P 8.00
VOLUME 3
NUMBER 66
MONDAY
JULY 20, 2009
DOOMED. Cut the trees and man is doomed, so goes an interpretation of the “human souls” painted by artists on Acacia trees along the Balite
stretch of MacArthur Highway. The trees have been marked for cutting by the Department of Public Works and Highways. PHOTO BY BONG LACSON
U.S. STUDY CITED
Long-term exposure to pigs’
stink can cause ‘sudden death’
Solon
A
backs
BY JOEY PAVIA
NGELES CITY – “Sudden
death” from long-term
exposure to foul smell, as
that emitted by piggeries in nearby
Porac town.
Legenda
closure
A shocking yet founded scientific revelation as
cited by the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM)
which is in solidarity with
the Krusada Kontra Amoy
(KKA) in demanding the
removal of at least 12
BY MALOU DUNGOG
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Cagayan de
Oro representative Rufus
Rodriguez has expressed support to the
Subic Bay Metropolitan
Authority (SBMA) in ordering the closure of the
Legenda Resort Hotel
here, which has incurred
obligations to the government amounting to
more than P1 billion.
Rodriguez
expressed dismay over
the huge indebtedness
of the Subic hotel chain
during a hearing of the
House Oversight Committee wherein SBMA
administrator Armand
Arreza presented acPAGE 6 PLEASE
prominent piggeries in
Barangays Sta. Cruz and
Manibaug Paralaya, Porac.
Citing the study of the
US-based
Hilton
Kalusche of the MissisPAGE 6 PLEASE
Time constraints seen
in Pampanga recount
BY TONETTE T. OREJAS
BORN TO DIE. Local farmers from Magalang, Pampanga show the
two-headed calf born to a native carabao in their town on Wednesday.
The calf which lived for only eight hours was considered by farmers
as a harbinger of good luck. PHOTO BY ROMMEL RAMOS
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—Both the lawyer of
Pampanga Gov. Eddie
Panlilio and the election
campaigner of his closest
rival, Lilia Pineda, noted
time constraints in the recount of votes that the
Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Commission on Elections to proceed with.
For Panlilio’s counsel,
Romulo Macalintal, “there
was “no more time to recount.”
Comelec chair Jose
Melo did not reply when
asked if the poll body has
time, money and personnel to conduct the recount.
“If ever, it will only be a
waste of time and money,”
Macalintal said, estimating that the collection of
PAGE 6 PLEASE
OVER LIBEL CASE IN OLONGAPO
Palafox donates bail,
prepares to land in jail
20 Brahminy Kites
released in the wild
BY ERNIE B. ESCONDE
ABUCAY, Bataan- The Department of Environment and
Natural Resources on Thursday released 20 Brahminy
Kite, locally known as “lawin,” some with rain-soaked
feathers out into the wilds of the Bataan Natural Park in
the foggy mountain village of Bangkal in Abucay.
Students and teachers from the Bataan Peninsula
State University (formerly Bataan National Agricultural
School), provincial and local officials and DENR people
braved the rains and watched enthusiastically as the
flock of “lawins” were set free from the bird house.
Of the 20 birds, one was weak with rain-soaked
feathers and could not make it despite the treatment
given by veterinarians from DENR’s Protected Areas and
Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) and the Provincial Environment
and Natural Resources.
Some of the birds seemed at first reluctant to leave
the big cage despite shooing by DENR people.
Dr. Rafael Ramos, Jr., PAWB’s head veterinarian,
explained that the Brahminy Kites came from the
Wildlife Center in Quezon City out of birds donated,
confiscated or retrieved.
“Lawin” with scientific name haliastur indus is one of
the raptors (ibong mandaragit) species common in the
Philippines and considered as endangered and protected.
“Considered as scavengers, these birds not only
have for their prey chickens but insects, rats and
snakes thereby balancing the ecosystem,” the veterinarian said.
He said that the wildlife bureau releases not only
birds but other animals to protected areas like the
Bataan Natural Park where there is dwindling population
of the Brahminy Kites.
Delfin Magpantay, BPSU president, welcomed the
choice of the Abucay campus as venue for the release
of the birds and expressed the hope that the government school be the site for more endangered species.
Ed Cabigting and Mila Ramirez of the Provincial
Environment and Natural Resources Office under Lawyer
Ricardo Lazarro, Jr. led in the implementation of the
project.
ANGELES CITY- Internationally
renowned architect Felino
Palafox Jr. said yesterday
he would rather be jailed in connection with the libel charges
filed against him amid his claim
of corruption in the Subic Bay
Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
In a telephone interview with
Punto, Palafox, founder and
managing partner of Palafox
Associates, said he has already
donated to a religious group the
P10,000 bail he expected to be
imposed on him by the Olongapo City court for his temporary
liberty. The court slated to issue
a warrant of arrest against him
anytime.
“I have practiced my profession in 54 countries where I have
become respected. It is a lament
that I am being persecuted in my
very own country in my struggle
for truth,” said Palafox, who is
also a ranking officer of the
American Chamber of Commerce, the American Planning
Organization and the Makati
Business Club.
“Now I am willing to sacrifice
my career, person and even my
life,” he said, citing death threats
he had received after he made
public his allegations on the demand for grease money by an
official of the SBMA, whose
name he has so far not disclosed, over a $1-billion casino
project he later junked at Subic
freeport.
Palafox said that after designing skyscrapers for the
world’s biggest capital cities, he
is prepared to design more livable jails once he joins inmates
after his arrest.
Earlier, Olongapo City prosecutor Melanie Fay Tadili
Benarez found probable cause
for citing Palafox for libel amid
the latter’s claim that a member
of the bids and awards committee of the SBMA demanded from
him 18 percent of the total
project cost of the Subic Bay
Freeport Comprehensive Master
Plan Project for his company to
be included in the short list of
bidders for Subic projects, including a $1-billion casino.
Palafox said that in the first
place, he was against the casino project to save some 366
trees in the forested project site.
The libel case was filed by
members of the SBMA bids and
awards committee including lawyers Ferdinand Hernandez, Ramon Agregado, Ruel John Kabigting and Von Rodriguez, engineers Marcelino Sanqin and
Amethya Koval who said that
Palafox’s claim subjected them
to “to public ridicule and contempt.” They based their complaint on Palafox’s statement
published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer in December last year.
The Olongapo prosecutor
noted that Palafox failed to file a
counter affidavit against the
complaint. The arrest warrant
against him is expected to be
out after his case is raffled off to
a judge in the Olongapo regional trial court.
