P 8.00
VOLUME 3
NUMBER 78
FRIDAY
AUGUST 7, 2009
FAN BY THE HUNDRED. Just over two hours from the Clark Freeport is a slice of paradise, actually clumps of it at the Hundred Islands National
Park in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. Story on page 8. PHOTO COURTESY OF RIC GONZALES
PGMA’s sis backs
Cory beatification
BY DING CERVANTES
C
ITY OF SAN FERNANDO Pres. Arroyo’s only sister
Cielo Macapagal-Salgado
said yesterday she would support
a move to petition Pope Benedict
XVI to consider former Pres.
Corazon Aquino as candidate for
beatification, then sainthood.
PAGE 6 PLEASE
Subic exceeds 2009
revenue targets
in 7 months
BY MALOU DUNGOG
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT
– Revenue collections by
the seaport department of
the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in
the first seven months
have already exceeded
the agency’s target for the
entire 2009.
SBMA deputy administrator for operations Fer-
dinand Hernandez said
collections from vessel layups in Subic Bay, as well
as wharfage fees on imported products boosted
seaport revenue to a total
of P319.73 million, or
P3.43 million more than
the revenue target for this
year.
The amount also represented a 15.7 percent
PAGE 2 PLEASE
ALTRUISTIC GIFT. Soldiers and policemen show their care for others
by donating blood last Wednesday. The activity is an initiative of
Smart Communications and SM City Pampanga. PHOTO BY JOEY AGUILAR
‘SMART MOVE’
Soldiers, cops donate blood
BY JOEY AGUILAR
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – In a bid
to help save more lives, Smart Communications and SM City Pampanga
spearheaded a blood-letting activity on
Wednesday where at least 100 members of the Philippine Air Force and 39
policemen in Pampanga volunteered to
become donors.
Wo Rosete, Smart’s external relation-Luzon head, said they intend to
institutionalize the blood-letting activity dubbed as “Community Care” and
“we wish to do it nationwide.”
PAGE 2 PLEASE
Ballots
moved to
Manila
today
BY TONETTE T. OREJAS
CITY
OF
SAN
FERNANDO—The
Commission on Elections on Thursday began transferring the
4,688 ballot boxes in
Pampanga’s 20 towns
and this capital in preparations for the recount
of votes cast in the gubernatorial race in May
2007. Deposited at the
PAGE 6 PLEASE
Recount
raises
‘false
hopes’
CITY
OF
SAN
FERNANDO - Just like
the recall petition
against Gov. Eddie Panlilio that was virtually
ignored by the Commission on Elections
(Comelec), the electoral protest that has given way to a recount of
votes in this province will
just be another source
of “false hopes” for his
critics.
PAGE 6 PLEASE
CL board members start
assembly in Clark today
‘Submarine’ rice
released in market
JUMP BALL. Carmelo Lazatin, Jr., son of Pampanga First District Representative Carmelo “Tarzan”
Lazatin, leads the ceremonial jump ball signalling the opening of Lazatin’s Basketball Tournament
in Barangay Duquit, Mabalacat last August 1. The tournament is part of Lazatin’s anti-drug
campaign program. PHOTO COURTESY OF VON RYAN SUGUI
Subic exceeds 2009 revenue targets...
FROM PAGE 1
growth over 2008 figures,
Hernandez pointed out.
Comparative figures
from the SBMA Seaport
Department showed that
from January to July, the
SBMA collected P131.23
million in vessel charges,
P91.67 million in cargo
charges, P21.56 million in
processing fees, P34.62
million in SBMA shares for
port-related services,
P35.6 million in leases and
rentals, and P5 million in
other charges.
These figures included
a total of P68.3 million
from fees paid by laid-up
vessels, P39.8 million in
wharfage fees on grains,
wheat, fertilizer and rice,
and P21.5 million in wharfage fees on imported petroleum products.
The P319.73-million
collection from January to
July 2009 was 169.7 percent more than the target
for the same seven-month
period, SBMA figures
showed.
Because of the record
collections, the SBMA
Seaport Department has
upgraded its 2009 target
collection to P440.84 million, Hernandez said.
Hernandez said that
despite the global economic slowdown, the
SBMA Seaport Department “has consistently
recorded banner revenues.”
“June 2009, which
brought in P60.69 million
is worth highlighting because it is the seaport’s
highest monthly record
thus far — ever since the
SBMA was created in
1992,” he said.
“For the remaining
quarters of 2009, it is a
foregone conclusion that
the targets will be surpassed,” Hernandez added.
Earlier, Subic seaport
officials reported that the
SBMA generated revenue
worth P276.49 million from
seaport operations in January to June 2009. This
total also slightly sur-
passed the revenue posted during the 12-month
period of 2008.
“This only goes to show
that the SBMA is on the
right track in its effort to
market the Port of Subic
to more shippers, importers, brokers and cargo forwarders,” said Hernandez.
SBMA officials also attributed the record-breaking seaport figures to President Gloria MacapagalArroyo’s vision for Subic
and the huge investments
in infrastructure like
the Subic-Clark-Tarlac
Expressway (SCTEx), the
North Luzon Expressway
(NLEx), and the Subic
Port Development.
“These have made the
SBMA’s marketing strategies for the port very effective, thus enabling us to
greatly enhance Subic’s
performance as a logistics
hub,” Hernandez also explained.
Meanwhile, SBMA
seaport manager Perfecto
Pascual disclosed that
the SBMA’s goal-setting
program has so far worked
wonders for seaport operations.
Pascual said his department first made revenue forecasts in 2006, the
same year when seaport
income rose significantly,
allowing the department to
achieve 94.75 percent of
its P201.46-million forecast. This was followed by
a 93.54-percent completion of the P233.21-million
forecast in 2007, and the
chart-busting record of
121.05-percent in 2008
when Subic posted actual
revenue of P276.24-million
against a forecast of
P228.2 million.
Pascual added that the
monthly collections this
year have surpassed all
previous records since
1993 as the SBMA Seaport Department posted
P37.62 million in January,
P41.57 million in February,
P51.01 million in March,
P44.49 million in April,
P41.07 million in May,
P60.69 million in June,
and P43.24 million in July.
SCIENCE CITY OF MUNOZ – The country’s prime rice
research agency announced on Thursday the formal
commercialization of a rice variety that can survive days
of submergence in water.
