september 28-october 4, 2014

8/11/2019 September 28-October 4, 2014

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3rd Floor, GERONIMO BLDG., BARLIN ST., NAGA CITY TELEFAX: (054) 475-62-62 CP 0921-3183720 / 0919-2822901 / 0920-5337766

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OUTSTANDING LOCAL NEWSPAPERFor Five Consecutive YearsSt. Peter Baptist Catholic Mass Media Awards

www.bikolreport.blogspot.come-mail: [email protected]

REGIONAL EXPONENT FOR PROGRESS

Mayor SARION

Daet, PCA launch Easy Writing Contest

Mayon's Nocturnal Spectacle

4-day work week, optional: PalaceMANILA -- Government

agencies are given the op-

tion to decide whether or

not to implement the Civil

Service Commission (CSC)

circular that paves the way

for the adoption of a four-

day work week for govern-

ment ofces.

The particular agency

would be in a better position

to address this... While the

Civil Service Commission

(CSC) provides the guidelines,

the particular implementing

agency has to also look at the

guidelines vis--vis their work

activities and also their inter-

action with the public sector,

Presidential Spokesperson

Edwin Lacierda told reporters

in a press brieng at the Pal-

ace on Friday.

By DANNY O. CALLEJA and MANNY P. SOLIS

At night, the scene is truly magnicent and unique as

incandescent materials forming like a stream of re pour

out from Mt. Mayon summit into a large crevice fronting

this city.

People here are out watching, like having a night party,

how the viscid mass bubble quietly but grandly overruns the

border of the crater and descends several hundred feet in a

glowing wave, like red-hot iron.

Gradually fading as the upper surface cools, the re wouldtransform into thousands of sparkling rills on the giant crevice

and twinkle like stars or sparks of a dying conagration as it

passes the line of complete vision.

The fascinating scenario illuminates the upper side of the

mountain to the delight of night watchers.

This is how Jose Briones, the former Albay provincial

tourism ofcer, describes the ongoing nighttime scenario that

Mayon demonstrates nightly since last Monday.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and

Seismology (Phivolcs), the show is a clear precursor of an

impending major eruption which, considering other scientic

(Turn to page 7)

DAET, CNorte - The local gov-

ernment of this town and the Phil-

ippine Coconut Authority(PCA)

will launch next month a two-

tiered on-the-spot essay writing

We want to increase the

awareness of the students on

the importance of the coco-

nut to our economy, Sarion

said.

The contest, with the

theme: Coconut Tree: Rec-

contest for high school and col-

lege students, centered on the

coconut; Mayor Tito S. Sarion

bared to the Bikol Reporter over

the weekend.

ognizing the Socio-Economic

Values of the Tree of Life,

will be conducted initially

in the different provinces of

Bicol which will have their

own eliminations, accord-

ing to these schedule: Oct.

24, Catanduanes; Oct. 27,

Sorsogon; Oct. 28, Masbate;

Oct. 29, Albay; Oct. 30, Cam.

Sur; and Cam. Norte. The re-

gional level will be contested

by winners in the provincial(Turn to page 4)

(Turn to page 6)

LIGHT IN THE DARK JOHN PHILIP PERALTAA spelunker from the Protected Areas and Wildlife Division (PAWD)

of DENR-Bicol (PAWD looks up at an opening of one of the caverns

in Banga Caves in Ragay, Camarines Sur, where PAWD personnel

located 26 caves along two other barangays in the town.


2/8

BIKOL REPORTER2 SEPT. 28 - OCT. 4, 2014OPINION

those in the provinces are alerted onthe new developments in the accountingand auditing professions includingthe (now pending) Quality AssuranceReview espoused by both the Boardof Accountancy and the Securitiesand Exchange Commission. Underthis system, external auditors will bestrictly evaluated prior to their periodicaccreditation (needed for practice asexternal auditors) by regulatory bodies.

LEGAZPI: This Albay city is now

the most preferred convention site bynational organizations (not necessarilybecause of the possible Mayon eruption).

Among the factors positively consideredare modestly-priced and varied foodproducts, natural sceneries, goodinfrastructures, beautiful tourist spots,and ever-smiling people. There mustbe continuing assurance that peace andorder will always be maintained.

Both Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salcedaand Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal arezealously proud of the tourist arrivals in

A lifestyle check, according to the

Ombudsman webpage is an investigation

strategy developed by anti-corruption agenciesin the Philippines to determine the existence

of ill-gotten and unexplained wealth of ofcials

and employees of the government.

That this strategy is designed at all, is both

a recognition of the fallibility (or weakness)

of government employees to fall into the

temptation of money; and an effort to check this

errant behavior or tendency.

The legal legs of this snooping are of course

the Constitution (i.e. Sec. 27 under the Preamble:

The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in

the public service and take positive and effective

measures against graft and corruption.; and

Art. XI, Sec. 1 which states that: Public ofce

is a public trust. Public ofcers and employees

must at all times be accountable to the people,

serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity,

loyalty, and efciency, act with patriotism andjustice, and lead modest lives.); and, R.A. 6713

or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards

for Public Ofcials and Employees.

The recent calls therefore on Vice President

Binay and PNP Chief Purisima stand on these

grounds; though there are quarters who are

saying, in the case of VP Binay, that it is what

he reaped for announcing early his plans for the

presidency.

A public ofce is public trust. We do not

agree therefore with AKO Bicol partylist

representative Batocabe that congressmen

should be spared from lifestyle check as they

are already under close scrutiny by the media

and other government agencies.

The point is not the presence of checks and

balances but the need to uphold the integrity

of the institutions and employees of thegovernment.

If BIRs Kim Henares exerts all effort to

squeeze taxes from government employees,

down to the lowest rung of the bureaucracy,

the more that the government should also exert

all efforts to show that these squeezed taxes at

source are well-spent on public expenditures

and projects, and not on some government

ofcials mansion.