Palafox decried the case as
“harassment”, noting the “speed
and agility” of the prosecutors to
decide on his libel case.
He noted that initially, he had
petitioned the Department of
Justice (DOJ) to transfer the venue of his case to either Makati
or Quezon City because the
paper which published the articles in question was based in
Makati and that his interview was
done in his Makati office. He also
said that television stations
which aired his allegations were
also located in Quezon City.
“I hope it’s not true that
some king of mafia within the
SBMA and Olongapo has come
out with a P50-million fund to
destroy and persecute me,” he
said.
In a telephone interview,
Palafox’s lawyer Bien Salinas
admitted the failure of Palafox’s
camp to file a counter-affidavit in
the libel case.
“I think there was some confusion then among the volunteer
lawyers, but there was the intent to file a counter affidavit.
Also there was the request to
transfer venue for the case, but
it was overtaken by the deadline
for the filing of a counter affidavit,” he said.
Salinas echoed Palafox’s
claim that the libel case was
sheer harassment. “It’s really a
harassment case. It’s discriminatory. How come he is the only
one charged and not anyone in
the newspaper where the article
was published?” he asked, naming two columnists of the newspaper who, he noted, had also
written extensively on the alleged anomalies in the SBMA.
The Olongapo prosecutor
noted in her resolution that on
Dec. 3, 2008, the complainants
requested
Palafox
to
either name the alleged extortionist he mentioned in the published article or issue a public
apology.
It noted that Palafox, in his
letter-reply to SBMA dated Dec.
12, 2008, said that he had no
personal information on the alleged extortion try and that he
merely picked up the information
from a third party.
The prosecutor also noted
that despite this admission,
Palafox reiterated his accusation against members of the bids
and awards committee in radio
interview with former senator
Joey Lina on Dec. 7 last year.
“This…all the more indicated and confirmed his malice,”
the resolution said.
Palafox said he donated
P10,000 estimated cost of his
bail to the Christ the King Seminary of the Societas Verbi Divini (SVD) priests where he was
once a seminarian.
“That was where I learned the
values of honesty, integrity,
prayer, love of God, country and
planet earth,” he said.
Palafox also expressed belief that only one percent of the
Filipino population is corrupt.
“But then, one percent of our
population means about
900,000 Filipinos are corrupt.
We must not allow them to take
over our lives,” he added.
free port’s jewels— its unspoiled
beaches and virgin tropical forests.
“Our top tourist draws — the
Treetop Adventure, Jungle Joe’s
World, Zoobic Safari, and Ocean
Adventure, to name a few, offer
unique adventures, which we
constantly upgrade by introducing new activities like bird-watching,” said Arreza.
He added that, just recently,
Subic Bay has been named by
the DOT as one of the country’s
official sites for bird-watching, a
young but increasingly popular
activity among nature lovers.
“We are also introducing the
newest fads in adventure tourism, like wind surfing, kite boarding, sailing, and other water
sports. Actually, one can do almost anything in Subic,” said
Arreza.
RP’s largest tourism fair to feature Subic attractions
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
BY MALOU DUNGOG
2
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT— Subic’s iconic theme parks, along
with unique tourism packages in
this free port, will be highlighted
in the 20th installment of the
country’s largest and longestrunning travel, tourism and trade
fair— the Philippine Travel Mart
(PTM).
Aptly themed “Beyond the
Usual Philippines,” the event organized by the Philippine Tour
Operators Association (PHILTOA) in cooperation with the
Department of Tourism (DOT) is
designed to showcase what is
unique to the Philippines.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator
Armand Arreza, who signed a
memorandum of agreement with
PHILTOA president Cesar Cruz
recently, said the SBMA will also
be an official partner of the 20th
PTM that will be held on September 4-6 at the Megatrade
Halls of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
Cruz said SBMA’s infusion
of fresh ideas in developing ecotourist sites in Subic provides a
classic example of what the industry should do to realize the
country’s full tourism potentials.
Cruz praised in particular the
SBMA’s “hop-on, hop-off” transport scheme, whereby commuting tourists or “backpackers” can
now tour the vast expanse of the
Subic Bay Freeport onboard
double-decker buses plying Subic’s scenic route at regular intervals.
“Subic’s novel hop-on, hopoff scheme can be adopted anywhere in the country,” Cruz said.
Cruz added that the Subic
tourist transport system will be
featured in tourism seminars
during the 20th PTM, which shall
also serve as an avenue for tourism stakeholders and students
to discuss emerging trends in
the industry.
Cruz further praised SBMA,
the agency that administers the
Subic Bay Freeport, for constantly adding new dimensions to its
positioning as a prime nature
hub.
Arreza, meanwhile, explained that tourism developments in Subic revolve exactly
around what are considered the
SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza signs an agreement with Cesar Cruz, president of
Philippine Tour Operators Association, making the SBMA an official partner of the 20th
Philippine Tourism Mart. PHOTO BY MALOU DUNGOG
De la Cruz
Armed men
cart off ATM
at NLEX
gas station
BY DING CERVANTES
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO Central Luzon police director
Chief Superintendent Leon
Nilo de la Cruz ordered a massive hunt for 15 heavily armed
men who carted off an entire
ATM machine at a gasoline
station store along the North
Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in
Apalit, Pampanga at about 2
a.m. Thursday.
De la Cruz said the ATM
belonged to the Philippine
Savings Bank and contained
a still undetermined amount
of cash when it was carted off
by the suspects. No one was
reported harmed during the
incident.
He cited a report saying
that the suspects were wearing black fatigue uniforms and
“SAGSDI” and “Bitag” identification cards when they arrived at the Bonjour convenient store where the ATM
was located. The suspects
were on board a white Mitsubishi L300 van with plate number ZKR-22, one silver Toyota
Revo with plate number XPU338 and one white Toyota Corolla, one white Toyota Revo
and one red Nissan Urban
vehicles whose plate numbers
were noted.
As of noon yesterday,
face sketches of the suspects
were prepared by police cartographers who based them
on the descriptions of witnesses.
De la Cruz said he ordered
“intensified manhunt operations against the robbery holdup gangs operating in the province of Pampanga and other
provinces in Central Luzon including Metro Manila”.
He also said his probers
are coordinating with NLEX
management amid the possibility that the crime or any
event related to the
crime could have been recorded by a monitoring camera
anywhere along the expressway.
