THE WOMEN OF MALOLOS

        During the dark period in our history, women were confined only in the four corners of their home - to serve the needs of their husband and children. Their knowledge and skills were limited to household chores. They have no right to enroll in an educational institution of higher learning. Frustrated by the fate of women - on December 1888, twenty (20) women from Malolos petitioned Governor General Wyler for a permission to open a night school so that they can study Spanish language. Spanish priest Fr. Felipe Garcia objected, their petition was turned down -- but the women bravely pursued their dream defying friar's objection, until they finally obtained the government's approval, an attitude unheard of during those days.

         This is a non-profit undertaking of Alimokon Cyber Advocacy in a joint venture project with the Asian Theological Seminary Photography Club, the Women of Malolos Foundation, Inc., and the City of Malolos Tourism Office. Part of ATSPC's Historurism Photo Walk Project in Malolos, Bulacan with Pastor Lemuel Dayrit Danganan and Prof. Lorenzo Bautista, ATSPC Founder in celebration of the founding of the First Philippine Republic - "Ang Republika".

BIRD STRIKES @ NAIA

BIRDS STRIKES AT NAIA!

(From left: Lt. Gen. William K. Hotchkiss, CAAP Director General with   

Capt. John Andrews, Deputy General for Operations, CAAP)

 Bird strike at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) does not only poses an imminent danger to the safety of airlines and its passengers, but also a threat to our country’s economy as well. We may never earn an upgrade of our aviation safety classification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to boost our tourism industry and increase commercial activities in the metropolis and parts of central Luzon, because of such issue, other than the modernization of our airports.
 

Lately, there was tremendous increase of bird strikes at NAIA.  There were  49  bird strike recorded by CAAP from January to September, compared to 30 bird strikes in 2011 and 25 in 2010, which makes the makes the danger more imminent.  Thus, NAIA was prompted to issue a warning to the pilots of the danger to land and take off at NAIA. 

It was reported that a Philippine Airlines (PAL) Flight PR 124 to Manila was canceled last September after birds got sucked into the plane’s engine in order to ensure the safety of passengers and crew. Cebu Pacific's Cotabato-Manila flight was delayed for more than four hours also in the same month.  Earlier in July, it was reported that  PAL flight PR 105 that just arrived in Manila from Guam in also suffered from the same incident and the aircraft’s entire set of fan blades had to be replaced due to irreparable damage. It was reported by TV 5 News that from January to July this year, 39 bird strikes have been reported at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), 50 percent more than the same period last year, data from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) indicated.  These incidents involve aircraft of Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, Cathay Pacific, Jet Star Asia, Air Philippines Express, and Qatar Airways.
 
The population of migratory birds nesting at the Las-Piñas-Paranaque Critical Habitat and Eco Tourism area located about 15 kilometer away from NAIA . . .  DOUBLE CLICK HERE TO WITNESS BY YOURSELF

CS Examination this October

This could be of help to those who shall be assigned as room examiners as well as those who shall take the Civil Service Examination this coming October. For those in the Province of Bohol, Cebu and the entire country, so long as they have internet access.

It was in July 2009 during the background investigation we conducted for the CSC Honor Award Program's candidate in Bicol that we advocated for an e-application system to take CS Examination. A year thereafter, the CSC adopted "the On Line CSE Application Reservation System", which provides an e-application system to take CS Examination. What is needed to be improved further in the system, however, is the mode of payment and uploading of pictures. If the mode of payment could be done via banks or credit card, this could further enhance the system; and/or, if the applicants could readily upload their pictures via internet. This system of the CSC was already institutionalized even before the U.S. government increased the fees of their electronic Visa Application System (D-160), except of course for the advance feature of the e-visa application being implemented by the latter. At any rate, this could be a good project for the RP-U.S. government, maybe through the USAID to support, with the CSC as the pilot agency. USAID is presently advocating for transparency in government transactions through IT intervention.

Upon the request of CSCRO No. V Examination Division and CSCRO No. V Director IV Cecilia R. Nieto for the convenience of those applying to take the examination, in furtherance to our cyber advocacy, we produced an in-house video presentation to aid those who shall be assigned as room examiners as part of our advocacy project:

CSC Examination Administration Part 1

CSC EXAM ADMINISTRATION PART 2



[Inset picture: Director II Nissi Cherith V. Asis, Civil Service Commission, Tagbilaran Field Office, Province of Bohol.]

