What's New Today

Happy Independence Day to you guys in America. Here in the Philippines, this has been downgraded to Fil-Am Friendship Day. It used to be the Filipino Independence Day, too, if you remember, until Diosdado Macapagal moved it to June 12.

Welcome Glen! At last we’ve heard from you, personally. Sayang, only Fechie and Herminia are almost certain to see you. Still, we will eagerly await the uploading of your pictures. So, don’t forget the kodakan.

Eavesdropping from the not so private conversation of Danny and Ate Marynat, we got to know more about them. Si Danny yata ang pinakamakwento, (which we appreciate) we now get a picture of his life after high school – as a college student, activist, law student who quit his studies with the coming of martial law, and worked as medical rep, got married, waited for a while here before joining his wife in the US. Naging medical rep ka palan Danny. And what products were you handling then – infant milk formula? High priced imported drugs? Tsk, tsk, tsk… Well, around that time too (1973 to 1979), I was working with Bank of America. Tingnan mo nga ang buhay, parang life. By the way, perhaps most of you were not able to read Danny’s post regarding our roots. If you look at the picture of the list of martyrs and revolutionaries of Camarines Norte (see Camarines Norte pictures in the links), dalawa ang Moreno (mother side ni Danny), and dalawa din ang Zaleta (my relatives on the side of my mother). Sulong mga kapatid, tayo ay magsama-sama, rock and roll hanggang umaga!


Marynat is happy with her work now as resident auditor of COA. Definitely, such a job contributes to safeguarding the people’s money and putting government resources to good use. But it must be frustrating. Efforts of auditors like Marynat seem marginal when we look at the big picture – at the macro level, government is sorely lacking in good governance, transparency and accountability. Look at the Department of Agriculture fertilizer fund scam. Instead of helping uncover the truth, Malacanang in fact, blocked all efforts by the Senate to investigate the matter and even facilitated the escape of JocJoc Bolante. Our only consolation, is that he’s in jail there in the US. That’s only one among the so many cases of corruption under this administration (I'm not an oppositionist!).

But all things will come to an end, unless GMA does a Marcos, her term will finally end on 2010. Pending that, all efforts to survive is being made. Just look at the antics of the Comelec. Dai kamo nasusuka kay Abalos? kay 'Sit down, sit down', Nicodemu Ferrer? Lintang Bedol? and what about the Bicolano Rene Sarmiento (talsot baga! Ano ta mayo man lang kagirom-girom e lantaran na ang panggago sa mga pinoy!). Also listening to Raul Gonzales discuss the Human Security Act tonight, makes me puke (english word, po tabi iyan)! To other readers of this blogsite, these are my sole opinion, (the administrator of the site) and not necessarily the opinion of the members of DPS class 67.

If you don’t want this kind of topic, or you want to discuss other matters, please make your opinions known by posting them in this blogsite. I’m running out of topics, that’s why I’m trying to add links to our site in the hope that you’ll be able to read something interesting before leaving the site.

What could possibly maximize the participation of the members of this blog? What about a photo contest (dapat tayo mismo ang kumuha!). The subject matter can vary - people, scenic views, animals, etc. (bold kaya pwede?)

What about unforgettable experiences (comedy not drama)? What say you? How do you do?

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Today we start the second half of the year. Time flies fast.

The world is again in jitters after the discovery of bombs in London entertainment district and the attack at Glasgow airport. Let’s pray that Ed is able to move around safely. With renewed security concerns, he may encounter a lot of inconveniences in his travels.

In Camarines Norte, the elected provincial officials led by re-elected governor Jesus Typoco and comebacking Roy Padilla, Jr. took their oath of office before Judge Winston Racoma (Ange’s younger brother) last Friday. Both are administration candidates, and even their opponents are administration allies. Elected congresswoman Liwayway Vinzons Chato is however, an oppositionist. Yesterday, June 30, senator-elect Loren Legarda also took her oath in Bicol - in Tigaon, Camarines Sur before a Naga City RTC Judge (why in Bicol? Ewan kung anong pakulo ni Loren, preparation na kaya para sa candidacy niya for President in 2010?) The day before, June 29, President GMA was also in Libmanan, Camarines Sur to attend the oath taking of her son, Congressman-elect Dato Arroyo, Si ina iyan, an Kapampangan representate na nin Bikol! Si Luli, sana pinakandidata pa, para kompleto ang pamilya. Meanwhile, in their home province of Pampanga, Father Ed Panlilio (Among Ed) took his oath of office. He defeated the two administration allies who ran for governor, in spite of Among Ed’s lack of money and machinery. The people rallied behind a priest, fed up with the jueteng and corruption in their province.


At the religious front, last Friday was the ordination of Msgr. Gilbert Garcera as new Bishop of Daet held at Basilica Minore of Our Lady of Penafrancia in Naga City, followed by his installation the next day in Daet. The month of June also saw the issuance by the Pope of the Ten Commandments for Drivers (This is reproduced below). At the local level, the Archdiocese of Manila also issued guidelines on the dress code for churchgoers. Inappropriate clothes for men include baseball caps, sports jerseys, undershirts and shorts, while banned clothes for women include tank tops, skimpy shorts, sleeveless shirts and plunging necklines. Pano yan Danny, favorite places mo pa naman an mga museums and churches? Violators will not actually be turned away though but merely admonished.

For the good news, the Philippine News Agency reported that the Talisay municipal government won the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment (BPILE) last June 18. Specifically, the municipality won the award for its Talisay Rivers for Environment and Economic Sustainability (TREES) project, which had unique strategies in addressing the degradation problem along Talisay river and the protection of Coastal Ecosystem. (Sayang, there was no description of the ‘unique’ strategies. The major objective of the TREES project was directed to check the declining condition of the river ecosystem and to provide the necessary alternative natural resource management option.

I added a link to our blogsite. This is a website of inspirational features on Filipino achievements produced by Pinoy expatriate leaders. This is the http://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/. See the right side of our blogsite for the link. The first Rizal monument erected in Daet is featured here, among others.

To the superstitious Saturday will be an important date – 07/07/07. Abangan!