Police mobile patrols have
been beefed up and “choke
points” were set up along
routes from the NLEX, he also
said.
DONATION. CDC President Benigno N. Ricafort receives from Pampanga 1st District Rep. Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin (4th
from left) a check worth P500,000 derived from the solon’s Priority Development Assistance Fund that aims to aid the
CDC’s prosthesis laboratory and training center based at the Clark Freeport. Also in photo are CDC officials, members
of the Rotary Club of Mabalacat, and Lazatin’s congressional staff. PHOTO COURTESY OF CDC-PRD
Tarzan gives P1.2-M to foundation, PAC
BY JOEY PAVIA
ANGELES CITY – A foundation
headed by the top honcho of the
Clark Development Corp. (CDC),
a school and a teachers’ group
benefited from the Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) of First District Rep.
Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin.
Lazatin said his office had
released P.5 million to the Kapampangan Development Corp.
(KDF) headed by Benny
Ricafort, president and CEO of
CDC.
Ricafort said the CDC established the prosthesis laboratory
and training center last Febru-
ary 15, 2009 to provide more
prosthetic legs to hundreds of
amputees in Pampanga and other nearby provinces.
According to Ricafort, the
prosthesis center is part of
CDC’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. He added that the CDC has forged ties
with the Physicians for Peace
(PFP) in close collaboration with
Pampanga congressional representatives, mayors, KDF, and
various civic groups.
“The goal is to enable them
and their caregivers to go back
to productive life. The project
has provided 124 prosthetic legs
to more than 100 patients and
172 wheelchairs to date,”
Ricafort said.
The first-term solon also gave
P.5 million as seed money for
the Angeles City Public School
Teachers Credit Cooperative
(ACPSTCC).
ACPSTCC Chairman Manuel Luiz Duena accepted Lazatin’s grant on behalf of the group
last week.
IC Calaguas, chief of staff of
the Lazatin, disclosed that they
will give P2.5 million to the ACPSTCC next year.
Of the total amount,
Calaguas said, the P2 million will
be used for the new office building of the public teachers. The
remaining P.5 million will be used
for additional seed money of the
ACPSTCC.
“We must motivate and help
the teachers as they play a crucial role in molding fine and productive citizens,” said Lazatin.
Accompanied by his son
Carmelo “Super Pogi” Lazatin,
the congressman gave P200,000
for his 160 scholars at the Pampanga Agricultural College (PAC)
in nearby Magalang town.
No less than PAC President
Honorio Soriano received the
grant of Lazatin. He expressed
gratitude for the “continuous support” of Lazatin to the PAC scholars.
CEB offers P499 seats for adventure destinations
CEBU PACIFIC (CEB), Asia’s
third largest low-cost carrier, is
offering seats for as low as P499
from Manila to established adventure destinations Naga (Cam
Sur) and Kalibo (Boracay), as
well as from Davao to Cagayan
de Oro.
The P499 ‘Go Lite’ fare also
extends to flights from Manila to
Tuguegarao, Catarman, and
Calbayog, and Cebu to Iloilo.
Passengers can avail of the
one-way P499 ‘Go Lite’ fare to
all three adventure destinations.
The seat sale is from July 1719, 2009 and is valid for travel
from August 16-September 30,
2009.
Passengers with check-in
baggage will just add P200.
“Naga and the Cam Sur Watersports Complex can now be
accessible to thousands of
wakeboarding enthusiasts. The
same goes for kiteboarding and
windsurfing in Boracay, and
white water rafting in Cagayan
de Oro,” said Candice Iyog, VP
for Marketing and Distribution.
“We hope to continuously
boost tourism and economy in
these places with our great value low fares,” she added.
Passengers can book their
flights
through
www.cebupacificair.com or the
reservations hotlines (02)70-20888 and (032)230-88-88.
They can also check out an
ongoing travel photo journal contest to win CEB tickets by going to www.wanderingjuan.com
Cebu Pacific serves 32 domestic destinations and flies to
14 cities in Asia using the
youngest aircraft fleet in the
country.
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
BY DING CERVANTES
3
O p i n i o n
Panaghoy ng
punongkahoy
THE RECOUNT
Truth and
consequence
acaesar.blogspot.com
Zona Libre
Bong Z. Lacson
“IN THIS species of controversy involving the determination of the
true will of the electorate, time is indeed of paramount importance—
second to none perhaps, except the genuine will of the majority. To
be sure, an election controversy … should be resolved with utmost
dispatch, precedence and regard to due process…
“The term of an elective office is short. There is the contestant’s
personal stake which generates feuds and discords. Above all is
the public interest. A title to public elective office must not be left
long under a cloud. The efficiency of public administration should
not be impaired…
“It is thus understandable why pitfalls that may retard the
determination of election contests should be avoided. Courts should
heed the imperative need for dispatch.”
Thus the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for a recount of
votes in the 2007 gubernatorial race in Pampanga.
The tribunal also ruled that the Commission
on Elections (Comelec) did not abuse its authority
when its second division ordered a vote recount
on July 23, 2007, prompted by a protest filed by
Board Member Lilia “Baby” Pineda who “lost” to
Panlilio in the count by a slim margin of 1,147
votes.
In her protest, Pineda, said ballots had been
misread against her favor, notably the “Nanay
Baby” cast for her, and that the Panlilio camp
allegedly resorted to vote-padding and vote-shaving
– that’s dagdag-bawas – and outright vote-buying.
“A welcome development, a vindication for
Madame Baby, albeit too late in the day.”
So said Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao, Pineda’s
running mate in 2007.
“I feel that it’s a little late in coming. It should
have been earlier. I really feel that Madame Baby
(Pineda) won in that election,” Guiao averred,
adding,“I believe that due process should have
been allowed to take its proper course without
intervention.”
Without intervention?
Already, one Ernesto Francisco, purportedly
one of Panlilio’s lawyers is already sizzling: “We
will definitely file a motion for reconsideration and
oppose every move to proceed with the recount
pending resolution of the said motion.”
We have long been led to believe that the
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
Like a thief in the darkest
of nights the Right of
Reply Bill will snatch
freedom of the press.