“Submarino 1 is a non-genetically engineered rice
plant that can survive, grow and develop even after 10
days of complete submergence in water at vegetative
stage,” said Dr. Nenita V. Desamero, DA-PhilRice plant
breeder and team leader of the on-farm testing of submergence-tolerant rice in the Philippines
The first submergence-tolerant rice variety in the
Philippines, now called NSIC Rc194 9 (also known as
Submarino) was released during the 27th Council Secretariat Meeting last July 7, according to Desamero.
The variety was infused with submergence tolerance
gene (Sub1), which was discovered by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the University of
California-Davis from an Indian rice variety FR13A.
The PhilRice reported that under favorable condition, Submarino 1 will have the same yield performance
as IR64 (4.5 t/ha), but under complete submergence,
Submarino 1 will survive and recover.
However, farmers are advised to avoid planting Submarino 1 in blast and tungro-stricken areas. The variety
matures in 112-116 days with a plant height of 90-95
cm, Desamiro added.
Before the 2008 wet season (WS), Submarino 1
was first introduced to farmers in San Antonio, Nueva
Ecija, which is a catch basin of the neighboring municipalities during the rainy season.
Recently, DA-PhilRice, together with the 12 DARegional Field Units, has started conducting adaptation trials of Submarino 1 and other Sub1 lines such as
Swarna-Sub1, IR49830-7-1-2-3 and PhilRice lines in
selected municipalities around the country.
For the seed increase of Submarino 1, 0.3 ha is
allotted for the production of breeder seeds and 0.5 ha
for foundation seeds this 2009 wet season, but will expand in the 2010 dry season. More commercial seeds
will be made available to target farmers by 2010 WS.
The collaborative project of DA-PhilRice and IRRI
“Implementation plans to disseminate submergence
tolerant rice varieties and associated new production
practices to Southeast Asia” is funded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
PhilRice is a government-owned and –controlled
corporation attached to the Department of Agriculture
that aims at developing high-yielding and cost-reducing technologies so farmers can produce enough rice
for all Filipinos.
BY JOEY PAVIA
YOU’D RATHER BE AT GERRY’S. Warm smiles from Gerry’s accommodating staff will
surely make customers feel welcomed.
A full plate of grilled
goodness only at Gerry’s
WITH THE recent opening of
Gerry’s Grill at SM City Baliwag, there’s no reason not to
treat your taste buds for budget-friendly scrumptious meals
perfect for any occasion.
For foodies yearning for a
pampered dining experience,
Gerry’s Grill boasts of a menu
stuffed with Filipino fusion favorites and exotic cuisines. Delight the whole family with their
tasty appetizers and delectable
entreés. You can’t go wrong with
Gerry’s all-time bestsellers such
as their sizzling pork sisig,
grilled tuna belly, lechon kawali,
inihaw na pusit and beef karekare.
Round up your barkada for
an all-you-can-eat feast along
with a couple of drinks. Enjoy
your favorite beverage, whether
it be alcoholic or not and pair
them with Gerry’s flavorful beermates like garlic adobo shreds
and crispy pata.
Located at the ground floor
of SM City Baliwag, Gerry’s
place conveys an inviting and
unimposing ambiance. Its interior features a mini bar, tree
trunks for pillars and wrought
iron and wicker for furniture that
appeals to both families and the
office crowd.
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –
Pampanga Board Members Tars
Halili and Catalina Bagasina are
expected to lead today’s 3rd regional assembly of Central Luzon provincial legislators at the
Clark Freeport.
“Responding to local legislative challenges in our changing
society and economy” is the
theme of the two-day event of the
Provincial Board Members
League of the Phillipines (PBMLP) Region III Chapter at the
Holiday Inn Resort.
“The roles of the board members are crucial to the development of the provinces in Central
Luzon. We must help each other sustain the growth benefitting
our respective areas,” said Bagasina, who is the conference
co-chair.
Halili, for his part, said
“equipping ourselves with proper knowledge from the experts
in the field of legislation is the
key.”
The PBMLP invited regional
officials of the Deparment of Interior and Local Government
(DILG) to speak about “practical
applications of parliamentary
procedures and techniques in
local legislation exemplars.”
DILG Regional Director
Renato Brion will be the guest
of honor. Atty. Romeo Benitez
of the DILG legal service, on the
other hand, is a resource speaker.
The other resource speaker
Bagasina
from the DILG is Genaro Jose
Moreno, undersecretary for legal, administrative and human
resource development.
Mabalacat Mayor Marino
“Boking” Morales will give the
welcome remarks at the start of
the assembly proper at 3 p.m.
The keynote message will b
delivered by Victor Jose Luciano, president of the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC).
The PBMLP-Region III officers are: Halili, chairman; Saturnino Bactad of Zambales, vice
chairman; Shierwin Taay of Aurora, secretary general; Amado
Go of Tarlac, treasurer; Zaldy
Matias of Nueva Ecija, auditor;
Ariel Arceo of Bulacan, PRO;
Danilo David, director for Tarlac;
Bagasina, director for Pampanga; Oscar Padua, director for
Aurora; Orlando Miranda, director for Bataan; and Reynaldo
Tarongoy, director for Zambales.
Available at Punto office
2
FROM PAGE 1
“We partner with other
members of the community, people and organizations who could do it. In
the case of Pampanga, it’s
the PNP [Philippine National Police] and the Philippine Air Force,” he said,
adding that walk-ins are
also welcome to donate
blood.
Trained Red Cross personnel administered the
bloodletting in a vacant
area at the mall, making
sure that volunteers undergo various blood tests to
qualify and become donors. This is to prevent the
transmission of HIV and
other diseases.
Health experts say that
donating blood does not
only benefit the one who
received the blood but also
the donor. “Excess iron,
which causes free radical
formation in the body, is
removed through blood
donation.”
Some studies also
who that men who donate
blood once or twice a year
have a lower risk of heart
disease.
Meanwhile, hundreds
of policemen also joined
the bloodletting activity in
Camp Olivas, Pampanga
on April 11 during their 54th
birthday of Chief Supt.
Leon Nilo A. Dela Cruz,
director of the Central Luzon police office.
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
Soldiers, cops...
3
Hands on
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
PRESIDENT GLORIA Macapagal-Arroyo was in
Macabebe town yesterday – not within her home
district – to lead the groundbreaking for the
construction of a public school building.