Conducting lifestyle checks for all

government employees (as there are even rank-

and-le employees in some local government

units in Bicol who are earning more than their

mandated salaries and living a lifestyle for the

rich and infamous); will restore that faith and

condence eroded by the widespread graft and

corruption by government ofcials.

Legazpi. The citys economic recordshave upgraded its status in terms oftrade and industry. But there are darkclouds hanging overhead; the planof the city to raise its realty tax ratesis not getting the favorable reactionof business and industry. Local

businessmen are uniting to objectversus the plan.

POLITICS: There seems to be nolet-up in the political skirmishes amongpotential presidential bets and theirallies. VP Jejomar Binays decisionto skip the Senate investigations ispolitically right. He is already pre-

judged by the investigators andno matter what defense he mayoffer will certainly be washed away.

Any explanation he provides will beadded fuel to the blistering re of his

opponents.The proper forum for Binays

case is the elections to be held inMay 2016. The response to politicalcharges should also be politicalcounter charges then just let the

people decide later on as to whosepronouncements they believe in.The VPs big error was his earlydeclaration that he is running forpresident. The tirades against himwere spawned by survey resultsthat he leads everyone in terms ofcredibility, popularity. Abangan angsusunod na kabanata!

WISDOM: Generosity never

diminishes the giver, but makes him

or her more blessed and truly rich.

(PICPA past president and Hall-

of-Famer, and ACPAPP Lifetime

Achievement Awardee).

FREE TRADE: The Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) isconsidered as the second most cohesivegroup of countries, after the European

Union. This global high position will befurther strengthened next year with theIntegration (Unication) of the 10-country

aggrupation. This means exchanges ofmerchandise and services will be mostlyfree via elimination of tariffs and controleven of people trafc.

Filipinos must evaluate theircapability to withstand competitioncoming from their neighbors, in termsof production and costings. Asidefrom the banking industry, there maybe complications in key professionsand other service providers. Are ourarchitects, engineers, medical serviceproviders, CPAs and other professionalsready for the competition of their foreigncounterparts? Mutual recognition ofprofessions will eventually ensue.

AUDITORS: ACPAPP is the nationalorganization of CPAs in Public Practice(External Auditors). They held their3-day national convention in LegazpiCity (Oriental Hotel) on the theme:Standing Tall in the Midst of GlobalChallenges. The CPAs talked aboutthe forthcoming challenges spawned bythe ASEAN Integration (by Year 2015)and their capability to compete withfellow ASEAN CPAs, especially thosefrom Singapore and Malaysia.

Practicing accountants, more so

ASEAN Integration in 2015

Butch Abad as the PDAF King.I agree with CBCP President Socrates

Villegas who said, Selective Justice isnot justice at all. The overused DaangMatuwidis only applied to the opposition

and not to allies of the administration.

*****

The following is an excerpt from theeditorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirerdated September 27, 2014 for public

information. Director General AlanPurisima of the Philippine National Police

is one lucky guy.Consider the run of extraordinary

luck that Purisima has had lately. Even

as he keeps a tight lip, no less than hisboss has come to his defense. Reacting

to reports that Purisima has a hiddenmansion in San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija,

and was a beneciary of an allegedly

anomalous P100-million contract involving

the delivery of rearms licenses, President

Aquino said he had never known his close

friend to be maluho (extravagant) ormatakaw(greedy).

But that hidden mansion is on topof another grand edifice being linkedto Purisimathe ostentatiously named

White House, supposedly the officialresidence of the PNP chief, thats being

built in Camp Crame. Housing for select

government officials is an ordinary

enough benet, but this one is the king

of the hill: a mansion reportedly beingbuilt to the tune of P25 million.

Even if he will be ensconcedthere during his remaining years in

office, the parsimonious Purisima isspending nothing for it. More thanhalf of the construction fund is coming

from taxpayer money given that the

mansion is classied as government

property. And the rest of it, about P11

million? This is where his lucky streakhits the home run: The money came

from donations by executives of three

construction rmsCarlos Gonzales of

Ulticon Builders Inc., Alexander Lopez of

Pacic Concrete Corp. and Christopher

Pastrana of CAPP Industries Inc.Now why would such privateentities donate sums of money forthe construction of the PNP chiefs

quarters?The more consequential question, of

course, is why Purisima accepted such

donations in the rst place. Republic Act

No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and

Ethical Standards for Public Ofcials

and Employees, not only prohibits thePNP chief from indulging in extravagant

or ostentatious display of wealth in anyform (and what is living in a P25-million

mansion if not that, while ordinary copshave to make do with niggardly payand substandard equipment?), it also

bans the solicitation or acceptance,directly or indirectly, of any gift, gratuity,

favor, entertainment, loan or anything ofmonetary value in the course of his

ofcial duties or in connection with any

operation being regulated by, or anytransaction which may be affected by

the functions of, his ofce.

My conclusion is this: Is this DaangMatuwid?

Heres the good news. PresidentBenigno Simeon Aquino arrived after his12 days tour of Europe and the United

States and he announced $2.3 Billiondollars in investment pledges from foreignbusinesses. Even though pledges are just

promises, lets be hopeful.In a convocation at Boston College,

Massachussets, U.S.A., Pres. Aquinoreportedly claimed that his pursuit of thestraight path had led to putting former

President now Pampanga representativeGloria Macapagal Arroyo behind bars who

has been charged with plunder.The President also mentioned three

senators, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy

Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., who wasalso charged with plunder related to the

Priority Development Fund (PDAF) scamalleged mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.He said, We used to think that the

powerful and well connected were beyondthe long arm of the law. That is no longerthe case.

The cases of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and

Ramon Revilla, Jr., are all pending in court.

Their trial is not nished and they are not

convicted in court. The human right of

every citizen in our democratic system isthat an accused is presumed innocent

unless found guilty by a court of justice.Without conviction of the court, it cannotbe considered as accomplishments.