4
EDGAR V. MOVIDO
Founder
LLL Trimedia Coordinators
Publisher
General Manager Atty. Gener C. Endona
Editor Joey R. Aguilar
Editorial Consultant Caesar “Bong” Lacson
Marketing Manager Joanna Niña V. Cordero
Administrative Staff Ma. Teresa U. Villanueva
Layout Dondie B. Ventura
Circulation Gilbert Mendoza
Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,
McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando
Tel. No. (45) 636•6327 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416
e-mail address: puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com
pdf file at http://www.punto.com.ph
Punto! Central Luzon is a proud member of
The Philippine Press Institute
“miracle” of Panlilio’s victory in the gubernatorial
polls was an intervention from God Herself. So
what is there to be afraid of in a recount?
If God is with Panlilio, who can be against him?
To paraphrase the Good Book.
The Truth will be out in the recount. That
Panlilio’s victory was ordained by a different god.
Now, we go to the realm of the possible.
What if – God, not Panlilio’s god — willed the
recount to Nanay Baby’s triumph?
Would that make Panlilio a usurper, a
presumptive governor, a fake? What of the time
he spent at the Capitol, of the salary he drew, of
the orders and directives he issued? Yeah, what
of his dismissal of provincial engineer Jay
Macatuno, of his “illegal” transfer of Dr. Eddie
Ponio, of his suspension of social welfare doyen
Luchie Gutierrez?
And what of Atty. Vivian Dabu? What about
her?
With less than a year left in this term, ending
on June 30, 2010, what is there left for Governor
Lilia Pineda to do?
To re-elect, most obviously, her vindication an
impetus to resume her political life and service to
her people.
So what of Vice Gov. Yeng’s announced plan
for the governorship?
To the backburner, most probably.
Insider’s
Info
by Bong Endona
KUNG NAAALALA mo pa ang kanta ni Lolita Carbon ng Asin noong
dekada ’80 ukol sa dumudumi at napapabayaan na kalikasan,
marahil ay maiisip mo na hindi na ito angkop sa kasalukuyan.
Mas lalong marumi, mas lalong napabayaan, mas lumubha ang
estado ng ating kalikasan.
Ang mga ilog ay nagmukhang estero na kulay itim, malansa na
at mausok ang simoy ng hangin, ang mga kagubatan ay nakalbo,
maging ang mga luntiang puno sa ating mga syudad ay walang
humpay na pinatay upang magbigay raw ng puwang sa kaunlaran.
Sa kahabaan ng MacArthur Highway mula San Fernando
hanggang sa Angeles City, makikita natin na walang awang itinumba
at pinatay ang mga puno. Kailangan daw ito para sa pagpapalawak
ng kalsada. Maging sa Tarlac papuntang Pangasinan, hindi rin
nahabag sa walang pakundangang paglagare ng mga puno na
sinasabing istorbo raw sa gagawing pagpapalapad ng kalsada.
Araw-araw, ilang puno ang bumabagsak ng walang laban. Marahil,
kung nagsasalita lamang ang mga ito, baka natunaw na tayo sa
kanilang mga sigaw at pagmamakaawa.
Kahapon, sumikip ang dibdib ko nang makita
ko ang isang puno na tumumba kasama ang
isang malaking pugad na puno ng itlog ng isang
ibon. Hindi pa man napipisa ang mga itlog na ito
ay pinagkaitan na sila ng bahay na masisilungan.
Alam ko na sa kasalukuyan ay parang baliw na
si Sisa na rin ang inang ibon sa kahahanap ng
kanyang mga anak. Kay lupit ng kapalaran!
Napakalaki ng naiaambag ng puno sa ikot ng
kalikasan. Maliban sa lilim at ganda nito, ito rin
ay nagbibigay ng kailangang oxygen para tayo
makahinga, nagbibigay ng buhay at tahanan sa
mga hayop na sumisilong dito, kumukupkop ng
sapat na lupa upang maiwasan ang mga baha at
erosion.
Paano ba maiiwasan ang pagputol ng puno
kung ang DPWH at ang DENR mismo ang siyang
nagsasagawa nito? Ayon kay Atienza, hindi na
raw nagbibigay ng permit ang DENR para sa
pagputol ng puno. Kailangan daw na ito ay isalba
kung sakali mang kailangang alisin sa kanyang
kinalalagyan. Ayon naman sa DPWH, binigyan
daw sila ng permit ng DENR. Hindi bulag ang ating
mga mata. Mga sinungaling! Malamang, kung may
chain saw ako, ay baka naputol ko na ang
kanilang mga dila.
Oo, hindi nagsasalita ang punongkahoy… pero
naniniwala ako na sila ay nakakaramdam din ng
galit at poot. Damdamin na kanilang inilalabas
sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang trahedya ng
kalikasan. Landslides, baha, global warming, el
nino at la nina – ilan lamang sila na mga sandata
ng kalikasan – upang ipamalas sa atin na ang
bawat kalupitan natin ay may katumbas na
kaparusahan. Hay, naninikip na naman ang dibdib
ko.
Try to learn something about everything
and everything about something.
Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)
TODAY IN HISTORY
ON THIS DAY in 1969, at 10:56
p.m. EDT, American astronaut
Neil Armstrong, 240,000 miles
from Earth, speaks these words
to more than a billion people listening at home: "That's one
small step for man, one giant
leap for mankind." Stepping off
the lunar landing module Eagle,
Armstrong became the first human to walk on the surface of
the moon.
The American effort to send
astronauts to the moon has its
origins in a famous appeal President John F. Kennedy made to
a special joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961: "I believe this nation should commit
itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth." At
the time, the United States was
still trailing the Soviet Union in
space developments, and Cold
War-era America welcomed
Kennedy's bold proposal.
In 1966, after five years of
Armstrong walks on moon
work by an international team of
scientists and engineers, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted
the first unmanned Apollo mission, testing the structural integrity of the proposed launch vehicle and spacecraft combination.
Then, on January 27, 1967, tragedy struck at Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, when a fire broke out during
a manned launch-pad test of the
Apollo spacecraft and Saturn
rocket. Three astronauts were
killed in the fire.
Despite the setback, NASA
and its thousands of employees
forged ahead, and in October
1968, Apollo 7, the first manned
Apollo mission, orbited Earth and
successfully tested many of the
sophisticated systems needed to
conduct a moon journey and landing. In December of the same year,
Apollo 8 took three astronauts to
the dark side of the moon and
back, and in March 1969 Apollo 9
tested the lunar module for the first
time while in Earth orbit. Then in
May, the three astronauts of Apollo
10 took the first complete Apollo
spacecraft around the moon in a
dry run for the scheduled July
landing mission.
