying “KGL may have fi nancial relationships with the Is-lamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, Hafi z Darya Shipping, Oa-sis and Valfajr- entities banned by your offi ce for illegal business conduct-ed for Iran.”

–Ding Cervantes

statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) grieves at the passing of “another pillar of Philip-pine journalism.”

“He was the unas-suming, always smiling,

Dino Balabo writes 30FROM PAGE 1 hardworking other half

of another giant of jour-nalism, the late Joe Pa-via. Yet, notwithstand-ing his busy profession-al life, he also chose to share his expertise and love of the profession with succeeding gener-ations as an educator at

the Bulacan State Uni-versity,” the statement added.

The NUJP also said that Balabo’s passing “is a great loss to the NUJP, to Philippine communi-ty journalism, and to the continuing struggle for genuine press freedom

and freedom of expres-sion in the country.”

“As we pursue our dreams of a truly free Philippine press, you and your example will al-ways serve as in inspi-ration, Kasamang Dino,” NUJP added in its state-ment. --- PCIJ

government offi cials.“In the exercise of

the oversight functions of this committee and in preparation for the up-coming budget delibera-tions of the (Department of Transportation and Communications) on Sept. 2, we would like to also look into the update and issues surrounding the proposed construc-tion of the low cost ter-minal building, CIAC’s preparation for the 2015 (Asia Pacifi c Economic Conference) summit and the provision of an effi -cient transportation sys-tem to and from Clark airport,” Sarmiento said who sat beside commit-tee members Rep. Jo-seller “Yeng” Guiao (1st District-Pampanga), Ga-vini C. Pancho (2nd Dis-trict-Bulacan), and Noel Villanueva (3rd Dis-trict-Tarlac).

“In the coming months and years, we are cer-tain that Clark airport will play a bigger role in ush-ering tourism and oth-

er economic benefi ts for the benefi t of the aviation industry and the country as a whole,” Sarmiento said. “Rest assured that we are here to extend our hand to help you. We are your partners in re-alizing the full potential of the Clark airport,” he added.

“We will be convinc-ing agencies to put in their stake in the devel-opment of the Clark air-port,” he further said.

During the hearing, CIAC President-CEO Victor Jose “Chichos” Luciano announced the directive of President Aquino to the DOTC to immediately conduct a feasibility of a “high-speed railway” linking this airport to Metro but declined to give further details saying Transpor-tation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya will be the one to give the details on the project.

Meanwhile, Guiao described the recent de-velopments including the P1.2 billion fund for this airport in the 2015

national budget as the clearest indications of the President’s intention to bolster the Philippines’ quest to serve as a major Asia-Pacifi c air transport hub via the speedy up-grading of this airport’s facilities and its annual capacity to the 10-15 mil-lion air passengers.

Guiao noted that the Clark Airport project will be part of the overall government thrust to ex-pand the capacity of the premier Ninoy Aquino In-ternational Airport (NAIA) with the construction of a new runway, as well as the envisioned construc-tion of a new airport at the former US-operated Sangley naval base in Cavite City.

Guiao, a prime-mov-er of the group advocat-ing for Clark with Pam-panga Gov. Lilia “Nanay Baby” Pineda and Rep. Oscar Rodriguez (3rd District-Pampanga) said “the intention of the hear-ing is for the committee to gather facts that could help it prepare and push for new legislations to

put the Clark Airport on equal footing with all the other operating inter-national airports in the country.”

He also said the com-mittee is supporting the passage into law of a bill that he proposed to convert the CIAC, which oversees the manage-ment and operations of this airport, into an au-thority as well as a new bill renaming this airport into the “Corry Aquino In-ternational Airport.”

On the other hand, the planned “high-speed railway” is expected to ride on the route of aborted North Railways project that was also de-signed to connect Manila to Clark and other indus-trial-commercial hubs in Central and Northern Lu-zon.

“The realization of this transport mode,” Guiao said, “will defi nitely bol-ster all projects aimed at hastening economic development not only in Central and Northern Lu-zon but also in the entire country.”

House body to push Clark airportFROM PAGE 1

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sengers from Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordille-ra Administrative Region (CAR) to use Clark air-port. The survey referred to the regions as Clark’s “catchment area”, as against NAIA’s catch-ment area covering the National Capital Region (NCR) and Regions 4 and 5.

The report was pre-sented by CIAC during a recent hearing held here by the House com-mittee on transportation chaired by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento to tackle the proposed full development of Clark airport as premiere gate-way amid some P1.2 bil-lion budget for the airport

NAIA passengers from CL, NL unaware...FROM PAGE 1 in 2015.

The survey said that from January to May this year, NAIA had 15,199,000 passengers and that of this number, 2,397,000 were from Clark airport’s catch-ment area. It also not-ed that 41 percent of passengers at NAIA fl ew to destinations also reached by fl ights avail-able at Clark.