Names of sixteen senators weresubmitted by alleged PDAF scan queen

Janet Lim Napoles to Justice Secretary

Leila de Lima per media reports.Rehabilitation Czar Panlo Lacson saidthe same on TV. Why are only threesenators from the opposition beingcharged in court? Is it because the thirteen

other senators belong to the Liberal Partyand allies of the administration? Janet Lim

Napoles even identied DBM Secretary

VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

www.bikolreport.blogspot.com

EDITORIAL

Lifestyle check for allgovernment employees

LEE G. DULLESCO II

Head, Advertising Associates

0920-533-7766

02082606

Tel. No. (054) 475-6262

ED G. YU

Editor

0939-604-3144


3/8

BIKOL REPORTER 3SEPT. 28 - OCT. 4, 2014

Compliments of:

PENAFRANCIA NEW JERSEY CELEBRATION

Expatriates devotees of Ina, belonging to the Devotees Association (Tri-State) Inc. also heldtheir own Penafrancia celebration with a procession in Jersey City last Sept. 20.

STARTING EM YOUNGThe Land Transportation Ofce and Biggs Diner launched last

week the Students Today, Road Users Tomorrow campaign

at the SM City-Naga Activity Center, to involve and inform

students about road safety.

JAM MADRID

By JOSEPH JOHN J. PEREZ

LEGAZPI CITY It willbe a three-in-one celebrationas the Commission on Elec-tions (Comelec) declared thatthis city will be the venue for

its rst ever national goodwillgames slated on November 28to December 2 this year.

The event will featureComelecs anniversary on De-cember 2; tribute to the retiringcommissioners led by ChairmanSixto Brillantes and commis-sioners Lucinito Tagle and EliasYusuph; and the historical host-ing of the rst national goodwillgames held in Bicol, ComelecBicol regional election directorRomeo Fortes told the Philip-

pine Information Agency (PIA)Bicol in an exclusive nterview.

According to Fortes, theevent will also help boost Al-

bays bid in hosting PalarongPambansa next year.

This will be sort of a dry-run especially for Departmentof Education (DepEd) Legazpiand Albay Divisions who willofciate the games, Fortes

added.Aside from DepEd, Comelec

Bicol asked for the assistanceof the Local Government Unit(LGU) of Legazpi City to man-age the event, Philippine Na-tional Police (PNP) to providesecurity and PIA to provideinformation and media supportfor the duration of the sportsevent.

Expected participants ofmore than 2,000 personnelcoming from Comelec mainofce and its sixteen regionalofces, the event will show-case not only sports events

(Turn to page 7)

By ANA-LIZA S. MACATANGAY

NAGA CITY --- LandTransportation Ofce (LTO)Bicol regional director Nor-

een San Luis-Lutey stuckanew with the latest cam-paign to improve road safetyduring the launching cumpresscon of STRUT- Stu-dents Today , Road UsersTomorrow held at SM CityNaga here on Sept. 24.

STRUT is LTOs newestcampaign that seeks to raisethe awareness of students andyouth in their endeavor to low-er the percentage of road ac-cidents and go back to the ba-sic rules on road conduct andsafety through the help of massand social media.

A brain child of public in-formation ofcer Carlos Are-

jola of Pili town in CamarinesSur, STRUT endeavors to raisethe importance of using seat-

belt while driving, the use ofhelmet while in transit in pur-suance of Republic Act 10054otherwise known as the Mo-torcycle Act of 2009, the driveagainst kolurum vehicles or

vehicles with lapsed or invalidlicenses and the drive against

drunk driving. It also includeprivate vehicles used illegallyfor commercial purposes.

The latter objective is con-sistence with the latest lawdubbed as the Anti-Drunk andDrugged Driving Act of 2013

or Republic Act 10586 whichspecically highlights the pro-tection of life and property andthe promotion of life in gener-al. The law covers those whowill be found driving under theinuence of alcohol, drugs andother similar substances.

Asked why they decided tofocus on the youth, Lutey be-lieves that road safety trainingsshould begin at an early age.

We want to create futuredrivers that are safety con-scious and we can realize thatif we can inculcate and instill inthe minds of our students roadsafety consciousness at theiryoung age. We also want thiscampaign to reach the higherauthorities so that together we

can push this for greater re-sult, Lutey added.

Together in this campaignare stakeholders like the De-

partment of Education (DepEd)which will have a special rolein including road safety lec-tures in the Kto12 curriculum.

We have also sought the

help of DepEd to include roadsafety instructions for kids intheir curriculum. There are ba-sic rules like stop, look and lis-ten which we have forgotten inthe midst of this technologicalage. These simple instructionsstill remains useful to date. Ifthey are aware of this, then wewill be creating safety con-scious pedestrians and driversin the future.

Aside from DepEd, LTOhave also embarked in a new

partnership by inking an agree-ment with BIGGS, Inc., a

private Bicolano food chainwhose part of corporate socialresponsibility focuses on the

promotion of youths welfare.BIGGS, Inc. Chief Execu-

tive Ofcer Carlo Buenaor(Turn to page 7)


4/8

BIKOL REPORTER4 SEPT. 28 - OCT. 4, 2014ETCETERA

INNER CHESSBY J. HENRY DANICAN

For years Ive always wondered how it feels to be reallysurprised. Dont get me wrong, Ive got family members, friendsand girlfriends who surprised me before. But this one is differentyet too special. Fritz, you know weve been through a lot, which

is why you are my best buddy. Mark, how can I ever forget whatyou did when I was in a hospital and you sent money for myhospital bills. Of course there are more than instance when J.R.rushed me to the hospital. And Nabzi, my Australian friend whosaved me by letting me join in one of the best jobs ever. Guys,I cannot thank you more than enough. But heres a new personwho left a HUGE mark in my heart [no offense to my girlfriendSarah]. This guy traveled 15 kiliometers, wading through thedifferent levels of ood so that he can bring me and my familysome food and water. I could not believe what I heard someoneshouting is this Jabee Sisons place? When I saw him carryinga 5 gallon bottle of water, a container full of canned food andbread, slightly pale and shaking because he was submerged inwater for almost 3 hours...tears just rolled down my fat cheeks.So, without further ado, I would like to present to everyone MYBESTMAN, Oscar Landrum....