At 9:32 a.m. on July 16, with
the world watching, Apollo 11 took
off from Kennedy Space Center
with astronauts Neil Armstrong,
Edwin Aldrin Jr., and Michael Collins aboard. Armstrong, a 38year-old civilian research pilot,
was the commander of the mission. After traveling 240,000 miles
in 76 hours, Apollo 11 entered
into a lunar orbit on July 19. The
next day, at 1:46 p.m., the lunar
module Eagle, manned by Armstrong and Aldrin, separated from
the command module, where
Collins remained. Two hours later, the Eagle began its descent
to the lunar surface, and at 4:18
p.m. the craft touched down on
the southwestern edge of the Sea
of Tranquility. Armstrong immediately radioed to Mission Control in Houston, Texas, a famous
message: "The Eagle has landed."
At 10:39 p.m., five hours
ahead of the original schedule,
Armstrong opened the hatch of
the lunar module. As he made his
way down the lunar module's ladder, a television camera attached
to the craft recorded his progress
and beamed the signal back to
Earth, where hundreds of millions
watched in great anticipation. At
10:56 p.m., Armstrong spoke his
famous quote, which he later contended was slightly garbled by
his microphone and meant to be
"that's one small step for a man,
one giant leap for mankind." He
then planted his left foot on the
gray, powdery surface, took a
cautious step forward, and humanity had walked on the moon.
"Buzz" Aldrin joined him on the
moon's surface at 11:11 p.m., and
together they took photographs of
the terrain, planted a U.S. flag, ran
a few simple scientific tests, and
spoke with President Richard M.
Nixon via Houston. By 1:11 a.m.
on July 21, both astronauts were
back in the lunar module and the
hatch was closed. The two men
slept that night on the surface of
the moon, and at 1:54 p.m. the
Eagle began its ascent back to
the command module. Among the
items left on the surface of the
moon was a plaque that read:
"Here men from the planet Earth
first set foot on the moon--July
1969 A.D--We came in peace for
all mankind."
At 5:35 p.m., Armstrong and
Aldrin successfully docked and
rejoined Collins, and at 12:56
a.m. on July 22 Apollo 11 began its journey home, safely
splashing down in the Pacific
Ocean at 12:51 p.m. on July 24.
There would be five more
successful lunar landing missions, and one unplanned lunar
swing-by, Apollo 13. The last
men to walk on the moon, astronauts Eugene Cernan and
Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo
17 mission, left the lunar surface on December 14, 1972.
The Apollo program was a costly and labor intensive endeavor,
involving an estimated 400,000
engineers, technicians, and scientists, and costing $24 billion
(close to $100 billion in today's
dollars). The expense was justified by Kennedy's 1961 mandate to beat the Soviets to the
moon, and after the feat was accomplished ongoing missions
lost their viability.
Source: www.history.com
Let’s Talk
About it
Minerva Zamora-Arceo
Songs for the trees
ALMOST ALL artists and musicians in the province joined
hands last Friday calling both the national and local
governments to save the Acacia Trees along the MacArthur
Highway in the City of San Fernando and Apalit town. The
decades-old trees, believed to be 1,200 in number, are now
being cut by a contractor of the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH) as part of the agency’s road widening
project. A special gathering was organized by the Kalinangan
Telabastagan, a local art group that includes known
installation artists Conderlos Lingat and Don De Dios, to
encourage the public to condemn the cutting of these trees.
The ‘Save the Trees’ concert was graced by environmental
advocates like Cecille Yumul, Bong Punzalan and Councilor
Jon Juico of Minalin. Several known Kapampangan visual
artists also joined the gathering like Edillardo Paras, Gerry
Bautista, Long Melo, and cultural groups like the Sining
Kapampangan, Aslag Kapampangan, OK Musika and more.
Although the issue of cutting the Acacia Trees along Mac
Arthur Highway has already been exposed by the media for
over a year now, the concert for a cause is still a welcome
act if only to save the decades-old trees. I was only thinking
that chances of saving the trees could have been higher
should a series of activities like this was launched earlier.
But again, as I have said, the effort of the artists and
advocates is still a positive development in support of the
Acacia trees and it sends a strong signal to the government
that the people are not sleeping on important issues,
especially for the environment.
In a television talk show recently, Cecille Yumul, a known
environmentalist, artist, educator, Red Cross relief and rescue
pro and a cultural worker, gave the DPWH a difficult fight as
she lectured them on the importance of these trees and the
tremendous loss we will gain from killing them.
What is more alarming on this particular issue is the fact
that what our government does reflects our country’s
appreciation of Mother Nature. Amid the ongoing problems
on climate change and the growing concern on proper solid
waste management, the Philippine government shows poor
performance in terms of its campaign and programs how to
help heal the planet.
And instead of coming up with eco-solutions, now
ironically, the Environment department has issued an order
to kill 30 to 40-year old trees just to widen the Mac Arthur
Highway. This only shows our leaders’ immaturity and lack
of understanding on more important issues such as global
warming and climate change. Saddening, disappointing and
disgraceful but true. Maybe, the young generation would have
a different perspective of the world in the future. I just hope
for the best because if we have this kind of leaders amongst
us, I don’t want to think what lies ahead of us in the next 10
years.
On a different note, I am quite relieved to learn that the
Subic-Clark Alliance for Development Council (SCADC) has
already completed the Conceptual Land-Use Plan (CLUP)
for the Subic-Clark Economic Corridor.
The SCAD Corridor Conceptual Land Use Plan (SCoLUP),
which was started in September 2008, covers approximately
ten kilometer (10km) wide swath with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac
Expressway at its centerline. It runs the entire length of the
SCTEX and is comprised of productive/non-productive
agricultural lands, minor forests and built-up areas. All in all,
it covers an approximately 100,000 hectares, located in four
provinces, ten municipalities and three cities being traversed
by the SCTEX.
The SCADC has done the right act of consulting with
Local Government Units in all the provinces, including various
stakeholders from the business sector, academe, civil and
civic society organizations, indigenous people, government
and non-governmental organizations and other citizens’
groups as far as the planning is concerned. It is always the
local people who know what is best for them. And in every
project, the government will most likely solicit support from
the locals should they be given participation and be made as
stakeholders to share responsibility and accountability.