The President, a press release pointed out, has
released P50 million “to alleviate the pitiful conditions
of flooded and dilapidated public schools in the
fourth district of Pampanga.” A total of 45 structures
are covered with that release – the amount, not
the press release – out of the Stimulus Fund School
Building Construction, Repair and Rehabilitation
(SFSB) Program of the Department of Education
“in coordination with the office of 4th District Rep.
Anna York Bondoc-Sagum.”
So did the GMA visit start and end in Sagum’s
realm? What, and return to Manila without setting
foot in her beloved turf?
From Macabebe, the President was expected
to home in her 2nd District town of Sasmuan – hold
your breath now – to : distribute certificates of lot
assignments in Barangay San Antonio; lead the
groundbreaking for a bridge in Barangay Sta.
Monica; inspect the proposed road upgrading and
improvement in Barangay San Pedro; observe the
waterway clean up and declogging of a creek in
Barangay San Nicolas 1 by then out-of-school
youth group Oyster; inaugurate a municipal road
in San Nicolas 2; launch the SFSB Program in the
second district ; distribute the assignment orders
to five new policemen of Sasmuan; and join the
PGMA Serbisyo Muna Caravan in Barangay Sto.
Tomas.
Much about the same things the President had
done in all her previous 20 visits to Pampanga,
particularly to the second district, in that itinerary.
A “hands-on” President, her chorus of rah-rah
boys would say.
Too much of a macro-manager, her detractors
would counter. Too much time on the details better
left to her minions.
More and more looking congressional rather
than presidential, we would rather say.
Cha-cha-cha...que rico bacelon...cha-cha-cha.
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
O p i n i o n
acaesar.blogspot.com
Zona Libre
Bong Z. Lacson
Thus, our Cory
Hindi ka mag-iisa
LEADERSHIP – the word as well as its application – has been so
much abused and misused that we now have a warped sense of it.
So shallow is our notion of leadership that we automatically affix
“leader” to any elected official, to presidents and chairs of just
about any organization with at least two members.
So long as there is one to command and another to follow,
there exists leadership. There too bogs down our concept of the
word. For leaders and followers do not make the whole dynamics
of leadership. There is the third element of goal.
From the book Certain Trumpets, the thesis on the nature of
leadership by Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Wills, I quote: “The goal
is not something added to leader and followers. The goal is the
reason for the other two’s existence. It is the equalizer between
leader and followers. The followers do not submit to the person of
the leader. They join him in the pursuit of the goal.”
Wills further expounds “…the leader is one who mobilizes others
toward a goal shared by leader and followers…all three elements
(leader, followers and goal) are indispensable.”
NASA CEBU ako nang mapanood sa telebisyon ang balitang
pumanaw na si Tita Cory. Natulala ako, nagdalamhati at naiyak.
Bagama’t alam natin lahat ang kanyang pinagdaanang sakit,
nakakagulat pa rin ang sabihing tuluyan na siyang namaalam.
First year college ako nang maganap ang snap elections kung
saan ay nagsama-sama ang mga oposisyon upang suportahan
ang kandidatura ng byuda ni Ninoy Aquino upang ilaban kay Marcos.
Tama na, sobra na, palitan na! Ito ang siyang naging bukang bibig
ng mga Pilipino. Naaalala ko pa ang mga kampanyang
pangtelebisyon ni Tita Cory lalong lalo na ang ukol sa presyo ng
galunggong. Nang iproklama si Marcos at Tolentino na siyang
nanalo bilang Presidente at Bise Presidente, dito na nagalit ng
sukdulan ang mga tao. Sa pagtiwalag ni Enrile at ni Ramos kay
Marcos, nagbigay ng suporta si Cardinal Sin, mga kaparian, mga
tao. Naigupo ang rehimeng Marcos at nailuklok si Tita Cory bilang
Presidente ng Rebolusyonaryong Pamahalaan. Ipinagtibay ang 1987
Constitution na sumasalamin sa mga probisyong kontra-diktadura.
Naibalik ang demokrasya, naitatag ang mga institusyong
pinaniniwalaan ng sambayanan, naibalik ang Pilipinas sa mapa ng
mundo. Bawat Pilipino ay nagkaroon ng pagmamalaki sa kanyang
lahi.
Critical indeed is the requisite of a goal shared
by both the leader and the followers in the holistic
perspective, in the true nature of leadership.
Sadly, it is there – in the element of goal –
that political leadership in the Philippine context
is much, much wanting and thereby we the people
almost always suffer.
More often than not, in fact as a matter of
practice, the goal – as translated to interests – of
the leader does not match, if not altogether
contradicts, the goal or the interest of the
followers.
No self-respecting presumptuous leader would
ever accede to that. Thus, we all hear our socalled political leaders on the campaign trail vow
their very “sacred honor” to the interests of the
people. See those screaming streamers posted
around: Bayan ang Bida, Serbisyong Tapat,
Serbisyong Totoo, Serbisyong Todo-todo,
Paglingkuran ang Bayan, ad nauseam.
Behold what political leaders do after getting
elected! Conveniently forgetting their campaign
promises, dishonoring their very vows to work for
the interests of their constituency.
While honor may still obtain among thieves, it
is a rarity among Philippine politicians.
So how and why do they get away with it? I
mean thieves getting positions of leadership and
robbing us, the followers, blind.
It is in the manner we choose our leaders. As
a rule, Filipinos vote with their emotions, rarely
with their intellect. Comes here the magic word
charisma.
We are mesmerized by anyone with a flashy
lifestyle: moviestars, entertainers, athletes, the
pa-sosyal
crowd, the perfumed set.
Instantaneously, we stamp the word charisma on
celebrity.
From the essential “divine grace,” the meaning
of charisma has been so twisted that it is now a
synonym to just about anything that is “attentioncompelling” even to its essential antonym of
“infamy”. Yeah, the infamous we now call
charismatic.
And so we appended charisma on Joseph
Estrada. To invest “divine grace” in one who makes
the grandest mockery of the Sixth, Seventh, and
Ninth Commandments of God is the most
detestable sacrilege, the most damnable
blasphemy. But did we know any better?
Star-struck, blinded by the flash of celebrity,
bewitched by their larger-than-life personae, we
readily elect fame over capability, choose passion
over vision, favor make-believe over hard reality.