This foregoing was an incident that urged me to put it onprint. One story which moved me when I myself witnessedduring the tropical storm Fung-Wong, the international nameof Mario. I did watch volunteer rescuers and could not describehow they construct value in their lives through their heroic worksunder risks during this typhoon and ood. I indeed salute MayorKit Nieto and his troupe, Kgd Rhey Villa and his rescue teamwho were out there for the ood victims in Cainta. My praises toKgd Edgar Sison of Brgy Sto Domingo, the two women of CFC-FFL Gema Bago & Precy Perez who despite the waters wereonboard a boat only to distribute food to our hungry sisters andbrothers in Christ. But I chose to publish a remarkable story, asone attributed to Divine Intervention. Without God in the heart ofthis young boy in mid 20s, he himself would have not found thespirit, nor would interrupt his own life to wade miles of oodedareas in Cainta from his place in Antipolo.

My dear readers, it was is a link from the facebook of mynephew Jabee Sison who is getting married 2 months from now.It was shared on social media the night of September 19, 2014when the rain steadily didnt stop pouring ood waters, when the

One act of random kindness

First, because you are seated as you wait for your turn tobe served. I wish another bank would nd ways to keep itscustomers comfortable. Standing on line for some 30 minutesor even only for 20 for someone my age can be tiresome. At anyrate, the point is, people are happy there are banks to serve ourbanking needs. And whether one is seated or standing, thanksjust the same. Now, one can keep his money secured.

Arnel A. Barrion, branch head of the local bank (IrigaCamarines Sur Branch) deserves my gratitude. I had longwanted to say dios mabalos but can only say it now. Aftertyphoon Glenda, Metrobank declared off line, my God, I was ina helpless. I had only several pesos but hoping to use my ATM.No service, so I was told by the guards. I was even instructedto go to Naga so I can avail of Metrobank Naga. God, my lastmoney was a measly 100 which is not even enough for fare ifI have to go to Naga and take the van which will cost me P118

back and forth. I understand Bayantel which services Metrobankwas experiencing difculties after the typhoon. I understand IrigaBDO was in the same situation being serviced by Bayantel too.There was no assurance the bank will go online the followingday. I could borrow cash from friends, I thought. But the veryaccommodating Branch Head Arnel Barrion helped me outand facilitated the withdrawal of my money. Was I saved! So,my grandchildren could have their regular allowance for threedays, we would have food on the table for three days too andobviously, wont starve.

Keeping an ATM account is simply wonderful and thats whyI save my money the ATM way, I could withdraw anytime whenin bad need even at night which means I dont have to borrowfrom friends in case of emergency which is most likely to happenif I save the passbook way. At any rate, because I also have aMetrobank passbook, I would like to commend the ever cordialtellers who keep their cool and smile as they wait on customers.I wish I could have say their names with my high ve.

Still a Metrobank stuff. I got to talk to Eugene S. Regaspiwho handles AXA based inside Metrobank as its nancial

solutions specialist. Does he help people with nancial problemsget ready solutions? But how?

Bikollywood?

huring pelikula kan awarding nightta sa hiling ko pano an mga entriesnin mga gasgas na pormula o kayapagkapkap sa diklom kun sain pasiringo ano an tinutumbok kan istorya,kunlove triangle, horror o manongod sakaisugan nin boot asin pagtubod.Huna ko ta huli may tema an festival,an mga obra kikiniton ini siring sapagkinit nin natong na gugulayon asinpaluluwason an paghiling (ta biswalna medyum an pelikula) sa kaisugano courage. Kaya sabi ko ngani, kunsusumahon, arog kaini an mga istoryakan limang pelikula: Nawawara o waraan mga karakter, na pwedeng itay oInay (ta nagadan ta naghilang o kayaOFW), kaya Harayo,dawa Harani.

An dayupot o Kapit na pagtubodasin pag-Atang sana ki Ina annagtataong paglaom sainda. Aroglang kaiyan. Thats all o somethinglike that.

Minauyon ako ki Vim na dakulpang dapat gibohon manongod saaspetong teknikal asin sa pagbibilogkan istorya. Ini an sabi niya: Thetechnicals and the sense of storycould still be greatly improved.Technicals-wise, the sound aspectneeds a lot of improvement. All ofthe short lms resorted to dubbing

their dialogues. It was obvious thedialogues were dubbed. Perhapsthe lmmakers could learn the art

of eld sound recording and sound

engineering. Original songs shouldbe used in the soundtrack. Theyalso need to learn more about lm

editing.For the succeeding editions

of the Penafrancia Film Festival,perhaps more workshops could be

conducted on story and conceptbuilding, acting, and the technicalaspects I mentioned. But we canalready see the talent. Sustainedguidance and training from thispoint on.

The End?

Enot kong nadangog an tataramonna ini ki Vim Yapan sa shooting mi kan2011 kan Gayuma sa Bombon, kunsain gamit mi an tataramon na Bikol sasamong mga dialogo. Pangaturugan niVim na magkaigwa man nin pelikulangBikol, manongod sa Bikol asin gibongBikol. Garo baga bersyon ta man kanBollywood sa India.

Garo luway-luway na iningnagkakaigwang katotoohan sapaggibo giraray kan Penafrancia ShortFilm Festival na ika-duwang taon nangonyan. Sabi ngani ni Vim sako saemail, Magayon na mamumundagan Bikollywood sa konteksto kanPenafrancia Fiesta.