The survey also noted that of those who came from Clark’s catchment area, 78 percent knew that Clark airport was op-erating international and domestic fl ights, while 22 percent knew nothing at all about Clark airport’s fl ights.

From last January to May, the Clark airport re-

corded 569,000 passen-gers.

CIAC President-CEO Victor Jose Luciano said this is the reason why and members of his staff have been holding “road-show” campaigns in var-ious regions, the latest being in Pangasinan, to make people aware that they could take their fl ights from Clark instead of NAIA which, he noted, is farther and traffi c-con-gested.

The survey also noted that majority of Clark’s passengers, or from 35 to 39 percent, are from Pampanga. Records showed that Clark’s passengers to-taled 1,315,757 in 2012 and that this slightly de-creased to 1,200,594 in

2013. Clark airport’s ex-isting passenger termi-nal can accommodate a total of 4.5 million pas-sengers per year.

NAIA passengers were also interviewed on why they opted to fl y via NAIA. Some 36 percent of them cited availability of fl ights to their destina-tions, 34 percent cited airport accessibility, 21 percent fl ight schedule, six percent travel cost, and four percent promo air fare.

The survey also said that 88 percent from Clark’s catchment area who took fl ights at NAIA said they would opt for Clark should there be more convenient fl ight schedules at the airport here. –Ding Cervantes

comes their way. “We have weathered many storms, literally and fi g-uratively. There were in-stances when we would ask ourselves, ‘Why arewe doing this?’” she shared. “Then you see the grateful smiles of the people we have helped and you realize that ev-erything was well worth it.”

“I would always tell my team, the hardest

GMA, CEB in education projectFROM PAGE 5 tasks to accomplish and

the most demanding of missions, they are the ones that will stay with you even after many, many years. They are the ones that will make you feel most fulfi lled,” she added.

The broadcaster said that she and her team are not slowing down as they continue to en-courage underprivileged children to embrace ed-ucation. “As we carry out the program annually, we

fi nd ways to refi ne and improve so that we could fulfi ll our advocacy even better,” she shared. “We do not stop and we will continue to do our best to continue to make a difference in the lives of more Filipinos.”

Like Cebu Pacifi c, in-dividuals and organiza-tions can also take part in reaching out to un-derprivileged Filipinos through GMA Kapuso Foundation. For more information, contact the

foundation at (02) 982-77-77 loc. 9901, 9904, or 9905, email at gmaf@gmanetwork.com or visit their website at www.ka-pusofoundation.com.

Cebu Pacifi c contin-ues to aid partner insti-tutions and organiza-tions in extending help and advocating educa-tion to Filipinos all over the country. For more in-formation on the airline’s projects for the environ-ment and education, visit www.cebupacifi cair.com.

BY ELMO ROQUE

CABANATUAN CITY – Every Septem-ber 2 is Nueva Ecija Day, a non-work-ing holiday.

But it is not the founding anniversa-ry of the province, as is the usual thing whenever such occasion is celebrated, but rather in honor of the Novo Ecijano heroes of the 1896 revolution.

A law has been passed for the “Nueva Ecija Day” observance.

“It is in honor of them who earned for Nueva Ecija the honor of being me-morialized in the Philippine fl ag,” said former Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson of the fi rst district of Nueva Ecija. He in-troduced a bill that eventually became a law declaring every September 2 as “Araw ng Nueva Ecija.”

The bill which was passed by Con-gress and the Senate on Sept. 4, 1991 and January 30, 1992, respective-ly, was signed into law by then Pres. Corazon Aquino on June 2, 1992.

“I sought the passage of that law, with the help of then Sen. Alberto Ro-mulo, to become a permanent tribute for the Novo Ecijano heroes who sac-rifi ced for freedom sake that subse-quently ensconced our province to a lofty place in history,” Joson said.

Sept. 2, 1896 in the province’s his-tory, he said, was the day the revolu-tionists rose in arms to lay siege to the provincial capitol and garrison located that time in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija. It happened a few days after the “First Cry of Balintawak” and earned the so-briquet “First Cry of Nueva Ecija”.

Joson introduced the bill that be-came R.A. 7596 declaring September 2 as “Araw ng Nueva Ecija and a spe-cial non-working holiday in the prov-ince.

This province, declared a “comman-dancia” (outpost) by the then Span-ish Governor-General Fausto Cruzar in 1705 and named after his home province in Spain, remained without a

Nueva Ecija Day honors ‘96 Ecijano revolutionistsfounding anniversary.

“The revolution in Nueva Eci-ja spawned many heroes and many pillars in the country’s uprising. The Sept. 2, 1896 siege in San Isidro town demonstrated their sheer courage in the face of their superior enemy. Many Novo Ecijanos became martyrs be-cause of that fi ght for freedom,” Joson said.