Erap has been deposed, tried, imprisoned,
convicted and pardoned. Erap is again a frontrunner in the 2010 presidential race.
Again, Santayana’s damnation is upon us: We
are a nation that cannot, that reuses to remember
the past. We are a nation damned.
In the 1970s, a great political mind distilled
the nature of Philippine politics thus: “Personalist,
populist, individualist.” Then he went on to arrogate
unto himself all the powers that can be had, and
more – elevating himself to the pantheon of the
gods, assuming the mythic Malakas of Philippine
folklore with, naturally, the beautiful Imeldific, as
his Maganda.
A keen student of history, Ferdinand Edralin
Marcos took unto his public persona semblances
of the charismatic leaders of the past: his World
War II exploits – later proven false – invoked
Napoleon, if not Caesar; his political philosophies
gave him an aura of the Borgia and Medici clienst
of Machiavelli; his vision of a New Society
paralleled Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal; his
patronage of the arts that of Frederick the Great
of Prussia.
Marcos even exceeded himself in selfcultivating an image of being his country’s heroin-history in the moulds of Napoleon of France,
Bolivar of Latin America, Lincoln of the USA,
Garibaldi of Italy, Lenin of the Soviet Union, Ataturk
of Turkey and Mao of China.
A wee short of divine rights, Marcos took upon
himself a Messianic and Mosaic mission for the
Philippines: Save the country and its democratic
institutions from anarchy, lead the people to
prosperity.
Indeed, what other Philippine leader did
possess “charisma” greater than Marcos?
EDSA 1, the Cory Magic swept the land.
Ridiculed as “walang alam” (know nothing), plain
housewife Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino brought
down the towering intellectual, the almighty
Marcos in one bloodless revolution – a
contradiction in terms there, invoking what could
only be some divine guidance.
There was charisma, in its purest essence .
There was our Cory.
Insider’s
Info
by Bong Endona
Sa pagkamatay ni Tita Cory, kulang ang mga
mabubuting salita upang ipahayag ang walang
hanggang pasasalamat sa mga nagawa niya para
sa bayan. Tunay nga siyang bayani tulad ng
kanyang asawang si Ninoy. Sa dami ng taong
nakidalamhati sa pamilya Aquino – mayaman,
mahirap- lahat sila ay nagsasaad ng isang
saloobing pasasalamat sa isang taong nagbigay
ng pagbabago at pag-asa sa bansa. Matatagalan
pa nga siguro bago tayo makatagpo ng isang
katulad ni Tita Cory.
Sa pagkakatutok ko sa radyo at telebisyon,
habang pinakikinggan ang lahat ng mga
mabubuting salita at mga karanasan ukol kay Tita
Cory, masasabi kong ang lahat ng ito ay
kabaligtaran ng karamihan sa mga namumuno
sa ating pamahalaan sa kasalukuyan. (1) Hindi
mapaghangad ng kapangyarihan. (2) Walang
abusadong mga anak sa politika. (3) Mapagtimpi
ng galit at may respeto sa kanyang mga
empleyado, kahit na sa ordinaryong mga tao. (4)
Hindi sinungaling. (5) Tunay na maka-Diyos,
madasalin at hindi ginagawang props sa
background si Mama Mary tuwing may interview.
(6) May mga tagapaglingkod na may prinsipyo
at hindi kailanman tumalima sa kanya. (7)
Sumusuporta sa mga pinaniniwalaang adhikain
ng walang kapalit o personal na interes. (8)
Hindi minsan man nagalit sa kanyang SONA.
(9) Naging napakabuting ina maging kay Kris
(na aking lubos na hinangaan sa kanyang
ginawang pagkalinga at hindi pag-alis sa piling
ng inang maysakit hanggang sa huling
sandali). (10) Pinanalangin ng mga tao na
gumaling at humaba pa ang buhay (sino bang
huling opisyal ng gobyerno ang ginawan mo
ng ganito?).
Tita Cory, hindi ka nag-isa nang sumuong ka
sa sakrispisyo ng pagsisilbi sa sambayanan.
Lalong hindi ka mag-iisa sa iyong pagpanaw dahil
batid kong kasama ka na ni Ninoy at ng mga
anghel sa kalangitan. Sa iyong pagpanaw, nawa
ay ipanganak muli ang damdamin ng
sambayanan upang labanan ang napipintong
pagdating ng diktadurang yuyurak muli sa ating
demokrasya.
SCADC & LGUs:
Partners for progress
and development
(Part VI)
THE Metro Clark Area (MCA),
Metro Subic Area (MSA), and
Metro Tarlac Area (MTA) constitute the Subic-Clark Corridor’s
Region-Wide Macro Framework.
Within and around the Corridor’s
macro-framework new road systems and support infra-structure
facilities, such as the following,
are envisioned to promote and
hasten social and economic
growth and development:
New Road Systems for the
Corridor’s Macro Framework
1. New non-tollway radial
roads linking Tarlac towns, e.g.
Capas, Bamban, etc., with Zambales towns, e.g. Iba, Botolan,
etc.
2. New circumferential
road systems linking Pampanga Province with Tarlac Province
(RC-1 & RC-2) and Subic with
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and
Tarlac (RC-3);
3. New radials linking
parts of Tarlac and Nueva Ecija
(Tarlac-Iba Road, Tarlac-Nueva
Ecija-Aurora-Dingalan Road and
Capas-Botolan Road) and possibly Pampanga and Bulacan;
4. A possible viaduct
coastal tollway system linking
the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan; and
Ni Felix M. Garcia
Bakit inapura ng
lintik, wala pa
palang badyet?
ANO BA naman yang pinag-gagawa mo
DPWH Direk Tolentino?
At di mo naisip kung anong epkto
Ng pagiging lubha mong adelantado?
Sa pagpatay nitong mga punongkahoy
Gayong di pa naman pala matutuloy
Itong ‘road widening’ na pinagyayabang mong
Gagawin para sa Hiway ng McArthur;
Bunsod ng ika mo’y wala pa rin yatang
Sapat na pondo yan kaya’t pumayag kang
Ipatigil muna ang pag-‘massacre’ diyan
Sa mga biktima ng iyong kapalpakan?
Kung saan kayo na rin ang naka-isip
Na naglabas nitong ‘until further notice,’
Sa pagpapairal ng ‘napakalupit’
Na kautusang di matamang inisip!