An Simbahan Katoliko sarongdakulang paradara asin parabayubonin kultura sa satong rona (magin sasatong nasyon); asin an pagpamidbidasin paggamit kan pelikula para sapagpapapusog kan pagtubod sapaagi kan lm festival sa panahon nin

kapiyestahan ni Ina, saro man nanggad

na marhay, huli ta nakakalunad sasulog kan panahon, na lakdang.Alagad, dai ako bilog na optimistiko

sa kinaagahan kan pelikulang Bikolkun susukulon sa mga obra na nahilingsa edisyon kan festival ngonyan nataon. Naghali tulos ako pakatapos kan

water inside the house of sister was chest-deep and above 5feet in other areas of the subdivision. The same night, the wholefamily of my sister and I, were watching Evan Almighty. God inthe person of Morgan Freeman said to the movie character; thatto change the world...is by doing one act of random kindness.And that same night I found a memorable opportunity knowingsomeone, an exemplary kind person in his own expressionof himself loving a friend. Oscar Landrum, not a Filipino, bornin the United States, was raised in Korea, but working in thePhilippines, perhaps for that mission named Fung-Wong.

To some people who cannot dene him as a hero, wellindeed he was a MESSAGE from heaven telling the world;

that expressing love is regardless of race, regardless of ourposition in the society. Its how we SOW REAL KINDNESS toour brothers. Because true kindness comes from the HEARTof the ALMIGHTY.

elimination on November 29, 2014 in Legazpi City.

Under the contest rules, a school, college or university can

only send one ofcial participant per category who is duly en-

dorsed by the head of the institution. The contestants shall

submit the lled out entry forms during the provincial elimina-

tions, with the required endorsement and certication by the

head of the school.

Sarion said appropriate cash prizes and certicates shall be

awarded to winners in both high school and college categories

in the provincial and regional levels of the contest.The contest is co-sponsored by the Bicol Harvest Maga-

zine, Kaya Natin Movement, the Cities of Legazpi and Naga,

Seaoil, Tai Chi products and ABS-CBN. -fpj

DAET, PCA LAUNCH EASY . . .


5/8


Technical VocationalEducation Graduates,

Readying for Employment

By MANUEL O.TABARANGAOSecondary School Teacher III

Acting Head, TVE DepartmentRinconada National Technical

Vocational SchoolSto. Domingo, Iriga City

It is very encouraging to know that thereare many opportunities for employmentwaiting for technical vocational educationgraduates. But it is not enough that thegraduate has the technical know-how,that he has been conferred a certicateof completion. There are still countlessconsiderations to bear in mind.

Graduates of Technical VocationalEducation? Are you ready for work? That

is the pressing question that the graduatehas to ask himself. Naturally, the answer isa resounding yes. But let us look at it in awider angle.

Looking for a job entails quite a hardclimb. One does not get employed as amatter of chance. Of course, this could likesome kind of a miracle. But we know verywell that miracles do not happen now. So,graduates of technical vocational education,brace yourself.

The interview. No one ever gets into ajob without being interviewed rst. It is anaccepted fact that the interview becomes thechief determining factor whether one will getaccepted or not. So, prepare for an interview.True, you might be applying for a technicalvocation job but you have to dress properlywhen you come to meet your prospectiveemployer or his representative. Do make a

good impression. Your manner of dressingcan speak a lot about your personality.

Then you need to be communicative.You dont have to speak the English likeyou know your grammar without fault. Mostoften than not, job interviews for applicantsfor skilled jobs are done in the language oneis most familiar with and of course, that is, noless than our Filipino language.

And these courtesies that one has to bearin mind when one is facing a prospectiveemployer. Please and Thank You have neverbeen outmoded. The respectful applicanteasily gets the nod of an employer. Beinghumble is an indication that one will do goodin his job and that he will abide by instructionsand policies imposed by the employer.

Always wait for your turn. If there arethings that you know very well and theinterviewer happens to dig into it, well and

good, show your skill, your ability but verygood naturedly.

Answer only as asked. You should notvolunteer information unless asked becauseit might create in you a bad image. It mighteven get you into trouble because you mighthave stepped on somebodys toes. Do notalso ask a lot of question. Of course, you arenot prevented from asking but only on veryimportant things.

I suppose you are presenting yourapplication letter. Well, this one must beprepared very well. Ask somebody to edityour application letter and curriculum vitae.

(Turn to page 7)

CBSUA WRITERS WORKSHOPThe Central Bicol State University of Agriculture-Calabanga campus recently sponsored a writersworkshop where student-writers who were chosen as writing fellows underwent rigorous workshopon their submitted ouvres. The rst batch of fellows included Anabie Estrael, Rency Asas, JettGacer, Corazon Gonzales, Roldan Hervera,Rose Ann Nidea, Kristopher Magellan Reyta, KimberlyAlejandro, Regine Palma, Marlo Jake Pecha, Clinton Caceres, Emmanuel Tabilog, Dominic Asuro,and Ariane Contreras. The workshop, organized by CBSUA faculty-member, Jerome Hipolito; wasconducted by Irmina Torres, Edna Campana, Eileen Nidea, Jusan Misolas, and Frank Penones Jr.

IRIGA CITY The en-

ergetic and synchronized

moves and the teeming con-

dence, gave the University

of Northeastern PhilippinesDance Club (UDC) an over-

all win over its opponents

during the GMA 7s Bet

ng Bayan show at SM City

Naga Parking Area, Sep-

tember 22, Sunday.

UDC members did not

just give its jurors a reason to

have a synonymous nod over

their performance but also

amazed their audience with

the breath-taking tweaks and

turns that they incorporated in

their winning piece. Indeed,

UDC gave their competitors a

rightful match during the said

competition.

The dance was choreo-

graphed by UNEP Dance

Club (UDC) Artistic DirectorHomer Q. Villareal. He was

also managing the group for

the past 7 years now.

Villareal congratulated

each members of the team for

the effort, teamwork, dedica-

tion and for having that unan-

imous will to bring home the

bacon. They indeed gave

their all to ensure that we will

bring home the honor, and

now they will represent the

Bicol Region in the upcoming

Luzon Semi-nals in Clark,

Pampanga come November

12, Villareal added.

UDC competed in the

dance category dubbed as

Bet na Dancers. This cat-

egory is open to all Filipinodancers , professional, non-

professional, can be solo, duo

or group with a maximum of

12 dancers and ages 15 and

above. Other categories in-

clude Bet na Singers and Bet

na Kakaibang Talento.

The new 12 UDC mem-

bers belong to the new gener-

ation of dancers being trained

by Villareal every year. Their

training just started just

months before the competi-

tion, the reason why they

(Turn to page 6)


6/8

BIKOL REPORTER6 SEPT. 28 - OCT. 4, 2014

Balatas Road, Brgy. Balatas, Naga City

By JASON B. NEOLA

If I were to rate in a

scale of 1 to 10 the way

the Bicol Central Station

(formerly Naga Central Bus

Terminal) is being ran today,

I wont hesitate to give it an

eleven or 12.

This was the instant remark

given by jeepney driver Faustino

Teoxon, chairman of a transport

group plying the Del Rosario-

Concepcion route here in Naga

City. He emphasized, however,

that the rating is not solely about

the physical developments that

he sees but more on the deter-

mination and zeal shown by the

city government to improve the

facilitys operations.

The local bus terminal had

been under the management for

more than a decade by a private

corporation as operator until

2013 when the private opera-

tors franchise expired and the

Naga city government of Nagadecided to take over its adminis-

tration and operation and imme-

diately undertook facility repairs,

repainting, beautication, and

more importantly, operational

innovations and reforms.

The face-lifting and the

improvements introduced were

anchored on a 4-pronged mis-

sion of the Central Bus Termi-

nal Transition Team-Technical

Working Group (CBTTT-TWG)

which is headed by City Budget

Ofcer Frank Mendoza, which

called for the:

promotion of the riding pub-

lics safety and convenience;

projection of the positive

image of the city;

provision of livelihood op-

portunities to Nagueos, and;

generation of more eco-

nomic enterprise revenues.

The city government had

used to receive an annual net

revenue of P15-M for its lease

agreement with the previous

terminal operator. This amount,

however, proved to be lower by

more than 50% when compared

to the gross income of P32-M it

obtained on the rst year that the

terminal was being managed and

operated by the city governmentunder Budget Ofcer Mendoza.

Mendoza said this years

gure is expected to increase in

2015 and in the following years,

considering the reforms and

other initiatives being adopted

under the guidance of Naga City

Mayor John G. Bongat.

Teoxon said that aside from

physical developments, strict im-

plementation of new house rules

and policies were also observed

inside the facility to ensure more

convenience, safety and security

to the public.

Teresa Bermudo, a stallhold-

er at the Central Bus Station,

said what impresses her most is

the security-conscious City Hall

workers and Public Safety Of-

ce (PSO) personnel assigned

at the terminal who are working

on shifts for a round-the-clock

security cover that signicantly

reduced to the minimum inci-

dents of theft within and around

the premises.

Before, I cannot just leave

my place even for a brief period

without my helper taking over,

else my store would be attacked

by shoplifters and thieves. But

now, I can take a nap and relax

even during nighttime withoutclosing my store and without

worrying that something may be

lost when I wake up.

The city government dur-

ing the rst quarter that it took

over the bus terminals opera-

tion had also taken the effort of

organizing all stallholders into

a multipurpose cooperative in

the hope that it could help them

more through other benets and

windows for loans and nancial

assistance that they themselves

would help establish as micro

entrepreneurs.

Unlike in the post under the

old terminal operator, the stall-

holders are no longer compelled

to purchase beverages and soft-

drinks from a supplier favored

by former terminal operator.

Stallholders are free to buy sup-

plies and services according to

their own choice, breaking off

the monopoly that had attended

the purchasing and supply deliv-

ery transactions within the termi-

nal for its stallholders for over a

decade.

Mayor Bongat also for-

warded the idea of giving the

stallholders an across-the-board

decrease of 10% from their an-

nual stall rental, Mendoza dis-closed.

Upon Mayor Bongats instruc-

tions, peddlers and roving vendors

were also organized, allowing

them to have more voice in airing

their concerns to the city manag-

ers and ofcials concerned.

Mendoza further disclosed

that the old practice of direct-

ing vendors to conduct periodic

clean-up operations within the

terminal and its perimeter has

been discontinued and the P10

fee collected from them daily in

plying their trade was lowered to

a minimal P5.00.

Jun Lausingco, bus dispatch-

er, volunteered the following ob-

servation: The city government

as terminal operator has come

up with an effective policy on

the utilization of parking spaces

for buses wherein each bus com-

pany is given a designated place

to park their buses. The idea pro-

vides a situation that is totally

different from what was happen-

ing in previous years when buses

have to wrestle against each oth-

er to secure parking spaces.

The policy also cleared the

problem on the distribution of

parking spaces between Manila-

bound buses and the buses op-

erating within the province or

the region, thereby making the

utilization of spaces inside the

terminal more organized.

Aside from that, the CBTTT-TWG also implements a policy

that prohibits taxis and other pri-

vate vehicles from entering the

terminals interior bay, thereby

allowing bus drivers to maneu-

ver their units without unneces-

sary obstructions.

Lausingco also thanked the

City Hall personnel assigned in

the terminal for their readiness to

help resolve complaints against

rowdy passengers who have

problems with any of the bus

companies. He said that in most

cases the incidents turned into

heated arguments if not acted

upon immediately.

Dan Sare, stallholder, has

this to say: I observe the citys

bus terminal now to be more

customer-friendly than before;

we no longer feel irritated when

we have to pay P5.00 every time

that we have to use the comfort

rooms because now everybody

can use it anytime for free with

maintenance personnel assigned

to keep it clean and orderly.

Sare, like many others, are

generous in commending Mayor

Bongat for the terminals peace

and order situation, clean sur-

roundings, well-lighted areas and

strict implementation of policies

pertaining to the operations of

Manila and provincial buses.