An account of that siege published in one of the Nueva Ecija Day pro-grams which was quoted from the man-uscript of the late Prof. Leopoldo Ser-rano, a local historian, indicated that the siege was led by Mariano Llanera, then capitan municipal of Cabiao town, along with Pantaleon Valmonte, capi-tan municipal of Gapan town. Though they were offi cials in the colonial gov-ernment, they were secret members of the Katipunan.

Accompanied by a musikong bum-bong (bamboo musical band) later known as Banda Makabayan de Ca-biao to disguise the attack, the more than 700 attackers, armed only with a few guns, bolos, and pointed sticks marched from Cabiao to San Isidro, then capital of the province. They freed their jailed fellow members of the Kati-punan and were able to kill the head of the garrison along with some of his sol-diers.

Reinforced Spanish troops, how-ever, overwhelmed the attackers that caused the death of 60 patriots and forced the others to retreat.

Llanera disbanded his troop and re-appeared early January 1897 with his men and joined the forces of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, along with his son Eduardo. He was designated vice commander of the revolutionary army with the rank of lieutenant-general.

The elder Llanera, according to his daughter Aurora in a previous inter-view, died of old age in their house in Cabiao. The house, despite the prom-ises of ranking government offi cials to

be preserved, was replaced by a new one because of wear and tear.

Valmonte, a former classmate of Jose Rizal at the Ateneo de Manila, was arrested along with his vice mayor, councilors, municipal judge, secretary and other offi cials and were executed. They were extolled as the “13 Martyrs of Gapan”.

Other published accounts included Novo Ecijano patriots, who were from wealthy families, who became out-standing fi gures of the revolution. They were Gen. Mamerto Natividad Jr., son of lawyer Mamerto Sr. who was arrest-ed and killed, his brothers Benito and Salvador, who also became generals in the revolution, and his two other sib-ling as a major and captain, respective-ly; Gen. Manuel Tinio, Gen. Alipio Tec-son, Col. Ignacio Pua, among others.

Gen. Natividad Jr. was appointed commanding general of the revolu-tionary army in Central Luzon but was

The Sideco House used as headquarters of then Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo when he transferred the seat of his revolutionary government to San Isidro, Nueva Ecija on March 31 to May 17, 1899. It is now used as “General Aguinaldo Gospel Center” by a religious group.

killed in action. Tinio, a scion of the biggest land-

owner in Nueva Ecija, became the youngest general at 20 and held the distinction of being the last general of the Philippine-American war to surren-der.

Tinio and Gen. Benito Natividad lat-er became governors of Nueva Ecija. The former was later appointed as the director of the Bureau of Labor in 1909 and Director of Lands in 1913 while the latter became provincial fi scal and judge of the Court of First Instance.

The peasants and the others of var-ious callings who joined the Nueva Eci-ja revolution, some of whom died in battle, may not be mentioned promi-nently except the 461 listed in the Tab-let of Heroes in a monument to Gen. Llanera in Cabiao. Nevertheless, all of them are annually edifi ed in the legis-lated “Nueva Ecija Day” every Septem-ber 2.

BY ARMAND M. GALANG

PALAYAN CITY – Various agencies, including lo-cal government units, law enforcement agencies and learning institutions, have forged a pact to in-tensify the campaign against illegal drugs to save the “entire society” from the menace in the prov-ince-wide summit spearheaded by this city and the provincial government of Nueva Ecija at the Nueva Ecija Convention Center here Friday.

Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas of this city said thousands of participants have pledged to partici-pate in various capacities to eradicate all forms of illegal drugs.

“Illegal drugs destroy the very foundation of our society,” Cuevas said, adding everyone must really get involved in the stepped-up drive.

“Lahat tayo’y kasangkot at dapat kumilos, hu-wag nating hintayin na wasakin nito ang ating mga pamilya at kabuuan ng ating lipunan. Ang paglipol sa droga ay pananagutan nating lahat. Hindi ma-maya o bukas kundi now na.” Cuevas said.

Gov. Aurelio Umali, said the provincial govern-ment will allocate P10 million in its next peace and order fund.

“Novo Ecijanos, we always stand by the dreams of our family. Lalaban tayo. Kalaban ang masamang bisyong ito. Sasama tayo, tatayuan, sapagkat hinahamon, hindi lang kinabukasan ng isang bata, hinahamon pati ang kapayapaan ng ating lalawigan,” Umali stressed.

Without citing the exact number of detainees at the provincial jail, Umali said an inventory showed 70 percent are facing drug-related charges.

A report from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) showed that 189 of the total 849 villages of Nueva Ecija are affected with the illegal drugs. This places the province second to Pam-panga, which has 193 out of 505 villages in num-ber of drug-affected villages in the region.

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