Di pa naman pala kayo sigurado
Na magagawa na sa panahong ito,
Ano’t minadali mo namang masyado
Ang pagpapaalis sa akasya rito?
At iba pang uri ng aming pananim
Na tunay naman pong nakakatulong din
Sa ‘ting kalikasan upang manatiling
Sariwa’t malinis ang ihip ng hangin.
Alam mo ba Direk kung anong pinsala
Sa aming probinsya ng iyong ginawa?
Aba’y para mo nang niyurak ng kusa
Ang dangal ng bawat Kapampangan yata!
Partikular na ang taga San Fernando
Na nakasasakop sa lugar na ito,
Kung saan kahit na wala kang permiso
Mula kay Oca ay di ka makuntento;
Na di masimulan ang iyong proyektong
Pagpapaluwag sa daanang McArthur,
Kahit pa ma’t batid mong maraming tutol
Liban kay Rodriguez sa pagpapaputol;
5. Radial road connecting
Zambales and Pampanga (San
Marcelino-Floridablanca Road).
New Road Systems for the
Corridor’s Micro Framework
1. A service road system
that will run parallel to the SCTEx, possibly at a distance of 5
km. east of the SCTEx (a significant stretch of the service road
will be outside of the Corridor
study area); it will run from the
Tarlac-Nueva Ecija-Aurora-Dingalan Road in the north and connect with Angeles-Porac-Floridablanca Road in the south;
2. A service road system
within the designated development areas around the toll Plazas of the SCTEx;
3. New roads inside the
Subic Bay Freeport Zone CBD
and bridges to connect with
Olongapo City;
4. Road projects that
would improve circulation within
the Mabalacat CBD and Improve
its linkages to mother urban centers;
5. Road projects such as
the radial road connecting eastwest portions of Angeles City
and the eastern circumferential
road (ECR) should be encouraged;
Napaguusapan
lang
Agyu Tamu!
Atbp
Edgardo “EDPAM”
Pamintuan
6. Interconnection of Tarlac City with Hacienda Luisita;
and
7. A western arterial road
at the 5 km. edge of the SCAD
Corridor to run parallel to the
SCTEx from Tarlac City in the
north to Bamban in the south.
Road
Improvement
Projects
1. Widening and improvement of the Bataan Expressway;
2.
SCTEx interface with
the Tarlac-Pangasinan Expressway (TPLEx);
3. Road improvement of
Angeles-Porac-FloridablancaDinalupihan to serve as service
road of SCTEx south of Angeles
PAGE 6 PLEASE
Ng mga naturang akasyang minalas
Na nahatulan ng ‘bitay’ nang di oras,
Dulot nitong ngayo’y tila masisilat
Na kautusan mo – Direktor na palpak.
(Na posibleng bunsod ng pagpapalapad
Ng papel po nito sa nakatataas,
Ay namimiligro ngayong mapahamak
At baka masipa siya ng di oras!
Pagkat posible rin namang mayrung ligal
Na sagutin itong nasabing opisyal,
Sa kung anong bagay na di sinunod n’yan
Na ‘protocol’ yata po ang katawagan.)
Pero, gaya nitong ang naging pahayag
Ng DPWH na walang tiyak
Na taning ang kanyang sinabi at sukat,
Ay kinakailangan din tayong magmatyag;
At maging alerto, pagkat huling-huli
O ‘caught in the act’ ni Senadora Jamby
Itong kahit may ‘hold order’ ng nasabi
Ay may lantaran pang nagpuputol kasi;
Na nagpapatunay na ‘moro-moro’ lang
Itong kunwari ay pagpapatigil n’yan?
(At kung saan baka may komisyon po yan
Sa contractor kaya todo pasa lamang?)
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
Editorial
5
Richard Gutierrez consistent
sa pag-share ng blessing
PGMA’s sis backs Cory beatification
gations of cheating in the
2004 presidential elections. The President is the
late Pres. Macapagal’s
daughter by his second
wife former first lady Eva
Macaraig-Macapagal.
“She (Cory) offered her
sufferings for the country,
she offered her pains to
Jesus Christ for the intentions of the country. She
modeled her life after that
of Jesus,” Salgado said.
Asked whether she
would accept heading a
movement that would push
for the official beatification
and possibly canonization
of Mrs. Aquino, she replied “of course I would.”
But then, she said there
are others who are more
deserving than she is in
pushing for Mrs. Aquino’s
sainthood and that she
would rather yield to them.
“It will of course be a
long process that will
eventually require a miracle from Cory herself. One
miracle we can pray for is
the transformation of our
country,” she said.
Salgado recalled that
she first met Mrs. Aquino
even before former Pres.
Marcos declared martial
law in 1972.
“It was at a party that I
met her in 1971 and I was
impressed with her. I decided she would be ninang
for my youngest daughter
Ma. Victoria,” she recalled.
In 1987 when Mrs.
Aquino was already president launched by People
Power the previous year,
former Gov. Bren Z. Guiao,
whom Cory had appointed
officer-in-charge of the
Pampanga provincial government, asked Salgado’s
brother Arthur Macapagal
to run as his vice governor.
“My brother declined
the offer but he suggested
me. I was also hesitant,
but I prayed for a sign and
thought that if Cory herself
would ask me, then I
would,” Salgado said.
Salgado recalled that
days later, “there was a
road inauguration in Maga-
Ballots moved to Manila today
FROM PAGE 1
Pampanga police office,
the ballot boxes will be
taken to the Comelec office in Manila today.
The Comelec first
picked up the ballot boxes in the second district
starting with Sta. Rita town
at 8:45 a.m.
Supposed to start at 8
a.m., the transfer got delayed when Comelec provincial supervisor Temie
Lambino revised the route
by starting it in Sasmuan.
Lambino confirmed the
change and said he reverted to the original route after
learning that the Thursday
visit of President Macapagal-Arroyo will go past 3
p.m. and thus will not affect
the Comelec’s collection of
the ballot boxes.
The police secured the
transfer of the ballot boxes, which had been in the
custody of local treasurers. The boxes, sealed
since after the 2007 polls,
contained election returns
and official ballots used in
the May 2007 polls.
At the onset, the lawyers and volunteers of
former Provincial Board
Member Lilia Pineda, who
sought the recount, out-
numbered the teams fielded by Gov. Eddie Panlilio.
Members of the National Movement for Free
Elections and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting observed the
process.