Sare said if theres one thing

that the city government has to

improve on in the terminal: up-

grading the internet connections

to the satisfaction of stallholders,

waiting passengers, especiallybusineemen and students who

cant live without their comput-

ers and other IT gadgets.which

do not serve the satisfaction of

computer hobbyists and techy

passengers. The observation

holds true with a handful of stu-

dents who were to travel back to

Manila for their studies.

May the city government

nd time to improve the internet

connectivity and coverage para

kumpleto na talaga ang improve-

ments, they said.The CSC Memorandum

Circular No. 22 encourages

government agencies in Met-

ro Manila to carry out a four-

day workweek scheme, which

aims to reduce the volume of

trafc as the Metro Manila

Skyway project enters its third

phase; increase employee ef-

ciency and organizational

performance; promote work-

life balance among employ-

ees; and enhance employee

engagement, morale and pro-

ductivity.

Under the scheme, the nor-

mal workweek is reduced to

four days from Monday to

Thursday or from Tuesday to

Friday but working hours

are increased to 10 hours a

day, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.,

with a one-hour lunch break.There are requirements

in order for one to use the

four-day workweek, that has

not yet been discussed. Most

likely, magkakaroon ng dis-

cussion diyan, said Lacierda.

Government agencies in

Metro Manila can adopt the

scheme provided their front-

line services can be accessed

by the public online; they

have a one-stop shop; they

have a functional call center/

PABX telephone system that

allows calls to be diverted to

the Ofcers-of-the-Day; and

they have baseline data on

their overall performance, aswell as on absenteeism, tardi-

ness, state of health, and turn-

over of employees, and satis-

faction of clients.

As for the Ofce of the

President, Lacierda said one

of the deputy executive secre-

taries is studying the scheme.

It will be studied by the

Ofce of the Executive Secre-

tary rst before we make any

decision on the matter, he

said. PCOO

4-DAY WORK. . .

have to really put extra efforts

in mastering their steps and

the challenge of memorizing

the dance sequence to qualify

for the regional round.

Villareal said that their vic-

tory was a hard-earned one.

They passed through various

elimination rounds which

started off last August 24 in

Legazpi City.

UNEP Dance Club will

represent the Bicol Region in

the Luzon Semi-nals under

the Dance Category. Other

areas that will also compete

during the semi- nals were

Batangas for the Bet na Sing-

ers category and Catanduanes

in the Bet na kakaibang Tal-

ento Category.

UNEP President Remelisa

Alfelor-Moraleda congratu-

lated the group and extended

her gratefulness for adding

another feather to the univer-

sitys cap.

UDC has been in existence

for the past 7 years - changing

dancers every year as others

would graduate from college

and had to leave in pursuit of

their chosen professions. Yet

Villareal never gets tired in

coming up with new talents

and harnessing them to be the

best dancers that they can be.

One of the judges, Mar-

keting Consultant and Event

Manager Eleanor Zuiga

Leanne Montemayor said

in an interview that she al-

ready predicted that UDC is

up for the win.

From the very start, I had

a feeling they will win! As

one of the judges, I gave 98

percent for UNEP. Sobrang

galling nila with all the body

moves and synchronized

movements and the smiles

love it! Plus their hair and

make up awesomely per-

fect!!, Montemayor quips.

UNEP DANCE CLUB WINS GMA 7S BET . . .


7/8


ROYAL TRADEGENERAL MERCHANDISING

CORPORATION - Naga City

Exclusive distributor of Compaero Brandy

By SALLY ATENTO-ALTEA

LEGAZPI CITY Ab-

normal activities of the res-

tive Mayon Volcano slowed

down in the past days but

that might be an indication

of preparation for a strong

eruption said the Philipppine

Institute of Volcanology and

Seismology (Phivolcs) here.

Although the numbers

have lowered in the past days,

still our uptrend tilt data indi-

cates continous ination at the

base of the edice which sig-

nies continous replenishment

of magma, Philvolcs science

research specialist Paul Alanis

said.

The volcanos latest seis-

mic network has recorded one

rockfall in the past 24 hours

with lowered Sulfur dioxide

emission at an average of 606

tonnes/day lower than the 1048

tonnes/day average recordedthree days ago.

Elevated ground forma-

tion and continous emission

means an eruption scenario,

Alanis said.

Moreover Alanis said they

could not determine the exact

time or type of eruption al-

though the volcano is exhib-

iting patterns similar to 1984

and 2009 eruption.

Mayon has different types

of eruption. It could be a si-

lent but later effusive emission

of lava like in 2009 or very

strong eruption like1984 with

quiet emission of lava in the

rst phase which became lull

in a few weeks and explosive

in the second phase with vio-

lent explosions and eruptions

of pyroclastic ow.

He added that the presence

of gas in the magma deter-

mines how explosive the erup-

tion will be.

The more gas in the

magma, the more explosivethe eruption. For Mayon, gas

emission has slowed down but

it might be because the vent is

plugged or obstructed by the

lava dome which today is al-

most at the tip of Mayons cra-

ter, he said.

Once strong pressure is

accumulated underneath, erup-

tion will be triggered and py-roclastic materials will eventu-

ally ow at the lower area of

the crater which is projected

at the southeast portion facing

Legazpi, Alanis added.

Meanwhile the Albay Pro-

vincial Disaster Risk Reduc-

tion and Management Council

(PDRRMC) is gearing up for

Mayons unrest to continue de-spite the lull in the activities of

the volcano noting their close

coordination with the Phiv-

olcs.

The lull indicates that

we need to further strengthen

preparation of the local and

national DRRMCs and sup-

port to the affected population

for them not to come back.

It could be an indication of a

stronger eruption, Albay Pub-lic Safety and Emergency Of-

ce (APSEMO) chief Cedric

Daep said.

Daep said a 9 km extended

zone has been identied as a

buffer zone with designated

safe areas for residents to

convene and be transferred to

safer location.

Registered nurses (RNs)

have likewise been em-

ployed in evacuation centersto address health and sanita-

tion concerns of evacuees.