Some of the features of the SCCoLUP are policies that
should be adopted which include among others the in-filling
of built-up areas before resorting to agricultural land
conversion; limitation of new developments- particularly of
residential subdivisions and housing sites- to the marginally
productive sloped areas; careful planning and monitoring of
developments along major roads; clear definition of area of
jurisdictions and early resolutions of boundary disputes;
interim land uses for unproductive agricultural lands; and
possible penalties for idle corridor lands.
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
Editorial
5
Pauleen Luna, Dennis Trillo magkarelasyon na!
Long-term exposure...
RESIGN!
Alarmed by the findings from Dobles’ researches, PGKM Chair-
DEADLIER
Dobles, who also
made a research on backyard and commercial piggeries in the country, disclosed that the waste of
pigs “is ten to 100 times
deadlier” than human
waste.
The pathogen-based
pig waste with high nitrogen content “it enters the
body and affects the hemoglobin of red blood
cells that carry oxygen
throughout the body,” said
Dobles. He added that the
“it also causes gastro-intestinal diseases.”
Dobles also assailed
the recent study released
by the EMB on 12 Porac
Piggeries: Greenfield
Country Farms, Marson
Hog Farm, Select Farm,
Logo Farm, and Sta. Cruz
Farm, all in Barangay Sta.
Cruz; Villa Aida Farm, A1 Piggery Farm, JC Farm,
lO Farm, LTO Farm, and
Y-Ten Live-stock Farm in
Barangay Manibug-Paralaya.
Of the 12 piggeries,
the EMB said, there was
but one violator among
the piggeries, Marson
Farm, which exceeded
and failed BOD standards,
“having 170mg/L. The
standard is set at 120/mg/
L.
But the EMB has yet
to penalize the Marson
farm but cited that it has
pending water pollution
case with the Pollution
Adjucitation Board (PAB).
Dobles expressed
doubt over the study
made by the EMB, saying not among the PGKM
and KKA members had
been invited during the inspection.
“They may have just
taken samples from other areas. They may have
used mineral water instead. Who knows what
they really used because
there were no credible witnesses when they did
their studies,” said
Dobles.
Time constraints seen...
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
FROM PAGE 1
6
ballot boxes and inventory of election returns and
official ballots from 19
towns and a city could
take the Comelec a month
to do.
The creation of committees might take another month and the actual
revision and recount about
five months. The review of
the ballots by three commissioners of a division
would entail a year, he said
in a phone interview on
Friday.
Votes actually cast in
Pampanga during the May
2007 elections totaled
779,100 from out of
1,128,411 registered voters, a check with the provincial poll body showed.
Then, too, more time
can be consumed if an
aggrieved party takes it
appeal to the Comelec en
banc and then to the Supreme Court.
“By that time, the 2010
polls would be over and a
new or same governor of
Pampanga will have been
elected,” Macalintal said.
According to Macalintal, the recount case by
Pineda serves as a “wake
up call for all for the need
to automate the polls so
protest could be resolved
fast via automated recount.”
CLOSURE
BALLOTS
Pineda’s campaigner,
Rosve Henson, said “time
element is another concern.”
“Nevertheless, the protest issue must still be given conclusion,” he said,
calling the high court’s order as a “welcome development.”
“For whatever will be
the outcome in favor of either party will bring closure
to this political issue. It
was left unclear because
of the electoral protest
which has yet to be decided with finality,” Henson
said.
In the recount case
filed in July 2007, Pineda
accused Panlilio and his
“cohorts” of vote-buying,
vote-padding and voteshaving and having fake
ballots with the name of
Panlilio counted by the
Board of Election Inspectors.
Panlilio, a Catholic
priest, garnered 219,706
votes, notching a margin
of 1,147 votes over Pineda’s 218,559 votes. He
also filed a case for
election fraud against
Pineda.
As of Friday, Pineda or
her lawyer has not given
any statement. She has
posted a P4-million check
as a requirement for the
recount.
The 4,688 ballot boxes
including the election returns and official ballots
those contained have remained with the office of
the treasurers in the 19
towns and City of San
Fernando, according to
provincial Comelec supervisor Temie Lambino.
Those have been inventoried right after the 2007
elections, he said.
According to Lambino,
the recount will be done at
the Comelec central office
in Manila, not in Pampanga.
“My responsibility is to
transport the ballot boxes
and the accountable forms.
Nothing more,” he said.
Lambino could not estimate how many revisors
and lawyers both camps
need for the recount process.
Panlilio said he did not
have the money to pay for
the services of revisors and
lawyers. Macalintal, Francisco, Sixto Brillantes and
Pete Quadra are helping
him as volunteers.
“I have full confidence in
my counsels to handle the
situation. Let them do what
is to be done. I hope it will
work to our advantage. Bu
I am just surprised why it
came up at a time when
people are preparing for the
elections,” Panlilio said.
The
Gossipmiller
by Cesar Pambid
OBVIOUSLY, binasted ni Heart Evangelista si DennisTrillo kung kaya nabaling kay Pauleen Luna ang panliligaw niya. Pero kami rito,
malakas ang hinala naming gimik lang itong kina Trillo at Pauleen upang mapansin ang huli dahil nga malapit na itong mabalik sa starlet
status. With Dennis around to provide the romantic link, ayan ngayon, napag-uusapan na si Pauleen.
Dapat ipagpasalamat ni Pauleen na sobrang galling ng manager niyang si Lolit Solis pagdating sa mga ganitong bagay. Lolit has a
strong PR machinery na nagagawan niya ng milagro’ng na pansinin ang mga talent niyang KSP.
Take noter, si Lolit din bale ang namamahala sa PR ni Aljur Abrenica kaya ayan, napakaraming gimik surrounding the actor na talaga
namang pinag-uusapan. Kahit na hindi si Kris Bernal ang tunay na girlfriend ni aljur, milagrong parang nag-stick nga na sila ni Kris
Bernal ay talaga naming talk of the town bilang loveteam.
Balik kay Pauleen, very cooperative nga siya na kapag ini-interview, todo sagot siya na halos kulang na lang ay amining sila na nga
ni Dennis. And Dennis, surprisingly, is also riding on the gimik. Nagpapa-mysterious effect din siya gaya ni Pauleen.
Gimik or not, patuloy nga’ng pagkalat ng isyung sina Pauleen na at Dennis sa ngayon.
Magdyowa na nga raw sina Pauleen Luna at Dennis Trillo.
Tiyak na marami sa inyo ang na-shock, no? True ang tsismis, mga kafatid at bago-bago pa lang naman ang kanilang relasyon, as
in barely a month pa lang.
Say ng isang friend, very sweet daw talaga ang dalawa.
Ito kaya ang dahilan kung bakit biglang nanlamig si Cristine Reyes kay Pauleen Luna?
We’re saying this dahil sa not-so-friendly gesture ni Cristine kay Pauleen when they saw each other sa FHM event recently. Parang
wala raw na-sight ang younger sister ni Ara Mina kahit na they’re just an arm away lang. Inisnab daw talaga ng FHM Sexiest Pinay ang
pobreng aktres.
Anyway, maging kami man ay nagulat nang may magtsika sa aming magdyowa na ang dalawa. But later, when we realize na inamin
nga sa amin ni Pauleen na may crush siya kay Dennis sa Adik Sa ‘Yo presscon, naisip namin, baka iyon na pala ang hint sa private life
ngayon ni Pauleen. Nag-split na sina Cristine at Dennis noong May. For good na ang kanilang separation, say ng
actor.
Well, talagang for good na dahil may Pauleen na si Dennis. As for Cristine, hindi pa rin yata ito nakakakita ng
kapalit ng actor.
Rufa Mae pinaglaruan lang si Jon Avila?
HARRY POTTER 6 (GP3)
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HARRY POTTER 6 (GP3)
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HARRY POTTER 6 (GP3)
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HARRY POTTER 6 (GP3)
Solon backs Legenda closure
FROM PAGE 1
complishments in Subic in
the past four years.
Responding to queries
by the committee members on the Legenda case,
Arreza also briefed the
congressional body on the
circumstances leading to
the takeover of Legenda
facilities in the free port.
Rodriguez thereupon
urged his colleagues to
back the SBMA closure
order, which is being resisted by the Legend International Resorts Ltd.
(LIRL), a Malaysianowned firm that operates
the defaulting hotel.
“We should support
(Arreza) in closing (Legenda) if it is really overdue,”
said Rodriguez, referring to
the debts incurred by LIRL,
which includes lease rentals and gross revenue
shares to the SBMA and
casino revenue shares to
the Philippine Amusement
and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).
Rodriguez added that
the SBMA’s move to recover its assets “was the right
thing to do.”
“In other words, people
who do not pay should be
cut off from their contracts
because otherwise, (the
government) will continue
to hemorrhage (lose revenues),” Rodriguez said.
According to Arreza,
the LIRL located in this
premier free port in 1993,
and was among the first
foreign investors to invest
in this former US naval
base. However, the firm
has failed to meet its financial obligations in the past
few years, he added.
“When I came in as
SBMA administrator (in
2005), the number one
creditor of SBMA was Legenda,” said Arreza.
SBMA records indicated that the agency has
uncontested receivables of
P339.31 million from LIRL,
representing lease arrears
and casino share dating
back to 2004. Together
with contested receivables, the SBMA’s total
claims against LIRL
amount to P850.17 million.
Arreza said that while
a rehabilitation plan has
been approved by the court
in 2006, the SBMA saw
that “it was going nowhere,” thus forcing the
SBMA to file a motion to
terminate the rehabilitation
proceedings on October 9,
2008.
On February 9 this
year, the Olongapo City
Regional Trial Court lifted
the stay order that prevented the SBMA from collecting unpaid accrued rentals
from LIRL since 2004 because of the rehabilitation
plan.
Thus, on February 12,
Arreza said the SBMA
sent the LIRL a notice of
termination of the lease on
Legenda and two other
properties, and demanded
payment of rentals worth
P836.73 million within 90
days.
Arreza also told the
committee that aside from
pre-terminating LIRL’s
leases, the SBMA has
canceled the firm’s certificate of registration and tax
exemption (CRTE) and
permit to operate (PTO).
This made the LIRL,
which continues to defy
SBMA orders, an illegal
occupant of the land and
an illegal business operator in the Subic Bay Freeport, Arreza added.
Notice of Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate
Notice is hereby given that the heirs of ROSALINO S. KIT, SR. who
died intestate on March 26, 2009 in Angeles City executed an Extrajudicial
Settlement of his estate more particularly described as 2 parcels of land
with existing improvements, situated in the Barrio of Balibago, Angeles
City and Barrio of Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga covered by TCT No.
108138 and TCT No 289798-R, respectively.
Punto! Central Luzon: July 20, 27 & August 3, 2009
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WA AS IN WALA naman palang katotohanan yung noon ay isyung sina Rufa Mae at Jon Avila na. Actually,
mismong si Jon angpabulang wala naman talagang ligawang nangyari sa kanila at kung na-link man sila, yun ay
dahil pareho lang silang nag-cooperate ni Rufa Mae to sell a movie na pinagsamahan nila.
Pero anghihinayang daw si si Jon Avila na nauwi sa wala ang pagiging close nila noon ni Rufa Mae Quinto.
Kasi, hindi siya nagkaroon ng pagkakataon na maligawan si Rufa Mae.
Naging super-busy kasi ang sexy comedian sa pagku-concert sa
abroad at siya naman ay inasikaso rin ang sa kanyang acting career.
Sa ngayon, hinahanap-nahap pa rin ni Jon ang kabaitan ni Rufa
Mae sa kanya.
Pero tinanggap na rin niya na hanggang magkaibigan lang talaga
silang dalawa.
Kahit nasa bansa si Rufa Mae ngayon, huli silang nag-usap last
May.
Samantala, busy si Jon sa kanyang acting career dahil kasama
siya sa Oh My Girl ng Regal Films bilang showbiz boyfriend ni Judy
Ann.
Charice diva of no degree
(Di ba, gaya-gaya?)
LUMALAKI NA nga raw talaga ang ulo ni Charice at kung
umasta ay parang diva-divahan na siya.
May mga kuwentong galling pa nga mismo sa kampo ng singer-singeran na minsan daw, sa isang
show sa Meralco Theater, binigyan ng ka-share
sa dressing room si Charice. Sukat daw ba namang nang makita niya sa listahan sa pintuan
na may ka-share nga siya, binakbak yung papel sa pintuan sabay walkout.
We know its true, like we say, mismong
mga taong kakampi ng studio ni Charice ang
mga naringgan namin ng kuwento. Puwede nila
itong i-deny. Pero knowing na sobrang taray ni
Charice baka kung anik-anik na naman ang lumabas sa kanyang bunganga kapag nagsalita
siya.