The ballot boxes were
expected to be all in at the
provincial police headquarters, just 500 meters beside the Capitol, at 5 p.m.
Thursday, Lambino said.
These will all be transported on Friday to the
Comelec Manila office
where the recount will be
held.
Voters who cast their
votes for Panlilio are expected to converge at the
capitol grounds at 5 p.m.
for a prayer-vigil to defend
what they call “conscience
votes.”
Panlilio won by 1,147
votes against Pineda. His
victory was seen as a by
his supporters as a “miracle,” having won through
the people power mounted by Kapampangans.
Pineda had said she,
too, had the right to know
the truth as she alleged of
election fraud by Panlilio
and then Gov. Mark Lapid
who finished third in the
counting.
Recount raises ‘false hopes’
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
FROM PAGE 1
6
“The Comelec should
admit it has no time to resolve the protest before
the 2010 polls, “ said Panlilio’s lawyer Romulo
Macalintal, who once said
that the recall petition
signed by some 200,000
local folk against the governor last year would not
be acted upon due to lack
of both funds and time.
The petition, although complying with the requirements of law, has been virtually trashed.
This, even as Comelec
provincial supervisor Temmie Lambino told Punto
that four 10-wheeled
trucks provided by former
provincial board member
Lilia Pineda, who filed the
electoral protest against
Panlilio, retrieved yesterday from towns throughout this province over
4,000 ballot boxes and
deposited them at the provincial police headquarters here.
“At least 31 policemen
in four patrol cars will es-
cort the ballot boxes from
the police headquarters to
the Comelec central office
where the recount of votes
cast for governor will be
done,” he said.
The same four trucks
provided by Pineda will
leave the premises of the
police compound at 6 a.m.
today to transport the ballot boxes to the Comelec
warehouse in Manila, he
added.
Lambino said, however, that ballots in Magalang, Pampanga had earlier been moved to the
Comelec in Manila arising
from a pending mayoral
electoral protest that remains pending, while the
ballot boxes in Mabalacat
town would remain under
local police custody also
amid a pending case arising from the burning of ballot boxes in the town after
the 2007 elections.
He clarified that the
transportation cost was
shouldered by Pineda in
accordance with an order
issued in 2007 by the
Comelec’s second divi-
sion. In the same year,
Pineda deposited P4.4
million to the polls body’s
division to cover expenses for recount of votes.
Lambino said, however, that the cost of transporting the ballot boxes to
Manila was apart from the
P4.4 million deposit, and
that this was also shouldered by Pineda.
In a text message to
Punto, Macalintal said “it
will take a year for a division of the Comelec to
decide (Pineda’s protest
case), with the aggrieved
party having the right to
appeal to the Comelec en
banc.”
“The Comelec should
admit it has no time to resolve the protest before
the 2010 polls considering
it is busy preparing for the
elections, instead of giving
parties concerned and the
people false hopes,” he
stressed.
Last year, critics of
Panlilio gathered some
200,000 signatures of local voters in a petition expressind lack of confi-
dence in the governor. The
petition, which was certified as compliant with the
law, could have led to special gubernatorial polls, but
the Comelec admitted it
had neither funds nor time
to act on it.
Last July 28, the Supreme Court en banc issued with finality a resolution upholding the
Comelec’s second division’s order for the recount
of votes cast in 2007 for
governor of this province.
The recount was petitioned by Pineda, the proadministration candidate
who lost to independent
Panlilio by 1,147 votes, as
she claimed vote buying
and other anomalies in the
polls.
Panlilio’s lawyers said
that the Supreme Court’s
favoring the Comelec second division’s verdict would
open the floodgates for “frivolous” electoral complaints being filed by rich
candidates against their
poor but winning adversaries after the 2010 elections. –Ding Cervantes
lang (Pampanga) and I
was at the end of the long
line of personalities. All of
a sudden, she called for
me and told me to run for
vice governor.” Salgado
recalled. She and Guiao
won in the elections.
Meanwhile, the Facebook cause described Mrs.
Aquino as “not only an icon
of democracy but also a
Servant of God who valued
and promoted prayer.”
In pushing for Cory’s
sainthood, the cause noted that Mrs. Aquino “exhibited heroically the theological virtues of faith, hope
and charity and the cardinal virtues of prudence,
justice, fortitude and temperance.”
“She lived a simple,
modest, and prayerful life
and remained vigilant and
active in the promotion of
life, truth, and social justice,” it added.
Belief in Cory’s spiritual heroism has been
boosted by testimonites
from Fr. Catalino Arevalo,
S.J. of the Loyola School
of Theology, who delivered
the homily in the Requiem
Mass for Mrs. Aquino yesterday.
Arevalo had written,
long before the illness of
Mrs. Aquino, that the ro-
sary given her by Sister
Lucia dos Santos, one of
the three visionaries of
Fatima, was held by the
Blessed Virgin Mary herself.
“Some of the Sisters
(in Sister Lucia’s convent)
believe that Our Lady, during one of her visits, held
the rosary in her own
hands and blessed it for
Mrs. Aquino, promising
her presence and strength
to her in times specially of
suffering and need. That is
why Sr. Lucia reminded
Tita Cory to take good
care of the rosary. Our
Lady had held it in her own
hands,” Arevalo said.
He quoted Mrs. Aquino as later saying” “Sister
Lucia sent me this rosary
which she herself made,
with the message that I
would be supported and
protected in my presidency. She added, however,
that more suffering would
come my way. I now know
that it was a prophetic
message, as I had to fight
back seven coup attempts
to save my administration
from power-grabbers in
uniform. With Our Lady’s
protection, I stood my
ground and never left Malacañang, even when it was
being attacked.”
Agyu Tamu! Atbp
FROM PAGE 5
City; and
4. Road improvement/expansion/extension of Mabalacat-Magalang Road to connect Mabalacat CBD with
proposed SCTEx service road.
SCTEx Related Projects
1. Entry/exit ramp for the southbound lane at Dolores interchange in Mabalacat;
2. Upgrading/widening of Porac and Floridablanca
access roads to the SCTEx interchange;
3. Interconnect the six (6) Concepcion overpasses
over SCTEx, i.e., at both sides of the SCTEx to enhance access and productivity;
4.For the Tarlac LGUs, develop new artwerial roads
at the edge of the 10.0 km wide SCAD Corridor;
5. Adjust the depth of the no-built zone and builtup area enveloping it, at toll plazas of Tarlac/La Paz,
Luisita, Concepcion toll plazas;
6. Shorter and more direct (westward) access
road to Dinalupihan town proper from Dinalupihan interchange; and
7. Entry/exit ramp for southbound lane at Hacienda Luisita interchange.
Possible NorthRail Projects
1. “Land Port” development at the Tarlac area,
i.e.,possibly at Bamban, Capas or Hacienda Luisita
(mainly freight-oriented, with interfaces between
NorthRail and other overland transport systems) at the
short to medium term;
2. Clark-Subic connection (commuter and freight)
at medium to long term;
3. Clark-Damortis (La Union) connection (commuter and freight) at medium to long term;
4. Clark-San Jose (Nueva Ecija) connection (commuter and freight) at medium to long term;
5. San Jose to CEZA/Cagayan connection (commuter and freight) at long to very long term; and
6. Damortis to CEZA/Cagayan connection (commuter and freight) at very long to very, very long term to
finally complete the Luzon rail connection.
As you can see, the path of development is now
toward the north of Manila, the south of it having reached
saturation point of development. We will continue in
next week’s Agyu Tamu! Atbp our journey to the road
map northward of Metro Manila. Till then, see you and
Mabuhay!
NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT
WITH WAIVER OF RIGHTS
Notice is hereby given that the heirs of INOCENCIO TURLA JR. who
died intestate on August 7, 1994 in Angeles City executed an Extrajudicial
Settlement with Waiver of Rights of his estate more particularly described
as a parcel of land with existing improvements, situated at 227 T. Claudio
St., Salapungan, Angeles City measuring about One Hundred Fifty (150)
square meters and covered by TCT No. 52318.
Punto! Central Luzon: August 7, 14 & 21, 2009
The
Gossipmiller
by Cesar Pambid
HINDI NA kami nagulat dun sa papuri ng marami tungkol sa pagiging generous daw ng pamilya Gutiereez na ipinakita nang todo sa
party ng Zorro kamakailan. Eversince naman kasi, kilala na’ng pamilyang ito pagdating sa pag-share ng kanilang blessings. Ilang
Pasko na bang pinasasaya ni Annabelle Rama kasama ng kanyang mga talent at pamilya ang mga press at yung mga taong nakakatuwang nila sa tagumpay ng mga anak niya?
As usual nga, maraming pinasaya si Richard Gutierrez sa farewell party ng Zorro. Almost 400 staff and crew kasama ang kanikanilang pamilya na nakisaya sa maraming giveaways na ipinamigay ng aktor tulad ng Slim Tee Bench T-shirts, Gutz and Glory
cologne, 15 na lechon Cebu, 10 kahong Emperador brandy at I-phones.
Bukod sa mga bonggang giveaways, meron din daw music and mobile special lightings dahil may fashion show.
Heto’t namigay pa raw ng kalahating milyong piso si Richard for the raffle. Ang P100,000 ay galing sa kanyang daddy Eddie
Gutierrez, P20 thou from Elvis, P15 thou from Rocky, P15 thou from Ritchie Paul, at P50 thou mula sa kanyang controversial mother na
si Ms. Annabelle Rama.
Bukod daw sa P500,000 na pa-raffle, nagbigay din ang aktor ng P100,000 sa 25 staff members ng Zorro.
“Walang umuwing luhaan, lahat may bitbit nang umuwi,” sabi ng malapit sa pamilya na present sa nasabing bonggang event.
Christmas in July daw ang nasabing party bilang pasasalamat na rin ni Richard dahil nanatiling nasa No. 1 position sa GMA 7 ang
kanyang matatapos na programang Zorro.
“Lahat ng shows ni Chard and movies, ginagawa niya ito, parang sini-share niya ang suwerteng dumating sa buhay niya mula sa
Mulawin days pa hanggang ngayon,” sabi pa ng isang malapit sa aktor.
Kaya nga hindi raw nakapagtatakang maraming nagmamahal sa kanya, especially ang crew, dahil kahit walang okasyon basta’t
maganda ang rating ng show nito, may limang lechon Cebu na dumarating sa set nila.
“Di na dapat pang kuwestiyunin ang pagiging
National Artist ni Carlo J. Caparas”–Manoling Morato
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1030FS • 1050MF • 115 • 340 • 605
802LFS • 835LMF • 1032END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1120FS • 1135MF • 200 • 425 • 650
847LFS • 915LMF • 1112END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1130FS • 1200MF • 220 • 440 • 700
857LFS • 915LMF • 1112END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1200FS • 1220MF • 245 • 510
707LFS • 740LMF • 937END
THE PROPOSAL (PG13)
1135FS • 1155MF • 215 • 435 • 655
842LFS • 915LMF • 1102END
OH MY GIRL
1015FS • 1025MF • 1235 • 245 • 455 • 705
855LFS • 915LMF • 1105END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1100MF • 130 • 400 • 630
830LFS • 900LMF • 1100END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
1030MF • 100 • 330 • 600
800LFS • 830LMF • 1030END
OH MY GIRL (G)
1050FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700
845LFS • 900LMF • 1045END
HARRY POTTER 6 (G)
1130MF • 205LFS • 215LMF • 450END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
500FS • 515MF • 715LFS • 745LMF • 945END
THE PROPOSAL (PG13)
1050FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700
850LFS • 900LMF • 1050END
G.I. JOE THE RISE OF COBRA (PG13)
215MF • 445
645LFS • 715LMF • 915END
UMPISA PA lang, inaasahan na ng mag-asawang Carlo J. Caparas at Donna Villa na may mga taong aalma sa
pananalo niya ng award bilang National Artist.
Hindi naman galit ang nadama ni Direk Carlo J sa mga taong namimintas sa pagpili sa kanya.
Nagpasalamat pa siya sa mga namimintas.
Isang karangalan daw sa isang tulad niya ang mapagkalooban ng isang makabuluhang karangalan na marami ang naghangad, pero iilan lang ang pinalad.
Nagpasalamat din si Direk Carlo sa kanyang maybahay na si Donna Villa na laging nakasuporta sa kanya
kahit ano ang mangyari.
At higit sa lahat nagpapasalamat si Direk Carlo
kay Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo na nagbi-gay
at nagtiwala sa kanya para maging National Artist.