--PIA

parameters, led the agency to

place the volcano under alert

warning level No. 3.

Under such warning level

-- which is critical due to rela-

tively high unrest as manifest-

ed by more frequent quakes

and tremors, further increase

in sulfur dioxide (SO2) ux,

occurrence of rockfalls in

summit area, vigorous steam-

ing, sustained crater glow and

persistent swelling of the vol-

canos edice -- an eruption

may occur in weeks, accord-

ing to the Phivolcs.

Mayon eruption, Briones

says, is not a destruction but

an attraction as despite lo-

cal authorities rushing up to

evacuate at least 51,625 indi-

viduals representing a total of

10,555 families from within

the six-kilometer-radius per-

manent danger zone (PDZ)

and six to seven kilometers

extended danger zone (EDZ),

tourists have been coming to

enjoy a close-range watch of

the spectacle.

Briones said Mayon's

abnormal condition always

leads to a pre-emptive evacu-

ation declaration.

At any rate, it brings the

nation more sensations, send-

ing actions without interrup-

tions. The vibration moves to

more speculations on whether

it will turn into a wild spec-

tacular illusion, he said.

According to records of

the Albay Public Safety and

MAYON'S NOCTURNAL SPECTACLE . . .

Emergency Management Of-

ce (APSEMO), a total of

133,325 persons representing

28,081 families residing in 66

barangays of three cities and

four municipalities around

the foot of the volcano are

the population at risk should

Mayon come up with a worst-

case-scenario eruption.

Under the prevailing alert

level 3, forced evacuation of

the targeted 51,625 individu-

als from the PDZ and EDZ

was started promptly follow-

ing Mondays announcement

of the warning by the Phiv-

olcs.The last time it brutally

erupted was in Feb. 2, 1993,

killing 77 people, mostly

farmers caught by a wild ava-

lanche of super-hot pyroclas-

tic materials while farming at

its lower slopes.

That eruption came as a

surprise, being not foreseen

despite round-the-clock mon-

itoring by Phivolcs from its

three observatories around the

volcano.

City Mayor Noel Rosal

said that while Phivolcs is say-

ing that an explosive eruption

could be possible, the local

tourism sector considers the

prevailing situation a boom to

the industry.

Mayon is actually famed

world-wide not only for its

marvelous look of a near-per-

fect cone but also for its furi-

ous behavior that is why tour-

ists would come rushing to the

city, especially when possible

eruptions are announced.

He recalled that in its 2006

and 2009 eruptions, increases

in the number of tourist arriv-

als were highly noticeable.

Our hotels and lodging

houses were occupied and

places that offer a good view

of the spectacle were packed

by tourists who arrived daily

in thousands Rosal said.

This time, he said, the same

scenario is being repeated and

more arrivals compared to the

past periods of eruptions are

expected, given that the city

has already added more stra-

tegic locations where Mayon

watching is safe, convenient

and truly exciting.

Among these locations are

the Ligon Hill Natural Park,

Legazpi Boulevard and The

Oriental Hotel and Resort.

Ligon Hill, a historical

peak standing near the Legaz-

pi Airport at 156-meter high,

offers a full view of the entire

edice of the volcano and the

whole landscape of the city on

the other side while the bou-

levard is a four-kilometer of

fully-lighted wide concreted

roadway along Albay Gulf,

offering a panoramic view of

the volcano.

The Oriental, on the other

hand, is a world-class hotel

located at hillside overlook-

ing the city proper and from

where Mayon could be seen

conspicuously. -PNA

but regional cultures. Nightlycultural presentations will alsoshowcase the three main islandgroups of Luzon, Visayas andMindanaoed.

Featured team and individu-al sports events are basketball,

bowling, volleyball, swimming,track events, badminton, tabletennis, lawn tennis, chess, bil-liards, cycling, fun run, walk-athon, and traditional gamessuch as tug of war and sackrace.

The fun run will also serveas our voters education cam-

paign for our on-going regis-tration with our slogan, voteto validate, validate to vote,Fortes said.

LEGAZPI TO HOST COMELEC'S . . .Preparations are now peak-

ing up with the recent meet-ing with partner governmentagencies and private groups asComelec regional ofces al-ready made reservations withhotels. Chairman Brillanteswill join the regional ofcialsin preparatory conferences hereon October 3 until 5 to nalize

plans and transact with serviceproviders, Fortes told the PIA.

All Comelec regional of-cials are expected to come dur-ing the three-day conference toconduct ocular inspections ofhotels, meet with caterers andtransport services, nalizationof events and rules, and selec-tion of events logo.

Fortes assures that theyare exerting all efforts for a

perfec t hosting allud ing toMayons perfect cone. Weare focusing on hosting, win-ning events are just second-ary, he said. Comelec Bicolis the defending champion for

basketball, table tennis , trackevents and the highlight, thecultural presentation. Thiswill be a grand festival inLegazpi, Fortes said.

Bicol was unanimously cho-sen to host the First Comelec

National Goodwill Gamesduring the recent meeting ofthe Comelec Regional Direc-tors Organization (CREDO) ofwhich Fortes is the incumbent

president. -- PIA5

eagerly accepted the partner-ship believing that youth will

LTO LAUNCHES STRUT ROAD . . .

If you are citing references, be sure that you had previouslysolicited the permission of your references before you presentthem in you bio. But really, the most important thing is yourcredential. It is hoped that you have presentable grades andthis could speak very well of you.

So, graduates of technical vocational education, with themany opportunities for you to ge employed, be optimistic.Trust yourself.

TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL . . .

indeed play a great part in de-veloping a community of safe-

conscious and responsibledrivers in the future.

BIGGS, Inc. has beenin existence for 31 years

but this is the first time thatwe have partnered with agovernment office and I be-lieve its worth the wait. We

beli eve in the same caus ethat they want to promoteand was endeared with howforward-thinking DirectorLutey is, Buenaflor stated.-- PIA5


8/8

september 28-october 4, 2014

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