Kaya nga nararapat lang siguro na itago na
lang sa press si Charice. Huwag nang ipakausap kumbaga, dapat ay ikuha ito ng mahusay
na spokesperson tutal naman, bini-build up nila
ito nang husto. Nang sa gayon, hindi bulilyaso
gaya ng mga kung anik anik na sinasabi ngayon
ni Charice.
Pero teka, diva na nga ba si Charice?
Yes, diva of no degree. O kaya naman, di
divang gaya-gaya
Ara, Cristine
nag-aaway na naman
HETO NA, nakasilip naman ng pagkakataong sumakay si Ara sa kanyang kapatid na si Cristine
Reyes. Take note, na kung true ngang nag-aaway
na naman silang magkapatid, bale second time na
ito. Yung una, talagang pareho silang nakinabang
dahil nga pinag-usapan naman talaga yun.
That was the time na aandap-andap si Cristine
and she needed her sister’s support so gumimik kaya
sila kaya gaaway?
Ano na nga ba ang pinag-awayan nila?
Pinalayas daw ni Ara si Crsitine na noon ay nakikitira sa bahay niya? Hindi raw nagustuhan ni Ara
na nag-uwi ng lalaki si Cristine?
Yung isa naman, kuning kiuning na isyu, nag-away
daw sila sa sa isang lalaki.
Whatever, that was a winner. Mula doon, naging sikat
na si Cristine at si Ara naman, lalong sumikat pa.
Heto nga ngayon, nag-aaway na naman daw sila. For
what reason malabo na. Baka kaya gimik na naman para
mapansin sila. At this point si Ara ang may problema sa
kasikatan. Si Cristine kasi, nakaakyat na sa tuktok habang si
Ara ay pababa nang pababa. With this new feud, the two are
supposed to have, tiyak nang gagamitin nang husto ni Ara ang
pagkakataon para pag-usapan na naman siya.
Hindi kaya?
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
sippi Safety and Environment Management Office,
Sonny Dobles, head of
PGKM’s environmental
desk, said the piggeries
release hydrogen sulfite
in the air which instantly
enters the body of human
beings.
Dobles added that the
harmful chemical accumulates “in the human
body until you die or get
sick of various deadly ailments.”
Among the diseases
caused by hydrogen sulfide are those that affect
the nervous systems and
respiratory problems.
Mike Soliman, who
grew up in Sta. Cruz, said
“I don’t drink or smoke
and I am very athletic but
I always have respiratory
ailments.” “Worse,” he
added, “the smell in our
community is so terrible I
could not sleep or eat
well.”
Soliman said he had
wanted to transfer to other places but “no one
wants to buy my house for
the odor is always lurking
around.”
“I think the barangay
chief should ask the mayor and the town council to
change the name of Sta.
Cruz to something like
Barangay Super Baho,”
said Soliman.
Dobles, still citing the
study, said “the extremely toxic, irritating gas”
emitted by piggeries also
reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of human
blood.
man Ruperto “Perto” Cruz
asked officials of the Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) in the
region to resign “for not
doing their job.”
“If they say they don’t
know the harmful effects
of foul smell, all the more
should they resign as they
are unfit and incompetent
for their posts,” added
Cruz.
Earlier, EMB officials
told Punto the local government units (LGUs) and
not the EMB has the capacity to close down the
piggeries due to the foul
smell they emit.
The EMB disclosed
that they don’t have gadgets to determine if the
smell is irritating or harmful.
Cruz slammed the
EMB “for childish, lameduck reasoning.”
“If not the EMB officials, then who will act for
and in behalf of the residents gravely affected by
this very serious and dangerous health problem?”
said Cruz, whose group
was invited by the EMB
for a dialogue on July 28.
Cruz described as
“hopeless case” the administration of Porac
Mayor Roger Santos.
“The mayor didn’t even
lift a finger to act on the
long-time problem since
day one. He has no right
to be elected as he is a
total disservice to the people of Porac,” said Cruz.
Pauleen Luna
FROM PAGE 1
7
THE
LAKESHORE
TENT
Biggest Air-conditioned Tent North of Manila
ON A CLEAR DAY along the NLEX, an imposing landmark spreads
its graceful white wings like a gigantic bird frozen in midflight; soaring
60 feet at its highest point, it is an architectural landmark that is
hard to miss. Heads up for The Lakeshore Tent.
Royal Inspiration
The Lakeshore Tent harkens to Scott Fitzgerald’s champagnedrenched extravagant 1920’s when the most colorful and ritzy social
events were held in specially-built canvas tents which in turn were
perhaps inspired by the opulent feasts thrown by emperors, sheiks
and maharajahs of olden times.
Great “Outer Space”
The tent experience is tremendously magnified with the Lakeshore
Tent’s array of space-age amenities. Canvas has given way to a
special Teflon-coated tent fabric which covers an area of 1600 square
meters. Strategically-placed air conditioners create a cool
microclimate that will pamper guests in luxurious comfort. Theaterstyle seating can easily accommodate an audience of 1,500 while
an elegant dinner set-up stylishly houses 1,000 guests. The wide
car park breezily shelters 200 cars while an adjacent auxiliary building
contains chic restrooms.
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • JULY 20, 2009 • MONDAY
Amazing sights and sounds
8
The Tent’s assymetrical structure and hi-tech skin is acoustically
perfect for concerts and other musical events. In the daytime, light
is filtered beautifully by the diaphanous white Teflon fabric, making it
a giant light dome. At night, a creative lighting set-up transforms the
venue into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope, like an indoor Aurora Borealis
display. World-renown classical and jazz pianist David Osborne,
playing there for the first time, was effusive in his praise of The
Lakeshore Tent-calling it comparable to similar venues in Las Vegas
Grand weddings and social events
The visual flair and drama of a grand tent setting transforms
wedding receptions into magically memorable moments-something
newlywed couple Mike and April Mangio as well as their hundreds of
guests can attest to. For this ground-breaking landmark occasion
held last June 20, 2009 , The Lakeshore Tent was transformed into
an extravagant Moroccan palace resplendent in shades of royal purple
and fuchsia. Wedding guests were feted with free-flowing food and
drinks as well as world-class entertainment while seated in tables
decked with fresh fruit and flower arrangements. Music was a key
element of the evening, with no less than famous pianist David
Osborne leading the line-up.
The Lakeshore Tent is virtually in a class of its own, towering far
above other venues. It is a beacon of style and elegance and a
worthy addition to the growing attractions at the trendsetting
Lakeshore Estate.
For more inquiries please call 045 4552234.