On the rescue naman ang kaibigan ng magasawa,si Manoling Morato sa pagtatanggol nga kay
Carlo. Nagpahayag ito na karapat-dapat naman si Direk
Carlo sa naturang karangalan.
Sabi pa ni Morato, wala raw magawa ang mga namimintas sa ipinagkaloob na karangalan kay Direk Carlo.
“Inggit lang ang mga ‘yan. Walang makakakuwestiyon
sa success ni Carlo as an artist,” pahayag nito.
“Walang makapapantay sa ginawa ni Carlo sa komiks, pelikula at TV. Hin-di lang nagsusulat ng script sa komiks si
Carlo, nagdo-drawing din siya. Nagdidirek din at nagsusulat ng screenplay kaya ang dami niyang alam.
Nai-translate pa sa TV ang kanyang mga gawa,”
dagdag ni Manoling.
Ano naman ang say niya sa sinasabing palakasan system daw sa pagpili ng
magiging National Artist?
“Anong palakasan? Walang ganyan. Carlo deserves his award very
fairly,” say pa ng Former MTRCB
chairman.
Matabang
talent manager
lulong sa casino
TAMA ANG hula n’yo, siya rin
‘yung talent manager na maraming alagang sikat ang lulong din
sa drugs. Kailan lang ba napabalita ‘yung mahilig itong umupa ng mga bayarang lalaki para
pagtripan kapag high na sa
drugs. Minsan nga, nakakuwentuhan namin sa kanyang
hangout somewhere in Timog
‘yung callboy at ditto marami
siyang isiniwalat sa amin.
Kapag nagti-trip na raw ang talent manager, parang nagdedeliryo ito na kung anik anik ang
lumalabas sa bibig. “Nakakatakot, praning siya talaga, any
moment, feeling mo talaga,
mananaksak na siya,” ngayon
ay tumatawang kuwento pa ng
aming kausap.
Minsan naman daw, tinangka
niyang tumakas mula sa condo
pero talagang hindi niya nagawa.
Ang ending, he just had to wait until
noontime the next day nang hindi
na bangag ang talent manager.
Ngayon nga ay sa casino naman
lulong ang manager. Araw araw daw
siyang nakababad sa casino at may
mga nagtatayang nauubos na ang pera
niya. Kumbaga, bumabawi siya pero lalo lang siyang lumulubog. “Kawawa talaga siya, kapag hindi
siya nahismasmasan sa kanyang bisyong casino,
baka pati pera ng mga alaga niya maubos niya. Hindi na kami magtataka na bukas-makalawa, pinagpipistahan na siya ng mga reporter at ang isyu ay
galling mismo sa mga alaga niyang tinakasan niya
ng datung.”
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
“She was a living saint,
after all,” Salgado, 68, told
Punto in a telephone interview after she attended the
funeral services for Mrs.
Aquino at the Manila cathedral last Wednesday.
This, even as 3,798
persons as of yesterday
morning have joined a Facebook “cause” in the internet calling for “the promotion of the sainthood of
the Philippine’s former
president, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino and to petition the Roman Catholic
Church to begin the investigation for the canonization process.” The Facebook cause was launched
only last Aug. 2, a day after Mrs. Aquino died.
Salgado, whose mother was the first wife of
former Pres. Diosdado
Macapagal, said that during the funeral rites, she
even expressed to a
former cabinet official here
confidence that Mrs. Aqui-
no is already in heaven and
that “therefore, we should
be the one to ask her to
pray for us.”
“We should pray to her
to help us remove selfishness in our midst once
and for all and for the unity of all Filipinos,” said
Salgado who was the vice
governor of this province
during the Aquino administration.
Salgado is known to
Kapampangans as very
religious and, like Mrs.
Aquino, a devotee of Our
Lady of Fatima. She and
her family, together with Fr.
Jerry Orbos, had visited
and prayed at Fatima in
Portugal where the
Blessed Virgin Mary had
appeared in 1918 to three
children, including Sister
Lucia dos Santos who later made a rosary which
she gave Mrs. Aquino as
a gift.
Mrs. Aquino had once
joined the call for Salgado’s half-sister Pres. Arroyo to resign amid alle-
Richard Gutierrez
FROM PAGE 1
7
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIC GONZALES
A thousand reasons to see Hundred Islands
BY JOEY PAVIA
PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • AUGUST 7, 2009 • FRIDAY
ALAMINOS CITY – There are
123 islands at the Hundred Islands National Park here. But
there are a more than a thousand reasons to visit one of the
premiere tourist destinations in
North Luzon.
This was stressed by Martin
Valera, regional director of the
Department of Tourism (DOT) in
Region I, after hosting the recent
two-day media familiarization
tour for Pampanga Press Club
(PPC) members here.
“The islands are not just
beautiful but there so many activities to do in the pride and joy
of Alaminos, Pangasinan,” said
Valera, who organized the tour
with his counterpart in Region III,
Ronnie Tiotuico.
“I have been to famous
beaches and resorts in the
country and abroad but the Hundred Islands is the best so far,”
said PPC’s Ashley Manabat.
“There are endless sights and
things to do in the place not to
8
mention that the local folk are
superbly friendly.”
The fun-filled, family-oriented
activities at the national park are
kayaking, snorkeling (to see giant clams), spear fishing, island
hopping, diving, bird watching
and camping.
Best of them all, Valera said,
is ‘simply swimming at the clear
water and fine white sand beaches in the area.”
DOT officials lauded Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza for his tireless effort in bringing back the serenity and grandeur of the first-ever national
park in the city. He took over the
control of the Hundred Islands
from the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) in 2005.
“Our collective aspiration as
a people is to see Alaminos City
as a place where peace and
harmony reign, where our Godgiven natural resources are conserved and developed for the
enjoyment of people from all
walks of life,” said Braganza in
a statement.
Valera said the DOT and the
city government have agreed to
work together to preserve the
natural beauty of the islands and
attract more local and foreign
tourists.
In the last three years since
Braganza took over control of
the Hundred Islands, they recorded an increase of about 200
percent in the number of visitors yearly compared to the previous years.
“We also agree not to build
permanent structures in the islands to retain their virginity,” said
Valera.
Valera and the two-term mayor also tapped the services of
the Hundred Islands Eco-Tourism Association to handle group
tours in the national park. They
prioritized the hiring of local residents for the association.