US$ 500,000.00 FUND FOR RP/US FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

It can be recalled that in our post of August 6, 2010, we advocated for an improved prosecution arm and to divert other programs to address poverty, which is the root cause of the problem in human trafficking instead of the U.S. Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr., (with utmost due respect) threatening us to lose P 11.4 billion non-humanitarian and non-trade assistance because prosecution of cases against human trafficking have not improved.

In a press release of the Embassy of the United States of America, Manila, on August 19, 2010 : the U.S. and the Philippine government through the DOJ inked an agreement in improving the capacity of the prosecutors and law enforcement sectors in our country to investigate, prosecute and convict Persons engaged in human trafficking. The project shall receive US 500,000.00 funding for . . . double click here . . .

P-Noy's MC No. 1

Memorandum Circular No. 1 may have been issued in a hurry by the fact that the said MC has been amended thrice. It can be recalled that the first major blunder committed by then President Estrada was when he issued Executive Order No. 1. After signing E.O. 1 (which makes the term of office of all those coterminous with FVR's administration to end on June 30 1998 - without regard to the hold-overs and despite unwritten agreement for the hold-overs left behind - to properly turn over the projects and people down the line). Many appointees during the Estrada Administration were allegedly without extensive government experience. A year thereafter the cabinet was overhauled, little over two-year period, war broke out in Mindanao, allegations of corruption (jueteng) erupted, different factions from within the Presidency silently moves into different direction from within the circle of the Presidency, which resulted to political unrest. Barely a quarter after two years in Presidency - President Estrada was ousted in Office, escorted by his Chief of Staff out of Malacañang.

ADVOCACIES . . .

It was more than two years ago that we advocated for the intercession of the Divine for our country to unite towards a common goal in the POWER OF YOUR LOVE, where we prayed for a day to come for our country to move as one towards a common vision for a peaceful, well meaningful, economically stable and environmentally sound governance of our nation and its people, destroyed by the decaying moral fiber of our society and lack of sense of patriotism. In our post, WHAT AN IRONY, we expressed how we suffered so much because of the catastrophe brought about by Typhoon Ondoy and Peping, poor strategic planning and how we should move as one to help those who are in need in "The Sprit of Volunterism". Prior to that, we advocated on how a simple person, a driver at that, could make a difference in the lives of our fellowmen within and without the government. We also advocated for IT intervention of CS Examination to facilitate effective, efficient and speedy administration of CS Examination. In support of the Gender Advocacy movement: we advocated for Anti-Smoking Campaign where we talked about how smoking affects our economic growth and as early as May 2009 have been advocating for transparency in government transaction through IT intervention. In support of the advocacy against violence on women, we advocated to be vigilant on crimes against human trafficiking. We are thankful that our advocacy are being heard by policy makers.

Lately, days after our post on human trafficiking, the newly installed US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr., brought forth to our attention the problem on human trafficking in a column of Rina Jimenez-David at the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Experts, however, agrees that the key area that could solve the problem in our society is "POVERTY", which we are now advocating through "GOOD GOVERNANCE". We hope that the good US Ambassador recommends to their government to re-channel the P 11.4 billion non-humanitarian and non-trade assistance to address poverty issues thru good governance and allocates some to address issues concerning prosecution of offenses involving human trafficking and empowerment of witnesses, including corrupt prosecutors and magistrates - rather than warning us to lose the same merely because our country is at "Tier 2 Watch List" in the current edition of the US Department's "Trafficking in Person's Report" (as if interfering with our sovereignty) - with utmost due respect to the good Ambassador.

Bohol Experience with Mr. Johnny Torralba . . .

[After a day's work going over most of the towns in the Province of Bohol, a tiring day, after which a dinner with Manong Johnny Torralba and Romeo Terruel of the Province of Bohol's Special Projects Unit. This humble person and their organization helped so many Boholanos, silently.]

It was providential that in documenting the Tagbilaran Church on our way to visit 7 beautifully architectured Churches in Bohol dating back to the 17th century while going over to our destination to conduct area assessment and evaluation of the Province, we met Mr. Johnny Torralba along the way, who is about to leave. Mr. Johnny Torralba was the former President of the Association of Boholanos in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (for 11 years) and the former Chief Executive Officer of Confederation of the Boholanos in the USA and Canada (CONBUSAC), which have been helping Bohol's development through the years. It's a rare opportunity to have a dinner with this man, who has been to different countries all over the world implementing developmental projects in third world countries while with the United Nations Development Program.

To Manong Johnny, thank you very much! Herewith is the message of Manong Johnny to all the Boholanos all over the world, to Manong Johnny and all the Boholanos: